CH 21

C21 – What Can You Do to Me?

“Come on, let’s play with the archery set,” Zhao Sanlang said with a smile to Tang Yue, leading him to the throwing area. He was obviously trying to lighten the mood.

Tang Yue glanced at Feng Qingyue, who was kind and amiable, and then at the man who was covered in oil and had a lascivious grin on his face. He felt a knot form in his chest.

It was a pity that such a decent man couldn’t be his brother-in-law.

He picked up an arrow and aimed at the clay pot ten meters away. The first arrow didn’t even come close. The onlookers sneered. The second arrow grazed the pot’s rim but still missed. Reluctantly, they applauded when the third arrow struck the target squarely. Gasps were heard from the spectators.

With each arrow that Tang Yue shot, the crowd grew more enthusiastic. Even Xu Ziheng, who disliked him, clapped and cheered when he finished firing ten arrows.

“Amazing! Absolutely incredible!” Zhao Sanlang exclaimed, circling around Tang Yue. “How did you manage it?”

Everyone could tell that this was Tang Yue’s first time playing this game. He missed the target with his first arrow, yet he somehow became bolder with each shot. He hit eight out of ten arrows, a feat that nobody else in attendance could match.

Tang Yue applauded himself and glanced at Zhao Sanlang. “Do you really want to know the secret?”

Zhao Sanlang nodded vigorously, and the audience leaned in to listen.

“Unfortunately, I’m not in the mood to share it with you today.” With a nonchalant shrug, Tang Yue left them all guessing and walked away to get some food.

To please the young noblemen, the Prefecture had put in great effort to set up a garden feast with a variety of delicacies. A group of gorgeous maids was also present to serve them.

Tang Yue took a sip of the wine, but it was very mild, just slightly stronger than beer, and it didn’t taste good.

Wine was a luxury item during this time. Only the wealthy could afford to enjoy it since food was scarce, and using up a significant amount to make wine was not practical.

Zhao Sanlang chatted with him for a bit, but when he noticed that Tang Yue was still not in high spirits, he didn’t bother him anymore. He tried to cheer him up and left to play Cuju with the others.

Tang Yue wasn’t good at sports. He had previously played basketball and tennis after work, but he was only average, and he had never played football before. He found a seat and sat down, watching the game and deep in thought.

Someone sat next to him, and he glanced over. It was Xu Ziheng.

“Why aren’t you playing with them?” Tang Yue asked.

Xu Ziheng snorted and shook his head. “That’s something only wild barbarians play. I’m not interested in it.”

Tang Yue looked at Xu Ziheng’s delicate frame and slender, fair hands and nodded in understanding. This kid clearly wasn’t into sports.

They sat in silence for a while until Tang Yue heard a question whispered in his ear, “Why did you call me ugly?”

Tang Yue discovered that Xu Ziheng was waiting for him there. He scrutinized Xu Ziheng’s face carefully and noticed that, apart from his fair complexion, there was nothing extraordinary about him. He was certainly good-looking, but a grown man wearing makeup was somewhat strange to him.

“You’re not unattractive. It’s just that the makeup on your face is unappealing. You’d look much better if you washed it off.” Referring to a man as “beautiful” was not exactly a compliment.

Xu Ziheng paid no mind to Tang Yue’s remark. In his opinion, this was the current trend. He simply thought that Tang Yue lacked an eye for beauty. “How unsophisticated!”

Tang Yue had no intention of imposing his aesthetic sense on anyone. He could not go against the prevailing trend, nor could he change it. He was content with being an unobtrusive and good-looking man on the sidelines.

After observing Xu Ziheng for a while, Tang Yue found the interaction to be pointless and decided to leave. He was a middle-aged man in his forties and had lost interest in playing games.

He wanted to interrogate Tang Ya immediately to see if she knew about her fiancé’s true nature. He also planned to confront his father, who had likely failed to investigate his daughter before her marriage.

However, Xu Ziheng claimed that everyone in Ye City was aware of his past. It was unlikely that Tang Shoucheng, who was to be his father-in-law, was unaware of it.

When they arrived at the girls’ gathering spot, Tang Yue noticed that they were playing with a bird. As he approached, he realized that it was an Eighth Brother bird. The girls were amazed by the bird’s ability to speak.

Tang Yue cleared his throat and said, “Excuse me, ladies. I’ve come to fetch Ya and Ah Wan back home.”

“It’s still early. Why the rush to leave?” County Princess Huizhu was concerned and had a favorable impression of the young man.

The girl who had questioned his identity earlier covered her mouth and taunted, “Could it be that he was kicked out by those people? Zhao Sanlang and his group are not the kind to play nice. Hehe…”

This girl had a sharp tongue!

“Young lady, you must be joking. Sanlang is very friendly. We have already agreed to chat at a later time. Before leaving, my mother had instructed me to bring my sisters back home as soon as possible.”

“Impossible! Zhao Sanlang only knows how to socialize with handsome men. How could he ever be interested in you…”

A crisp slap interrupted the girl’s words.

“Tang Shi Ya, how dare you hit me!” The sound of her high-pitched voice echoed through the surroundings, silencing the crowd instantly.

“If you hit me, then so be it. What can you do to me?” Tang Ya held her sister’s hand and walked towards Tang Yue. Her haughty demeanor made Tang Yue shake his head and smile.

This girl had a fiery temperament, but… she was still rather adorable.