The Moon Shines Upon Me - Chapter 16
Chapter 16: Straight
“Girls, just eating and drinking is a bit boring. Why don’t we play a game?” Lin Qinghuan clapped her hands, drawing everyone’s attention.
Everyone gave the birthday girl face and chimed in, “Sure! What are we playing?”
Lin Qinghuan thought for a moment and suddenly slapped her thigh. “Then… let’s play Truth or Dare.”
Hearing this, everyone laughed and shouted, “Let’s do it, but don’t you dare cheat!”
“No cheating, no cheating.”
Lin Qinghuan specifically invited Shen Yuan and Gu Shiwei to join. Gu Shiwei originally didn’t want to participate, but Lin Qinghuan kept winking at her secretly and shot several meaningful glances at Shen Yuan.
Gu Shiwei caught the hint and nodded in agreement.
Lin Qinghuan: OK! The show! Begins!
After a quick discussion, they decided to spin a wine bottle to determine the “victim.”
The victim could freely choose between Truth or Dare. If they couldn’t do either, they had to be penalized with a drink.
In the first round, the mouth of the bottle swayed and stopped in front of Ji Xiao.
Ji Xiao froze, instinctively glancing at Gu Shiwei across from her.
After a moment, she pursed her lips and said, “I choose Truth.”
The question on the card was:
Who was your first love?
Hoo.
Lin Qinghuan was amused. Isn’t this an easy one to answer?
As far as she knew, because Ji Xiao had harbored a long-term crush on Gu Shiwei, she hadn’t dated at all over the years.
But the next second, Lin Qinghuan was dumbfounded. Ji Xiao didn’t say a word; instead, she chose to drink.
Ji Xiao looked at Gu Shiwei with a slight frown, clutching her glass and waiting for a few seconds.
Gu Shiwei didn’t seem particularly keen on this type of game. Her gaze drifted intentionally or unintentionally toward Shen Yuan, without sparing a single glance for Ji Xiao.
As if accepting her fate, Ji Xiao tilted her head and downed the drink.
Ji Xiao wasn’t a drinker. After one glass, her face turned completely red. Her eyes shimmered with a watery glint as she gazed longingly and undisguisedly at Gu Shiwei.
There’s something fishy here.
The crowd couldn’t help but start gossiping, everyone speculating whether Ji Xiao was in a secret underground romance with Gu Shiwei.
“I’ve finished.”
Hearing this, Gu Shiwei finally turned her head to look. Upon meeting Ji Xiao’s suddenly resentful gaze, Gu Shiwei frowned.
Shen Yuan watched the expressions of the two back and forth like she was watching a play. She narrowed her eyes, her expression calm as she picked up a grape and popped it into her mouth.
Just as the sweet, juicy grape burst in her mouth, the second round’s bottle swayed and stopped right in front of Shen Yuan.
Shen Yuan, who was just watching the show: “…”
Lin Qinghuan rubbed her hands excitedly, unable to wait to ask Shen Yuan:
Truth or Dare?
Truth.
Are you a straight girl?
In an instant, everyone in the booth looked at Shen Yuan. Gu Shiwei also tilted her head ever so slightly.
Could Shen Yuan like women?
Yes.
Everyone: “???”
Lin Qinghuan: “Huh??”
Gu Shiwei is a legend she actually dares to provoke a straight girl.
As expected, falling for a straight girl is the destiny of most lesbians.
But it was fine. Gu Shiwei’s life had been smooth sailing in academics and career; it was only right she suffered a bit in the realm of love.
Lin Qinghuan glanced sideways at the silent Gu Shiwei with a look of schadenfreude, feeling like Gu was about to crumble.
“It’s you again, Shen Yuan.”
Shen Yuan stared expressionlessly at the bottle pointing straight at her. She pursed her lips and said, “This time, I choose Dare.”
The content of the card was:
Drink the alcohol from the glass of the person closest to you.
The closest?
Shen Yuan turned her head to look at Gu Shiwei, her gaze colliding with Gu’s pale eyes.
Under everyone’s watch, Shen Yuan expressionlessly reached her hand slowly toward Gu Shiwei’s wine glass.
Just as her lips touched the rim, Shen Yuan’s slender wrist was caught by a long, elegant hand.
Gu Shiwei pressed Shen Yuan’s hand down, took the glass from her, and downed it in one go.
After she had drunk three glasses in a row, the crowd erupted into a burst of cheers.
Shen Yuan looked at Gu Shiwei standing in front of her, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and whispered a “thank you.”
