Chapter 37: Chapter 37 I've Seen Many Young People Like You
In Riverside.
Since Qian Quan went to Azure Bay for studies, Mr. Huang started playing Chinese chess again, transforming from a "hard to find a victory" to a "lonely master" once more."
In daily life, opponents like Qian Quan were not easy to come by.
Early in the morning, Mr. Huang returned from his exercise outside, about to freshen up and have breakfast, when he received a call from his son-in-law.
"Father, did I interrupt your exercise?" Zhao Chunjia's timing for the call was apparent.
"No, just got back." Mr. Huang wiped his sweat with a towel as he spoke. "You're calling at this hour. Is there something urgent?"
"It's not exactly urgent, just a small matter. I pondered about it all night and suddenly realized there might be some misunderstanding. I wanted to ask you to analyze it for me."
"What's the matter? Go on." Mr. Huang sat down on his armchair.
"It's about that guy you mentioned to me before, Qian Quan. Yesterday, he participated in a Chinese chess competition and won against Li Weifeng's daughter. Then, I don't know what happened in between, but last night, Li Weifeng personally called me about this matter and even mentioned 'your father-in-law's chess friend.'"
"I didn't pay attention to his tone at the time. It wasn't until I woke up this morning that I realized there might be some misunderstanding here. Otherwise, why would he call me about such a small matter?" Zhao Chunjia explained.
"Oh..." Mr. Huang chuckled, "He's worried that Qian Quan is also a chess piece of mine."
"What do you mean?"
"When I had Baiyu apprentice under Grandmaster Gong Xuanzhu, it was a natural move, but indeed, I had intentions to develop a connection with Li Weifeng through that move. With his astuteness, he would naturally see my intentions, but he acted as if he didn't know.
Now, because Qian Quan got to know his daughter through Chinese chess, and he learned from Baiyu that Qian Quan knows me, he subconsciously speculated that Qian Quan is a chess piece I arranged, deliberately using chess to get close to his daughter."
"Isn't he overthinking?" Zhao Chunjia also felt this speculation was quite reasonable.
Mr. Huang didn't answer and continued, "His son can approach, but others are not allowed to get close to his daughter?"
"His daughter is special. She's extremely intelligent, a genius, but she doesn't communicate with people. It's like she has some kind of high-functioning autism. So, their entire family is very careful and protective of her."
"That explains it," Mr. Huang understood, "Here's what you do. Give him another call and clarify things. Tell him that Qian Quan is just a chess friend I happened to meet, not a chess piece I intentionally arranged.
"Even if he was, it was just a casual move in a game, purely out of admiration. It doesn't have any specific intention, and I don't control how things will go in the future."
"Alright." Zhao Chunjia agreed with this approach.
"By the way, has he called you yet?"
"No, he's quite principled."
"As expected, he hasn't disappointed me," Mr. Huang was both gratified and emotional. "A person with such great potential, who would dare to treat him as a mere pawn?"
"Father, do you think I should have Baiyu invite him and Li Weifeng's two children over to our place as guests?"
"Let things take their course. Baiyu doesn't like dealing with boys like him, who are polite and well-mannered but unfamiliar with the ways of martial arts. We don't need to force anything."
"Alright then. Father, I'll give Li Weifeng another call."
...
Qian Quan had already pretty much guessed the purpose of Li Zihe's visit.
It wasn't about avenging his sister; it was about investigating him on behalf of his sister.
After all, the way he and Li Zhiyi had met online and offline had a touch of theatricality.
"What's the business, then? Please go ahead," Qian Quan's expression also turned serious.
"I heard from my sister that you played Chinese chess with her online, and all the games ended in a draw. Why? Could you have won but chose not to?" Li Zihe asked.
"I haven't just played Chinese chess with your sister. I've played draws with everyone. My ID is 'Handshake for Peace'," Qian Quan replied.
"Why? Casting a wide net?" Li Zihe questioned.
"What?"
"You have such a high Chinese chess skill, yet you play draws with everyone. Isn't that deliberately trying to attract attention?" Li Zihe inquired.
"Honestly, I feel like I'm having trouble keeping up with your thought process. I play draws with people online. Why is it assumed to be about seeking attention? Why can't it be about promoting a message of peace?"
Li Zihe sneered, "You first play over 20 Chinese chess games that all draw with my sister online and then reveal your identity in person during an offline match. Is it really just a coincidence?"
Qian Quan also chuckled, "Before you jump to conclusions and start forcing your deductions, did you ever consider why I played over 20 games of Chinese chess with your sister?"
"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that question?"
"Oh, so you mean I played those games against your sister with awareness of her personality, and it was a targeted scheme?"
Li Zihe defaulted.
"So why couldn't it be that you guys were setting me up?"
