Twenty minutes later, this game of chess was still continuing.
Han Ting rested his chin in his hand, brows tightly furrowed, falling into deep thought. Then he carefully made his next move: “Check.”
Jiang Fuyue sat up straight, moved her advisor forward to protect the general.
The crisis was temporarily resolved.
Han Ting: “Check again.”
Jiang Fuyue moved the advisor back to its original position.
As a result, Han Ting suddenly made a reverse move and captured her rook!
Jiang Fuyue clicked her tongue softly.
Han Ting looked up and grinned foolishly at her: “Hehe…”
It took a full forty minutes before the game finally ended.
Although Jiang Fuyue still won in the end, it wasn’t nearly as easy as when she beat the old master.
Han Ting scratched his head and didn’t look discouraged: “I told you my skills aren’t good. See? I lost after all, and it even took so long…”
He had thought that deciding the winner in ten or twenty minutes like with the old master was what was normal.
Little did he know that the more difficult the opponent and the more evenly matched both sides were, the longer the game would drag on.
“How long have you been learning?” Jiang Fuyue suddenly asked.
“Huh? Learning what?” Han Ting wasn’t paying attention.
“Chinese chess.”
“En…” He thought for a moment. “About two months? Yeah, a bit over two months, not quite three months. Why?”
Jiang Fuyue’s expression instantly became complicated.
“Sis?”
“It’s nothing. You’re very talented.”
“…?”
Once, Ye Qianji had said that Lou Mingyue had first-rate aptitude for learning chess.
But now Jiang Fuyue could feel that Han Ting’s talent in board games, at least in Chinese chess, was probably even better than hers.
After all, when she had learned chess for two or three months in her previous life, she definitely couldn’t play at this level.
Han Ting was a bit confused and didn’t believe it at all, thinking his sister was comforting him.
Still, he accepted the sentiment and gave Jiang Fuyue a grateful smile.
Jiang Fuyue knew he had misunderstood but didn’t explain. She only asked, “Do you like Chinese chess?”
“When I didn’t understand it before, I didn’t like it. But after learning the rules, it’s actually pretty fun, like that beheading game. You clear out all the little mobs along the way and then take down the big Boss at the end. Of course, if your level is high enough you can also drop in for an assassination…”
As soon as the topic turned to games, the kid’s eyes lit up and he became extremely excited.
After Han Ting went upstairs back to his room, Jiang Fuyue went to find Han Shen.
“Yueyue? What brings you here?” Han Shen was quite surprised to see Jiang Fuyue come to the study to look for him.
She didn’t waste words and simply told him about the chess game she had played with Han Ting.
Han Shen didn’t quite understand. The confused look on his face was exactly the same as Han Ting’s, truly worthy of being father and son: “…Chinese chess? When did that brat learn to play Chinese chess?”
Wasn’t he always holding that lousy basketball all day?
The corner of Jiang Fuyue’s mouth twitched. Just how little attention did he pay to his own son?
Was he really his biological father?
Jiang Fuyue once again said solemnly, “Han Ting can play Chinese chess, and he has very high talent in this area.”
“Him? Talent? Yueyue, stop joking…” Han Shen waved his hand as if he had just heard something amusing.
Jiang Fuyue’s expression turned slightly cold. “Uncle, do I look like I’m joking?”
Han Shen’s smile froze. His gaze paused, and when he met her serious eyes, it took him a long moment before reacting: “…Really?”
“Yes.”
“But I still don’t really believe it. That brat has never had any proper shape since he was little. This…” Suddenly being told that the little rascal was actually quite outstanding?
Honestly, Han Shen had seen plenty of big storms in life, yet he still felt caught off guard and incredulous.
Perhaps he had been disappointed too many times, and gradually he stopped having hope. He had never even considered passing the position of heir to Han Ting. When he retired in the future, he planned to hire a professional manager to run the company.
Han Shen said, “Maybe he just got lucky? Or maybe he’s just a little better than average? As for talent… that’s probably too much?”
“Uncle, he almost beat me,” Jiang Fuyue said word by word, reminding him.
Han Shen froze. Then he lowered his eyes and fell into thought.
After a long while, he raised his head again. A faint light flickered in his dark pupils.
“Yueyue, you said Ah Ting has high talent?”
“Yes.”
“How high?”
“He could become a national master.”
Han Shen trembled.
…
After saying everything she needed to say, Jiang Fuyue left the study and returned to her room.
After showering, changing into pajamas, and picking up the phone from the dressing table, she discovered three missed calls, all from the same person!
She quickly called back. After a few beeps, the other side answered quickly but didn’t speak first.
