Chapter 20: The Sky Is Falling! Poisoned! The Wine Is Poisoned! [Please Vote]
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After the mission briefing, everyone shouted in unison in front of the camera, “Run, brothers!”
Then, they packed up and drove away.
Since it was everyone's first meeting, the production team arranged a quaint courtyard decorated in an ancient style as their lodging for the night to help everyone break the ice quickly.
The courtyard was beautiful and very serene. Each room was separated by wooden partitions, offering poor privacy, and all had sliding doors that could be easily lifted open with a hand, exposing the entire adjacent room.
There wasn’t even a single door lock.
“Did the production really consider the guests’ comfort when they arranged this place?”
“If anyone wakes up and finds their roommate already lifeless...”
“By morning, this courtyard will turn into a crime scene!”
Netizens immediately suspected trouble.
But for those who resented Lyu Ming for capitalizing on their name and repeatedly offending Brother’s Meggie, their eyes lit up.
Isn’t this the perfect place to commit a crime?
Losers! Consider this mine!
The night was as dark as ink, stars twinkling.
All the Running Man guests gathered in the courtyard, colorful Rio cocktails laid out on the table. This was the show's exclusive title sponsor’s product. While sipping, everyone didn’t forget to advertise the sponsor’s goods.
“Wow! This cocktail tastes so good!” BaBy held up a bottle, exaggerating her acting.
Reba said, “Mine’s peach-flavored, pink and pretty!”
Wang Baoqiang said, “I have grape flavor. It’s my first time drinking this kind of liquor—pretty novel!”
Wu Qian played up his role: “Sweet and super tasty, and the price isn’t expensive either. Drinking this at friends’ gatherings really sets the mood. Just thinking about having such delicious cocktails all season makes me feel ecstatic!”
Li Chen chimed in, “That’s right! This show is exclusively sponsored by Rio cocktails. Drink Rio, make friends, relax—it’s everywhere. It’s a drink with endless aftertaste!”
Brother Chao saw their overpraising and smiled: “Although it tastes good, the alcohol content isn’t small. A little drinking is pleasant, but getting drunk isn’t good.”
“True, I feel dizzy after just one bottle,” Reba’s cheeks flushed.
Viewers in the livestream, hearing their praise, became very interested in the colorful cocktails and thought about buying a dozen to try.
After promoting the sponsor’s product, the scene grew awkward.
Previously, everyone was chatting and hadn’t noticed, but now that it fell silent, they all heard a “gulu gulu” sound.
Looking sideways, they saw several empty bottles in front of the loser.
Lyu Ming popped a bottle cap, tilted his head back, and downed the bottle in a blink. Repeating this quickly, soon ten empty bottles were stacked before him.
Everyone was stunned!
Where did this madman come from? Treating alcohol like a calcium milk drink?
“One bottle every three seconds? I wouldn’t even dare drink sugar water that fast!”
“Brother Chao and the others look like they’re seeing ghosts!”
“The entertainment industry’s drinking god only needs a slight move to reach heights other guests can’t in a lifetime.”
“Others sip cautiously, savoring small sips, focusing on clocking in and out, but the loser grabs the bottle and drinks it all!”
“No trace of a worker’s numbness—only passion for the job!”
“This guy’s professional skills are maxed out!”
“Although each bottle costs fifteen, seeing him drink so fiercely makes me thirsty. Men should treat themselves better—time to order a case and see how it tastes!”
“Already ordered. This is the only celebrity product I can afford.”
“@RioCocktail, pay up!”
“Is heavy drinking on a show something to praise? I don’t get fans of Lyu Ming. Now they’re helping him boost sales? Ridiculous!”
“Licking Lyu Ming and doing product placement?!”
Ming’s haters, seeing the loser’s reputation improve, immediately stood up to loudly question him.
Bee, Meggie, and Little Ear all cursed: “The loser better drink himself to death here for everyone’s sake!”
...
Lyu Ming’s face darkened. He had already downed ten bottles, but the system seemed frozen, giving no feedback.
After a long struggle, a sluggish notification finally came:
“Ding! Detected host is drinking ‘pigmented soda mixed liquor.’ ‘Constitution’ +1!”
Pigment? Soda? Mixed?
What the hell?
Wasn’t he drinking cocktails?
Drinking so many bottles and finally triggering the alcohol detection system, only to get one constitution point? That must mean alcohol is the least important component!
