Chapter 29: Exertion
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Lin Bai was no fool. He could sense that Li Ruonan seemed to have some feelings for him; he just had no idea how deep they ran.
“Cheat Bro, use the Affection Detection Card.”
【Beep! Affection Detection Card activated. Target: Li Ruonan, age nineteen. Please wait...】
【Beep! Detection successful. Li Ruonan’s affection toward the host: 65!】
【Side quest completed. System reward: Female Appearance Attribute Panel unlocked.】
Lin Bai was stunned when he heard the affection rating.
He had never expected Li Ruonan to like him so much. With an affection level like that, the two of them could practically become a couple.
While Lin Bai was still reeling, the system spoke again.
【Beep! Side quest triggered!】
【Side quest: A man’s love is boundless. Make Li Ruonan yours for the first time within one week!】
【Quest reward: 500 points!】
【Quest failure: Death!】
“What?!”
Lin Bai shot to his feet, his face filled with disbelief and utter bewilderment.
Li Ruonan was startled. She stared blankly at him. “What’s wrong, Lin Bai?”
“Nothing, nothing at all.”
Lin Bai was in turmoil, but he forced himself to remain calm and sat down again.
“Cheat Bro, what the hell are you doing? You know I already have a girlfriend, don’t you? This system of yours is getting a little indecent!”
【Beep! Do not question this system’s decision. Please cherish your time.】
The system’s reminder immediately made Lin Bai realize that if he failed this side quest, he would be completely and utterly dead.
Since inheriting the system, this was the first time he had truly felt his personal safety threatened.
“Cheat Bro, didn’t you say that only main quests came with point rewards?”
Lin Bai suddenly remembered this important detail.
【Beep! The distinction between main and side quests depends on the importance of the mission. This side quest is equivalent to a main quest and is of equal importance.】
Fine. Lin Bai would pretend he had never asked. In any case, the system had the final say.
He glanced at Li Ruonan, who was studying him with curiosity.
Feeling somewhat guilty, Lin Bai hurriedly changed the subject. “This is pretty boring, huh?”
“Mhm, it really is a little dull. Lin Bai, can I ask you something personal? I heard you have a girlfriend—is that true?”
As she asked, Li Ruonan opened her bottle of mineral water again and took a small sip. The nervousness on her face was impossible to conceal.
Lin Bai had no idea how to answer.
If he said yes, Li Ruonan would surely be bitterly disappointed. Her affection for him might even decrease, making the quest far more difficult to complete.
But if he said no, his conscience would not allow it. He genuinely loved Qin Ruowei.
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After struggling for a long while, under Li Ruonan’s expectant gaze, Lin Bai suddenly smiled and countered with a question:
“You’re paying so much attention to my love life. What’s this—do you like me?”
Li Ruonan had not expected Lin Bai to turn the tables so suddenly. Completely unprepared, she immediately blushed and turned her head away.
“No, I don’t.”
The redness at the tips of her ears betrayed her. Lin Bai drew a deep breath and edged a little closer to her.
“Ruonan, actually, I...”
“Lin Bai! You’re up. Come over here!”
Before Lin Bai could finish, Wang Peichuan’s voice from nearby interrupted him.
Looking over, Lin Bai saw several of the boys in the class gathered around Wang Peichuan. They appeared to be arm-wrestling, while several girls stood nearby as well.
Wang Peichuan was bare-chested, displaying his sturdy arms. He crooked a finger at Lin Bai, his challenge unmistakable.
Li Ruonan frowned, and a trace of disgust appeared in her eyes as she looked toward Wang Peichuan.
Lu Xiaobin came over to Lin Bai. “Brother Bai, avenge us!”
Zhao Fangting joined them too. “Second Brother has already drunk five cups, Brother Bai! Help us get even!”
After spending more than a week together, the four of them had grown increasingly close.
Just two days earlier, Chen Zhe had started joking around and ranked the four of them.
Since Lin Bai had introduced the others to their girlfriends, it was only natural that he became Big Brother. Chen Zhe was Second Brother, Zhao Fangting Third Brother, and Lu Xiaobin Fourth Brother.
