CHAPTER 184: 084 LOOKED FOR HER FOR A LONG TIME (SECOND UPDATE)

Zhang Xiaoyu swallowed hard, her eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

She took back her previous remark.

Is this showing off? More like an absolute showstopper!

At this moment, Shen You’an appeared to be radiating gold in her eyes.

A silent powerhouse, deeply concealed and unfathomable.

"Ah, An’an, I love you so much!"

Zhang Xiaoyu could no longer hold back. She lunged forward and hugged Shen You’an tightly.

The girl slightly tilted her head, casting a calm gaze toward the boy left stunned.

"Your turn."

The boy’s face flushed with embarrassment. Thinking about how he had arrogantly mocked her for not lifting the gun earlier, he wished he could bury himself in a hole.

"I admit defeat." The boy lowered his head.

"Apologize."

The boy pursed his lips, offered apologies to Zhang Xiaoyu and the stall owner, and then fled with his girlfriend without looking back.

He simply couldn’t bring himself to stay any longer.

"An’an, you’re amazing! I want the big bear. Can you win it for me?" Zhang Xiaoyu clasped her hands together and pleaded pitifully.

The little girl barely reached her shoulder, gazing up persistently at her.

Shen You’an curved her lips into a smile and playfully patted Zhang Xiaoyu’s head. "Go home and finish your holiday homework first."

Zhang Xiaoyu agreed without hesitation, "No problem."

This girl was a flawless sharpshooter, clearly an expert; no one dared step forward to challenge her.

The stall owner’s face darkened. Running into someone who disrupts business—it’s impossible to be in a good mood.

He found it strange. The last few balloons had been tampered with—the air wasn’t fully inflated. From this distance, it should’ve been impossible for anyone to pierce them.

Could it be that this girl had seen through his tricks?

If no one stepped up to challenge, the big bear would be hers.

Just then, a lively voice rang out from the crowd, "Let me try!"

People turned toward the voice and saw a tall, slender boy emerge from the crowd. He was impeccably dressed, strikingly handsome, possessing a refined aura that clashed with the quaintness of the town, resembling the girl in a way—clearly a big-city dweller.

The stall owner’s eyes lit up. "If you can win ten rounds straight, the bear is yours."

Jiang Cheng grinned and slapped some cash into the stall owner’s hand. "My buddy here happens to rank in the top ten on the CS1.6 sniper leaderboard. Watch closely."

Meeting a true expert in this small town finally piqued this young master’s interest.

Jiang Shengyao stepped forward, picked up the air rifle, and gave it a few adjustments. From his skilled handling alone, it was obvious—this guy was an expert as well.

Zhang Xiaoyu frowned and glared at the boy. Leaning towards Shen You’an, she whispered, "An’an, make sure to crush him."

Shen You’an didn’t even glance at the boy but looked directly at the stall owner. "Let’s begin."

Standing to the side, Jiang Cheng caught sight of half of the girl’s profile. He froze for a moment, then leaned toward Jiang Shengyao, grinning as he murmured, "Ayao, who’d have thought such a beauty was hiding in this little town? Totally worth it today."

Jiang Shengyao furrowed his brows, displeased, casting a glance at Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng chuckled and nudged him toward the side. "Just look. You’ll see what I’m talking about."

The stall owner pressed the timer. "Starting now."

The instant the words were spoken, gunfire erupted. Despite the toy air rifle’s substandard quality, the noise was surprisingly loud.

Jiang Shengyao instinctively turned his head.

The girl supported the rifle, her profile leaning against the scope, revealing half of her unparalleled face—arrogant and exquisite, breathtaking to the point of jolting hearts.

Her lips were lightly pursed, long lashes still, with an air of unwavering focus—calm and composed.

"Bang, bang, bang"—rapid gunfire followed the successive popping of balloons.

A mere few seconds passed, but for Jiang Shengyao, it felt like an eternity.

The girl lowered the rifle, lifting her chin slightly. Sunlight fell upon her flawless, gem-like features, radiating an incomparable brilliance—confident and dazzling.

"All twenty shots hit. Ten-point-seven-two seconds..."

Even the stall owner’s voice sounded desensitized.

"Ayao, your turn."

Jiang Cheng called out, and the boy didn’t react. Jiang Cheng waved his fingers in front of Jiang Shengyao’s face.

"Hey, wake up. Wipe that drool off your mouth."

Looks like someone had underestimated the allure of a beauty; even Mr. Jiang couldn’t stop gawking.

Jiang Shengyao reluctantly pulled his gaze back. The hand clutching the rifle tightened, the veins on his hand visible, betraying his inner turmoil.

"Ayao, your turn. Focus. Don’t lose to a girl!"

Jiang Cheng felt that Jiang Shengyao seemed in a dangerously dazed mental state—almost like he’d lost his soul.

No doubt, beautiful women wield great power—even the esteemed Jiang Shengyao wasn’t immune.

The stall owner reminded, "Three, two, one. Beginning now."

By the time the countdown hit one, Jiang Shengyao groggily raised the rifle, missing entirely on his first shot.

The exaggerated laughter from the girl snapped Jiang Shengyao to attention. He shook his head and concentrated fully.

The stall owner exclaimed in disbelief, "Ten-point-three-one seconds. You’re faster than her, but missed a shot. So, the girl wins again."

