“Little Young Master, I heard from the Gu family that Little Young Master Gu’s illness is very serious, and his personality is unpredictable. Anyone who upsets Little Young Master Gu ends up in trouble. I think—”
She paused, then earnestly advised, “We shouldn’t always go looking for him to play. There are so many fun things in the Gu family—why not play with those?”
Zhou Chiyu was essentially living under someone else’s roof now. Even if Old Master Gu treated him well, he wasn’t blood-related. Their Little Young Master had always been lively and impulsive, without a sense of proportion. If he accidentally hurt Gu Yuan one day, he would surely suffer. Besides, from her observations over these days, she felt Gu Yuan wasn’t an easy child to get along with. Zhou Chiyu liked sticking to him so much—he was bound to get the short end of the stick.
“I like him, so I want to play with him.”
Zhou Chiyu’s eyes shone brightly, brimming with determination. “I have to become his friend!”
Sister Bai sighed silently and followed Zhou Chiyu to Gu Yuan’s room.
Gu Yuan was playing Go with the AI Robot. Zhou Chiyu was very curious about these black and white pieces and clung tightly to the edge of the table, peering in wonder.
Doctor Li saw Zhou Chiyu arrive and gently ruffled his little curls. “Little Fish Baby, do you know how to play Go?”
Zhou Chiyu said proudly, “I know how to play Gomoku.”
Doctor Li: “Oh? So impressive?”
Gu Yuan quietly glanced at Zhou Chiyu. His slender fingertips lightly held a black stone, hesitating to place it.
“Gomoku is something only the older kids in the senior class can play.” Zhou Chiyu kicked off his cotton shoes and nimbly climbed onto Gu Yuan’s tatami mat, resting his chubby face around the edge of the board. “But I learned it in middle class.”
Doctor Li continued praising him. “Little Fish Baby is so amazing.”
Gu Yuan still ignored the curious baby beside him. Noticing Zhou Chiyu staring at the black stone in his hand, he deliberately wiggled it. Sure enough, those dark, shiny eyes followed along.
He curved his lips slightly and placed the stone at the tengen.
“Zhou Chiyu, what are you doing sitting here?”
The question carried a hint of knowing pretense.
Zhou Chiyu yawned and said stickily, “I want to stay by Brother’s side.”
Gu Yuan pursed his lips, pretending not to care as he fiddled with the stone in his hand. After pondering for a long time, he finally placed it on the board.
Time dragged on, and Zhou Chiyu grew bored from waiting.
Go took way too long!
How long did he have to wait for Gu Yuan to play with him?
Fortunately, Doctor Li brought him a glass of fresh-squeezed juice, temporarily easing his boredom.
“Brother~”
Zhou Chiyu slurped on the straw and mumbled, “Let’s play Gomoku.”
Gu Yuan looked up at him and replied seriously, “Gomoku? You definitely won’t beat me.”
“Who says? I’m the Gomoku Champion Baby.” Zhou Chiyu had already settled across from the board. “If you don’t believe me, let’s compete.”
“Fine.” Gu Yuan stared at him and drawled, “If you lose, what then?”
Zhou Chiyu: “I’ll treat you to a lollipop.”
“I don’t need lollipops.” Gu Yuan propped his cheek, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “You have to do one thing for me.”
Zhou Chiyu: “What thing?”
Gu Yuan admitted frankly, “I haven’t thought of it yet.”
Zhou Chiyu didn’t care about that—he just wanted to play with Gu Yuan right now.
Gu Yuan was confident in his Gomoku skills. By his calculations, Zhou Chiyu would lose within three minutes.
Sure enough, just one minute into the game, he had connected four stones, with no blockers from Zhou Chiyu on either side.
He arched a brow and was about to place his stone when he suddenly noticed one of the four connected stones was missing.
He fixed his gaze on Zhou Chiyu and narrowed his eyes. “You took my stone.”
Zhou Chiyu looked guilty as he covered his mouth and shook his head frantically.
Gu Yuan paused, a ridiculous suspicion surging in his heart.
“Little Fish Zhou!”
A spark of anger flashed in his eyes. “You didn’t eat my stone, did you?”
Pop.
Zhou Chiyu spat out a black stone, his big eyes innocent and aggrieved as he looked at him. “I didn’t eat it…”
“I just kept it in my mouth temporarily.”
“If you want it back, here.”
The saliva-covered black stone landed right in front of Gu Yuan’s fingers. He quickly withdrew his hand, hugging his chest as he stared at Zhou Chiyu with a complicated expression.
Gomoku could be played like this?
Zhou Chiyu was… truly unpredictable.
“Keep the stone… it’s yours.”
Gu Yuan sighed helplessly, amusing Doctor Li to the point of stifled laughter. Doctor Li felt like she was seeing Gu Yuan anew. If it were any other pampered young master, being cheated out of a win by an opponent would cause a huge tantrum. She never expected Gu Yuan to have such a good temper—it completely contradicted her previous rigid impression of him.
Zhou Chiyu didn’t mind and clutched the stone, blinking at Gu Yuan in thanks.
Gu Yuan stared at the slobber-covered stone and gently tugged at his lips.
At lunch, Gu Lao heard about it and laughed so hard he couldn’t close his mouth. Zhou Chiyu’s chubby face flushed red, nearly burying itself in his bowl.
“Our Little Fish is so clever.”
Gu Lao looked fondly at Gu Yuan. “So, who won in the end?”
Gu Yuan slowly chewed a piece of bamboo shoot. “He cheated. Otherwise, I would have won.”
Zhou Chiyu knew he was in the wrong and stayed silent, chowing down on his food.
He might not beat Gu Yuan at Gomoku, but he could definitely out-eat him on chicken wings!
Gu Yuan’s appetite had noticeably improved. Under Zhou Chiyu’s sneaky “eating contest,” he ate half a bowl of rice. The Gu family chefs nearly applauded when they heard— it meant a hefty bonus this month.
“Old Master Gu, Young Master Yilin has arrived.”
Lan Yilin, Gu Lao’s second-favorite grandson from his youngest daughter. Since she had married abroad, Lan Yilin lived in the USA and only returned to visit during the New Year holidays.
Before the words finished, the patter of footsteps echoed from the doorway.
Zhou Chiyu curiously tilted his little head, and his gaze suddenly caught a pretty little boy in a White Suit.
The boy was about Gu Yuan’s height, refined and polite. He greeted everyone first before nestling into Gu Lao’s arms to express how much he’d missed him—one look and you knew he was a well-behaved child.
After getting a clear look at the boy’s face, Zhou Chiyu’s chicken wing dropped with a clatter onto his plate.
“You’re so pretty.” He licked his meaty lips, his eyes curving into crescents.
Gu Yuan silently watched Zhou Chiyu’s familiar expression, his brows gradually furrowing into a chuan shape.
