Chapter 7: The Bet: Losers Run Naked

“What else do you want to do?” Xi Xingye stepped directly in front of Xu Zijie, shielding him. “You think killing the chicken to scare the monkey will work on me? Stop wasting time. Come at me instead!”

“So, you’re the Xu Zijie?”  Shen Qingci’s looked past Xi Xingye.

Xu Zijie’s heart skipped a beat; he was nearly moved to tears, but for all the wrong reasons.

Bro…why’d you come over? If you stayed put she wouldn’t know. Now she knows exactly who I am.

Gritting his teeth, he shoved Xi Xingye aside and put on a heroic, ready-to-die expression.

“I am Xi Zijie! It’s me.”

“Good. I’m looking for you.”

One after the other, the two of them walked into the bathroom.

Xi Xingye tried to follow, only to find the door locked from the inside.

Bang!

He slammed it hard and turned around to shout at the guards:

“What are you standing there for? Get someone to break this lock!”

They didn’t end up needing anyone to pick the lock, because less than two minutes later, the door swung open.

Xu Zijie followed Shen Qingci back out, looking like a drowned quail.

Someone was about to step forward and comfort him. But before they could even speak, Xu Zijie had already dashed forward to pull out a chair for Shen Qingci.

Xi Xingye looked like he’d seen a ghost.

Shen Qingci didn’t sit, instead, she turned toward Xi Xingye.

“What?” Xi Xingye sneered, still furious. “My turn now?”

He was done playing games. He wasn’t going to let her walk all over him, no matter what.

“I know you’re not convinced,” Shen Qingci said without moving. “Do you have the guts to make a bet with me?”

“Please, what is there for me to be afraid of?” Xi Xingye fought back.

Shen Qingci smiled. “Alright then, let’s bet on…that.”

She casually pointed toward the shooting range nearby.

“Huh? Challenging Brother Xi to a shooting match?” Everyone knew shooting was his specialty.

Xi Xingye laughed too, his eys scanning her up and down and smirked. “Sure! And what am I getting if I win?”

“If I lose, I’m at your disposal. If you lose, you go home.”

“Boring.” Xi Xingye stood up, playing with his lighter. “If we’re betting, let’s go big. The loser strips naked and run a full lap around the Entertainment Center”

“Deal.”

---

The Shooting Range

Xi Xingye casually picked up a gun, weighed it in his hand, gave it a quick inspection, and raised his arm.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three rounds. All three hit the bullseye. A perfect three 10s.

Someone from the crowd cheered, “Nice! Brother Xi is on fire!!”

He smirked, turning to Shen Qingci. She was still fiddling with her gun, looking like a total amateur who didn’t know which end was which. “Give up while you can,” he said. “Save yourself the public humiliation.”

The words had barely left his mouth when she raised the gun. Her stance was flawless.

She aimed.

She fired.

Three shots.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Everyone froze.

Her form…it looked incredibly professional. However, when they looked up at the target…

“Pfft.” Xu Zijie bursted out laughing, then quickly covered his mouth. His face turned red.

On the target board opposite them, all three of Shen Qingci’s bullets had missed entirely.

“Haha, sister-in-law, why don’t we just call it a day?” Lu Yao hopped forward, looking all smugged. “Otherwise, it’ll be pretty embarassing when you lose later.”

The laughter behind her was loud, but Shen Qingci ignored it. She simply lowered her head and studied the gun in her hand.

It was different from the ones she was used to, far more primitive. It was clunky and outdated.

I remember now…with these old models, you have to aim slightly lower to hit the mark…

She raised the gun again. Three more shots.

Three eights.

The room bursted into laughter again.

“Sister-in-law, you should go buy a lottery ticket after this. You might actually win something, hahaha!”

“Enough talk. I’m ready,” Shen Qingci interrupted, her voice flat.

Xi Xingye looked at her with a smirk and grabbed his gun. “Just amake sure you honor the bet.”

“I got it. You talk too much,” she replied, picking up hers as well.

They stood side-by-side, ten rounds each, highest score wins.

Bang! Bang!

Shen Qingci: 9

Xi Xingye: 9

Xu zijie clapped. “Not bad, not bad! Sister-in-law, you’re almost catching up to Brother Xi.”

The crowd was still howling with laughter.

