Earlier, he had noticed some players packing up food to take away. When he went over to ask just now, he discovered that takeout was actually allowed.
Thinking that there was another person to feed back at the villa, Nian Le packed a few extra pieces to serve as an additional dish.
However, when he arrived at the residential community and opened the villa door, a wave of delicious aromas immediately rushed toward him.
Someone was speaking in a foreign language, issuing stern instructions from the direction of the kitchen. Footsteps moved hurriedly back and forth, and the clattering of kitchen utensils continued without pause.
Nian Le stood quietly for a moment before cautiously stepping forward to peek into the kitchen.
A foreign head chef and four or five assistants were working feverishly inside.
He silently returned to the living room and placed the desserts on the table. After reflecting for a moment on how carelessly he had been preparing meals lately, he wondered if he had displeased Huo Weiran so much that the latter had decided to hire a chef to come directly to the villa.
But if Huo Weiran was really dissatisfied, hadn’t he finished all the food yesterday?
While Nian Le was still pondering the matter, someone came downstairs.
He raised his eyes and saw Huo Weiran stepping down from the staircase. He seemed to have just finished working out at the gym, wiping the sweat from the back of his neck with a towel in one hand. His hair was slightly damp as well.
“You’re back?” Huo Weiran said when he saw Nian Le. He casually tossed the towel aside, his gray eyes cool and indifferent as they swept over the desserts on the table.
“I finished early today.” Following Huo Weiran’s gaze, Nian Le gently pushed the desserts closer to him.
“There’s a dining area at the competition venue, and they allow food to be taken away. Would you like to try some?”
Huo Weiran looked at the exquisite desserts in the box, remembering everything Xiang Lang had told him. He glanced back at his fiancé, slightly turning his face away as he tried to suppress the sudden surge of emotion.
Nian Le hadn’t come straight home after finishing his match. Instead, he had gone to the dining area specifically to bring desserts back for him to try.
The lingering displeasure in Huo Weiran’s chest vanished almost instantly. In its place was a feeling of happiness and excitement that was even more exhilarating than the hormones released by exercise.
Making someone who had just finished working out eat dessert seemed a little sinful.
Nian Le was just about to think of an excuse for him when Huo Weiran suddenly extended one arm and looked at him.
“Help me with something, Nian Le.”
“Help you with what?”
Nian Le stood up from the sofa and followed his younger fiancé’s gaze. His eyes landed on the black strap around Huo Weiran’s waist.
Huo Weiran was wearing a black sleeveless shirt while working out. Nian Le hadn’t noticed anything around his waist at first, only vaguely realizing that his chest muscles looked fuller than usual. He hadn’t expected it to be because of the waist support brace.
This was the first time Nian Le had encountered this kind of waist brace. He walked over and studied it for a moment, looking down at it, but couldn’t figure out where to start undoing it.
Like someone trying to find the opening of a roll of tape, Nian Le ran his fingers around the entire brace, carefully searching for the place where it could be undone.
His long, slender, fair fingers brushed across the thin black straps. Huo Weiran lowered his eyes, watching the face in front of him while doing his best to endure the tingling sensation spreading across his waist and abdomen.
Nian Le’s slightly pink fingertips pressed gently against the straps a few times. Huo Weiran’s body temperature rose uncontrollably in an instant, and even his breathing unconsciously became a little quicker.
After feeling around the entire brace, Nian Le finally found two slightly raised spots. He picked at them with his fingertips a few times before discovering that they were both highly adhesive hook-and-loop fasteners. Once he found the edges, he could pull them apart.
After finally removing those two straps, Nian Le discovered that there was another layer underneath. He peeled away a larger fastening section before finally managing to remove the waist brace.
Although the brace was gone, the lingering sensation of Nian Le’s touch remained across Huo Weiran’s abdomen.
Huo Weiran quickly turned his face away to avoid the other man’s gaze. With the tips of his ears turning red, he opened the box of desserts Nian Le had brought and hurriedly took a bite.
The little cake was sweet without being cloying. Remembering that Nian Le had been thinking of him even while at the competition venue, Huo Weiran felt a wave of sweetness spread through his heart. He finished the piece in just a few bites, unwilling to waste his fiancé’s thoughtful gesture.
After putting the waist brace aside, Nian Le noticed the towel Huo Weiran had casually thrown to one side. He fell silent for a moment, then picked it up and folded it into a neat square.
