Reborn as a high school freshman with an awakened system, a fat boy transforms into a male god.

Shen Wancheng sat on the sofa opposite, legs crossed, looking at Lin Bei.

"Xiao Lin, come play chess with me whenever you have time." The old man pushed the teacup in front of Lin Bei, his tone casual, but his eyes were full of expectation. "I live alone in this big house, and it's so boring. Qingzhi has to go to school, her father has to go to work, and it's just me, an old man, at home. I don't even have anyone to talk to."

Shen Wancheng chimed in from the side, "Dad, don't we have Aunt Wang, Aunt Li, Xiao Zhang, and Xiao Liu at home?"

"They're nannies and security guards, not people to talk to," the old man glared at him. "What could you possibly talk about with a nanny? About how you wet the bed as a child?"

Shen Wancheng: "..."

Lin Bei couldn't help but smile slightly.

The old man saw it and smiled.

"See, Xiao Lin understands." The old man pointed at Lin Bei. "He smiled just now, which means he understands how I feel. What about you? All you can say is, 'Dad, I'll hire a chess teacher for you.'"

"I did say that," Shen Wancheng said, leaning back on the sofa with his arms crossed. "Didn't you say you didn't want it?"

"A chess teacher? How can that be the same?" The old man picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "A teacher comes to teach chess, not to chat. What I need is someone who can play chess with me and talk to me."

He turned to look at Lin Bei.

"Kobayashi, are you free this weekend?"

Lin Bei thought for a moment.

[System responds quickly: Yes, yes, yes! Say yes! This is the father of one of the top three entrepreneurs in Jiangcheng!]

"I'm free on Saturday," Lin Bei said.

"Then Saturday it is." The old man slapped his thigh. "Come play chess with me every Saturday morning at ten o'clock. Not a whole day, just an hour or two will do. We can have a meal together after the game."

Lin Bei looked at the old man's expectant eyes and nodded.

"Okay." The old man smiled, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"Then it's settled." Shen Wancheng sat opposite Lin Bei, looking at him, and his habitual smile returned to his lips.

But he didn't say anything.

He simply sipped his tea while looking at Lin Bei with an indescribable expression.

There was scrutiny, curiosity, and something else in those eyes that Lin Bei couldn't decipher.

Lin Bei stayed at the Shen family's house for about an hour. He played a game of chess, drank two cups of tea, and chatted with the old man for a while. The old man asked him how his grades were and if he had any hobbies. Lin Bei answered them one by one, without lying, but without saying too much.

At eleven o'clock, the old man looked at the clock on the wall and then at Lin Bei.

"Xiao Lin, eat before you go." The old man's tone left no room for refusal. "It's already eleven o'clock. You've come all this way to play chess with me, and you haven't even had a meal. I feel bad about it."

Lin Bei wanted to politely decline, but the old woman had already called out towards the kitchen, "Wang Ma, cook for one more person!"

A strong "Alright!" came from the kitchen.

Lin Bei swallowed back the words he was about to say and said with a smile, "Then... thank you, Grandpa Shen."

The old man nodded in satisfaction, sat back down on the sofa, picked up the chipped purple clay teapot, and poured Lin Bei another cup of tea.

Lunch consisted of four dishes and a soup, light and delicious. The old man didn't eat much, but he kept putting food on Lin Bei's plate, saying, "Eat more, young people are still growing."

Shen Wancheng was also there. He ate quickly and didn't talk much, but he glanced at Lin Bei again when Lin Bei said goodbye.

There was something more in that glance than in the morning.

After finishing his meal, Lin Bei sat for a while longer before standing up to say goodbye.

The old man saw him to the door and patted him on the shoulder.

"Kobayashi, don't forget next week."

"I won't forget," Lin Bei said.

Shen Wancheng also stood up and escorted Lin Bei to the entrance, then stopped. He stood at the doorway, looked at Lin Bei, and said, "Be careful on the road."

Lin Bei nodded, turned and left.

As he walked out of the gate of Yunqi Mountain Villa, he looked back once.

Villa No. 8 is located on a hillside. Its white exterior walls gleam in the sunlight, and the fountain at the entrance is still gurgling.

Lin Bei stood by the roadside, waiting for the bus.

He took out his phone and glanced at the time. 1:10 PM.

He got on the bus and found a window seat.

The bus swayed and bumped its way down the mountain, the scenery outside the window changing from a villa area to a residential area, and then from a residential area to a commercial area.

Lin Bei leaned against the car window, his mind still replaying what had just happened at the Shen family's house.

Shen Wancheng. One of the top three entrepreneurs in Jiangcheng.

The person he had only seen in the news in his previous life had just sat across from him, played a game of chess with him, and even said, "Be careful on the road."

Moreover, he goes to his house every week.

Playing chess with his dad.

Lin Bei took a deep breath.

He can't treat the elderly as a "golden touch" or a "cash cow." The elderly are living, breathing people, with flesh and blood, who experience loneliness and crave companionship. If he approaches them with ulterior motives, they will surely see through it.

It's not about "clinging to someone's coattails," it's about "playing chess with an elderly person."

that's it.

[The system has detected that the host has completed the mindset adjustment. The attitude has shifted from "I've already latched onto a powerful figure" to "I'm just playing chess with an old man." The system calls this mindset shift "social intelligence." The host is advised to maintain this attitude; sincerity is the best social currency.]

Lin Bei closed his eyes.

In his memory palace, he retrieved the images from today.

An old man sat in the pavilion, tapping his fingers on his knees, frowning as he looked at the chessboard. Shen Wancheng leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, a slight smile playing on his lips. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling on the chessboard and making the pieces gleam.

He saved all these images and labeled them: "Shen family, first meeting, September 22, 2012." Then he flipped to another image.

The old man said, "Xiao Lin, come and play chess with me whenever you have time."

Lin Bei replayed the sentence in his mind again. It wasn't that he needed to memorize it—his memory palace would automatically store it—but rather… he wanted to hear it again.

There was something in the old man's tone when he said this that Lin Bei couldn't quite put his finger on. It wasn't a request, nor an order, but more like... someone afraid of being rejected, cautiously extending an invitation.

Lin Bei closed his eyes.

He thought he would definitely go next week.

[Host, you're done being sentimental now. You can open your eyes. The bus has already passed three stops; it'll be at the final stop soon.]

Lin Bei suddenly opened his eyes.

The scenery outside the window... I really don't recognize it anymore.

He quickly pressed the bicycle bell.

Why didn't you say so sooner?!

[The host is being sentimental, and the system can't bear to interrupt.]

Lin Bei: "..."

The bus stopped at the next stop. Lin Bei quickly got off, ran to the other side of the road, and waited for ten minutes before boarding the bus back.

Back in his apartment complex, he went upstairs and paused at the door of apartment 502.

The sound of a television was coming from under the door; it sounded like some kind of variety show. Laughter came in bursts, somewhat distorted, coming through the door.

Is Su Wantang watching TV alone at home?

Lin Bei hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand and knocked on the door.

The TV volume went down. A few seconds later, the door opened.

Su Wantang stood behind the door, wearing a light pink loungewear set, her hair loose, and a pair of cotton slippers.

"You're back?" Her voice was a little hoarse. "How's Shen Qingzhi's family?"

"It's fine," Lin Bei said. "Her grandfather is a nice person; he invited me to stay for lunch."

Su Wantang nodded and stepped aside, "Would you like to come in and sit down?"