I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 1: The Youth That Slipped Through My Fingers

On the school field, Yu Shao was listening to one of his classmates passionately deliver his "love sucks" declaration after a recent breakup.

"Love is nothing but bulls**t!"

The drama began when, after starting high school, this classmate felt that his girlfriend—whom he had been dating since middle school—had become cold and distant.

If he were an experienced man, he might have told you, "When the shower water goes from hot to cold unpredictably, it usually means someone else is tapping into your supply."

But this classmate clearly didn’t know that piece of wisdom. Instead, he sought out one of their middle school classmates, who now attended the same high school as his girlfriend, and asked about her recent behavior.

And so, he got the answer he didn’t want to hear: His girlfriend seemed to be getting close to an athletic guy in their school who was, apparently, ripped. Fueled by rage, he grabbed his phone and demanded answers from her.

In the end, he was rewarded with a resolute and ironclad "Goodbye" from his girlfriend. In the dim light of his room, he almost felt as if the blazing summer sun was burning him alive.

Taking advantage of the recess period, he poured his heart out to the other guys, declaring himself now a "seasoned man who has tasted the bitterness of love."

“Women, man. That’s just how they are.”

“They’re crazy about you at first, like their life depends on it. Then, the moment you turn around, they’ve got someone new. You confront them, and they go, ‘I still love you, but you hurt my feelings.’ It’s all about dodging blame.”

“No worries, bro. Our school’s packed with pretty girls. Just find one who’s even hotter, post some pictures online, and rub it in her face!”

“What’s even the point of dating? Love is just suffering; we’re better off without it.”

A group of 16- or 17-year-old boys began their impromptu symposium on women and love, each trying to console their heartbroken classmate.

Yu Shao didn’t join the discussion. He just stood nearby, silently enjoying the show, finding the whole scene oddly entertaining.

"Ding-a-ling-ling!"

Suddenly, the bell signaling the end of recess rang. One boy jolted in shock and yelled, “Oh crap, next is Li Kang’s math class!”

Hearing this, the group instantly snapped out of their daydreams. They bolted towards the teaching building, including the heartbroken classmate, who momentarily forgot all his pain and sprinted ahead of the rest.

Li Kang was their math teacher and also their homeroom teacher. His signature phrase was, "Stand up and pay attention!"—and being late to his class never ended well.

When the group reached the hallway, they saw Li Kang walking toward the classroom, holding his thermos. He caught sight of them loitering outside and raised his head, shooting them a sharp look.

The boys’ scalps tingled as they quickened their pace, rushing into the classroom just in time to avoid being caught outside when he entered.

“Class begins!”

“Stand up!”

“Good morning, teacher!”

Li Kang unscrewed his thermos cap, took a sip of water to wet his throat, and began the lesson. Today's topic: Algebra and Functions.

Meanwhile, Yu Shao sat in the audience, half-listening, his thoughts wandering back to his classmate’s heartbreak and their frantic sprint to class. A faint, inexplicable smile appeared on his face.

"This... is youth," he thought.

It’s odd for a high schooler to be sentimental about youth, but Yu Shao was genuinely nostalgic about these innocent days. After all, this clumsy and bittersweet stage of life wasn’t supposed to belong to him anymore.

No one gets to experience both youth and the perspective of someone who’s already lived it—unless they’ve been reborn.

And that’s exactly what Yu Shao was: a reborn soul.

In his previous life, he had been a professional Go player, representing the country in numerous tournaments and earning multiple accolades. While his skill wasn’t quite at the pinnacle, he had still ranked within the top five.

But one day, he woke up and found himself transmigrated into this parallel world, becoming a high school freshman named "Yu Shao."

At 16 again, Yu Shao hadn’t yet decided what he wanted to do. For now, he simply wanted to savor this carefree and flamboyant phase of life.

In his previous life, he had been devoted to learning Go since childhood. By 16 or 17, he was already a professional player, spending all his time studying game records and playing matches.

When he finally achieved success and looked back on his life, he realized that his youth had slipped through his fingers like grains of sand.

For romance writers, describing youth as slipping through your fingers might be a poetic metaphor, emphasizing its fleeting nature. For those walking a fine line, it could be a subtle euphemism.

But for a Go player? When they say their youth slipped through their fingers, they literally mean it: countless hours spent placing Go pieces on the board.

When the bell rang for the end of math class, Li Kang took his thermos and left the classroom. A group of boys immediately dashed out after him, and the once-quiet room turned lively and noisy again.

“Yu Shao, come to the bathroom with us!”

Someone invited Yu Shao to join them for a bathroom trip. For some inexplicable reason, during their school days, boys always felt the need to go in groups, as if they couldn’t relieve themselves without backup.

“No thanks. I wouldn’t want to embarrass you,” Yu Shao replied, shaking his head as he declined the offer.

The boy froze, confused for a second, before his expression turned to one of annoyance. Just as he was about to get mad, his attention suddenly shifted. He seemed to notice something outside the window, and his mouth clamped shut as he stared intently.

The mood in the classroom shifted dramatically. Every boy’s voice noticeably dropped by several decibels, and their eyes—whether intentionally or not—kept darting toward the window and the corridor outside.

Out in the hallway, a beautiful girl in a blue-and-white school uniform was carrying a tall stack of assignments as she gracefully walked past the windows of Class 1-7.

Her skin was pale, almost glowing, and the small section of her arm exposed while holding the assignments seemed as fair as freshly fallen snow. Her jet-black hair was tied into a low ponytail, the classic style of high school girls, and her features were so exquisite they seemed to brighten the entire classroom.

Bathed in the backlight, her profile and hair seemed to glimmer with golden edges, giving her an air of serenity and sanctity.

There are some girls who are just born to make men suffer for love. The kind who make your heart race the moment you see them, but with whom you’re painfully aware you stand no chance.

This girl holding the stack of assignments was clearly one of those girls.

The boys only reluctantly tore their gazes away after the girl disappeared down the hallway.

“Softly she walked away, just as softly as she came.”

The boy who had earlier invited Yu Shao to the bathroom was suddenly overcome by poetic inspiration, reciting a melancholic line with a dramatic flair.

“You’re not going to the bathroom anymore?” Yu Shao asked, giving him a side-eye.

The boy shook his head and replied, “Mission accomplished.”

Yu Shao was stunned. His eyes instinctively dropped to the boy’s crotch. “What did you just say?!”

“You’ve misunderstood,” the boy replied, shaking his head again, his face taking on a look of deep emotion. “What I meant was… Xu Zijin has no flaws.”

Yu Shao was utterly floored. He felt as if this high schooler had just schooled him, reminding him not to underestimate the unique flamboyance of teenagers. The sheer audacity of such a statement left him shaken.

Xu Zijin—this was the name of the girl who had just walked past the window. She was the mathematics class representative of Class 1-6 next door. Her admirers at school were as numerous as fish in a river, though few dared to actually pursue her.

After all, Xu Zijin wasn’t just beautiful—her academic performance was outstanding, and rumor had it her family background was quite exceptional too. All of this was enough to make most potential suitors feel inferior and shrink back in defeat.

From Yu Shao’s inherited memories, it seemed his body’s original owner had been one of Xu Zijin’s many secret admirers.