Yan Yi

The next day, as dawn broke, a warm early summer breeze accompanied by the gentle caress of the sun caressed our faces.

Luxury cars lined the front of the Lin family's house, and guests, dressed in their finest attire, entered the banquet hall in small groups.

Inside the hall, a crystal chandelier hung high, its dazzling light spilling through the curtains and filling the room. The air was filled with the subtle aroma of wine, and everyone chatted and socialized side by side, creating a lively atmosphere.

The atmosphere in the back room was frozen solid.

Lin Jianye sat upright in the main seat, holding a solid wood cane. His face was unpleasant, and his lowered eyes gleamed with displeasure.

The butler advised in a low voice, "Although the Shen family members are not present, their gifts are valuable and clearly carefully selected, each one worth a fortune."

"Hmph." Lin Jianye glared at his son imperceptibly, then waved for the butler to leave.

Lin Haoyu pursed his lips, then reluctantly walked over and explained in a low voice, "Manman wasn't feeling well, that's why she didn't come."

Lin Jianye scolded, dissatisfied: "If you could win her heart, even if she's unhappy, she should still show up and give you gifts today." He paused, then tilted his head suspiciously, "Did you two have another fight?"

"Who can stand that spoiled brat's temper?" Lin Haoyu glanced at his father's face and saw that his anger had intensified. He muttered an attempt to salvage the situation, "I'll go find her right now and beg her to come over no matter what. I'll let her do whatever she wants, okay?"

Originally intended to anger her father, she ended up getting angrier and angrier as she spoke: "I just don't understand, do you really think the Shen family would look up to us? They probably treat me like a dog that they can summon and dismiss at will, and behind my back they're probably saying I'm a toad trying to eat swan meat."

Lin Jianye was so angry that he glared and puffed out his beard: "What do they say about you? Will you lose a piece of your flesh? Being able to form a marriage alliance with the Shen family will bring you many benefits in the future. Besides, if you really marry Shen Manman, who will dare to say anything against you in the future?"

"They never respected me from the bottom of their hearts."

"That's because you're not standing high enough."

"Ha, you think you're so high up." Lin Haoyu raised his chin towards the door, his voice low and angry. "In front of others, they praise you to the skies, but behind your back, who doesn't say you betrayed your master and ancestors? Manman has asked me several times if it's true."

"Bang!" Lin Jianye was furious and slammed the table.

The tea soup rippled and trembled for a long time without stopping.

He banged his cane hard: "Of course it's fake. Do they have any evidence? If anyone dares to talk nonsense again, we'll take them to court and make an example of them."

"Whatever." Lin Haoyu tightened his tie in frustration, straightened his suit, and walked towards the back door.

"Come back here!" Lin Jianye shouted, leaning on his cane.

The butler entered from the door: "Yan Yi is here."

Lin Jianye pounded his chest, closed his eyes, and sighed, "I really spoiled him rotten."

The butler lowered his head and remained silent.

Lin Jianye caught his breath and asked, "Where is Yan Yi?"

"Flower Corridor".

Lin Jianye dropped his cane and headed straight for the flower corridor.

The garden is filled with fragrance but no one cares to look at it; deep within the flower corridor stands a five-cornered pavilion.

Yan Yi's face was covered by a thin veil. She leaned against the railing, leisurely enjoying the scenery. A sky-blue halter dress hung down gracefully, and a round fan of the same color in her hand was gently waving.

Her hair cascaded down her back, and her porcelain-white shoulders and neck were faintly visible as she moved.

"Teacher Yan," Lin Jianye called softly from afar, his polite demeanor a stark contrast to his behavior in the back room.

Yan Yi glanced back slightly, closed her fan, and nodded gently. Her movements were elegant and charming. She slowly poured Lin Jianye a cup of tea and gestured with both hands to invite him.

Her voice was like a gentle stream: "Just call me Yan Yi."

The two men, one standing and one sitting, spoke and moved with composure, appearing more like the owners of this flower corridor than Lin Jianye.

Lin Jianye bent down, offered the tea with both hands, and said with a forced smile, "I'm so sorry, I haven't been able to entertain you properly."

Yan Yi: "I heard that the Shen family sent a congratulatory gift. I thought that Elder Lin was probably busy, so I came over by myself first. I hope I didn't delay Elder Lin."

Lin Jianye chuckled awkwardly and nodded, but didn't reply.

Yan Yi narrowed his eyes, played with the tea set in his hand, and continued, "The Shen family has already sent congratulatory gifts, so the Lu family must be just around the corner. Congratulations!"

Lin Jianye coughed lightly and changed the subject: "I haven't thanked Teacher Yan for the gift yet. Such precious chess pieces must be very valuable. It's a pity to give them to me. I feel unworthy of them."

"Chess pieces are not distinguished by their value. Even the best chess piece will only lower its grade if it falls into the hands of someone who doesn't know its worth. Even the worst chess piece can still play its role in the hands of a master."

Lin Jianye's smile froze for a moment: "Teacher Yan, you've gone to so much trouble."

