I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 242: Xu Zijin's Gift

Early the next morning, Yu Shao left home, stopped by a breakfast shop at the entrance of his neighborhood, and had a bowl of spicy beef noodles. Then, he made his way toward Mountain-Sea Chess Hall.

The chess hall was located between Yu Shao’s home and Jiangling High School. After walking for about ten minutes, he arrived at his destination.

"Here again."

The very first game he played in this world had been here, against Zheng Qin.

Yu Shao collected his thoughts and stepped toward the entrance of Mountain-Sea Chess Hall. As he approached, the glass doors automatically slid open. Without hesitation, he walked inside.

"Welcome—"

The receptionist had just begun her usual greeting when she recognized the visitor. Her voice abruptly cut off, and her eyes widened in shock.

Inside the hall, many guests also took notice of Yu Shao. Some were momentarily stunned before their faces lit up with excitement, while others were left completely bewildered.

"Yu Shao, 2-dan?!"

"Isn’t that Yu Shao, 2-dan? What’s he doing here?"

"You don’t know? Yu Shao once played a match here against Zheng Qin, 3-dan. I knew back then that he was destined to make a name for himself!"

"I remember when you saw Yu Shao play the 3-3 point back then, you were the first to shake your head and walk away."

"Slander! That’s outright slander!"

With Yu Shao’s arrival, the chess hall instantly became lively.

"Yu Shao, 2-dan, are you here to see Zheng Qin, 3-dan?"

The receptionist looked somewhat embarrassed as she turned to Zheng Qin and said, "Yu Shao was already quite busy before he became a professional player. I didn’t expect him to visit again after all this time."

"Yeah, yeah."

Cai Yong laughed and shook his head, saying, "It was your friend who invited you today. You’re in Chess Room No. 8."

Outside the hall, a few people were playing casual games in the lobby. Typically, Cai Yong and Yu Shao didn’t play in the lobby but didn’t always book a private room either. The upside was that private rooms were quieter; the downside was that they were more expensive.

"Chess Room No. 8?"

Hearing this, the receptionist let out a relieved sigh and smiled. "Would you like something to drink? It’s on the house."

"Thanks, but I’m good."

Zheng Qin shook his head with a smile and then turned to leave.

As he walked toward the chess room, a guest suddenly stood up and called out, "Cai Yong, 7-dan, can I take a picture with you?"

"You too? You want a picture too?!"

The moment that was said, the other guests in the chess hall finally reacted. They all shot up from their seats, abandoning their ongoing games, and quickly surrounded Cai Yong, blocking him in completely.

Zheng Qin hadn’t expected this either. After taking pictures with numerous guests, he finally managed to retreat into the chess room.

The chess room was very quiet, with a chess table in the center and large sofas on either side. The decor was simple, and a faint, refreshing scent lingered in the air.

Zheng Qin waited in the chess room for a while before the door opened again. Soon after, Cai Yong stepped inside.

Yu Shao was dressed simply today—a white hoodie paired with jeans—yet still carried an effortless elegance.

"How long have you been here?"

Seeing Yu Shao already seated at the chess table, Xu Zijin slightly paused before asking.

"Not long."

Yu Shao casually replied, then noticed the gift box in Xu Zijin’s right hand and raised a brow in surprise. "What’s this?"

"Congratulations on winning the Hero’s Pride Cup."

Xu Zijin sat down across from him and handed over the gift box. "It’s a gift."

"Thanks."

Yu Shao hesitated briefly but didn’t refuse. He accepted the gift box with a word of thanks. The moment he took it from Xu Zijin, he heard a faint clattering sound from inside—like pieces knocking together.

Hearing this, Yu Shao was a bit surprised. "Go pieces?"

"Yes, a Go set—both the board and the stones."

Xu Zijin nodded slightly and said, "I thought you’d like it. Open it up. Let’s use these stones for our game review today."

Yu Shao nodded and quickly untied the ribbon on the gift box. Inside were two wooden Go bowls. He reached in and carefully lifted them out.

Opening the lid of one of the bowls, he saw that the Go stones inside were smooth, translucent, and perfectly round—clearly high-quality, polished stone. At a glance, they looked incredibly expensive.

"How much did this cost?" Yu Shao couldn’t help but ask.

Xu Zijin answered calmly, "Three thousand."

"How much?!"

Even though he had mentally prepared himself, Yu Shao was still taken aback. "Just the stones and the bowls cost three thousand?"

Xu Zijin lifted her gaze and looked at Yu Shao before speaking. "Three thousand per stone. The bowls weren’t expensive—only two thousand."

Silence.

A deathly silence.

Yu Shao lowered his head, staring blankly at the stones in the bowl, momentarily at a complete loss for words.

For the first time, he felt that his imagination was limited by his own poverty.

In Go, there are 181 black stones and 180 white stones, totaling 361 pieces. If each piece cost three thousand…

Over a million...

Seeing his expression, Xu Zijin’s lips curled into a faint smile. "Do you like them?"

Yu Shao didn’t answer her question. He took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the emotions in his heart, and asked instead, "Can these stones glow?"

"These stones are made from the finest clam shell stones. If you look closely, you’ll see delicate snowflake-like patterns on them."

Xu Zijin’s Smile

Xu Zijin gave a faint smile and said, "The Go stones are translucent. If you shine a flashlight through them, the snowflake-like patterns will look stunning."

"No matter how nice they look, they’re still just Go stones. This is way too expensive."

Yu Shao shook his head and immediately pushed the Go bowls back toward Xu Zijin. "You should keep them for yourself."

