Chapter 18

Chapter 18

As Xie Qingfeng approached, Shao Shubo felt increasingly nervous, particularly unsettled by Xie Qingfeng’s calm and composed demeanor, as if all his secrets were being laid bare.

It must be an illusion, right? There’s no way Xie Qingfeng could know about his private dealings.

Even though Xie Qingfeng was now the young master of a wealthy family, it had only been a month; surely, he couldn’t have extended his reach to uncover Shao Shubo’s affairs.

When Xie Qingfeng arrived at the booth, there were two vacant seats among the classmates.

One was next to Shao Shubo, where Shi Lele had been sitting before he got up, leaving it empty.

The other was across from Shao Shubo at the very edge of the booth, which had just been vacated by a few people.

After making space, the group exchanged knowing glances, recalling the rumor that had circulated over the past year. They wondered whether Xie Qingfeng would choose to sit next to Shao Shubo.

Xie Qingfeng, noticing their subtle gestures, chose a seat across from Shao Shubo and greeted everyone.

His composed demeanor made the classmates think that the earlier rumors were just baseless, and they jokingly asked how he found his one month of life in a wealthy family.

Their curiosity was partly genuine, but they also wanted to indirectly confirm the rumors and establish a connection for future use, knowing the value of networking with him.

Xie Qingfeng glanced at the playing cards on the table and dropped a bombshell: “I’ve severed ties with that family.”

The surrounding area fell silent, with only the noise from other booths nearby, making their corner seem eerily quiet.

Shi Lele, who had just sat down and taken a sip of his drink, nearly choked in shock: “Xie Qingfeng, are you joking? Why would you sever ties?”

Xie Qingfeng was merely stating a fact. They would soon see the news. In a city the size of C City, it was not too big for such news to spread quickly, especially since Xie Weihuan would likely be eager to make it public once he was discharged.

But Xie Qingfeng was indifferent to it.

Changing the subject, Xie Qingfeng asked, “What are you guys playing?”

The group, coming back to their senses and assuming he was joking, replied more relaxedly, “Truth or Dare. Do you want to play?”

They had just finished their college entrance exams and were here out of curiosity. The game was a good way to ease the atmosphere and express their feelings through truths or dares.

Xie Qingfeng, noticing Shao Shubo secretly sending messages, replied, “Sure, I’ll play.”

The group exchanged glances, thinking that he seemed quite sociable. Maybe his previous aloofness was due to his focus on studies.

Shao Shubo sent a message saying [Don't come over yet, we’re still hanging out] to someone named 【A】 before he could relax.

He had planned to have the person named 【A】 pick him up after the gathering, confident that his classmates wouldn’t suspect anything and that he could handle the situation.

But ever since Xie Qingfeng showed up, Shao Shubo felt a constant sense of unease, as if a bad omen was looming.

On the table was a specially selected deck of 26 cards, comprising two suits – hearts and spades, ranging from A to K.

There were nine people present, and with Xie Qingfeng’s arrival, they were ten in total. Each person drew a card, and those who pulled matching numbers, the spade would receive a dare from the heart.

As a guest, Xie Qingfeng was initially offered the first draw by Shi Lele, but he declined.

Shi Lele didn’t insist and began the game, followed by Shao Shubo, and the turn went around until Xie Qingfeng, who was last to draw.

Xie Qingfeng had already understood the rules from Shi Lele's explanation. Shi Lele shuffled the cards, sitting directly opposite him.

Xie Qingfeng quietly watched Shi Lele’s shuffling technique. The others noticed but thought he was just curious.

Xie Qingfeng paid close attention to everyone’s draws. Previously unnoticed, now the bar’s colorful lights shone on their faces, making them particularly striking.

Especially when drawing cards under Xie Qingfeng’s gaze, there was an illusion of hearts racing.

Xie Qingfeng waited for the other nine people to draw before casually taking a card, giving Shao Shubo a glance.

Shao Shubo drew a heart, meaning he wouldn’t face any dare regardless of what the others drew.

Xie Qingfeng drew the spade ace, and another person drew the heart ace.

This person was sitting next to Shao Shubo and was the same young man Xie Qingfeng had seen with Shao Shubo outside the hospital.

The young man next to Shao Shubo couldn't believe his luck and winked at Shao, recalling how Xie Qingfeng had previously gotten into a sports car outside the hospital, pretending not to see them.

He had asked Shao about his relationship with Xie Qingfeng before, but Shao always played dumb. To think they were supposed to be best friends. His eyes flickered between Xie Qingfeng and Shao Shubo before apologizing to Xie Qingfeng with a clasped hands gesture, “Looks like I'm lucky this round. Sorry in advance, we're all classmates here. Don't be upset with whatever dare I come up with.”

Xie Qingfeng responded indifferently.

The young man, excited, asked, “Do you choose Truth or Dare?”

Xie Qingfeng replied, “Truth.”

The young man was delighted and immediately asked a provocative question, “Xie, have you ever liked someone in the past eighteen years? Who was it?”

