Chapter 36 Does Shi Yu Like Her?

Chapter 36 Does Shi Yu Like Her?

Everyone sat on the floor, forming a large circle.

Lin Jingtao saw that Shi Yu and Qi Yanye were also joining in, so he pulled them to sit across from him.

Song Zishan made room for Shi Nian, allowing her to sit next to Lin Yao on her right side.

Lin Yao scrutinized Qi Yanye, who was sitting across from her, feeling uneasy.

She remembered in the original story, the bottle had pointed at Shi Nian, who then drew a card and got the KISS card. Given their seating arrangement, Shi Nian would have kissed Qi Yanye across from her.

But the Lin Yao in the book was both dramatic and manipulative; she took the card Shi Nian drew and lied, claiming the bottle pointed at her.

So, if anyone was going to kiss, it should be her kissing Qi Yanye.

Recalling this part of the story, Lin Yao felt instantly embarrassed.

She couldn't understand how the original Lin Yao wouldn't feel awkward or ashamed about such an action.

"Yao, Yao... what are you looking at? It's your turn to add the seasoning."

Shi Nian gently patted her, bringing her back from her anxious thoughts.

Lin Yao snapped out of her trance, realizing she had been staring at Qi Yanye intently.

"Oh, nothing." She quickly regained her composure, only to meet a gaze from across the room.

Qi Yanye's eyes were deep and unreadable, filled with hidden emotions.

Lin Yao was momentarily taken aback, wondering why Qi Yanye was staring at her, but upon closer inspection, she realized he was actually looking at Shi Nian beside her.

The girl let out a slight sigh of relief.

Thankfully, he wasn't looking at her.

But then, another intense and undeniable gaze locked onto her face.

Lin Yao's heart skipped a beat.

Without even turning her head, she knew the gaze coming from her front could only belong to either Qi Yanye or Shi Yu.

Shi Yu's eyes were dark and penetrating, fixed unashamedly on the young girl's face.

Just now, he had seen the little green tea staring at Qi Yanye without blinking.

Shi Yu's expression turned cold, and he glanced sideways at Qi Yanye.

Was Qi Yanye really that attractive?

"Lin Yao, have you decided? What ingredient are we adding?"

Zhou Yuwei held up a bottle of oyster sauce and mustard, asking Lin Yao.

Lin Yao dared not look around anymore and focused her attention on the bottles in front of her.

These were the punishment props for their game later.

Each person would take turns adding one ingredient to the bottle, and during Truth or Dare, if someone refused to complete a task, they could choose to drink a cup of this concoction as a substitute.

With over a dozen ingredients mixed together, it sounded quite thrilling.

Considering she might be targeted by the plot gods later, Lin Yao conservatively picked up the ketchup: "I'll just add this."

At least ketchup was tasty.

"Why add ketchup? It's not exciting at all. We should add mustard instead," Zhou Yuwei thought Lin Yao was too lenient and squeezed a generous amount of mustard into the bottle.

Lin Yao: "..."

Shi Nian then added some bitter melon juice.

Ketchup, mustard, bitter melon juice... Lin Yao suddenly felt that adding ketchup might have been a mistake. The mix of sweet, bitter, and spicy seemed even stranger.

"Alright, everyone listen up..."

Lin Jingtao placed a large box in the center.

"This is a special Truth or Dare card set I bought online. When the bottle stops spinning, whoever it points at will draw a card. No cheating, or you have to drink the punishment drink!"

"Oh, Lin Jingtao, you always come up with these things..."

"Last time, you drew a card asking the guy at the next table about his underwear color. That was too much. Don't pull any weird stunts this time."

Lin Jingtao: "Hey, hey, last time was a mistake. This time, it's the pure school edition, okay?"

Lin Jingtao handed an empty beer bottle to Shi Yu: "Brother Yu, you've been working hard tutoring. Why don't you go first?"

The most qualified to start were Shi Yu, Shi Nian, and Qi Yanye.

The first two had been working hard tutoring, while the latter provided the venue.

However, Lin Jingtao clearly favored Shi Yu, wanting to give his friend the first chance.

Shi Yu took the bottle without objection, glancing subtly at Lin Yao, who looked very nervous across from him.

