I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 285: Is Shen Yi Stronger, or Am I?

After the National Master Tournament ended, Yu Shao got a break again. One perk of having racked up high tournament points was that there was now a decent break between each match.

Since the shop was being renovated, Yu Dongming and Cai Xiaomei were both staying home during this time. After seeing Yu Shao lounging around the house for several days, they started to get impatient.

"Yu Shao, aren't you going to play in a match?"

Yu Dongming frowned as he looked at Yu Shao slumped on the couch watching TV.

Yu Shao thought about it and replied, "There's still more than a week before the next National Master Tournament match."

"I thought professional Go players had super tight schedules? Why are you always this free?" Cai Xiaomei asked, puzzled.

Like all parents seeing their kids back home during the holidays—the first day, they were overjoyed. But after a few days of their kid just lounging around, it turned into "All you ever do is lie around the house."

"Because my points in the National Master Tournament are already pretty high."

Yu Shao answered casually, "It's hard for the Go Academy to line up suitable opponents now. If I kept playing title matches, yeah, there would be nonstop games."

Yu Dongming chimed in, "I heard pros usually have another competition aside from title matches—they run at the same time."

"Since I won the Hero’s Pride Cup, I already qualified early for the team tournament," Yu Shao replied.

Hearing this, Yu Dongming and Cai Xiaomei exchanged looks.

Back then, they'd arranged for Yu Shao to study part-time at school because they thought becoming a pro meant endless tournaments—usually one every few days.

And at first, that was exactly what happened. But now…

Their son was apparently doing so well that he had no matches lined up?

"If we’d known, we wouldn’t have done the part-time thing. You’re young and all you do is lay around all day—how does that look?"

Cai Xiaomei frowned and said, "No games? Then go back to school!"

"Yeah, from now on, if you don’t have a match, go back to school."

Yu Dongming joined in, "Don’t think just because you became a pro and got a guaranteed pass, you don’t have to study anymore. Learn math, physics, and chemistry, and you’ll be ready for the world. You’re supposed to be in school at your age!"

Yu Shao had originally thought that becoming a pro meant he wouldn’t ever have to go back to school again.

But what he didn’t expect was that he’d done so well in matches lately, and with no games coming up, just lazing around at home all day—he ended up getting kicked back to school by Yu Dongming and Cai Xiaomei.

And so, the next day, after who knows how long away from school, Yu Shao reluctantly packed his backpack and returned.

"I'm telling you, yesterday I went one-vs-five and got a penta kill! Penta kill, you get that?"

"Does it count as one-vs-five if you're carrying a cat?"

"A cat isn’t a person, okay? A cat is not a human!"

"Zhang Wenbo, Zhou De just called you not human!"

"Zhou De, you looking to throw hands with me or what?"

Yu Shao was still walking down the hallway, and he could already hear Zhou De’s voice booming loud enough to shake the ceiling. Morning self-study hadn’t even started, and the whole classroom was in chaos—but Zhou De’s voice still reigned supreme.

Not long after, as Yu Shao’s figure appeared at the door of Class 7, Grade 2, the previously noisy classroom fell completely silent.

Everyone stared blankly toward the classroom door, looking at that figure who was both familiar and unfamiliar. For a moment, no one could quite process it.

“Holy sh*t, who is that?”

After a beat of silence, Zhou De’s voice rang out.

Then suddenly, everyone in Class 7 had a collective pupils-shrink moment—it exploded!

“Holy sh*t, Yuan Hua’er—wait, no, it’s Yu Shao!”

“Aaaaahhhhhh!”

“Bro, what are you even screaming about?”

“I don’t know! All I know is—the emperor of Jiangling High is back!”

Hearing all the commotion in Class 7, with hormones practically crackling in the air, Yu Shao couldn’t help but smile. He suddenly thought, if I don’t have matches, coming back to school might not be such a bad thing.

Looking over at his old desk, he saw that it was still there. So he walked in, sat down, and set down his backpack.

As soon as he sat down, a crowd immediately gathered around him, surrounding him so tightly that not even air could slip through.

"Yu Shao, how come you're back at school? No more matches?"

"Yu God, you're f***ing awesome—I mean, I saw your name in the Challenge Match results and couldn't believe it! Quick, sign something for me!"

"You don’t get it—riches unreturned are like wearing fine clothes at night! Yu Shao came back to flex! Normally I hate show-offs, but d***, this one I respect!"

