When Lan WangJi came back, Wei WuXian had already counted to about one thousand and three hundred.
"One thousand three hundred sixty-nine, one thousand three hundred seventy, one thousand three hundred seventy-one..."
He lifted his leg, again and again, the colorful shuttlecock bouncing around his foot. It flew high up in the air, dropped firmly, before shooting even higher and diving down again. It seemed as though a formless thread was connected to it, eternally preventing it from leaving a part of Wei WuXian's body.
At the same time, a formless thread was fixed to the gazes of the children at the side.
And then he heard Wei WuXian count, "One thousand three hundred seventy-two, one thousand three hundred eighty-one..."
Lan WangJi, "..."
Under the shower of the children's admiration, Wei WuXian cheated just like that. On the other hand, the enormous number had already stripped the sniffling children of their judgment, so much that not a single one of them noticed what was wrong. Lan WangJi watched with his own eyes as Wei WuXian kicked his way from seventy-two to eighty-one, then from eighty-one to ninety. Just as he was about to make another leap, Wei WuXian just so happened to catch sight of Lan WangJi. His eyes brightened as if he was about to call his name. With a blunder in his force, the bright-feathered shuttlecock flew past his head and plunged behind Wei WuXian's back.
Seeing that he was about to miss, he hastened to make a backward kick, saving it with the heel of his foot. The last kick went the highest, accompanied by a reverberating, "One thousand six hundred!" The children all exclaimed with astonishment, clapping with all their might.
The outcome was clear. A little girl screamed, "One thousand six hundred! He won, you lost!"
In high spirits, Wei WuXian accepted the victory without a sliver of doubt. Lan WangJi lifted his hands as well, letting out a few claps.
However, one of the boys furrowed his brows, biting his finger, "I feel like... something's not right."
Wei WuXian, "What's not right?"
The boy, "Why would it be another hundred right after ninety? Something's definitely wrong."
It seemed that the children had already split into two factions. One of them was clearly already under Wei WuXian's influence, nagging, "That's impossible. You're just unwilling to accept your defeat."
Wei WuXian also theorized, "Why wouldn't it be another hundred after ninety? Count it out yourself. What's after nine?"
With much difficulty, the boy fumbled with his fingers for a while, "... Seven, eight, nine, ten..."
Immediately, Wei WuXian interrupted, "Look, ten comes after nine, so a hundred must come after ninety."
The boy was still unsure, "... Really? I don't think so??"
Wei WuXian, "How come? If you don't believe me, let's ask someone on the streets."
He looked around for a moment before slapping his leg, "Oh hey, I found one. You, Young Master, who looks extremely reliable. Please wait a moment!"
"..."
And thus, Lan WangJi waited, "What is it?"
Wei WuXian, "Could I, please ask you a question?"
Lan WangJi, "Yes."
Wei WuXian asked, "Excuse me, but what comes after ninety?"
Lan WangJi, "A hundred."