Thinking this, Lyu Ming’s head buzzed.
He’d drunk fake liquor!
Deng Chao looked alarmed and quickly advised, “Mingming, slow down. Even if it’s good liquor, you have to drink moderately. Excessive drinking harms your body.”
“Bullshit good liquor!” Lyu Ming cursed. “These bright colors are all pigments. Is this a cocktail? It’s 99% pigment mixed with 1% alcohol tech, and made with cheap alcohol!”
“Look at my tongue—it’s like it’s painted. I might even be poisoned.”
“Ha!”
“See? My saliva is multicolored. If you mix this cocktail on a palette, art students who can’t afford paint could use it for their projects.”
“No, I’m reacting. I feel this stuff’s toxicity is worse than poisoned beans. You guys keep chatting; I’m going to vomit!”
Brother Chao: “???”
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Wu Qian: “??!”
Teacher Huang: “?!!”
Everyone widened their eyes in disbelief.
No way, this loser’s crazy. Insulting Teacher Huang and Wu Qian is one thing, but daring to insult the sponsor’s product? Does he want to die?
And what’s with “going to vomit”?
Amid their baffled looks, Lyu Ming dashed to a trash bin without hesitation, stuck his fingers down his throat, and vomited violently.
“Ah, hoo! Ah, hoo!”
“There’s poison in the liquor. I might need a stomach pump!”
[???]
[You’re killing me here!]
[Is this even human?]
[Teacher Huang is ecstatic: Finally, you have your day!]
[@RioCocktail, hold the payment. Please cover Ming’s medical costs!]
[How are those who ordered the cocktails doing?]
[Refunded!]
[Honestly, seeing his mouth full of colors made me suspect some tech mix. Other celebrities would just laugh it off and keep praising, but this loser stepped in the pit and warned everyone to avoid it!]
[Everyone doubted you, but you’re the only one who pulled through!]
[Really, I’m crying!]
[If he said anything else, I’d think he’s crazy, but his cocktail review is spot on.]
[Entertainment industry’s drinking god, check records: #MushroomHouseIncident #DrunkenIntestineStew#]
[...]
“Teacher Huang, call 120 for an ambulance and get me a gastroenterology expert. You know the most about stomach pumps. I feel the poison’s acting...” Lyu Ming returned to the table, eyes wide with fear, looking at Teacher Huang.
Teacher Huang laughed heartily.
Why does he look so happy seeing this loser suffer?
“You have your day now!” Wu Qian sneered. “Why call an ambulance? I’ll call a hearse to rush you to the crematorium!”
“Mingming, there’s nothing wrong with this liquor... you must be drunk, right?” Deng Chao tried to smooth things over.
“Drunk? This stuff, after ten bottles, barely triggers the alcohol meter to even 1%!”
Reba: “Then why did I feel dizzy after half a bottle?”
“That’s not drunkenness. It’s pigment poisoning stimulating your brain!”
Reba: “(ｷ｀ﾟДﾟ´)!!”
“Disagree. I feel just like I’m drunk!” BaBy questioned.
Lyu Ming: “You drank more, so the toxin must have spread to your brain nerves. If you drink more, a stomach pump won’t help—you might need brain surgery.”
“Ah?” BaBy doubted life and looked scaredly at the colorful cocktails on the table.
Seriously?
She glanced at Reba and muttered, “Is there pigment on my tongue?”
“Sis, your tongue’s got a gradient sky blue color—pretty cool!”
BaBy’s face changed, shyly: “Maybe... I should go vomit too?”
Ignoring the two women’s reactions, Lyu Ming charged at Teacher Huang, who was startled and tried to resist but saw the young man’s goal wasn’t to attack him.
Quickly, Lyu Ming pulled a handful of raw green beans from Huang’s pocket, then, to everyone’s confusion, bit into them with a crunch.
“Waiting for an ambulance might be too late,” Lyu Ming said with difficulty swallowing. “I’m fighting poison with poison—forcing the toxins out!”
[LOL!]
[Lost it laughing!]
[Poison with poison!]
[Genius!]
[Discharged!]
Teacher Huang: “???”
He never dreamed the loser would eat his prepared delicacy like this on a variety show.
“You eating raw green beans won’t help. I watched the science episode—you know, raw green beans aren’t poisonous, cooked green beans aren’t poisonous, only half-cooked ones are,” Wang Baoqiang hurriedly took the remaining beans from Lyu Ming’s hands. “Teacher Huang, hurry, cook these beans!”
