I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 80: Never, Never Have I Been So Satisfied!

Zhou De stared blankly at Yu Shao, his confusion evident.

After a moment, he finally snapped out of it and asked in bewilderment, “Old Yu, what’s with you again?”

“Nothing,” Yu Shao replied calmly, his mind now clear as if a fog had lifted. He shook his head lightly, his thoughts serene.

Zhou De was unconvinced. “You look like you just won the lottery jackpot. No, wait, are you saying that Black is actually at an advantage right now?”

Zhou De still believed that Xu Zijin must have gained the upper hand in this game, which was why both she and Yu Shao seemed different. Yet, no matter how he analyzed it, Black seemed heavily disadvantaged.

"I’ve been learning Go for a month now. I might not have perfect judgment, but I should at least be able to tell who has the advantage, right? It can’t be completely backward!"

Seeing Zhou De’s perplexed expression, Yu Shao didn’t explain. Instead, he smiled faintly and whispered, “Xu Zijin has already won this game.”

“What the f***…” Zhou De almost let out a curse, but he caught himself just in time and clamped a hand over his mouth, whispering incredulously, “Old Yu, you’re joking, right? I just calculated the score, and White still has the advantage!”

Now you’re telling me not only is Black ahead, but they’re so far ahead that the game is practically over? That’s ridiculous!

“She sacrificed stones for influence, so your count is off. Do I look like I’m joking?” Yu Shao shook his head and turned back to the board.

Black’s massive sacrifice was undeniably a stunning move, but Xu Zijin hadn’t managed to fully capitalize on its potential.

Had she done so, White would still hold the advantage, but Black’s counterattack would be formidable enough to give her a fighting chance.

But playing for survival was extraordinarily difficult. Even among professional 9-dan players, few could claim mastery over this technique—let alone Xu Zijin.

Thus, after seeing several more moves following the sacrifice, Yu Shao had already discerned the endgame.

Black would still lose.

If her opponent were evenly matched or only slightly stronger, Xu Zijin might have had a shot at winning.

But her opponent wasn’t ordinary. His skill level had even surprised Yu Shao.

Yet... who could say Black hadn’t already won?

"Black has played extremely well," Yu Shao murmured as he gazed at the board.

"But White’s response has been flawless. After seizing on Black’s slight misstep and neutralizing the attack, White is now firmly in control."

"Even after gaining the advantage, White hasn’t pressed the attack. Instead, he’s methodically stabilized each local area, accepting small losses without hesitation. No matter how hard Black tries, she can’t disrupt the overall position."

"The vast central area has been almost entirely occupied by White, leaving Black no room to develop outer influence."

"During the opening skirmishes, White’s moves were fierce and ruthless. But after securing the upper hand, his play became calm and watertight. This is not something an amateur player could achieve."

"It’s a solid game," Yu Shao thought, looking over at Su Yiming.

He hadn’t expected to encounter a player of such skill at this relatively insignificant high school Go league.

At that moment, Su Yiming looked up, and their eyes met in the air.

After another dozen moves, the game was nearing its conclusion.

Xu Zijin sat silently in front of the board, then finally lowered her head slightly and said softly, “I lost.”

Su Yiming nodded at her and replied, “Thank you for the game.”

Xu Zijin immediately returned the courtesy, “Thank you for the game.”

The match at the second board was over.

The mood among the spectators was complex.

This game had exceeded all expectations.

While Su Yiming’s display of skill was undeniably awe-inspiring—suppressing Black from start to finish—Xu Zijin’s performance had also been dazzling.

Especially the massive sacrifice move. The courage and determination it displayed left everyone deeply moved even now.

“You played... very well,” Chen Jiaming hesitated before speaking gently to Xu Zijin. “Truly excellent.”

As a teacher, it was his responsibility to comfort a student who had lost a match, though he struggled to find the right words.

After all, Xu Zijin’s skill surpassed his own, yet she had still lost decisively. Su Yiming’s central jump, with its overwhelming momentum, continued to leave him awestruck.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t strong—it was that her opponent was simply too powerful.

Chen Jiaming wanted to say as much, but such words might only weigh down a prodigy like Xu Zijin.

This was the same reason he hadn’t tried to console her after her previous loss to Yu Shao.

Xu Zijin nodded slightly and said, “I also think I played very well.”

Hearing this, Chen Jiaming froze.

Xu Zijin stood up, gazing at the board, and said slowly, “I’m very satisfied with this game…”

Then, as if she were reminding herself, she emphasized:

“Never, never have I been so satisfied.”

Hearing these words, Zhou De, who had been stewing over Yu Shao deceiving him, swallowed his accusations without a word.

Chen Jiaming stared at Xu Zijin, stunned for a long moment before adjusting the golden wire glasses on his nose.

“Xu Zijin has changed,” he thought to himself.

“The old her, despite her skill—far better than mine—never really felt like a Go player.

“The old her would have been lost, frustrated, and hesitant after setbacks.

“But now, though she still feels pain, she no longer hesitates or falters.

“She’ll walk forward with unwavering determination.”

“She’s become more like a true Go player.”

“Losing to Yu Shao before, and now to Su Yiming—these two defeats haven’t crushed her. Instead, they’ve made her grow.”

Chen Jiaming glanced over at Yu Shao.

"If Yu Shao were to face Su Yiming, who would win?"

Thinking about it, his expression grew strange.

Based on his intuition, Su Yiming’s play was more overwhelming, with every move brimming with precision and revealing the beauty of Go.

In short, Su Yiming seemed incredibly strong.

Yet, when he recalled Yu Shao’s games, Chen Jiaming realized with some surprise that he still couldn’t gauge Yu Shao’s true strength.

Watching Yu Shao’s moves, he never felt the same kind of pressure. In fact, he often wondered if Yu Shao even understood Go.

It was only during the middle game, in his judgment of the situation and his balance of attack and defense, that Yu Shao’s true ability became apparent.

And even then, just barely.