As the saying goes, playing chess can hone a person's wisdom, courage, and strategy. Similarly, playing chess requires these qualities.
Ling Ruoke is not particularly cunning, and naturally lacks intelligence and strategic thinking. However, she has a great strength: when playing chess, she can completely ignore all external distractions, focusing solely on the game. Moreover, she is extremely patient and unhurried.
Huo Qingfeng looked at the chessboard and was secretly surprised. Even Gu Weiguo's eyes slowly revealed approval.
Only Ruoke was focused on the chessboard, her lips pressed tightly together in deep thought, completely unaware of the expressions on the faces of the other two.
Although Ruoke lost the game, her chess skills were quite good for her age.
"Little girl, not bad, not bad!" Old Gu praised repeatedly, chuckling.
Ling Ruoke returned the smile without offering any words of modesty or flattery. She thought to herself, "That's just how old people are; if you do something that pleases them, they become kind and lovable."
Huo Qingfeng was also very pleased. Gu Lao's words were tantamount to acknowledging Ruoke's abilities. People who had come from the battlefield were all true to their nature; once someone caught his eye, nothing else mattered.
"Grandpa, what's making you so happy?" Gu Miaomiao skipped in, followed by the quiet Gu Zhenzhen.
"Brother Huo!" Gu Miaomiao cried out in surprise upon seeing Huo Qingfeng and was about to rush over. But upon seeing the person sitting next to him, she immediately glared at him, her tone extremely unfriendly. "Grandpa, what's she doing here!"
Huo Qingfeng only regarded Gu Miaomiao as a little sister. Coupled with his relationship with Old Master Gu, he doted on her quite a bit. But if this affection hindered his relationship with Ruoke, then he would have to consider letting go.
“I brought her here. Old Master Gu is also my elder, so I brought my future daughter-in-law to pay her respects to him.”
"She's not! I'm Brother Huo's wife! Grandpa!" Gu Miaomiao rushed to Grandpa Gu's side, hugging his arm and acting coquettishly. "Grandpa, you said that Brother Huo is Miaomiao's husband, and Miaomiao is Brother Huo's wife, right? Right?"
Gu Weiguo patted his granddaughter's head, feeling a bit overwhelmed. "That was before. Now your brother Huo has the wife he wants, so even Grandpa can't stop him from getting married, can he?"
"I didn't tell him not to get married, but I told him to marry Miaomiao, Grandpa!"
Ling Ruoke's bittersweet feeling vanished suddenly. Looking at Gu Miaomiao, she realized she was just a child who didn't understand love, and her words were still so naive. The blame lay with the elders for their playful jokes, which backfired.
What Ling Ruoke cared about even more was Gu Zhenzhen. She was beautiful, generous, quiet, and gentle. Although she didn't declare it as loudly as Gu Miaomiao, as a woman, Ruoke could still tell: she also liked Huo Qingfeng!
If both sisters were her rivals in love, then Gu Zhenzhen was clearly a greater threat. Moreover, she still harbored resentment about what happened at the amusement park.
"Mr. Gu, it's getting late, we'll be going now. We'll visit you again when we have time!"
Huo Qingfeng nodded to Elder Gu and pulled Ruo Ke outside.
"Stop right there!" Gu Miaomiao refused to let him go, showing no sign of letting up.
Ling Ruoke turned around, but Huo Qingfeng led her towards the door.
Gu Miaomiao rushed forward like a rocket, blocking their path. She raised her hand and pointed at Ruo Ke.
"Brother Huo, don't be fooled by her! She's a bad woman! I saw her laughing and talking intimately with a man the other day. They must be doing something shady behind your back! My sister saw it too, you can ask her if you don't believe me!"
As the saying goes, "If you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear." Ruoke, ultimately concerned about Huo Qingfeng's feelings, couldn't help but look up at him.
Huo Qingfeng tightened his grip on her hand, seemingly trying to comfort her silently.
Gu Zhenzhen ran over and pulled Gu Miaomiao along, giving Ruoke an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I made it so you couldn't eat that day. Miaomiao is still young and a bit willful. Don't mind her. Brother Huo, I believe Ruoke didn't do anything to wrong you, so don't overthink it."
With that, he pulled the fierce-looking Gu Miaomiao back home.
Watching her retreating figure, Ling Ruoke suddenly felt a pang of unease. Didn't Gu Zhenzhen's words indirectly prove Gu Miaomiao's point? Was she well-intentioned, or was she doing it on purpose?
Will Huo Qingfeng believe me? Should I explain to him? Will he think I'm covering something up?
"Huo Qingfeng, I—"
"Qingfeng, call me Qingfeng." She's his woman, how can he call her so formally?
Ling Ruoke was a little confused by his train of thought. After a moment of stunned silence, she blushed and called out, "Qing...Qingfeng."
Huo Qingfeng pinched her cheek and raised an eyebrow. "My name isn't Qingfeng."
Ruoke couldn't help but laugh at his teasing. She knew in her heart that he hadn't taken the Gu sisters' words to heart. This trust softened Ruoke's heart. She couldn't help but hug his arm tightly and rest her head on it.
"The person I ran into that day was my college classmate, Tang Yue. He owns the famous Nuanting Pavilion in Z City. I'm all better now and don't want to be stuck with Pei Shi all the time, so I wanted to find a job. Nuanting Pavilion was hiring a pastry chef, so I applied and unexpectedly ran into him. Gu Miaomiao saw us having dinner together, and the little girl was quite angry."
“You don’t need to explain to me, I believe you.” With his talent for reconnaissance, he naturally trusted his own judgment of people.
Ling Ruoke stopped in front of him and looked up into his sharp eyes. "No, I still want you to know. The worst thing in a relationship is mutual suspicion, and I don't want that to happen to us."
Huo Qingfeng was in a good mood and lowered his head to peck her lips. "Then it's settled, any questions you have, you have to ask them clearly, you can't keep them bottled up inside and overthink them!"
"good!"
Having reached an agreement, the two smiled, held hands, and got into the dazzling Hummer. Before the car drove off, the man even stole a kiss.
A tall, slender figure stood by the floor-to-ceiling window on the second floor. Watching the car drive away, a sinister glint flashed in his eyes.
"Sister, why aren't you helping me? Why are you helping that bad woman instead!" Gu Miaomiao shouted angrily from the stairwell, still furious despite her grandfather's attempts to calm her down.
Gu Zhenzhen composed herself, put on a gentle smile, and reached out to pat her younger sister's head.
“I didn’t help her. In Brother Huo’s heart, she is a very good woman, and he wouldn’t believe what we say. Besides, we have no evidence to prove that she isn’t a good woman, right?”
Gu Miaomiao blinked her big eyes, then suddenly realized and tugged at her sleeve. "Sister, if we prove she's a bad woman, will Brother Huo stop liking her?"
Gu Zhenzhen looked down at her, smiling gently. "I guess so."
...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com