<h4>Chapter 5: You Are Awarded "Master-Level Chinese Chess Proficiency"</h4>


    Swish!


    Under the nting rays of the setting sun, the basketball traced a perfect arc through the air, smoothly entering the.


    "Call me the master!"


    Dressed in a white jersey and white basketball shoes, Ding Ling struck a deliberate pose after the shot, a yful smirk on her face as she looked at Qian Quan.


    In their just-concluded one-on-one match, Ding Ling narrowly won with a score of 10 to 8.


    Qian Quan did ten push-ups in silence, stood up, pped his hands, and tersely said, "Let''s go again."


    "Why so serious?" Ding Ling gazed at Qian Quan, sensing something off about his demeanor today.


    "The loser is embarrassed, so of course I have to be serious."


    "I prefer your defiant and excuse-finding demeanor. Can''t you go back to that?"


    Qian Quan nced at Ding Ling, then looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle. "The wind today is a bit noisy, affecting my feel."


    "That''s more like it. Come on, let me crush you again."


    In the second round, Qian Quan stepped up the confrontation against Ding Ling. Eventually, he barely won by one point due to his strength and stamina advantage.


    After ying two rounds in a row, both of them were exhausted. Their faces were covered in sweat, and they panted as they sat down on the steps by the court.


    "Tell me, what happened to you today?"


    Ding Ling downed half a bottle of mineral water, semi-reclining against the steps as she asked Qian Quan. She could sense that something was clearly off with this guy.


    "Nothing, I''m thinking about getting a summer job."


    "What summer job?"


    "I''m nning to work at KFC during the summer to earn some money for college life. After all, I''ll be 18 soon, legally an adult."


    "Go for it, what''s there to think about?"


    "Once I start working, I won''t have much time to practice basketball and study Chinese chess. By then, you''ll surpass me."


    "You''re talking as if practicing every day will keep me from surpassing you."


    "Well... there''s some truth to that." Qian Quan chuckled lightly. "What about your summer ns? Do you want to join me in working part-time?"


    "I was actually nning to invite you to a trip to Azure Bay and get familiar with the environment first..."


    "Let''s go somewhere else. I want to keep the freshness of Azure Bay."


    "Where do you want to go?"


    "The West Lake."


    "West Lake is fine too. It''s already on my list. When I first read the poet, ''Half remains at thiske, unable to leave Hangzhou,'' I''ve always wanted to go."


    "So, are you going to join me in working part-time to earn some money?"


    Ding Ling didn''t immediately answer. With damp tips of her hair, her clear, watery eyes gazed at Qian Quan, pondering for a moment before saying, "Qian Quan, if I tell you my biggest secret, can you keep it for me?"


    A flicker of anticipation ran through Qian Quan''s mind, but he maintained an impassive expression on his face and said, "As long as it''s not a secret I have to keep from you, I can keep my mouth shut."


    This near-perfect response struck Ding Ling. It further solidified her decision to reveal the secret.


    "Actually, I''ve been secretly writing web novels and even signed a contract with a novel website. The results have been quite good..."


    As expected!


    Qian Quan had already sensed she would say this, but when she finally spoke, the feeling of trust hit him hard. He nearly blurted out, "I knew that a long time ago," but he managed to hold back just in time.


    After disying the right amount of surprise, he asked, "Which website? What kind of novels have you written?"


    Ding Ling gave a sly smile, shaking her head. "I can''t tell you that for now. It''s not that I want to hide it from you, but it''s just too embarrassing."


    "You''re not writing adult content, are you?"


    "Get lost!" Ding Ling scolded angrily, then continued with a bit of sternness, "It''s not that explicit. The website has screening; if it''s too explicit, it''ll be blocked."


    "Huh?" Qian Quan leaned in intentionally, staring into her eyes.


    He had read her online novels. How to put it? They certainly couldn''t be ssified as explicit content, but some of the descriptions were quite suggestive, highlighting the delicacy of a female author''s writing style.


    Ding Ling felt a bit self-conscious under his gaze. She pushed his face away with her hand and said, "Don''t worry about those details. The main point I want to tell you is that I''m nning to write online novels at home during the summer vacation. I won''t have time to work at KFC with you."


