I Don’t Want to Win Lying Down - Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Handicap Betting

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

There was still half an hour before the start of the deadly buffalo wings challenge, and there were only a few people who were signing up for it. This was not some trial eating competition. If it didn’t go well, you could very well end up in the hospital.

Naturally, there were still some people who signed up. There were about ten people in total including Xu Mang.

In order to get first place in this competition, Xu Mang had practically emptied his stomach of everything, even making a detailed planning book. This book contained detailed information on the players in the competition.

Zhang Feng, from Sichuan, age 18, spicy tolerance level—A

Huo Feiyan, from Sichuan, age 18, spicy tolerance level—B

Jin Feifei, from Huguang, age 17, spicy tolerance level—A

Qian Xin, from Huguang, age 18, spicy tolerance level—A

Xu Mang had obtained this data based on the past results as well as comments made by other students. Based on the values calculated, most of them came from provinces that ate spicy food, and they were all transient students.

“The competition is so fierce!” Xu Mang said, letting out a heavy sigh. If he didn’t have the System, he probably wouldn’t be their match at all.

Opening the System’s interface, Xu Mang glanced through the list of skills that he had. Judging by the nature of the competition, the first thing he needed was to be able to eat spicy food, and this [Spicy Eater Skill] successfully met that criteria; the second thing was he needed to be able to eat, and this was met by the [Hungry Ghost Skill]. 

Hang on…

Hungry Ghost Skill = 0

Xu Mang felt sheepish. It looked like he had used the last of it in the dinner at the hotel the other day.

However, this didn’t deter Xu Mang. To increase the skill points in Hungry Ghost Skill was simple, all he needed to do was sleep in front of food.

For all that the gourmet festival was lacking, it certainly didn’t lack food!

Randomly picking a stall, he chose one that was selling skewers, and the smell of cumin filled the air. And so, Xu Mang…stood silently in front of the booth with his eyes closed.

Hungry Ghost + 1

Starving + 1

Hungry Ghost + 1

Starving + 1

Double the yes!

This somewhat surprised Xu Mang, but as he pondered on it, it was not difficult to realize that in essence, he had been starving himself the entire day.

At this time, the students who were selling the skewers were going nuts.

“…”

“…”

“…”

What’s with this?

What was this guy doing?

Was he trying to mock them by his actions, saying that their skewers were bad?

The students selling the skewers were glaring daggers into this student who was sleeping in front of their stall, and one of them recognized him. Wasn’t that Xu Mang?

“You know him?”

“Yeah, he’s the legendary scum of the scums students, the Sleeping God—Xu Mang!”

Hearing his words, everyone felt a cold breeze behind them and shuddered at the cold.

Huh?

Why did it sound so terrifying?

“Hurry up and get him away from here…he’s like a candle chasing away the flies, all our business is gone. Other people would think we’re selling poisonous skewers or something.”

“It’s easy for you to say that, why don’t you go then?”

“Yeah, if you want to then do it yourself. Even the basketball team and student council don’t dare to touch him.”

These words were not said in exaggeration, but it was a fact. Xu Mang was not the same as he was in the past. Ever since the school had expelled Xu Mang and then subsequently begged him to come back after, Xu Mang had become a truly special existence.

The slacker had suddenly become a genius, he could even go up against the school. Ask yourself, who else could do that apart from Xu Mang?

No one else…not anyone before him, and there probably wouldn’t be anyone else after him either.

Ten minutes later, Xu Mang woke up from his sleep. Glancing at the students in front of him, he couldn’t help but snort in disdain as he said, “Really no good at all…not even a single skewer was sold.”

***

It was said that a school was the epitome of society, and since it was that, anything that existed in society would naturally exist here also, such as handicap betting.

The Deadly Buffalo Wings Challenge at the gourmet festival was an annual heavyweight handicap bet. The initiator would give the handicap advantage to each player, and the students would then place their bets.

Unlike the gambling outside, the currency they used in here was Wahaha AD Calcium Milk.

“There’s something wrong with this year’s bet…I think there’s something dodgy going on here!”

“No way, last year Zhang Feng won the championship, but now, his odds are 1. It’s obvious it’s just bait. I’ve asked around my circle, a lot of people are placing their bets on Zhang Feng, there’s probably about 70 bottles of AD Calcium Milk on him.”

“What are Xu Mang’s odds?”

“500!”

“Wanna try?”

“Are you nuts? It’s better to drink it yourself rather than bet on him.”

Xu Mang was buying fresh coconut for Yang Xiaoman when he overheard the discussions about the challenge from the nearby students.

A wretched smile stretched across Xu Mang’s face at this, and as he held the coconut with a straw sticking out of it and handed it to Yang Xiaoman whom he had returned to, he made a stuttered request. “Um…well, can you do me a favor?”

“Say it!”

“Help me buy ten boxes of Wahaha AD Calcium Milk.”

“Why do you want so many?”

“Please?”

“…Alright.”

At Xu Mang’s urging, Yang Xiaoman bought the ten boxes of Wahaha AD Calcium Milk. Initially, with the level of the school’s cafeteria, she didn’t think that they could get that many. In the end, when she opened the warehouse, she realized that it was a good thing she was young.

Borrowing a small cart from the cafeteria boss, Yang Xiaoman dragged the ten boxes of AD Calcium Milk to the destination; the long-abandoned indoor gymnasium.

“I’m betting on Xu Mang! Ten boxes!”

Having said that, it was as though those words were a ripple that had caused a thousand layers of waves!

***

“I’m exhausted! Do you know how much I suffered for that!?” Yang Xiaoman sat down on a spot where there was a newspaper on the edge of the flower beds, breathing hard as she said to Xu Mang, “Next time, do this kind of thing yourself! Too much!”

“Normally when you’re whacking the top of my head, I’ve never heard you say you’re tired or anything. Now, just to move ten boxes of milk and you’re already whining and crying about it…” Xu Mang retorted, dissatisfaction clear in his voice.

“Get lost! If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll beat you up!” Yang Xiaoman glared at him and she returned to massaging her calf, muttering angrily, “I’m such a gentle woman, if this were ancient times, I’d be a princess, okay. Have you ever seen a princess suffering and working before?”

Princess?

Instead of a princess, shouldn’t it be a maid?

For obvious reasons, Xu Mang didn’t voice these thoughts. Disregarding the fact that she stayed in such a luxurious Tompson’s property, her iron fist was enough to shut him up.

“You owe me three hundred and fifty bucks, don’t forget that.” Yang Xiaoman said, “Also, are you confident in getting the first place? I heard that one of the contestants was last year’s champion, not to mention, you usually can’t eat spicy food, how can you win against them?”

“Che! Of course there was a reason to ask you to bet on me!” Xu Mang said in a condescending tone. “Starting tomorrow, Xu Mang’s Wahaha AD Calcium Milk Wholesales Department will be in business!”

Moron!

Yang Xiaoman dearly wanted to know what was going on in Xu Mang’s head. The last time he secretly ate snacks in class, the spiciness of the snack had turned his lips into resembling thick pieces of sausages. She thought he would have learned his lesson from that, but who knew he would then launch another suicidal attack here.

“Can you stop being so arrogant and full of yourself?” Yang Xiaoman said, sighing helplessly. “Used to be a normal good person, but turned into a villain now.”

Translator Note: Handicap betting is common in points-based sports like football, rugby, basketball, and tennis. It is also known as line betting the spread, points betting, or Asian handicap.