70.
In the evening, Zhou Mengyu was unusually free. As long as things weren’t in disorder, there weren’t many classes during his junior year, there weren’t many classes during his junior year, especially for the last class of the day, which was basically always free.
The dormitory was quite full, and Zhou Mengyu suggested going out for barbecue.
Liang Pei actually refused, “No time, club activities.”
Zhou Mengyu and the junior brother sat up in bed simultaneously, the two of them saying in unison, “Oh! The shooting club is recruiting today!”
This was a big deal.
It was said that the founder of the shooting club was a rich second-gen, just a personal hobby.
Nanjing University, of course, didn’t have a proper shooting facility or anything, so the rich second gen just waved their hands and built one.
Of course, these are just rumors, and whether they’re true or not, the current Nanjing University students have no way of verifying them.
But the fact is, the shooting club is completely on a different level from other student clubs in the school. Other clubs have to go out and raise sponsors, organize activities on time, and deal with various school-related troubles. Meanwhile, the shooting club is like a paradise, not too different from real clubs outside the school.
Usually, club activities are held indoors, and members enter by swiping their membership cards.
However, the competition selection for new members is set up on the playground, where everyone can watch.
Liang Pei didn’t need to compete, as he had already been admitted to the club because of his face. But because he was admitted this was, he also had to take on some responsibility.
71.
Zhou Mengyu and the junior brother each brought a pancake.
Zhou Mengyu added extra spicy strips, a chicken skewer, a roasted sausage, and a slice of tenderloin with more sauce, while the junior brother, wanting to lose weight, asked for no thin crisp and no fried dough sticks, and requested more lettuce with no sauce. People who are on a diet are really miserable.
The two of the, clutching their pancakes, followed behind Liang Pei.
Liang Pei changed into casual pants with a very casual short-sleeved top.
Zhou Mengyu whispered, “I thought you had to change into special clothes.”
Liang Pei laughed when he heard, “It’s not a professional competition, just playing around for fun.”
Zhou Mengyu saw him pick up a bow and asked with great curiosity, “Can you shoot arrows? I thought you were going to shoot a gun. I don’t know why, but I always felt that archery was cooler than shooting.”
“Really? I think shooting is cooler. Which man wouldn’t like to play with guns!” the junior brother chimed in.
“You don’t understand, it’s just…” Zhou Mengyu paused.
He witnessed Liang Pei casually drawing an arrow from the quiver, notching it onto the bowstring, the muscles on his forearm tensed slightly, as if he hadn’t aimed for very long. “Whoosh!” The arrow flew away.
Zhou Mengyu didn’t quite understand how far the target was, but from where they stood, they couldn’t see where the arrow had landed.
But soon, an excited shout came from the sports field.
“Wow! Who’s that?! Nine rings! Awesome!”
“You get it?” Zhou Mengyu looked at his junior.
The junior almost felt his heart flutter. He nodded repeatedly, “I get it.”
Damn, he’s really handsome, handsome to the point of making legs weak.
Shooting is straightforward- raise your hand, aim, and boom, it’s done. But archery is different. Drawing the arrow, nocking the biwstring, pulling the bow- watching his sequence of actions makes one’s heart itch.
72.
It wasn’t yet five o’clock, the sun hadn’t set, and not many people were walking around the sports field, but the onlookers were growing more and more. The match didn’t start until five.
Any later, and it would start to get dark.
5 p.m. is the time when seasoned members of the shooting club show off their skills and pride.
Liang Pei secured a pass directly without winning the competition, and it’s bound to upset some people.
This question was asked to Liang Pei when the club gave him a membership card. If he had any objections, he could also enter through the competition process.
As a result, Liang Pei didn’t care what others thought of him. He was too lazy to compete when asked; he simply took the membership card and left.
Now, quite a few senior members are coming over to “spar.”
Liang Pei accepts everyone, stringing one arrow after another onto his bow.
Of course, he’s not at a level that’s too impressive either. Otherwise, he would have gone to the Olympics, not to mention attending university. His average is around seven or eight rings, occasionally he might even get four or five, or even lower. Similarly, the others in the club are not at a level that’s too impressive either.
His effortless demeanor is truly convincing.
Zhou Mengyu and his junior were stunned, while quite unrefinedly gnawing on pancakes in public, the two kept exclaiming how incredibly handsome Liang Pei was.
Junior: “I want to be roommates with Liang Pei again in the next life.”
Zhou Mengyu: “I want to be roommates with Liang Pei again in the next life.”
73.
After the competition started, it was no longer Liang Pei’s concern. The junior brother still wanted to continue watching, after all, he was a single, delicate virgin who still harbored some thoughts of seeking a partner.
