Even as a "normie," I'm completely oblivious to it.

This is an extremely profitable venture. Everyone knows how important it is to establish cooperative relationships with the Su and Qi families in Fenghai City.

Therefore, this investment was purely for the benefit of the two companies, and it wasn't for any publicity effect.

"Young Master, we've arrived at the stadium. You and Miss Zixiao, and this..."

"Um... Miss Ouyang, please go in first. My sister and I will follow you after we get out of the car. We've already informed you beforehand, so please just go in."

"Okay, then come to the North Gate later. I'll sit there for a while."

"learn…"

Lu Yao, who speaks slowly, finally found a chance to respond to the young master.

After saying that, Yu Zhe got out of the car with Zi Xiao and Xiao Lizhi.

Yu Zhe had been to this stadium before. Although it is called a stadium, it is usually the venue for large-scale events in the city.

The place has been completely transformed because of the chess tournament.

The stadium was surrounded by colorful flags related to the competition, and there were also many advertising billboards of sponsors along the way.

People came from all directions in an endless stream, chatting and laughing as if they were attending some grand event.

It even felt like watching a ball game.

No, are there really that many people who like chess?

Actually, that's not the case. Many people are just there to join in the fun, since the publicity is so great, and they've heard that many well-known chess players will be participating. Even if most people don't understand chess, they can still understand it if they know the rules.

At most, I'll be a hindsight expert, only shouting "Brilliant!" when the pieces are all placed at the end!

That makes him look like a master.

Besides the audience, many people also came to participate as players. Because there were almost no entry requirements for this competition, many chess enthusiasts knew that they had the opportunity to play against chess masters and eagerly signed up. After all, it's not shameful to lose, and such an opportunity is rare.

Just as Lu Ling had said, the journey was smooth and unobstructed. It seemed that all the staff here knew Yu Zhe, and they didn't ask for tickets when they saw him. He passed through several gates and entered the stadium.

Of course we recognize them! The organizers are the Su family and the Qi family. The staff here today are all employees of the Qi family. Qi Xinye had already told them about it.

Only when you step inside the stadium can you truly appreciate the sheer size of the space.

As the largest stadium in the city, apart from the spectator stands surrounding the stadium, once the clutter underneath is cleared out, the entire venue is nearly the size of three football fields.

This is actually quite exaggerated, but if it weren't so, Qi Xinye wouldn't have chosen to hold the event here.

At this time, the huge venue and audience seats were almost empty, except for a few staff members.

The athletes and spectators are still patiently waiting in the waiting area outside the stadium.

Yu Zhe didn't just randomly pick a door to enter. This north gate was the one Qi Xinye had just sent in a message, saying that if you came in from this side, you would see her.

The control panel is right here when you come in. A step away, Yu Zhe looked down and saw Qi Xinye there.

She was wearing a light blue dress, a very simple style, and unlike when she appeared in front of Yu Zhe before, her dress was not figure-hugging and was a looser style.

Hmm... Yu Zhe always felt that Sister Ye always dressed very modestly when she was out, always going for the traditional style.

But why does she always choose clothes that accentuate her figure whenever she's alone with Yu Zhe?

"Sister Ye! Are you still busy?"

Qi Xinye, who was explaining work details to the staff at the control panel, immediately looked up when she heard the voice she had been longing for. Her long, dark hair swung in the air in a beautiful arc.

"Xiao Zhe, you're here!"

Although she was indeed in the busiest phase of her work, upon seeing Yu Zhe, she didn't want to care about anything else. She put down her documents, climbed the steps, and jogged over here.

22. I'm kind of looking forward to it.

"Xiao Zhe, hurry... oh no!"

Perhaps she was too happy to see Yu Zhe. The heeled shoes Qi Xinye was wearing were not convenient for running, and when she ran, she tripped on the steps in front of Yu Zhe and lost her balance.

Fortunately, this distance was already within Yu Zhe's reach.

"Hey, watch out!"

With lightning-fast reflexes, Yu Zhe braced himself against Qi Xinye's shoulders and gently brought her to his feet.

"Phew~ Sister Ye, be careful! There are so many steps here, and you're still running around."

"Ah... thank you, Xiao Zhe. I was a little too excited and didn't realize..."

"Excited... Sister Ye, you're exaggerating. We were shopping together last week, weren't we?"

You're talking as if we haven't seen each other for years.

With Yu Zhe's help, Qi Xinye stood up, saying nothing, only showing a satisfied and beautiful smile.

"Sister Xinye, that's enough."

Zixiao, who caught up later, gently separated Yuzhe and Qixinye, who were still clinging to each other.

Seriously, if someone falls, you should help them up, but Sister Xinye is taking advantage of the situation and won't let go!

"Zixiao, you're here too..."

Why do you look so disappointed in me?

Qi Xinye also saw Xiao Lizhi following behind.

"Hmm? Miss Lizhi is here too?" She didn't know that Xiaolizhi was temporarily staying at Yuzhe's house.

