Qin Li spoke up, "I'll take her punishment instead."
"Oh, Qin, playing the hero to save the damsel?" someone shouted without hesitation.
Qin Li just smiled, "She's under my care, so naturally I'll protect her. The girl is young, we can't let her suffer. And please, don't scare her."
"That's true, we were just asking some questions, we didn't do anything serious," another person added.
"Look at Han's intense kiss just now, that's the normal operation of our game."
With a few more remarks back and forth, Lin Mian found herself in a tight spot.
Lin Mian bit her lip, about to say she would accept the punishment herself, but Qin Li beat her to it.
"Double the punishment, I'll take it for her," Qin Li declared.
With that said, the others didn't argue much and gave him that way out.
"Alright, two shots of strong liquor, bottoms up. We'll call it a round. Don't say we're not looking out for you. It wouldn't be as easy with someone else."
Qin Li nodded in agreement with a smile, "Deal."
Lin Mian was still frozen in place, hesitant to move. Qin Li then took off the lie detector on her wrist and gave her a reassuring wink.
"Don't be nervous, it's nothing."
Lin Mian felt somewhat guilty.
"Master, since I lost, I'll take those two shots as punishment."
After all, she found drinking alcohol more comforting than answering questions.
"You have a stomach issue, how can you drink? Don't worry, just two shots of strong liquor, it's nothing for me."
"But..."
"Doctor Shi is right beside you, he just diagnosed your stomach last time, why don't you ask him if you should be drinking?" Qin Li pointed to Shi Ling, who was standing nearby.
Lin Mian instinctively glanced at the man beside her, touching his cold, indifferent face, the words she wanted to say getting stuck in her throat.
Forget it, she didn't want to ask.
Even if she did, it would probably be the start of gastric cancer.
Taking advantage of her hesitation, Qin Li opened a bottle of strong white liquor, the high alcohol content reaching Lin Mian's nose even from a distance, making her eyes water.
"Little sister, your master is drinking for you, don't you think you should show some appreciation and pour it for him yourself?" Someone egged Lin Mian on, dragging her into the situation.
Thinking she should do something, at least to avoid embarrassing Qin Li too much, Lin Mian took the initiative to pour the drink full for him under their teasing remarks.
"Quick, feed your master the drink, it's time for the disciple to show gratitude." Another person added fuel to the fire with a playful tone.
Lin Mian blushed a deep red.
She was a bit hesitant, but in this situation, her indecisiveness only made her appear more awkward and contrived, wanting to save face for Qin Li. Lin Mian nervously picked up the glass and handed it to Qin Li.
"Master..."
Just as Qin Li reached out to take it, his wrist was held firmly by two of his friends, preventing him from moving.
"Accept your punishment gracefully, Qin, you've finally taken on a little disciple, it's time for her to show you respect. By protecting her like this, we won't let her off easily."
Qin Li's expression turned cold: "Let go."
"Don't, let's all just accept the outcome of the bet. Little sister, your master is getting angry, he can be quite intimidating when angry, quickly feed him the drink."
Lin Mian sensed the tension in the atmosphere and didn't want to cause trouble, so she immediately brought the glass of drink close to Qin Li's mouth. It was just feeding him a drink, not a big deal.
"Open up, stop being so reserved," someone urged Qin Li.
Qin Li lifted his head and met her gaze with his clear, clean eyes. As she held the glass up to him, she resembled a timid little stray puppy he had once cared for - pitiful, weak, innocent, and eager to please.
Qin Li's Adam's apple moved, and he opened his mouth, biting down on the rim of the glass.
The light above flickered, and the transparent liquor slowly trickled down his chin. The liquid shimmered under the light, giving it a hint of gracefulness and allure, adding a touch of sensuality.
Thinking her hand might have tilted the glass, Lin Mian quickly grabbed a tissue from the table to wipe Qin Li's chin.
Suddenly, she felt a sharp, intense gaze behind her.
Staring at her intently...