“You… what do you mean by that?”
Chen Qing’s words made Su Mu, who was sitting on her lap, stiffen as a bad feeling rose in her heart.
Chen Qing naturally noticed Su Mu’s tense appearance too.
But this was exactly the effect she wanted. Her palm, carrying a hint of coolness, rested on Su Mu’s slender and firm waist.
With such an obvious action, Su Mu naturally knew what she intended to do next.
The moment she recalled her miserable state from that morning, Su Mu felt an urge to flee.
However, Chen Qing certainly wouldn’t let this Traitorous Shizun, who had angered her, get away.
The hand clinging to Su Mu’s waist now felt like a sturdy shackle, restricting her movements.
“Guess what I mean, Shizun~”
Chen Qing’s teasing breath brushed over Su Mu’s flushed earlobe, making her body go a little soft.
Chen Qing’s fingers slipped through the belt around Su Mu’s waist, slowly exploring inward bit by bit.
The icy cool sensation of Chen Qing’s fingertips drew closer and closer to Su Mu’s warm, soft skin, making Su Mu grow more and more panicked.
“Wait, wait a minute! I want to duel you. If I win, you… you let me go!”
In a flash of desperation, Su Mu hurriedly shouted at Chen Qing.
“Duel me?”
Su Mu’s words successfully piqued Chen Qing’s interest.
She was somewhat curious what gave this usually cowardly, death-fearing Traitorous Shizun the guts to duel her in front of her.
Had her blade grown too slow, or did she think she was up to it again?
Eager to see what trick Su Mu was up to, Chen Qing temporarily released her from her lap.
“Ahem, the biggest difference between humans and animals is that humans use their brains. So today, we won’t compete in martial arts—we’ll compete in wits!”
Su Mu coughed. She wasn’t dumb enough to pit her Second-Rate Warrior strength against Chen Qing’s martial prowess.
Besides, Chen Qing was punishing her precisely because she knew about her disloyal thoughts. If she also exposed that her own strength had been secretly improving, Chen Qing’s wariness toward her would only grow stronger.
The punishment awaiting her then would be even harsher.
But if it was a battle of wits, with her clever little mind, she could definitely crush this detestable Villain until she was routed and begging for mercy.
Imagining herself overwhelming Chen Qing with sheer intellect, a smug, foolish grin crept onto Su Mu’s lips.
However, Chen Qing saw right through Su Mu’s little scheme at a glance.
She had no interest in dancing around with this Traitorous Shizun anymore. Better to pin her down on the vanity and have her way first.
Chen Qing pulled Su Mu close once more, but this time, the scene shifted to the vanity table with its bronze mirror.
Looking at herself in the mirror—pinned beneath Chen Qing—Su Mu felt a surge of shame.
Ever since arriving in this world, she’d been constantly bullied by this Chen woman. Today, she absolutely had to find a way to beat her once.
“If you agree to compete with me in wits, and if you win, I can grant you one excessive demand!”
“An excessive demand~”
Chen Qing’s scarlet eyes, brimming with desire, fixed on Su Mu as her words carried a teasing lilt.
She and Su Mu both knew exactly what kind of “excessive demand” Su Mu meant—something for the bed.
Su Mu’s proposal did stir Chen Qing’s interest.
Though she had forced Su Mu into all sorts of positions in bed before, it had all been under duress from her superior strength.
If this Traitorous Shizun actively went along with her, it would surely be a whole different kind of thrill.
“Yes, I definitely won’t go back on my word.”
Having volunteered such a thing herself made an alluring blush spread across Su Mu’s delicate face.
It was the kind that made one want to take a bite.
“Fine, I accept.”
With Chen Qing’s agreement, their duel officially began.
The method was simple: a game of Chinese chess.
Testing Chen Qing on physics or chemistry would guarantee Su Mu’s victory, but it would also expose her abnormality.
Back before transmigrating, her Chinese chess skills had crushed every old grandpa in the neighborhood park without rival.
With Chen Qing’s martial arts so formidable, she must have devoted nearly all her time to training—probably barely any exposure to Chinese chess.
So Su Mu was brimming with confidence for this duel.
“Tch, wait—I… I’ll play here! I messed up earlier!”
Seeing Su Mu take back her piece for the umpteenth time, a flicker of doubt passed through Chen Qing’s eyes.
This Traitorous Shizun’s chess skills were so abysmal, yet she had the nerve to challenge her with this. Truly as silly and foolish as expected.
Su Mu had no idea that, in Chen Qing’s mind, she had already earned the label of “silly and foolish.”
She stared at the board in front of her, her heart starting to race with panic.
What was going on? The tactics she’d secretly picked up from those park grandpas weren’t working at all.
In her imagination, Chen Qing should have been routed by now, tears streaming as she begged Su Mu not to checkmate her.
But in reality, their roles had completely reversed.
“You sure about that move?”
When Su Mu took back yet another piece, Chen Qing didn’t call her out for cheating. Instead, she stared at her with a smile.
“S-sure?”
Under Chen Qing’s intense gaze, Su Mu’s confidence wavered. Why was she staring like that? Had she blundered again?
She probably hadn’t.
But Chen Qing’s single sentence had already led Su Mu straight into her trap.
“If you take off one piece of clothing, I can give you a little hint.”
A sly glint flashed in Chen Qing’s amused eyes, like a vixen luring someone into mischief.
“A h-hint? I don’t think I went wrong…”
Hearing Chen Qing’s utterly confident words, Su Mu’s little heart pounded even harder.
Even her dainty, pale toes inside her boots curled up involuntarily.
After agonizing over it for a while, Su Mu decided to stop struggling.
Whatever—just go with this move.
But Chen Qing’s next play made Su Mu’s heart thump wildly.
Because with that one move, victory was all but sealed.
“Want me to go easy on you?”
Chen Qing’s gaze lingered on Su Mu’s tightly wrapped clothes.
Faced with such a brazen look from Chen Qing, Su Mu instinctively clutched at her own hands.
Her fair, slender wrist drew Chen Qing’s eyes for a fleeting moment.
“If not, then you’ve lost.”
And Chen Qing’s “lost” meant far more than just the game.
“I… I’ll do it.”
Su Mu’s trembling fingers fumbled with her belt as an overwhelming wave of shame—stronger than before—flooded her heart.
After all, before it had been Chen Qing forcing her. This time, it was her own choice.
But without this loathsome Villain Chen Qing, she never would have ended up playing Chinese chess like this, forced to strip—everything was Chen Qing’s fault.
Her soft outer robe slipped down to land beside Su Mu’s pale, tender feet. The sudden chill made her feel deeply uncomfortable.
But she immediately snatched up one of Chen Qing’s pieces and placed it back where it had been.
“You said you’d go easy on me. This time, I’m definitely going to win!”
Gazing at Su Mu’s dazzlingly long legs and her bare, beautiful feet stepping on the floor, Chen Qing found her interest in this chess game piqued even more.
