After word spread that An Chenru was about to do some shooting, netizens flooded into his livestream to watch the spectacle.
【Wow! I never thought I’d get to see my Chenru shooting live. This is a legendary moment! So excited! Screenshot ready!】
【Hahaha, it’s just popping forty balloons! Easy! I just hope that woman Su Zhi doesn’t get dazzled by Chenru’s handsomeness!】
【Look at Chenru, so heroic and dashing. One shot, one balloon. Forty is nothing! Even sixty wouldn’t be a problem!】
【Su Zhi, you’d better open your eyes and watch how Chenru hits every balloon. And don’t get it wrong, he doesn’t like you. He’s just kind-hearted and can’t stand seeing people disappointed. Have some self-awareness and don’t fall for him!】
Although the fans had never seen An Chenru’s shooting skills before, their confidence in their idol was absolute.
The moment An Chenru held the gun in his hands, he suddenly snapped awake to what he had just said.
This was a livestream.
And he had just promised— on camera— that he would hit forty balloons in a row.
Even if his usual shooting skills were decent, he didn’t have complete confidence, especially not under the gaze of countless viewers.
It felt as if an invisible mountain was pressing down hard on his head.
If he failed the challenge……
Just thinking about that outcome made An Chenru’s scalp go numb. He wished he could go back three minutes in time and slap himself hard a few times.
But what was done was done. No amount of regret could change it now. He could only brace himself and go through with it.
An Chenru forced a stiff smile toward the camera, gripping the gunstock tightly, already slick with sweat. His gaze turned resolute and focused as he aimed at the balloons in the distance.
“Bang, bang, bang……”
As he began shooting, the sound of balloons bursting rang out one after another.
Su Zhi paid no attention to An Chenru at all. Instead, she asked 007 in her mind, “007, I remember I still have a beginner’s gift pack. Open it now.”
Earlier, in order to curry favor with Su Zhi, 007 had specifically applied to the main system for a beginner’s gift pack.
Later, in the rush to push the plot forward, both Su Zhi and 007 had completely forgotten about it.
It was only when Su Zhi brought it up that 007 finally remembered.
〖Understood, Host. 007 is at your service. The gift pack is now being opened……〗
As 007 spoke, a transparent panel suddenly appeared before Su Zhi’s eyes.
The panel recorded Su Zhi’s basic information, along with the main mission 007 had mentioned before.
She glanced at it and saw that the so-called main mission’s progress bar was still stuck at 0%.
〖Host, please rest assured. The system panel is bound to your soul. 007 guarantees that absolutely no one else can see it!〗
007 helpfully explained.
At this moment, the loading progress of the beginner’s gift pack reached 100%, and a dazzling golden light flashed.
When the light faded, Su Zhi noticed that a brand-new item had appeared in the previously empty item slot.
〖Item: Spiky Ball （I am a spiky ball that can read other people’s thoughts）
Attack Method: Physical contact （Stab! Stab! Stab-stab-stab!）
Target: Anyone who harbors malice toward the host
Duration: 24 hours
Rank: D〗
When Su Zhi read the item description, a faint curve appeared on her otherwise expressionless face.
Seeing the brilliant smile on Su Zhi’s face, 007 felt a chill crawl up its spine. It knew that someone was about to be very unlucky.
The next second, its premonition came true.
It heard Su Zhi say casually, “It’s just sitting there anyway. Use it.”
007: ……
For the first time, it felt genuine sympathy for anyone who dared to go up against its host.
An Chenru’s fans watching the livestream felt displeased when they saw Su Zhi smile.
【That smile…… She’s definitely falling for him! Oh no, what do we do? Just imagining Chenru getting tangled up with Su Zhi makes my heart, liver, spleen, and lungs ache!】
【Sigh, it can’t be helped. Chenru is just too outstanding. He’s already popped twenty balloons in a row! Just twenty more and it’s a success!】
【Aaaaah! My family’s Chenru is amazing! These last twenty will be a piece of cake. Su Zhi is just too much of an eyesore. She’s ruining my screenshots!】
Just as the fans were full of confidence, the situation on An Chenru’s side was far less optimistic than they imagined.
