It fell from his fingertips

There was a brief silence in the pavilion, as if the wind around it had stopped.

Tang Luoqing stared nervously at Zhou Jinbai. When she saw his gaze fall on a certain spot on the drawing paper and his brows furrow slightly, she knew that this man had already found the problem with her drawing.

Sure enough, after only a few seconds, Zhou Jinbai raised his eyes and pointed out the imbalance in the composition and the issues with the layers of light and shadow in the two pictures in a clear, calm and concise voice, hitting the nail on the head with every sentence.

After listening, Tang Luoqing felt enlightened, and the confusion that had been weighing on her mind for several days suddenly dissipated.

She looked up at the man opposite her and said sincerely, "Thank you, brother."

Zhou Jinbai's gaze returned to the chessboard, his fingertips twirling a black piece, and he simply replied, "You're welcome."

It was as if he had just casually given a junior a pointer, without revealing any personal emotions.

Grandpa Lu watched from the side, his face beaming with a smile. He tapped the chessboard with his knuckles and said, "Not bad. All those years of careful instruction I put into you weren't wasted."

After saying that, he waved his hand at Lu Yu: "Take the little girl to the garden for a stroll, find a shady place to paint, don't disturb our chess game here."

Lu Yu responded with an "okay" and led Tang Luoqing out of the pavilion.

The two figures disappeared at the top of the stairs, and for a moment only the soft sound of chess pieces falling onto the board could be heard in the pavilion.

Grandpa Lu slowly looked at Zhou Jinbai across from him, a knowing smile in his eyes: "This time, you played a bit too aggressively. Have you figured it out?"

Zhou Jinbai's fingers, which were holding the black pieces, paused slightly. His eyes darkened, and his gaze lingered on the chessboard for a moment. His prominent Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

A moment later, he released his grip, and the black piece landed steadily on the chessboard. His voice was deep, carrying a sense of solemnity as if the dust had settled: "...Yes, Grandpa Lu hit the nail on the head."

Zhou Jinbai naturally understood the double meaning in Old Master Lu's words.

The old man had reminded him before that he should always fight for some things.

He remained silent at that time, still harboring many concerns.

At this moment, he has no regrets about his move, and his heart is the same.

Upon hearing this, Old Master Lu stroked his beard and laughed heartily: "It's good that you've figured it out."

Zhou Jinbai didn't reply, but his gaze unconsciously went past the railing by the pavilion and looked into a shady spot deep in the garden.

Amidst dappled greenery, Tang Luoqing sat on a stone bench, her sketchbook resting on her lap, her profile softened by the shadows cast by the trees.

Her eyes were lowered, her pen tip sketching on the paper, a strand of her long hair hanging down, swaying gently in the wind.

As if by telepathy, Tang Luoqing suddenly looked over here.

For a moment, their eyes met.

Tang Luoqing's hand holding the paintbrush hovered in mid-air before she quickly looked away.

After a moment, she looked up again and saw that Zhou Jinbai had already lowered his head to look at the chessboard.

Tang Luoqing breathed a sigh of relief.

·

Having learned from her previous experience of being late and having Zhou Jin drive her away for free by Old Master Lu, Tang Luoqing packed her things and prepared to leave at 4 p.m. this time.

As she stood up, Tang Luoqing glanced at the sky, secretly calculating that if she left now, she could get home before the evening rush hour and avoid troubling others.

Just as she reached the pavilion on the second floor and finished saying goodbye, a sudden, muffled rumble echoed from the sky, as if it were deliberately working against her. A strong wind swept in, and large raindrops pelted down, turning into a torrential downpour in the blink of an eye.

Tang Luoqing looked in surprise at the sky that had been clear and sunny just a moment ago.

At this moment, Old Master Lu, who was sitting in the pavilion, was twirling a white chess piece between his fingers. He looked up at the torrential rain outside the pavilion and slowly said, "Wait until the rain subsides before leaving. There's no rush. Lu Yu, go and prepare dinner."

This means they want Tang Luoqing to stay for dinner.

Tang Luoqing quickly looked at Old Master Lu and waved her hand to decline, "No need, no need, I brought an umbrella, I can..."

"Your fever has just subsided, so it's best not to get caught in the rain."

Zhou Jinbai interrupted Tang Luoqing.

He had been looking down at the unfinished game on the chessboard, but now he looked up and his deep gaze was fixed on Tang Luoqing's face, which still had a slightly sickly look. His voice was clear and deep: "Grandpa Lu rarely keeps people around."

Tang Luoqing was taken aback, as if some secret little thing had been revealed, and her cheeks suddenly flushed.

Her eyelashes trembled, and she reflexively avoided Zhou Jinbai's gaze, momentarily forgetting to reply.

Lu Yu was initially surprised that the old man was being unusually lenient with Tang Luoqing today, but when he suddenly heard the words "Grandpa Lu rarely keeps guests," he realized what was going on and came over to persuade him, "Teacher Tang, please don't be so polite. My grandfather really doesn't keep guests easily. Today is the first time. You can't offend my grandfather."

After hearing this, Tang Luoqing could no longer refuse.

She bit her lip, looked up at Old Master Lu, and nodded politely: "Then I'll have to trouble you."

"Alright, this old man is a bit tired. Lu Yu, come with me to rest. Wake me up before dinner."

With Lu Yu's help, Old Master Lu slowly stood up and casually gave his instructions. Then, he turned his attention back to Tang Luoqing: "As for you, little girl... you can stay here and enjoy the scenery, draw things, or have Jin Bai teach you to play chess. Once you've learned to play chess, you can come and go as you please in my Qin Garden."

