Goddess Strategy GL - Chapter 20
Zhao Xin had not yet returned when another slightly overweight man sat down between Zhao Xin and Ren Xi and chuckled, “What do you mean ‘dare not,’ that sounds so unpleasant. I had dinner with Sister Susan on Sunday and invited Miss Zhao on short notice. Miss Zhao agreed very readily, although later, for various reasons, I didn’t get to see her. But Miss Zhao has always been so understanding, how could she not agree to such a small request?”
The man wore a look of fake smiles, polite on the surface but actually deliberately using his status to pressure people. Zhao Xin indeed had a private dinner scheduled that weekend with an investor for her next movie. He said he wanted to communicate with Zhao Xin’s studio in advance. Later, due to the party, Zhao Xin did not attend the appointment. This man had an arrogant expression; he was apparently one of the investor’s people from that day.
No wonder Ren Xi knew she was discussing a movie.
The man extended his hand again: “My surname is Wu. We’re all one family now. Just call me Brother Wu.”
Zhao Xin shook hands with the man politely but coolly.
“Mr. Wu, you’re secretly taking advantage of Miss Zhao again. Miss Zhao and I have known each other for a long time, and I’ve never let Miss Zhao call me ‘Brother.’ Right, Miss Zhao?” The show on this side hadn’t ended yet. The man with the narrow eyes just now squeezed over and sat right next to Zhao Xin.
“Young Master Chen, how come I didn’t know you and Miss Zhao have known each other for a long time? Are you sure she knows you, and not just that you know her?”
Chen and Wu had long-standing grudges over pursuing female celebrities, and running into each other here added fuel to the fire. They desperately wanted to crush the other in front of Zhao Xin. The two mocked each other openly and secretly. The group of hangers-on around them fanned the flames, making Ren Xi inwardly furious.
“Are we going to play or not? If you want a war of words, take it outside. Don’t spoil everyone’s fun.”
Ren Xi’s temper flared up fiercely when she drank. Many people coveted Zhao Xin here, and many also coveted her. As soon as she spoke, someone immediately catered to her: “Since everyone is waiting, then sit down. Let’s continue playing as we were before.”
A waiter brought over wine glasses. Everyone sat down and briefly introduced themselves. Even if Zhao Xin didn’t have a wide social circle, she had heard of their big names. Generally speaking, they fell into three categories: profligates, prodigal sons, and playboys.
She glanced at Ren Xi with a complex expression. Ren Xi was clinking glasses with someone, her slender fingers gripping the stemmed wine glass. The wine swayed slightly, giving the appearance of someone who couldn’t hold their liquor well.
“Drink a little less.”
Somehow, Zhao Xin reached out, wanting to take the wine glass from Ren Xi’s hand. Ren Xi pulled her hand back, leaning against the man behind her. The man behind her chuckled and put his arm around Ren Xi’s waist from behind.
“What does it have to do with you? You’re quite nosy.”
“Being nosy because you two used to be best friends, right?” The few people around them burst into laughter.
The word “best friends” deeply stung Zhao Xin’s heart. The people around were laughing, and Ren Xi was also laughing. She didn’t know how much those people knew. She only knew that Ren Xi’s smile was dazzling, as dazzling as the midday sun. Just one look, and her eyes would sting and want to shed tears.
“Didn’t you want to play? Then let’s start.”
Zhao Xin took the cards, masking the turmoil in her heart, and asked, “How do we play?”
A girl snatched the cards from Zhao Xin’s hand: “It’s simple. We have exactly fifteen people here. Each person draws a card. Whoever draws the King is the commander, whoever draws the Ace is the recipient of the command, and the Jack is the next person to shuffle the cards. That’s it. But Miss Zhao, let me tell you in advance, this game is all about excitement. For us, there’s no such thing as going ‘too far’ or ‘not too far,’ only being ‘true’ or ‘untrue.'”
Zhao Xin frowned. The two men trying to curry favor immediately said, “Don’t scare Miss Zhao, it’s just a game.”
