I Concede Defeat

He is the God of Wine.

As everyone knows, he is handsome, dashing, and exceptionally charming...

He has friends all over the world...

He can play hundreds of musical instruments with ease, from the qin and xiao to the zheng and dizi; even the wind seems to linger a moment longer as it passes his fingertips...

His singing voice was so beautiful that even the lark would be ashamed and shut its mouth in embarrassment; so beautiful that even the whales in the deep sea, who never sing, would rise to the surface to hear him sing...

In short, he has many virtues.

There are countless examples, too many to list; if written down, they could fill an entire temple of other gods.

But... his only flaw was still discovered.

That's right, it's exactly Love God just said.

When it comes to fighting, isn't it enough for him to admit it?

He's just a noob.

"Waaaaaah XX."

This time it was still "woo woo woo," but it was Wuma Xiu's turn.

He hugged Love God tightly, burying his face in the crook of his shoulder, and cried so loudly it was earth-shattering.

That was a loud, unrestrained wail, like a summer thunderstorm, pouring down without any hesitation.

"Love, how could you be so cruel! Don't you know... this is my only flaw among all my virtues?"

Love God froze.

He had lived for countless years, known God of Wine for countless years, yet this was the first time he had ever seen him cry.

And she cried so bitterly.

Ignoring the content, for a moment, Love God thought:

I deserve to die.

Love God couldn't offer comfort, so he could only do what Wuma Xiu did, patting his back with his hand.

"Well... although what I just said was the truth, you're the God of Wine, you usually brew wine, you don't fight."

After saying Love God, even Cupid himself felt that something was off about what he had said.

What do you mean by "although it's the truth"?

Is this what you should say to comfort God?

Wuma Xiu showed no sign of stopping.

He was still wailing, his shoulders heaving, his whole body trembling. The crying was incessant, like a river bursting its banks, unstoppable.

Love God was completely at a loss.

He didn't know how to comfort her, and he didn't dare stop patting her.

Then he felt that his back was wet.

Huh?

Love God was stunned.

Tears of wine... so many?

Love God blinked, a thought flashing through his mind.

It seems he really hurt the other person's feelings just now.

The thought made Love God purse his lips, hesitate for a moment, then loosen his grip and lower his voice by eight octaves.

"Wine, don't cry..."

Wuma Xiu released Love God, took a half step back, and lifted the face that was covered in tears.

However, that face was not the tear-streaked, red-nosed, pitiful look that Love God had imagined.

Moreover, Love God was quite startled by that face.

Because that face belongs to the God of Fate.

Love God's body stiffened abruptly, his fist clenched, and he swung it with a whoosh.

The other person dodged to the side, as nimbly as a cloud blown away by the wind. A smile bloomed on that "God of Fate" face, his eyebrows curving, mischievous and smug.

That smile... Love God knows it all too well.

That was the laughter of God of Wine.

Realizing he'd been tricked, Love God withdrew his fist and touched his back. His fingertips brushed against something damp and cool, and he could smell a fragrance emanating from it.

It smells like wine.

Love God's smile turned forced, and he asked, "Wine, did you just pour your wine directly onto my clothes?"

He seems to have forgotten.

Forget about the person in front of me; their favorite pastime is playing pranks.

Having known God of Wine for so many years, when had he ever seen him cry?

Not even once.

Such a carefree god, always smiling.

How could I possibly burst into tears today just because I said the word "weak"?

Wuma Xiu reverted to his own face and chuckled.

That laugh was like the retreating figure of a child who had successfully pulled off a prank and then ran away—it was both infuriating and made you unable to get angry.

"That's right. It's because I can't cry, so I can only pour wine on you. I admit I'm weak."

"But in love, there's one thing I'm much better at than you."

Seeing Love God's curious gaze, Wuma Xiu his chin, his voice carrying a smug arrogance that made one's teeth itch.

"I'm much better at sucking up to powerful people than you are."

"Look at the present. Putting everything else aside, the God of Time is my brother, and the Goddess of Beauty is my confidante. Even if the God of Fate wants to harm me, he'll have to ask them first."

Wuma Xiu's gaze swept over Love God from head to toe, and the smile on his lips widened even further.

"Now let's talk about you. How many friends do you have? Not even a fraction of mine. Besides, even if we were to fight in the future, wouldn't my confidants, my brothers, and some of my friends stand in for your friends?"

Love God wanted to say something, but felt he lacked the confidence to say anything.

Finally, he lowered his eyes, his voice low, carrying a stubbornness that even he himself felt guilty about.

"Among my friends... you are one of them."

Wuma Xiu blinked, made a peace sign with one hand, and smiled broadly, saying:

"Even with me by your side, I'll still get utterly crushed. So, in conclusion: your friend can't beat my friend."

Love God felt like vomiting blood.

He stood there, his lips slightly parted, staring blankly at the smiling face of the God of Wine, a thousand words swirling in his mind.

But every word that came to his lips seemed to be blocked by something, leaving only a sense of powerlessness from the depths of his soul.

Really.

The other person's skin was so thick that he couldn't possibly match it.

He recalled how he had just been feeling down about not being able to beat the Goddess of Beauty, how he had been mocking and pitying himself for being weak, and even how he had been secretly thinking to himself.

He had previously thought he shared the same fate as God of Wine.

Two weaklings huddling together for warmth are a match made in heaven, a pair of unfortunate brothers.

In hindsight, he was overthinking things.

God of Wine is weak.

But they were weak yet self-righteous, weak yet arrogant.

They were so weak, as if it were the least important thing in the world.

He could even turn his "weakness" into a shining business card, which he would show off to everyone he met.

"Look, I may be weak, but I have powerful backers to rely on. Do you have any?"

Love God took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.

He had to admit one thing: among all the gods, the other party's shamelessness was second to none.

No, it's not just the best, it's the only one of its kind.

He's the kind of person you want to punch but are too embarrassed to do it.

He's so shameless that you want to curse him but can't find the right words, and you want to stay away from him but can't help being attracted to him.

"You win. In this respect, I concede defeat."

Wuma Xiu chuckled and gave another peace sign.