The antique girlfriend of a chaebol heir

Upon hearing this, Xie Shuyun slightly raised her chin: "Of course it's your girlfriend's nickname! What, you don't even know that?"

As she spoke, she gripped Shen Ci's hand even tighter, as if she had discovered some incredible secret, her eyes sparkling as she asked, "Youyou, besides me, are there very few people who know your childhood nickname?"

Shen Ci was amused by her innocent and carefree appearance, nodded obediently, and explained softly, "Yes, only elders in the family would call you that."

"So it seems I must be special in Youyou's eyes!"

Xie Shuyun was even happier, her eyebrows curving into crescents, like a proud little peacock.

Jiang Duo stood quietly in place, his gaze fixed on the two people's clasped hands, his eyes turning deep and dark in an instant.

The surrounding air seemed to have become somewhat stagnant.

Xie Shuheng turned his gaze away from Jiang Duo and urged again in a nonchalant tone, "Shuyun, come and play chess."

Xie Shuyun seemed completely oblivious to his urging, still looking at Shen Ci, and asked expectantly, "Youyou, do you know how to play Go?"

Shen Ci nodded, her voice soft and steady: "It will."

Looking into her eyes, Xie Shuyun suddenly felt confident.

Those eyes were so still, like the surface of a lake in late autumn, without any visible ripples, yet giving one the inexplicable feeling that something unfathomable was hidden beneath them.

She took Shen Ci's hand and walked straight to Xie Shuheng's side, helping her sit down on the rattan chair with her hand. Her movements were very decisive.

"Youyou," she whispered in Shen Ci's ear, her voice tinged with a coquettish pleading, "then help me play chess with this guy and avenge my humiliation."

Upon hearing this, Xie Shuheng let out a very soft snort, his slender fingers toying with a smooth white piece, and he mocked mercilessly, "Look at your pathetic self, you're too scared to play after losing a few times? You just casually bring in an outsider to save face."

Xie Shuyun couldn't stand her brother's arrogant, sly demeanor. She immediately raised her chin and met his gaze without flinching: "Then let's make a bet! If Youyou wins, you have to give me that ancient painting you bought at the auction last time!"

Upon hearing this, even the air around them seemed to fall silent for a moment.

Xie Shuheng treasured that ancient painting like a precious gem. After acquiring it, he put it away, and no one else even glanced at it.

Xie Shuyun knew her brother's temper well, so she deliberately used this painting to provoke him and try to deflate his arrogance.

Xie Shuheng's fingers, which were toying with the chess pieces, paused slightly. After a long while, a half-smile appeared on his lips: "Alright. Then let's see if your hired help has the ability. But what are you betting?"

Xie Shuyun was surprised that he actually agreed. She steeled herself, thinking she couldn't afford to lose, and said, "I'll use that bottle of red wine I borrowed from Dad last month as the bet, okay? It's a limited edition from over fifty years ago, practically extinct on the market, worth at least several million!"

Upon hearing this, Xie Shuheng's smile deepened, and his tone was lazy yet confident: "Deal. I'll teach you a lesson today so you'll remember it and be less likely to gamble with others outside in the future."

As he spoke, he slowly placed the white piece on the chessboard, making a crisp sound, but his gaze went beyond the chessboard and landed on Shen Ci.

"Miss Shen, please."

Shen Ci remained calm and composed, gently picking up a black piece with his fingertips. After a moment's thought, he decisively placed it on the chessboard.

Ultimately, it was a bet between the siblings, and since the stakes didn't fall into the hands of outsiders, she didn't feel any pressure.

She gazed at the intricate chessboard before her, but her thoughts drifted elsewhere.

She enjoys playing chess.

When she was still a young girl, her father taught her to play chess, saying that chess is like life, and once a move is made, there is no going back. She also enjoyed studying chess manuals; those yellowed pages contained the wisdom and strategies of the ancients, and she would often spend an entire day studying them, forgetting the time.

For the next few years, she spent almost every day in bed.

On her sickbed, the seasons changed outside the window, but she could only watch the shifting light and shadow through the gauze curtains.

During the day, when she was awake, she would lean against the bedside, embroidering flowers and looking at chess scores, which became her rare pastime.

She had mentally rehearsed those black and white pieces countless times, but hadn't played against anyone in a long time.

The moment my fingertips touched the real chess piece, cool yet warm, I felt a strange sense of security.

Xie Shuheng's playing style is sharp and decisive, with each move exuding an aggressive aura. Shen Ci calmly and persistently plays his black pieces, neither fighting nor grabbing, waiting for white to reveal an opening before slowly making a breakthrough.

Both were chess masters; a few rounds were enough for them to discern each other's skill levels. In just a few minutes, Xie Shuheng's expression gradually changed from lazy to increasingly serious and cautious.

Before long, Yin Kuo and the others also gathered around to join in the fun.

They thought that with Xie Shuheng's chess skills, Shen Ci would be forced to admit defeat in no time.

But the two of them went back and forth, and the battle on the chessboard became increasingly fierce. Every move was exquisite, sometimes head-on confrontation, sometimes flanking maneuvers, and for a time it seemed that it was impossible to determine a winner.

Jiang Duo had somehow appeared behind Shen Ci, quietly observing the game. Although he wasn't good at chess, he had some knowledge of it thanks to the influence of his elders. In less than twenty minutes, the black pieces had a clear advantage, and the game was already decided.

Sure enough, a black piece landed with a "thud," and Shen Ci stopped playing, her eyes clear.

"Thank you for your kind offer, senior."

Unexpectedly, she actually managed to defeat her own brother in Go, and Xie Shuyun immediately felt a sense of pride.

She grabbed Shen Ci's hand, her voice rising sharply, "Youyou, you're amazing! Brother, you lost! Remember to give me the painting when we get back!"

She couldn't hide her smugness, as if she had won the game herself.

Xie Shuheng slowly straightened up and tossed the white piece he hadn't yet placed back into the chess box.

"A bet's a bet." His tone was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger. "I'll give it to you when we get back."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Shen Ci.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the bamboo leaves, casting dappled patterns of light in his eyes.

The disdain in his gaze had vanished, replaced by an almost scorching scrutiny.

"How about another round?"

Shen Ci met his gaze, the coolness of the chess pieces still lingering on her fingertips. She nodded, "Okay."

The most precious thing in chess is to find a worthy opponent.

One game was definitely not enough.

In the second game, Xie Shuheng immediately unleashed a powerful move, displaying an aggressive style of play, aiming to destroy her large group of stones in the shortest possible time. Shen Ci sat calmly, remaining unhurried, seemingly retreating but actually advancing.

Jiang Duo stood to the side, his gaze fixed on Shen Ci's lowered profile.

Her fingers, white and steady, held the chess piece. When she placed a piece, there was a strange focus in her eyes, as if she had withdrawn from the noisy world and was standing alone on a mountain path unknown to anyone.

In the latter half of the game, when White angrily invaded, Shen Ci seized the opportunity to abandon a piece and turn around, abandoning it cleanly and decisively.

When the game ended and the score was counted, she won by two points.

After another game, Shen Ci won by a narrow margin once again.

Xie Shuyun looked at her brother.

They lost three games in a row.

Her brother had been invincible on the chessboard for a long time, when had he ever been so embarrassed?

But when her brother stared at Youyou, he actually smiled.

Her phoenix eyes slanted upwards, with the corners of her eyes forming a flamboyant arc. Her smile spread from the corners of her lips all the way to her eyebrows, giving off a somewhat "showy" vibe.

For a moment, Xie Shuyun thought that her brother might have gone mad...