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

After I explained it to Yu Zhe, he finally understood.

"Oh, I see. Haha, but I don't think it's that exaggerated. It's just a normal competition. They can go through as many rounds as they want. As long as it's fun, that's all that matters. By the way, Sister Ye, have you looked at the list of contestants?"

"Of course I've seen it."

Qi Xinye knew what Yu Zhe was thinking; he was afraid that without skilled chess players, he wouldn't be able to enjoy the game.

So she replied happily and with satisfaction: "Xiao Zhe, don't worry. Many of the participants in this competition are top-notch chess players, both domestically and internationally. There are even some mysterious chess players who claim to be living in seclusion in the mountains who have come out of the mountains to participate in the competition. However, whether it's true or not, we don't know."

"That's very interesting!"

Oh no, Yu Zhe feels like he might be starting to look forward to it!

23. We await your triumphant return.

After hearing the schedule, Zixiao generally approved of Qi Xinye's arrangements, but there was one thing she still felt was not quite right.

While Yu Zhe was showing Xiao Lizhi around the layout of the stadium.

She found Qi Xinye alone and asked her this question.

"Sister Xinye, this arrangement is good, and my brother can get a good rest during the competition. But advancing directly to the semi-finals... won't that be detrimental to achieving our original goal?"

The original purpose, of course, was to allow Yu Zhe to relax through playing chess.

Qi Xinye didn't quite understand: "Zixiao, you mean..."

"What I mean is, even if we include the first game, if we can reach the finals, my brother will only need to play three games at most, just three games. Will that satisfy him? He hasn't played chess properly in a long time."

Oh, I see.

Qi Xinye shook her head and said, "Zixiao, you don't really understand Xiao Zhe in this regard..."

Upon hearing the words "not quite understand," Zixiao visibly frowned.

Qi Xinye then realized that it was inappropriate to say such things. Zixiao had been by Yuzhe's side the whole time and definitely didn't want to hear such words.

So she gave a wry smile and changed her words: "What I mean is, before you came to the Su family, that is, ten years ago, you may not know much about Xiao Zhe from that period."

"At that time, Xiao Zhe was only seven years old and had no interest in anything except chess, all kinds of chess. The Su family found him many chess opponents, but none of them could make him happy. Only Aunt Yang had the ability to do so."

"So, the opponents in the preliminary rounds are all of average skill. If Xiao Zhe were to go through six or seven rounds, he would just find it boring and not enjoyable. So, arranging him in the semi-finals and beyond, where there are many strong opponents, will definitely satisfy Xiao Zhe."

After listening, Zixiao understood: "I see. If that's the case, then the arrangement makes perfect sense. Sister Xinye, thank you for your hard work in planning the competition. Hmm? By the way, isn't Yuche coming today?"

I haven't seen Yu Che since I arrived here. Although the Qi family is hosting this competition, the Su family is also one of the organizers.

“She just sent me a message,” Qi Xinye replied. “She said that Xiao Zhe is going to participate in a competition, which she definitely can’t miss, but… it seems that she has a lot of documents to process at the company today, so she said she will be a little late.”

"Tsk... You don't have to come if you're busy."

As expected of Yu Che, she would never miss any occasion where her brother was present, no matter how busy she was.

"Oh, right."

Qi Xinye turned around and said, "Zixiao, go and call Xiao Zhe over. Didn't he say he wanted to finish the first match as soon as possible? Then stop wandering around. The setup downstairs is almost complete, and the competition can start at any time."

"Okay, I'll call him over first. You go ahead and do your work, Sister Xinye."

After Zi Xiao left, Qi Xinye pressed the button on the control panel.

The button serves two purposes: first, it informs the staff outside that spectators and players can enter; second, it lights up the large screen in the center of the stadium, displaying the pre-programmed match groups.

Yes, of course. Although the grouping was random, Qi Xinye still put Yu Zhe in one of the first groups to compete, so that Xiao Zhe could finish quickly and get some rest.

However, the once quiet competition venue suddenly became lively.

Audience members took their seats in an orderly manner, guided by staff, according to the seat numbers indicated on their tickets.

The players below also entered from one side of the stadium, waving to the audience. They also had numbers and had to find the corresponding electronic chess table, which was basically a chessboard modified with a display screen. It looked quite high-end.

However, Yu Zhe wasn't in the group of these contestants; he had already entered the arena a while ago.

Zixiao has just brought him back to Qi Xinye.

"Let's sit here."

Qi Xinye left the control panel and led the group to a separate, empty audience area.

This is the VIP seating area, which is not sold by ticket. It's in a relatively secluded location and is closest to the stadium. Qi Xinye has really reserved this "prime spot" for Xiao Zhe and his team.

"Sister Ye, aren't there a lot of contestants?"

Yu Zhe shrugged and pointed to the contestants who were flooding into the audience like a tide.

"There must be at least a thousand people, so what's the point of the audience? Just to watch a sea of ​​people? The audience can't even see the chessboard, so will there be some kind of viewing method later?"

