I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 275: She Is a Go Player

Early in the morning, Yu Shao got up, had breakfast, and then left home with Yu Dongming, who drove him to the Gongling TV Station.

After Yu Shao got out of the car, Yu Dongming rolled down the window, looked at Yu Shao, and nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad! As expected of my son. Looking handsome today!"

"Dad, I’m going in."
Yu Shao smiled and said, "The Challenge Match is starting soon."

Yu Dongming nodded, looking forward to it. "Go ahead. I’ll see you on TV later."

Just then, a black Bentley pulled up and stopped in front of the TV station building. The door opened, and Xu Zi stepped out of the car.

Today, Xu Zi was dressed very simply—a plain white loose sweatshirt with no patterns, blue jeans, and a pair of sneakers. She looked exceptionally fresh and graceful.

"Good morning."
Seeing her, Yu Shao smiled and greeted her.

"Morning."
Xu Zi nodded back slightly, then looked at Yu Dongming sitting in the car, and then back at Yu Shao with a slightly puzzled expression.

Noticing this, Yu Shao quickly introduced, "This is my dad."

Hearing that, Xu Zi straightened up a little and greeted politely, "Good morning, Uncle."

"Morning."
Seeing such a stunningly beautiful girl, Yu Dongming was a bit surprised. After replying, he turned to Yu Shao and tentatively asked, "Xiao Shao, this is?"

"Xu Zi, my former classmate—though we weren't in the same class. She's a professional Go player now, and she's here to commentate the Challenge Match with me today." Yu Shao explained.

"Oh, oh!"
Yu Dongming didn’t suspect anything and said, "You two better head in quickly. Isn’t the match starting soon?"

"Alright, we’ll head in now. Dad, drive safe on the way back." Yu Shao nodded.

Xu Zi also politely said goodbye, "Goodbye, Uncle."

"Goodbye."
Yu Dongming found Xu Zi not only beautiful but also very polite, which left him with a great impression. He nodded with a smile.

Soon, after watching Yu Shao and Xu Zi walk into the TV station, Yu Dongming finally turned the car around and left.

After entering the station, Yu Shao suddenly remembered something and said with a smile, "Oh, I almost forgot—congrats on getting promoted to 2-dan! That was quick."

"Don’t you think your congratulations sound a bit sarcastic?"
Hearing that, Xu Zi couldn’t help but give Yu Shao a sideways glance.

"Sarcastic? How?"
Yu Shao looked confused. "I'm just 2-dan too, you know."

"Dan rank doesn't fully reflect Go strength. No matter who it is, everyone has to win game by game. Even if someone gets ten straight wins in the Challenge Match, no one really thinks he's just a 7-dan player."

Xu Zi thought for a moment and suddenly said, "I haven't actually played you in an official match, have I? I hope I can play you in a real tournament someday."

Yu Shao was stunned for a moment, then thought about it carefully. It was true.

He had played plenty of games with Xu Zi, but never in an official setting. Even Su Yiming had already played against Xu Zi in a tournament.

Even though the High School Go League was small, it was still a tournament. The atmosphere and mindset in official matches were completely different from casual games.

"Who do you think will win today’s game?" Xu Zi suddenly asked.

"I don’t know, but of course, I hope Kong Zi, the Meijin, wins."

Yu Shao shook his head and replied.

As they chatted, they soon arrived at the TV station lobby. A staff member spotted them and immediately came over to guide them to the studio.

Not long after, Yu Shao and Xu Zi followed the staff member into the studio.

In the center of the studio was a large platform with a big Go board set up. Surrounding the platform were cameras everywhere. The director and the crew were busy with preparations.

"First time doing commentary, huh?"
The staff member guiding them smiled. "It’s normal to feel nervous when facing a nationwide audience. Don’t worry, just explain the intentions behind each move. When the players are thinking, feel free to chat casually."

"Honestly, Xu Zi 2-dan could just stand there silently."
A cameraman joked, "Even if she doesn’t say a word, I bet the viewers will still be glued to the screen. As for the Go commentary, Yu Shao 2-dan has got that covered."

"True, after today, who knows how many people will suddenly want to become professional Go players!"
Another cameraman laughed, "As long as Xu Zi 2-dan is standing there, the audience will be satisfied. They won’t ask for much."

"Sure, there are plenty of good-looking female Go players, but ones as stunning as Xu Zi 2-dan are really rare."
Someone else couldn’t help but chime in with a laugh.

Everyone in the studio burst into laughter.