Shen Qingci didn’t even blink. Her gaze stayed fixed forward as she pulled the trigger again.

Bang!

10.

The laughter began to die down.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

10. 10. 10.

Xi Xingye’s eyes widened. He frowned, trying to refocus on his own target, but the seed of doubt had already been planted. His next shot was a 9. He was now down by a point.

Shen Qingci didn’t slow down. Five more shots, five more perfect 10s.

The room went quiet. Everone was frozen in shock.

Was this…really just luck?

By the end of the round, Xi Xingye was trailing by that single point from the start. He gritted his teeth, his pride wounded. “Again!”

“It’s over, Xi Xingye,” she said calmly. “You’ve already lost.”

“There’s still one round left! How the hell have I lost?” He snapped, doubling down on his stubborness. But inside, he was shaken. Shooting had been his favorite since he was little and only he knew exactly how many thousands of hours he’s spent mastering this skill. Looking at her now, he realized a terrifying truth: She wasn’t lucky. She was a professional.

Ignoring his outburst, Shen Qingci gave the gun a tactical spin then loaded it with a sharp metallic snap.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!…

Ten shots but she didn’t aim at her own. She had fired every bullet straight into the center of his target.

Every shot hit the bullseye.

Not a single person dared to breath loudly.

Shen Qingci put the gun aside, took off her protective glasses and wristbands. She braced her hands on the table, closing the distance between them.

“Oops, wrong target,” she murmured. “Guess I lost then.”

Before the words had even settled, she reached for the hem of her shirt. Her movements were decisive and fast; Xi Xingye barely reacted in time to stop her.

“Stop it!” He gripped her collar to keep it closed.

Shen Qingci looked up at him. Her face remained cold. Under the blue light, she looked even colder, and stunningly beautiful.

“I honor my bets.” She said, her fingers tightening their grip on the hem of her shirt.

“I said stop.”

“No. I lost.”

“Shen Qingci!”

Xi Xingye held onto her shirt like his life depended on it, shouting over his shoulder, “Turn around! All of you! Now!”

The realization hit him. This woman was still his wife by law. If she strip in front of everyone, how could he ever show his face in the city again?

The crowd with their mouths hanging open in a perfect “O”, turned around.

Xi Xingye finally grittet out. “Fine, no one lost. We’ll call it even.”

“Then,” she asked, “are you coming home?”

The second the words left her lips, Xi Xingye froze.

The word “home” struck his heart like a bolt of thunder.

After what felt like an eternity, beneath his rebellious brows, Xi Xingye’s pale face flickered with a dozen different emotions before he finally left out a huff. “Fine, I’m only doing this because I’m in good mood.”

One after the other, the two of them left. The sound of their black leather boots crunched rhythmically against the fresh snow.

Behind them, a group of people leaned over the railing, teasing, “Oooh!”

“Get lost!”

A snowball flew through the air from Xi Xingye and landed straight in Xu Zijie’s mouth.

---

Back at the villa, Xi Xingye stared at the front gate, now replaced with a different pattern, and that familiar surge of irritation bubbled up again.

He took two steps forward, then backed up.

Under the confused stares of all the maids, he kicked the gate once. Only after venting his frustration did he feel settked enough to walk away.

“Has Young Master gone crazy?” Sister Zhang whispered.

Aunt Li immediately covered Sister Zhang’s mouth. When she looked up, Xi Xingye’s shadown loomed over the second-floor balcony.

“Sister Zhang,” he called out.

Sister Zhang startled.

“Go clean the scuff mark I just left on the front door,” he said.

“I’m so sorry Young Master, I didn’t mean to…Wait, what?”

By the time she looked up again, he was gone.

The two maids stared at each other, their mouths wide open in total bewilderment.

Meanwhile, Xi Xingye went back to the master bedroom, cursing under his breath, already regretting his impulsive decision to come home.

Great. Just great. That woman must be loving this. She was probably bragging to his grandpa about how capable, how impressive and how effortlessly she dragged him back.

“Damn it!”

Xi Xingye  rolled over and punched the pillow.

“Just wait till tomorrow, I’ll…”

“Shut up! Are you going to sleep or not?” A voice came from the dark, right beside him.

Xi Xingye startled. The moment he realized who was lying there, he pulled the covers up to his chin.

“Y-you. Shen Qingci!”

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Chapter 8