Now that his three brothers had been bullied, Lin Bai naturally could not stand by and do nothing. He rose and walked over to Wang Peichuan.
“Come on, Lin Bai. You’re the only one left. We’ll arm-wrestle while drinking. Whoever loses drinks. Do you dare?”
Lin Bai did not answer him. Instead, he patted Chen Zhe on the shoulder. “Are you all right?”
Chen Zhe waved his hand. “I’m fine. Really.”
Chen Zhe had been drinking hard liquor mixed with soft drinks. Lin Bai had tried it before and knew that the aftereffects were fierce.
After five cups, Chen Zhe had to be feeling awful.
Lu Xiaobin helped Chen Zhe away from the seat. Lin Bai sat down and looked at Wang Peichuan.
“One cup at a time is too slow. I’m short on time, so let’s make it interesting. One whole bottle. Whoever loses drinks it.”
Lin Bai waved his hand, and Zhao Fangting promptly brought over an unopened bottle of whisky and placed it in front of them.
Wang Peichuan had not expected Lin Bai to be so ruthless, and he fell silent for a moment.
That was straight whisky, without any mixer. If he drank the entire bottle, he would have to go to the hospital to have his stomach pumped.
Lin Bai, on the other hand, wore a calm smile as he regarded him, his eyes silently asking whether he dared.
Wang Peichuan’s gaze unconsciously drifted toward Li Ruonan, who was sitting on a sofa not far away. When he saw that she was watching them, his eyes hardened. He slammed his right arm onto the table.
Bang!
“Fine! Let’s do it!”
Lin Bai had noticed the little gesture. The corners of his mouth lifted as he extended his own right hand and clasped Wang Peichuan’s.
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The moment their hands locked together, Lin Bai understood why the burly northerner Chen Zhe had lost five times in a row.
Wang Peichuan had a powerful hand. Clearly, he was an experienced arm-wrestler. So that was it—he had come here to show off.
Unfortunately for him, this time he had run into Lin Bai.
The wager of an entire bottle of liquor was far too exciting. More students crowded around the table.
“Come on, Big Brother! Crush him!”
“Go, Brother Bai!”
Zhao Fangting and Lu Xiaobin cheered Lin Bai on from behind.
One of the students acted as referee and shouted, “Begin!”
As soon as the word was spoken, Wang Peichuan’s eyes sharpened, and just as he had in the previous matches, he exerted all his strength in a sudden burst.
Based on his experience in the earlier rounds, no one had ever been able to withstand his initial surge of power.
Chen Zhe had lasted the longest, but he had still lost—and he had lost five times.
But this time...
“How is this possible?!”
Looking at Lin Bai’s utterly motionless arm, Wang Peichuan wore an expression of shock for the first time. His eyes were filled with disbelief.
Lin Bai tilted his head slightly. “Put some effort into it. Is that really all the strength you have?”
The remark was like oil poured onto a fire. Li Ruonan was watching right in front of him!
Wang Peichuan clenched his teeth and summoned every ounce of strength he possessed, pushing as hard as he could.
This time, Lin Bai’s arm finally moved, slowly descending toward the table.
Hope appeared in Wang Peichuan’s eyes. He continued exerting himself, his face turning frighteningly red as blood rushed to it.
Lin Bai’s arm kept sinking. It was just about to touch the table when it suddenly stopped.
“Is that all the strength you have?”
At those words, a nameless unease rose in Wang Peichuan’s heart.
Then a force he could not hope to resist surged forth. The back of his hand slammed heavily into the tabletop with a dull thud.
Boom!
“Ow!”
Wang Peichuan clutched his aching arm and hopped around in pain. Behind him, Lu Xiaobin and the other two leaped into the air.
“Yeah!”
Lin Bai clapped his hands and stood up. Looking at Chen Zhe and the other two, he pointed to the bottle of whisky on the table.
“You three, make sure he finishes that bottle. I’m leaving first.”
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