Hearing these remarks, Xu Zi lowered her eyes, expression calm, quietly standing in place.

"Try not to joke about stuff like that,"
Yu Shao’s voice suddenly broke the atmosphere.

The studio quieted down noticeably.

Xu Zi blinked in surprise and turned to glance at Yu Shao.

The others in the studio also turned their heads toward him, puzzled.

"She’s here today as a Go commentator because she’s a Go player,"
Yu Shao frowned slightly as he looked at the cameramen and the director. "That’s all that matters."

With those words, the entire studio fell completely silent. The few who were joking earlier blushed slightly.

Xu Zi looked at Yu Shao, opened her mouth slightly, but in the end, said nothing.

An awkward silence hung in the air.

After a while, the director forced out a few awkward laughs to smooth things over. "Haha, yeah, you guys are right. Xu Zi 2-dan is a professional Go player."

Then, he turned to Yu Shao and Xu Zi, smiling, "The Challenge Match is about to start. Yu Shao 2-dan, Xu Zi 2-dan, please get on stage."

Yu Shao moved towards the main platform but realized halfway that Xu Zi hadn’t followed. He turned and called out, a little confused, "Xu Zi?"

"It’s nothing."
Xu Zi finally snapped out of it, glanced at Yu Shao, shook her head gently, and then caught up, following him onto the platform.

Watching them, the cameramen and studio staff felt a strange sense of unease in their hearts.

After a while, the big screen in front of the studio finally lit up, showing the Go board.

Seeing this, everyone calmed down, temporarily putting aside what just happened.

"The Challenge Match is about to begin,"
The director reminded, "Yu Shao 2-dan, Xu Zi 2-dan, when the camera switches over, I’ll give you a hand signal. Then you can introduce yourselves to the viewers."

Yu Shao nodded. Xu Zi pursed her lips but nodded as well.

A minute later, the director gave them an "OK" gesture.

Seeing it, Yu Shao turned toward the camera and said, "Hello everyone, I’m Yu Shao, 2-dan. Today, Xu Zi 2-dan and I will be commentating on the fifth round of the Challenge Match."

Xu Zi also faced the camera, looking slightly nervous, but quickly adjusted and said, "Hello everyone, I’m Xu Zi, 2-dan."

After the introductions, Yu Shao looked at the big screen and continued, "This game will be between Meijin Kong Zi, playing Black, and Master Ma Dong."

"Both are top-level professionals. I’m sure this will be another spectacular match."

After saying a few words, Yu Shao saw Kong Zi play the first move on the screen and said, "The game has begun. Meijin Kong Zi’s first move is at the star point."

As he spoke, Yu Shao picked up a stone and placed it on the large board.

Kong Zi and Ma Dong played quickly. Soon, the first four moves were down, both Black and White taking star points, forming a Double Star Point versus Double Star Point pattern.

Yu Shao placed the stones on the demonstration board and commented, "Double Star versus Double Star, the most common opening. Both players are aiming for influence and speed, heading straight for a midgame fight."

As Yu Shao spoke, Black played again.

Column 6, Row 17 — Small Knight’s Approach.

Xu Zi immediately picked up a stone and placed it on the demonstration board, then analyzed, "Black chose a Small Knight’s Approach instead of defending the corner."

"Looks like Meijin Kong Zi wants to seize the initiative. Given Ma Dong’s previous playstyle, he probably won’t defend and might directly pressure Black, forcing him to respond."

While speaking, Yu Shao placed a white stone.

Column 8, Row 17 — Block!

The moment Yu Shao placed the stone, the screen showed White playing the exact same move — Column 8, Row 17, Block.

Exactly as predicted.

Black and White kept exchanging moves rapidly.

Although it was a slow time control game, both sides played swiftly in the opening, dropping stones like lightning.

Yu Shao continued placing stones on the board while analyzing, and Xu Zi assisted by placing stones as well, occasionally adding her own insights.

Seeing this, the director was a little shocked and whispered to his assistant, "Are you sure Yu Shao 2-dan has never done commentary before?"

"Boss, definitely not."
The assistant nodded firmly. "He hasn’t even been a pro for that long."

"But if this is his first time commentating, then he..."
The director rubbed his chin, stared strangely at Yu Shao, hesitated for a second, and then continued, "Why does he look so natural? Am I imagining it?"

The assistant stared at Yu Shao on stage, twitched the corner of his mouth, and whispered, "Boss, honestly, I feel the same way."