Protect Our Chief

Chapter 1068: Chapter 69: I Want to Overturn the Heavens! Wang Shouzhe, the Mastermind Behind the Scenes (Part 3)

"Snap!"

Wang Shouzhe placed a piece with a resonant thud, his expression indifferent as he said, "An Nan, you’ve lost again. It seems you’re still too young, too restless to settle down and hone your chess skills."

Wang Anan wiped the sweat from his forehead, cupped his hands in salute, and said, "An Nan thanks Fourth Grandfather for the critique and guidance. An Nan will certainly settle down and practice well."

Though he spoke courteously, he was internally grumbling, Wasn’t it just because Fourth Grandfather had been losing too much recently and was taking it out on him as the younger generation?

Recently, it had spread throughout Duke Dingguo’s Mansion that Wang Shouzhe was just a lousy chess player, unable even to beat his father Wang Shida, only managing to trample on him, Wang Anan, to gain some cheap sense of superiority.

"Young Master Shouzhe, you’re so powerful."

Beside him, a veiled woman of extraordinary grace and elegance was gently fanning Wang Shouzhe.

She seemed like a fairy untouched by worldly affairs, her demeanor ethereal, and when her small cherry-like lips parted, all that came out was exaggerated flattery, "Your chess skills truly surpass the ancients, utterly defeating Wang Anan without leaving a trace. Come, come, exhausted, aren’t you? Have a sip of iced drink and take a break."

Saying so, she lifted a bowl of iced white fungus lotus seed soup with her delicate hands, intending to feed Shouzhe.

"This... Tianyan, I’ll eat it myself, by myself." Wang Shouzhe hurriedly took the bowl, using a spoon to eat the lotus seed soup.

One must admit, Tianyan’s culinary skills were quite good, sweet but not greasy, iced and refreshing.

A trace of disappointment flitted across Fairy Tianyan’s eyes, but she quickly giggled and said, "Young Master, this is a skill that Tianyan specially learned for you~ There’s a whole pot here, take your time to enjoy it."

The process of winning over Young Master Shouzhe was extraordinarily difficult, but over the years, it hadn’t been entirely fruitless. At least now, Young Master Shouzhe no longer always referred to the older generation, which counted as some progress.

Take it slowly; life is long after all.

Wang Anan watched this scene, feeling envious yet inexplicably sad.

He, Wang Anan, was at least the third-ranked individual on the "Top Ten Outstanding Youth" list of Upper Capital City’s elite players... Yet not only was he not being flattered by a beautiful fairy trying to please him, even when he tried to woo some fairies, he mostly faced closed doors.

"An Nan, don’t just stand there like a fool, try some of Tianyan’s handiwork, it’s quite good." Wang Shouzhe had already started on his second bowl.

Wang Anan’s face brightened, gratefully saying, "Fourth Grandfather, you’re too..."

However, just as he reached for the white fungus soup to eat, he was secretly glared at by Fairy Tianyan. An invisible sense of hostility made him shiver internally, swiftly changing his words, "Fourth Grandfather, I’m not hungry, and I don’t like sweet things very much. You enjoy it~"

No sooner had he said this than another stunning woman, dressed in a cold and seductive goddess style, came out of the kitchen at Four Seasons Garden, carrying a whole plate of roasted meat and seafood.

"Patriarch, don’t indulge too much in sweets; those are what refined ladies love. As a man, you should eat more meat to have strength." Her voice was cool and transparent, with a touch of alluring restraint.

"Wang Mei, the iced drink I’ve carefully prepared is very much enjoyed by the Young Master." Fairy Tianyan retorted with deep hostility and wariness towards Wang Mei, "Besides, you should mind your own business instead of clinging to him just because Sister Ruolan isn’t by the Young Master’s side."

"Tianyan, I have confidential matters to discuss with the Patriarch. If you know what’s good for you, you should leave at once, lest you be suspected of eavesdropping."

"Young Master and Prince Anjun are relatives by marriage and allies, as close as one body; what secrets are there that I cannot hear? Besides, Sister Ruolan and I are like sisters; now that we’re traveling, I ought to look after Young Master Shouzhe, lest those other women take advantage."

"Like sisters? I think you clearly harbor ill intentions toward the Patriarch, wanting to take advantage of him."

Their back-and-forth banter was laced with palpable animosity. Indeed, each was responsible for intelligence work and had already clashed many times privately.

Work-related rivalry aside, the two were equally stubborn, both harboring improper intentions toward Wang Shouzhe and showing no sign of giving up.

Now with the Patriarch alone and confined within Four Seasons Garden, how could this not be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? Naturally, the two women seized the pretext of "delivering meals" to employ their tactics in an attempt to win him over. Even if unsuccessful, they could at least say they tried, couldn’t they?

The mock Asura Scene’s tension made Wang Anan watch with envy, jealousy, and resentment.

Why wasn’t there a girl quarreling over him this way?

He couldn’t stay in Four Seasons Garden any longer. After just a few chess games, he was force-fed bucket after bucket of dog-food grade affection, nearly bursting his stomach.

Wang Anan made a swift decision and excused himself with a pretext.

But just as he reached the door, he ran into the visiting Prince Anjun.

"Isn’t this An Nan? You don’t look too well, did your Fourth Grandfather thrash you again?" Prince Anjun patted his shoulder, his eyes gleaming with excitement, "Don’t worry, soon enough, I’ll beat him on your behalf. With my chess skills, defeating Shouzhe will be as easy as slicing a melon."

Though defeating weak players was not honorable, playing chess with Wang Shouzhe was the only way Prince Anjun could derive some precious superiority over him, something he very much enjoyed.

Being at the bottom of the food chain, Wang Anan initially wanted to caution Prince Anjun, but upon seeing his arrogant demeanor, he immediately dismissed the thought.