The Master’s Mask Unveiled Again
Chapter 916 - 915: I’ll Make Them Beg You to Go Back

Chapter 916: Chapter 915: I’ll Make Them Beg You to Go Back

Zhuge Lin grew more and more excited, mainly wanting to help Lu Yutian gain some justice.

Clearly, Lu Yutian was better and stronger, yet she was overshadowed by a wildcard like Lu Mian.

The person was someone she brought along. Lu Yutian’s dignity was tied to her own, and no matter what, Zhuge Lin wanted to take back this moment and suppress the confidence of Su Luo and Lu Mian.

Hearing about the match, Lu Yutian seemed slightly distracted.

After a moment, she casually responded: "Linlin, this is on you for not hosting properly. I, someone with no reputation in the Go world, playing a match with a grandmaster? Firstly, our standings don’t match. Second, if the grandmaster wins, they may face criticism for bullying juniors. If they lose to me, their strength will come under question. This kind of thing... it’s better not to do."

After hearing this, Zhuge Lin suddenly shivered, "Yutian, you’re so thoughtful. I wouldn’t have considered this in a million years! Fine, let’s wait and see what the grandmaster thinks about it. How about that?"

Lu Yutian nodded slightly, concealing all her thoughts flawlessly.

In any case, when the time comes, she’ll find a way to turn it down.

As long as this grandmaster isn’t the elder who once visited the Lu Family, she wouldn’t have anything to worry about.

——

Lu Mian and Jing Pei were chatting happily in the private lounge.

Upon hearing that Su Luo would also be attending, Mo Si prepared additional refreshments favored by Jing grandmaster, Su Luo, and others.

"Lu girl, do you have time today? When can we go for another game?" Jing Pei eagerly rubbed his hands, looking as though he wanted to battle Lu Mian for three hundred rounds right away.

Lu Mian chuckled, "I’ll have to join the human-machine competition later."

She had worked it out—precisely because of this competition, Jing grandmaster had come here early for breakfast. Thus, their coincidental yet inevitable reunion transpired.

"Human-machine competition..." Jing Pei muttered to himself, seemingly just remembering today’s event.

He had been so swept up in the joy of seeing Lu Mian again that he’d let it all slip his mind.

After thinking about it...

"Ah, Lu Mian!" He finally recalled, wasn’t this the Lu Mian Zhuge Heng had mentioned?

The one who turned the game-ending predicament around into victory, Lu Mian!

Indeed, after all this circling, it could only be her!

"It really is you! There’s no one else like you!" Jing Pei murmured incessantly to himself, waving his hand dramatically and unreasonably declaring, "Ah, don’t go to the competition, and I won’t go either. Let’s just stay here and have a quiet game!"

...

Lu Mian pinched the bridge of her nose, "You’re supposed to be an honored guest today."

Jing grandmaster behaving like this—it was almost as if a teacher leading a class in skipping lessons. Just... quite a character.

As the two were chatting, Su Luo and La Wenwen arrived.

The two girls entered the room laughing and talking, quite relaxed since they weren’t aware of other attendees.

Jing Pei looked toward the door with some surprise.

Lu Mian also glanced over.

Su Luo and La Wenwen, upon noticing an unfamiliar older man in the room, immediately restrained their laughter and stood respectfully at the door.

Lu Mian provided a quick introduction to Jing Pei: "These are my friends. The one with the ponytail is Su Luo, and the one with the shoulder-length hair is La Wenwen."

Su Luo and La Wenwen looked at Lu Mian for an explanation—"Who is he?"

Not great at handling such social moments, Lu Mian responded simply and to the point, "This is Jing Pei, Jing grandmaster."

"Ohh, so it’s Jing grandmaster."

"Hello, Jing grandmaster."

The two girls greeted him awkwardly.

Half a second later...

What?!

Jing grandmaster?!

The Go-playing, smoking-drinking Jing grandmaster?!

The eccentric, highly-respected Jing grandmaster?!

Su Luo and La Wenwen nearly froze as they stared at Jing Pei, utterly dumbfounded.

