Chapter 100: Game
"Alex, you've never refused any of my requests. Are you going to refuse me this time too?" Aurora let go of his hand, covered her eyes and turned away, her voice choking up. "No one cares about me anymore. I might as well be dead."
Alex had always had a crush on her. Before, he hadn't said anything out of consideration for Francis, thinking he'd keep these feelings hidden forever. Now Francis had moved on, Aurora was back, and he finally had a chance. But Aurora refused to give up on Francis. How could Alex bear to see her cry? He could only cup her face and say, "Don't cry. I'll help you. Whatever you want, I'll do it for you."
......
Alex set up a get-together and invited many people from their circle. When Francis saw the meeting place was a nightclub, worried things might get out of hand, he didn't bring Jennifer. When he arrived and saw Aurora in the private room, he raised an eyebrow. Alex stood up and greeted him warmly, "Francis, you're finally here. Coming so late, you need to drink a penalty shot."
Francis took the drink he handed over and downed it in one gulp. "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have bothered with this last-minute thing."
Alex put his arm around his shoulder and sat down with him. He didn't deliberately speak up for Aurora, but when pulling Francis to sit down, he left an empty spot on Francis's other side, and Aurora naturally came over with a drink. Francis glanced at her and continued chatting with Alex.
When Alex went to greet other people, Aurora tugged at Francis's sleeve and said softly, "Francis, are you mad at me? I went a little too far that day, but I just couldn't control myself for a moment. Even if we broke up, after all these years together, are you really going to be so heartless?"
Francis laughed. "Aurora, I made myself very clear to you that day. Don't make a scene."
Aurora's expression became even more aggrieved, as if she was about to cry any second. Alex interrupted just in time, holding both their hands and saying, "We've all been friends since childhood. No matter what happened, that bond won't change. Just as a favor to me—don't fight."
Aurora lowered her head and said, "I understand. I'm not asking for much now, just that Francis doesn't deliberately avoid me." As she spoke, she looked at Francis with an extremely pitiful gaze.
Alex raised his glass. "Let's just get along easily like before."
Francis frowned and clinked glasses with them. "I never said we had to cut ties. We're still friends. Just don't make any unnecessary moves in front of Jennifer and cause me trouble."
Aurora's hand holding the glass trembled, and her heart ached terribly. He was actually warning her because of Jennifer!
Alex's expression also changed. Francis was really protective of Jennifer. But this was actually good news—if Aurora couldn't get back together with Francis, he still had a chance. He quickly recovered his smile and said, "We're all here to have fun, don't be so serious."
The private room was lively, and someone suggested playing King's Game. In the King's Game, players draw cards to determine who becomes the "King," and the King then assigns tasks or challenges to other players.
Declan said, "You have to be willing to go all out for this game. Otherwise, if everyone just drinks instead of doing the tasks, it won't be fun." He glanced at Aurora, who had been sitting next to Francis, and couldn't help thinking of Jennifer again. Francis came here to play—did he tell Jennifer? Someone as innocent as Jennifer definitely wouldn't enjoy this kind of game, but if she knew Francis was playing flirty games with Aurora, her reaction would surely be very interesting.
Alex looked around. "Everyone here can handle this, right? Anyone who can't handle it should back out now."
Francis nodded, looking indifferent. "I'm fine with it."
Aurora bit her lip. "I want to join too." Alex glanced at her, wanting her to just watch from the sidelines, but she insisted. In this kind of game, pretty girls easily got taken advantage of. Usually they brought casual dates to participate. If Aurora were still Francis's girlfriend, they would restrain themselves a bit, but now that she was single, they could push things much further.
Many people started egging them on, and in this lively atmosphere, the game began. At first, those who drew the "King" card were relatively restrained, just assigning people to do funny actions. Later, Declan drew the King card. His eyes darted around. "The person with card 4 sits on number 8's lap and stares into their eyes for 30 seconds, then shares a passionate kiss." He'd been watching Francis and saw his card was number 8. Earlier when Aurora was talking to Alex, she'd briefly exposed her card—she had number 4.
Others started clapping and cheering. "This is good! Who's number 4? Please don't be a guy!"
Aurora stood up somewhat shyly, tucked her hair behind her ear and said, "I'm number 4. Who's number 8? I hope it's a girl." As she said this, her eyes secretly glanced toward Francis. Before the game started, Declan had come to tell her he would create opportunities for her and Francis. When she asked why, he only said one name: "Jennifer." Turned out he was Jennifer's pursuer. Only then did Aurora take a good look at him. Though Declan's family wasn't as wealthy as Francis's, they were still well-off. He was young, handsome, and also liked Jennifer. But since he was offering to help, Aurora naturally agreed.
Someone disappointedly flipped over their card. "Too bad I'm number 7, so close. Who's number 8? So lucky."
Alex nudged Francis with his elbow. "Don't you have anything to say?"
Francis flipped over his card, his tone flat. "I'm number 8." He looked at Aurora with no emotion in his eyes, completely indifferent.
Aurora hesitated for a moment and said, "We just started playing. I don't want to drink. I choose to accept the task. What about you, Francis?"
Francis shrugged. "Either way is fine with me." It wasn't that he couldn't see through Aurora's tricks, but he was a man—getting kissed wouldn't cost him anything. Did Aurora really think physical contact could rekindle his feelings? How naive.
Aurora bit her lip and moved over, somewhat awkwardly smoothing her skirt as she sat on his lap. Francis's thighs were firm and warm, making her heart race. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck and gazed deeply into his eyes, a smile on her lips. If it were any other man, he'd probably be smitten by now. Unfortunately, Francis had lost interest in her. Looking at her was no different from looking at a pretty vase—his gaze never wavered.
The 30 seconds were up, and people started chanting, "Kiss! Kiss!" Aurora slowly lowered her head and asked softly, "I'm really going to kiss you."
Francis's lips curved into a contemptuous smile. Somewhat impatiently, he pressed the back of her head. Their lips met, and Francis's tongue quickly and forcefully invaded, pushing between her lips and teeth. Aurora struggled uncomfortably—Francis had never been this rough with her before.