Chapter Seventy-Six: Isn’t This Bullying Honest People?

"Alright, I think that works," Ji Chen nodded immediately.

"Then tonight will be the Chess King Tournament!"

"What’s going on? What are you talking about?" Zhao Funing returned.

"Tonight’s the Chess King Tournament. The first three to clear all levels will win your autographed private photo set," Ji Chen said, spouting nonsense without missing a beat.

"Me?" Zhao Funing’s eyes widened. "Wait, I didn’t even know about this—did you all sell me out?"

"We voted by a show of hands for anyone who wasn’t willing, and Zhao, you didn’t raise your hand," Lin Ze chimed in helpfully.

"I… I wasn’t even here," Zhao Funing turned to his wife. "Honey, is this true?"

"It is," Pei Xue nodded, fully playing along.

"Hey, aren’t they always saying couples in love have telepathic connections? I thought you’d hear my inner voice telling you to stop this…"

[Oh dear, a bunch of troublemakers bullying the honest man.]
[Zhao Funing really is such a straight arrow.]
[If he weren’t, he wouldn’t have actually retired just because of a few random online comments after getting married.]

"So…," Zhao Funing sat gingerly on the couch, "so… what about Teacher Chen and the others? They didn’t raise their hands either."

Ji Chen flashed a mischievous grin. "Then Teacher Chen will be taking photos too. You two can do it together."

Zhao Funing wiped his palms against his pant legs, already breaking out in a sweat.

"Alright, alright, we’re just teasing you," Pei Xue slipped her arm around his shoulders.

"Huh? I knew it, why would I be doing a photo shoot…"

"Actually, it’s me," Pei Xue laughed.

"You can’t do it either!"

"Hahaha…" Ji Chen and Lin Chunshui burst out laughing at the side.

"Zhao, Zhao, alright, let’s stop kidding around now," Lin Ze quickly said.

"Don’t tell Uncle Chen about this. We only set up this prize because he’s not here."

"It’s Uncle Chen’s private photos. Honestly, him in the dragon robe is pretty— Hey, hey, Zitan!"

"Oh, so you think him in a dragon robe is seductive?"

Before long, Chen Weiguo and Bai Qiong returned.

Ji Chen looked at Chen Weiguo, grinning mischievously, while Chen Weiguo had no idea what was going on.

That night, the Chess King Tournament was held in the courtyard.

Director Zhang had now taken on the role of ticket-taker at the entrance, registering guests and handing out drinks.

The first round was ten-second timed chess, presided over by Zhao Funing and his wife, who had just learned the rules.

The second round was timed checkers, overseen by Lin Chunshui.

The third round was ten-second-per-move Chinese chess, managed by Chen Weiguo and his wife.

The first three rounds could be attempted separately; as long as someone collected a victory stamp from each, they could challenge the fourth round.

The fourth and final round was Gomoku, naturally hosted by Su Zitan as the final boss.

In truth, aside from Su Zitan’s Gomoku skills, the other three groups knew just enough to get by, so those rounds were fairly easy.

Ji Chen played the role of musician, while Lin Ze acted as the waiter, slicing fruit in the kitchen to serve at the tables.

There was watermelon in the kitchen; Lin Ze sliced some up and arranged it in delicate little plates, then set about delivering them to each table.

"This one in the middle is for Zitan, these are for Teacher Chen, this bunch for Zhao, this plate for Lin, these for Ji…"

Lin Ze cheerfully divided up the plates.

[Oh Lin, aren’t you worried you’ll get beaten up for this?]
[Well… it makes sense, since there’s only so much watermelon and four tables.]
[Fine, if Lin Ze’s studio ever needs PR, I’ll be the first to defend him.]

Lin Ze strolled over with a tray, humming a little tune, and placed a plate at each table.

Su Zitan munched on the crisp watermelon, watching the chess game nearby.

"This watermelon is so sweet!"

"Of course, I picked it out. How could it not be sweet?" Chen Weiguo replied, not looking up as he made a blunder in chess and handed his chariot piece to his opponent.

"Uncle Chen is a genius at picking watermelons—never misses," Bai Qiong said, spearing a piece with a toothpick and popping it in her mouth.

It seemed pretty average, actually—not particularly sweet.

The plate Lin Chunshui received was even stranger: the watermelon was not only unsweet, it was a bit sour.

She looked down at her bowl.

"Lin Ze! Who taught you to cut watermelon like this? Half red, half white—really impressive!"

The girl sitting across from her couldn’t hold back, covering her face with both hands as she shook with laughter.

"Why didn’t you just give me the rind, too?"

On stage, Ji Chen squinted his eyes, singing with deep emotion.

"Have I ever told you… Little Lin! Why did you give me a plate of watermelon rind!?"

Lin Ze, tray in hand, wore a guileless grin and scratched the back of his head. "Hehehe… I’m saving the sweet bits for my wife."

[Hahaha!]
[What kind of person is this?]
[I took screenshots, folks—posting the memes on Weibo.]

"You know, Little Lin really does a good job acting the fool," Chen Weiguo managed to glance up and offer a verdict everyone agreed with.

As time ticked by, an hour and a half passed and still no one had made it through all three rounds.

"How about this: choose any two of the first three rounds, and then you can challenge the fourth!" they decided to ease the difficulty.

With the rules relaxed, several people lined up at the end of the queue, each clutching a bottle of wine.

Because of the time limits, no one had much chance to think; the chess games went quickly.

Quite a few people managed to clear two rounds and make their way to Su Zitan.

But Su Zitan remained undefeated.

Minute by minute, time passed—until, finally, someone managed to conquer the Chess King Tournament.

It was nearly ten o’clock, and the event was about to end.

The other three groups had already stopped playing; only Su Zitan was locked in the final match.

By now, four people had advanced, and the fifth, a young woman, had already downed five bottles of wine.

Dazed and tipsy, she staggered over to challenge Su Zitan.

The young woman stubbornly sat at the table, blinking her blurry eyes, and continued to play.

Su Zitan was just one move from victory, but as she picked up her piece, she hesitated, unable to bring herself to finish.

Anyone could see that the girl was barely holding on, sitting there purely by force of will.

Su Zitan looked around at her friends.

Lin Ze gave her a subtle nod, and the others, understanding her intention, all signaled their agreement.

So Su Zitan placed her piece somewhere else.

The young woman seized the opportunity and, with a few swift moves, trapped Su Zitan’s white pieces on the board.

"Bravo! Congratulations to our fifth and final prizewinner!" they cheered.

"Congratulations!"

The young woman leapt to her feet, nearly stumbling, and called out drunkenly, "Congratulations! Congratulations!"

With the words barely out, she lurched forward and collapsed into Su Zitan’s arms, still murmuring, "Congratulations…"

"Everyone! That concludes tonight’s event!"

"Prize winners, don’t forget to leave your contact with Director Zhang."

"Whose family is this girl from, leaving her with us so trustingly? Don’t they know how chaotic the entertainment world is?"

"Lin, Xue, help me find the room card…"

To reassure the viewers, a few glamorous actresses escorted the young woman back to her room before ending the livestream.