Skilled at Everything

The rain continued its incessant descent, as if the notoriously inaccurate weather forecast had, for once, proven true; this heavy downpour was indeed set to persist for some time.

Bai Sha lay sprawled across the table, her gaze drifting towards the rain streaks and wind-whipped fragments beyond the window. ‘I wonder when we’ll finally see the sun again,’ she mused aloud.

Sitting beside her, laptop cradled in his arms, Zhou Haochen cast a discerning eye at the heavy, ominous clouds blanketing the sky. ‘Not anytime soon, I’m afraid,’ he responded.

‘Should we go see a movie this afternoon?’ Bai Sha suggested.

However, as she scrolled through the list of films currently showing, she found no family-friendly animated features.

‘Why is it always either romance or thrillers?’ she sighed. ‘None of them are suitable for bringing a child to.’

Zhou Haochen, with a playful glint in his eye, quipped, ‘How about just the two of us go then?’

Though he had only been jesting, Bai Sha began to consider the idea.

‘Wouldn’t that be inappropriate?’ she mused. ‘We’d have to trouble my sister to watch Xiao Yu.’

‘Are you truly not bringing her?’ he pressed.

Bai Sha responded with a roll of her eyes. ‘Who was it that made me send Xiao Yu to my uncle’s house on my birthday?’

It appeared they were both the ‘forget-the-kid’ couple, neither having the right to admonish the other.

[Zhou Yuying: o(￣ヘ￣o#)]

‘How about I take you both to the arcade?’ Zhou Haochen suggested. ‘We could try catching some dolls.’

‘Oh!’ Bai Sha exclaimed, her eyes gleaming with confident brilliance. ‘Do they have arcade machines there? I’m invincible at King of Fighters!’

It was often said that gaming talent was transferable, and Bai Sha was indeed the kind of person who excelled at everything, merely possessing an extraordinary prowess in League of Legends.

Bai Sha turned and consulted with the little one. ‘Sweetie,’ she cooed, ‘how about Mommy takes you to play the claw machine?’

‘Claw machine?’ The little one’s mouth drooped in a clear refusal. ‘No. Mommy can’t even catch one doll in an entire afternoon.’

Bai Sha froze in place, while Zhou Haochen beside her burst into laughter.

‘Then Daddy will take you,’ he offered. ‘Daddy can catch them.’

The little one, still half-believing, half-doubting, looked up at her father to confirm, ‘Really?’

‘Xiao Yu can call Grandma. Daddy used to catch a lot of dolls for Grandma.’

[Madam Qin, working at her shop: What dolls? Do we even have such things at home?]

‘I want a Milk Dragon doll!’ the little one declared after a moment’s thought, deciding she shouldn’t shortchange herself. ‘Or a Peppa Pig one.’

Zhou Haochen scooped up his daughter, stating with unwavering confidence, ‘As long as they have it, Daddy will catch every single one for you!’

From the side, Bai Sha, whose gaming reputation had just been somewhat tarnished, chirped, ‘Those things are all scams; it would be a miracle if you could actually catch anything.’

Indeed, compared to such rigged games, Bai Sha was a veritable powerhouse in competitive gaming.

Back in the training base, playing King of Fighters, she had effortlessly defeated everyone, from managers and coaches to even the substitute players.

As the trio descended the stairs, Bai Sha discreetly nudged Zhou Haochen, whispering, ‘Can you really catch dolls? Don’t boast and then ruin your image in front of our daughter.’

Zhou Haochen, unperturbed, replied, ‘Trust my technique; I definitely can.’

Known among his peers as the ‘Emperor of Techniques,’ he had learned his craft from Sun Weijie.

As the first in their dorm to secure a girlfriend, Sun Weijie possessed this closely guarded, secret skill, which he often employed to impress his partner.

Upon learning that Zhou Haochen had entered a relationship, he had graciously passed down this very trick.

‘I don’t believe you one bit,’ Bai Sha countered. ‘If it really doesn’t work, just buy one for Xiao Yu.’

‘I know,’ he reassured her. ‘I absolutely won’t let her be sad.’

****

Upon their arrival at the arcade, the trio found themselves enveloped by a dazzling array of machines and the incessant clinking and clanking of coins.

The little one, clutching her father’s hand, immediately made a beeline for a claw machine, stopping abruptly the moment she spotted a yellow dinosaur nestled within.

Bai Sha was utterly speechless.

In her mind, little girls typically played with Barbie dolls and watched shows like My Little Pony.

Why, then, was her own daughter so remarkably different?

‘I’ll go exchange for some game tokens; you two wait here,’ Zhou Haochen instructed.

He returned shortly with over a hundred tokens, which would suffice for the time being.

