I Fell In Love With My Rival (GL) - Chapter 26.3
She hadn’t overthought it. She just wanted to know Fu Erqiu’s type, so she could adjust her approach. She had no intention of asking anything too awkward like Song Rao had hinted at.
But unexpectedly, Fu Erqiu went completely silent—for several minutes.
The playful atmosphere chilled, people began murmuring about past gossip between the two. The silence dragged on so long that Su Chunyin nearly changed the question out of sheer embarrassment.
Finally, Fu Erqiu raised her head. “Dare.”
Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. Su Chunyin struggled to come up with a punishment until Song Rao elbowed her and mouthed “haunted house.”
Su Chunyin instantly understood and said, “Then come with me to the haunted house later.”
Fu Erqiu nodded without hesitation.
While the haunted house activity continued, so did the Truth or Dare game.
Maybe Song Rao’s earlier meddling used up all Su Chunyin’s luck, because soon enough, it was her turn to be chosen.
The one who picked her was a sporty boy with tanned skin. He looked a bit shy, his face tinged with red.
Song Rao leaned over and whispered, “I heard he used to be in Class 7 and has had a crush on you for a while.”
Crush? Su Chunyin wasn’t interested.
The boy scratched his head and asked the question he’d been dying to know: “Do you have someone you like?”
This game was just a fun excuse for gossip, and no one really cared if the answers were true or not. A simple “no” would’ve ended the question.
Su Chunyin was about to shake her head when her eyes drifted toward a particular person across from her. She paused—and nodded instead.
“Ah!” the boy exclaimed, disappointed. He didn’t hide his feelings. “Didn’t expect that. What a shame.”
Everyone started buzzing with speculation—who was it? What’s their relationship? Whispers grew louder, theories flying.
That was the whole point of playing Truth or Dare in a group—gossip, curiosity, drama.
One of the bolder students, who wasn’t in Su Chunyin’s original class, asked directly, “Is the person you like here?”
According to the rules, Su Chunyin only had to answer the first question. This one wasn’t required. She could’ve ignored it. Even Song Rao gestured for her to just skip it.
But Su Chunyin didn’t.
She calmly looked through the crowd and locked eyes on the person she had in mind. That person sat with their head slightly bowed, seemingly uninterested.
“Yes,” Su Chunyin said firmly.
That one word stirred even more commotion. Many turned instinctively to look at Lu Fang, the person most often linked to her.
But quickly, someone realized—Su Chunyin wasn’t looking at Lu Fang at all!
People followed her gaze and saw only Fu Erqiu and a quiet, unassuming boy beside her. Confusion spread.
Wait, didn’t they say Su Chunyin liked Lu Fang? But she’s not even looking in his direction. Could it be…
Eyes turned to the ordinary-looking boy. Could he be the one Su Chunyin liked?
Su Chunyin was beautiful and came from a wealthy family—how could she like someone so plain? But then again… you never know. Love can be strange like that.
Surely, she couldn’t mean the person next to him—Fu Erqiu?
The people present tried to guess, but when no one could figure it out, they gave up and moved on to the next round of the game. Only Li Zihan—nicknamed “Ms. Know-It-All”—kept glancing back and forth between Su Chunyin and Fu Erqiu, as if deep in thought.
After that round of card drawing, Su Chunyin had Song Rao watch over her for the next few rounds. Thanks to her help, she managed to avoid being picked for any dares. When everyone eventually emerged from the haunted house—some scoffing, others visibly shaken—Song Rao nudged Su Chunyin. “Go on.”
Su Chunyin called over to Fu Erqiu. “Time to fulfill your dare. Let’s go.”
Fu Erqiu nodded and followed her into the haunted house.
The amusement park was built on a mountain, and the haunted house, one of its highlights, was nestled within a patch of undeveloped forest. Upon entering, they had to climb a long flight of stairs that ascended into the woods.
To build up the eerie atmosphere, the lights along the stairway were intentionally dimmed to a greenish glow, like flickering ghost fire.
As they walked, Su Chunyin spoke to Fu Erqiu. “By the way, don’t you feel like you’ve forgotten something?”
Fu Erqiu was walking ahead, scouting the way, so Su Chunyin couldn’t see her face. “Forgotten what?”
Su Chunyin poked her in the back, signaling her not to walk too fast. “Remember our swimming race last time?”
Fu Erqiu nodded, then remembered Su Chunyin couldn’t see that in the dark, so she added aloud, “I remember. You won.”
Satisfied, Su Chunyin withdrew her hand. The distance between them now was perfect—neither too close nor too far, just enough to keep up. “Then do you remember the deal we made?”
“I do.”
“You promised to grant me one request, remember?”
Fu Erqiu’s footsteps and breathing were light. At one point, they stepped onto a flat stretch of floor covered in sound-absorbing carpet, and Su Chunyin had to quicken her pace again to stay close.
“What kind of request?”
What kind of request? Su Chunyin hesitated. Truthfully, she hadn’t thought that far ahead when she made the deal. After a moment’s thought, she decided to go with something practical. “Lend me your answers during the exam in a few days?”
After the field trip, Su Chunyin would be facing an important test. It was both a way to assess the new class groupings and to help students refocus.
If Fu Erqiu let her copy, Su Chunyin’s ranking would certainly jump significantly—enough that Xu Yuhui would be reassured and more likely to continue hiring Fu Erqiu as her tutor.
Su Chunyin thought she would agree. But to her surprise, Fu Erqiu didn’t even hesitate for a second. She answered firmly, “No. I won’t help you cheat.”
Su Chunyin pouted. “Fine, then I’ll come up with another request later.”
Just then, Fu Erqiu turned around. “As long as it’s not cheating, anything else is fine.”
“Anything?”
“I mean it. I’ll remember.”
The eerie green lights offered no real illumination, and Su Chunyin still couldn’t see Fu Erqiu’s expression clearly. But for some reason, her heart skipped a beat. “Do you… do you know who I said I liked earlier?
Among the people here today?”
The ribbons hanging in the dim green lights drifted gently in the breeze. In the silence, Fu Erqiu’s voice sounded almost ghostly. “Mm. I know.”
Fu Erqiu: Of course, it’s me.