I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 301: A Changing Era

Not long after, Yu Shao finally finished reviewing the game. He stared at the board, lost in thought.

“Yu Shao, that game... whose record is it?”

Only when Zheng Qin’s voice sounded beside him did Yu Shao notice he’d been watching.

Yu Shao casually brushed it off, “It’s no one’s. Just a game I threw together a long time ago.”

“You made it up?”

Zheng Qin breathed a subtle sigh of relief.

No wonder so many of the moves were completely baffling—it was just made up.

And since Yu Shao said it was a long time ago, it was probably from when he was just starting out with Go, right?

True, a lot of the moves were bizarre and totally broke conventional Go theory.

But even so, some of the strange placements, when viewed more carefully, seemed to carry a subtle brilliance—unorthodox, but with flashes of insight.

“That shows Yu Shao may not have understood Go theory back then, but his intuition far surpassed others... no wonder he can play such unthinkable moves now.”

Zheng Qin’s feelings were mixed. He finally tore his gaze from Yu Shao’s phone and, after a moment, put his earbuds back in and resumed his movie.

After finishing his review, Yu Shao felt at peace again. He pulled up the suspense film he had downloaded earlier, put on his earbuds, and began watching.

Over two hours later, the plane landed at Incheon Airport.

“We’re here, we’re here!”

Wu Zhixuan, who had been dozing off, perked up instantly upon realizing they’d arrived in Seoul. She jumped up and started pulling out her suitcase.

“Finally!”

“This is Seoul?”

“Looks pretty fancy.”

Everyone else retrieved their luggage from the overhead compartments, their faces full of excitement as they peered out the windows at the airport scene.

Since the team tournament was being held at a luxury hotel near the Seoul Go Association, after disembarking, they all split into a few taxis and headed straight there.

“Didn’t Korea win last year’s China-Japan-Korea team tournament?”

A female player sharing a cab with Yu Shao asked curiously.

“Yeah, Korea’s won it the past three years,”

Le Haoqiang nodded, his expression turning slightly serious. “But unlike previous years, their main player last year, Lee Junhyuk, actually lost to Higashiyama Kaoru.”

“Higashiyama Kaoru?”

The girl was a bit surprised. “I don’t know much about foreign players, but even I’ve heard that name.”

“Last year he made it into the Meijin League, and now this year he’s in the Honinbo League too. Is he really going to win a title at eighteen?” she asked.

Another girl in the cab shook her head and replied, “Looks like he might. Anyone who makes it to the top of a league like that is a total monster—and the current Honinbo titleholder is Teacher Shinwa.”

“True.”

The first girl nodded thoughtfully. “It is Shinwa-sensei after all.”

“I heard the Japanese Go world has been buzzing the past couple of years.”

A male player sighed, “Sato Ken reclaimed the Oza title, Murakami Ichiro beat Takahashi Yuki and won his first Tengen. And Takahashi hasn’t been doing well lately either.”

“Well, he did lose to Higashiyama Kaoru in the Honinbo League. That game seems to have hit him hard. He hasn’t performed well since.”

The girl chuckled, “Right now he’s only holding the Tengen title. If he loses that, he’s got nothing left.”

The male player sighed again, “Last year, Fujiwara Terashima lost to Korea’s vice player in the team tournament. But this year he beat Ozawa Rin, who once held the Honinbo, Tengen, and Meijin titles at the same time.”

“And don’t forget Miyazaki, 8-dan, and Kudo Osamu, 7-dan...”

“In recent years, Japan’s younger pros have really stepped up. Lots of veteran titleholders are being taken down—it’s like watching an era being replaced.”

...

They chatted the whole ride—first about the Japanese Go scene, and then somehow drifted to whether they should visit Namsan Tower first or shop in Gangnam.

By the time the taxi pulled up at the hotel, they finally stopped talking.

The taxis had left around the same time and arrived together. Everyone got out, pulled their suitcases from the trunks, and headed into the hotel.

