32. Choose between the vampire clan or the werewolf clan.

“Draw the Joker card. A complete deck of 54 cards in poker, excluding one Joker card. The remaining cards are evenly distributed among the participants. Then, in a fixed order, players take turns drawing cards. If a pair is formed, the matching cards can be discarded. The game continues until only one unmatched Joker card is left, and the person holding that card is declared the loser.

“Without any exciting twist, it wouldn’t be fun.” The two Joker cards spun between Daniel’s fingers, facing the crowd once again. Daniel said, “How about adding a game of truth or dare?”

“Let’s modify the rules. Instead of removing the Joker, we’ll distribute all 54 cards evenly. The winner will be the one who gets the colored Joker, while the loser will have the black and white Joker. The winner can ask a question to the loser, who must answer truthfully. If they can’t answer, they can choose a dare instead, accepting any request from the winner.” Daniel looked around at everyone with a slight smile. “I believe that everyone here is a responsible adult who knows their limits and can handle the game, right?”

Although they understood the rules, the group seemed unenthusiastic. Daniel retrieved the Joker cards and rested his chin on his hand, looking at everyone. With a sigh, he murmured, “Hey, come on, really? You don’t want to play?”

“Winning allows you to make any request.” Daniel’s gaze fell on Qiu Rong, and he suddenly smiled, winking. “Ah, Qiu Rong, did you know that my brother lost a game at a party and was asked to wear cat ears? It was adorable~”

“Daniel!”

Ignoring Yan Ling’s scolding, Daniel instigated, “Cat ears, huh? Don’t you want to see? Or maybe you’ve already played with cat ears? Well, let’s just pretend I didn’t say anything.”

They had never played with cat ears before.

Qiu Rong found it hard to imagine Yan Ling wearing cat ears, especially at a party. He turned to Yan Ling, seeking confirmation, “Have you really worn them before?”

Daniel annoyingly chimed in, “Really! It was at a family gathering, and Sue even took pictures.”

Yan Ling narrowed his eyes at Daniel but didn’t refute. Qiu Rong’s heart skipped a beat.

He wanted to see.

Although he always imagined Yan Ling as a cat, Qiu Rong didn’t have the courage to ask the President to wear cat ears and a tail. He was afraid Yan Ling would get angry.

Since Yan Ling had worn them before, it meant that he probably wasn’t completely opposed to it…

Seeing Qiu Rong being convinced, Daniel turned his attention to the other three.

The punishment in the game of truth or dare was always intriguing, especially for “friends” in an ambiguous stage. Without Daniel saying much, Luo Haoxuan and Ruan Sijia exchanged a glance and agreed to participate.

Ruo Mani had nothing better to do and thought that if she won, she might be able to ask Yan Ling for a vacation, so she also joined Daniel’s boring card game.

“Alright! I’ll start shuffling the cards. Since there are six of us, each person gets nine cards.” Daniel didn’t know why he was so interested in this game. He smiled as he shuffled the cards, just like a professional dealer.

Nine cards were placed in front of each person in a circular arrangement. Daniel picked up the stack of cards in front of him and reminded them, “If you get the Jokers, make sure others don’t notice.”

Being individuals with more tricks up their sleeves than a beehive, it was impossible to tell anything just from their expressions.

Starting with Daniel, they began drawing cards clockwise. Clutching the black and white Joker in his hand, Qiu Rong calmly took a card from Yan Ling’s hand without changing his expression.

It’s the Ace of Spades.

Discarding the pairs that were formed, Qiu Rong turned to his left where Ruan Sijia was seated.

Ruan Sijia quickly glanced at the discarded pile, her hand hovering uncertainly over Qiu Rong’s cards.

Qiu Rong lowered his gaze, not giving the little wolf pup a chance to gauge his emotions.

His fingertips lingered on the Joker for a few seconds, but ultimately Ruan Sijia drew an insignificant card.

Originally, they thought that a round of everyone taking turns to draw cards would take a long time, but in reality, the pace was quite fast.

The siblings from the Luo family were the first to be eliminated, followed by Yan Ling. Daniel was left with the only remaining colorful Joker in his hand, smiling mischievously as he watched Qiu Rong and Ruan Sijia draw cards, already perhaps thinking about what question to ask.

Qiu Rong had only one Ace of Spades and one small Joker in his hand. This time, he lifted his head and met Ruan Sijia’s gaze.

Qiu Rong: Let me win this round.

Ruan Sijia glanced at the excited Daniel, and his sixth sense told him that if he lost this round, things wouldn’t go well.

He responded with a sincere look: Chief, death doesn’t part poor friends.

His index finger pointed back and forth between the two cards. It would be a shame to say that Ruan Sijia didn’t join the public security agency. Qiu Rong’s gaze unconsciously shifted, and his Ace of Spades was drawn.

Ruan Sijia secretly breathed a sigh of relief and innocently said, “Senior, I’m sorry. It seems like I’m having good luck today.”

Qiu Rong: …

You’d better rely on luck.

Throwing the black and white Jokers into the card pile, Qiu Rong looked at Daniel with a complex expression and asked, “What do you want to ask?”

