I just can't bring myself to do it.

Soon after, the sound of applause and cheerful noise erupted all around, jolting Chu Qingchan and the others out of their shock—especially Zhang Qingzhen, whose hands were trembling. Damn it… I’m completely stunned! He really played the fool only to show his true strength!

But as everyone turned their eyes to Xu Lin, the sharpness in his gaze suddenly faded away, and he let out a long breath. It was as if all the strength had been drained from his body; he began to tilt backward, but before he could feel the embrace of the concrete floor, two arms caught him.

“Impressive,” came Chu Fengyi’s voice from behind. Xu Lin, in his daze, felt his head clear and steadied himself.

“Thanks, but I honestly don’t know how I shot so accurately,” he replied.

“You rascal, you put on a show and then act all humble? Master is very disappointed in you,” she teased.

“I really have no idea how I released that arrow. I just feel a bit sleepy,” he murmured.

“You can sleep when we get back,” Chu Fengyi flicked his forehead, set him upright, and let go of him.

Xu Lin turned around, stifled a yawn, and looked at Chu Fengyi. Somehow, she seemed different from usual in his eyes—softer, less fierce.

“What’s with that look?” Chu Fengyi asked, meeting his gaze.

“You don’t seem as intimidating as before,” he said.

“Get lost!”

“Now that’s more like it,” Xu Lin grinned and walked over to Zhang Qingzhen, who stood awkwardly, unsure what to say. Xu Lin spoke first, casually, “Mr. Zhang, sorry for stealing your thunder today.”

“It’s nothing, really,” Zhang Qingzhen replied, surprised—he’d thought the young man would taunt him. Suddenly, he felt a little embarrassed. From the start, this young man had been nothing but polite, and even when provoked, he’d only smiled. At nearly forty, Zhang Qingzhen realized his own temperament was still childish. He’d lost, not just in archery, but in demeanor as well.

“Brother Xu, I have some matters to attend to. You all go ahead and enjoy yourselves,” Zhang Qingzhen said.

“Alright,” Xu Lin nodded. Zhang Qingzhen, avoiding Ye Qinleng’s gaze, shook out his numb hand and left quickly.

As Xu Lin returned to his seat, Peony threw herself at him. “Brother, you were amazing!”

“Not at all, I was just shooting blindly.”

“Some blind shooting—you embarrassed the boss so much he had to leave. That’s what I call being prepared,” Chu Qingchan remarked.

Xu Lin could only offer a helpless smile. He really hadn’t been prepared at all! He still didn’t know how he’d done it. In that moment, he’d only been aware of two things: that he needed to draw the bowstring, and that he would hit the mark.

“He just had something to do. President Ye, aren’t you going to give it a try?”

“Mama, I haven’t seen you shoot yet!”

“I don’t know how.”

“Mama~ I want to watch you play.”

“Alright, just two arrows.”

“Yay!”

Ye Qinleng walked toward the archery range. The three of them watched her back, all sighing—he out of admiration for a figure like hers, while Chu Qingchan and Chu Fengyi felt a mix of envy, the latter recalling her own dreams where she hadn’t been so petite.

“Brother, your hand’s bleeding,” Peony said.

“Hm?” He looked down; her small hands were gently holding his finger. There was a wound on the inside of his index finger, blood oozing from a flap of raised skin.

“I didn’t even notice. I must’ve scraped it during those shots—maybe I didn’t wear the guard properly.”

“Are you hurt?” Chu Qingchan called over, about to ask a staff member for some antiseptic and a bandage.

But Chu Fengyi quickly got up, dashed away, and returned within seconds. She squatted beside Xu Lin, took his hand, rinsed the wound with antiseptic, dabbed on some ointment, and carefully wrapped his finger with a bandage.

Xu Lin glanced down at her face, surprised by this rare tenderness, but did not refuse her care.

To the side, Chu Qingchan watched them, sensing that something was off. Was there something between those two? Chu Fengyi was usually so tough; if she wasn’t hitting people, she barely cared about them. Now here she was, squatting and tending to a man’s wound?

This wasn’t right. Their glances at each other weren’t right either. She was the one who’d known him first, after all… Wait, what was she thinking? Even Chu Qingchan realized her mind was becoming a mess—unaware that Chu Fengyi’s own thoughts were in even greater disarray.

She didn’t know why, but hearing that Xu Lin was hurt had made her anxious and concerned.

It was strange. Or perhaps, since Xu Lin had begun shooting, she hadn’t felt quite like herself, unable to control her emotions.

“Xu Lin… Sis, I’m not feeling so well. Can we head back early to rest?” Chu Fengyi stood, secretly pinched her thigh, and sat back down, closing her eyes.

Chu Qingchan frowned at her. Since they were children, she’d never heard her little sister say she wasn’t feeling well.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, moving closer. They’d had their disagreements, but seeing her sister like this made her uneasy as well.

“Just a bit tired.” Hearing her sister’s gentle tone seemed to calm Chu Fengyi’s emotions. She slowly leaned on her sister’s shoulder.

“Alright, just rest for a while.” Chu Qingchan took her sister’s hand in hers, just as she had when they were little.

Watching the sisters, Xu Lin felt genuinely happy—happier than he’d been showing off with his archery. Though it was quite possible that by tomorrow, once Chu Fengyi returned to her usual self, she’d be that fierce beauty again.

When Ye Qinleng finished shooting, she saw Chu Fengyi’s state and offered to return to the hotel to rest. After sending a message to their host, Mr. Zhang, to say their goodbyes, he didn’t come out to see them off, but before they left, his staff brought them plenty of food and drinks, as well as various toys, accessories, and clothes for Peony.

Xu Lin thought to himself that this man was truly earnest in his courtship—much more so than someone like him, who only occasionally tried to win favor as a half-hearted flirt.

“Xu Lin, are you curious why I never accepted him?” Ye Qinleng asked.

“I’m curious, but I don’t need to know,” Xu Lin replied offhandedly. He was curious, but he wasn’t one to pry.

“I like that answer. Once you graduate, would you like to work for my company?”

“That’s a long way off. I’m still in high school.”

“You’re only in high school? I knew you were a student, but I didn’t expect you to be that young.”

Ye Qinleng gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. She was a woman and not young anymore; now that there was a man she could possibly trust, she did want to give it a try—for herself and for her child to have a father. But a high schooler… that was too much. She couldn’t bring herself to do it.

With a soft sigh, the car rolled gently out of the paddock. In the back seat, Chu Fengyi had fallen asleep at some point, and that familiar dream began to entwine her once again.