He placed the bottle on the floor and gave it a spin.

The glass beer bottle began to spin rapidly in the middle of the floor.

"Don't let it be me... don't let it be me..." Lin Yao stared intently at the beer bottle, chanting frantically in her heart.

The rapidly spinning bottle finally came to a stop.

And the direction it pointed to was actually... Lin Jingtao!

Phew, thank goodness.

Lin Yao breathed a sigh of relief, her eyebrows instantly arching into a smile.

Lin Jingtao: "Damn it, Brother Yu, don't mess with me like this! It landed on me right away!"

Lin Jingtao looked aggrieved, but everyone else was laughing. Amidst their teasing, Lin Jingtao reached into the box and pulled out a card.

"Dare: Call the last person you spoke to on your phone and yell at them for one minute before turning it off."

Lin Jingtao shook his head vigorously while holding his phone. "No, no, no, that won't work. The last call I made was to my mom; even if I yelled for a second, I'd be done. I choose to drink the beverage!"

"Tsk... Lin Jingtao, are you serious?"

"Alright, alright, let him off. Drink the beverage."

Xiao Kai, the sports committee member, kindly filled a glass with a dark greenish-black beverage, "Here, take your time. If you throw up, it doesn't count."

That greenish-black drink looked terrifying.

Lin Yao clung tightly to Shi Nian's arm, blinking and hiding behind his shoulder, feeling that if she drew a strange card later, she would probably have to drink that beverage too.

This made Shi Nian laugh and comfort her.

"Yue... I, I can't take it anymore. How many ingredients did you put in there..."

Lin Jingtao pinched his nose and downed the drink in one go, then clutched his stomach and fell onto the floor, his legs twitching slightly.

Everyone found it hilarious.

After a while, Lin Jingtao got back up, panting heavily, "Let me tell you, always choose the dare if you can. If I had known the drink was so awful, I would have called someone."

"Alright, it's my turn for revenge. Let's see who gets picked this time."

The last person chosen was Lin Jingtao, so now it was his turn to spin the bottle.

Lin Jingtao thought about getting revenge, hoping to land on Brother Yu so he could suffer too.

And surprisingly, it worked.

Lin Jingtao spun the beer bottle, which eventually stopped, pointing directly at Shi Yu.

"Oh, it's Brother Yu..."

"Brother Yu, come draw a card."

The boys in the class were the most enthusiastic, bringing the box right to Shi Yu.

The girls were also laughing.

Who wouldn't enjoy watching a handsome guy get embarrassed?

It would be even more fun if he drew a weird card and something strange happened.

Even Zhou Yuwei leaned over to Lin Yao, whispering, "What if Shi Yu draws a card that says he has to kiss me? How should I refuse him?"

Lin Yao: "What???"

Did she hear that right?

"Why are you looking at me like that? I'm serious," Zhou Yuwei said. "I've played with those cards before. The most daring one is to kiss someone across from you. We're sitting opposite them, and I'm not even fond of Shi Yu. If he draws that card, it'll be annoying."

Lin Yao: "..."

Kiss someone across from you?

Lin Yao glanced around... the person sitting across from her was actually Qi Yanye.

Next to Qi Yanye was Shi Yu.

Shi Yu was facing Zhou Yuwei.

Wait... the person across from her was Qi Yanye!?

So, that's why in the original book, the kissing card with Qi Yanye appeared so naturally!?

Zhou Yuwei: "Why do you look so shocked all of a sudden?"

"N-nothing..." Lin Yao shook her head, her heart racing faster.

She couldn't possibly draw that card and end up kissing the person across from her, right?

Just then, Shi Yu had already drawn his card.

"Truth: What is your favorite color?"

"What? That's so boring. Brother Yu drew such an easy one."

"Can we redraw...?"

The room erupted in disappointment, especially Lin Jingtao, who felt particularly unsatisfied.

But there was nothing they could do; Shi Yu had drawn that card.

He lifted his gaze to look at Lin Yao, who was sitting across from him with Shi Nian and Zhou Yuwei. Lowering his eyes, he whispered, "My favorite color... blue, I guess."

Lin Yao: "…"

So Shi Yu's favorite color is blue. She had thought someone like him would prefer black.

