That's right. There was no way around it. If Zhao Zhen really wanted to go out of her way to mess around with Zhu Xiangxiang, why would she do something like give herself a truth card? Didn't this mean that she was just asking for it?
Zhu Xiangxiang tugged on Sun Ji's arm. "Forget about it. I must give up and admit defeat."
"The waters are freezing right now. You won't be able to take it." The seawaters were very cold at this time of night. There was no way Zhu Xiangxiang, a spoiled daughter of a rich family, would be able to endure such piercing cold temperatures.
"Sun Ji, if you really can't stand to part with your sweetheart, you might as well join her in the water. The two of you can at least keep each other company," Li Jiaojiao said teasingly.
Aside from her visibly pale face, Zhu Xiangxiang still held her composure, proving she was worthy of her title as the number one socialite in Jiang City. No one could touch her outstanding demeanor.
The escort, Sun Ji, swore he would be a gentleman until the very end. "Okay, I'll do it."
Initially, Zhao Zhen planned to have the person who drew the adventure card ask the person with the truth card a question. They were strangers here and the anonymity made this a good setting to play this game. But she currently was the one with the truth card in her hands. With such a card in her possession, the only thing she could do was change the rules once again.
However, before she could think of anything, Zhu Xiangxiang said with a smile on her face, "If I recall correctly, in the past when we played Truth or Dare, the person who drew the adventure card would ask the person with the truth card a question, right?"
Inwardly cringing, Zhao Zhen said, "Everyone has different ways of going about this game."
"But I think this is the fairest way to go about things. So let me ask you a question. Do you have any objections?" Zhu Xiangxiang said with a gentle smile on her face. It was hard to turn her down.
Zhao Zhen clenched her teeth tightly and gave her a fake smile. "Okay, go ahead and ask."
Gao Chang said while gloating at the same time, "These two women are about to tear each other apart limb from limb. The show has just started."
As he was saying this, he poured some champagne in a glass for Ming Jing and placed it before her. But Ming Jing shook her head and said, "I don't drink alcohol."
"Then what exactly do you drink? Milk? Juice?"
"I'm not thirsty. Just be quiet and enjoy the show."
Hearing her words, Gao Chang thoughtfully studied the girl's indifferent face in the moonlight. The more he looked at her, the more mysterious and unpredictable he found she was.
He understood Zhao Zhen very well. Whatever things she was capable of, the only thing she wouldn't do was leave the truth card for herself. He had been watching this scene for a while now. Zhao Zhen wanted to use the adventure card to mess with Zhu Xiangxiang. He knew full well that the two of them never got along well, but the truth card... His thoughts turned to the moment when Ming Jing drew the card everyone was so apprehensive about. If one word could be used to describe the undercurrent between Ming Jing and Zhao Zhen when she happened to pick that card, it would be tense.
Being able to mess with Zhao Zhen... This girl was indeed very interesting.
After giving this some thought, Zhu Xiangxiang finally said, "The question I want to ask is - since the day you were born, who was the absolute first person you hurt?"
This was a very sinister question indeed.
Zhao Zhen was the school bully of Saint D High School and throughout her life, she had bullied countless other students. There were so many of them, they could easily fill up a truck.
Everyone knew that Zhao Zhen was a vicious person, so she wasn't afraid of others pointing this out. She said in a very generous voice, "When I was seven years old, the housekeeper's daughter came to my house to visit. When she kicked at my Golden Retriever, this left me so enraged that I shaved her head while she was sleeping at night."
Waking up the next day to a bald, the girl was scared silly. Continuing to taunt and bully her, Zhao Zhen took pictures of the girl's bald head and laughed at her, leaving behind huge psychological damage on the girl. Gradually, the events led to her depression and she committed suicide at the age of 15.
Zhao Zhen had never spoken about these events to anyone, not even to Li Jiaojiao.
"She just shaved that girl's head. It's nothing, really. I know how much Zhao Zhen prizes her Golden Retriever. This punishment is really not harsh enough."
"Hair is very important to girls. If I wake up and find out that my head is bald, I wouldn't be taking it so well either."
The people present began to discuss this amongst themselves. Suddenly, it dawned on them that Zhao Zhen's viciousness was just out of bounds.
Zhu Xiangxiang nodded her head, got up, and walked over to the deck. She turned her gaze downward and stared out at the surging dark waters below.
As a precaution, before their voyage, Gao Chang had asked the lifeguards to patrol in a small yacht behind them in case anything happened.
Sun Ji made his way over and said, "Xiangxiang, don't be scared. I will jump with you."
Zhu Xiangxiang smiled while shaking her head back and forth. "You don't have to do this. But don't worry about it. The lifeguards are down there right now and they won't let anything happen to me. I'll be perfectly fine."
