The last-to-arrive joke king, running into trouble

Chi Qingchi was the first to raise her hand, asking curiously:

"Ying'er, what is the punishment? We won't have to drink again, will we? It's not even evening yet."

Mo Shangying wagged her finger and replied:

"No, no, no. The punishment for the afternoon game phase is just a point deduction."

"One point deducted for one foul. As for what the point deduction does..."

"Hehe, actually I don't know either. Maomao made that rule."

"Are there any other questions about the rules? Do any other sisters have anything to ask?"

Everyone shook their heads one after another.

The game rules Ying'er established weren't complicated, nor was it some fresh new game.

Just listening to it once gave a rough idea of how to play.

However, everyone was a bit curious about how "Say the Opposite" and the "Don't Do It Challenge" would be combined.

They would naturally find the answer once the game officially started.

Compared to the rules, everyone was more interested to hear what exactly Maomao meant by "point deduction."

Seeing that no one was asking questions, Ying'er handed the microphone back to Maomao.

Addressing everyone's curiosity, Maomao, just as she had teased Lin Yu earlier, said to the crowd:

"Everyone, don't be impatient for now. What kind of punishment the point deduction entails will be revealed at dinner."

"A friendly tip: try not to lose points to avoid being punished."

"If there are no other questions, shall we start the official game?"

Lin Yu hurriedly raised his hand high, shouting:

"Wait a minute!"

"Everyone else is done with their questions, but I haven't stated mine yet!"

"What exactly is my reward? Does it have to do with the game?"

How could it be over just like that?

Lin Yu had been running around busily for half the day, finally dragging everyone out one by one.

Were they just going to gloss over it like this?

How could Lin Yu agree to that!

Until now, that object resembling a deck of poker cards was still in Maomao's hand.

Lin Yu hadn't confirmed exactly what it was yet.

Maomao finally realized and handed the reward to Lin Yu.

She began to explain, saying:

"Sorry, I almost forgot to mention it."

"Through the previous segment, congratulations to the birthday boy for winning the reward: 'Skill Cards'!"

"I've made some skill modifications based on Ying'er's game foundation."

"As the birthday boy, you can activate skills at will during the game."

"Since the number of skills is limited and the game might be long, please use them cautiously."

After speaking, Maomao handed a box of cards to Lin Yu.

Lin Yu couldn't wait to open it and take a look...

Iron Shackles!

Fire Attack!

Barbarian Invasion!

Rain of Arrows!

...

Alright, alright, alright.

These critically acclaimed little designs have become "original" now, have they?

Well, since the game is only being played within the apartment, there was no need for too many concerns.

Lin Yu looked closely; although the names were the same as the skills in a certain game, the skill descriptions on each card had changed significantly.

"Am I the only one who has these? Does everyone else have skills?"

Lin Yu asked Maomao curiously.

If this was a "Solo Magic User" game facing an apartment full of "mortals," that would be interesting!

It would be a pure stomp!

Maomao responded calmly:

"They do, and they don't."

Lin Yu: "???"

What kind of answer was that?

Saying it was the same as not saying it.

Lin Yu continued to press:

"Can't you explain it in a simple and friendly way?"

Maomao pointed to her name tag and said:

"We don't have skill cards like the birthday boy holds, but we possess identity skills on our name tags."

If they had just said that earlier, Lin Yu would have understood immediately.

No card skills, but identity skills!

Isn't that just like *that* famous card game?

Hearing that the name tags corresponded to specific identity skills, everyone immediately perked up and began discussing it spiritedly.

Chen Qimeng asked, "So the identities on these tags actually determine what happens to us in the game later?"

Chi Qingchi asked, "Sister, since we look exactly the same, can we swap identities whenever we want?"

Chi Qingshui replied, "Can we really just swap back and forth like that? Even if we look the same... surely we can't switch identities!"

Shen Buyao chimed in, "I wonder what skill the 'Big Cow' Technician has? On-site massage?"

Shen Jiuyi retorted, "Lately, I've been searching for the world's best mute potion."

"..."

Just as everyone was buzzing with discussion, Huang Feirong ran in from outside, panting heavily.

"Good afternoon, everyone!"

"Sorry, sorry, I'm really sorry I'm back late."

"I thought I could make it back in time for a bowl of Dayu's longevity noodles, but I missed it after all!"

Huang Feirong pressed her palms together, apologizing to the group. She directed her apology especially toward the star of the day, Lin Yu.

Lin Yu recalled what the Antique Sister had said. Something seemed to have happened at the Dirty Joke Queen's family home?

Shen Buyao hadn't explained it clearly, telling Lin Yu to ask Rongrong himself once she arrived.

It seemed that whatever happened at her home was something even the carefree and outspoken Shen Buyao found difficult to mention.

This only piqued Lin Yu's curiosity further.

"Sister Rongrong, you're not late."

"We just had noodles at noon, nothing else."

"The main event is tonight, and you're just in time to play games with us!"

"Sister Rongrong, is that a gift for me?"

Huang Feirong smiled and held up the gift box.

"Of course. Do I look like someone who drops the ball?"

"Dayu, Happy Birthday! Hehe!"

Lin Yu thanked her repeatedly.

"Thank you, thanks Sister Rongrong."

"Everyone's gifts are over here, let's go put yours with them."

Lin Yu eyed the gift in Huang Feirong's hand and used the opportunity to pull her aside.

Huang Feirong was sharp; she saw at a glance that Lin Yu was intentionally creating a chance for them to be alone.

She didn't refuse, following Lin Yu to the temporary gift pile.

Shen Buyao shot them a worried look but ultimately decided not to tag along and cause a scene.

"Dayu, did you hear something?"

"That blabbermouth Yaoyao definitely spilled the beans about my situation, didn't she?"

Huang Feirong spoke up first.

It was always more relieving to bring it up oneself than to wait to be asked.

Lin Yu knew the Dirty Joke Queen's personality well. Even if the sky were falling, she would probably still be able to talk about it with a smile.

Although she wasn't a resident of the apartment, they had gotten along quite well since getting to know each other.

Plus, it was the help from Sister Hong's auction house that had allowed Lin Yu to achieve financial freedom.

If Huang Feirong or Sister Hong were in trouble, Lin Yu couldn't simply turn a blind eye.

At the very least, he needed to hear what was going on to see if there was anything he could do to help.

"Yaoyao didn't tell me anything specific, just that you ran into some trouble."

"If you trust me, why don't you tell me what's going on?"

Lin Yu asked proactively.

Huang Feirong looked at Lin Yu, the hesitation in her eyes clearly visible.

...