I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 25: You’re Definitely Going to Become a Professional Go Player

As a mature man who had been reborn, Yu Shao was well aware that explaining himself now would only make things more complicated.

So, he pretended to stay calm, gave Xu Zijin a slight nod, and then ignored Zhou De entirely, continuing on his way to the restroom.

"Old Yu, wait for me!"

Zhou De finally snapped back to reality. Feeling the immense pressure of Xu Zijin’s gaze, he stumbled after Yu Shao.

Xu Zijin watched the two walk away before slowly retracting her gaze. She raised her fair hand and tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear.

Her expression remained calm, as if she hadn’t heard the conversation between Yu Shao and Zhou De in the hallway moments ago.

“Bro, are you seriously planning to chase Xu Zijin?”

After catching up to Yu Shao, Zhou De couldn’t help but advise him, “You won’t win her over. Let’s not hang ourselves on one tree. Some girls, you know, are just for looking at.”

“I was joking.”

Yu Shao gave Zhou De a sideways glance and said, “Who told you to keep asking and asking?”

“No, but then who have you moved on to?” Zhou De was still convinced Yu Shao had a “new flame” and was determined to dig out the truth.

“I’m telling you, no one.” Yu Shao reiterated.

As someone with a mental age close to thirty, Yu Shao, while admittedly rejuvenated in spirit thanks to his rebirth, genuinely had no interest in girls under eighteen.

Even with Xu Zijin, it was purely an appreciation of her looks.

She was still too young.

At the very least, she’d have to grow to eighteen… maybe go from a B to a C, right?

“Fine, bro, I believe you.”

Zhou De fixed Yu Shao with a serious stare and said gravely, “But promise me, you’re not allowed to like girls with long legs, big chests, and perky butts.”

“Why not?” Yu Shao was baffled.

Zhou De patted Yu Shao on the shoulder and said earnestly, “Because I like them too.”

The next two days passed uneventfully.

As Yu Shao had predicted, Zhou De finally gave up after two days. He put down Introduction to Go: 38 Lessons and instead immersed himself in Why the Lonely Wife Doesn’t Come Home at Night.

Poor Shen Yi of Jiangling hadn’t even had his grand comeback before he was already officially retired!

On Friday after school, Zhou De, brimming with excitement, dragged Yu Shao to play games. “Old Yu, let’s go! It’s finally Friday. Let’s head to the internet café and play till the sky turns dark!”

“Nope.”

Yu Shao declined. “I’ve already lost so many ranking points these past two days. I’d rather play solo at home!”

“Points or brotherhood—what’s more important?”

Zhou De was filled with righteous indignation as he persisted in inviting him. “We’re all waiting for you, man!”

“Do you even need to ask?”

Yu Shao gave Zhou De a strange look. “I don’t even think girlfriends are more important than games. You guys think you’re more important than a girlfriend?”

“Traitor!”

Zhou De accused Yu Shao angrily.

Yu Shao shrugged and continued packing his textbooks.

“Come on, really! This time, I’ll carry the team!” Zhou De pleaded again.

“Not going. I’ve been going every day this week, and I’m so burned out I can’t even think straight.” Yu Shao shook his head.

Seeing that Yu Shao was resolute, Zhou De didn’t push further and left him with, “You’re gonna regret this when we rank up without you, Old Yu!”

With that, Zhou De and a few of their usual teammates, like Old Zhang, linked arms and hurried off together.

Rank up? Yeah, right. Only a fool would believe you guys can rank up!

Just two days ago, Yu Shao had fallen for Zhou De’s nonsense, went to the internet café, and ended up on a losing streak.

Yesterday, after Zhou De’s relentless pestering, he went again and got demoted.

Honestly, Zhou De’s group was fascinating. From Monday to Friday, they’d consistently lose points in their five-man squad. But come the weekend, they’d each solo queue and suddenly skyrocket in rank.

Then, after the weekend ended and school started again, they’d resume their five-man losing streak as if the whole purpose of ranking up was just to lose it all again.

Still, Yu Shao’s reluctance to go to the internet café today wasn’t entirely about losing points. The truth was, going every day had left him exhausted.

Before long, Yu Shao finished packing his schoolbag, left the school, and started heading home.

As he walked, he once again passed by the Mountain-Sea Chess Hall.

Just as Yu Shao was about to keep walking, the glass door of the chess hall opened. A man in his early thirties, wearing a jacket, stepped out.

The man froze for a moment when he saw Yu Shao, but then immediately called out to him. “Hey! You there, student!”

Yu Shao stopped, turned his head, and looked at the man. “Who are you?” he asked.

“You don’t know me,” the man said with a smile, “but I was at the chess hall before and saw your game against Little Zheng. It was absolutely brilliant!”

“Then why are you calling me?” Yu Shao asked, puzzled.

“Uh…” The man scratched his head awkwardly and said, “Honestly, no real reason. I saw you and just called out instinctively.”

Hearing this, Yu Shao was momentarily dumbfounded.

“Oh, right.”

The man seemed to remember something and continued, “In a month, this year’s professional Go competition will begin. Little Zheng is going to participate.”

“He said he’s determined to become a professional Go player.”

“Before, he had thoughts of becoming a professional player, but it always seemed like a half-hearted goal. But after playing that game with you, he’s changed.”

The man’s voice carried a hint of emotion.

“Before, he played well, but he didn’t know why he was playing. Now, he does.”

“He even said he’s looking forward to playing against you again once his skills improve further.”

“I’m truly looking forward to it. I wonder what kind of game you two will produce next time?”

The man paused briefly before asking, “You’re planning to become a professional Go player too, right?”

Hearing this, Yu Shao froze, hesitating for a moment.

“You’re not planning to?” The man was visibly surprised by Yu Shao’s reaction.

“Well… I don’t know.”

Yu Shao shook his head.

The truth was, he hadn’t decided yet. In his past life, he had become a professional Go player at the age of twelve, growing up with the game. But in this life, he was tempted to explore a different path.

“You don’t know?”

The man looked at Yu Shao for a moment, then shook his head with a smile. “You will.”

I don’t even know myself, but you think you know?

Yu Shao gave the man a curious look.

“After all, someone who can play a game like that—how could you not want to become a professional Go player?”

The man chuckled. “If you didn’t love Go, there’s no way you could’ve played that kind of game. And if you love Go, how could you not want to be a professional?”

“I’m also very curious—someone like you, if you step into the professional arena, just how far could you go?”

“I’ll be keeping an eye on you.”

Hearing this, Yu Shao fell silent. He didn’t know how to respond.

“Well, I won’t keep you any longer.”

The man waved his hand and said with a smile, “I’ve got to go. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

Yu Shao nodded and said farewell before continuing his walk home.

As he made his way back, the man’s words kept echoing in his mind.

"Someone who can play a game like that—how could you not want to become a professional Go player?"

Yu Shao shook his head and let out a long breath, trying to clear his thoughts as he continued home.

When he got back, dinner was already prepared and placed on the table. As usual, a note was left beside the dishes, reminding him to heat them up before eating.