"Used to be ‘Sweetheart of Jiangling High,’ now you’re a pro player—we should be calling you Mrs. Boss now! Who knew Mrs. Boss could make a comeback?"

The group around Yu Shao was flushed with excitement, talking over each other nonstop.

When they first heard he became a pro, their hearts were sour—like hiding lemons in their eyes, tossing and turning at night.

But now that he’d won ten straight in the Challenge Match, somehow, they weren’t even bitter anymore.

Not afraid of bros struggling, just afraid of bros driving Range Rovers. But now? Now the bro’s flying a f***ing helicopter.

All they wanted was to know—what does flying a helicopter feel like?

“No matches lately. My parents thought I was sitting at home doing nothing all day, so they kicked me back here,” Yu Shao explained.

Hearing that, everyone went quiet for a second.

“No matches?”

Someone couldn’t help but ask, “How can there be no matches? Aren’t there tons of pro Go tournaments?”

“If you’re at the top rank and playing ranked games, matchmaking time does get a bit longer,” Zhou De suddenly said in a low voice.

“F***!”

Someone couldn’t hold back and cursed, “Shouldn’t have f***ing asked!”

Normally, when someone just becomes a pro, that’s their busiest time. If you get knocked out of one tournament, you're straight into the next.

But this guy? Just became a pro and already has to wait forever between matches? That’s unheard of. What kind of monster is this?

It’d been a while since they’d seen him, so everyone threw questions at Yu Shao—curious about life as a pro player. Yu Shao answered them all patiently.

“Riiiiiing!”

Finally, as the morning self-study bell rang, the group slowly dispersed.

As the others left, Zhou De gave Yu Shao a wary look and said, “Bro, you’re back, that’s fine—but—”

Zhou De paused, face serious. “Please don’t lay your filthy hands on the junior girls. If you do, I’ll have no choice but to sever all ties!”

“So what, you’ve already set your filthy sights on the juniors?” Yu Shao gave him a sideways glance.

“How is that filthy?”

Zhou De cleared his throat, wearing a solemn expression. “As a high schooler, how can you not have a sweet little romance? I’m giving them a chance—helping them make up for regrets in their youth!”

Yu Shao couldn’t help but mock, “I don’t even feel that kind of mission when I’m playing the Challenge Match. As a high school student, is your brain just full of girls and games?”

“What else would it be?”

Zhou De looked genuinely confused.

“……”

Staring into Zhou De’s eyes, Yu Shao actually saw... clarity. He never thought in his life he’d ever associate the word clarity with Zhou De.

“Speaking of the Challenge Match, that was...”

Zhou De mulled over his words before saying, “Pretty d*** impressive.”

When it first ended, he thought it was insanely awesome. But now, standing in front of Yu Shao, he didn’t want to admit it so easily—so he added a “pretty” before “impressive.”

When guys say “pretty impressive” or “I guess you’re good,” it’s often more meaningful than just saying “awesome.”

Sometimes, a plain “awesome” or “impressive” can even sound sarcastic—but “pretty impressive”? That’s pure respect.

“Bro, tell me—do you think I, Zhou De, have any chance of becoming a pro one day?”

Yu Shao almost cracked up. He was about to shoot it down instantly, but suddenly remembered that handicap game he once played with Zhou De.

Maybe in a few years...

He was ashamed of himself—for even momentarily thinking Zhou De could become a pro.

No.

Impossible.

The odds of Zhou De being a real person were higher than him becoming a pro Go player.

…

…

After morning study ended, the news that Yu Shao had returned to his beloved Jiangling High spread through the school like wildfire.

At Jiangling High, the name “Yu Shao” was already legendary—from Class 34 of Year 3 to Class 14 of Year 1, everyone knew him.

So after self-study ended, Class 7, Grade 2 basically turned into a massive car crash scene—people kept “passing by” and peeking through the windows.

Yu Shao didn’t pay it much mind. He figured the novelty would wear off soon enough.

Just then, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

It was a message from Xu Zijin.

[Xu Zijin: Why are you back at school?]

Xu Zijin already knew?

Yu Shao was a little surprised. He quickly typed a reply: “My matches are spaced too far apart. My parents said I was just bumming around at home, so they kicked me back to school.”

Xu Zijin’s name quickly changed to “Typing...,” then disappeared... then reappeared again as “Typing...”... and disappeared again.

Finally, after waiting a while, Yu Shao only received a single period from Xu Zijin. He had no idea what she was trying to say.

“Wow, Yu Shao. Sneaking a phone into school now? Think just because you’re on top of the world, you can ignore the school rules?”

