Her sharp tongue and clear voice drew everyone’s attention. Many people already disliked Xie Su’s pretentious attitude, and laughter erupted, leaving Xie Su looking quite embarrassed.
“Say that again?!”
He walked forward a couple of steps, unclear whether he wanted to clarify or take action. Suddenly, Luo Yingbai stepped sideways, blocking the female student, and said with a light smile, “Senior, it’s not appropriate to ask someone to repeat a compliment. Look, when you praised my family’s wealth, I didn’t ask you to say it again.”
The surrounding classmates laughed. Xie Su looked at Luo Yingbai, a hint of annoyance in his eyes. They were both famous campus heartthrobs from the same major and often compared.
Xie Su had always been proud of his talents and looks, but every time they were mentioned together, Luo Yingbai always seemed to overshadow him. This made Xie Su feel bitter whenever he saw Luo Yingbai. However, now that Luo Yingbai’s identity had been exposed, he definitely wouldn’t dare to directly confront him.
Xie Su’s expression gradually calmed down. He said, “Isn’t it inappropriate to talk about losing before someone’s competition? What if I win?”
Luo Yingbai thought for a moment and said, “Treat us to a meal to celebrate your victory?”
Xie Su was about to say “shameless” but didn’t dare, and turned to leave.
During the mid-game break, it was Xie Su’s turn to compete. Before going on stage, he looked towards Luo Yingbai’s direction and saw that Luo Yingbai had probably gotten tired of standing and found a chair to sit on the outer edge of the crowd, from where he couldn’t see the scene at all.
Xie Su curled his lips, feeling somewhat regretful – he had originally wanted to show this kid his chess skills. Arguing wasn’t a skill; crushing with ability was true domination. But thinking about it, the kid might not even understand chess.
In fact, Xie Su was mistaken.
When they played chess, both players would announce their moves into the microphone, and a dedicated student would set up the pieces, displaying them on the big screen. Although Luo Mingbai was sitting behind the encircled crowd and blocked from the screen, he could hear the voices inside.
The previous chess match between their school’s old professor Han Huifeng and the Chess Association’s president He Fu was intense and brilliant, ending in a draw. This time, Xie Su and another student were on stage.
Blind chess tests not just chess skills. During the game, one must memorize the board’s situation and variations of each move. Thus, reaction speed, memory, and concentration are indispensable.
Luo Mingbai listened for a while, feeling that the battle was intense but far from the masters’ earlier performance. After a while, the game had reached a stalemate.
Just as he was about to leave, someone rushed over, bowing slightly upon seeing Luo Mingbai and whispering, “Young Master Luo, the old leader has seen you and asks me to invite you over.”
He was Summer Old Master’s special assistant, Lin Boxing. Luo Mingbai smiled, “Oh, Brother Boxing, okay, I’ll come right away.”
Lin Boxing smiled, looking toward the crowd’s center, “This match seems about to end. Won’t Young Master Luo stay and watch?
Luo Mingbai said, “By now, the victory is almost decided, no need…”
At this moment, Xie Su happened to say “Soldier five advances one”, and his opponent paused, saying, “I lost.”
Luo Mingbai didn’t expect this result, curiously turning around to see both players standing and shaking hands. The match had finally concluded, with the talented Xie Su emerging victorious. The surrounding people sighed and dispersed, with several male students looking particularly frustrated, apparently having bet on Xie Su losing.
Xie Su came down from the stage, surrounded by people, saw Luo Mingbai, and raised an eyebrow with a smile, “Didn’t we say I’d treat you to a meal if I won? How about it, want to join?”
Luo Mingbai couldn’t help but laugh, “If you truly won, saying this would be sincere. But based on the match’s initial progression, I feel the winner shouldn’t have been you, senior.”
Xie Su was stunned. He had just seen Luo Mingbai not paying attention to the match at all and didn’t expect his boasting would backfire. Someone beside Xie Su said, “Junior, what do you mean? The competition results are out; you need evidence when speaking.”
Their few words attracted considerable attention, and Professor Han Huifeng, who was hosting the blind chess competition, heard them and called out, “Little Luo, what’s wrong with this chess match?
“
With reporters nearby, Luo Mingbai hadn’t originally intended to speak in front of everyone, but since Xie Su was asking for it, he felt no obligation to cover for him and said, “Teacher, it seems a piece was misplaced midway in the match.”
Xie Su immediately shouted, “You’re not even a chess player. How can you be sure it was misplaced? You were standing on the periphery and couldn’t see the board. Now you’re claiming there’s an error – do you have some issue with me?”
He frowned, “Maybe I’ve done something wrong before, but personal grievances should be settled privately. Making such unsubstantiated claims will waste everyone’s time.”
Luo Mingbai smiled. Given Xie Su’s personality, if he weren’t feeling guilty, he would definitely demand a clear explanation.
Han Huifeng was concise: “Regardless, we should hear him out before making a judgment. I’m also curious about which step was wrong. Mingbai.”
Luo Mingbai acknowledged him but didn’t immediately speak. Han Huifeng patted his back, saying gently, “Don’t be nervous. It’s okay if you misremember. Everyone should be brave about raising questions.”
“
Within moments, Luo Mingbai had recalled the chess moves, explaining, “Although I stood on the periphery, I could hear the moves of both seniors clearly. The problem was likely on the 107th move…
Xie Su stared at him, stunned for a long time, murmuring, “You can remember every step so clearly? Aren’t you someone who doesn’t know how to play chess?”
Even when he tried to recall the moves, his mind would be in chaos, but Luo Mingbai, just by listening, could clearly recite all the changes from beginning to end, and even discovered errors that neither of the players had noticed. His memory and reaction abilities were terrifyingly strong!
Fortunately, there were cameramen around, and someone had already pulled up the video. Checking according to Luo Mingbai’s description, they found that he hadn’t misremembered a single move. The chess piece Xie Su initially placed was different from its later position – a student responsible for setting up the chess board had nudged the piece during a moment of distraction.
After moving the piece, he didn’t look at Xie Su but clearly coughed twice.
It was a subtle action, just a slight shift in position. If Luo Mingbai hadn’t pointed it out, no one around would have noticed.
Seeing Han Huifeng’s furrowed brow and hearing the surrounding discussions, Xie Su began to panic.
He no longer cared about Luo Mingbai’s memory and chess skills, and tried to appear nonchalant, feigning surprise: “So the chess piece was misplaced. It seems I should lose this round. Zhou Ming, I’m sorry, you won.”
He spoke nicely, but Zhou Ming couldn’t help but chuckle, “How convenient that he moved it just so, accidentally helping you win but not me. If Little Luo hadn’t been smart and discovered this, I’d have to blame my own bad luck?”
A classmate took the opportunity to report to Han Huifeng: “Teacher, the student who set up the chess board is called Wang Hongyi, from Xie Su’s dormitory!”
Xie Su panicked internally and quickly interjected, “We have a good dormitory relationship. It’s entirely possible he deliberately did this to help me win. I personally believe this cheating is an insult to my personal abilities.”