Alright, he’s angry.
“…Professor Xie?” Jiang Fuyue tested the waters, her cool yet sweet voice carrying a hint of coaxing caution. “Are you asleep?”
“…No.”
“Look, the moon tonight is so…” Uh!
The moment Jiang Fuyue looked out the window toward the sky, her words abruptly stopped.
Because tonight there was no moon.
The other side had clearly noticed too and sighed softly. “If you’re going to brush someone off, at least pick a better topic.”
“How is that brushing you off? I’m clearly coaxing you.”
“C-coaxing me?”
“Yes. You’re angry, and it’s because of me. Shouldn’t I coax you properly?”
On the other end, Xie Dingyuan held his phone, and suddenly his ears turned red.
Mm, the phone screen must be too hot!
“Sorry. I went home and left my phone upstairs in my room. I didn’t hear your calls.”
Immediately, Xie Dingyuan became like a deflated balloon. All his anger disappeared.
“I heard from Elder Xu and Professor Peter that you left the lab this afternoon. You didn’t answer the phone for a long time, so I thought something might have happened…”
When Jiang Fuyue didn’t answer calls, it was usually because she was working, her phone on silent or turned off.
But when she wasn’t working and still didn’t answer, no wonder Xie Dingyuan got worried.
“It’s good that you’re okay.”
“You’re at home?”
Xie Dingyuan: “Mm. You?”
“Me too.”
The man’s Adam’s apple rolled. “Finished showering? In your room?”
Jiang Fuyue: “Mm.”
“Then… can we video call?”
“Sure.”
The two hung up and switched to video chat.
The moment the call connected, Jiang Fuyue appeared on the screen wearing a pink spaghetti-strap nightdress. The warm yellow light fell over the girl’s snow-white, slender shoulders, scattering into a gentle glow.
Her long neck, delicate collarbones, skin smooth and pale like milk jelly.
The man stared blankly.
Gulp.
He swallowed unconsciously.
Jiang Fuyue blinked. “Are you very thirsty?”
“Thirsty… and hot.”
“?” It was already late autumn, how could it be hot?
Oh, maybe like her, Xie Dingyuan had the floor heating on in his room. Wasn’t she wearing a nightdress too?
The two chatted for a while.
During that time, Xie Dingyuan’s gaze drifted. Every time it touched the screen, his eyes bounced away again.
Jiang Fuyue: “…Do you still have things you haven’t finished?”
She knew he had obsessive tendencies. He probably hadn’t completed today’s tasks yet but felt embarrassed to hang up first, so he was restless.
Xie Dingyuan: “…What?”
Jiang Fuyue understood that feeling well. Finish today’s work today, she was the same.
“Then go finish your work. Sleep early after you’re done. Good night!”
After saying that, she ended the call.
Xie Dingyuan: “?” What?
…
The next day when Jiang Fuyue went downstairs, she saw Han Shen and Han Ting already sitting in the dining room eating breakfast.
The atmosphere between father and son was not very pleasant.
Han Ting had finally gotten a weekend off and could finally sleep in. He wasn’t like his uncle, who could stay at home like a pig whenever he wasn’t filming and sleep as long as he wanted.
So he especially treasured sleeping in during weekends and holidays. But early this morning his dad suddenly rushed into his bedroom and dragged him out of bed for no reason.
Han Ting had been half-asleep at the time, eyes foggy with drowsiness.
In his haze he thought he was dreaming, so he waved his hand at his dad like swatting flies: Go away, go away, so annoying…
When Han Shen saw he couldn’t wake him, he simply used force.
After getting slapped twice on the butt, Han Ting was completely awake.
He looked at the time, only 7:50!
“…Dad, have you gone crazy?” A question from the depths of his soul.
In response, his biological father flicked his forehead lovingly, making him howl.
“Get up, wash up. You have fifteen minutes to clean yourself up, then come downstairs for breakfast.”
Han Ting sat on the bed full of resentment, hair sticking up like an exploded chicken nest, utterly lifeless.
“Oh, right,” Han Shen added before leaving, turning back to remind him, “Dress more formally. That custom white tailcoat suits you well.”
Han Ting: Is he really sick? Early in the morning, we can’t possibly be attending some banquet, right? Why the h*ll would I wear a tailcoat?
In the end, his elbow couldn’t twist his thigh, Han Ting had no choice but to dress properly and go downstairs.
At this moment he was eating a sandwich and complaining loudly: “Dad, why are you making me dress like this? Where are you taking me? It’s not a blind date, right? You, you, you’re finally selling me off to another wealthy family as a political marriage son-in-law?!”
“…There’s something to do.”
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