Don't Bait Me Anymore! - Chapter 15

After waiting for two minutes, there was still no reply from Sheng Yan.

Gu Zhiyi frowned and had to zoom in on the photo again, scrutinizing it like Sherlock Holmes, trying to find clues in the details.

After a moment, he actually found something.

There were engravings on Sheng Yan’s bow and arrow: Langqing Club.

But the moment he recognized the four characters, Gu Zhiyi’s expression turned even colder.

He knew this club.

His mother had once sent him there to find his father.

It was one of the upper class’s favorite gathering places, with endless entertainment and countless handsome men and beautiful women.

Gu Zhiyi abruptly stood up, meeting his classmates’ surprised gazes. With a stern face, he said calmly, “Sorry, something urgent came up. I have to leave now. For the rest of the project, please manage on your own.”

With that, he strode toward the classroom door.

Gu Zhiyi’s sudden departure startled his classmates. One of them couldn’t help asking, “Is it an emergency? Do you need any help?”

“No need,” Gu Zhiyi said coldly from the doorway. “I’m going to find someone.”

With that, he disappeared from view.

The group members exchanged bewildered glances, wondering who Gu Zhiyi was so anxious to find.

Only Zhao Da wore a knowing smirk.

What “find someone”? he thought. Brother Yi’s expression and aura practically screamed “catching an affair” with “cheating” written across his forehead!

“Hey, Boss Sheng, didn’t you ask me to take those photos for your Moments?” Yan Han asked, scrolling through his phone with a puzzled expression. “Did you post them? Why haven’t I seen anything?”

Sheng Yan had already fired off a bundle of ten arrows, with the worst one grazing the edge of the ten-ring and the rest all landing within it, three of them dead-center.

He temporarily set down his bow, leaned against the archery range’s built-in bar, and poured himself a glass of ice water. After taking two leisurely sips, he lazily answered Yan Han’s question, “I never said I was posting them for you to see.”

Yan Han’s eyes widened. “What did you say?”

After two more sips of ice water, Sheng Yan set down his glass, unlocked his phone, and turned the screen to face Yan Han, his tone remarkably open. “See? ‘Visible to one person only.’ I sent it to tease the puppy. Why are you crashing the party?”

Yan Han glanced at the screen and was speechless. “No… Fine, you don’t have to show me, but you even had to write me as ‘someone’? So I’m just a pawn in your little game?”

Unfazed by being called out so bluntly, Sheng Yan playfully retorted, “Young Master Yan, this is a special friend-only privilege.”

Yan Han rolled his eyes. Too lazy to play along, he cut to the chase: “So, did you lure the guy here?”

He glanced at Gu Zhiyi’s message, received about twenty minutes earlier:

I’ve got the address. I’m on my way now.

Sheng Yan smirked, his tone casual. “Probably almost here?”

Yan Han was impressed. “Boss Sheng, you truly are the master of dog taming.”

Just as they were bantering, there was a sudden knock on the door of the archery range.

Assuming it was Gu Zhiyi, Yan Han immediately said, “Go open it yourself.”

Sheng Yan turned off his phone, placed it on the counter, and walked to the door.

But when he opened it, he was slightly taken aback—

It wasn’t Gu Zhiyi who had arrived, but…

“Hey, brother! Long time no see!” The blonde-haired young man grinned, revealing his two canine teeth. “You actually came! My brother told me you would, but I thought he was joking!”

Indeed, it was an acquaintance: Chen Cheng, the second young master of the Chen Family, the major shareholder behind this club. Sheng Yan had met him during a previous archery outing with Yan Han.

Later, the Chen Family and Sheng Yan’s company collaborated on a small project, purchasing a large batch of jewelry from Sheng Yan’s company.

Chen Cheng had been very enthusiastic toward Sheng Yan since their first meeting. Of course, Sheng Yan considered this enthusiasm to be rather pure—

He admired Chen Cheng’s face and his archery skills.

However, the two hadn’t actually met much before. Sheng Yan had been too busy with work to come often, and even when he did, they didn’t always run into each other.

Today’s encounter was a real coincidence.

Sheng Yan stepped back to let Chen Cheng in and nodded with a smile. “It’s been a while.”

