CM - 26

At the Gym.

Zhou Shuirong had just finished five minutes of cardio when Shen Tingwen arrived. At school, seeing him usually didn’t trigger the memory of seeing him naked, but here, with his tattooed arm exposed and his hair swept back, that changing room scene played out perfectly in her mind.

Annoyed, she kept her distance from him.

Shen Tingwen, this time, seemed to have nothing to say to her. He wasn’t clinging to her, or perhaps he was too busy with the three girls who had gathered around him.

Zhou Shuirong thought, These are good girls, how could they be so blind at such a young age? What’s so good about this bastard? She completed her daily workout in bewilderment, greeted her coach, and headed home.

As soon as she left, Shen Tingwen didn’t linger either.

Zhou Shuirong had just put on her headphones when Shen Tingwen caught up to her: “Leaving so early today?”

Zhou Shuirong turned up the volume on her headphones, not wanting to hear him speak. Aside from studying, she didn’t want any interaction with him. He had overdrawn too much of her trust and could no longer be moved back to the whitelist.

Shen Tingwen asked her, “Can you give me a ride home?”

Zhou Shuirong heard this but ignored it. Is he dreaming? Give him a ride home? After he turned from a little good-for-nothing into a scoundrel, he doesn’t even deserve her to talk to him, and he still wants her to give him a ride home?

Shen Tingwen said, “I forgot my money, and my phone’s dead. Can’t call a taxi, can’t take the bus.”

He was so annoying. Zhou Shuirong took off her headphones. “What does that have to do with me? Can’t you walk back yourself?”

Shen Tingwen kicked his foot, looking a bit like he was playing the rogue: “My leg hurts.”

Zhou Shuirong turned and walked away. This guy was addicted to being a scoundrel.

Shen Tingwen followed her: “You already saw how weak I was this morning. Won’t I die on the road if I walk back? Then it’ll be a life lost, how will you take responsibility? I’m doing this for your own good. Be a good girl, take me home.”

Zhou Shuirong was furious. She turned and slapped him on the neck, leaving a red mark: “Say one more word and I’ll make you die on the road right now.”

Shen Tingwen gasped, covering his neck: “You hurt me.”

“Why didn’t it hurt you to death?”

Shen Tingwen pursed his lips and lowered his head: “Do I bother you that much?”

Zhou Shuirong was utterly annoyed: “Ever since I was little, the thing I hated most was my dad telling me I couldn’t do something. Now there’s you. A formidable young man, Young Master. Keep up the good work. I believe you’ll eventually force me to kill you to shut you up.”

Shen Tingwen didn’t follow her anymore, watching Zhou Shuirong walk away.

Zhou Shuirong turned a corner and saw that Shen Tingwen hadn’t followed, and she breathed a sigh of relief. He was so annoying, he infuriated her, she was furious, furious. She had already exposed him, and he was still pretending, pursing his lips and batting his big eyes. What was he trying to be cute for? What was he trying to act innocent for?

________________________________________

By the artificial lake in Zhou Shuirong’s residential complex, several old men were playing chess.

As she passed by, one old man’s loud shout caught her attention: “I’m going to checkmate you!”

What impressive momentum.

Normally, she wouldn’t be easily distracted by outside matters and wasn’t curious about anything. Perhaps her mood was affected by Shen Tingwen, as she unknowingly found herself among the crowd.

This residential area was considered high-end in Beijing. Even the old men playing chess by the lake each wore luxury brands, with “Hulk” Rolexes on their wrists, looking refined and obviously dashing in their youth.

Zhou Shuirong used to play chess with Zhou Yan. Zhou Yan was very skilled at these things, including dice and pai gow; there was no game of chance at pleasure houses that she didn’t know how to play.

But knowing how to play and being good at it were two different things. No matter how skilled she was, she couldn’t beat Si Wen, but she would cheat and use her feminine charm. Si Wen would fall for her charm every time, letting her take back moves and giving her an easy win.

Whenever she won, she would say that her life as a courtesan was a waste serving only Si Wen, and Si Wen would then carry her upstairs on his shoulder and “discipline” her.

Zhou Shuirong had endured over ten years of their public displays of affection, and now she was constantly reminded that Si Wen didn’t have her in his heart... Thinking about this, she smiled.

She loved them so much. It didn’t matter if they loved her back; she truly loved them.

...

“Empty Cannon! Central Palace Checkmate, check!”

At the old man’s cry, Zhou Shuirong woke up. Looking at the chessboard again, the old man had already secured his victory. The other old men beside him grumbled, feeling that this game was too conventional, lacking skill.

The old man stuck out his chin, looking a bit disdainful, and said to the old man he was playing against: “You don’t care if my moves are simple or not, just tell me if I won against you? Don’t you have to tell me ‘I concede’?”

The other old man smiled faintly: “If it’s just to win, there’s no need to play for so long. Playing chess is about the process, not winning or losing.”

The other old men chimed in: “Old Six, be more generous. Don’t be so petty. Wouldn’t it be easy for Old Second to win against you? You should know when to quit and not push your luck.”

Zhou Shuirong only remembered to review the entire game after they spoke. Indeed, as they said, when it came to winning or losing, Old Second had had opportunities to win much earlier.

Old Six was unhappy, slammed his chess pieces down, and left.

The gathering of the old brothers also dispersed.

Old Second was still tidying the chessboard. Zhou Shuirong saw he was slow and helped him. The old man looked up and saw a young girl, not reacting much, and said, “Do you like chess?”

Zhou Shuirong said, “No.”

“Then why were you watching for so long?”

“Nothing else to do at home.”

“Can you play?”

“A little.”

Old Second paused and said, “Shall we play a game?”

Zhou Shuirong sat down, “Alright.”

Old Second crushed Zhou Shuirong completely, igniting her competitive spirit. She frowned, her face full of disbelief, and even though it was already dark, she still wanted another round: “One more game.”

Old Second smiled: “Come again early tomorrow, young lady.”

Zhou Shuirong could only give up.

________________________________________

Back home, after a shower, she lay sprawled on her bed. In her mind, besides the few chess games where she was completely dominated, there was only that bastard Shen Tingwen. Lately, he was always lingering around her, and her brain was becoming accustomed to thinking about him.

She shook her head, picked up her phone to play a game, and saw a message from Shen Tingwen: “Are you asleep?”

She didn’t reply, and casually moved him to her blacklist.

________________________________________

Shen Tingwen’s subsequent messages were rejected. He smiled faintly.

What to do? My wife seems to dislike me very much. Every time I speak, she doesn’t want to respond.