Chapter 131: Going All In
The night was deep, yet not a single man in the male contestants’ tent could fall asleep.
They had been on the show for quite some time; they had tried sharing rooms in pairs before, but sleeping four to a tent was a first.
With more people, the atmosphere changed, and their minds grew restless.
Besides, before arriving at the Fils Basin, they had a two-hour break—some had even taken quick naps earlier, so now they were wide awake.
Tossing and turning without rest, and with no phones to play with, boredom set in. To pass the time, Zhang Chen suggested they play a game together.
“What game?” Wen Yiming asked, intrigued.
“Let me think.” Zhang Chen lay on his bed, staring at the tent’s ceiling, mentally running through all the traditional games. Finally, he smirked and looked at the others. “Truth or Dare. You guys dare?”
Wen Yiming scoffed and laughed, “What’s there to be afraid of?”
After all, with cameras rolling, none of them would dare to go too far.
“What about you two?” Zhang Chen turned his gaze to Lu Zhou and Xu Junze.
“Sure, why not? Can’t sleep anyway,” Xu Junze replied.
“Lu Zhou,” Zhang Chen raised an eyebrow, “You’re the last one. Are you in? Of course, if your celebrity image is too delicate and you’re afraid of scandals, then the three of us will just play without you.”
He said this deliberately, already feeling triumphant. Those in the entertainment industry definitely cared more about their public image than ordinary people like themselves. Whether Lu Zhou agreed or not, Zhang Chen could at least feel a bit vindicated.
Tonight, that guy had really gotten on his nerves.
“The tent isn’t even fully set up yet, how could it collapse?” Lu Zhou sat up on his bed and looked at Zhang Chen. “Alright, how do we play?”
With all four gathered, Zhang Chen stood up and tried to find a beer bottle or something similar inside the tent but came up empty. So he improvised and explained the rules:
“We’ll play rock-paper-scissors. The first person eliminated chooses truth or dare. The challenge is set by whoever wins the final rock-paper-scissors round. If you don’t like the challenge, you can switch from truth to dare or vice versa. But if you still don’t have the courage or fail the challenge, you have to pay a penalty. Sound good?”
The others agreed.
Curious, Lu Zhou asked, “What’s the penalty?”
Zhang Chen scratched his forehead, pondering a moment. “Let’s make it a real loss. If you refuse or fail, you owe the question setter ten thousand yuan after the show. How about that?”
The live chat exploded:
[??? Is this a scam to get money?]
[Ten thousand yuan... that’s harsh.]
[Maybe ten thousand isn’t even money to them.]
[I’d play unconditionally! Can I join?]
[Feels easy, just always pick truth. Besides, you won’t know if I’m lying or not.]
[Depends on what the questions are.]
...
Xu Junze said, “Deal.”
Wen Yiming: “Sounds fun, let’s go!”
Zhang Chen turned to Lu Zhou with a smile. “What about you? Ready to put your money where your mouth is?”
Lu Zhou replied confidently, “Who are you looking down on? Bring it on!”
Zhang Chen snapped his fingers. “Okay! Love the spirit. Let’s start!”
Under the starry sky, the male contestants’ tent officially kicked off the game of truth or dare.
“Rock-paper-scissors!”
“Shit!” The first loser was quick to respond with a curse. Wen Yiming couldn’t hold back; his scissors were crushed by three rocks.
Zhang Chen laughed heartily and continued playing against Lu Zhou and Xu Junze to decide the ultimate winner. Xu Junze emerged victorious and was tasked with giving Wen Yiming his challenge.
“Choose: truth or dare?” Zhang Chen asked Wen Yiming.
Wen Yiming glanced at Xu Junze, thinking this guy might not be a hard hitter. After a moment, he said, “Truth.”
Zhang Chen patted Xu Junze’s shoulder. “Don’t go easy on him. If you can’t think of a good question, I’ll help.”
Wen Yiming looked at Zhang Chen helplessly. “Don’t stir things up; it’s not your turn.”
Lu Zhou leaned back on his hands, amused by their banter.
Xu Junze thought for a while, then asked, “During your relationship with Jiajia, did you ever cheat on her?”
Wen Yiming silently cursed inside.
