I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 13: A Ruthless Determination

As soon as Yu Shao stepped into the chess hall, he felt countless gazes instantly fix on him.

Initially, the people in the chess hall weren’t expecting much—they were just instinctively looking toward the door. But when they saw who had walked in, their eyes lit up, and a wave of excitement rippled through the room.

"It’s him!"

"It’s that high schooler from the other day!"

"He’s finally here! Little Zheng has been waiting for him for two days!"

"At last! I’ve been waiting for this too!"

Zheng Qin, who had been sitting in the chess room analyzing game records, finally stood up when he saw Yu Shao. He walked over quickly, stopping in front of him.

"You’re finally here."

Zheng Qin looked at Yu Shao and said, "I’ve been waiting for you for two days."

"Sorry," Yu Shao said apologetically. "My friends dragged me into gaming yesterday."

"It’s fine."

Zheng Qin shook his head to show he didn’t mind, then took a deep breath and said, "Will you play another game with me?"

Yu Shao looked into Zheng Qin’s eyes, brimming with fighting spirit, and fell silent for a moment. Then he slowly nodded. "Alright."

Zheng Qin exhaled deeply once more. His entire demeanor seemed to shift. Turning to the receptionist, he said, "Sister Su, put his session fee on my tab."

The receptionist froze for a moment—this was the first time she had seen Zheng Qin so serious.

After a brief pause, she nodded quickly. "Okay."

"Follow me," Zheng Qin said, leading Yu Shao toward the chess room.

As soon as they entered the chess room, Yu Shao spotted Xu Zijin, dressed in her school uniform. She was already looking at him, and for a brief moment, their eyes met in the air.

So, she really did come.

Yu Shao still wasn’t entirely sure why Xu Zijin was here, but he didn’t ask. Instead, he gave her a small nod of acknowledgment.

Soon, Zheng Qin led Yu Shao to the chessboard where he had been studying game records earlier. The two of them pulled out their chairs and sat down across from each other.

As they settled in, the rest of the chess hall—whether watching or even in the middle of their own games—paused what they were doing and began to gather around the table.

Before long, the small table was surrounded by an impenetrable wall of spectators.

"I will give this game my all."

Zheng Qin looked at Yu Shao and said, "I hope you will do the same."

Yu Shao glanced around at the crowd pressing in on all sides. His expression became unreadable, but after a moment, he nodded.

"Let’s decide the turn order," Zheng Qin said, reaching into the white stone container and grabbing a handful of stones.

In Go, determining who goes first—known as "guessing turn"—is a formal procedure. One player grabs a random number of white stones, and the other guesses whether the total is odd or even by presenting one or two black stones. Guessing correctly gives the player the black stones and the first move, while an incorrect guess gives them the white stones and the second move.

Unlike their first game, where Zheng Qin directly handed the black stones to Yu Shao, this formal process signaled how seriously he was taking this match.

Even though the game hadn’t begun, a palpable tension—like the calm before a storm—filled the air.

Yu Shao reached into the container and took out a couple of stones, spreading his hand to reveal two white stones.

At the same time, Zheng Qin released the black stones in his hand, letting them clatter onto the board.

"Two, four, five," Zheng Qin said, lifting his head to look directly at Yu Shao. "Odd number. This time, I’ll take black and go first."

Yu Shao nodded, gathered the stones back into the container, and placed the white stone container at the board’s edge.

"Please guide me well," Zheng Qin said, sitting upright after picking up a black stone.

"Please guide me well," Yu Shao replied courteously.

Zheng Qin reached into the container, his eyes fixed on the board.

He had been waiting for this game for two whole days. Ever since their first game ended, he had been anticipating this rematch.

Regardless of whether he played black or white, he had already replayed countless scenarios in his mind.

Taking out a stone with the clip of his fingers, Zheng Qin raised his hand above the board.

The next moment, the stone fell.

Clack!

16th column, 4th row—Star Point.

The room fell completely silent.

Though it was merely a standard opening move, everyone could feel the heavy pressure radiating from it.

In the silence, Yu Shao also picked up a stone, thought briefly, and placed it down swiftly.

Clack!

4th column, 4th row—Star Point.

Zheng Qin immediately followed with his next move.

16th column, 17th row—Small Point!

"Star and Small Point? Looks like Little Zheng is sticking to his favorite opening style."

"Seems like he’s really determined to fight this kid to the bitter end this time."

"Little Zheng is serious!"

Seeing this move, the onlookers couldn’t help but murmur in hushed tones.

The Star-Small Point opening is known for its flexibility—equally capable of launching attacks or maintaining solid defenses. However, its very versatility is also its weakness. It lacks the aggressive, decisive force of a pure Star Point opening and the intricate complexity of the Small Point structure.

Still, the Star-Small Point is a favorite among many professional Go players. Its adaptability allows for a wide range of strategies, making it hard to counter and ensuring that the player using it remains in control of the game.

And Zheng Qin’s specialty at the Mountain-Sea Chess Hall? It was precisely the Star-Small Point setup.

Countless players had suffered crushing defeats under Zheng Qin’s mastery of this strategy.

Yu Shao lowered his gaze, staring intently at the board.

"Star-Small Point, huh?"

"The typical and most reasonable response would be to take the lower-right corner. It’s the most conventional move."

"But if I do that, the game’s progression will slow down, stretching the battle out…"

If time weren’t an issue, Yu Shao wouldn’t mind playing a long, drawn-out game. However, he needed to finish this match quickly and head home. That was the very reason he had chosen the Double Star Point opening in their previous game—to force the match into a complex and intense confrontation, cutting down the game time as much as possible.

In truth, Yu Shao was not an attack-oriented Go player.

In his previous life, his playing style was more cautious and deliberate, characterized by precision and subtlety—an approach that concealed sharpness within softness. He preferred to win through accurate calculations and a strong sense of the overall board rather than direct aggression.

After pondering for a moment, Yu Shao finally picked up another stone.

Clack!

The crisp sound of the white stone landing resonated across the board. It was placed below the black stone in the lower-right corner—15th column, 17th row.

Diagonal Approach!

The spectators froze for a moment, their eyes widening in shock.

"Wait... did he just play a Diagonal Approach?!"

"Already? That fast?"

"Even if he has an aggressive, attack-oriented style, there’s no need to rush into a Diagonal Approach right off the bat. Sure, it’s not a bad move, but it’s overly hasty and far too confrontational."

Someone nearby nodded in agreement after hearing this.

"Exactly. The critical thing is that even if black can’t secure an unassailable corner with a defensive Diagonal, black can still claim the lower-right corner. White might end up at a slight disadvantage here."

"That kid’s playstyle is too aggressive. Could it be that he’s the kind of player who can’t play unless he’s attacking?" another spectator speculated.

Zheng Qin, too, was stunned when he saw the Diagonal Approach.

He had imagined countless scenarios for this match in his head, but he hadn’t anticipated this. Yu Shao’s second move with the white stones was completely beyond his expectations.

Zheng Qin had considered all the standard corner-claiming strategies—Small Point, Star, High Point, and Large Knight’s Move. But he never imagined that Yu Shao would bypass the standard corner claims entirely and opt for a Diagonal Approach!

It wasn’t a bad move, but it was overly aggressive—almost recklessly so. It even came at the cost of a slight disadvantage, seemingly forcing the game into the most intense and high-stakes confrontation possible!

This move could only be described as—

Ruthless!

A kind of ferocity that seemed reckless, as if the player didn’t care about the consequences.