    "Alright then." Qian Quan did not insist.


    There was a brief silence.


    Ding Ling asked, "By the way, aren''t you curious about my earnings from my writing?"


    Qian Quan shook his head. "Not really, I don''t want to share your money."


    "Just be curious."


    "Don''t want to." Qian Quan firmly denied her the opportunity to show off.


    "Oh, you''re so annoying!" Ding Ling kicked Qian Quan''s foot.


    Qian Quan burst intoughter and stood up. "Three games, two wins. One more round."


    ...


    July 16th, Qian Quan''s birthday.


    He received four or five "happy birthday" messages early in the morning, mostly from ssmates.


    Qian Jiamin, the ss monitor who got into Peking University, added a few lines: "May you have a prosperous future, be happy and free. Even if you have to go against the current, don''t be swayed by the waves."


    Qian Quan thanked them one by one.


    At 10 in the morning, Ding Ling arrived at Qian Quan''s house with a gift.


    To be honest, Qian Quan had been curious about Ding Ling''s gift for a while. After all, he had participated in discussions about it in the readers'' group and was eager to know her final choice.


    He took the gift without much ceremony, tore open the wrapping immediately, and opened the box.


    Inside was a mechanical wristwatch.


    A Seagull "Master Craftsman" series wristwatch, with a ck strap and white dial, looked quite refined and stylish.


    "This brand, Seagull! It must be expensive, right?" Qian Quan asked, imitating a celebrity''s tone, while putting on the watch.


    "It''s quite expensive, around 150."


    "Really? Well then, I''ll give you 1,500, and you can get me 10 watches like this."


    "Get lost!" Ding Ling cursed and then reminded him, "If your parents ask, just say it cost 150, got it?"


    "I know."


    A littleter, his parents returned from outside, his father carrying a cake and dishes, while his mother held a pair of basketball shoes.


    "Ling." Qian Quan''s mother saw Ding Ling and greeted her happily.


    "Mrs. Qian, did you buy basketball shoes for Qian Quan?"


    "Yeah, I promised him before. He said he can''t win you if he wears regr basketball shoes."


    "Haha, he tricked you. No matter what shoes he wears, he can''t beat me."


    "I know. I just want him to ept defeat gracefully."


    "Mrs. Qian, you''re clever!"


    Qian Quan, who had been listening to their conversation, feltpletely bewildered. "Ladies, I''m still here. Do you think I can''t hear you talking?"


    Qian Quan''s mother and Ding Ling exchanged smiles and paid no attention to him.


    "Did Ling buy this watch?" Qian Quan''s father noticed the watch on his son''s wrist and changed the topic.


    "Yes."


    "Seagull, right? This watch costs over a thousand. Why did you buy something so expensive?" Qian Quan''s father recognized the brand at a nce.


    "Mr. Qian, I bought a high-quality imitation, it''s only a little over a hundred." Ding Ling hurriedly exined.


    "I see, it looks quite simr. It''s just like the one the vice principal at our school has."


    Ding Lingughed awkwardly a few times and simultaneously pinched Qian Quan discreetly.


    Qian Quan quickly intervened, "Mom, what''s for lunch today? Is there chicken?"


    "I bought a whole rooster. It''s enough for you. Take the shoes and give them a try."


    Qian Quan rushed over to take the basketball shoes and said obediently, "Thanks, Mom."


    "Cut it out!" Qian Quan''s mother said. "You go y with Ling. Your dad and I will cook. Later, Mr. Ding and Mrs. Ye wille over. You should host them."


    "Okay."


    Qian Quan changed into the new shoes, and they fit just right.


    Ever since he was young, his mother had never missed the size of the clothes and shoes she bought for him.


    Around noon, Ding Ling''s parents arrived. Upon entering, they handed Qian Quan some lucky money.


    "Happy birthday, handsome!" Ding Ling''s mother had watched Qian Quan grow up and always liked to tease him.


    "Thank you, Mr. Ding and Mrs. Ye."


    "Are you ying Chinese chess?" Ding Ling''s father saw his daughter sitting in front of the chessboard and walked over.


    "No, we''re studying the endgame from Mr. Qian''s new chess manual." Ding Ling spoke while still looking at the chessboard.


