Chapter 1897 — Drinking Contest, Part 1

Sure enough, as soon as Bai Weituo finished singing his song, Zhang Duopan spoke up: "Brothers, I showed up late just now. I was supposed to treat everyone, but since you've already put down the deposit, all I can do is buy some beer to make it up to you!"

"Drinking... maybe that's not such a good idea?" Song Xiaodao had no prospects here anyway—Wang Xinyan was already spoken for, Bai Weituo was already contending for He Meiyue, and Chai Xiaoling was deep in animated conversation with Zhao Shengji. Song Xiaodao had no intention of trying his luck here, and besides, he had never had much tolerance for alcohol, so naturally he did not want to drink.

"It's fine, we're all college students now. If you can't drink, just take it easy!" Zhang Duopan was not targeting Song Xiaodao, so whether he drank or not hardly mattered. Having said that, Zhang Duopan looked at Bai Weituo provocatively and said, "Brother, you've finished your song—time to wet your throat, no? Don't tell me you can't drink, because then I'd really have to look down on you!"

Zhang Duopan had not said it outright, but Bai Weituo understood his meaning perfectly well: a drinking contest!

In front of He Meiyue, Bai Weituo was naturally unwilling to show weakness. If he admitted defeat now, wouldn't he lose all face?

"Drink, then. Who's afraid of you?" Bai Weituo's tolerance was not particularly good, but boys of that age always let their pride get the better of them. He knew full well it was a provocation, yet in front of a beautiful girl he could not help but take the bait.

"Wei Zhao, how about you and me?" Fan Ganhe asked, looking provocatively in Wei Zhao's direction. Wei Zhao was sitting with Wang Xinyan, and Fan Ganhe had never been able to get a word in. Now that he had an opportunity, he was certainly not going to let it pass.

Wei Zhao had not wanted to take part in such a pointless game, but one look at Bai Weituo told him that the boy was determined to fight it out to the end. Wei Zhao shook his head helplessly. Since Bai Weituo had called him "brother," he could hardly stand by and do nothing.

"One-on-one is so boring. Here's how it'll be: Bai Weituo and I against the two of you. You want a drinking contest, don't you? You could have just said so." Wei Zhao saw through their intentions without the slightest mercy, which left Zhang Duopan and Fan Ganhe looking somewhat uncomfortable.

"Fine, a drinking contest—you said it yourself!" Zhang Duopan said, quick to seize the opening. But his words drew contempt from He Meiyue and the others; no one present was a fool. Clever as he was, he made it sound as though Wei Zhao had been the one to propose the contest—yet everyone knew perfectly well who had brought the beer over.

"I said it," Wei Zhao nodded.

Wang Xinyan frowned. She could not understand how Wei Zhao had ended up facing off against Fan Ganhe. He clearly did not like her, so there was no need for him to get mixed up in this—and now he had changed his mind? Wang Xinyan's heart tightened for no apparent reason, and then she shook her head again.

"A drinking contest—then let's put something on the line. Otherwise, what's the point of drinking like this?" Fan Ganhe was a seasoned drinker. One-on-one, he worried that Zhang Duopan might not be able to outdrink Bai Weituo, but two-on-two, they could cover for each other. That was why he dared to be so confident.

"What's the wager?" Bai Weituo asked.

"The losers give up pursuing Meiyue and stay away from her!" Zhang Duopan said.

"If you want a drinking contest, don't use me as a bet. Who I choose to be friends with isn't for you to decide." He Meiyue knitted her brows and spoke with evident displeasure.

Bai Weituo was secretly grateful. Zhang Duopan and Fan Ganhe would never dare to do this unless they were sure of themselves—and He Meiyue, being their high school classmate, naturally knew their capacity for liquor inside and out. Her words just now had clearly been spoken in his favor. How could he not be pleased?

Only Wei Zhao inwardly lamented the waste. He Meiyue meant well, but she had actually done more harm than good. These two, of all people? He glanced at the five cases of beer at his feet and curled his lip. Even if they switched to baijiu, Wei Zhao would not be daunted.

He Meiyue's words left Zhang Duopan somewhat embarrassed—this was plainly shielding Bai Weituo! Zhang Duopan could not understand what was so special about Bai Weituo, or why He Meiyue insisted on taking his side.

"Haha, Meiyue, we were only joking. It's just that things were a bit dull—we wanted to liven up the mood!" Zhang Duopan gave a hearty laugh and said, "How about this: let's change the wager. The losers go to the private room next door, kick the door open, and shout, 'I x your mothers!' How's that?"

This was plainly meant to do them harm. If there happened to be some dangerous characters in the room next door, getting beaten up would be the least of it. Zhang Duopan's suggestion made Bai Weituo's expression shift slightly.

"You'll all be flat on your backs drunk, and you still want to go curse at people? Zhang Duopan, can you come up with something realistic?" He Meiyue was getting annoyed. "We all came out to have fun. Isn't this just making trouble?"

Nothing was acceptable to her—first one thing, then another. For a moment, Zhang Duopan truly could not think of any wager that would trip Bai Weituo up. If he proposed another one and He Meiyue shot it down again, wouldn't he lose even more face? At that thought, he simply said, "How about this, Bai Weituo—you two name the wager?"

"How about this: I'll make a suggestion. We switch the beer for baijiu, then we compete for speed—whoever drinks slower takes off a piece of clothing," Wei Zhao said. He simply wanted to stick up for Bai Weituo, so he intended to do no more than make these two lose face.

"Switch to baijiu and see who drinks faster?" Zhang Duopan frowned. He could not understand why Wei Zhao had suddenly made such a suggestion. Up to now, Wei Zhao and Bai Weituo had not said a word, and it had been He Meiyue defending them. So Zhang Duopan had naturally assumed that Wei Zhao and Bai Weituo were afraid of them. Yet Wei Zhao had now, contrary to all expectations, taken the initiative to propose switching to a liquor far stronger than beer—and to compete for speed on top of that. This struck him as rather baffling!

"Afraid to compete? Then forget it. As you said, we'll count it as your loss—from now on, stay away from He Meiyue and Wang Xinyan," Wei Zhao said mildly.

He Meiyue looked at Wei Zhao, a flicker of puzzlement passing through her eyes. Wang Xinyan, by contrast, looked rather bashful. Wei Zhao had never denied his relationship with her, and now that someone was pursuing her, why had he spoken up on her behalf? Could it be that he liked her?

Thinking of the several times Wei Zhao had come to her rescue, Wang Xinyan's formerly calm heart rippled ever so slightly. Perhaps this was what people called a hero saving the beauty... What a pity—a beauty could not offer herself in return...

"Ha, afraid to compete? What a joke!" If Wei Zhao had not said that, Zhang Duopan would certainly have speculated further about his true intentions. But Wei Zhao's aggressive tone actually set his mind at ease. He concluded that Wei Zhao had deliberately proposed a frightening style of drinking contest for the sole purpose of scaring them into giving up!

So Zhang Duopan and Fan Ganhe exchanged a glance, and Fan Ganhe said, "Baijiu's fine, but if we're drinking, it has to be the strong stuff—Red Star Erguotou, for real kick. How about it? Dare you?"

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