Skipping stones growing ever more absurd
A large crate, inside which were stacked 420 skimming stones.
Though each was just a thin slice, they were still stones, and once the box was full, Chen Jue found he simply couldn’t lift such a heavy delivery.
He went to a small roadside restaurant for lunch, then borrowed a flatbed cart from the delivery shop owner and wheeled the box back to his cramped rental apartment.
He returned the cart before coming back to open the box.
“How great this feels in the hand!”
“No wonder those professional players can get so many skips.” Chen Jue picked up one of the skimming stones and turned it over in his palm.
They were all machine-cut, both faces smooth as mirrors, with a rough band around the edge.
The weight was just right, and the feel in the hand was miles ahead of the random stones Chen Jue had picked up in the park.
…
Since he’d just practiced darts that morning, he was a bit tired.
Chen Jue lay down at midday and took a nap.
By the time he woke up, it was already after three in the afternoon. Outside, the sun was shining, a gentle breeze was blowing, and the air had taken on a hint of autumn’s dryness.
Weather like this was perfect for a drive out of the city for sightseeing, hiking, or camping.
But he had neither car nor house, and had never had the chance to drive. The license he’d obtained back in college had long since been left to gather dust in his wallet.
The reason he never bought a car was that, after four years working at Taisheng Finance, Chen Jue had seen too many cases of clients defaulting on their loans.
When a client stopped making payments, the collection process would begin, and later the car would be forcibly impounded by the company’s post-loan department and taken to court for seizure.
That was to prevent clients from secretly using the vehicle as illegal collateral—sometimes for the second, even third time—or simply selling it off on the black market.
The problem was, cars are consumables. Whether new or used, the moment you pay the tax and drive it off the lot, the value plummets.
By the time the car was towed back, the court had finished hearing the case, and the entire legal process had played out, the car’s value would’ve bottomed out. Even if it was sold, it could never cover the outstanding loan and interest, and they’d have to hound the client for the rest.
That was when the freezing of bank accounts, WeChat, and Alipay would begin—a huge hassle.
Chen Jue didn’t want to be saddled with that kind of pressure, so he kept putting off buying a car.
In his view, why not just use the money for a car to hail rides? The drivers do all the work, and you just sit back, like you’ve hired your own chauffeur.
No need to pay for maintenance, no need to worry about car loans—saving both money and effort.
…
He dug out a large backpack from the closet and packed up over 150 skimming stones.
It felt heavy on his shoulders, but at least he could lift it.
He called a ride from outside his apartment complex and returned to Baima Lake Park.
Compared to nighttime, the park was even more alive with nature during the day.
Beds of green plants and flowers, neatly trimmed lawns, modern pavilions and concert stages, and the clear, gurgling river encircling it all—on this sunny autumn afternoon, the scene was simply poetic.
There were still plenty of people camping on the grass, and quite a few had come for the live concert.
Chen Jue barely took a few steps before setting his backpack down on the lawn, grabbing a stack of skimming stones, and heading for the riverbank.
He shook out his right arm. Though it was still a bit sore, after two days of spa massages, herbal compresses, and rest, the pain had eased considerably.
Clenching his fist, he did a few warm-up moves—enough to keep skipping stones for a while longer.
“Let’s see if these skimming stones are really as magical as they say!” Chen Jue drew a deep breath, set the extra stones at his feet, and struck a ready stance.
With a spin and a flick, his arm, wrist, and fingers all working together, he hurled the disc-shaped stone at about a 20-degree downward angle. It spun like a top, slapped the water with a “plop,” and then began to race across the shimmering river in a rapid series of skips.
According to a foreign scientist’s paper in Nature, the number of times a stone skips is determined by four main factors: initial speed, spin rate, angle of entry, and the stone’s material.
By imitating masters’ videos online, Chen Jue had already mastered the ideal throwing angle, and now he had these specialized stones; the rest—initial speed and spin—was up to him.
Heaven rewards the diligent. Chen Jue found that the custom skimming stone, after leaving his right hand, danced just above the water with barely any clearance, vibrating at a high frequency, and skimmed along the surface as if brushing the river itself, leaving a tight string of circular ripples in its wake!
And these ripples were arranged in arcs, likely thanks to the centrifugal force generated by the stone’s spin, a clear departure from the straight-line path of ordinary stones.
What surprised Chen Jue most was that, by eye, this single throw produced at least fifty skips!
The distance was equally astonishing—over fifty meters!
That number, that distance, was truly extraordinary.
Most people couldn’t throw a stone this big even fifty meters, no matter how hard they tried.
At that moment, Chen Jue’s attribute panel gave him a targeted assessment:
——
[Ding~]
[Action meets the standard. You have completed a perfect stone skip.]
[Skimming skill proficiency +5]
——
“A perfect rating on the first try!”
“Truly, a craftsman is only as good as his tools!”
“With these specialized skimming stones, won’t my proficiency soar in no time?” Chen Jue’s grin nearly split his face—these two hundred yuan were well spent.
A five-point skill gain in one go—he’d only ever seen that while grinding his [Darts] level.
[Darts] could be practiced repeatedly without consuming resources, so that skill had actually surpassed [Skimming] and reached level 3 first, now at an amateur’s standard.
With Monday looming and work calling, Chen Jue wanted to make the most of his free time and boost his [Skimming] skill as much as possible!
“Plop~”
“Plop~”
“Plop~”
The round skimming stones zipped across the river’s surface like flying saucers, sending ripples spreading across the water.
“What a steady trajectory!”
