I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 95: The Overwhelming Sense of Distance

When Su Yiming finally spoke to acknowledge his defeat, Yu Shao simply stood in silence, staring at the board.

This game had been, in many ways, a complete domination.

And yet, despite that, he still felt pressure—or rather, a sense of danger from Su Yiming’s play.

Never had he expected that, even after securing a massive advantage in the opening, his opponent could drag the fight on for so long.

It was something that, before the match, he wouldn’t have even considered possible.

After a long moment, Yu Shao finally withdrew his gaze from the board, looked at Su Yiming, and said, “Thank you for the match.”

Su Yiming, still staring at the board, seemed lost in thought.

Only after a brief silence did he finally lower his head slightly and return the gesture. “Thank you for the match.”

With that, the High School Go League finally came to an end.

The referee took a deep breath, glancing between Yu Shao and Su Yiming before announcing, “In this tiebreaker blitz game, White loses by timeout.”

“This year’s High School Go League champion is—Jiangling High School!”

His words echoed through the venue, but the expected reaction never came.

The crowd remained frozen in place, still immersed in the game they had just witnessed, unable to pull themselves back to reality.

From the 3-3 corner invasion in the opening to the new star-point attachment strategy, from White’s daring sacrifices to the fierce midgame clashes between both sides—

Every move still lingered in their minds, still sent shivers down their spines.

The referee felt slightly awkward but wasn’t surprised.

After all, he had watched the entire game.

He understood how the spectators felt.

In fact, of all the High School Go League tournaments he had officiated, this was the most unforgettable one.

This tournament had defied all expectations.

South China Third High, a school with two rising prodigies on the verge of professional qualification, should have been the clear favorite for the championship—but they were eliminated in the semifinals.

The final match was between two underdogs—Jiangling High School and Guangzhou Affiliated High, two schools that had never before been contenders.

Both teams had won one match each in the finals, and the third board had resulted in a rare triple-ko situation, forcing a tiebreaker.

And this tiebreaker match had completely shattered everyone’s expectations.

The game that had unfolded before them was not one they would ever forget.

Even though the match was over, the sounds of the stones being placed still echoed in their minds—the tension, the intensity, the brilliance of every move still shook them to their core.

"This... this is Go."

"The board is so small, yet it holds an entire universe within it."

"With each move, the possibilities surpass even the number of atoms in the known universe."

"Every single stone carries the weight of the player’s heart and soul. That’s why every battle on the board is so thrilling."

"It was true a hundred years ago, a thousand years ago. And a hundred years from now, a thousand years from now—it will still be true."

"What a humbling thought."

"No matter how many more tournaments come after this one, this year’s High School Go League will never be forgotten."

The referee took another deep breath, shaking off his thoughts before clearing his throat.

“Everyone, it’s already late. The rain outside is still heavy—head home before it gets worse.”

Only then did the spectators begin to stir from their trance, quietly leaving one by one.

As they stepped out into the rain, an inexplicable sense of emptiness filled their hearts.

Outside, the captain of South China Third High, who had once been frustrated by his loss to Yu Shao, gazed at the pouring rain before shaking his head.

For the first time, he felt no regret about his defeat.

"I’ll probably never be able to play a game like that in my lifetime..."

A bitter smile crossed his face.

"If I could play at that level... I wouldn’t have needed to quit my training at the dojo."

Inside the Competition Hall

Yu Shao finally stood up from his chair.

Turning around, he found Chen Jiaming, Xu Zijin, and Zhong Yufei all looking at him with complicated expressions.

"What’s wrong? Why are you all staring at me?"

Yu Shao tried to lighten the mood, smiling. "We just won the championship! Aren’t you going to compliment me? That match wasn’t easy at all."

"Old Yu, between us now... there’s an insurmountable wall."

Zhou De patted Yu Shao on the shoulder, sighing dramatically. "You keep trying to catch up to me, but the gap between us remains vast. Take this Snickers bar as a consolation prize—don’t be too sad!"

"True."

Yu Shao nodded solemnly. "Victory isn’t just decided on the board—it’s also won off the board. And you, my friend, are unbeatable in that regard."

Chen Jiaming glanced between Yu Shao and Su Yiming, who still sat silently staring at the board, before adjusting his glasses.

"Alright, it’s really late. Let’s head home."

Only then did they finally leave the competition venue.

As soon as they stepped outside, Zhou De suddenly remembered something.

"Wait—doesn’t the champion get prize money?"

He turned to Chen Jiaming, eyes wide. "Coach! Where’s our prize? That’s 3,000 yuan per person!"

"This is a tournament organized by the city’s education bureau," Chen Jiaming explained, amused. "The referee has to submit the official results first. The prize money and certificates won’t be issued until Monday at the earliest."

"Wait, so you're telling me the certificates aren’t being handed out today either?" Zhou De complained. "Without the prize money, a certificate is just a piece of paper!"

Chen Jiaming was about to scold Zhou De for his shallow values, but suddenly, he froze mid-step.

Yu Shao and the others also stopped walking.

Standing in front of them was Zheng Qin, along with two young men who had been following him earlier.

Zheng Qin looked at Yu Shao for a long time before finally speaking.

"Congratulations on winning the championship."

Yu Shao nodded. "Thank you."

Another long silence followed.

Finally, Zheng Qin spoke again.

"That game just now... it was completely beyond my expectations."

He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

His face showed undeniable confusion.

He had thought he understood the gap between him and Yu Shao—it was wide, yes, but if he became a professional and trained properly, he believed he could eventually close it.

After all, he was confident in his talent.

Despite never receiving formal dojo training, he had already reached professional-level strength.

But after watching that game...

He felt lost.

The gap between him and Yu Shao was far greater than he had ever imagined.

A sense of powerlessness settled over him—an overwhelming realization that his goal might be impossibly out of reach.

After a long moment, Zheng Qin let out a deep breath.

Forcing a smile, he looked at Yu Shao, Xu Zijin, and Zhong Yufei. "Doesn’t matter. Congratulations again on your victory."

With that, he turned and walked away.

The two young men beside him glanced at Yu Shao with complicated expressions before quickly following.

Zhou De, still puzzled, turned to Yu Shao. "Old Yu, who was that guy? Why was he acting so weird?"

"Nothing. Let’s go."

Yu Shao watched Zheng Qin’s departing figure in silence before shaking his head.

"The rain is getting heavier. Let’s get a taxi before it’s too late."