Chapter 6

Si Xiang said, “We won’t go, we got two meal coupons, which we can exchange for lunch with the production team.”

These were the supplies Tong Zhichen and Tian Ka had gotten when they were dealing with Qiao Cen.

Even without the meal coupons, she didn’t want to beg for food. Being in the same space as Qiao Chuchu made her uneasy.

Bai Yun wasn’t one to trouble others either, so she said, “We’ll go ahead.”

Tong Zhichen and Lin Lin exchanged a glance, then said, “We’ll just eat instant noodles for lunch.”

The suggestion came from Tian Ka, but even he felt a bit awkward since he had pranked Qiao Cen in the mud pit, especially after Tong Zhichen had refused.

“We have some noodles. We’ll just eat noodles.”

Meanwhile, things were much better on Qiao Chuchu and Qiao Cen’s side.

They cooked four dishes and a soup, plus fragrant white rice.

Qiao Cen asked, “Sis, isn’t this a bit too much for just the two of us?”

Qiao Chuchu had made extra food, “It’s a little too much. You can take some to the other guests.”

“Huh? Okay.” Qiao Cen thought he shouldn’t have asked, but this was the first time he’d eaten food cooked by his sister, so he felt lucky.

The three groups of guests who received food from Qiao Cen thanked him, apologized, praised them as good people, and praised Qiao Chuchu’s cooking, saying they didn’t need to be polite next time.

Bullet comments:

【Qiao Sis’ cooking skills are amazing! The food looks so delicious!】

【Thank you to the Qiao siblings for the food! We, the Tong fans, will remember this!】

【Thank you to the Qiao siblings for the food! We, the Yun fans, will remember this!】

【Thank you to the Qiao siblings for the food! We, the Ka fans, will remember this!】

—

Anti-fans:

【Haha, I knew it. Qiao Cen is just acting. His true colors are showing already.】

【This is just setting up for next time. Isn’t he going to start bossing his sister around next? Poor thing, being his sister.】

—

Qiao Cen was in a better mood now. Whoever praised his sister, he would be nice to them.

In their small courtyard, Qiao Cen felt an overwhelming sense of happiness as he ate more and more of the food his sister had made. It was his first time enjoying a meal cooked by her. He even took a picture and posted it in the family chat.

“From my sister’s feeding, so delicious, so tasty~”

Mother Qiao: “Qiao Cen, you actually let Chuchu cook?!”

Father Qiao: “You little rascal, didn’t I tell you to take care of Chuchu? If you do this again, your game console is gone!”

Older Brother Qiao: “Showing off is shameful!”

Qiao Cen: “You guys are just jealous, hehe, you can’t have any, hehe.”

The way Qiao Cen acted made the whole family want to smack him.

Qiao Cen wasn’t afraid, he had a full meal at noon, feeling happy and content.

In the afternoon, there were no tasks, but they needed to tidy up their rooms. Qiao Cen took on the job, while Qiao Chuchu sat on a lounge chair, leisurely drinking tea and eating desserts.

【Brother Qiao is so nice! I wish I had such a good younger brother!】

【If my sister were as beautiful as Qiao Chuchu, I’d be willing to spoil her like this!】

Meanwhile, the anti-fans were saying:

【Speechless, Qiao Cen is really good at pretending. The nicer he acts in front of the camera, the worse he must be behind it.】

【I really want to see Qiao Cen’s true colors. He’ll reveal his real face sooner or later.】

—

At six o’clock in the afternoon, the director notified everyone to gather at Nanxing Bay for dinner. After a long day, everyone quickly arrived, excited at the thought of a meal.

The dinner was indeed sumptuous, but eating wasn’t just about the food. As the atmosphere grew lively, the director gave a hint, holding up a game board. “Let’s play a game.”

As the host, Tian Ka quickly understood the director’s intention and suggested, “Just eating like this is too boring, why don’t we play a game?”

Qiao Chuchu: 【Eating delicious food is interesting! How could Tian Ka think it’s boring?】

【Let me see.】

【He’s lying! He’s clearly a food lover, last night he secretly ate beef curry rice, coffee, desserts, and even fought with the dog over a piece of crispy bone that fell on the floor…】

Everyone looked at Tian Ka with teasing and curious expressions.

