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

"Come on." The old man picked up the red side's cannon and placed it in the center. "Your Uncle Shen is home too, he'll be down in a bit. Let's play chess first."

Lin Bei jumped off the horse.

The game of chess begins.

When I was halfway down, I heard footsteps coming from upstairs.

Shen Wancheng came down the stairs. He was wearing a dark gray leather jacket, and his hair was not as neatly combed as usual, with a few strands hanging down his forehead. He looked more tired than last time.

"Good morning, Dad." He walked into the living room and sat down next to the old man.

"What do you mean 'early'? It's almost eleven o'clock." The old man didn't even look up, his gaze still fixed on the chessboard. "Did you work overtime again last night?"

"Yes, something came up at the company." Shen Wancheng picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and leaned back on the sofa.

The old man finally raised his head and glanced at Shen Wancheng: "Last week you said you had 'something to do,' and this week you said you had 'something to do.' Just how serious is this 'something to do'?"

Shen Wancheng paused for a moment, then said, "It's not small."

"Then why don't you just say 'Something big has happened'?" The old man lowered his head again. "Your generation is so difficult to talk to. 'Something' means something has happened, 'Nothing' means something has happened, 'I'm fine' means I'm not fine. It's harder to guess than playing chess."

He paused, then his tone suddenly softened: "Take care of yourself..."

Shen Wancheng paused slightly in the hand holding the teacup.

[Grandpa Shen is using the "complain first, then show concern" tactic. The core effectiveness of this tactic lies in: the initial criticism lowers the other person's psychological defenses, followed by a direct and powerful show of concern. It is recommended that the host learn from this.]

[However, the system reminds the host: This tactic is only applicable to parent-child relationships. Using it on Su Wantang will have consequences.]

Lin Bei: ...

He looked up and glanced at Shen Wancheng.

He had faint dark circles under his eyes, his brows were slightly furrowed, and the habitual smile at the corners of his mouth was gone. He leaned back on the sofa, as if deep in thought.

Lin Bei withdrew his gaze and continued playing chess.

But a thought crossed his mind.

Something came up at the company.

What's wrong?

Is this about Li Zeyun?

He lowered his head and focused his attention back on the chessboard.

After walking a few more steps, the old man stepped on the cart, leaving Lin Bei's horse with nowhere to go.

"I lost," Lin Bei said.

The old man smiled smugly.

"Grandpa Shen has improved," Lin Bei said as he put away the chess pieces.

"I haven't improved; you're just letting me win." The old man looked at him, a hint of a smile in his eyes. "You think I can't see it? That cannon move you made on the fifteenth step—you clearly had a better position, but you chose that one. You just wanted me to attack."

Lin Bei paused for a moment, then looked up.

The old man picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said slowly, "I've been playing chess for decades, and I can still tell the difference between winning and losing. I know you're letting me win. But I won't say anything because I enjoy playing chess with you."

Lin Bei's lips curved into a smile.

The old man glanced at him, then burst into laughter.

Shen Wancheng sat beside his father, smiling as he watched him, a slight curve appearing at the corners of his mouth. The smile was faint, but Lin Bei noticed it.

"Xiao Lin," Shen Wancheng suddenly spoke.

Lin Bei turned his head.

"Regarding that data of yours last time," Shen Wancheng said in a flat tone, revealing no emotion, "I've verified it with the people at the company, and there are some issues."

Lin Bei's fingers tightened slightly.

"What's the problem?" the old man interjected, putting down his teacup and looking at his son.

Shen Wancheng remained silent for a moment.

"The market research data was tampered with. If it weren't for Kobayashi's data, I probably wouldn't know until now."

The living room fell silent for a moment.

Lin Bei picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said nothing.

"Have you found out who it is?" The old man's voice lowered.

"We have a target," Shen Wancheng said, his tone still calm. "We're still investigating. The chain of evidence will take time."

The old man nodded, turned his head, and looked at Lin Bei.

"Xiao Lin, you've done Uncle Shen a great favor. Grandpa will remember this."

"Grandpa Shen, I just transferred some data on a whim," Lin Bei said. "Uncle Shen was the one who actually did the work."

