The Nightmare Experience of a Useless Person

Hobbies Discover the Third Style - Playing Chess

Sitting in front of the chessboard, looking at the crisscrossing lines and the two bowls of black and white pieces, Jiang Zhiyang truly felt like a refined person.

He picked up a black piece with two trembling fingers and finally managed to press it onto the chessboard. He let out a long sigh of relief. Taking the first step in chess was really not easy.

Black, white, black, white, black...

"Ye Qingchen, why aren't you playing here? I'm almost there..." A buzzing sound came from beside him, and Jiang Zhiyang suddenly realized that Ye Qingchen was playing Go, while he only knew how to play Gomoku.

"Brother Qingchen, let me teach you a new way to play. On the board, whether it's vertical, horizontal, or diagonal, the first person to get five pieces in a row wins."

Jiang Zhiyang tidied up the chess pieces to himself, secretly pleased with himself. He was a modern man who had studied a series of "winning formations" such as the Plum Blossom Formation, the Diagonal Three Formation, and the Eight Trigrams Formation.

Finally, he's encountered a project where he can crush Ye Qingchen, hehehe!

Black, white, black, white, black...

Just as Jiang Zhiyang confidently placed his piece, Ye Qingchen clapped her hands, and the five white pieces were perfectly aligned.

"No, no, this won't do." There's a problem, a big problem. He was only focused on this side and completely ignored the other side. This won't do. This was an accident, and it's not up to his usual standard!

Jiang Zhiyang was clearly trying to cheat, and Ye Qingchen always agreed. He just smiled and then placed a piece at the crucial moment of the game every time.

"No, you can't get down here."

"Hey, hey, hey, this won't do either."

"Oh dear, this round doesn't count."

"No way! Why aren't you following the instructions?"

"No, this round doesn't count either."

A complete defeat! A total defeat!

……

The fourth hobby discovery – fishing

Neither of them had ever fished before, but according to common sense, fishing is simply hanging bait on a line, waiting for a fish to bite, and then reeling it in.

"That's easy," Jiang Zhiyang said confidently, casting his line. Ye Qingchen followed suit, casting her line into the water as well.

Waiting, waiting, until the sun was almost setting, the first bait was still hanging safely on the hook.

The setting sun painted the mountainside a fiery red, like a bride's lipstick. The leaves were red, the mountain temple was red, the shimmering water was red, and Jiang Zhiyang's face was red too, but it wasn't from the sun; it was from his own anxiety.

Could it be that there are no fish in this area? Jiang Zhiyang pulled up his fishing rod and swung it hard, sending the hook flying even further. Ye Qingchen imitated him, reeling in his rod and swishing it again.

"Hey, you threw that far! Watch me!" Jiang Zhiyang used all his strength and finally landed the fishing hook even further away.

Ye Qingchen imitated him, putting in even more effort. The two took turns fishing, eventually turning the game into a contest of who could cast the farthest.

Ye Qingchen laughed freely. It turned out that fishing wasn't just about catching fish; it could also be a simple game. He reeled in his line and cast it again.

"You two, this is shallow water, where would you get any fish? Hahahaha." The old man's simple laughter attracted the two men's attention. It turned out there were no fish here at all, but that didn't matter now.

Beneath those ripples, what hides are not fish, but their simple, unspoken joy.

"Hey, where's my hook?" Ye Qingchen tried to pull, but the hook was caught somewhere.

"Ye Qingchen! You caught me!" The fishhook got caught on Jiang Zhiyang's collar, and Ye Qingchen's force almost tore the clothes.

Dusk, shallow water, my first time fishing, and I caught a young boy.

"..."

Today is a stress-free day. There's no school, no homework, no parents, only Xiao Chengyang.

From afar, shouts of victory echoed from the academy. Ye Qingchen also cheered for Xiao Chengyang in her heart. He was a victor, having overcome all the boredom, hesitation, and timidity that Ye Qingchen had experienced in her ordinary days.

