Trapped in the Same Day for a Thousand Years: Why Are You Looking at Me? Hit the Ball!

Welcome to Trapped in the Same Day for a Thousand Years, produced exclusively by Feilu Novel Network, written by Sang Ze and narrated by Wang Xiaomo and Lao He.

Su Qingying was flustered. Wu Chen seemed to be doing nothing more than helping her play golf, but no man had ever approached her so suddenly.

Part of her panic came from knowing that the nearby bodyguards would tell her family. It would be awful if they found out she had been in such close contact with a strange man.

Perhaps it would not truly be that awful, but Su Qingying felt that it would.

"Don't you want me to keep your secret?"

"You don't trust me, and I can hardly expect you to. So I'm giving you a reason to trust me. Why are you still resisting?"

Wu Chen spoke softly beside Su Qingying's ear. His words left her confused. What did he mean?

"Let go of me first. Then we can talk."

Su Qingying was still struggling a little, though she did not seem to dare use much force. Her upbringing would not allow her to make a scene in public. Even with no one else nearby, she instinctively minded her manners. Grappling with someone would be terribly improper.

"What do you think would happen to me if Li Ruobing found out I was teaching you golf like this?"

Wu Chen spoke with a quiet laugh.

Su Qingying stopped struggling at once. With her intelligence, she understood the moment he pointed it out.

She knew exactly what kind of person Li Ruobing was.

Li Ruobing was a forceful woman who liked to be in control. If she learned that her boyfriend had wrapped his arms around another woman under the pretense of teaching her golf, there was no way she would believe him. She might tear Wu Chen apart.

So Wu Chen, not Su Qingying, ought to be afraid right now.

Su Qingying should not struggle. She should cooperate and hold this leverage over him. Then each of them would have a devastating secret about the other, and both would keep quiet.

Once she worked that out, Su Qingying went still. She made no further attempt to resist.

Far away, Su Qingying's two bodyguards had seen the man she was meeting embrace her from behind. When she appeared to resist, they hurried toward the pair. But then she suddenly cooperated. Not only did she stop resisting, she began speaking quietly with Wu Chen. The bodyguards stopped in their tracks.

Their expressions turned decidedly strange, but they backed away.

Who was this man?

Why did he seem so close to their young lady?

Could she be dating someone in secret?

"Aren't you afraid I'll call Li Ruobing right now and tell her about you?"

Su Qingying shot Wu Chen a sidelong look. Her face was as lovely as a fairy's, and she appeared composed, but her eyes gave her away. She was far from calm. She did not have anything like Li Ruobing's inner strength.

Not even close. "Of course I'm afraid!"

Wu Chen smiled.

Afraid? Not a chance. Only yesterday, he had bet Li Ruobing that he could win Su Qingying over. But he needed to say he was afraid. "I know you're afraid I'll tell someone about you, too. Now we're even, aren't we?"

As he spoke, Wu Chen kept his arms around Su Qingying. He held the club through her hands and guided it back and forth twice.

"If neither of us says anything, that's the best outcome for both of us. You don't have to worry about me letting your secret slip now, do you?"

With that, Wu Chen guided Su Qingying's body into a sharp backswing, then brought the golf club down to strike the ball.

The ball shot away in an exaggerated arc. It flew far into the distance, landed atop a grassy slope, then rolled down it.

Su Qingying watched it fly. At least 350 meters.

Wu Chen had hit a professional-level shot while holding Su Qingying, despite their awkward stance. That was how the ball was meant to be struck.

"The way you play is just an outlet for your frustration. You ignore technique and rely on brute force. It might feel great the first few times, but once you've let some of that frustration out, you can't hit the ball any farther. You might even hit it a shorter distance. That'll only make you feel worse, and it won't relieve much stress."

By the time Wu Chen finished talking, the machine had set out another ball. He held Su Qingying and swung again.

This ball went even farther than the last, though the exact distance was hard to judge. He could only estimate it from the distance markers along the sides of the course.

The world record for the longest golf shot stood at 530 yards, or 484 meters.

Professional players, meanwhile, generally drove the ball less than 400 yards, around 365 meters.

Wu Chen had the technique, but his body was not quite up to it. Breaking the world record was out of the question, though hitting the ball as far as a professional was easy enough.

"You can hit shots like that, yet you're deliberately giving me something to use against you?"

Su Qingying's feelings were complicated as she asked the question.

She had little experience with men. She did not even have male friends her own age, afraid to let any of them get too close.