"Figures he'd say blue," Zhou Yuwei muttered softly beside her, looking displeased.

Then, several more rounds of the game ensued.

Many people were chosen, either for truth or dare, and everyone was having a great time, laughing and staggering around.

Until finally—

Shi Nian was picked by the bottle and drew a truth card.

Lin Yao's heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled.

Thank goodness, it was just a truth card, not a dare. It was completely different from what happened in the text.

It seemed the plot effect was gradually diminishing; she wouldn't have to compete with Shi Nian for the dare card anymore.

The truth question Shi Nian drew was quite ordinary, and she answered it casually.

"Alright, alright, Sister Nian, spin the bottle again. Let's play one last round."

It was getting late, so everyone decided to finish one last round before studying.

Lin Yao quickly sat up straight.

She thought, as long as she wasn't unlucky enough to be picked in the final round, today would be a perfect pass for her.

Shi Nian placed the bottle in the center and gave it a push, causing it to spin rapidly.

Lin Yao watched the slowly decelerating beer bottle intently, hoping it wouldn't point at her this last time.

Perhaps her earnest wish was heard by the heavens,

the bottle stopped, its bottom facing directly towards Lin Yao.

Great!

Not her, really not her!

Lin Yao looked up joyfully, following the direction the bottle pointed, and saw Qi Yanye sitting across from her.

Ha, the last unlucky person turned out to be the school bully.

At that moment, Qi Yanye wore a deep frown, clearly fed up with this childish game.

But the crowd didn't mind the drama and cheered, "Brother Qi, you're not afraid to draw, are you?"

"Brother Qi, smell these drinks but don't drink them, just draw one."

Qi Yanye looked disdainfully at the drinks Lin Jingtao brought over.

There was no way he was going to drink those dark beverages.

So, Qi Yanye reached out, grabbed the box, and with a grim face, pulled out a card.

"Dare: Kiss the opposite sex sitting across from you."

Boom—

The scene erupted into chaos.

Finally, someone had drawn the only kissing card in the entire box.

When Lin Yao heard Qi Yanye draw the kissing card, her face paled, and she froze on the spot.

Qi... Qi Yanye's opposite, the person sitting there, was her.

She had avoided the game all night, even when Shi Nian drew a card without any issues, and yet, she ended up with a mistake on the very last card.

What plot effect diminishing?

What awakening as a butterfly's wing successfully changing the plot line?

All lies, everything was a lie.

The girl suddenly felt a sense of bewilderment. No matter how much she tried to twist and turn, it seemed like an invisible hand was pulling her life's strings.

Even though she had worked hard to improve, to avoid, and made many changes, it still ended up in the scenario she least wanted to see.

"Great... The person sitting across from Qi Yanye is Lin Yao." Zhou Yuwei's voice rang out, filled with surprise.

She was a fan of the Qi Yanye and Lin Yao pairing.

The combination of the school bully and the good girl was something she always rooted for in campus novels.

She didn't know about Lin Yao's current sadness and fear, only thinking that the official couple was meant to be together. Even the heavens seemed to be helping the school bully and Lin Yao.

In the dare game, whoever drew a card had to follow through with the dare. Since they participated, they were considered to have accepted the conditions.

Lin Yao couldn't refuse now.

Moreover, the classmates were cheering loudly, and they certainly wouldn't agree.

Only Shi Yu's expression grew colder and colder at this moment.

"Bro Qi, it's your turn. Go on..." A few boys were eager to see what would happen next, urging Qi Yanye to act.

Qi Yanye was already annoyed by drawing this card. When he looked up and saw Shi Nian only talking and comforting Lin Yao, ignoring him completely, his irritation grew.

The school bully’s temper flared, and he ignored everyone.

His face darkened, and he planned to deny the draw.

"Wait a moment."

At that moment, Shi Yu's clear and indifferent voice rang out.

He tapped the bottle nearby with his finger and lifted his thin eyelids to look at everyone.

"That bottle isn't pointing at Qi Yanye."

"It's pointing at me."

What?!!

Everyone turned to look at the beer bottle placed in the center of the circle.

If... if they had to say, it did seem to be pointing at Shi Yu.

No!

