“Yes, miss, it’s really pouring outside. We really need an umbrella to go out—please, we’re begging you!”
Jiang Xiao said this with utmost seriousness.
“Huh?”
The young woman was stunned.
What was that about?
Not only was she taken aback, but everyone present was completely flabbergasted.
What nonsense is Haki Xiao spouting now?
“Lao Jiang… Have you finally given up and decided to evolve from a freeloading winner to an enemy spy dragging the whole team down?”
Xie Zhuran sighed with feeling.
“It’s not that kind of umbrella—no, it is an umbrella, but not for the rain.”
Song Qiuyu was flustered and quickly clarified.
Jiang Xiao paused.
Not for the rain?
Could it be for the sun?
“I get it, I get it.”
The young woman gave Song Qiuyu a mischievous look, just about to say something.
At that moment, the bathroom door inside the room opened. A burly man with sculpted muscles, wrapped only in a bath towel around his waist and trailing steam, appeared behind the young woman.
“Who are they? Do you know them? Sounds like you’ve been chatting for a while.”
“Nope.” The young woman turned to him. “They’re here to borrow a Little Umbrella.”
“Oh?” The big man squinted, finally taking a good look at the people outside the door. “Well, just give them some, we don’t need them anyway. Alright, babe, don’t waste time with them.”
Before the young woman could fetch them herself, the man briskly grabbed three and tossed them outside.
Jiang Xiao moved quickly, catching them before they hit Song Qiuyu.
Seeing this, the young woman was about to close the door. But just before she did, she shot Song Qiuyu a sly look and teased, “Spring Night is short—hurry back. Oh, by the way, I gave you the chaobolingjuli type. I recommend you use this brand from now on. Of course, if you want a thrill, you can always try Wolf Tooth Club.”
The door closed. Song Qiuyu’s face was already flushed red, her neck even more so.
Sure, the mission was a success, but thinking back on the lines she’d just improvised, it was honestly…
In that stranger’s eyes, she and Jiang Xiao probably looked like a loving newlywed couple by now.
The task was accomplished perfectly, but she didn’t feel happy at all.
“So this is the Couple Umbrella.”
Jiang Xiao hadn’t paid much attention when the cashier recommended it at the supermarket, but now that he looked at it, he found it baffling.
Isn’t this umbrella a bit… too small?
It’s not even as big as his hand.
No wonder Song Qiuyu said it wasn’t for rain.
This thing definitely can’t keep out the rain.
“……”
Seeing Jiang Xiao actually examining the Little Umbrella, Song Qiuyu bit her lip, her face full of disbelief.
Haki Xiao really hasn’t changed since middle school—he’s still so innocent.
She was starting to think Jiang Xiao’s computer was genuinely clean, with nothing but study materials…
Then again, it showed she hadn’t explained this concept to Jiang Xiao back in middle school.
Shen Xi was a jerk, but at least he had a shred of decency.
Still, as she looked at the individually wrapped Little Umbrella in Jiang Xiao’s hand, a string of images inexplicably flashed through her mind.
Things she’d seen and touched in bathrooms.
Some memories, even if you don’t think about them, just sit there unchanged, waiting for the day you suddenly recall them.
And then there were the sensations from earlier, when he pinned her down doing push-ups—the heat, the overwhelming masculine presence…
Hiss…
No, no! What on earth was she thinking!?
How could she possibly use that with Jiang Xiao!
It’s all King’s Game’s fault!
Damn it!
She was blushing and flustered, her mind in chaos. She avoided his gaze, lips brushing together, then closed her eyes and took a shallow breath.
“Jiang Xiao, we should go back. Stop studying that umbrella.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Xiao nodded.
As the two of them started heading back, the three people by the door quickly ducked their heads and hurried back to their table by the window.
“Song Qiuyu, you’re back! We were just talking—it’s almost midnight and we’ve been playing King’s Game for ages. How about we switch to Script Murder next?”
Facing Song Qiuyu’s glare, Xie Zhuran felt a twinge of guilt but pretended nothing was wrong, waving the two over.
He picked up his phone and waved it, signaling that the Script was all ready.
“We’ve already picked out the Script for Script Murder. We need a little time to get familiar with it and assign roles.”
Lin An chimed in to help.
Though they hadn’t achieved their goal in King’s Game,
they’d made Song Qiuyu suffer twice in a row. She probably wouldn’t want to keep playing King’s Game now.
Jiang Xiao silently held up the “spoils of war” for everyone to see.
Song Qiuyu didn’t call them out for secretly watching the whole process, just nodded firmly, showing she agreed.
King’s Game really should end now.
If it kept going, she didn’t even dare imagine what she’d have to do with Jiang Xiao next…
She clenched her small hands tightly.
Tonight is truly a Water Retrograde Night!
But when she saw the Script Jiang Xiao carefully picked out for Script Murder, she froze, a chill running down her spine.
The Script Murder story started in a hotel room on a thunderstorm night.
Genre: horror and mystery.
“?”
“Thunderstorm Night Killer, a horror Script? Are we sure we want something this on the nose?”
“Yes!”
Xie Zhuran and Lin An nodded in unison.
“What, Song Qiuyu, are you scared now?”
Xie Zhuran deliberately tried to provoke her.
Song Qiuyu let her guard down and didn’t dodge: “Who’s scared? I’m just worried Sang Tian might…”
“Song classmate, I think it sounds great.” Looks like Song classmate is scared.
“What about you, Jiang Xiao?”
“This one’s fine.”
Song Qiuyu’s lips twitched. But didn’t she remember Jiang Xiao being a bit of a scaredy-cat?
Forget it. Time to think about how to cheat and get Jiang Xiao and Sang Tian to play a couple in the script. Horror stories have their perks—the suspension bridge effect!
Rally and win! Victory is mine!
So, everyone pretended to calmly read the Script, but in reality, they were all watching each other.
This Script had only two female roles. Besides Sang Tian, someone else would have to do Reverse Casting.
Song Qiuyu immediately spoke up: “Just so we’re clear, I’m not doing Reverse Casting!”
“But Song classmate, you just played newlyweds with Jiang Xiao, and there’s a married couple in this Script too. I think you two fit the roles perfectly!”
Sang Tian tilted her head, her innocent smile betraying nothing.
“……”
Jiang Xiao stayed silent.
Lin An and Xie Zhuran wanted to say something, but pairing Lao Jiang and Song Qiuyu together again didn’t seem quite right.
“I object!”
Song Qiuyu frowned and suggested drawing lots to decide.
Of everyone here, she trusted Sang Tian the most, so she handed the task over. Soon, Sang Tian brought over five folded slips of paper. Song Qiuyu took a deep breath and reached out to draw.