The Beautiful Boss's Personal Bodyguard
Chapter 243

Chapter 243: 243

The elephant is not as good as the horse - a very common consensus, but instead of advancing the horse, Ye Tian replaced it with an elephant, which still came as a slight surprise to Zuo Zhengyang.

In the following moves, there were hardly any major mistakes. Aside from the initial moves, Ye Tian played by the book, but in the end, naturally, Zuo Zhengyang won. Ye Tian’s chess skills were limited; he was no match for him.

After looking at the chessboard, which was now in a dead position, for a while, Zuo Zhengyang lowered his head to set up the pieces again and said, "Let’s play another game."

Ye Tian did not speak and began to set up his pieces as well.

He had already been very cautious, but he couldn’t withstand Zuo Zhengyang’s calm and imposing aura. Being a military general full of vigor, how could he be an opponent for a civil servant? The killing intent formed within the army lingered in his heart and could not be polished away. He had tried very hard; in the past, when playing chess, it was either advancing the chariot or blindly pushing forward with the pawns. Who would use a defensive strategy? It would be better to go straight and scatter the enemy’s forces.

The second game, the red pieces moved first again.

"Don’t deliberately hide anything, one’s nature can’t be restrained by oneself, it requires release in order to be controlled."

Suddenly, Ye Tian’s heart felt like a bottle of mixed flavors had been overturned, with sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy emotions all bubbling up. He wasn’t a sentimental person, but he felt useless for being so easily seen through by someone else.

Perhaps inspired by Zuo Zhengyang’s words, Ye Tian set higher demands for himself. Outwardly, he released some of his fierce energy, but his Inner Strength was still managing his emotions, deftly maneuvering, advancing boldly. Anyone who understood chess could tell that Ye Tian’s play was too risky. There were a few moves that were regrettable and a close call to taking an advantage, but it was also very hard to notice. In the end, he was still too young.

The second game, Ye Tian still lost.

Zuo Zhengyang set up the chess pieces calmly, and Ye Tian also bowed his head in silence, the quartz chess pieces in his hand feeling so heavy.

It was a bland opening just like before, but this time, even Zuo Zhengyang did not expect that the person sitting opposite him would have hidden so deeply. Every move was a trap within a trap, the style of play was fierce and aggressive, advancing if possible, attacking ruthlessly, leaving no room for the enemy’s survival. Had it been a real enemy, the field would have already been strewn with corpses.

After a fierce battle, in the end, Ye Tian lost.

Only a few pieces were left on the board, and Ye Tian’s grand marshal was lying forlornly in his fortress, surrounded and suffocated to death by three soldiers. As Ye Tian maneuvered his last marshal desperately dodging within the fortress, Zuo Zhengyang knew this guy had limitless potential, yet his trials and tribulations would also be far greater than those of ordinary people.

Those who can fight to the last moment are not few. Remember the King of Chu, who still fought until his ultimate demise by suicide at the Wujiang River. But this, after all, is just a tragic hero. Describing him as a hero is being kind; to put it bluntly, it’s foolishness. But Ye Tian is different, Zuo Zhengyang saw a person who maximizes his own interests, what people often describe as ’killing a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred’, but in the end, you still net two hundred.

Just in time, Shen Xuepei came upstairs.

"Dinner is ready, come downstairs to eat. You old man are really something, what skill is there in bullying the younger generation?" Shen Xuepei stood behind Ye and looked at the chessboard as she spoke. Ye tried to stand up, but Shen Xuepei pressed down on his shoulders, and he couldn’t rise.

Muttering softly, Zuo Zhengyang said, "Playing chess is inherently about winning and losing, why are you glaring at me?"

The childish side that only surfaces in front of his wife.

"Alright, hurry and come down to eat. Ye, you go wash your hands first, I’ll tidy things up here. Your godfather is lazy, If I don’t clean up, this game of chess could stay here for a year."

Ye Tian laughed and went downstairs without joining in on the old couple’s playful bickering.

In the upstairs study, only Zuo Zhengyang and his wife were left. Shen Xuepei tidied the table in the study while Zuo Zhengyang sat motionless in front of the chessboard, intently pondering over the incomplete game they had just played with Ye Tian.

When Shen Xuepei came over to clear the chessboard, she was stopped by Zuo Zhengyang, "Leave it be for now, I need to thoroughly reflect on this game."

"Didn’t you win? Why do you still need to study it?" Shen Xuepei sat down in the chair across from him, looking down at the chessboard, she said softly, "Only one piece is left on the board, this child is quite stubborn."

"Ha, he’s more than just stubborn. This little guy is quite the trickster too. It’s not hard to win a game, but losing is difficult, especially losing in such a way that the opponent does not notice is even harder. In the second game, there were quite a few chances for him to capture my pieces, but he chose to feint and took a more aggressive approach. He thought I wouldn’t notice, but in truth, he was letting me win."

"Is he that good?"

"It’s not a matter of being good or not. Go can test a person’s overall perspective, and though chess is small in comparison, it best reflects one’s temperament. Choosing not to capture when you can reflects benevolence; not capturing when you should is foolishness. Your godson is not only decisive but meticulous, giving me a run for my money and then taking a detour to conceal his real intention. This ability, at his age, is extraordinary."

"So, you’re praising my godson then?"

Zuo Zhengyang tossed the chess piece he was holding onto the board, rubbed his hands, and laughed, "Of course, I am praising him. Otherwise, you’d have me kneel and wash clothes on a washboard."

"Stop fooling around, go wash your hands, it’s time to eat."

"Hehehehe..."

"Ye, this is a gift for you."

At the dining table, Shen Xuepei brought out two red boxes wrapped up and tied with yellow ribbons, looking lavish and elegant.

Ye Tian did not hesitate, stood up, and took them into his hands.

"Open it and have a look."

"Is that okay?"

Zuo Zhengyang, intent on eating, lifted his head and said, "This is your own home, no need for so many formalities. If your godmother tells you to open it, then open it. If you don’t like it, let her choose another and send it again."

Shen Xuepei gave him an annoyed glance, to which Zuo Zhengyang promptly continued wolfing down his food.

Ye Tian smiled and saw that Shen Xuepei was also looking forward to him opening the boxes, so he began to do so.

One was a Maitreya Buddha jade pendant, and the other, a piece of Mutton Fat Jade, round and plump, with a gentle color and a galloping horse design.

"Godmother, this is..."

"Don’t say you won’t accept it. It’s not for you," Shen Xuepei pointed at the green jade Maitreya Buddha and said, "This piece of jade is for your wife. Although I have not met her, I can imagine that anyone you set your eyes on would not be bad. A man wears a Guanyin and a woman wears a Buddha; this is for your wife. And that piece of Mutton Fat Jade, shaped like a horse, is quite pleasing and also makes a suitable gift. In the future, you’ll meet many people and deal with even more. But remember, don’t show mercy everywhere. There will only be a few people who are worth cultivating connections with. Don’t be seduced by appearances; you must learn to discern people."