Running Away While Pregnant with the Villain’s Child - Chapter 22

When the topic of a “poetry soliloquy” (poetry chain) came up, everyone already felt it would be quite difficult.

But when the shop owner actually started, everyone still found it utterly ridiculous.

“By the Xunyang River at night, I see off a guest,” the owner said, looking at Pei Junzhuo as he began the first line.

“A guest’s emotions, like the sand and willows, cling together in parting,” Pei Junzhuo replied, completely unfazed. The second the owner finished, she had the counter-line ready.

The owner hadn’t expected this girl to actually have some real skill; she had matched it so quickly.

“Parting… parting…” The owner was stunned by her speed, and for a moment, his mind went blank.

His old face turned red as he shakily pulled out his phone to open Baidu.

“Vaguely, the mandarin duck tiles emerge.” As soon as this line came out, the surrounding crowd erupted in boos.

The first two lines had been seven-character verses, yet the owner had suddenly switched to a five-character verse.

“How can you use Baidu and still cheat like that?”

“Can’t you even find a seven-character verse on Baidu?”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk…”

The crowd showered the owner with jeers.

“Emerging from the gate, the sun is already distant.”

Pei Junzhuo remained under zero pressure, reciting the answer with a calm, unruffled expression. Her reaction time was faster than the owner’s Baidu search.

The owner didn’t expect her to be so fast again and felt utterly slighted. He forced himself to hold out for a while, trying to think of one on his own.

“He’s not even using Baidu anymore, he’s just stalling.”

“Isn’t this just wasting her time? That’s pretty excessive.”

“This owner definitely has bad intentions.”

The crowd continued to chatter away, but Pei Junzhuo said nothing. Her gaze remained fixed on Luo Xingran.

Clearly, the owner could not handle the weight of the crowd’s constant criticism. He finally experienced the heavy pressure of public gossip.

“Distant fragrance invades the ancient path,” the dark-faced owner finally offered the next line.

“The path ends where the white clouds vanish.” Pei Junzhuo answered in a split second again. Her speed was so remarkable that the onlookers couldn’t help but stare.

“Aren’t university students’ knowledge reserves supposed to be not that great?”

“Yeah, exactly. As a high schooler, even I can’t answer some of these.”

“There’s only one possibility—this girl is a traitor to university students!”

The spectators whispered among themselves while watching the competition.

Pei Junzhuo’s eyes never left Luo Xingran. Luo Xingran went from being initially shy and embarrassed to becoming quite composed.

“All day long, I feel moved by events and grieved at heart,” the owner said. He was clearly dissatisfied with being ignored; her effortless manner was a direct challenge to his authority.

“Holding within this talent fit for a king’s advisor,” Pei Junzhuo countered easily, without a hint of stress.

“Talent comes from clarity, and ambition from height,” the owner quickly searched on Baidu and delivered the next line.

“In the high studio, the cool air disperses,” Pei Junzhuo replied without even blinking.

“The mist steams over Yunmeng Marsh,” the owner said. He had searched carefully to find a line he thought was difficult, hoping to make Pei Junzhuo fail on this final round.

“In the wide marsh, the birds arrive late.” Pei Junzhuo pulled two mints from her pocket and gently placed them in Luo Xingran’s hand.

Evidently, the owner’s hostility meant nothing to her.

“You…” The owner felt indignant and opened his mouth to snap at her.

However, he knew he was in the wrong, and after saying just one word, he hesitated.

“Boss, don’t you dare go back on your word and stop this girl from going to the next round!”

“Exactly, don’t be a sore loser, Boss.”

“As a person, you can’t act like this. In business, if you lose your integrity, you lose everything.”

The onlookers had more or less suffered under this owner’s hands before. So, the moment his expression changed, they began to scold him one after another.

The owner, who hadn’t even managed to say anything: “…”

Thanks, I’m truly speechless, he thought.

Are people these days really like this? Is this even allowed?

“Did I say I wouldn’t let her? Don’t use your narrow-mindedness to judge me!” The owner looked at the crowd and snorted several times.

“Third round: Shooting Gallery.” With a dark face, the owner agreed to let Pei Junzhuo and Luo Xingran proceed to the next stage.

However, the difficulty of this round was cranked up several notches by the owner compared to before.

Normally, the shooting gallery was just popping balloons—a test of simple accuracy. At his worst, the owner would tie two balloons in nearly the same spot, requiring one shot to burst two. But the rules he implemented now were completely different.

“You need to shoot the glass bottles down from here, and the bottles must not break when they hit the ground.”

After announcing rules that even he found ridiculous, the owner felt his mood improve significantly.

“Tsk, this boss is acting sub-human again.”

“How should I put it… it’s hard to watch. If it were me, I’d probably curse him out and leave.”

“Are they really going to continue? If they fail here, it’ll be such a bummer.”

The crowd murmured, surrounding the owner and saying everything they could think of.

Since the owner had been so “obedient” just now, they thought he would yield to their opinions and change the rules again.

