Chapter 109: Competition
The private room was reserved by Cui Jianhua, which gave him a chance to make a move against Zhao Lei. However, his plan was altered this time; he hadn’t expected someone Zhao Lei brought along to be so annoying to him.
"Zhao Lei, why don’t you introduce your buddies? Starting from my side, this is Ren Kun, Li Gang, and Pang Cheng."
Cui Jianhua spoke crisply and succinctly, quickly introducing his friends.
"Chen Tianlong, Yang Fan, and my girlfriend Qiuju," Zhao Lei shamelessly said.
"Oh..."
Clearly, Cui Jianhua hadn’t grasped the situation yet, but his friends sensed something odd.
Cui Jianhua paused for a moment before suddenly saying, "Kid, what did you just say? Since when is Qiuju your girlfriend? Believe it or not, I’ll beat you up!"
"Damn, a fight, huh? Who’s scared of who?"
Yang Fan said calmly.
He didn’t feel the need to use much force against them, not worried about depleting his primordial Qi again.
"You think I’m scared?"
The other roommate, Li Gang, stepped forward after hearing Yang Fan. He’s an athletic student; there aren’t many in the class who study sports, but he’s one of them, tall and burly.
"Hey, what are you guys doing? Are we here to fight or compete? If it’s fighting, we’ll find a spot outside for a duel."
Chen Tianlong despised bullying based on physical stature.
"Li Gang, don’t be impulsive."
Though Cui Jianhua was furious too, they were here to compete today. If the atmosphere turned sour and Qiuju got upset and left, it would be troublesome.
Sure enough, Qiuju’s expression darkened; she was displeased with the confrontation. Zhao Lei, being more thoughtful, quickly walked over to help Qiuju to the couch.
Then he started picking songs for her. Although the day was meant for competition, it was also a chance to relax and have fun. The rivalry was strictly between Zhao Lei and Cui Jianhua and had nothing to do with Qiuju.
While Qiuju understood their intentions, she didn’t mind.
Or perhaps she had already made up her mind, recognizing that these men wouldn’t rest until a winner was declared. Otherwise, trouble would persist endlessly.
Instead of prolonging it, it’s better to let them compete thoroughly; whoever loses bears the consequences.
As the group argued, the sound system suddenly blared, and Zhao Lei started singing.
The group shook their heads and got into position, lining up in two rows.
As the female lead of the evening, Qiuju naturally sat in the middle of the couch with a microphone, waiting for her turn to sing.
Believe it or not, Zhao Lei’s physique really resembled the singer Sun Nan, and his lungs had quite the capacity.
The song "Even If I Die, I Want to Love" stunned everyone present. He didn’t use falsetto; he sang it out directly. Damn, not competing on "The Voice of China" is such a waste.
When the song ended, everyone looked at Zhao Lei with astonished eyes as if they’d just seen an alien.
"Ahem... that was well done, worth a compliment."
Qiuju, being the host for the evening, had to compliment him.
"It’s nothing special. Singing, who can’t do it?"
Cui Jianhua waved his hand at Pang Cheng near the song selection area and said, "Play ’Qinghai-Tibet Plateau’ for me!"
"Uh? Well... Cui, can we choose another song?"
"Damn, what’s the noise about."
Cui Jianhua initially wanted to curse but realized something wasn’t right, quickly changed to ’noise,’ and then signaled Pang Cheng, who complied.
"Haha, my roommates believe this song is my weakest, so they’re worried I won’t sing it well. But... tonight, for Qiuju, I’m giving it a shot. The purpose is simple: to show her that for her sake, I’m willing to try anything. Thank you!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his three roommates quickly applauded. One must admit, Cui Jianhua was quite eloquent, speaking better than singing.
With this setup, even if he really sang poorly, no one would criticize since it’s his weakest song.
Actually, this song was his best, and the two of them were acting earlier, having agreed on it in the car.
Obviously, one song later, Cui Jianhua won.
The singing was good, comparable to Zhao Lei, but his earlier words already determined his victory.
"Zhao Lei, our competition tonight has three rounds. The first was singing, which you lost; judging by Qiuju’s earlier reactions, it’s clear to everyone."
Cui Jianhua quickly said, fearing Zhao Lei might play tricks.
"Hmph, losing is losing; aren’t there two more rounds? You’re talking as if you’ve already won."
Although Zhao Lei said this, he was displeased inside. He had prepared his song for so long, only to be beaten by a mere phrase.
It seems he can’t rely on brute force for the next rounds; he must think of a strategy.
Speaking of strategies, Zhao Lei knew Chen Tianlong was quite adept, so after switching places with Yang Fan, he leaned over and whispered with Chen Tianlong.
Meanwhile, Qiuju picked up the microphone and sang a soothing song with a calm and beautiful voice. It seemed the men’s rivalry didn’t affect her enjoyment.
"What do we compete in for the second round? Just say it!" Zhao Lei said after he finished discussing with Chen Tianlong.
"Qi!"
This time, the challenge was initiated by Cui Jianhua, and Zhao Lei was clearly at fault. So they say, proximity to water comes first, and good things stay within.
As the class president had pursued for over a year, Zhao Lei just barged in, snatching away the heart’s desire, lacking some moral sense.
Yet, who can truly explain love?
Though they didn’t know if this was love, youth is all about being confused and persistent; considering the consequences in everything denotes maturity.
"Qi? What exactly do you want to bet on?" Zhao Lei clearly didn’t grasp Cui Jianhua’s intent.
"Dice, betting on points; whoever gets higher wins. Dare to accept?"
Cui Jianhua had won a round, so this was a bet on Qi.
Technically, he was quite relaxed about it; winning or losing didn’t matter much, but for Zhao Lei, it was risky—losing this round would render the final one meaningless.
"What’s there to be afraid of? Dice it is."
Currently, Zhao Lei was enraged, and the tension between them was palpable; there’s no way he’d back down.
Chen Tianlong paused, recalling that he frequently played dice as a child and had mastered it. The reason was simple: his natural hearing was very sharp, coupled with powerful sensing power.
The dice that passed through his hands usually landed as expected.
"Can we have help in this round?"
Chen Tianlong decided to assist Zhao Lei, and wanted to help.
"Of course, you can; do as you like. I’ll handle it myself."
Cui Jianhua, having grown up around casinos, learned a thing or two about dice playing, and here was a chance to use it.
He didn’t believe a few students could beat him.