"What are you saying?"
"Those over twenty draws online, except for the first game that was randomly matched. The rest were initiated by your sister. And about the newcomer Chinese chess tournament was organized by the Chinese chess association your sister is part of. A random draw determined the choice of opponents.
"After the tournament ended, your sister asked me if I'd continue playing with her in the future. I politely agreed. Then you came on her behalf to question me. Based on your logic, am I the victim led step by step into this scheme?"
"You want to bite back?" Qian Quan smirked.
Qian Quan sneered, "I understand your protective feelings for your sister, but what I want to say is that I'm just an ordinary boy from a remote town. I don't have any powerful backers, no influential background, no immense wealth to inherit, and certainly not that many schemes and plots. Regarding the aspects I mentioned earlier, you can judge for yourself whether you can perfectly control all of them."
"You shouldn't have come to me today. Instead, you should have a proper conversation with your sister, understand what she's really thinking, and figure out what she truly wants."
"A person who can play Chinese chess so well, do you really think she's completely clueless about human affairs? Is she truly ignorant, or disdainful, or simply indifferent to understanding?"
"Anyway, I always believe that in this world, apart from us ordinary folks, there are still some people who understand the ways of the world without being tainted by it, who remain smooth in experience yet retain a sense of innocence."
"Until the truth is revealed, I will decline all her invitations. And if you still have doubts, I can delete her right in front of you now."
Qian Quan said, opening the "Journey of Chinese Chess" app.
"Wait a moment!"
Li Zihe quickly intervened, feeling a bit flustered by Qian Quan's rapid response.
Leaving aside whether his words made sense or not, what if all of this was just a coincidence?
His sister had finally found a worthy opponent, someone she could play Chinese chess with and enjoy her time. Then, he recklessly intervened and squashed it in its infancy. What would be the consequences if his sister found out about it? What would she think?
"Did you really just happen to meet her online?"
"Until yesterday, I didn't even know if 'One Nine Equals Nine' was a guy or a girl. Or let's think about it this way: even if I hadn't played those over twenty draws online, and I had just won two matches against her in a Chinese chess tournament, what would her reaction be?"
That final question reminded Li Zihe. Knowing his sister as he did, she would continue to challenge him to another game."
"To be honest, up until now, I've probably figured out that your family is likely well-off. You might as well use your family's connections to inquire and see if I, Qian Quan, have the capability to set up such a big scheme.
"Or perhaps you think I have other accomplices that you could investigate as well. I believe you have the means for this. Without causing harm to anyone, you can freely investigate-hire private detectives or even involve the police."
Li Zihe fell silent. His father had reminded him not to mention Huang Pinghu and Zhao Chunjia for the time being, as they hadn't been completely confirmed on that front.
Now, witnessing Qian Quan's straightforward attitude, he began to waver, suspecting that he might have let his concern cloud his judgment, overthinking the situation.
Just at that moment, his phone chimed with a message notification. Glancing at it, he saw his father's message.
"Stop investigating, it's a misunderstanding."
Indeed!
After deducing for so long, the result was that he had been making presumptive guilty inferences.
A feeling of embarrassment and shame welled up from within him.
"Well, here's what I propose. If she ever challenges me to play Chinese chess again, I'll politely decline a couple of times with excuses. After a few times, she'll probably give up."
"She won't give up," Li Zihe said, his confidence in accusing now diminished.
"In that case, I'll just decline a few more times. I'll say I'm busy preparing for postgraduate exams or that I'm in a romantic relationship and don't have time to play."
"No need..." Li Zihe looked at Qian Quan with a complex expression. "If you're available, you could still play with her."
"What?" Qian Quan felt like there were question marks plastered all over his forehead at this point. His eyes were filled with a look of "Are you kidding me?"
"You've just convinced me," Li Zihe admitted with a guilty conscience, "I shouldn't overly interfere with my sister's life."
"I agree with that statement," Qian Quan nodded.
Seeing the other person so open and upright, Li Zihe felt even more remorse.
He said, "You must be curious about how I managed to break that piece of brick just now, right? It's a skill I've been practicing called 'Flat Kick.'
"However, that's too difficult for you, considering. To apologize for my behavior today, I'll teach you a few simple self-defense skills."
"Oh no, I really want to learn that 'Flat Kick.' How do you do it? Like this?"
Qian Quan demonstrated by lifting his leg and kicking the nearby piece of broken brick.
"Whoa, my foot actually went numb!" Qian Quan exclaimed.
Li Zihe chuckled helplessly. "I've seen many young people like you. After practicing a couple of sets of radio calisthenics, you start to think..."
Just as he was saying this, the stone split in two.
Li Zihe was speechless.
Qian Quan looked at him seriously. "Think what?"
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