Chapter 67: Do you want to hear a bad idea?
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“Fine. I think Lone Avoid Yu is more eager to challenge me with An Lan,” Xiao Chen said.
In any case, An Lan was excited.
He was about to team up with Xiao Chen to challenge Xu Xingran and Gu Liyu. This was something he never thought about before.
“No need to go easy on us,” An Lan said to Gu Liyu.
“I won’t.”
On Saturday, An Lan woke up early, as usual, and met Xiao Chen in the elevator. Taking him to the “Cloud Club,” they discussed everything on the way.
“I heard your ‘Cloud’ club’s changing room is especially narrow… like, I could touch you when I turn around?” Xiao Chen said.
“You don’t have to stand behind me to change.”
“I also heard that the storage room for your guns and shooting suits has a strong smell?”
“You can release your pheromones to eliminate any odors,” An Lan replied.
“Hehe, do you really want to see me in close combat with Gu Liyu? He might not win,” Xiao Chen said.
“You might not win either.”
An Lan had experienced Gu Liyu’s arm strength, being effortlessly lifted and placed on a table.
“Is there a shower room?” Xiao Chen asked.
“Yes.”
“Does the shower room have partitions?”
Suddenly, An Lan felt like a real estate agent, and Xiao Chen was a picky tycoon inspecting an old house.
“Yes, don’t worry; no one will covet your perfect body,” An Lan replied with a smile.
Once they arrived at “Cloud Club,” Xiao Chen received a VIP-level reception.
“There’s only one shooting coach in ‘Cloud,’ and the other two assistants were lined up at the entrance like they were about to shower them with flowers and shout ‘welcome, welcome, warm welcome.'”
Xiao Chen commented after entering the shooting range. He looked at the range for a while and said, “This place looks ancient.”
Meaning, very old.
“Yeah. It’s not as spacious as ‘Mountain and Sea,’ not as brightly lit, and the air freshener smells a bit cheap… Actually, if you want to go back to ‘Mountain and Sea,’ it’s still possible.”
Ever since the exposure of the relationship between the Han family and “Eden,” the matter of the Han family plotting against Xiao Chen’s heart had spread among the alpha families. Currently, Han Li was under investigation, and Xiao Yun witnessed his mother being taken away and suffered a sudden heart attack, leading to hospitalization. He had not been discharged yet.
Xiao Hongwen had no choice but to place all his expectations back on Xiao Chen. He still renewed Xiao Chen’s membership in “Mountain and Sea,” so he could return whenever he wanted. Last week, Coach Lin from “Mountain and Sea” personally contacted Xiao Chen, but Xiao Chen had no intention of going back.
“You’ve been practicing here?” Xiao Chen asked.
“Yes. From junior high until now, I’ve been practicing here.”
“You’ve stayed for so long, I can stay too.” Xiao Chen replied.
An Lan smirked, “Ah Chen, did you misunderstand something?”
“Misunderstand what?” Xiao Chen lifted his eyelids, clearly still having the air of a school bully, but An Lan felt he had become somewhat cute.
“I’ve stayed here for a long time because the membership fees are cheaper province-wide.”
“…,” Xiao Chen’s expression was somewhat complex. “Just because it’s the cheapest here?”
“Yeah. But what allows you to win championships is probably not how expensive the club fees are, but rather your skill level, right?” An Lan gestured towards Xiao Chen, implying that the two of them should have a competition.
Xiao Chen also smirked, “Interesting, you’re becoming more like an alpha.”
“Oh? How?”
“Arrogant and competitive,” Xiao Chen replied.
“Sounds like not so flattering words.”
The two were about to start warming up with practice targets, and many people from the club gathered to watch.
Seeing An Lan and Xiao Chen in their shooting suits, holding guns, they seemed rooted to the floor of the shooting range, waiting for the moving targets.
The entire shooting range suddenly quieted down. Those who came to watch even held their breath.
