I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 12: Indirect Kiss

As soon as Xu Zijin spoke, the classroom fell into an eerily heavy silence.

Yu Shao, the subject of this sudden focus, could immediately feel countless gazes piercing through him like sharp daggers. He felt like he was being scrutinized down to his very soul.

Yet, the person most invested in this scene wasn’t one of the boys but Cheng Mengjie.

Why would Xu Zijin come looking for Yu Shao?

Under the murderous stares of his classmates, Yu Shao felt a little uncomfortable. He was just as puzzled as everyone else—he and Xu Zijin barely interacted, so why was she here for him?

After hesitating briefly, Yu Shao finally nodded. Amidst the wave of resentful glares from his male classmates, he walked toward Xu Zijin, who was waiting by the door.

Soon, Yu Shao found himself standing in the hallway with her.

"Xu Zijin, what’s up?" Yu Shao asked.

Xu Zijin looked at him calmly and said, "You didn’t show up at the chess hall yesterday."

The Mountain-Sea Chess Hall?

Indeed, he hadn’t gone yesterday. He had been gaming with Zhou De and the others at the Internet café, only to drop rank because Zhou De insisted on playing Yasuo. Zhou De not only lost but kept demanding to play "just one more to prove himself," leading to an eight-game losing streak.

Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal. Xu Zijin’s statement wasn’t even phrased as a question—it was just a simple declaration.

Yet, somehow, Yu Shao felt like he had committed an unforgivable crime.

Wait a minute—how does she know I didn’t go to the chess hall?

Did she go there herself yesterday?

"I was at the Internet café gaming yesterday," Yu Shao blurted, feeling the need to explain himself.

Hearing this, Xu Zijin didn’t react much. She simply said, "Zheng Qin asked me to pass along a message."

"What message?" Yu Shao asked, confused.

Xu Zijin looked at him and said plainly, "He said he’ll be waiting for you again today."

Yu Shao froze for a moment. Before he could figure out the relationship between Zheng Qin and Xu Zijin, she had already turned and walked away without looking back.

When Yu Shao returned to the classroom, it was chaos.

"Old Yu!"

Zhou De’s eyes were red as he grabbed Yu Shao by the collar, speaking in a tone as if preparing for a dramatic betrayal. "I thought we were brothers, and here you are, sharing an indirect kiss with Xu Zijin?!"

"Where did I ever have an indirect kiss with Xu Zijin?" Yu Shao asked, completely baffled.

"Did she talk to you?" Zhou De demanded.

"Yes," Yu Shao nodded.

"Then her saliva molecules would’ve floated into the air, and since you were standing so close to her, you must’ve spoken too. You inhaled her saliva molecules. Isn’t that an indirect kiss?!" Zhou De growled.

Yu Shao was dumbfounded. Was this how indirect kisses were calculated now? In that moment, he was even tempted to spout the outrageous theory that beautiful girls don’t produce saliva.

"Zhou De, so it turns out you’re into guys. You’ve secretly been crushing on me!" Yu Shao immediately countered.

"What?!"

Zhou De was stunned. He snapped back angrily, "Bullsh*t! I’m a red-blooded straight man! My browser history can prove it! And why the hell would I have a crush on you?"

"Then why are you always buzzing around me, talking non-stop? Is it because you want to breathe in my saliva molecules?" Yu Shao shot back.

"I—!"

"Look at you! You’re trying to breathe them in again!"

Zhou De shut his mouth.

But after a moment, he gritted his teeth and asked furiously, "Fine! Even if it wasn’t an indirect kiss, tell us what Xu Zijin wanted. What did she say to you?"

Immediately, the entire class turned to Yu Shao, eagerly awaiting his answer.

Yu Shao knew there was no escaping this. If he didn’t give them an explanation today, this pack of lunatics would never let him off the hook.

After thinking for a moment, Yu Shao raised his voice and said, "She said she likes me!"

"If you keep bullsh*tting, I swear I’ll kill you!"

Zhou De didn’t believe him at all. Gripping Yu Shao’s collar tightly, he demanded, “Spit it out, tell the truth!”

Seeing that his objective was achieved, Yu Shao quickly said, “She came to confirm whether I’m signing up for the Go simultaneous exhibition. You know, she’s part of the student council, so she had to check with me about it.”

The classic move: tell one lie, wait for it to be exposed, then follow up with a second lie. The second one becomes much easier for people to accept.

Yu Shao still didn’t dare mention what happened two days ago when he met Xu Zijin at the Go chess hall.

After all, Yu Shao knew this group of lunatics too well. If they found out, they’d probably jump to the conclusion that he was secretly meeting Xu Zijin after school and would tear him to shreds.

Upon hearing this explanation, the male students in the class visibly relaxed a little.

Truthfully, they didn’t really think there was anything between Xu Zijin and Yu Shao either. Xu Zijin was just too out of reach. If she came to Yu Shao, it was probably for something official.

Even Cheng Mengjie, who had been eavesdropping, quietly let out a breath of relief, amused by the ridiculous thought that had crossed her mind earlier.

Yeah, how could Yu Shao possibly be involved with Xu Zijin? That’s Xu Zijin, for goodness’ sake.

Although Cheng Mengjie didn’t like Xu Zijin much, she couldn’t deny that Xu Zijin was flawless. So flawless, in fact, that even Cheng Mengjie felt a strong sense of inferiority when looking at her.

But Zhou De and the other boys weren’t satisfied. They insisted that Yu Shao repeat what he and Xu Zijin talked about in the hallway.

With no way out, Yu Shao had to start making things up on the spot.

It wasn’t until the bell rang, signaling the start of class, and even the ever-diligent chemistry teacher—who wouldn’t let anyone sleep through his lectures—entered the classroom, that Yu Shao was finally spared from further interrogation.

At that moment, Yu Shao even felt that the chemistry teacher, despite nearing retirement, was more beautiful than Xu Zijin. Her charm, though aged, felt like a lifesaver.

“Still... the Mountain-Sea Chess Hall, huh...”

Thinking back to the university student he played Go with two days ago, Yu Shao felt a pang of regret. If he’d known better, he should’ve just gone straight home that day.

“Forget it. I’ll go again.”

At 5 p.m., the school day finally ended, and it was time to head home.

“Old Yu, let’s go to the Internet café! Today’s the day we’re definitely ranking up!”

Zhou De clapped Yu Shao on the shoulder, trying to drag him along for another round of rank-dropping shenanigans.

“Aren’t you learning Go?” Yu Shao glanced sideways at Zhou De.

“Of course I am. I’ll learn during class tomorrow. After school is for gaming.” Zhou De confidently proclaimed his logic. “Once I master Go, I’ll totally crush you!”

“I’m not going today. I’ve got something to do.”

Yu Shao shook his head, turning him down while packing up his books.

“Aw, come on, just go! Everyone’s coming, how can you bail? I’ll carry us to victory today, seriously,” Zhou De pressed further.

“Forget it.”

Yu Shao shook his head again. “I really do have something to take care of. An upperclassman from Jiang University is waiting for me, so I have to head over.”

Seeing how serious Yu Shao was, Zhou De figured he must actually have something important to do. Reluctantly, he said, “Alright, tomorrow then?”

“We’ll see tomorrow.”

Yu Shao slung his backpack over his shoulder and said, “I’m off. See you tomorrow.”

With that, he left the classroom without looking back.

After leaving the school, Yu Shao headed toward the Mountain-Sea Chess Hall.

After walking for about twenty minutes, he arrived once more at the familiar intersection. Standing at the entrance to the Mountain-Sea Chess Hall, he hesitated briefly before finally stepping inside.