Skillful Flirtation

“Damn! Five hundred kilograms?”

“That’s over half a ton, isn’t it?”

Hearing the figures Zhou Chuan provided, everyone in the private room suddenly felt a chill run down their spines.

This was exactly the saying: different trades are like mountains apart. Ordinary people who don’t engage in fitness wouldn’t pay attention to world records in squats, deadlifts, or bench presses.

Even Chen Jue was stunned, his face full of shock. Comparing these numbers to his usual strength training level, he realized there was a significant gap between himself and the title of “Strongest Human.”

“What kind of ‘Strength’ attribute must one have to handle 500 kilograms?” Chen Jue muttered to himself, suddenly feeling distracted throughout the meal.

…

After finishing their meal, everyone began to disperse.

Zheng Yuan had gathered a wealth of useful human body test data and planned to rush back home with his girlfriend to work on their research paper.

Zhou Chuan also obtained some data he was deeply interested in and made a point to say goodbye to Chen Jue, suggesting they keep in touch when possible. This left Chen Jue a bit puzzled.

He wondered if this eccentric scholar had taken an interest in his dart-throwing skills, hoping to extract more valuable human data from him.

As for Wu Fang, she didn’t rush off after the meal but instead quietly asked Chen Jue by the cafeteria entrance, “Are we still filming the skill video today?”

Wu Fang’s question caught Chen Jue off guard. He had been so absorbed in Zhou Chuan’s data on human strength limits that he nearly forgot he had promised Teacher Wu to film a video together on Saturday.

Looking back, he saw Wu Fang looking youthful and radiant, her cheeks flushed with anticipation. Without hesitation, Chen Jue readily agreed.

To hell with human limits!

With steady practice, one could eventually reach those so-called limits, but since Teacher Wu had actively invited him to film, he had to prioritize this opportunity above all else.

Without a word, Chen Jue quickly ran back to his apartment to grab his equipment, then drove back to Jiang University campus. He picked up Wu Fang, and they headed toward the park.

Seeing his cousin obediently get into Chen Jue’s car, Zheng Yuan, holding his girlfriend, sighed appreciatively, “Looks like my sister has really come to her senses this time!”

…

Inside the black SUV, Wu Fang curiously looked around the interior.

Chen Jue usually focused on training and attending classes, living a routine life, so he hadn’t taken much care of this domestically made car he had acquired as a trade-in.

He hadn’t cleaned it in a while; the cabin was dirty and messy, still carrying the lingering smell of smoke left by the previous owner. Seeing Wu Fang inspecting the interior, Chen Jue felt suddenly uneasy.

“Do you usually drive alone?” Wu Fang blinked, curious.

“Yeah, I’m usually by myself. No one to bother me, so I live pretty freely,” Chen Jue nodded and quickly explained.

“In that case, you need to take care of your health! Smoking isn’t good for you,” Wu Fang warned, likely having detected the faint smell of smoke.

But upon hearing Chen Jue lived alone, Wu Fang’s worries eased considerably.

Chen Jue was a typical single guy—sloppy and carefree. Men without girlfriends usually were like that.

As long as he didn’t have a girlfriend, Wu Fang thought she might still have a chance.

“I’m trying to quit recently. Haven’t bought cigarettes myself for a while; just take a puff or two when friends offer,” Chen Jue admitted frankly.

“Really?” Wu Fang blinked, glanced at the storage box and armrest, noticing no lighter or cigarettes, and not detecting any fresh smoke smell on Chen Jue, she believed his claim. “Good, at least you’re being honest~ hmph~”

Seeing Chen Jue fidget nervously, Wu Fang felt like laughing and shifted the topic back to the skill video.

After about fifteen minutes, they arrived at the morning exercise park. Once the car was parked steadily outside, Chen Jue finally breathed a sigh of relief and got out with Wu Fang.

“Damn!”

“I definitely need to give this old secondhand car a thorough cleaning later!” Chen Jue thought bitterly, realizing his careless habits might have left a bad impression on Teacher Wu.

Being single for so long, he had lived frugally and didn’t pay much attention to the car as a mere means of transportation.

Meeting a girl he liked was rare, so besides improving his health, Chen Jue felt it was time to tidy up his personal habits.

He didn’t want their sweet romance to start on a sour note with Teacher Wu giving him a low score, affecting their future relationship.

…

With these messy thoughts, Chen Jue tidied up the props for filming and ventured deeper into the park.

Wu Fang went home briefly and returned to the park’s small lake, now carrying books and study materials.

“Your needle embroidery during the last live stream was amazing; it even trended several times,” she proposed, putting down the books. “Why not recreate that for the new video?”

