Urban Soldier Young Master

Chapter 974 - 973: Do You Regret It

Looking at her agitated mother, Qin Ruojing suddenly smiled. Her smile was very calm, it was undoubtedly a genuinely beautiful smile from the heart.This smile left her mother stunned, her heart instantly tightened with worry. She even suspected that Qin Ruojing might have been mentally affected by those words and was acting abnormally.

Otherwise, how could Qin Ruojing smile like that under such circumstances?

"Xiao, Xiaojing, why are you...why are you smiling?" the mother stammered, filled with apprehension.

"Mom, I want to ask you a question too."

In her mother's tense gaze, Qin Ruojing's face no longer showed the previous anxiety and helplessness, instead, it was incredibly serene and assured.

After staring at her daughter for a few more seconds, the mother finally frowned and asked, "What question?"

"Even though you've had so many nightmares, suffered so much grievance, shed so many tears... but marrying my dad, do you regret it?"

The mother was stunned. She never dreamed her daughter would ask such a question.

As her mother's expression faltered, Qin Ruojing felt she had gotten the answer she was hoping for and slightly lifted the corners of her mouth as she stood up from the bench.

"Let's have Chu Ge make lunch. I remember you said you love his braised lion's head."

After speaking, Qin Ruojing started walking. The morning market was still bustling, filled with the noise and bustling crowd.

The mother came to her senses, looked at the back of Qin Ruojing, and felt indescribably complex.

Her daughter had really grown up, no longer the little girl afraid to talk back when being scolded. Despite all her earnest words, they couldn't compare to one question from her daughter.

Just such a simple question was enough to leave her speechless, proving the deep feelings her daughter had for Chu Ge.

Perhaps... even if she found a thousand reasons to convince her daughter to leave Chu Ge, it would be in vain?

As they say, once a girl grows up, she can't be kept at home.

Alas...

If it's really impossible to communicate with her daughter, even if it would be awkward, and difficult to speak up, it seems she might have to talk to Chu Ge.

As parents, because they've taken detours or suffered certain pains, knowing the hardships of that path and understanding the difficulty of enduring it, they don't want their children to repeat the same mistakes. Is this... wrong?

If someone has to be hurt in this persuasion process, then it can be herself, it can be others, as long as it's not her child, anything is acceptable.

The mother shook her head and stood up from the chair, looking at the back of the daughter who made her proud and worried. Her gaze shifted between sighing, guilt, apology, and helplessness, ultimately... settling into determination.

Meanwhile, Chu Ge sat on the bed, reminiscing uncontrollably about the time he pretended to be Qin Ruojing's boyfriend and the things that happened when he was here. Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and Qin Ruoying's voice came over.

"Brother-in-law? Um... what are you doing, can I come in?"

Chu Ge snapped back to reality, smirking slightly, "When did you start being so polite with me? The door isn't even locked, come in if you want."

"Creak"

Qin Ruoying pushed open the door, holding a chessboard in her hand.

Seeing the chessboard, Chu Ge laughed again.

He remembered playing chess with Qin Yan, who had surprisingly asked him gender-related questions, and later he defeated Qin Yan six to zero. When Qin Ruojing "came back from grocery shopping," she deliberately gave him bad moves from the side.

"What? Want to play chess with me? You're not my match, forget it."

"Tch, brother-in-law, you're so boring saying that. If I can't play against you, I can't play at all? According to your logic, if you're not a singer, you can't sing; if you're not an athlete, you can't work out; if you're not the president, you can't discuss politics?"

Qin Ruoying threw a big Byakugan at Chu Ge as she spoke, "Besides... how do you know for sure you'll win? Come on, let's battle!"

Qin Ruoying's bold demeanor amused Chu Ge even more.

"Hey? The first two points made some sense, but as for the third, don't be too defiant. Haven't you heard the sayings 'disaster comes from the mouth' and 'do not talk about state affairs'? As ordinary citizens, it's better to be honest and decent."

"In these days, even joking online can get you investigated, charged with spreading terroristic rhetoric, sentenced for years. Who knows, when you're talking nonsense, there's a national security agent right next to you. By then, when a gun is pointed at your head, you won't even have a place to cry, it's the reality of these times, hehe..."

Qin Ruoying threw another big Byakugan at Chu Ge, pouting in defiance.

"How could it be as bad as you say? How unlucky would I have to be for that? Besides, I could just claim our country is prosperous and the people are strong. If any high-ranking leaders hear this, they might even give me an award for outstanding citizen or something. Haha, just thinking about it makes me happy."

