Five in the afternoon, in front of a hot pot restaurant.
Bai Liu sits before a bubbling pot of broth. Beside him, Lu Yizhan holds the menu, visibly confused.
He rarely has to work overtime. The explosion that happened yesterday was handed over to the Anomaly Authorities, allowing ordinary civilians like them to stay home and avoid being affected.
So when Bai Liu asked him to treat him to hot pot, Lu Yizhan obediently came.
Though in truth, he mainly came to figure out what had happened that day.
Lu Yizhan still couldn't understand it. The department was overwhelmed with extra work because of the explosion, and every television was broadcasting the incident nonstop.
Yet Bai Liu—the culprit—was sitting beside him in perfect peace, sipping the complimentary barley tea and even shamelessly ordering another plate of shrimp paste.
Fed up, Lu Yizhan snatched the menu from him and glared.
Bai Liu leisurely took a sip of tea and glanced at him. "What? Are you going to ask me what happened that day?"
"No!" Lu Yizhan said in anguish. "Even if I'm paying, you can't keep ordering! This is enough to feed six people!"
Bai Liu: "..."
This guy's thought process really does work differently from that of normal people.
Since they met up, Lu Yizhan hadn't mentioned the explosion at all. He acted as untroubled as ever.
If Bai Liu hadn't seen him there with his own eyes that day, he would have thought Lu Yizhan didn't know that the "bomber" was him.
"Aren't you curious how I blew up the Rose Factory?" Bai Liu turned his head and lifted his gaze to stare at Lu Yizhan, "and managed to retreat without losing a limb—and am even sitting here having hot pot with you?"
Lu Yizhan nodded honestly. "I'm curious. But allow me to correct something."
"Correct what?" Bai Liu asked.
"I don't think you blew up the factory."
"Why not?" Bai Liu asked calmly. "Didn't you see it with your own eyes?"
"Because I saw it with my own eyes, that's exactly why I don't think it was you." Lu Yizhan lifted his cup and took a drink, letting out a small sigh. "From my judgment, you're not someone with a vested interest—but the factory owner is. So from that perspective, I'm inclined to believe the bomber was the arrested factory owner. You were just a decoy who happened to appear."
"I don't understand why you would step in and take the blame. But you always have your reasons for what you do. I won't ask about it."
Lu Yizhan's deduction missed nothing. It was completely correct.
Even when they were younger, Bai Liu had known that Lu Yizhan was exceptionally smart.
He had excellent grades, was decisive in action, and never hesitated when pursuing what he wanted. He was unbelievably persistent—stubborn, even.
Even though Bai Liu always beat Lu Yizhan in games, he knew very well that he only won because Lu Yizhan had never taken them seriously.
Lu Yizhan never cared about winning or losing a game. He devoted all his intelligence and energy to being a good person. People who didn't know him well might think he possessed an incomprehensible kind of foolish naivety.
But Lu Yizhan wasn't naive at all. In fact, he was very realistic—otherwise, he wouldn't have accepted Bai Liu's trade so easily.
Normally, someone emotionally naive wouldn't be able to accept a friend taking advantage of them—it would feel too cold-blooded.
But Lu Yizhan didn't mind at all, which meant he genuinely agreed with Bai Liu's deals.
Bai Liu lazily spun the ordering pencil between his fingers. "Want to play Gomoku⁽¹⁾?"
Lu Yizhan sighed heavily, holding his cup. "Playing games at a time like this—"
"If you win three times in a row, I'll tell you what happened after the factory explosion you've been worrying about." Bai Liu drew a cross on the grid printed on the menu and lifted his eyes. "If you win five times in a row, I'll even help you deal with it."
Bai Liu, who had already resolved the factory explosion himself, calmly used the same issue to bait Lu Yizhan.
"Deal!" Lu Yizhan took the bait immediately. He put down his cup and grabbed the pencil Bai Liu handed over. After careful consideration, he cautiously drew a circle.