The chef nearby noticed Huo Weiran coming downstairs and nervously wiped his hands a few times. He was just about to approach and report on the progress of the meal when the young man sitting beside Huo Weiran suddenly asked a question.
“Have you been having back problems lately?”
Huo Weiran immediately choked on his dessert and struggled to swallow it several times.
The chef was visibly shocked by the question. He immediately retreated several steps, then couldn’t resist peeking over again a moment later.
“There’s nothing wrong with my back,” Huo Weiran replied quickly after swallowing the dessert.
Seeing the waist brace nearby, he understood what had prompted the question and explained, “I was lifting weights today. I was training with one hand, so my center of gravity was unstable. That’s why I wore the waist brace.”
“I’m not talking about the waist brace,” Nian Le said gently, placing the neatly folded towel in front of Huo Weiran.
“You threw it over there and didn’t pick it up. I thought you’d injured your back.”
Huo Weiran fell silent for a moment.
He knew perfectly well that household chores shouldn’t be left to his fiancé, and he suddenly realized that, in the absence of the household staff, Nian Le had already been quietly doing so many things around the villa.
Yet his own habitual behavior just now had failed to take any of that into consideration. It had been thoroughly inappropriate.
“I’m sorry.” Huo Weiran lowered his eyes and picked up the towel in front of him. When he looked up again, his gray eyes held a hint of seriousness and remorse.
“I won’t do that again.”
He’s being this obedient?
Nian Le studied the young man in front of him. For a fleeting moment, he sensed that Huo Weiran’s rebellious phase might finally be showing signs of coming to an end.
“Signor Huo.” (“Mr. Huo.”)
A faint voice came from the direction of the kitchen.
Nian Le turned his head and saw the chef. Huo Weiran stood up with the towel in his hand and went over to speak with him.
Nian Le could tell that the two were speaking Italian, but he couldn’t understand what they were saying.
Only after their conversation ended did Huo Weiran return and briefly explain the situation to Nian Le.
The chef was Italian and a three-Michelin-starred chef. He had partnered with his colleagues to open a restaurant in Jiangzhou, with several branches already in operation. He could also understand a little Chinese.
However, he rarely accepted private-chef jobs at people’s homes—unless Huo Weiran signed an autograph for him.
The meal was ready. Huo Weiran changed into a different outfit and sat opposite Nian Le. Knowing that he was essentially getting a free meal, Nian Le behaved properly and followed the dining etiquette.
Whenever a dish was served, the chef would explain a few things about it. Huo Weiran occasionally exchanged a few words with him. Nian Le waited until both of them had finished speaking before picking up his utensils.
Although each dish came in a small portion, the flavors were genuinely surprising.
“Questo piatto richiede una decorazione speciale.” (“This dish requires a special decoration.”)
The chef looked at Huo Weiran with a smile.
“Posso chiederti se siete amici?” (“May I ask if you two are friends?”)
At those words, Huo Weiran’s gaze settled on the person sitting opposite him, his attention becoming completely focused.
“È il mio fidanzato.”
He is my… fiancé.
The person with whom I will one day walk hand in hand through the rest of my life.
Surprise flashed through the chef’s eyes, and then his smile grew even broader. Using a small spoon, he drizzled sauce onto both plates, drawing a heart on each one before presenting the dishes to them.
Nian Le couldn’t understand what they were saying. He dipped a piece of food from his plate into the sauce and put it into his mouth.
When he looked up, he found Huo Weiran quietly watching him.
Nian Le smiled faintly.
Huo Weiran’s ears had turned a little red. After briefly averting his gaze, he lowered his head and began eating the food on his plate with great concentration.
When all the dishes had been served and the meal was over, Nian Le applauded the chef to show his appreciation for the food.
The plump chef smiled happily at Nian Le, said something, and raised his hand. Suddenly, he tossed a handful of something toward Nian Le.
He also threw some in Huo Weiran’s direction.
Huo Weiran reacted extremely quickly, standing up and dodging the unexpected attack.
Nian Le looked down and saw several grains of uncooked rice sliding down from his hair.
Meanwhile, the chef cheerfully explained to Huo Weiran in Italian that throwing rice at newlyweds was a traditional blessing in his culture.
Huo Weiran glanced at the grains of rice he had dodged, and a hint of unease appeared in his eyes.
