Shen Yue's path was blocked. A handsome, sunny face showed surprise, his mouth curving into a grin that revealed cute fangs.
His voice held a plea.
"Can I ask for a favor?"
Several brothers behind him craned their necks to look over.
Honestly, Shen Yue didn't want to help at all, but her persona wouldn't allow it. So, she could only ask with confusion, "What is it?"
The boy seemed embarrassed too, scratching the back of his head and handing her a slip of paper. /
With a sense of bewilderment, Shen Yue took it. She lowered her head and saw her own delicate pink lips pursed.
She looked up and asked, "This is truth or dare, right?"
The note read: Hug someone of the opposite sex for one minute.
Tang Zhe clenched his fists, a flicker of darkness in his eyes. He nodded, then immediately assured her, "I'll just do it to show them."
Shen Yue refused without hesitation: "No."
Her decisive tone made Tang Zhe's expression freeze, but he quickly recovered. He was about to speak again, but Shen Yue gave him no further opportunity, stepping past him and leaving.
The moment the girl brushed past him, Tang Zhe's entire face collapsed. The smile vanished, his eyes clouded over, like thick, unresolvable sewage.
His wrist was suddenly grabbed, and before Shen Yue could even react, she was forcibly pulled into the boy's embrace.
An unfamiliar scent filled her nostrils, and she was momentarily stunned, her mind unable to process.
Sensing the stiff body in his arms, Tang Zhe
realized he might have frightened the girl. He fell silent for a few seconds, then said, seemingly wronged, "Just help me out, okay? So many people are watching, I don't want them to look down on me."
Shen Yue paused slightly at his words. Their proximity was too intimate. She pursed her pale pink lips, her voice sounding troubled, "But you can't hug me without my permission."
With that, she began to struggle.
However, the boy not only didn't let go but held her even tighter, one arm around her waist, the other pressing on her back, showing no intention of releasing her.
"Just for a moment, it won't take long."
The boy's gentle words completely contradicted his actions. To him, the girl's struggles felt like a kitten's playful scratch. He looked down at the pure and beautiful girl before him, unconsciously softening his tone. "Consider it a favor I owe you, alright?"
Although the boy appeared troubled and apologetic, his eyes churned with dark ink. Even suppressed, it made Shen Yue feel even more uneasy.
The boy's arms were like steel; she couldn't budge him at all.
Tang Zhe seemed to be counting the seconds. As soon as one minute passed, he immediately released her and even took a step back, creating a safe distance.
He flashed a sunny, charming smile. "Thank you for your cooperation."
It was as if the embrace moments ago was merely a straightforward punishment game.
Shen Yue bit her lower lip, as if the boy were some monstrous flood, and quickly walked away with her head down.
The boy who remained frozen in place didn't move. He simply looked down at the hand the girl had touched, staring for a long time until the shadows in his eyes coalesced into a dark, hazy expanse.
So soft...
...
Tang Zhe returned to his seat, his fingers still loosely curled, as if trying to hold onto or savor something.
After taking a sip of wine, his mind cleared a little. He turned his wristwatch, his eyes lowered.
When he wasn't smiling, he exuded an aloof aura, making him seem unapproachable.
A boy sidled up, winking and nudging him, "Tang Zhe, how was the taste of the school belle?"
At this question, many people at the table turned their attention over.
Tang Zhe paused, his brow arching slightly, giving him a somewhat wicked look. He uttered a single word: "Soft."
That simple word instantly sent the people at the table into a frenzy. No boy disliked beautiful people, and Shen Yue was beyond beautiful, possessing both purity and allure. Just hearing Tang Zhe's description made them feel as if they could perceive it – her skin looked so smooth, like condensed butter, refined as jade, appearing both soft and fragrant.
They couldn't help but get excited.
"Damn, that makes me want to touch her too."
"You? Look at yourself. Even Tang Zhe can't impress her, do you think she'd be interested in you?"
The boy didn't get angry at the remark, but a lustful glint appeared in his eyes, "Even if she isn't interested, so what? She didn't want to interact with Tang Zhe, and yet she still got hugged."
"Hahaha, brother, that's a dangerous thought you've got there."
The group bantered, their conversation growing increasingly vulgar.
One of them, clearly drunk, went straight to Tang Zhe, who had been silent, "Tang Zhe, how did it feel when the school belle rejected you for the first time? But compared to that dropped love letter, it's nothing."
A moment of silence fell over the dinner table.
These guys were all bold, and from good families, with Tang Zhe being the most outstanding. In fact, the last time Tang Zhe had delivered a love letter to Shen Yue wasn't voluntary; he'd lost a game and was forced to deliver it to the school's belle.
Whether she accepted it or not was unimportant, as it was just a game. But the issue was, Shen Yue had accepted it and even promised to read it carefully.
However, she later threw the love letter into the trash in a secluded corner. Someone passing by saw it. At first, they didn't dare to tell Tang Zhe, merely mentioning it to those around them, which eventually reached Tang Zhe's ears.
The implication was entirely different. Tang Zhe had summoned the person who witnessed the event and had them recount every detail.
Including how Shen Yue had disdainedfully wiped her fingers after discarding the love letter.
Everyone else was somewhat like spectators, even harboring a bit of schadenfreude.
Tang Zhe had never been so humiliated before; it was like an invisible slap across his face, stinging hotly.
Now, with the boy bringing up the matter in front of everyone, it was clear he was disrespecting Tang Zhe.
Tang Zhe, who had been looking down, slowly raised his head. His eyes were as placid as a dry well, deep and dark, like a black hole that could devour people, exuding an indescribable, unsettling strangeness.
The boy, who had been a bit too exhilarated from the alcohol, immediately sobered up. His face turned pale, and he stiffly apologized, "I'm so sorry, Tang Zhe. Please don't take my words to heart. I just can't control my mouth when I've had too much to drink."
Tang Zhe let out a light laugh, making the already tense atmosphere even more strained.
The boy's fingers trembled with nervousness. He didn't dare to meet Tang Zhe's eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll slap my own mouth, I'll slap my own mouth."
As he spoke, he began to hit his own mouth, not holding back at all, until it was swollen before he stopped.
The atmosphere became somewhat bizarre.