Earlier, when they were cheering, the scene was so lively—making Qi Yanye draw a card, bringing drinks over—that Qi Yanye’s seat had been pushed off-center.

And somehow, Shi Yu had casually moved closer to where Qi Yanye originally sat.

Now, the bottle was pointing at Brother Yu.

Gu Hui, who usually played basketball with Shi Yu, feared Shi Yu would be at a disadvantage and pointed at the bottle, saying, "No, no, the bottle was clearly pointing at Brother Qi. We all saw it. How can it count as pointing at Brother Yu?"

Xiao Kai also chimed in, "Yeah, we can all testify."

"Is that so?" Shi Yu lifted a cool glance toward Lin Jingtao. "Tell me, who was the bottle pointing at just now?"

Lin Jingtao: "..."

Damn, who else could it be?

Of course, it was pointing at Brother Yu.

Lin Jingtao finally realized what was happening.

He had been too excited about the school bully drawing a kiss card, almost forgetting that the person he had to kiss was their little class president.

Their little class president was his future sister-in-law!

Lin Jingtao: "Right, I saw it clearly just now. The bottle was indeed pointing at Brother Yu. It's my fault... I was too excited and misled everyone."

With Lin Jingtao’s words, everyone began to doubt their memory.

After all, Qi Yanye and Shi Yu were sitting close together.

The bottle was pointing in that direction; perhaps they had really seen wrong?

Especially since Lin Jingtao spoke so confidently.

Everyone: "So, who’s doing the dare now?"

Shi Yu raised an eyebrow, took the card from Qi Yanye, lowered his eyes, and stared at it for a moment.

"Alright, I accept the dare."

Hearing this, Lin Yao’s heart tightened instantly.

Her previously frustrated and self-pitying heart was suddenly filled with an indescribable tension.

What is Shi Yu talking about?

By accepting the dare, he means...

There was no time for much thought. Lin Yao saw the boy in the black hoodie, looking indifferent and cold, stand up amidst the cheers.

Shi Yu was walking towards her.

Tall and broad-shouldered, his posture relaxed, he seemed to be a natural model, standing against the light.

She didn’t know why, but seeing Shi Yu like this made her heart race as it had during physics class.

Even her fingers curled slightly, trembling and clenching.

Even though... even though Shi Yu wasn’t wearing glasses and wasn’t her usual type.

"Wow, Brother Yu, go for it!"

"Little class president, don’t let Brother Yu off easy... make him responsible!"

Lin Yao couldn’t hear her classmates’ cheers anymore. She felt like she was in another space.

She could only see Shi Yu stopping in front of her.

The boy bent down slightly, his long fingers lifting her chin, raising her flushed and warm face.

Their noses touched.

Lin Yao’s trembling deer-like eyes narrowed, glistening with moisture, clearly seeing Shi Yu’s pale skin, the moving Adam’s apple, and the blue veins under his neck as he leaned closer.

"Don't be afraid."

He murmured softly to her.

His thumb caressed her trembling lips, then he leaned down and kissed her.

Lin Yao's breath caught, her eyelashes fluttering.

Her heart seemed to stop beating in that moment.

She couldn't tell if she was anticipating or fearing it.

All she could do was watch Shi Yu's deep, cool face gradually fill her vision.

A light kiss, like a dragonfly touching water, landed on the girl's forehead.

She had originally thought it would be... on the lips.

But it wasn't.

The black-haired, black-clothed boy just looked deeply into her eyes.

Those dark, cool eyes were filled with hidden currents, then he raised his hand to rub her forehead before stepping back.

"Fine, Brother Yu is cheating!"

"How can you kiss the forehead? That's too formal, Brother Yu..."

"Look, the card says 'kiss,' not 'make out.' Read it clearly."

"A forehead kiss still counts as a kiss."

Shi Yu tossed the card to everyone.

The group passed the card around, finally confirming that Shi Yu was right, and reluctantly gave up.

Only Lin Yao remained sitting on the ground, dazed.

Her mind was blank, her chest felt like fireworks exploding inside.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the complex and deep gaze of Shi Yu when he lifted her chin as if about to kiss her.

Her heart pounded like a drum.

After a long while, a ridiculous and hard-to-admit thought suddenly emerged in Lin Yao's mind—

Does Shi Yu... like her?