He immediately reconsidered his earlier impression of Xu Junze—not such an easy guy after all.
Live chat:
[Xu Junze, you’re awesome!]
[Good question, you’re speaking for me!]
[I suspect he did, or else Jiajia wouldn’t be so insecure.]
...
Faced with the question, Wen Yiming hesitated.
With cameras on and Jiajia on the show, how could he answer?
If he said no, would Jiajia freak out later and expose him online? Who knew if she had any chat screenshots or dirt on him...
But he couldn’t say yes either, or he’d be roasted by netizens. He didn’t think he’d been unfaithful—just some careless flirting with high-end clients to maintain business, but no real action.
“Hey, why take so long on such a simple question?” Zhang Chen egged him on.
Wen Yiming gritted his teeth and gambled that Jiajia wouldn’t lose it and write a public post.
“No!” he answered loudly, trying to sound confident.
In the live chat:
[Definitely lying.]
[I don’t buy it.]
[Call Jiajia over to hear if it’s true.]
...
A new round of rock-paper-scissors began. This time, Zhang Chen was the first to lose, and Wen Yiming was the last winner.
Wen Yiming rubbed his palms, grinning mischievously. “You were so loud last round, karma’s here!”
Zhang Chen shrugged casually. “I choose dare.”
“You sure?”
“Sure.”
Wen Yiming laughed. “You actually chose dare? Alright, here’s your challenge: take the socks you wore today and smell them for one minute.”
Lu Zhou and Xu Junze were speechless. This guy was ruthless.
Zhang Chen’s face darkened as he pointed at Wen Yiming. “You’re something else.”
Wen Yiming chuckled. “You picked dare, you gotta take it.”
Zhang Chen licked his teeth and waved his hand. “No challenge! Here’s ten thousand yuan.”
Live chat:
[Can’t handle it, Zhang.]
[Ten thousand is too little for Zhang, should be a hundred thousand.]
[The guys’ dorm is so entertaining.]
...
Next round of rock-paper-scissors: “Rock-paper-scissors!” Lu Zhou and Xu Junze lost simultaneously and had to face off. Lu Zhou was defeated by Xu Junze’s scissors. On the other side, Zhang Chen’s cloth beat Wen Yiming’s rock.
Zhang Chen’s eyes lit up. Finally, the chance he’d been waiting for.
Rubbing his hands, he laughed, “Choose: truth or dare.”
Having witnessed the cruel dare before, Lu Zhou didn’t hesitate: “Truth!”
“Truth, huh?” Zhang Chen rubbed his chin, thinking up a question. “Since you’re a celebrity, how about I ask something your female fans love to hear?”
Lu Zhou: “...”
Xu Junze and Wen Yiming barely held their laughter, clearly enjoying the show.
“Dare I ask, who was the lucky lady you gave your first time to?” Zhang Chen smiled wickedly.
Wen Yiming was disappointed, expecting something more explosive. “That’s a pretty lame question.”
Xu Junze shook his head with a smile. Zhang Chen must have forgotten that Lu Zhou’s first love was on the show.
Lu Zhou played dumb, “You mean my first kiss?”
Everyone: “...”
Zhang Chen threw a pillow at him. “Cut that crap. Nobody cares about your first kiss. I’m asking about your first time.”
Wen Yiming and Xu Junze burst into laughter.
Live chat:
[Why do they all seem like experienced guys? Suddenly their halos are gone.]
[They’re all over 25, you don’t honestly think they’re virgins, do you? Wake up.]
[That question’s obvious.]
...
Lu Zhou hesitated, touching his mouth. He hadn’t answered immediately.
Viewers thought it would be an easy question, but his hesitation made them uneasy. They guessed maybe he’d been with other women before Li Jiayan?
The more Zhang Chen saw Lu Zhou’s discomfort, the happier he felt. “Be honest.”
Lu Zhou’s hesitation stemmed from finding the question interesting because it was ambiguous—did it mean this life or a past life? The answer would differ.
“My first time this lifetime hasn’t happened yet,” Lu Zhou admitted with slight embarrassment.
Zhang Chen, Wen Yiming, and Xu Junze were all puzzled. “???”
“Setting up an image?” Zhang Chen doubted.
