The pulsating drumbeat stirred everyone's excitement. Duan Mingxuan swayed his hips to the strong, energetic music, his collarbone and chest revealing a large expanse of his pectoral muscles.
Zhang Mo pressed against him, their hips touching, her wrist resting on Duan Mingxuan's shoulder.
"Wow... wow..."
"Mingxuan, your dancing isn't as energetic as Mo Mo's."
"You're such a show-off, Duan Mingxuan."
"Get closer, give him a kiss." Duan Mingxuan's friends cheered from the steps below. Zhang Mo grabbed Duan Mingxuan's collar and offered him her red lips.
Another round of ear-splitting screams erupted. Lin Xi lowered her gaze and put a piece of sushi into her mouth.
Her friend Liang Yutong nudged Lin Xi: "What's going on? When did Duan Mingxuan become so wild?"
Lin Xi: "That's his girlfriend."
"Girlfriend—" Liang Yutong choked, looking at Lin Xi, "When did they start dating?"
Lin Xi: "I heard it's been almost a year."
Liang Yutong: "I'm in B City, how come I haven't heard anything?"
"Maybe it's serious," Lin Xi smiled, "He's kept it well-protected."
Liang Yutong said worriedly, "Then you..." Lin Xi shook her head at her. Liang Yutong wanted to say something more, but the two dancers returned.
Duan Mingxuan squeezed next to Lin Xi, picked up his glass, and took a gulp of whiskey, saying, "Xiao Xi, don't drink."
Lin Xi didn't usually drink, but hearing him say that, she felt rebellious. "I want to drink, isn't this a welcome party for me?"
"You—"
"I think you're being a little too controlling, aren't you?" Duan Mingxuan's childhood friend, Yu Lang, couldn't stand it anymore. "She's 23, what's wrong with having a drink? Besides, with us guys around, who would dare bully her?"
Duan Mingxuan thought about it and agreed: "Then make her a cocktail, but don't make it too strong."
Yu Lang chuckled: "Okay." Zhang Mo leaned against Duan Mingxuan, smiling sweetly, and said, "Mingxuan, Yu Lang is right, you are being too controlling."
"What's this compared to him?" Yu Lang raised his eyebrows. "Lin Xi went to the US for five years, and he flew there every month to see her, without fail, rain or shine." Zhang Mo's smile froze for a moment, then quickly returned to normal. She snorted, pinched Duan Mingxuan's arm, and sweetly questioned, "So, when you were dating me, those days you disappeared every month were because you were going to the US? Anyone who didn't know would think you were having your period!"
Duan Mingxuan winced from her pinch, muttering a few words of apology, which made the people in the hall laugh. Zhang Mo glanced at Lin Xi and suggested, "It's so boring, let's play a game?"
As soon as she finished speaking, several girls chimed in, all of whom Zhang Mo had brought along. Liang Yutong glanced around and knew they were there to find rich men. But this kind of thing was a matter of mutual consent, and it wasn't her place to say anything, but this was Lin Xi's welcome party.
She kicked Yu Lang: "This is Xiao Xi's welcome party, and all sorts of shady people are allowed to come? You guys are getting pretty indiscriminate now, even pigs are eating fine grain!"
Yu Lang and Duan Mingxuan exchanged glances, speechless for a moment. They knew Liang Yutong had a sharp tongue, but this was too harsh. Mu Shuo chuckled and obediently raised his hand to Liang Yutong and Lin Xi: "Two older sisters, I'm not interested in women."
Liang Yutong scoffed, "Then what are you doing here?"
Mu Shuo: "Sister Xi is returning to the palace, I'm here to welcome her."
Liang Yutong almost died laughing: "You've watched too much 'Empresses in the Palace', haven't you?" Lin Xi choked on his "Sister Xi" comment.
Duan Mingxuan patted her back, skillfully opening a bottle of purified water for her, his tone doting: "You're so grown up and still choking."
