Chapter 16: A Trained Lefty

"That was me!"

"What is it?"

Chen Jue turned to look at the female trainer who had just pushed the door open.

Her figure was absolutely explosive!

She was around 165 cm tall, curvy in all the right places.

The deadliest part was that she was wearing a tight, stomach-baring workout top and athletic pants. Her exposed skin was a healthy, wheat-like tan, and the lines of her abs were clearly defined, showing off a nearly perfect physique.

With such a near-perfect body as a backdrop, her face, which might have been a 6 out of 10 on its own, instantly jumped a level, elevating her to the standard of a graceful beauty.

Her large eyes stared straight at Chen Jue, enough to make the heart of a nearly-30-year-old homebody like him pound in his chest.

’Damn!’

’This is what it feels like to have your heart skip a beat!’

’No wonder they say gyms are full of beauties. A body like that alone could add two or three points to her looks.’

"My class just ended, and I heard some noise over here."

"I’m the one who bought the darts for this lounge. I’ve never seen any members playing with them before, so I got curious and came to take a look!" The female trainer smiled and introduced herself.

Her name was Lin Ling. She was a personal trainer at Yi Lian Fitness and also an amateur steel-tip darts enthusiast.

When he heard she was a member of the Hang City International Darts Club, Chen Jue’s expression changed. "Is that the club run by Zhu Hongbin?"

"You know President Zhu?"

"That can’t be right! I know all the club members, and I’ve never seen you in the group chat!" Lin Ling looked surprised, clearly taken aback.

Chen Jue briefly described his chance encounter with Brother Zhu and how the man had given him some pointers on his dart-throwing form.

Of course, Chen Jue intentionally left out the location: the Jingtang Club.

’After all, when you’re chatting with a cute girl, it’s best not to mention places that do spa treatments and massages. A little restraint can leave a better impression.’

"Oh, so that’s how it is!"

"President Zhu is very easygoing. He often coaches us club members too."

"And he’s a natural lefty. His left hand is very dexterous, and his throws are steady and accurate! He even won a major prize in an international competition before. He’s incredible!" Lin Ling first showed a look of realization, then spoke with a hint of reverence.

Her words clearly carried a fair bit of admiration for Zhu Hongbin.

"A natural lefty?"

"Aren’t all lefties natural?" Chen Jue asked, puzzled.

When he’d run into Zhu Hongbin at the Jingtang Club, the man had seemed to be scouting for young people who threw darts with their left hand.

Hearing the term again now, Chen Jue’s interest was immediately piqued.

"Some lefties are made, not born!"

"For example, I wasn’t born left-handed, but when I was little, my mom told me that using your left hand makes you smarter, so I started using it to hold chopsticks and do my homework. I trained myself." Lin Ling picked up two darts and threw them one after another, first with her left hand, then with her right.

THUD~ THUD~ Both darts hit the board.

However, the one thrown with her left hand landed near the bullseye, while the one from her right hand hit the outer edge.

Looking at the results, it was clear her left hand was more dexterous and powerful than her right, resulting in a more precise throw.

"Amazing!" Chen Jue couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

It was the first time he had seen someone who could use both their left and right hands so skillfully.

The only reason he had gotten so good at throwing darts with his left hand over the past few days was because he was correcting his form based on the panel’s prompts, slowly figuring out a throwing motion that worked for him.

But in terms of actual left-hand dexterity, he didn’t really have any.

If Chen Jue were to try writing with his left hand, he probably couldn’t even hold the pen steady.

’Thinking about it this way, the most powerful function of this Attribute panel in my vision isn’t about raising my Attributes by adding points.’

’It’s its ability to use [Prompts] to repeatedly remind me to make precise corrections to my posture.’

You have to understand, an ordinary amateur starting from scratch would need to spend at least several hundred hours practicing.

Yet, in just two days, Chen Jue had raised his [Darts] skill to an amateur level, as if he’d used a double-exp scroll.

This was a hundred times better than hiring any personal trainer or gold-medal sparring partner!

