The air around them was filled with a chorus of gasps from students and parents alike.
“Shen Yi, your mom is amazing!” Zhou Xiaomi was the first to rush over. She grabbed Shen Yi by both arms. “That move she just did—she came down from the sky! I saw it!”
A boy who normally barely spoke to Shen Yi also came over. “Was your mom in movies before? That smash was so cool!”
Voices came from all around, surrounding Shen Yi.
The students chattered excitedly, praising Wen Ya from every direction.
“She’s a superhero!”
“She was just like something out of a cartoon!”
“I wish my mom were that amazing too!”
Several children had already begun imitating Wen Ya’s spectacular smash.
Amid the crowd’s worshipful praise, Shen Yi was the only person on the scene who couldn’t smile.
She had clearly seen the way Shen Sixing had stood frozen on the other side of the net.
This was bad.
Wen Ya’s secret identity was practically exposed.
“Mom.”
Shen Yi pushed through the crowd and ran over. She hurriedly threw her arms around Wen Ya’s waist.
With her face buried against Wen Ya’s side, she murmured in a voice only the two of them could hear, “...How are you planning to explain to Dad that you can spin through the air like a superhero, smash the shuttlecock, and land perfectly?”
Wen Ya was in a wonderful mood after winning.
When Shen Yi hugged her, she smiled and patted the girl’s back.
“I’ll tell your father I used to practice gymnastics.”
Shen Yi looked up from her mother’s arms and studied her mother’s confident expression before burying her face against her again.
She felt that when it came to “making excuses,” her mother was probably on the same level as her father when it came to “making up stories.”
Neither of them put much thought into it.
Shen Sixing finally managed to recover from what he had just witnessed.
He rubbed his arm.
When the shuttlecock had landed half a meter in front of his toes, he had felt a gust of wind sweep past his face.
After several rallies, his wrist was numb from the impact. This woman had terrifying arm strength.
He picked up the shuttlecock in a daze and walked over, happening to hear Wen Ya’s explanation about practicing gymnastics. The corner of his mouth twitched.
Could someone who practiced gymnastics really leap so lightly into the air?
Could she complete an axial twist without any point of support and still smash the shuttlecock with pinpoint accuracy?
The laws of conservation of momentum and angular momentum had both been torn open at that very moment.
“Miss,” he began, habitually adopting his unhurried, academic tone, “from the perspective of human biomechanics, even a gymnast would find it impossible to complete a twist at that angle while airborne and still strike the target with such precision—”
He stopped halfway when he caught sight of Wen Ya’s expression from the corner of his eye.
The girl’s face had visibly darkened.
Shen Sixing recalled how she had just smashed a shuttlecock hard enough to leave a crater in the grass. His survival instincts kicked in, and he hurriedly swallowed the rest of his analysis.
“What I mean is, there’s nothing wrong with it. You’re truly very impressive.”
He had switched back to using honorifics.
But this time, there was no trace of sarcasm in them—only genuine respect.
Whatever her background might be, that move had absolutely earned her his respect.
Seeing that he had wisely stopped himself, Wen Ya relaxed slightly and smiled. “Oh, it was nothing.”
She had only been thinking about not letting the shuttlecock hit the ground. She hadn’t expected the move to look so far beyond everyone’s understanding.
It seemed she would have to be more careful next time.
“Let’s go sit down and rest for a while.”
Wen Ya didn’t want anyone to become suspicious, so she hurriedly stuffed the rackets into Shen Sixing’s hands, took Shen Yi’s hand, and headed toward the stands.
Shen Sixing stood there for a moment with an armful of rackets. Then he looked up at her retreating figure and followed.
Because of what had just happened, Wen Ya had now become the queen of the kids. Parents and elementary school students alike gathered around her, all asking what she did for a living.
Wen Ya gave them all the same answer: “I used to practice gymnastics.”
The crowd quickly came to a unanimous conclusion:
—Gymnasts can fly.
Among the onlookers, Chen Qiang squeezed his way in from the back.
He was small, and it took him several attempts to reach the front.
The boy stood before Wen Ya and looked up at her, both hands clasped behind his back. “Auntie, you’re really pretty. Shen Yi looks a lot like you.”
That was actually a lie.
Shen Yi and Wen Ya didn’t look much alike.
But mothers loved hearing things like that.
Sure enough, Wen Ya’s eyes curved into a smile. “Really? I think so too!”
She eagerly reached out and ruffled Shen Yi’s hair. Shen Yi dodged to the side as her mother tousled it.
Seeing that Auntie was happy, Chen Qiang grew bolder.
He secretly pulled something out of his pocket.
It was a large diamond ring. The band was platinum, set with a transparent gemstone the size of a pigeon’s egg that glittered brilliantly in the sunlight.
Lowering his voice, he leaned toward Wen Ya. “Auntie, what do you think of me?”
Wen Ya lowered her head and stared at the diamond ring, blinking.
Putting everything else aside, based on her years of traveling all over the world, she estimated that the ring was probably worth anywhere from several million to tens of millions.
“Where did you get this, little boy?” Wen Ya asked, amused.
“I stole it from my mom. If you’re not satisfied, I can steal my dad’s watch too.” Chen Qiang grew more and more excited, his voice gradually rising. “My family runs a private museum. I can also steal...”
He counted on his fingers.
“Bronze artifacts, jade, and old coins. There’s even a painting in my grandpa’s study. I heard it’s worth a fortune.”
He looked like a master thief reborn, glancing around furtively with his eyes darting back and forth. He was already planning his next heist in his head.
Shen Yi burst out laughing.
“Hahahaha!”
Seeing her laugh, Chen Qiang couldn’t help laughing too.
Wen Ya laughed as well, still failing to connect the two matters. “But why did you steal a diamond ring and bring it here?”
Chen Qiang’s spirits lifted. “I want to give it to the beautiful Shen Yi. Once I give her the ring, we can hold a wedding, right?”
He had learned the process from watching television dramas.
Shen Yi’s heart gave a sudden lurch.
