"Comrade Tang Xiaoquan, I know Wei Yang is quite skilled. If you want to eat, ask Wei Yang to cook privately for you later. For now, please put down your bowl and chopsticks and step onto the stage, okay?"
Feeling a real impulse to charge the stage and kick Wenquan Xin off it, Tang Xiaoquan listened to the constant teasing from Wenquan Xin, wanting to counterattack but afraid of Wen’s potential reproach later.
Helplessly, he could only sigh lightly, then stand up and walk towards the stage.
Once on the stage, Wenquan Xin pulled Tang Xiaoquan to his side and pretended to interview him with a handmade microphone: "Comrade Tang Xiaoquan, how does it feel standing in this position for the first time to receive an unknown punishment?"
Raising a finger, Tang Xiaoquan tapped his forehead: "It feels great!"
"Oh, really? What’s the meaning of that action?" Wenquan Xin mimicked Tang Xiaoquan, also pointing a finger at his forehead.
Tang Xiaoquan replied earnestly: "When you lie, you fear being struck by lightning!"
Hahaha! The audience burst into laughter.
"Haha, I didn’t expect Xiaotang to have a talent for comedy." Old Xu chuckled to himself.
But at this moment, Tang Xiaoquan’s mindset was far from as relaxed as his appearance suggested.
"Alright, Wenquan Xin, can you start the drawing now?" Wei Yang intervened at the right moment, not wanting Tang Xiaoquan to be troubled further.
"Of course, hehe, I bet you’re looking forward to it too, aren’t you?"
Acting like a small hooligan, Wei Yang now somewhat regretted designing this segment: "Be careful, there aren’t just function cards in there. If you draw a counter card, Xiaotang could turn the tables."
After hearing Wei Yang’s words, Wenquan Xin’s outstretched hand paused: "No way! It can be reversed?"
"Of course, the unpredictability is what makes the game fun, Demmi was busy for several days for this game." Wei Yang smiled slightly and signaled Demmi in the audience.
"No problem, I was unlucky once before. If it happens again, I’ll take it. Bring it on!"
His hand reached into the raffle box, and Wenquan Xin stirred things up inside.
Afterward, he pulled out a card.
"Got it! This one!"
"Are you sure?"
"Sure, definitely, and absolutely!"
"OK! Please tell everyone what card you drew."
After flipping the card, Wenquan Xin stole a glance at it and couldn’t contain his happy grin: "Hehe, haha, ho haha!"
Listening to Wenquan Xin’s deliberately weird laugh, Tang Xiaoquan and Wei Yang both felt a bit uneasy.
"Wenquan, stop laughing like a ghost, what’s the card? Spill it!" Said others in the audience like Wu Chao, enthusiastic about the excitement.
Feeling he had achieved the desired effect, Wenquan Xin motioned for the crowd to quiet down, then slowly stated like a leader giving a report: "My card is called Truth!"
"Whoa! Nicely done, Wenquan!"
"Quick, Wei Yang, explain to us what Truth means."
Fearful of peace, the Survivors teased one after another.
Wei Yang waited until the crowd calmed down a bit before explaining: "Truth means that the initiator asks the punished person a question, and the punished must answer truthfully, without lying."
"Clap!" With a clap of his hands: "Good card! Good card! Xiaotang, what question should I ask you?"
"Um... We are all brothers, give me some leniency." Leaning closer, Tang Xiaoquan pleaded in Wenquan Xin’s ear.
After hearing this, Wenquan Xin wagged his finger: "Xiaotang wants me to let him off, do you all agree? Can I let him go?"
"No!" Almost in unison, the Survivors below gave a resounding negative answer.
"You see, Xiaotang, it’s not that I’m not giving you face, it’s just that everyone disagreed. Wei Yang, you’re the referee, can I let him slide?"
In truth, Wei Yang didn’t want Tang Xiaoquan to suffer, but rules were rules. If she broke them now, it would be even more awkward.
"No way!"
The three words from Wei Yang’s mouth completely dashed Tang Xiaoquan’s last hope.
"Alright, go ahead, what do you want to ask?" Trouble is inevitable, Tang Xiaoquan braced himself like he was heading for the execution ground.
"Whoa whoa! Brother, where’s the heroism in your sacrifice gonna be? Come on, I know you’re nervous inside. I won’t make things difficult for you, the question will be simple and easy to answer."
With an arm over Tang Xiaoquan’s shoulder, Wenquan Xin solemnly cleared his throat again and asked seriously: "I would like to ask, Tang Xiaoquan, do you love Wei Yang?"
"Wow!" The room erupted!
Upon hearing Wenquan Xin’s question, Wang Zhongyu and others stood up and applauded.
Seeing this, Wenquan Xin smugly bowed frequently: "Thank you! Thank you! Thanks, everyone, for the support. Now, let’s have Tang Xiaoquan give his answer."
"I..."
"No lying, you have to tell the truth!!" With a specific reminder, the room instantly became silent.
"Thump! Thump!" Wei Yang felt she could hear her heart beating; her emotions were extremely complex at this time.
Nervousness, excitement, worry, even a bit of thrill.
On one hand, she really wanted to know how Tang Xiaoquan would respond;
On the other hand, she was ashamed that if Tang Xiaoquan revealed the answer she hoped for, it would be embarrassing.
"Why, Tang Xiaoquan, is this question so difficult to answer? Your hesitation could hurt someone’s feelings."
"Hurry up, it’s just a game, Wei Yang won’t be upset, right?"
Glancing at Wei Yang, Wenquan Xin playfully winked.
Seeing this scene, Tang Xiaoquan’s lips curved into a smile: "Sorry, Wenquan, it’s not your question that’s hard to answer, but I don’t seem to need to answer you."
"NONONO, Quan Zi, it’s the New Year, so don’t break the rules of the game."
"Of course, rules shouldn’t be broken, so..." Drawing out a card from behind, Tang Xiaoquan presented it to Wenquan Xin: "You can read Chinese, right? Please read it aloud."
"Transfer Card!?"
With the saying that the wise can outsmart the keen, being prepared for trouble, Tang Xiaoquan was shrewd enough to guess someone might target him tonight, so he specially drew several defense cards in the game.
Unexpectedly, it came in handy.
"Transfer Card lets you divert an attack from the punished person to another player. I’m right, Wei Yang?"
"Ah? Uh...right!" Appearing visibly surprised, Wei Yang couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed to see her beloved pull out this defense card.
Faced with this plot twist, Wenquan Xin felt like crying, reaching into his pocket to try and find a usable card, but all three of his cards were used up.
Thus, Tang Xiaoquan revealed a triumphant smile: "Brother, I told you earlier to leave me some leeway, see, if you had spared me, you wouldn’t be in this predicament now?"