Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales

Lin Zhiyun had changed from the disposable chopsticks to knives, throwing to hit a target not far away. Even though her accuracy wasn’t great, her grip was much steadier.

Yang Ming noticed that she must have worked hard. When Yang Ming left home, she should have been practicing the whole time until Chen Mengyan came home.

“I can’t do it; it is already very good if I can hit the target, let alone hitting the bull’s eye. In most cases, I miss it.” After dinner, Lin Zhiyun, Chen Mengyan, and Yang Ming came to the garage at the back of the villa again to practicing the target hitting. Lin Zhiyun missed twice, and she shook her head a little, feeling guilty.

The garage was very large. Chen Mengyan’s car wasn’t here yet. Even if it were here, the garage still would have a lot of space. Lin Zhiyun was afraid to accidentally damage the furniture and the floor at home during her knife-throwing. After all, knife-throwing and disposable chopsticks were not similar. The chopsticks were wooden and very light. Even if it scratched the furniture and dropped on the floor, it would not cause any damage.

But knife-throwing was different. The knife was sharp. Whether it touched the furniture or the floor, it would always cause certain damage, leaving a scratch or a pit.

“It doesn’t matter. You just have to throw it out.” Yang Ming smiled and comforted her, “As long as you throw the knife out, I can adjust to your knife-throwing direction and let it fall on the apple above my head accurately.”

“But that’s too dangerous!” Lin Zhiyun was shocked.

“Didn’t you experiment with disposable chopsticks yesterday, and it was fine, right?” Yang Ming didn’t care but waved his hand. “So, it’s the same.”

“Disposable chopsticks are disposable chopsticks with no lethality to it. Knife-throwing is different. If I made a mistake…” Lin Zhiyun didn’t dare to think of it.

“How can you make a mistake? The control is on my side. If I’m confident, I will receive it. If I’m not certain, I won’t force myself to receive it, right? Am I stupid?” Yang Ming smiled. “Do you really think that I’m so mighty? Will I sacrifice myself for art? It is just a campus art festival. Even if I screwed it up, what will happen?”

“But… I still don’t dare…” Lin Zhiyun had no psychological obstacle with knife-throwing at targets, but to throw a knife at Yang Ming, it was entirely different. It was impossible to consider them the same.

“How about this? Mengyan, you are the sister; you should lead by example and give her a demonstration, right?” Yang Ming looked at Chen Mengyan.

“Me?” How would Chen Mengyan dare to throw a knife? She immediately waved her hands. “Are you kidding me? I’m not as good as Sister Lin. She also practiced for a while. I have not even practice once. I might hurt you.”

“It’s okay.” Yang Ming couldn’t help but put a throwing knife in Chen Mengyan’s hands and said to her, “Zhiyun is timid. If you don’t give her a role model, how can you be a good sister?”

“That’s not the way to do it…” Chen Mengyan lowered her eyes and couldn’t help it. She had to pick up the throwing knife from Yang Ming and gauged the weight with her hand. Then, she said, “Be careful…”

In fact, Chen Mengyan did knife-throwing in the past. Chen Fei had transferred from the army. When Chen Mengyan was young, and before Chen Fei changed his career, he often brought Chen Mengyan to target practice. However, since ammunition was limited, Chen Fei could not take it casually. He also played things like knife-throwing, but that was a long time ago. Chen Mengyan didn’t know if she was as accurate when she was a child.

Holding the throwing knife in her hand, she felt a good grip on it. Chen Mengyan was more at ease deep down in her heart. She could at least grasp the previous feeling she had in the past. In fact, whether it was knife-throwing or shooting, the feeling of it was very important. If you can’t get a sense of it, you can forget about accuracy.

Chen Mengyan took a breath and threw the knife out. The target was certainly not Yang Ming, but a wooden target not far away. It was a pity that the knife thrown was off target as it did not penetrate the target.

“Sister Mengyan, you are really amazing!” Lin Zhiyun looked at Chen Mengyan with amazement. “Your first throw is much better than mine. You just brushed against the target. I didn’t even touch the target.”

