This realization was hard for Junxuan to accept. He didn't want Shen Yunxi to think of him this way, but it seemed that saying anything at this moment would be futile.
Shen Yunxi didn't expect that Junxuan would see her glaring at her, but for some reason she became very calm. She looked away and sat obediently as if nothing had happened.
Junxuan sighed helplessly and quickly looked away.
"Your Majesty, it's almost time. I'll have Granny Tian inform the Imperial Kitchen. There's nothing urgent right now, and Yunxi's legs aren't good for walking around. Why don't you two play a game of chess here?" the Empress Dowager said with a smile.
Junxuan was about to answer when Shen Yunxi spoke first.
"Your Majesty is too kind. Yunxi's chess skills are really not good. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she can't play at all. When have you ever seen Yunxi play chess with anyone in front of you?" Shen Yunxi refused with a smile.
Is it really true that you can't?
Of course not. Shen Yunxi simply didn't want to play chess with Jun Xuan, and didn't want to sit face to face with him. That's all.
Lu Wanqing liked to use chess as an excuse to ask Junxuan to play with her, but Shen Yunxi didn't like it. She had forced herself to learn chess in the past because she wanted to compete with Lu Wanqing. Both of them wanted to snatch Junxuan away to play against him. Now that was no longer necessary, Shen Yunxi also concealed the fact that she was quite good at chess.
It's better to avoid trouble than to get involved; it's best to avoid too much contact.
The Empress Dowager paused slightly, then suddenly realized that it seemed to be true. She hadn't really seen Shen Yunxi play chess much, so she decided not to force the issue.
Anyway, this game of chess wasn't absolutely necessary. She was just worried that Shen Yunxi and Jun Xuan would have nothing to do while waiting for their meal. Since Shen Yunxi didn't want to play, she wouldn't force her.
However, Junxuan did not want to let Shen Yunxi off so easily. Even though he had never actually played against her, Junxuan subconsciously felt that she was not incapable, but simply unwilling.
“Miss Shen, why belittle yourself? Didn’t you come to me a few months ago, saying you wanted to learn how to play chess from me? Why don’t you seize this opportunity now?” Jun Xuan asked in return, then chuckled, “If you don’t know how, I can teach you.”
Shen Yunxi immediately retorted, "Your Majesty, people always change. The time when I wanted to play chess with Your Majesty was before, not now."
"So, you just don't want to play chess with me, not that you don't know how, is that right? Or is it that Miss Shen is worried about losing too badly, so she's unwilling to play chess with me now? Should I think that way?" Junxuan asked again.
Shen Yunxi was speechless. She hadn't expected Jun Xuan to resort to such a provocative tactic, but Shen Yunxi actually fell for it.
She didn't care about others, but she just didn't want Junxuan to look down on her.
"Since Your Majesty is so eager to play chess with me, then I will gladly accept. However, I hope Your Majesty will not be offended if my chess skills are not up to par," Shen Yunxi said coldly.
Junxuan pretended not to notice Shen Yunxi's displeasure and replied with a smile, "It's fine if Miss Shen is willing. I won't force you, nor do I think Miss Shen's chess skills are that high. It's just for passing the time, so Miss Shen doesn't need to take it too seriously. Winning or losing doesn't matter to me."
Damn it, do you think I'm definitely going to lose?!
Shen Yunxi gritted her teeth and slowly moved to a couch in the front hall. It was a long couch used for receiving guests, with a chessboard on it. Inside the chessboard was a small table with tea and pastries.
"Your Majesty, please." Shen Yunxi hummed softly.
Seeing Shen Yunxi like this, Junxuan felt a little happy for some reason. He would rather she be angry with him than have her ignore him completely.
Jun Xuan, a smile playing on his lips, sat down opposite Shen Yunxi. "What would you like, Miss Shen?"
“Of course it’s a white piece. After all, I’m not ruthless, Your Majesty, wouldn’t you agree?” Shen Yunxi asked with a cold smile.
"Tsk, according to Miss Shen, that means I'm suited to being a hater. What, am I the one who's more ruthless?" Jun Xuan said with a smile.
Seeing the standoff between the two, the Empress Dowager suddenly felt that she was not quite suited to stay in this place and should go further away, otherwise it seemed that she was disturbing the two of them.
After thinking for a moment, the Empress Dowager silently got up and walked towards her bedchamber, leaving the front hall to the two of them.
Junxuan noticed the Empress Dowager's departure, and he couldn't deny that he felt a little relieved. It was good that the Empress Dowager wasn't here, and he didn't need to pretend anymore. He could just treat Shen Yunxi according to his own thoughts.
Shen Yunxi didn't notice that at this moment, she was already holding a white chess piece in her fingertips. "Black goes first, then white. Your Majesty, you can go first."
"Alright, there's no going back now. I'll take my leave." As he spoke, Jun Xuan had already placed a black piece.
Without any hesitation, Shen Yunxi placed the white piece in her hand.
Back and forth they went, and soon there were quite a few pieces on the board. The black and white pieces didn't seem to have much of a chance to win or lose, and there was a clear situation of evenly matched strength. Shen Yunxi really didn't hold back at all.
However, because of this, Junxuan also had a different feeling in his heart.
It was because every move Shen Yunxi made seemed to be aimed at him, disregarding his own game and not even bothering to defend, and seemed to know his habits very well.
"Miss Shen seems to harbor resentment towards me?" Jun Xuan suddenly spoke up.
Shen Yunxi was startled and placed a white piece, but not in the position she had in mind. The black and white pieces, which were originally evenly matched, now clearly had the upper hand.
"Your Majesty, you did this on purpose, didn't you?" Shen Yunxi was speechless. She hadn't expected Jun Xuan to be such a petty person, actually using this method to divert her attention. He really would stop at nothing to win.
He's such a scoundrel! How come she never knew Junxuan had this side to him?
Junxuan, however, remained calm. “Miss Shen, what do you mean by this? What am I doing? It is Miss Shen who has raised a question in my mind. I wonder if Miss Shen would be so kind as to clear it up for me?”
Shen Yunxi gritted her teeth. It was unlikely that she could win this round against Jun Xuan, so she immediately turned her gaze to Jun Xuan.
"Your Majesty, please speak freely. I will answer all your questions without reservation. I only hope that Your Majesty will not make any more small moves to disturb my peace of mind. Losing the game is nothing. I believe Your Majesty is a man who can accept defeat, is that right?" Shen Yunxi said.
Junxuan glanced at Shen Yunxi with an inscrutable look, then turned his gaze to the chessboard, a gentle smile returning to his face.
"I can certainly afford to lose, but I vaguely remember Miss Shen saying that she had no feelings for me anymore and had let go of everything. But why does Miss Shen know my habits so well? She can even detect my every move and lay an ambush beforehand. Is she trying to kill me without leaving a trace? Or...? If I didn't know Miss Shen's attitude towards me, I would really misunderstand. Is it possible that you, Miss Shen, still have feelings for me?"
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