Someone from the chef’s team stayed behind to clean the kitchen. While Huo Weiran helped pick up the scattered rice, Nian Le stood up and left the villa.
Out in the courtyard, he shook the rice off his clothes. A sparrow nearby tilted its head at the grains scattered on the ground, already preparing to swoop down for a meal.
He had to admit that this Michelin-starred chef was quite something. Not only were there countless rules during the meal, but afterward, he had even been showered with rice. And yet, booking the chef online required a three-month wait.
The meal had been quite an eventful experience.
Nian Le wandered around the residential community for a while to help digest his food. After returning to the villa, he spent several hours solving Go life-and-death problems, setting up board positions and practicing them repeatedly to keep his skills sharp.
That afternoon, Nian Le didn’t even need to do any cooking. A restaurant delivered an entire table of Chinese dishes directly to the villa.
To prevent the food from getting cold, the accompanying service staff reheated the dishes on the spot. They stood nearby with cheerful smiles, peeling shrimp and pouring tea for him.
Their level of service was almost absurdly attentive. They were practically one step away from putting the food directly into Nian Le’s mouth.
Go players generally avoid eating too much during a tournament. Once they eat too much, blood flows toward the stomach to aid digestion, potentially reducing the blood supply to the brain and affecting their ability to think.
That afternoon, Nian Le had eaten until he was about ninety percent full before returning to his Go practice. He immediately noticed that his reaction speed had slowed by at least twenty percent. He tried playing continuously for five hours, and surprisingly, his headache never appeared.
Nian Le’s thoughts suddenly became active. He continued setting up different board positions, wanting to find out just how far he could push himself.
Half an hour later, however, a sudden stabbing pain struck the right side of his head. The next instant, it spread like a bolt of lightning, the sharp pain rapidly radiating outward.
Nian Le immediately cleared every board variation from his mind, closed his eyes with practiced ease, and adjusted his breathing.
Once the stabbing pain had eased slightly, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help lifting.
Why had he never thought of this method of delaying the headache before?
Enduring the dull ache that remained in his head, Nian Le packed away the Go board, stood up, and switched off the lights. He was preparing to head upstairs to rest when a dark figure suddenly emerged from beside the staircase.
He didn’t have enough time to dodge. His foot landed on something soft.
Nian Le immediately looked down.
It was a hand holding a cleaning cloth.
His breathing stopped for an instant. Following the hand beneath his foot, he slowly looked upward and met a pair of pale gray eyes.
“What are you doing?” Nian Le heard his own voice trembling slightly.
“Cleaning the floor,” the owner of the hand replied in an indifferent tone.
Cleaning the floor?
Nian Le lowered his gaze to the other man’s muscular, well-defined arm, then noticed the veins bulging beneath the skin from the pressure he was applying.
He slowly, carefully lifted his foot away.
The dull ache in his head had now transformed into very real agony.
Why would the heir of a wealthy family be cleaning the floor in the middle of the night?
Huo Weiran had already injured one hand, and now Nian Le had stepped on his other, perfectly good hand.
How was that any different from the infamous act of kicking a cripple in his only good leg?!
Although Huo Weiran seemed suspiciously like he had deliberately put himself in this situation, if anyone actually investigated the matter, Nian Le would have absolutely no way to defend himself!
With a complicated expression, Nian Le looked at Huo Weiran as he stood up. The shadow cast by his tall, imposing figure fell over Nian Le. This was the kind of opponent even combat techniques might not be enough to defeat.
“I’m doing housework,” Huo Weiran explained, lowering his eyes to look intently at Nian Le. “And conducting an experiment at the same time.”
“What experiment?” Nian Le raised his head to meet his gaze. This time, he didn’t see the hostility directed at him that had been present before.
“Previously, I stepped on a servant’s hand in this exact same spot, and I didn’t apologize.”
Huo Weiran spoke frankly.
“I’m going to hire a new batch of staff, and it’s inevitable that some ill-intentioned people might slip in among them. Considering that someone might exaggerate what happened and tell you about it, using the incident to slander me, I wanted you to understand the circumstances beforehand.”
Looking at his younger fiancé’s expression, Nian Le quickly understood the situation.
As an outsider who had now personally experienced what it was like to be involved in such an incident, Nian Le reached a swift, accurate, and absolutely righteous conclusion.