“You’re the expert here!”
Teacher Huang: “...”
Expert?
Yeah, right!
Teacher Huang pointed at the honest, simple Wang Baoqiang, laughing bitterly: “I never expected to meet you two geniuses on this small variety show!”
“I admit defeat!”
Recently, after outside criticism, he even washed the beans before bringing them. Seeing Lyu Ming eating happily and Wang Baoqiang egging him on, Huang hit his thigh in regret: “If I’d known, I would’ve soaked them in sulfuric acid and stir-fried with rat poison for flavor!”
Other guests: “...”
Is this the kind of high-level clash?
Their offensiveness is something us low-tier players can only dream of.
“Oh no!” Teacher Huang slapped his thigh. His cheerful face instantly fell.
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Wu Qian rejoiced, “The beans went bad?!”
“This loser just roasted me again!”
“You’re only realizing now?” Wu Qian blushed with embarrassment and cursed, “This bastard didn’t do his job today, just focused on roasting us.”
“Tonight, I must get him!”
“Got a plan?”
“Come closer!”
...
Kiwi Headquarters.
Watching the explosive livestream ratings, Wang Gang already sensed trouble. The urgent phone ringing confirmed his fear. Upon answering, a hysterical shout came through:
“Look what you let in! Does he have a brain? Was his kicked by a donkey?”
“I warned you it would cause trouble, but you didn’t listen. Now the sponsor wants to pull out. The lawyer’s letter is here. They’re suing for ten times the breach penalty! Do you know how much that is? Exclusive sponsorship—this money could bankrupt you!”
Though Wang Gang felt the situation was tricky, he wasn’t too worried seeing the livestream heat:
“Why panic? If they claim breach, let them. Product issues aren’t our problem. Compensation should be sought from Huayue.”
“Besides, if the liquor really was poisonous, this loser actually helped us avoid a bigger crisis!”
The caller was incredulous: “So we owe him thanks?”
“Who is he to you?”
“We’ve never met.”
“Then why defend him? And ‘help us avoid crisis’? Do you think we don’t know if the liquor’s poisonous? It’s just a bit over-engineered, no poisoning involved!”
“This guy’s crazy!”
“...”
After a long complaint, Wang said, “Fine, pull out. Just refund the principal.”
“Do you know how much that is?”
“Lots. Since launch, Kiwi VIP renewals hit 3.97 million, SVIP about 700,000. That’s 80 million from VIPs and 35 million from SVIPs—can’t add it up exactly.”
“Hey, I just refreshed the page. Guess what?”
“Renewals increased by five figures!”
“Mango TV has been suppressing you for a while, huh? When the livestream ends, we’ll post these numbers. Jiang Zhe TV can prepare to be the industry leader!”
The caller was silent for a long moment, then said, “I’ve always believed in this kid!”
The show’s popularity is high; a sponsor bailing mid-season isn’t bad—it’s good. They’re not breaching contract and can flip the deal for higher profit!
...
Huayue Headquarters.
The CEO had just sat in his Maybach, ready to leave work, when an urgent call came.
Answering, he heard coldly: “One billion!”
“What one billion?” Zhang asked confused.
“Breach and compensation, conservatively estimated at one billion!”
Zhang: ???
“Huayue artist Lyu Ming maliciously slandered our product, causing decades of accumulated brand value to collapse. Losses are incalculable. Court will hear the case in a week. I’ll send you the trial materials to review soon!”
“Either pay up or face court!”
Hearing the official tone from an old partner, Zhang realized the gravity.
After hanging up, he quickly reviewed the materials.
Moments later, he exploded in anger: “Loser!”
...
Phone ringing!
The moment Song Zhe answered, his eardrums seemed to vibrate.
“Damn it, Song Zhe! Do you know how big a mess you made?”
“One billion! Enough to buy you, your seven aunts, uncles, and ancestors ten times over!”
“You damn gold-agent, can’t even control your own artist! Damn you!”
Zhang ranted fiercely for ten minutes, centering on family insults.
Song was completely dumbfounded.
After the call ended, he racked his brain to understand what happened, and when he watched the replay in the Kiwi livestream room, the sky fell.
How dare he!
How dare that roasting loser!
Song knew that without an explanation to the company, quitting would be the least of his worries; the troubles for the rest of his life would be the real problem!
...