The Master’s Mask Unveiled Again
Chapter 875 - 874: Someone Won!

Chapter 875: Chapter 874: Someone Won!

Su Luo heard this but didn’t say anything.

She had never faced Lu Mian in a chess match before, only heard from her grandfather that Lu Mian won a game of Go against an elderly man when she was just four years old.

The man even gave her a precious snuff bottle as a reward.

The first time Su Luo truly witnessed Lu Mian’s chess skills was at a small Go competition hosted by her grandfather, where Lu Mian walked away with a prize of twenty million yuan.

To be honest, Su Luo couldn’t quite grasp Lu Mian’s true strength.

How deep or shallow—it was completely beyond her understanding.

In fact, when it came to assessing Lu Mian’s various abilities, she couldn’t come up with any accurate measure.

"Brilliant!"

While Su Luo was caught in her thoughts, a loud and unabashed exclamation of praise rang out from the crowd gathered around.

"This move is simply brilliant! Right from the first step, it takes an unconventional path, leading all the way to a draw..."

Zhuge Heng, having already analyzed the entire game, turned his head and discussed with Xiao Jianli: "That optimal strategy you mentioned earlier, the opponent didn’t use it. Instead, this risky move directly leveled the playing field!"

Xiao Jianli gave a soft "Mm" in response, his gaze remaining fixed on the chessboard, never looking up. After snapping a few photos, he lost interest in being surrounded by so many people.

"I’ll head upstairs to study this more closely." With that, the old man turned and left.

Zhuge Heng exchanged a few courteous words but didn’t insist on him staying; after all, everyone’s focus wasn’t on Xiao Jianli, and no one paid attention when the old man left.

"Uncle! Uncle!"

At that moment, Zhuge Lin pushed through a group of students, leading a young girl to Zhuge Heng.

She introduced her excitedly: "This is my friend Lu Yutian. She’s the one who solved it!"

"Lu?" Zhuge Heng looked puzzled. Another person with the surname Lu?

Lu Yutian chuckled lightly and explained with poise and composure, "Hello, Uncle Zhuge. I’m Lu Yutian, the granddaughter of Lu Beihua."

Hearing this, Zhuge Heng immediately understood.

Of course, he knew the name Lu Beihua. He had just mentioned him to Elder Xiao earlier.

So this young lady was from the authentic Lu Family.

Zhuge Heng immediately gave her his full attention.

"I know your grandfather. When it comes to connections, we’re practically family!"

Lu Yutian nodded slightly. It was common for prominent families to band together and expand their influence.

"To have such advanced Go skills at such a young age, my dear niece, you’re truly impressive!" Zhuge Heng did not hold back on his praise. With this solved chess problem, his first impression of Lu Yutian was very positive.

Her beauty and manners only added to that favorable impression.

"The rest of you better learn from her. Yutian here outshines all of you!"

None of the academy staff, including himself, had managed to reach a draw in this game. Yet Lu Yutian solved the tricky position with such ease on her first attempt. That wasn’t something anyone could do by talking big.

Lu Yutian humbly shook her head. "Please don’t say that. I just got lucky. When it comes to actual combat experience, I can’t compare to anyone here."

"Yutian, you’re being too modest! How can this be called luck? Was getting into Qing University through self-study also just luck?" Zhuge Lin boasted loudly to the crowd around them.

Making friends with someone from Qing University was definitely a prestigious connection.

Sure enough, as soon as they heard the name Qing University, the group of students—ranging in age from their teens to their twenties—looked at Lu Yutian with admiration in their eyes.

"Miss Lu must be a genius!"

"Not only is she academically excellent, but her Go skills are amazing, and she’s so humble. Love it!"

Lu Yutian had long grown accustomed to such praise, silently accepting all of it.

Her gaze casually swept over the chessboard, a faint glimmer flickering in her eyes, gone in an instant.

It was indeed quite a coincidence today. She and Zhuge Lin had previously been online acquaintances in the same chat group. Finding herself in Jinjing, she thought it would be worthwhile to connect with peers from prominent families. So she decided to visit Zhuge Lin today.

