Bullseye!

"Am I throwing them wrong?"

Chen Jue turned to look at the friendly middle-aged guy beside him.

The man was short and rather portly, with fashionable dark-blond slicked-back hair and casually stylish clothes.

However, there was a conspicuous little logo on his polo shirt. It was not the ubiquitous polo player of Ralph Lauren, but a square grid perched atop an outspread olive branch.

It was the logo of Loro Piana, known in Chinese as Nuoyoupianya, a top Italian luxury brand hailed as the Rolls-Royce of cashmere products.

Chen Jue recognized the brand because the chairman of Taisheng Finance often wandered around the office wearing the stuff.

He had even looked it up online in private. A single garment could easily cost tens of thousands, while custom pieces ran from hundreds of thousands to over a million. Only genuinely wealthy people could afford them.

After criticizing Chen Jue's dart-throwing technique, the portly older man picked up a steel-tip dart and demonstrated.

"Watch what my hand does."

"Grip the dart with your fingers, swing your forearm with your wrist, then snap your wrist for an instant burst of force."

As soon as he finished speaking, the dart smacked straight into the bullseye on the target opposite them.

His movement was crisp and fast, and even after leaving his hand, the dart flew in a perfectly straight line.

"Amazing!"

"Are you a professional player, sir?" Chen Jue could not help praising him.

His newly upgraded Lv1 [Darts] skill was nowhere near this man's level.

"I used to play professionally overseas, but I've retired now. These days, I work on promoting international darts." The middle-aged man smiled, then pulled a business card from one of the dart boxes on the rack.

Besides the name Zhu Hongbin, the card listed his contact information. On the back was a dense row of titles.

General manager of Hangzhou Darts Club, vice chairman of the Jiangzhe International Darts Association, and a whole string of others.

This was Chen Jue's first time meeting a big shot in sports, and he became a little nervous, unsure what to say.

He was just an ordinary office worker, somewhat introverted and socially anxious. Usually, he only saw people like this on TV or in the news.

Besides, Chen Jue had only obtained the Attribute Panel recently, and his mindset had yet to fully change. It was only natural that he seemed nervous.

"I saw you throwing with your left hand just now. Since I'm a lefty too, I came over to take a look. I made a few offhand comments—you don't mind, right, little brother?" Zhu Hongbin asked cheerfully.

Chen Jue quickly said twice that he did not mind, then gestured with his injured right hand and explained that he had strained it while exercising, so he could not use it for the time being. That cleared up the misunderstanding behind the coincidence.

"So you're not left-handed?"

"I was wondering why your left hand had so little power! Lefties are usually stronger than average, and they tend to be better at darts too." Zhu Hongbin looked enlightened. Though he was smiling, the disappointment in his eyes could not be hidden.

Chen Jue guessed that the man had been scouting for talented left-handed darts players and had come over on a whim to offer some pointers.

Once he learned that Chen Jue normally used his right hand, the big shot immediately lost interest.

Still, Zhu Hongbin was clearly an experienced social hand. He did not let his feelings show, instead chatting with Chen Jue for a while and teaching him a few tips for throwing darts.

When another casually dressed middle-aged man came looking for him, Zhu Hongbin patted Chen Jue on the shoulder. "Little brother, if you're interested in international darts, you can come join our club. It's not far from here, the venue and environment are good, and we have professional coaches for you to learn with."

"I have something to take care of, so I'll be going!"

Zhu Hongbin's words were impeccably polite. After exchanging a few courtesies with Chen Jue, he left with the well-dressed, portly middle-aged man.

"President Zhu, was that young man just now... a relative of yours?" the other man asked curiously, glancing back in Chen Jue's direction.

Zhu Hongbin waved a hand. "Ah, President Tang, you misunderstood! I just ran into a young guy playing darts and went over to chat for a bit."

"I see!"

"Never mind that for now. That wild yellow croaker weighing over three pounds just went into the steamer. This time, I guarantee you'll be satisfied, President Zhu!" The two chatted and laughed as they left the recreation area.

"A wild yellow croaker weighing three pounds?"

"Wouldn't that cost tens of thousands per fish?"

Is this the world of the rich?

Chen Jue gripped the business card in his hand and remained silent for a long while before finally coming back to himself.

After putting away the card, he raised his left hand, held a steel-tip dart, and followed the technique Zhu Hongbin had explained. Using a snap of his wrist, he sent the dart flying in a straight line through the air.

"Thud~"

The dart struck the target hard. But since it was his first attempt at throwing with that kind of force, his accuracy was poor, and it only landed near the edge.

Yet the Attribute Panel displayed a proficiency notification somewhat different from the previous ones!

[Ding~]

[Your movement met the standard. You completed an excellent dart throw.]

[Darts Proficiency +2]

[Your wrist, forearm, and finger muscles have received a slight workout.]

"It says the movement met the standard. There's an extra comment too."

"What's that for?"

Chen Jue muttered to himself.

He tried another dozen or so throws using the standard posture. Before long, his left hand—especially his forearm, wrist, and fingers—became unbearably sore.

Then, the Attribute Panel reacted again.

[Ding~]

[After accumulating enough standard movements, the muscles in your left arm have improved slightly.]

[Strength Attribute +0.01]

"Using standard movements can raise the Strength Attribute faster!" Chen Jue's eyes widened with delight.

At that moment, a warm current flowed into his left arm. His left hand seemed a little stronger than before, though he did not know whether it was just an illusion.

After resting for a few minutes, he vigorously shook his left arm to ease the soreness.

Once the aching and swelling subsided somewhat, Chen Jue again used the standard posture Zhu Hongbin had taught him and threw the dart.

"Thud~"

The dart embedded itself in the target with a heavy sound.

This throw somehow struck the ring just outside the bullseye, earning an Excellent rating.

The skill progress bar on the Attribute Panel also happened to fill up again after all that practice!

[Ding~]

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

[Darts Lv1 (200/200) → Lv2 (1/500)]

[Your personal understanding of darts has improved by a great deal, and you have also gained a certain feel for it.]

"Two levels in one day!"

"This is even better than Stone Skipping!"

The skill-up notification made Chen Jue grin from ear to ear.

In his mind, he replayed the movements, posture, and angles from his earlier dart throws bit by bit, even incorporating Zhu Hongbin's guidance.

Chen Jue found that he had gained an understanding of darts that he had never possessed before.

He raised his hand again, gripped the dart, and swung his arm.

With a flick of his wrist and a release of his fingers, the steel-tip dart with its tail fins drew a straight line through the air.

With a "thud," the dart landed right beside the previous one.

Chen Jue had not changed his glasses in two years, and his eyesight was a little poor.

He leaned in for a closer look, and his grin nearly split his face.

Because that throw had hit the bullseye!

Second update~

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