You're Actually Already Playing Very Well

"Perhaps it's because I just finished playing a self-match, and I couldn't adjust my state immediately. Although I held back as much as possible, but..."

Yu Shao looked at the board in silence, feeling a slight regret.

For lower-ranked players, unless it was a match where victory was crucial, high-ranked players like him generally wouldn't go all out.

It was similar to how some very prestigious Go dojos didn't allow their aspiring professional players to participate in amateur competitions, even if those players hadn't yet turned professional.

Because...

Going all out could potentially "kill off" players who were still developing.

The reason he hadn't played very seriously in the two games against Zheng Qin before was also for this reason.

He hadn't gone all out in this game either; he had still held back. However, Xu Ziqin hadn't played badly either. After guiding the game into a complex and entangled situation, she had played some very sharp moves.

Precisely because of this, in that complex situation, facing the aggressive white stones, he was sometimes forced to play even more fiercely, which led to white's devastating loss.

If Xu Ziqin had played a little worse, Yu Shao could have even played with her until the endgame...

"You actually played very well," Yu Shao said softly.

He meant it. In Yu Shao's opinion, Xu Ziqin's Go skill was probably a bit weaker than Zheng Qin's, but among amateur players, she was already at an extremely top-tier level.

But Xu Ziqin didn't react at all. She kept her head down, her hair obscuring her face, making it impossible to see her expression.

She sat motionless on the chair, not saying a word.

Seeing this, Yu Shao sighed inwardly and began to collect the stones himself.

Soon, Yu Shao finished collecting the stones, looked up at Chen Jiaming, and asked, "Teacher Chen, it's almost time. Can I go back now?"

"Ah? Ah, yes."

Chen Jiaming finally snapped back to reality, nodded, and said, "But aren't you eating dinner? The school cafeteria should have it ready. You can eat there before leaving."

"I'll pass today," Yu Shao shook his head. He really didn't know how to face Xu Ziqin. "I'll just grab something to eat on the way."

With that, Yu Shao stood up, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and fled the activity room.

The activity room fell silent again.

Xu Ziqin remained with her head down, sitting on the chair.

"Xu Ziqin... are you okay?"

After a moment, Chen Jiaming couldn't help himself and asked with concern.

Xu Ziqin still didn't speak, as if she hadn't heard him.

"Xu—"

Chen Jiaming was about to speak again, but then he seemed to notice something, froze, and immediately shut his mouth.

Xu Ziqin's body was trembling slightly.

Though the tremors were very subtle, Chen Jiaming noticed them.

Chen Jiaming was silent for a moment, then turned to Zhong Yufei beside him and said, "Let's go out and leave Miss Xu alone for a while."

"Ah?"

Zhong Yufei finally came back to his senses, nodded subconsciously, and followed Chen Jiaming out of the activity room.

After leaving the activity room, Zhong Yufei let out a lingering sigh of relief, patting his chest. "Yu Shao actually... has that level of Go skill? It's truly..."

He couldn't find the words to describe his thoughts.

Zhong Yufei seemed to recall something and added, "Even though Xu Ziqin lost, her Go skill is also very strong. With Yu Shao and Xu Ziqin here, I doubt anyone can compete with us in this year's Go league."

"Compared to the two of them, I'm practically... a bit too weak," Zhong Yufei shook his head, sighing.

Chen Jiaming was silent for a moment, then said, "Then you should play more games with Yu Shao in the future. It should be very helpful for improving your Go skill."

"Huh?"

Zhong Yufei was stunned, then immediately shook his head like a rattle drum, flatly refusing, "No, no, Teacher Chen. Playing with him, even if it improves my Go skill..."

"Wouldn't it completely shatter my confidence?"

The next day.

As the school bell rang, the Chinese teacher finished assigning homework and quickly left the classroom. The classroom erupted in noise.

Yu Shao felt a headache coming on, thinking about going to the activity room later.

"Zhou De, where's your copy of '38 Lectures on Go Fundamentals'? Lend it to me, I'll return it tomorrow," Yu Shao said to Zhou De after thinking for a moment.

"It's at home."

Zhou De asked curiously as he packed his bag, "What do you need a Go introductory book for?"

"It should have game records in it. I need to study them later."

Yu Shao explained, then glanced at Zhou De and said, "Didn't you swear you were going to learn Go? What, giving up again? Just like you, Old Zhou."

"I'm a genius, do you understand genius!"

Zhou De said proudly, pulling out "Grand Lectures on Go Formations" from his desk. "Bro, I've already skipped the beginner stage. I've basically got the basics down and have started learning formations!"

"Hiss!"

Yu Shao gasped, not quite believing him. "Really?"

"Yeah, really," Zhou De said smugly. "It's just about liberties, life and death, ladders, true eyes, false eyes – all too easy, a piece of cake! My reputation as Jiangling's Shen Yi isn't for nothing, you know?"

"Is that so?" Yu Shao asked. "Can you solve the life and death problems in the book?"

"Uh..."

Zhou De seemed to have been hit where it hurt. He argued, "It's just life and death problems, I'll get them eventually after playing more games. I'll focus on understanding the opening formations first."

"Lend me the book, I'll return it tomorrow."

Yu Shao, not wanting to waste more words on Zhou De, directly snatched the "Grand Lectures on Go Formations" from him.

"Your book or my book? You're so bossy even when borrowing!"

Zhou De grumbled, then his eyes lit up as if he'd thought of something. "Old Yu, can I go to your activity room?"

"You?" Yu Shao glanced at Zhou De. "Are you after Xu Ziqin?"

"I'm not," Zhou De denied vehemently. "Seriously, I'm not! I just want to learn Go! Look, I already know the most basic stuff, but there's no one to play with me! I need to improve! I need to study!"

Yu Shao stared intently at Zhou De, as if he could see into his soul.

"Okay, maybe a little," Zhou De finally relented. "But what guy in the whole school isn't after Xu Ziqin! I'm just looking with my eyes, at most. Besides, I really need someone to play with. I just started, I can't exactly go to a Go club, can I?"

Yu Shao pondered for a moment, thinking it wouldn't be so bad to bring Zhou De along, as it would be like watching a clown show. He then said, "You come with me. When Teacher Chen arrives, I'll talk to him about it. It should be fine."

"Good brother!"

Zhou De excitedly rushed forward and gave Yu Shao a bear hug.

ps: Please support with follow-up reads~

Please follow up! Please follow up! Please follow up!