Chapter 416: Chapter 416: Are You Capable or Not, You Skinny Dog?
Lin Qi stifled her laughter on the side.
Black-hearted, huh.
This is truly Huo Tingdong.
The big schemer birthed a little schemer—who knows if the two schemers will clash or complement each other?
Qi Lichuan said, “Running naked in the freezing cold… now that’s risking your life.”
Ji Xiuyuan: “Then let’s play Truth or Dare!”
The five of them exchanged glances and agreed without objection!
The first round began.
Qi Lichuan shuffled the deck; his movements were smooth and practiced. The way he cut the cards was crisp and clean—it was clear he was quite the professional.
A Landlord and a Hidden Landlord.
The visible Landlord chooses a pair of cards with the same suit and calls out the Hidden Landlord. If the Hidden Landlord wins, the visible Landlord wins as well.
In the first round, the Landlord role fell to Huo Tingdong.
Huo Tingdong played a spade Ace, subtly observing the expressions of the other four players.
Each of them was a seasoned actor, their faces betraying no emotion.
Huo Tingdong’s hand was excellent—within moments, she was left with only single cards.
But the other four players eyed her like prey. As her downstream opponent, Lin Qi kept her tightly blocked, barely letting Huo Tingdong play any cards.
The others still held plenty of cards, too. It was unclear whether they couldn’t play or if one of them was the Hidden Landlord trying to assist Huo Tingdong in secret.
That’s what made the Landlord-and-Hidden-Landlord game so fascinating.
Other than the visible Landlord, none of the four players knew who the Hidden Landlord was among them, which made infighting practically inevitable.
Likewise, until the Landlord’s designated suit was played, the visible Landlord didn’t know who the Hidden Landlord was either—making it easy to accidentally knock out your own ally.
Momo played a bomb, locking Huo Tingdong’s single cards at home. Looking around, he seemed eager to catch some telltale signs on everyone’s faces.
Momo: “Who’s the Hidden Landlord anyway?”
Qi Lichuan: “Hurry up and play your cards!”
Ji Xiuyuan: “What if Momo’s the Hidden Landlord?”
Lin Qi: “But he blocked the Landlord’s cards—what if he *is* the Hidden Landlord? He might’ve blocked the Landlord deliberately to trick you into thinking he’s a teammate. If you let him play his cards, and he turns out to be the Hidden Landlord, we lose!”
Momo, wounded: “Mommy, you suspect I’m not your teammate?”
Lin Qi: “There’s no mother-son bond at the card table; I’m absolutely not letting you play!”
After saying that, she played a bomb to block Momo’s cards.
Momo: “…”
Mommy’s so heartless!
Lin Qi quickly played down to her last few cards—five remained—and at long last, the Hidden Landlord revealed themselves!
“Four Aces!”
Ji Xiuyuan played a bomb, including a spade Ace.
He wiped off some cold sweat: “This was the only bomb I had—held onto it for dear life until the end!”
Everyone’s faces darkened—everyone but Huo Tingdong, that is.
Ji Xiuyuan glanced at Qi Lichuan, then at Momo, and finally at Lin Qi: “Anyone got a bomb to use on me?”
Momo turned to Qi Lichuan: “Bomb him! He’s Daddy’s upstream opponent—if you don’t bomb him, he’ll let Daddy win by default!”
Huo Tingdong had just one card left. If Ji Xiuyuan played his smallest single, Huo Tingdong would win immediately.
Qi Lichuan: “Where? My cards suck.”
Ji Xiuyuan grinned: “You dealt the cards yourself—if they’re bad, your luck’s just terrible!”
Seeing no one blocking his play, he tossed out a 3.
Huo Tingdong held a King and played it directly to win.
Ji Xiuyuan, delighted: “Tingdong, we’ve won! You guys are up for punishment now!”
Qi Lichuan threw down his cards. “Fair game—what’s the punishment?”
Lin Qi felt guilty, glancing at Momo. If she hadn’t been so clever blocking Momo’s cards, they might’ve won already.
Ji Xiuyuan pointed at Qi Lichuan and Momo: “You two—do ten push-ups!”
Qi Lichuan and Momo spoke in unison: “Just push-ups?”
Lin Qi pointed at herself: “What about me?”
Ji Xiuyuan: “Oh, come on, Sister-in-law, how could I bear to punish you?”
As he spoke, he sneaked a glance at Huo Tingdong.
With this big boss around, he wouldn’t dare punish his sister-in-law!
Qi Lichuan and Momo got up, preparing to hit the floor for their push-ups. Then Ji Xiuyuan added, “Sister-in-law, sit on Lichuan’s back while he does the ten push-ups.”
Qi Lichuan: “…”
Ten push-ups are no big deal.
But ten push-ups with a hundred-pound weight? That’s a whole different story!
Qi Lichuan furrowed his brow: “You’re messing with me, aren’t you?”
Ji Xiuyuan replied with righteous indignation: “Momo’s just a kid—he can’t carry Sister-in-law! But you’re a grown man—don’t tell me you can’t handle it!”
Qi Lichuan wanted to argue further, but Ji Xiuyuan dropped the ultimate bro-logic kill shot: “Come on, man, are you even capable?”
Qi Lichuan: “…”
Standing up, he took a deep breath, loosened his shirt collar, and pulled off his tie. With perfect form, he got into position: “Lin Qi, climb on.”
Lin Qi was anxious, torn about it.
She wasn’t heavy, but she was still a hundred pounds.
To make Qi Lichuan carry her for ten push-ups—with perfect form—seemed like too much.
Ji Xiuyuan: “Sister-in-law, don’t worry, look at him—he’s all ready to go!”
He pulled Lin Qi over to Qi Lichuan, encouraging her to sit.
Before Lin Qi could decide, Momo huffed and puffed his way through ten push-ups and returned to his seat.
“Sit! It’s fine.” Determined to prove he wasn’t weak, Qi Lichuan gave it his all.
Ji Xiuyuan: “Lichuan, be careful—Sister-in-law is pregnant! If she gets hurt, Tingdong will definitely kill you!”
He knew Qi Lichuan well—no matter what, Lichuan would grit his teeth and never dare let Lin Qi come to harm.
Qi Lichuan huffed: “Who are you underestimating? You think everyone’s as reckless as you?”
Lin Qi perched herself on top.
Ji Xiuyuan: “Sister-in-law, make sure both feet are in the air!”
Lin Qi: “Ah… that’s too much!”
With her feet firmly planted on the floor, she could distribute some of her weight, but if her feet were off the ground, all her weight would fall squarely on Qi Lichuan.
Why did Qi Lichuan agree to this?
Men and their bizarre competitive streaks!
Qi Lichuan coldly scoffed internally, knowing Ji Xiuyuan was just tormenting him.
He made a mental note of this grudge. Revenge wasn’t a matter of timing—it was a matter of patience!
Taking a deep breath, Qi Lichuan began the set. Going down was easy—coming back up was the real pain.
“One…”
“Two…”
Momo nervously counted aloud.
The first five push-ups were relatively smooth.
But by the sixth, his pace slowed significantly.
Each downward movement and upward push turned his face a shade darker.
Maintaining impeccable form despite the struggle, he arduously completed ten push-ups.
Finally, as Lin Qi dismounted, Qi Lichuan practically collapsed to the floor.
But he forced himself to stand up anyway!
Ji Xiuyuan saw him panting and teased: “Only ten push-ups, and you’re already wiped out!”
Qi Lichuan: “I did my ten—what about you? I bet you couldn’t even do five, weakling!”
Ji Xiuyuan: “…”