Compared to showing off various limited-edition luxury goods, showcasing true talent is what really impresses.
Chen Siyu shouted, "Tongtong, come on!"
Chen Siqing added, "We believe in you!"
The cheers of the twins drew many people's attention, their expressions filled with surprise.
Twins were rare in real life, let alone a pair of attractive twins.
Xue Yuantong calmly raised the basketball, mimicking the posture she'd seen on TV, and tossed it forward. The ball was thrown.
Then everyone saw the basketball draw an arc, skirting the edge of the sand jar and rolling toward the backdrop behind it.
The twins' cheering suddenly stopped.
Bai Yuxia couldn't bear to watch anymore.
Shen Xu exclaimed, "Awesome!"
Lin Zida was slapping his thigh in amusement.
Even the stall owner was dumbfounded.
Xue Yuantong's face was tight, pretending nothing was amiss, but her blushing ears betrayed her inner lack of composure.
Beside her, the competitor Li Shi laughed and said, "That was quite something, wasn't it?"
Lin Zida said, "A rare sight, Li Shi, why don't you show off a little?"
"Let me give you a demonstration," Li Shi said, throwing her basketball.
The basketball soared, grazing the top of the sand jar pyramid, and also missed.
Li Shi's face turned awkward.
Lin Zida stopped talking.
Xue Yuantong honestly complimented, "You're pretty good too."
Shen Xu called out, "Same level, no need for flattery."
Li Shi glared at Shen Xu, who liked to watch the excitement; she knew this peddler, as he often came to their class to sell things, but she turned up her nose at the poor quality of his goods.
"Boss, give me another ball," Li Shi passed over the money.
Xue Yuantong still had five chances and could continue playing.
The two started throwing at the sand jars again, and this time Li Shi played normally, not missing but hitting the jars with too much force, toppling six without any reward.
Xue Yuantong also played normally, knocking down six jars as well.
Looking at Little Bud, Li Shi found her competitive spirit rising.
She asked the owner for another basketball; Xue Yuantong still hadn't finished her five chances.
The basketball was thrown, jars fell, but still no prizes were won.
Bai Yuxia watched Xue Yuantong's actions, seeing not a game of skill, but money being thrown away.
Bai Yuxia's family was well-off, yet she couldn't stand to see money wasted . She could afford expensive snacks, but couldn't accept squandering money.
"Jiang Ning, don't let Xue Yuantong play anymore, okay?" she pleaded.
Chen Siyu agreed, "Yeah, it's so painful to watch. It's like throwing money away with each throw."
Jiang Ning indifferently said, "It's fine, let her play. If she's having fun, that's what matters."
Chen Siyu retorted, "But losing money isn't fun."
Jiang Ning replied with a deeper meaning, "Well, games have wins and losses."
However, Bai Yuxia only saw Xue Yuantong losing continuously, and Li Shi, who was playing the same game, was also losing continuously.
Lin Zida commented with amusement, "So bad at this."
Zhuang Jianhui earnestly said, "It's not about being bad, the game is just really hard."
This was the conclusion he reached after trying it himself.
Zhuang Jianhui played basketball all year round and could normally hit any target.
Even so, it was only with luck that he managed to knock down two jars.
However, they weren't worried about the money, nor were they chasing the 500 yuan prize; they simply found it fun to play.
Xue Yuantong's five chances were up, and so were Li Shi's, with nothing to show for it.
Li Shi, coming from a family of merchants and spoiled since childhood, had a spirit that wouldn't be easily defeated.
After all, at the age of fifteen or sixteen, they were full of youthful vigor.
She and others from different backgrounds, like Ding Shuyan and Zhuang Jianhui, dealt with such things differently.
Li Shi slapped down one hundred yuan, "Keep going, boss!"
The owner happily accepted the money, noting it down with a pen, loving this kind of customer; once they got competitive, they really kept playing.
He once had a customer who lost their entire wallet to the game, a total of three thousand yuan!
Xue Yuantong was ready to leave, having lost fifty yuan, and she was hurting.
Fifty yuan could buy a lot of groceries; pork was only ten yuan a kilo after all.
Jiang Ning approached the stall owner, "Let her play for one hundred yuan more."
Xue Yuantong quickly gestured with her hands and urgently shouted, "I'm not playing anymore."
Jiang Ning smiled teasingly, "Was it fun to throw the ball?"
Of course it was fun. Knocking down those neatly arranged jars into disarray was primary destructive pleasure; moreover, someone else would set them up again neatly, sparing her the trouble.
How could it not be fun?
Fun as it may be, Xue Yuantong didn't want to play. Lying, she said, "It's not fun."
Jiang Ning suggested, "Play a little more and you will enjoy it."
He looked at her gently.
Seeing Jiang Ning's gaze, Xue Yuantong suddenly felt reassured and calm.
In front of Jiang Ning, although she often rebelled, she was usually, even without noticing it herself, compliant.
Jiang Ning paid the money.
Li Shi was waiting for Xue Yuantong to return and said when she saw her, "Thought you were done playing."
Xue Yuantong, "Jiang Ning paid for more."
Finishing, she stated gravely, "I'm taking it seriously this time."
Li Shi replied, "I also added one hundred yuan. Shall we compete?"
Competing with the top student in the grade, or even the city, was honestly thrilling.
If she could beat her in this regard, it would be a happy achievement.
"Let's compete, but just so you know, you're definitely going to lose," Xue Yuantong declared with certainty.
Li Shi responded, "Alright then."
A new round of tossing at the sand jars began.
One ball, two balls...
Chen Siyu watched them handing money to the owner, it was distressing.
"Bai Yuxia, let's try talking to Jiang Ning," she suggested, thinking he might be getting carried away.
Bai Yuxia frowned. She sensed something was off; in her mind, Jiang Ning wasn't someone to carelessly lose money.