The chessboard was laid out on the table.
Tea steaming with mist was placed to the side. The tea was the finest from the Eastern Region, and Mu Yao was the one who brewed it. She had learned the art of tea from her mother since childhood, and her tea-making skills were already perfected.
However, she rarely brewed tea for others.
There weren’t many people in this world worthy of drinking the tea she personally brewed, and perhaps she considered Jiang Huai, sitting opposite her at this moment, to be one of them.
She eagerly anticipated this game of chess.
When Jiang Huai played against her father, the Chess Saint, he was only a few moves away from victory. Earlier, in the secret realm, he had calmly and effortlessly solved the chessboard trial. Because of this, she had already marked Jiang Huai as the second greatest opponent in her life.
Her father had said that one day she would surpass his achievements in chess, but before that, she had to defeat Jiang Huai first.
But she was disappointed very quickly.
The disappointment wasn’t because she was defeated by Jiang Huai, but… she had won too easily. She had been extremely serious with every move she made. For every piece Jiang Huai played, she had already considered thousands of possible changes on the board. She treated her opponent with all her might, but Jiang Huai seemed to be playing very casually. In just the time it took for two sticks of incense to burn, he was completely defeated.
Jiang Huai conceded by throwing down his pieces, but Mu Yao looked up, her dark eyes fixed on his, a hint of displeasure showing on her delicate pink face, “I didn’t say I wanted you to go easy on me.”
“That’s not true,” Jiang Huai shook his head, “I was playing very seriously, but I really couldn’t beat you.”
“You’re lying. You were clearly playing back and forth with my father, and you were at ease when playing with those chess spirits that day. How is it that today… you’re like an idiot?”
Jiang Huai’s eye twitched slightly.
“Let’s just stop playing chess,” Jiang Huai shook his head helplessly. He didn’t want to use the system to win against Mu Yao; even if he won, it wouldn’t bring him any sense of accomplishment. The fun in chess had always been the process of thinking and the countless interesting aspects within the ever-changing game. But if it was just about playing one move after another for the sake of a name for winning, Jiang Huai would rather not play at all.
“I know,” Mu Yao gritted her teeth, “You look down on me.”
“That’s not true,” Jiang Huai shook his head, “I really can’t beat you.”
“Your chess skills shouldn’t be like this.”
“They are like this,” Jiang Huai said, feeling increasingly helpless. He stood up, “Since we’re not playing chess anymore, I’ll be going then?”
“No,” Mu Yao reached out again and grabbed his sleeve, “You must play a serious game with me today.”
Jiang Huai shook his head, “There’s no need, you’ve already won against me.”
“If you win against me… I’ll grant you one wish?”
“I’m not interested.”
“Not even interested if I strip naked?”
“A girl shouldn’t say such things,” Jiang Huai looked at her with gentle eyes, “If you want, we can play something else, not necessarily chess.”
“But I insist that you play a serious game with me,” Mu Yao tilted her face up slightly.
Jiang Huai sighed helplessly, “So, do you want to lose or win?”
“With that tone of yours, of course, I want to lose and see.”
Jiang Huai simply rearranged the chess pieces on the board. After a short while, even though Mu Yao racked her brains, sweated profusely, and blushed, she could no longer find any way to survive on the board and had to concede. She bit her tongue lightly and stood up, her fingertips touching the tie at her waist.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking off my clothes.”
“I didn’t say I wanted to watch,” Jiang Huai shook his head lightly.
“A bet is a bet.”
“I didn’t bet with you, and I don’t want to watch. Since you want to lose, I’ve fulfilled your wish. I’ll be going now?” Jiang Huai stood up and took a step, but he seemed to hear the sound of clothes falling to the ground. He didn’t turn his head, nor did he stop. His steps were light and steady.
“Why don’t you want to watch?”
Jiang Huai was stunned for a moment, then he laughed heartily. He still didn’t turn around, only saying, “Whether it’s men or women, those who actively pursue them are always uninteresting. What men want to see the most is what they want to see but can’t.”
“You’re insulting me!”
“That’s not it, don’t misunderstand,” Jiang Huai was almost at the courtyard gate. Mu Yao trembled with anger behind him. By the time Jiang Huai opened the door and then gently closed it, she suddenly felt her vision go dark.
An inexplicable shyness and annoyance suddenly spread in her heart.
She suddenly realized that some things might just be her own overthinking. Jiang Huai was never what she had imagined him to be.
But in her life, when had she ever suffered such a grievance?
……………………………………
Jiang Huai reached out and gently knocked on the door.
He was in a good mood today, not at all affected by that silly girl Mu Yao. Xu Qing, behind the door, opened it. She was wearing a long dress interwoven with white and light purple, elegant and cold. Her face was already ecstatically beautiful without any makeup, and her hair was styled exceptionally well, making her look obedient and gentle.
Jiang Huai’s gaze traveled from top to bottom. He saw the slender silver chain hanging on her clavicles, the well-proportioned slender ankles beneath the hem of her dress, and a pair of silver high heels beneath her ankles, making her figure appear even taller and more graceful. Jiang Huai stared for a moment, then chuckled softly, “You look really beautiful today.”
“Do I?” Xu Qing’s cold eyes immediately showed a hint of awkwardness and unease.
“Yes, very beautiful,” Jiang Huai followed her into the courtyard. Xu Qing hurriedly went to the table and began to brew tea. Her movements were equally pleasing to the eye. Jiang Huai sat obediently to the side, but at this moment, he was no longer like before, appearing calm on the surface but restless at heart when he was around Xu Qing.
Xu Qing finished brewing the tea. He took a sip, and a lingering fragrance filled his mouth.
