“Sister, look, it’s Senior Su Cheng.”
At the entrance of the club building, a junior high school girl pointed at Su Cheng’s silhouette in the distance and exclaimed.
Beside her stood another girl, her high school cousin. Upon hearing this, she followed her gaze and saw that familiar figure...
There, Su Cheng sat on a chair, holding a hot water bottle and sipping water. After taking a sip, he looked up at the sky with a melancholic gaze at a 45-degree angle.
Seeing this, she turned to her cousin, only to find her with a dreamy expression, as if she had encountered a white knight.
She couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Is Su Cheng quite famous among your grade?”
"Senior Su Cheng is ranked among the top three most popular students," her cousin excitedly explained, her cheeks turning red. “Not only is he handsome, but he was also the top scorer in the high school entrance exam. Plus, he recently won the archery championship. He’s the epitome of academic and athletic excellence!”
"Oh~"
She couldn’t help but let out a soft 'hmm' as she agreed.
Indeed, Su Cheng was exceptionally talented, and no wonder he attracted the admiration of younger girls. After all, middle school students are very naive, often judging things superficially and ignoring background. Su Cheng’s excellence perfectly aligned with their tastes.
“Um… Sister.”
Her cousin tugged on her sleeve and whispered timidly, “Do you know Senior Su Cheng?”
"Huh?"
She was slightly taken aback and nodded, “We’ve had some interactions before. He was in the class next to mine.”
"Really?!"
Her cousin’s eyes widened in surprise. Seeing her nod, she asked cautiously, “Could you… could you help me get his autograph?”
Her cousin looked at her nervously, anticipating her response.
“He’s right here, though, why do you need me to ask?” she asked with a playful smile.
"I… I’m too scared!"
Her cousin stuttered, explaining further, “There are rumors that Senior Ji and Su Cheng are quite close. Plus, a few girls in our class mustered up the courage to approach him, but before they could get close, Senior Ji’s glare made them cry. They haven’t dared to come to school since, afraid they’ll be thrown into Flame City Bay!”
“Is it really that exaggerated?”
She was speechless at the story but understood after considering recent rumors. She tried to explain, “Although Senior Ji seems scary at first glance, she’s actually…”
But before she could finish, she faltered, realizing she’d never actually interacted with Senior Ji, so she struggled to think of anything positive to say.
Her cousin, however, eagerly waited for her to continue, so she forced herself to add, “She’s actually very kind, just sometimes she likes to act intimidating to scare people. Anyway, she’d never do something like that!”
“I see.”
Her cousin nodded, seeming to accept the explanation, albeit uncertainly.
“Is that so?”
Suddenly, a cold voice interrupted them, and the two girls turned to find themselves face-to-face with Senior Ji’s cold, piercing gaze.
In that instant, both girls felt their hairs stand on end.
“Ah!”
“Yah!”
They instinctively screamed and, like startled rabbits, clung to each other, trembling as they looked at Senior Ji.
They couldn’t believe Senior Ji had appeared right next to them, nor had they anticipated she’d overhear their conversation. This was disastrous!
Senior Ji stood motionless, glancing at the two girls before walking past them toward Su Cheng.
“Whew, we’re saved.”
“I thought I was going to die just now…”
“Sister, you said she wasn’t scary!”
………………………………………………
“Captain.”
Su Cheng noticed someone approaching and quickly stood up, only to see two girls hugging each other behind Senior Ji. This made him frown, thinking to himself, “These days, morals are declining. It’s rare enough to find students who value intellect, but now there are girls openly embracing in school—truly a sign of moral decay!”
Senior Ji nodded and continued walking toward Su Cheng, her black stockings gleaming. She simply said, “Let’s go.”
“Alright.”
Su Cheng nodded and followed her, the two leaving together and heading toward the equestrian training grounds.
……………………
Horse riding and archery are two of the Six Arts of the Chinese gentleman.
Su Cheng had already mastered these, but combining the two made him a novice again.
The bows and techniques were different from before, requiring him to relearn them.
Right now, he was riding Flame City Emperor, carrying an arrow quiver and holding a traditional bow as he trotted slowly along the track, loosening up the horse in preparation for the upcoming shooting.
Meanwhile, Senior Ji was drinking tea and video-chatting with Ji Yuewu, her phone’s camera focusing on Su Cheng in the horse arena.
Senior Ji sipped her tea while watching Ji Yuewu on the screen, who said, “Miss Ji, I think Su Cheng will pass your test today.”
“It will take at least a few days,” Senior Ji replied, shaking her head. “Although he has many commendable qualities, mastering this shooting technique and skill isn’t something that can be done in a few hours.”
In the video, Ji Yuewu pouted and complained, "Why not just say it's impossible?"
