Chapter Sixty-Seven: Truth or Dare

Jiang Miaomiao had just popped a piece of tofu skin into her mouth when she saw A’Di take out the can of luncheon meat she’d been saving for so long. Nodding in admiration, she felt a pang of parental pride, as if her child had finally grown up; this A’Di was finally learning to be considerate, even showing gratitude toward Qin Sheng.

“Not to nitpick, A’Di, but isn’t it a bit much to use what Qin Sheng gave you as a tuition fee?” Jiang Miaomiao teased, glancing at A’Di.

A’Di looked down at the can of luncheon meat, its seal already broken. Jiang Miaomiao’s words did make her a little embarrassed.

Qin Sheng, still wearing her faint, gentle smile, was about to take the can from A’Di, but A’Di pulled it back.

“Never mind, you should have it.” After much hesitation, A’Di finally pressed the can of luncheon meat into Qin Sheng’s hands. “I don’t have much of value. This is the best gift I received in the apocalypse.”

Jiang Miaomiao understood not to take the joke too far and smiled, “Holding out this long without eating it isn’t like you at all.”

A’Di returned to her seat and explained, “That just shows how deep my feelings for Qin Sheng run—deep enough to restrain my desire to devour it.”

Qin Sheng shook her head helplessly and placed the luncheon meat into the hot pot.

Jiang Miaomiao, hearing A’Di revert to her usual self, smiled wryly. Indeed, her sincerity lasted no more than three seconds.

Soon, Jiang Miaomiao and A’Di were bickering like children, roughhousing and filling the room with laughter and warmth.

If one didn’t know this was the apocalypse, they might have thought this was just a group of friends gathering together.

“I’m full,” A’Di announced, patting her round belly and curling up on the sofa like a comfortable kitten.

Jiang Miaomiao leaned against the spot beside her, nodding in agreement. “Me too. It’s been ages since I’ve eaten so much.”

The last time she’d felt so full was back at school.

From the bottom of her heart, Jiang Miaomiao felt that life in this safe zone hadn’t brought her as much joy as her days at school with Qin Sheng, Chu Xingyu, and Lin Xing. Though always shadowed by anxiety, somewhere inside her, she still considered school a sanctuary.

Even now, though it lay in ruins and everything had changed.

“If everyone’s done, I’ll clear the table,” Zhao Tiantian said, getting up to tidy away the dishes.

“Wait, don’t rush, Tiantian. Rest a bit and we’ll clean up together,” A’Di called, stopping Zhao Tiantian and gently pressing her back into her seat.

Shen Mei remained mostly silent, except for the occasional sarcastic jab at A’Di and the others, though it was clear they’d grown accustomed to her way of speaking.

“Why don’t we play a game?” After a short break, A’Di suddenly suggested.

Jiang Miaomiao’s eyes lit up at once. “Yes, let’s! What should we play?”

“Qin Sheng, Tiantian, Shen Mei—do you three want to join?” A’Di looked hopefully at the three quieter ones.

Qin Sheng nodded; she didn’t mind joining in with the younger ones.

A’Di turned to Zhao Tiantian and Shen Mei.

“I don’t mind. I’ll play,” Zhao Tiantian replied with a gentle smile.

Shen Mei tossed her chin with an air of indifference, which counted as agreement.

“What should we play? Werewolf? Truth or Dare?” A’Di glanced around. There wasn’t even a deck of cards, let alone a mahjong set. Only they, in the apocalypse, would think of playing cards after hot pot.

“Truth or Dare—I don’t know how to play Werewolf,” Jiang Miaomiao puffed her cheeks, a little embarrassed.

“I don’t either,” Zhao Tiantian admitted, shrugging.

A’Di nodded. “Truth or Dare it is.”

“Great.”

“OK, OK.”

“I’ll explain the rules. Here’s an empty beer bottle: whoever it points to chooses truth or dare, and the rest of us come up with the question or challenge together.” A’Di produced an old beer bottle from the room and set it before the group.

They all sat cross-legged in a circle on the floor. A’Di, ever thoughtful, turned off the dim lamp and lit a candle, creating just the right mood.

“Let’s spin in turns. I’ll go first, alright?” A’Di gripped the bottle and looked at the others. After their consent, she spun it.

In the tense first round, the mouth of the bottle landed squarely on A’Di herself.

A’Di: “……”

Jiang Miaomiao burst out laughing.

A’Di pouted in mock despair. “I’ll take truth. Go ahead and ask.”

