Truth or Dare

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Faced with the sudden command, I had no choice but to obey. After sending Han Xue a message to warn her to be careful, I said goodbye to Lin Wan and Chen Hao, then made my way to the dance studio of the Art Academy.

By the time I arrived, most people were already there: the chubby and greasy transfer student, Qian Duoduo; the ponytailed beauty of the Art Academy, Hu Xing'er, known as Five of Hearts; my loyal friend Zhou Zhenyu—nicknamed Tanhou—Seven of Diamonds; the calculating, bespectacled Sumu, Four of Spades, from the Agricultural College; the tall boy He Fei from the Law School; academic underachiever Zheng Wei from the Medical School; and Xu Tingting from the Literature Department.

The eight of us looked at each other in silence, but our positions in the room already hinted at our alliances. Qian Duoduo and Tanhou naturally stood with me; Hu Xing'er and Sumu drifted closer together; the remaining three instinctively grouped on their own.

Clearly, Hu Xing'er and Sumu had chosen to partner with other Contract Holders, believing it would better their chances of survival when up against the unknown trio.

"Fatty Qian, Tanhou, this time we have to watch each other's backs," I joked, trying to ease the awkwardness. Qian Duoduo replied with his usual cheerfulness, his cheeks quivering as he spoke. "Of course!"

Tanhou, however, remained silent and didn't even glance my way. Hu Xing'er and Sumu whispered to each other, while the other three seemed confused about the situation, quietly observing the five of us.

This uneasy stalemate was short-lived. With the sound of a door slamming shut, the dance studio was sealed off completely.

Across the room, Xu Tingting grew visibly tense; He Fei and Zheng Wei looked frightened as well, but with a girl present, Zheng Wei mustered some courage and addressed me.

"Um, what's going on here?"

Perhaps I looked approachable, or maybe I just happened to be facing them. I’ve always seemed to attract solicitors and salespeople—maybe I just look easy to talk to, or easy to take advantage of. Once, someone almost dragged me into a shop to make a purchase.

I pushed that salesperson away, only to have him accuse me of hitting him. I was speechless.

Being too agreeable makes you an easy target, and this time was no different. Compared to the articulate Sumu and Hu Xing'er, Zheng Wei and his friends couldn’t find an opening to speak. As for Fatty Qian, his words were rarely reliable, and Tanhou’s intimidating aura kept everyone at bay—including me, his supposed close friend.

"Just wait and you'll find out," I replied kindly. No sooner had I spoken than several lines of text appeared on the enormous mirror in the dance studio.

"Trial Two: Truth or Dare."

"Following the order in which you entered the studio, each person will choose either Truth or Dare."

"If you choose Truth, you may ask a question for everyone to answer. If everyone answers truthfully, all pass safely. If anyone lies, a random selection will be chosen to compete in a Dare."

"If you choose Dare, the system will randomly select two others to join you in the challenge, or you may select one person to compete with you."

"When every participant has completed a round, the trial ends."

"Note: The more participants in a Dare, the more difficult it becomes."

After reading the words on the mirror, I roughly understood the rules. Compared to the previous class-versus-class trial, this game might allow everyone to survive, as long as everyone chooses Truth and answers honestly.

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"What’s the deal with this game?" He Fei immediately directed his question at me—perhaps, like Zheng Wei, he thought I was easy to talk to.

Seeing my awkward position, Sumu stifled a laugh beside me.

I ignored He Fei’s dismissive look. I had planned to explain the rules to everyone anyway. Clearing my throat, I glanced around at the group.

"In this game, we all have a chance to make it out alive."

"The instructions say the game ends after everyone has taken a turn—so, with eight of us, that’s eight rounds."

"If, in every round, all of us choose Truth and answer honestly, there shouldn’t be any casualties."

Upon hearing this, Xu Tingting, He Fei, and Zheng Wei’s eyes lit up. It was clear they’d all experienced life-and-death games before—otherwise, they wouldn’t have looked so relieved at the prospect of survival.

But someone had to rain on the parade.

Sumu shrugged indifferently, stepped between our two factions, and spoke with a sly smile.

"But what if someone lies, Lin Zijian?"

Sumu’s words drew everyone’s attention back to me.

"If someone lies, a random group will be forced into a Dare," I explained. "But if someone chooses Dare directly, two or three people will have to participate with them."

"There’s no guarantee the Dare will be safe, so I think Truth is the safer choice."

I was mostly addressing Xu Tingting and her friends, but there was a probability issue here. If you choose Dare, two things can happen: you can pick someone for a one-on-one Dare, or the system randomly selects two to join you. If I were a Contract Holder, I’d choose a regular person for a Dare, greatly increasing my chances of survival. If the system picks, and the other two are also Contract Holders, my odds decrease.

If I choose Truth, I can’t control whether others will lie. If someone does, the Dare could involve two or more, or even all eight of us—greatly lowering our chances of survival.

All things considered, for us Contract Holders, picking someone for a one-on-one Dare offers much better odds than Truth—assuming someone lies during Truth. For He Fei and his two regular companions, choosing Truth gives them the best chance.

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After a brief discussion, Xu Tingting and her two friends decided to start the first round of Truth or Dare.

Fatty Qian and I quickly agreed: we’d both choose Truth. I tried talking to Tanhou, but he ignored me completely. When I tried to pat his shoulder, he suddenly looked up, his gray eyes radiating a deathly chill that made me too scared to step any closer.

I whispered, "Be careful," and retreated to stand beside Fatty Qian.

After a few minutes of hushed debate, Xu Tingting stepped into the center as the first player. Her delicate voice rang out:

"Hello, everyone. I’m Xu Tingting, and I choose Truth."

As expected, her choice didn’t surprise me—ordinary people like her would naturally pick Truth.

"My question is: What food do you hate the most?"

Without hesitation, Xu Tingting answered, "I hate chili peppers. I can’t eat spicy food—it's so hot!"

She stuck out her tongue and fanned her mouth as if the thought alone was enough to make her sweat.

The rest of us began sharing our answers.

"Meat," said academic slacker Zheng Wei after a moment of thought.

"Peanuts," tall He Fei replied.

Next, it was the Contract Holders’ turn. Sumu said, "Corn." Hu Xing'er said she hated salad dressing.

Qian Duoduo claimed there wasn’t any food he disliked—he liked everything edible.

I rolled my eyes at that, then gave my own answer: "Green peppers."

Lastly, it was Tanhou’s turn. For someone who loved spice, I knew exactly what food he despised—desserts. I remembered bringing him sweets once, only for him to give them all away to his roommate.

"Chili peppers," Tanhou suddenly said, breaking my train of thought.

Did Tanhou just lie? Instantly, my nerves were on edge.