Gu Shiwei gently squeezed Shen Yuan’s wrist through her clothes, then looked up at the crowd and said, “Sorry, Miss Shen has a stomach condition. I drank it for her.”
After three glasses, Gu Shiwei looked perfectly fine no redness in her face, no heavy breathing. The others originally had some objections, but seeing Gu Shiwei down three glasses back-to-back, whatever objections they had vanished.
However, everyone was secretly curious. What exactly is the relationship between the Eldest Miss Gu and Shen Yuan that she would deign to block drinks for her?
The people who just thought Gu Shiwei was dating Ji Xiao now turned around to “ship” Shen Yuan and Gu Shiwei.
In the corner, Ji Xiao clenched her fists as she noticed the subtle change in atmosphere, her chest heaving with anger. She wanted to question Gu Shiwei on the spot: ‘Didn’t you say you were just friends? Why did you block the drink for Shen Yuan?’
No one noticed Ji Xiao’s distress, and the small interlude on the field quickly passed. The group continued to play.
“Yo, Lin Qinghuan, it’s your turn.”
Lin Qinghuan had known she would face this tonight. She leaned back against the sofa with her arms crossed, waiting calmly for them to ask.
Do you have someone you like?
Yes.
Gu Shiwei arched an eyebrow. Shen Yuan also looked at Lin Qinghuan curiously.
Hearing Lin Qinghuan say this, everyone started hooting and asking her: “Hiding it so deep! What’s the name? Are they here?”
“Hehe, I don’t know the name, and they aren’t here.” Lin Qinghuan had been single her whole life. As a medical student and a “workaholic dog,” she couldn’t find a girlfriend; she could only indulge in reading GL novels and shipping virtual couples. Eventually, she met a netizen, and currently, it was just Lin Qinghuan’s one-sided crush.
Everyone wanted to keep asking, but Lin Qinghuan waved them off, unwilling to say more. She muttered, “Again, again! Ask again if I lose.”
The scene became lively again. This time, the bottle quite tactlessly stopped in front of Gu Shiwei.
Gu Shiwei chose Truth.
Considering Gu Shiwei’s status, no one dared ask anything too over the line, intending to just let it slide with a random question.
However, hearing them plan to ask such trivial questions, Ji Xiao couldn’t sit still. She stood up and raised her voice:
Sister Shiwei, do you have someone you like?
Because she was too eager, Ji Xiao couldn’t control her excitement. Her voice was somewhat distorted and cracked, instantly silencing the noisy booth.
Gu Shiwei answered: Yes.
Ji Xiao’s face suddenly turned deathly pale. She asked another question: “Are they here?”
Gu Shiwei took a sip of wine and said calmly: Yes.
Ji Xiao’s body swayed a few times before she sat back down on the sofa.
Everyone’s gaze bounced between Shen Yuan and Ji Xiao, all speculating in their hearts about their relationship with Gu Shiwei.
Lin Qinghuan: “Hahahaha, it’s you again, Gu Shiwei.”
The bottle coincidentally stopped in front of Gu Shiwei again.
Gu Shiwei was silent for a few seconds and then chose Dare.
Hold hands with any person present until the game ends.
Everyone was shocked by this challenge. Let Gu Shiwei, a germaphobe, hold hands with someone else? Is that even allowed?
Everyone looked nervously at Gu Shiwei, wondering whose hand she would choose to hold.
Ji Xiao clenched her fists, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on Gu Shiwei across from her. If one looked closely, they could see her hands were trembling slightly.
Seeing the frozen atmosphere, Lin Qinghuan wanted to help Gu Shiwei out, but just as her hand reached out, Gu Shiwei shot her a warning look.
Lin Qinghuan sheepishly withdrew her hand.
The next second, Gu Shiwei’s left hand was raised, and the one with fingers intertwined with hers was Shen Yuan’s right hand.
Both hands were very beautiful fair, slender, with well-defined joints pressed tightly together, creating a somewhat romantic and lingering atmosphere.
The crowd cheered once again.
Ten seconds ago, to repay Gu Shiwei’s great favor for blocking the drink, Shen Yuan had proactively taken Gu Shiwei’s hand hanging by her side.
The moment their fingers intertwined, a secretive smile curled at the corner of Gu Shiwei’s mouth. Later, she tightened her grip on Shen Yuan’s hand and raised it up.
In the corner, Ji Xiao clenched her fists.
Didn’t you say you were just friends? There are so many people here, why did you have to choose Shen Yuan’s hand?
Everyone on the field had different thoughts. Shen Yuan lowered her head and slowly adjusted her smartwatch, silently raising the various alarm parameters a bit.