Zhou De had just gotten back from the bathroom and caught sight of Yu Shao holding his phone, instantly jumping on it like he’d found blackmail gold. “If Li Kang finds out, you’re toast!”

“Li Kang already knows.”

Yu Shao shrugged. “I told her last night. She said I could bring my phone as long as I don’t bother anyone else.”

“……”

Zhou De was instantly choked up—speechless.

After a long time, he finally grumbled bitterly, “What good is playing Go? Can playing Go make you glow? If you can’t glow, then no matter how good you are—it’s all meaningless!”

Seeing Zhou De go back to the “Go can’t make you glow” argument again, Yu Shao thought for a second, then nodded. “You know what, you’re not wrong.”

“?”

Zhou De was stunned. He stared at Yu Shao, dumbfounded. "Are you even human anymore, or are you about to ascend into some fantasy Go realm?"

"Perhaps... you've heard the legend of the Hama Stone?" Yu Shao asked.

"Hama Stone?"

Zhou De blinked in confusion. "What's that?"

Yu Shao smiled and replied, "A type of Go stone. One stone costs three thousand."

"H-How much?"

Zhou De’s brain buzzed. He could hardly believe his ears. "Three thousand?"

"Yeah."

Yu Shao nodded. "That’s why I think, the moment it lands on the board, it has to glow."

"D*mn it!"

Zhou De's face turned red. He couldn’t even deny that such a stone would glow when placed. He growled, "You’re d*mn unbelievable! How much money have you made?!"

Yu Shao turning pro didn’t make Zhou De red with envy. Winning the Hero’s Pride Cup didn’t make him red. Even going ten-for-ten in the Challenge Match didn’t do it. That was just performance—he hadn’t connected it to money.

But now, hearing Yu Shao could afford Go stones that cost three thousand apiece, Zhou De finally linked those wins to real prize money—and now he was truly red-hot with jealousy.

"You’ve got it wrong. Even if I had the prize money, I wouldn’t buy them. And besides, my parents handle all the money, so I can’t really spend much."

Yu Shao shook his head. "That was a gift from Xu Zijin after I won the Hero’s Pride Cup."

"How the h*ll are you still alive?!"

Just then, a round-faced, chubby girl in the front row turned her head, looked at Yu Shao, then at Cheng Mengjie beside her, who was buried in her workbook. She opened her mouth to speak... but said nothing in the end.

The first class that day was physics. Seeing that Yu Shao had returned to school, even the physics teacher couldn’t help sneaking glances at him throughout the lesson.

The second period was Chinese, and that teacher did the same.

By the time it was recess, even the principal had come by Class 7, Grade 2 to chat with Yu Shao, talking about "achieving greatness while young," "keep it up," and "the future is yours."

Fortunately, after three days back at school, things finally settled down. Though students from other classes still gave him a few extra glances, Class 7 had gradually gotten used to his presence again.

If there was one biggest change between before and after Yu Shao returned, it was that now, every student in Class 7 had a new nickname: "Classmate of Yu Shao."

Back in first year, only the students of Class 6 had earned a similar nickname—"Classmate of Xu Zijin."

That just showed how insanely prestigious winning ten straight games in the Challenge Match was. It was so god-tier, it could stand shoulder to shoulder with Xu Zijin’s level of fame.

Oh, and one more big change.

The very day Yu Shao came back to school, with the principal’s full support, a Go Club was established. The advisor was Chen Jiaming, and student signups were off the charts.

Second year in high school is a bit of a limbo period. As the experts say, “Grade 2 bridges the past and the future—it’s the most important phase of your academic life.”

Although some experts might argue whether kindergarten or senior year of college is more important, if you gathered all those experts in one room, it’d be an all-out war worthy of a Prime Minister vs. Grand Councillor showdown.

But the reality at Jiangling High was this: most second-years were slackers. Their heads were full of crushes and games, and whatever brainpower was left went to barely cramming in a bit of Chinese, math, English, physics, and chemistry.

Even so, Jiangling High, as a key provincial school, still somehow managed to maintain solid grades—everyone except Zhou De.

Yu Shao had thought he’d be completely out of sync after being away so long, but to his surprise, just three days in, he already felt right at home again.

No wonder he’d been able to hold strong even through the AI era in his past life. Even Yu Shao had to admire his own adaptability.

"Yu Shao, I heard you’re playing in the China-Japan-Korea Team Tournament?"

