CH 25

7:30pm night, in the 7-11 convenience store, Lin Yujing sat in front of the table looking at Shen Juan’s swollen forehead.

The young man was devoid of any expressions, tearing apart the salad dressing packet and pouring it into the salad bowl. He held a plastic fork in one hand, stirring the salad dressing around before giving the bowl to Lin Yujing. “Eat.”

The sight of the youth with a swollen forehead stirring the dressing around was actually a little funny. Lin Yujing did her best to hold back a chuckle, forcing herself to wear a grave expression to look at him. “Why didn’t you evade it?”

“Mm?” Shen Juan finally realized what she was asking about and honestly said, “I won’t avoid it.”

He indeed didn’t evade it. This lady was just too quick. Just a second ago, she was still glaring at him with red eyes. The next second, she was throwing a punch.

Advertisements

Shen Juan even thought he was about to get a hug.

He could only raise his arm holding the cigarette far enough in time in order to avoid burning her. He was even stunned at first, wondering why the imminent fight became a hug. In the next second, he felt his collar being pulled and though he was getting hugged, it was actually his head and her kneecap. The two bones intimately made contact, producing a crisp “thunk” sound.

Shen Juan finally knew how she managed to knock down Muscle Bro. With this speed, it was natural that the muscle-headed guy wouldn’t be able to react in time. At the time it takes Muscle Bro to raise hand, she would’ve already given him 3 slaps.

Nkd Zwfkdt vssj vbl qsaj yde pvyccle kdvs psxl rklnlp sq zlyqu talldp vs rwv kd bla xswvb, blpkvydvzu zssjkdt yv bkx, “Pslp kv bwav?”

“Rv’p qkdl,” Fbld Kwyd vwadle vs vbl pkel, yax alpvkdt sd vbl vyczl, “R esd’v qllz yduvbkdt.”

“….”

Nkd Zwfkdt nzlyale bkp vbasyv, rskdvkdt vs bkp blye, “Ebyv es usw xlyd usw esd’v qllz yduvbkdt. Nssj yv bso poszzld uswa qsalblye kp. Nlv xl tkhl usw…” Fbl aykple y qkdtla yde nyalqwzzu bshlale kv ycshl bkp qsalblye, tlpvwakdt yv kv qsa y obkzl clqsal okvbeayokdt bla byde, “R qllz zkjl kv jkde sq yqqlnvp uswa tsse zssjp. Nlv xl rwv y cydeyke sd kv.”

“Yx, pwal,” Fbld Kwyd pyke, “Tlzr xl pvknj sd vball pkel-cu-pkel, xyucl kv’zz cl ldswtb vs nshla vbl obszl vbkdt.”

Rv oyp nlavykdzu y ckv ckt, zssjkdt zkjl y rklnl sq cyde-yke oswzed’v cl ldswtb.

“Ebu esd’v R pvknj sd vbspl praykd alzklq ryvnblp? Mblal’p y rbyaxynu sd vbl srrspkvl pkel,” Nkd Zwfkdt pyke, “Nlv xl cwu psxl tywgl, vbl aszz jkde, ps vbyv usw’zz zssj zkjl y fwhldkzl okvb y pvsau, kv’zz xyjl usw zssj qklanl.”

Fbld Kwyd pktble, “R’x yzalyeu qklanl ldswtb. Cwknjzu lyv. Xdnl usw’al qkdkpble, R’x vyjkdt usw psxloblal.”

–

Advertisements

In Lin Yujing’s perspective, delinquents would usually frequent the same few places, internet cafes and play rooms. Lu Jiaheng and Cheng Tie prefer going to the pool hall more, probably because pool was a more elegant sport, which suited their flashy and egoistic vibes.

Shen Juan tried to hail a cab for them to ride but was unable to despite attempting for 10 minutes. In the end, they took the subway for half an hour, changed to a bus and walked for five minutes. Just when Lin Yujing’s suspicions were about to reach their peak, thinking she was going to get sold off in the backwoods, they had finally arrived at their destination.

