I Could 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 hall remained deathly silent.

It was over...

Finally, it was over...

Even now, many people still couldn't fully pull themselves away from this game.

This game had shaken them far too deeply.

From White's direct Corner Approach at the opening, to White's first Sacrifice stones to attack and kill, and then White's Flying Immortal Beyond the Heavens-like pressure and Nobi that struck like a point to a vital acupoint, seizing the advantage.

Black, who had fallen into a disadvantage, launched a desperate counterattack. With a Reverse move that astonished everyone, he dragged the game into a position so complicated it was difficult to imagine, once again fighting his way back to life!

Everyone had thought Black might turn the game around, but no one had expected White to sacrifice stones for a second time and launch a fierce attack, ultimately leaving Black to suffer a crushing defeat when his dragon was slaughtered.

Yu Shao looked at Zheng Qin across from him and fell silent for a moment.

He had never truly regarded Zheng Qin as a real opponent before—not until this game had ended.

Although many of Zheng Qin's moves still looked too immature to Yu Shao, Yu Shao could see Zheng Qin's talent in this game, as well as... his love for Go.

For a moment, this made Yu Shao think of his former self.

Although Zheng Qin's current Go strength was still far below his own, after this game, Yu Shao had truly come to regard Zheng Qin as an opponent worthy of his serious attention.

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

Zheng Qin didn't stop him. He only stared blankly at the Go Board.

Yu Shao sighed inwardly.

He understood the taste of being inferior in skill. After all, to reach his current Go strength, he had suffered countless crushing defeats in his previous life. In the end, this was something one could only endure alone.

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

When the people gathered around the chess table saw Yu Shao about to leave, they voluntarily opened a path for him.

Even after Yu Shao had left, the entire chess room remained silent. No one spoke. Everyone, like Zheng Qin, stared at the Go Board without saying a word.

They could all see that Zheng Qin had truly given it his all in this game. He had even performed far beyond his usual level.

Yet the result was... an overwhelming defeat even more miserable than last time.

And his opponent was a high school student who had never undergone professional training at a Go academy or participated in an amateur professional qualification tournament.

If that had been all, perhaps it would have been fine.

But in this game, after Zheng Qin fell into a disadvantage, he had fought desperately to catch up and finally managed to glimpse hope.

Then, just as Black had finally found hope, White mercilessly snuffed it out. In the endgame battle, Black hadn't even possessed the slightest ability to fight back. He had been completely... crushed!

They understood perfectly how devastating this was for Zheng Qin, who was preparing to challenge the professional Go player examination this year.

"Zheng Qin..."

The middle-aged man in the jacket finally couldn't hold back and asked worriedly, "Are you all right?"

He was worried that today's game would affect Zheng Qin's state of mind, and consequently affect his professional Go examination this year.

Hearing this, Zheng Qin finally came back to himself.

He raised his head toward the man in the jacket, shook his head, and said with a smile, "I'm fine."

"Really?"

The man in the jacket asked, still uneasy.

"Really." Zheng Qin gave a somewhat helpless laugh. "I'm fine."

"If it were me, getting beaten like that would mess with my mindset."

The man in the jacket still looked doubtful. "And judging by how you looked just now, you certainly didn't seem fine."

"Just now?"

Zheng Qin shifted his gaze back to the Go Board in front of him.

On the board, his black Go Stones had been slaughtered into disarray by the white Go Stones, and his dragon had been directly killed. For anyone, it was indeed a defeat difficult to accept.

"It was truly a brilliant game."

Zheng Qin looked at every Go Stone and said, "I gave it everything I had. I played very seriously and far beyond my usual level, but I still lost in the end."

"If I said I wasn't shaken at all, that would be a lie. The moment my dragon was slaughtered, I was genuinely lost for an instant, wondering whether I was really suited to play Go."

"I couldn't fight back at all. It was as if... my opponent wasn't even on the same level. It felt like my every move had been completely seen through."

At this point, Zheng Qin's voice weakened slightly.

"But when I looked back over the game, I no longer thought that way."

Zheng Qin looked down at the Go Board, the Go Stones reflected brightly in his pupils. "Although I lost in the end, this was a brilliant game, wasn't it?"

"I actually managed to play a game like this..."

"Maybe that's exactly why I love Go so much?"

"That has nothing to do with whether I won or lost this game."

Hearing this, Xu Ziqin froze for a moment.

Zheng Qin raised his head and continued, "I want to become a professional Go Player. I wanted it before, and now I want it even more."

"I'll keep tempering myself and wait for my next game against that high school student named Yu Shao."

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

"One day, I'll win."

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

"Damn, no wonder you're so good at Go! You've even got me feeling emotional."

"Little Zheng, I believe in you. You'll definitely become a Professional Go Player!"

"Zheng Qin, I believe in you too. After you've honed yourself for a while, you'll definitely crush that kid named Yu Shao!"

"Teach that high school student what it means that fortunes rise and fall!"

"Exactly, Little Zheng. Come play a game with me. I'll give you nine stones. Once you become a Professional Go Player, I'll be able to brag that I've beaten one too!"

Amid the laughter and cheering from everyone in the chess hall, Xu Ziqin quietly left the hall.

Soon, Xu Ziqin arrived at a black Bentley parked outside the chess hall. She opened the rear door and got in.

"Uncle Wang, let's go home."

Xu Ziqin fastened her seat belt and spoke to the driver in the front.

"Okay."

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

Sitting in the back seat, Xu Ziqin watched the scenery along the street flash rapidly past the window. Zheng Qin's earlier words echoed in her mind once again.

"'I actually managed to play a game like this, so that's why I love Go so much'?" Xu Ziqin murmured softly.

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

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

As soon as Xu Ziqin entered the villa, she saw a beautiful young woman of around twenty-five sitting on the sofa in the first-floor living room. She was wearing a floral dress and had delicate features.

A Go Board sat in front of her, and she was scrolling through her phone.

Xu Ziqin immediately called out, "Teacher Xia."

Xia Wen smiled and said, "You're a little late today. What, 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 younger brother named Zheng Qin? Did you win or lose?"

Xia Wen looked curious. "How was he? His Go strength really is pretty good, right? When he took part in the university Go competition, I was there as an invited guest. He played very well in the finals."

"I haven't played against him yet."

Xu Ziqin shook her head and said, "I only watched him play a game against someone else."

"You watched a game?"

Xia Wen didn't quite understand.

As Xu Ziqin's Go teacher, she could only spare one day a week to come and teach her. After all, as a professional Go player, she often had tournaments of her own and was quite busy.

If the Xu family hadn't offered her so much money, she probably wouldn't have agreed to come teach Go at all.

The last time she came to teach Xu Ziqin, she had mentioned that someone named Zheng Qin played Go quite well and usually played at Shanhai Chess Hall. She had told Xu Ziqin that she could go play against him if she had the time.

Therefore, she knew little about what had happened at Shanhai Chess Hall over the past two days.

"Teacher, look at this game first."

Xu Ziqin didn't explain much. She simply sat down across from Xia Wen, opened the Stone Box, picked out the Go Stones, and began setting up the game for Xia Wen.

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