Chapter 122: The Li Family Affairs

Chu Dong had spent an entire day transforming from being crushed to dominating others—it was truly incredible. Li Youlan found it hard to believe and insisted that Chu Dong start another game.

Though somewhat weary, Chu Dong rallied his spirits and began a new match. Following Li Youlan’s instructions, he set the game conditions to “Master” level. In other words, no player below first-level proficiency was allowed to sit opposite him.

And so he waited.

He was currently only a second-level player. To play against masters, ordinary players typically ignored him, and those below master level were not permitted to sit down; thus, the seat across from him remained empty for a long time. Just as Li Youlan was growing impatient, a sudden flash appeared—a player with the rank of Special First-Level Master took the seat opposite Chu Dong.

“Huh? Something’s off,” Chu Dong thought. Besides the nine levels of players, there were only three master levels, with the highest being the Special Master. How could there be a Special First-Level Master? Where did this title come from?

There was no time to ponder; the opponent had already begun.

Chu Dong took a moment to type a few words, greeting the opponent, then dove into the match with a flurry of moves. Chu Dong played red and made the first move. After a series of exchanges, the game quickly entered a deadlock.

Though Li Youlan wasn’t deeply versed in the game, having often watched her grandfather play, she understood that the stalemate wasn’t due to poor skill but rather the result of reaching a certain level of mastery.

In chess, every piece influences the opponent's forces; no piece is without use. Advisors and elephants can serve as cannon supports for attacks, and even the general can control a pathway in the endgame. Each piece has its role, and experts refuse to give up any lightly.

Beginners often lack control and frequently exchange pieces indiscriminately. When two players of similar skill face off, the advantage gained by one side can immediately tilt the game. Those who seize the opportunity well will emerge victorious.

Experts must be utterly vigilant; even a moment’s negligence can lead to an unrecoverable defeat.

As per the one-hour time setting, Chu Dong and his opponent quickly began to grind the game. Both still had chances to win, so neither wanted to concede. They exerted their full strength but still couldn’t overcome each other within the time limit. As their clocks neared expiration, Chu Dong proposed a draw, which the opponent promptly accepted. At that moment, Chu Dong had one minute left, while the opponent had only twenty seconds. Had Chu Dong refused, the opponent would have lost by timeout.

Soon, a message arrived from the opponent: “Who are you? Why choose that name? Are you from the Chess Academy?”

“What Chess Academy?” Chu Dong replied.

“Playing dumb, huh? Stop hiding behind an alias. Who are you really?” The opponent thought Chu Dong was joking. “I played five games with you this morning using an alternate account to boost a lower-ranked one. When did you suddenly have so much energy? You’re really training this account now?”

“Don’t know, I have things to do. Logging out,” Chu Dong responded and exited the game. Feeling something was amiss, he checked the online chess platform again and realized that besides the levels mentioned, there were real professional titles for true masters—titles that never downgraded.

The one playing against Chu Dong was a professional master, and the Special First-Level Master was an authentic title.

After reading this, Chu Dong felt relieved, thinking, “Damn, playing a game and actually encountering a real master.”

Li Youlan was utterly convinced. A Special First-Level Master was actually forced into a draw by Chu Dong? Someone who was a novice just a day ago managing to hold off a Special First-Level Master—it seemed like a joke. Yet this joke was unfolding right before her eyes.

Rubbing his shoulders, Chu Dong stood up. “I can’t go on. I’m going to sleep. Postpone that devilish training you mentioned.”

“Dong, I’ll make your bed,” Tan Xue said, running ahead into Chu Dong’s room. Like a little maid, she caught her breath as she tidied the bed and stood by like a dutiful handmaiden.

“Yu’er is about to wake up. You go handle your things,” Chu Dong said, exhausted, pulling back the covers and climbing into bed.

Tan Xue obediently scampered out. Chu Dong slept until nearly five in the afternoon. Several times Tan Xue tried to wake him for dinner but couldn’t bear to disturb his peaceful sleep.

When Chu Dong finally got up, little Yu’er had already returned from school. The little girl sat at the table beside Chu Dong, imitating him as he rhythmically tapped chopsticks on the table, murmuring, “Hungry, hungry, I’m hungry…”

Tan Xue shot a glance at her sister but said nothing about Chu Dong—perhaps because his performance had been impressive enough to earn her silence.

When the takeout arrived, everyone quickly served the food.

