Playing chess

Life settled into a peaceful routine.

Lin Zhishui also began commuting between home and his shop. Every morning, he taught Yan Shanshui calligraphy at the shop, practiced ink painting at noon, then went home in the evening to eat, sleep, and tease Little Snake.

The breeze was gentle, the little pine outside the door grew ever sturdier, and Yan Shanshui's long legs had lost their novelty, becoming less captivating by the day.

But one thing puzzled him: nearly a month had passed, so why hadn't he had a single customer?

In the past, even when business was slow, at least a few people would drop by after seeing his online ads. Now, he couldn't even spot a lost passerby.

It was far too quiet.

Fortunately, he had earned two "one yuan" payments in quick succession a while back. Even if he did no business all year, he could still get by.

No sales for six months, then one sale fed you for six months.

Giving customers some time to prepare themselves mentally was perfectly acceptable... That was how he quietly consoled himself.

Besides, Little Snake's new book really seemed to have taken off lately. After it went premium a while back, she seemed more confident overall. She even dared to comfort him by declaring, "It's fine if you can't scam... er, earn any money. I can support you."

The girl actually wanted him to live off her. Lin Zhishui was so annoyed that he nearly unbuckled his belt on the spot to show her just how hard a hard man like him could be.

But he also felt a little sorry for Little Snake. To earn money from her writing, her sleep schedule had grown increasingly irregular. She often slept several extra hours before waking, and sometimes she was icy cold, with a terrible temper when she got up.

One day at noon.

After teaching Yan Shanshui calligraphy that morning, Lin Zhishui didn't feel like ordering takeout, so he went home to cook.

After lunch, he inevitably felt a little lazy. Instead of returning to the shop to practice ink painting, he decided to take the day off and headed straight to the bedroom to play games.

He hadn't played Auto Chess in ages. The game seemed to have fallen out of favor lately.

After swiftly finishing eighth twice in a row, Lin Zhishui opened Task Manager with a dark expression and ended the process.

He was just about to switch to a new game when a local news notification popped up in the bottom-right corner. He casually clicked it to take a look.

"At one this afternoon, a gas leak caused a massive explosion at Four Seasons Garden in the East Garden District? Multiple casualties?"

Reading the report, Lin Zhishui froze for a moment.

If he remembered correctly, Old Master Cheng had said his home was in Four Seasons Garden, the villa complex in the East Garden District, hadn't he?

"Good thing Old Master Cheng passed away beforehand, or he would've been in danger."

Lin Zhishui couldn't help sighing. Then, the moment he finished speaking, he froze. What am I saying...?

Still, gas leaks actually caused explosions in this day and age?

And in a wealthy villa complex with strict security, no less.

Looks like rich people's villa complexes aren't all that safe either. Nothing special, nothing special... He seized the opportunity to console himself with a little sour grapes.

"Right, Old Master Cheng and I were friends despite our age gap, and Cheng Qiyue and her father, Cheng Buxiu, are customers of mine too. Should I call and ask how they're doing?" Lin Zhishui muttered to himself.

After all, that family, young and old, had earned him over three hundred thousand, nearly four hundred thousand.

With such a major accident, they might have been caught in the explosion too. He ought to call and check. Even if they were unharmed, he should at least offer his regards.

Before leaving last time, Cheng Buxiu had given him a business card.

Lin Zhishui immediately dug the card out of his wallet, picked up his phone, and dialed the number printed on it.

Before long, the call connected.

Cheng Buxiu's low, exhausted voice came from the other end. "Hello? Who is this?"

Lin Zhishui could tell that Cheng Qiyue's father seemed to be in a terrible mood. Had members of the Cheng Family been caught in the explosion?

He paused thoughtfully, adjusted his tone, and said, "Mr. Cheng, I'm the owner of the He Mingxuan calligraphy and painting shop."

Cheng Buxiu seemed taken aback for a moment, then immediately replied with great respect, "Senior Lin, I never expected you to contact me. I'm truly overwhelmed by the honor. What instructions do you have for me?"

He's being awfully polite...

So Lin Zhishui thought before saying softly, "I heard about what happened today. How is the Cheng Family doing?"

At that, Cheng Buxiu sighed and said in a low voice, "It happened so suddenly. Several of our younger family members died on the spot, and several others were seriously injured. Even the family head has fallen into a coma..."

