Go: The live broadcast queen launched a gorgeous rebellion against the dog

Tripp's voice was like thunder, and the disappointment and anger burning in his eyes almost devoured Zhang Zhengxi!

But Manager Zhang knew better than anyone else: he had made too many promises and assurances about his plan before, and now he had no choice but to bite the bullet and take on the challenge!

"Mr. President! Please calm down!"

He ignored Tripp's fiery glare and spoke rapidly:

"Although the current level of public discussion has indeed exceeded expectations, please believe us:"

"She has completely humiliated herself!"

After first labeling Rui Zhao's special challenge match, Zhang Zhengxi immediately began to explain in detail:
"In contemporary Go, where the judgment of Go techniques is constantly being upgraded and iterated, the disadvantage of giving a handicap to the first player is very significant!"

"The AI's win rate was only 16.4% at the start, which was practically a precipice!"

"Even someone as strong as Rui Zhao could never guarantee an undefeated record against the world's top players when she was given a handicap!"
"As long as we continue to hold firm to our beliefs and persevere, she'll probably be unable to keep up the act after two or three rounds of this so-called handicap challenge."

"Once she loses the game, we can then launch a public opinion campaign to settle scores with her, which will surely be much more effective!"

Although Zhang Zhengxi's analysis was quite logical, the conference room fell silent again, with only Tripp's heavy breathing as clear as a bellows being pulled.

He unconsciously tapped his fingers on the desk while staring intently at Zhang Zhengxi, as if staring at him could see right through his propaganda director!
Time passed slowly, each second feeling incredibly long. Zhang Zhengxi, awaiting his final judgment, felt his shirt soaked with cold sweat, both icy and sticky.

Finally, after a long ten seconds, Tripp's fingers, which were tapping the table, suddenly stopped!
He raised his head, his gaze refocusing on Zhang Zhengxi's face. His eyes were still sharp, but less ferocious.

"……snort!"

A short, muffled snort escaped from Tripp's nostrils:

"I'll trust you one more time, Zhang!"

To Zhang Zhengxi, this cold snort sounded like heavenly music—it meant that the Grand Commander had temporarily accepted his explanation!
However! Just as Zhang Zhengxi's tense nerves relaxed even slightly, Tripp's gaze suddenly shifted to his personal secretary standing in the corner:

"But...George!"
"Go! Contact Deepbrain immediately!"

"Tell Musk to restart the research on Go AI as quickly as possible!"
"Regardless of cost or sacrifice!"
"You must ensure that his Go AI catches up to the most advanced level in the shortest possible time! Understand?!"

"Yes, Mr. President!"

Secretary George immediately straightened up and responded loudly, then quickly turned and left.

The heavy wooden door closed softly behind him, leaving only Tripp and Zhang Zhengxi in the conference room once again. The atmosphere was even more tense than before!

Tripp's words were quite clear: if things went any further, he would probably be packing his bags and leaving!
Zhang Zhengxi's lips moved slightly, as if he intended to explain a few more words.

But in the end, he couldn't say anything; he just felt...

The office heater doesn't seem to be working very well.

...

...

As the last day of 2027 quietly passed, the New Year's bells rang throughout the entire blue planet at midnight.

The year has officially arrived in 2028.

The lingering festive atmosphere of New Year's Day has barely faded when the final three rounds of the Chinese Weiqi League regular season have already begun.

The players quickly withdrew from their brief rest and plunged back into the fierce battle on the chessboard.

Once the pieces are placed, the outcome is clear.

After three rounds of competition, eight strong teams—Pohu, Dajing, Pengze, Tiangang, Suhu, Qiantang, Xidu, and Dongjiang—emerged and successfully entered the championship group in the upper half of the bracket.

They will rest and prepare for the more intense playoffs after the New Year.

The war has temporarily ceased, but the dust of battle has not yet settled.

The top Chinese Go players, who had just finished their journey in the Chinese Go League, immediately set off for Southeast Asia to participate in the preliminary rounds of the first "Nanhai Cup" World Go Masters Tournament held in Singapore.

Chess players from all over the world have gathered here to fight for a new round of battles for a ticket to the main tournament!

Time quietly passed to January 11th. Just as the South Sea Cup preliminary rounds were in full swing in Singapore, a highly anticipated title match in the South Korean Go world also came to its final chapter.

South Korea's 15-time champion and strongest reigning Go player, Yoo Se-hyeon 9-dan, defeated Park Min-yeol 9-dan, a fellow seeded player who advanced to the main tournament of the South Sea Cup, in the fourth game of a best-of-five title match, playing white.

With a final score of 3-1, Yoo Se-hyeon successfully defended his title as South Korea's "Strongest Go Player"!
With the dust settled on this game, the young master of the Liu family officially became...

The first player to qualify for the "Eternal Glory" Handicap Special Challenge!
...

...

January 13, 2028, 12:45 PM, Singapore, Oriental Hotel.

The gentle winter sunlight streamed through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the hotel corridor floor.

Wearing a dark suit, Liu Shixian pushed open the door to his suite and walked out with steady steps, exuding the composure unique to scions of a prominent family.

However, he did not immediately head towards the elevator, but instead stopped in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window in the middle of the corridor.

Looking down calmly, a dense crowd gathered like a tide outside the main entrance on the first floor of the hotel.

