Chapter Thirty-Three: The Drinking Duel—A Battle of Endurance (1.3 Challenge for the Rankings)

Sweat beading on his brow, Long Fei hurriedly ducked out, nearly colliding headlong with the voluptuous woman. Nervously, he was invited to the second floor of the Second Dining Hall. Though it bore the simple name "dining hall," the establishment’s amenities and the quality of its fare rivaled any star-rated hotel—one glance at the lavish spread was enough to see that.

To his surprise, several young men awaited them upstairs. Only after Ye Qian led her group to their seats did the five men finally sit down as well. Long Fei eyed them with some confusion, but quickly realized they were scrutinizing him just as intently, their stares anything but friendly.

“Long Fei, let me introduce my sisters to you!” Ye Qian beamed, and then, gesturing to the five young men, added, “And these are my little brothers—I brought them here to drink with you!”

Long Fei was taken aback. Drink? The meaning was clear enough: tonight, Ye Qian intended to drink him under the table. Amused, he began to laugh, a laugh that left the five men perplexed and made Ye Qian herself uneasy.

“What are you laughing at?” Ye Qian tried to appear composed.

Long Fei quickly suppressed his smile and fixed Ye Qian with a cool gaze. “Miss Ye, you truly are impressive. I never expected you to be such a big shot at school. At home, you seemed so well-behaved. Is this what all rich young ladies are like—one face in public, another in private? I must say, I’m quite impressed. Today I finally understand the true extent of your influence!”

Ye Qian’s cheeks burned. Had anyone else spoken to her so sarcastically, she would have flown into a rage. Yet hearing these words from Long Fei, she felt an unexpected pang of shame—though she would never reveal it, especially not in front of so many people. Instead, she put on a stern face and warned, “Long Fei, you need to understand: you’re my personal bodyguard, not a spy my parents hired to keep an eye on me. So whatever happens at school, you’d better not breathe a word to my parents or I’ll make you pay!”

Long Fei sneered inwardly. Make me pay? There were few in this world who had the right or the nerve to say that to him—and most who had dared were no longer breathing. He could not abide such people; nor would Phoenix allow it. Usually, as soon as someone uttered those words, Phoenix would send them straight to hell.

Of course, Long Fei saw Ye Qian’s threat as the bluster of the ignorant and thought little of it. Still, after learning more about her at school today, his opinion had shifted; to put it plainly, he found himself rather put off by her.

No one can choose their birth, but whether born to wealth or poverty, one should always remain humble. That was Long Fei’s philosophy. Even if one must stand out, there should always be boundaries—cross them, and society will not tolerate you.

“You’re still laughing? Hmph! Boss, bring the wine!” Ye Qian, unsettled by Long Fei’s cold smile, quickly called out to the owner.

It seemed she had made arrangements in advance. A bottle of strong, 72-proof spirit was brought out, along with five cases of beer. Clearly, Ye Qian had every intention of drinking Long Fei into oblivion tonight.

The five young men Ye Qian had summoned were her loyal followers—two of them seniors—and all were legendary drinkers in the school, renowned for their bottomless capacity. Each could likely polish off a bottle of that strong spirit and a case of beer without faltering. With five of them, Ye Qian felt victory was assured. Not only did she have her men, but a crowd of her female friends stood ready as well. Her own drinking prowess surpassed even that of the five men—a fact well known among her circle.

Yet she had made a fatal mistake: she had no idea whether Long Fei could actually drink. Perhaps she thought, no matter how formidable he was, he couldn’t possibly outdrink five men combined.

But Long Fei was no ordinary man. He couldn’t be measured by common standards. From childhood, his old man had forced spirits down his throat. For three years, he’d soaked daily in medicinal wine. Alcohol barely affected him; he had never been drunk. Once, in America, he’d matched drinks with one of the most notorious female assassins—a woman as deadly as she was bewitching, famed for her drinking as much as her killing. Yet even she was bested by Long Fei. After ten bottles of whiskey and two cases of beer, she collapsed in his arms, fast asleep. She hadn’t vomited, but it was the first time in her life she’d ever been drunk—a fact she herself could scarcely believe.

Ye Qian, a regular at the establishment, found the owner more than accommodating. Long Fei, unfazed, looked at her with a faintly amused expression. “Trying to embarrass me again? I’m afraid you’re in for disappointment. Tell me—are you planning on a relay match, or do you want to take me on one by one?”

“Do we really need to go one after another to handle you? Wu Nan, pour the drinks!” Ye Qian signaled to one of the young men, who opened a case of strong spirits and a case of beer, setting the bottles out on the table with a contemptuous glance at Long Fei.

Long Fei ignored them and simply picked up his chopsticks, devouring the food as if he hadn’t eaten for days. The whole table looked on in puzzlement.

“Hey, weren’t you so tough just now? What, afraid to drink now?” Ye Qian taunted, both pleased and a little frustrated—she’d prepared so thoroughly, only to find Long Fei apparently admitting defeat before the contest even began. If he gave up so easily, wouldn’t she be left disappointed?

Long Fei shoved a piece of braised pork into his mouth and mumbled, “Want to drink? No problem. Let me fill up first, then I’ll drink with you. Come, let’s all eat—don’t blame it on an empty stomach if I leave you all under the table later.”