The casualties were that severe?

Even the head of the Cheng Family had been seriously injured and left comatose by this gas explosion?

"My condolences." That was all Lin Zhishui could say.

"Senior Lin, for some reason, the head of our family still hasn't regained consciousness. We've invited several experts with old ties to the Cheng Family to help, but they haven't made any progress."

Cheng Buxiu hesitated, then asked earnestly and hopefully, "Would you perhaps be willing to take a look?"

He wants my help?

Lin Zhishui was a little bewildered. He knew nothing about medicine. A wealthy family like the Cheng Family had brought in medical experts, and even they hadn't been able to save their family head. What good would having him take a look do?

Could it be... that they thought a master calligrapher like him had extensive connections and knew more medical experts, so they wanted him to help get in touch with them?

But he had no connections at all. Even he had to make an appointment and wait in line to see a doctor. There was nothing he could do to help.

Cheng Buxiu was probably just grasping at straws in desperation.

"Mr. Cheng, I know you're very anxious right now."

Lin Zhishui comforted him. "But you mustn't panic. As the saying goes, man proposes, heaven disposes. I'm sure Old Cheng is watching over his descendants from heaven. Even if he's no longer here to be your pillar of strength, you mustn't lose your composure."

He couldn't offer any useful advice or assistance. All he could do was urge the other man to calm down.

Only by thinking calmly could he respond most effectively.

"Heaven disposes? My grandfather..."

Cheng Buxiu paused, then gave a bitter chuckle. "Thank you for the reminder, Senior Lin. I was so distraught that I truly forgot there was another method available. I won't disturb you any longer, then."

"Mm." Lin Zhishui said softly, "Mr. Cheng, when you take action, please think of the calligraphy I gave you."

He had no idea what method Cheng Buxiu had remembered. Although he was curious, he knew his own limits well enough not to ask.

After ending the call, Lin Zhishui was about to look online for more details when his phone rang again. He picked it up and saw that the caller was actually an old customer.

Xiao Sui.

She was the female customer who always liked every video he posted on Douyin. When she visited the shop, she wore sunglasses, a mask, and a baseball cap, keeping herself tightly covered. Later, she had only removed her sunglasses, revealing nothing but her eyes.

Lin Zhishui had always suspected she was the star who had risen to fame through a period drama under the stage name Xia Guyu, but he couldn't exactly ask directly about a customer's private life.

He also suspected that this customer might already have a daughter. If she really was that star, it would be explosive news.

Out of consideration for his customer's privacy, he hadn't said anything more.

He had to make a living, after all.

In truth, he didn't particularly want to get involved with celebrities either. If some scandalous rumor spread, the media reported it, and paparazzi dug into his background and exposed everything, how was he supposed to keep getting by?

"Hello." Lin Zhishui hesitated, but answered anyway.

"Mr. Lin, this is Xiao Sui."

A pleasant voice, clear as the burbling of a spring, came from the other end. It really did sound like the female lead in that period drama.

"I know."

Lin Zhishui kept his voice as calm as possible and asked, "Did you need something?"

The woman on the other end said cautiously, "It's nothing much, really. I just learned that something major happened in the city where you live in seclusion, so I wanted to ask you..."

"Oh, with such a big commotion, of course I know." Lin Zhishui nodded. "What about it?"

"Then... what do you think?" the woman asked softly.

"I just heard about the situation from the Cheng Family too. I believe they can handle it," Lin Zhishui said casually.

"The Cheng Family alone?" The woman sounded astonished, then asked, "Did you mean that you've already contacted someone from the Cheng Family?"

"Of course. From Old Cheng to his descendants, several of them are customers of mine," Lin Zhishui said.

"They're all your customers? That's a relief..."

A note of realization entered the woman's voice, as though she had understood something. Then she asked cautiously, "I'm planning to visit the Cheng Family. Are you busy right now? Shall I come pay you a visit first?"

Lin Zhishui didn't particularly want to deal with this woman, and he couldn't very well say he was playing Auto Chess, so he answered vaguely, "No need. I'm playing chess. I don't really have time."

"Playing... chess?"

The woman on the other end was clearly taken aback. Then, as though something had dawned on her, she drew a deep breath and said, "So that's how it is... I understand. I won't disturb you, then."