Sun Ji was feeling moved by her fortitude and thoughtfulness. Because of this, he only felt hate for Zhao Zhen from the bottom of his heart.
Zhu Xiangxiang turned her head around to look at her surroundings. People were watching this show with pity or pleasure for someone else's misfortune in their eyes. All their eyes showed their truest innermost feelings.
Only Ming Jing and Jiang Jinchen were different.
They kept themselves detached and above the going-ons that day. Even if she all of a sudden leaped off a cliff before them, the two probably wouldn't even bat an eyelash.
Zhu Xiangxiang had a dry smile on her face as she climbed over the railing.
She had taken care to dress carefully that night. Dressed in a white gauze dress, she appeared very beautiful and elegant. A gust of wind blew against her dress, making it billow up and turning her into a fairy. She looked like at any second now she was going to float up in the air in the direction of home.
Most of the men there that night were instantly affected by this delicate and beautiful view and wished they could take her place and jump down into the sea on her behalf.
At that moment, Li Jiaojiao's lips curled up into a malicious smile. An evil look also glinted in her eyes.
'Zhu Xiangxiang, I've prepared something for you. Just you wait and see what it is.'
With her arms outstretched before her, Zhu Xiangxiang closed both her eyes and stepped off the yacht.
"Ah…" Some in the crowd cried out.
Zhu Xiangxiang's jump made a big splash in the water.
At this time, raindrops were falling from the sky and a group of people ran back to their rooms, not wanting to get drenched by the rain. Only Sun Ji was still leaning his body over the railing, staring down at the cold and dark waters below.
Lucky for her, Zhu Xiangxiang knew how to swim. As soon as she hit the water, she was ready to head back to the surface. Little did she know that her feet would suddenly get entangled by something, dragging her deeper into the water still.
Zhu Xiangxiang was scared out of her mind. Could she be so unlucky as to be entangled by aquatic plants that prevented her from swimming to safety?
She did all she could to swim up to the surface of the water. The sea was ice-cold through and through. Soon, her strength was depleted, but her desire to come out of this alive stopped her from giving up. Biting down on the tip of her tongue to ensure that she didn't fall asleep, Zhu Xiangxiang struggled to untangle her feet.
'Where could the lifeguard be? Why hasn't he come to her rescue?'
Suddenly, a thought crawled into Zhu Xiangxiang's consciousness. 'This was all a part of Zhao Zhen's schemes to silently do away with her!'
Instantaneously, her heart filled up with hatred. Zhu Xiangxiang vowed that if she got out of this alive, she would never let Zhao Zhen get away with this.
Sun Ji had a fear of heights. Staring down at the dark and deep depths of the sea, he hesitantly considered his options, but in the end, he failed to jump after Zhu Xiangxiang.
"Zhu Xiangxiang? Where did the lifeguard go? Where is he? Someone is about to die…"
The pouring rain fell in a torrent, drowning out all his cries for help.
Someone rushed out at that moment, a flash as fast as lightning, and jumped over the railing. That person's movement was as agile as a tiger's, leaping over the railing without even the slightest bit of hesitation.
Sun Ji wiped the rain from his face. If he was not wrong, the person who jumped down just now was the girl that Gao Chang had been eyeing the entire night.
So many people were at present, but only she stepped up.
After that, Tao Xingxing hurried out while holding an umbrella in her hand. She leaned her body on the railing and shouted out into the dark night, "Ming Jing… please be okay."
Gao Chang shouted exasperatedly, "Where's the lifeguard? Where the heck is he?"
As she was sinking deeper into the depths of the sea, one thought was running through Zhu Xiangxiang's mind, 'Will I die here today?'
Biting down on her bottom lip, she was determined to not give up. But her situation was so hopeless, and it was hard to hold on.
All of a sudden, someone hurled through the water, swam towards her, grabbed hold of her waist, and brought her up to the surface in one fell swoop.
Zhu Xiangxiang's consciousness was getting very muddled. The last thing she remembered was that person's indifferent but gentle eyes, just like that day when she first saw them.
Then, she completely lost consciousness.
Ming Jing carried Zhu Xiangxiang's unconscious body onto the deck. Just as she was about to climb up the railings, a huge wave descended and swept her away.
"Ming Jing…" Gao Chang's heart-wrenching outburst was the last thing she heard.
It happened so quickly that the only thing that the passersby saw was a blur of a figure coming over and helping the unconscious Zhu Xiangxiang onto the yacht and then, completely disappearing from sight soon after that.
The next thing they heard was Jiang Jinchen shouting, "Call the authorities first. I'll go find help."
Gao Chang screamed with all his might, "Jiang Jinchen, you must bring her back."