Since Long Fei insisted, Ye Qian had no choice but to go along. She signaled the others, and everyone began eating. After all, experienced drinkers know that drinking on an empty stomach is unwise—it’s bad for the stomach and shortens your endurance. So they were happy enough to follow Long Fei’s lead.

Once he was about seventy percent full, Long Fei wiped his mouth and smiled. “Alright, now we can drink. But let me say this up front: if you all get drunk, you’re paying the bill. I’m broke—I won’t be covering anything.”

Ye Qian shot him a disdainful look. “Don’t worry. The bill was settled long ago. Even if it hadn’t been, the boss would just put it on my tab—I’ll pay. No one’s going to make things hard for you. But are you really sure you can outdrink them?”

“Time to put your money where your mouth is. Let’s see what you’ve got!” Long Fei was no stranger to drinking contests. True connoisseurs always start with beer, then move to spirits—it’s the ultimate test of drinking ability. He deftly popped the cap off a beer bottle with a flick of his finger—a move that drew silent respect from the five young men.

A master’s hand is known by his first move. Just from Long Fei’s bottle-opening technique, the five began to take him more seriously. Wu Nan, seeing Ye Qian’s signal, stood up, raised his beer, and said with a smile, “Sister Qian says you’re her friend, so you’re our friend too. Since we’re friends, let’s down this bottle together!”

Long Fei understood—Ye Qian was playing for keeps, not caring about appearances. This was a relay match, pure and simple.

But Long Fei wasn’t at all concerned. He replied, “I think you’re mistaken. I’m not friends with your Sister Qian—I don’t care much for her kind of friendship. So I’m not your friend either. But never mind—I’ll drink. Cheers!”

His words were blunt, making Ye Qian’s face darken, but she forced herself to stay calm, even more determined to see Long Fei drunk.

With a deep gulp, Long Fei finished his beer in one go. Without waiting for instructions, he grabbed a second bottle, opened it with the same panache, and declared, “I don’t care who drinks with me—as long as I finish a bottle, you all do too. We’ll see who lasts longer!”

As he spoke, another bottle disappeared down his throat.

Long Fei’s drinking was brisk and unhesitating. It was lunchtime and, though the second floor was expensive, plenty of people were eating there. All eyes soon turned to Long Fei’s table, watching as he stood and downed bottle after bottle as if it were water. Each time he finished, one person would stand and follow suit.

The contest had barely begun, but things quickly heated up. Everyone was stunned by Long Fei’s capacity: he was single-handedly taking on six people—a feat few could match—and never once faltered.

Two cases of beer were finished in no time. Long Fei drank a whole case himself, while the other six each managed two bottles.

Long Fei wiped his mouth, his expression unchanged, and smiled. “Should we order more beer, or move on to the spirits?”

Though the curvaceous woman and the five young men also looked unaffected, Ye Qian decided the beer was taking too long. Best to switch straight to the high-proof spirits. She turned to Long Fei coldly. “Fine. Let’s start with the strong stuff. What do you say—still want to take on all six by yourself?”

Long Fei grinned. “Let’s do it. Frankly, I’d rather not waste time going one by one. Let’s just drink straight from the bottles. Who’s first?”

The crowd buzzed with admiration for Long Fei’s drinking prowess, and more than a few laughed at the way the Red Powder Corps were ganging up on him. Ye Qian’s face grew grim, but her desire to see Long Fei falter only intensified. She sneered, “Since you’re so arrogant, I want to see how long you can keep it up!”

The voluptuous woman went first. Watching Long Fei down a bottle of strong spirit as easily as water, she frowned. She could handle a bottle easily enough if she sipped it slowly, but to chug it like that, she wasn’t sure she could manage. With Ye Qian’s encouragement, she clamped her eyes shut and downed the bottle, nearly toppling over as she finished, but her friends steadied her and she managed to stay upright, though she was clearly struggling.

Long Fei found himself admiring her—few women could hold their liquor like that, especially after two beers followed by a bottle of strong spirit. Still, she was nothing compared to that wild American woman he’d once faced.

“Anyone else want to try?” Long Fei’s expression remained unchanged as he looked at the five nervous young men.

His easy smile only heightened their anxiety. Wu Nan gulped and stepped forward. “I’ll drink with you!”

Long Fei nodded, picked up a bottle of Erguotou, and downed it in one go. Wu Nan finished his bottle too, but was shaking violently; he staggered and would have collapsed if not for his friends, who caught him just before he hit the floor. He was already unconscious, limp as a dead dog.

Ye Qian’s face grew darker still. Seeing Long Fei’s unruffled manner—and the hint of challenge in his eyes—she was both frightened and furious. But to back down now would be to lose all face. Gritting her teeth, she sent the remaining four to take their turn.

The results were disastrous. Long Fei remained as fresh as ever, while the four challengers ended up sprawled under the table, snoring or retching, to the dismay of everyone on the second floor.

Thanking his foresight for eating first—otherwise, even Long Fei might have lost his appetite at the sight—he turned to Ye Qian, whose face was flushed, and asked, “Miss Ye, do you really want to keep going?”

Seeing the faint look of disdain in Long Fei’s eyes, Ye Qian suddenly felt a surge of panic and embarrassment. Furious, she stood up, grabbed a bottle of strong spirit, and declared, “Don’t think you can lord it over me just because you’ve won. Come on—let’s see who’s better!”

Friends, today’s the day to make a push on the rankings—if you have any flowers, please vote! Thank you!