Damn, How could my family be so wealthy?!-Chapter 496 - 495: Hopeful Eyes

Su Mu’s words weren’t just flattery for the old man.

The old man’s chess skills were indeed top-notch.

It was just that those outside training institutions couldn’t afford to hire the old man.

Otherwise, if the old man had been willing to give those training institutions a bit of guidance,

those institutions would have been extremely grateful.

As the old man’s grandson, Su Mu certainly had quite an advantage in this respect.

The old man didn’t hold back at all when he was guiding his grandson through the actual chess-playing process.

What made the old man feel comforted was that Xiao Mu was naturally a keen learner.

It wasn’t just in academic studies that this was evident; Su Mu’s advantage showed in other areas as well.

"Your grandfather taught you?"

Now, Su Ruizhi was embarrassed.

He had also learned from the old man.

By that logic, he had started learning many more years earlier than Xiao Mu.

Logically, Su Ruizhi’s chess skills should have been many times better than Xiao Mu’s.

Su Ruizhi knew the old man wouldn’t favor Xiao Mu by teaching him more and teaching his father less.

This only indicated one issue—that Su Ruizhi’s talent for chess wasn’t as strong as his son’s.

Both were taught by the same master.

Su Ruizhi had many more years of learning, but in the end, he was instantly defeated by Xiao Mu.

Su Ruizhi truly didn’t want to make excuses now.

The more he sought excuses, the more it would just highlight his own inadequacy.

Of course, this inadequacy was relative to his own son.

The complex feelings were something only Su Ruizhi could fully understand.

Looking at the chessboard again, it could only be described as a "disaster."

Su Ruizhi realized this was all his own doing.

If it weren’t for Su Ruizhi being overly confident, thinking he could definitely beat his son this time and regain his pride from their last match,

he wouldn’t have had to face such a cruel situation now.

"Is there a problem?"

The old man was already somewhat displeased with his son’s earlier questioning of his grandson.

Seeing Ruizhi’s still skeptical expression, the old man naturally had to express his stance.

Xiao Mu was indeed taught by the old man.

The old man was not biased; when he called his own son, he was also very dedicated.

It was just that Ruizhi had no talent for chess, something the old man had realized later, so he didn’t force Ruizhi to learn.

Only when it was time for leisure did the old man play a few games with his son.

However, when the old man discovered that Xiao Mu actually had a real talent for chess, of course, he was truly happy from the bottom of his heart.

He was even more devoted to teaching his grandson.

Still, the old man didn’t feel that he was being biased.

The old man knew that if he had taught Ruizhi in the same way back then, Ruizhi still wouldn’t have absorbed the lessons.

Therefore, the old man posed his question now with complete confidence.

The old man felt this wasn’t a matter of bias, but a question of whether Ruizhi and Xiao Mu had talent for chess.

"No problem, of course no problem."

It was a joke; not to mention Su Ruizhi knew the old man wouldn’t be biased.

Even if the old man truly had been biased, what could Su Ruizhi do?

Su Ruizhi acknowledged that he wouldn’t dare confront the old man.

Although the old man had retired from the front lines, Su Ruizhi’s reverence for him was rooted deep in his heart.

This was in stark contrast to Old Man Gu and his family.

Old Man Gu held the economic power firmly in his hands.

Only the Gu Family would behave so obediently and attentively toward Old Man Gu.

Unfortunately, because Elder Gu’s mind was overheated today, the situation at the Gu Family had already undergone a radical change.

"Fine, Ruizhi, losing to your own son isn’t a disgrace,"

"Otherwise, how could there be a saying that ’the student surpasses the master’?"

Bai Xiuping promptly spoke up to alleviate her husband’s embarrassment.

After all, in Bai Xiuping’s eyes, Xiao Mu and Ruizhi were the two most important men in her life.

Besides, it was just a chess game, and Bai Xiuping didn’t see anything to fuss about.

Now that Xiao Mu had beaten his dad, Bai Xiuping naturally didn’t want her husband to feel upset.

"I don’t feel disgraced at all, I’m actually proud that my son is so capable,"

"I was just caught off guard for a moment there,"

Su Ruizhi had initially been a little too confident,

which caused him a momentary daze after seeing Xiao Mu win against him.

But now, Su Ruizhi didn’t look the least bit unhappy.

Just like what Bai Xiuping said, he felt extremely proud instead.

