I Can Actually Play a Game Like This

Zheng Qin stared blankly at the Go board. After a long while, he finally closed his eyes and lowered his head.

"I... I lost."

The entire venue remained utterly silent.

It was over...

Finally over...

Many people, even at this moment, couldn't fully detach themselves from the game they had just witnessed.

This single game had brought them far too much shock.

From White's opening move of directly approaching the corner, to White's first sacrifice to attack and kill, then to White's seemingly celestial pressure and the precise, acupoint-like jump, establishing an advantage.

The result was that the Black stones, which had fallen into a disadvantage, launched a desperate counterattack with a move so astonishing it was like a dive, drawing the game into a board state of unimaginable complexity and once again finding a path to survival!

Everyone had thought Black had a chance to turn the tables, but they never expected White to sacrifice stones a second time, launching a fierce attack. Ultimately, Black's large dragon was captured, leading to a crushing defeat.

Yu Shao looked at Zheng Qin opposite him, falling silent for a moment.

He hadn't actually considered Zheng Qin a true opponent until after this game.

Although many of Zheng Qin's moves seemed too immature to Yu Shao, he could see Zheng Qin's talent and... his love for Go in this game.

This made Yu Shao recall his past self in a daze.

While Zheng Qin's current Go skill was still far from his own, after this game, Yu Shao had truly begun to see Zheng Qin as a worthy opponent to face seriously.

A moment later, Yu Shao finally stood up and said, "I'm leaving."

Zheng Qin didn't try to stop him, merely staring blankly at the board.

Yu Shao sighed inwardly.

He deeply understood the feeling of being outmatched, as he himself had suffered countless defeats in his past life to reach his current level. These things could only be overcome by oneself.

Yu Shao picked up his schoolbag, nodded at Zheng Qin, and turned to leave.

Seeing Yu Shao about to leave, the crowd gathered around the Go table spontaneously parted, creating a path for him.

After Yu Shao left, the entire room remained silent. No one spoke. Everyone, like Zheng Qin, stared at the Go board, speechless.

They could all tell that Zheng Qin had given his absolute all in this game, even performing far beyond his usual level.

But the result was... a devastating defeat, even worse than the last time.

And his opponent was a high school student who hadn't undergone professional training at a dojo or participated in amateur professional qualification matches.

If it were just that, it would have been one thing.

But in this very game, after falling behind, Zheng Qin had fought back, finally seeing a glimmer of hope.

Yet, that hope, so hard-won by Black, was ruthlessly extinguished by White. In the endgame battle, Black had no power to fight back, completely... crushed!

They understood perfectly what a heavy blow this was to Zheng Qin, who was preparing to challenge for professional status this year.

"Zheng Qin..."

The middle-aged man in the jacket finally couldn't help but speak, his voice filled with concern, "Are you alright?"

He was worried that this game might affect Zheng Qin's mindset and, consequently, his professional Go exams this year.

Hearing this, Zheng Qin finally snapped back to reality.

He looked up at the man in the jacket, shook his head, and smiled, "I'm fine."

"Really fine?"

The man in the jacket asked, still a bit worried.

"Really fine," Zheng Qin said with a slight chuckle.

"If it were me, being played like that, my mentality would be messed up."

The man in the jacket remained somewhat skeptical. "Besides, from how you looked just now, you didn't seem fine."

"Just now?"

Zheng Qin's gaze shifted back to the Go board in front of him.

On the board, his Black stones had been scattered and decimated by White. His large dragon had been captured. It was undoubtedly a devastating defeat that was hard for anyone to accept.

"It was truly a brilliant game,"

Zheng Qin said, looking at each stone. "I used all my strength, played very seriously, and performed far beyond my usual level, but I still lost in the end."

"If I said it didn't affect me at all, that would be a lie. The moment my large dragon was captured, I did have a moment of confusion, questioning if I was truly suited for Go."

"I had absolutely no way to fight back, it was as if... we weren't even on the same level. My moves felt completely seen through."