    Ding Ling''s father was an average chess yer, but he had a strong passion for Chinese chess. He took a seat and observed the chess game.


    "You go y chess with them. I''ll check the kitchen."


    Ding Ling''s mother waved at Qian Quan, then went to the kitchen.


    Ten minutester, lunch was served. Ding Ling''s mother served the dishes and also asked Ding Ling''s father, Qian Quan, and Ding Ling to eat.


    The two families had shared countless meals, so there was no need for excessive formalities. The atmosphere was naturally rxed, filled with the unspoken understanding of close family ties.


    "Let''s raise our sses and wish Rocky a happy birthday." After everyone was seated, Ding Ling''s mother, Ye Yun, raised her ss and said.


    Everyone raised their sses, and they wished Qian Quan a happy birthday.


    Facing these four elder figures and Ding Ling, Qian Quan disyed sincere humility and gratitude.


    "Starting from today, you are officially an adult. Any thoughts?" Ding Ling asked.


    "In the future, whether my parents give me living expenses and tuition fees will depend entirely on their mood, and there will be no need for them to worry about thew anymore."


    Qian Quan''s words made everyoneugh.


    "So, I''m nning to work at KFC starting tomorrow." Qian Quan took advantage of the situation to reveal his decision to his parents.


    "What kind of work?" Qian Quan''s mother asked.


    "Summer job, working as a server at KFC."


    Without waiting for his mother to reply, Qian Quan''s father continued, "It''s good to get some experience, and it''s an early exposure to the job market. It''ll help him appreciate his campus life."


    "Young people need experience." Ding Ling''s father agreed, ncing at Ding Ling and quickly adding, "Especially young men."


    Subsequently, the two families chatted happily while having lunch.


    Just as the two fathers had a sip of wine and began discussing international affairs, Qian Quan naturally picked up a chicken leg and ced it in front of Ding Ling. She epted it without a word of thanks, seemingly unfazed.


    This seemingly ordinary scene happened to be noticed by the two mothers, who exchanged a subtle nce that conveyed everything without words.


    ...


    The next day, Qian Quan''s father Qian Wenlin went to the Chinese chess club for an internal selection tournament, while Qian Quan went to the only KFC in Riverside County for an interview.


    As a budget-friendly, young, and handsome student worker, Qian Quan''s interview went smoothly. Due to his exceptional image and demeanor, he was specially selected by the store manager to work at the front cash register.


    After signing the contract, the manager took him to learn the basic skills of cash handling. This included operating the ordering machine,municating with customers, preparing meals, packaging orders, promoting meal deals, issuing receipts, and quickly identifying counterfeit money.


    These seemingly ordinary tasks required a fair amount of thought when executed.


    After half a day of learning, the procedures were mostly sorted out. With practical practice tomorrow, he would soon be proficient.


    At 6 o''clock in the afternoon, Qian Quan finished his shift, clocked out, and treated himself to an ice cream cone as a reward.


    Leaving the store, he walked toward the bus stop. Passing by the entrance of the Riverside Hotel, he noticed people ying Chinese chess and walked over.


    Engaging in the game were two elderly men in their sixties. One was dressed in a white robe, projecting a mild aura and schrly demeanor, with meticulous grooming despite his partly gray hair.


    The other wore a white tank top, held a handheld fan, and possessed a benevolent countenance. With apletely bald head, he embodied the quintessential image of a friendly elder.


    Behind each elderly yer stood four or five advisors, each disying amitted expression and engaging in fervent discussions. The discourse ranged from strategic insights to impassioned arguments, all centered around the best course of action.


    In terms of the game''s progress, the advisors were much more fervent in their verbal sparring than the two main yers.


    Amused by the scene, Qian Quan suddenly heard the voice of the system in his mind.


    [Ding! The system has detected that your father has secured a triumphant three-game winning streak using the novel chess strategy, earning him a spot on the chess club''spetitive team. You are awarded "Master-level Chinese Chess Proficiency"!]


    Instantaneously, a variety of chess openings and strategies flickered through his mind, transitioning from swift to leisurely before ultimately settling into his existing knowledge and memories.