Genius Playground

Jiang Ran and Nan Xiuxiu met each other’s gaze in silence.

For a moment, he found himself at a loss for how to refute Nan Xiuxiu.

Or perhaps, it was precisely because of his prejudice that he always wanted to argue with this strange girl about everything.

Even when... most of the time, she wasn’t wrong.

"Fine."

Jiang Ran closed his book.

"I admit, my thinking is narrow-minded. Since you have so many things you like, you’re in the prime of your youth. Why don’t you just go do them?"

"Obviously, studying isn’t something you like, and the library isn’t a place you like. So why are you here now, doing something you don’t like in a place you don’t like?"

"Because you’re here."

Nan Xiuxiu said bluntly,

"Of course I don’t like the library. The one I like is you."

Jiang Ran leaned back.

’Is she always this direct?’

He averted his gaze.

"So, are there any other things you like?"

"Archery!" Nan Xiuxiu’s eyes lit up.

?

"Archery?"

Jiang Ran was completely thrown by her unpredictable response.

"Is it the kind of archery I’m thinking of?"

"Of course! What other kind could there be?"

Nan Xiuxiu giggled.

"Didn’t you used to watch me practice all the time? Speaking of which, I haven’t shot in a while. Want to go watch, for old times’ sake?"

THWACK!

The Recurve Bow snapped, and the Carbon Fiber Arrow whizzed through the air, striking the target 30 meters away with a THWACK.

The nock of the arrow vibrated rapidly before coming to a rest.

Jiang Ran’s eyes widened in disbelief.

’30 meters...’

’From such a long distance.’

Nan Xiuxiu’s very first arrow had hit the bullseye directly!

And it was a bullseye in the truest sense! The exact center of the yellow 10-point ring!

’That accurate? Without even a warm-up?’

"Shoot again," Jiang Ran said, finding it hard to believe.

"Hehe~"

As expected, people are always happy and energetic when doing something they love.

A smug look on her face, Nan Xiuxiu drew another arrow from her quiver and nocked it on the Recurve Bow.

She straightened up, drew the bow, aimed, and released!

THWACK!

Another arrow hit the bullseye.

It was so precise that it knocked the previous arrow out, piercing the target in the exact same spot without the slightest deviation.

"Are you for real?"

Jiang Ran had watched the Olympics before. Although he didn’t know if there was a fundamental difference between an Olympic venue and this archery practice room, from a layman’s perspective, hitting the 10-point bullseye twice in a row with such precision seemed a bit too incredible, didn’t it?

"One more time."

Jiang Ran pulled the two arrows from the target, staring at the single, tiny hole.

He found it hard to believe... that Nan Xiuxiu’s third arrow could possibly hit the same spot.

"Hehe, I can do it as many times as you want!"

Full of enthusiasm, Nan Xiuxiu drew another arrow and nocked it on the Recurve Bow—

THWACK!

It was truly Murphy’s Law.

What you fear is what you get.

Even if the probability of something happening is minuscule, it’s bound to happen eventually.

Nan Xiuxiu’s third arrow, just as he’d feared, struck the 10-point bullseye yet again.

Three arrows, one hole. Not a hair’s breadth off!

"With skills like this, you should be competing."

Shaking off his shock, Jiang Ran accepted the reality of the situation.

"I don’t know what level your skill is at, but I’ve watched Olympic archers, and not even they can hit the 10-point ring with every single arrow..."

"If you competed at this level, you’d definitely place. At the very least, you could become a nationally ranked Class I or Class II athlete."

"Once you get certified, you’d only need to score around 300 on your academic exams to get directly into a top-tier university."

Nan Xiuxiu clicked her tongue.

"See, there you go again."

She put down her bow and undid her hair tie.

"I just like archery. I’m not doing it to compete, and I never thought about using it to get into a good university."

"To put it bluntly, I simply enjoy the process of archery. I have absolutely no interest in rankings, certificates, or any of that."

"Maybe it’s just like you said. I could use this special skill to get into a good university and earn a good degree. But..."

She lifted her head, her long hair cascading down like a waterfall, and smiled faintly.

"’If you don’t like it, you don’t like it. Why force yourself to do things you don’t like?’"

...

The bright lights of the archery range reflected in Nan Xiuxiu’s eyes.

In them was the brimming confidence of youth, a joy that came from the heart, and a refreshing spirit that cared nothing for gains or losses.

For an instant, Jiang Ran suddenly felt a pang of envy for Nan Xiuxiu’s freedom.

Though he didn’t agree with many of her ideas.

But at least...

’Nan Xiuxiu’s life, every single second of it, belonged to her alone.’

"Thank you for coming with me to the archery range. I had a lot of fun today."

Nan Xiuxiu walked over.

"To be honest, I’ve been feeling really uneasy these past few days. I keep feeling like you’re different from before, like you’re being very cold to me."

"Even though Wang Hao told me you’ve been really busy lately and I shouldn’t overthink it, I’m your girlfriend. How could I not overthink it?"

"But... hehe, I feel relieved now. Jiang Ran, you’re still the same as before. You still like watching me shoot, and you still like to make me happy."

"Make you happy?"

Jiang Ran let out a dry laugh.

"When did I do that?"

"See? You’re playing dumb again!"

Nan Xiuxiu pointed at Jiang Ran, her smiling eyes curving into crescent moons.

"This isn’t the first time you’ve watched me shoot. You’ve known for a long time that my archery skills are excellent."

"But just now, you acted like it was the first time you’d ever seen me shoot! All shocked and disbelieving, insisting I shoot a few more times... Weren’t you just deliberately trying to make me happy?"

...

Jiang Ran looked at the girl’s beaming smile and said nothing.

His reaction just now hadn’t been an act at all.

Because for him, someone who had crossed world lines, it really was the first time he had ever seen Nan Xiuxiu practice archery.

He just hadn’t expected this girl, Nan Xiuxiu, to be so easy to please.

No matter how he had ignored her, given her the cold shoulder, or even bullied her before, she didn’t even need to be coaxed; she would find a way to cheer herself up.

"Hey, since we’ve already left the library, let’s not go back."

Nan Xiuxiu tugged on Jiang Ran’s sleeve.

"Let’s go walk around outside. How about we grab a bite together?"

Jiang Ran slowly raised his head.

His gaze moved from his sleeve to the girl’s expectant eyes.

"Nan Xiuxiu," he said softly, "I have something very important to tell you."