I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 133: Tears

Bai Jingchuan and Jiang Xiahua stood still, their hearts pounding as they stared at the board.

In the battle at the lower right, White had seized sente—yet instead of continuing the attack, White had ignored Black’s group and expanded toward the upper side.

But this—was an even stronger killing move.

It was a move that echoed, like a sound reverberating through the board. Only those who could hear its resonance could grasp its brilliance and sharpness.

With this single Suspension Move, the two black stones in the upper-right were now completely dead.

The fourth-line White wall surged across the board, reaching toward the vast open center.

A single glance was enough to judge the position—

• White’s upper territory: at least 35 points.
• Lower right: around 10 points.
• Black’s upper-left: barely enough to cover komi.
• Lower side & corner: Initially meant for a chaotic battle, but after White’s attack, Black only managed to scrape together 40 points.
• Right side: Black’s framework at best could reach 20 points.

Totaling the score—Black had around 60 points, White had around 45.

But after this suspension move, White’s massive central framework was now nearly impossible to break.

As long as White could secure 15 points in the center, the game would be even.

And from the current board position…

White would easily gain more than 15 points in the center.

No matter how Black tried to invade, limiting White to just 15 points in the center was a fantasy.

Even if an ordinary amateur 4-dan were playing as White, there was no way White would score less than 15 points in this position.

The game was over.

Technically, Black could continue playing—even all the way into the endgame.

But there was no need.

Even if the game played on, the result was already decided.

But to resign in just 74 moves…

It was hard to accept—not just for Zhuang Fei, but even for Bai Jingchuan and Jiang Xiahua.

74 moves.

Some complex large-scale josekis alone take over 50 moves to finish!

And because both players had been playing at lightning speed for the first 40 moves, even though Zhuang Fei had slowed down later, the game had lasted barely 50 minutes.

50 minutes. 74 moves.

The sound of stones clashing in the bowl echoed softly.

Zhuang Fei’s hand hovered inside the stone bowl, as if hesitating to pick up another stone.

Seeing this, Bai Jingchuan and Jiang Xiahua fell silent.

If it were them—

Even knowing they were completely lost, they wouldn’t resign so soon.

Even if they were doomed to lose, they wouldn’t resign in just 74 moves.

It was simply too short.

A game ending before 100 moves was already rare.

A game ending in just 74 moves… was almost unheard of.

But then—

Contrary to their expectations, Zhuang Fei’s hand never emerged from the stone bowl.

After a long moment, he lowered his head.

His bangs covered his face.

“I…”

Zhuang Fei clenched his fists tightly.

His nails dug sharply into his palm, causing a stinging pain.

“I…”

A few seconds passed before his hoarse voice barely managed to form the words.

“…I lost.”

Bai Jingchuan and Jiang Xiahua looked at each other, stunned.

Zhuang Fei… resigned.

Despite it being only 74 moves, he didn’t force himself to play a meaningless game.

He had accepted defeat.

“Thank you for the game.”

Hearing these words, Yu Shao bowed toward Zhuang Fei.

Zhuang Fei remained silent for a moment before replying softly, “Thank you for the game.”

Yu Shao rose from his seat and walked toward the judges’ table.

At the referee’s desk, only a single official remained—a thin-faced man with square-framed glasses.

The other referee, Ma Zhengyu, was still over by Table 9, watching Su Yiming’s game intently.

The square-framed referee saw Yu Shao stand up but didn’t think much of it.

He assumed Yu Shao just needed a break—to get some fresh air, maybe use the restroom.

But to his surprise—

Yu Shao walked straight up to him and stopped in front of the referee’s desk.

“Is there an issue, player?”

The referee looked at Yu Shao, a little confused.

“I’m reporting the match result. The game is over at Table 2.”

“…The game is… over?!”

Hearing this, the referee’s eyes widened in shock.

His glasses nearly slipped off his nose.

It hadn’t even been an hour!

And this wasn’t a blitz game!

He quickly looked toward Table 2—

And saw Zhuang Fei still sitting there.

Even so, he still felt a sense of disbelief.

Every player who made it to the finals was strong.

Even if Zhuang Fei was far superior, if his opponent had played slowly and cautiously, there was no way the game would have ended this quickly.

For a match to end this fast, both players had to be playing at breakneck speed.

And more importantly—

Why wasn’t Zhuang Fei the one reporting the result?

Just as this question crossed his mind—

Yu Shao calmly nodded.

“Yes. I won.”

The referee froze.

Yu Shao won?

Zhuang Fei… lost?!