Jiang Cheng patted Jiang Shengyao’s shoulder. "Ayao, do you even have what it takes?"

Zhang Xiaoyu, hands on her hips, burst into laughter. "Let me introduce my niece—an elite sharpshooter, hits every target! If you’re smart, admit defeat early before you’re utterly humiliated."

Jiang Cheng laughed. "Little girl, you sure talk big. Our Ayao isn’t half bad. That was just a fluke. The real showdown starts now."

Zhang Xiaoyu snorted, "Losers only make excuses."

Turning to Shen You’an, she said, "Go on. Crush them so they run out of excuses."

Shen You’an lowered her head, fiddled with the rifle briefly, and glanced at the stall owner.

The stall owner immediately understood and announced, "Three, two, one. Go."

Jiang Shengyao took a deep breath to steady himself, forcing his eyes to stay forward. However, his grip on the rifle trembled slightly.

After another volley of intense gunfire, the stall owner exclaimed in excitement, "Ten-point-one-two seconds. Every shot perfect. Girl, you’re astonishingly composed!"

This kind of mental fortitude was extraordinary.

The girl remained unperturbed, carrying herself with the calm confidence of a veteran—admirable for someone so young.

With wide eyes, the crowd—especially the younger spectators—was fixated on the sharp-shooting beauty. To these inexperienced rural teenagers, she was nothing short of a goddess.

Someone blatantly started recording her on their phone.

Jiang Shengyao inhaled deeply and prepared to take aim once more.

"Even though this time you hit all twenty shots, your timing was slightly slower. So, it’s the girl’s win again."

Zhang Xiaoyu and Feifei hugged each other joyfully, shouting in excitement.

In stark contrast stood the ever-calm Shen You’an, maintaining her aura of poise and humility.

From the crowd, some classmates of Zhang Xiaoyu recognized her and questioned curiously, "Zhang Xiaoyu, who is this gorgeous girl with you? She’s incredible!"

Zhang Xiaoyu proudly declared, "My niece. Not only is she great at shooting, but she’s also an academic genius. She’s..."

A faint glance from Shen You’an prompted Zhang Xiaoyu to swallow the words "Qingzhou middle school valedictorian" halfway through.

"No way! She looks so much older than you—how could she be your niece? Don’t lie to me!" The girl didn’t believe her.

With a cold huff, Zhang Xiaoyu snapped back, "Believe what you want. But she’s definitely my niece. At night, I even sleep holding her, you know!"

Jiang Shengyao eavesdropped so keenly that he momentarily forgot about his own task.

Only when Jiang Cheng reminded him did he snap out of his reverie, slightly embarrassed, and resumed shooting practice.

Unfortunately, round after round, Jiang Shengyao kept losing by just a hair.

That tiny gap alone told Jiang Shengyao that catching up was impossible.

The opponent’s skills far surpassed his, and her composure outshined his. Even with further attempts, victory seemed unattainable.

Zhang Xiaoyu jubilantly dashed over to hug the big bear. "An’an, I love you so much!"

Jiang Shengyao froze for a moment. An’an?

He turned his head but could only see the girl’s retreating silhouette.

Jiang Shengyao instinctively ran after her.

"Ayao, wait for me!"

Jiang Shengyao pushed through the crowd in pursuit. But the chaotic flow of pedestrians caused the girl’s figure to grow increasingly distant.

Panting heavily, Jiang Shengyao cried out desperately, "Wait for me...!"

Yet, the girl didn’t look back, her slender frame gradually vanishing among the crowd.

"You run fast. I could barely keep up," Jiang Cheng said, catching up while huffing.

The younger man pursed his lips, his face clouded with urgency, leaving Jiang Cheng behind as he continued the chase.

Jiang Cheng swiftly grabbed his arm. "Wait, are you seriously into her?"

Jiang Shengyao suddenly clutched Jiang Cheng’s shoulders with both hands, speaking fervently, "I never expected to see her here—a place like this. Do you have any idea how long I’ve been searching for her? You don’t understand. You don’t understand anything at all."

Jiang Shengyao seemed lost in a chaotic fervor, half talking to Jiang Cheng and half to himself.

Jiang Cheng’s eyes lit up with realization. "So, you’ve already known her? Relax. If she’s appearing in this town, she must be nearby. I’ll ask around, and I bet by tomorrow we’ll know where she is."

An idea popped into Jiang Cheng’s mind, his face lighting up. "Those two little girls who were with her—just catch them, and you’ll know everything."

But when they returned, the two girls had already disappeared without a trace.

Jiang Cheng reassured him, "Qingsong Town isn’t that big. We’ll definitely find her. By the way, do you even know her name?"

Jiang Shengyao pursed his lips and shook his head.

Jiang Cheng rubbed his chin, pondering aloud, "I heard that little girl calling her ’An’an.’ Surely her name has ’An’ in it."

Suddenly, a flash of realization struck Jiang Shengyao’s mind—a name with ’An.’

Could it possibly be her...?

But how could that be? The Shen You’an he remembered wasn’t like this.

Yet, the images of these two seemed to overlap faintly in his mind.

This realization struck Jiang Shengyao like a bolt, nearly suffocating him.

Just then, a girl passed by, occasionally casting curious glances their way—her gaze mostly lingering on Jiang Shengyao.

Jiang Cheng stared at the girl’s face and suddenly grinned, snapping his fingers. "I’ve got an idea now."