I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 100: If the White Stones Were Shen Yi, Then Who Was Playing Black?

At the same time, somewhere else.

Eight young men in their early twenties were huddled around a Go board, enthusiastically reviewing a game.

"Right here—Teacher Zhuang Weisheng didn’t even reinforce his shape. He just invaded straight away, aiming to cut off White’s stones. That move gave me a real shock. This was the only way to attack, but I bet hardly anyone would’ve seen it!"

"But Li You, 7-dan, responded flawlessly! That aerial jump—it was a divine move, something I would’ve never thought of!"

"Yeah, even though Li You, 7-dan, ended up losing, it was still an honorable defeat. Being able to push Teacher Zhuang Weisheng into such a tough battle is something to be proud of!"

One of the young men couldn't help but sigh in admiration. "Li You, 7-dan, performed incredibly well in this Tianyuan Title Match. He even defeated several 9-dan players along the way and fought his way into the main event!"

"But in the end, he still lost to Teacher Zhuang Weisheng, just one move short."

"Well, there's a reason why they say titles come and go, but the Ten-Dan is here to stay. Teacher Zhuang Weisheng is still as sharp as ever, suppressing everyone beneath him. Especially in the Ten-Dan Title Match—he’s defended that title for twenty years! That’s terrifying!"

"This match was his revenge match. Look at his aggressive playstyle—he’s determined to take the Tianyuan title back from Teacher Kong Zi!"

"With Zhuang Weisheng in such dominant form, Teacher Kong Zi must be feeling the pressure. If Zhuang makes it to the challenge round, their best-of-seven series will definitely be another bloodbath!"

"Just thinking about it gets me excited!"

The group chattered heatedly, but amidst them, He Yu sat quietly, staring off into space, seemingly lost in thought.

"He Yu? What’s on your mind?"

Someone noticed his distracted state and asked, "You've been acting weird these past couple of days."

"Yeah, He Yu, why haven't you said a word? Wasn't today's match between Li You, 7-dan, and Teacher Zhuang Weisheng exciting enough for you?"

Others turned their attention to He Yu, and then, as if realizing something, they immediately started teasing. "Wait, don’t tell me—did you confess to Xia Wen and get rejected?"

He Yu finally snapped out of his daze, shook his head, and said, "No, it's nothing."

"Still thinking about that game?"

A chubby young man in a red T-shirt glanced at him and asked.

"What game?"

The others were confused and turned to the chubby guy for answers.

"A few days ago, He Yu bailed on our mahjong game. I called him, and he told me he was watching a match from the High School Go League."

The chubby guy shrugged and continued, "And get this—the funniest part is, he told me that match featured a brand-new joseki. Does he think I’m an idiot?"

The group burst into laughter.

A new joseki from a high school Go league match?

From two amateur players?

That sounds like something straight out of a fantasy novel.

"And that’s not all—He Yu even said the White stones were played at an incredibly high level, reminding him of Shen Yi. Then he told me that, in the end, Black actually won. Do you guys see how ridiculous that is?"

The chubby guy rolled his eyes and grumbled, "If I believed that nonsense, I’d have to be brain-dead. I even asked him for the game record, but he wouldn’t give it to me. Pure Schrödinger’s Go match."

Hearing this, the others couldn't help but laugh and poke fun at He Yu.

"He Yu, you could at least come up with a better lie!"

"Hahaha, an amateur player with Shen Yi’s shadow in his play, but he still lost? If Teacher Kong Zi heard that, he’d probably fight you for insulting his idol!"

"True, Teacher Kong Zi is Shen Yi’s number-one fan."

Someone nodded, chuckling.

"I remember in an interview, Teacher Kong Zi once said that if he played against Shen Yi, modern Go theories might give him a slight edge in the opening, but Shen Yi would quickly overtake him in the middle game."

Hearing this, someone else shook their head and sighed.

"Teacher Kong Zi is still too humble."

"Come on, He Yu, tell the truth—were you actually standing under Xia Wen’s window with a bouquet, crying tears of regret?"

One of them grinned mischievously and egged him on.

Listening to their teasing, He Yu sighed and said slowly, "I was telling the truth. If I were making something up, I wouldn’t have made up something this absurd."

"Then prove it!"

The chubby guy scoffed. "Show us the game record!"

"Yeah, show us!"

"He Yu, if you're serious, then put the stones on the board. We’ve got a Go set right here—let us see it for ourselves!"

The others joined in, urging him on. Clearly, none of them believed him.

He Yu glanced at them and asked, "You really want to see it?"

"Of course! If it's really as amazing as you claim, then we have to see it!"

One of them quickly cleared the board and gestured for He Yu to go ahead.