Su Ruizhi thought, for Xiao Mu to have become so skilled at chess in such a short period, what did that indicate?

It indicated that his son, Su Mu, was capable.

And of course, as a proud father, he was naturally delighted.

Keep in mind, Su Mu was his flesh and blood, which indirectly proved his own prowess, didn’t it?

"Dad, it would have been better if you had recovered quicker,"

"I thought you were going to be a sore loser,"

Seeing his dad wasn’t upset, Su Mu also felt relieved.

Su Mu thought to himself that his father couldn’t be that petty.

How could he possibly be so small-minded over losing a single game of chess?

"You little rascal, do you think this is all your dad’s capable of?" freewēbnoveℓ.com

Challenged by Xiao Mu’s words and recalling his initial delayed reaction, Su Ruizhi felt a slight embarrassment, glared, and tried to assume the air of an elder.

"Dad, aren’t you just admitting it yourself?"

Su Mu declared he wasn’t someone to be scared easily.

Facing his dad’s glare, Su Mu didn’t feel the slightest bit intimidated.

Not to mention that Su Mu had grown up close to Su Ruizhi and knew his father very well.

Su Mu knew that his dad was just putting on an act.

In fact, Su Mu’s parents were much more open-minded than the average parents.

And there was another thing—Su Mu’s two strong supporters were right there by his side.

Why would Su Mu be afraid of his dad’s feigned intimidation?

Right now, to Su Mu, his dad looked no more threatening than a paper tiger.

The real tiger was napping to the side, keeping watch.

Su Mu wasn’t worried about the paper tiger causing any trouble, was he?

"Do you really feel that way?"

Su Ruizhi touched his nose and glanced at his wife.

Su Ruizhi felt that his wife had been on his side just now,

and she should still speak up for him now, right?

Su Ruizhi wouldn’t dare to ask the Chairman for help,

in front of such a fair and just Chairman, Su Ruizhi knew he wouldn’t get the words he wanted to hear.

His only hope was his beloved wife.

Su Ruizhi was filled with expectation.

"It does seem a bit like you gave yourself away,"

Bai Xiuping had seen the hopeful look in her husband’s eyes.

But Bai Xiuping still came out with this line.

"See, Dad, even Mom says so, it seems your expression really was quite obvious."

Su Mu, seeing that even his mother hadn’t taken his father’s side this time, couldn’t help but laugh in a slightly mischievous way.

"Hahaha..."

"Dad, everyone’s eyes are crystal clear, you know."

"Xiao Mu, Xiao Ni, it’s okay for Dad, but you should still tone it down a bit."

"Hehe..."

Bai Xiuping seemed to be helping her own husband, but in fact, she still took the opportunity to tease him a little.

"You all..."

"Dad, aren’t you going to do something about your grandson?"

Seeing Xiao Mu and his own wife ganging up and making fun of him, Su Ruizhi had no choice but to seek help from the old man, who was still looking calm at the moment.

"Why do I have to deal with your son? I just need to take care of my own son."

Unexpectedly, the old man had no intention of stepping in to help at all.

The old man’s words were quite clear—his responsibility was only to take care of Su Ruizhi.

As for Xiao Mu, well, that was still Ruizhi’s responsibility.

Whether he could manage it or not, the old man indicated it was none of his business.

After all, Xiao Mu hadn’t done anything wrong, so of course the old man wasn’t going to intervene.

Had Xiao Mu made a mistake, there wouldn’t even need for Su Ruizhi to say a word, the old man would have stepped in to discipline him directly.

Currently, it was clear that Ruizhi was simply "outplayed" by his own son and wife and had come seeking reinforcements.

The old man wasn’t about to fall for his son’s trick and meddle in their affairs unnecessarily.

The old man found that being a spectator and enjoying the show was much more interesting.

"Dad..."

With his last hope gone, Su Ruizhi looked truly aggrieved.

Who could have imagined that Chairman Su, who was so influential outside, would have such a humbling moment at home?

Probably if this was mentioned outside, no one would believe it.

"Hahaha..."

"Haha..."

"Hehe..."

Now not only were Su Mu and Bai Xiuping laughing, but even the old man couldn’t keep his composure and let out a hearty laugh.

Watching the three of them laughing merrily, Su Ruizhi had a look of resignation on his face, but inside, he was quite happy.

Isn’t a harmonious atmosphere exactly what one wants when a family is together?

Of course, after the laughter, the matter came to an end.

