Chapter 6

Though the boy nearly accused him of bullying, Guan Shanyan didn’t hold back.
He raised his wrist, releasing the arrow. It flew as casually as before, perfectly hitting the center of the jar.
The crowd erupted in cheers for four consecutive hits. The little boy’s face flushed with anger. “Professional players aren’t allowed!”
Guan Shanyan calmly held the last arrow. “I’m not a professional.”
“I can vouch!” a girl with a staff badge said, raising her hand. “He’s a designer, I follow his Weibo!”
“Thank you,” Guan Shanyan said politely, then expertly shot the final arrow into the special jar.
“Wow! Incredible! All five in a row!”
“Yeah, and he made it look so effortless!”
“The performance was amazing, he should come try this a few more times!”
Everyone began praising him. Even the staff running the ring toss were stunned by Guan Shanyan’s skill. This handsome guy, who looked like just a pretty face, had effortlessly hit all five arrows!
“This cat plushie is yours now,” the staff said, handing the plushie from the display to Guan Shanyan.
The little boy who had been watching for so long stared at the plushie in his hand, then watched as he gave it to Shen Youwei.
Shen Youwei hugged the plushie, squeezing it with delight. “Thank you!”
The little boy was furious. “You lied! Didn’t you say your sister is a kid too?!”
Guan Shanyan turned calmly toward him. “She is a kid.”
“No kid is that big!”
The boy’s eyes reddened with frustration. His mother, standing beside him, called his name and said, “Alright, you must accept the loss. This time, someone else won.”
“Hmph!” The boy snorted at Guan Shanyan, still unwilling to concede. “I’ll beat you when I grow up! Mom, let’s go!”
He dragged his mother away. Shen Youwei, clutching her plushie, moved to another spot with Guan Shanyan.
“Have you been secretly practicing ring toss?” Shen Youwei asked, genuinely curious. Earlier, he had stood there like a human machine, tossing arrows with perfect precision.
Guan Shanyan looked even more surprised. “Who wouldn’t practice this for fun?”
“Uh” Shen Youwei squeezed the plushie. “But how did you hit every single shot? You’re not supernaturally gifted, are you?”
It was a shame the Olympics didn’t have this event, he’d be a shoo-in for the national team.
Guan Shanyan was silent for a moment, then said, “I control it with my mind.”
“Huh?” Shen Youwei froze. “Your mind? You mean, superpowers?”
“Something like that. Mind control is much more precise than using your hands, which is why I can hit every arrow.”
“…” Shen Youwei laughed. “Hm, that’s interesting.”
Guan Shanyan said nothing. Sometimes, the truth just isn’t believed.
Using such a trick against a little kid, though, was a bit unfair.
“I still have a voucher for sugar-fried buns. You find a spot to rest; I’ll go get them.” Guan Shanyan said, turning toward the stall.
Shen Youwei watched him go, her gaze dropping to the cat plushie he had given her.
Guan Shanyan was always like this.
Since childhood, he had been kind and protective. Add in his good character and handsome looks, and it was easy to fall for him.
Even now, after rejecting her confession, he still treated her this well.
Was this the instinct of an older brother?
Thinking about him as a “brother,” Shen Youwei couldn’t help but smile. He was clever, surely he could distinguish between sibling affection and something more.
Tsk, men’s hearts are truly unfathomable.
“Excuse me, can you take a photo for us?” a little girl approached Shen Youwei, calling out.
Shen Youwei looked down at her. “Sure, where?”
“Over there!” The girl pointed to a nearby spot with fewer people and blooming peach blossoms, perfect for photos. “That’s my mom.”
“Okay.” Shen Youwei walked over with them, taking a few group shots with the mother’s phone. “Do these look good?”
The mother checked the photos, pleasantly surprised. “Wow, these are so good!”
“Ha, thanks. My work is related to photography, so I’ve learned all the shooting and editing techniques,” Shen Youwei said. Since becoming a style influencer, she had mastered photography, editing, and post-production.
“Can you take a few more here by this tree?”
“Sure.” Shen Youwei snapped a few more shots. The mother and daughter were thrilled, and the little girl even gave her a candy as thanks.
Shen Youwei put the candy in her jacket pocket and glanced toward the event. It was still crowded, and since Guan Shanyan hadn’t returned yet, she decided to take a few pictures herself.
She placed the cat plushie she was holding on a branch of the peach tree, snapping some “spring outing” photos of it.
The sunlight was brighter than earlier, and the blossoms were vivid. The little black cat plush surprisingly looked great in the photos.
After photographing the plushie, Shen Youwei stood under the tree and took some selfies.
“Should’ve brought my selfie stick,” she muttered. Without it, the framing was limited. She took a few more shots and then reviewed them in her gallery.
“This one’s not bad. Not surprising, it’s me.” she said, saving it for later editing.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached. Shen Youwei turned with her phone, but a sharp pain shot through her abdomen.
“Shen Youwei, if you won’t let me live, then die!”
The voice came from nearby. Shen Youwei lowered her head, seeing a dagger plunged into her stomach.
Before she could react, her vision shifted sharply. She saw herself in the phone’s selfie camera.
She froze and instinctively looked down at her abdomen.
There was no dagger.
What’s happening?
Did she just dream it?
Shen Youwei’s mind went blank. She was holding her phone, standing under a peach tree, taking selfies.
No.
The Peach Blossom Festival was still ongoing in the distance. The clown music echoed around. Under the trees, many visitors were taking photos, sunlight warming their smiling faces. Everything seemed normal.
But the stabbing pain had felt so real. If it were just a dream, why would it hurt so much?
She instinctively gripped her phone. This had happened long ago too, when she fell from Qingjing Mountain.
Suddenly, her senses tensed. She spun around and saw a man sneaking a look at her.
Startled by her sudden glance, he tightened the dagger hidden in his clothes and charged at her.
Shen Youwei froze, ready to run, but before she could move, Guan Shanyan leapt out from the side, grabbed the man’s right wrist, forcing the dagger to drop, and then kicked him squarely in the chest, sending him flying.
It all happened so fast. In a few seconds, the man was on the ground, unable to get up.
“Call the police.” Guan Shanyan, still holding the sugar-fried buns he had just exchanged, said to Shen Youwei.