“Clearly, the material makes a huge difference—ordinary stones could never skip so reliably!” Chen Jue watched his stones arc across the river.
He found that with these professional stones, every throw etched a perfect, consistent curve across the water.
The path was tightly spaced and covered a great distance!
Though still far from the world record he’d seen online, he was already halfway to the masters’ abstract artistry.
Tourists nearby, out camping and enjoying the view, gathered curiously.
They snapped photos and shot videos.
Several commented on the sidelines: “Is that stone skipping?”
“This guy’s got some skill!”
“Look how many splashes with each throw!”
“Wow, and look at that distance! Nearly to the middle of the river—must be at least fifty meters!”
Everyone has skipped stones at some point, but such an absurd number of skips and such distance—this was a first.
With his attribute panel correcting his posture, Chen Jue was skipping stones in perfect arcs nearly every time.
It was mesmerizing to watch and oddly soothing.
Some playful adults and children even tried to imitate him, picking up stones and tossing them into the water, but barely made a splash—soaking themselves instead, much to the crowd’s amusement.
As for Chen Jue, watching the +4 and +5 proficiency gains roll across his panel, his throws only grew more forceful.
He kept going until his arm was so sore he could barely lift it, and the 150 professional skimming stones he’d brought were all used up. In one burst, he’d pushed his [Skimming] skill to level 3!
Two levels in a single afternoon!
His strength and free attribute points also rose by 0.01.
——
Character: Chen Jue
Strength: 0.81+
Constitution: 0.96+
Spirit: 1.06+
Skills: [Skimming Lv3 (4/2000)+][Darts Lv3 (426/2000)+][Tai Chi Twelve Forms Lv1 (1/200)+]
Unallocated attribute points: 0.01
(Character evaluation: An office worker gaining some clarity; your suboptimal health is steadily improving.)
——
Looking at his ever-growing stats, Chen Jue felt this weekend had been both fulfilling and fun.
Especially since he’d mastered three unusual skills he’d never tried before.
They might seem pointless, but they were helping Chen Jue improve his health and regain hope in life.
As for the newly earned free attribute point, Chen Jue immediately put it into Constitution.
He’d noticed that by focusing on Constitution over the past few days, his body had changed significantly.
Not only had his appetite improved, but his stamina, energy, and recovery were all much better than before.
In the past, half a day out with Jiang Zhe would leave Chen Jue exhausted, desperate to collapse in his apartment and sleep forever.
Now, he could get up early for morning exercise, practice darts in the morning, and still have the energy for an intense afternoon of stone skipping!
His entire day was packed, and he felt as energized as if he’d been injected with pure adrenaline.
But as much as Chen Jue wanted to keep grinding, it was time to rest.
He’d used up all his stones, and his right arm was so sore he couldn’t lift it—it dangled at his side like a noodle.
He called a ride back to the Changhe Apartment Complex and, on a whim, ordered a fitness meal for dinner.
Since it was his first time, Chen Jue felt like he was chewing wax and eating clay.
The beef, buckwheat noodles, and eggs were all boiled, topped with sauce, and served with mashed potatoes and salad—a whole meal.
It was bland and tasteless, with not a drop of oil!
And it cost him thirty-eight yuan—a truly unpalatable meal.
“No wonder so many women at work complain about how hard it is to diet.”
“With meals like this, anyone who sticks it out for a week is a legend.” Chen Jue forced down a few mouthfuls.
He’d ordered it, so he had to finish it—tears or no tears!
As he ate, he watched videos of self-disciplined influencers.
He noticed that every one of them was a tough case, working out at high intensity morning, noon, and night, and eating three meals just like the one he’d ordered.
He had no idea how they kept it up.
If it were him, he’d never have the willpower.
…
That night, Chen Jue went to bed especially early.
After his takeout meal and a hot shower, he lay down and was asleep by eight.
He’d been so active all weekend, and grinding his stats and skills had drained him—his body was utterly spent.
He slept for over twelve hours straight.
When he finally woke at eight-thirty the next morning, his alarm was ringing for work.
In a hurry, Chen Jue washed up and changed into a suit, blending into the stream of office workers from the nearby complexes.
Some rushed for the subway, others for breakfast and the punch clock.
Watching the crowds around him—people of all types, many his age, dragging themselves to work after a long weekend, yawning, eyes half-closed—Chen Jue saw his former self in them.
“Keeping a regular schedule really is the way to go!”
“Even though my muscles are still a bit sore, I’m wide awake this morning.” Chen Jue mused.
He bought breakfast at the first-floor cafeteria in Huaye Tower, clocked in on DingTalk to avoid losing his full attendance bonus, and scanned his face to get through the turnstile, squeezing into the elevator up to the twenty-third floor.
Inside, he ran into a few acquaintances from a cosmetic company on the same floor and exchanged a few greetings.
With a ding, the elevator doors slid open.
Chen Jue was ready to face a new Monday morning with his best energy, already planning how to maximize his on-the-clock leisure time.
But just as he stepped out of the elevator, he froze.
The entrance to Taisheng Finance was packed with all sorts of people, and a group of uniformed officials were cordoning off the area and maintaining order.
“What’s this?”
“Did I get off on the wrong floor?” Chen Jue glanced back at the floor indicator above the elevator—no, this was definitely the familiar twenty-third floor.
Just then, his junior, Jiang Lin, appeared out of nowhere and pulled him aside to a quieter spot. “Brother Jue! Something big happened at the company!”
“Chairman Zhang and Finance Director Wang ran off with the money overnight!”