They moved quickly. Almost the moment one of them lifted the pencil, the other would draw immediately. None of the matches filled the entire page; each game was decided within a minute. The moment a win or loss became inevitable, the paper was torn off and tossed into the trash.
By the time Tang Erda arrived, the trash can beside them was already overflowing with scraps.
Lu Yizhan was so focused that he didn't notice anyone else arriving. He simply kept drawing circles right after Bai Liu placed his crosses.
This continued until all five others had gathered.
Bai Liu suddenly covered the paper. "Stop. Let's eat first. You still haven't beaten me."
Lu Yizhan looked up sadly—only to find a group of people staring at him. He nearly fell off his chair in shock.
"Let me introduce my new coworkers." Bai Liu raised four fingers. "Tang Erda, Mu Sicheng, Mu Ke, and the kid you know—Liu Jiayi. Everyone, this is my childhood friend, Lu Yizhan."
Mu Ke nodded politely. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Lu."
Mu Sicheng scratched his head awkwardly. "…Hello."
Tang Erda gave a formal nod. "Greetings."
Liu Jiayi, sitting on a chair and swinging her legs, rested her chin on her hands and smiled sweetly. "Hello, Mister Lu."
Lu Yizhan stared at her in shock. "Wait—Bai Liu, what kind of company are you working for?! Why are they using child labor?!"
"If I had to describe it…" Bai Liu thought for a moment. "A large company for idols?"
Lu Yizhan looks at these dazzling people that are about to blind his dog eyes⁽²⁾, and he gulps nervously as he asks shakily. "I-Is it legal?"
"It's legal," Bai Liu replied with a small smile.
Lu Yizhan was about to press for details, but seeing everyone casually start eating while he was still in shock, he swallowed his questions.
…No wonder Bai Liu ordered so much. He'd been waiting for them.
Soon enough, Bai Liu resumed playing Gomoku with him while eating hot pot. Lu Yizhan immediately fixated on the game again, barely touching his food as he studied the board.
Liu Jiayi finished eating quickly and dragged a chair over to watch them.
She was wearing special contact lenses that allowed her to see clearly. Lu Yizhan, fully absorbed in the game, didn't notice her presence.
The speed of their moves only increased. Bai Liu stopped eating altogether and turned to face Lu Yizhan fully, propping his chin on one hand as he stared at the paper.
Watching from the side, Liu Jiayi's expression gradually turned serious.
She couldn't help but glance at Lu Yizhan in disbelief. This guy looked like an overly nice person—yet his thought process could actually keep up with that psycho Bai Liu?
He was even getting closer and closer to winning.
Mu Ke, intrigued, soon joined them.
Mu Sicheng wasn't finished eating, but curiosity got the better of him. Holding his bowl, he clumsily moved closer.
But their speed was too fast. Mu Sicheng's eyes couldn't keep up. Before he could process the board, the paper was already torn and replaced.
"What are they playing?" Mu Sicheng asked Mu Ke.
"Gomoku," Mu Ke replied.
That only confused Mu Sicheng further. "I thought so—but when only three pieces connected, they started over…"
"Because it's already a stalemate," Mu Ke explained, concentrating on the match. "They've probably played each other many times before. They can tell how it will end at a certain point."
As he spoke, Bai Liu lost two games in a row.
Mu Sicheng's eyes widened. "I can't believe Bai Liu would lose a game…"
Mu Ke took a deep breath. "Simple chess-like games such as Gomoku test both logical ability and reaction speed. Bai Liu is extremely intelligent, so normally, he would have the advantage. Lu Yizhan indeed kept losing at first…"
"But as he plays with Bai Liu, his logical ability and reaction speed improve rapidly."
"The longer they play, the stronger Lu Yizhan seems to become."
"You mean Lu Yizhan has the upper hand now, and Bai Liu's the one losing?" Mu Sicheng looked at the paper in disbelief.
