Starting from Ainz Ooal Gown, simultaneously traveling through time

The afternoon sun in late autumn shone through the glass window, cutting out alternating light and shadow grids on the chessboard.

Chu Zihang plays red, Lei Lin plays black.

Just as Chu Zihang's "chariot" crossed the river boundary, Lei Lin's "horse" suddenly leaped out from the side and stepped on the crucial flank.

"What have you been busy with lately?" Lei Lin asked casually, moving a chess piece.

"School basketball team training." Chu Zihang's answer was as concise as ever.

His gaze was fixed on the chessboard, his fingers unconsciously stroking the cold "cannon".

"That's great." Leylin nodded. "With your looks and skills, the stands must be quite lively, right? I heard some girls even formed their own cheerleading squad?"

"Yeah," Chu Zihang responded, paused for a moment, and added, "That's true. There are quite a few people watching the game and discussing techniques."

"It looks like there's a cheerleader captain." Leylin looked up, observing Chu Zihang's expression. "I've seen her twice; she's a pretty lively girl. She seems particularly interested in you?"

Chu Zihang's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, as if searching his memory: "I know him, but we're not close."

"Is that all?" Leylin smiled, his tone slightly playful.

"But last Saturday in the shopping district, I think I saw you treating someone to ice cream? And the week before last, at the aquarium? A lot of people thought you were on a date."

Chu Zihang was clearly taken aback this time.

He put down his chess piece, thought seriously for a few seconds, and then shook his head very firmly: "No. I was watching game recordings at home on Saturday, and the week before last, I was at the gym. You must have mistaken me for someone else."

His gaze was frank and direct, without any evasion or embarrassment.

Leylin knew he was telling the truth.

Chu Zihang is that kind of person. His memory is like a precise hard drive. If he did something, he did it; if he didn't, he didn't. He disdains and has no need to lie about such trivial matters.

"Okay, it seems I was seeing things, or maybe parallel worlds have intersected." Leylin shrugged and changed the subject.

Chu Zihang, however, took the initiative to steer the conversation elsewhere: "You've been getting quite close to that classmate named Lu Mingfei lately."

"Oh?" Lei Lin was a little surprised, raising an eyebrow at him. "It's rare that you would notice such a 'little person'? I thought your focus was only on basketball, your studies, and your never-ending track."

"Lu Mingfei," Chu Zihang said the name in a calm tone, "I remember him."

He didn't say what his specific impression was.

Perhaps it's that figure who always walks with their head down, close to the wall, in the corridor.

Perhaps it's the silent, non-resisting look in one's eyes when being pushed and shoved in some corner.

Or perhaps it's something else, something deeper, an intuition that even he himself hasn't yet figured out.

"It's nothing, I just think that kid is too cowardly, it's frustrating to watch."

Lei Lin said casually, "A little kindness, a helping hand—in this world, sometimes a small act of kindness can be a lifeline for some people."

"He is indeed...a bit timid." Chu Zihang carefully chose his words. "He needs someone to lend him a hand. Thank you."

Lei Lin laughed: "Why are you thanking me? I helped him, not you, Chu Zihang."

Chu Zihang looked at Lei Lin, and a very subtle hint of confusion flashed across his usually calm eyes.

But his tone remained firm: "Helping him is also helping me."

This seemingly random statement made Lei Lin pause slightly.

He gave Chu Zihang a deep look, then shook his head without pressing further, saying, "I don't understand you. Never mind."

On the chessboard, the situation was subtly changing.

Leylin seemingly moved his black "horse" unintentionally, a move that was exquisite and subtle. Then, he picked up the "horse" and gently placed it in a position—"General".

Chu Zihang turned his gaze back to the chessboard and stared intently for more than ten seconds.

His "general" was firmly locked down by Leylin's "horse" and another "cannon" hidden in the shadows. His two "chariots" were lost and trapped, and his "advisor" and "elephant" who were trying to defend were both restrained.

One deduction path after another flashed through my mind, all ultimately pointing to a dead end.

"You win," Chu Zihang announced calmly, his fingers leaving the chess piece.

"Don't be so quick to admit defeat." Lei Lin pointed at Chu Zihang's nine-square grid with his finger.

"Your 'steed' hasn't moved yet. Let it move diagonally one step to block my 'horse's leg. Although it will be sacrificed, your 'general' can temporarily escape danger, and the 'chariot' on the side will have a chance to come back to support. We can still maneuver around for a few more steps."

Chu Zihang glanced at the "shi" who was destined to be sacrificed, and then at the hopeless situation even if they escaped.

He shook his head: "It's just a matter of prolonging our lives and stalling for time. The outcome is already decided, so we might as well admit defeat and save each other's time."

"This doesn't sound like something you would say." Leylin leaned forward slightly, looking at Chu Zihang.

"On a chessboard, you can concede early because you've calculated the outcome, to save face. But what about in real life?"

Chu Zihang looked up, his gaze questioning.

"I mean, if in reality, there really is someone... or something, like this 'horse,' suddenly appearing in front of your 'car,' not only blocking the road but also trying to destroy your car, or even threatening the lives of the people inside."

Leylin lowered his voice, slowed his pace, and each word fell like a chess piece into the silent air, "What would you do?"

Chu Zihang's eyes instantly sharpened, like a blade beneath the ice.

He didn't answer immediately, seemingly pondering the abrupt metaphor in his mind.

"A horse cannot stop a chariot."

He concluded by saying this in a calm tone based on common sense in physics.

"What if that 'horse' is different?" Leylin asked immediately, his eyes burning.

"If it's not an ordinary horse, it comes from mythology, or some other place that defies common sense."

"Its hooves can crush steel; its very existence is a 'mistake.' It will take not only your car, but the lives of everyone inside."

