Chapter 61: Confession

“I’m not just learning chess with one person…” When Zhou Jingze scrolled to Li Yang’s update, it was 8:10 PM, and he happened to be at his grandfather’s place drinking coconut chicken soup.

He held the spoon handle, skimming the oil on the surface while glancing at his phone.

“How many times have I told you not to play with your phone?” Grandpa, not one to mince words, flung a plastic ladle at him.

Grandma brought the condiment bottle to the table and immediately felt sorry seeing her grandson scolded, saying, “You dare hit him when you’re always reading the newspaper during meals.”

Grandpa fell silent, disgruntled.

Zhou Jingze smirked, his lips curling casually, thumb sliding across the screen, casually browsing his friend’s updates. Suddenly, his gaze froze as he saw Li Yang’s group photo.

Xu Sui was on the far left, probably eating; someone called her, and she raised her head with a tomato in hand, cheeks puffed, eyes quietly puzzled.

Grandpa continued talking, clearing his throat seriously, “You, always so stubborn, never tell the family anything. What about that incident with the grounded flight? Do you need my help?”

“Grandpa,” Zhou Jingze put down his spoon and stood up, “I’ll drink the soup with you another day. I need to go now.”

Zhou Jingze picked up his phone and grabbed his jacket from the chair back, ready to leave. Grandpa was furious, “You rarely come home, and now that you’re back, you can’t just leave suddenly, what’s the big emergency?”

“Well, it’s a huge deal,” Zhou Jingze smiled.

As he reached the hallway, Mrs. Song hurriedly brought him the cigarettes and lighter he left behind. Zhou Jingze took them, then said to Grandpa:

“You’re retired now, why bother with gossip? Besides, isn’t this matter under investigation? If you intervene, I might not be able to explain.”

Besides, he had his pride.

While waiting for Zhou Jingze, the women at the party were either spraying perfume on their wrists and necks or touching up their lipstick in front of the mirror.

Liang Shuang and her new boyfriend were playing in the pool, while Xu Sui was earnestly eating fruit and playing chess with a man sitting nearby.

Xu Sui was focused on her game, her style deliberate and steady, starting with a fianchetto opening.

When it was her turn, Xu Sui pondered her next move, and in her peripheral vision, she caught a figure entering.

In a black flight jacket, hands hanging in the pant seams, prominent wrist bones, the atmosphere changed abruptly as he took his seat.

The women’s intentions were evident; some poured him wine and struck up conversations, while others shamelessly changed seats. Zhou Jingze sat on the sofa beside Xu Sui, separated by one person.

Due to the seat change, it was a bit crowded, so Xu Sui shifted back, inadvertently moving the chessboard. Xu Sui’s expression remained unchanged; she took a sip of wine and moved her pawn forward.

Decided to move the knight.

Several people started chatting with Zhou Jingze, but he remained composed, not giving much away in his responses.

It seemed he had no interest in the women present.

Smart people know to start with common interests. Bajiajia leaned on her chin, pointed a finger at her cheek, and asked, “Do you like watching sports?”

Zhou Jingze looked over while drinking, “It’s okay.”

Bajiajia raised an eyebrow, interpreting the two words as affirmative. Saying “okay” could mean a lot of things.

Bajiajia became more talkative, but Zhou Jingze’s expression remained unchanged, maintaining a distance, sipping his own drink, his gaze casually shifting to the left.

While Xu Sui played chess, she smiled inadvertently at her opponent; the man paused for a second, visibly affected.

Throughout, she never glanced at Zhou Jingze, calm and composed.

This scene didn’t escape the man’s notice; Zhou Jingze’s slender fingers gripped the glass tightly, his face darkening, seemingly about to crush the glass. The women nearby were busy trying to lure Zhou Jingze’s attention and didn’t notice his changing expression.

“What are you looking at?” one asked.

“Of course, I’m looking—” Zhou Jingze finished his drink, placing it on the table with deliberate motion, his Adam’s apple rolling slowly, “at my person.”

Three words, almost blowing up the scene.

They were all dying to know which woman it was. Zhou Jingze had seemed uninterested just moments ago, and now, suddenly, he was interested in someone here?

Li Yang sat in the center feeling frustrated. He saw the person he had invited with difficulty being surrounded by a group of women, unable to speak much himself. It was truly a bitter feeling.

Midway through the game, Xu Sui requested a break to use the restroom. She washed her hands and noticed her lipstick was smudged, so she took out a lipstick from her wallet and touched up in front of the mirror.

As she was touching up, a group of women entered the restroom. They greeted Xu Sui when they saw her inside, then started chatting as if no one else was around.

