She got up and walked out, leaving Helan Pei and Lu Shuo alone in the room.
Strictly speaking, this wasn't proper—a young man and woman, not entirely innocent children, shouldn't be left unsupervised in the same room. But they studied together every day; occasionally, when Instructor Jiang needed to step out, they were left alone. So fussing over it now seemed pointless.
Besides, after getting to know Lu Shuo over the past few days, Zisu had judged his character to be extremely honest and steady. She figured nothing would happen.
Soft sunlight streamed into the room, making the fine hairs on Helan Pei's temples shimmer.
She pulled out the simple board diagram she had drawn earlier and set up the pieces accordingly, recreating the path where Lu Shuo had made a mistake.
She picked up Lu Shuo's pieces and demonstrated a different move, then picked up Zisu's pieces, showing several possible countermoves, and then roughly illustrated how the remaining pieces should be played based on those possibilities.
Of course, because the dice rolls were uncertain, not every move would go as planned, but with the right strategy, the overall outcome wouldn't be far off. That was why, even if Lu Shuo made a few missteps, Helan Pei could still salvage the game.
Helan Pei demonstrated very seriously. Though she didn't say a word, Lu Shuo understood everything clearly.
It finally dawned on him that the moves had various purposes—not just to advance quickly, but sometimes to retreat in order to advance.
He felt a lightbulb moment, and his excitement made him shift his sitting position. But as he moved his leg, he bumped against Helan Pei's leg, which was right next to his.
He froze, quickly pulled his leg back, and said awkwardly, "S-sorry, Fourth Miss. I didn't mean to."
Helan Pei also froze, realizing she had unconsciously gotten too close to him. A faint blush crept onto her face.
She shifted slightly away, creating some distance, and shook her head gently to indicate it was fine.
Then she turned over a new sheet of paper, set up the board again, and began reviewing another mistake Lu Shuo had made.
Lu Shuo took a deep breath, steadied himself, and forced himself not to look at her fluttering eyelashes or her full profile, nor at her pinkish nails and charcoal-stained fingertips. He stared only at the board and refused to look at anything else.
Zisu returned carrying a food box.
"Are you two done?" She looked at Lu Shuo, who was sitting upright, and then at Helan Pei, who had moved to another side of the table, signaling her neutrality. "Should I start another game with Young Master Lu?"
Helan Pei nodded solemnly.
Lu Shuo also nodded. "Please, Miss Zisu."
The second game began. Without Helan Pei's real-time guidance, Lu Shuo clearly felt the pressure increase.
But even so, it wasn't as bad as when Helan Pei played against him without going easy.
He firmly remembered the strategy she had just taught him, no longer focusing only on the immediate move but trying to consider the overall situation.
He could clearly feel that a few moves he made were excellent, even catching Zisu off guard. He secretly rejoiced.
He also snuck glances at Helan Pei, trying to gauge his performance from her expression. But she deliberately kept a neutral face, looking between him and Zisu with a faint smile that was impossible to read.
In the end, Zisu won.
But it wasn't easy—she barely won through sheer luck in the final moves. If she had rolled a worse color than Lu Shuo, the outcome would have been different.
Zisu leaned back against the wall and let out a long breath. "Finally won. Young Master Lu is not to be underestimated."
Lu Shuo looked at Helan Pei.
From not even remembering the rules to nearly winning a game on his own, it was all thanks to her breaking it down and teaching him step by step.
"It's because Miss taught well," he said in a low voice.
Zisu smiled and got up to open the food box. "Alright, after two games, time for a break. Miss, Young Master Lu, the kitchen made mung bean cakes today. Want some?"
Helan Pei nodded.
After sitting for so long, it was good to stand up and move. She walked outside and leaned against a corridor pillar, squinting at the lush flowers and plants in the courtyard.
Lu Shuo followed and stood by another pillar.
Each had a small bowl filled with sweet and refreshing mung bean cakes.
Helan Pei slowly scooped with a small spoon, letting the cake melt in her mouth, just enough to dispel the afternoon heat.
Zisu also got a small piece and took a bite. "Mm, they changed the recipe. Not as sweet as before, but still good. The Miss mentioned she wanted to cut down on sweets."
Helan Pei turned to look at Lu Shuo and found he had already finished his in a few bites.
She looked surprised, pointing at her own cake and then at him.
Lu Shuo said sheepishly, "They're smooth and soft, really tasty. I finished them without noticing. Sorry, Miss."
Zisu: "Let me see if there's more in the kitchen."
Lu Shuo quickly said, "No, no need. If I eat too much, I won't have room for dinner."
But Helan Pei was still smiling at him.
Lu Shuo didn't understand, holding his empty bowl awkwardly.
Helan Pei finally raised her hand and tapped the corner of her own mouth.
Lu Shuo suddenly realized and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Sure enough, he brushed off a few crumbs.
Then he remembered he had a handkerchief, quickly took it out, wiped his hands and mouth, folded it, and put it away.
His ears burned as he gave Helan Pei an embarrassed smile.
But Helan Pei no longer looked at him. She slowly continued eating her mung bean cake while gazing at the garden.
When she finished, she handed the empty bowl to Zisu and went back inside the room with Lu Shuo.