She had only just met Wu Chen, yet his boldness in suddenly embracing her, his attentiveness in easing her panic, and the unusual way he had done it had all left a deep impression on her.

"More or less. You were so uneasy about trusting me that I had to take the initiative."

It was not the first time Wu Chen had given someone leverage over him.

His experiences through a thousand years of repeating the same day had taught him that giving someone leverage was one of the simplest, most effective ways to earn their trust and put them at ease.

People were selfish. No matter how close a relationship was or how deep the feelings ran, one incident could turn them against each other.

Leverage was different. It made people hesitate. Even if they wanted to hurt you, they might not dare. It was a way to control them.

As he talked with Su Qingying, Wu Chen kept teaching her to play, holding her as he sent ball after ball flying.

"Don't rush every swing just to vent. You need a final moment of release, and sending the ball flying is that moment."

"If you go at it too hard and still don't get the result you want, does that feel good?"

"Your swing needs a rhythm. Like this."

As Wu Chen spoke, he guided Su Qingying's arms up and swung the club. Once again, the ball flew at least 300 meters.

Wu Chen let Su Qingying go and watched the ball land on the distant grass, then roll a long way farther.

Smiling with satisfaction, he turned to her. "Come on, give it a try. There's nothing seriously wrong with your swing. You just have a few small things to correct."

Su Qingying glanced at Wu Chen sideways. How had this turned into an actual golf lesson?

Wu Chen had been steering their conversation all along.

"What are you looking at me for?"

"Hit the ball!"

Wu Chen frowned, suddenly sounding a little stern, like a real golf coach.

No sooner had he spoken than he moved again.

Smack! He gave Su Qingying a firm slap on the backside.

"Don't stick it out. Tuck it in a little. What did your last coach teach you?"

The sudden sting left Su Qingying stunned. Wu Chen had actually hit her—and there, of all places!

Her face flushed instantly, and an indescribable sensation spread from behind her through her whole body.

"Tuck it in. I said, tuck it in."

Wu Chen reminded her, pressing a hand against her, then adjusting her waist. "Like this. Stand like this."

Next, he put both hands on Su Qingying's shoulders and gently moved them outward, changing their angle by just a little.

"All right, hit it. Watch your right knee and how far you bend it."

Wu Chen stepped back and motioned for Su Qingying to hit the ball.

How had things ended up like this?

Su Qingying could not work it out. Or rather, she did not try. She simply stood the way Wu Chen had told her.

Out of habit, she used her club to adjust the ball's position first. The machine did not place the ball on a tee, the little stand that raised it off the ground and made it easier to strike.

Teeing the ball up was common for long-distance shots, but Su Qingying never bothered. She would have had to place it by hand, and she played golf to vent, not to make more work for herself.

Touching the ball with her club to shift it slightly before a shot was simply her habit.

This shot flew, well, a little over 100 meters. "You really are hopeless. If you're that bad at sports, maybe don't play."

Wu Chen wrapped his arms around Su Qingying again. "I'll show you one more time. Tuck your hips in. Keep both arms straight."

Holding her, Wu Chen guided her through another shot.

This ball flew nearly 400 meters. That was only an estimate; it was already hard to see at that distance, though the golf course was broad and flat, stretching unobstructed to the horizon.

"Try it again!"

Wu Chen stepped back.

Then came another smack!

Wu Chen had slapped her backside again, hard.

"Tuck it in. Tuck it in. Do you have an anterior pelvic tilt?"

"If you do, get it treated!"

That was a cutting thing to say.

Anterior pelvic tilt was a misalignment of the pelvis that made the buttocks and lower abdomen protrude.

Su Qingying did not have it. Wu Chen had said it on purpose, sounding just like a short-tempered coach.

Su Qingying's face reddened again, almost crimson. Yet she did not argue. She took a deep breath and looked down at the ball.

At that moment, Wu Chen raised his head slightly and glanced out of the corner of his eye toward the two men in black standing far off to one side of the course.

One of Su Qingying's bodyguards had taken out his phone and was making a call. That was what Wu Chen had been waiting to see: whether they would call, and when.

After the first time he slapped Su Qingying, Wu Chen had checked on them. They had not called then. It seemed they had been too shocked by the sight of someone daring to do that to their young lady.

This time, after Wu Chen slapped her again, they finally acted.

Wu Chen knew whom they were calling. He even knew what they would say.

On the north side of the golf course, beside a sightseeing cart, the two bodyguards spoke briefly. The taller, sturdier one took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Hello, ma'am. It's me."