The targets started moving, and An Lan, as usual, was slow to warm up, only scoring 8.2. He initially thought Xiao Chen could at least score above nine rings, but surprisingly, Xiao Chen also scored only 8.4.
“Tsk.” Xiao Chen put down the gun and stretched his neck.
It seemed like it had been a while since he practiced, affecting his form.
Xiao Chen stared at the target range in front of him, his expression gradually darkening.
To be honest, An Lan wasn’t fully focused from picking up the gun to the recent shooting; it felt like he was physically present but his soul hadn’t returned.
People watching were curious about why these two suddenly stopped. More targets passed in front of them, but they showed no intention of aiming.
Xiao Chen closed his eyes, adjusting his breathing to get into the right mindset.
An Lan also worked to settle his restless thoughts. When he exhaled, he felt he had finally entered that comfortable shooting state.
Almost simultaneously, the two raised their guns. An Lan’s shot scored 8.9. Those familiar with him coaches knew this meant he had regained his form.
However, Xiao Chen was even more impressive, directly scoring 9.5. His expression remained serious, seemingly dissatisfied with this result.
The coaches and assistants wanted to applaud, but watching Xiao Chen’s back, their hands stopped halfway.
After completing twenty warm-up targets, An Lan exhaled and flexed his fingers. “It seems practice is necessary; I’ve become rusty.”
Xiao Chen looked up at the ceiling, saying, “This place is better than I imagined.”
“Really?”
“Not as cold and mechanical as ‘Mountain and Sea.'” Xiao Chen raised his hand as if feeling something. “I like the temperature here.”
An Lan was momentarily stunned, then he smiled.
“It seems you’ve already adapted to your home turf, Xiao Chen.”
Xu Xingran’s voice sounded behind them.
An Lan and Xiao Chen turned around together, seeing Xu Xingran and Gu Liyu carrying guns and wearing shooting suits.
“Oh, Old Lin didn’t come?” Xiao Chen asked.
Xu Xingran walked over, one hand on Xiao Chen’s shoulder, saying, “Coach Lin said since you’ve chosen ‘Cloud Club,’ it means choosing to grow wild without constraints. In fairness, if you don’t have a coach guiding you, he won’t come to guide us either.”
An Lan scratched the back of his head, “Why does it sound like Coach Lin is upset?”
Gu Liyu also extended his hand, fingers slightly apart, as if feeling something.
“How is it? Is my club not too bad?” An Lan half-jokingly asked.
In fact, “Cloud Club” couldn’t compare to “Mountain and Sea” in terms of equipment, facility maintenance, or coaching team. However, “Cloud Club” had a soothing atmosphere.
“The temperature and humidity here are indeed very comfortable,” Gu Liyu said.
“But… it would be boring if today is just about practice match wins and losses,” Xu Xingran said.
Xiao Chen chuckled, “Oh, do you have some bad idea again?”
“Do you want to hear my bad idea?” Xu Xingran asked with a smile.
“Hear it, hear it, go ahead.”
“Each person ties three sandbags to each arm, five quick-target rounds. After each round, the person who ranks first can take off one sandbag and put it on another person. Let’s see who ranks first after twenty quick targets?” Xu Xingran said.
An Lan heard this and realized Xu Xingran was quite ruthless.
One sandbag weighed about two liang, and with three on each arm, that meant each arm carried a load of over one jin.
Don’t underestimate this weight; in a shooting competition known for stability, it was enough to make a significant difference.
“And what’s the benefit for the person who wins in the end? Doing this for nothing?” Xiao Chen raised an eyebrow, seriously suspecting that Xu Xingran just wanted to torment Gu Liyu.
“The winner, of course, gets a benefit. Didn’t we agree to go to the Dynamic Water Park? I remember there’s a activity called ‘Double Spiral.’ Whoever wins gets to play this activity with An Lan.”
In essence, the Dynamic Water Park had a double spiral slide where two people sat on an inflatable raft and were propelled to the top by water flow. It was said to be quite enjoyable. Then they spiraled down from the top, landing in the water.
