Chapter 77: You Like Me (1)

“Let him go out to the street and confess to the first woman he sees,” Qian Yinyin seized the opportunity for revenge.

“Wouldn’t a striptease be even more thrilling?” Wang Xiaowei chimed in.

“Hey, hey, hey, enough! You’re not the ones being punished!” Ji Niansheng protested, laughing. What if Qiao Xi gets lazy and just uses their suggestions? Wouldn’t he end up miserable?

As if he heard his thoughts, Qiao Xi decisively chose Qian Yinyin’s punishment. “I’ll do what Yinyin said.”

“No way!” Ji Niansheng cried out in despair.

Qian Yinyin, however, was delighted and hugged Qiao Xi. “Thank you, Qiao Xi! Now I can finally get my revenge.”

“Change it, what if I run into an older lady? You want me to—”

“The punishment’s set, no changing it,” Wang Xiaowei joined the fun. Usually, Ji Niansheng was the one showing off in front of the girls; now it was finally his turn to be embarrassed.

“Hey, are you really my buddy?”

“Of course I am. And don’t worry, your buddy here will definitely record the whole confession and upload it to the school forum.”

…This is what it means to dig your own grave. Playing Truth or Dare—now he’d trapped himself. Ji Niansheng was filled with regret.

Pushed and dragged by the others onto the street, he could only pray the heavens would send him a beautiful woman.

Qiao Xi had originally gone with them, but halfway there she stopped. She had no interest in watching Ji Niansheng make a fool of himself.

Just as she was about to head back and wait for them to return, she turned and saw Oya.

He hadn’t followed the others either, though she hadn’t noticed him until now.

Oya approached and stopped in front of Qiao Xi.

He looked at her; this time she didn’t avoid his gaze, meeting him naturally.

He remained silent, and she wasn’t planning to say anything either. Just as she was about to leave, he finally spoke, his voice very soft, “Are you avoiding me?”

“No.” If she truly wanted to avoid him, she wouldn’t have agreed to stay and play this game to begin with. She just treated him as any other friend, not going out of her way to pay attention.

“Is that so.” It wasn’t a question nor affirmation. Oya continued to gaze at her; under the gentle lamplight, his expression softened.

Qiao Xi didn’t care what he was thinking, nor did she intend to explain further or continue standing there to maintain eye contact.

“I…” She had just started to speak when he suddenly leaned in.

Not too close, but not the sort of distance ordinary friends would keep.

She stepped back a little and asked calmly, “Is there something else?”

Oya didn’t answer, slowly raising his hand.

Just as his hand was about to touch her cheek, she stepped back again to avoid it.

He paused, but his smile remained, with a hint of allure.

Then, his hand gently caressed her cheek.

He lowered his head, moving closer once more.

Now, their faces were very close—so close their breaths nearly intertwined.

“Today isn’t April Fool’s Day,” Qiao Xi’s voice was soft, given the closeness.

“I know,” Oya replied, then kissed her.

It was a gentle kiss, and soon he let her go.

Qiao Xi’s expression remained unchanged, but suddenly she smiled, so faintly it was barely perceptible.

“Is playing with people this amusing, Vice President?” she said, calm and unruffled, even her gaze was steady.

“I just wanted to kiss you,” Oya looked at her, his tone gentle. “I wasn’t playing.”

“Your words are as contradictory as you are,” Qiao Xi said directly and frankly.