My Lady Always Lacks Ambition-Chapter 309 - 308: Come With Me, I’m Very Impressive

The true Teng Mansion was not in Li City, but in Shengjing. This Teng Mansion was the one Teng Tianhan lived in while serving as Magistrate in Prefecture City—it can be said that Teng Zhao was born and has lived here ever since.

He didn’t always stay there, however. Teng Tianhan, busy with official duties and fearing his son would lack care, sent him back to the Teng Mansion in Shengjing to be raised by his grandmother. Yet, upon returning to the capital, Teng Zhao cried day and night, sometimes weeping until he fainted from breath-holding spells. This further weakened his already frail body, making him appear as if he wished to join his deceased mother, greatly alarming the family.

This was Teng Tianhan’s only son. If something were to happen to him, it would be a double tragedy for losing both a wife and a son, which would not be good for his reputation.

Moreover, Teng Zhao’s temperament was not endearing. He was born bearing the stigma of a ’light birth chart’, and even his own grandmother couldn’t bring herself to love him. Feeling uneasy, she discussed with Teng Tianhan and decided to send Teng Zhao back to his father’s side in the mansion at Ningzhou Prefecture City.

Interestingly, once back in his birthplace, he no longer cried day and night and remained quiet, yet his temperament was still solitary.

Teng Zhao did not return to the capital; Teng Tianhan served as the Magistrate for two terms until he was finally transferred back to the Ministry of Justice as a Junior Minister last year. His son had to be looked after by old servants. Now, he was visiting while on an assignment outside.

Qin Liuxi listened and became curious, questioning, "You always mention his temperament, what exactly is it about the young master that troubles you so?"

Teng Tianhan, with a hint of weariness in his eyes, replied, "He doesn’t like interacting with people, as if he immerses solely in his own world. You will see when you meet him."

Qin Liuxi wondered if it was autism?

Following Teng Tianhan to Teng Zhao’s courtyard, Qin Liuxi hadn’t yet entered when she felt something was amiss. Looking at the trees showing over the wall of the courtyard, she pointed out, "A question I’ve long wanted to ask, how are your servants trained? Everything seems very neat and tidy. And these trees, do they all have twins? The trimming seems too rigid."

Teng Tianhan looked and saw the two Osmanthus trees trimmed identically and couldn’t help but smile bitterly, saying, "It was Zhao’er’s idea."

Qin Liuxi paused, a thought crossing her mind, surely not?

She followed him into the courtyard, and upon entering, her fingertips trembled—neat, meticulous, even the flower pots on the ground seemed measured with a line, perfectly aligned, with the courtyard free of any disorder, let alone any dirt, without a single fallen leaf.

When a female servant saw Teng Tianhan, she came forward to greet him.

"What is the young master doing?"

The servant replied, "He is presently playing chess with Mr. Qi."

Teng Tianhan nodded and told Qin Liuxi, "Mr. Qi was originally my staff, and he has been teaching my son ever since he was young. He has been guiding his studies for years."

Saying this, he casually walked inside.

Qin Liuxi followed and entered, unsurprised by the orderly and clean arrangement inside the house, where every item was placed as if measured, and if there were two identical items, they were always aligned in the same direction.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder, germaphobia.

Two terms surfaced in Qin Liuxi’s mind.

Looking again at Teng Tianhan, he had walked over to the south window. A middle-aged man stood up there, greeting him as Dong Weng, and upon making eye contact with Qin Liuxi, he also greeted her with a bow.

Qin Liuxi returned the gesture and turned to look at the lean child sitting cross-legged on the Arhat bed, holding a chess piece.

Despite being indoors, he was dressed in an impeccably ironed green brocade robe without a single wrinkle, his hair slightly dry and soft, pallid in color, combed into a topknot. His features were delicate, his complexion somewhat pale, with his head slightly bowed but his face devoid of any expressions, just serene.

Even as his father leaned in to speak to him, he showed no reaction, simply focusing on the chessboard, placing another piece.

"Zhao’er, this is Master Buqiu. Would you greet him?" Teng Tianhan said gently.

Teng Zhao acted as if he hadn’t heard.

Teng Tianhan became slightly angry, but mostly he was helpless. He looked at Qin Liuxi and explained, "This is how he is, never showing much reaction to anything, nor does he wish to interact with people. If left alone without anyone speaking to or playing with him, he could spend the whole day by himself."

Undoubtedly autistic.

"Nonetheless, the young master learns quickly; he’s very intelligent," Mr. Qi interjected, saying, "He might seem... distant, but his learning capability is very strong. Even if I do not teach deliberately, he learns by observing from the side—actions, thoughts. This chess game, he learned by watching me play by himself."

Mr. Qi’s tone was somewhat proud, yet somewhat regretful.

Such a clever child, yet frail, not only that, but also a loner.

Qin Liuxi walked over, bowed her head and glanced at the chessboard, Mr. Qi was playing the black pieces. Now that he had left, the black pieces remained unmoved, Teng Zhao hesitated for a while before picking up and placing a black piece down, and then, immediately placed a white piece.

Playing on both sides by himself.

He never looked up at them.

"Master..."

Qin Liuxi watched the neat chessboard, reached out her hand and swept it with a swish.

She scrambled the entire chessboard.

Teng Tianhan and Mr. Qi were stunned, both looking at her in astonishment.

Qin Liuxi did not speak, just watched Teng Zhao’s reaction, the child seemed surprised as well, looking at the messy chessboard, his brows furrowed, and his lips pursed tightly.

He finally looked up at the chief culprit.

Qin Liuxi also clearly saw his whole face, looked into his eyes, and felt a stir in her heart, with an indescribable emotion arising, like a long-lost feeling, like bitterness, soft-hearted.

It made one want to pat his head.

Teng Zhao had a pair of bright, clear almond eyes that reflected the image of Qin Liuxi.

He stared fixedly at Qin Liuxi for a while, didn’t lose his temper, and lowered his head again to reset the chess pieces.

Mr. Qi said he was very clever, he wasn’t wrong, the board was a mess, but he managed to reset it, not a piece out of place.

Qin Liuxi took Mr. Qi’s place, picked up a black piece, and randomly placed it down, Teng Zhao watching, intercepting with a white piece before placing it down, leading to another move from the opponent.

Mr. Qi and Teng Tianhan exchanged glances, the latter shook his head and stood aside watching.

Qin Liuxi played speed chess, almost without thinking before making her moves, which though seemed casual, were actually tight and pressing, while Teng Zhao was still unhurried and leisurely, but gradually, sweat appeared on his forehead.

The observing Mr. Qi and Teng Tianhan both understood chess, and from the looks of the game, the white pieces were driven into a hopeless situation.

Teng Zhao’s rhythm was disrupted.

His hand hesitated to make a move, the sweat on his forehead growing denser, his small face slightly puckered, finally revealing an expression outside of calmness.

Qin Liuxi reached out and grabbed Teng Zhao’s hand.

"Don’t..."

Mr. Qi spoke up, knowing Teng Zhao disliked being touched by others, especially strangers, he was bound to lose his temper. freewёbnoνel-com

But contrary to their expectations, Teng Zhao didn’t react adversely.

As if Qin Liuxi hadn’t heard Mr. Qi’s words, she grabbed his hand and directly brought it to a corner of the board, making a move.

The white piece found a slight chance of survival.

Reviving the game.

Teng Zhao appeared thoughtful, looking up at Qin Liuxi, his eyes deep.

"Come with me, I’m very powerful," Qin Liuxi said to him with a smile.

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