Wen Yiming chuckled. “Really? Lu Zhou, after half a year with Li Jiayan, and you’re still a virgin? If true, I really look down on you. What kind of relationship is that? Platonic? Or is there a problem downstairs?”
If it was true, Wen Yiming became even more curious about Lu Zhou’s ex-girlfriend.
Xu Junze thought the answer was probably a lie but understood Lu Zhou’s reasoning—after all, as a celebrity, he probably wanted to keep his fans’ fantasies alive.
“If you don’t want to answer, switch to dare. Lying’s rude. Want me to get Jiayan to confirm?” Zhang Chen teased.
“Even if you bring her, the answer’s the same,” Lu Zhou smiled faintly, rubbing his forehead. “Let’s move on.”
They were all young and reserved then, and Li Jiayan’s family was strict—time wasn’t right.
Zhang Chen laughed heartily, slapping Lu Zhou’s shoulder. “Not working, buddy.”
Live chat:
[Really? Such a pure first love.]
[Impressive.]
[Lu Zhou’s image cemented.]
[Yes! So happy!]
[Female fans are ecstatic.]
[If it’s a celebrity story, people listen and believe? There are so many fools.]
...
The game continued. This round, Xu Junze lost, with Wen Yiming winning again.
Wen Yiming had his revenge. “Truth or dare?”
Xu Junze: “Truth.”
Wen Yiming: “What have you done that you’re afraid Chu Yao would never find out about, say it now on camera.”
Xu Junze: “...”
Viewers exclaimed the game was getting intense.
Zhang Chen gave Wen Yiming a thumbs-up for a good question.
Xu Junze chose not to answer and switched to dare.
Wen Yiming: “Then take off your shirt.”
Xu Junze: “???”
Lu Zhou smiled at Wen Yiming. “Didn’t expect you had this kink.”
Wen Yiming shrugged. “Do it or pay up.”
Viewers praised Wen Yiming for profiting tonight.
Xu Junze bit his lip and finally took off his shirt.
He wasn’t well-built and disliked showing off on camera, so this caused viewers to tease him.
[Skinny dog.]
[Average body.]
[Haha, instantly overshadowed by the other three.]
...
The game went on.
In the next round, Zhang Chen won again, and Xu Junze was unlucky.
Xu Junze, still shirtless from the last round, chose truth.
Zhang Chen, excited, grinned mischievously. “If one day Chu Yao marries one of us (except you), would you attend her wedding?”
Lu Zhou: “...”
Live chat called it a heavy question.
Xu Junze gritted his teeth. “She’d never invite me.”
Zhang Chen: “Anything’s possible. Even if she doesn’t, maybe her husband would want you there? After all, in this hypothetical, you all know each other.”
Xu Junze’s lips twitched. “I wouldn’t go. If that day comes, don’t send me an invite. Let’s just go our separate ways.”
Laughter filled the tent.
The game continued. Lu Zhou, who hadn’t won yet, finally won one. Coincidentally, Zhang Chen lost.
Xu Junze patted Lu Zhou’s shoulder. “Give him something tough.”
Wen Yiming: “I agree. If you’re stuck, we’ll help.”
Zhang Chen, with a teasing grin, said, “You guys are teaming up on me. Too bad, I’m not scared. Bring it on.”
Wen Yiming: “If you’re not paying, then take the challenge.”
Zhang Chen, clear-headed, replied, “Can’t do that. Depends on the situation.”
Lu Zhou: “Truth or dare, pick one.”
Remembering the previous sock-smelling dare, Zhang Chen chose truth immediately.
Lu Zhou smiled and asked, “So far, besides Fang Fei, how many girlfriends have you had?”
Zhang Chen was silent.
He counted in his mind. He couldn’t tell the truth; his devoted boyfriend image would shatter, and how could Fang Fei get back together with him if she knew?
But if he refused and paid to skip, it’d prove he was hiding something—image ruined again.
He sighed. It was his own game, yet he felt trapped.
In the end, he lied. “Two.”
Lu Zhou: “No lie?”
Zhang Chen raised his eyebrows, feeling uneasy. He hoped none of his exes would stab him in the back publicly. But he stuck to his story. “If you count all the hand-holding and crushes from elementary school, probably more.”
Wen Yiming almost choked on his laughter. This guy was something else.