Later, Su Ruizhi certainly didn’t dare to challenge his son to chess anymore.

Su Ruizhi had come to the clear realization of the gap between himself and Xiao Mu in terms of chess.

Knowing that he couldn’t win against his son, the so-called face was also impossible to recover.

Su Ruizhi was not foolish enough to suggest another test of skill against Xiao Mu.

There’s a kind of intelligence in knowing when to back down.

This wasn’t a sign of cowardice, but a clear understanding of one’s own strength.

Being able to judge the situation is also a mark of a wise person.

The chessboard was already set, and the time that followed naturally became the main stage for Su Mu and the old man.

Su Ruizhi and Bai Xiuping were responsible for watching.

This time, Su Ruizhi was a particularly attentive observer.

Because Su Ruizhi wanted to know just how high his son’s chess skills had soared.

Su Mu and the old man played three games.

One game Su Mu won, one game the old man won, and another was a draw.

Seeing this outcome, Su Ruizhi understood in his heart.

It’s no wonder Xiao Mu could beat me so effortlessly.

Turns out, Xiao Mu’s chess skills are already comparable to the old man’s.

Su Ruizhi knew that, given some time, Xiao Mu would be able to beat the old man wasn’t going to be a difficult task.

After all, Xiao Mu had only been playing chess for a short while, whereas the old man had been caressing the chessboard for half his life.

Now, Xiao Mu could already play the old man to a draw.

In the future, as long as Xiao Mu is willing to put his heart into it, it’s really hard to estimate just how far his chess skills could go.

Of course, Su Ruizhi felt incredibly proud in his heart.

Having such an amazing son made him proud, even though his own chess skills were quite average.

But Su Ruizhi still believed that there must be some latent genetic contribution of his own.

This gene just hadn’t manifested itself in Su Ruizhi.

But in his son, it had played a significant role.

Thinking of all this, the fact that Su Ruizhi had lost in chess to his own son didn’t seem to matter anymore.

If Xiao Mu’s fighting power could match the old man’s, then Su Ruizhi could only accept his loss with full conviction.

Su Ruizhi felt that losing to Xiao Mu was no different from losing to the old man.

For someone who had never won against the old man, this was certainly an easy thing to let go of.

"Xiao Mu, you’ve made huge progress,"

The old man wasn’t upset about playing to a draw with his grandson.

On the contrary, seeing his grandson’s near-miraculous improvement made the old man very comforted.

Beforehand, the old man had felt some regret because Ruizhi didn’t seem to have a natural gift for chess.

Who would have thought that although his own son lacked talent, his grandson had filled that void in the old man’s heart.

The old man felt that in the realm of chess, he finally had a worthy successor.

And, of course, the old man was not stingy with his praise for his grandson.

"Grandpa, I learned it all from you."

"A good teacher makes for a fast-learning student,"

There wasn’t any exaggeration in Su Mu’s words.

In the aspect of chess, his grandpa was indeed his true teacher.

Even the smartest student is wasted if they meet a teacher without real ability.

So, what Su Mu said wasn’t an overstatement.

"The teacher can lead you to the door, but the practice is up to the individual. It still depends on your own talent,"

The old man waved his hand, not willing to take credit for Su Mu’s success.

The old man had only ever taught two people, both of whom were now in front of him.

Yet the differences between them couldn’t be more stark.

Therefore, for the old man to have such insight was only natural.

Su Ruizhi wore an innocent expression—was he really being dragged into this just because Xiao Mu was good at chess?

Wasn’t the old man’s comment about practice pertaining to oneself directed at him?

Indeed, Su Ruizhi hadn’t put much effort into his chess playing.

Let alone reaching any level of proficiency.

"Thank you for the praise, Grandpa."

Feeling that he had teased his dad enough for the day, Su Mu chose not to continue discussing his father’s unimpressive chess skills.

Standing up, with a slight bow, Su Mu accepted his grandfather’s evaluation.

In doing so, he also spared his father from further embarrassment.

"Alright, it’s getting late. Ruizhi and Xiuping have to go to the company tomorrow. Let’s all go back to our rooms to rest,"

The old man had just happened to mention it in passing, without any intention of deliberately bringing up his son.

Now that Xiao Mu had changed the subject, the old man naturally followed suit and stepped down from the discussion.

Checking the time, the day had grown quite late amidst the family’s lively gathering.

With a gesture of his hand, the old man declared the end of today’s family reunion.