Formatting 30p1

Chapter 30 Part 1:

Satisfied with the Cursing, Despicable (Part 1/2)

Hearing Chen Shuo curse “dog shit” three times in a row, like a lit firecracker, so angry yet still putting on a aloof face, Li Ge felt a sense of surprise again, only finding it amusing.

This little ice cube was really interesting.

“It seems you really have a bad impression of me.” Li Ge shook his head and chuckled, as if helpless, going along with Chen Shuo’s words, “Alright, alright, I’m a piece of dog shit, are you happier now?”

“…” Chen Shuo’s lips moved slightly, then tightened, his breathing becoming heavy. He could feel his heart rate unusually clear, gradually decreasing, then gradually increasing, gradually becoming more intense, something was struggling.

It was a rare opportunity to perform well. Li Ge didn’t want to make a fool of himself, so he took a small step back to maintain a safe distance and said, “Go downstairs and play with the little girl for a while, she’s very afraid you don’t like her. I’m leaving now.”

Chen Shuo’s eyes were lowered, unmoved, standing just inside the door, clearly separated from Li Ge outside, as if the whole world had nothing to do with him.

Time seemed to stand still.

Alright, he’s a robot again. Li Ge glanced at Chen Shuo. Chen Shuo was wearing a black mid-neck sweater and black pants. Against the all-black outfit, his skin was dazzlingly white, but he looked a bit gloomy.

He knew he had guessed one thing right. Chen Shuo didn’t feel a sense of belonging in this family, he had drawn a clear line. He probably felt very uncomfortable standing here, forced to come back and suffer, which meant he still cared about family.

“Are you going or not, just say something.” Li Ge couldn’t stand Chen Shuo’s quiet demeanor, “If you don’t like it, just say so, I’ll go and play Go with Mengmeng.”

Chen Shuo just didn’t like dealing with children.

Jing Hai had lied to him, saying that Wen Ling had taken the child back to her mother’s house. Actually, he didn’t care if they came back or not. Wen Ling and that little girl were strangers to him, he didn’t hate them, nor did he like them, there was no need to socialize.

But compared to dealing with children, Chen Shuo wanted Li Ge to disappear even more.

“Is it that hard to move your lips?” Li Ge found that Chen Shuo was really testing his patience, not being able to get a single word out of him for a long time, it was enough to make someone anxious.

“I’ll play Go with her.” Chen Shuo once again reluctantly complied with Li Ge, and only after saying it did he realize what was struggling inside him.

It was the negative emotions suppressed by Li Ge, a mixture of depression, unwillingness, anger, pain, regret, and anxiety. As soon as Li Ge appeared, they would also appear, chaotically intertwined, then constantly struggling, pushing him to the brink of impulsiveness, repeatedly torturing him.

“Isn’t that settled then?” Li Ge couldn’t look at Chen Shuo for too long, he would want to tease him if he did. He couldn’t help but tease Chen Shuo with a smile, “Are you an abacus bead, waiting for me to move you?”

“…” Chen Shuo frowned at Li Ge, “Get lost.”

Hearing the word “get lost” from Chen Shuo’s mouth, Li Ge found it more amusing than offensive, and chuckled, “It’s the New Year, can’t you say something auspicious? For example, wish me a happy new year, give me a blessing and I’ll get lost immediately.”

Chen Shuo didn’t know that he had satisfied Li Ge with his cursing. He refused to cooperate and added another word, “Get lost quickly.”

“I’ve already let you call me dog shit.” Li Ge bargained, “How about you curse me a few more times, and in exchange, you wish me a happy new year, isn’t that a good deal?”

Chen Shuo: “…”

Dog shit liked to push his luck. Chen Shuo refused to comply. As he was about to close the door, a crisp and childish “brother” came with the sound of running footsteps, followed by a “bang” and a few “clatters,” the Go pieces scattering and making a noisy sound as they hit the floor.

A few pieces rolled to the door. Seeing Li Ge disappear in a flash, Chen Shuo finally reacted. Jing Hai’s daughter had fallen, and from the sound of it, it was a hard fall.

He stepped out of the room and saw black and white Go pieces scattered all over the hallway. Li Ge was holding Jing Hai’s daughter, concerned, asking her if she was in pain.

“I slipped.” Jing Yuxi bit her lip, her teary eyes shaking her head, anxiously trying to pick up the Go pieces on the floor, wanting to play Go with her brother.

“Look how excited Mengmeng is, so eager to play Go with your brother, right?” Li Ge said, turning to look at Chen Shuo.

“Yes!” Jing Yuxi held the Go jar and squatted down to pick up the pieces one by one.

Li Ge also squatted down to help the little girl pick up the pieces. After picking up a few, he turned to look at the unobservant log beside him.

“Who was it that said they would play Go with Mengmeng?” He beckoned and urged, “Don’t just stand there, hurry up and help your sister pick up the pieces, she hurt her knee.”

“…” Chen Shuo squatted down, first picking up the few pieces at his feet, then slowly picking up the rest until his hands were full. A Go jar was handed to him, and Li Ge gave him a look.

“Put the black ones here.” Li Ge said softly, “Give the white ones to Mengmeng.”

From the corner of his eye, Chen Shuo noticed the small figure squatting and picking up the pieces, very quietly. He hesitated for a few seconds, then walked to the little girl, bent down, and threw the sorted white pieces into her Go jar.

