Chapter 57: An Ambiguous Punishment

Tan Linlin shot a fierce glare at Xu Tong and Xiao Lin. “Just you wait—if I ever get the chance, I’ll make you two pay.” With that, she flipped her hair and strode with purpose to the empty rug beside the table. Planting her hands on the floor, she dropped down, straightened her body, then pushed herself up, beginning a round of push-ups.

“One, two, three…” Xu Tong counted aloud, smugly, paying no heed to the murderous look Linlin shot him.

A few minutes later, Tan Linlin finished her thirty push-ups. Dusting off her hands, she sprang to her feet and landed a punch straight at Xu Tong. “What are you standing around for? I’m done—let’s get the next round started!”

Wang Yuqing watched Linlin shouting with such spirit, inwardly marveling at her stamina. If it were herself, she doubted she could even manage twenty push-ups.

A new round began, and once again it was Linlin’s turn to spin the wheel. According to their rules, the person who just completed a punishment would spin for the next turn. Since the spinner rarely landed on themselves, it kept things fair. Of course, there were exceptions—like just now, when Linlin spun only for it to land on herself. Bad luck, nothing more.

The red arrow spun again, finally coming to rest on Xu Tong, who was still wearing a triumphant grin. It seemed Linlin and Xu Tong were born troublemakers—fate always seemed to pick on the two of them.

“Ha! Now that’s what I call the wheel of fortune! You punished me just now—your turn! Let’s see how I deal with you.” Linlin grinned wickedly, flexing her fists, clearly intent on having her revenge.

“What the heck? Chubby, you didn’t rig this, did you? How can it land on me so perfectly?” Xu Tong yelped.

“Cut the nonsense. Pick one—quick! Don’t drag your feet,” Linlin snapped, unable to wait any longer.

“I’ll take Truth,” Xu Tong declared. He wasn’t stupid; he knew if he picked Dare, Linlin would run him ragged.

“Truth, is it?” Linlin seemed slightly disappointed, but after a quick flash of inspiration, her eyes gleamed mischievously.

“All right then, here’s my question: Which came first—the chicken or the egg?”

“What?” Everyone stared at Linlin in disbelief. What kind of question was that? This was Truth or Dare, not some riddle game.

“Chubby, that’s not a Truth question!” Xu Tong protested, bewildered.

“Says who? I say it is, so it is. If you can’t answer, go do a hundred push-ups,” Linlin said slyly. Let’s see you get out of this.

This was outright cheating. Xu Tong glanced around for help, but Wang Tao and the others all pretended not to see. No one wanted to cross Linlin—who knew what she’d do if you became her next target? Xiao Lin frowned, about to speak, but when he caught Linlin’s warning glare, he moved his lips and then, like the others, fell silent. It wasn’t that Xiao Lin feared her, but Xu Tong and Linlin bickered all the time—they were like a pair of comic rivals. Linlin had pulled stunts like this before, and even if Xiao Lin spoke up, the result would be the same: Xu Tong would lose.

“Well? Answer,” Linlin demanded loftily.

“Fine, you win,” Xu Tong muttered, cursing under his breath. Who could possibly answer that question? With no other choice, he got up to do his push-ups.

“One, two…” Now it was Linlin’s turn to count. The others watched Xu Tong as he struggled through his punishment, silently wishing him luck.

After more than ten minutes, Xu Tong staggered to his feet, panting. “Chubby… just wait until I catch you next time… I’ll… I’ll work you to death.” Everyone sighed inwardly—Xu Tong never learned, always thinking he could turn the tables.

“Bring it on! I’m not afraid. Next round!” Linlin was all smiles, not the least bit concerned.

Weakly, Xu Tong spun the arrow, which turned sluggishly before stopping on Xiao Lin.

“Ha! It’s Boss Xiao’s turn. Let’s think up a good punishment for him,” Wang Tao mused, head down. There was no need to ask which he’d choose—everyone knew Xiao Lin always picked Dare. Every time he was caught, he chose Dare.

Ah—so it was his turn after all. Seeing the others preparing to punish him, Xiao Lin could only smile wryly. He had his reasons for always picking Dare: if he chose Truth, he’d have to reveal painful secrets from his past—things he would rather keep buried. It had become such a habit that the others now expected it.

“I’ve got it! Let Wang Yuqing sit on Xiao Lin’s legs while he does fifty sit-ups,” Linlin suggested, casting an impish glance at Yuqing.

“Great idea! I agree,” Xu Tong chimed in, for once not contradicting Linlin.

“Agreed, no objections from us,” Lin Xudong and Kang Yan declared their support as well. “This’ll be fun,” Yuan Weiye added lecherously.

“Oh, are you all crazy? No way, I don’t agree!” Wang Yuqing protested, waving her hands in panic at the thought of sitting on Xiao Lin’s legs.

“Yuqing, it doesn’t matter if you agree—the majority rules. If you’re playing the game, you have to follow the rules,” Linlin lectured sternly—now, of all times, she decided to uphold the rules.

Finally, Xu Tong and Wang Tao pulled Xiao Lin off the sofa and over to an open space, urging him to lie down. Xiao Lin saw their excitement and was speechless—he never imagined they’d punish him this way. He glanced at the blushing, reluctant Yuqing and, despite himself, felt a flicker of anticipation.

“Sit, sit!” Linlin, Kang Yan, and Liu Na pushed Yuqing forward, joining the chorus with Xu Tong.

“Yuqing, there’s no escaping it. Come on,” Xiao Lin said with a wry smile, lowering himself to the carpet.

Blushing furiously, Yuqing sat carefully on Xiao Lin’s legs, every bit the shy bride.

“Whoa, whoa!” The others cheered raucously as she took her seat.

“Xiao Lin, sit up! Sit up! Sit up!” they cried.

Idiots, Xiao Lin thought, what’s so exciting about this? He locked his hands behind his head, tightened his abs, and began his sit-ups. At the very first one, he nearly bumped into Yuqing’s face—the proper way to do sit-ups was to touch your thighs, and Yuqing was sitting right where he’d reach. Xiao Lin found his face less than two centimeters from hers; Yuqing, still blushing, sat frozen and didn’t move. He lowered himself and then sat up again, while the others shouted, “Closer! Even closer!”

Yu Qing felt herself stiffen each time Xiao Lin rose, his face coming so near to hers. She wanted to move back, but her body wouldn’t budge. Embarrassed, she shut her eyes, hoping that not seeing him would calm her nerves. But her heart thundered in her chest, each breath Xiao Lin took growing heavier. Each time he sat up, she felt his warm breath on her face—a sensation she’d never experienced before, the presence of a man so close making her heart race uncontrollably, her ears burning red. Especially because the boy breathing on her was the very one she loved, the feeling became all the more bewildering—slowly, she found herself liking it.

With each sit-up, Xiao Lin glimpsed her beautiful face so close to his, her shyness coloring her cheeks, her delicate eyes lowered—a beauty that could topple kingdoms. His own heart surged with emotion. This girl, he thought, is an enchantress!