“It’s a frame-up! This is definitely a frame-up!”
Huo Weiran paused, then raised his good hand and glanced at the faint footprint on the back of it.
“Don’t worry.” Nian Le quickly grabbed his hand and wiped away the incriminating evidence. “I know you’re innocent.”
Having his hand suddenly grasped, Huo Weiran fell silent for a moment before slowly turning his hand around and clasping Nian Le’s in return.
“If something like this happens again, just tell me directly.” Nian Le was still shaken by the realization that he had stepped on his younger fiancé’s perfectly good hand.
“Whatever you tell me, I’ll believe you. But please, don’t use your own body to conduct experiments.”
Watching Huo Weiran slowly nod, Nian Le finally felt reassured. The foggy sensation in his head caused by the headache had been interrupted by the fright, leaving him considerably more alert.
“By the way…” Nian Le suddenly realized something and couldn’t help asking, “Why did that servant try to frame you in the first place?”
Could it have been some clichéd romantic obsession? Perhaps the servant had wanted to attract Huo Weiran’s attention through such an elaborate scheme?
Huo Weiran looked quietly at the person before him for a long moment. As he gently stroked Nian Le’s slender, fair hand, he suddenly realized that he had completely failed in his responsibilities as a fiancé.
He hadn’t even told Nian Le about the Huo family’s circumstances or the predicament he himself was currently facing.
“I’ll organize everything that happened and explain it to you in as much detail as possible tomorrow, after your match ends.”
Huo Weiran continued holding Nian Le’s hand as he led him upstairs, accompanying him all the way to the guest room.
“Get some good rest tonight. Good luck with your match.”
Reluctantly, Huo Weiran finally released the hand he had been gently holding.
After returning to the guest room, Nian Le thought back to the tone of his younger fiancé’s voice and the sincere way he had wished him luck.
He realized that Huo Weiran’s rebellious phase might genuinely be over.
When Madam Huo and Huo Huohuo returned and saw that Huo Weiran had returned to his former self, they would surely be overjoyed!
Nian Le felt a sense of accomplishment himself. With only three days remaining in the tournament, he silently gave himself another boost of motivation.
Early the next morning, Nian Le watched the service staff bustling around the dining room and quietly sat down to enjoy another complimentary meal.
He drank soup that had probably been simmering for several hours and ate a beautifully prepared breakfast that looked, smelled, and tasted delicious.
He couldn’t help sighing that food from outside really did taste better than home cooking.
Huo Weiran occasionally placed food onto Nian Le’s plate. Nian Le ate every bite and returned the favor by placing a few pieces on his younger fiancé’s plate as well.
After finishing breakfast, Nian Le hurriedly stood up to leave. Huo Weiran followed him out.
When Nian Le opened the villa’s front door, he saw a luxury car parked outside and immediately fell silent.
“It’s difficult to get a taxi during the morning rush hour.” Huo Weiran lowered his eyes and adjusted Nian Le’s tie with one hand. “I’ve arranged for the driver to take you there.”
“Th-thank you?” Nian Le glanced at the time. There wasn’t enough time to refuse, so he got into the car.
Only then did he realize that the driver wasn’t the person who had previously delivered the ingredients, and this wasn’t the car he usually saw, either.
The interior was exceptionally spacious. It even featured a built-in refrigerator and an air purifier with a humidifier.
A pot of coffee had already been brewed in the center, filling the cabin with a rich, aromatic fragrance.
The driver was a middle-aged woman wearing white gloves. She drove with remarkable steadiness. Even when the road conditions forced the car to stop and start repeatedly, the liquid inside the coffee pot barely moved.
Arriving at the competition venue earlier than usual, Nian Le once again reflected on how the lives of wealthy people were both simple and boring.
He straightened the borrowed formal suit he was wearing and walked steadily into the venue.
On the tree-shaped tournament bracket, only eight names remained.
Nian Le looked up at the list of players and board assignments for the day’s matches. His gaze swept across the same row, and, just as he had expected, he spotted Meng Cheng’s name.
His opponent was also a powerful professional Go player ranked seventh dan. A seventh-dan player against another seventh-dan player—this match should be worth watching.
Nian Le headed toward his assigned table. Seeing that his opponent had not arrived yet, he asked a staff member for some wet wipes and carefully cleaned the Go board, the tabletop, and even the game clock.
