157: Chapter 157 Truth or Dare

The group quickly brought over a game spinner. Amidst the clinking of glasses, the first spin stopped, the bottle's mouth pointing straight at Shen Xi as if it had been precisely calculated.

"President Shen! President Shen! Truth or Dare?"

The whole room erupted in heckling. Cheers and applause rose and fell in waves, pushing the atmosphere to its peak.

Shen Xi leaned back against her chair, raising a hand to brush aside some stray hairs. A cool yet slightly sly smile played on her lips.

Her eyes inadvertently swept over Jiang Chen, a faint expectation hidden deep within them. Her tone was decisive: "Dare. Truth is too bland; it's no fun."

A burst of screams immediately filled the room.

The young analyst who was supposed to set the challenge turned red in the face. His gaze darted back and forth between Shen Xi and Jiang Chen, having long since seen through the subtle atmosphere of the room.

He plucked up the courage to announce the task: "Stare at any member of the opposite sex present for thirty seconds from a close distance. No laughing, no talking, and no looking away. If you lose, you have to drink three penalty glasses!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the heckling grew even louder. Everyone looked at Jiang Chen and Shen Xi with knowing smiles, their eyes full of anticipation for the spectacle.

Shen Xi didn't hesitate for a moment. She looked up and stared straight at Jiang Chen, her eyes filled with a touch of stubbornness and, even more so, an irrepressible heartbeat. She didn't flinch in the slightest.

Jiang Chen leaned back against the chair, slowly twirling his champagne glass with his fingertips. A gentle smile lingered at the corners of his mouth; he neither took the initiative nor refused.

A classic playboy move.

He just looked at her quietly, his gaze gentle and focused, allowing her to look directly into his eyes in full cooperation.

Shen Xi stood up and walked slowly toward him in her stiletto heels. Without any hesitation, she leaned forward slightly, her hands lightly supporting herself on the armrests on both sides of his chair.

The distance between them suddenly closed to less than half a foot, their breaths intertwining.

Warm light fell between them. Jiang Chen could clearly smell the mellow aroma of red wine on her, mixed with the crisp, clean scent of cedar and citrus perfume.

As for her, she was completely enveloped by the crisp, pleasant scent on him. Her heartbeat instantly lost its rhythm, and her cheeks quietly grew hot.

She lowered her eyes slightly, her gaze meeting Jiang Chen's. They were so close that she could see her own clear reflection in the depths of his eyes.

Inside them, there was only her.

"Start the timer!"

Thirty seconds suddenly felt incredibly long in the noisy banquet hall.

The surrounding heckling and laughter seemed to gradually fade away, as if the entire world were left with only the two of them.

Shen Xi's eyes were a deep amber. Under the influence of alcohol, the corners of her eyes were tinged with an alluring faint red. Her long eyelashes were like butterflies flapping their wings, trembling incessantly, each movement seeming to brush against their hearts.

She stared fixedly into Jiang Chen's eyes, trying hard to control her expression and keep her composure. However, her fingertips unconsciously tightened, gripping the chair handles so hard that her knuckles turned slightly white. The panic and fluttering in her heart could no longer be hidden.

Jiang Chen's gaze was deep and gentle. It was no longer his usual indifference but was filled with fragments of warmth.

From beginning to end, he kept his eyes locked onto hers without the slightest deviation or evasion.

The sounds of the countdown came from the surroundings, each one feeling like a beat against Shen Xi's heart.

"Eighteen, seventeen, sixteen..."

Her eyelashes trembled even more violently, and her breathing became shallow. She could clearly feel his warm breath brushing against her cheeks.

The air between them grew increasingly hot, and the ambiguous atmosphere was instantly pushed to the limit.

"Ten, nine, eight..."

Her vision blurred slightly, her heart and eyes full of his gentle gaze. Even her breathing became cautious.

"Three, two, one! Time's up!"

Thunderous heckling and applause exploded instantly.

Shen Xi suddenly snapped back to her senses. She straightened up and took half a step back, pretending to be calm as she adjusted her coat. But her flushed cheeks and flustered eyes had already betrayed the thumping in her heart.

She returned to her seat, picked up her wine glass, and took a large gulp of red wine, using the glass to secretly peek at Jiang Chen.

She saw him being casually engaged in conversation by Lu Zheng, Zhang Heng, and a few others. The lines of his profile became even more distinct under the lights, and a faint smile still hung on the corners of his mouth.

Throughout the banquet, Shen Xi had maintained the proper restraint of a professional. Even though her heart was pounding, she never made a single move out of line.

She hid all her little thoughts in the depths of her eyes, only daring to steal a glance at Jiang Chen's figure when no one was paying attention.

It was nearly midnight when the banquet ended.

The corridors of the Cloud Top Club were covered with thick cashmere carpets, absorbing all the sound of footsteps.

Lu Zheng, along with Zhang Heng, Zhao Yiming, and others, escorted the project team members downstairs in an orderly fashion.

In just a moment, only Jiang Chen and Shen Xi were left in the corridor, which was so quiet that they could hear each other's breathing.

Jiang Chen turned to look at Shen Xi.

Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were misty, and her body swayed slightly. It was clear that the alcohol had already crossed the boundaries of her usual reserve.

His gaze fell on her face, his tone gentle and natural: "You didn't drink too much, did you?"

Shen Xi shook her head stubbornly, but those amber eyes were clearly shrouded in a soft, drunken light. The faint red at the corners of her eyes made her look a bit more charmingly languid than usual.

Jiang Chen took in her state, and the corners of his lips curled into an indulgent arc. He didn't expose her little act of bravado, but simply softened his voice a bit more: "Should I take you back?"

Shen Xi suddenly looked up. In that moment, the bright light in her eyes was like stars suddenly lit in the middle of the night.

She nodded almost instinctively, then felt she had agreed too quickly. Her cheeks burned even hotter. She bit her lip and moved her gaze elsewhere, but the corner of her mouth that had quietly curved up could not be pressed down.

She murmured softly, "Then I'll have to trouble you, President Jiang."

Her voice was soft and sweet, as if soaked in wine, and the end of her sentence rose slightly with a hint of joy that even she hadn't noticed.

Jiang Chen saw all those little thoughts.

He didn't point them out, but simply lowered his head and let out a low laugh.

The laugh was very light, like a breath muffled in his chest, yet it fell clearly into Shen Xi's ears in the quiet corridor.

Her heart felt as if it had been lightly brushed by a feather—itchy and tingly—and even her breathing became unsteady.

The aftereffects of the alcohol gradually surged up. Her head felt heavy, her whole body felt soft, and her usually steady steps became floating and weak.

The two of them walked side by side in the corridor. The warm yellow lights stretched their shadows long. Occasional, unintentional physical contact caused a subtle warmth to rise in the air.

When they reached the floor-to-ceiling window at the corner of the corridor, the city lights outside were like scattered stars. The night breeze seeped through the gaps, bringing the unique chill of late night.

Shen Xi's high heels suddenly slipped, her center of gravity instantly losing balance as she fell toward the side.