One year later, in City Z.
In the bustling airport, a woman soon emerged from the crowd.
With her long hair in a high ponytail, she wore a thin sweater under a camel-colored long trench coat, paired with a light brown color-blocked wool skirt, adding a touch of playfulness.
Li Tangyan held her suitcase with one hand and her phone with the other. Before getting into the car, she made sure to pull the phone away a little before the person on the other end raised their voice.
[Holy crap, you came back without a word? You deserve a beating.]
Yao Qing's voice quickly came through the microphone, so loud that even the driver in front couldn't help but look back.
Meeting her master's curious gaze, Li Tangyan chuckled dryly before quickly speaking.
This is exactly the reaction we wanted.
Okay, I'll come find you later. I'll put my things home first.
After speaking, and listening to the complaints on the other end for a while, Li Tangyan hung up the phone.
After giving the driver my address, I leaned back, thinking I'd rest for a bit.
Before he could even close his eyes and rest for a short while, he was woken up by the sound of horns honking intermittently from the blocked lane.
Li Tangyan went to bed late last night and got up early this morning to catch her flight, so as soon as she got in the car, she was overcome with drowsiness.
However, listening to the noise outside, she realized she couldn't catch up on her sleep, so she turned her head to look at the scenery outside the car window.
The rows of goldenrain trees gradually passed by in the field of vision as the car moved at a steady speed.
The Lantern Festival had just passed, and some shops on the street still hadn't had time to take down their posters.
Several students walked side by side on the path, green leaves drifted down, and soon landed on their long shadows in the sunlight.
Not far away, dappled sunlight cast shadows on the lake, making its surface shimmer, while several men and women sat side by side on the stone benches nearby.
In a daze, Li Tangyan's eyes flickered as she looked over there, as if she remembered something, and the corners of her half-closed lips unconsciously lifted up.
"That viewing area is very popular on holidays; you can go and check it out if you have time."
Soon, the driver's voice came over, his eyes smiling, clearly having noticed her gaze.
Realizing that she had been lost in thought, Li Tangyan's grinning lips tightened, and as she looked away, her hands resting on her knees unconsciously curled up.
Her eyelids drooped, concealing the thoughts in her eyes.
"I'll go when I have time."
*
Half an hour later, the car stopped in front of the residential building where Li Tangyan used to live.
After paying all the money, Li Tangyan pushed her suitcase forward.
Although the neighborhood is old, Li Tangyan has already gotten used to living there.
So she didn't cancel her lease before going to City S, thinking that she wouldn't have to spend time looking for a new one when she came back.
However, when she met the landlady at the stairwell, what she said next caught Li Tangyan completely off guard.
—I'm really sorry, but the main problem is that my son is getting married and we need to find a new house.
—I noticed all the other rooms were occupied, but yours had been empty. So I was thinking...
—I was planning to call you tonight, but I didn't expect you to come back early.
—Well, anyway, I'm so sorry, Auntie. How about I pay you back a month's rent?
...
When Yao Qing heard her doorbell ring, she took out her phone, ready to call Li Tangyan.
However, as soon as she opened the door, she saw Li Tangyan standing at her door with a suitcase next to her.
Yao Qing blinked, then glanced at her phone's call log.
After confirming that he wasn't dreaming in broad daylight, he finally spoke up, "Didn't you say you were going back to put your things away first?"
"Sigh, it's a long story."
Li Tangyan pushed her suitcase and followed her inside, and then explained to Yao Qing the situation she had just encountered.
After hearing her "tragic experience," he saw Li Tangyan pouting and sighing.
Yao Qing patted her on the back with a wave of her hand: "What are you afraid of? I'm here. Stay with me until you find a new place..."
As soon as she finished speaking, Li Tangyan's previously gloomy face immediately changed, her eyes clear with a hint of cunning: "I've been waiting for you to say that."
"..."
That evening, Yao Qing organized a gathering. Apart from Xu Miaomiao, who was away on a business trip, most of the attendees were acquaintances, so Li Tangyan didn't refuse.
A few people met at a newly opened bar nearby.
On stage, a melodious singing voice drifted over.
The female singer had one foot on the ground and the other bent, resting on the middle of a high stool.
Holding the microphone in her hand, the soft light fell on her, as if covering her with a layer of gentle white.
In the corner booth, under the influence of alcohol, the group of people who were initially just chatting gradually became more lively.
So much so that later, someone suddenly suggested playing Truth or Dare, and soon a lot of people agreed.
Among them, Li Tangyan, who originally had no intention of participating, eventually couldn't resist Yao Qing's constant encouragement and could only laugh and scold as she agreed.
The game started, and someone's honest confession was brought up to the point where they asked for a specific description of when they last kissed.
Some of the daredevils were encouraged to go on stage and sing a song of heroism.
In short, the demands were so outrageous that Li Tangyan only wanted to get as far away from them as possible.
However, good luck always runs out. When the bottle of wine was turned around and placed in front of him, he was met with a look of "I've finally caught you" from the crowd.
The smile on Li Tangyan's face, which had been watching the show, visibly froze for a moment.
"Come on, my darling, truth or dare?"
Yao Qing stood the wine bottle that was facing her upright again, raised an eyebrow, and looked at Li Tangyan with a somewhat smug expression.
"..."
"Truth or dare, I've already thought of the question in my head." The cheering continued from beside me.
"..."
Judging from the man's expression, Li Tangyan knew that the question was definitely not serious, so she decided to avoid any pitfalls.
She paused for two seconds, then replied, "Truth or dare."
At worst, I can just go up and sing a song, right?
However, it turns out that whether it's Truth or Dare, from the moment you agree to play, there are traps everywhere.
Upon hearing this, the person making the request grinned and pointed towards the door. Despite the not-so-quiet environment, every word was clearly audible.
"Since Chestnut just got back, we won't make things difficult for you."
As they spoke, the group exchanged glances. Their words were pleasant, but they inexplicably gave off an ominous feeling.
As Li Tangyan listened, just as she was wondering whether to switch back, she saw the man's smile widen even further.
His words were starting to carry a hint of excitement.
"The first person to come in through the door, regardless of gender, should be greeted with 'Darling, you've finally arrived.'"
"..."
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