But Zhou Mengyu was simply there to see Liang Pei, uninterested in the shooting club’s competition.
The two stepped out of the crowd.
Zhou Mengyu seemed clearly interested in archery. Liang Pei held the membership card. “Want to give it a try?”
Of course, who wouldn’t want to try something this handsome!
Liang Pei swiped the card. “Beep,” the mechanical electronic voice said emotionlessly, “welcome.”
There were people in the venue as well, but their club members weren’t close to each other. Indeed, it wasn’t like other clubs where everyone did everything together and knew each other well.
Liang Pei ignored others and led Zhou Mengyu to the archery range.
Zhou Mengyu watched as Liang Pei effortlessly picked up the bow, but when he took it himself, he nearly lost his balance. “Damn, it’s this heavy?”
Liang Pei weighed it in his hands. “Less than three pounds.”
Zhou Mengyu narrowed his eyes. “I suspect you’re mocking me.”
Liang Pei smirked.
74.
Zhou Mengyu is a weakling in physical strength, having never handled such things before.
Liang Pei almost encircled him from behind, supporting his left hand with his left to hold the bow, and placing his right hand on his right to help pull the string.
Suddenly, it felt much easier than doing it alone.
Liang Pei only lent a little assistance; aiming was still up to him.
Aim, focus, focus, focus. How the hell can you hit the target with this???
Zhou Mengyu, consumed by incompetence and fury, gave up on all pretense and shot it off.
At least it went through the air, didn’t just fall to the ground! Zhou Mengyu was already quite satisfied.
He turned to Liang Pei, his expression brimming with anticipation, his eyes almost sparkling, “What score?”
Liang Pei was very close to him.
When Zhou Mengyu turned around like that, their noses almost grazed each other.
Liang Pei frowned and subconsciously shifted to the side.
“Which ring? I wouldn’t be hurt even if it’s the first rings, just say it!” Zhou Mengyu urged.
Liang Pei exhaled a faint breath through his nose, his voice taking on a subtle lower tone, “You missed.”
75.
……
Zhou Mengyu cleared his throat and turned his head back, “You know, everyone has their first time. Don’t laugh at every fool who dares to try. I’ll definitely aim for a bullseye next time.”
Liang Pei had already stepped to the side, no longer assisting him in holding the bow and drawing the string.
Zhou Mengyu found it quite difficult himself; after shooting several arrows, he hadn’t even hit the target.
Moreover, his arms were getting increasingly sore, and his shots were becoming more and more way off target. If this continued, he would soon be shooting at someone else’s target.
Zhou Mengyu was in tears but had no choice but to admit that some things couldn’t be forced.
So, his hand holding the bow trembled slightly- strongly, and sincerely- he looked at Liang Pei, who was sitting in the chair beside him, hands in his pockets, watching him embarrass himself. “Hero, I have a wish. Before my hand gets too sore to hold this bow. I want to experience what it feels like to hit the target.”
Liang Pei watched him with an ambiguous expression for a moment.
He got up and approached, in the familiar posture, the two pressed close together.
Zhou Mengyu regained his spirits, and as soon as he did, he started talking incoherently, “Hero, with your help, I feel as if a bright path has been carved through this dark world. It’s truly like having divine assistance! I think I’ve become a marksman who hits every shot… ow, wait, this isn’t a gun…”
“How many rings?” Liang Pei cut him off.
Zhou Mengyu suddenly fell silent, and the two of them remained in silence for a moment.
For some reason, it was quite strange, maintaining this very intimate posture, they remained silent for a moment.
76.
Zhou Mengyu licked his lips, “Since you asked, you must be prepared for me to say ten rings.”
Liang Pei’s breath was near Zhou Mengyu’s ear, he chuckled, “Since I asked, it’s to let you say ten rings.”
Zhou Mengyu paused for a moment, his voice a bit soft, “Sir, I want the ten rings.”
This time, Zhou Mengyu obviously felt that Liang Pei’s state was different.
It was completely different from the first time when he only lent a little bit of strength. Liang Pei held him entirely in his arms, pulled the string with his hand, using so much force that Zhou Mengyu could even feel a bit of pain.
Feeling controlled, feeling passive, feeling…
Zhou Mengyu took a sharp breath.
With a “whoosh”, the taut string snapped suddenly, and the arrow shot out at high speed. Zhou Mengyu could almost immediately hear the sound of “ding.”
Liang Pei still held him. Zhou Mengyu didn’t turn around this time. “Which ring?”
Liang Pei’s voice was also low, right by his ear, “Ten rings.”
