I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 110: If You Don't Become a Professional Go Player, It Would Be a Shame

Having already reached the amateur 5th Dan and signed up for the Promotion Tournament, Yu Shao continued his normal school life in the months leading up to the competition.

After all, once he became a professional Go player, he’d be busy traveling for tournaments, and his visits to school would become far less frequent.

In his past life, Yu Shao had given up on academics at a young age, dedicating himself to training at a Go dojo. This time around, he truly cherished his high school life, something he had never experienced before.

“Old Yu, at least you still show up at school once in a while. Xu Zijin? She only came on the first day of school and then disappeared completely. The guys in Class Six are bawling their eyes out.”

Inside the school's activity room, Zhou De played a match against Zhong Yufei while casually asking, “Do you know what she’s been up to?”

“How would I know?”

Yu Shao shook his head. “I don’t even have her contact info.”

“You’re talking about the legendary Xu Zijin? What a pity. Never even seen her before—she’s basically a myth at this point.”

A first-year student with a mushroom haircut chimed in.

His name was Xue Ming, a freshman chosen by Chen Jiaming to represent Jiangling High School in this year’s High School Go League.

“She must be stunning.”

Zhou De shook his head, sighed, and added, “But even if she is, that girl’s personality makes it hard for anyone to get close to her.”

At that moment, Zhong Yufei shot him an irritated look. “Zhou De, are you playing or not?”

“I’m playing, I’m playing! Don’t rush me.”

Zhou De glanced at the board, then quickly grabbed a stone and placed it down.

Zhong Yufei frowned deeply, contemplating for a moment before finally making his move.

After about ten minutes, Zhou De put down his last stone with a bitter expression and admitted, “I lost.”

“I told you, even with a two-stone handicap, you’re still not my match.”

Seeing Zhou De concede, Zhong Yufei let out a slight sigh of relief and smirked as he tidied up the board.

In truth, he wasn’t as relaxed as he seemed. Throughout the match, he had felt the pressure.

Even though Zhou De was still far from his level, the fact that he had only been playing Go for half a year and could already reach this stage was downright impressive.

“Old Yu, you take him on!”

Frustrated, Zhou De turned to Yu Shao and barked, “Give him a two-stone handicap!”

He had brought Yu Shao here today specifically to show off by beating Zhong Yufei, only to end up losing instead. He had practically lost face all the way to his grandmother’s house.

“No way, no way.”

Zhong Yufei shook his head like a rattle. “Giving me two stones? That’s just bullying! He’s about to turn pro!”

“How about a nine-stone handicap, then?” Zhou De asked.

“A nine-stone handicap?! That’s pure disrespect!”

Zhong Yufei’s eyes widened. “If he gives me nine stones, I’m definitely playing!”

“Go on, Old Yu!”

Zhou De turned to Yu Shao and said, “Crush him!”

“I never agreed to this.”

Yu Shao chuckled helplessly. “Who plays with a nine-stone handicap? Old Zhong isn’t a newbie.”

In Go, a nine-stone handicap was enormous. Zhong Yufei was at an amateur 4th Dan level, and even Yu Shao himself would lose with such a handicap. It was like playing Gomoku but letting the opponent go first five times—it wasn’t even a game at that point.

“Let’s play an even match.”

Zhong Yufei suddenly spoke up.

Yu Shao was slightly surprised and looked at him with curiosity.

“I’m already in my third year. I’ll be graduating next year.”

Zhong Yufei sighed. “I’ve always avoided playing against you. The gap between us is just too big—it would’ve crushed my confidence. But now, I feel like I’d regret it if I never played a game against you.”

“Damn, are you a masochist?”

Zhou De was stunned.

“Shut up,” Zhong Yufei snapped.

“Alright.”

Yu Shao nodded, accepting the challenge. He pulled out a chair and sat across from Zhong Yufei, opening the Go case and grabbing a handful of white stones.

“Let’s determine the turn order.”

Zhong Yufei took a deep breath, reached into the Go case, pulled out two black stones, and placed them on the board.

Yu Shao released his grip, letting the white stones fall onto the board, and started counting.

“Two, four, six.”

Yu Shao glanced at Zhong Yufei while putting the stones back into the case. “You guessed correctly. You play black.”

“Please guide me.”

Zhong Yufei bowed slightly.

Yu Shao returned the courtesy. “Please guide me.”

Zhong Yufei took a deep breath, reached into the Go case, and placed down his first move.

Row 17, Column 4—Small Point.

Yu Shao followed suit, placing a white stone.

Row 4, Column 16—Star Point.

They continued exchanging moves, quickly establishing a Star-Small Point vs. Double Star Point opening pattern.

"How long can I hold on in this game?"

Zhong Yufei stared at the board, his emotions conflicted.

They had only played four moves, yet he could already feel the pressure radiating from the other side of the board.

He was well aware of the massive skill gap between them—there was no chance of him winning.

But for some reason, he still wanted to see every move Yu Shao would make—moves he himself could never hope to achieve.