The old man glanced at him but said nothing more.

Shen Wancheng also glanced at him.

The thing I saw in that glance was different from before.

Whether it was approval or something else, he didn't know.

"Xiao Lin," Shen Wancheng suddenly said, "If you encounter any difficulties or need any help in the future, you can tell me anytime, and I will help if I can."

Lin Bei paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Okay. Thank you, Uncle Shen!"

[The host has received a verbal promise from Shen Wancheng: "Come to me if you have any difficulties." The value of this promise is roughly equivalent to an unlimited credit card.]

[However, the system reminds the host: Although the credit limit is high, use it with caution. It's not that you can't use it, but you should use it in the right place. If you encounter something important, speak up; don't bother others with trivial matters. This is called having a sense of propriety.]

Lin Bei: I know.

[Just so you know. The system's afraid you'll get too cocky.]

Lin Bei: ...

Shen Wancheng didn't say anything more. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, leaned back on the sofa, and closed his eyes.

The old man looked at his son, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing.

He turned his head and looked at Lin Bei.

"Come on, let's play another round."

Lin Bei nodded and rearranged the chess pieces.

Halfway through the second game, Shen Qingzhi came downstairs.

She was wearing a white sweatshirt and light blue jeans, her hair was down, and she was holding a glass of water. As she walked into the living room, she glanced at Lin Bei.

"Good morning," she said, her voice a little hoarse, as if she had just woken up.

"Good morning," Lin Bei said.

Shen Qingzhi sat down next to the old man and glanced at the chessboard.

"Qingzhi," the old man suddenly said, "why don't you play a game with Xiaolin? I'm going to the restroom."

He stood up and left quickly after he finished speaking, as if afraid that the two people would refuse.

Only Lin Bei and Shen Qingzhi remained in the living room.

Shen Qingzhi glanced at him, remained silent for two seconds, and then sat down in the old man's seat.

"You go first," she said.

Lin Bei picked up the cannon and placed it in the center.

Shen Qingzhi moved her knight. Her chess style remained the same: simple and efficient.

Lin Bei realized that he still couldn't beat her.

"You won again." He pushed Jiang down.

Shen Qingzhi glanced at him.

"You've improved."

Lin Bei was taken aback.

"Last week you could only take twenty-three steps," Shen Qingzhi said. "This week you took twenty-eight steps. You've improved by five steps."

Lin Bei looked at her.

She remembered how many steps he had taken last week.

This realization stirred something within him.

"You have a good memory," he said.

Shen Qingzhi didn't reply, but lowered her head and began to collect the chess pieces. She placed the red side's rooks, knights, and cannons back into the chess box one by one, her movements slow and careful.

"Lin Bei," she suddenly said.

"Um."

Have you lost a lot of weight recently?

Lin Bei was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously looked down at his stomach.

"About... twenty pounds."

Shen Qingzhi glanced at him, nodded, and said nothing more.

But the slight curve at the corner of her mouth was still there.

When the old man returned from the bathroom, Shen Qingzhi had already gone upstairs.

He glanced at the chessboard, then at Lin Bei.

"You lost?"

"We lost."

"That's normal." The old man sat down, picked up the teapot, and poured Lin Bei a cup of tea. "Qingzhi, that child, has never lost since she was little."

Lin Bei picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"But she rarely plays with people," the old man suddenly said.

Lin Bei's fingers paused for a moment.

"She thought it was a waste of time." The old man paused. "She said that reading was better than playing chess with others, but she still played with you."

The old man looked at Lin Bei with a slight smile on his lips.

Lin Bei didn't know how to respond to that.

[Grandpa Shen's words translate to "You are an exception." The system has detected that the host is being recognized and suggests that the host show some pride.]

Lin Bei: Thank you for the praise, system. It's very kind of you.

[I'll praise you occasionally, lest you get carried away. But the system reminds you, exceptions are exceptions, don't overthink it. With your current emotional intelligence, the system is worried you'll interpret "exceptions" as "she's fallen for me." This is my "praise first, then tease" tactic.]

Lin Bei: ...