Chen Mengyan was a little embarrassed. She was trained when she was a child. How could she compare with Lin Zhiyun who had never touched it before? Chen Mengyan picked up the throwing knife again. She got serious this time, holding her breath when she threw her knife at the target…

Lin Zhiyun wasn’t clear about it, but Yang Ming was certainly aware. As he observed Chen Mengyan’s movements, it was much more standard than Lin Zhiyun. No matter if it were the strength or the angle of the throwing, it was better off than Lin Zhiyun. Yang Ming could determine that Chen Mengyan had definitely played with similar things before. Even if it were not knife throwing, it could be dart throwing.

However, Yang Ming did not think that there was anything strange, given Uncle Chen’s career.

” Pak ,” the throwing knife was inserted in the wooden target not far away. The remaining force vibrated the knife handle. Yang Ming was surprised, but not really shocked because Yang Ming got a general understanding of Chen Mengyan’s strength from the first knife she threw. Probably, she hadn’t throw one for a long time, so her accuracy was not good. It was not surprising that she could hit the target on her second throw.

On the other hand, Lin Zhiyun was surprised, and her eyes opened widely. She looked at Chen Mengyan incredulously, “Sister Mengyan, you are so powerful!”

Chen Mengyan wouldn’t be as thick-skinned as Yang Ming. She waved her hand, blushing and smiling. “When I was young, I practiced this with my dad in the army, but I haven’t touched it in many years. It’s a little rusty.”

” Ah … it turns out to be like this. I thought I’m dumb…” Lin Zhiyun was stunned. She really felt that she couldn’t match at anything better than Chen Mengyan. Not only was she not as good at running a company as Chen Mengyan, she even lost in knife-throwing to Chen Mengyan. Now, listening to Chen Mengyan’s explanation, she was relieved.

Yang Ming was shocked. He thought, Luckily, Chen Mengyan explained this timely . Yang Ming knew that Lin Zhiyun was a girl with a deep sore point. She always felt that she could not do it. She didn’t have self-confidence, so Yang Ming didn’t know which little thing would damage her self-esteem. Now, Chen Mengyan took the initiative to explain it, so it also let Lin Zhiyun resolve her sore point.

“How are you stupid? When I was a child, I played every day. I almost forgot about it. You have been practicing for two days, and you can get the current results. It is very good.” Chen Mengyan praised her.

“Sister Mengyan, how about you go on stage with Yang Ming?” Lin Zhiyun hesitated and spoke up. She had this idea just now. When she saw that Chen Mengyan’s knife-throwing was indeed much better than her, her thoughts of it grew even stronger.

“Why should I perform on stage?” Chen Mengyan hurriedly waved her hand. “I’m the Student Union Vice President of the School of Economics and Management. During the art festival, I’m participating in the chorus performance for the School of Economics and Management. How can I be free?”

“That is true…” Lin Zhiyun nodded. “I have forgotten this. Your Student Union will have a big chorus.”

“Alright, Zhiyun. You are basically almost there. As long as you can throw the knife, the accuracy does not matter. I can shoulder everything. Let’s start the actual exercise now.” Yang Ming put an apple on his head and said to Lin Zhiyun.

” Ah ? Starting right now?” Lin Zhiyun was obviously a little scared.

“Yes, we’ll start now. Take me as a target. Come, Mengyan. You should be an example first.” Yang Ming waved to Chen Mengyan.

Chen Mengyan couldn’t help it. She knew that if she didn’t make a start, it would be delayed longer with Lin Zhiyun’s temper. However, time was running out. The more Zhiyun delayed in practice, the easier it would be for accidents to happen when they were on stage. It was better off to practice at home first, rather than making a mistake by at that time.

Lin Zhiyun gritted her teeth and picked up a throwing knife. Then she said to Yang Ming, “Alright, then I will throw now. Please be careful.”

” En , just throw it.” Yang Ming shrugged indifferently. “Let’s relax. I’m fine.”

Chen Mengyan did not dare to neglect and deliberately threw the knife in a slightly off-angle because she was afraid to hurt Yang Ming. However, after throwing the knife, her heart inevitably trembled a little. She knew that this height would not hurt Yang Ming, but she still felt a little guilty. She stared unblinkingly at the knife she just threw.

Yang Ming looked at the direction of Chen Mengyan’s knife-throwing and felt somewhat helpless. Isn’t this too high? If you threw it lower, I could catch it as soon as I leaned over, but at this height…

Yang Ming couldn’t help it. He had to jump at the moment the throwing knife came over. The throwing knife pierced into the apple directly. Yang Ming also landed firmly on the ground.

