"Even though he's at a disadvantage, he's saying Chairman Hu has lost. Does this guy even know how to play chess?"

"Look at him, still wet behind the ears. He's obviously just spouting nonsense."

Amidst the discussion, Ren Tong's confidence waned even further.

Hu Qing sneered, "Kid, isn't it a bit too early to be saying that?"

"Use the Elephant to take his Cannon!"

The man in brocade immediately did as he was told. He was just like Ren Tong now, simply doing whatever others instructed.

"Knight Seven, advance two!"

"Move the Elephant down!"

"Chariot Two, advance eight!"

After three moves, sweat began to bead on Hu Qing's forehead, and his face turned slightly pale.

This… this…

He paused for a full five minutes but still couldn't find a way to break the deadlock.

The man in brocade asked nervously, "Chairman Hu, what's our next move?"

The question made Hu Qing even more tense. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, his mind already in turmoil. He clenched his teeth and made a move.

This time, the one giving instructions didn't say anything. Instead, he leaned forward, picked up a Chariot, charged it to the baseline, and captured the opponent's Advisor.

"Check!"

"If you take my Chariot with your General, my Knight will deliver checkmate!"

Hu Qing stared at the board, running the sequence through his mind. A drop of cold sweat fell from his brow onto the board. He sighed. "I've lost."

"This…" The man in brocade's face turned ashen as he abruptly looked up.

Meanwhile, Ren Tong, laughing triumphantly, turned around. When he saw the person behind him, his expression froze.

"Dad, you look full of energy!" The one directing Ren Tong's moves was none other than Chen Yang, who was now grinning broadly.

A gentle smile slowly appeared on Ren Tong's rugged face. "So it was you, kid! I was wondering why the moves felt so familiar."

"So? Is the matter with Qin Gang's family settled?"

Chen Yang shrugged. "Not yet, but it should be soon."

"And you dare to run around before it's resolved?" Ren Tong's eyes flew open wide like fans, and his unusually large hand slapped down squarely on Chen Yang's head.

SMACK!

A muffled thud echoed, but Chen Yang stood as steady as a rock.

Conversely, Ren Tong quickly hid his right hand in his sleeve behind his back, the muscles around his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

"You little rascal, what realm are you at now?" Ren Tong grimaced, clearly having hurt his own hand with that slap.

Chen Yang gritted his teeth. It would be a lie to say it didn't hurt at all, but he kept a smile on his face. "Some say I'm at the Ten Thousand Phenomena Senluo realm."

Ren Tong let out a curse but was visibly relieved and pleased. He grumbled, "Kid, give the rest of us a break! With you advancing so fast, how is anyone else supposed to get by?"

"How is that my fault?" Chen Yang asked with a helpless look.

Ren Tong shot back, "So you're saying it's my fault?"

Chen Yang was speechless.

"Come, let me introduce you! This is Zhang Aimin, the old fossil!" Ren Tong pointed at the man in brocade. "This old coot is two years younger than me and still hasn't kicked the bucket. Annoying, right?"

Chen Yang was speechless.

Zhang Aimin was speechless.

The crowd was speechless.

What kind of talk was that? The man is two years younger than you, why on earth should he die first?

Then, Ren Tong pointed proudly at Chen Yang. "This is my son! He's a real big shot now!"

"His chess skills are indeed at a very high level," Zhang Aimin replied indifferently. But other than being good at chess, what kind of big shot could he possibly be?

He knew Ren Tong was a Martial Guard who had fought tirelessly in the Martial Department his entire life. Despite this, he had never managed to secure a decent position, so he naturally assumed Chen Yang wouldn't amount to much either.

"You old fossil, let me tell you…" Ren Tong instantly grew furious. What does he mean, his chess skills are high? My son is the Nine Gates Admiral, the Zhennan Prince!

But before he could finish, Chen Yang quickly pulled him back and smiled at Zhang Aimin. "Elder Zhang, let's chat another day."

「Leaving the small square.」

Only then did Ren Tong notice Yang Hu and Zhou Yufei. He recognized Yang Hu, but Zhou Yufei…

"Chen Yang, is this your girlfriend?" Ren Tong asked bluntly.

Chen Yang rolled his eyes, nearly fainting on the spot. The girl was standing right there!

Zhou Yufei's expression darkened. She was starting to get a better read on this old man who liked to slap people on the head.

Yang Hu struggled to stifle his laughter, not daring to make a sound.

Chen Yang explained with exasperation, "Dad, could you please watch your words? Besides, Zhou Yufei and I are just colleagues. We happened to run into each other at the station."

"Hello, sir," Zhou Yufei took the initiative to greet him.

Ren Tong glanced at Zhou Yufei and nodded in approval. "Hmm, not bad! You'll definitely bear me a big, healthy grandson one day."

Zhou Yufei was speechless.

Chen Yang stumbled, nearly falling flat on his face.

What is wrong with this old man? I already told him we're just colleagues, so how did this jump to her bearing him a grandson?

Fortunately, Ren Tong's attention was quickly captured by the wine and meat Chen Yang was carrying. "Come on, let's have a good drink today! Tell me all about what happened in that battle at Hundred Flowers Valley."

"Okay, okay! I'll tell you everything, loud and clear," Chen Yang said quickly, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

Ren Tong lived in a standalone house with peeling walls covered in ivy, which gave it a somewhat desolate look in the harsh winter.

Just as they reached the courtyard gate, a pink Maserati slowly drove past on the adjacent road. The window rolled down, and an exquisitely featured young woman poked her head out. Dressed in fashionable, luxurious clothes, she lifted a pale hand to push her aviator sunglasses onto her forehead and fixed her gaze on Chen Yang. "Hm? Isn't that Yangzi? Weren't you supposed to be building a career out of town? Why are you back?"

"Oh, and you brought a girlfriend?"

After noticing Zhou Yufei, a faint, ambiguous smile curled her lips. It quickly vanished as she pursed them, muttering to herself in jealousy, "How could such an outstanding girl end up with him? Don't tell me he tricked her."

Three years ago, she had met Chen Yang once while with her grandfather. At the time, her grandfather and Ren Tong had jokingly suggested setting her up with Chen Yang. As it turned out, Chen Yang rejected the notion even more decisively than she did, shutting it down with absolutely no room for negotiation.

She had laughed in anger at the time. He's just some worthless Martial Guard, so what gives him the right to be so arrogant? It's not like I'm interested in you anyway!

To her, it had been a profound insult. The incident had been deeply etched into her memory, and she remembered it to this day.

"Couldn't make it out there, so you had to come home and inherit this house?" she sneered. A good-for-nothing is still a good-for-nothing, always pretending to be important. Hmph!

She pulled her glasses back down, rolled up the window, and slowly drove away. It's good that you're back. Now I can finally settle the score from three years ago!

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