Seeing that the others weren’t volunteering, Jiang Miaomiao took the lead. “I’ll ask! What’s your ideal boyfriend like, A’Di?”

A’Di propped her chin on one hand, thought for a moment, and replied slowly, “Ideal type? Handsome, six feet two, abs, upright morals, treats me well, a bit wealthy…”

She rattled off every requirement she could think of.

Jiang Miaomiao was amused by her answer and patted her on the shoulder. “Sister, we’re playing truth or dare, not wishing on a magic tree.”

A’Di puffed her cheeks in protest, “Really?”

To be honest, while fantasizing about her ideal boyfriend, she’d forgotten she was playing truth or dare.

“I can’t help it. Your question made me start wishing,” A’Di admitted, speaking her true feelings.

Jiang Miaomiao raised an eyebrow and reached for the bottle. “My turn to spin. If it lands on you again, my question won’t be so easy.”

A’Di lifted her chin confidently, signaling for Jiang Miaomiao to spin.

“Here we go!” At Jiang Miaomiao’s signal, the bottle spun. Under everyone’s gaze, this time it landed on Zhao Tiantian, the quiet onlooker.

“Lucky it’s not me,” A’Di sighed in relief. Knowing Jiang Miaomiao as she did, if it landed on her, Jiang Miaomiao could dig up every last secret, all under the guise of courtesy.

“Tiantian, truth or dare?” Jiang Miaomiao asked, eyebrows raised in curiosity.

Zhao Tiantian’s cheeks flushed. She hesitated, then nodded. “Can I pick dare?”

Jiang Miaomiao was clearly surprised that the gentle, sweet Tiantian would choose dare.

“Dare it is!” A’Di sat up straight, raising her hand in excitement. “Say to the first guy you meet outside, ‘Honey, I missed you so much!’”

Jiang Miaomiao was taken aback by A’Di’s bold challenge and licked her lips, glancing at Zhao Tiantian.

Zhao Tiantian grew even more embarrassed, unable to utter a word for a while. “Can I still choose truth?” she stammered.

A’Di pursed her lips and nodded in agreement. Knowing how shy Tiantian was, she didn’t press her with something she couldn’t handle.

“When was your first love, Tiantian? Care to tell us about it?” A’Di grinned mischievously, curiosity gleaming in her eyes.

Zhao Tiantian bit her lip and glanced shyly around the circle. “If you want to hear it, I can tell you. It’s probably a bit boring…”

“We do! We do!” A’Di’s head bobbed like a drum.

Jiang Miaomiao nodded with a smile.

As Zhao Tiantian began to reminisce, her smile grew softer, tinged with shyness. “It wasn’t really a first love, more like a one-sided crush.”

Even Shen Mei looked slightly interested as Zhao Tiantian spoke.

“My deskmate in high school was a wonderful guy, really smart. I was always struggling with my grades, but he chose to sit next to me. For three years, he was always my deskmate; we never switched…” As Zhao Tiantian recalled, her face bloomed with happiness. It seemed her high school days had been truly blessed.

Jiang Miaomiao and A’Di listened, lost in nostalgia for their own school days.

“I secretly liked him for a long time, but just before the college entrance exams, he transferred to another school…” Zhao Tiantian’s voice trailed off, and she slowly bowed her head.

Jiang Miaomiao and A’Di exchanged a glance, offering comfort. “It’s alright, Tiantian. If it’s meant to be, you’ll meet again.”

“Yes, you will,” A’Di echoed.

Zhao Tiantian nodded, forcing a smile. “I thought so too, but much later I found out he didn’t transfer schools—he was sick.”

Jiang Miaomiao’s heart sank; she had a bad feeling.

A’Di, too, gripped Jiang Miaomiao’s hand tightly.

“He went back to the moon on the day of the college entrance exam. My secret crush was buried in my heart,” Zhao Tiantian said, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She had never shared this with anyone, keeping it locked away for four years.

She thought she’d moved on, that she no longer missed him, but speaking of it today, her heart twisted painfully. It seemed she had overestimated herself.

And overestimated her resilience and loyalty to that feeling.

Zhao Tiantian took a deep breath, forced a smile, and said softly, “It’s alright. Telling you means I’ve let go. No need to comfort me.”

“Tiantian, he would want to see you happy,” A’Di comforted her, originally intending for Jiang Miaomiao to join in, but realized Jiang Miaomiao had fallen silent, lost in thought.

Qin Sheng, perceptive as ever, noticed Jiang Miaomiao’s unusual behavior and moved closer, gently touching her back.