Drama Queen Reborn as a Top Student!-Chapter 792 - 345 gets pushed farther and farther away

"Runxi, have lunch with me this afternoon at the restaurant across from the chess academy. I remember when you were a kid, you loved their salted duck."

Liu Runxi couldn’t refuse his mentor whom he hadn’t seen in years.

On the way, Sun Xiangren took a call, asking Liu Runxi to head over first.

The restaurant had been renovated. The private room on the second floor had a floor-to-ceiling window, offering a clear view of the chess academy across the street.

A waitress entered to pour tea.

She was a young girl in her early twenties. As she poured tea, she glanced curiously at the boy standing in front of the window.

Lost in thought for a moment, she overpoured, and tea spilled over the rim.

Hurriedly, she grabbed a tissue to wipe it up.

"Let me do it."

The boy walked over and took the teapot from her hands.

The girl stole a glance at him and hesitantly asked, "Are you Liu Runxi?"

Liu Runxi paused his movement of pouring tea and turned to look at her.

The girl felt as though her heart had been struck in that instant.

"It’s really you! I thought you looked familiar. Back then, you were just a little kid, and now you’ve grown so tall."

She excitedly pointed toward the chess academy across the street. "When you were little, you were the most famous chess prodigy of the Ren Shi Chess Academy. You used to come here often with Dean Sun. Once, when I brought you boiling water, I accidentally burned your arm. But instead of getting angry, you comforted me. Do you remember that?"

The boy’s eyes held a faint smile. "Yes, I remember."

"Aah, you really do remember me! That’s wonderful! Back then, you were practically the living signboard of the Ren Shi Chess Academy. Afterward, I never saw you again. It’s been so many years, and you’ve grown even taller and more handsome. But that untouchable air of yours—I could never mistake it."

Young Liu Runxi had been so famous at the Ren Shi Chess Academy. Among the young girls learning chess, he was the most-talked-about topic during their lunch breaks here. Every day, the store’s TV replayed Go matches on loop, and she had seen many of Liu Runxi’s games. Without exaggeration, he was an undisputed prodigy of his generation.

Sun Xiangren walked in through the door, asking, "What are you two chatting about?"

"Dean Sun, it’s Liu Runxi! I never thought I’d see him again."

Sun Xiangren shook his head with a laugh, glancing at Liu Runxi and teasing, "No matter where you go, you’re always the most popular."

The waitress, Lin Lin, was about to graduate from university. This restaurant was owned by her family, and she often helped out during weekends. Over the years, she had grown quite familiar with Sun Xiangren.

"Of course! Liu is what you’d call a perfect combination of looks and talent. In the Go world, he’s a total killer, attracting countless young girls to learn chess."

Suddenly, Lin Lin thought of something. "Liu, have you stopped playing Go these past years?"

In recent years, she hadn’t noticed his name in any major Go tournaments.

Sun Xiangren tactfully changed the subject. "The usual—add an order of salted duck and steamed Wuchang fish. Someone else will be joining us soon."

Lin Lin realized her question might have been intrusive, so she exited the private room.

Liu Runxi set a cup of tea down in front of Sun Xiangren.

Sun Xiangren sighed. "After all these years away, people still remember you."

Liu Runxi steered away from the topic. "Who else is coming?"

Sun Xiangren glanced at him. "An old acquaintance of yours. She told me this morning that you were at the academy."

Liu Runxi’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.

At that moment, the door to the private room was pushed open from the outside. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Dean Sun."

It was Wei Yun’er who walked in.

With a kind smile, Sun Xiangren beckoned to her. "Come in."

Wei Yun’er’s gaze settled on Liu Runxi, her eyes flickering slightly as she softly said, "Runxi, we meet again."

Liu Runxi nodded, his demeanor cold and distant.

Wei Yun’er stepped inside and sat to Liu Runxi’s right. "I just finished the second round of matches. I thought I’d join you during the intermission."

She glanced at her watch. "I can’t stay long. I have to leave in twenty minutes."

Lin Lin entered to begin setting the table.

Sun Xiangren remembered something and said, "One of Runxi’s friends is also participating in this competition."

Wei Yun’er smiled. "I saw that girl this morning."

Sun Xiangren raised an eyebrow.

Wei Yun’er looked at the silent Liu Runxi. "She won two straight matches in quick games. Her playing style is exactly like yours back in the day. You taught her well."

Sun Xiangren raised an eyebrow, glancing at Liu Runxi and then at Wei Yun’er. "Could it be that this girl has truly inherited Runxi’s essence?"

The elder Dean’s expression turned gossipy as he eagerly said, "Yun’er, tell me more. It’s rare to hear about someone who has caught his attention. She must be talented. If we can recruit her to our academy, perhaps her future could rival yours."

Back in the day, Wei Yun’er had served as Liu Runxi’s sparring partner. Her playing style bore clear traces of his influence. It could be said that in her path to success, Liu Runxi had been the most impactful figure.

Upon hearing Sun Xiangren’s words, the smile on Wei Yun’er’s face became a bit stiff. She quickly recovered, looking casually at Liu Runxi. "Dean, while you cherish talent, you also have to consider whether they’d agree. Our academy might be too small. Perhaps she has better prospects elsewhere."

Sun Xiangren heard the hint of sarcasm in her words and glanced at her, then at Liu Runxi. He seemed to understand something, thinking to himself that he’d made a mistake, uttering irrelevant things that might confuse these young people.

"Come, eat. Here’s your favorite steamed fish."

Liu Runxi stood up. "Enjoy your meal. I’m going to the restroom."

With that, he left without looking back.

Wei Yun’er’s hand tightened around her chopsticks, her gaze lingering on the door for a long time.

"Dean, I’ve never understood—such extraordinary talent, why would he waste it?"

Sun Xiangren sighed. "Everyone has different choices in life. He excels at painting too. He won numerous gold medals in children’s art contests. Back then, a famous foreign painter admired him and wanted to take him abroad, but he declined. Even in violin and piano, he had remarkable talent. But he chose not to pursue the arts, opting instead for a normal high school life."

He chuckled and shook his head. "But he wasn’t an ordinary high schooler. He got into the Young Talent Class at De Ren as the second-best national scorer—a class full of prodigies. Perhaps the Go world lost a genius, but maybe the country will gain a great scientist one day. Can you really call his choice a mistake?"

"He’s an exceptionally intelligent and lucid person. Don’t try to comprehend his decisions using our mindset. And don’t treat him as a fool; you’ll only push him further away."