“Needle embroidery?” Chen Jue frowned. “Since the last live stream was recorded, filming it again might be a bit repetitive.”

“We should film a new skill…”

Chen Jue stroked his chin, set up the tripod and camera equipment on standby, then sat quietly on the grass, pondering.

Honestly, after earning a substantial sum from live streaming, his mindset had become a bit distracted. Plus, he had been busy leveling up his athletic attributes and hadn’t seriously thought about new filming ideas.

Seeing him deep in thought, Wu Fang smiled softly and didn’t interrupt, instead reviewing her materials nearby.

Thus, under the autumn afternoon sky, by a lake surrounded by tall trees, two young people sat close together on a sun-dappled green lawn. The gentle autumn breeze swept golden leaves down, creating a romantic scene like a couple on a date.

Though silent, the air was filled with comfort and a hint of intimacy.

Chen Jue noticed a few ginkgo leaves drifting toward him, his eyes brightening. He glanced up at a towering ginkgo tree nearby, judging its height at nearly twenty meters, then said abruptly, “Got it! Let’s film this new skill with that tree!”

Wu Fang, seeing his inspiration, set aside her work but looked puzzled. “Filming a tree?”

Without much explanation, Chen Jue launched a drone to the treetop and aimed the tripod-mounted action camera at the ginkgo tree. He handed the filming duties over to Wu Fang.

Wearing a mask, Chen Jue made a gesture signaling she could start filming, then gripped a short sword-shaped dart and aimed at the treetop.

After a moment, a leaf floated down, and with a swift throw, the gleaming dart pierced the falling ginkgo leaf and thudded precisely into the tree trunk’s highest point.

Wu Fang was stunned. She hadn’t expected Chen Jue’s darts to be so powerful and accurate, hitting two targets over twenty meters above ground, even shooting against gravity.

This dartsmanship was nearly supernatural!

Just as Wu Fang finished filming this segment, Chen Jue suddenly dashed forward and kicked the ginkgo tree trunk with force.

The impact caused the tree to shake violently, and the ginkgo leaves, which usually drifted down with the breeze, now cascaded like rain.

Wu Fang’s eyes sparkled at the breathtaking sight, her mouth slightly open. “So beautiful!”

Women, after all, loved to see beautiful things.

Ginkgo leaves falling in autumn were already a splendid sight, let alone so many drifting down together.

…

Chen Jue, after kicking off from the tree trunk, propelled himself upward. Gripping the bark’s raised patterns with his immense one-handed grip strength of 115 kilograms, he began to climb swiftly.

Like a nimble monkey, he dodged branches and squeezed through gaps, ascending rapidly.

In less than twenty seconds, he reached the treetop.

Reaching up, he plucked the short sword dart he’d thrown earlier back from the tree.

Wu Fang was utterly amazed by the scene, reminiscent of a martial arts master performing graceful lightness skill to climb the tree.

She also secretly worried for Chen Jue’s safety.

Climbing unprotected was dangerous; a fall could be fatal or crippling.

Fortunately, Chen Jue’s climbing skill had reached a masterful level.

When he descended safely, a notification popped up on his stats:

——————

[ Ding~ ]

[ You completed a perfect climb practice. Your climbing skill has greatly improved, and your hand grip strength has slightly increased. ]

[ Overcoming a high target has gradually lessened your fear of heights and strengthened your willpower. ]

[ Climbing proficiency +200 ]

[ Mental attribute +0.01 ]

——————

[ Ding~ ]

[ Proficiency has reached 100%. Skill level increased. ]

[ Climbing Lv4 → Lv5 ]

[ Your understanding of climbing has deepened; you have no blind spots in climbing skills. Your climbing speed has slightly increased, balance has improved, and your weakened palmar muscles have been strengthened again. ]

[ Strength attribute +0.01 ]

——————

“Finally leveled up!” Chen Jue sighed internally.

After paying for several climbing lessons with Yu Jie and boosting proficiency by scaling walls, streetlights, and trees, he had finally upgraded his climbing skill.

Seeing Chen Jue descend safely, Wu Fang hurried over, concerned. “Are you okay? Don’t take such risks next time! Let’s just film some regular dart skills. Climbing that high is too dangerous!”

Seeing Teacher Wu’s reproachful look, Chen Jue felt a warm glow inside and smiled sheepishly.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the short sword dart he had retrieved from the treetop. In his palm, scratched and bruised, was a golden ginkgo leaf.

“This was the prettiest one at the top of the tree. I know you love reading, so I picked it for you as a bookmark!”

Second update~

Writing this made me feel a bit embarrassed—this cheesy romantic vibe (picks nose).

Oh well, let’s wish the protagonist all the best.

(End of chapter)