Around the chessboard, everyone watched with rapt attention.
Sun Mingyang, holding the black pieces, smiled faintly. The crisp sound of the chess pieces hitting the board echoed, drawing everyone's gaze at that moment.
*Clack~*
Sun Mingyang's right hand held a piece. As a black stone was placed, it occupied the center of the board. Ye Xuan smiled slightly, not playing on a star point, but instead placing his piece next to Sun Mingyang's black stone.
"Oh?"
Seeing the white piece on the board, Sun Mingyang narrowed his eyes. "It seems this young friend's moves are unconventional. Interesting."
Then, Sun Mingyang placed another black stone on a star point. Ye Xuan's next move was even more subtle, clearly not on a star point either. And so it went.
Five moves!
Ten moves! Fifteen moves!!
As the chess battle ensued, everyone realized that Ye Xuan was on par with the old man who had challenged them, even subtly gaining the upper hand. Several of the old man's pieces placed on star points had been captured by Ye Xuan.
"Brilliant move!"
Uncle Wang next door, observing the increasingly advantageous game, had his eyes shine with sharp light. "Old Ye, your son is incredible. That old man has truly met his match."
"Indeed. Haven't you noticed the old man's moves slowing down? Young Ye's son is bringing great honor to our community."
"Heh heh heh, that's right. This little fellow is the most promising young man in our neighborhood."
The surrounding chess enthusiasts nodded and commented, their words filled with admiration. Ye Pengfei, hearing their discussions, couldn't help but straighten his back a bit. He was naturally delighted by his son's excellence.
More than ten minutes later.
Sun Mingyang's heart was filled with astonishment. He, who had initially approached the game with a casual attitude, was now serious, realizing that the young man he was playing against possessed unfathomable chess skills.
Ye's father and the chess players from Weilan Community watched with increasing brilliance in their eyes, as they saw Ye Xuan's probability of winning with the white pieces grow larger.
"Good boy, well done!"
Witnessing Ye Xuan's moves, the onlookers felt an immense sense of satisfaction. They looked at the old man with pride, as if to say, "See? This is the young chess prodigy from our community. Surprised, aren't you?"
*Clack~*
With another white piece placed, Sun Mingyang stared in a daze at the board, with a lead of six eyes. The game had reached a point where further play was meaningless; any continuation would be a futile struggle, and he would only suffer a more crushing defeat.
"Elder, it seems I have won this game."
Ye Xuan smiled gently. Although he didn't know who this elder was, his chess skills alone indicated that his identity was certainly extraordinary.
"The younger generation always surpasses the old. Young man, you are very good."
Sun Mingyang praised him without reservation. Few people received such commendation from him. However, it was understandable in this case. He himself was a professional eighth-dan chess player, and for this young man to defeat him meant that his chess skill was at least at his level.
A professional eighth-dan chess player at the young age of twenty – he, as the former president of the Tianhai City Chess Association, understood its significance all too well.
A chess genius!
No, the word "genius" was no longer adequate to describe his talent. At just twenty years old, he possessed nearly sixty years of chess mastery, something unprecedented in the history of Chinese chess.
"Young man, what is your name?"
Sun Mingyang looked at Ye Xuan with deep meaning, wanting to remember his appearance. It would be a great pity if such a talent did not join the Chess Association.
"What is it, old man? Want to try again next time?"
Uncle Wang next door heard the old man's question and sniffed proudly. "This is the kid from the Ye family next door. His name is Ye Xuan."
Hearing Uncle Wang's words, Ye Xuan shook his head slightly but said nothing. To him, this was just a formality to allow his father to bask in some glory.
"You're amazing, Ye family kid, truly impressive!"
"That's right. That old man is very formidable. I never expected you to defeat him."
"Heh heh, I knew Ye family kid could do it."
The surrounding chess players chattered incessantly. Sun Mingyang smiled without comment. Ye Pengfei, listening to the praise, beamed with joy; his son's excellence far exceeded his expectations.
He also hadn't expected his son to so cleanly defeat the old man who had almost challenged the entire community at chess.
"Old Ye, Ye family kid, safe travels!"
As the old man departed, Ye's father and Ye Xuan left the recreational area amidst the admiring gazes of the crowd. Ye Xuan, in that moment, had become famous, reaching the pinnacle of chess within Weilan Guandi.
However, at the same time Ye Xuan was winning against Sun Mingyang in Weilan Guandi, another incident was unfolding at Tianhai University.
This incident was also related to Ye Xuan. It all began when Lin Yuxi mistakenly posted a video of Ye Xuan proposing to Luo Tianyi in the school chat group.
"This... No way, what... what did I do!?"
Lin Yuxi stared at her phone in disbelief. She had actually sent the video of her boss proposing to her sister-in-law, Luo Tianyi, to the school chat group. It was over, completely over.
Her boss... wouldn't he electrocute her to death, right?!
As expected, a few minutes later, the school chat group exploded.
"Pfft, this... Is this real? Oh my heavens, is it true?"
"Senior Ye Xuan actually proposed to Goddess Tianyi? That's absurd. Senior Ye Xuan already has children, and he's proposing to Goddess Tianyi? Is he two-timing? And so openly!!"
"Wait... didn't you guys notice? It seems Goddess Tianyi's roommate from her junior year took a year off from school. And that year, oh my god, perfectly coincides with the birth of Ye Xuan's three little ones. Could it be... the mother of Ye Xuan's three little ones is Goddess Tianyi!!"
"What, no way! Although the timing fits, they've appeared together more than once, and there was nothing unusual. Were they just pretending?"
The school forum was in an unprecedented state of uproar. The topic of discussion was Ye Xuan and Luo Tianyi's unclear relationship, but ultimately, a bold guess emerged: their relationship had not been exposed to the outside world.
In Xiao Ming's dormitory.
"Pfft~"
Xiao Ming opened the 99+ messages in the school chat group and was stunned by the discussion. "Damn it, that girl is crazy! She actually uploaded the video of our boss and sister-in-law getting married."
"This is a major disaster!"
Xiao Ming's ominous exclamation also caught the attention of Lu Tong and Zhang Zitian. Upon hearing that it involved their boss, they quickly crowded around. Seeing the video sent by their second sister-in-law, damn it, it looked so familiar. But... what was their second sister-in-law doing? Posting it to the school forum? Was she afraid people wouldn't know? Wouldn't their boss hang second sister-in-law up to dry when he returned, to the point where even her parents wouldn't recognize her?