◇ 【055】 Shooting Club
Xia Zhili!
Gu Juan's face darkened as he hung up the last piece of clothing. "Even for a large family, two billion is no small sum. Does the Xia family really value Xia Zhili so much—a lunatic—that they're willing to spend two billion on him? If I were the one in charge of the Xia family, I might choose to expel Xia Zhili from the family. That way, I wouldn't offend the four major families, and I wouldn't cause any financial losses to the Xia family."
Xi Lang looked at him approvingly. "What you're saying is a common question shared by all four of our families. Xia Zhili wasn't the most outstanding member of the Xia family, and he's done plenty of bad things in the past. Yet, the Xia family never gave up on him. It's as if there's something so important about him that they're unwilling or unable to give up on him. Unfortunately, we've been searching for a long time and haven't been able to find out what that something is."
Gu Juan frowned in thought. What could it be?
"Don't overthink it." Xi Lang brought up another, less weighty matter. "Zheng Lei said his life will be yours from now on. We've investigated him, and he's a retired special forces soldier with first-rate skills and courage. That's why Xia Zhili chose him. The verdict hasn't come out yet, but Han Lin said that considering he attempted murder and was forced into it, the court will probably sentence him to six to eight years. As long as he reforms himself in prison and gets a sentence reduction, he'll be out in three to four years at most, which would be perfect for you to graduate from college by then."
Gu Juan nodded. He had saved Zheng Lei's life, and as long as he wasn't an ungrateful villain, he wouldn't easily betray him in the future. If used properly, he could be a good helper. At least, Zheng Lei and he shared the same stance on dealing with Xia Zhili.
When the two went downstairs again, Mr. Xi and Xi Yongchang's family had already left. Only Xi Zhuo was still there, playing Go with Xi Yongming.
Lin Ronghua and Luo Qingyou played with Doudou on the carpet; Xi Cong, patiently, worked on a jigsaw puzzle with Duoduo. The TV was on, and the sound of crosstalk could be heard from it.
Seeing Xi Lang, Xi Zhuo stood up and said with a smile, "Third brother, Gu Juan, come quickly. I've already lost several games to Second Uncle."
"Can you play chess?" Xi Yongming asked Gu Juan.
Gu Juan said frankly: "I can, but I'm not good at it. I've never won."
Xi Lang chuckled.
"Third brother, please accompany Second Uncle and let Gu Juan and I learn a few tricks from him." Xi Zhuo said.
It was still snowing outside, and there wasn't much to do outside. But Xi Lang still sought Gu Juan's opinion, giving him a questioning look. When Gu Juan nodded, he sat down.
Gu Juan sat down beside him to watch the game, while Xi Zhuo sat next to Xi Yongming.
"Gu Juan, the weather in the imperial capital is much colder than in Congzhou. Are you adapting to it?" Xi Zhuo poured Gu Juan a cup of hot tea.
"Thank you. I'm fine." Gu Juan nodded to express his gratitude.
"I heard from my second aunt that you are majoring in both English and Chinese medicine. You will be a great doctor in the future. However, as far as I know, the best medical school in the country is at Huaqing University. You should have applied to Huaqing University. Studying in the imperial capital will make it more convenient for our Xi family to take care of you." Xi Zhuo looked straight into Gu Juan while speaking, giving people a very sincere feeling.
Gu Juan felt that his words contained an ambiguous meaning. "Congzhou University is very good. If I hadn't applied to Congzhou University, perhaps Xi Lang and I would never have become so familiar with each other. Fourth Brother Xi, don't you agree?"
Perhaps that's how officials always talk, with hidden meanings, ambiguous and seemingly untrue. He'd just heard Xi Lang say that Xi Zhuo was the mayor of Zhulu City. What a coincidence. To be mayor at such a young age, and even more so of a city neighboring the imperial capital, clearly meant Xi Zhuo was no ordinary man. This position wasn't something one could climb solely through connections. After all, there were plenty of people with connections.
"Xiaojuan." Xi Lang suddenly said, "Look, I can eat a piece of it next time I get down here." He glanced at Xi Zhuo indifferently.
Xi Zhuo's hand holding the teacup paused almost imperceptibly, he smiled at him nonchalantly, and lowered his head to look at Xi Yongming's chess pieces.
