Volume One, Chapter Seventeen: Daring to Play Chess Against the Heavens

Hiding behind Su Muyu, Jiang Yu scratched his head. After Ning Anbang read his song, he had told him to prepare a speech for the graduation gala. He had completely forgotten—he hadn’t prepared anything at all!

He stole a glance at the audience; those three traitors were cheering the loudest! Well, it seemed there was no way out.

The two hosts had already received the list of student speakers. With such enthusiastic cheers from the crowd, they seamlessly announced the two names. “Now, with a warm round of applause, let’s invite Su Muyu and Jiang Yu to the stage to deliver their speech!”

Jiang Yu sighed. “Come on, everyone’s calling for you.”

Su Muyu didn’t reply. She just tugged pitifully at her dress.

Jiang Yu slapped his forehead. He didn’t mind, but for Su Muyu, what she wore to an event like this mattered a great deal. It wasn’t being fussy—sometimes, as a celebrity, you had to pay attention to such things. This gown’s hem was too long, and she was wearing high heels...

Jiang Yu could only step in front of Su Muyu and offer his hand.

Su Muyu smiled softly, placing her delicate hand in his, pressing gently as she ascended the stairs.

As their palms touched, a few words flashed through Jiang Yu’s mind: so soft, so smooth, so tender.

And as Su Muyu felt his palm, her heart trembled ever so slightly. Though she’d held other men’s hands while filming, none had ever stirred such feelings in her. Her face remained calm, but the flush on her earlobes betrayed her inner turmoil.

Hand in hand, the two walked onto the stage.

The audience erupted in a cheer.

What a perfect pair—a golden couple if there ever was one. From this angle, they seemed made for each other.

The journalists present could hardly wait; their cameras clicked furiously, the scene was simply beautiful.

The host quickly snapped out of the overwhelming sense of chemistry. “Su Muyu and Jiang Yu have studied at Jingdu Film Academy for four years. As representatives of the graduates, do you have any thoughts or words you’d like to share with everyone?”

The first to speak was, naturally, Su Muyu. The host handed her the microphone.

Her speech was steady and composed.

“Thank you to the school for nurturing us, thank you to our teachers. I wish all my classmates a bright future and smooth journey ahead, and I hope our underclassmen excel in their studies...”

As a celebrity, her words were unremarkable, nothing that would particularly stand out, but she made no mistakes—which was a virtue in itself. And because she was Su Muyu, the audience responded generously, applauding warmly.

After her speech, Su Muyu passed the microphone to Jiang Yu. All eyes in the audience turned eagerly to him. They were all curious to hear what a talent like Jiang Yu might say.

The female host’s eyes lit up when she looked at Jiang Yu; he was simply captivating tonight. But catching sight of Su Muyu at his side, her gaze dimmed. As the school’s host, she was excellent in her own right, but compared to Su Muyu, she couldn’t help but feel inferior.

Jiang Yu, oblivious to all this, smiled wryly to himself.

He hadn’t prepared a thing. True, Ning Anbang had mentioned it to him before, but recently, he’d been so absorbed in copying novels that he’d completely forgotten.

Now...

Jiang Yu took the microphone and scanned the audience.

Not just the crowd—even the leaders on the VIP platform were watching him. Ning Anbang looked encouraging, Su Ling was brimming with excitement, and the senior official in the center, Yang He, watched him with appreciation.

Jiang Yu sighed.

“I won’t say too many words of thanks—Su Muyu has already thanked everyone possible, leaving none for me.”

He shot her a mock-aggrieved glance, causing the audience to burst into laughter.

“Well, I won’t repeat what’s already been said. Everyone knows my background is quite ordinary, so what I want to say now is for those with similar origins.”

“Just now, backstage, someone said that some people are the ceiling—you cross them, and you’ll never survive in this industry.”

“Someone else told me I’m a cockroach and could never become a dragon soaring in the sky.”

“But I want to tell him—not only dragons fly in the sky. There might also be birdmen!”

The audience roared with laughter.

Jiang Yu’s lips curled as if none of this concerned him. Yet, many students with backgrounds like his felt their emotions stirred.

On the VIP platform, Yang He and Ning Anbang did not laugh—instead, their faces were dark. Those who knew some inside stories glanced at Li Jiang, sitting in the second row, only to be glared at in return.

After all, with his influence in the entertainment industry, it was natural for people to avoid offending him.

Li Jiang’s gaze grew darker as he looked toward the stage. He’d intended to intimidate Jiang Yu, to remind him to watch his tongue.

But—

Jiang Yu continued, “To be honest, they’re not wrong in some ways. We must admit, there are inequalities in this world.”

“They have many advantages we don’t. They have shortcuts we lack.”

“I’ve heard plenty of motivational speeches—things like, ‘If you work hard, you can change your life.’”

“But I believe, in this world, at least in this industry, that’s the biggest lie.”

“But does that mean we shouldn’t work hard?”

“Is life a chess game, with victory and defeat determined by fate?”

Jiang Yu’s voice grew impassioned.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Even if we can’t choose our birth, we can choose our path.”

“We’ve worked so hard for so many years, studied day and night, made it into university—aren’t we outstanding? Why should we deny ourselves? So what if we’re poor?”

“Adversity only makes us more resolute. Our lofty ambitions remain undiminished!”

“Even if the game of life is manipulated by others, I refuse to accept fate. Even if it means risking everything, I will wrest half a victory from the heavens themselves!”

“To dare to play chess with the heavens, to fight for victory even by half a piece!”

Jiang Yu’s words were charged with emotion.

But now, the power in his voice left everyone in the hall shaken. Many of the young men in the audience felt their blood surge, clenching their fists as they watched him.

On the VIP platform, Yang He’s eyes were full of admiration. “Such spirit! Old Ning, your student is extraordinary.”

Ning Anbang was equally stunned. He had never known this child possessed such drive.

To dare to play chess with the heavens, to decide victory by half a piece—what courage was this?

Jiang Yu looked around at everyone.

His words were clear and resonant.

“My fate is mine to decide, not heaven’s.”

“That’s my graduation message to you all. Thank you!”