Lu Zhou smiled. “You were so mature?”
Zhang Chen smirked. “Good family, rich nutrition, early development.”
Live chat exploded.
The game went on. Zhang Chen somehow lost to Lu Zhou again.
Wen Yiming and Xu Junze laughed hysterically.
Lu Zhou: “Pick one.”
Zhang Chen gritted his teeth. “Truth again!”
“Alright.” Lu Zhou looked serious as he thought of a question.
Zhang Chen sensed trouble and urged him, “Hurry up.”
“Until now, what’s the one thing you’ve done that made your dad most proud?” Lu Zhou asked.
Wen Yiming was confused. “What? Lu Zhou, after all that thinking, that’s your question? You should’ve let me help.”
It was a wasted chance to mess with Zhang Chen.
But this seemingly simple question made Zhang Chen’s expression darken.
He fell silent, thinking seriously.
The thing his father was most proud of? Zhang Chen felt he’d never truly made his father proud—in academics or work, he was always behind his two older brothers. In his dad’s eyes, he’d never been good enough.
He’d rebelled before, thinking effort was useless and slacked off. His dad grew more disappointed, and he grew more miserable. Eventually, unwilling to accept defeat, he tried to prove himself, but always remained stuck in mediocrity.
What a torment.
If this time he could win over Ye Fangfei and marry into the Ye family, that would be the one thing that finally made his dad proud.
But...
Thinking of this, Zhang Chen lost confidence. Winning Ye Fangfei’s heart was no easy task.
The more he thought, the more frustrated he became. Yet he didn’t want to admit in front of the camera that he’d never made his dad proud—this was a sore spot.
After a long silence, Zhang Chen bit his lip. “I give up on this question. Here’s the money.”
Wen Yiming and Xu Junze: “???”
Wasn’t the question simple? Why not answer? What was the real answer he didn’t want them to know? Their curiosity deepened.
The viewers were equally curious.
[Money talks.]
[Maybe it’s a business secret.]
[Could the answer be ‘nothing’? Haha.]
...
Lu Zhou looked at Zhang Chen knowingly and smiled. “Alright.”
The game continued. Zhang Chen wanted Lu Zhou to defeat him once more to fully humble him.
Finally, Lu Zhou won again, but this time he beat Wen Yiming, not Zhang Chen.
Wen Yiming: “Truth or dare? Geez, no one’s picking dare tonight. Boring.”
Lu Zhou smiled, “Then dare.”
Zhang Chen stood up and said to Wen Yiming, “I’ll give you the challenge!”
Wen Yiming had his own idea and waved him off. “No, I just thought of a good one. I want to see how he handles it.”
Those two were the best pranksters. Xu Junze smiled at Lu Zhou. “Good luck!”
Lu Zhou shrugged. “I’m not afraid. If it’s too much, I’ll just pay with the ten thousand I earned from Zhang Chen. No loss.”
Zhang Chen: “...”
The viewers were already in stitches.
Wen Yiming cleared his throat and announced the dare to Lu Zhou: “Go next door and convince one female contestant to hug you for a minute. Don’t tell her you’re playing a game.”
“?!!!” Zhang Chen and Xu Junze looked at Wen Yiming in disbelief.
“Are you out of your mind?” Zhang Chen wanted to shake some sense into him. “Change it!”
Damn, the neighbors were either Lu Zhou’s ex or theirs. How could he pick something so dumb?
“No changing. If you’re playing, don’t chicken out,” Wen Yiming refused to swap challenges. He glanced at Zhang Chen and Xu Junze. “Think he can pull it off?”
His implication: If Lu Zhou succeeds, what would that mean?
He didn’t think Lu Zhou would succeed, but was curious who he’d choose.
Besides, would Lu Zhou dare to try?
Wen Yiming’s words also reminded Zhang Chen—unless Lu Zhou chose his own ex, this challenge was nearly impossible. Zhang Chen wondered who Lu Zhou would pick.
“Dare to take the risk, Lu Zhou?” Wen Yiming smiled. “If it’s too tough, just pay. I’m making a killing tonight.”
Lu Zhou set down the pillow he’d been holding and stood up abruptly.
“Alright then.”
With that, he turned and left the tent.
(End of chapter)