She thought to herself, Black Lotus must be worried that she would harm Yvonne Foster, so she hurriedly wanted to drive her away, take her to a remote place, and destroy the body to erase all traces.

"Uh, Young Master Foster, where are we going?"

At this moment, there was already a faint sound of cicadas, and occasionally a loud croak from the pond. Moonlight shone on the lush grass, as if coating it with a layer of hazy pearl luster. A subtle scent of plum blossoms drifted from Chad Foster's sleeve, constantly wafting into Olivia's nose.

The night breeze carried the last hint of coolness from late spring. Chad Foster's tone was casual: "Taking a walk, it will help Miss Sullivan fall asleep."

"Then you..." Olivia kept lowering her head, trying to avoid his restraint, "do you really have to accompany me like this for a walk?"

Chad Foster let go, the ends of his hair lifted by the wind, and he rubbed his wrist a bit aggrievedly. "I thought since Miss Sullivan could pick food from my bowl, we must be close enough not to care about such formalities."

Olivia Sullivan was momentarily speechless. Chad Foster glanced at her sideways, "Or is it that this kind of intimacy from Miss Sullivan is only reserved for Young Master Carter?"

"Then you must be mistaken." Olivia Sullivan leaned in and hugged his arm. "Actually, I don't care about formalities at all. I just don't usually show it, for fear of scaring you all." She felt Chad Foster's body instantly tense up, and looked up to mock him, "See, isn't Young Master Foster already scared?"

"How could I be." Chad Foster immediately suppressed the darkness that was about to overflow from his eyes, obediently letting her pull him along.

"It's too cold outside." Olivia Sullivan shivered in the night breeze and boldly tugged Chad Foster, "Why don't... Young Master Foster come sit in my room?"

After saying this, she realized her heart was pounding violently, as if she had stolen something.

The county governor's daughter's boudoir was large and luxurious, with soft Persian carpets on the floor, and even the canopy hanging over the bed was made of layers of shark silk, thin as cicada wings. When the breeze blew, the gauze canopy floated like thin clouds at the edge of the sky.

Several crane-shaped floor lamps stood in the room, their lights twinkling like stars. There were also low candlesticks by the wall, one every few steps, high and low, flickering, lighting the room as bright as day.

On the table was a delicate hexagonal glass lamp, placed beside a chessboard, giving each black piece a warm, glossy glaze.

Chad Foster's long lashes drooped slightly, casting shadows on his fair face. He stared at the chessboard for a long time, his brows unconsciously furrowed. His nails were neatly trimmed, and he absentmindedly rubbed the chess piece between his fingertips.

Olivia Sullivan rolled up her sleeves, thought for only a few seconds, and then made her move with a snap.

Chad Foster immediately frowned, "Miss Sullivan..." He only got half the sentence out, the impatience between his brows forcibly suppressed by reason. He exhaled softly and continued to play his piece.

When Olivia Sullivan raised her hand again, she noticed Chad Foster was staring intently at her hand. Seeing his restrained expression, she found it a bit amusing.

The moment she placed her piece, he finally couldn't hold back his sharp tone: "Miss Sullivan... do you even know how to play chess?"

"Not really." Olivia smiled apologetically.

Not really? She's just playing randomly! Chad Foster's anger spread like wild grass, glancing at the water clock—it was already the third watch.

He should have known she was a bit crazy, staying up in the middle of the night just to mess with people. He must be crazy too, actually keeping her company.

"Young Master Foster, don't be mad." Olivia glanced at the coldness in Chad Foster's eyes and apologized softly, "I'm not very good at traditional Go, but..." She pointed at the chessboard, "Why don't you take a closer look?"

Chad Foster glanced at the board with annoyance. There were his carefully considered, cautious black pieces, and her freewheeling, random white pieces. He stared for a long time but couldn't make sense of it.

"Take a look..." Her hand traced along a row of consecutive white pieces on the board, gently reminding him, "They're all in a line."

"Mm, I see." Chad Foster forcibly suppressed his anger, giving her a cold look, almost sneering.

Only a fool would deliberately line up their pieces like that.

"Let me explain, this is a popular way of playing in our Taicang County, just as fun as your method." Olivia smiled at him. "Whoever lines up five pieces first wins—it's called Gomoku."

Legend has it that 'Nüwa created humans, Fuxi invented chess.' Gomoku originated before Go, flourished in the time of Yao and Shun, and was loved by everyone in ancient times, from street corners to alleys. Though it may not be as sophisticated as Go, who would dare question its historical significance? She wasn't making it up—if Chad Foster didn't know, it only showed his ignorance.

Chad Foster looked at her face, a little dazed.

He was always that awkward presence in the Foster family... His adoptive parents, aside from providing food and clothing, hardly ever took the initiative to care for him. Most of the skills he had were taught by his older sister. Yvonne Foster was the eldest daughter of the demon-hunting Foster family, burdened with heavy responsibilities. She left early and returned late, always busy, and had to learn everything, which she did admirably.

Yvonne Foster loved playing chess, but unfortunately, their parents were too busy hunting demons, so she only had a head full of theory and lacked an opponent.

So she secretly taught Chad Foster, and the siblings often played together to improve their skills.

He only knew one way to play Go—the one Yvonne Foster had taught him.

"Why are you looking at me?" Olivia laughed. "You don't believe me?"

Chad Foster turned to stare at the chessboard. "It really is the first time I've heard of it."