As soon as he said this, the atmosphere changed among those who had been laughing, recalling the rumors and instinctively looking at Xie Qingfeng and Shao Shubo.

Surprisingly, Xie Qingfeng appeared calm and composed, whereas Shao Shubo’s displeasure was evident, even under the dim lights.

Everyone was confused: This reaction was completely different from what they had expected.

The instigator, eager for drama, pressed on, “What’s wrong? Isn’t everyone curious? Xie, you’re not going to take a penalty drink in the first round, are you?”

Xie Qingfeng looked at him emotionlessly: “Of course not, I have nothing to hide. I have never liked anyone from birth until now.”

His response was so unexpected that everyone was stunned: Wasn’t it rumored that Xie Qingfeng liked Shao Shubo? There were even talks about him giving Shao chocolates on last year’s Qixi Festival.

Some had jokingly asked Shao about it, and though he never confirmed it, he hadn’t denied it either.

The person who asked the question retorted, “You're lying. You definitely gave Shubo chocolates last year. Someone saw you…”

“Shut up!” Shao Shubo finally regained his composure and intervened, but it was too late.

His unease had reached its peak.

As expected, Xie Qingfeng looked at him with a smirk that seemed like mockery: "About the chocolate thing, yes, it did happen. But for what reason, you might want to ask Shao Shubo."

Everyone's heads swiveled to look at Shao Shubo.

Shao Shubo, having maintained his persona for so many years, wanted to deny it but remembered the recording. He knew that if he denied it, Xie Qingfeng would unhesitatingly play it, making things worse.

Shao Shubo took a deep breath: "This... it's a misunderstanding. At first, I thought so too, but later I realized that the chocolate was just a kind gesture from Xie because I casually mentioned wanting it while at his family’s restaurant during the summer break. It just so happened that the day was special..." Before he could finish his evasive explanation, a few soft taps on the table cut through the noisy environment.

The sound was light but made Shao Shubo freeze. After pondering, he finally admitted, "I intentionally joked with Xie, planning to clarify it later, but things escalated, and I didn’t dare speak up."

Everyone was dumbfounded. So, what Xie Qingfeng said was true. Shao Shubo never liked him; it was he who intentionally caused the misunderstanding and didn’t clarify it?

Clearing the air tonight went surprisingly smoothly. Since Shi Lele shuffled the deck, Xie Qingfeng had memorized all the card sequences.

Even if this envious classmate, who had been eyeing him since his arrival, hadn’t asked, Xie Qingfeng would have taken the initiative to ask Shao Shubo when he drew the spade.

But now that things were clear, he didn’t need to intervene anymore, just waiting to watch the drama unfold.

The next two rounds went on with everyone having different thoughts. Shao Shubo harbored resentment towards his close friends, who never expected their actions to backfire, being distracted throughout.

Just as the fourth round began, a figure stood behind Shao Shubo, affectionately leaning down to glance at the card he just drew: "What are you playing?"

The group looked up, puzzled at the unfamiliar man. In his twenties, dressed in trendy fashion, he wore earrings that glittered in the dim light, sharply contrasting with their lingering student-like appearance.

Shao Shubo stiffened, instinctively pushing the man away, "Why are you here? Didn't you see the message I sent you?"

The stranger casually pulled out his phone, "It's too noisy in here, who could hear anything?"

Shao Shubo hadn’t expected the man to actually show up. He stood up hastily, planning to leave with him, fearing more trouble if they stayed.

He was gambling that their classmates wouldn’t recognize the man and wouldn’t speak up, and also betting that Xie Qingfeng wouldn’t say anything.

Just as he stood up, a nonchalant voice sounded, “Since you’re here already, why not join us for a round?”

“No need!” Shao Shubo refused in panic.

The classmates, initially just curious, now frowned, especially since Shao Shubo's image had just been tarnished in their minds as someone who intentionally played cruel pranks.

Xie Qingfeng, however, wasn't ready to let him off the hook: “This gentleman looks unfamiliar. What’s your relationship with Shao?”

The man was taken aback and looked at Xie Qingfeng. Just as he was about to respond, considering Shao Shubo’s preference for secrecy, Xie Qingfeng interrupted with another question: “Are you lovers?”

The man, assuming that Shao Shubo had made their relationship public, joyfully admitted: “Yes, you all know?” After speaking, he wrapped his arm around Shao Shubo’s neck, only to notice Shao’s displeased expression.

Looking at the stunned expressions of everyone else, they were all in disbelief: ???

Xie Qingfeng’s goal for the evening achieved, stood up. Just then, a waiter came over, respectfully informing the group: “Mr. Xie is our boss's honored guest. All expenses for tonight are waived. Please enjoy your evening.”

Xie Qingfeng didn’t say much, planning to give Luan a discount later.

He glanced at everyone, especially at the disheartened and embarrassed Shao Shubo, feeling pleased: “I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving first.”

Not long after Xie Qingfeng left, the senior class 3 (1) group chat exploded.