Fever Break - Chapter 2

Shen Yixi’s racing team recently won an award.

A large group of people immediately organized a gathering, claiming it was to celebrate, but in reality, it was just an excuse to indulge their drinking habits. Everyone laughed and chatted as they settled onto the sofa, which quickly became crowded.

“How did you manage to get everyone here? The class monitor doesn’t seem like someone with such skills,” one of them remarked.

The class monitor was a tall, thin guy wearing glasses: “I ran into him in the bathroom. Usually, it’s hard to get him to come, always running around everywhere, so of course, I couldn’t miss this good opportunity.”

Shen Yixi seemed completely unaffected, leaning back against the chair and chuckling softly.

“If I don’t come, you all could drunk less. I’m doing this for you, and you’re still not happy about it?”

As always, he was arrogant and carefree.

The conversation among the men revolved around competitiveness, joking that tonight they would see who could drink less—losers would be called “grandson.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you, Fanzi, you’ve never drunk with Yi ge before. Tonight, you won’t be able to escape being called ‘grandson’,” one of them teased.

Shen Yixi, nestled in the sofa, merely smirked at that. He reached over to grab the ashtray on the table and extinguished his cigarette: “I don’t want to be called old. You can keep that title for yourselves; just call each other ‘grandson’.”

“Damn, you’re really arrogant, Yi ge,” the men laughed.

Wuke sat across from Shen Yixi, the flowing light flickering under the dim colors, and she looked at him without unreservedly.

So many years have passed, yet this person remains the same. He approaches everything with a nonchalant attitude, as if nothing could truly capture his attention. While others fall in love with pure innocence at their age, even a kiss for him carries a hint of promiscuity.

A whole body of unrestrained, uninhibited, wild ruffianly air, brought out from the bones.

You can never know just how bad he can be.

After finishing his cigarette, he leaned back again, never casting another glance at her, as if he had never known this person. It was as if that earlier glance was merely accidental; to him, she was just a stranger.

Ah Shi had already come to Lu Wuke’s side unnoticed. She felt a bit troubled, wondering why Shen Yixi chose to show up today of all days. Lu Wuke heard her sigh but said nothing.

Ah Shi tentatively asked her, “Are you leaving?”

Finally, Lu Wuke’s gaze shifted away from Shen Yixi, lowering her eyes.
The delicate, pale fingers contrasted sharply with the strong liquor in the glass, evoking a sense of sickly fragility.

She lightly swirled the glass, saying, “Why would I? Let’s have some fun.”

There was no hint of sadness or vulnerability in her words. It was precisely this stubbornness that had drawn that plague of a person, Shen Yixi, to her, thought Ah Shi.

She leaned back into the sofa, seemingly relaxed, and said, “Alright, you’d better drink more, so you can end up passed out on the bed.”

Lu Wuke shot her a glance.

Ah Shi joked, “Don’t come crying to me.”

“Oh, you wait tonight. I won’t be able to help but cry on you for two hours,” Lu Wuke said.

Ah Shi smiled. Since Lu Wuke had decided not to leave, she had nothing much to say.

Before long, someone suggested playing a fun game; just drinking without any activity felt dull.

When old classmates get together, it’s politely called a reunion, but to be frank, it’s really a gossip session. In such a small circle of classmates, even the tiniest bit of gossip can be a topic of great interest. Everyone knows the juicy details in their hearts but pretends not to, so when there’s an opportunity to ask about them casually as a joke, who wouldn’t be interested?

Everyone is curious about the lives of others.

“Sure, you girls can’t drink, so I’ll play with you for a bit,” the men readily agreed, casually grabbing an empty beer bottle from the ground and placing it on the table.

This cliché game is familiar to everyone; the bottle spins, and whoever it points to is deemed unlucky. Two options to choose from: truth or dare.

In the first round, the bottle pointed at a woman, who chose dare and kissed a guy next to her. No beating around the bush, no hesitation. People who already out of school are different.

Lu Wuke listened to the raucous laughter that seemed to lift the ceiling, and her gaze inadvertently fell on Shen Yixi across the table. He lounged with his long legs stretched out, watching the scene with a calm expression, smiling nonchalantly.

She turned her eyes away.

Those who can play such a boring game together can make it lively; after several rounds, everyone chose dare, and the challenges became increasingly daring.

Lu Wuke was completely detached, enjoying the spectacle, but she forgot that when the bottle spins, anyone could be randomly chosen, including herself. Ah Shi probably didn’t anticipate this either; by the time he realized he wanted to block Lu Wuke, it was already too late.

The bottle pointed directly at Lu Wuke.

She had been silent, keeping a low profile, and with the dim lighting in the room, most people hadn’t noticed her at all.

“Lu, Lu Wuke?”

After seeing clearly that Lu Wuke was not the one to be trifled with, the once vibrant atmosphere in the private room suddenly turned awkward.

Everyone in the class knew her, even if Lu Wuke herself was not part of this group.

In the Mechanical Engeenering Class Four, no one was unaware of this person, or rather, it was rare for anyone at Lanjiang University not to know her.

At that age, they were disciplined and innocent, and when someone who broke the rules and lived freely appeared, it was hard not to be drawn to that person.

Shen Yixi was that kind of person. He had no shortage of beautiful girls flocking to him, and just his face alone could attract countless admirers. Yet, he happened to be interested to the difficult Lu Wuke.

At that time, everyone in Class Four knew how much Shen Yixi doted on Lu Wuke.

