Chapter 177 (One Hundred and Seventy-Sixth Chapter) (Comic Plot)...
Following Lin Cai's gaze, the person who spoke was wearing an elegant brocade robe, with jet-black hair. Under the bright lights of the banquet hall inside the small building, his features appeared even more relaxed.
【！！！】
My wife looks absolutely stunning in this outfit! She's the epitome of a graceful lady, she's captured it perfectly!
A great face needs no words.
Putting everything else aside, this is the first time Yanlan has proactively called Director Yan "sister" in the comics, right?! Wow, that's so cool!
After Yanlan spoke, the entire banquet hall fell silent, and the noise came to an abrupt halt.
Countless gazes fell upon Yanlan, filled with surprise, doubt, and subtle probing.
Taking advantage of the fact that everyone's attention was diverted by Yan Lan, Lin Cai slightly turned to the side, dodged the probing of the waiters at the door, and slipped into the long corridor on one side of the banquet hall.
She paused for a moment in the middle of the corridor, her gaze sweeping over the surrounding doorways, seemingly trying to determine her direction. Then, having found her bearings, she walked purposefully towards a room.
The banquet hall was now in chaos due to Yan Lan's appearance. Inside the room, however, a person sat at a table near the back, on which lay an unfinished chess game.
The woman held a black chess piece between her fingers, her gaze fixed on the board, yet she remained listless and didn't make a move.
Her long, curly hair was braided into an exquisite plait, adorned with vibrant red flowers that had once graced the small building in front of it. The contrast between her striking blue-purple hair color and the plait only amplified the sense of oppression and danger emanating from her.
Lin Cai stopped a short distance away from the woman, raised her eyes slightly, and called out, "Principal."
Christie smiled and said, "Little friend, come play a game of chess with me."
Who is this? What a cool older sister!
A new wife has appeared, how can I stand still?
I only have one question now: how come Lin Cai seems to know everyone and everything?
[If it's just a single protagonist's rebirth, it's rare but not unheard of in shonen manga. But Lin Cai doesn't seem to qualify as a rebirth?]
Yes, two Lin Cais are appearing alternately; the reborn Lin Cai has not replaced the current Lin Cai.
Lin Cai pulled out a chair, sat down opposite Christie, took a deep breath, and looked up into her eyes: "Principal, is it still your usual routine?"
"You will grant any request as long as I can win by half a point."
“Oh?” Christie picked up the remaining chess pieces from the board one by one and put them back in the chess basket, her movements calm and elegant with a touch of nonchalance. “You know this.”
"Then you should know that there are consequences for losing, right?" she said lightly.
Lin Cai lowered her eyes, her fingertips curling slightly, but she quickly relaxed them, her tone unwavering: "Yes, I know. If I lose, I will voluntarily dedicate ten years of my life to you."
“You know what this means,” Christie said, propping her head up with her hand. “A human’s life is very short. What I’m taking away is ten years of your best years.”
"Aging will happen in an instant, youth will fade, and strength will decline."
Lin Cai remained certain: "I know."
This woman gives me a really dangerous feeling.
[Lin Cai is finally starting to look like a protagonist from a shonen manga; she's no longer just a simple cameraman. Protagonist fans are overjoyed!]
[As is typical of shonen manga, Principal, you know absolutely nothing about the protagonist.]
[If the old thief can draw a lot of enjoyable manga centered around the main character, he should draw more of those; they're good and people love to read.]
“In that case,” Christie said, picking up all the pieces from the board and pushing the basket of black pieces next to Lin Caishou. “Let’s begin.”
Black goes first.
Lin Cai slowly placed a piece on the chessboard.
The room was quiet, making the sounds outside all the more distinct. The nobles were loudly proclaiming their misdeeds, accompanied by the clear, continuous crackling of lighters being lit.
Lin Cai and Christie both made their moves very quickly.
[Just by reading this narration, I can imagine how lively the banquet hall must be right now. Is Yanlan here to cause trouble because he and Director Yan weren't invited to the banquet? Hahahaha]
I'm greedy; I want to see the outcome of Lin Cai's chess game with the principal, and I also want to see Lanlan.