Silence spread between the two.

The distant sounds of balls hitting each other and the noise of students coming from outside the window only made the room seem quieter.

Chu Zihang's hands, resting on his knees, clenched slightly.

"If he wants the car," Chu Zihang said slowly, his voice low and clear, "you can give it to him."

"What if it costs you your life?"

"Then," Chu Zihang looked up, his eyes, which were always devoid of emotion, now seemed to be burning with a cold flame in the slanting sunlight outside the window.

"I will fight with all my might to bring him down from his horse."

There was no impassioned tone, no exaggerated expression, but the resolute will contained in those words made the air freeze.

"Well said." Leylin leaned back in his chair, clapped his hands lightly, and showed a complex expression on his face, somewhere between approval and sigh.

"These unreasonable 'things' that only want to plunder and destroy should be completely eradicated."

Chu Zihang's brows furrowed deeply as he stared intently at Lei Lin: "You're suddenly saying all this... did you sense something? Or did you hear something?"

He keenly sensed that Leylin's words were not unfounded, but rather a cryptic warning.

"It's nothing," Leylin waved his hand, regaining some of his usual casualness.

"I've been reading too much, so I'm just letting my imagination run wild and expressing my feelings. Just consider this another episode of my teenage angst."

Chu Zihang did not ask any further questions, but the doubt in his eyes did not disappear.

He had known Leylin for quite some time; Leylin was one of the few people he could talk to at school.

Leylin is always shrouded in mystery, and he often says things that seem inexplicable but, upon closer inspection, seem to have a hidden meaning.

There seemed to be a thick, transparent barrier between them.

He could see Leylin right across from him, but he could never quite grasp the core of it, as if he were looking at flowers through a fog.

Lei Lin seemed unwilling to continue that heavy topic. He tapped the edge of the chessboard: "Alright, alright, just pretend you didn't hear that nonsense. Let's talk about Lu Mingfei instead. You seem quite interested in him?"

Chu Zihang nodded.

His "interest" wasn't gossip, but rather a calm observation.

Lei Lin then recounted Lu Mingfei's family situation in detail—the parts that could be found and discussed openly:

His parents worked overseas for many years, leaving him to be raised by his uncle. His uncle was weak, his aunt was mean and domineering, and his cousin was spoiled.

The economic difficulties, the emotional deprivation, and Lu Mingfei's timid personality formed through long-term neglect and belittlement.

Chu Zihang listened quietly, his face expressionless but his eyes focused. When Lei Lin finished speaking, he was silent for a moment before uttering two words: "So tragic."

When he said this, there wasn't much excessive sympathy in his tone; it was more like a calm judgment based on facts.

His own family situation was far from perfect; his parents were divorced, and his biological father... That man was now downstairs, driving him around every day, playing the role of a familiar stranger.

He was angry and confused, but in the end, it turned into cold disappointment and helplessness.

But at least, his mother and stepfather gave him enough love and good material conditions.

In contrast, Lu Mingfei's seemingly homeless but actually destitute state appears even more lonely and desolate.

"His biological parents abandoned him, and the foster family treated him badly." Chu Zihang unusually went on to say a few more words, "He has hardly ever experienced normal family affection."

"It's a bit like Harry Potter," Leylin chimed in, "living in a storage room under the stairs and being looked down upon by relatives."

"Indeed." Chu Zihang nodded. "The difference is that Harry's parents died protecting him. Lu Mingfei's parents... are still alive."

"To give birth but not to raise, to fail in one's responsibilities," Chu Zihang said, a hint of coldness almost imperceptible in his voice. "In some ways, they might not even be as good as Harry's parents."

The way he said it seemed to carry a deeper meaning.

Isn't his biological father, who always watches him from the shadows, another form of "existence without presence"?

Leylin glanced at him and nodded: "That makes sense."

He recalled what he vaguely knew about the aftermath: Lu Mingfei's mother seemed to still have love, while his father, Lu Lincheng, was like a complex symbol shrouded in mystery.

"Lu Mingfei and Harry Potter have similar starting points," Leylin suddenly asked. "So, do you think he has the potential to become a 'savior'? Or do you hope he becomes that kind of person?"

Chu Zihang was clearly taken aback.

He pondered for a while, not about whether Lu Mingfei had the ability, but about the meaning of the heavy word "savior".

Finally, he said earnestly, "I hope he can be himself. But if fate truly requires someone to stand up, I hope he has the strength to protect himself, and also the capacity... to illuminate others."

This was perhaps the closest thing he could say to "blessing."

Leylin smiled.

Look, this is Chu Zihang. On the outside, he's a cold-blooded killer, but inside he hides an almost clumsy kindness.

"Oh, right," Leylin said casually, as if he had suddenly remembered something, but his eyes were unusually serious.

"There's something I want to tell you: if you ever run into your father—I mean your biological father—please pass this message on to him if it's convenient."

Chu Zihang's body tensed almost imperceptibly for a moment: "What did you say?"

Leylin looked into his eyes and said, word by word, clearly and slowly:

"Tell him that if he really has something that important on him, he should hide it even deeper and run even further away."

"Don't always focus on your son's school... Some paths are safest to walk alone; dragging your family into it is never a good choice."

After he finished speaking, only the low hum of the air conditioner remained in the office.

Chu Zihang's pupils contracted slightly. He stared intently at Lei Lin, trying to find any trace of a joke or prank on the other's face, but all he saw was a bottomless calm.

The sunlight outside the window shifted, lengthening the shadows of the two people and casting them onto the chessboard squares, like a continuation of a silent game of chess.

Some things, once spoken, are like the wind; if left unsaid, they are like the sword of Damocles hanging over one's head.

However, once you see a fork in the road, you can no longer pretend not to see it.