“Oh my, when he just said ‘my person,’ I almost swooned from his voice.”

“I wonder who he was talking about. He glanced to his left when he said it.”

“Jiajia, could it be you? You’re on his left, right in front of him?” Her companion asked in surprise.

Jiajia smiled but didn’t say anything. Her companion nudged her arm, asking, “How did you know he likes watching sports?”

“The jacket he’s wearing has a little badge on the collar, coincidentally, it’s the team my brother often talks about.”

Jiajia tilted her head, playing with her long hair, a hint of sweet perfume wafted past Xu Sui’s nose.

The one changing earrings in front of the mirror said, “It could also be me. I feel like he’s looking at me. It’s time to kick that jerk of a boyfriend.”

…

After Xu Sui finished applying her lipstick, she left. The discussion behind her gradually quieted and then disappeared. Xu Sui returned to continue playing chess, and the group of women came back one by one, sitting down with even more excitement than before.

Xu Sui didn’t care at all about how others might be trying to get close to Zhou Jingze or what his response might be. Except for that brief glance he gave when he entered, her focus was entirely on the chessboard.

She enjoyed strategizing, setting traps, and eventually cornering her opponent. She was playing against a gentlemanly-looking man who, at this moment, was about to concede defeat.

A compelling figure approached, a hand with distinctive joints picked up a piece, killing a soldier. In one move, Xu Sui’s bottom line was exposed.

Suddenly, Zhou Jingze leaned over, drawing the attention of almost everyone present, making Xu Sui, who was sitting in the corner, suddenly the center of attention.

Xu Sui looked up and met Zhou Jingze’s eyes. He was looking at her, his eyelids lifting slowly as he spoke languidly, “This is called a heart-piercing move.”

Her heart skipped a beat.

The bespectacled man didn’t sense the undercurrents between the two and even gave a thumbs-up, asking Zhou Jingze for advice, “Amazing! Xu Sui is usually so steady at chess, and now she’s about to lose to you.”

Zhou Jingze chuckled lightly and dropped a bombshell in front of everyone, saying, “Because I taught her.”

The air seemed to freeze, and everyone exchanged glances, experiencing emotions of admiration, infatuation, and ultimately heartbreak within a few minutes. It was quite a rollercoaster.

Damn, so when he said ‘my person’ earlier, he meant Xu Sui. So, they have some entanglement, maybe even a deep one. Jiajia thought to herself, feeling a bit sour.

Xu Sui remained calm, focused on the board. She had a way out, shifting one piece, turning the tables. It was a draw; she didn’t lose.

She spoke slowly, her voice audible to everyone present, “I haven’t only learned chess from one person.”

Zhou Jingze’s expression changed slightly, the casual smile in his eyes faded, and he looked at her.

But she didn’t glance back at him.

At that moment, there was a sudden “click,” the lights went out, and someone brought out a five-layered luxurious cake. Li Yang finally became the center of attention. He stood up, shook the red wine in his hand, and sighed, “My birthday has arrived, but I’m feeling a bit down.”

“What’s there to be down about? You’re getting more handsome as you age,” someone joked.

The people outside the pool had already changed and come inside. They stood up, clapping their hands to sing “Happy Birthday” to Li Yang. With a bang, champagne sprayed with bubbles, ribbons, and confetti fluttered down.

After singing and cutting the birthday cake, someone pressed a button on the wall, and red and green lights swept across as heavy metal music blasted in their ears.

People screamed and danced, those playing games and drinking joined in.

The party was just getting started.

After having a bit of wine, Xu Sui stepped outside to admire the night view. She leaned against the glass window, lost in thought, when Liang Shuang walked over and patted her shoulder.

“You finally remembered your friend,” Xu Sui turned to see who it was and smiled.

Liang Shuang was unusually bashful. She stuck out her tongue, saying, “Ah, you never know until you talk. I just found out my little brother can be quite clingy.”

“You should be grateful,” Xu Sui pinched her cheek.

“Hey, aren’t those women inside lusting after Zhou Jingze? The way they look at him, they might as well strip naked in front of him,” Liang Shuang teased with a wink. “So, what’s the deal between you and Zhou Jingze? Li Yang is heartbroken; he just told me straight that he’s heard it all from you. Is Zhou Jingze trying to provoke you again? What’s your take on this now?”
许随 shook her head and laughed, “I have no idea.”

“Okay,” Liang Shuang put her arm around her and they walked in. She spoke, “It’s windy outside, let’s play games inside.”