"I already have a set, and besides, this isn’t a big deal."

Xu Zijin shook her head and said, "Just focus on your matches and play your best. Enough talking—let’s review your final game from the championship."

"No way. Three thousand I can deal with, even thirty thousand I might accept, but three thousand per stone…?"

Yu Shao wasn’t just being difficult—he genuinely thought the price was outrageous.

Xu Zijin frowned slightly and said, "If you don’t want them, I’ll just throw them away."

After saying that, she casually tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and calmly said, "Start the review."

Yu Shao remained silent for a long time. Finally, he reached into the Go bowl. The crisp clattering sound of the stones colliding filled the air as he picked one up and slowly placed it on the board.

Tak!

Column 16, Row 4—Star Point!

Yu Shao didn’t know if it was just his imagination, but the sound of this three-thousand-yuan Go stone hitting the board actually seemed richer and more pleasant than an ordinary stone.

Tak, tak, tak...

The rhythmic sound of stones being placed filled the quiet chess room.

Before long, Xu Zijin studied the board and asked, "Why did you tenuki here?"

"To keep the local variations open. If I settled the shape too early, the number of possible variations would decrease significantly."

After thinking for a moment, Yu Shao explained, "From a whole-board perspective, it’s best to avoid committing to local shapes too soon."

Xu Zijin considered his words, then asked, "What if I clamp here?"

Yu Shao quickly set up the continuation on the board. "Then I’d hane and cut, and if you jump, I’d cut again…"

Soon, after playing through the sequence, Yu Shao continued replaying the game.

Some time later, Xu Zijin pointed at a spot on the board and suddenly asked, "What if I play a flying press here?"

Yu Shao was slightly surprised by the move. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "I considered that. A flying press could be a solid option."

The review continued for nearly two hours before they finally reached the endgame.

Xu Zijin silently gazed at the board without speaking.

After a long pause, she looked up at Yu Shao and asked, "Want to play a game?"

"Sure."

Yu Shao didn’t hesitate. He nodded and agreed.

---

The Next Day

Yu Shao had arranged to meet Liu Peiran in the park that morning.

He didn’t have any particular feelings toward Liu Peiran. They had exchanged contact information, and since she had invited him out, he figured he might as well go. There weren’t any matches in the next couple of days anyway, so he took the chance to relax.

"Hey there!"

He hadn’t waited long before Liu Peiran arrived, greeting him with a bright smile.

She had clearly dressed up for the occasion, wearing a flowing dress that made her look even prettier than in her pictures. Her bright eyes and radiant smile gave her an innocent and charming appearance.

Seeing her, Yu Shao smiled and asked, "Where do you want to go?"

"How about the chess hall?"

Liu Peiran seemed to have already planned the day and immediately suggested the idea.

Yu Shao was taken aback. "The chess hall?"

Liu Peiran nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! You’re so amazing—I want to play a game with you!"

"Alright."

Yu Shao was a little surprised, but after thinking about it, he didn’t refuse and nodded in agreement.

As they walked, Liu Peiran chatted, "You became a professional player just by self-study, but I had private Go lessons and still didn’t get anywhere. That’s seriously impressive."

"It’s nothing special, just practice."

Yu Shao replied casually. "How long have you been learning?"

"Since first grade!"

Liu Peiran sighed. "But it’s really difficult. The rules are simple, but there’s so much depth to it!"

"Yeah, it’s not easy. I studied for a long time too."

"Oh, by the way, which class are you in at Jiangling High? I have friends there."

"Class 7, but I haven’t been to school in a while."

"Makes sense. Most professional players just enroll part-time, right?"

"......"

Liu Peiran kept trying to find conversation topics while Yu Shao responded absentmindedly.

Since he hadn’t been to school for so long, hearing her talk about school gossip felt oddly distant. He realized that world was no longer his—it belonged to a past life.

As they walked, the surroundings became more and more familiar, and Yu Shao started feeling a bit uneasy.

Then, Liu Peiran finally stopped in front of a familiar building.

"Here?"

Yu Shao stared at the sign that read "Mountain-Sea Chess Hall" and was momentarily stunned.

"Yeah, what’s wrong? I checked the reviews, and this place is rated really well."

Liu Peiran looked at him in confusion. "Is there a problem with this place?"

"It’s nothing."

Yu Shao shook his head. "Let’s just go in."

Liu Peiran didn’t think much of it and happily led the way inside.

The moment Yu Shao stepped through the doors, he noticed that the atmosphere inside the chess hall felt oddly tense.

"Yu Shao, 2-dan?"

Someone in the hall froze upon seeing him, then their eyes lit up. "Speak of the devil! Yu Shao, 2-dan, just walked in!"

"Didn’t you just say even Yu Shao wouldn’t be a match for you? Well, here he is!"

"Beating Zheng Qin isn’t much of a feat. Why don’t you go ahead and beat Yu Shao?"

As soon as Yu Shao arrived, the entire chess hall erupted into a frenzy!

Hearing the commotion, Zheng Qin, who had been staring bitterly at the board in front of him, suddenly snapped his head up toward the entrance.

Sitting across from him, a boy around sixteen years old also turned to look at the doorway.

The moment he saw Yu Shao, his expression changed.

A second later, he clenched his teeth, pushed back his chair, and stood up.

He strode toward Yu Shao, who was still unaware of what was happening, and in broken Chinese, he declared:

"Game!"

He stared intensely at Yu Shao and repeated, "We play!"