Chapter 87: Truth or Dare Part 2

The image, however, seemed branded into her retinas, refusing to fade.

She simply couldn’t reconcile such a photo with the disciplined, self-contained Shen Ruoshuang—the woman who buttoned her shirts to the very top and always dressed in conservative, cool tones.

Even thinking that she would take such a photo felt like an act of sacrilege against the Unreachable Beauty.

And yet… not only had she seen it, her soul had been completely ensnared by it.

“Goddess Shuang, who do you choose as your witness?”

While no one dared to crack jokes at Shen Ruoshuang’s expense, their curiosity was nearly uncontrollable; they hoped to glean something from the witness’s reaction.

“Xu Yinian.”

Shen Ruoshuang spoke the name slowly, but it didn’t sound like she was merely answering the question.

“Then Xu Yinian, come over—”

Before the committee member could finish, Shen Ruoshuang interrupted, “There’s no need.”

“Does it look good?”

Even when asking such a thing, her clear, cold voice lacked any warmth, as if she were asking the most mundane question imaginable.

At those words, everyone froze. Then it clicked.

The person Shen Ruoshuang had sent the photo to was Xu Yinian! That’s why there was no need for a witness.

They turned to look at Xu Yinian, only to find her cheeks so red they looked ready to drip blood. She looked away, her entire body practically radiating steam.

Just what kind of photo had Shen Ruoshuang sent to make her this embarrassed?!

The curiosity that had faded due to Shen Ruoshuang’s usual cold demeanor surged back with a vengeance.

Ji Yan and the others, who could only watch from the sidelines, had already guessed. It was definitely some kind of provocative, thirsty thirst-trap. Shen Ruoshuang might have looked indifferent on the surface when she drew that dare, but she was probably jumping for joy inside! She was clearly using the task as an excuse to seduce Xu Yinian.

Xu Yinian didn’t answer, but the result of the Dare was obvious. Given her reaction, it was definitely “scandalous.”

The photo was actually one Shen Ruoshuang had snapped by accident while she was distracted looking through her album. When she saw she was wearing the camisole Xu Yinian “liked,” she hadn’t deleted it. Instead, she had spent time imagining how Xu Yinian would react if she ever saw it.

And now, she knew. It must have looked good.

Xu Yinian clearly liked it very much.

“Next round.”

Knowing she wouldn’t get an answer from Xu Yinian, Shen Ruoshuang’s reaction remained flawless, showing not a single trace of the erotic tension.

Although everyone still didn’t know what the photo was, the realization was slowly sinking in: why did Shen Ruoshuang choose to send it specifically to Xu Yinian?

And why choose a photo that was “scandalous” in that particular sense?

Could their relationship be… unusual?

Suddenly, everyone’s attention shifted to the two of them.

By the time Xu Yinian drew a Red Card in the next round, she was still in a daze. It took the committee asking twice for her to realize that she was the “unlucky one” this time.

The Dare for this round fell to Ji Yan.

She tossed down her Blue Card and drew a new one from the pile passed to her.

“Truth. Five-second countdown: describe your ideal type. Five, four…”

Ideal type! Xu Yinian was stunned, while Shen Ruoshuang and the other three girls visibly stiffened, their attention sharpening.

“I… I…”

As the countdown ticked away, her mind was a blank canvas, save for one blurry figure.

The more the pressure mounted, the clearer that figure became, until the words practically tumbled out of Xu Yinian’s mouth:

“I like someone who can spot me in a crowd instantly… someone who discovers and remembers my hidden little habits… someone who follows through on what they say and never breaks a promise…”

Realizing the time was up and that she had said far too much, Xu Yinian came to a sudden halt, swallowing the rest of her words.

The traits Xu Yinian had listed seemed to apply to the other three, with the exception of Lu Zhou, whom she had only recently met.

Yet, it also felt as if it were a description custom-made for one specific person.

These darlings of fortune had never felt so insecure in their entire lives. And all it took was a simple description from a young girl.

The class committee member was also stunned by the sudden, serious outpouring. It took them a moment to regain their composure. “That’s so detailed. You aren’t describing someone you already like, are you?”

Terrified, Xu Yinian shook her head. Her denial was so frantic and exaggerated that it only made her more suspicious. “N-no! Not at all!”

However, even Xu Yinian hadn’t realized something. If that blurry shadow in her mind hadn’t been interrupted—if she had allowed herself to keep speaking—once all the clues pointed to that person, she would never have been able to escape.

Of course, she also didn’t know what kind of stormy emotions her words had stirred in the hearts of the women around her.

The committee member just smiled and didn’t press her further, moving on to Ji Yan’s task.

“Ji Yan, your Dare is to choose anyone here and call them ‘Mom.’ You have to play the role of mother and daughter for at least one minute.”

The moment Lu Zhou heard the task, she let out a small hiss through her teeth. She was certain Ji Yan wouldn’t do it.

She had seen the young Ji Yan locked in a dark room after being beaten by her family, the light in her eyes extinguished by despair. She had seen the teenage Ji Yan write a wish for her mother to get well on a prayer plaque, only to tear it down and burn it with a cold sneer after being hurt again. She had also seen the madness in the way Ji Yan tirelessly drew her mother’s face over and over on paper.

She knew all too well how much Ji Yan hated and yet couldn’t let go of that woman.

For Ji Yan, the word “Mother” was an untouchable line.

And yet, in the very next second, she heard Ji Yan’s voice. It sounded normal, but it was laced with a strange emotion.

It was like the pleasure one feels when something hits a specific, hidden preference.

“Is it okay?”

She looked up at Xu Yinian. It was strange; the two words she hadn’t uttered in so long didn’t feel foreign at all.

Perhaps it was because she had already said them in her heart a thousand times.

“Mom.”