Jing Yuxi was surprised, looking up at her brother with a bright smile, “Thank you, brother!”

“…” The little girl’s eyes curved, her face filled with a pure and innocent smile. Looking closely, her eyebrows and eyes resembled Jing Hai’s. Chen Shuo felt a bit awkward, not used to socializing with children, and stiffly replied, “You’re welcome.”

Li Ge saw this and had an idea. After all the Go pieces were picked up, he personally took the little girl into Chen Shuo’s room, quickly scanned the layout, and thoughtfully placed the Go board on the coffee table on the other side of the bed. Like a peacemaker, he invited the siblings to sit on the sofa, sorted the pieces, giving the black ones to Chen Shuo and the white ones to the little girl.

“Alright, you two have fun, I’m leaving now.”

Just as he was about to leave, his clothes were suddenly pulled. Li Ge looked down, and now that he looked closely, he found that the little girl’s eyebrows and eyes were somewhat similar to Chen Shuo’s, truly born of the same father.

He felt a sense of affection and squatted down to ask, “What’s wrong, Mengmeng? Don’t you want your brother to leave?”

Jing Yuxi nodded and enthusiastically invited, “Brother, you can play Go with Mengmeng too.”

“Oh, our Mengmeng is so obedient.” Li Ge took the opportunity to sit on the sofa and smiled apologetically at Chen Shuo, “I’m sorry, Mengmeng has invited me, I really can’t bear to refuse. You two go first, whoever loses, I’ll take their place.”

At this moment, Chen Shuo just wanted to kick Li Ge out.

With two older brothers to accompany her, the house had never been so lively. Jing Yuxi excitedly showed off, “I’m the best at Go, Mom and Dad can’t beat me.”

Li Ge: “Then you’ve met your match today. I’m a Go master, I’ve participated in competitions and won awards. You’re not allowed to cry if you lose.”

Chen Shuo: “…”

“And you,” Li Ge turned to look at Chen Shuo, who was sitting on the single sofa, and smiled at him, his gaze carrying a hint of teasing, “you too.”

Chen Shuo: “…”

“I won’t cry!” Jing Yuxi placed a white piece on the board first, looked up at her brother, and giggled, “Brother, it’s your turn.”

Chen Shuo looked at the dark wooden board, the white piece occupying the center. He took out a black piece and, without thinking, placed it on a point two rows away from the white piece.

Jing Yuxi didn’t understand. Why didn’t her brother follow her moves like her parents did? He would lose this way. Her little brain turned, remembering what her mother had said, and she placed the next white piece next to the black one.

“Brother, I’m chasing you.”

“…” Chen Shuo had only played Go as a child, he hadn’t touched it for more than twenty years. In his childhood memory, Go was very simple, he could easily connect five pieces, and Chen Meifang often lost to him. Winning too much wasn’t interesting.

Time flew by, and he was in a daze for a moment. Why was he sitting in a strange villa today, playing Go with a strange little girl, after more than twenty years?

“Brother, it’s your turn again.”

Chen Shuo continued to place a black piece next to the previous one, and the white piece followed closely. When he was about to connect three pieces, the white piece blocked him again. After a few more moves, he connected five pieces and won.

“Wow, brother won!” Jing Yuxi clapped her hands and praised, “I’m going to tell Mom and Dad, brother is so amazing!”

“…” Chen Shuo felt a bit uncomfortable, or rather, he felt a bit embarrassed. Even a fool could see that the little girl had let him win.

“Amazing, little Comrade Chen.” Li Ge chuckled on the side, “You won the first game so decisively, even I, a Go master, am a bit nervous.”

Chen Shuo: “…” He still wanted to kick Li Ge out.

Jing Yuxi obediently gave up her seat, watching the two brothers fight it out.

The struggling negative emotions seemed to have found an outlet. For the first time, Chen Shuo regarded Li Ge as an equal opponent, with no so-called class gap, no worries.

His gaze was fixed on the board, sometimes frowning, sometimes thinking. Every move was like stepping on dog shit, making him extremely unhappy, but the masculine desire to conquer drove him to face the challenge.

Li Ge hadn’t played Go for centuries. Being able to sit opposite Chen Shuo so harmoniously was a development that greatly exceeded his expectations. Mengmeng was truly his matchmaker.

They went back and forth, neither giving an inch. As the game progressed, the board became more and more crowded, the situation on the verge of exploding.

Until the entire board was filled, Jing Yuxi was stunned, a bit confused, not knowing how to praise her brother.

Wen Ling gently knocked on the door and walked in with tea, smiling, “It’s a draw. Have some tea and rest, lunch is almost ready.”

Jing Yuxi held her mother’s hand and said excitedly, “Mom, I lost to brother just now, brother is so amazing.”

Wen Ling: “You have to work harder, and you’ll catch up with your brother in the future.”

“Let’s play again.” Li Ge was not convinced.

Jing Yuxi knew it was a draw and asked Li Ge in confusion, “Brother, you’re so good at competitions, I thought you would win, but my brother is still better.”

“…” Li Ge couldn’t stand being overshadowed by Chen Shuo and simply laid his cards on the table, “I was just bragging, I haven’t played Go much, I haven’t touched it for more than twenty years, it’s amazing that I could draw with your brother, I’ll definitely win next time.”

Chen Shuo stood up and said, “I’m not playing anymore.”