He was just wiping down the bottled water his opponent might drink when an elegant, scholarly-looking elderly man stopped a short distance from the table. The old man quietly watched Nian Le finish cleaning before approaching and taking the seat opposite him.
“Senior An Shanyue.” Nian Le bowed slightly. “I’m Nian Le, a junior. I look forward to learning from you.”
Looking at the young man before him, An Shanyue couldn’t help smiling. He gestured toward the seat opposite him, inviting Nian Le to sit down.
“Young people like you are rare these days.” An Shanyue glanced at the spotless Go board and tabletop, and his mood immediately improved.
The young man knew he valued cleanliness and had even arrived early to tidy everything up. After studying Nian Le for a moment, An Shanyue felt a faint sense of familiarity.
“Have we met somewhere before?”
“I once suffered from a serious illness, and I can’t remember many things from my past.” Nian Le smiled warmly. “If you have met me before, Senior An, it would truly be an honor.”
An Shanyue was one of the elder statesmen of the Go world in China. He had studied under the Nanjin school and had already attained seventh dan thirty years ago. However, he had never participated in another dan-ranking tournament since then and had barely competed in any other events. He was practically retired.
Nian Le had been somewhat surprised to see Senior An’s name on the tournament roster this time. He had searched for the old man’s game records from recent years, but there had been very little to find.
Nian Le had made several predictions beforehand, and he suspected that if anything unexpected happened in this tournament, Senior An was the most likely source. Therefore, he needed to remain on high alert when facing him.
“I really have met you before, but I can’t quite remember when,” An Shanyue said with a smile.
“You know how it is. When you get old, your memory naturally starts to fail, and your Go skills aren’t what they used to be either.”
“An old steed may grow old in the stable, yet its ambition still reaches a thousand miles.” Nian Le smiled. “I know how strong you are, Senior An.”
An Shanyue smiled at his words and reached for his water. Before he could pick it up, the young man across from him immediately stood and handed it to him.
Quite a diligent young fellow.
As Nian Le watched Senior An drink, he noticed the old man’s gaze drifting, seemingly casually, toward a particular spot. His eyes shifted slightly. Getting up under the pretense of fetching another bottle of water, he followed the direction of Senior An’s gaze and discovered that it was aimed at another Go table.
That table was occupied by two formidable players: ninth-dan Fang Chun on one side and eighth-dan Zhu Yun on the other. Both were over fifty, and rumors had it that they had never gotten along. Now that they had been matched against each other, they were like flint and steel. It was hardly surprising that An Shanyue was paying attention.
Nian Le had just picked up a fresh bottle of water and returned to his seat when he heard a voice from the other table.
“Hey, Xiaoyun! You’re already in your fifties. Instead of dancing in the square with the other retirees, what are you doing here playing Go?”
Ninth-dan Fang Chun teased eighth-dan Zhu Yun like a mischievous old child.
“I saw the video your daughter posted. Your dancing was pretty good!”
“Shut up!” Zhu Yun’s face reddened. “That was ballroom dancing, and I wasn’t dancing in a public square!”
“Ballroom dancing, square dancing—what do I know about any of that?” Fang Chun chuckled cheerfully. “All I know is that today, my Breaking Through the Gate formation is going to tear apart whatever fancy Hundred Branches and Thousand Blossoms formation you’ve got!”
“How vulgar!” Zhu Yun glared at her longtime rival. “How many times have I told you? Can’t you sit properly when you play Go? Why do you have one foot on your chair? What exactly are you trying to do?”
“Because I like it.” Fang Chun was about to say something else when he suddenly stopped and studied the person in front of him. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“Come to think of it, you’re dressed a little differently today.”
From what Nian Le had seen earlier, eighth-dan Zhu Yun was wearing an elegant ivory-white qipao embroidered with several koi fish, paired with a shawl. Even with her hair turned white, she still looked graceful and sophisticated.
When Nian Le returned from his recollection, he noticed that Senior An Shanyue was looking in their direction. There was an indescribable emotion in the old man’s eyes.
“Wait, you’re wearing a dress, aren’t you?” Fang Chun suddenly realized. “I hate wearing formal clothes, but I put on a suit because the rules require it. Yet you didn’t!”
“You…” Zhu Yun was so angry that she began coughing. She picked up her water bottle and took a drink to soothe her throat before finally responding.
