Huo Tingshen, who rarely ever drank, nearly fainted from anger at Zhao Ziling’s words!
Pour drinks? Not even a dog would do that!
"Beer or liquor?" he asked in a forced, high-pitched voice, addressing Auntie Zhen, who was sitting on the outer side.
"She’ll have juice," Lin Mo answered for Auntie Zhen.
Auntie Zhen had taken a sip of beer earlier during the meal and said it tasted awful.
Huo Tingshen shot Lin Mo a dark, unreadable look.
All of this was because of that brat.
She ought to compensate him with a wife!
Lin Mo noticed his glare and frowned.
Definitely someone she knew!
He’d been staring at her for a while now.
Everyone goes through rough patches.
Though she wasn’t sure which acquaintance had "gone into the business."
When the familiar face moved to pour her a drink, Lin Mo said, "I’ll have beer, thanks, Xiao Ming."
Clearly a stage name.
Huo "Xiao Ming" Tingshen nearly crushed the beer bottle in his grip, his teeth grinding audibly.
"Is there a rat?" Lin Mo asked Xie Guanyan, hearing the strange noise.
Huo Tingshen: "..."
Xie Guanyan couldn’t help but chuckle again.
At first, he’d only suspected, but now he was certain—this was Huo Tingshen.
Revealing it now would ruin the fun for everyone.
So Xie Guanyan stayed silent, though he kept an eye on Huo Tingshen’s behavior.
"Probably not a rat," he replied to Lin Mo with a smile.
Lin Mo studied Xie Guanyan’s grin, baffled.
What was this guy so amused about?
"I’ll have beer too," Xie Guanyan said to "Xiao Ming."
Huo Tingshen grabbed a bottle of whiskey and poured Xie Guanyan a full glass.
Xie Guanyan: "..."
When it was Zhao Ziling’s turn, she didn’t even look up, busy chatting with a cute male model. "I’ll have liquor."
Huo Tingshen poured her a beer instead.
The cute male model noticed. "Hey! You’re not listening again. Sis, look at him~"
Zhao Ziling finally glanced up and raised an eyebrow. "Can you even do your job?"
Huo Tingshen had no choice but to pour her the liquor, then took the beer for himself.
By the time he finished serving drinks, his teeth were practically ground down to nubs.
The game finally began in earnest.
Starting from Zhao Ziling’s side—meaning Huo Tingshen, seated at the far end.
Even the rugged male model refused to switch places with him.
Huo Tingshen had endured more humiliation today than in his entire life.
All eyes turned to him.
He stood up and said in that same strained voice, "I don’t smoke."
The rugged male model scoffed. "Who in our line of work doesn’t smoke and drink? Stop acting all high and mighty!"
Huo Tingshen’s head was about to explode. Now even random people could step on him!
This round, anyone who smoked had to stand up and drink.
All five male models stood.
Shen Yihan occasionally smoked at social events.
Though he worried the ladies might disapprove, he stood up honestly.
To everyone’s surprise, Jiang Tang and Zhao Ziling also rose.
Huo Tingshen’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
Since when did Zhao Ziling smoke? She’d hidden it well!
Jiang Tang admitted it freely—she sometimes smoked when work stress got to her, seeing no shame in it.
But she didn’t drink; the male model beside her drank for her instead.
Shen Yihan glanced at Jiang Tang, taken aback.
Next was the rugged male model.
In his gruff voice, he declared, "I’ve eaten shit!"
The group: "..."
Holy hell! How do you top that?!
Everyone stood and drank.
Huo Tingshen downed his beer in one go.
Then it was the brawny male model’s turn.
After some thought, he said, "I can lift two grown women at the same time!"
Now that was a heavyweight statement.
Anyone who couldn’t do it had to stand and drink.
Only Lin Mo and Xie Guanyan remained seated.
All eyes turned to them.
The brawny male model eyed Lin Mo skeptically. "You’re lying, right?"
A man, fine—but a woman? No way.