Even more coincidental was the fact that she had seen this particular chess problem before.

An esteemed senior from China had exhibited it during a trip to O Continent, showing it to her grandfather. Her grandfather hadn’t elaborated on the person’s identity, merely having her brew tea nearby.

So, she had only casually glanced at the chessboard a few times.

What the senior said back then remained vivid in her memory.

"I’ve been to many places and played chess with countless people. Most adhere to conventional moves, invariably leading to Black losing to White. Only a very few manage a draw."

Her grandfather, intrigued by his tone of lingering interest, curiously asked, "Isn’t a draw the best result?"

"Not at all. Someone once used Black to win against White," the senior said with a grave expression. "That person is the only one."

Even now, as Lu Yutian reflected on this, she could vividly recall the senior’s face—a mix of genuine admiration and an almost insatiable desire to battle that person for hundreds of rounds.

She thought, that person’s chess skills must have reached the pinnacle of mastery.

The senior and her grandfather had played several rounds, but in the end, he couldn’t produce a winning game against her grandfather.

Fortunately, she still remembered the sequence that led to the draw. While it wasn’t a strategy of her own invention, using it in this setting was harmless.

To restore the chessboard from memory required exceptional powers of recollection, which, she figured, was a skill in itself.

Zhuge Heng was indeed impressed with Lu Yutian and instructed Zhuge Lin, "Linlin, make sure to learn well from Miss Lu."

"Uncle, I can learn her chess skills, but I can’t learn her intelligence. Yutian is internationally recognized by the Brain Research Institute for her exceptional IQ. Calling her a genius isn’t an exaggeration!"

"Indeed, a true genius..."

"Her IQ must be above 200, right?!"

Another wave of envious chatter arose from the crowd.

Zhuge Lin, holding onto Lu Yutian’s arm, wore a look of pride. When she glanced at Su Luo, her smile carried a hint of scorn and coldness.

"What’s the big deal about arranging a few chess pieces? If you’re capable, draw the match like Yutian! Hah!"

The obvious disparagement made Su Luo rather irritated.

But she was a reasonable person—someone capable deserved respect, and she acknowledged that.

However, that didn’t mean she was willing to sit there and listen to Zhuge Lin’s veiled jabs.

Su Luo grabbed La Wenwen and strode off. "Let’s head upstairs and find Lu Mian!"

"Let’s go!"

——

Upstairs in the attic.

Xiao Jianli had initially been planning to share the photos he had taken with Lu Mian, but before he could even show them, he was stunned by the black-and-white chessboard in front of him.

To be specific, he was shocked.

"Qimo, Mianmian, did the two of you play this?" Xiao Jianli remembered that, before he left, the chessboard was untouched.

Now that he saw it, oh wow!

Black had turned the tables and won!

At this point, he didn’t even feel like taking out his phone; he simply stared intently at Xiao Qimo and Lu Mian, his eyes bright with excitement.

Lu Mian stretched lazily, completely at ease.

Xiao Qimo ceded his seat to Xiao Jianli and explained, "You guessed half correctly."

The old man widened his eyes: "What do you mean?"

——

When Su Luo and La Wenwen arrived in the attic, they heard the sound of an older man exclaiming in awe, his tone surprisingly lively and unrestrained.

When the two learned the truth, their expressions were identical to Xiao Jianli’s—

unstable, and even more exhilarated.

Su Luo, enthralled, circled the chessboard repeatedly, her fingers continually simulating the possible plays.

La Wenwen, unable to contain herself, leaned out of the attic and waved enthusiastically to Zhuge Heng, Zhuge Lin, and the others near the pavilion.

"Dean, come up here! Quickly, quickly! This is breaking news!"

Her voice was clear and lively—far from unpleasant—but it did disrupt the quiet atmosphere of the chess institute. Zhuge Heng frowned in disapproval, finding her too noisy.

Before he could scold her, La Wenwen added another line.

"Dean, someone won! There’s a victory on this chessboard!"