‘Daddy will catch dolls with Xiao Yu first,’ he explained. ‘Later, when Mommy wants to play something, Xiao Yu will be good, okay?’

The little one, taking a handful of tokens from the basket, nodded earnestly. ‘When Daddy and Mommy play, Baby will accompany you too,’ she promised.

Being quite short, she could only reach the joystick while being held securely in Bai Sha’s arms.

The little one focused intently on the claw, her eyes wide with concentration.

Aim, lower, hook, release—the cycle repeated.

In short order, she had used up a handful of tokens, yet caught absolutely nothing.

Bai Sha, stifling a laugh, offered comfort. ‘It’s okay, sweetie,’ she said. ‘Now watch Daddy catch them for you.’

Zhou Haochen then took her into his arms.

Under Bai Sha’s playfully teasing gaze, he declared with an air of grand confidence, ‘Watch Daddy catch them all for you!’

The first attempt yielded nothing.

The second attempt, likewise, came up empty.

The little one’s expectant gaze began to slowly dim, and Bai Sha was already contemplating a trip to the supermarket downstairs to simply buy a few dolls, when Zhou Haochen finally had a breakthrough.

On the third attempt, a doll dropped!

The fourth attempt, also a hit!

The fifth attempt, a triple success!

‘Oh yeah! (^&^)/!! I caught them too!!’

The little one scrambled down from his arms, clutching three newly acquired dolls, her face beaming with happiness.

Even Bai Sha was surprised. ‘Does this thing truly have a technique?’ she asked.

Zhou Haochen brought his index finger to his lips, whispering, ‘Just good luck.’

‘Nice,’ Bai Sha retorted. ‘I said the same thing when I won the championship back then. Is that how you show off?’

She placed a hand on his shoulder. ‘You didn’t catch them for other people when you were studying, did you?’

Meeting Bai Sha’s amused gaze, Zhou Haochen hastily declared, ‘Absolutely not. I only came once after the college entrance exam, and it was with my roommates.’

Bai Sha nodded in satisfaction. ‘Actually, I wouldn’t mind if you had,’ she reassured him. ‘Don’t be nervous.’

Zhou Haochen gave her a thumbs up, silently commending her magnificent character.

Afterwards, the two adults accompanied the little one through all the activities suitable for children.

This time, with no thrilling rides to contend with, Zhou Haochen finally regained his confidence and prowess.

The advantage of their wealth became strikingly evident; exchanging RMB for game tokens caused them no qualms whatsoever, and Bai Sha, with a grand sweep of her hand, exchanged basket after basket.

‘All expenses tonight are on Young Master Bai!’ she declared with a flourish.

After the little one had thoroughly explored every corner of the arcade, it was finally time for Bai Sha’s eagerly anticipated arcade game segment.

Bai Sha and Zhou Haochen settled in front of a machine, with their daughter nestled securely in her mother’s embrace. ‘Watch Mommy utterly demolish your Daddy!’ Bai Sha announced.

A common question arose: Why aren’t fighting games as explosively popular as MOBAs and FPS games?

The answer was simple: in 1v1 games, a loss couldn’t be blamed on teammates; being unskilled was simply being unskilled.

Zhou Haochen’s character fell once again.

The little one gazed at her mother with adoring eyes. ‘Wow! Mommy is so amazing!’ she exclaimed.

From King of Fighters ’97 to Street Fighter, he had been utterly decimated.

Bai Sha rose, a triumphant smile gracing her lips, and patted his shoulder. ‘Losing to me is nothing to be ashamed of,’ she declared, ‘especially when it comes to games!’

Zhou Haochen’s mood remained perfectly stable.

He responded with a wry, amused grin, ‘An arcade encounter with a world champion, where I tried my absolute best but simply couldn’t win.’

Bai Sha found his response incredibly satisfying.

She leaned in to give him a light peck on the cheek, for she truly appreciated being with emotionally stable individuals; no one, after all, enjoyed a ‘red-tempered giant baby’ (TL Note: A Chinese slang term referring to an adult who gets easily angered or throws tantrums, like a baby, with ‘red temperature’ indicating extreme anger).

‘A perfect day,’ she declared. ‘Time to go home!’

****

Upon their return to the hotel, the two adults took turns showering.

While the little one was occupied with her bath, Bai Sha playfully climbed onto Zhou Haochen.

‘Is Jiejie (TL Note: A Chinese term of address for an older sister or an elder female friend, often used endearingly) amazing?’ she purred.

He stroked Bai Sha’s slender waist, asking with a soft chuckle, ‘Amazing where?’

She took Zhou Haochen’s earlobe gently between her lips, her breath a warm, orchid-like whisper. ‘Naturally,’ she murmured, ‘I’m amazing everywhere.’