After receiving his room card, Yu Shao took the elevator to his floor. He placed his luggage down, walked to the window, and let out a long breath as he gazed out at the Seoul streetscape.

He’d been out since early morning—first the long bus ride to the airport, then nearly three hours on a plane, and then a cab ride to the hotel. By now, it was already dusk.

Just then, Yu Shao’s phone vibrated.

He pulled it from his pocket. A WeChat message from Wu Zhixuan:

“What should we eat later? Korean hotpot? BBQ? Bibimbap?”

Apparently, she hadn’t been joking about treating him to dinner.

Yu Shao realized he was starting to feel hungry. After thinking for a second, he replied:

“Korean hotpot, maybe?”

“Got it!”

Wu Zhixuan replied quickly:

“I’ll find a highly rated spot on short video reviews. See you in half an hour!”

Yu Shao rested in his hotel room for about twenty minutes before another message arrived, telling him to come down.

He left his room, took the elevator to the first floor, and had barely stepped out when a familiar voice rang out.

A cheerful figure stood from a couch in the hotel lobby, waving her right hand enthusiastically. A bright smile bloomed on her face, dimples showing as she shouted without caring who was watching:

“Over here, over here! Let’s go!”

Instantly, every head in the lobby turned her way.

Several Korean guys who’d been debating whether to approach her for her Instagram felt their hearts shatter when they realized—she’d been waiting for a guy.

Wu Zhi walked up to Zheng Qinxuan’s side, and under the gaze of the crowd, the two headed into the hotel together.

“You tell him the hotpot place has bad reviews—and it’s kinda far from here too.”

Zheng Qinxuan said with excitement, “Tonight you eat like a queen, I’m buying. I already hailed a ride on the app—it’ll be here soon.”

“They have ride apps in Korea too?” Sui Liang looked surprised.

“Of course!”

Wu Zhixuan nodded proudly. “The app’s called Uber here. I even studied up before this trip!”

Yu Shao wasn’t surprised at all. Wu Zhixuan was obviously the kind of girl who would do thorough planning before a trip—researching everything in advance, checking off sightseeing spots one by one, and keeping everything neatly organized.

Not long after, the ride she booked arrived. Yu Shao and Wu Zhixuan got in together and headed for the Korean hotpot restaurant she had reserved.

The restaurant wasn’t far from their hotel. The ride only took about ten minutes.

Once inside, they sat down, and shortly after, a steaming pot of hotpot was brought to their table.

Wu Zhixuan whipped out her phone and took a picture, then eagerly picked up her chopsticks, dipped a slice of beef into the broth, and said, “Try it! See if it’s good.”

After that, she popped the beef roll into her mouth, closed her eyes slightly, and savored it for a long moment before exclaiming in delight, “It’s actually really good!”

Seeing her reaction, Yu Shao picked up a slice for himself. His eyes lit up.

Although Yu Shao had a classic Chinese palate and usually felt Chinese food was superior to anything else, this hot and sour broth really hit the spot.

“You’re out here having dinner—what about your brother?”

Yu Shao picked up another slice of beef and asked while chewing, “Did he go eat on his own?”

“My brother went to visit Namsan Tower. I’m not really into that. I heard the restaurants around there are overpriced and not even that good.”

Wu Zhixuan stuck out her tongue. “The best food is always hidden in alleyways. You won’t find it in tourist zones. I don’t get why he’s into that stuff.”

“So you came all the way to Korea... just to eat?” Yu Shao chuckled.

“Of course not.”

Wu Zhixuan shook her head like a rattle drum. “I came to cheer you guys on in the team tournament too! I believe this year we’re going to win it all—wash away five years of shame!”

Then she stared at the hotpot, hesitated for a moment, and finally made a decision—she picked up a slice of beef and placed it in Yu Shao’s bowl.

Trying to sound casual, she said, “Even though you’re super strong, Li Junhyuk and Higashiyama Kaoru are no joke either. Do your best in the tournament the day after tomorrow!”

Hearing the name “Higashiyama Kaoru” again, Yu Shao couldn’t help falling into thought.