After entering, Chen Cheng greeted Yan Han. “Brother Yan~”

Yan Han looked up, clearly surprised, but quickly smiled. “What brings you here today? I heard from your brother you’ve been obsessed with go-karting lately.”

“I have been playing go-karts,” Chen Cheng said, walking to the bar and expertly pouring himself a glass of grape juice with ice. After downing more than half the glass in one gulp, he looked at Sheng Yan and smiled. “But I heard you were here to practice archery, so I wanted to ask you for some pointers. I want to be able to show off next time and beat my brother!”

Since the Second Young Master of the Chen Family had come all the way to the club, Sheng Yan saw no reason to refuse. Besides, it was only a matter of giving some archery pointers, so there was no need to decline.

Just as Sheng Yan was about to agree, his phone on the bar suddenly vibrated.

He picked it up and checked the caller ID. “Okay, wait a moment,” he said to Chen Cheng. “I need to take this call first.”

With that, he swiped to answer and walked toward the exit of the archery range.

Gu Zhiyi’s voice came through the receiver, sounding a bit more subdued than usual. “Brother, I’m on the first floor, but they won’t let me up without a VIP card…”

For some reason, Sheng Yan detected a hint of petulance in his voice.

The corners of his lips curled upward involuntarily. As he hurried toward the elevator, he replied, “Wait for me at the elevator entrance. I’ll come down and get you.”

“Okay,” Gu Zhiyi responded immediately.

Two minutes later, Sheng Yan spotted Gu Zhiyi at the elevator entrance—

Dressed in a simple black hoodie and jeans, he stood there with a cold expression, drawing the attention of passersby.

Sheng Yan called out softly, “Xiao Gu.”

Gu Zhiyi turned his head, immediately quickened his pace, and murmured, “Gege.”

Sheng Yan suddenly thought of Chen Cheng upstairs, who also called him “Gege”…

The mischievous streak in his bones stirred again. Sheng Yan was genuinely curious about Gu Zhiyi’s reaction when the two met.

Yet he maintained a composed facade, feigning ignorance. “Weren’t we supposed to meet tomorrow? Why are you here now?”

Gu Zhiyi’s shoulders tensed slightly. After a moment of silence, he replied softly, “I just wanted to come again.”

He paused briefly before suddenly lowering his gaze to Sheng Yan, asking, “Gege, don’t you welcome me?”

This was utterly out of character for him.

But the mere thought of that ambiguous post on Sheng Yan’s Moments—”Someone…”—made Gu Zhiyi unable to suppress the turmoil in his heart.

Sheng Yan raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, tossing the question back: “If I didn’t welcome you, would I have come down specifically to meet you?”

As soon as he spoke, Gu Zhiyi froze for a moment. The rigid line of his jaw softened slightly.

Sheng Yan lowered his gaze, concealing the smile in his eyes.

As the elevator ascended, Gu Zhiyi suddenly asked, “Why are you wearing my shirt again today?”

They hadn’t originally planned to meet.

Sheng Yan answered casually, “I washed it yesterday and hung it on the balcony. I saw it this morning and decided to wear it again.”

Unless it was for a specific occasion, Sheng Yan’s clothing choices were always impulsive.

“How do I look?” he deliberately turned to the side, raising an eyebrow. “Does it suit me?”

Gu Zhiyi’s gaze swept over Sheng Yan’s slender neck, which extended gracefully from his collar. His eyes darkened slightly, and he replied in a husky voice, “It looks good.”

Sheng Yan smiled again. “I agree. This shirt really suits me.”

Gu Zhiyi suppressed a smile but failed to keep the corners of his lips from curling upward slightly.

In less than three minutes, with just a few words from Sheng Yan, Gu Zhiyi’s restless anxiety—which had been building since he saw Sheng Yan’s social media post—was nearly soothed.

But his good mood didn’t last long.

The moment they entered the archery range and saw the figures inside, Gu Zhiyi’s face tightened instantly.

He had already met Yan Han and knew he was Sheng Yan’s friend.

But the other man…

He appeared to be around Gu Zhiyi’s age and was a complete stranger.

So, was “someone” in Sheng Yan’s social media post referring to him?

As this thought crossed his mind, Gu Zhiyi’s gaze toward Chen Cheng unconsciously carried a hint of hostility.