许随 nodded and went in with Liang Shuang. Since her arrival, Zhou Jingze had been looking at her, with eyes only for her, which changed the atmosphere a bit.

“Hey, what are you guys playing?” Liang Shuang pulled Xu Sui to sit down.

Someone replied, “Truth or Dare, want to join?”

Xu Sui nodded, and Liang Shuang sat aside, holding Tan Wei’s hand, saying, “Let’s play, but take it easy, my boyfriend is here.”

Everyone burst into laughter. Xu Sui leaned down and picked up an apple from the table, biting into it slowly. In the first round, after spinning around a dozen times, the bottle stopped in front of Bai Jiajia.

The questioner happened to be Bai Jiajia’s admirer, blushing and nervously asked a vague question, “Have you recently liked someone or something?”

Bai Jiajia tapped her rouge nails on the table, not looking at Zhou Jingze, and answered with a smile, “Yes.”

“Manchester United.”

The atmosphere suddenly heated up. Someone gasped, secretly admiring Bai Jiajia’s clever move, hitting her mark both openly and subtly.

Others thought to themselves: Lost, can’t compete with this cunning girl.

Unfortunately, the person involved just calmly smoked, showing no reaction.

Bai Jiajia was always proactive and persistent. The bottle spun to Zhou Jingze for the second time. Bai Jiajia looked excited, resting her chin on her hand like a peach blossom, and asked, “I also like Manchester United, why do you like it?”

Wow, she not only indirectly declared her affection but also indicated they had common ground. Bai Jiajia shut down the others present with one move.

Zhou Jingze flicked the ash from his cigarette and slowly said, “Honestly, I’m a fan of Neymar. He plays for the Brazilian national football team. But my ex-girlfriend won a bet against his team and started liking Manchester United—

“So, I started liking them too.”

This response indicated Zhou Jingze’s refusal. He then spun the bottle himself, starting the next round. Only Bai Jiajia looked crestfallen.

In the second round, the bottle clattered a few times and stopped in front of Liang Shuang. They were not polite at all, directly asking Liang Shuang and Tan Wei to perform a live kiss.

Liang Shuang wasn’t shy at all. They held hands and went straight for a French kiss, causing screams from the onlookers. Blushing, Tan Wei said, “I’m not famous, not well-known, but please, sisters, no photos.”

“I already took some sneak shots,” Xu Sui said with a smile, popping a grape tomato into her mouth.

“You’re dead,” Liang Shuang pretended to threaten her.

Xu Sui hardly ate anything all night, finishing her fruit and earnestly eating a small piece of cake. When the bottle clanged to a stop in front of her, everyone looked at her, and she was a bit confused.

After realizing, Xu Sui set down the cake, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and said with a smile, “Truth.”

The other person didn’t know Xu Sui well, but Zhou Jingze’s earlier declaration suggested they definitely had a history, whether past or present was unclear. They relied on the truth question card.

They drew a card, reading aloud, “After your first love, how many relationships have you had?”

Bai Jiajia helped explain, “If none, just say none.”

Though a fairly straightforward question, Zhou Jingze finally seemed interested. Slowly raising his eyes, he stared at her, waiting for her answer.

Xu Sui swallowed some tongueburning blueberries, spinning the glass in her hand, reflecting dark eyes on the glass’s surface. Still smiling, she answered boldly:

“Two.”

As her words fell, the air froze. Those seated nearby Zhou Jingze suddenly felt heavy pressure, sending chills down their spine.

Zhou Jingze’s jet-black pupils locked onto her, emotions like an animal trying to break free, ready to consume her.

But Xu Sui never looked at him.

In other words, after all these years, Xu Sui moved forward, working hard, seriously dating, and her world could exist without him.

The segment quickly passed, the game continued, Zhou Jingze drank one cup after another, light shifted away, and half of his face fell into shadow.

Although unable to see his expression, those around him felt his mood sour.

The bottle “bang”ed, like the gears of destiny slowly turning, landing in front of Zhou Jingze. Unfazed, someone asked, “Similar to Xu Sui’s question earlier, how about you? How many relationships have you had?”

Aside from Xu Sui, Liang Shuang knew Zhou Jingze the best. Asking a playboy such a question was the ultimate slam, and she wouldn’t let him off easy. Liang Shuang placed the fallen bottle in front of him, smiling mockingly:

“No, change it up, in these past five or six years, how many relationships has Young Master Zhou had?”

Zhou Jingze pinched the cigarette, smoke red, the end glowing, a grimace on his face. Lifting the bottle in front of him, he finished his drink, voice croaking, tugging at his mouth:

“Not even one.”