Senior Ji glanced at her before turning her attention back to Su Cheng. He gave a thumbs-up gesture, and she nodded.
“Let’s wait and see, then.”
She looked back at Ji Yuewu on the screen.
Su Cheng’s quiver only held four arrows, but he needed to hit eight targets.
How could four arrows hit eight targets?
There were other arrows on the ground, and Su Cheng needed to pick them up while riding and shoot them at the targets.
This was incredibly challenging.
As Su Cheng rode Flame City Emperor at high speed, he lowered his head slightly, one hand holding the bow and the other the reins. His legs gripped the horse’s flanks firmly, and his feet were steady on the stirrups.
Then, just ten steps from the target, he leaned toward the right side of the horse’s mane, took hold of the bow with his left hand, and pulled the string with his right.
“Thwack.”
The arrow hit the target. His technique of shooting over the horse’s mane was executed beautifully.
"Good."
Senior Ji nodded approvingly. Su Cheng’s archery skills were indeed extraordinary.
Next, as he approached the second target, he lowered the bow toward the left stirrup, took an arrow with his right hand, drew the bow, aimed, and fired with a thunderous release.
“Thwack.”
Another arrow hit the target. He had mastered the stirrup shot technique as well.
He pulled back the bow and continued galloping, but when the third target suddenly appeared behind him at a distance of ten paces, he froze for a moment. Then, he leaned toward the left side of the horse, turned, and shot.
“Thwack~”
The third arrow hit the target again. This was the reverse shooting technique used from behind.
Su Cheng had now adeptly mastered these three shooting techniques, controlling the force and range of each arrow precisely.
"Very impressive."
Ji Yuewu’s voice came from the video.
Senior Ji nodded, her gaze returning to Su Cheng.
At this point, Su Cheng had completed a lap and was back at the first target. He once again used the over-the-mane shooting technique to hit the target.
But when he reached for an arrow for the second target, he found his quiver empty. So, he yelled, “Head down!”
Instantly, Flame City Emperor lowered its head.
Su Cheng shifted his bow position, his eyes locked onto an arrow on the ground ahead. As he passed it, he leaned forward on the horse’s back, using the bowstring and bow tip to twist and grab the arrow, pulling it up forcefully. In one fluid motion, he caught it, straightened up, and without hesitation, nocked the arrow, drew the bow, and aimed at the target.
"Swish."
“Thwack!”
Su Cheng released the arrow, which landed firmly in the bullseye.
The bowstring arrow-picking action was as smooth as flowing water, showing no trace of hesitation or clumsiness.
“Head down.”
Then, he shouted again. This time, with his right hand holding the reins, he used his left hand to place the bow tip between the arrow’s fletching and lifted it, catching it once more and shooting another arrow.
"Thwack."
Each movement of Su Cheng during archery was filled with strength, even causing Ji Qingyi and the other girl to nod in approval.
"Next, he will fall off his horse."
Ji Qingyi made a prophetic statement.
Because the task of retrieving the arrow that followed was considerably more difficult than the previous two.
Su Cheng could only retrieve the arrow by hand, requiring him to accurately gauge the position of the arrow while the horse was moving at high speed. He would then lean down, with his left foot on the stirrup and his right foot off, to reach for the arrow, emphasizing steadiness, precision, and decisiveness.
The difficulty of this task was evident.
Sure enough, the next second, just as Su Cheng leaned down, about to grab the arrow, his body abruptly lost balance, causing him to fall off the horse. He rolled several times before finally stopping outside the racecourse.
The horse also halted, approaching Su Cheng, who was lying on the ground, and gently nudged him with its head, as if to comfort him.
Su Cheng got up from the ground, unharmed due to the protective gear he was wearing. He dusted off his clothes and then looked up at Ji Qingyi, flashing a grin.
Ji Qingyi gestured for him to come over and sit down.
Su Cheng nodded and, as the horse was led away by staff, he approached Ji Qingyi and sat down beside her. To his surprise, he spotted Ji Yuewu on a video call and couldn't help but be slightly stunned. He then chuckled and asked, "Senior Ji, was I cool just now?"
"Although falling off your horse made you look quite clumsy, you were really cool at the beginning," Ji Yuewu replied, giving him a thumbs-up with a smile.
At that moment, Ji Qingyi poured a cup of tea for Su Cheng.
"Senior..."
Before Su Cheng could say anything more, Ji Qingyi extended her slender finger and directly ended the video call.
"Huh?"
Su Cheng glanced at Ji Qingyi, only to find her sipping tea with her head lowered. He didn't say anything further and instead lifted the teacup to his lips and sipped the tea lightly.
"President, I think there's a better way for me to retrieve the arrows," Su Cheng said, placing the teacup back on the table and looking at Ji Qingyi.
"Why do you say that?"
