Chapter 251: Chapter 251
Fu Jichen threw the question back to her: "What do you think we should do?"
When Shen Jianian was in school, even the toughest math problems didn’t stress her out this much. She frowned at him, wearing an expression that screamed, "If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking you."
The two of them still hadn’t made a move, and while the Emperor wasn’t worried, the bystanders sure were getting anxious.
"Have you two pretty people come up with a plan? We’re all waiting to play the next round."
"A three-minute kiss is nothing. I still vividly remember two guys teaming up to do a pole dance the last time."
"Just a reminder, if you don’t complete the challenge, you’ll have to accept a penalty."
"The penalties are randomly drawn, and I heard they’re quite twisted. Better finish the challenge if you can."
Right at that moment, Shen Jianian really wished she could turn invisible. She asked Fu Jichen with a hopeless expression, "Can we just take the penalty?"
Fu Jichen didn’t show any disappointment or even a hint of delight, his expression calm and respectful of her choice: "It’s up to you."
He called a server over, explained they were opting out of the challenge and were willing to accept the penalty.
The server went up to the stage to relay this to the owner, who sighed regretfully. He was hoping for the dreamy sight of handsome man and beautiful woman kissing amidst a shower of golden confetti, but it was just wishful thinking.
Into the microphone, the owner announced: "Contestant number 42 and contestant number 17 have decided to accept the penalty. As for what penalty they’ll draw, let’s wait and see!"
A wave of disappointed sighs swept through the crowd, probably bummed that there wouldn’t be a good show to watch.
Someone shouted, "Is it because the lady isn’t willing? I can take her place and finish the challenge with that gentleman!"
The voice was a sultry female one, which made everyone laugh.
Shen Jianian’s face was already as red as a ripe tomato, caught in the center of attention with no way to escape.
The server soon came over with a box full of different penalty options, stopped in front of the two of them, wearing a mischievous grin, "So, who’s going to draw? Just a heads up, the penalties in here are written by seasoned bar-goers and aren’t much easier than the challenge itself. You sure you don’t want to reconsider?"
Hearing this, Shen Jianian felt her heart sink halfway.
Who would’ve thought the so-called penalty was just another type of challenge?
Shen Jianian admitted she chickened out. What if the penalty they drew ended up being harder than the "three-minute kiss"? Wouldn’t it be like jumping from one frying pan into another?
She was undecided, giving Fu Jichen a look to see what he thought.
Throughout all of it, Fu Jichen remained calm, lounging there with no visible emotion. He slightly lifted his chin, leaving the decision up to her: "You decide, either complete the challenge or take the penalty."
Shen Jianian: "You choose."
"Then we’ll stick with your original choice, let’s take the penalty." As Fu Jichen finished speaking, his slender fingers reached into the box and pulled out a piece of paper folded into a square, which he opened bit by bit.
The crowd instinctively leaned in, eager to see what penalty he had drawn.
Shen Jianian, her hands clenched tightly against her dress, was visibly anxious compared to Fu Jichen, whose emotions were unreadable and yet her distress was plain as day.
Fu Jichen held the slip of paper between two fingers, showing it to her, his words carrying a barely detectable sigh: "It’s fine, just drinking a tub of alcohol."
When Shen Jianian saw the small line of words on the slip, she was dumbfounded, unable to comprehend how Fu Jichen could say "it’s fine" with such composure.
It wasn’t a glass of alcohol, nor was it a bottle— it was a tub!
Who knows how big a tub it was?
She could help with other penalties, but drinking was really not her forte. The last time she drank with Bai Changxia, she didn’t even finish a can of beer and slept until the next morning, and when she woke up, she continued to snooze on the plane.
A man sympathetically said to Fu Jichen, "Dude, what’s a little kiss? Now you’ve got yourself drinking a tub of alcohol; even a god would have a hard time walking out of the bar."
The server brought over a stainless steel tub filled with ice and a few bottles of alcohol nestled inside. A quick glance showed there were four or five bottles, better than Fu Jichen had imagined. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by novelFirｅ.net
But to someone who couldn’t handle alcohol, four or five bottles were lethal. Shen Jianian’s face turned ashen, and facing Fu Jichen, she opened her mouth several times but couldn’t bring herself to suggest, "Why don’t we just do the challenge?"
Fu Jichen looked into her eyes, seeing there her confusion, urgency, and concern for him, suddenly finding it all worth it.
The server took a bottle opener out of the pocket of his vest, opened each bottle one by one, and lined them up on the bar counter— five in total, all sorts of types.
Just watching those bottles made the spectators’ stomachs churn.