He’s Either Inhuman or Immoral
The chaotic week was finally coming to an end, and Huo Cheng, having just finished the final paper of the re-test, wouldn’t even have the weekend off – the first round of the archery tournament was scheduled for that very weekend.
Tian Yu had been on tenterhooks all along thinking Huo Cheng would have a last-minute change of mind. He kept reiterating the time and place of the competition to him at school and even offered to personally pick him up from his house. He would’ve tethered the boy to himself if he could.
“If you say one more word, I won’t go.”
This single sentence from Huo Cheng scared him into silence. Chen Jingming, from High School 2, had bested him in the last two competitions, and he was counting on Huo Cheng to break the cycle.
Only when Tian Yu was quiet did Huo Cheng pick up his bow and arrow again and start practising.
After practice, he changed back into his school uniform and waited for Shen Wanying. When Qiu Ziqing returned to the classroom from the field, she saw Huo Cheng standing there and came up to greet him.
“Huo Cheng.” Qiu Ziqing walked up to him and looked at him with a smile. “Are you done with training?”
“Mm.” Huo Cheng returned her greeting briefly, without even a glance in her direction.
Qiu Ziqing was a girl, after all, the rejection stung. “Huo Cheng, do you still blame me for accusing Fang Yichang? I was wrong, and I’ve explained it clearly to the school.”
Huo Cheng replied, “I don’t really care about what happened to him.”
Qiu Ziqing pursed her lips and pressed him further. “Then why are you so cold to me? We’re all schoolmates—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Shen Wanying emerged from the changing room. “Huo Cheng, let’s go.”
Huo Cheng turned, waited for her to walk up to him, and nodded to her. “Okay.”
Qiu Ziqing’s gaze fell on them both. Shen Wanying glanced at her and asked, “Qiu Ziqing, don’t you have something to do?”1 She is shooin her away n a nice way, it’s like, when you want someone to go away so you’re like, “Ahem, aren’t you busy?”
Qiu Ziqing didn’t reply and simply walked away.
Huo Cheng ignored her. He looked at Shen Wanying and said, “Let’s go.”
“Yes.” Shen Wanying smiled at him and they walked side by side towards the school gates. “By the way, I’ll be there to cheer you on in tomorrow’s match.” She and Tian Yu had both competed in the first round and could advance directly to the next level, but tomorrow was Huo Cheng’s competition debut. She had to be there.
“You can’t go to the villa to sing if I’m competing tomorrow,” he said.
“That’s okay, it’ll be just as good watching you compete.”
He pursed his lips softly. “What will you tell your mother?”
“The truth.” She faltered, bashful, before raising her eyebrows at Huo Cheng. “You have no idea, my mother really likes you, she’s always singing your praises in front of me. If I say I’m going to watch one of your matches, she’d definitely allow it.”
The smile at the corner of Huo Cheng’s mouth showed itself a little more. “That’s good, then.”
“So we’ll go together tomorrow?”
“Yes, I’ll pick you up at your house early tomorrow morning.”
“Okay.”
After making the appointment with Huo Cheng, Shen Wanying went home and told Jiang Yu about it. Just as she had expected, when her mother heard that Huo Cheng was competing in an archery tournament the next day, she immediately agreed to let her daughter go.
“Huo Cheng really knows how to do everything.”
With that, Shen Wanying talked him up even more. “Yes. And he’s also very skilled. There’s a good chance he’ll take first place this year.”
Jiang Yu nodded and told her, “Then go upstairs and study first. You’ll be out watching the tournament tomorrow, so work hard today.”
“Okay, Mom.” Now that she was studying with Huo Cheng, the idea of schoolwork no longer repulsed her.
Considering his need to be in top form for the tournament the next day, at nine o’clock Shen Wanying urged Huo Cheng to go and rest.
Tian Yu certainly didn’t take the evening off either, sending Huo Cheng another message about the time and place of the competition and once again saying that he would pick him up in person.
Huo Cheng’s reply was a stone-cold “no”.
♥
The match was to start at ten o’clock. Huo Cheng was waiting in front of Shen Wanying’s house by seven-thirty. The Huo family’s car became a common sight in the Shens’ driveway, and even Shen Qian had finally grown accustomed to it; no longer did he have to accompany his daughter out like he had the first time.
On the way, Shen Wanying gave him a lot of advice about the tournament, although she suspected that he didn’t need it at all. Huo Cheng listened attentively anyway, nodding his head in response to whatever she said.
Tian Yu, as the president of the archery club, had arrived even earlier than them. Apart from Huo Cheng, several other students from the archery club were also taking part in the tournament today, so he arrived early to prepare and give interviews to the media.
A high school archery competition could be considered a niche event, but it didn’t stop the organisers from inviting a few journalists anyway.