"Come on, show us!"

He Yu was silent for a moment, then finally nodded. "Alright."

With that, he stepped up to the board and reached for a stone from the container.

As he stared at the board in front of him, his mind flashed back to that fateful game from two nights ago. Every move, every moment, was still etched clearly in his memory.

It was still...shocking.

He quickly placed the first move.

Column 16, Row 3—Small Point.

The group leaned in, curious to see what He Yu would recreate.

But after just three moves, their eyes widened in shock.

"A 3-3 invasion?!"

The chubby guy rubbed his chin and nodded. "Hmm... Well, I have to admit, that does align with my expectations for a High School Go League match."

Soon, He Yu had played the first ten moves. He picked up another stone and placed it for move eleven.

Column 3, Row 4—Attach!

"Black attached directly?"

The group immediately furrowed their brows but held back their comments, continuing to watch.

Tap, tap, tap...

He Yu played another ten moves, replaying White's sequence of hane and Black’s attachment to the corner.

Each move was logical, and the fight in the upper-left corner was intense. Everyone watched in complete silence, focused on the board.

Then, He Yu played another black stone.

Tap.

Column 3, Row 8—Jump!

The moment this move hit the board, everyone froze.

It felt like watching a drama unfold—only for a commercial to suddenly interrupt at the most intense moment.

The abrupt shift was jarring.

"Wait, Black didn’t connect?"

"What does this jump even mean? What is this move supposed to accomplish?"

"I don’t get it—why not just connect?"

The group exchanged bewildered glances, completely lost.

He Yu didn’t explain. His expression grew even more serious as he picked up another stone and placed it on the board.

White—Column 2, Row 8—Crawl.

Then, without hesitation, he placed another black stone.

Black—Column 4, Row 3—Cut!

"Cut?"

Everyone was completely stunned. The previous jump had already felt abrupt, and now this cut was even more jarring. They had no idea what Black was trying to accomplish.

Without saying a word, He Yu placed another white stone.

White—Column 4, Row 3—Atari.

He took a deep breath and then reached for another black stone.

Tap.

With a crisp sound, Black landed on the board.

Black—Column 3, Row 10—Jump!

The moment the stone was placed, the entire room fell into dead silence.

Everyone’s eyes widened as they stared at the board. It felt as if a venomous snake had just slithered across their backs, sending chills down their spines.

All the confusion from before—gone. It was like clouds had parted, revealing the sun.

"This... this is possible?"

The chubby guy swallowed hard, his mouth dry, his mind shaken. "This... this might actually be a brand-new joseki!"

"A Small Knight’s Approach at the Star Point usually follows up with a Two-Space Jump. But if this variation works… then the Star-Point Attachment into a Continuous Hane might also be completely viable!"

"But... this kind of idea—it doesn’t feel human!"

"How... how could anyone think like this?"

He Yu gazed at the board and spoke slowly, "Keep your eyes wide open. This—this is just the appetizer."

Hearing his words, everyone suppressed the tremors in their hearts, their expressions turning serious.

They all focused on the board, waiting to see what He Yu would play next.

He reached into the Go bowl again, placing black and white stones in succession.

Tap, tap, tap...

The rhythmic sounds of the stones landing on the board echoed through the room.

The group stared intently at the game. As the moves unfolded, their expressions shifted from deep concentration to pure shock—and finally, to utter bewilderment.

At last, He Yu placed the final white stone.

The room was completely silent.

"At this point, White ran out of time. Black wins by resignation."

He Yu lowered his gaze and announced the result.

Still, no one spoke.

Not because they didn’t want to, but because it felt like something was stuck in their throats, rendering them speechless.

After a long moment, He Yu finally broke the silence. "Now, let me ask you—does White’s playing style resemble Shen Yi’s?"

"...Yes."

The chubby guy, his lips already dry, finally spoke in a hushed voice, his eyes still fixed on the board.

"You weren’t imagining things. This relentless, breathtaking tenacity—this signature large-scale envelopment strategy... It does, it really does feel like Shen Yi’s style!"

No one refuted him.

In fact, some even felt that calling White’s play similar to Shen Yi’s wasn’t enough.

Because as they had watched this game unfold, they had experienced the illusion of watching one of Shen Yi’s own games.

"This... this really happened in a city-level High School Go League match? Between two amateur players?"

Someone muttered in disbelief.

He Yu didn’t answer.

Truthfully, even now, he couldn’t fully believe it himself, despite witnessing it firsthand.

At that moment, one of the young men gulped and hesitantly voiced the question lingering in everyone’s mind:

"If White was playing like Shen Yi... then... who was Black?"