Lin Mo strode to the center of the room, rolling up her sleeves. "Two women, come here!"
Zhao Ziling walked over with a smile, followed by Auntie Zhen.
The brawny male model gaped. "Aren’t you afraid of being dropped?"
Huo Tingshen’s expression darkened further.
Zhao Ziling really trusted this brat blindly!
Yet Lin Mo lifted both women effortlessly and held them steady.
Someone started clapping.
Soon, the room erupted in applause!
"Wow! So cool, so cool!" cheered the cute male model.
Once set down, Zhao Ziling planted a kiss on Lin Mo’s cheek. "Knew I could count on you! Back then, I thought—if we’re friends, I’d never fear my husband cheating. You’d beat up both him and the mistress!"
Lin Mo laughed. "Damn right! One slap for the mistress, a full Dragon Subduing Palm for the cheating hubby!"
Huo Tingshen’s face turned thunderous.
When had they even become friends?
He’d meant to ask Zhao Ziling earlier, but she hadn’t given him the chance.
Meanwhile, Xie Guanyan’s lawyer had contacted him.
Two options:
An amicable divorce, finalized together at the registry, with Zhao Ziling getting a share of assets.
Or a contested divorce, where they’d fight for maximum compensation.
Everything was moving too fast—Zhao Ziling wasn’t leaving any room for reconciliation.
Seven years of marriage. Had none of it meant anything to her?
Huo Tingshen grew angrier the more he thought about it and poured himself another glass of whiskey to drink.
Zhao Ziling, lost in her own world, smiled playfully at Xie Guanyan and said, "You should prove yourself too!"
Huo Tingshen’s grip on his glass tightened, veins bulging on his arm.
Lin Mo’s lips twitched. "He doesn’t need to. I think he’s already proven enough."
With two women present, Lin Mo felt it wouldn’t be appropriate to involve anyone else there.
Zhao Ziling cast a sultry glance at Lin Mo and proposed, "How about this? If he can lift you with one arm, that counts as success!"
Lin Mo nodded hesitantly. "Isn’t that a bit... improper?"
Her contradictory reaction made Zhao Ziling burst into laughter. "Then it’s settled! Who agrees? Who objects?"
Shen Yihan raised his hand, the Buddhist beads around his wrist glinting. "I object!"
His sister was still young—physical contact like this was too soon.
Jiang Tang, siding with Shen Yihan, also objected. "Proving things like this is just unnecessary trouble."
She remembered Shen Ji'an’s parting words and also believed Lin Mo was too young for this.
Secretly, though, Lin Mo was eager for Xie Guanyan to lift her with one arm.
He always wore crisp white shirts, the fabric hinting at the well-defined muscles beneath.
He looked so strong!
Seeing two people oppose the idea, she pressed her lips together.
Then she noticed Auntie Zhen raising her hand.
Lin Mo nearly sighed in defeat—until she heard Auntie Zhen say, "I support Xiao Mo!"
Lin Mo was instantly moved.
No matter what, Auntie Zhen was the only one who always stood by her.
Out of the twelve people present, only three had objected.
The male models were all hired by Zhao Ziling.
They knew better than to defy their employer, so none opposed.
Huo Tingshen, of course, didn’t object either.
At least Zhao Ziling had some sense of boundaries!
Lin Mo struggled to suppress a smile but then met Xie Guanyan’s gaze.
Her expression froze.
Oh. Right. He might not even agree.
Xie Guanyan had always maintained a careful distance between them.
Even after living in the same villa for so long, they’d barely had any physical contact.
The only exception was yesterday, when she had hugged him.
He hadn’t hugged her back—his body had gone rigid.
To avoid the embarrassment of outright rejection, Lin Mo blinked and said, "Never mind, never mind! Xie Guanyan’s physique speaks for itself. I believe him!"
But then—
The strikingly handsome man stood up, his long legs carrying him to the center of the private room. His voice, smooth yet slightly rough from alcohol, was calm as he said, "Fine. I’ll prove it."