It was Li Youlan’s first time dining out with them. Maybe Chu Dong’s success had given her some confidence and appetite, but, clearly, she still couldn’t match his voracious hunger.

How to describe it? “Like a tornado sweeping through”—too cliché. After eating, Chu Dong could have planted a sign at his seat that read, “Beware of the Bear.”

Little Yu’er was hungry too, but sitting next to Chu Dong, she soon realized her plate had almost nothing left to eat. Li Youlan and Tan Xue ate with more decorum, but even they couldn’t match the little girl’s enthusiasm. After the meal, all that remained were empty plates and cups.

Burping contentedly, Chu Dong was quite satisfied but a bit embarrassed. “Um, just a moment.”

He went over to the phone and called the restaurant Tan Xue often ordered from. “Hello, this is from Building Six, Cuizhu Community, Development Zone. Could you please prepare your top five signature dishes again and send them over? Thank you.”

He had learned a thing or two and flashed a proud smile at Tan Xue, revealing a set of white teeth.

Little Yu’er was quite upset and ran over to pinch and rub Chu Dong’s cheeks for a while before calming down. Tan Xue smiled bashfully at Li Youlan, hands spread as if to say, “Sorry about that.”

When the second round of food arrived, Chu Dong circled the table for a bit more but was too full to continue and reluctantly gave up.

“Should we move on to the next stage now?” Tan Xue asked Li Youlan, lying on the sofa, full and relaxed.

“Who knows what level your husband really is? I have no clue,” Li Youlan replied. She no longer doubted Chu Dong’s abilities; his performance clearly exceeded her expectations.

“Wait, stop with this ‘next stage’ talk,” Chu Dong interrupted, sitting on the floor leaning against the sofa. Tan Xue had pushed him off the couch. Even clutching his stomach, he wanted to voice his opinion. “You keep telling me to train and study, so what exactly is going on? You can’t just mess with me and leave me clueless. If you don’t give me a convincing explanation, I refuse to follow any training plan.”

“Huh? You dare to resist? What are you doing? Planning a rebellion?” Tan Xue tried to get up but her stomach was uncomfortable, so she lay back down.

“Alright, I’ll tell you, but you have to promise to give your all and support me,” Li Youlan said thoughtfully. It wouldn’t do to keep Chu Dong in the dark.

“Well, I have to calculate the cost first. I’m not just anyone—you know, I make millions of Zimbabwean dollars per minute. If there’s no benefit, I’m going to think twice,” Chu Dong said proudly. He tended to get cocky when he achieved even a little success.

“Don’t talk about Zimbabwean dollars; even if it were British pounds, this time you’d have to set them aside. Besides, Dong, you promised me,” Tan Xue protested. She knew Li Youlan was usually eloquent, but her pride was thin-skinned. Since this matter involved asking a favor from Chu Dong, she wouldn’t soften her tone easily.

“Alright, alright, I’m just saying. I’m seeing if there’s any profit. Since my Snow Girl said so, I’ll accept even if it’s a loss,” Chu Dong said with exaggerated reluctance, as if suffering a great injustice.

Li Youlan noticed but thought, well, since she was counting on him, she’d let it slide. Still, she vowed to show Chu Dong her true strength when the time came.

“My family is originally from Anhui, part of a famous branch of the Huizhou merchants. By the time of my great-grandfather, we moved to Beijing and continued in business. Our family was once well-off, but under my grandfather, the business developed rapidly. My father took over at a fortunate time, and his investments yielded good returns. As a result, our Tianming Group flourished. However, during this process, my father made some friends who would always step in to help when Tianming faced financial shortages or investment mistakes. Their capital and resources were a great support, which strengthened our relationship. Earlier this year, an old acquaintance from Anhui surnamed Guo proposed a marriage alliance. Before my father could answer, someone else made the same proposal, putting him in a difficult position. He said there would be a fair competition, and whoever won would marry me. They treated me like a commodity, caring only about profit, not my happiness. So I ran away. I thought things might be better this time I returned, but they actually scheduled a competition at my home at year’s end. I’m not going to let them get their way…”

Hearing this, Chu Dong understood: this was a strategic balance between financial conglomerates. Li Youlan was merely a pawn, though she had a fortune to inherit. For these conglomerates, winning her hand meant gaining a windfall, which others could not tolerate. Thus, the rivalry over her hand had arisen. Yet it was truly unfair to Li Youlan.

Chu Dong slapped his thigh and stood. “If I get this done, is there a reward?”

This novel is first published here.

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