This hostility surged to its peak when he heard Chen Cheng’s words:

“Brother?” Chen Cheng glanced curiously at Sheng Yan, then at Gu Zhiyi beside him. “You’re new. Is this your newly met younger brother, Brother?”

Chen Cheng’s words might have been purely literal, but to Gu Zhiyi, they sounded like:

This person also calls Sheng Yan “Brother”? What’s their relationship?

What do you mean “newly met younger brother”? How many younger brothers does Sheng Yan have?

Yet Sheng Yan merely nodded and replied simply, “We did just meet.”

He then gave the two the briefest of introductions:

“Chen Cheng.”

“Gu Zhiyi.”

Chen Cheng gave Gu Zhiyi a “Hi.” Gu Zhiyi, his face rigid, gave a curt nod.

A subtle tension flowed between the two.

Soon, however, Chen Cheng averted his gaze from Gu Zhiyi and turned back to Sheng Yan with a smile. “Brother, come teach me! I just had a little friendly competition with Brother Yan and barely came out on top!”

Yan Han immediately laughed and scolded him, “You little brat! I was going easy on you!”

“If you don’t let him try, he’ll never improve,” Sheng Yan said with a teasing smile.

Chen Cheng immediately nodded in agreement, looking like he was saying, “Everything Sheng Yan says is right.” Yan Han couldn’t help but glance at Gu Zhiyi.

As expected, Gu Zhiyi’s cold expression had already turned frosty.

Yan Han clicked his tongue inwardly. This friend of mine is a real disaster waiting to happen!

Sheng Yan had already walked over to Chen Cheng and, turning his head to address Gu Zhiyi, said, “There’s an empty spot over there. Can you play? Try it out yourself for a while.”

Gu Zhiyi’s thin lips parted as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just nodded and murmured, “Mm.”

He maintained his aloof demeanor.

Sheng Yan didn’t press further and turned to Chen Cheng. He began teaching concisely, “Get into position. Let me see.”

When Sheng Yan adopted this slightly serious tone and lowered his voice, it was a stark contrast to his usual playful and teasing manner. Yet both sides of him were equally captivating.

Chen Cheng stared at Sheng Yan for a moment before snapping back to attention when Sheng Yan raised an eyebrow. He hastily nocked an arrow and assumed the shooting stance.

“Forearm’s too low,” Sheng Yan corrected. “Raise it.”

Chen Cheng complied.

“That’s better, but not too high,” Sheng Yan called out. “Always remember to keep your shoulders and spine vertical.”

Chen Cheng nodded. “Got it.”

Meanwhile, Gu Zhiyi walked to his shooting position and began nocking an arrow.

He had learned archery long ago, but his skills were rusty.

His first arrow landed within the nine-ring, close to the ten.

Gu Zhiyi frowned slightly, clearly dissatisfied with the result.

Just as he was about to nock his second arrow, Yan Han approached.

Seeing Yan Han, Gu Zhiyi immediately recalled Chen Cheng’s earlier remark, “I just had a little competition with Brother Yan…”

His mouth moved faster than his brain. Before he could stop himself, he blurted out to Yan Han, “Why do they call you Brother Yan, but call Sheng Yan ‘Brother Sheng Yan’?”

The moment the words left his mouth, Gu Zhiyi bit down hard on his tongue.

Yan Han was momentarily taken aback by the sudden question, then burst out laughing. Instead of answering, he simply gave Gu Zhiyi a look that seemed to say, “Figure it out yourself.”

Gu Zhiyi had no desire to figure it out and was furious at his own slip of the tongue. He immediately straightened his shoulders, turned back to his stance, and nocked his second arrow.

As he adjusted his posture, drew the bowstring, and prepared to release, Chen Cheng’s voice suddenly cut through the air, a playful, yet not overly affected, tone: “Brother, you’re so cool right now, it’s really hard not to stare!”

Gu Zhiyi suddenly tightened his fingers.

The arrow flew, missing the mark by a terrifying margin.

He took a deep breath, preparing to nock a third arrow.

But Yan Han suddenly spoke, his tone earnest and full of wisdom: “Xiao Gu, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. How can you not understand such a simple truth?”

Gu Zhiyi paused mid-motion.

He understood that truth perfectly.