Reporters of all skin colors and speaking different languages, carrying long lenses and microphones, jostled each other, trying to grab the best shooting position.

Inside the cordon, hotel security personnel stood ready, forming a human wall hand in hand to maintain order with great difficulty. Further away, many ordinary people, holding up their phones and standing on tiptoe, peered in, their faces filled with excitement and curiosity. A faint murmur of noise rose up, forming a low hum.

—The appeal of the event being held here today is evident!
Liu Shixian's lips curved upwards in a barely perceptible, extremely faint arc.

He certainly knew:
Today is the final day of the preliminary rounds for the inaugural South China Sea Cup World Go Masters Tournament, where players from around the world will compete for the last fifteen spots to advance to the main tournament—a major event in the Go world in itself.

But the real draw for so many people and reporters was clearly not this mere WorldSkills preliminary round...

Rather, it's because the first match of the "Eternal Glory" special challenge, which has attracted global attention, is about to be held here!

In fact, Ai Jian'an's original idea was to hold all the challenge matches at the Dongjiang Hotel to reduce the hassle and make it easier for Rui Zhao to prepare.

Ultimately, however, Rui Zhao accepted the "unreasonable request" of Shang Chaotian, chairman of the Chinese Chess Association, and arranged for the first two challenge matches to be held in Singapore.

The purpose is self-evident: to attract attention to the promotion of Go in Southeast Asia, and also as a kind of compensation for his sudden withdrawal from the main tournament of the South China Sea Cup.

This decision can be described as very "Rui Zhao"—always carrying a sense of responsibility for the development of Go worldwide.

Well……

I wonder if Lei Qi will care too much about me getting the first chance to challenge Rui Zhao?
If we meet again in the main tournament of the South China Sea Cup, we can tease him about this and see if he can come up with any new and interesting reactions.

This idea inexplicably lifted Liu Shixian's spirits—since she had relieved herself of her responsibilities, the young master of the Liu family had somewhat returned to his former self.

As expected, responsibility is a rather annoying thing...

...It's amazing that she was willing to carry so much!
With that in mind, he didn't linger. He turned and walked towards the elevator lobby, his steps still unhurried.

The elevator descended smoothly, and with a crisp "ding," the car door slid open silently.

The second floor, the floor where the game room is located.

The moment the door opened, an even clearer and more intense wave of sound rushed towards us!

Police tape had already been put up on both sides of the passageway. Outside the tape, the area was completely surrounded by a dense crowd of media reporters!
The moment Liu Shixian stepped out of the elevator, the sound of camera shutters went off one after another, creating a continuous burst of sound!
Interspersed among the snaps were a series of questions from reporters eager for exclusive material:
"Liu 9-dan! Are you confident about today's match?"

"Liu Jiudan! As the first challenger, what are your thoughts now?"

……

Shouts and questions in various languages ​​came like a tidal wave, but Liu Shixian paid no attention to them.

His face still wore that signature gentle smile. He didn't stop walking at all, ignoring all the microphones and shouts that were offered to him. His eyes remained fixed as he walked straight toward the chess room at the end of the corridor!

The heavy doors to the game room opened and were quickly closed again, instantly shutting out all the noise. The world seemed to fall silent, leaving only a breathtakingly pure focus in the air.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the bustling streets of Singapore unfold under the bright sunshine. In the center of the game room, that graceful and captivating figure already sits demurely at one side of the chessboard.

Today, the eternal Zhaojun is still without makeup or any jewelry. However, her simple, plain-colored long dress, with its rich Chinese style, makes her figure appear even more graceful and elegant.

However, the aura surrounding him seemed calmer and colder than it had been a few months ago, like a piece of cold jade that had been polished by time, becoming more and more warm and gentle, yet also more and more restrained.

As Liu Shixian walked in, the foremost figure in the world slowly raised his head, a faint smile appearing on his lips:

"Good afternoon, Liu Jiudan."

Upon seeing Rui Zhao's state, Liu Shixian blinked, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

Good afternoon, Miss Yong Shi Zhaojun.

He responded with a smile, his tone carrying just the right amount of respect and a touch of familiar banter:

"But speaking of which... you always seemed quite excited whenever I met you before."

"But now it seems... I'm no longer able to satisfy Lady Athena!"

"what……"

Only then did Rui Zhao realize that her subconscious change in reaction seemed to carry a hint of less respect than before, and a trace of panic flashed across her delicate and aloof face:

"Liu Jiuduan! I... that's not what I meant..."

"I just...just..."

However, seeing the other person become somewhat embarrassed, Liu Shixian's smile instantly blossomed, and he gently waved his hand, interrupting any possible explanation Rui Zhao might give:
"……Um!

"You're definitely cuter this way!"

"……Eh?"

Despite her growing maturity, she remains at her core a simple and honest chess goddess, slightly caught off guard by the teasing of the person in front of her.

However, the ever-charming young master of the Liu family naturally wouldn't let the beauty before him truly embarrass himself on the spot, and quickly took over the conversation:
"However... it's perfectly normal for you to react this way! But..."

"Now it's my turn to be excited!"

His eyes met hers, and his previously playful tone gradually turned serious, carrying a hint of the sharpness unique to top chess players:

"so……

"Don't expect me to hold back today, Miss Zhaojun."

Rui Zhao was taken aback upon hearing this, then nodded excitedly:
"Yes, I couldn't be happier." (End of Chapter)