School Flower and School Tyrant - Chapter 4

After Ouyang Qianxue took her seat, the homeroom teacher began the lecture. Qianxue soon noticed that Bai Yuxuan wasn’t following the class material but was engrossed in a light novel instead. 

“Hey, class has started, Bai Yuxuan,” Qianxue reminded him kindly. 

“Mm, I know,” Bai Yuxuan replied without looking up, continuing to read his book. 

“This is class time, though. You’re really reading a novel now?” 

“I’ve already completed all the high school coursework. The teachers allow me to read during class.” 

“Oh, I see. Sorry for bothering you,” Qianxue said, deciding not to press further. 

He took a moment to observe Bai Yuxuan more closely. Since he’d been avoiding the boys’ intense gazes earlier, he hadn’t paid attention to Bai Yuxuan’s appearance. Yuxuan had long, silky hair, fair skin, and a high nose bridge, a textbook example of a delicate, handsome young man. 

(What an enviable face. If I wore men’s clothes, would I look as good as him? But honestly, he’s quite an odd guy.) 

Choosing to let it go, Qianxue focused on the teacher’s lecture instead. 

As soon as class ended, a swarm of classmates crowded around Qianxue and Bai Yuxuan’s desks. 

“Hey, Ouyang, your golden hair is so beautiful! Did you dye it?” 

“Oh, no. My father is British, that’s all.” 

“Ah, you’re mixed-race! No wonder you’re so gorgeous. By the way, Ouyang, you must be a rich family’s young lady, right?” 

“Not at all. I just came back from the UK to attend high school here,” Qianxue replied, sticking to the backstory that the boss had prepared. After all, no one could verify details about life abroad. 

“Ah, I see. So, Ouyang, do you have any hobbies?” The students bombarded Qianxue with more questions. 

Feeling overwhelmed, Qianxue noticed Bai Yuxuan abruptly stand up. 

“So noisy. I’m going to find a quieter place to read,” he said, slipping through a gap in the crowd and heading out of the classroom. 

“What a show-off,” the boys muttered with irritated expressions. 

“You don’t understand! It’s exactly that aloof attitude that’s so irresistible!” The girls, on the other hand, gazed dreamily after him. 

“Ouyang, are you interested in joining a club?” one of the girls asked after Bai Yuxuan left. 

“A club?” 

“Yeah! If someone as stunning as you joined the Dance Club, we’d have no trouble attracting new members this year!” 

“No way! Ouyang should join the Music Club instead!” 

“Wrong! It’s the Go Club!” 

“You’re all mistaken! With Ouyang’s slender figure, the Volleyball Club would be perfect!” 

The girls arguing over which club Qianxue should join quickly escalated into a heated debate. 

“Um, um, there’s no need to fight. I’ll visit all of them,” Qianxue said, accidentally slipping into his habit of trying to please everyone. 

As a result, after school, the girls excitedly dragged him around to visit their respective clubs. 

“Is this the Go Club?” 

Since the Go Club was the first on the route, Qianxue went there first. Upon opening the door, he saw a girl dressed in a flowing hanfu sitting gracefully before a Go board, studying a game record. 

“President, I brought a newcomer to visit!” one of the girls accompanying Qianxue waved enthusiastically toward the hanfu-clad girl. 

Chapter 4: Club Invitations (Part 2) 

“Oh?” The hanfu-clad girl raised her head, her gaze briefly sweeping over Ouyang Qianxue. 

“You look delicate, but do you have any real interest in Go?” 

“I do, actually. I found some Go books at home before and taught myself. I’ve also played online for a while.” 

“Is that so? Then play a game with me. You can take the black stones,” the girl said, sliding the black pieces toward Qianxue. 

“Thank you. Please go easy on me,” Qianxue replied as he took a seat opposite her, ready to begin. However, he immediately noticed something unusual. 

“Uh, senior, it seems like there are already stones on the board.” 

“No, I placed those there intentionally. They’re my handicap for you,” the girl said with a slight smile. 

“A handicap?” 

“Our president is actually a professional-ranked player,” the girl who had brought Qianxue explained. 

“What? You’re still a student and already have a professional rank?” Qianxue exclaimed, staring at the hanfu-clad girl in shock. After all, achieving a professional rank in Go was even harder than getting admitted to a top-tier university. 

“Now that you understand, let’s begin,” she said, motioning toward the board. 

“No!” Qianxue shook his head firmly. 

“Even if you’re a professional, I don’t want you to go easy on me. The true joy of Go lies in both players using their full abilities to challenge each other, doesn’t it?” 

“Hmm, I see. My earlier gesture was indeed rude. Let’s play by standard Go rules, then,” the girl replied, resetting the board. 

The two began their match. 

At first, the president didn’t intend to play seriously. 

(Let’s see how skilled you really are.) 

She set a trap during the opening moves, intentionally sacrificing a few stones for Qianxue to capture. The goal was to lure him into a poor position and reduce the liberties of his stones. 

However, Qianxue didn’t fall for it. Instead, he carefully calculated the optimal moves to dismantle her trap. 

(Not bad. Your fundamentals are solid. But how about this?) 

The president escalated her strategy, setting a series of increasingly complex traps. Yet, Qianxue deftly evaded them all, playing with precision and composure. 

“Not good!” 

Halfway through the match, the president realized her playful approach in the opening moves had allowed Qianxue to gain a significant advantage. If things continued at this rate, she might actually lose! 

(I’m a professional player! Losing to an amateur would be humiliating!) 

With that thought, she shifted into full focus. Beads of sweat rolled down her face as she strategized every move with intense concentration. 

“President?” 

The other club members were stunned. It was the first time they had seen their leader so serious during a game. 

“Am I seeing this right? Ouyang’s actually giving the Go prodigy a hard time?” the onlookers murmured in amazement. 

After nearly an hour of fierce battle, Qianxue lost by a mere ten points. 

“Wow, senior, you’re incredible! Even with the handicap at the start, I couldn’t win,” Qianxue said, scratching the back of his head after counting the stones. 

“Well, I guess I’m not suited for the Go Club after all,” he added with a small laugh, preparing to leave. 

“Wait!” 

The president suddenly leaned over the board, abandoning her composed demeanor entirely as she grabbed Qianxue’s hand in desperation. 

“Ouyang, please join the Go Club! If you do, we’d have a real chance at dominating the provincial competitions—no, even the national championships!” 

“Um, but senior, I’ve already promised to visit other clubs…” 

In the end, after leaving his contact information and agreeing to be an honorary member, Qianxue managed to extricate himself from the Go Club’s activity room.