Tian Yu had won first place a few times before and was quite well-known in his circle, so many journalists interviewed him. After the interview, he called Huo Cheng. “Hey, Huo Cheng, where are you?”
Huo Cheng said, “I’ll be there soon.”
“Send me your location, I’ll keep an eye out for you.”
Huo Cheng was silent. He hadn’t noticed it before, but apparently, Tian Yu was of the same variety of human beings that naggy old ladies were. Only when Shen Wanying sent the club president their location and told him that she was with Huo Cheng did he finally stop worrying.
♥
Cars were not allowed into the venue, so the driver parked nearby. Huo Cheng and Shen Wanying walked over and saw the crowd coming to watch the match.
“There are more people than I expected.”
Shen Wanying smiled. “This competition has been held for many years, so quite a lot of people know about it.”
Tian Yu saw Huo Cheng and Shen Ying in the distance and ran up to them like they were family. “You’re finally here!”
Huo Cheng, bow and arrows in hand, stood there impassively. He had used this bow all the time when he was abroad. He hadn’t brought it back with him when he returned home so had his father mail it to him later. He was so calm, it was as if he wasn’t about to enter a tournament in just a few hours.
Tian Yu cleared his throat and asked, “Do you want me to help you relax your muscles?”
“No.”
“Oh.” Tian Yu nodded good-naturedly. “Well, then I’ll introduce you to today’s opponent?”
“No need.”
“Also, the better ones all immediately pass the first round, so these guys actually aren’t much to look at,” Tian Yu said. He pointed at a boy who was warming up not far from them. “That guy in the blue t-shirt, see? He is the strongest shooter today besides you. And you… don’t have to be particularly careful of him.” His tone changed stiffly at the end of his sentence.
“Mm,” Huo Cheng said blandly.
Today there would be a ranking first, with each person shooting six sets of arrows, one set of six, and then the order of the elimination rounds would be ranked according to the results.
The field at Starlight Farm was wide open and the spectator stands were all arranged behind the athletes as required. Tian Yu took Huo Cheng through the pre-tournament process and then found a seat with Shen Ying and waited to watch them compete.
♥
Huo Cheng was assigned the number nine, and when Tian Yu saw him come out with his bow and arrow, he called out nervously, “He’s here! He’s here!”
Shen Wanying said to him, “President, calm down, lest you end up being the butt of jokes.”
“You’re right.” Although his nemesis Chen Jingming hadn’t come today, the other students from High School 2 were there. He had to act calm, lest they go back and mock him in front of his foe.
Blue T-shirt Guy, who he had singled out to Huo Cheng, was number ten, standing next to him(HC). Blue T-Shirt knew that he (HC) was from Tian Yu’s team, and looked him over, chin raised. “You’re from City A’s No.1 Private High School? I haven’t seen you before.”
Huo Cheng tuned his bow and replied, “I’m new.”
“Oh.” Blue T-shirt laughed. “You look more like you’re about to debut in a boy band than anything. Do you really know how to shoot?”
Huo Cheng didn’t respond, and this seemed to rile the other boy up even more. “Tian Yu really can’t find anyone, can he? All of you are just there to look at Shen Wanying; do any of you even concentrate on archery?”
Huo Cheng tested his aim and said lightly, “You’re noisy.”
Blue T-shirt was silent. Ah, you’re so arrogant now, but I’m gonna make you cry until you can’t cry anymore.
The competition began promptly, and the tension on the field was palpable. The players each shot their own targets, and by the time Huo Cheng was halfway through his 36 arrows, it was Blue T-shirt who was on the verge of tears.
Crap, where did Tian Yu find such an expert?! At this level, he would believe it if he said he was from a professional team! How dare he come here and bully amateurs? He is either inhuman or immoral!
Tian Yu looked at Huo Cheng’s excellent performance and was vaguely worried. “It’s over, it’s over, Huo Cheng is too good!”
Shen Wanying was happy to see that Huo Cheng had played so well. “Is it wrong to do impeccably?”
Tian Yu shook his head and sighed. “I wanted to use him as a secret weapon against Chen Jingming, but he did so well today, he’s definitely going to attract Chen Jingming’s attention!”
“Don’t worry, even if he pays attention, he’s no match for Huo Cheng,” Shen Wanying pointed out.
Tian Yu: “——”
Thanks, that’s reassuring.
♥
T/N: Lmao I have no idea if that last line is sarcastic or not! But man, Huo Cheng was right a couple of chapters ago. Pitching him, a grown man, against high school kids is kind of akin to bullying 😛 he really seems to be playing the long game, cause we’re no closer to figuring out what he’s trying to figure out. His stone-cold stoicism towards everyone else but Wanying is so hilarious though. But well, I gotta go sleep now, so, be back in the next chapter! And, thanks Bright Eyes for lending a hand.