The referee announced the start of the match. Almost as soon as Qin Sui’an’s opponent made a move, she reached out her little hand and moved her pieces. Her speed was so fast that her opponent instantly became disoriented, wondering: Does this brat not need time to think when playing chess?
The opponent felt as though someone was urging him to move quickly, even though the little brat sitting across from him hadn’t said a word or even looked at him. This little brat must be deliberately trying to disrupt his psychology!
He put away his unnecessary thoughts and focused on the chessboard. But no matter how long he thought or pondered over his brilliant moves, Little One in front of him always quickly blocked his escape routes in the next instant. Beads of nervous sweat appeared on his forehead. This was definitely a psychological battle! There was no way he could lose to a little brat!
He tried hard to find a flaw in her moves on the chessboard but to no avail. How could this be...
The referee stood in the middle of their table, watching them play seriously. After Little One made another move, the referee held up a sign: "Qin Sui’an, Victory."
Qin Sui’an immediately climbed down from her chair and headed to the waiting area to rest. But the opponent stubbornly remained seated, unwilling to leave. "It’s impossible, I haven’t decided yet! I haven’t lost!" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
The referee, expressionless, stated, "Stalemate, no valid moves left."
"I don’t believe it!!!"
Seeing that he refused to concede, the referee called security to escort him away from the scene. In other parts of the venue, where matches were still ongoing, people couldn’t help but look over to see what was happening. They saw Little One sitting alone in the waiting area.
That was where only the winners could go; the losers were already gone. Participants subconsciously glanced at the time.
It had only been three minutes since the start of the match!
In other words, Little One, known as the little chess prodigy, had effortlessly defeated her opponent in three minutes!
Everyone felt the pressure increase instantly, but they also felt excited and conflicted. They hoped to encounter Little One and have a good game with her, but they also worried that if they faced her too soon, they might be eliminated without achieving a good ranking.
After the preliminary rounds ended, half of the people in the waiting area were gone. Some people, acting casually, sat around Little One’s chair.
"Hello, little one."
Qin Sui’an looked at them, blinked her round eyes, and replied softly in her milky voice, "Hello, big sister, big brother."
The break time for the competition was not long, so they simply asked her, "Little one, did Old Mr. Ji teach you chess?" Old Mr. Ji was famous and prestigious in the chess world, and it was said that he helped this three-year-old Little One register for the competition.
Qin Sui’an shook her little head. "No, it wasn’t Grandpa Ji."
They asked curiously, "Then who taught you?"
"Little one, you’re so good, is your master even better than you?"
Qin Sui’an thought of Great-Grandpa losing to her in those two chess games. Hmm... Great-Grandpa was indeed good. Seeing her hesitate to answer, furrowing her little eyebrows as if she had some difficulty, the others didn’t ask further and changed the subject.
The next round of the preliminaries began, followed by the semifinals, and finally, the last round of the finals.
There was no suspense; Qin Sui’an advanced all the way. Although she spent more time playing longer games with opponents who were pleasant and polite, she still won steadily. Even the most pleasant opponent couldn’t change the fact that there was no prize money in being pleasant~
Qin Sui’an’s goal was clear and straightforward. After the referee announced the rankings and she received her trophy and prize money, she happily ran to the audience seats to find her family.
"Daddy! Ann won!"
Qin Haochen greeted her, steadying himself to catch Little One as she leaped into his arms. Qin Sui’an happily lifted the red paper bag containing her prize money, her little face brimming with excitement and joy. "Prize money! I got it!"
"Ann is amazing!" Qin Haochen couldn’t help but kiss her soft little cheek, a proud smile spreading across his lips as he felt proud of Little One. Qin Sui’an shared the joy of her victory with her dad and then happily looked at her grandma and grandpa, unable to contain her joy as she said in her sweet milky voice, "Grandma, grandpa, Ann won! This is the prize money Ann won. It’s even more than last time!"
She blinked her round big eyes, which sparkled with brightness.
Old Madam Ye was infected by her joy and showed a fond smile. "Ann is very talented."
Old Master Ye also smiled, eyes squinting with pride. "Ann’s chess skills are really good! She even won so many people in a row!"
"Hehe." Qin Sui’an leaned against her dad’s chest, smiling happily.
Old Master Ye thought of the chess games he played with Little One before and felt a bit embarrassed. His chess skills were so poor; it was difficult for Little One to accompany him.
As the competition ended, it was lunchtime. Old Master Ye suggested taking Little One out for lunch. "There’s a nearby restaurant with good food. Ann, will you have lunch with us?"
Qin Sui’an nodded happily. "Sure!"
She sensed her dad’s sudden change in mood when her little hands wrapped around his neck. Confused, she furrowed her brows and lowered her voice. "Is Daddy going to be busy again?"
Qin Haochen didn’t immediately answer her question, remaining silent for a moment. Old Master Ye looked at his wife beside him, silently seeking her opinion. Old Madam Ye glanced at him before looking at Qin Haochen and said, "Let’s go together. Even if you’re busy, you still need to make time for meals."
Qin Sui’an readily agreed with her grandma’s words, vigorously nodding her little head and saying in her milky voice, "Daddy, grandma is right! Even if you’re busy, you have to eat!"
Qin Haochen smiled. "Okay, let’s eat together."
The restaurant was nearby, so they didn’t need to drive; they could walk there. Qin Haochen received a call midway, and Little One said she wanted to be held by her grandparents so her dad wouldn’t have to carry her while answering the phone.
Old Madam Ye took Little One from his arms and walked ahead slowly. Qin Sui’an pressed her little face against her grandma’s neck, occasionally looking back to see if her dad was still there.
Qin Haochen lagged a few steps behind them, lowering his voice as he answered the phone. Seeing Little One’s concerned gaze, he smiled at her.
Qin Sui’an relaxed and withdrew her gaze, snuggling back into her grandma’s arms. On the sidewalk, apart from Lucy and Jie Hansi following them, there were also several bodyguards "loitering" around them.
Old Madam Ye noticed Little One’s occasional hesitant expression and asked softly, "Ann, what’s wrong?"
Qin Sui’an pursed her little lips and spoke softly, her voice barely audible. "Grandma, can Ann ask you a question?"
Old Madam Ye gently rubbed her little head. "Of course, Ann, go ahead."
After pondering for a while, Little One spoke again in a small voice. "Grandma, do you dislike Daddy?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
