CHAPTER 352: SHEVA’S SAFE NET! THE WESLEY SO PLAN?!

Anyone who loved chess would know who Wesley So was, especially if they were from Asia. This was a one-in-a-million genius who emerged out of nowhere in the early 2010s, taking the chess world by storm. In his prime, he was even on par with Magnus Carlsen, going toe to toe against the best chess player of the generation.

More than that, the man was always a proud Filipino, wanting more than anything else to make the Philippine flag fly high in the sky. He had already said so on so many occasions in the past, and only his haters would not believe this.

He was the pride of the Philippines and the entire Southeast Asia, as it was so rare for this barren land to produce such a top-notch talent with the scarce resources there.

However, the disaster struck out of nowhere. The man who was hailed as a prodigy that could be the second Magnus Carlsen or Bobby Fisher suddenly decided to leave the Philippines, changing federations to the USA in 2013. While it was common for chess players to move from one country to another, this was a strange phenomenon in Asia, which was always proud of their nationality, so it was like a bomb getting dropped out of nowhere.

The news spread quickly like wildfire, and the reaction was even crazier. Some started to blame Wesley for being greedy, selfish, and not loving his country enough, while others also started analyzing why the decision was made. The whole chess community in Asia suddenly turned into a circus, with all of them being in a finger-pointing game.

In the end, Wesley So finally had had enough of the wild rumors spread about him, so he clarified his decision. He exposed all the ugly sides of the Philippines Chess Federation, from the political battle in it, the scarce resources and the unwillingness to help the players, even to the point of leeching the money prize that he got after winning a gold medal in an Asian-level tournament.

Sheva still remembered this story vividly when he was researching the pros and cons of being a chess player in Indonesia, and somehow, this was something that had been on the back of his mind for a long time.

Oh, no, that didn’t mean he didn’t love his country. He was born in Indonesia and would always be proud to represent the country at the highest level like this. However, the boy still needed money to help his mother get out of his tough situation, so he also made a plan if somehow, in the future, he would need to change federation to get better resources.

It had been a while, and honestly, with how blessed his chess career was, Sheva had forgotten about this matter a long time ago. However, Novendra’s action dug this plan from deep inside his head, and a wild thought suddenly popped into his mind.

’Well, the worst-case scenario in this case is if Brother Novendra has more influence than I thought he would have, and if so, I could only change federation in the future. The USA is always kind to an immigrant, especially to an athlete who could bring benefits to them on the international stage. So, this is something to consider...’

It seemed that Bagas also knew what Sheva meant by following Wesley So’s path. However, being the son of a soldier, he could never accept the possibility of his best friend changing nationality like that.

"That is your solution for the worst-case scenario, right?" He asked so seriously, startling both Sheva and Sarah, who had never seen him like this before. "Just tell me! You will not do that if Brother Novendra didn’t do anything stupid to jeopardize your career, right?!" Both of his hands were on Sheva’s shoulder, and that was when the boy realized how serious his best friend was.

"... Don’t worry, this is just a safety net that I set if everything doesn’t work. I can promise you that this is my last resort, and I will not take any rash action without consulting you first." Sheva made a promise here.

It was not just to reassure Bagas, but if anything happened, he would always tell this fat boy first to find a solution. This was how much he trusted Bagas in his life, and up until now, the boy had never disappointed him even for once.

Hearing the genuine promise from his best friend, Bagas finally let out a big relieved sigh, his shoulder sagged a few inches as the tension seeped away from his body. "Good... Don’t worry, I will try my best to help you solve this situation." The boy also promised solemnly.

He himself didn’t disagree with Sheva for this plan. No, it would be too egotistical, especially if Sheva was pushed to the edge with no room to maneuver. In that scenario, anyone else would be desperate enough to jump from the cliff, not caring about whether they would die horribly on the ground or just get saved by the river below.

No, he couldn’t let Sheva get into that situation. His task was to make sure that Sheva’s path would always be clear and get a lot of room to maneuver, so that when something unexpected happened, everyone could help him without forcing the boy to abandon the country and everything else in it.

"Yeah, I know you will help me. That, I am not worried at all." Sheva grinned, punching Bagas’s shoulder lightly.

Seeing the two boys starting to bicker with each other again, Sarah also let out a relieved sigh. Even though she didn’t know who Wesley So was and what kind of ugly story the man carried, she could see, based on the boys’ reaction, that this was something serious and a little bit unpleasant, so the girl just let them discuss without interrupting them.

Now that the problem was solved, she finally felt relaxed and asked, "Should we go back? I am sure that the others will be worried."

"Oh, yeah! Anna and the others will be searching for us." Sheva slapped his forehead, realizing that they were strolling too far from the restaurant. True enough, when he opened his phone, so many missed calls were there, trying to ask about his whereabouts. Before he could even call back, though, Sheva and the other two were startled when they heard someone shouting at them.

"Ah! Here you are, Shev!" When they all turned around, the sight of Claudia panting heavily after running around entered their eyes. "Where have you been?! Don’t you know that Big Sis and the others are worrying you?!" She glared, kicking Sheva on the shin.

"Ouch! Ia! A little bit gentler, please!" Sheva winced. "No, not the shin again! Please, have mercy! It is my fault! Sorry!"

"Yes, that is your fault! It is good that you understand! If you make Big Sis worried again, I will..."

"Yes, yes, I apologize!"

Seeing those two bickering again like siblings, Bagas also sighed in relief. Inwardly, he thought, ’All of his friends and his family are in Indonesia, so he should still prefer to be here, right? No, that is too unreliable. I have to solve the problem at the root first so that it won’t grow more in the future!’