It was 11:30 at night, and the lights were still dim.
The band and B2Y had left, but there was a Bluetooth speaker in the living room, music still playing, adding to the atmosphere with cocktails and scattered beer bottles on the table.
Moreover, all the strangers had left, so everyone felt more relaxed, with a lingering sense of wanting more.
We listened to songs, watched performances, but it felt like something was missing.
Not until Shen Yuan suggested playing Truth or Dare did everyone suddenly realize what was missing was the thrill and wildness.
In a tipsy state, self-awareness wouldn't be as rational as usual, internal constraints and pressures would lessen, and defenses would come down more easily.
"How exactly do we play?"
Dai Lu was the first to express interest, tilting her flushed face and shaking her head as she spoke.
Shen Yuan glanced at the three present: "Catching the thief." This content belongs to noveⅼfire.net
"Never heard of that."
Both Lin Yuchang and Zhu Qingrou shook their heads.
Shen Yuan explained with interest: "It's simple, as the name implies the game includes roles like 'officer,' 'soldier,' 'catch,' and 'thief.' Use four playing cards for these roles, shuffle the deck and then draw at random. The one who draws 'catch' must guess who the 'thief' is based on the others' expressions and subtle movements."
"If you guess wrong, you have to accept a punishment, decided by the 'officer' and executed by the 'soldier.'"
Upon hearing this, Dai Lu immediately asked: "Isn't that a disadvantage for the one who draws 'catch'?"
Shen Yuan nodded: "That's why it's also a game of luck. Punishments can be truth or dare, or drinking a cocktail or two beers."
Hearing that, Dai Lu frowned: "Ah... that's too much."
"This game is meant for Truth or Dare so everyone will choose not to drink."
"Alright, let's give it a try."
Dai Lu, excited, twinkled her beautiful eyes, feeling that she was quite lucky with games and it wouldn't be so easy for her to lose, especially when only one among the four would get punished.
Lin Yuchang and Zhu Qingrou thought similarly, neither believing they would lose.
Actually, everyone thinks the same before playing a game, quite confident in winning.
Shen Yuan kicked Zhu Qingrou's chair: "Go, there's a deck of cards in the living room drawer, bring it here."
Zhu Qingrou got up sullenly, thinking Shen Yuan really didn't know how to treat a lady, sending her to fetch something as trivial as playing cards.
If she weren't relying on someone else's home, she wouldn't comply.
Really, at home, I don't even listen to my dad .
After a while, Zhu Qingrou came back holding a new deck of cards, just about to hand it to Shen Yuan, when he glared at her: "Can't you tear off the plastic?"
As a rich young lady, she was used to everything being handed to her, with maids at home and a driver when out, never bothering with these details.
She pouted her moisturized lips, trying to tear the plastic off the deck, but having never done it before, searched in vain for the opening.
Shen Yuan impatiently said: "Can't even tear plastic, no merits other than looking good. Yuchang, you help her."
"Oh, sure, let me do it, sister."
Lin Yuchang took the deck from Zhu Qingrou, easily found the opening, tore it off, opened the packaging, and handed the cards to Shen Yuan.
Zhu Qingrou really wanted to get upset, I've never torn this kind of thing, how would I know how, and could't you just show me?
But hearing that remark about "no merits other than looking good," she felt a bit secretly pleased.
Forget it, I won't stoop to your level!
Dai Lu listening to this dialogue, glanced first at Zhu Qingrou, then at Shen Yuan, thinking this was surely a method of PUA.
First by using verbal negations, suppress Zhu Qingrou, then grant her small favors, aiming for psychological control.
Tsk tsk, strongly suspect Yuchang was also sorted out this way.
Shen Yuan really is a dangerous character, one has to be cautious not to fall into his trap... Better keep away from him.
Shen Yuan took the playing cards, pulled out the king, queen, a 2, and an Ace, then said: "King is the officer, Queen is the soldier, 2 is 'catch,' Ace is the thief. I'll shuffle them first and then we draw cards."
Shen Yuan shuffled the deck, then pushed the four cards to the center of the table, Dai Lu suspiciously inspected: "Shen Yuan, you didn't tamper with the king and queen cards, did you? This way you'll never lose."
Shen Yuan smiled, spreading his hands: "You can draw first, I'll draw last."
"That's better, then..... who goes first?"
"I'll go first; the chances are the same."
Zhu Qingrou directly drew a card, then secretly glanced at it, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.
Dai Lu thought, 'Oh no,' Zhu Qingrou must have drawn a good card, she hurriedly also drew one, but seeing the card in her hand, her heart instantly dropped.
Lin Yuchang noticed her friend's strange expression and also drew one, then Shen Yuan leisurely collected the last card in hand.
Looking down at his card, he thought, 'Didn't expect to get a good card being the last one, now who's the unlucky 'catch'?'
Shen Yuan scanned the three faces, already having an answer.
"Who drew the 'catch' card?" Shen Yuan asked.
Dai Lu hung her head, trying to detect clues from the three faces in front of her, but their expressions were all normal, anyone could be the thief.
"Then, state your decision."
Shen Yuan watched her with eager anticipation, the game was simple, the unlucky one who drew 'catch' could avoid punishment by guessing the 'thief' correctly or accept punishment by guessing wrong.