"Do you still want to compare who has more money?" Lin Yufei rarely lost her temper, but the constant, repetitive mocking and belittling of Xiao Yang had finally pushed her to her limit; even a clay figurine has a temper.
"Alright, that's enough from both of you." Ye Shaocheng immediately stepped in to smooth things over. In his view, Xiao Yang’s defeat was inevitable. There was no point in making snide remarks now; better to let Xiao Yang strip naked and crawl out of the hotel first, then he could mock him all he wanted later.
Pang Zizhu let out a huff and stopped talking. He tipped the bottle back and drank directly from it. Before long, he had downed a bottle of Louis XIII. Because he had drunk it so quickly, his throat and stomach felt like they were on fire.
Enduring the discomfort, he looked at Xiao Yang with a relaxed, arrogant expression and tilted his chin. "Your turn!"
Xiao Yang opened two bottles, holding one in each hand, and began to drink under the intrigued gazes of the crowd.
"Show-off!" Pang Zizhu gave a scornful smile. He had grown up around alcohol, and even for someone as strong as him, finishing one bottle of Louis XIII in one go was painful—let alone two. He waited for Xiao Yang to make a fool of himself.
But as the liquid levels in the bottles dropped, Xiao Yang’s expression remained unchanged. The crowd's initial mockery slowly turned into astonishment.
Lin Yufei hadn't expected Xiao Yang to have such a high tolerance. She couldn't even handle two bottles of water in one go, let alone two bottles of liquor. Was Xiao Yang's stomach made of a water tank?
"That is truly a belly capable of housing a boat!" Xi Qiuying remarked in shock.
"Your metaphor is..." Lin Yufei struggled to find the words.
Soon, both bottles were finished. Xiao Yang didn't even change color. He said dismissively, "What garbage wine. It tastes like gasoline and costs 180,000 a bottle? It must be fake!"
Previously, Pang Zizhu would have ridiculed him for this, but now, everyone was immersed in the feat of him downing two bottles at once. This was liquor, not water!
The reason Daoist Jiu was called "Daoist Jiu" was that his obsession with alcohol reached the point of madness. As his disciple, it was impossible for Xiao Yang not to be a heavy drinker. Competing with him in alcohol tolerance was the worst decision Pang Zizhu had ever made in his life.
"Zizhu, it's your turn." Someone beside him nudged him, snapping him out of his daze.
Pang Zizhu finally came to his senses and scoffed, "Hmph, just grandstanding!"
With that, he followed suit, attempting to drink two bottles at once. He absolutely could not lose on the matter of spirit!
Pang Zizhu had only taken two gulps when he felt as if his throat were about to explode. He couldn't handle the burning sensation of the alcohol and, unable to help himself, spat the wine back out. He coughed violently, his eyes watering.
The victims were not just him, but the entire table of food, which was now splattered with the wine he had sprayed. Not a single dish remained edible.
Xiao Yang asked with interest, "You threw it all up; how should we count that?"
After finally catching his breath, Pang Zizhu gritted his teeth and said, "Do it again!"
He had the waiter bring two more bottles. This time, he didn't dare try drinking both at once; the wine that had surged into his airways had left him feeling like he wanted to knock himself unconscious. Holding his nose, he chugged one bottle down, managing to tie with Xiao Yang.
But after finishing that bottle, he had reached his limit. His head was spinning, and his focus was slipping.
Xiao Yang was completely fine. To him, this was nothing; frankly, it was no different than gargling mouthwash. He popped the cap, his throat gulped rhythmically, and in barely ten seconds, the bottle was empty.
Xiao Yang set the empty bottle down. Some tried to find a hint of drunkenness on his face, but they were disappointed.
"Third bottle. Your turn," Xiao Yang said calmly.
Xi Qiuying couldn't help but sigh, "Yufei, this man of yours... he's a total alcoholic!"
Lin Yufei seemed to recall something and suddenly let out a giggle, sneaking a laugh.
Xi Qiuying was confused. "What’s so funny?"
Lin Yufei struggled to suppress her laughter and waved her hand. "Nothing, nothing."
How could she have forgotten that Xiao Yang was the disciple of Daoist Jiu? Daoist Jiu—he must have been obsessed with alcohol to choose such a title. Being his disciple, how could Xiao Yang not be a drinker?
"Young Master Pang, come on!"
"Go for it, don't lose face!"
"Just close your eyes and chug it, don't be afraid of him!"
Pang Zizhu was still somewhat sober, and hearing these people talk so easily—since they weren't the ones drinking—made his temper flare. *If you're so capable, you do it!*
Even a single beer was filling enough; let alone this foreign liquor, which was eighty proof. The alcohol content wasn't extreme, but finishing a bottle in one go was enough to make anyone stagger.
Pang Zizhu took a deep breath, ignored his burning stomach, closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and chugged.
"Go, go, go!"
"Almost there, keep going!"
The crowd cheered him on. Pang Zizhu’s face was beet red, and wine was already leaking from the corners of his mouth. It was clear he was in extreme discomfort and was relying entirely on sheer willpower.
He had barely finished half, and the time spent enduring the sting of the alcohol felt agonizingly long. Finally, he managed to get the bottle down without incident. Three bottles was his limit; he couldn't guarantee he could manage a fourth.
"Bring more wine," Xiao Yang said, appearing far more relaxed than Pang Zizhu.
Anyone with eyes could see that the outcome of this drinking contest was decided. Ye Shaocheng frowned, glancing at Pang Zizhu with annoyance. He usually bragged about how "tough" he was, yet he choked at the critical moment. What a waste.
Looking at their states, Pang Zizhu’s defeat was only a matter of time.
Ye Shaocheng said coldly, "Alright, let's call it here." If they kept drinking, someone might actually die.
Pang Zizhu was unwilling, but he had no choice but to accept the result.
Xiao Yang gestured for him to continue, teasing, "Then, Young Master Pang, please fulfill the bet."
Strip naked and crawl out of the hotel? No fool would ever do that. Pang Zizhu played dumb, hoping to brush it off.
Xiao Yang naturally saw through his intentions and smiled faintly. "If you don't dare to strip, Young Master Pang, I can help you."
Pang Zizhu’s expression shifted drastically. His face, already red from the alcohol, turned paper-white. If he really stripped naked and crawled out of the hotel, he would certainly be on the front page of tomorrow's news.
Ye Shaocheng spoke with an unfriendly tone, "Brother Xiao, do me a favor and let the bet go. I’ll have Pang Zizhu pay you 200,000 as compensation."
"I'm not short on money," Xiao Yang replied with a smile. "A bet is a bet. He made the terms, and now that he's lost, he wants to call it off? There’s no such thing in this world."
"If I were the one who lost, would you have let it go?"
Ye Shaocheng shot a glare at Pang Zizhu. If this useless idiot hadn't lost, he wouldn't be in the position of having to clean up this mess. Still, he was one of his own men; he couldn't just stand by. This wasn't just about embarrassment anymore. For wealthy young masters like them, if they were forced to crawl out of a hotel naked, they would probably want to commit suicide.