Chapter 83: Playing Games

Chapter Eighty-Three: Playing Games

Shi Bai held his wine glass, while the female host stared at him as if she were watching a lottery drawing. Shi Bai glanced at the glass, then at the host, and suddenly said, “By the way, I still don’t know your name.”

The host shuddered and hurriedly replied, “My name is Xiaowen!”

“Xiaowen, is it?” Shi Bai smiled. “What a lovely name.”

The host immediately stood, raised a glass, and said, “To be able to drink with Mr. Ye today is truly the luck of three lifetimes. Allow me to drink first as a sign of respect!” She tipped her head back and drained the glass, making a face at the burn of the liquor, then gestured to Shi Bai. “Please!”

“Alright,” Shi Bai replied with a faint smile, lifting his own glass and bringing it close to his lips. But just as it touched his mouth, he paused and set it down. “No, I can’t. My stomach doesn’t handle alcohol well, and drinking on an empty stomach will hurt. Let’s eat first, then drink.”

The host forced a strained laugh, her smile twisted and awkward. “Of course, please eat first.” She picked up chopsticks and began placing food into Shi Bai’s bowl.

There was poison in the food as well, but it wasn’t lethal—just enough to knock someone out. The host had taken the antidote, so she would be fine eating it.

“Please, enjoy,” she said, her large, watery eyes fixed on Shi Bai.

“Thank you.” Shi Bai picked up his chopsticks and started eating. In no time, he’d finished a bowl of rice.

The host watched him eat, a sly smile gradually surfacing. She squinted and asked, “Sir... are you feeling dizzy?”

Shi Bai widened his eyes. “Dizzy? Not at all! I haven’t even had a drink—why would I be dizzy?”

The host looked shocked, as did everyone else in the room. The knockout powder in the food was highly concentrated; for most people, a single bite would have them unconscious within three minutes. Shi Bai had finished an entire bowl, yet seemed completely unaffected.

“Could it be... his martial arts are that advanced?” The host forced herself to remain calm and resumed her ingratiating smile. “No matter, since you’ve eaten, your stomach won’t be empty anymore. Let’s have a drink—this is a twenty-year-aged Maotai.”

“Alright.” Shi Bai lifted the wine glass to his lips, while the host watched him with the anticipation of someone waiting for lottery numbers to be drawn.

“Ah—!”

But Shi Bai suddenly exclaimed, “No, my leg’s cramping!” He set down the glass and began rubbing his leg.

The host jumped in alarm, biting her lip in frustration. Damn it, why is this man so troublesome?

But though she fumed, she quickly hurried to Shi Bai’s side, putting on a concerned face. “Which leg? Does it hurt? Let me help you.”

A sly smile touched Shi Bai’s lips. “Ow! My left leg—quick, help me to the bed.”

The host’s expression darkened. Damn it, if he goes to bed, he won’t drink the wine. But seeing his apparent pain, she had no choice but to help him up. “Very well.”

They entered the bedroom, where Shi Bai flopped onto a large, round, pink, and inviting double bed. Soft and comfortable, it made for a perfect place to rest.

Shi Bai looked at the host and called out, “Could you... massage my leg? It hurts so much!”

The host hesitated but forced herself to kneel and rub his leg.

“Is it still hurting? Any better?” Her hands were gentle and weak, barely making an impression. Shi Bai silently chuckled to himself. “It’s getting better, but now my shoulders ache, too. Could you massage those as well?”

The host blinked. Is this brat toying with me? But with her task unfinished, she dared not object, and so she laid her soft hands on his back and began to knead, listlessly.

“Any better?” she asked.

Shi Bai, lying face-down, said, “Not yet—try a bit harder.”

The host frowned and pressed harder, Shi Bai’s back popping audibly beneath her hands.

Shi Bai relished it. “Yes, just like that! Keep going!”

The host, teeth clenched, continued massaging until her arms were sore, then pouted, “I can’t do it anymore!”

Shi Bai grinned mischievously. “Alright, that’s enough.”

The host quickly brought over the wine. “Let’s have a drink. It’s good for the blood after a massage.”

Shi Bai smiled slightly, seeing through her nonsense. “I don’t feel like drinking right now. I have a habit—if I’m going to drink, it must be after I’ve washed my feet. Bring me some water, and after you’ve washed my feet, I’ll have a drink.”

The host’s face went dark, her brows arching. “Wash your feet? Are you serious?”

“Don’t be angry!” But at that moment, a voice came through her earpiece, “Endure it! He’s about to drink!”

Whatever authority the voice held, it made her instantly composed. She batted her big eyes and turned away, “I’ll get you some water!”

Soon, Shi Bai’s feet were soaking in warm water, the pink washbasin matching the room. The host earnestly scrubbed his feet. “Sir, is it comfortable?”

Shi Bai was secretly delighted. “Very—take your time.”

So it went on for about twenty minutes. The host finally couldn’t bear it any longer and stood up. “Sir, your feet are done—let’s drink now.”

“Alright,” Shi Bai agreed cheerfully. “Bring me the wine.”

“Right away!” The host hurried to fetch the wine, handed it to Shi Bai, and urged, “Quick, drink it.”

Shi Bai held the glass, the host’s face full of anticipation. Everyone else in the room was equally eager, having hidden in the corners for over an hour, barely able to contain themselves.

Shi Bai looked at the glass, smiled, and suddenly said, “How about this—you give me a kiss, and then we’ll drink a loving toast together.”

The host couldn’t take it any longer. In this hour, she had waited on Shi Bai, massaged him, even washed his feet by hand, and now he wanted a kiss—what next, a night in bed? All for a single glass of wine! As one of the most renowned beauties in the ancient city, she had never served even the most powerful lords this way.

“Kiss your damn uncle!” she snapped, swinging her hand for a slap.

But with a sharp crack, her hand broke.

“Ahhh!” She collapsed to the floor, clutching her hand and rolling about like a child, tears streaming from the corners of her eyes as she wailed.

“I’ve had enough, I really have... Everyone bullies me, all of you...”

Shi Bai crossed his legs and smiled faintly, raising the glass and draining it in one go.

“Ah!” He grimaced and shook his head. “Good wine!”

The room fell into dead silence; the host forgot her pain and stared blankly at Shi Bai.

“After all that, he just went and drank it?”

At that moment, a commotion erupted as eight burly men burst from the wardrobe, from under the bed, from the ceiling, and from behind the curtains. Some carried knives, others guns, and one even hefted a rocket launcher.

With a laugh, they slung their weapons over their shoulders and jeered in unison, “You little pest! You’re already dead!”

“Hm?” Shi Bai looked puzzled. “Dead? Why?”

“Because you drank my poisoned wine!” the host declared, standing and clutching her injured wrist, laughing hysterically. “You had me massage you, had me wash your feet, but you never realized you were sealing your own fate! Serves you right, you wretch!”

Shi Bai lightly touched his nose. “What kind of poison?”

“Cyanide!”

“Cyanide?” Shi Bai’s face contorted in horror. “Instant death on contact!”

The host sneered. “So you do have some common sense. Are you afraid now? Too late!”

The eight strongmen roared with laughter, looking at Shi Bai as if he were a dead man.

Shi Bai simply replied, “Could I trouble you for one more glass?”