"Attention everyone, there's a special situation that needs to be announced."
When the loudspeaker's voice sounded, it naturally drew everyone's attention.
"Due to an accident encountered by contestant Zhan Jinzhi, the upcoming match will be played by contestant Zhan Shiqing as his substitute, and Zhan Jinzhi will guide her moves through voice. The announcer paused for a moment before continuing, "Of course, for fairness, all subsequent matches will be broadcast live on the big screen for everyone present to supervise."
The audience erupted in an uproar. They had never heard of such a competition.
However, this method was quite novel. Watching the excitement wouldn't hurt.
Thus, Zhan Shiqing entered the arena as Zhan Jinzhi's substitute.
"It's really Zhan Shiqing. I know she's completely clueless about chess. It seems there's no suspense in the outcome of this match."
Almost everyone unanimously believed that Zhan Jinzhi wouldn't win this match at all.
Amidst everyone's doubts, the match began.
The crowd had initially expected more subtle changes in the dynamics between the two sides, but the result was the same as before.
Zhan Shiqing was merely following Qiu Shaoyi's moves.
"Let's go, let's go. There's nothing more to see in the rest of the match."
Some people in the stands were already preparing to leave.
Qiu Shaoyi looked at Zhan Shiqing before him and became even more disdainful. "Xiao Mei, I think you should stop listening to your brother. It's okay even if you lose. I'll take you for ice cream later, alright?"
Compared to Zhan Jinzhi, Qiu Shaoyi actually liked Zhan Shiqing quite a bit. At least she was very cute.
However, Zhan Shiqing glared at him. "Don't think you can bribe me like this. My brother is the best and most powerful brother in the world. He will definitely not lose to you!"
"How about we make a bet?" Qiu Shaoyi grinned wildly. "If your brother loses, you kiss me. How about that?"
Zhan Shiqing rolled her eyes. She didn't like the arrogant Qiu Shaoyi in front of her at all, but she believed in Zhan Jinzhi, so she naturally wasn't afraid of betting with him.
"Alright, then if you lose, I want you to shout in front of everyone that my brother is the most powerful person."
Because Qiu Shaoyi didn't think he would lose at all, he readily agreed. "Okay, it's a deal."
But the people in the stands didn't know what bet they had made and continued to watch the game.
In the infirmary.
The doctor had already given Zhan Jinzhi medicine. "You should rest here. After two hours, you'll need to take another dose, and you should be fine."
"Mom, how long has the match been going on?" Zhan Jinzhi asked.
"Ten minutes." Although she answered, Wei Yumeng wasn't concerned about the current state of the match.
She was more curious about who had done such a thing.
Zhan Jinzhi thought for a moment. "There's still plenty of time. Mom, Dad, do you want to know why I have a stomachache?"
Zhan Mohan looked at Zhan Jinzhi.
"During the halftime break, besides the food you gave me, someone handed me a bottle of water." Zhan Jinzhi tried to recall. "It was just that my classmates were all cheering for me, so I don't know which one of them it was."
Wei Yumeng frowned. "You suspect one of your classmates is behind this?"
Zhan Jinzhi nodded. "Because I haven't eaten anything else."
"Alright, I'll have Fang Xun investigate." Zhan Mohan said, having already sent the investigation details to Fang Xun.
"And Dad," Zhan Jinzhi added. "If you find out who did this, please let me meet them. I want to know why she did it."
Zhan Mohan naturally agreed. "Okay."
When Wei Yumeng and Zhan Mohan returned to the stands, many spectators had already left.
In their eyes, there was no need to continue watching a match whose outcome was already known.
But Zhan Mohan glanced at the time on his phone. "Fifteen minutes. Time's up."
Wei Yumeng then remembered that Zhan Jinzhi had specifically asked about the time earlier. Did this time have any significance?
At that moment, Zhan Jinzhi's voice came from the broadcast.
"Shiqing, k5."
Zhan Shiqing immediately understood. She stopped paying attention to Qiu Shaoyi's moves and placed the piece according to Zhan Jinzhi's instructions.
Qiu Shaoyi was stunned. He couldn't understand why Zhan Jinzhi had suddenly changed his strategy and placed a piece in a location completely unrelated to the current game.
The only explanation he could think of was that Zhan Jinzhi knew that continuing to block his moves like this would lead to no outcome, so he had simply changed his playing style.
Qiu Shaoyi curved his lips. "Xiao Mei, you're going to lose this time."
With no more obstructions, Qiu Shaoyi's chess moves naturally became much smoother.
"s4."
"d7."
"It's over, it's over. Has this contestant given up?"
A parent couldn't bear to watch any longer. "These moves are random. Each step has no connection whatsoever."
"In three more moves, in three more moves, Qiu Shaoyi will win."
Qiu Shaoyi on the stage already had a triumphant expression. "Xiao Mei, are you ready? In three more moves, I'll win."
Given the current situation, it was impossible for Zhan Jinzhi to break Qiu Shaoyi's game in three moves.
Zhan Shiqing, however, was not nervous at all. "Who cares about you? My brother will definitely win!"
"One move. I only need one more move, and I win." Zhan Jinzhi's voice came from the broadcast.
The audience below erupted in an uproar. They had watched for a long time and didn't think Zhan Jinzhi would win, let alone in the final move.
At this moment, someone suddenly had a realization and stood up. "It's one move, it is indeed one move! Look, Zhan Jinzhi's previous moves weren't just about blocking Qiu Shaoyi's path. If we connect all the pieces..."
"This is... a complete defeat!"
Of course, this defeat did not refer to Zhan Jinzhi, but to Qiu Shaoyi.
Unknowingly, Qiu Shaoyi had completely fallen into Zhan Jinzhi's trap. His objective was always to capture some of Zhan Jinzhi's pieces, while Zhan Jinzhi's goal was to lure him into a trap and take him down in one go.
Because Qiu Shaoyi was too arrogant and always thought Zhan Jinzhi's moves were to block him, he focused entirely on his own pieces and his own formation. Therefore, he never suspected that the pieces had another purpose.
When Zhan Jinzhi's plan was complete, someone was naturally utterly defeated.
So, Zhan Shiqing followed Zhan Jinzhi's instructions and placed the final piece. "Little brother, you lost."
After speaking, Zhan Shiqing also gave him a sweet smile.