He was no longer relaxed like at the beginning. His wrists were trembling uncontrollably, and his energy was almost completely drained.
In order to maintain a 100% hit rate, An Chenru had carefully aimed each shot before firing. While this kept his accuracy perfect, it made his efficiency painfully low.
As for the remaining twenty shots, honestly, if he managed to hit ten, that would already be quite a feat.
An Chenru knew when to quit while he was ahead. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned to Su Zhi. “Ms. Su, how about we use these twenty shots to exchange for a plush toy instead? I’m guessing the mysterious grand prize is just a bigger toy anyway. We still need to walk around the amusement park, so smaller ones are easier to carry. What do you think?”
As he spoke, he even blinked at Su Zhi.
If An Chenru had done this ten minutes earlier, it would have looked sunny and handsome.
But now, with his bangs soaked in sweat and his makeup slightly smudged, the same gesture came off as forced and greasy.
Su Zhi seemed not to receive his hint at all. She looked at him with disappointment mixed with confusion.
“But weren’t you the one who offered to help me win it? Were you lying to me?”
Those two sentences stabbed into An Chenru’s heart like knives.
If earlier he had been offering a way out for himself, then her words were the equivalent of throwing the ladder away— and kicking it twice for good measure.
Her words reminded the livestream viewers that An Chenru had not only boasted shamelessly, but was now trying to back out.
She had completely sealed off his retreat.
At this moment, the booth attendant urged impatiently, “Are you shooting or not? If not, next person. Don’t waste time.”
With a frozen smile, An Chenru said to the amusement park staff, “I’ll do it. I’m doing it now.”
With that, he raised the gun again.
But just as he had predicted, if the first half of the shooting had been flawless, then the second half was a complete disaster.
His overall hit rate plummeted from 100% to 60%, clearly showing just how badly he performed in the latter half.
Seeing this, the fans who had been praising him earlier fell silent.
It was…… a bit embarrassing.
Only a few stubborn fans continued to defend him forcefully.
【Even though the last twenty weren’t great, Chenru is already amazing. He helped voluntarily! If it weren’t for him, Su Zhi wouldn’t even have a plush toy in her hands!】
【Exactly! What’s with Su Zhi’s expression? Chenru worked so hard to win her a toy. Even if it’s not the grand prize, she’s way too cold about it!】
【Uh, didn’t you fans complain earlier about Su Zhi getting too close to An Chenru? Now that she’s deliberately keeping her distance, why are you unhappy again?】
【What do you know? If anyone’s doing the rejecting, it should be Chenru rejecting Su Zhi. There’s no place for Su Zhi to keep her distance! I think she’s just taking her anger out on Chenru for not winning the grand prize. Ridiculous! If she’s so capable, why doesn’t she win it herself?!】
【Wait…… why did Su Zhi pick up the gun? Is she really planning to win the grand prize herself?】
【Her? Don’t make me laugh!】
【If she hits even ten, I’ll swallow my keyboard!】
An Chenru’s expression darkened, especially when he saw that after receiving the plush toy he had won for her, Su Zhi showed neither excitement nor surprise, and she even took the gun herself.
A trace of gloom flashed through his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.
He looked at Su Zhi again, warmth returning to his gaze. “Ms. Su, you want to try shooting too? I can teach you.”
As he spoke, he walked toward her.
Su Zhi watched his movements coldly and did nothing, only saying flatly, “Oh? Really?”
If 007 had hands, it would have covered its eyes immediately.
Unfortunately, it didn’t.
So it could only watch helplessly as An Chenru, smiling broadly, placed his hand on Su Zhi’s arm.
The next second, a scream echoed through the entire livestream.
“Ahhh!”