Lin Xi took the water and took a sip, silently moving away from Duan Mingxuan. Seeing Duan Mingxuan frown, she smiled: "Aren't we going to play games?" Zhang Mo immediately chimed in, "Let's play Truth or Dare?" Liang Yutong laughed, sarcastically saying, "Momo, are you some kind of ancient tomb-dwelling Little Dragon Girl, still playing Truth or Dare?"
"Huh?" Zhang Mo blinked, "But my friends and I all play like this."
Liang Yutong said "Oh": "That's why you look so innocent."
Yu Lang and Mu Shuo simultaneously shrank back, avoiding being caught in Liang Yutong's crossfire. Duan Mingxuan wasn't stupid; he naturally understood Liang Yutong's underlying meaning—that his girlfriend wasn't innocent. But it was a bit much to not give him any face at all.
He brought a fruit platter to Lin Xi, smiling at Liang Yutong: "Give me some face, she's my girlfriend after all."
Zhang Mo snorted, giving Liang Yutong a glare. She was quite pleased to see Duan Mingxuan supporting her.
Liang Yutong pretended to be clueless, looking bewildered: "What did I say?"
Duan Mingxuan: "..." He really didn't know why Lin Xi wanted to hang out with her. Wouldn't she usually be bullied by Liang Yutong's sharp tongue? Yu Lang mixed some cocktails, serving them to Lin Xi and Liang Yutong, trying to smooth things over: "Come on, let's play a game."
The dozen or so people in the hall responded, discussing what to play, and finally settled on an upgraded version of Truth or Dare. Liang Yutong was utterly speechless. Lin Xi didn't want to play; it was a group of men and women together, using the game as an excuse to pry into people's private lives.
She said, "I'll pour the drinks for you guys while you play."
Zhang Mo quickly stopped her, "No way, this is a welcome party for you, what do you mean by staying out of it?"
Liang Yutong "tsk"ed, about to retort, but Lin Xi stopped her.
She looked at Zhang Mo, her tone very calm, "Then let's play." After the card slot in the middle of the table, which was filled with cards, had been emptied several times, Lin Xi drew several cards with patterns on them.
She could answer a question or choose a dare.
The former was much simpler than the latter; if she didn't answer, she could drink instead. Without exception, all the questions were about relationships. If she answered, she would reveal her feelings for Duan Mingxuan. Lin Xi chose to drink to avoid the questions, a blush creeping up her cheeks, but Zhang Mo still didn't let her off the hook.
"Xiao Xi, what kind of guy do you like?" Lin Xi couldn't drink anymore, and she chuckled softly, "I like older men." Was that satisfactory? Everyone present exchanged glances, and Mu Shuo raised his hand to answer, "I know, isn't it someone mature, steady, and considerate?"
Duan Mingxuan was amused by Lin Xi's answer; she was quite good at making things up.
"Last round." Duan Mingxuan drew a card first, "After this, let's go play billiards."
Lin Xi, feeling dizzy, took a card; it was a white safety card. She let out a heavy sigh and leaned on Liang Yutong's shoulder for a short rest.
Duan Mingxuan's smile disappeared when he saw his card, and he didn't move for a long time. Zhang Mo exclaimed, "Husband, you drew a special card!"
Yu Lang chuckled, got up, and took the card from Duan Mingxuan's hand, "You're so lucky, you drew the card that no one else has drawn in several rounds."
"Give it to me," Duan Mingxuan got up to take it back. Yu Lang stood on the sofa, holding the card far away, and read it aloud with a mischievous tone: "Choose the first girl to your left or right. From the two girls, choose one and have her kiss a member of the opposite sex present (excluding yourself) for thirty seconds."
Yu Lang put down the card and mocked Duan Mingxuan: "Damn, which idiot made this game card? The person who drew the card doesn't get any benefits?" Lin Xi was suddenly startled; to Duan Mingxuan's left and right were herself and Zhang Mo.