Tian Ka: “Ahem…”

How did Qiao Chuchu know all this? Did he have no shame?

Tian Ka quickly asked, “What do you all think?”

“…” No one answered. Finally, his sister, Ye Yu, responded, “Sure.”

With someone joining in, Tian Ka got excited. “So what game do you want to play? How about Truth or Dare?”

After saying this, Tian Ka thought about Qiao Chuchu who was present. She seemed to know a lot of people’s private matters. Playing Truth or Dare in front of her was practically asking for trouble, right?

He quickly corrected himself, “Or we can play Seven Steps Jump. If you make a mistake, you have to face a punishment, and everyone can decide what the punishment will be. How does that sound?”

Qiao Chuchu: 【Not interesting? If we’re really going to play a game, Seven Steps Jump would be better than Truth or Dare, obviously that would be more fun.】

【Since no one has answered, I can’t be bothered to say anything. It’s probably best if we don’t play anything, but if we have no choice, I’ll cast my vote for Truth or Dare.】

【Anyway, we’ve almost finished eating, listening to some gossip wouldn’t be too bad.】

Her thoughts were heard by the others. Truth or Dare was indeed interesting, but it couldn’t be played in front of her.

“How about we play Seven Steps Jump?”

The guests were hesitant to play, but the director wanted them to, maybe they could hear some juicy gossip.

The director signaled for the staff to hold up a Truth or Dare board, indicating that they should play this game. Tian Ka saw it but didn’t speak up.

Qiao Cen understood, “I think Tian Ka’s suggestion is good.”

The group’s opinions were divided. Tong Zhichen suggested, “How about we vote by raising hands?”

There were eight guests in total. Four people raised their hands for Truth or Dare: Qiao Cen, Qiao Chuchu, Bai Yun, and Si Xiang.

Si Xiang hadn’t planned to raise her hand, but then she thought about it. Her private matters had all been heard by them, so it wouldn’t be too much for her to hear their secrets in return.

The two groups who wanted to play Seven Steps Jump were Tian Ka and Tong Zhichen, and they exchanged awkward glances with Qiao Cen, Bai Yun, and Si Xiang, not sure what they were thinking. Wasn’t this asking for trouble?

“It’s a tie. Let’s settle it with rock-paper-scissors, one round to decide.”

Qiao Cen and Tong Zhichen stepped forward, and in the end, Qiao Cen won with rock against Tong Zhichen’s paper. “Sister, I won! Let’s play Truth or Dare!”

Qiao Chuchu complimented, “So impressive.”

The others: We’re doomed! We’re doomed!

Qiao Cen placed a milk bottle in the center of the table, “We’ll spin the milk bottle. Whoever the bottle points to has to answer the question. After that, they spin it and ask someone else a question. Repeat.”

He asked, “Who’s going to spin first?”

No one spoke, so he grinned, “Since no one’s speaking, I’ll start.”

He lifted his hand and spun the bottle. After several turns, it stopped, pointing to Tian Ka. His face turned pale. “I’ll do the dare.”

Qiao Cen smiled brightly, “Call the first person on your contact list and mimic a cat’s meow three times.”

“…” Tian Ka held his chest. “Little Qiao, you have a cruel heart.”

It was his own suggestion, so he accepted his fate. He grabbed his phone, opened the contact list, and called the first person, who just happened to be his chatty friend.

“Meow meow meow~”

“What the hell, Tian Ka, are you crazy? Why are you mimicking a cat? You… beep beep beep…”

Fans online:

【Hahaha, has Tian Ka’s image in front of his friends been ruined?】

【He did it so well, Tian Ka must have practiced at home, right?】

—

Tian Ka quickly hung up the phone, “I’m done.”

Qiao Chuchu: 【Those cat meows were so realistic. No wonder he’s the kind of man who wears a cat costume and does cat makeup every night to cheer up his girlfriend.】

Next to her, Ye Yu choked on water and coughed violently. “Cough cough…”

She looked at her brother with an incredulous expression, completely shocked that her usually mature and composed brother had such a side to him.

This wasn’t just hard to imagine for her, but for everyone else present. They all looked at Tian Ka with various expressions in their eyes.

Tian Ka’s face turned bright red from being stared at. “It’s my turn!”

He quickly spun the bottle, and this time it pointed to Si Xiang.

“Truth or dare?”

