Chapter 617

Three people walked along the bamboo forest path for a while, and faint voices could be heard ahead.

After rounding a bend, the view opened up, a small pond nestled among several old trees, the scenery serene and elegant.

Two people sat by the pond, Jiang Ye Ye and the gray short-sleeved Elder Xiang, a chessboard placed on the stone table.

At a distance, two bodyguards squatted.

Elder Xiang placed a black stone, "You came here for a walk?"

Jiang Ye Ye pinched a white stone, saw the three, smiling with his eyes, "Come over and sit."

The three in unison: "Greetings, Elder Xiang."

Good good.

Elder Xiang swept his gaze over the three, finally landing on Mu Xin's face, "A few days ago I forgot to ask, you are… the little grandson of the Wei Ka family."

Mu Xin spoke lightly: "Yes, Elder Xiang, just call me Mu Xin."

Elder Xiang sized him up, a hint of recollection in his expression, "Your grandfather mentioned you to me a few years ago."

He paused slightly, then sincerely praised, "Now that I see you, your bearing and spirit truly surpass his."

Mu Xin still replied softly, "If Grandfather hears you praise me like this, he'll lose sleep again."

Elder Xiang laughed at those words.

After chatting enough, Elder Xiang leisurely looked at the game, tapped the board with a finger, "Old Jiang, your move today is wrong, you've fallen behind."

Jiang Ye Ye stared at the board for a while, then said annoyed, "I'm not just pondering, why are you rushing?"

Elder Xiang didn't respond, moved the black stone forward one point, then blocked the white stone in the gap, before slowly sighing, "Your temper is just as it was decades ago, unchanged."

Jiang Ye Ye stood up this time, pointed firmly at the board, "How have I changed? It's you, always laying these ambush stones, how can I win?"

Elder Xiang set down the stone and advised, "Your inability to win has nothing to do with my ambushes; it's clearly that you always try to eat everything in one move! Old Jiang, steady and solid play is what gives you a chance."

Mu Youyu stood beside Jiang Liangjin, brows lowered, watching the black-and-white intertwined situation on the board; after a while she still couldn't tell who had the advantage, so she gave up.

She doesn't much like playing chess; if she can't win, she only regrets her moves.

Mu Xin's gaze fell on the small empty space at the lower left of the board, his mind simulating something; he clearly understood the situation.

Jiang Liangjin listened quietly for a while, until Elder Xiang placed another stone, then he commented to his fiancée, "Elder Xiang has a good chance of winning this game."

Mu Youyu: "Probably."

Jiang Ye Ye immediately objected, "You little brat, what do you mean?"

Elder Xiang eased his tone, "Have you studied?"

Jiang Liangjin answered lightly, "I learned a bit from a teacher when I was young."

Elder Xiang pushed the board over, "Then you go and make two moves for your grandfather, see if you can turn the situation around."

Jiang Liangjin glanced at his own grandfather, Jiang Ye Ye waved him off, "Come, come, I just need to catch my breath."

He had misjudged his grandson—this good grandson was actually helping him vent his anger!

Jiang Liangjin took his seat, pondered a moment, picked up a white stone, and placed it in an inconspicuous spot on the left side of the board.

Elder Xiang slowly moved a black stone to an intersection point.

After several rounds of play, the board situation quietly reversed.

Elder Xiang first furrowed his brow slightly, concentrated in thought, then relaxed, the curve of his lips deepening.

He seemed to realize, "Your move follows the same path your grandfather took back then; sadly he didn't see it through, but you have completed it for him."

Jiang Liangjin nodded slightly, yielding the seat back to Jiang Ye Ye.

At night, Jiang Liangjin returned to his room, opened the computer, logged into the clean-operation backend.

In the message list, the top note read "Shi Che", whose messages flooded the screen the most.

Jiang Liangjin opened the chat box, quickly scanning the preceding content.

The first few messages were Shi Che's previous daily reports, mixed with a few sentences of trivial chatter.

For example: 【Dad, why have you been ignoring me lately?】

【Have you forgotten that you still have a godson here?】

【Dad, it's been so long since you returned, don't you miss me?】

The latest few messages, the tone obviously changed.

【Dad, are you still in the country lately? Something happened in this industry, the wind has shifted in M Guo.】

【If you have time, could we meet and talk? I know you don't want to meet, but I really have no choice.】

【Please, just glance at me once, that's enough.】

【Dad, if you don't come out of retirement, our fund will be drained; someone is secretly sniping our position, also investigating your account, their methods professional, I can't trace the source here.】

You: 【?】

He has come out of retirement, but he is indeed still on the mountain.

The other side almost instantly replied, sending a string of messages: 【The line I've been watching lately is unstable; check the details above.】

【My brother's side is also implicated, said someone wants to move his project, possibly related to that earlier batch of funds.】

【If it's convenient for you, best to make a trip to M Guo; some things can't be clarified online, face-to-face talk is more stable.】

Between the lines, it's all a plea for You to personally intervene.

You: 【.】

On the other side, Shi Che exhaled in relief: 【You've received it, that's good; await your good news!】

M Guo…

Jiang Liangjin didn't rush to reply, turned his head to gaze out at the deep night beyond the window.

The screen's light reflected on his face, outlining his profile with a hint of coldness; after a moment he rose and walked to the next room.

Mu Youyu's room was lit, the door ajar.

He raised his hand and lightly knocked twice; from inside came a soft "Come in."

Pushing the door open, Mu Youyu sat cross-legged on the bed, holding a tablet, her fingertip drawing on the screen, "What's up?"

Jiang Liangjin sat beside her on the bed, ruffling her hair, "Baby, do you want to go to M Guo?"

Mu Youyu's pen paused; she lifted her head, her light-colored eyes bright in the lamp light, "Why the sudden urge to go to M Guo? Didn't you say you'd just laze around at home during summer break?"

Jiang Liangjin weighed his words: "It's a work matter, a bit troublesome that needs to be handled in person."

"It's not especially urgent, but it'd be best to go over soon, roughly sometime next week."

"If you find it boring and don't want to go, forget it—I can send someone instead."

Mu Youyu leaned her head on his shoulder, assuming it was Jiang clan or Shen clan conglomerate work, "Sure, go ahead—plus I can swing by Qing An brother's blue rose garden on the way, but you can't just dive straight into work the moment you get there."

Jiang Liangjin curled his lips, his voice warm and mellow: "Of course, work isn't as important as you."

"That's about right."

Mu Youyu nodded satisfactorily, picked up the tablet again, her fingertip lightly swiping the screen a few times, "Then let's talk about it next week—next week I'll pack my bags."