“It’s such a pity. If we had swapped places, you could have asked me to show you my brother’s cat ear photo,” Daniel sighed regretfully.

Qiu Rong remained noncommittal.

For some reason, Qiu Rong felt that Daniel already anticipated the outcome of the game.

Judging from Daniel’s proficiency in playing cards, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to make some moves.

As long as he managed to obtain the small Joker, it would be challenging for Ruan Sijia to snatch that card based on her judgment.

“Ask your question or what do you want me to do?” Qiu Rong said.

“Well… it seems like there’s nothing specific I want to ask you to do, so let’s play a game of truth or dare~” Daniel pretended to ponder for a moment and then asked, “Qiu Rong, have you watched the Twilight series?”

Qiu Rong: …

He couldn’t quite keep up with Daniel’s train of thought, but he still answered, “I have a general understanding of it.”

After all, it’s a story about werewolves and vampires, so he had seen some of it.

Daniel asked with delight, “Then I want to know, if you were the female protagonist, would you choose the vampires or the werewolves?”

Qiu Rong furrowed his brow imperceptibly and asked, “Why are you asking this question?”

“Because I’m curious,” Daniel’s expression was flawless, as if he asked casually because the movie was mentioned just now. “I really like this movie, but I don’t have anyone to discuss it with usually, so I genuinely want to know what others think about the female protagonist’s choice.”

He urged, “Have you made up your mind? You must answer honestly and tell me the reason.”

Qiu Rong stared into Daniel’s eyes.

Just now, Ruan Sijia had asked Yan Zijue for some original photos of them together and sent them to Huo Ye. Daniel was in those photos.

Soon, he would be able to confirm Daniel’s identity.

At this moment, Daniel suddenly asked such a question, making Qiu Rong have to think more.

He didn’t turn to look at Yan Ling’s expression, but from the corner of his eye, Yan Ling should be looking at him, as if waiting for his answer.

This was a game of truth or dare, and regardless of what response Huo Ye gave, at this moment, Qiu Rong just needed to answer Daniel’s question honestly.

Qiu Rong said, “I would choose the werewolves.”

Daniel raised an eyebrow and elongated his tone, “Ohhh,” then immediately asked, “Why?”

Qiu Rong looked at Daniel and answered, “Being with the werewolves, I wouldn’t need to change my life. Bella would still be Bella, a normal human.”

He still had concerns and didn’t say much, but his meaning was clear. If the female protagonist chose the vampires, she would have to distance herself from family and ordinary people, no longer being human, and her life would undergo drastic changes.

Qiu Rong didn’t think it was a good thing.

“So, Qiu Rong prefers a stable life,” Daniel looked at Yan Ling beside Qiu Rong, who had an expressionless face, and added with ambiguous intent, “What should we do? Your choice happens to be the opposite of my brother’s.”

Qiu Rong squeezed the hand he was holding, and he turned to look at Yan Zijue beside him, only to see Yan Ling looking at him attentively.

Yan Ling smiled at him and spoke gently, “It’s just a difference in opinions about a movie. It sounds like a serious matter the way you put it.”

His slightly cool palm covered Qiu Rong’s hand, sliding into the gaps, enveloping it in his palm, and intertwining their fingers.

Yan Ling turned to look at Daniel and said calmly, “Stop trying to provoke our relationship. Let’s start the next round.”

Daniel shrugged and reshuffled the cards.

They played two more rounds before the meal was ready.

In the first round, Luo Haoxuan lost and Daniel won. It was obvious to everyone who Luo Haoxuan’s crush was among the six people present.

In the second round, as everyone suspected Daniel of cheating, they had Luo Mani shuffle the cards. This time, Yan Ling ended up with two Jokers. According to Daniel’s improvised rule, Yan Ling could randomly choose someone to draw a card and determine the winner.

Yan Ling naturally chose Qiu Rong, and unfortunately, Qiu Rong lost again.

Qiu Rong: …

It was so close, just a tiny bit more, and he would have seen his wife wearing cat ears.

While feeling regretful, Qiu Rong was also a bit curious about what Yan Ling wanted him to do.

Yan Ling looked down at the colorful joker in his hand, hesitated for a moment, and smiled, saying, “I can’t think of a question at the moment, let’s save it for later, okay?”

Qiu Rong agreed.

The aroma of food wafted up the stairs, and Yan Zijue called for everyone to come downstairs and serve the meal.

In the gap between tidying up the cards and going downstairs to help, Daniel leaned towards Yan Ling and teased, “Brother, it seems like your little friend and your principles don’t quite match, huh? Are you sure it’s just a movie-related issue?”

“Mind your own business,” Yan Ling glanced at him.

“How can this be just minding my own business?” Daniel huffed, “I know you too well. Sooner or later, you’ll turn him into one of your kind. I’m just providing you an opportunity to come clean.”

“But judging from his answer, the likelihood of you being dumped after revealing the truth is quite high.”

Faced with Daniel’s gloating, Yan Ling didn’t respond.

