Chapter 243: Chapter 243: Enemies on a Narrow Road
The rain had fallen all night long, and it still continued as the morning came.

Luo Ziling, who had woken up early and opened the window to see the rain still pouring outside, felt a bit gloomy on the spot.

If the weather stayed this way today, there’d be no chance to go out and play.

Rainy days on the grassland are incredibly annoying.

The weather here has already turned cool, and if one gets wet, someone frail like Yang Qingyin could easily catch a cold.

But Yang Qingyin didn’t seem to care at all; she was still very excited, despite the rain making it inconvenient to go outside.

“Junior, do you play Go?” she asked with a smile when she came over in the morning, “How about we play a game?”

“You brought Go equipment?” Luo Ziling was surprised.

“Mhm,” Yang Qingyin nodded, “I’ve heard you boast that you’re good at music, Go, calligraphy, and painting—so let’s take this rainy day to learn from your chess skills.”

“Red sleeves add fragrance, one of life’s great pleasures indeed. Missing a midnight rendezvous, idly tapping Go stones beneath the lamp’s glow. Even though it’s not the evening, being accompanied by a beautiful woman will surely make a game endlessly delightful,” Luo Ziling teased Yang Qingyin, and then chuckled, “Let me then witness the chess skills of my senior, legendary for her expertise in music, Go, calligraphy, and painting.”

His teasing earned him a glare from Yang Qingyin.

Yang Qingyin had Ye Xiaoli bring over the Go set she had brought with her.

After brewing some tea, and using their phones to play some ancient music, they sat opposite each other and began to play.

“Actually, it doesn’t matter if I lose, just smelling the fragrance from senior is already life’s great enjoyment,” Luo Ziling joked again while inviting Yang Qingyin to take the black pieces first, “I suspect I’m doomed to lose today, intoxicated by the subtle scent of my senior.”

“If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll ignore you,” Yang Qingyin shot Luo Ziling a look, and with two slender fingers, placed a piece on the board.

“Then let’s not talk, and focus on the game,” Luo Ziling said, scratching his nose. Despite Yang Qingyin’s reproach, he began to make his move.

Yang Qingyin played quickly. For the first few dozen moves, she hardly thought about it; that’s just her nature when she does things. Luo Ziling also liked to play quickly, so in just over ten minutes, the board was already full of stones.

“Seems you’re not just boasting,” Yang Qingyin, who had been playing chess since childhood and received a professional second dan ranking last year, had originally thought that her skills in Go were definitely better than Luo Ziling’s.

However, after making a few dozen moves, she found that this guy was also a Go expert. His aura was even stronger than hers, with each move being aggressively offensive.

Though Yang Qingyin appeared gentle and demure on the outside, she was actually quite determined and bold at heart. Whatever she did, she did decisively, and that included playing chess. Luo Ziling was even more straightforward and forceful than Yang Qingyin, and this trait was reflected in his chess playing; thus, in competing with Yang Qingyin, their match was one of direct confrontation.

Their game was closely contested, and Yang Qingyin increasingly realized that Luo Ziling’s Go skills were very impressive and not inferior to hers at all.

Yang Qingyin’s skill in Go surprised Luo Ziling too.

However, he was also quite delighted, it looked like the rumors of Yang Qingyin being proficient in music, Go, calligraphy and painting were true.

“Ah,” Yang Qingyin uttered in a low startled cry when she realized her large dragon might be captured by Luo Ziling, and she hesitated for a long time without making a move.

Luo Ziling contained his internal glee and didn’t rush her, instead frowning at the board as if unaware he could win in the middle game.

Yang Qingyin wanted to use a “ko” fight to save her large dragon and Luo Ziling, having become “careless,” was successfully taken in by her ko ploy.

Seeing that her big dragon now had two eyes, Yang Qingyin couldn’t help but sigh with relief, giving Luo Ziling a rather smug look. However, she immediately realized something was wrong. Luo Ziling’s expression was a bit odd, and she understood that he had let her win on purpose just now.

“Junior, you’re being naughty,” she said, reaching out to pinch Luo Ziling’s cheek, “You could have killed my big dragon just now. Did you let me win on purpose?”

“Senior sister, friendship comes first, competition second,” Luo Ziling chuckled as his thoughts were seen through by Yang Qingyin, “Let’s just call this game a draw, shall we?”

“Hey, don’t you dare let me win,” Yang Qingyin pouted a bit as she spoke: “When I play chess with others, I never allow them to go easy on me. I want to lose clearly and win squarely.”

With that, she tossed a black piece onto the board, conceding the game.

“I didn’t let you win. I was just too distracted by your pretty face, that’s all,” Luo Ziling claimed earnestly, “I was bewitched by your beauty trap, what should I do?”

“Stop it,” A blush crept over her cheeks as Yang Qingyin playfully hit Luo Ziling, teasing him, “You sure know how to make a girl happy, don’t you?”

“As long as you’re happy,” Luo Ziling’s smile grew even brighter, “How about another game?”

“Let’s not. I am no match for you,” Yang Qingyin stood up, walked to the window, and saw that the rain was still drizzling outside. Smiling, she asked Luo Ziling, “How about we go out for a walk?”

“Aren’t you afraid of getting wet in the rain?”

“To roam the mountains in the rain is not in vain, for the landscape gains a charm from the lake amid the rain. The scenery is also quite nice on rainy days!”

Luo Ziling was surprised, “That poem is about West Lake, how come you are applying it to the grassland?”

“There are mountains and lakes nearby, so of course it can apply,” Yang Qingyin looked at Luo Ziling with a mischievous face, “But West Lake is the most beautiful in the rain. I’ll take you on a rainy visit to West Lake next time.”

Luo Ziling was instantly delighted and quickly agreed, “That would be great, you can’t break your promise.”

As he spoke, he imitated Yang Qingyin and extended his own little finger.

Yang Qingyin giggled and hooked her little finger with Luo Ziling’s.

Since Yang Qingyin wanted to go outside, Luo Ziling certainly wouldn’t disappoint her.

So, he gave Yang Qingyin his jacket to wear and left the hotel with an umbrella.

They were going to the Willow Gully Scenic Area.

They had originally planned to go there today, but the rain had affected their decision; in the end, they still decided to go and enjoy themselves despite the rain.

Ye Xiaoli followed behind them with an umbrella, continuing to act as both driver and bodyguard.

Just as the three of them were leaving the hotel lobby one after the other, preparing to head to the parking lot to get the car, a surprised voice came from beside a car: “Miss Yang?!”

Since Ye Xiaoli was behind them and restraining herself from holding hands, Yang Qingyin and Luo Ziling turned around simultaneously.

Upon looking, they were both stunned.

The person calling out to them was none other than Mr. Ling, Ling Haijun, who had had conflicts with Luo Ziling before.

Talk about a narrow escape from one’s nemesis, they ran into Ling Haijun right there—both Luo Ziling and Yang Qingyin felt rather dismayed.