“I’m wearing a qipao. It’s traditional formal attire for Chinese women. If you don’t understand that, go ask the referee.”
Fang Chun looked at the beautiful qipao Zhu Yun was wearing, then glanced down at his own disheveled suit. He was suddenly at a loss for words.
Nian Le quietly observed Senior An across from him. When Zhu Yun had coughed just moments ago, the old man had almost risen from his seat.
It was only for an instant, but Nian Le suddenly began to understand why Senior An, who had been retired from the Go world for so long, had decided to participate in the Yixin Cup.
If he remembered correctly, both eighth-dan Zhu Yun and seventh-dan An Shanyue belonged to the Nanjin school. An Shanyue was eight years older than Zhu Yun, but according to the order in which they had entered the school, Zhu Yun was actually his senior in the martial arts sense—a senior sister.
Nian Le lowered his eyes and silently pieced together the gossip.
Senior An had never married. Zhu Yun’s former husband had passed away five years ago, and she had a daughter who had chosen not to pursue Go as a career. The daughter was now financially independent and had a particular fondness for making short videos.
Nian Le had seen some of her videos. Besides filming her work and her cats, she had recently tried to find a partner for Senior Zhu Yun without her mother’s knowledge, though she had quickly deleted the post.
Looking at the situation now…
Nian Le raised a hand to rub his forehead. Then he looked at Senior An, who was staring at the Go board, his peripheral vision repeatedly drifting toward Zhu Yun’s table. His manner was restrained and quiet.
Meanwhile, ninth-dan Fang Chun continued bouncing around and teasing Senior Zhu Yun. To put it disrespectfully, he was becoming rather noisy.
“Senior An.” Nian Le glanced at the time and slid the newly acquired bottle of water toward the old man.
“I noticed that Senior Zhu Yun is almost out of water. Would you like to take this bottle over to her?”
An Shanyue was visibly taken aback. He met the young man’s clear, innocent amber eyes, which seemed to suggest that Nian Le had made the offer without any ulterior motive.
An Shanyue tightened his grip on the water bottle but still didn’t get up.
The referee would soon begin the customary reading of the tournament rules. Nian Le’s eyes flickered slightly.
“Look at me, getting confused. Bringing water to a senior is something I, as the junior, should be doing.”
Nian Le reached for the water bottle and was about to stand when An Shanyue suddenly tightened his grip on it, showing no intention of letting go.
“I… know her a little better,” An Shanyue said. He stood up, instinctively straightened his clothes, and picked up the bottle.
“Let me take it to her.”
Nian Le smiled faintly and remained seated, watching as An Shanyue walked step by step toward Senior Zhu Yun. Under the astonished gaze of ninth-dan Fang Chun, the old man handed the water to his senior sister.
An Shanyue’s figure blocked Zhu Yun’s face, so Nian Le couldn’t see her expression. He only saw her slowly accept the bottle a moment later. The two seemed to continue talking for quite some time. It wasn’t until the chief referee stepped onto the stage that An Shanyue finally turned around and practically jogged back to his seat.
Watching the senior’s light, brisk steps and the smile he could barely suppress, Nian Le took a deep breath, feeling the deeply satisfying pleasure of seeing a juicy bit of gossip unfold exactly as expected.
As the chief referee announced the start of the match, Nian Le drew Black and would make the first move. An Shanyue steadied his mind and began playing against him.
Senior An’s current level had already surpassed the skill displayed in the game records Nian Le had collected. Moreover, after what had just happened, An Shanyue’s understanding of Go seemed to have broadened even further. Combined with his profound skill, this forced Nian Le into several lengthy periods of deep contemplation.
Senior An had studied under Nanjin, whose Go style could be summed up in one word: fierce. It was like fists and palms made of iron—bold, aggressive, and unafraid to fight or kill, with every move aimed at striking a fatal blow.
Yet An Shanyue had developed his own distinctive style on top of that foundation, combining strength with softness. His opponent’s attacks seemed to land on cotton, unable to inflict any real damage. Then, once the opponent’s momentum had been exhausted, An Shanyue would launch a counterattack, leaving them utterly defenseless.
Nian Le had no choice but to proceed cautiously. Yet every time he finished a lengthy period of contemplation and placed a stone on the board, he would catch An Shanyue glancing toward Senior Zhu Yun.
It looked faintly like… love.
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anaxa On TTMC Chapter 6.2