As the two were chatting, the butler quickly walked over and whispered something in Lin Jianye's ear. The smile in Lin Jianye's eyes froze for a moment, and then he stood up, smiled and said goodbye. Before leaving, he told Yan Yi not to be reserved and to feel free to stroll around the garden.

Yan Yi leaned back lazily, raising her eyes to watch Lin Jianye walk away quickly, as if she could hear the butler saying that she was impolite.

She smiled indifferently and was about to get up when her phone rang, stopping her in her tracks.

Seeing that no one was around, he answered the call.

"Gu Nan! I'm not joking with you. I agreed to the bet, and I'll admit defeat if I lose."

She put her phone away and stared down at the silently increasing call duration.

Speechless.

Speechless.

She couldn't understand how someone could be so stubborn.

He waved his fan vigorously: "A bag of spicy strips, I'll sell it to you."

"What's the meaning?"

Gu Nan pursed her lips into a straight line, then suddenly remembered that she was wearing makeup, so she rolled her eyes instead: "Go out downstairs now, turn left and go to the supermarket to buy me a bag of 'One-Tendon' spicy strips for 50 cents, and the vice president position will be yours."

"ah?"

Are you happy?

"you……"

"Okay, you're happy now, I'm hanging up."

"Hey...wait a minute."

"explain."

"Thank you for that day."

"?"

I said, "Thank you!"

Gu Nan asked, puzzled, "What's wrong with you this time?"

After waiting for a while without hearing a reply, I picked up my phone and saw that the call had already ended.

Gu Nan scratched her ear, not understanding, and sent a message to Ji Yuanyu.

What does Sudi want to thank me for?

The fan swayed, but before Ji Yuanyu could reply, the sound of wind carried the commotion to the depths of the bamboo forest.

The sound was faint and indistinct, and could not be heard clearly.

Gu Nan had no intention of prying into other people's privacy. She put her phone back in her mouth and left the pavilion without looking to the side.

The faster she walked, the clearer the argument became. After a few steps, her legs felt like they were weighed down with lead, and she finally stopped. She shook her head and turned back towards the source of the sound.

Deep in the bamboo forest, Lin Haoyu, dressed in a suit, his thick eyebrows filled with disdain, lowered his head and reprimanded the woman in front of him.

The woman gripped his clothes tightly, her expression contorted, and screamed hysterically.

Gu Nan walked forward a step, her sky-blue dress blending seamlessly with the lush bamboo forest. She held her breath and listened intently to the two arguing.

Lin Haoyu: "Put your hands on your conscience and ask yourself, after being with me for so long, what have I done to deserve this? If it weren't for my help, would your father's illness have been cured so quickly? Would your family be living the life you have now? You've been living the high life with me for three years, do you really want to rely on me for the rest of your life?"

The woman's voice trembled as she pointed to her chest and asked, word by word, "Me, clinging to you? What do you mean, 'I'm clinging to you'? You were the one who wanted me to be with you, you were the one who said you couldn't live without me, you were the one who begged me not to leave! Me, after your money? I didn't know anything about your family background when we got together, how could I possibly be after your money?"

"Now that you know, what do you think makes you a good match for me?"

The woman grabbed his collar in disbelief: "Three years, Lin Haoyu, in your eyes, are my three years so worthless?"

"If it weren't for me, could you have lived a good life for three years?"

“If I had known you were this kind of person, even if I had gone to collect garbage, beg, or do other things for the past three years…” The woman choked up and didn’t finish her sentence, “I still wouldn’t have agreed to be with you.”

The wind swayed the green bamboo, and the woman swayed precariously in the wind.

"Tch." Lin Haoyu walked around her and prepared to leave.

The woman reached out and grabbed his trouser leg, her voice filled with despair: "For the past three years, you've always said you were busy and asked me to understand. What have you been busy with? Busy trying to win over the eldest daughter of the Lin family? If you like the eldest daughter of the Lin family, why did you propose to me in the first place?"

The woman pulled him to his feet, tears streaming down her face, and asked, "What am I to you? What do you take me for?"

Lin Haoyu raised his hand and gently pushed the woman, who stumbled and fell to the ground.

"You were going to sell them outside anyway, but do you think they'd be as generous as me?"

"Smack."

After a half-second silence, Lin Haoyu kicked the woman to the ground, half-squatted down, grabbed her by the neck, and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "You've got some nerve, daring to hit me?"

"Young Master Lin, what brings you here?"

Gu Nan walked out of the bamboo forest and slowly adjusted her long skirt.

A gentle breeze lifted the hem of her dress as she stood amidst the bamboo grove, ethereal and otherworldly.

Lin Haoyu looked up, his expression shifting several times before finally forcing an extremely unpleasant smile. He released his grip, stood up, and smoothed out the wrinkles in his suit: "What are you doing here, Teacher Yan?"

Gu Nan smiled slightly: "The Lin residence is too big, I got lost." She glanced at the woman slumped on the ground, then turned to Lin Haoyu, "Young Master Lin, could you have someone take me there? The ceremony is about to begin."

"certainly."