Lin Yujing raised her head and looked at the three-story tall, artistic oval building as well as the sign hanging on the topmost floor.

Shooting club.

Lin Yujing opened his mouth and turned his head, “Here?”

“Yeah,” Shen Juan walked inside, “Here, don’t you like to play this?”

Lin Yujing really couldn’t remember when she had ever uttered she liked playing this sport. She only remembered wearing a face as though she wanted to die while playing this game. She would shoot consecutively in a daze but could never find out where the shooter was.

She followed Shen Juan in and discovered that the club interior was very high-end. It emitted a cold oppressive feeling from top to bottom with its cold walls, black marble floor, and metal ornaments. A big target sign hung at the ceiling of the hall, draping over the front entrance.

The two people bypassed the target and walked further in. A man stood in front of the reception desk, in the middle of a call, “Baby, let me explain. It’s not what you think. Me and Little Mei—Hello? Hello?! Baby—Fuck!”

The man threw the phone on the table then scrambled to pick it up again. When he raised his head, he spotted Shen Juan and raised a brow.

When he saw Lin Yujing beside Shen Juan, his brow was about to soar past the boundaries possible.

The man was leaning on the marble reception desk and with a raised voice, said, “What time do you think it is, why are you here–” He paused, watching the approaching Shen Juan, and pointed at him, “What happened to your head?”

Advertisements

Lin Yujing turned her head to the side and measured the surrounding ornaments as though it was none of her business.

Shen Juan paused, “I was scratched by a cat.”

The man glared at him, “What kind of cat do you have, to hurt you that badly with a scratch?”

Shen Juan smirked, “A breed you haven’t seen before.”

The man appeared too lazy to respond. His gaze fluttered back and forth Lin Yujing and Shen Juan for two rounds before nodding, “Fine, use it as you will.” He then leaned back and dialed a number with a miserable look, “Hey, Little Mei, I didn’t. I didn’t call anyone. I had a client. There’s no one else but you in my heart, d-d-d-on’t hang up—Hello? Hello?!!!!”

Lin Yujing turned her head and asked in a low voice, “Why do the voices of this baby and Little Mei seem to be from different people?”

Shen Juan glanced at her and lowered his voice, “You’re very sharp.“

Shen Juan seemed to be very familiar with this place as the two passed through a floor with two shooting ranges and took the elevator to the third floor.

The number of people on the third floor was less than on the first floor and it was divided into several small areas like private booths. Each area had several targets and behind the partitioned glass walls, there were human figure targets, moving targets and all kinds of spinning targets.

Lin Yujing watched Shen Juan input the password and step in. He then placed her bag on a chair before going out. In less than two minutes, he brought over two bows and a quiver.

Lin Yujing: ?

“I thought we were going to use guns?” Lin Yujing watched him place the bow on the table, “I saw people playing the bang bang bang kind a while ago.”

Advertisements

“Then you should’ve also seen that they had someone by their side teaching them. Just play with the bow and arrow.” Shen Juan walked over holding arm guards and gloves, “Give me your hand.”

Lin Yujing obediently reached out her hands, watching him put on the arm guard for her and asked, “Don’t I also have you to teach me?”

Shen Juan paused, giving her a look, “You’re still a minor.”

“Minors can’t play those?”

“Generally speaking, they can’t.” He lowered his eyes, tying the knot on the arm guard tight before proceeding to help her put on the gloves. He then handed her a bow, “This is called recurve bow shooting, it doesn’t have a stabilizer, clicker, wrist sling–”

“Hold on a minute,” Lin Yujing interrupted him. “Nevermind not letting me handle guns, why did you give me a bow without anything else to put on?”

“You don’t need it. If you don’t have a stabilizer, you don’t need a wrist sling. Clickers also will be used to draw the distance.” Shen Juan said.

Lin Yujing used her brain, which had scored first place in every exam since junior high, to digest all his words and only confirmed that she understood four words—you don’t need it.

“I see,” She nodded before proceeding to ask, “Do you have a more succinct explanation?”

Shen Juan was silent for 2 seconds, “Because you’re a noob.”