Si Xiang hesitated, “Truth.”

Tian Ka asked curiously, “For a beautiful girl like you, did you have a boyfriend in school?”

“…” Si Xiang paused. He really couldn’t pick a better question to ask.

“No.”

Qiao Chuchu: 【Si Xiang has never had a boyfriend, but she’s had girlfriends. With her pretty face, she’s had quite a few. She had one, but they broke up after graduation, and recently, she’s started flirting with someone again.】

【Although I’m curious, now that Si Xiang has become a girl, how does she… with other girls?】

【I’ll go see if there’s any visual version of this… 】

At this point, it was Qiao Cen’s turn to cough. This was definitely not something his underage sister should be hearing!

“Cough cough… Sister, are you thirsty? I’ve got some juice here, and also some new dishes that just came out. Want to try them?”

Qiao Chuchu took the juice, “Thanks, Xiao Cen.”

【Ugh, having a cute and considerate little brother is the best. I was so focused on eating melons, I almost missed the new food that just came out. It smells so good! I have to try it.】

The others looked disappointed. They were just as curious.

But Si Xiang let out a sigh of relief. She noticed Bai Yun looking at her with a suspicious gaze again, and her heart tightened. She quickly picked some food for Bai Yun.

“Yunyun, the new dish is really good. You should try it.”

Bai Yun noticed the way she dodged her gaze, and her suspicion only grew stronger.

Si Xiang: “It’s my turn to spin.”

By now, she had recovered. It didn’t matter if Qiao Chuchu had revealed some of her secrets. Until they were confirmed, others could only doubt and gossip.

She spun the bottle, hoping it would stop in front of Bai Yun, but the bottle had a mind of its own and stopped in front of Tong Zhichen, who smiled.

“You ask.”

Si Xiang, enchanted by the radiant smile, suddenly asked, “Are you single?”

Tong Zhichen was taken aback, then replied, “Yes.”

Qiao Chuchu: 【How come I remember Tong Zhichen isn’t single? Didn’t he have a scandal? Let me look it up.】

Everyone perked up: A scandal!!!

Tong Zhichen’s brow twitched. He quickly said, “My turn to spin.”

But it was too late.

Qiao Chuchu: 【Ha, found it.】

【Oh no, Tong Zhichen is married to his childhood sweetheart, but still pretending to be single?】

【His childhood sweetheart was replaced before returning to the country, and the replacement was a guy.】

【What’s even crazier is that this guy used Tong Zhichen’s identity to trick girls and rich men for money and sex, even keeping a lover.】

【Every weekend night, the replacement would go out on dates with his lover and send photos of shopping, dining, and hotel rooms to Tong Zhichen, blatantly cuckolding him. But Tong Zhichen didn’t know. Not only did he send money, but he also reminded the guy to stay safe and call him if anything happened.】

【What a tragic fool. So pitiful.】

She, too, cast a sympathetic glance at him, and everyone else who heard the gossip turned their shocked and pitying gazes toward him.

Qiao “people eating melons” Cen: Holy crap!! Tong Zhichen is actually married!! And his partner is a guy!!

Tong Zhichen: “…”

It’s a woman! His secret wife is a woman! His childhood sweetheart!

Qiao Chuchu continued scrolling through the gossip: 【Hey, it’s the weekend today, and the replacement guy is already meeting with his lover. He even sent Tong Zhichen the photos of their meals, shopping, and hotel room number. Tong Zhichen didn’t suspect anything and continued to send money, reminding the guy to stay safe. What Tong Zhichen doesn’t know is that the guy and his lover are mocking him, calling him an ATM. Haha, sounds about right.】

【Holy crap! Are they this desperate? They’re hugging and kissing as soon as they get inside, stripping each other naked, and going into the bathroom together.】

【Why does it stop here? There’s no video version, fine, but why is even the written version incomplete?】

【Low rating, this gossip system needs an upgrade.】

【Hmm, why is everyone suddenly quiet?】

Everyone: Aren’t you all dying to know what happens next? Come on, what happened after that? Tell us!

Everyone: Actually, we want to know if Tong Zhichen and the replacement guy ever… you know…

All eyes turned to Tong Zhichen, as if a sharp sword had pierced through him. His face looked utterly grim, and the chopsticks he was holding snapped in half.

He suddenly stood up.