In Mu Sicheng's eyes, Bai Liu losing at all—let alone repeatedly—defied the natural order.
Bai Liu stopped writing. He intertwined his fingers on the table, staring at Lu Yizhan with an unreadable expression.
Lu Yizhan, still absorbed in his rapid moves, noticed the pencil had stopped and lifted his head, dazed. "What's wrong?"
"I won't be able to win if we keep going," Bai Liu admitted calmly. He got up and stood behind Liu Jiayi, letting her sit in his seat, and offered Lu Yizhan a small smile. "From now on, Jiayi will play instead. If you can beat her three rounds in a row, our deal stands."
Lu Yizhan frowned. "This little girl can't see—don't joke like that…"
"Mister Lu, I can see." Liu Jiayi pointed to her eyes. "I'm wearing lenses Mister Bai bought for me—they partially restore my vision."
She cupped her face in her hands, her big doe eyes pleading. "Mister Lu, I watched you guys play, and it looks really fun. Can I play too?"
"…As long as it doesn't strain your eyes," Lu Yizhan said hesitantly, then agreed.
Liu Jiayi's innocent expression hardened with determination. She took the pencil Bai Liu handed her, lowered her head, and drew her first cross.
Mu Sicheng blinked. "What's going on?"
"Liu Jiayi's intelligence is higher than Bai Liu's," Mu Ke said, eyes fixed on the paper. "She has a natural advantage in chess-like games such as Gomoku. Bai Liu isn't testing her—he's testing Lu Yizhan."
Liu Jiayi's moves became faster and faster. She kept winning, and Lu Yizhan, who had once struggled against Bai Liu, now started losing again, hardly winning a single game.
But that quickly changed.
Liu Jiayi gritted her teeth; her expression soured. Her pencil slowed, while Lu Yizhan's speed never wavered.
Mu Ke concluded, "Liu Jiayi can't keep up anymore."
After half an hour, everyone left the hot pot restaurant. Lu Yizhan counted the total bill tearily and paid, even covering the cost of the two booklets they used while playing Gomoku, before waving Bai Liu and the others goodbye.
Liu Jiayi sweetly said, "Goodbye, Mister Lu." But as soon as he turned, her smile faded. "Bai Liu…something's wrong with your friend."
"What is it?" Bai Liu asked, holding three crumpled sheets. He unfolded them casually—they were the last three rounds of Liu Jiayi and Lu Yizhan's game.
It was where Liu Jiayi lost three times in a row.
"Simple games like Gomoku are easy ways to test someone's intelligence," Liu Jiayi said, looking at Bai Liu. "A highly intelligent person grasps it immediately. Someone less intelligent just keeps losing."
"There's no such thing as losing at first only to get better later—" she frowned, scratching her head in frustration. "Especially when Lu Yizhan's intelligence seems to increase along with his opponent's, and he always ends up dominating… it's like his intelligence keeps growing—"
"Limitless, yes?" Bai Liu glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, then at Lu Yizhan's back. "I've always felt that way when I play him."
"But he usually lets me win."
Liu Jiayi paused. "Why didn't he…go easy on you today?"
"Perhaps because I put what he wanted right in front of him," Bai Liu said nonchalantly, crushing a peppermint from the hot pot shop in his mouth. "So he decided to play seriously."
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Pot Fish Chili's commentary:
Lu Yizhan: "I'm not gonna pretend anymore. Y'all think I'm a dumbass, but I'm actually really smart."
Bai Liu: "A stray kid is crying."
Lu Yizhan: "Dad is here!"
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1) Gomoku: also known as Five in a Row, it's a strategy board game that usually uses Go pieces and is played on a Go board. You win by getting five of your pieces connected.
2) Dog eyes: It's a slang term in Chinese that is self-deprecating to the person who uses it, such as when someone says, "it's hurting my dog eyes." It's used by people when they see shocking images and whatnot.