Chapter 138: An Unexpected Game of Chess

There was no white, iron-barred building in the courtyard. Instead, there was only a small bungalow that looked like any ordinary home. If Song Wanning hadn’t known in advance, she never would have guessed this was a nursing hospital.

The three of them walked through a long corridor and were about to enter the house when a young man in his early twenties rushed out. Seeing Old Master Wen standing there safe and sound, the young man finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Old Master, so you were here. You really scared me! Didn't you just say you were going inside for a nap? Why did you come back from outside, and why have you changed your clothes?"

"My grandson came over, so I went to meet him," Old Master Wen said with a smile, moving to step past him into the house.

Only then did the young man notice Wen Jingxing behind the old man. He immediately called out, "Young Master Wen, why are you here? This is..." He then noticed the camera nearby and pointed at it with a puzzled expression.

Wen Jingxing said, "Dr. Sun, don't mind it. This is our work. My grandfather is getting on in years; you should walk a bit slower so you don't bump into him."

Dr. Sun nodded quickly. "Yes, yes, of course. I just realized the Old Master was missing and was a bit too anxious."

"It's fine. Go back to what you were doing. I’ll take care of my grandfather today."

"Understood."

Song Wanning asked, "Is he the doctor treating your grandfather? He's so young."

"He's just one of them. He also takes care of my grandfather's daily needs."

"I see," she nodded.

The Old Master, who had already stepped inside, came back out to call them in. "Hurry up, come inside and sit down."

Song Wanning replied, "Okay!" and followed Wen Jingxing into the house.

Once inside, Song Wanning looked at the calligraphy and paintings covering the walls and realized that the old man’s interests went far beyond just tinkering with grindstones. She had already asked Wen Jingxing, and he confirmed that all the works on the walls were painted by his grandfather himself. She looked at them one by one, discovering that the old man’s calligraphy was bold and powerful, while his paintings were mostly of animals, brought to life with vibrant colors.

Seeing Song Wanning studying his work, the Old Master smiled. "Do you like them? Pick whatever you want and take it with you!"

Song Wanning had come empty-handed, so she naturally couldn't accept them. She declined immediately, "Thank you for the kind offer, Grandfather. Your calligraphy and paintings are beautiful, but I don't have a place to hang them yet. When I do, I’ll come back and ask you for one, alright?"

Old Master Wen thought to himself, the Song family home is so large, how could there not be space? Still, he figured Song Wanning was probably just being modest. This child was still the same as before—always refusing his gifts. Was her personality really that shy? Such a wonderful girl; he would have to tell Jingxing to treat her well.

The two talked about the artwork for a long time. The audience in the livestream was thrilled.

[The Young Master's grandfather is so kind! He has no airs of a superior at all.]
[And from his eyes and actions, you can tell he really likes Song Wanning.]
[I have to say, Song Wanning is so lucky! A childhood neighbor turns out to be a wealthy CEO when he grows up!]
[You have to have the background to begin with; Song Wanning's mother was also part of the capital's elite circle!]

When they got tired of talking, they sat in the courtyard to drink tea, with Dr. Sun occasionally bringing out food and drinks. Wen Jingxing brought his laptop to catch up on some work, but before long, he was stopped and nagged by the old man. Seeing the way the old man kept fussing, Song Wanning could easily imagine the scene where he had threatened to go on a hunger strike to get his way with Wen Jingxing. Although Wen Jingxing looked a bit miserable, it was truly hilarious. Song Wanning covered her mouth to hide her giggles.

Seeing this, the Old Master confiscated Wen Jingxing's laptop. "Since you finally brought Wanning to see me, why don't you play a game with me instead!"

He didn't wait for their consent; Dr. Sun had already brought out a board game. At first, Song Wanning thought it would be something like Chinese chess or Go. But when Dr. Sun unfolded the game paper on the table and brought out three little figurines and a die, she realized she had overthought it.

The Old Master said, "Of course, a game without stakes is boring, so..." He paused, waiting for Wen Jingxing or Song Wanning to respond.

Wen Jingxing replied, "Grandfather, you are the head of the house here, so you set the rules."

The Old Master stroked his short beard happily. "The rule is: whoever wins the game can command one of the other participants to fulfill one of their wishes. The game is simple: whoever's figurine reaches the finish line first wins. The rules are written on the paper, we just need to roll the dice and move accordingly."

Hearing this, Song Wanning’s brows twitched. A bad premonition arose, but she said, "Okay, Grandfather, you go first."

The Old Master was eager to start. He picked up the dice and rolled. He dared to set such a rule because he was confident he could win. He had played hundreds of games against the old man in the neighboring courtyard and had perfected his dice-rolling technique. Today, he was determined to beat the two of them!

[Wow! I didn't expect the Old Master to be so trendy! Playing games meant for young people.]
[I wonder who will win?]
[I bet it's the Old Master.]
[Do you think if the Old Master wins, he'll make them set a wedding date?]
[Very possible! This marriage was his idea in the first place.]
[Yes! That would be great! I’m going to pray that the Old Master wins. Hahaha! I really want to see Young Master Wen and Song Wanning get married.]
[Guys, don't get your hopes up. This game is based on luck. What if someone else wins?]
[Exactly. Even if he wins, they'll still have to call off the engagement once the show is over!]
[Why do you people always have to be so cynical!?]
[We're just stating facts. In high society, status is everything. Even before the Song family went bankrupt, Song Wanning was barely a match. Now that they're on the verge of bankruptcy, how could the Wen family marry a commoner?]

Soon, the livestream chat descended into an argument. One side consisted of loyal "shippers" who believed Wen Jingxing was truly in love with Song Wanning, regardless of status. The other side insisted that love had no place in wealthy families.

The three people involved were unaware of this, busy enjoying their game. The Old Master raised his hand and casually tossed the dice. As the die came to a stop, all three heads leaned in to take a look.

It was a six.