I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 7: Am I Not Incredibly Brave or What?!

The next day, Yu Shao managed to get to school before 7:30 AM, barely making it in time for morning self-study and narrowly preserving his already fragile conduct score from total collapse.

At Jiangling High School, the period from 7:30 to 8:00 AM was designated for morning self-study. Although no teacher supervised the session, missing it would get your name written down by the class monitor, costing you ten conduct points.

And once your conduct score dropped below 60, you'd earn the "Bring Your Parent to School" package—perhaps even with a side dish of "belt stew" as a bonus.

Yu Shao’s current conduct score was precariously sitting at exactly 60. Living on the edge, he seemed to fully embrace a life of constant thrills.

Jiangling High School, being a key high school, wasn’t entirely devoid of slackers, but at this hour, about half the students were busy clutching their books, enthusiastically reciting vocabulary words.

Carrying his backpack, Yu Shao stepped into the classroom and immediately noticed Cheng Mengjie in the second row staring intently at him.

Cheng Mengjie seemed to have had a rough night; her face looked a bit haggard. Still, her bright, alluring fox-like eyes shimmered faintly, evoking an inexplicable sense of pity and tenderness in any onlooker.

It was precisely those fox-like eyes that had utterly bewitched the "previous" Yu Shao, leaving him head over heels.

However, as soon as Yu Shao met her gaze, Cheng Mengjie instantly turned her head away with a frosty expression. The message was clear: I’m mad at you.

Yesterday, Cheng Mengjie had noticed that Yu Shao, who used to message her "Goodnight" like clockwork every day, hadn’t done so for several days in a row.

Thinking she might’ve been too cold toward him lately, she decided to throw him a bone and give him some hope. So, she took the initiative to message him on WeChat.

She had expected Yu Shao to react like before, where she'd drop a minor hint and he’d frantically pour out all his major and ultimate moves to woo her.

But to her dismay, all she got in reply was: "Eating."

What? Sure, you’re eating, but can’t you at least add a "What about you?" after that? Doesn’t everyone these days know how to chat with girls after watching a short video or two online?!

Unwilling to give up, she sent him a photo of the sunset, complete with the caption: "Today’s dusk is so beautiful."

A girl sharing her daily life with you—do you know what that means?! And she even set up the conversation topic by calling the sunset beautiful. Shouldn’t you at least respond with something like, "Yes, it’d be even better if I could watch it with you"?

But no, Cheng Mengjie waited and waited, and Yu Shao didn’t reply.

Feeling slightly exasperated, she couldn’t resist taking the initiative again and asked him, "What did you eat?" And he replied with just one word: "Food."

Of course, it’s food—what else could it be?!

At this point, Cheng Mengjie was genuinely angry and feeling a bit wronged. She wasn’t stupid; she could clearly sense the indifference and perfunctory tone in Yu Shao’s replies.

Although she had indeed rejected Yu Shao’s confession before, she wasn’t opposed to him pursuing her. In fact, she found it somewhat flattering and even hoped he’d persist.

Having someone admire her but fail to win her over gave Cheng Mengjie a hard-to-describe sense of superiority and satisfaction.

Teenage girls are often sensitive and prideful, and being treated so coldly by someone who had once pursued her so passionately dealt a blow to Cheng Mengjie’s self-esteem. She barely slept a wink the entire night.

By now, she’d already decided that even if Yu Shao were to grovel and apologize today, she’d only respond half-heartedly. As for what came after that... well, it would depend on Yu Shao’s performance.

Yu Shao, however, didn’t care at all about Cheng Mengjie’s feelings right now, nor was he planning to ask for forgiveness. After glancing at her briefly, he turned away and headed straight to his seat.

Just as Yu Shao sat down, a boy with dark circles under his eyes rushed into the classroom, his backpack still slung over one shoulder.

After flopping into the seat next to Yu Shao, the boy finally raised his head to glance at the clock on the wall.

“Phew... Thank goodness I made it.” He let out a relieved sigh.

Seeing those striking dark circles, Yu Shao was taken aback and couldn’t help asking, “Zhou De, did you cosplay as a panda last night?”

“Old Zhang dragged me into ranked matches last night. We kept losing, and I just couldn’t quit until we won, so I pulled an all-nighter,” Zhou De replied with a look of regret.