Lin Yujing didn’t understand why she kept saying too much just to get roasted. Were the words “no need” not enough for her?

The young girl held the bow and took a step back, looking at him with a sour face. Shen Juan couldn’t hold back a chuckle and raised a hand, signaling her to come closer, “C’mere.”

Advertisements

Lin Yujing rolled her eyes at him and took two steps forward.

Shen Juan put the quiver on her waist and drew an arrow, standing diagonally behind her.

Up until now, Lin Yujing didn’t think anything was wrong.

It was only when Shen Juan stood behind her, raising her bow with one hand while the other placed an arrow into the bow.

Cheng Yi once said this one essential move of flirting with girls in golf and pool, where you’re almost about to touch but not really touching, creates a confusing sense of intimacy.

Lin Yujing at present felt that there was something else to it.

Shen Juan’s low voice rang beside her ear, carrying a heat which burned the tips of her ears. “Straighten your arms and part your legs. Hold this position and turn your head over–”

Lin Yujing endured the urge to shoulder throw him, feeling the numbing itchiness spread down from her ears to her fingers and her hold of the bow became unstable.

“Don’t quiver, don’t let your elbows dip too low,” Shen Juan hunched over, his fingers resting on her wrist, “Look at the target–”

His fingers were a bit cool, making Lin Yujing’s hand quiver. The arrow in her hand flew out with a whoosh, landing and embedding firmly in the lower area of the human figure, right between the U shape gap between the legs.

Hitting the crotch of the trousers.

Lin Yujing: “….”

Shen Juan: “….”

The air grew a bit still.

Lin Yujing walked forward slightly, pulling some distance between her and Shen Juan. She then shot a glance at the arrow on the crotch of the trousers, clearing her throat, “You said to look at the target.”

Lin Yujing was very dissatisfied with her first shot. “Was my bullseye amazing or not?”

Shen Juan wore a complicated look and was silent for a few seconds.

“Amazing.” Shen Juan slowly nodded and said.

–

Shooting arrows used up quite a bit of physical strength. Moreover, the arms needed to be completely straight. Shen Juan must’ve chosen the smallest bow yet it was still quite heavy. Just when Lin Yujing was about to lose confidence, Shen Juan took the bow and shot 3 arrows away, all piercing the bright red heart of the human target.

Shen Juan didn’t even wear gloves. After the last arrow flew off, he shook off his hand, leaned sideways against the wall and raised his chin at her, wearing an indifferent expression as though it was natural, flaunting in a low-key manner.

That scene was too fucking cool, it made people gasp in admiration.

Lin Yujing’s competitiveness was instantly fueled and after half an hour later, she finally landed an arrow at the edge of the target.

“Good,” Lin Yujing was very satisfied with the fruits of her effort, “Such things cannot be rushed. Progress can only be made steadily.”

Shen Juan lowered his eyes and noiselessly laughed, nodding, “Then take the arrows out.”

“Ok.”

Lin Yujing didn’t want to return home so she headed in the direction of the school. The two people hailed a cab to the entrance of Eighth High, though because the seniors’ late night revision classes had already concluded, the school doors were shut tightly.

Standing in front of the locked gates, the two people exchanged glances.

Lin Yujing thought for a moment and asked, “Can you climb over walls?”

Shen Juan raised a brow. “Probably but I’ve never done it.”

Lin Yujing also raised a brow, “You’ve never climbed over a wall. What kind of delinquent are you? A delinquent who’s never climbed over a wall is not a complete delinquent.”

“We delinquents usually won’t live on campus so there’s no walls to climb over.”

The two people strolled around the school, stopping by a corner behind. There was a hole that could fit one person in the metal grills, most likely made by someone in the past to benefit the students.

Shen Juan stood below, reaching out his arms for a hug and leaning his head to the side. “Come.”

Lin Yujing even raised her head, measuring the height, pondering how to climb back up and she turned her head to the side upon hearing him. “Hm?”

The early autumn breeze blew away the damp air. Under the starry night sky, the youth tilted his head at her and lazily said. “I’ll carry you.”