Mo Si proactively pulled out two chairs, "Miss Su, Miss La, please take a seat."

The two girls sat down in a daze.

Lu Mian noticed Su Luo’s blank expression and, lifting her hand, lightly flicked Su Luo on the forehead with her slender finger.

"Frozen?"

"Huh?" Su Luo snapped back to reality, balling her fist and lightly punching Lu Mian, "Why didn’t you tell me about this?"

It’s Jing grandmaster!

She was incredibly, incredibly, incredibly eager to meet this senior!

And just like that, out of nowhere, they meet!

She felt her demeanor entering the room was all wrong—her smile and posture were lacking, and even her steps were off.

The way she greeted him was such an embarrassment; her entire image was shattered to pieces.

Oh God!

How could she have presented herself in such a foolish way before the grandmaster!

"I only just ran into Jing grandmaster," Lu Mian smiled, "Jing grandmaster is easygoing, no need for you two to be nervous."

Upon hearing this, Jing Pei immediately plastered on an exceedingly warm smile, "That’s right! I’m approachable, down-to-earth, and very easy to talk to!"

The older man’s demeanor exuded a certain "no one rebut me, I am indeed this genial when Lu Mian is present" attitude, causing all three younger people to subtly twitch at the corners of their mouths.

Su Luo: ... I’m not sure whether to believe this or not.

La Wenwen: ... Is it moral decline or humanity distortion? Jing grandmaster himself being this... likable?

Mo Si: ... Our family elder’s goal seems exceedingly fulfilled.

La Wenwen glanced at Lu Mian, instantly recognizing the underlying cause.

Su Luo, too, realized when spotting the snuff bottle on the table.

So it really was as she thought!

Which meant that Lu Mian and Jing grandmaster shared quite the close bond!

Su Luo couldn’t help but smirk in amusement.

La Wenwen, however, rested her chin on both hands, gazing dreamily at Lu Mian with sparkling eyes. She looked even more enthusiastic and radiant than she had when looking at Jing grandmaster.

Her woman crush was just too amazing!

What was Lu Mian’s brain made of that made her so exceptional in everything she did?

The morning tea and snacks were quickly served, and even Mo Si joined them. The five of them ate leisurely while chatting.

During this time, La Wenwen learned the backstory of Lu Mian and Jing Pei. Her jaw dropped wide enough to fit an entire char siu bun.

She reflected inwardly, apologizing to Su Luo with her gaze.

[Sorry, Luoluo! Back when you talked about inviting Jing grandmaster to dinner, I mocked you. My imagination was too limited. I underestimated Queen Lu Mian’s prowess. My foolish assumptions regarding Jing grandmaster and the Zhuge Family were incredibly wrong—I’m guilty!]

Su Luo: [You’re forgiven.]

The two silently exchanged this playful interaction as Su Luo’s phone buzzed persistently.

Su Luo glanced at the screen, her expression cooling as she decided not to answer.

It rang again several times, but she ignored it each time.

Sitting close, La Wenwen noticed the caller ID and quietly asked with concern, "Luoluo, are you sure you won’t pick up? What if it’s the director calling?"

"Not picking up. Let them do whatever they want."

"But... what if the director really bans you from competing in domestic tournaments someday?"

Though they spoke softly, the private lounge was quiet, and Lu Mian heard every word clearly. She gained some insight into Su Luo’s current situation.

"Having problems with the Go Institute?" Lu Mian asked briefly.

Su Luo shook her head, reluctant to discuss it, but Lu Mian simply stared at her with her clear, black-and-white eyes.

Unable to contain herself, La Wenwen blurted it all out, explaining the situation thoroughly without adding embellishments—only stating the facts.

Finally, she angrily grumbled, "What right does Zhuge Lin have to fire Luoluo? She’s the one who started all this unnecessary drama..."

Lu Mian nodded slightly, casually picking up her phone from the table before letting out a soft chuckle.

"Don’t worry. They’ll beg you to come back."

The girl’s tone was light, devoid of any strong emotion. But that single, understated remark carried an inexplicable chill, evoking a powerful sense of authority as if a master had arrived and all others should bow.