Ye Luo had been making eye contact with Qin Shu when he noticed the boldness within as if she was telling him to observe and learn. He moved his gaze back to Qin Shuâs hand with the gun.
Qin Shu withdrew her gaze and focused on the target in front of her. She pulled the trigger without wavering. The first shot had hit the rice ball, and it shattered into pieces, then the second, third, fourth, and fifth.
...
As the sound of the gunshot subsided after five shots, there was dead silence in the room. The spectators could not believe their eyes. As all five bullets had hit, they could only see the remaining white debris and dust.
Ye Luo had the same look of disbelief from beforeâwas it all his imagination? How did Qin Shu hit all of them?
Witnessing Qin Shuâs achievement, Ning Meng could not resist the urge to cheer, âYou are amazing, Madam. Youâve hit all of them.â
Ye Luo shifted his eyes to Qin Shu. âHow did you do it?â
âYeah, Madam. Howâd you do it? Ye Luo could only hit one.â Ning Meng was curious.
â...â Ye Luo had never felt so humiliated.
Qin Shu raised her eyebrows and looked at them both before she opened up, âWell, thereâs some brainwork involved. It was physics.â
An object underwater would look appear closer because of the refraction of light. Light traveled in a straight line in the air. It would bend when passing through water. Hence, the object would look magnified as the image produced would look closer to human eyes.
And that was why Ye Luo had missed most of his shots.
It was one of Qin Shuâs petty tricks. She had set up the match like that because knowing Ye Luo, he would have hit every target under normal circumstances, so would Qin Shuâand there would be no competition.
Before that, she had gone to the shooting range and practiced. When she held the gun, familiarity flooded over her. As she fired a few shots, she got a grasp on shooting.
âAh, so it was physics. Itâs my worst subject. I couldnât understand any of it.â It was a pain in the neck for Ning Meng.
Ye Luo pursed his lips. He was too bad at physics. Had he known physics applied to shooting, he would have worked hard in school.
Qin Shu declared, âI won.â
Ye Luo did not say a word as he had never thought he would lose.
âSo Iâll be packing my luggage.â
Ye Luo had wanted to say something but was hesitant. Seeing that, Qin Shu stifled a laugh and went upstairs. Had she not been injured, she would have sprinted in excitementâit had not been easy to get Ye Luo to agree on this trip.
Ning Meng told Ye Luo in sympathy, âMadam is a top student. Itâs not a disgrace to have lost to her.â
Ye Luo did not say a word.
â...Iâll go get someone to remove the tanks.â
Ning Meng turned around and left the room. What a stiff and awkward guy, she thought.
Ye Luo took a last look at the tanks before heading to his room to pack.
Meanwhile, Qin Shu had packed light. She had a small suitcase and a backpack with her, and she brought them downstairs. As she passed by the living room, Boss ran towards her and hopped on her luggage. It was its usual self, arrogant yet elegant. She contained her laughter and rolled her luggage out.
Ye Luo had already been standing by the car, and he stepped forward as he grabbed her luggage. âI never said Iâm not coming along.â He carried Boss in his other hand and made his way to the car. Then, he put Boss in the backseat before placing their luggage in the trunk.
Qin Shu sighed. She thought she would have more freedom this time, but it was the contrary. She walked towards the backseat and got in as she closed the door while Ye Luo slid into the driverâs seat and started the engine. And they were headed to the airport.
Qin Shu took out her laptop from her backpack and put it on her lap. She had wanted to dig up information on Xijin while Boss was curled up like a crescent on her side as it had felt bored.
Reading the information on the screen, Qin Shu had acknowledged that Xiye Ze, a thirty-six-year-old man, was the kingpin in Xijin. He was known for his cruel, merciless doings, and he would get rid of anyone in his way.
Qin Shu had booked the ticketsâfirst classâin advance using her phone. When they got to the airport, they boarded the plane directly. Traffic was low, so it was easy to get the nearest tickets.
On the plane, Qin Shu had her seat adjusted. She rested her leg on the cushion, hoping it would improve blood circulation. She had wanted to nap for a bit before the flight reached Xijin in a few hours.
In the meantime, Ye Luo was sitting in silence across her. He had not said a word since his defeat. He had his dignity lost, and his pride had vanquished. Qin Shu was oblivious to the sight in front of her, and she shut her eyes.
Ye Luo clenched his jaw as he furrowed his brows at Qin Shu, who was already asleep. Then, he retracted his gaze and stayed quiet.
However, Boss was not on the same page with Ye Luo, and when its sharp paws scratched the cat bag, it had yielded an irritating sound. Feeling annoyed, Ye Luo had almost wanted to throw it out of the plane, but he resisted the urge to do so as he calmed himself, ignoring the feline.
The flight took seven hours before they have finally arrived at Xijin. Ye Luo was carrying their luggage when he hailed a taxi, opened the trunk, and stuffed the luggage. Qin Shu had entered the backseat holding Boss, followed by Ye Luo at the front.
Just as Ye Luo was about to provide the address to the driver, Qin Shu suggested, âHow about we keep this trip a secret? Donât tell Fu Tingyu weâre here yet.â
It was different in this lifetime and even more dangerous because Qin Shu was injured. Not to mention that Ye Luo would have gotten himself in trouble if they just appeared in front of Fu Tingyuâhe would have sent them home on the spot.
Ye Luo turned his head behind, âNo.â Hiding the truth would be considered treason in the Ye family, yet something had crossed his mind, âArenât you here to look for Lord Fu? Why would you try to conceal it?â
Um, sure, Qin Shu was here to look for Fu Tingyu. But she had something else on her mind.
âArenât you afraid of being punished?â She continued, âFu Tingyu had asked you to protect me at Bright Garden. If he saw you here, what do you think heâd do?â
Ye Luo responded, âStill, we canât lie to Lord Fu.â