Daniel suggested, “But hey, you still have one chance to make a request. How about asking him to promise that he won’t avoid you under any circumstances before revealing your true identity?”

Yan Ling scoffed, “A promise obtained through a child’s playacting game?”

“Don’t underestimate this kind of promise,” Daniel retorted, dissatisfied. “The effectiveness of a promise depends on the person making it, right? From the moment you agreed to play the game, the rights have already been relinquished. Whether the game can proceed happily depends on the cooperation of both parties.”

“If it were you who lost today and Qiu Rong asked you to wear cat ears, would you disagree?”

Yan Ling raised his hand, and Daniel immediately retreated a step, covering his head. “Alright, alright, I won’t say anything.”

He pitifully said, “What I mean is that he’s the kind of person who would honor a promise. Don’t waste such a great opportunity.”

“It’s not necessary,” Yan Ling whispered.

Ignoring the incessant chatter from Daniel, Yan Ling went downstairs on his own.

He had no intention of telling Daniel that Qiu Rong was also a supernatural being.

Nor would he say that he had changed his mind.

Unless something unexpected happened, Yan Ling wouldn’t voluntarily confess his true identity to Qiu Rong.

Qiu Rong liked their current life, so Yan Ling respected his wishes.

He was willing to protect the happiness Qiu Rong desired.

Since losing the game and having Daniel blatantly intervene, Luo Haoxuan had been on pins and needles.

He wanted to say something to Ruan Sijia but felt that everything he came up with would be a forced topic.

Ruan Sijia, on the other hand, remained calm as usual.

During the post-meal break, Ruan Sijia retrieved the still unopened plastic-wrapped book on European history that he had brought with him from the entrance.

It was a gift Luo Haoxuan had given him this morning.

While flipping through the book, Ruan Sijia noticed several times that Luo Haoxuan seemed to have something to say but held back. He pressed his lips, hiding his amusement, and mischievously didn’t give Luo Haoxuan a chance to speak.

Luo Haoxuan, who couldn’t come up with a good topic no matter how hard he thought, slumped his head on the table in frustration. He wanted to seize the opportunity to confess, but he also felt that having someone else push him to say it wouldn’t be solemn enough.

His hand, idly tapping on the tabletop, curved and slowly moved forward with his palm.

In this manner, little by little, it reached the edge of Ruan Sijia’s book.

A tiny finger person stood on the page, obstructing Ruan Sijia from turning it.

Ruan Sijia tilted his head, and Luo Haoxuan propped up his chin, revealing a dazzling star-like smile to him.

Unlike his childish actions, Luo Haoxuan showed courtesy and said, “Do you like this book?”

Ruan Sijia’s ears burned from Luo Haoxuan’s smile. He pursed his lips and replied softly, “I like it.”

“Then let’s go to the bookstore together next time,” Luo Haoxuan leaned in, wanting to reach out and pinch Ruan Sijia’s blushing earlobe.

This date was not yet over, but he couldn’t wait to arrange the next meeting.

Luo Haoxuan made no effort to conceal his feelings.

Blushing, Ruan Sijia hadn’t had a chance to respond when his phone, placed beside him, suddenly rang.

He hurriedly diverted his gaze, which had been captivated by Luo Haoxuan’s smile, and entered his phone after entering the password wrong twice.

“Ah,” Ruan Sijia suddenly stood up.

Luo Haoxuan looked up at him, “What’s wrong?”

“I have something to discuss with my senior,” Ruan Sijia said.

The ambiguous atmosphere vanished without a trace. Ruan Sijia furrowed his brows, closed the book, and ran upstairs to find Qiu Rong, who was sunbathing with Yan Ling in his arms.

“Senior…” Ruan Sijia called.

Yan Ling, who was napping in Qiu Rong’s embrace like a cat, opened his eyes. He stared at Ruan Sijia, then glanced at Luo Haoxuan following behind. He sat up and considerately said, “You two talk. Luo Haoxuan and I will go take a look at the photos Aunt Xiao took this morning.”

Seeing the two of them going upstairs, Qiu Rong asked softly, “Did Huo Ye reply?”

“Um… He hasn’t yet…” Ruan Sijia rushed up here in a panic, but now facing Qiu Rong, he hesitated and stammered. After a moment, he spoke, “It’s Meng-ge.”

Ruan Sijia squeezed his phone, engaging in a fierce internal struggle. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, “Um, Clan Leader, Meng-ge just messaged me saying that he’s been taken into custody. He wants me to come and get him now.”

Qiu Rong: “…”

Qiu Rong rubbed his ear, “What? I didn’t catch that clearly, say it again.”

Ruan Sijia: “…”

Ruan Sijia hopelessly turned the phone towards Qiu Rong and repeated, “Meng-ge has been caught and wants me to come and get him.”

Author’s Note:

Meng Baichuan, squatting with his head in his hands in the police station: I’m really tied up now!

Why not guess who took Meng-ge to Juvi? (Innocent emoji)

If nothing unexpected happens, the next chapter will be about the meeting in the Supernatural Control Center. Hopefully, it won’t exceed the word count and delay the next chapter…