“Again, again…”
They played for a dozen more rounds. Almost everyone on the field had been pointed at a few times, resulting in quite a few laughs.
During this time, Gu Shiwei kept a tight grip on Shen Yuan’s hand. Shen Yuan had a cold constitution, and her hand was always icy and cool, making it very comfortable to hold.
Gu Shiwei was loath to let go, but checking the time on her phone, she couldn’t help but frown.
It was 10:30 PM only half an hour left until Shen Yuan’s bedtime.
“Shen Yuan, we should go home,” Gu Shiwei said.
“Mm.” Shen Yuan leaned back on the sofa, seemingly already sleepy. She nodded and tried to release Gu Shiwei’s hand, but sensing her movement, Gu Shiwei gripped it even tighter.
After greeting everyone, Gu Shiwei pulled Shen Yuan to her feet, intending to leave.
Lin Qinghuan stared at Gu Shiwei in confusion: “It’s only 10:30 and you’re leaving? In a rush to put out a fire?”
Gu Shiwei: “…”
Gu Shiwei: “There’s work tomorrow.”
Hearing this, Lin Qinghuan looked at Shen Yuan standing quietly beside her. A few seconds later, Lin Qinghuan nodded thoughtfully, said “Oh,” and waved them off without further insistence.
Gu Shiwei walked a few steps and stopped. She looked back at the people in the booth, smiled, and said, “Tonight’s drinks are on my tab.”
Lin Qinghuan had been a bit disappointed that Gu Shiwei was leaving so early, but upon hearing those words, she immediately beamed and blew several kisses toward Gu Shiwei. “Love you, Eldest Miss! Sleep early, goodnight and sweet dreams!”
Gu Shiwei ignored Lin Qinghuan’s mushy gestures and pulled Shen Yuan away even faster.
“Sister Shiwei, are you leaving?”
Seeing that Gu Shiwei was about to walk out of the booth, Ji Xiao stood up abruptly from the sofa.
Hearing the voice from behind, Gu Shiwei’s footsteps paused. She turned back to look at Ji Xiao, a questioning look in her eyes: “Mm. What’s wrong?”
Ji Xiao lowered her head to hide the resentment in her eyes. The next second, she tilted her head slightly, looking at Gu Shiwei piteously. “Sister Shiwei, can you take me home? I drank tonight and can’t drive.”
As soon as Ji Xiao spoke, the booth went quiet in unison.
Shen Yuan’s eyes flickered a few times as she studied Ji Xiao’s face. Ji Xiao’s appearance was the “damsel in distress” type, completely different from Shen Yuan’s “frigid” style. From Ji Xiao’s behavior just now, she clearly had feelings for Gu Shiwei, but anyone with eyes could see that Gu Shiwei didn’t seem to feel that way about her.
Ji Xiao herself probably sensed it too, but she still chose to use these ambiguous words to test Gu Shiwei’s feelings for her. This way of chasing someone… Shen Yuan couldn’t say if it was right or wrong. After all, her understanding of dating was just theoretical and unpracticed. But in terms of effectiveness… Shen Yuan felt it might not go very well.
Sure enough, hearing Ji Xiao’s words, Gu Shiwei didn’t have much of a reaction. She said in a lukewarm tone, “I’ve also been drinking; I can’t drive.”
Ji Xiao’s body swayed. She looked at the intertwined hands of Gu Shiwei and Shen Yuan, her gaze dimming.
Gu Shiwei: “We’re leaving now.”
Having said that, Gu Shiwei led the still-dazed Shen Yuan out of the booth. When Shen Yuan left, she looked back once, only to catch Ji Xiao staring at her strangely.
Sensing Shen Yuan looking back, Gu Shiwei’s pace suddenly slowed. “Shen Yuan, is she very beautiful?”
Shen Yuan blinked in confusion: “Huh?”
“Is Lin Qinghuan very beautiful?”
As they walked out of the bar, Gu Shiwei suddenly grabbed Shen Yuan’s wrist and pulled her to an extremely close, face-to-face distance.
Gu Shiwei had been drinking, and her body temperature was a bit high. Her burning palm was pressed tightly against the skin of Shen Yuan’s wrist, as if it were going to burn a hole through her skin.
Shen Yuan stared at Gu Shiwei’s displeased expression. After thinking for a few seconds, she reached a conclusion:
Gu Shiwei was jealous.
Wait, is Gu Shiwei worried that I’m stealing her best friend?
“Shen Yuan, are you really a straight girl?”