Yang Ming breathed a sigh of relief. If the training in Europe wasn’t more abnormal than this, I am afraid that I can’t catch the throwing knife. If I jump a little lower, I will miss it. If the jump is a little higher, the throwing knife will shoot into my head…

Looking at Yang Ming’s dangerous action, Chen Mengyan really regretted it. Why did I throw it so high? If I knew that Yang Ming would intercept the knife thrown in this way, I would rather take the risk to throw it lower. It’s always better than Yang Ming jumping up to connect with it!

Yang Ming smiled and took the apple on the head, cut it with a knife, handed half of it to Chen Mengyan, and half of it to Lin Zhiyun. “Eat the apple. Zhiyun, take a look. Nothing happened, right? Sister Mengyan threw it so high, and I still caught it easily.”

Lin Zhiyun naturally also saw the danger just now. She also knew that nothing happened to Yang Ming. Looking at his relaxed appearance, Lin Zhiyun was relieved. As long as she did not diverge too much, Yang Ming should have no problem to catch it.

After having the apple, Lin Zhiyun was bold due to Chen Mengyan’s demonstration previously. She knew that she would have to take this step sooner or later. It was the problem of doing it earlier or later, but now if she didn’t take the time to practice, there was really no time.

In the beginning, Lin Zhiyun was still careful, for fear of hurting Yang Ming. But later, after seeing Yang Ming catching it easily, and it didn’t seem like a big deal, Lin Zhiyun also let go in her heart. She also threw it casually.

However, the more casual it was, the more smoothly Yang Ming could catch it. It seemed that mentality was the most important in many situations.

Lin Zhiyun was very skilled with it by the time she went to bed. Without the previous timidity, she could easily throw the knife out. However, they just wasted a table full of apples.

Lin Zhiyun was not short of money now, but deep in her mindset, she was still frugal and cherished things. When she saw a table of cut apples, she felt distressed. “There are so many. Can we finish them? They are all cut and will rot very soon…”

Yang Ming knew Lin Zhiyun’s character. Naturally, it was impossible to toss them away directly. It would make Lin Zhiyun feel bad, but he couldn’t think of a good way. Even if he could eat more, he could only eat up to four or five apples. With Lin Zhiyun and Chen Mengyan trying their best to eat them, they could only eat two or three apples. There were dozens of apples. How was it possible to finish them?

When Yang Ming and Lin Zhiyun were troubled, Chen Mengyan smiled and said, “Isn’t it simple? When I was young, my mother always prepared canned fruit for me. I will go and preserve these apples, freeze them in the refrigerator, and store them in small plastic storage boxes one by one. Sister Lin and I can attend university with a box of it every day. We can finish eating it in a few days!”

“That is a brilliant idea!” Yang Ming nodded after listening. Yang Ming’s mother also used this method too. Yang Ming, as a chauvinistic man, did not put these things in the heart, but he didn’t expect Chen Mengyan’s words. “I didn’t expect you also to know how to prepare canned food.”

“What’s hard about it?” Chen Mengyan grinned. “Do I know nothing like you? Preparing canned foods is very simple. You can cook them with syrup. Let’s go, Sister Lin. Let’s get it done. Yang Ming, you should go to sleep first. Don’t wait for us.”

Yang Ming thought, If you don’t stay with me, how can I sleep? It’s hard for me to return home for two days. How can I go to sleep by myself?

“I will help you…” Yang Ming had to participate in the work. “Although you don’t need me for the details, you still need someone strong, right? It will take you a while to carry so many apples into the kitchen. If I help you, it will only take one run.”

“That’s true.” Chen Mengyan nodded. “Then, we’ll give you a chance to be our laborer.”

Yang Ming broke into a sweat. I even need an opportunity to be your laborer… It is not easy to serve beautiful women.

Yang Ming found a large paper box. He loaded the apples on the table together with Chen Mengyan and Lin Zhiyun. Then, Yang Ming walked in the direction of the kitchen with the box.