Because playing this took time, each guest could only play once.
For example, if An Lan played with Xiao Chen once, he wouldn’t have the chance to play with Gu Liyu.
“Hey, you guys are really boring! What if I win?” An Lan said unenthusiastically.
“Then you can play with whoever you want,” Xu Xingran replied leisurely.
Really, this kindergarten atmosphere was too much.
“Fine, if you want sandbags, then use sandbags! Don’t drag me into it.” An Lan glanced at Gu Liyu.
Gu Liyu, who claimed to be prone to jealousy, should have stood up and opposed at this moment.
Who knew Gu Liyu looked at Xu Xingran and asked, “Do you really think you can beat me?”
“I don’t think so,” Xu Xingran replied.
Gu Liyu’s posture remained calm, and Xu Xingran smiled while looking at him. However, the sparks of rivalry in the air almost burst onto An Lan’s face.
Xu Xingran’s mischievous mind acted up again.
An Lan covered his eyes, helplessly saying, “Can we please respect the shooting range? This should be a pure place!”
“Alright, to make our practice match purer, let’s change the reward for the winner— the person who wins can freely choose to play ‘Double Spiral’ with another person.”
Xiao Chen shrugged, “So… what’s the difference from before?”
Whether Xu Xingran or Gu Liyu wins, they would choose An Lan. Of course, if Xiao Chen wins, he would also choose An Lan; otherwise, it would seem like he’s avoiding Gu Liyu and not playing “Double Spiral” with An Lan.
“Yes, An Lan is no longer the prize for winning,” Xu Xingran spread his hands, “Everyone has the right to choose.”
An Lan: … What you said makes sense; I can’t argue.
He looked at Gu Liyu, and Gu Liyu just said, “Whether it’s a practice match or a real competition, there will always be winners and losers in the end.”
An Lan couldn’t quite grasp the meaning of these words.
Do you feel confident that you will win? Or do you not care about winning or losing?
But Gu Liyu didn’t provide an answer; he just walked over, rubbed An Lan’s head, and said softly, “We’re not kids anymore.”
An Lan smiled in response.
Yes, they’re not kids anymore. Why would they let Xu Xingran’s joking provocation affect their mood?
So, in this practice match, everyone indeed had sandbags tied to their arms.
An Lan exhaled; the weight on his arms would affect the stability and flexibility of his waist and back rotation.
Moreover, it might not be a good thing for the person leading after every five shots to take off a sandbag. The balance of the arms changed, and the body needed to readjust.
It had to be said that Xu Xingran’s “rules” for the competition secretly contained some tricks.
They held their guns and tried turning their bodies; indeed, it was more troublesome than before.
The first round of five quick-target shots may not be enough for An Lan to adapt to the weight on his arms.
“Hey, the people from ‘Mountain and Sea’ really know how to play,” an assistant coach whispered.
“Perhaps this is the latest training method, enhancing stability or something. Should we, ‘Cloud Club,’ also learn it?” another assistant asked the coach.
The coach, with a mysterious expression, replied, “Study it; let’s study it.”
An Lan sighed helplessly; forget about studying, they were just trying to pull him down into the water.
The practice match began.
In the first shot, as expected, An Lan didn’t adapt; he only scored 8.2, and he pulled the trigger when the target was about to finish its run.
Gu Liyu scored 8.9, Xiao Chen 8.8, but Xu Xingran scored 9.2.
No wonder Xu Xingran proposed such rules; he was confident.
In the second shot, An Lan finally started shooting when the target was halfway through, scoring 8.8.
Gu Liyu directly scored 9.5, Xiao Chen 9.2, and Xu Xingran 9.5.
An Lan’s scalp tingled; Xu Xingran’s form indeed looked good. He hadn’t practiced for a long time, and his stability had dropped significantly. He might end up at the bottom.
At the end of the first round, as expected, Xu Xingran ranked first, smoothly removing one sandbag.