One morning, as soon as Yu Shao walked into class, Zhou De came over and asked.

"Yeah."

Yu Shao nodded, glancing at Zhou De. "Why?"

"Yesterday after school, I was playing net Go and came across a game record from the Korea Go Sage Title Match. The one Lee Junhyuk played—it was chef’s kiss good."

Zhou De smacked his lips. "Even my Jiangling’s Shen Yi would’ve felt the pressure. And I heard Japan’s lineup isn’t weak either—it’s gonna be a tough one."

"Isn’t that great? The tougher the fight, the more exciting it gets."

At that moment, the guy sitting in front turned around. "If your opponent’s not strong, Go’s just not fun."

"Huh? What are you even saying?"

Zhou De looked confused. "The point of playing is to win. If your opponent’s too strong, how can you be sure you’ll win?"

The guy in front looked confused back. "Why do you need to be sure you’ll win? If you know you’ll win, what’s the point in playing?"

"You mean... you want to lose?"

Zhou De looked at him like he was crazy. "Wait, are you into that kind of thing? No judgment, man—I get it."

"F*ck off! Who said anything about that?!"

The front-row guy snapped. "I’m saying—if there’s no handicap, and you played Yu Shao, would you find it fun?"

"Uh…"

Zhou De fell silent. He looked at Yu Shao, thought it over, and realized that without a handicap… yeah, he probably wouldn’t enjoy it.

With a five-stone handicap, he could truly savor the thrill of the game. Even if Yu Shao wanted to beat him, it’d take real effort. He’d even won a five-stone game once—though he lost the next one.

With a nine-stone handicap, he could show Yu Shao just how red flowers could bloom. But winning with nine stones? That didn’t feel satisfying. There’s a saying—

“If you can’t win even with nine stones, can you even play Go?”

And De De here? Yeah, he could play Go now!

"See? It’s different, right? You like playing handicap games with Yu Shao because it puts you on equal footing."

The guy in front raised an eyebrow. "But you wouldn’t enjoy an even match, because then it’s not balanced."

He smiled. "If there really were a Go God, then he’d probably want a worthy rival too, wouldn’t he?"

"No way. Absolutely not. If a Go God existed, he’d definitely want to make sure nobody could beat him!"

Zhou De shook his head firmly. "Gotta guarantee a win, no matter what. Like when I run long-distance—I just wanna leave everyone in the dust! Who the hell thinks, ‘Wow, I wish my opponent ran faster’?"

"Sports are all about winning, sure. But Go? Go’s more than just sport."

The front-row guy thought for a moment. "After Shen Yi died, Fang Xin visited his old home and said, ‘Go is half a battle for victory, and half a journey of enlightenment.’ Winning and losing only make up half."

"That’s why he never beat Shen Yi."

Zhou De grinned smugly. "My coach always said, ‘Winners are kings, losers are dirt!’ All that ‘friendship first, competition second’ crap? It’s bulls**t!"

"Let me ask you—if Shen Yi possessed your body and made you his puppet, told you where to move every turn, would you agree?" the guy asked urgently.

"Of course! Why not, if it means I win?"

Zhou De nodded seriously. "What I think doesn’t matter—I just want to win."

"I can’t even talk to you, a sports jock!"

The guy was speechless. He turned to Yu Shao. "What about you, Yu Shao?"

"Me?"

Yu Shao had been listening in with amusement. He didn’t expect the conversation to turn to him.

"Well, I’d have to see."

Yu Shao thought for a second.

"See?"

The guy looked confused. "See what?"

Yu Shao replied, "See who’s stronger—him or me."

That shut both of them up. They choked on their words and finally shouted in unison, "F*ck!"

They ignored Yu Shao after that and launched into a full-on spit-flying debate: If a Go God really existed, would he want a rival or not?

It went on until the bell rang. Neither side won.

"Yu Shao, how many matches do you have before the China-Japan-Korea Team Tournament starts?"

After the yelling match, Zhou De looked super refreshed, like he’d just had a deep-tissue massage. Before the teacher came in, he couldn’t help asking.

Seeing Zhou De like this, Yu Shao honestly couldn’t tell if Zhou De actually believed his own argument or just wanted a good, satisfying debate.

"In the main tournament, just two National Master matches left." Yu Shao thought about it and replied.

"There’s non-main matches too?"

Zhou De blinked. "Like what?"

A figure flashed through Yu Shao’s mind—Su Yiming. After a pause, he said slowly, "One match—the Main Player Selection Tournament for the team event."

…………