His emotions were a tangled mess. Even he wasn’t sure what he was thinking anymore.

After a long silence, Zhong Yufei exhaled sharply, clearing his mind. He picked up a stone and quickly placed it down.

Row 6, Column 3—Small Knight’s Approach!

The moment Zhong Yufei placed his stone, Yu Shao instinctively grabbed a white stone and followed up immediately.

Row 8, Column 3—Double Attack!

This move not only attacked the approaching black stone but also disrupted its formation, signaling an aggressive strategy that would immediately spark a battle!

Zhong Yufei’s expression grew more serious. He thought for a moment before placing his next move.

Row 15, Column 3—Small Knight’s Enclosure!

“Small Knight’s Enclosure?”

“In this situation, the standard move would be a Large Knight’s Enclosure.”

“But Black didn’t choose that. Instead, he went for the most solid defense...”

On the sidelines, Xue Ming had already picked up on Zhong Yufei’s intentions.

Even though Black was at a disadvantage due to komi, he had opted for an ultra-defensive stance, forming an impenetrable fortress, waiting for White to strike.

Yu Shao glanced at the board, quickly picked up a stone, and placed it down gently.

Tap.

Row 14, Column 4—Shoulder Hit!

Black had chosen the Small Knight’s Enclosure, the most solid move, but it had weaknesses in expansion. This Shoulder Hit directly targeted that flaw, delivering the sharpest counterattack.

As both sides continued placing their stones, the board quickly became filled.

Just as Xue Ming had predicted, despite the komi disadvantage, Black played a steady and solid game, opting for the most secure strategy.

"Good, just like this. He won’t be able to break through. I may lose… but at least it won’t be a complete disaster."

Zhong Yufei stared at the board, thought for a moment, and made his next move.

However, the moment he placed his stone, Yu Shao immediately followed up with another.

Zhong Yufei's eyes widened in shock.

Row 18, Column 7—Sky Flying!

“He invaded?!”

Zhong Yufei was completely stunned.

This was an extremely reckless move—some might even call it unreasonable. White had invaded deep into Black’s territory, scattering Black’s potential area. However, this move also destroyed White’s own shape!

Black would inevitably encircle and hunt down this lone invading stone. A fight inside Black’s formation was inherently disadvantageous for White.

Sure, Black was in danger…

But White was in even greater danger!

Yet, at that moment, Zhong Yufei found himself instinctively clenching his teeth.

After a long moment of thought, he finally picked up a stone and made his move.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Both players placed their stones in rapid succession. Like a spider weaving its web, the battle spread across the board.

As the sound of stones hitting the board echoed through the activity room, Zhou De remained composed. But Xue Ming… he was completely mesmerized!

"Black started out with a strong defensive posture. With the komi advantage, White could have played slowly. But instead, White recklessly invaded and forced a fight within Black’s territory!"

"Against White’s unreasonable move, Black’s push was the harshest punishment!"

"But then, at the most critical moment, White unexpectedly played tenuki, making the entire board explode with chaos!"

Xue Ming stared at the board, his throat dry from excitement.

"An unreasonable move?"

"No… it was only unreasonable at that moment. Looking at it now… it was an absolutely brilliant move!"

The crisp sound of stones being placed echoed through the room.

After gaining an early advantage, White’s shape became thin. The safest approach would have been to reinforce the shape and solidify control.

But what shocked Xue Ming the most was that White didn’t reinforce at all. Instead, he launched a fierce assault on Black without hesitation, completely disregarding the risk of a counterattack.

It was a brutally aggressive strategy—one that left no room for retreat. If White made a single mistake, the entire formation would collapse!

Even Zhou De, watching from the sidelines, was momentarily stunned.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

...

Finally, after more than ten additional moves—

"Click."

Yu Shao calmly picked up a stone from the Go case and placed it down gently.

Tap.

Row 13, Column 17—Point Move!

“It’s a killing move…”

Xue Ming stared at the board in stunned silence, overwhelmed by the realization.

“This single Point Move has completely shattered Black’s formation. Black… is utterly wiped out…”

Black had played with the most cautious, solid strategy—yet the defeat had come so much faster than anyone had expected.

Zhong Yufei gazed at the board for a long moment before finally lowering his head.

“I lost,” he said.

"Thank you for the game," Yu Shao nodded.

Zhong Yufei returned the bow. “Thank you for the game.”

Afterward, it was as if a heavy burden had been lifted from Zhong Yufei’s shoulders. He let out a long breath, shaking his head with a wry smile.

“I regret it now. Why did I even agree to play this match?”

"You made a miscalculation here. Using a Turn would’ve been better…”

Yu Shao smiled and pointed at the board as he began reviewing the game with Zhong Yufei. “Also, you were way too cautious. Your pace was too slow, which actually gave me more opportunities.”

Zhong Yufei listened carefully, then suddenly said,

“If you don’t become a professional Go player… that really would be a shame.”