Gu Liyu was second, Xiao Chen third, and An Lan at the bottom.
An Lan also had self-awareness; in this state, he would likely stay at the bottom.
The second round began. An Lan’s expected problem also emerged; Xu Xingran, who took off one sandbag, had to readjust to the weight, resulting in a score of only 8.8 for the first shot. Gu Liyu scored 9.8, Xiao Chen 9.9.
An Lan finally got into the groove, scoring 9.
Gu Liyu began to catch up. After five shots, he made up for the disadvantage from the first round, smoothly securing the first position.
Xiao Chen was second, Xu Xingran third, but he was only 0.1 behind Xiao Chen.
As for An Lan, he exhaled deeply, feeling a sense of contradiction in what was supposed to be a competition among four people but was, in reality, a showdown among three.
He glanced at Gu Liyu beside him. Surprisingly, even though Gu Liyu was holding a gun, he turned his face to look at An Lan, mouthing only two words: “Focus.”
An Lan’s face instantly flushed, not out of embarrassment but out of guilt.
Despite all three of them putting in a dedicated effort into the competition, An Lan realized his mind had not been fully focused.
An Lan exhaled, closed his eyes. Now, he needed to sense not only the target but, more importantly, his own state.
The connection between his arm and the gun, the pressure exerted by the sandbags on his bones and muscles, and the speed when turning his waist.
As the third round began, An Lan followed the target’s movement. When the strength in his arm and the back of his waist harmonized perfectly at the optimal angle, he pulled the trigger, scoring 10.2.
The observing coaches were all stunned.
In the subsequent shots, due to adjustments in the weight, Gu Liyu’s first two shots had slightly lower scores. However, starting from the third shot, each bullet hit the bullseye with a score of ten or above.
The coach swallowed saliva, exchanged glances with the assistants—adjusting so quickly, it was almost inhuman.
Xiao Chen’s performance remained steady, and Xu Xingran regained a stable state, steadily climbing up.
When this round ended, although An Lan was still at the bottom, the gap with Xu Xingran, who was in third place, was only 0.2 points, with Gu Liyu in first.
He finally removed another sandbag, making the weight on both arms consistent.
In these final five shots, even the onlookers and coaches who were unaware of the “emotional entanglements” between them could feel the extremely tense atmosphere on the scene.
It felt as if their hearts were being crushed, blood flowing less freely.
An Lan followed the target at a steady pace, the weight on his body unchanged, which was his advantage.
At the moment when his movement and the target’s speed became one, he pulled the trigger, scoring 10.5! This was his best performance so far.
The assistant coaches were eager to applaud, but to avoid affecting others’ matches, they had to forcibly restrain themselves.
Next was Gu Liyu; the weight on his arms was the same, and even lighter than others—10.5.
Xiao Chen and Xu Xingran both scored above 10.
Then it was An Lan’s turn, 10.6. His coach, who knew him well, smiled; in his view, An Lan was finally entering the state of “coming from behind to take the lead.”
Gu Liyu once again steadily scored 10.5.
Xu Xingran quietly took a breath, then exhaled, focusing on the target. His eyes sharpened, 10.7 —the highest score of the entire match. Moreover, it was achieved with uneven weight on his arms. Xiao Chen scored 10.2, allowing Xu Xingran to smoothly catch up to the second position.
Everyone became tense, wondering about the final three shots; Xu Xingran might actually turn the tables.
For An Lan, the outcome was no longer important. This practice match was more about regaining his form.
His mind was calm now, his thoughts free, not distracted by others or anything else. Only his target. The third shot scored 10.6.
The coaches were stunned. A high score for one or two shots could indicate good sensitivity, but An Lan had consecutively scored above 10 rings for three shots, demonstrating excellent form.
Gu Liyu’s posture remained unchanged, seemingly unaffected by Xu Xingran’s performance. His third shot stabilized at 10.4.
Author’s note:
Xu Xingran, the mischievous one, are you still thinking about him?
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