“Yikes.”

Yu Shao sucked in a breath, marveling at how resilient high schoolers’ bodies were, still able to endure such gaming marathons.

Old Zhang was the same guy who had invited Yu Shao to the internet café yesterday. Yu Shao suddenly felt lucky he hadn’t gone along; otherwise, he’d probably be suffering a conduct point deduction today too.

Yu Shao suspected that his youthful mindset might have been influenced by his recent transmigration into a high school student. In his previous life, he couldn’t have cared less about losing rank in games.

But on second thought, his previous self didn’t even have time to play games—occasionally joining friends for some chaotic fun in All Random Brawls, his rank never rose beyond bronze.

Oh, no wonder he didn’t care about rank drops—there was nowhere to drop from.

“Did you at least win in the end?” Yu Shao asked after a moment of reflection.

“I’m down to gold now.”

Yu Shao couldn’t hold back his laughter.

“You didn’t go when Old Zhang invited you yesterday? You’re a real piece of work!” Zhou De said, beating his chest dramatically. His pettiness wasn’t even disguised anymore.

“Aren’t you tired?” Yu Shao asked.

“Of course I’m tired. My eyelids are already fighting each other. I’ll just nap during class later.”

Zhou De rolled his eyes and then asked, “Quick, did you finish your homework? Let me copy it. I’ll nap once I’m done copying.”

“Seriously?” Yu Shao handed over his homework, skeptical. “The first period is math, though. You dare to sleep through that?”

"He’s got my back while I sleep! Li Kang? What’s he worth? You think I’m scared of him?" Zhou De declared with a face full of rebellious arrogance.

Yu Shao didn’t believe him for a second.

He knew Zhou De too well: a giant when it came to talking big, but a Yordle in action. When the first class started, Zhou De would undoubtedly be wide awake, his eyes as sharp as lightning bolts.

Still, Yu Shao didn’t call him out on it. After all, Zhou De was sure to stay stubborn, so he just gave him a sidelong glance and said, "Oh, really? That’s so bold of you."

Zhou De puffed out his chest proudly. "Are you kidding? I’m super brave!"

"Is there any teacher you wouldn’t dare sleep through?"

Zhou De gave it some serious thought before replying, "The chemistry teacher? She’s too old. Can’t stomach it. Even though I’m starving, I do have some standards."

Yu Shao nearly choked on his own saliva. It took him a moment to catch up to Zhou De’s peculiar line of reasoning.

"No wonder your parents named you Zhou De," Yu Shao said after catching his breath. "They really had foresight."

"Huh? Why’s that?" Zhou De asked, puzzled.

"Because you’ve got to 'Desh' ahead," Yu Shao teased.

Zhou De was momentarily confused, but when he caught on, he immediately erupted in mock rage. Rolling up his sleeves, he prepared to settle things with Yu Shao once and for all.

After the morning self-study session, the first class quickly began. Sure enough, Li Kang walked into the classroom, carrying his signature thermos mug.

As expected, the same Zhou De who had loudly proclaimed "Li Kang? What’s he worth?" was now so sleepy he could’ve dozed off the moment he laid his head down. Yet, there he was, eyes wide open, alert as ever.

Ding-ding-ding!

The class passed by quickly, and the bell for the end of the period rang. Li Kang immediately stopped speaking, but instead of leaving, he lingered at the podium.

The students immediately sensed something was up.

Li Kang, though strict, had a redeeming quality: he never dragged out his lessons. If he stayed after the bell, it meant there was an announcement to be made.

"Next week, our school will be inviting your senior, Wu Shuheng, a professional Go player currently ranked 3-dan, to host a Go lecture and promote the game," Li Kang announced.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the classroom erupted in excitement.

It wasn’t because of the Go lecture itself. Oh no—it was because a school-organized event meant one glorious thing: at least a whole morning or afternoon of no classes!

Those magical words, "no classes," held a power over students akin to adults hearing, "I forgot my house keys."

"Quiet!" Li Kang frowned, waiting for the noise to die down before continuing.

"During the event, your senior will also be playing a simultaneous exhibition match against students from our school. This is a rare opportunity for you to challenge a professional Go player."

He paused for effect, scanning the room.

"So, if any of you know how to play Go, you can come and sign up with me."