"It’s been a while since I practiced, I’m a bit rusty..."

Lin Ling first muttered to herself, glanced at the result of her two throws, then looked at the few darts Chen Jue had hit in the bullseye earlier. She asked curiously, "Out of 10 throws now, how many times can you hit the bullseye?"

"Probably three or four times, I guess!" Chen Jue scratched his head, recalling his practice session.

"Wow!"

"Then you’re pretty much at an amateur level!"

"I’ve been a member of the club for two years, but I don’t go often. My skill level is way worse than yours. I’m an enthusiast at best." Lin Ling described the situation at the Hang City Darts Club.

Most of the members in the club were darts enthusiasts like her, with a dozen or so at a slightly higher amateur level, like Chen Jue.

Of course, there were also two professional players.

According to Lin Ling, the professionals were on a completely different level from the amateurs, a whole two tiers above.

In their hands, darts became an extension of their will; they could hit any spot they aimed for.

As for how winners were decided in matches, it all came down to who made a mistake first.

"Are professional players really that good?"

"They can hit whatever they aim for? Isn’t that more accurate than a bullet!" Chen Jue was shaken.

Although he had never watched an international darts competition, he could guess the skill level of professional players from Lin Ling’s description and his own experience throwing darts.

’When you really think about it, it’s terrifyingly amazing, just incredible!’

"Whoa there, darts are for hitting targets, not people."

"Besides, competitions have a set throwing distance. How can 2.44 meters compare to the range of a bullet? You’ve been watching too many martial arts dramas!" Lin Ling chuckled lightly.

...

The two of them chatted happily in the lounge for over ten minutes. During that time, once Chen Jue’s left hand had recovered some strength, they also had a friendly match to test their dart skills.

When it was time for Lin Ling to teach a private lesson, this pretty, sweet-voiced, and hot-bodied young woman finally took her leave.

Fortunately, Chen Jue wasn’t a block of wood; during their conversation, he cleverly managed to get her WeChat.

He said they could discuss darts and fitness together.

Lin Ling worked at Yi Lian Fitness, and since it was rare to meet a fellow enthusiast at an amateur level, she accepted Chen Jue’s WeChat request, officially making his acquaintance.

But just as Chen Jue, having spent another hour practicing until his left hand was stiff and raising his [Darts] Skill Level to (426/2000), began to slowly walk out of Wangdao Park...

...an elegant black Mercedes sports car slowly pulled up beside him from the exit of the nearby parking lot.

The window rolled down, revealing Lin Ling’s graceful little face.

"Brother Chen, where do you live?"

"I just got off work. Want me to give you a ride if it’s on my way?" Lin Ling asked politely.

"No need to trouble yourself! I live right up ahead in the Yangtze River District. It’s just a short walk." Chen Jue replied courteously.

If Chen Jue had been clueless enough to just get in the car, she probably would have deleted him as a friend or blacklisted him the moment she got back.

Of course, Chen Jue recognized the car’s model with just a glance.

Because he worked at a car finance company, there was hardly a car model on the market that Chen Jue didn’t know.

’I’m speechless!’

’A 2019 Mercedes GT-R. Over two million, including taxes and fees!’

’She drives this to work at a gym?’

’She must be a rich young lady just here to experience life!’

Chen Jue felt like his fluttering heart had been a bit presumptuous.

’Even though, counting the ones from my Bilibili, Douyin, and Quark incognito browser bookmarks, this was the 392nd girl to make his heart flutter, she was at least one he had actually met and added as a friend.’

’But alas, the gap was too wide. Their financial situations weren’t on the same level.’

’My meager salary probably wouldn’t even be enough for a few of her tire changes and maintenance rounds.’

...

’Time to go, time to go!’

’She’s way out of my league!’

Chen Jue waved to her, watching the GT-R drive into the distance.

Just as he reached the entrance to his residential district, a text message alert made his Spirit soar.

The 420 Water-Drifting Stones had finally arrived, with shipping included!