Song Qiao, in high spirits, kissed Alice's face a few times and held her tightly in his arms, pampering her to his heart's content.
Despite her flushed cheeks, Alice cooperated to the best of her ability and did not struggle.
As a smart woman, she knew her value to Song Qiao at this moment.
She also knew how to leverage this value to ensure her own survival.
It was precisely because she understood this that Song Qiao was so unrestrained.
After a period of intimacy, they parted. Song Qiao glanced at the victory screen, chuckled, and pinched Alice's nose. He said with emotion,
"I never expected your Go skills to be so superb, capable of defeating even professional players."
Alice's face turned slightly red, and she lowered her head, whispering,
"It wasn't that much, it was all luck. Song, when you're by my side, I feel like my thoughts are much clearer."
This made Song Qiao both amused and speechless. He patted her shoulder and said, a little exasperated,
"Stop flattering me. If you have skill, you have skill. Don't attribute it to luck."
He then casually tidied up Alice's hair and looked into her eyes.
"You must be tired after playing two games, right?"
"No, Song. If you wish, I can continue playing with you."
"Such high-level Go is mentally exhausting. I played one game with you, and then two more with him..."
Song Qiao shook his head slightly as he said this.
He only needed to know Alice's playing ability.
Alice was skilled, and he had a general idea. Continuing to play would be mentally draining.
"Alright, don't force yourself. We'll stop for today. If you're willing, you can come back tomorrow."
"Okay, Song. I'll always be here. Whenever you wish, you can call me."
While the two were intimately engaged, Guo Can, on his end, was so furious that he slammed the table.
"What is this! What a joke! It's over just like that?"
Guo Can was so angry his eyes seemed out of place, his nose out of proportion. His chest heaved rapidly, and he gritted his teeth.
"You son of a bitch, I refuse to believe I can't beat you today!"
"There was clearly an opening earlier, and I just didn't see it!"
His expression changed rapidly for a long time. Guo Can slowly exhaled and hastily closed the interface, then sent a message through the private chat channel.
After sending the message, he stared intently at the chat box, his face filled with unwillingness.
At this moment, Alice, breathing slightly heavily, broke free from Song Qiao's embrace. She placed a hand on her chest, her face filled with confusion. She glanced at the screen and asked curiously,
"Song, I just heard the page beep a few times. Did someone send a message? Song?"
Song Qiao was taken aback. He closed the victory screen and then saw a small avatar flashing frantically.
Seeing this avatar, Song Qiao couldn't help but laugh.
"This guy must be banging on his table in a rage again."
"Is it the person who was just playing Go with me?"
"Yes. He lost to me before. This time, you played on my behalf and also won against him. And the first game he won was also by using a lucky trap."
As he said this, Song Qiao stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and said with a smile,
"He's probably unwilling to accept it and wants to play another round with us."
As he spoke, Song Qiao clicked open the chat box. On the other end, Guo Can had indeed sent quite a few messages, wanting to play another round with them.
"Song Qiao, I was unwilling to accept defeat in the previous two rounds. Let's have another one!"
"Why aren't you saying anything? Are you afraid?"
"You brat! If you've got the guts, accept the invitation! If you're a real man, let's play another round!"
"Ahhhh! Song Qiao, you won and you're leaving! You won one game and you're done playing? What a lack of sportsmanship!"
Looking at these messages, Song Qiao couldn't help but chuckle. He exchanged a glance with Alice, who blinked innocently.
"Song, I'll do whatever you say. If you want to play, I can play another round with him."
"Forget it."
Song Qiao shook his head.
He could see that Alice was already very tired. Even Mo Ling would feel exhausted, let alone her, a foreigner.
However, his "forget it" made Alice feel that Song Qiao thought her victory was too hard-won and didn't want her to play anymore.
She immediately felt a little wronged.
"Song, I tried my best. This opponent was very strong, the strongest I've ever faced. I think I performed exceptionally well this time. Song, am I..."
Am I a bit too incompetent?
She had just claimed her Go skills were superb, but she had such a tough time against someone who came out of nowhere.
However, she didn't voice the latter half of the question, only looking at the ground, afraid to meet Song Qiao's eyes.
Song Qiao shook his head, chuckled lightly, and gently caressed her cheek before pulling her into his embrace.
"You've already done very well. There's no need to be so self-deprecating. The person you played against just now was on the world stage."
With Song Qiao's words, Alice regained a bit of her confidence. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Song Qiao.
"Then, Song, can I stay?"
Upon hearing this, Song Qiao laughed heartily. He stroked Alice's hair, thought for a moment, pondered for a short while, and then nodded under Alice's nervous gaze.
"Of course."
"That's great!" Alice exclaimed happily. Unable to contain herself, she hugged Song Qiao and kissed him. Realizing what she had done, she cupped her face, her cheeks feeling exceptionally hot in her palms.
"Song, I'm so happy. Being able to stay by your side is the best news for me."
Song Qiao was both amused and speechless.
"I'm keeping you to work. Didn't you say you were good at business? I happen to need someone skilled in business. You can stay with me, and when you want to play Go, you can spar with me."
Alice jumped up with joy, nodding repeatedly. She clasped her hands in front of her chest in gratitude.
"Tomorrow, I'll arrange accommodation and a workplace for you. For now, you should go back and rest. You must be tired after playing so many games."
"Okay, Song. If you need anything, just call me anytime."
Song Qiao nodded with a smile and watched Alice leave. He returned to his room, closed the door, sat on the sofa, and rubbed his temples.
"This intelligence..."
He murmured to himself, his expression turning grim.
"This intelligence, how should I warn the richest man..."
This was a major issue that absolutely could not go wrong. After all, if the Snow Country's government gained control, it would be a disaster for him.
Projects like natural gas and water ports, which were originally dirt cheap and easily obtainable, would skyrocket in price.
Once the government took charge, these prices would inevitably soar!
At that point, his ambitions would never be realized!
However, after thinking for a while, he gave up, deciding to sleep first.
Moonlight poured in. Song Qiao, with the curtains open, tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. He simply looked out the window at the moonlit night.
"Huh?"
Song Qiao suddenly paused. Whether it was an illusion or not, he felt his bed sink slightly.
Then, a warm body quietly slipped into his covers.