Younger Cousin

Compared to Feng Yanshan, Bai Yunsheng's eldest uncle fell short in every way. Even the children they had were inferior—except for Bai Yunsheng.

Bai Yunsheng could be said to be the only "thing" Eldest Uncle had that could compete with Feng Yanshan. That younger cousin might have looked chubby and spoken clumsily, but his grades were fairly good. Though he could not be considered outstanding, he was still ranked among the best at his school—more than enough to surpass Bai Yunsheng.

It was just that Eldest Uncle was too foolish. One deliberate remark from Feng Yanshan at the dinner table was enough to hook him.

What had originally been casual family chatter gradually shifted to Bai Yunsheng, forcing him to respond a few times.

Jiang Li, seated beside Feng Yanshan, had half her face darkened with displeasure, though a smile still hung at the corners of her lips.

Feng Tingfan wore an even stiffer expression, absentmindedly poking at the food in his bowl.

His younger cousin grunted unhappily a few times, then sheepishly shut his mouth after receiving a look from the old man.

Although Feng Yanshan had built his fortune from scratch, half of his startup capital had come from Bai Zhi, while more than half had come from the old man's lifetime savings. As such, the old man's shares in the Feng company carried considerable weight. That was also the main reason everyone fawned over him.

Pathetic, yet realistic.

The meal ended amid that silent gunpowder.

After dinner, Eldest Aunt wanted to take the old man for a walk, but he refused. As he grew older, he had lost his former interest in walking. "Who wants to play a game of chess with me?"

After several seconds of silence, no one answered.

The old man was an avid chess player. Every time he played, he seemed like a different person. If you played poorly, he would scold you. If you got distracted, he would scold you too. In short, anyone who played chess with him would end up getting thoroughly chewed out.

Seeing no one respond, the old man picked up his cane and was just about to strike the floor in anger when Bai Yunsheng said, "Grandpa, I'll play with you."

Everyone turned to look at him.

The old man's expression improved somewhat. "You know how to play chess?"

Bai Yunsheng nodded.

Then, amid all sorts of looks, Bai Yunsheng followed the old man into the chess room.

Seeing that the old man had someone to accompany him, the adults dispersed as well, leaving only a few children outside, staring at one another.

"Brother, does he know how to play chess?"

Feng Tingfan looked displeased, and his tone worsened accordingly. "How would I know!"

The youngest female cousin, who had been influenced by the family since childhood, disliked Bai Yunsheng as well. "Just wait. Maybe Grandpa will scold him later."

Hearing that, Feng Tingfan's expression improved somewhat.

That was true. Knowing how to play and playing well were two different things.

The old man frowned in thought, a white chess piece held between his fingers. No matter where he placed it, it would be a mistake. After pondering for a long time, he loosened his hand, and the white piece fell into the bowl. His aged voice rang out. "I lost." Then he looked up at Bai Yunsheng, appreciation in his eyes.

"Who taught you chess?"

Bai Yunsheng looked up at him but said nothing. Several seconds later, he slowly replied, "My mother."

The old man was visibly stunned.

"Bai Zhi."

"She really was an excellent chess player. Since she left, I've never met anyone better than her at chess."

Bai Yunsheng's hand rested lightly against the edge of the chess table, his wrist hanging loose and his fingers naturally drooping. It was a relaxed, natural posture.

Yet if one looked closely, they would notice that Bai Yunsheng's fingers were trembling slightly.

The old man seemed to have sunk into his memories. "She was a very good person."

Bai Yunsheng's eyes moved slowly, and as the old man spoke, he gradually looked toward the chessboard.

The chess game was tangled and complex. One careless move could lose the entire board.

"Mom was always good," Bai Yunsheng said.

The old man hummed in acknowledgment.

Bai Yunsheng felt no comfort at the old man's approval.

After all, when Bai Zhi had been disfigured and Feng Yanshan had cheated on her, this man who kept saying Bai Zhi was a good person had never spoken a single word for her.

Compared to his son, even a good person could only score zero.

No one cared for that kind of verbal praise.

Bai Yunsheng suppressed the chill in his eyes and stood. "Grandpa, it's already very late. I'll help you go rest."

The old man glanced at the time. It was indeed getting late. "So much time has passed already. It's been a long time since I played chess so freely." As he spoke, he gently patted Bai Yunsheng's hand. "If you have time, remember to come keep Grandpa company more often."

Bai Yunsheng's gaze was calm, but the curve of his lips was perfectly upturned. "I will, Grandpa."

Bai Yunsheng helped the old man to his feet. The moment he opened the door, he came face-to-face with the two brothers playing on their phones outside. Surprise flashed through both their eyes. They had not expected the old man to go so long without losing his temper at all.

The old man was in a good mood. When he saw Feng Tingfan and the others at the door, he beckoned to them. "Why are you still here?"

Feng Tingfan immediately stepped forward and squeezed Bai Yunsheng out of his place. Bai Yunsheng took several steps back, making room for Feng Tingfan and the others to perform.

Feng Tingfan said, "We just wanted to see Grandpa once more before leaving. You don't like being disturbed when you play chess, so we waited here."

His younger cousin promptly added, "That's right, Grandpa."

Soon, a servant came over. Feng Tingfan handed the old man over to the servant, and only after the old man entered the elevator did they look away. The moment they did, they found that Bai Yunsheng's spot was already empty.

"Bai Yunsheng!" Feng Tingfan called.

Bai Yunsheng stopped walking.

Sure enough, I have some kind of cursed connection with staircases. Looks like I should visit a temple when I have time and get rid of this bad luck.

However, Bai Yunsheng stopped because the old man lived alone in the main residence, and there were surveillance cameras everywhere. He was not afraid they would try anything.

"What is it?" Bai Yunsheng turned around. Though he stood lower down on the stairs, he did not seem beneath them in the slightest.

His younger cousin spoke first. "You're feeling pretty proud of yourself, huh?"

Bai Yunsheng's gaze lingered on his cousin for only a second. Sometimes, he truly could not understand the way certain people's minds worked.

Seeing that Bai Yunsheng did not answer, his cousin stepped forward. "Didn't you hear me?"

Bai Yunsheng nodded.

Bai Yunsheng's attitude made his cousin flare up. "You heard me and ignored me? What, are you mute?"

Feng Tingfan fanned the flames. "I think after playing a few games with Grandpa, he doesn't even put you in his eyes anymore."

His younger cousin's fat body trembled. The little brainpower he had was all devoted to studying, and after only a few hours, he still had not grasped the situation. He still thought Bai Yunsheng was the same person everyone could bully.

His younger cousin stepped forward. "If you still don't say anything, don't blame me for getting rough!"

Bai Yunsheng looked at him again.

Bai Yunsheng knew that most of his cousin's hatred toward him had been stirred up by Feng Tingfan.

Bai Yunsheng had no intention of getting along with the entire family anyway. Besides, that hatred had accumulated over time and had been instilled since childhood. There was no room left to turn things around.

Then let them hate him.

Let them dislike him.

To Bai Yunsheng, people like them were insignificant. They were not worth wasting his energy on.

With that thought, Bai Yunsheng withdrew his gaze once more.

Perhaps it was the angle, or perhaps the lighting, but his younger cousin, already fuming with anger, felt that Bai Yunsheng's glance was full of provocation.