My wife looks absolutely gorgeous in this outfit today! I wish it would stay on her body forever.
After Lin Cai placed another piece, Christie stopped playing with some surprise: "Huh?"
At this moment, the black and white pieces on the chessboard were intertwined, filling all the squares and completely sealing off the last bit of room for maneuver. The piece she was about to place was now suspended in mid-air.
Although I can't understand it, the old thief actually drew a detailed chess game.
I have a bad feeling. Given the current situation, Lin Cai is going to lose. Hei Zi has been consistently at a disadvantage; if they had the ability to turn the tide, they shouldn't be forced into this situation.
"Seriously?! This is a shonen manga. Lin Cai has been acting like a security camera the whole time. Shouldn't she have at least the presence a main character should have?"
Christie's smile faded, and she looked at the chessboard with genuine seriousness.
Lin Cai, playing black, had the first move but was constantly being suppressed by Lin Cai. She hadn't expected that Lin Cai was aiming for a suicidal outcome.
The black and white stones are tightly packed together, all ko fights are over, and all liberties are filled. The game is over, and the black and white pieces are completely locked in their positions.
According to the rules, all pieces on the board must be counted, and the final score comparison will determine the winner.
Christie's fingers traced patterns on the chessboard, calculating. She raised an eyebrow, her smile deepening.
"Interesting...it actually beat me by half a point." Christie leaned back in her chair and tossed the chess piece back into the chess basket. "Alright, tell me, what is your wish?"
[That was an incredible play! I need to find a friend to review this game with me.]
[I don't understand it, but Lin Cai definitely won. I knew that in the world of shonen manga, the protagonist gets what he wants.]
[A 7-dan professional Go player. This move is simply divine. Lin Cai has the ability to calculate a seemingly hopeless situation and win by half a point; why didn't she just beat the principal outright?]
Lin Cai's fingertips trembled slightly as she held the chess piece, and her palms were sweaty.
She slowly exhaled, closed her eyes, and here, the comic panel shifted, inserting a flashback.
It was a bright and sunny afternoon.
Lin Cai carried a slightly worn bag and quietly searched through the ruins with practiced ease.
[What? I was playing chess, how did the scene switch to Lin Cai picking up trash?]
[Is this Lin Cai's memory from before his rebirth? Does it include my wife (a puppy carrying a rose)?]
After the surface world and the inner world merged, many streets in the surface world were deserted. The original residents had already fled in panic with their necessities, seeking a place that might be safe to stay.
Some less essential items were naturally left behind. For example, a chessboard.
Lin Cai was stunned for a moment, then excitedly pulled the chessboard from under the rubble. She carefully wiped the dusty surface with her sleeve until the wood grain became clear again. She examined it carefully and found that when the chessboard was folded in half, the set of chess pieces sandwiched in the center was almost intact. Her eyes lit up immediately.
Carrying her bag and a chessboard, she jogged back to the makeshift shed she and Yanlan had built.
The small shack stands on the street corner, supported by a few crooked metal poles, and surrounded by plastic sheeting and wooden planks salvaged from the ground. Despite its simplicity, it is structurally stable and will not collapse suddenly.
The sunlight cast long shadows, and Yanlan sat quietly on the wooden crate by the door. She wore a slightly loose long-sleeved shirt, her black hair cascading loosely over her shoulders, her gaze fixed on a distant, empty ruin, lost in thought.
【really】
In Lin Cai's reborn memories, Yan Lan is so composed, almost indistinguishable from Director Yan.
[I feel like in the flashback, when Yanlan and Yanju are standing together, it's impossible to tell them apart. Two identical faces side-by-side, asking me who to choose. Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh!]
Children make choices; adults want both.
It's not even dark yet, why are you already dreaming?
"Lanlan!" Lin Cai called out excitedly, her voice filled with joy.
Yanlan's beautiful eyes snapped out of their reverie as she turned her head to look at Lin Cai: "Lin Cai."
"Ta-da!" Lin Cai proudly presented the chessboard from behind her back, "Look what I found today! We can play chess now."