"The so-called 'Go', simply put, is that whoever encloses the most territory wins." Xi Lang laid down a stone without hesitation and explained to Gu Juan, "Regardless of whether there is skill or not, or what kind of skill is used, the goal is to enclose as much territory as possible and block the opponent's path."
Gu Juan examined the chessboard closely. Xi Lang held the white pieces, Xi Yongming the black. At first glance, Xi Lang's moves seemed to be haphazard and unsystematic, but a closer look would make one break out in a cold sweat. He had already seamlessly connected the dots, creating lines everywhere. Xi Yongming had no more blocks to block.
Gu Juan pondered for a moment, and this led him to the idea of formations. Playing chess and deploying formations share similarities. Whether it was an offensive formation or a defensive formation, a trapping formation or a killing formation, the prerequisite was the same: to pin down the enemy. If chess skills could be applied to formations... he had a feeling that if Xi Lang could learn formations, it would be a piece of cake.
"I never had any interest in playing Go before, but after hearing you talk about it today, it seems very interesting."
Xi Yongming chuckled, "Of course. There's a lot to learn in Go. The more you study, the more interesting you'll find it."
Xi Lang also chuckled, "Just watch, I'll teach you."
Xi Zhuo couldn't get a word in, but he didn't feel awkward and just watched Xi Yongming play chess quietly.
Around noon, the doorbell rang.
The servant went to open the door, and Han Lin, Zhang Muheng, Li Ruicheng and Cao Jie walked in together.
Han Lin, Zhang Muheng, and Li Ruicheng were all wearing the same camouflage uniforms, presumably by agreement. They all said in unison to Xi Yongming and Lin Ronghua, "Uncle Xi, Aunt Xi, Happy New Year! Wishing you a happy new year, good health, and eternal youth!"
Cao Jie also said this.
Lin Ronghua was amused by them and smiled happily, "Okay, Happy New Year to you too. Here, these are your red envelopes." She took out several red envelopes and gave them to everyone one by one.
Han Lin, Zhang Muheng and Li Ruicheng thanked them with a smile, accepted the red envelopes, and walked towards Gu Juan and Xi Lang.
When Cao Jie pursued Xi Lang before, Lin Ronghua had tacitly agreed, because she couldn't bear to see her youngest son alone. Now, since her son really didn't like Cao Jie, she certainly wouldn't force him. She felt a little sorry for Cao Jie, and after handing him the red envelope, she also praised him, "Xiao Jie is very energetic today, and he's getting more and more handsome!"
Cao Jie put on a happy smile and said, "Thank you, Auntie."
After Zhang Muheng and the other two had given Xi Yongming their New Year greetings, Gu Juan greeted them, "Brother Zhang, Brother Han, Brother Li, Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year." Han Lin stuffed the two red gift boxes in his hands into his hands and said, "Don't say we don't think about you two. This is for you."
"Could it be camouflage uniforms too?" Gu Juan opened the gift box, and sure enough, it contained neatly folded camouflage uniforms.
While playing chess, Xi Lang asked, "Why did you think of dressing like this?"
Han Lin broke off a banana from the fruit basket and ate it. "No wonder Gu Juan always calls you 'old man'. You can't keep up with the information around you..."
Xi Lang's forehead twitched.
Xi Cong couldn't help laughing.
Gu Juan was sweating profusely. He glanced at Xi Yongming awkwardly and winked at Han Lin.
Han Lin pretended not to notice and said with a smile: "There is an event at the Dudi Shooting Club at 3 o'clock this afternoon. Let's take Gu Juan to play."
Gu Juan actually called Xi Lang "old man". Xi Yongming looked at Gu Juan with amusement, who looked a little embarrassed, and then looked at his son who looked normal. He felt a little emotional. It seemed that his youngest son, who had been lonely for many years, had finally found someone to accompany him.
Lin Ronghua was preparing snacks for Han Lin and the others. He also heard Han Lin's words, smiled secretly, pretended not to hear, put down the snacks, and went to play with his grandson.
"I haven't heard of this either. Do you mind if I join in the fun?" Xi Zhuo asked with interest.
Han Lin said, "Of course I don't mind, but the club requires everyone entering to wear camouflage."
Xi Zhuo said, "I have it. Last year, our family took a camouflage photo, and the suit is still there. It should still be wearable."
Zhang Muheng took out a ticket and gave it to him, "Don't forget to bring your ticket when you go."
Xi Zhuo thanked him.