Little Lychee raised her right hand high above her head to greet everyone: "Little Lychee!"

Understanding her meaning, Qi Xinye smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll call you Little Lychee too. Are you here to watch Xiao Zhe's competition?"

"Yes! I'm staying at Brother Yuzhe's place, so I came to visit with him!"

"You...stay at Xiao Zhe's place?"

"..."

Even Little Lychee suddenly sensed a dangerous aura.

She stiffly turned to Yu Zhe Zixiao, pleading for help!

..................... ..

After that, Yu Zhe first had a good talk with Qi Xinye.

Let me tell you the whole story about the reward for Xiaolizhi's final exam.

Actually, this matter is not important, and Qi Xinye, as the person in charge of the event, is actually very busy. Yu Zhe originally suggested that we talk about it later.

Qi Xinye said she wasn't busy and that she could talk about this matter first.

You're not busy at all! Some of the Qi family employees in the area below are anxiously shouting, "Where did the young lady go?!"

Well, in Qi Xinye's opinion, figuring out why Xiao Lizhi is living in Xiao Zhe's house is the top priority right now.

After hearing Yu Zhe's explanation, she was temporarily relieved. However, when did the eldest daughter of the Ouyang family get so close to Xiao Zhe... Indeed, Xiao Zhe is truly "deeply sinful".

Next, Qi Xinye quickly went to the control panel to explain some upcoming tasks, and then hurried back to continue talking to Yu Zhe about what was to come.

Qi Xinye steered the conversation back on track: "Xiao Zhe, are you ready to participate?"

"No need for any preparation... it's just a game of chess. By the way, Sister Ye, I have no idea when I'll be playing in the tournament schedule."

"That depends on when you want to play, Xiao Zhe."

"..."

I'd rather play anyone.

This is so convenient!

"Okay, fine, I'll try to do it as soon as possible, but the schedule is still set, right?"

"Yes, the schedule has been arranged. Because the time from the publicity to the official competition is too short, some contestants have not yet arrived at the venue, so today is the whole day of the preliminary rounds."

After speaking, Qi Xinye looked down at the employees who were busy with the final setup of the venue.

"In a little while, there will be nearly a thousand electronic chessboards here. As long as the players confirm their participation today, they will be randomly grouped, so one out of every two players will advance. After about six or seven rounds, the top fifty players with the best performances will be selected to participate in the qualifying rounds."

"Will the preliminary rounds consist of six or seven rounds...?" Zixiao looked at Yuzhe worriedly. "The intervals between the rounds are very short... It must be very tiring to participate in the whole process."

"Don't worry about that."

Qi Xinye smiled and said, "Xiao Zhe just needs to compete in one match, and then I'll arrange for you to advance directly to the semi-finals."

"Huh?! This is possible?"

Yu Zhe really didn't know what to say: "But isn't this cheating! Just one match, and you directly enter the semi-finals, wouldn't the other contestants have objections? And the audience should all understand, right?"

"Haha, Xiao Zhe, you really think of yourself as an ordinary player? Ha... Let me explain to you, there must be a reason why I put you directly into the semi-finals."

After laughing a few times, Qi Xinye looked at Yu Zhe and said, "Xiao Zhe, do you know why so many people are participating in this competition?"

"Hmm... the bonus is quite large?"

“That’s only one aspect,” Qi Xinye analyzed. “The prize money for the top ten is quite substantial, which is an important aspect. But there’s another aspect, which is that we’ve already announced that Young Master Su Yuzhe will appear as a guest in the competition.”

"Guest?"

"Well, guests are nominally guests, but they are also contestants in reality, so it's not strange for guests to appear directly in the semi-finals, is it? Rather, it would be strange if guests had to compete in each game."

After thinking for a moment, Yu Zhe nodded.

“I see, I see… That makes sense, but Sister Ye, there’s something I don’t quite understand.”

"Xiao Zhe, you say it."

"I understand now that I'm participating as a guest, but... going back to the beginning, why did being a guest attract so many participants?"

"...That's why I said, Xiao Zhe, you need to be more self-aware."

Yu Zhe's puzzled look suggested that he genuinely didn't understand.

Qi Xinye sighed helplessly, but still managed to give a brief explanation: "It's a very simple matter, Xiao Zhe. Do you know that your legendary story when you managed the Su family is already widely known? People are probably here because of your reputation. Of course, there's also the fact that some veteran chess players wouldn't miss the opportunity to play against someone who is known as a super genius."

If a player can defeat Su Yuzhe in a game, their reputation will reach a new level.

Moreover, these chess players are full of confidence in participating. After all, this is a relatively amateur competition, and the opponents are certainly not too strong. Even if Su Yuzhe is a genius, it does not mean that he can beat people who have done specialized research in the field of chess.

They believe that experience in playing games is a very important issue.

Therefore, these chess players are all full of confidence in defeating Su Yuzhe.