Courtyard House: Home Alone

Andrei was completely stunned by Lin Yifan's relentless chugging. His throat bobbed a few times before he managed to find his voice: "Lin...Young Master Lin...you...you are..."

He wanted to say, "Are you out of your mind?" but he swallowed the words back. The child's behavior had exceeded his understanding of what a "human being" was.

Major Vasily, standing nearby, was deathly pale. The gulp of liquor he had just drunk seemed to have turned into cold sweat, which slid down his forehead.

The other Soviet officers looked at each other in dismay, the bottles in their hands feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds, and they could no longer lift them.

Lin Yifan put the bowl of vodka he had just filled back into his spatial storage, his smile still calm: "Mr. Andrei, we had an agreement, whoever collapses first loses. And it seems your people haven't even started drinking much yet."

He pointed to the almost untouched wine crates on the Soviet side, then to his own empty rice bowl, his meaning crystal clear.

Looking at the pot of vodka emitting a strong aroma, and then at Lin Yifan's face, which was calm to the point of being eerily calm, Andrei felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.

He knew that there was no way he could outdrink this "monster." Let alone eight cases, even two more cases would be enough for Lin Yifan to drink them all by himself.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Young Master Lin... as expected... as expected, has a huge capacity for alcohol! We... we admit defeat!"

"Admit defeat?" Lin Yifan raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise. "Mr. Andrei, this has only just begun. How can you admit defeat so soon? Our 'friendly match' hasn't even been decided yet."

Andrei, with a pained expression, waved his hand and said, "No, no, no, Young Master Lin, we...we concede defeat! When it comes to drinking, we Soviets are convinced!"

He knew that if he lost this drinking contest, his days back in Moscow would be miserable, and the great achievement of completing this deal would be wiped out.

But all he wanted to do now was end this humiliating "competition" as soon as possible. If he continued drinking, the officers he brought with him would probably have to be carried out horizontally, while Lin Yifan might not even blink an eye.

Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Lin Yifan stopped pressing the issue. He put down his rice bowl and said slowly, "Since Mr. Andrei has said so, I can't force him. However, about the bet we just discussed..."

"Count it! Count it!"

Andrei quickly chimed in, as if afraid Lin Yifan would change his mind, "As long as Moscow approves the supply of raw materials and reagents, all the conditions we discussed before will stand!" He was now completely convinced by Lin Yifan's "strength" and dared not harbor any more illusions.

Lin Yifan nodded in satisfaction: "That's good. I hope Mr. Andrei will receive good news from Moscow as soon as possible."

Tang Baolin, Kong Jie, and Qin Zhirong finally breathed a long sigh of relief, their hearts finally at ease. They looked at Lin Yifan, their eyes filled with admiration and lingering fear. What they had just witnessed was even more thrilling than fighting a fierce battle on the battlefield.

Stone looked at Lin Yifan with adoration, as if he were a god descending to earth. He muttered under his breath, "Young master... is your stomach a bottomless pit...?"

Lin Yifan heard this, but just smiled faintly and offered no explanation.

He knew that the victory in this "friendly match" was not only due to his "space" cheating, but also to his accurate grasp of Andrei's psychology and his unexpected massive performance, which completely destroyed the opponent's confidence.

Now, all that was left was to wait for Moscow's reply. The atmosphere in the restaurant had also eased considerably from its previous tense standoff, though the Soviet officers still looked at Lin Yifan with an undiminished sense of awe.

Soon, a reply arrived from Moscow, approving the bet. One wonders if the bearded man in Moscow would still approve it if he knew they had lost.

Upon hearing the news, Lin Yifan harvested two more basins, which completely terrified the five Soviets.

The five of them looked at each other, their faces showing expressions as if they had seen a ghost, their eyes wide open and their mouths agape, unable to close for a long time.

They already found it unbelievable that Lin Yifan had drunk three basins of vodka in a row, but now, upon hearing the news of Moscow's approval, he ordered two more basins. How could a human possibly do that? That was vodka, not water!

Major Vasily's fork clattered onto the plate, but he was oblivious, staring intently at the two empty bowls in front of Lin Yifan, swallowing hard with a gulping sound.

Several other Soviet officers went even further. One of them slid off his chair, only to be caught by a nearby comrade. The color drained from his face instantly, leaving only terror.

Andrei felt his scalp tingle. He originally thought he had a good understanding of Lin Yifan's "massive capacity" of drinking, but he didn't expect that this was just the tip of the iceberg. He now completely understood that this seemingly insignificant child in front of him was actually a reincarnation of the God of Wine, no, he could drink even more than the God of Wine!

He even began to suspect that Lin Yifan had made all the wine he drank disappear, otherwise how could he not have any reaction at all, and his expression not even changed?

The restaurant fell into a deathly silence once more, as if the air itself had frozen. Only the strong smell of vodka lingered in the air, reminding them that what had just happened was not an illusion.

Stone stared in disbelief, his mouth agape enough to fit an egg. He secretly pinched his thigh—ouch! This wasn't a dream!

That's too much, young man! Five bowls of vodka! If it were him, he would have been lying on the ground unconscious by now.

Kong Jie and Qin Zhirong exchanged a glance, both seeing deep shock and a hint of relief in each other's eyes. They were relieved that Lin Yifan was not their enemy, otherwise, who could withstand this?

Grandpa Tang looked at Lin Yifan with a smile on his face, as if he had known this would be the outcome all along.

He stroked his graying beard, his eyes filled with understanding and satisfaction, as if to say, "This kid certainly didn't disappoint me."

Lin Yifan's composure when dealing with Andrei, his reasoned arguments during negotiations, and his eventual victory in the "friendly match" in such an almost "absurd" way—every step was unexpected by everyone, yet it was exactly what Old Master Tang had anticipated.

He knew that Lin Yifan was no ordinary person; with such intelligence and skills at such a young age, he was bound to achieve extraordinary things in the future.

Seeing that Andrei and the others were completely intimidated, Old Master Tang was overjoyed. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and his smile deepened.