"Yes, miss is playing golf at Tangsha. She came early this morning."

"Uh, no, there hasn't been any trouble."

"It's just... miss met a young man. Early twenties, I'd say. We don't know him. We've never seen him before."

"What were they saying?"

"We couldn't hear them."

"You know miss likes to be left alone when she plays. She doesn't let us stand too close."

"Well, that man suddenly embraced her a moment ago, and she was laughing and talking with him."

"Yes... yes. He even slapped her backside."

"Uh... it looks as though he's teaching her golf?"

"Yes, he's very young. It seems miss came today..."

"...to wait for him."

"Understood, ma'am."

The tall bodyguard hung up, then turned to speak quietly to his companion.

"Ma'am told us to stay here for now. She'll come herself in a little while."

"If that man leaves, follow him."

"You really are hopeless!"

"Are you an idiot?"

"You've been playing golf for years, haven't you?"

Wu Chen was berating Su Qingying again. Then he grabbed her arm and pulled her aside, took the club from her hands, and stepped into her place.

"Watch me hit one. Pay attention to how I move."

As Wu Chen spoke, the machine fed out another ball. Without the slightest pause, he turned, raised the club, and swung.

Golf was about accuracy as well as distance. Right now, though, Wu Chen only needed to hit the ball far, so he could swing freely.

Smack!

This shot sailed more than 400 meters, perhaps the farthest Wu Chen had hit that day and nearly his limit. There was no wind today.

To hit a golf ball as far as possible—far enough to break a world record—a tailwind was essential.

Su Qingying lifted her head and watched the ball fly far, far away.

She was still unconsciously rubbing her left arm with her right hand. Wu Chen had pulled her rather hard, and it hurt a little.

"Come on. Your turn."

Wu Chen handed the club back to Su Qingying and moved aside.

Su Qingying stepped up and took a stance that was nearly correct. Then she shifted slightly, making it less correct.

"How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Tuck it in. What are you sticking it out for?"

Smack!

Wu Chen slapped Su Qingying a third time.

Su Qingying's face was red, and her breathing was uneven. "I know," she said softly.

For the next half hour, the two of them seemed to forget why they had met that day.

Wu Chen earnestly taught Su Qingying to play golf. At first, he held back his criticism, but he grew increasingly harsh, practically calling the highly educated, intelligent, well-mannered Su Qingying an idiot incapable of learning.

Su Qingying, meanwhile, was just as serious about learning. She asked few questions and did whatever Wu Chen told her. If she got it wrong, he scolded her; sometimes he even gave her a slap.

"I give up. Keep practicing. I'm going to sit down in the back and watch."

Wu Chen glanced at his watch and walked away.

Behind the teeing area were sofas and a small table stocked with fruit and drinks. This was a place for the wealthy to relax, and the amenities reflected it.

Wu Chen sat on a sofa, crossed his legs, and watched Su Qingying at the teeing area a few meters away.

Su Qingying hit another ball, then another, then a third. "Nice shot. You're improving!"

Wu Chen called out his praise.

Su Qingying stopped and leaned on her club. Turning to Wu Chen, she said, "I'm not hopeless, and I'm not an idiot."

Then she turned back. Her stance was a little off again.

Wu Chen got up and walked over. Smack! He slapped her, then wrapped his arms around her and took hold of the club. "Come on. I'll show you again. One last time!"

He sounded as if this student had nearly driven him to his wits' end. His teeth were practically clenched.

They swung.

This time, the ball flew almost 400 meters. Su Qingying's best shot before today had only gone a little over 200.

"All right. We're done."

Wu Chen watched the ball land, released Su Qingying, and turned to her. "Do you need to head back?"

"Is something urgent?" Su Qingying asked.

"It's nothing urgent."

As Wu Chen spoke, he glanced at his watch, then looked at Su Qingying. "I'm guessing your mother's already bringing people over to catch me."

After saying that, Wu Chen cast what looked like a casual glance into the distance. "I noticed them making a call earlier," he said quietly.

Su Qingying's expression changed sharply. She followed his glance and understood at once: her bodyguards had given her away.

Her mother probably knew she was here playing ball with a man—and that they'd had more than casual physical contact. Of course she would come storming over with people in tow.

"Th-then what do we do?"

Su Qingying was beside herself with nerves.

"Run. Let's get out of here before they corner us."

Wu Chen smiled as he spoke, as though he found the whole thing amusing. Then he asked softly, still smiling, "Want to run with me?"