Qi Xinye had already made arrangements for this: "Yes, Xiao Zhe, don't worry. For this competition, the Qi family is using a special computer program that will identify all the games that are in progress at the same time, and then automatically find the few games with the most exciting moments, and then project these games onto the big screen so that the audience can see them. There will also be live commentary over there."

Selecting the best games from thousands and showing them to the audience is indeed a good idea.

Yu Zhe turned his head and looked around. There were indeed several commentators preparing on the high platform in the distance. This competition seemed quite formal.

Then Qi Xinye specifically asked, "Xiao Zhe, would you like to project your chess game onto the screen later? If so, I'll have the staff find your table and we'll project it as soon as we start."

"No!" Yu Zhe quickly refused, "I don't want to attract too much attention. We're just here to play chess for fun. It would be best if we could just enjoy the game quietly, although that's unlikely..."

For example, you see, it's not quiet anymore. Maybe some of the players are friends of the audience, so the stands are now filled with cheers and shouts, just like a ball game.

"Haha... I'm just kidding with you. I know you don't want to attract attention."

But Qi Xinye still reminded him, "However, Xiao Zhe, I just said..."

"Yes, this program automatically finds exciting matches, so if a match appears on your screen, that's perfectly normal."

"Is this normal? I hope not. Okay, Sister Ye, my name is on the screen now. I'm going to go play chess."

"Okay, Xiao Zhe, just find the chess table according to the number marked on it. We'll be waiting for your triumphant return."

"Go for it, brother!"

Zixiao stood up and reached out to help Yuzhe tuck a tuft of hair sticking up on his head.

After saying that, she added, "The most important thing is to have fun."

"Yes, I understand."

"Brother Yuzhe, let them see what real chess is like!"

As Xiao Lizhi said this, she opened the large bag of potato chips she had brought.

Instead of eating it herself, she handed a piece to Yu Zhe first: "Here, Brother Yu Zhe! Eat this piece, and you're guaranteed to win!"

"Haha, thank you for your kind words."

What a childish brat.

Yu Zhe smiled, reached out and took the potato chip, and ate it. Hey, you know what, it really made him feel much happier.

After receiving everyone's blessings, Yu Zhe walked lightly down the stairs to the competition area.

At this moment, Lu Ling and Lu Yao also returned to this area. They walked to the VIP audience area and joined Zi Xiao and the others to witness the match.

Yes, witnessing the young master's heroic bearing.

24. You've already voted? (Bonus chapter)

Fortunately, the players below were either trying to find their chessboards or were already engrossed in their games, so almost no one noticed Yu Zhe sneaking past.

He had already observed the distribution pattern of these chess tables.

The row on the north side, from left to right, numbers one through five hundred.

The row on the south side, from right to left, consists of numbers 501 to 1000.

I don't know if Sister Ye did it on purpose, but she assigned him number 666.

The phrase "六六大顺" (liù liù dà shùn) is quite auspicious, especially with the addition of a "6".

Yu Zhe walked down the stairs at the far end into the venue and soon found table number 666 on the south side.

The venue has plenty of space, with considerable spacing between each chessboard.

And Yu Zhe, his opponent on the chessboard, was already sitting there.

But this... is a girl who looks about the same age as Yu Zhe, maybe she's also a high school student?

"..."

"..."

The two looked at each other in silence.

Well, that's true, this is just the preliminary selection stage.

Yu Zhe thought he would encounter some reclusive master from the deep mountains and forests in the first round, but unfortunately, it seems he can only wait until the next round.

The shock this girl felt upon seeing her opponent was far greater than that felt by Yu Zhe.

You could tell from the words that came out of her mouth.

"Wow... this is a holographic projection... so high-tech."

"It's not a projection! I'm your opponent, girl!"

Yu Zhe's light and clear voice brought the girl back to reality.

It wasn't until Yu Zhe sat down opposite her, opened the chess interface, and checked the confirmation to start that the game began.

The girl with braided pigtails finally realized what was happening.

Rather, it was an overreaction; she jumped up in a flash, startling Yu Zhe.

"Su Yuzhe! Oh, it's Su Yuzhe!"

She was clearly quite surprised and happy: "Ah, I can really go buy a lottery ticket! This is a huge win! Hello, Su Yuzhe! I can't believe I've actually met you in person! I'm also a student at Fenghai No.1 High School, you're the school's idol! Oh, sorry, I'm too excited, my name is..."

What do you mean by "finally seeing me alive"... Does that mean I'm not alive most of the time?

Yu Zhe didn't even hear what her name was, because it didn't matter. This was a game of chess; all that mattered was the game itself.

Looking at the screen, Yu Zhe kindly reminded him, "There are only ten seconds left to confirm, are you sure you don't want to click it?"

There's a countdown confirmation button; if you don't click it, it means you've forfeited.

The girl finally saw the countdown, and her smile froze on her face.

"Oh! Sorry, I'll order right away!"