After reporting his victory, Yu Shao didn’t linger in the playing room.

It was just about 11 AM.

Perfect timing to grab some food.

Without another word, he turned and left the room.

It was only long after Yu Shao had left that the referee finally snapped out of his daze.

His already-wide eyes widened even further.

“…He won?”

“…Zhuang Fei… lost?!”

Staring at Table 2, he saw that Zhuang Fei was still sitting there, head lowered.

His face remained hidden.

“How… is this possible?”

Even seeing Zhuang Fei’s defeated posture, the referee still struggled to believe it.

Unable to resist, he stood up from the judges’ table and hurried over to Table 2.

Before he even had time to fully examine the board—

He noticed something.

Zhuang Fei’s shoulders were trembling.

And then—

Drip.

A single droplet fell onto the board.

Drip. Drip.

More followed.

Soft, almost imperceptible sounds echoed against the wooden board.

It was… tears.

The referee froze in place.

For a long moment, he didn’t move.

And then, the truth finally sank in.

“…Zhuang Fei… really lost.”

Even though his mind refused to accept it…

Seeing Zhuang Fei like this, there was no longer any doubt.

The referee with square-framed glasses stared at the teardrop-stained board, finally getting a clear view of the game’s position.

A sharp inhalation escaped his lips.

Forcing down his shock, he turned and walked toward Ma Zhengyu.

At that moment, Ma Zhengyu was still completely focused on another game.

It wasn’t until the square-framed referee patted his shoulder that he snapped back to reality, looking up in confusion.

“Old Ma… Zhuang Fei lost.”

The square-framed referee leaned in and whispered.

Ma Zhengyu froze.

A moment later, his expression changed drastically.

He nearly exclaimed aloud—

“You—”

But at the last second, he controlled himself.

Still, his face clearly read—

Are you kidding me?!

The square-framed referee simply nodded gravely, his expression leaving no room for doubt.

Immediately, Ma Zhengyu snapped his head around, looking toward Table 2.

Then, without hesitation, he strode toward it.

Just as he approached—

Zhuang Fei suddenly stood up.

Without a word—without even looking back—

He rushed out of the playing room.

“This…”

Ma Zhengyu stopped in his tracks, watching Zhuang Fei’s retreating figure.

For a long moment, he said nothing.

Finally, his gaze lowered to the board.

And when he saw the position—

His eyelids twitched.

“…Wait, Zhuang Fei was playing Black?”

“…How many moves was this game?”

“…How the hell did it end up like this?!”

Meanwhile…

"I lost."

The young man sitting across from Fang Haoxin lowered his head, his voice filled with unwillingness.

He had originally thought Fang Haoxin’s loss to Su Yiming meant he was overrated.

That maybe Fang Haoxin wasn’t actually that strong.

But after playing against him personally, he finally understood the gap in their skill.

He had fallen behind from the very opening.

He hadn’t made any major mistakes in the midgame, but Fang Haoxin had systematically expanded his early-game advantage, turning it into a decisive lead.

And in the end, when Fang Haoxin launched his final attack, his opponent fought back with everything he had—

But was completely overrun.

No excuses.

He lost. Simply because Fang Haoxin was stronger.

“Thank you for the game.”

Despite his victory, Fang Haoxin’s expression remained serious.

There was no joy on his face.

“Thank you for the game.”

His opponent bowed in return.

Winning this match, Fang Haoxin finally exhaled slightly.

Then, his gaze drifted toward Table 9—

Where Su Yiming had been playing.

But—

Both seats at Table 9 were empty.

Fang Haoxin stood up and walked toward the judges’ table.

Quickly, he reported his match result to Ma Zhengyu.

Ma Zhengyu nodded, pulled out his pen, and marked Fang Haoxin’s name with a red check.

His opponent’s name received a red X.

Fang Haoxin took the chance to glance at the tournament board.

Quickly, his eyes landed on Su Yiming’s name.

“…He won.”

Fang Haoxin wasn’t surprised.

Just as he was about to look away—

His eyes caught two familiar names.

Yu Shao vs. Zhuang Fei.

And next to their names—

Zhuang Fei’s name had a red X.

Yu Shao’s name had a red check.

Fang Haoxin’s eyes widened instantly.

His head snapped toward Ma Zhengyu, his voice barely under control—

“Zhuang Fei… LOST?!”

The room fell dead silent.

The constant sounds of stones being placed—

Stopped.

Several players, who had been mid-move, had their hands frozen in midair.

Zhuang Fei… lost?