novelraw Chapter 376 251: A School of His Own!
Chapter 376 251: A School of His Own!
Luo Zhengyi rolled his eyes. "If you're scared, just say so!"
"Uncle Luo, taunting won't work either."
Shen Qiushan shrugged. "You'd better go back to the hospital and rest!"
"Fine!"
"I'll remember you, kid!"
Luo Zhengyi snorted, his face dark, and left the playing area, walking up to the stands.
By now, his granddaughter Lou Man had already seen the results of the first round on the big screen.
Grandpa Luo Zhengyi was the third contestant to get knocked out!
Lou Man was pretty surprised at this outcome; she knew her grandpa's chess skills were top-notch. In an amateur tournament like the Qingyang Cup, he should at least have made it to the finals.
He could probably get into the top eight or four—that was actually why she hadn't wanted him to enter the competition.
Because from the prelims to the finals, there'd be a lot of games. It's really exhausting.
And Luo Zhengyi was barely recovered from his illness—it was just the right time to get some proper rest. The doctor had said not to overexert himself.
But as it turned out, Lou Man found herself secretly relieved by the result.
Getting knocked out in the first round—this is perfect. Grandpa can go back to the hospital with her in peace.
No need to waste more energy on the competition.
Luo Zhengyi made his way to the stands, face still gloomy, and sat next to his granddaughter. "I underestimated him and lost to that kid!"
"Grandpa, does that mean we can go home?"
Lou Man asked with a smile.
"Wait a second."
"I want to see if that kid makes it to the finals."
Luo Zhengyi waved his hand.
"Huh?"
Lou Man was shocked. "There are three rounds in the prelims, right?"
"After the third round, it'll be the afternoon at least!"
"Afternoon, then afternoon,"
"If you've got work, go ahead, don't worry about me!"
Luo Zhengyi didn't care and waved his hand again.
"No way."
Lou Man shook her head. "Either we leave together or we both stay."
"Then just keep me company here."
Luo Zhengyi patted his granddaughter's shoulder, glanced at Shen Qiushan down in the hall, and couldn't help muttering under his breath, "That kid's actually pretty good... Whatever the reason, I still lost two games."
"Grandpa, let me tell you something."
"I think I know the guy who beat you."
After a pause, Lou Man pointed at Shen Qiushan on the tournament floor.
"Hm?"
"You know that kid?"
Luo Zhengyi's interest was instantly piqued.
"Yeah, I think he's a writer."
"A writer?"
Luo Zhengyi looked skeptical. "A writer who's this good at chess??"
"It should be him!"
"The name Shen Qiushan isn't exactly common, plus I just searched him up online."
"I'm pretty sure it's him!"
Lou Man glanced at Shen Qiushan while she analyzed out loud.
"So who is he after all?"
"What's he written?"
Luo Zhengyi frowned and asked.
"Shen Qiushan, author of 'Three-Body Civilization'. You even praised him before!"
"Said 'Three-Body Civilization' was deep!"
Lou Man spelled out her guess.
"What?"
"He's the author of 'Three-Body Civilization'?!"
As soon as his granddaughter said that, Luo Zhengyi was shocked, his eyes growing twice as wide.
He pointed incredulously at Shen Qiushan on the floor. "He's really the author of 'Three-Body Civilization'?"
"You're saying the 'Three-Body Civilization' author knocked me out in the Qingyang Cup?!"
"How is it possible for someone to write a book like 'Three-Body Civilization' and still be this good at chess!"
Lou Man nodded. "When I first saw him, I thought he looked familiar."
"But I couldn't place him right away—it wasn't until the big screen showed the first-round pairings."
Luo Zhengyi rubbed his temples, swept another look at Shen Qiushan, and complained, "A writer entering a chess tournament—he's not exactly focusing on his main job, is he!"
"Grandpa, you're spot on there."
Lou Man chuckled. "Shen Qiushan is famous for not focusing on one thing. Besides writing books, he writes songs too!"
"He was on a variety show not long ago."
"Oh, and as well as writing songs and being on TV, he won an award recently!"
"National College Students' Electronic Technology Competition—won the grand prize!"
Shen Qiushan's news had been trending lately. As a young person online a lot, Lou Man knew all about it.
Hearing her rundown, Luo Zhengyi nodded, impressed. "That kid's really something!"
"One person, that many things, and he's really good at all of them."
"Exactly. He was also last year's top scorer on the Sanjiang Province college entrance exam!"
"And the oldest top scorer ever, as far as records go."
Lou Man added.
Luo Zhengyi remembered that in the news. He nodded, growing even more interested in Shen Qiushan, the guy who'd knocked him out.
The first-round matches all ended.
The players had a half-hour break, then the second round of preliminaries began.
The rules for round two were the same as the first.
Best of three games.
This time, Shen Qiushan's opponent was a college student with black-rimmed glasses and a classic top student look.
The type you could tell had good grades at a glance.
And it was true, too.
The guy was a top student at Qinghua University and the president of the chess club. He'd come to compete for the generous prize money—strong player!
Too bad he ran into the cheat-code that was Shen Qiushan in the second round.
He lost with absolutely no suspense.
0 to 2!
A total defeat!
"Impressive!"
After losing, the young man pushed his black-rimmed glasses up his nose, looked Shen Qiushan up and down, then glanced at the name tag on the table.
[2049 Shen Qiushan]
"You're not the author of 'Three-Body Civilization', the oldest top scorer—Shen Qiushan—are you?"
The kid in glasses looked completely stunned.
Shen Qiushan smiled and nodded. "That's me!"
"It really is you!"
"Awesome!!"
The boy gave a thumbs-up in awe.
Then he took his phone out of his pocket. "Can I get a photo with you?"
"Of course."
This was a small ask, and Shen Qiushan didn't mind. He smiled for a picture with the guy.
Their little photo session left the players nearby in disbelief. Weren't they opponents? Why were they taking selfies together?
The second round of prelims ended.
Time for lunch break.
At 2pm, the third round of prelims would start.
The organizers didn't provide lunch, so Shen Qiushan stretched, left the competition hall, and went outside to find food.
But before he could leave the gym, Luo Zhengyi and Lou Man caught up with him from behind.
"Teacher Shen, please wait."
Lou Man waved with a smile.
Shen Qiushan definitely remembered this pretty woman. He stopped, looking at her curiously. "Do you need something?"
"My grandpa really admires your chess. He wants to invite you to lunch."
Lou Man offered the invitation directly.
"You're buying?"
"Sounds good to me!"
Shen Qiushan had just been wondering what to eat, so he gladly accepted the treat.
"I heard you're the author of 'Three-Body Civilization'?"
This time, Luo Zhengyi spoke up.
"Yup, that's me."
Shen Qiushan smiled. "Uncle Luo, you've read my book?"
"Yeah, it was well written!"
"Winning the Nebula Award is well deserved!"
Luo Zhengyi nodded slightly, then got curious again. "So, who taught you chess?"
"When I replayed our two games during the match, your style didn't seem like anything I'd seen before."
At this, Shen Qiushan laughed. "Of course you haven't seen it! I made it up myself, just noodling around!"
"You mean, you've got your own style?"
Luo Zhengyi's mouth twitched.
Back in the day, he used to drag his chessboard from door to door in the compound, challenging all the chess experts.
He'd thought he was pretty bold, but now, all these years later, he meets the even bolder Shen Qiushan.
This guy actually claims he's created his own school of chess!