Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Li Du’s act, which appeared cowardly, surprised Blodwen.
They had not known or been around each other much, but Blodwen knew very little about Li Du.
He felt that Li Du was a capable person, but his status was not as high as that of Steve and the Ford brothers. In a small team of four, he was supposed to be the one who craved respect most and was prepared to do anything to get it.
So he and the bartender cooperated to make Li Du feel left alone, and they expected two possible outcomes: first, that Li Du could not stand the mocking, and drink up the cocktail; and second, that Li Du would ignore his prompting and drink slowly.
If Li Du made the first choice, he would be in great pain once he swallowed the liquor. If he made the second choice, it wouldn’t hurt, but it would make him lose respect.
However, unexpectedly, Li Du chose a third option. He did not drink one bit and did not even care.
Blodwen looked at Li Du with an odd expression and could only say, “You’ve wasted a good drink. Do you know how much it costs me to fly it here from England?”
Li Du said, “I don’t want to waste a drink, but I would like someone’s company when drinking. What fun is it to drink alone? How about this, let’s drink together. The ultimate tough guy showdown!”
He winked at Steve and the Ford brothers like Blodwen did, except that Blodwen was subtle and Li Du was not hiding his intentions.
Steve immediately exclaimed, “Ok, tough guys! I love watching games like this, but I can’t drink. I wish I had a healthy heart!”
“Wow, this sounds cool! Bobby, dare you to take the challenge?”
“You must accept it, brother. The British tough guy can’t flinch, if you flinch then you embarrass the entire British nation as you lose to the Chinese!”
Blodwen’s expression was sour. The other side united to make him feel inadequate. Their intention was very clear, to make him have a battle of men with Li Du!
The ultimate tough guy contest was a form of a bar fight in which six shots were prepared for each participant. Everyone would drink one shot after another at the same time, and the last one to fall was the ultimate tough guy.
This and other drinking games were very popular in Russia, despite many people dying every year because of alcohol abuse, and despite relentless government campaigns to stop it.
Blodwen did not want to compete in drinking with Li Du, but he couldn’t refuse without losing face. His pride was at stake, forcing him to participate in the battle.
Worst of all, Steve pulled out his phone and turned on the video camera, saying, “If you don’t want to do it, just give up. You can just surrender.”
Li Du smiled and said, “I think it’s a good way to show that British guys are all sissies.”
Blodwen slammed his fist angrily on the table and snapped, “Well, I’d like to see how much you can drink and who the ultimate tough guy is!”
The whole game was crazy. Blodwen has never seen Chinese dare to play like this, and he felt that Li Du was siding with Steve and the others to make a fool out of him.
At this, Li Du pushed the killer drink forward and said to the bartender, “Six shots like this for one of us.”
The bartender gasped and looked at Blodwen in surprise.
The veins on Blodwen’s forehead pulsed, and he was sure that Li Du was trying to frighten him.
Really tough drinkers consumed strong spirits, usually tequila or vodka, spiced up with tabasco chili sauce. A few shots like that in a row would be enough to knock anyone off their feet.
Blodwen tried to gain confidence by reassuring himself that Li Du could not possibly last longer than he would it and tapped the table for a drink.
The bartender gulped and his hands moved swiftly, mixing the shots of the killer cocktail.
The golden clear liquid glowed warmly under the lights. It looked beautiful. Of course, everyone knew that this kind of beauty was deadly.
Li Du stood to the side of the bar, lined up six shots, raised his first one and said, “So, shall we start?”
Blodwen stared at him and raised a shot as well, but did not speak.
He hoped that something would happen to stop Li Du. Up until that moment, he did not believe that Li Du would dare to drink six shots of the killer cocktail.
Li Du did not want to drink either. There was a pungent smell of liquor that dashed into his nostrils when he took up the shot glass. 70 degrees of alcohol was no joke!
However, it was better than vodka or tequila with chili seeds. He was not afraid of alcohol. He was more wary of the super-hot chili seeds, which could damage the intestinal lining when consumed on an empty stomach.
Facing Blodwen’s contradictory looks of expectation and regret, Li Du smiled and drank up his shot in one go.
The whistle went off. Steve played the video on his phone and the Ford brothers screamed and clapped.
“Well done, Li!”
“What a killer!”
Seeing Li Du drinking up the liquor, Blodwen’s back became drenched with cold sweat.
Now he realized that he had made the wrong move. Li Du was not putting on a show just now. He was really good at drinking!
He was in a difficult situation at that moment. Steve was shooting a video of the whole thing, and if he didn’t drink, Steve would post the video, and he, Blodwen, would be the butt of a joke.
Trying not to think of the consequences, Blodwen gritted his teeth, closed his eyes and up-ended the shot glass.
He knew the secret of drinking strong liquor. Quickly pouring the shot down one’s throat was the way to go. The drink would be extremely difficult to swallow if sipped slowly.
When the liquor went down his throat into his stomach, it was as if someone with a shotgun pulled the trigger in his mouth. The pain was scorching!
“F**k!” Blodwen heaved his glass down in a rush.
The ice glass smashed on the table. He cheated a little bit here, there was still some alcohol in the glass, but now that it had smashed, the evidence disappeared and no one could accuse him.
“Cool!”
“Awesome man!”
“Damn it, I swear this bastard is one tough guy!”
The whistles and cries rang out again, and Blodwen, somewhat relieved, at least gained the momentary admiration and praise of Steve and the others.
He was proud of his little trick, proud of the praise he had received, but then he looked ahead again, and saw that Li Du had two empty shots in front of him!
He turned to look at Steve and the others and realized it was Li Du, not him, that they were cheering for.
Never had Blodwen’s legs felt so soft in his life!
Li Du slowly turned the two shots upside down on the table and said, “Go on!”
Blodwen didn’t want to drink, but Steve’s camera was on him.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for another round.
There were still cheers. Blodwen had emptied only half a glass and looked quickly forward. Then he saw that another empty glass was standing in front of Li Du.
Damn it! Blodwen made a quick decision. He rolled his eyes and collapsed on the ground.
