Chapter 622 Martin's Advice
The next morning.
As usual, Patricia accompanied Martin for breakfast and then took a car to the villa area, walking to the pavilion they were at yesterday.
Sure enough.
The group of older men from yesterday were sitting there, engaging in a game of chess.
But unlike yesterday, Kaleb was surprisingly absent.
Patricia walked over.
One of the old men who was watching shouted excitedly when he saw her, "Arnold, your opponent is here!"
Arnold had very few enemies in his life, so when he heard those words, the first person that came to his mind was Patricia. His clouded eyes instantly brightened, and he looked up at Patricia.
"Little girl, you're here? Have you come to play against this old man again?"
Patricia nodded and casually glanced around before asking, "Mr. Reed's uncle isn't here today?"
Otis, who had always been arguing with Kaleb, glanced at the time and pouted. "He usually comes around nine to nine-thirty. It's only nine o'clock, so he should be here soon."
Patricia slyly rolled her eyes and made a motion to roll up her sleeves. "Hehe, I'm itching to play too. Who dares to challenge me?"
Everyone had witnessed Patricia's skills yesterday.
Upon hearing that she wanted to play again, everyone was eager to try.
"I'll go! But do you dare to play against me?"
The one speaking was Curtis James, with a head full of silver hair.
Since yesterday, he had wanted to play against Patricia.
Today, he finally found the opportunity.
Patricia blushed and pretended to be modest. "I only know the basics of Go, so don't laugh at me if I don't do well."
Curtis believed her words, thinking that she only knew the basics. He quickly patted his chest, promising, "Don't worry; I won't bully the weak."
Patricia agreed readily. "Alright! Let's begin! Where should we start?"
Arnold quickly put away the half-finished game of Stratego and stood up from the stone stool.
Patricia fell silent.
Curtis pulled Arnold up and sat him down, pointing to the opposite position. "Sit! I've been eager to start."
Patricia obediently took her seat and smiled. "You go first!"
Curtis didn't hesitate either; he took a white piece and placed it on the board.
Patricia pretended to be on edge, nervously holding her breath, and picked up a black piece. She pretended to think for a long time before slowly placing it down.
Curtis chuckled. "You took so long for just the first move! It seems like you really don't know how to play! Alright, I'll let you have a chance."
After saying that, he placed a second piece.
Even though he said he was giving her a chance, he didn't hold back in his moves. After all, for a Go enthusiast, there was no giving; only winning or losing.
Around 9:30, Kaleb finally arrived.
A group of elderly men was gathered in the pavilion. Before entering, he thought it was Arnold and Otis playing against each other. It wasn't until he stepped onto the terrace that he realized something was off.
Today, things seemed unusually quiet.
Normally, no matter who was playing against whom, there would be chatter and people commenting on the side.
But today was different, surprisingly quiet.
He tried to squeeze his way in.
But everyone stood firm, unmoving.
He became more suspicious and forcefully pushed. "Let me in."
Upon hearing his voice, everyone seemed to finally react and turned their heads to look at him. "Mr. Si, your nephew's friend is really amazing."
Kaleb was taken aback for a moment. "What do you mean?"
The older man who was talking to him immediately made his way and pushed him forward. "Take a look quickly. Curtis is a master of Go and isn't even her match. You say she's so young. How can she be so formidable? She knows every move in the game. We are all so nervous that we dare not even breathe properly. I have never been this nervous in my entire life."
After listening to this, Kaleb's eyes widened in astonishment. He squeezed himself to the front and was even more shocked when he saw the situation on the chessboard.
Curtis and Patricia had been playing for who knows how long.
But it was obvious from the board that black had the upper hand.
With the white stones in his right hand, Curtis kept wiping the sweat off his forehead with his left hand. His body was trembling faintly, and his hand hovered over the board for a long time without making a move.
Patricia had already heard the commotion behind her and knew that Kaleb had arrived.
But she didn't immediately turn around to look. She held a black stone in her right hand and flipped it skillfully between her fingers.
Compared to Curtis's nervous sweating, she appeared extraordinarily relaxed and at ease.
It was as if she held the power of the world in her hands, with everything under her control.
Curtis hesitated for a while, the white stone in his hand never making a move. In the end, he placed it in the chess box and bowed. "I concede."
Admitting defeat at this point wasn't too embarrassing.
Otherwise, it would be even more humiliating when the black ones devoured all the white stones.
Patricia smiled mischievously. "Thank you for letting me win."
Curtis laughed awkwardly. "There's no such thing as letting or not letting in a battlefield. There's only winning and losing! If you lose, you lose. No need to be so humble."
Patricia smiled shyly.
Curtis let out a long sigh and stood up. "Young people nowadays are truly amazing! I admit defeat! I never expected your chess skills to be so superior at such a young age. I admire you."
Instead, Patricia felt a little embarrassed by the praise.
"Anyone else wants to spar? I have some free time today and can play with everyone."
The others were unwilling to believe and were itching to try their hand.
But no matter what game they played, without exception, Patricia slaughtered them completely.
Patricia's style of playing chess was not at all like that of a girl.
Every move was strategic, unstoppable, even braver than a man's.
After a few battles, everyone started to hesitate and no longer dared to compete with her.
For the first time, Kaleb watched the matches quietly, without interfering or giving random commands. When everyone hesitated to step onto the court, he rolled up his sleeves and sat down. "I'll play!"
Patricia had been waiting for him. "Uncle, what game do you want to play?"
Kaleb smirked. "I want to play chess."
Chess seemed simple, but it took work to play well and reach the highest level.
And chess was his strong suit.
He refused to believe that he couldn't beat a little girl.
He also didn't believe that she was truly talented in everything.
Patricia readily agreed and gestured to Kaleb. "Go ahead..."
This time, Kaleb played the black pieces while Patricia played the white pieces.
Confidently, Kaleb placed his black pieces on the board——
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