However, this time the owner was adamant, saying indifferently, “These are the rules. From today on, these are the rules for the ‘Treasure of the Shop.'”

“If you dare to play, step up. If you’re a coward, then don’t ever come back to challenge it.”

Seeing the owner’s firm stance, the crowd cursed his shamelessness a few more times but didn’t say anything further. After all, no matter what they said, it wouldn’t change the outcome.

“It’s okay. Even if we don’t get the prize, I’m already very happy!” Luo Xingran looked up at Pei Junzhuo, her smile showing no hint of disappointment.

“Mhm, okay.” Pei Junzhuo nodded with a smile. Her warm appearance made everyone present think she was about to give up.

Bang, bang, bang. Pei Junzhuo fired three consecutive shots. Every single bullet knocked a bottle down, yet they landed without breaking.

This level of skill didn’t just stun the owner—it stunned the audience.

“That works? It’s that simple? Huh?”

“No, is she a marksman? This isn’t just a little ridiculous; it’s extremely ridiculous!”

“I didn’t expect to see this kind of performance at a toy stall in my lifetime.”

The crowd marveled at the feat, and the owner was equally shocked.

He thought of the trick he had set up, and cold sweat began to pour down his back. How was he so unlucky today to run into such a “triple-threat” master?

Bang, bang, bang. Pei Junzhuo fired another three shots. She turned to look at the owner, the meaning in her eyes self-evident. Another three perfect shots; the bottles landed with a crisp sound.

The owner’s cold sweat increased. He really didn’t want to ruin his reputation completely.

Bang, bang, bang. After another three shots, just as Pei Junzhuo was about to take the final shot, the owner spoke up.

“You win. Take it. Nine shots have already proven your skill.”

The owner grabbed the Crayon Shin-chan plushie and stuffed it into Luo Xingran’s arms, then practically chased the two of them away.

“It’s a small business. I hope you don’t come back next time.”

The owner spit out this cold remark as he shooed them off.

Holding the plushie in her arms, Luo Xingran was a bit bewildered. Only after they had walked a distance away did she ask Pei Junzhuo.

“But there was still one shot left? Why would he be so kind?” Luo Xingran looked at Pei Junzhuo with confusion.

From what she had seen throughout the competition, this owner was not a very friendly person. In that light, waiving the final shot seemed suspicious.

“He rigged the last bottle. He chose a bottle that was much easier to break. The material was different, so it looked different too.”

“If we really shot that bottle down and it broke, and then we picked up the shards to compare them with the others…”

Pei Junzhuo didn’t finish her sentence, but Luo Xingran already understood.

“If that really happened, he wouldn’t be able to do business anymore.”

“Exactly. Today’s events were already enough to hurt his business. If anything went wrong with that last bottle, he would be in deep trouble.”

Luo Xingran analyzed the situation, hugging the Crayon Shin-chan in her arms, feeling very satisfied.

“Right. If he kept going, the only one in a difficult spot would be himself.” Hearing Luo Xingran’s analysis, Pei Junzhuo had a momentary daze, as if Luo Xingran had never left her side.

She had always been by her side, always the partner who could understand her with just a look.

But a fantasy is ultimately just a fantasy. The more beautiful it was, the more Pei Junzhuo realized that the reality was different.

“Are you unhappy?” Luo Xingran noticed Pei Junzhuo’s dazed look and couldn’t help but tug on her sleeve.

With that movement, Pei Junzhuo snapped back to reality.

Lost time cannot be recovered. Since that was the case, she should cherish the present. At least her treasure had not truly disappeared from her life.

“No, how could I be unhappy? Getting Crayon Shin-chan with you makes me quite happy.”

“Next, is there anything else you want to play?” Pei Junzhuo smiled, but Luo Xingran felt that while the smile was happy, it was still a bit strange.

The hand held in her palm was warm and soft. Luo Xingran didn’t want to dig deep into Pei Junzhuo’s pain; digging up bad memories is a form of pain in itself. If she didn’t want to talk about it, then Luo Xingran could act as if she had never glimpsed it.

“I want to go play basketball!” Luo Xingran looked up, appearing full of excitement.

“Basketball?” Pei Junzhuo was silent for a moment, as she remembered that Luo Xingran used to dislike her going to the basketball court the most.

Yet now, Luo Xingran was the one saying she wanted to play. This did indeed surprise Pei Junzhuo.

“Sure.” Pei Junzhuo nodded, preparing to head over to the basketball hoops with Luo Xingran.

And Luo Xingran was ready to give Pei Junzhuo a huge surprise with her skills.

After one round, Luo Xingran felt she had displayed her full strength. She raised her head proudly, waiting for Pei Junzhuo to be dazzled by her ball skills.

“So impressive!” How could Pei Junzhuo not know what that expression meant? She naturally stroked her ego.

“Of course.” Luo Xingran’s mood completely brightened up. She thought to herself that this day was truly wonderful.

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