Lin Haoyu lifted his foot, spat at the woman under his breath, then looked up with a fawning smile on his face: "Last time, Teacher Yan left in a hurry and I didn't get a chance to properly ask him for advice on chess. This time, you must stay a few more days."

Gu Nan glanced at the woman and asked Lin Haoyu, "Isn't the other one coming along?"

"She's crazy, ignore her."

Gu Nan waved her fan but smiled without saying a word. She looked away, and the two returned to the main hall together.

Praises filled the hall. When Lin Jianye saw her enter, he stood up to greet her and introduced Yan Yi to everyone.

Another round of flattery ensued.

"It's Teacher Yan Yi!"

"I actually met Teacher Yan Yi in person!"

"Teacher Yan Yi, I really admire your chess skills. Would you like to play a game with me sometime?"

"Teacher Yan Yi, can we take a picture together?"

"Teacher Yan Yi, may you remove your veil?"

"Teacher Yan Yi, Teacher Yan Yi," a young girl shouted, raising her right hand. "I'm from the first team of the chess association. Can I get your autograph? My captain really likes you."

Team One? Team Leader?

Gu Nan pursed her lips, recalling Ye Xu's cold face in her mind. She lifted her eyelids and smiled brightly: "That's such a pity for your colleague."

Lin Jianye kept his eyes down and remained silent, refusing to agree even when asked, but a sense of pride suddenly arose in his heart.

Most geniuses in the world have their own tempers. They don't care about the other person's status. Once they set their sights on someone, they will treat that person with all their heart, even if that person has a bad reputation. But if they don't like someone, they will discard them like trash, even if that person is a high-ranking official.

It's quite a coincidence that Yan Yi is the only genius in the chess world, and even more coincidentally, this genius only agrees to discuss chess games with him face-to-face.

He greeted everyone, "I'm so sorry, Professor Yan Yi is my guest. Please give me face and don't make things difficult for Professor Yan Yi."

Gu Nan silently scoffed, then turned to examine the entire long cabinet.

The cabinet is sealed with heavy glass and contains works carved from straw. The works are diverse and bizarre, the most eye-catching of which is the carving of the corner tower of the Forbidden City, which is sealed with glass on all four sides.

The corner tower is small and elegant, lifelike, and so exquisite that you can see each tiny door that is only three or five centimeters long. What is even more amazing is that this corner tower, which exudes luxury and nobility, is made of straw alone, without any other accessories.

The realism is breathtaking.

Lin Jianye walked up behind her and introduced her to everyone.

“This is a work by my late teacher, Mr. Xue. He devoted his life to the study of straw carving. If it weren’t for that fire, maybe now…” He choked up at one point, “My apprentice and I will definitely carry forward the straw carving tradition and comfort my late teacher’s spirit in heaven.”

The apprenticeship ceremony began amidst everyone's obsequious flattery. Lin Jianye sat on a high platform, looking down at his apprentices as they followed the ritual of taking tea and becoming his disciples.

The audience below the stage resounded with drums and music, showering them with flattery.

The scene was so grand that it seemed as if Lin Jianye had reached the pinnacle of power.

Gu Nan sat silently in the spot closest to the corner tower. She looked at Lin Jianye with a dark expression, lost in thought.

After the ceremony, Lin Jianye went back to change his clothes.

The crowd's attitude changed again.

"It is said that he started that fire, and poor Mr. Xue and his entire family perished in the flames."

"Isn't he Mr. Xue's apprentice?"

"Outsiders wouldn't even be able to get their hands on him. Master Xue only took on this one disciple in his entire life, and he risked the lives of his whole family for it."

"What a pity, what a pity, Mr. Xue's only son also perished in that fire."

"Not only that, the old man also had a little granddaughter who was extremely talented, but she also died in that fire."

"Then... the whole family was wiped out?"

"Not only that, but even Mr. Xue's daughter-in-law's family suffered a terrible fate. I heard they died in a car accident while holding Mr. Xue's funeral? What a coincidence."

"It's been so many years, it's hard to tell what's true and what's false."

"If Mr. Xue had known before his death that his act of kindness in taking on a disciple would lead to the deaths of his entire family, I wonder if he would have regretted it."

"It's too late to regret it now."

"Lin Jianye regards Mr. Xue as an ancestor, Mr. Xue's son as his senior brother, and Mr. Xue's granddaughter is listed as his adopted daughter on a memorial tablet. It's not too heartless of him."

"What use are honors after death if a person cannot live?" Gu Nan stood up and walked towards the door, replying calmly.

“That makes sense,” the man said, turning around. “Teacher Yan Yi likes that corner tower.”

“It’s very exquisite.” Gu Nan shrugged and joked, “I really want to meet that old gentleman.”

"That's not allowed."

Amidst laughter and chatter, Gu Nan left with his hands behind his back.

The round fan was abandoned in a corner, covered in dust.

Before leaving, she casually sent someone to inform Lin Jianye that she had to go ahead.

Around the corner, the woman, looking disheveled, was shoved out through the back door.

Their eyes met.

The woman's lips twitched slightly, and she greeted him politely, "Teacher Yan."

Gu Nan watched her retreating figure, pondered for a moment, and asked, "Would you like to learn chess?"