The game of chess slowly unfolded.
Yanlan played white. As usual, she was nonchalant when playing chess. She lightly picked up a white piece with her fingertips, spun it on the board, and then lazily placed it down.
Lin Cai stared at the chessboard, her brows furrowed slightly, and her lips pursed: "Lanlan, you're letting me win."
"No." Yanlan chuckled, picked up another white piece, and with a deft twist of her wrist, placed it in a corner of the chessboard. "I won."
The game is over.
Lin Cai paused, looked down at the chessboard, and exclaimed, her eyes widening, "Isn't this a dead end? Wait, something's not right..."
Her gaze swept across the chessboard, her mind quickly calculating the points. Finally, after counting the last point, she looked up in surprise: "Exactly half a point?"
Yanlan rested her chin on her hand, her expression still nonchalant: "Hmm."
"Lanlan," Lin Cai drawled, her voice tinged with curiosity, "how did you do that?"
Yanlan chuckled softly: "Look..."
The memory abruptly ended, frozen between Yanlan's brows.
So Lin Cai used Yan Lan's method to set a deadly trap and scheme against the principal?
[In Lin Cai's reborn memories, Yan Lan is indeed the ultimate white moonlight, so meticulous and cunning, it's impossible not to be moved.]
Lin Cai snapped out of her reverie and opened her eyes to look at Christie: "Principal, I hope you can replace my heart while preserving my life."
Christie raised an eyebrow: "You want to remove your current heart and replace it?" She looked Lin Cai up and down. "Your heart doesn't seem to have any problems. What kind of replacement are you looking for?"
Lin Cai slowly placed her right hand on her chest, her palm against the spot where her heart was beating.
The Heart of Light should belong to Lanlan.
Therefore, Lin Cai decided to return the Heart of Light to Lanlan.
Lin Cai: "My heart is now the Heart of Light. I wish to have the Heart of Light removed and replace it with anything. But Principal, this is a promise you made, so I understand that I can leave intact with the Heart of Light removed."
What is Lin Cai saying?
This might be the first protagonist in a shonen manga to dissect himself.
So the old thief gave Lin Cai a cheat code!
[Did the reborn Lin Cai ask the current Lin Cai's opinion before removing her own heart? I always feel it's strange for a protagonist to retain two consciousnesses.]
[Like a split personality: ()]
Christie's interest grew even stronger: "The heart of light was in you all along, no wonder."
"Yes." Lin Cai raised her eyes, her tone without the slightest hesitation, and then added, word by word, "And no third living being knows about this."
The wording in this sentence is extremely emphasized.
Christie looked at her, and after a moment, chuckled softly.
"Fine." She propped her cheek up with her hand. "A bet's a bet."
As they were talking, a loud "boom" suddenly came from outside, and then the dome of the banquet hall suddenly exploded.
Architectural fragments scattered, revealing the deep and vast night sky, where fireworks bloomed, their brilliant lights forming a giant pink heart.
As expected of Yanlan.
[At the scene, it was my wife who set off the fireworks to express her love for me (I kissed her, kissed her, kissed her)]
Even dreams should have boundaries.
[Laughing so hard! Lin Cai is nervously confronting and scheming against the principal, while Yan Lan is outside happily causing trouble and even setting off fireworks. It's obvious who the main character is.]
After the fireworks exploded, Christie stood up and said, "I have to go now. Little one, if you ever decide to take a heart, just come find me under the Throne of Death."
“I know you’ve been there.”
After saying that, she opened the window of the room, stepped onto the window frame, jumped out, and then her figure disappeared into the darkness.
That concludes this discussion.
At the end, the familiar chibi version of Lin Cai sits on the "To be continued" subtitle, holding a miniature chessboard.
Moonlight streamed through the window and fell softly on Yan Shi, highlighting her features. Only then did Yan Shi vaguely remember that there was a semi-transparent veil over her eyes.
What is Claire trying to convey by suddenly releasing a storyline about Lin Cai making a deal with Christie at this point in time?
Author's note: I missed it, I'm too late QAQ
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