But the word “weakness” had never existed in his vocabulary.

After a long moment, Gu Zhiyi’s face remained rigid as he replied coldly, “There’s no need.”

As the words fell, he released the third arrow. This time, it flew true, striking the bullseye.

Yan Han glanced at Gu Zhiyi’s cold expression, then at the arrow embedded in the bullseye. With a complex look, he shook his head and went to the bar, mixing himself a drink, ready to watch the show with a drink in hand.

Gu Zhiyi continued nocking arrows as Chen Cheng’s voice reached him again, “Brother, could you demonstrate for me?”

He hesitated for a moment, but couldn’t resist. He turned his head slightly.

Sheng Yan was already adjusting his stance and drawing his bow, his profile even more captivating than in the photographs.

As he moved, the red mark on the side of his neck became more visible, looking even clearer than in the photograph.

Gu Zhiyi’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.

Chen Cheng suddenly asked in surprise, “Brother, what’s this…?” He pointed to the mark on Sheng Yan’s neck.

Being adults, Chen Cheng obviously wouldn’t mistake the obvious hickey for a mosquito bite. What surprised him was that Sheng Yan, who had always been known for his self-restraint, now had such a mark on his neck.

Sheng Yan didn’t bother to hide it. He let out a dismissive chuckle. “Hmm? A little dog bit me.”

As the last word fell, he suddenly turned his head toward Gu Zhiyi.

Caught in his gaze, Gu Zhiyi abruptly lowered his head, as if caught doing something wrong.

At the same time, his fingers tightened on the bowstring, and the arrow he had just nocked clattered to the ground.

He hurriedly bent to retrieve the arrow, missing the fleeting amusement in Sheng Yan’s eyes.

When he looked up again, Sheng Yan had already turned back to his target, nocking a perfectly aimed arrow.

Sheng Yan handed the bowstring back to Chen Cheng, naturally steering the conversation back to practice. “Try again.”

Chen Chengzhao took the bow.

Soon, Sheng Yan smiled. “Much better than before. You’re almost hitting the nine-ring mark now.”

Chen Cheng played the good student with effortless charm. “That’s because my brother teaches so well.”

Gu Zhiyi’s arm suddenly tensed, and the bowstring struck him as he drew the bow.

He winced in pain, pressing his lips together to suppress an involuntary grunt.

Hearing Sheng Yan shift his tone, he continued, “But your power application during the draw isn’t precise enough. Make sure to channel all your strength into your back muscles.”

Chen Cheng seized the opportunity to “climb the pole” again. “Brother, could you be more specific than just verbal instructions? Where exactly should I focus my power? It’s hard to find the right spot with just that.”

Gu Zhiyi couldn’t resist looking over again.

He saw Sheng Yan step forward and actually raise his hand, his palm about to rest on Chen Cheng’s back.

The simmering tension finally reached its peak.

For the first time in a long time, Gu Zhiyi’s body moved faster than his brain.

Before his mind could process, he had already repositioned himself.

His aim was no longer his own target, but Chen Cheng’s.

Draw, aim, release.

The arrow flew through the air with a piercing hiss, striking Chen Cheng’s best shot—the one he’d just managed to loose after much effort—and sending it clattering to the ground.

Clatter. Chen Cheng’s arrow fell to the earth.

His sudden action drew the attention of the other three, including Sheng Yan, who all whipped their heads around.

“Sorry, my hand slipped,” Gu Zhiyi said, his apology utterly insincere as he met Chen Cheng’s furious glare.

His entire body was visibly tense, from his jawline to the curve of his shoulders and back—poised and radiating an aggressive aura. He looked like a wolf whose territory had been violated.

But the next moment, he turned his gaze toward Sheng Yan.

In that instant, the wolf transformed back into a large dog.

All the aggression and hostility vanished as if they had never been there. With his head lowered, he even exuded a hint of docility.

Meeting Sheng Yan’s unreadable gaze, Gu Zhiyi pressed his lips together and lied through his teeth: “I just realized I’ve been having trouble finding the right force point too, that’s why my hand slipped…”

After a slight pause, he lowered his voice, his tone and eyes brimming with an earnest plea.

Awkward and unpracticed, he tried to show vulnerability to Sheng Yan: “Brother, could you teach me too? Please?”

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