Ji Qingyi looked up.
After finishing his tea in one gulp, Su Cheng stood up and walked to the stable, finding his beloved mare. He mounted the horse and rode toward the racecourse.
Under Ji Qingyi's puzzled and curious gaze, Su Cheng shouted 'Retrieve the arrow!' As the horse galloped, it lowered its head and picked up the arrow from the ground with its mouth. Su Cheng then leaned down, took the arrow, dismounted, and looked at Ji Qingyi.
Ji Qingyi: "..."
Su Cheng's method left Ji Qingyi speechless. After a moment, she finally said, "This approach isn't suitable for competitions. Moreover, it's too risky—the horse could easily trip and fall on its back."
"Actually... I have a safer and more effective method," Su Cheng said.
"Oh?"
Ji Qingyi was intrigued.
However, Su Cheng just chuckled and said, "You'll find out next week."
Ji Qingyi's expression froze. She hadn't expected Su Cheng to keep her in suspense.
Although she was curious, Ji Qingyi didn't press further. After all, she would know by Monday.
...
That night, after having dinner with Cornelia, she started questioning him about his relationship with Gu Ruoxue.
Su Cheng decided to be honest.
Gu Ruoxue was actually his ex-girlfriend.
However, Cornelia didn't believe him and thought he was joking.
Thus, Su Cheng had to explain, "I went to her club to make a request."
"What kind of request?"
"I just visited her club, and they were having a recruitment drive. They asked if I was interested."
"Is that so?"
Cornelia narrowed her eyes and looked at Su Cheng before saying, "So you rejected the offer in class this afternoon?"
"Yeah."
Su Cheng nodded.
"Hmph!"
Cornelia huffed and continued, "Then why did she invite you?"
"Maybe because I used to be her ex-boyfriend?"
Su Cheng replied, his tone calm and matter-of-fact, as this was indeed the truth.
"You're teasing me again!"
Cornelia glared at him, her cheeks puffed up in anger.
"No way, look how sincere I am," Su Cheng said with a sincere expression, pointing at himself.
"Does it make you proud to be her ex-boyfriend?"
Cornelia asked, her words sharp and biting.
"Isn't that what you asked me?"
Su Cheng innocently blinked.
"Forget it! I can't be bothered with you!"
Cornelia turned and stomped away, but after taking just two steps, she stopped, turned back to look at Su Cheng, and awkwardly said, "Wait, we haven't finished playing our game!"
Two hours later,
The cheerful atmosphere had vanished, and Cornelia's expression was dark. Over the past two hours, as they played the game, the silence grew heavier.
Another game ended with their home base exploding.
Cornelia silently closed her laptop, crossed her arms, and looked at Su Cheng beside her.
"Sorry, today my hand wasn't feeling good, and the computer was also a bit slow," Su Cheng said, feeling a bit embarrassed and using a universal excuse.
In reality, the reason was that tomorrow he was scheduled to visit Li Guanqi's house, and he had been preoccupied with thoughts of that, so he was somewhat absent-minded.
"Is it because you're going to Li Guanqi's house tomorrow?"
"Yeah."
Su Cheng nodded.
Cornelia's mood had darkened because, being sharp-witted, she realized the reason behind his inattention. She glared at Su Cheng and grumbled, "I knew it!"
With her laptop bag in hand, she headed for the door, looking like she wanted to start a cold war with Su Cheng.
The whole situation felt like they were doing something unspeakable when Su Cheng suddenly blurted out Li Guanqi's name, leaving her feeling extremely frustrated and upset.
"Wait!"
Su Cheng suddenly called out to Cornelia.
She stopped in her tracks and turned around.
"There are drinks in the fridge, and I'll be visiting your place the day after tomorrow," he said.
"Who would want to drink your cheap drinks!"
Cornelia snorted and slammed the door to Su Cheng's bedroom forcefully. She then stomped to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and stuffed all the drinks into her laptop bag. She glanced at the balcony and, with a huffy expression, called out to Yaya, "Yaya, come with me; your owner's going on a date with a cheater tomorrow!"
Upon hearing this, Yaya immediately flapped its wings and landed on Cornelia's shoulder. The two then left Su Cheng's apartment.
Su Cheng opened the door and watched Cornelia and Yaya's retreating figures, feeling both amused and helpless. He then took a shower and lay in bed, chatting with Li Guanqi about tomorrow's plans.
Li Guanqi informed him that she would come to his place to pick him up.
After putting away his phone, Su Cheng thought that tonight he should get a good night's sleep.
(PS: Stuck in writer's block, tweaking and revising but not satisfied. The next few chapters will involve the sisters and Gu Ruoxue, but there's not enough time to write them, so I'll be staying up all night to finish the upcoming Li family sisters' story arc.)