They applauded, except for Jonas. Between Jeremy, Jordan, and Elena, they were all amazed by Chelsea's sharp shooting skills, hitting the bullseye target ten meters away from where she stood, aiming her air pistol. She was clearly very precise and not a beginner who usually missed the target.
Even her body position when aiming the air pistol was very stable and relaxed, she didn't need training from anyone, although Jordan was eager to teach her.
Chelsea instead looked sharp and cold at the bullseye target before pulling the trigger of her air pistol, in one shot, she successfully landed the bullet on the smallest part of the target board and received satisfying praise.
"Wow! Chelsea! We didn't expect you to be so good at shooting." Her father-in-law was clearly proud and happy.
"Yes, Chelsea has mastered it, right?" Jordan always stood beside her, he didn't care about how Jonas thought about a brother who was too obvious in his pursuit of his sister-in-law.
"It's nothing. My daddy often took me to practice shooting, horseback riding, and even mountain climbing. He said activities like these can increase confidence and mental health."
She smiled at everyone, her figure that had been crying on the stairs of the opera house had disappeared, she returned to her usual self, able to adapt to any situation.
"Ah, you also go mountain climbing? It turns out your body has a strong physique, who would have thought Chelsea could do anything." Elena didn't want to be left out.
"Have you ever gone hunting, Chelsea?"
Her daughter-in-law shook her head. "I only practiced shooting in places like this, Dad. My daddy never went hunting, although we did rent a cabin in the woods during our summer vacation about two years ago, but there was no hunting, because my mother also forbade it."
While letting his wife interact with others, Jonas had a different thought, he had seen how Chelsea was so good at shooting, reminding him of that night's dream—the honeymoon night in Barcelona, and now the dream felt real just by watching how great Chelsea was with a pistol.
Jonas's expression became colder, without blinking, he continued to stare at his wife's side profile, who was laughing with his family.
When Chelsea turned to him, Jonas was still expressionless with the same mood. The woman smiled warmly, but it wasn't enough to calm the anxiety in Jonas's head, he felt like he was standing between two different sides, the border of something surprising.
"You can rest if you want to, Chelsea." Elena touched her daughter-in-law's shoulder after reading the situation between the couple who were staring at each other.
"Okay, Mom. I'll do that." She smiled, said goodbye to the people around her.
Jordan's small pleasure was snatched away as Chelsea walked towards her husband, disappointment crept back like wild vines.
Jordan really disliked how Jonas expressed himself too honestly in front of Chelsea, his cold gaze with hatred attached to his body made Jordan want to crush his adoptive brother.
How could Chelsea choose a man who treated her so carelessly?
As if Chelsea didn't deserve love and attention from a man, while Jordan was ready to give her anything.
"I think you want to say something." She tilted her head. "It's visible from your eyes." Acting sweet in front of Jonas.
The tension that had dominated Jonas slowly dissipated, although he still found some remnants left on the stairs in the opera house yard. Chelsea's face was still pale.
"Where is your driver?"
"I sent him home, I wanted to sit next to you."
"Oh, I thought you weren't done with him yet, but I ended up disturbing your pleasure."
Chelsea was still, she knew Jonas saw the situation in front of the opera house after Uncle Jiang explained it when they were in the car.
"I mean... behaving normally in public, even though you might enjoy being the hottest search, but it's not a good thing when it comes to your status and family background."
Ah, Jonas was warning her.
The closeness between Chelsea and Daniel was indeed quite intense, but wasn't it normal for an employee to help their employer in a difficult situation? If it weren't for Daniel Jiang, someone else would have done the same thing when they found Chelsea in an emergency.
Imagining the frustration held back by the figure in front of her made Chelsea's smile grow wider, she liked how the man was annoyed with her, she wanted him to pay attention to every detail next to her in any way possible.
Seeing Chelsea still expressionless, Jonas spoke again. "I'm saying this not because I care about you, but about my reputation as someone who married you."
Of course, Chelsea understood, despite the hypocrisy and naivety from her husband—as if Jonas had successfully hidden everything from Chelsea.
To hell with reputation, if Jonas really cared about something as trivial as that, wouldn't he have hugged his ex-lover at the airport? In public—where many people witnessed their situation?
Love only made humans stupid, naive, disgusting, and impulsive.
Chelsea's heart pounded thinking about that moment. How could Jonas compare her situation with Shirley, and her situation being helped by a driver?
"Chelsea Moon."
Jonas should have called Chelsea by her married name 'Li', as if the woman wasn't married and continued to use her maiden name.
"Yes, I understand. I'll adjust the distance and behave normally with Uncle Jiang." For a moment, she tried to be understanding. "But couldn't anything happen between me and him?"
Chelsea was crazy.
This woman always stood on the edge, she could run past it with joy without feeling guilty.
Jonas's hands clenched, holding back from exploding, his family was still around them.
"Jonas Li, if you're talking about reputation. Should we discuss it further?" She folded her arms across her chest, looking more relaxed and elegant. "How do you think others will judge what happened to me today? While your treatment of your ex-lover at the airport clearly shows the high and low of someone's reputation who is already married." She laughed lightly, mocking. "Don't provoke me."
Chelsea glanced back, making sure no one heard the tension between them.
"If Shirley was still in China, seeing your character, I'm sure you would still chase after her like a crazy dog, and actions like that are far from a good reputation."
"Don't provoke me." Jonas threw Chelsea's words back at her. The woman laughed again.
Others would think they were just exchanging jokes, but they were actually attacking and building their defenses.
"Alright, I've gone too far. Show a slightly more relaxed expression, you want to swallow me whole, don't you?"
Provoking Jonas was enjoyable, entertainment that Chelsea wouldn't have gotten if she had married Jordan, and if Chelsea had married the eldest son of the Li Family—the woman would likely be pressured by Jordan's wild obsession.
Jonas took a deep breath, turning to someone walking behind Chelsea.
"Kids, should we go have lunch now? Your father has made a reservation at his favorite restaurant." Elena approached, happy to see the closeness between her adopted son and daughter-in-law. "You have to try it, Chelsea."
"Of course, Mom. I'll explore many Chinese dishes, it must be fun to try." Chelsea, with her thousand masks, was back.
"The ladies can change clothes now." She took her mother-in-law's arm, glancing at Jonas. "Mommy will take her for a bit, can you?"
"Yes, Mom. I'll wait for Chelsea in the car."
"Thank you, Jonas."
In the end, the tension that day dissipated like the wind, whatever followed proceeded without pressure. Chelsea still managed to place herself among the Li Family calmly.
***