The waiter stepped up to Shawn and said carefully:
"Sir, our most expensive wine is really very pricy—"
Before she could finish, Sharon Su slammed her hand on the table and stood up.
"We came here to spend money! What's that supposed to mean? Are you looking down on my boyfriend?"
She'd been furious ever since Kayson kept stealing the spotlight.
Mother-in-Law Day was always Shawn's time to shine,
and his glory was her glory.
There was no way she'd let a useless live-in son-in-law outdo them.
Sharon pointed at the young waiter.
"One more word and I'll complain to your manager—you'll be fired!"
Shawn slammed the table even harder.
"I've got more money than you could ever dream of, little waitress!"
After all, Shawn had booked the restaurant.
He'd checked the most expensive wine beforehand: a 1982 Lafite, **$75,000 a bottle**.
There were two tables, so about four bottles would be enough—
totaling around $300,000.
He'd planned it all to crush Kayson completely.
The waiter smiled politely.
"Very well, sir. How many bottles would you like?"
"Don't ask! Just keep bringing them as we finish!"
Shawn didn't want to order too many, in case they couldn't finish and had to return them—that would be humiliating.
The waiter brought two bottles,
one for each table. The women's table rarely drank.
"Waiter! Open it!" Shawn commanded arrogantly,
acting like a wealthy tycoon.
The bottle opener was right on the table, but he made the waiter do it anyway.
The waiter opened the bottle in front of Shawn. "Here you are, sir."
Shawn poured two large glasses—
one for himself,
and one slammed down in front of Kayson.
He threw open his jacket and stared fiercely at Kayson.
"Kayson! Today's Mother-in-Law Day, and we're the only two sons-in-law. To show respect to Mom, I'll down three cups first!"
Shawn chugged three glasses straight,
then glanced sideways at Kayson.
"You couldn't even get a decent gift. Don't tell me you can't even drink!"
Kayson looked down at the glass in front of him.
"How do you want to do this?"
Oh!
To Shawn, that sounded like a direct challenge!
"Fine. Drink these three cups, then we drink straight from the bottle!
Whoever loses crawls under the table!"
Kayson said calmly: "You said it. Don't forget your words."
Shawn grinned triumphantly.
He'd been drinking at banquets for years—he had a huge tolerance!
Beating this loser would be child's play.
Susan panicked. "Forget it, Kayson. Go home and wash my clothes."
She was trying to save him from embarrassment if he lost and had to crawl under the table.
Kayson turned to her softly:
"Don't worry, Susan. I won't lose.
Your husband isn't the same man he used to be."
Sharon Su egged Shawn on.
"Quit running your mouth, Kayson. Drink the three cups! If you can't, just say so!"
"Yeah, Kayson—if you can't handle it, admit it!"
The crowd laughed and watched.
A woman shouldn't be too casual, and a man should never say he can't.
Kayson downed all three glasses in one go.
A faint flush rose to his cheeks.
Shawn took this as proof Kayson was inexperienced,
unaccustomed to fine food or drinking parties.
Such a man couldn't possibly hold his liquor.
Shawn, on the other hand, had built up incredible tolerance from drinking at business banquets.
"Four more bottles!" Shawn ordered the waiter, staring at Kayson.
The waiter spoke up again:
"Sir, I must remind you—this wine is our most expensive. Each bottle costs—"
"Shut up!"
Shawn waved her off.
"I have money! Quit nagging!"
The waiter dared not speak and brought four more bottles on a tray.
Shawn pointed at them.
"Real men go big or go home. Two bottles each!"
He turned to the waiter. "Open mine!"
The waiter quickly opened the two bottles in front of him.
Shawn planted one hand on his hip, lifted a bottle with the other, and threw back his head,
drinking like a warrior blowing a battle horn.
"Wow! Amazing!"
Molly Liu clapped. "Brother Shawn is so cool! The way he drinks drives all the girls crazy!"
Sharon Su sat up straight, feeling proud and triumphant.
She glanced at Susan with a sneer.
Susan was the prettiest in the family,
so Sharon wanted Shawn to outshine Kayson more than anything.
Shawn finished both bottles in five minutes,
but he was already swaying—this was his limit.
"Your turn!" he glared at Kayson, eyes bloodshot.
Kayson picked up both bottles, snapped his fingers,
and popped the caps right off with his fingers.
"No way! That much strength?!"
"He opened bottles without an opener?!"
Sharon Su said quickly: "The caps were already loose. No big deal."
The others nodded.
"That loser Kayson can't be stronger than Shawn. They must've been loose already."
Fools always found foolish excuses.
Kayson poured both bottles into one large cup,
lifted it, and chugged.
Both bottles were gone in five seconds flat.
Five seconds vs. five minutes.
Anyone with eyes could see Kayson had won.
Sharon Su refused to accept it.
She nudged Shawn urgently.
"He drank faster! Don't let him win!
Can you drink more? You can't let that loser beat you!
It's unacceptable!"
Shawn was completely wasted,
but he refused to admit defeat. Not when he could crush Kayson completely.
He slammed the table and ordered two more bottles.
His hands shook as he told the waiter to open them.
Just looking at the alcohol made his head spin,
but he couldn't give up.
Shawn stood again, stepped on a chair, hand on hip, bottle raised,
and somehow forced down a third bottle in ten minutes.
This was hard liquor—60 percent alcohol!
Three bottles in barely fifteen minutes!
Kayson's face was still slightly pink.
Susan whispered in his ear:
"I told you not to compete with him. You can't keep up."
Truthfully, Kayson had never drunk this much.
For three years, he'd barely even eaten at the table properly.
He was too poor to drink out, so he had no natural tolerance.
His eyelids drooped—but he was actually channeling his inner energy
to force the alcohol out of his body.
He had to be subtle; sweating profusely would look strange.
So he pushed the alcohol out slowly,
completely unnoticed by everyone.
Sharon Su banged the table.
"Your turn, Kayson! Can you handle it or not?! If not, admit defeat!
Crawl under the table!"