"Brother Qingchen, have you found what you love to do most?" That night, Jiang Zhiyang sat by Ye Qingchen's bedside, carrying the little frog stool.

"No, not really, it's just a feeling..."

"What do you feel?" Jiang Zhiyang pressed.

"I just feel that everything is fun when I'm with you."

"Then you're doomed, you'll never be able to leave me for the rest of your life."

Yes, she could never leave him. Ye Qingchen couldn't imagine how boring and desolate life would be without Xiao Chengyang. The wind blew across the fields, and the stone statue would soon stand alone, waiting for time to decay it...

Three years—there was a three-year gap between them. During those three years, Ye Qingchen's world was a dark place, filled with his mother's screams and curses. He was terrified and could only close his eyes and cover his ears to keep that rough and ugly fist from falling on him.

Until a little child reached out his hand—a soft and delicate hand—and the child's mother told him that the sun was out and it was time to eat breakfast.

The sun really came out! It was the first time he had ever seen the sun, and he was incredibly excited! Later, the little doll and the big doll stayed together, walking hand and foot together. If they were separated, they would become monsters without limbs.

Monster, how can a monster survive?

This separation is unbearable, even for a second.

……

When Ye Qingchen got up to go to school, she walked even slower than usual. Jiang Zhiyang felt something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. When they arrived at school, Jiang Zhiyang discovered that Ye Qingchen had a fever.

He must have been too wild with Ye Qingchen yesterday. Ye Qingchen was already weak, and now he couldn't take it anymore. Seeing him lying on his desk, listless and shivering, Jiang Zhiyang felt a pang of guilt.

What should we do? We should take him to the clinic. Why hasn't the doctor arrived yet? Is there time to ask for leave? We don't have a penny on us and need to go home to get money, but our parents are still in the fields. Should we go to the fields first?

Seeing Ye Qingchen struggling to breathe, Jiang Zhiyang panicked and carried her to the Ye family home. He knew Ye Qingchen had hidden the money in a wooden box under the bed, so taking it out for an emergency wouldn't be a problem.

The nearest clinic was packed with people. Jiang Zhiyang didn't know where all these patients came from. They were crammed into the room like a human wall, and Jiang Zhiyang couldn't even see the doctor.

Jiang Zhiyang panicked. Looking at the bustling crowd, he felt helpless. Should he queue up? But where was the queue in this chaotic flow of people? Or should he go somewhere to get a number?

Ye Qingchen leaned her entire body against Jiang Zhiyang. Jiang Zhiyang felt his high temperature, his trembling, his breath. He felt light and airy, like a carp splashing on the ground, the scalding soil slowly stripping away its vitality.

Jiang Zhiyang felt his breathing quicken. They were one; there was an invisible thread in his life that tightly connected him to another.

Jiang Zhiyang tried to carry Ye Qingchen through the crowd, but was reprimanded.

"What are you pushing for! Kids, get to the back." It was a tall, rude man who had been hit on the head with a stick, and blood flowed from his forehead to his temples, forming sticky blood clots.

"I'm sorry, my family member's situation is quite urgent." Jiang Zhiyang could only bow his head and apologize.

"In a hurry? Who isn't in a hurry? Look around this clinic, is there anyone who isn't in a hurry!" The man's tone was as if he wanted to crush the two little bean sprouts in front of him into the soil. He left a contemptuous glance and then blocked Jiang Zhiyang's way with his big body.

It's always like this. Why can everyone so easily dislike him, provoke him whenever they want, and kick him whenever they want? His self-esteem is always trampled underfoot. Once upon a time, he had no family, no money, and no power. He was always insecure, always yielding, and always bowing down.

But now, things are different. He knows that he will always be someone's number one priority in life. Even if his voice is drowned out by the crowd, there will always be someone who will listen to him gently. And he can be that person's support. He will not be timid or back down!

"All the apprentices are on leave today, so the clinic is a bit chaotic. Everyone is treating patients based on their own abilities. If you're really in a hurry, just keep going," a kind-looking old lady behind us reminded us.

"Okay, thank you."