Upon hearing this, Tang Luoqing's heart tightened. He was about to say that he was slow to learn and might disappoint the old man's expectations when the old man waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to say more, and instructed Lu Yu to help him downstairs.

Lu Yu then helped the old man toward the stairwell. As he passed Tang Luoqing, he turned his back to the old man and gave her a fist pump, signaling her to keep going.

Tang Luoqing: "..."

Over here, Lu Yu helped the old man slowly downstairs. Just as they reached the corridor connecting the villa, he paused, as if suddenly remembering something. He frowned and muttered, "Something's not right... How did Jin Bai know that Teacher Tang's fever had just subsided? Is Zhou Yanchen now reporting even such trivial matters to his brother?"

Before he could finish speaking, Old Master Lu lightly tapped him on the forehead with the tip of his cane.

"You talk too much. You should think about when you can bring me a granddaughter-in-law. That would be more useful than thinking about these things."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu's face immediately fell. He rubbed his forehead, his tone full of melancholy: "Don't mention it, Grandpa. Last time I met a really beautiful girl at the bar. She was wearing a red dress and looked like she was glowing as she stood by the bar. I mustered up the courage to talk to her, but... I think I failed."

Grandpa Lu felt a headache coming on as soon as he heard that. He closed his eyes, leaned against a pillar in the corridor to catch his breath, and then asked, "How did you strike up the conversation?"

Lu Yu scratched his head, trying to recall.

The bar was dimly lit that day. As soon as he entered, he saw a beautiful girl who was exceptionally charming.

Lu Yu had never been in a relationship before, and he finally met someone who made his heart flutter. Thinking about how his grandfather was urging him to date all the time, he decided to strike up a conversation.

He stood there for almost ten minutes, holding his wine glass, his palms sweating, before finally steeling himself and walking over to sit in the empty seat next to the young woman. Then, pretending to casually turn his head, he began to speak, his words coming out as fast as if he were reciting a memorized text: "Hello, my name is Lu Yu, Lu as in land and Yu as in island. I work in the cultural and creative industry, the kind of job where you print paintings on postcards and canvas bags. I know it might not sound very cool, but I really love this job because I get to see so many amazing paintings. Your dress is beautiful, it's a really vibrant red. I don't mean anything by it, I just wanted to tell you that your dress is really beautiful, and you are beautiful too."

Lu Yu finished speaking in one breath, staring at the other person, waiting for judgment.

The girl turned around, looked him up and down, and said lazily at the end of her sentence, "Is this how you usually talk when you're trying to pick someone up?"

Lu Yu's mind went blank for a moment, and he honestly told the truth: "No, I don't usually strike up conversations, this is the first time."

The girl looked at his tense face and reddened ear tips, chuckled, and her eyes curved into a slight smile.

She picked up her glass, took a sip, and as she stood up, patted Lu Yu on the shoulder, saying casually, "Next time you try to chat someone up, don't mention your profession details. Nobody wants to hear them. But your sincerity is barely passable."

After saying that, the girl picked up her bag, turned around, and left.

Lu Yu sat there, stunned for a long time.

After recounting this memory, Lu Yu frowned, pondering, "Grandpa, do you think she thought I talked too much, or not?"

Old Master Lu's temples throbbed as he listened, and he waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Get lost. With a brain like yours, you'll never be able to get a wife."

On the other side, only Tang Luoqing and Zhou Jinbai remained in the pavilion.

Tang Luoqing stood there, clutching the sketchbook in her arms, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

She secretly glanced up and quickly looked at Zhou Jinbai standing by the railing. She wanted to say something but didn't know what to say. Just as she was about to lower her head, she met his gaze.

Tang Luoqing quickly lowered her head.

"I'm sorry, the old lady enjoys playing chess, but Lu Yu isn't very good at it, so she wanted someone else to play chess with her."

Zhou Jinbai spoke first.

The man spoke calmly and naturally, as if he were casually explaining something perfectly ordinary.

Tang Luoqing breathed a sigh of relief, but was still incredibly embarrassed: "But I..."

Just now, Tang Luoqing had considered learning to play chess, after all, the temptation of being able to freely enter and leave Qinyuan was too great.

The scenery and tranquility here are a rare treasure for painters.

She could have Zhou Jinbai teach her to play chess...

Tang Luoqing felt extremely flustered just thinking about it.

"If you don't mind, I can teach you."

Zhou Jinbai returned to the chessboard and sat down. As if afraid that Tang Luoqing would find it abrupt, he slowly added, "Of course, in the capacity of Brother Yan Chen."

Upon hearing this, Tang Luoqing looked up at Zhou Jinbai in surprise, only to be caught off guard by his unfathomable eyes.

In a daze, the words Lu Yu had said not long ago came to mind again.

He said Zhou Jinbai lived too tensely and was too unselfish, giving everything to the family business and even giving up his once most beloved painting.

Now, even for something as simple as teaching her a game of chess, he has to adopt the identity of "Brother Yan Chen," simply because he promised her he would revert to that identity, not even allowing himself a moment of freedom.

Tang Luoqing felt a lump in her throat, her eyes welled up slightly, and her heart felt heavy, as if something was blocking it.

Looking at the man across from her, his expression restrained yet distant, her voice trembled involuntarily: "Zhou Jinbai, can't you... be kinder to yourself?"

That question came out of nowhere, like a sudden downpour outside.

Zhou Jinbai paused slightly, his deep eyes fixed on Tang Luoqing, his prominent Adam's apple bobbing slowly.

A moment later, he lowered his eyelashes to tidy up the chessboard. When he spoke again, his voice was faint and slightly hoarse.

"I have it, right now."