Ren Xi chuckled again: “Too far? What outrageous things hasn’t Miss Zhao done? Would she find our game too much?”
“Hey, what are you saying?”
The slightly overweight man surnamed Wu pretended to stop Ren Xi. Ren Xi smiled, leaned forward, placing the hand holding the wine glass on Mr. Wu’s shoulder, and whispered into his ear, “Aren’t you just hoping for something ‘too far’ to happen?”
Although the voice was soft, everyone around heard it, and they erupted in cheers and excitement. Zhao Xin looked over. Ren Xi was looking at her with a defiant expression, without a trace of warmth on her face.
They had finally reached this point.
“I’ll go first.”
Zhao Xin was the first to draw a card and place it on the table. The others also took turns and drew their cards. Ren Xi snapped her fingers, revealed her card, which was an Ace.
“Tsk, what bad luck.”
She took out a cigarette and put it in her mouth. The man behind her quickly lit it for her. Ren Xi took a puff and asked the man behind her, “What card do you have?”
“I’m not the King.”
“Then who is it?”
She scanned the group. Young Master Chen turned over his card: “It’s me.”
“Ask away. Truth or Dare.”
“You choose one.”
“Truth.”
Ren Xi blew out a smoke ring, looking completely nonchalant. Although Young Master Chen knew that Ren Xi and Zhao Xin had a past, their discord was an obvious fact. He was eager to show his devotion, so he asked Zhao Xin, “Is there anything you want to ask?”
Zhao Xin looked directly at Ren Xi and said, “No.”
“Then I’ll ask.”
Young Master Chen tapped his head with his finger, deliberately making a troubled face: “This question is really hard to ask…”
The people around became interested and urged, “Ask! Everyone knows Ren Xi is the most open to playing anything.”
“You bastard always talks nonsense,” Ren Xi laughed and playfully punched the person. Only then did Young Master Chen speak: “Who did you spend the night with last night?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ren Xi’s face changed.
Young Master Chen, intent on standing up for Zhao Xin, chose the question that would most provoke Ren Xi. Ren Xi sneered, “Oh, Young Master Chen, you’re quite capable.”
Young Master Chen smiled: “Of course. It’s not the first day you’ve known me.”
Ren Xi tossed the cigarette into the glass: “I spent the night with a bed partner last night. As for who it was, I won’t say.”
How could those people let go of such juicy gossip? They opened a bottle of wine and forced Ren Xi to tell.
Ren Xi took a new glass and said, “Well, I have quite a few bed partners, and my memory is poor. It wouldn’t be good if I mistakenly named Young Master Chen, would it, Young Master Chen?”
Young Master Chen hadn’t expected Ren Xi to be so sharp-tongued. He wanted to deny their relationship but was afraid that if Ren Xi retaliated, she would reveal his other scandalous affairs in front of Zhao Xin, so he could only swallow his anger. After the commotion, Ren Xi was punished with a drink, and the next round began.
Coincidentally, Ren Xi drew the Ace again. This time, she chose Dare and shared a passionate French kiss with the man behind her.
After the kiss, the others again found an excuse, saying they were not satisfied. Thus, a full glass of wine was poured down her, and her face instantly became flushed.
“Ren Xi has already done it, don’t make it difficult for her anymore.”
Zhao Xin reached out to shield Ren Xi from the alcohol. Ren Xi swayed and handed the wine glass toward her: “Then you drink it for me.”
She originally wanted to seize the opportunity to mock Zhao Xin, but to her surprise, Zhao Xin took her glass decisively and drank it all in one gulp.
“Good drinker!”
Ren Xi was slightly stunned. After a moment, she scoffed again, “You didn’t use to be able to drink much. It seems like drinking with clients a lot has trained you.”
Zhao Xin didn’t say anything and sat down, leaning against the table. Her tolerance for alcohol was actually still as poor as ever. She just couldn’t stand seeing Ren Xi being forced to drink like this, and in a moment of impulse, she reached out to block the drink. The man surnamed Wu asked a few concerned questions, but Zhao Xin waved her hand, saying she was fine.