"Alright, stop daydreaming. The highest leader you could get close to is probably the chief of the local police station. Oh, wait, it should be the captain of the detective squad since your dad is one. It's more reliable to hope your kindergarten principal gives you a little red flower."

Qin Ruoying's eyes twitched, looking quite hurt, "Brother-in-law... you're being so mean to me."

Chu Ge laughed heartily, "Alright, alright, bring over the chessboard. Since you don't believe in superstitions, I'll give you a good thrashing."

Qin Ruoying kicked off her slippers, climbed onto the bed, and sat across from Chu Ge, placing the chessboard between them with great momentum, "Come on! Let's battle!"

With a series of "tap tap tap," the chess pieces were set on the board. Chu Ge and Qin Ruoying were separated by the "Chu River and Han Border," and they raised flags for battle.

Calling it a battle might be an exaggeration; it was more like Qin Ruoying being one-sidedly bullied. In less than three minutes, the first game was essentially over. Chu Ge hadn't lost more than a few pieces, while Qin Ruoying was almost completely wiped out.

"Clack"

Chu Ge used a "cannon" to take down Qin Ruoying's "commander," ending the game.

"Oh, brother-in-law, couldn't you go easy on me? I'm still your little sister-in-law! You're usually so nice to me, why the sudden harshness?"

Chu Ge smiled slightly, looking down at the chessboard, and placed the pieces he had captured back onto Qin Ruoying's side.

"It's not that I'm being harsh, it's that you weren't paying any attention to the game. Otherwise, even if you lost, it wouldn't have been this bad."

Qin Ruoying's smile stiffened, a flash of panic in her eyes, and she quickly feigned a guilty smile, "Brother-in-law, what are you saying? My sister already warned me about your chess skills. How could I not play seriously with you? Talking like that isn't humility; it's hypocrisy."

Chu Ge chuckled, noncommittally, and placed the last piece back onto the board, "Rematch?"

"Okay, can you let me remove a chariot, a horse, and a cannon? Would that be okay?"

Chu Ge nodded, removed a chariot, a horse, and a cannon from the board, and set them aside carelessly, "Sure, let's go."

The second game began, and Qin Ruoying was noticeably more focused. With furrowed brows, she deliberated over each move. Neither spoke, and the only sound was the "tap tap tap" of the pieces being placed.

The chessboard was like a battlefield, requiring meticulous planning and strategic maneuvering. As the battle intensified and reached a boiling point, Qin Ruoying's furrowed brows unknowingly knitted even tighter.

When she reached a critical move and picked up a "horse," intently studying the board, debating whether to jump the piece—and if so, where to jump it—Chu Ge suddenly broke the silence.

"Xiaoying, it seems like your mother isn't very welcoming to me on this visit?"

Qin Ruoying's hand, mid-movement with the chess piece, suddenly froze, and her face turned extremely awkward.

"How... how could that be, brother-in-law? What are you talking about?"

Chu Ge turned his gaze from the chessboard, catching Qin Ruoying's eyes, which despite her best efforts to hide it, were clearly filled with awkwardness.

"Actually, I anticipated this situation before we even came back. Your mother's reaction is entirely understandable."

"Brother-in-law, I'm starting to not understand a word you're saying."

Chu Ge rubbed his forehead with a hand, "Come on, can you really not understand, or are you pretending? You might as well have 'hiding something' written across your forehead. Do you think I'm blind?"

Qin Ruoying wanted to argue, but seeing Chu Ge's all-knowing expression, she opened and closed her mouth without saying anything, her gaze flitting about for a few seconds before settling back on the board.

"Jumping the horse, your turn."

"That's a bad move," Chu Ge chuckled lightly and shook his head, "Your mind's clearly not on this game at all. Do we really need to finish it?"

"I'm a person who likes to see things through to the end. Brother-in-law, would you say that's a good trait?" Qin Ruoying's eyes remained on the board as if contemplating her next move.

"Honestly, I don't know if that's a virtue or not." Chu Ge made a move, "If the outcome is inevitably a loss, is it still worthwhile to persist?"

"I recall you often said, 'Plans can't keep up with changes.' I really admire that expression."

Qin Ruoying picked up a "chariot," captured one of Chu Ge's "soldiers," and looked up with a smiling face, "After all, many things are not over until they're over. The predicted outcome, based on current factors, might not be the true one."

"Well said, but in most cases, wanting to change something involves more than just determination and momentum."

Chu Ge's mouth curled in a smile as he picked up a "cannon," and when he set it down, he had "checkmated" Qin Ruoying's commander.

Qin Ruoying met Chu Ge's gaze, "Brother-in-law, you mentioned it's most cases. Let's finish this game before we discuss anything further."