A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

When the wheelchair-bound man suggested he learn Go to improve his strategic thinking, Li Mu's first reaction was:

"I don't know how."

The wheelchair-bound man's response to his words was quite simple:

"If you don't know how, you can learn. The same applies to everything; you can't simply dismiss a possibility by saying you don't know how."

Li Mu thought it made sense.

but……

"Me... or do you have a talent for Go?"

"To be honest, no. In fact, my skill level is terrible, not even amateur, at most I'm an enthusiast."

"...It smells so bad?"

"Yes, but I always manage to win."

With a touch of robber's logic, the wheelchair-bound man laughed calmly:

"For someone who is completely paralyzed, time can drag on endlessly. But a game of chess can easily fill half a day, which is always worthwhile. Besides, being prepared for the worst and thinking three steps ahead is important for anyone. That's why I suggested you give it a try. Of course, if you can find someone who is also a beginner, two novice chess players together can be quite fun."

Li Mu completely ignored the last sentence.

Just because you're bad doesn't mean I'm bad too, right?

Maybe I'm a little genius.

With this in mind, and putting aside his playful attitude, Li Mu began to seriously place his first chess piece.

And he was playing against himself.

Then... he found himself trapped in a cycle.

Beginners don't have such a strong sense of black and white. After making his first brilliant move, which can be described as "an antelope's horn hanging on a tree branch," he unconsciously starts brainstorming when he holds the second piece in his hand.

According to the rules of Go, the goal is simply to cut off the opponent's "liberties" while also taking into account one's own development.

Should I ignore the black pieces on the board for now and focus on developing my own strength?

But I'm already one step behind Black, and my development is slower than others. What if Black tries to block me?

Should I strike first?

If we strike first, won't we lose our base of support?

What if we find ourselves in a passive position?

Look.

The mindset of a beginner is on full display at this moment, especially for someone like him who is self-taught and has fallen into a vicious cycle without the guidance of a teacher.

Time flew by, and five minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

Li Mu, engrossed in brainstorming, even forgot his original idea.

then……

"Should I avoid his sharp edge?!"

"Damn it, move the boat closer!"

For no apparent reason, those two sentences popped into his head.

Then the white piece was placed next to the black piece.

Then, when he picked up the black piece...

The cycle has started again.

At an average pace of one move every three to five minutes, "Moqi Jushi" made three to five moves each in black and white, and an hour had passed.

He felt a little dizzy.

His mind was filled with all sorts of confused thoughts, making his mouth dry.

Looking at the brilliant moves on the chessboard, moves that would shame even the best players to the point of suicide, he suddenly understood...

Holy crap, Go is really profound...

……

"Um, not reporters?"

Around 9 o'clock, Fan Bingbing, who returned from outside with a slight smell of alcohol, suddenly paused.

Bie Yan, who was about to enter the hotel with a decent-looking girl, was also somewhat surprised.

I thought to myself, "What a coincidence!"

You ran into Xiao Li this afternoon, and now he's here to ambush me tonight?

not to mention……

Bie Yan subconsciously glanced at the pretty girl next to him who was about to be taken back to the house.

Fan Bingbing naturally saw it too.

But after understanding some things, she smiled in a very formulaic and polite way:

"What a coincidence, running into you here."

"Yes, that's right, Hello, Teacher Fan."

"Okay, no reporters, I have some things to take care of. Let's contact each other another day."

She pointed directly in one direction, indicating that she had other things to do.

Bie Yan nodded politely.

"OK."

Then he took the girl into the hotel.

Fan Bingbing stood there for more than ten seconds, until Bie Yan's figure disappeared. After thinking for a moment, she said to her assistant beside her:

"Let's go."

……

"Ring ring..."

A ringing phone snapped Li Mu out of his daze. He was still debating whether to sacrifice a white piece that was surrounded and trapped, hoping to capture three black pieces, or to rescue the white piece from its predicament.

Upon seeing the caller ID, he answered the phone immediately.

"Hey, Fan Bingbing."

"Ha, Brother Li, did I disturb you?"

"No, are you done with your work?"

"Yeah, today ended pretty quickly. Where are you?"

"In the room. Fan Bingbing, where do you think is the most convenient place to chat?"

"Well……"

Standing at the entrance of the second-floor coffee shop, Fan Bingbing glanced at the numerous customers inside and, after a moment's thought, said:

"Brother Li, would you like some tea?"

"Tea? I see, the coffee shop on the second floor, right?"

"No, what I mean is, I'll bring you some tea. It's better to find a more private place to chat."

"Aren't you afraid of getting a scandal?"

"It's okay, I brought my assistant with me."

"That works too, I'll send you the room number..."

"Uh-huh."

After hanging up the phone, Fan Bingbing said to her assistant:

"Go to my room and bring me the tea leaves and tea set. Then come find me in this room."

The assistant nodded and quickly left.

A moment later, there was a knock on Li Mu's door.

"They're here."

He quickly walked to the door and opened it.

"Brother Li."

The slightly drunken superstar smiled radiantly.

Li Mu smiled slightly and stepped aside:

"Fan Bingbing, have you been drinking?"

"Hmm, less than half a pound."

Wow, that's a huge amount!

"Haha, it's alright. My assistant went to get the tea... Brother Li, you're staying here?"

Fan Bingbing was somewhat surprised to see the standard double room, which was different from her suite but lacked a living room.

This young, wealthy man, who exudes a certain mystery and sophistication...stays in a regular double room?

Li Mu nodded:

"right."

"Aren't the conditions a bit too poor?"

"Isn't it great?"

Li Mu shrugged indifferently:

"Besides, our newspaper doesn't reimburse rooms that are too expensive."

Fan Bingbing was taken aback...

Then I realized that the other party was a reporter.

But when she thought about this, she became a little curious... They were clearly big clients of Guangfa Bank, so logically they shouldn't be short of money, right?

Why are you working as a journalist?

However, she didn't ask any questions; instead, her gaze fell on the Go board on the small table by the window.

After glancing at it twice, he asked with considerable curiosity:

"Brother Li, you know how to play Go?"

"I……"

Li Mu opened his mouth, but ultimately he was too embarrassed to boast that he and Nie Weiping were evenly matched and could be considered brothers.

He said very honestly:

"I'm just starting out, this is my first download."

"Wow, that's amazing. I can't do that at all."

As she spoke, she sat down in front of the chessboard.

It wasn't that she was particularly interested, but the only other thing in the room besides the bed was the two stools next to the coffee table. If she didn't sit here, she would have to sit on someone else's bed.

It's not very suitable.

Upon hearing her say "I can't," Li Mu subconsciously replied:

"If you don't know how, you can learn; that applies to everything..."

He paused at this point.

Then he was met with a pair of surprised eyes.

"Well……"

Li Mu awkwardly opened his mouth and said:

"We can't just eliminate any possibility because of a simple 'I can't' or 'I can't,' right?"

Fan Bingbing was taken aback again.

I don't know if it's the effect of alcohol or something else...

She suddenly felt that the man's air of sophistication and mystery wash over her once more...

Then, the next second, she laughed:

"You're right, then... Brother Li, could you teach me?"

She extended an invitation.