It was rumored that later on, it was Lu Wuke who dumped Shen Yixi.

At that time, it was so passionate, and now, in comparison, it feels so cold.

Across the table, everyone exchanged glances, looking at each other. Yet the two parties involved seemed completely unfazed. Shen Yixi was still the same as ever, relaxed and sinking into the sofa, casually playing with the lighter in his hand. It seemed like he had no interest in anyone.

Lu Wuke also looked indifferent.

Just when Class 4’s class leader, Zhou Bin, wanted to smooth things over and say that this round didn’t count, Lu Wuke spoke up.

She leaned forward and said cheerfully, “Come on.”

Ah Shi glanced at her.

For a moment, the private room fell silent, and the class monitor quickly took over the conversation, awkwardly chuckling to break the tension: “Alright, so are you choosing truth or dare?”

He reminded Lu Wuke, “Dare can be tricky; this group isn’t exactly harmless, and there are plenty of surprises, so it might not be that safe. But if you choose truth, you have to tell the whole truth.”

After several rounds, everyone had chosen dare; at this age, the last thing they wanted was to open up. In their youth, they complained about no one understanding them, but now that they were adults, they preferred to keep everything bottled up.

The sudden concern and questioning were the most dreaded.

However, not everyone was comfortable with the twisted dares they were playing, and the class monitor casually mentioned it. Moreover, with Shen Yixi here, being an ex-boyfriend, if the dare went too far, it would only add to the awkwardness.

Lu Wuke seemed to take it all in but spoke decisively, “Dare.”

Class monitor: “…”

This girl was still as difficult as ever.

Shen Yixi appeared to be oblivious.

In the end, they didn’t play too wildly; someone suggested a penalty drink. This was probably the most boring dare of the night. Without hesitation, Lu Wuke took the bottle and filled her glass. Looking at this petite and delicate girl, she was surprisingly bold, tilting her head back to down the drink in one go.

At that moment, Shen Yixi seemed to finally react. He lazily lifted his eyelids.

Lu Wuke slightly raised her head, the cold liquid touching her lips.

This round just passed like that.

Maybe she drank a bit too quickly earlier, and now her head feels a bit heavy. The noise around her seemed muffled, as if she were hearing it through a barrier.

Ah Shi leaned in close to her ear: “Are you okay?”

She shook her head lightly.

“Really don’t need to go out?”

“No need.”

The beer bottles rolled around again and again, and everyone was getting louder and louder. Her throat felt a bit scorched, she stayed away from the lively scene.

In the middle, Shen Yixi took a phone call and went to the restroom, returning with the smell of smoke clinging to him.

This person was still the same as before, she thought.

But also different from before.

As soon as Shen Yixi sat down, he was unfortunately pointed by the beer bottle. Someone joked that with his luck, he could go buy a lottery ticket, probably winning for sure.

The man paused his motion of lighting a cigarette and raised his eyes. Shen Yixi bit down on his cigarette, looking at the dark, hollow bottle in front of him, and suddenly smirked.

He casually tossed the lighter onto the table, took the cigarette from his lips, and raised his chin: “Rule as usual, pick one, right?”

“That’s right, Yi ge.”

Once the men started drinking, they forgot who else was present.

“Hurry up, think of a way to make things fun. It’s not easy for him to come here tonight; we can’t let him come here in vain.”

Everyone started to cheer.

Across the crowd, Lu Wuke watched him. Shen Yixi let everyone chatter about how to make a dare challenge for him, sitting back comfortably with his legs spread, listening with ease. He didn’t mind at all.

Eventually, Lu Wuke looked away.

Ashi, who was nearby, noticed and hesitated to speak.

After much deliberation, when they finally came up with a flawless prank, Shen Yixi teasingly said, “Who told you I picked dare?”

Everyone instantly realized they had been tricked. Shen Yixi chuckled, his shoulders shaking slightly.

In the end, it was question of turth that is picked..

Whether the answer will be good depends on whether the question hits the mark. Women are often more perceptive and skilled at these things; a few suggested that the class leader ask something substantial. The class leader, feeling pressured and mindful of Lu Wuke’s presence, lowered his voice to ask Shen Yixi, “Can I really ask anything?”

Shen Yixi glanced at him and smiled, “Feel free to ask.”

“Then I’m really going to ask,” the class leader cleared his throat, steeling himself to ask, “Is there someone you can’t let go of?”

After this question, there were those eager to watch some fun, and after looking at Shen Yixi, they turned to Lu Wuke.

Lu Wuke didn’t look this way, leaning back on the sofa, her head down, fiddling with the wine glass in her hand. Her mind was blank, as if nothing could stay in her thoughts.

Shen Yixi didn’t answer immediately.

Silence spread in the private room, and at times like this, time seemed to pass especially slowly.

Is there someone you can’t let go of?

After a while, Shen Yixi finally spoke. He smiled at some thought, his voice devoid of emotion, straightforward: “No.”

Lu Wuke’s numb thoughts were suddenly shattered.

Her senses were returning.

After a few seconds of silence, her nose suddenly turned sour.

Later, she had no idea what was said in the private room to liven up the atmosphere or what games were played.

Ah Shi seemed annoyed and whispered in her ear, “Are you not satisfied unless you drive yourself crazy?”

Her stomach, corroded by alcohol, churned with discomfort, and she finally decided to get up and leave.

Shen Yixi, that person.

He won’t indulge her anymore.