Returning - Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Ambiguity

The night breeze brushed past, sending empty hangers on the balcony clinking crisply. When her long hair whipped against her face in the wind, it struck like a merciless slap, instantly pulling Zhao Yu's drifting thoughts back.

She had already lost control once, taking an incorrect step with Xu Chengyan. Such a mistake absolutely could not happen a second time.

Turning her head to look at Ji Sui, who was still drinking alone in silence, she quickly ran through his importance to Zhuang Yiqing and his value to the Zhuang family.

He and Zhuang Yiqing had grown up together. He had silently guarded her for years. Even if Zhuang Yiqing had never liked him romantically, his role as her pillar of support was irreplaceable by anyone else.

Moreover, he held six percent of Lanxi's equity, making him the largest individual shareholder besides Zhuang Yiqing's father.

Whether in terms of wealth, power, or emotion, he was the finest blade to use against Zhuang Yiqing.

"Ji Sui." Zhao Yu walked over and gently patted his shoulder, withdrawing her hand before he could react. She lifted her beer bottle and gave him a faint smile. "If you want, I'll drink with you this time."

Ji Sui smiled and shook his head. "Forget it. Drinking won't help."

When her hand touched his shoulder just now, the bone-deep chill of her fingers had seeped through the thin fabric of his shirt. Watching her raise the bottle to her lips again, he reached out and grasped it firmly. "You shouldn't drink either. It's too cold—bad for your health."

The small beer bottle couldn't accommodate two hands, so his fingers ended up covering the back of hers.

This time, it was his fingers—cold from holding the beer—while the back of her hand offered a touch of warmth, the sensation smooth and delicate.

She didn't seem to notice anything amiss; her expression remained perfectly normal. It was Ji Sui who froze for a moment, hurriedly pulling his hand back.

Zhao Yu continued pretending not to see his reaction and smiled. "Alright, I won't drink then."

She glanced at her watch and noticed it was still early. She added, "I think I heard Sister Shi Yu mention you play chess. Do you have a set here? How about I play a game with you? No, wait—you should play with me. Anyway, tonight, let's just... forget all the unhappy things."

Ji Sui looked surprised. "You play chess too? Which kind?"

"Whatever. I know them all."

In truth, Zhao Yu knew nothing about chess. But after casually hearing from Shi Yu that Ji Sui's pastimes were monotonous and boring, she had deliberately learned.

His study was open-plan, clearly identifiable as a serious, solemn space at a single glance. Even the books on the shelves were mostly military-related.

Following behind him and casually looking around, Zhao Yu asked, "You must really miss your days in the military, don't you?"

Ji Sui retrieved the chess box from a drawer and said flatly, "It's alright."

They started with Go. Ji Sui took the black stones and gave a five-stone handicap, but it wasn't long before Zhao Yu lost completely.

In the second game, Ji Sui gave a nine-stone handicap. Zhao Yu lost just as quickly. The gap in their skills was truly worlds apart.

This wasn't Zhao Yu doing it on purpose—she had only learned the bare basics and possessed no real technique to speak of.

Seeing her look utterly defeated after two straight losses, Ji Sui asked, "How about the next game, I give an eighteen-stone handicap?"

Zhao Yu looked at him dejectedly. "With a handicap that big, even if I won, what meaning would it have?"

Taking a deep breath, she said stubbornly, "Switch to Chinese chess. I'm really good at that."

Ji Sui laughed. "Alright."

Yet the result was the same. In the first game, she was checkmated within ten moves. In the second, Ji Sui voluntarily gave up two of his chariots, finally allowing her to advance several of her key pieces across the board.

"Checkmate!" The moment she shouted this, her expression was one of great pride, bearing the air of someone finally avenging a past humiliation.

But the instant she saw the smile on Ji Sui's face, she sensed something was off and quickly reached out to cover her piece. "Can I take that move back? Please?"

Her tone carried a faint, almost imperceptible coquettishness. When her pair of clear eyes looked at him, she resembled a pitiful little deer. Ji Sui smiled helplessly. "Alright."

Overjoyed, she withdrew her piece and stared at the board, studying it for a long while before carefully making her move.

This game, Zhao Yu finally won. Naturally, she was ecstatic, her confidence instantly soaring as she clamored for another round.

Watching her happy expression, Ji Sui's lips curved into a light smile. Glancing at his face, Zhao Yu smiled quietly to herself as well.

Although her Chinese chess skills weren't particularly advanced either, she had noticed this time: there was a moment when he could have directly captured her piece. She pretended not to see the threat, and he pretended not to see it either, letting her off the hook.

He was deliberately letting her win.

As Ji Sui reset the pieces on the board, Zhao Yu casually speared a piece of watermelon from the fruit plate and brought it naturally to his lips. He opened his mouth and ate it without thinking. Only when his lower lip accidentally brushed her fingertip did he suddenly realize just how intimate this gesture was.

He looked up at her, stunned, but saw her head already bowed, earnestly helping him reorganize the pieces. Clearly, the previous action had been entirely unconscious on her part—she hadn't noticed anything inappropriate.

After placing the last red piece on her side back to its starting position with her left hand, Zhao Yu used the toothpick in her right hand to spear another piece of watermelon and pop it into her own mouth, saying indistinctly, "I'm still going to advance a pawn first."

The enemy's piece had moved, but Ji Sui didn't hurry to make his own move. His gaze remained fixed on her two lush, enticing lips.

The toothpick she had just put in her mouth had also been in his mouth moments before—and furthermore, his lip had accidentally touched it.

But now, as she took in the last bite of watermelon, which was as red and moist as her lips, she also held that toothpick between them.

In the third game of Chinese chess, under Ji Sui's subtle assistance, Zhao Yu eked out a narrow victory.

Having won two out of three games and recovered her confidence, she was so happy she gesticulated with excitement like a child, declaring she wanted to try military chess next. Ji Sui, naturally, went along with it.

He was a bit curious. "Young people nowadays have online games and don't really know how to play chess. I learned in the military from an old commanding officer. You? How do you know so many?"

Zhao Yu's lies came effortlessly. "I learned from an old grandpa who lived next door when I was a kid. My mom had to work every day—no time for me. Other kids didn't like me, so I could only hang out with a few elderly neighbors."

"Unfortunately, no one around me now plays these games. Even Xue Zi'ang says it's boring. If I hadn't heard from Sister Shi Yu that you're skilled at all kinds of chess, I really would've thought I could only find gray-haired grandpas and grandmas to play with."

Ji Sui smiled. "I never expected to meet such a young chess partner either, and a girl, at that."

The two ended their game and chatted on the sofa for a long time after. Zhao Yu shared amusing childhood anecdotes, and Ji Sui told her stories from his time in the military. Before they knew it, night had fallen deep and late.

Ji Sui told her to go rest. However, when he came out after his shower, he found her asleep on the sofa, clutching her phone.

Compared to the sorry state she was in when she first arrived at his place, she looked significantly better now. Color had returned to her face, and a faint smile lingered at the corner of her lips.

He fetched a blanket and draped it over her, carefully adjusting her position, intending to let her sleep on the sofa for the night.

But as he picked up the remote control, ready to turn off the lights, he looked at the hard, narrow sofa. After a moment's thought, he walked back over, gently lifted her into his arms, and carried her to the large bed in the guest bedroom.

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