What surprised Jiang Huai the most was her dress. It was indeed a gorgeous and exquisite dress, not a Hanfu-style long skirt, but more like an elegant evening gown. The waist-cinching design highlighted her slender waist, and the delicate collarbones revealed at the chest were protruding and exquisite. Jiang Huai took out his drawing board and asked softly, “What kind of painting would you like?”
Xu Qing’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she shook her head, “I don’t know.”
“Then… shall we stand under the magnolia tree?” Jiang Huai tentatively suggested. Xu Qing obediently walked closer to the magnolia tree. Dappled sunlight filtered through the branches, falling on her dress and leaving gold coin-like spots on her fair skin. In the distance, the clouds burned brilliantly, and the world’s light was gradually extinguishing, as if she were the last ray of color before the world faded.
Her expression showed a hint of unease, a hint of shyness, and a hint of joy. With many complex emotions intertwined in her brows, Jiang Huai carefully added strokes to the canvas, holding his breath and concentrating, daring not to slack off for a moment.
He spent a long time painting this picture before gently beckoning Xu Qing to come closer. Xu Qing walked up to the canvas and looked at the woman in the painting. She was stunned for a moment, then suddenly became a little shy, and mumbled, “You draw me better than I look.”
“Not at all?”
Jiang Huai smiled helplessly. Waiting for the ink to dry, he did not roll up the painting but framed it and handed it to Xu Qing. Xu Qing carefully put it away, then tilted her head slightly, looking at him, and said softly, “If I say I’ll give you spirit stones… will you be angry?”
“That would be too much of an insult to our friendship.”
“Then… I’ll dance for you, okay?” Her voice was a little timid.
Jiang Huai took out a long zither and sat down at the table.
The sun was almost completely set, and the moon had quietly appeared in the sky, a scene of the sun and moon shining together. Xu Qing first sat to the side, carefully untied the straps of her high heels, and placed the shoes neatly to the side. Her white and tender, slender jade feet then gently stepped onto the bluestone-paved ground. Her body was slender and soft, with an innate elegance of icy skin and jade bones. Her brows and eyes appeared cold, but in reality, she was exceptionally shy.
Jiang Huai played the zither seriously until Xu Qing finished her dance.
She stood there, looking at Jiang Huai in front of her, “Your zither playing is really good.”
“Your dancing is also very good.”
Both looked at each other innocently for several seconds, then suddenly laughed in unison.
They both understood why they were laughing. Perhaps it was for each other’s previous cautiousness, or perhaps because they had both guessed each other’s thoughts, or perhaps because they had both understood and let go, or perhaps because even if they couldn’t understand, it didn’t matter at this moment.
Xu Qing suddenly felt a lot more relaxed, no longer as cautious and timid as before. Instead, she asked him expectantly, “Do you want to eat something?”
Jiang Huai nodded vigorously.
Xu Qing, like a magician, took out lots and lots of snacks from her storage ring: roast chicken, roast duck, braised beef, phoenix claws, peanuts, fried dried fish, and many other spirit fruits. In an instant, the table was almost full.
Xu Qing moved a chair and sat opposite Jiang Huai, her slender waist held straight. Jiang Huai’s eyes widened, “So much?”
Xu Qing said a little bashfully, “My dad is a good cook, so I’ve eaten three meals a day with him since I was young. My dad used to make a lot of snacks for me to carry around.”
She winked at Jiang Huai, “Do you want to drink?”
“Then I guess your alcohol tolerance must be very good too.”
“In front of you… maybe not?” Xu Qing replied a little guiltily and took out two pots of spirit wine, placing them on the table. They each had a pot, and after pouring their respective cups, they picked up their chopsticks and tasted the food on the table.
The flavors were indeed excellent, and the ingredients used were all top-notch. Jiang Huai was no longer reserved or shy. Many things from the table entered his stomach, and he drank cup after cup of wine. Soon, there wasn’t much left on the table. Fortunately, Jiang Huai had brought some snacks he made himself. He placed them on the table and looked at Xu Qing, “Try my braised beef?”
Xu Qing picked up a bite with her chopsticks and brought it to her lips. Her eyes quickly brightened, “It’s better than what my dad makes.”
“Perhaps you’re just used to your dad’s cooking,” Jiang Huai smiled at her. He raised his wine cup, and Xu Qing brought her cup to meet his, clinking them together. They both tilted their heads back and drank the wine in their cups.
After several rounds of drinks, Jiang Huai leaned back in his chair lazily and let out a long sigh. As his eyes moved to Xu Qing’s face, he suddenly noticed that under the table, there seemed to be a pair of jade-like little feet, restlessly and subtly dangling near his calf, occasionally rubbing against it.
At first, Jiang Huai paid it no mind. He continued to chat with Xu Qing about some things concerning him. But as they talked, Xu Qing leaned back slightly, and her legs, which had been curled under the table, now quietly straightened and lifted. The soft, snowy white soles of her feet rested on his knees.
Jiang Huai could no longer stand it and reached out to grab them.
Just as Xu Qing heard him mention his second pseudonym, she widened her innocent eyes and looked at him in a fluster, “You… are you really, that, that A Mumu?”
Jiang Huai sneered, reached out, and gently pressed on the girl’s soft, snow-white, tender soles, “Heh, you know regret now, don’t you?”
As he pressed down, Xu Qing’s body tensed up abruptly, as if an electric current had spread into her bones. Her body instantly became incredibly soft. However, her white and tender little feet’s first reaction was not to escape, but to softly and completely rest her calves on Jiang Huai’s legs, appearing to be at his mercy, unable to struggle.
Jiang Huai looked at her face. Her cheeks were flushed with a reddish hue, whether from the wine or from shyness, he couldn’t tell.
