Dinner was made by Zhu Sha and Zhou Jintang, so the others took care of washing the dishes and clearing the table. With nothing to do, Zhu Sha busied herself making drinks on the other side of the kitchen island.
By the time everyone came over, Zhu Sha had already prepared sour plum soup for them.
"I brewed the sour plum soup at noon, and it’s been chilling in the fridge. The weather’s too hot, so this should help everyone cool down." Zhu Sha only said this briefly, then sat in a corner of the sofa to watch everyone chat.
Zhou Jintang sat at the far end of the sofa, right across from Zhu Sha. He knew she was shy and slow to warm up, but he didn’t see that as a bad thing. ’Only an inadequate man would demand more from a woman.’
Zhuo Yan sat cross-legged by the coffee table. "We all know each other’s names now, so how about we try to guess each other’s WeChat usernames?"
It was obvious that Zhuo Yan was the icebreaker of the group, almost like an unofficial host.
The moment he suggested it, the other cast members naturally had no objections. After all, everyone wanted to know who the online friends they’d been chatting with really were.
Zhuo Yan looked around. "Who wants to guess first? Guys guess the girls’, and girls guess the guys’."
Lin Meng, with her bold personality, said, "I’ll go first. You’re Tree, Huo Feng is ’The other person is typing...’, Lu Mofeng is First Awakening, and Zhou Jintang is Aurora. Am I right? Lu Mofeng and Zhou Jintang are too hard to guess; they barely chat in the group."
Zhou Jintang looked at Zhu Sha. "What do you think?"
Zhu Sha said, "You’re First Awakening, and he’s Aurora."
Zhou Jintang smiled. "Correct, I’m First Awakening. Yours was the easiest to guess. Why ’Zhu Sha’?"
Zhu Sha smiled faintly. "I once heard a saying: a cinnabar mole can never compete with the white moonlight. I didn’t understand it before, but I do now. That’s why I chose this username. From now on, I’m never getting involved with a man who has a ’white moonlight.’"
"It also happens to be a homophone for my name, so I just borrowed it."
Yun Lan sounded surprised. "Sasha, you’ve got quite a story."
Zhu Sha didn’t take the bait. "Everyone has a story, not just me."
Ji Ying asked curiously, "Then why did Mofeng choose the name Aurora?"
Lu Mofeng was silent for a moment. "Someone once told me they wanted to see the aurora with me. They say lovers who watch the aurora together will stay together until they’re old. But in the end, I couldn’t make it happen. I lost her."
Huo Feng commented casually, "Then you should go ask her if she’s still willing to see the aurora with you."
Zhou Jintang said, "That’s not a given. Once you miss out on some people and some things, you can never go back. Isn’t there a saying? ’Belated affection is cheaper than dirt.’ The girls have had their turn guessing, now it’s the guys’ turn."
Lu Mofeng glanced at the female cast members. "Zhu Sha has already been guessed, so I’ll guess that Yun Lan is ’Loves Fruit Tea,’ Ji Ying is ’Chang’an, Where Snow Doesn’t Fall,’ and Lin Meng is ’Lemon.’ Lin Meng’s is really easy to guess."
Huo Feng added, "Zhu Sha and Lin Meng were both easy. They both basically used homophones for their names. You know it as soon as you see it."
Lin Meng laughed. "That’s right. Ever since I was little, everyone has called me ’Lemon’—like the fruit. So I’ve always used ’Lemon’ as my username."
Yun Lan, ever the expert at grabbing the spotlight, said, "Mine is pretty obvious too. Ji Ying, why is yours ’Chang’an, Where Snow Doesn’t Fall’?"
Ji Ying hugged her cup. "It’s from a poem I really like: *Chang’an, where snow doesn’t fall; with you, to Jiangnan.* I just used the first half. Coincidentally, I just got back from Chang’an last week."
"The director told us to pick a username, and that line came to mind. I’m not actually that artsy."
Zhu Sha said, "Being artsy isn’t about your appearance, it’s about what’s inside. I think you’re very special. I can tell you have a lot of depth—the kind of woman who has seen the world."
Ji Ying clinked her cup with Zhu Sha’s. "It sounds like you don’t get out much?"
Zhu Sha didn’t try to hide it. "I’m not a big fan of traveling; I prefer staying home. There’s a saying: either your body or your soul must be on the road. I prefer reading a thousand books to traveling a thousand miles."
Zhuo Yan had to interrupt them. "The way you two are talking is making us guys look totally uncultured. Let’s get back on track! We’ve guessed the usernames, now it’s time to reveal our occupations."
Lin Meng nudged Zhu Sha with her shoulder. "I think Sasha’s should be pretty easy to guess. She’s probably in a food-related profession, right?"
Zhu Sha wasn’t coy about it. "Yes, I’m a food vlogger. I usually recreate dishes that appear in movies, TV shows, or anime."
Yun Lan seized the chance to subtly put her on the spot. "No wonder you said everyone else would be going out to work. Turns out you work from home. Looks like we’re in for a treat from now on. Your cooking is amazing."
Zhu Sha replied unhurriedly, "If I’m here at the house while you’re all busy at work and not back yet, I can certainly help out. But you can’t rely on me for everything. I have my own work to do. I’m a cast member, not a chef."
Rebuffed in a way that was neither too harsh nor too soft, Yun Lan’s expression stiffened. She hadn’t expected this. It was one thing for Zhou Jintang to be difficult, but now it seemed Zhu Sha wasn’t the pushover she appeared to be.
It’s rude not to reciprocate. Zhu Sha had had enough of Yun Lan constantly stirring up trouble for her. She glanced at Yun Lan. "Yun Lan guessed my occupation, so I’ll guess yours. I overheard you on the phone this afternoon. You run your own teahouse, don’t you?"
The word "teahouse" was a pun. On one hand, it pointed out Yun Lan’s job; on the other, it was a jab at her for being a "green tea."
Everyone present was sharp; they all obviously caught Zhu Sha’s meaning. A flicker of amusement crossed Zhou Jintang’s eyes. ’He never expected that the once gentle and timid Zhu Sha now knew how to fight back.’
Yun Lan, of course, understood as well. She gritted her teeth. "You’re right, I do own a teahouse. When you have time, I’d like to invite everyone to my shop for tea and conversation. My teahouse’s pastries are quite famous in the city."
After that round of guessing, everyone had revealed their occupations. All four of the male cast members were business elites.
Yun Lan, in particular, after learning Lu Mofeng’s identity, had her eyes practically glued to him.
Zhu Sha, however, was quite calm. Her standards had been set very high by Tan You. Although the other three men besides Lu Mofeng were all exceptional, none of them truly made her heart skip a beat.
Once again, it was Zhuo Yan the icebreaker who spoke up. "Truth or Dare, anyone? It’s only eight o’clock."
Yun Lan was eager. "Let’s play! Otherwise, are we just going to sit here in the living room staring at each other? How boring would that be?"
Since someone had suggested it, everyone joined in to avoid being a buzzkill. Zhuo Yan poked around in the kitchen and found a drink bottle. "We’ll use this as our game prop. Whoever it points to has to choose Truth or Dare."
Zhuo Yan was a master at livening things up. "First round, I’ll set an example!"
With that, he gave the bottle a quick flick. It spun rapidly on the coffee table. Everyone stared intently at the bottle, eager to see which unlucky soul would be "chosen" for the first round.