As he said this, Zheng Qin's voice grew a little weak.

"But, when I re-examined this game, I no longer felt that way."

Zheng Qin looked down at the board, the stones reflecting in his pupils, shining brightly. "Even though I lost in the end, this game was brilliant, wasn't it?"

"I was actually able to play a game like this..."

"Perhaps it's precisely because of this that I love playing Go so much?"

"This has nothing to do with winning or losing this game."

Hearing this, Xu Ziqin was stunned for a moment.

Zheng Qin looked up and continued, "I want to become a professional Go player. I thought about it before, and now I want it even more."

"I will continuously hone my skills and wait for the next match against that high school student named Yu Shao."

"Even if I lose the next game, there will be another one after that."

"One day, I will win."

After he finished speaking, everyone in the Go room was deeply moved.

"Damn it, no wonder you're so good at Go! You even made me feel a bit emotional."

"Little Zheng, I believe in you, you will definitely become a professional Go player!"

"Zheng Qin, I believe in you too. After you train for a while longer, you'll definitely crush that kid Yu Shao!"

"Let that high school student know what it means for fortunes to change!"

"Indeed, Little Zheng, come play a game with me. I'll give you a nine-stone handicap. Once you become a professional player, I can brag to others that I've also beaten a professional player!"

Amidst the laughter and cheers of the people at the Go hall, Xu Ziqin quietly left.

Soon, Xu Ziqin arrived in front of a black Bentley parked outside the Go hall, opened the rear door, and got in.

"Uncle Wang, let's go back," Xu Ziqin said to the driver in the front seat after fastening her seatbelt.

"Okay."

The driver nodded, stepped on the accelerator, and the black Bentley slowly started, driving into the distance.

Sitting in the back seat, Xu Ziqin gazed out the car window at the rapidly passing scenery along the street, Zheng Qin's words from earlier echoing in her mind.

"'Because I could play a game like this, I love playing Go so much'?" Xu Ziqin murmured softly.

Not long after, the black Bentley stopped in front of a luxurious villa.

Xu Ziqin got out of the car, said goodbye to Uncle Wang, the driver, and walked towards the villa.

As soon as she entered the villa, Xu Ziqin saw a young woman in her mid-twenties, wearing a floral dress and possessing a delicate and beautiful appearance, sitting on the sofa in the living room on the first floor.

A Go board was placed in front of her, and she was browsing her phone.

Xu Ziqin immediately called out, "Teacher Xia."

Xia Wen smiled and said, "You're a bit late today? What's wrong, did you get a boyfriend?"

"No."

Xu Ziqin shook her head and said, "I went to Shanhai Chess Hall."

"Oh? Did you play against that little brother Zheng Qin? Did you win or lose?" Xia Wen asked curiously, "How was it? His Go skills are indeed quite good, right? When he participated in the university Go competition, I was there as an invited guest, and he played very well in the final match."

"I haven't played against him yet," Xu Ziqin shook her head. "I just watched him play a game against others."

"Watched a game?" Xia Wen was a little confused.

As Xu Ziqin's Go teacher, she only had one day a week to come and teach Xu Ziqin. After all, as a professional player, she often had competitions and was quite busy. If it weren't for the Xu family giving her too much money, she wouldn't have agreed to be a Go teacher at all.

The last time she came to teach Xu Ziqin, she had mentioned that there was a player named Zheng Qin who played quite well and usually played at Shanhai Chess Hall, suggesting that Xu Ziqin could find him to play a game if she had time. Therefore, she wasn't very aware of what had happened at Shanhai Chess Hall in the past two days.

"Teacher, please take a look at this game first," Xu Ziqin didn't explain much. She simply sat opposite Xia Wen, opened the Go box, picked out a stone, and began setting up the game for Xia Wen.

Seeking follow-up reads! Seeking follow-up reads! Seeking follow-up reads!

If you think the little author's book is decent, please don't just "raise" it. At least give it a follow-up read during the free period. Thank you very much!

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