Cao Jie walked over and said, "Brother Mu Heng, give me a ticket too. I want to go too."
Zhang Muheng spread his hands, "Unfortunately, there are only six tickets in total, and they are gone."
Cao Jie was disappointed. He glanced at Xi Lang, but Xi Lang didn't even glance at him, whispering the chess game to Gu Juan. He gave a wry smile. It was time to let it go. What was the point of constantly focusing on someone who had no chance of ever caring about him?
"Forget it, I just remembered I have something else to do this afternoon."
He walked over to Lin Ronghua and sat down, jokingly saying, "Auntie, there are so many of us eating here at noon. I wonder if we've eaten up all the rice in your house?"
Seeing his brows lighten up, as if he had figured it out, Lin Ronghua heaved a sigh of relief and treated him more kindly, "How could that be? I just like the hustle and bustle. I wish you could come to eat every day."
The Xi family's lunch was a lively affair. Besides Gu Juan and the seven members of the Xi family, there were also Zhang Muheng, Han Lin, Li Ruicheng, Xi Zhuo, and Cao Jie, a total of twelve people. Xi Cong, Han Lin, and Li Ruicheng were all good at making fun, while Xi Lang, Zhang Muheng, Xi Zhuo, and Cao Jie were all articulate. Add to that Gu Juan's occasional succinct yet insightful remarks, and the table was filled with laughter and joy.
Years later, recalling this scene, the few people who have already embarked on different paths still can't help but smile knowingly. Time changes many things, but there are some things that even time cannot erode, such as love, family, and friendship.
After lunch, Xi Zhuo went home to change clothes.
After he returned, everyone chatted for a while in the living room and then drove off.
Arriving at the Dudi Shooting Club just after two o'clock, Gu Juan and the others handed in their tickets and entered. Almost everyone coming and going wore camouflage uniforms. The room was heated, so wearing only a few thin layers wasn't too cold.
"No matter what the topic is today, we have to shoot," Xi Lang said to Gu Juan, "I'll take you to practice shooting first."
Gu Juan nodded.
Zhang Muheng and his companions tactfully did not follow.
Han Lin and Li Ruicheng were making faces again. Teaching someone to shoot a gun involves lots of physical contact.
"You two..." Zhang Muheng said with amusement, "Let's go, let's find a place to play and kill some time."
Gu Juan and Xi Lang arrived at the shooting range.
The shooting range here is divided into large and small rooms. Some have only one target, while others have two, three, or even more, to meet the different needs of consumers. Xi Lang found a room with two targets.
Gu Juan had played live CS on the farm, but back then they used paintball guns. At the club, however, they used real guns and live ammunition. The difference was palpable just from holding the guns. Xi Lang first taught him shooting techniques, and after just two attempts, he was ready to master it, truly experiencing the thrill of live ammunition.
Seeing that the time was almost up, Xi Lang asked, "Shall we go and meet up with them?"
Gu Juan said, "You go first, I'll go to the bathroom."
Xi Lang nodded and said, "Let's go directly to the hall we just came from."
Gu Juan followed the signs to find the restroom. When he came out, a person walking towards him caught his attention.
The man was tall and burly, his camouflage sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The muscles in his forearms were knotted and looked as hard as stone. His hair was pinned back, revealing a broad forehead. His pupils, beneath his thick eyebrows, had a distinct, dim yellow hue that reminded Gu Juan of a snake's eye.
What caught Gu Juan's attention was not the man's size, but the fact that he had energy with the same attributes as Luo Qingyou! And it was at least one level higher than Luo Qingyou.
Gu Juan lowered his eyes imperceptibly. Who was this person?
He returned to the hall, where quite a few people had gathered.
"Why is it so slow?" Li Ruicheng said casually.
Gu Juan said, "I just met a strange person. His eyes were a little yellow."
Xi Lang's expression changed, and he immediately asked, "What did he do to you?"
Gu Juan shook his head, "No. I just thought he was a little strange."
Li Ruicheng rubbed his arms, pouted, and looked dissatisfied. "It's Xia Zhili. Why is he here too?"
Is he Xia Zhili? Gu Juan recalled Xi Lang's words about a mysterious family behind the Xia family, and couldn't help but wonder if this mysterious family was related to the energy in Xia Zhili's body. So, is Luo Qingyou related to this mysterious family? If so...
His eyes narrowed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