The rest of the work had nothing to do with Yang Ming. Chen Mengyan and Lin Zhiyun peeled off the apple skins first and then cut them into small pieces. They threw the apple core away before putting the apples into a basin. Finally, they put them into the pot to cook them.

Yang Ming found that the cooperation between Chen Mengyan and Lin Zhiyun was very tacit. Most probably, the two of them often cooked, studied, and lived together.

“It’s done. We just need to set the timer and wait a little while. Then we will pack them into a box.” Chen Mengyan said while washing her hands.

“Let’s stay in the living room for a while and watch TV.” Yang Ming saw that Lin Zhiyun still wanted to clean up the kitchen. Then he took her hand and pushed her into the living room.

Chen Mengyan turned on the TV and found that the TV broadcast was about the promotion of Shu Ya’s new album. Chen Mengyan and Lin Zhiyun usually watched the entertainment channels on TV. So, once they switched on the TV, they didn’t have to change the channel. Chen Mengyan saw that it was Shu Ya’s news, and she put the remote control aside. She hugged her leg as she sat on the sofa, watching it with Yang Ming and Lin Zhiyun.

“Sometimes, it feels so unreal. It is hard to imagine that Su Ya on TV will be a member of our family…” Chen Mengyan said with some emotion, “She is very distant for the others, but she is so close to us. We just sent a text message yesterday.”

Yang Ming was very grateful to Chen Mengyan for her current attitude and mood. She could say this which helped Yang Ming breathe a sigh of relief. Chen Mengyan never seemed to be jealous of Su Ya. This made Yang Ming quite surprised.

“You still keep in touch.” Yang Ming smiled. “Is there anyone in the university looking for Little Ya’s autograph?”

“Why not? The classmates knew that the company I am working for now invited Shu Ya to be the spokesperson. They all wanted to get her autograph…” Chen Mengyan said, “I’m a little annoyed…”

” Hehe , I thought they saw you singing with Little Ya.” Yang Ming smiled. “You said you are working in the company? Didn’t you say the company is your own?”

“Who can remember the concert? There were not many students watching.” Chen Mengyan shook her head. “As for the company’s business, I don’t want to say too much so as not to make others jealous.”

Yang Ming did not comment further after hearing Chen Mengyan say this. In fact, there was nothing wrong with keeping a low profile in the university, so as not to cause some jealousy out of nowhere.

In the kitchen came the sound of the electronic cooktop timer. Chen Mengyan got up to get the can. Yang Ming and Lin Zhiyun went to help. Chen Mengyan bought a bunch of small plastic boxes sometime in the past. Each of them was very convenient for storing food. They all sealed up properly.

……

Early the next morning, Yang Ming first sent Lin Zhiyun and Chen Mengyan to the university and then waited downstairs from the dormitory building for Jing Xiaolu to come down and head to the company.

Jing Xiaolu was still on time. Yang Ming did not speak up and changed his seat, letting let her sit at the driver’s seat. Jing Xiaolu did not reject it and drove directly to the company.

“You have dressed up on purpose?” Yang Ming looked at Jing Xiaolu on the side and saw a little difference. After being scolded by Yang Ming, Jing Xiaolu generally did not put on makeup. However, today, she had carefully put her natural makeup, which made her skin look more moist. She also carefully curled her eyelashes and coifed her hair carefully.

“It seems that you still pay a lot of attention to me.” Jing Xiaolu could not help but feel proud.

Yang Ming was speechless. This Jing Xiaolu is really. .. Yang Ming coughed. “Nonsense. There is a cosmetic fragrance on your face. I can certainly smell it when you are so close.”

Jing Xiaolu didn’t care, turned her head, and winked. “Am I good-looking?”

“Still alright.” Yang Ming replied casually, “But don’t waste time on it.”

Jing Xiaolu looked at Yang Ming with annoyance and complained, “I’m being considerate that you stuck up for me today. How can I not dress myself up? I can’t lose your face!”

“Isn’t it just for you speaking on stage?” Yang Ming shrugged, but thinking that Bao Sanli would announce the appointment today, Jing Xiaolu would be the focus of everyone. It would be better to dress up, so he didn’t say anything more.

Jing Xiaolu stuck out her tongue and just wanted to say something. Suddenly, she was surprised and pointed in the direction not far away. “Hey? Isn’t that Wang Xiaoran and Yu Chi?”