Chapter 1900 — Swallowing a Silent Loss
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"Ha, this time it's Bai Weituo and me drinking. Bai Weituo, you're not going to have him drink on my behalf, are you?" Seeing that Wei Zhao was about to step in again, Zhang Duopan's expression shifted slightly. His tolerance for liquor was not even as good as Fan Ganhe's; even if what they were drinking was water, he had no confidence in a clean victory, for Wei Zhao drank as fast as he drank water.
"Brother Lin, let me handle this one!" Bai Weituo said.
"Heh, fine then, it's yours." Wei Zhao pushed the two bottles of baijiu over once more.
Seeing Wei Zhao back off, Zhang Duopan instantly breathed a sigh of relief. He picked up the erguotou before him, cracked open the cap, and thought to himself: this Zhang Duopan fellow is quite something—he swapped the contents for water and didn't even damage the outer cap. Not a single flaw. A real talent!
Even if Wei Zhao and Bai Weituo grew suspicious, they would find nothing wrong.
Yet even as Zhang Duopan thought this, Fan Ganhe's expression changed beside him. He distinctly remembered that the bottle of erguotou nearest Zhang Duopan should have been already opened—it couldn't possibly be a fresh bottle. Could something have gone wrong?
Bai Weituo, by contrast, found it rather strange: why did his bottle of erguotou look as though it had been opened and then recapped? Had they run into that legendary trick of blending leftover dregs from several bottles into one? But erguotou was dirt cheap—hardly worth the trouble, was it?
As he puzzled over it, Bai Weituo suddenly felt his foot kicked twice. He turned his head and caught Wei Zhao's reassuring smile. A light went on in his mind—could Wei Zhao have done something?
Bai Weituo quickly poured the erguotou before him into a disposable paper cup, and sure enough, he spotted something unusual! Though this erguotou did carry a scent of liquor, it was not potent—only a faint, mild note. Could it be...
Excitement surged in Bai Weituo's heart. He had no idea how Wei Zhao had managed it, but it must have been Wei Zhao's doing—otherwise why would he have given him that hint?
Across from him, Zhang Duopan poured his own drink as well, but after pouring, he was utterly dumbfounded. What mineral water was this? It was plainly high-proof erguotou, the reek of alcohol overpowering!
Zhang Duopan furrowed his brow. Had Fan Ganhe failed to grasp his meaning? What the devil was going on here?
But at this moment, he certainly could not voice the question—asking would only let everyone know he had intended to cheat. So he could only grit his teeth and raise his cup: "Bai Weituo, come on then. This round, Meiyue judges again!"
Though the liquor had not been swapped for water, Zhang Duopan figured Bai Weituo's situation must surely be worse than his own. A full bottle of baijiu was a bit much for him, but he was certainly still better off than Bai Weituo. No swap, then—so be it!
"Fine, let's go!" Bai Weituo, however, was brimming with confidence. If he couldn't outdrink him, well, if he couldn't even outdrink him in water, he might as well buy a block of tofu and dash his brains out!
Fan Ganhe wanted to say something, but after a moment's hesitation, he held his tongue. He did not know how to put it. Watching the excited look on Bai Weituo's side, he had roughly guessed: that bottle of erguotou he had filled with mineral water had probably ended up in Bai Weituo's hands!
Only, Fan Ganhe was deeply perplexed. He had clearly placed the bottle filled with mineral water in front of—well, in front of himself—so how had it wound up before Bai Weituo? He could not make sense of it. True, Wei Zhao had given the bottle a push at the time, but Wei Zhao could not possibly have known what was hidden inside. Besides, he had watched Wei Zhao closely while he pushed it—how could Wei Zhao have had any chance to make a swap?
"Three, two, one... go!" He Meiyue had already called out the countdown.