The reason he’d agreed to play in this year’s team tournament was because he had watched a life-and-death capturing race game by Higashiyama that had amazed even him. It had sparked a deep desire to play against him.

Thinking about that, Wu Zhixuan suddenly grew a bit gloomy. “Why are people like you so ridiculously good while still so young? You’re not even adults yet, and you can already go toe-to-toe with top-tier pros.”

“Go has nothing to do with age.”

Yu Shao said while picking up more beef. “Go relies on thinking and intuition. Whether you’re old, middle-aged, young, or a kid—it’s a level field.”

“Oh? So you’re saying my thinking and intuition are kinda trash?”

Wu Zhixuan wrinkled her nose, pretending to be mad.

“Not at all.”

Yu Shao smiled and shook his head. “I’m saying that, because Go depends on thought and feel—anything’s possible.”

The two chatted as they ate. Since Yu Shao thought the beef was the best part, he ended up eating the most of it.

But as they ate, Wu Zhixuan’s expression started to change. She looked kind of... pitiful.

“What’s wrong?”

Yu Shao noticed and asked, “Is it not good?”

“No.”

Wu Zhixuan shook her head and tried to act like it didn’t matter. She immediately picked up some enoki mushrooms and stuffed them in her mouth. “Eat, eat.”

Yu Shao didn’t suspect anything, scooped up another beef roll, and kept eating.

Soon, though, he realized something was off.

Every time he reached into the pot, Wu Zhixuan would stare intently at his chopsticks.

Whenever he picked up a beef roll or meatball, she’d show the expression of someone watching her favorite thing get taken away—like a sad little kitten.

Yu Shao found it amusing and started picking up beef even faster.

Wu Zhixuan ate slowly, and could only sit there helplessly as Yu Shao claimed all her beloved beef rolls and meatballs. She barely got to eat any beef and looked like she was about to cry.

Eventually, there was just one beef roll left in the pot.

Wu Zhixuan had just finished her bite and immediately darted her chopsticks in to grab that last piece.

At that exact moment, Yu Shao also finished chewing and looked over at the beef roll she had clutched between her chopsticks. Then he lifted his gaze and met her eyes.

Sensing his look, Wu Zhixuan’s expression became highly alert. She instantly pulled her chopsticks back like a cat guarding its food, terrified that Yu Shao might try to steal it.

But halfway back, she paused. Staring at the beef roll she held, she hesitated for a long time... then finally, with visible reluctance, extended her chopsticks toward Yu Shao’s bowl and released it.

“I don’t eat beef... so, you can have it.”

Yu Shao couldn’t help but chuckle. He picked it up and popped it into his mouth.

“Is it good?”

Wu Zhixuan asked timidly.

“Delicious.”

Yu Shao nodded and smiled. “Not quite enough. How about we order two more plates of beef?”

Wu Zhixuan blinked, then suddenly realized—this was a hotpot restaurant. You could order more! It wasn’t like once it was gone, that was it. “Oh yeah!”

Once the server brought two more plates of beef, Wu Zhixuan was all smiles. She quickly picked up a slice, dipped it in sauce, and popped it into her mouth. Her eyes narrowed in contentment as she chewed slowly.

She wasn’t obsessed with going to trendy spots or taking touristy photos. Her only joy was photographing delicious food. So after dinner, she and Yu Shao took a cab back to the hotel.

Maybe because she’d eaten to her heart’s content, Wu Zhixuan was in high spirits and chattered the whole ride.

Not long after, they got out of the car. Just as they entered the hotel, a group of youths around eighteen years old walked toward them from the opposite direction.

Seeing them, Yu Shao couldn’t help but be surprised.

The group also froze for a moment upon seeing Yu Shao and Wu Zhixuan.

The tallest among them—a youth with long, Japanese-style hair—was the first to react. He walked up briskly and stopped in front of Yu Shao.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Higashiyama Kaoru.”

The young man looked straight at Yu Shao and introduced himself in fairly fluent Chinese. He extended a hand and said, “I’m also the main player for the Japanese team in this tournament.”