Endless Fall

208 The Mouth of Truth

“I’m not picky.” Pei Zhi had no right to be picky. “You can wear whatever you want.”

His compromise could always make her heart soften.

Lin Jiao wrapped her arms around his waist. She did not tell him which one she would wear. “I’ll show you when the time comes.”

“Good girl.”

“Don’t say that.”

Pei Zhi chuckled. “Can’t I even praise you?” He caressed her cheek, his calloused fingers brushing past her skin.

“Try another way.”

“Awesome?”

She chose to remain silent.

Lin Jiao rested her head on his shoulder and took a nap for more than twenty minutes.

At twelve o’clock, Chu Yuzhou’s voice came from outside the door. He called everyone to go out.

After having lunch nearby, they headed to the filming location of the Roman Holiday, Plaza de Espana.

Plaza de Espana is located at the foot of the hill of Trinity Church and is known for the Spanish Staircase that leads to the church.

No matter what season it was, there was a lively scene in front of the stairs. Tourists were standing in front of the fountain to take photos. One could vaguely hear the melodious singing from the church.

“Jiang Ye, help us take two photos.” Pei Yilan pulled Lin Jiao and Qian Yue up the stairs.

“Okay.” Jiang Ye squatted down to find an angle.

He got the three of them to pose and included the church behind them in the camera.

Pei Zhi walked back and forth on the stairs with Jiang Ye and Zhou Yanshen. Apart from admiring the scenery, he also took many photos of them.

The remaining three bachelors followed Ven Olle around the church and competed over long jumps on the stairs.

“I won,” Shen Yi shouted, not caring about the opinion of the tourists.

“Will the winner treat us to coffee?”

“Where is the coffee shop?”

Qu Shao looked around. “Over there on the right.”

Shen Yi called Pei Zhi to ask what they wanted before ordering ten cups.

Just as he handed Chu Yuzhou’s cup over, he saw him throw a wink at him.

“Brother Yi.” He exclaimed, attracting the attention of the other tourists. “Will your girlfriend be angry if you buy me coffee?”

Shen Yi found it embarrassing to be with this fool and walked out of the coffee shop with two paper bags.

He met Pei Zhi and the others by the fountain and handed them coffee cups. Just as they were about to head to the next attraction, Chu Yuzhou pestered Zhou Yanshen and put on a good show in public with him.

He took a sip of Zhou Yanshen’s coffee and said, “Brother Yanshen, if I drink your coffee, will your girlfriend be jealous?”

Qian Yue, who was amused, laughed so hard that she almost spat out the coffee in her mouth.

When she laughed, the others were affected and couldn’t help but laugh.

Lin Jiao was also in the mood to play.

“Brother.” She shook Pei Zhi’s arm and called out to him in a soft voice, but before she could say her lines, she laughed out loud.

Pei Zhi’s eyes darkened. “Do it again?”

“No, I can’t help but laugh.”

“Then we’ll do it tonight.” He suppressed the darkness in his eyes, determined to get her to call him ‘Brother’ more.

After having enough fun, Chu Yuzhou hummed a tune and got on the bus under Zhou Yanshen’s disdainful gaze.

They shuttled through the ancient streets, admiring the grand buildings.

Ven Olle brought everyone to Cosmedin Church for a tour. On the way, he picked up the identity of the tour guide and introduced the scene to them in detail.

After listening to him talk about the history of churches, Pei Yilan asked curiously, “How many churches are there in Rome?”

“More than seven hundred.” He walked around the fountain. “We’ll only watch this one. We won’t go to the others.”

“What’s so special about this place?” Qu Shao looked around and did not find anything novel.

“There’s a Bocca della verità.”

“What did you say?”

“The Mouth of Truth.” Pei Zhi summarized Ven Olle’s introduction in one sentence. “A lie detector.”

They approached the round object carved from marble and sized up the slightly strange face.

It was said that as long as a liar put their hand into the stone statue’s mouth, they would be bitten.

“Does anyone believe it?” Shen Yi, the atheist, thought that this was a place for couples to show off their love.

“People used to believe it.”

“Which one of you wants to try?”

“Let me do it.” Chu Yuzhou rolled up his sleeves and reached his hand into the mouth of the stone statue first. “It’s a little cold here.”

“Are you afraid?”

“I’m not afraid. I just feel strange.”

“It looks strange.” Jiang Ye looked at Chu Yuzhou, waiting for him to lie.

Chu Yuzhou thought for a moment and said, “I’m the ugliest.”

Five seconds later, he frowned and pretended to be frightened. “It bit my thumb!”

“Really! Help me.”

Qu Shao could not stand it anymore.

He grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side before showing him what acting was.

“Oh, my God!” He looked at the ceiling, his right arm trembling. “It hurts.”

Everyone watched as he acted like he was suffering from epilepsy. The moment he rolled his eyes, they laughed.

Laughter that echoed in the wind floated out of the church, but it could not take away the joy that belonged to them.

“Oh——”

Night fell quietly, and the temperature dropped again.

At night, there were fewer people on the streets. Only the restaurants by the river that enjoyed the night scenery were still filled with laughter.

The soothing music lingered in their ears, as if it could help them relax.

The neon lights outside the window shone in and landed on everyone, adding a touch of light to their eyes.

“This ham is not bad.” Zhou Yanshen forked a piece to Qian Yue’s plate and let her try it.

His considerateness along the way made Qian Yue’s heart melt.

She swallowed the ham and clinked glasses with him. She looked at him and smiled. “Eat. Don’t worry about me.”