The man who drew the Jack started dealing the cards. The man surnamed Wu took his card and stood up to walk to the bar. Ren Xi watched his back, deep in thought.
The next few rounds didn’t involve Ren Xi or Zhao Xin. The man surnamed Chen brought over a glass of iced lemonade. Zhao Xin thanked him and set it aside. Bottle after bottle of wine was emptied. Zhao Xin finally realized that this was just a pretext for binge drinking, and the Truth or Dare questions were merely for added excitement.
The dizziness brought on by the alcohol gradually subsided. She picked up the iced lemonade beside her, just about to drink it, when the wine bottle in Ren Xi’s hand suddenly bumped the table. The wine bottles on the table fell like dominoes, and a group of people stood up one after another. Zhao Xin was jostled and stumbled, and the glass in her hand dropped to the floor.
“What are you doing!”
There were complaints all around. Ren Xi waved her hand nonchalantly and called out to the waiter, “Replace everything! Glasses, wine, iced water, charge it all to my tab.”
Ren Xi was penalized with a few glasses of wine. The waiter cleaned up the table, and the game started a new round. When it was Zhao Xin’s turn, Young Master Chen asked if she had a boyfriend. Zhao Xin said no. As usual, it resulted in two glasses of wine. Young Master Chen blocked one for Zhao Xin, Zhao Xin drank one herself, and for some reason, Ren Xi also drank one. After a few rounds, Ren Xi was resting her head on her hand, already a bit unsteady on her feet.
“I’ll call a designated driver to take Ren Xi back,” Zhao Xin said, seizing the opportunity. Young Master Chen waved his hand, stopping Zhao Xin: “She has a private room here. She’s never gone home after playing here. Let Mr. Wu take her back to the room, and we’ll continue here.”
“That’s right, Miss Zhao. It’s your first time here, stay a little longer. We’ll call a designated driver together later.”
The people here were closer to Young Master Chen, so they secretly helped push him forward. Even if there were volunteers eager to be the “flower protector,” they still instigated the man surnamed Wu to go. The man surnamed Wu gave Young Master Chen a resentful look and helped the drunken Ren Xi up.
Zhao Xin said, “Be careful not to let her fall.”
The man surnamed Wu immediately switched to a smiling face when facing Zhao Xin: “Miss Zhao, please wait a moment, I’ll be right back.”
He helped Ren Xi walk toward the elevator, preparing to go to the villa next door. Ren Xi was leaning heavily on him, reeking of alcohol, muttering something he couldn’t understand. He was already annoyed, and having a burden on him made him furious: “Are you fucking lame? Walk faster.”
“You’re the fucking lame one.”
Ren Xi raised her head vaguely, saw the man surnamed Wu in front of her, focused her gaze, and suddenly slapped him across the face.
The man surnamed Wu was stunned by the slap. When he realized what happened, he slapped her back, cursing foully: “You stinking b1tch! What are you doing, going crazy!”
Ren Xi took the slap, slipped off her high heel, and smashed it against the man’s arm: “Hitting a woman? Wu Zongwei, you’re quite capable. Ha, and you dare to drug the drink? Don’t rely on your uncle being a big shot to bully people! I’m going to report you tomorrow!”
Wu Zongwei’s secret was exposed, and he became enraged. He snatched the high heel from Ren Xi’s hand and threw it aside, then raised his leg to kick her: “Nonsense! And what about you? What are you, introducing a sugar daddy to your former best friend?”
“I introduced her to you! Who told you to drug the drink! Are you even a man!”
Ren Xi, wearing only one high heel, lost her balance. Before Wu Zongwei could kick her, she fell backward onto the lawn. Wu Zongwei took a step forward, raised his foot again, ready to kick Ren Xi, when a book as thick as a brick suddenly descended from the sky, hitting him squarely on the forehead.
He screamed, clutching his head, and was knocked unconscious on the ground.