After dinner, Mo Xiangwen took a short detour, chatting idly with Su Mengli and Su Mengyao as he escorted the two back to their dorm building.
Once he had said his goodbyes, he headed back to his own dorm alone.
Of course, he was well aware of the unwritten rules in the guys’ dorm. Since he was the only one who had gone out, the task of bringing back drinks naturally fell to him.
He made sure to swing by Yipin Tea along the way, picking up a few cups of juice before hurrying back.
It was normal for the dorm door to be shut, but to his surprise, no shrieks from their gaming sessions echoed from inside.
Huh? Where were his keys? Were they not in the dorm? Then why reach for them?
He hesitated for a moment and knocked on the door. Almost immediately, it swung open.
Three burly guys with fierce expressions greeted him, each gripping a broom or a clothes-drying pole like weapons, radiating menace.
Er… though Qin Yongfeng looked rather reluctant about it.
“What are you guys doing?” Mo Xiangwen asked hesitantly.
To his shock, his words seemed to trigger some kind of signal. The trio instantly surrounded him.
“Lao Mo, how was Haidilao?” Zhong Taihong asked with a grin.
“It was pretty good. I think we should all go together next time—it’s economical and filling.” Mo Xiangwen held up the juices. “Oh, and I brought you guys some juice on the way back.”
“Holy crap, godfather!” Xi Shaojie snatched the cup from his hand and immediately flashed a welcoming gesture, his face all smiles. “Godfather, come on in.”
“Thanks, Lao Mo.” Qin Yongfeng took his juice too, clapping Mo Xiangwen on the shoulder with a grin.
What came quick went just as fast.
The three scowling faces brightened in an instant, the murderous tension evaporating without a trace.
Zhong Taihong shot the other two an exasperated glare before accepting his juice with a chuckle.
“Fine then. Consider that your atonement.”
…What the hell were these guys up to?
Mo Xiangwen stepped inside, utterly baffled, only to spot someone’s suitcase dragged into the center of the room and topped with a sheet of cardboard.
“You guys haven’t finished eating yet?” he asked curiously. “Should’ve said something—I could’ve packed leftovers for you.”
“We’re done.” Xi Shaojie followed his gaze and nodded in realization. “Oh, that’s for cards later.”
“Cards? No gaming tonight?”
“Nope. Gaming gets old after a while. Cards sound fun.” Zhong Taihong laughed.
Xi Shaojie bobbed his head enthusiastically. “Totally, totally.”
Yeah, right—you two are the wildest gamers, hollering wake-up calls for sessions before you’re even out of bed.
“Oh, okay then. You guys play; I’ll game.” Mo Xiangwen, sensing something off for no clear reason, opted to bail.
“No way!”
“No way!”
The pair bellowed in unison and charged right up to him.
“No dice—you’re playing cards with us tonight,” Zhong Taihong snorted.
“Yeah, don’t make me get on my knees and beg,” Xi Shaojie added with his own sniff.
“Damn it, can’t you show some spine?” Zhong Taihong jabbed a finger at Xi Shaojie.
“But Lao Mo just hooked us up with juice,” Xi Shaojie sighed. “Godfather grace has to last at least a few minutes, yeah?”
Zhong Taihong blinked, then nodded. “Oh, true. Carry on.”
“Damn, what are you two plotting?” Mo Xiangwen stared at the clownish duo in disbelief. “If it’s nothing shady, why cards all of a sudden?”
Qin Yongfeng let out a sigh from the sidelines. “They’re not after cards. They want to play Truth or Dare with you.”
Truth or Dare—yeah, that had been a staple back when they first moved into the dorm.
Sometimes after military training, too, when hanging with guys from other rooms.
But mostly, it was an in-house thing.
“Then just say so. Let’s play.” Mo Xiangwen shrugged indifferently. “I figured you were cooking up some weird scheme.”
His casual attitude stunned Xi Shaojie and Zhong Taihong. They immediately huddled up, whispering furiously.
“Shit, Lao Xi—this guy’s got zero fear.”
“Don’t sweat it, Lao Zhong. He’s bluffing. You saw everything with your own eyes, right?”
“Good point. Can’t lose our nerve.”
Once they finished muttering, they dragged him over to the makeshift table. Xi Shaojie produced a deck of cards from who-knows-where.
Zhong Taihong cleared his throat. “We’ll play Fight the Landlord. No setup for Dares, so Truth for the losers.”
“Sure thing.” Mo Xiangwen agreed without hesitation.
Zhong Taihong and Xi Shaojie traded wary glances, silently reassuring themselves he was all talk.
“Ground rules: If it’s too personal, you can pass. But no lying to your bros,” Xi Shaojie stressed.
“No problem.” Mo Xiangwen nodded. “Why Fight the Landlord, though? Lao Qin sitting out?”
“Lao Qin called us a couple of dumbasses and bailed,” Zhong Taihong griped.
“That’s kinda harsh from Lao Qin,” Xi Shaojie sighed.
“Oh, you two are dumbasses,” Mo Xiangwen agreed with a nod. “Lao Qin’s spot on.”
“Damn it! You’re dead!”
“Damn it! Me too!”
They lunged at him; he dodged back and waved them off frantically.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! We playing or not? Any longer and I’m hitting the shower and firing up a game.”
“Fine, fine—play!”
In the first round, Zhong Taihong played as a Peasant and teamed up with Xi Shaojie.
His hand was garbage. He tried passing big cards to Xi Shaojie, but his teammate’s was trash too.
They lost, so time for the penalty.
Zhong Taihong grinned. “How many girlfriends have you guys had?”
“Zero,” Mo Xiangwen replied, puzzled. “Didn’t we cover that at dinner the other day?”
“Same here,” Xi Shaojie said with a shrug.
“You sure? You can stay quiet, but no fibbing to your bros.”
“Dead sure. It’s not like we can’t take a loss.”
With him so firm, Zhong Taihong couldn’t press further.
“Next round, next round.”
They swapped partners, but the outcome stayed the same.
“Aw, my turn.” Xi Shaojie rubbed his hands, a bit sheepish. “Since starting college, you two secretly befriend any girls without telling the bros?”
Mo Xiangwen thought it over. He had met Yan Nuoya on that trip, so probably not “since college.”
Su Mengyao and Su Mengli were old online buddies, so that didn’t count either, right?
“I don’t think so,” he said after a pause.
“‘Don’t think’? Spill the beans,” Xi Shaojie smirked.
“None,” Zhong Taihong coughed.
“So, none.” Mo Xiangwen frowned in confusion. What was with these guys and harping on this? And hadn’t Zhong Taihong held some solid cards? He hadn’t tossed even a single small one his way.
“Fine. Deal ’em up.”
“Hold on—I’ll deal.” Mo Xiangwen smirked to himself as Overload Mode kicked into full gear.
He couldn’t memorize every card, but stacking a good Landlord hand? Piece of cake.
Sure enough, he snagged Landlord. No teammate to worry about made it a breeze, and he claimed his first win.
“Right now, do you have any female friends who are more than just friends… but not quite at girlfriend level?” He chose his words with care.
“Nope,” Xi Shaojie shot back crisply, as usual.
Zhong Taihong, though, went silent for ages before grudgingly muttering, “Yes.”
Xi Shaojie gaped at him in betrayal. “Lao Zhong? What the hell?”
“Sigh. It’s a long story.”
“Then lay it all out!”
Heh, amateurs—thinking they could gang up on me.
Mo Xiangwen watched the bickering pair with a cold smirk.
