I really don’t want to play Go!

Chapter 371 Clouds move in all directions
The day after Zhang Yufang sent the title fight promotional video to Yu Shao, the video was released online, and it immediately sparked heated discussions online.

"Wow, that feels so good! No wonder it's Director Zhang!"

"I was just watching a promotional video, but it had the quality of a blockbuster. This clear-cut confrontation and sense of destiny really resonated with me!"

"I haven't seen the match yet, but it's already got me excited! The lighting and color grading are amazing!"

"The clash between the old and the new, the day of the martial arts contest at Mount Hua!"

The online discussion is in full swing. The release of this promotional video has undoubtedly given the already highly anticipated national team title match an even bigger boost in popularity!
Even a content creator on Bilibili (a Chinese video-sharing website) capitalized on this trend by making a video that "reviewed promotional videos for various title battles," and this video quickly rose to the top of the trending search list!

This year's title match is arguably the most popular in the last decade, as one side is Yu Shao, currently considered the most sought-after player and a leader in a new era of Go.

On the other side is Jiang Changdong, who has dominated the chess world for more than 20 years and is known as the "Dragon Slayer". He has a great reputation in the world chess community!

Both players are known for their aggressive style of play, so many people speculate that the upcoming game will likely be a thrilling and deadly contest.

Since both players are aggressive and adept at crushing their opponents with precise calculations in complex board situations, the outcome of this game will depend on who has the greater killing power!
As the match date draws ever closer, the attention of not only the domestic chess community but also the entire world chess community is turning to this title challenge!

Three days passed quickly, and only one day remained until the title challenge!
……

……

New York, USA.

"I won't be going to the office tomorrow, something's come up."

A blond man in pajamas was looking at a computer screen while making a phone call.

"Oh? Boss, there's a very important meeting tomorrow!"

On the other end of the phone, the assistant groaned in pain: "God, how did I end up with a boss like you? That meeting is about a huge contract!"

"God will forgive me."

The blond man laughed out loud, exhaled a long breath, and said, "God is omnipotent, so he must play Go. Since God can play Go, he must be watching this game!"

"Or rather, every move Yu Shao makes carries the wrath of God!"

The assistant on the other end of the phone was speechless for a moment, and after a long while he said helplessly, "Boss, what you said is blasphemous. If the priest hears this, he might fight you to the death."

"Blasphemy?"

The blond man chuckled, still staring at the computer screen, which displayed the chess game that Yu Shao had played with Li Congyou earlier.

When he saw this game of chess, he was so shocked that he exclaimed, "The cherubim have unleashed the wrath of God!"
Even though some time has passed and he has watched this game of chess more than once, he can still feel a deep shock from the depths of his soul when he looks at it now!
"No, that's precisely why I say that, because every single one of my actions is a miracle!"

……

……

Jiangling.

"Yiming, are you really going to the capital?"

A pretty middle-aged woman said with a worried look, "Your title match isn't over yet. Your priority should be preparing for the next match. There's no need for you to go watch the game."

Su Yiming smiled and shook his head, saying, "Mom, it's okay. The next main match is in four days. I'll watch the match tomorrow and be able to come back on the same day."

"That's what I said..."

Su's mother was still a little worried and said helplessly, "Besides, can't we just watch the live broadcast at home? Why do we have to go to the venue to watch the game?"

“It’s different, Mom.”

Su Yiming was somewhat speechless, shook his head, and said, "It's like playing chess online. Online chess and face-to-face chess are completely different things."

"If you want to truly appreciate the charm of a game of chess, you must hear the sound of the pieces being placed on the board and be there in person to truly understand the mysteries of the board."

"I think I need to go to the title challenge match in person."

Upon hearing this, Su's mother hesitated for a moment, then shook her head helplessly and said, "I don't understand Go. You're so grown up now, go if you want to. Remember to call me when you get to the capital."

"Okay, Mom, I'm leaving now."

Su Yiming smiled, waved goodbye to his mother, and finally left home.

……

……

In a lounge at the Central Chess Academy in Chu-Han City.

Zhuang Weisheng stared calmly and intently at the chessboard in front of him. After a moment, he finally reached into the chess box, picked out a chess piece, and slowly placed it down.

Hey!
Seven columns and twelve rows, sandwich!
Upon seeing this move, the young man sitting opposite Zhuang Weisheng's expression changed slightly. He subconsciously opened his mouth and bit his thumb nail, staring intently at the chessboard.

You could tell from his face that he felt immense pressure because of this move.

Behind the young man, there were several other young men in their twenties who also frowned upon seeing Zhuang Weisheng's move.

Even they felt the remarkable skill involved. If they put themselves in the young man's shoes, they would feel immense pressure as well!

And among this crowd, An Hongshi was also present!

"Did they abandon their pawns here?"

An Hongshi glanced at Zhuang Weisheng discreetly, his mind involuntarily recalling the boastful words this young man, currently playing chess with Zhuang Weisheng, had uttered before coming to China—

Zhuang Weisheng has lost his 10-dan title, and his level is not as good as before. His legend has come to an end. This time, when we go to the Central China Chess Academy for exchange, we want to show Zhuang Weisheng our chess strength!
"They are all young players who have made it to the main tournament of major Korean and North Korean title matches. They have already joined the ranks of top-tier players, but they have not yet fully made their mark on the world stage."

An Hongshi thought silently, "So, they were eager to prove themselves, and even though this was just for the purpose of exchange, they used every trick in the book. But now..."

Just then, after a long deliberation, the young man finally picked up a chess piece, gritted his teeth, and placed it down again.

Seeing the young man make his move, Zhuang Weisheng remained calm, resting his chin on his right hand as he fell into deep thought.

"Well……"

After thinking for a moment, Zhuang Weisheng picked up another chess piece and gently placed it down.

Da da da……

The sound of pieces being placed echoed continuously in the lounge.

Finally, after a moment, when he saw Zhuang Weisheng place another chess piece, the young man's expression turned extremely unwilling, and his fists clenched tightly.

But no matter how unwilling he was, the facts were already laid bare before him, and the young man finally bowed his head to Zhuang Weisheng and said, "I... lost."

"The middle position was well played, but the handling here was somewhat lacking, resulting in an open space on the side. Once I pounced in, White had no way to continue."

Seeing the young man resign, Zhuang Weisheng pointed to the chessboard, laid out other local variations, and began to review the game for the young man.

Although the young man couldn't understand Chinese, Go was the best language for him. Watching Zhuang Weisheng's subsequent moves, he quickly realized where he had lost the game.

Soon, Zhuang Weisheng finished reviewing the game for the young man. After the young man stood up, he looked up at the other young men and asked, "Who's next?" "The next one is Zheng Xionghao, but Teacher Zhuang Weisheng, you've already played three games in a row. Even though it's a fast game, you need to take a break." Just then, An Hongshi smiled and spoke in fluent Chinese.

"Have we already played three rounds?"

Zhuang Weisheng was slightly taken aback, then chuckled and said, "You played very well. I dared not be careless at all. I forgot everything as I played. It turns out we've already played three games. You truly deserve to be an outstanding young Go player from North and South Korea."

Upon hearing this, An Hongshi shook his head, pulled out a chair, and sat down opposite Zhuang Weisheng. While tidying up the chess pieces, he said with a smile, "However, Teacher Zhuang Weisheng, you won all three games. You are truly amazing. You put a lot of pressure on me."

The two chess academies are exchanging games. Today, Zhuang Weisheng is playing against players from North and South Korea, and tomorrow he will play against Chinese players. Zhuang Weisheng has won three games in a row. If he doesn't perform well tomorrow, it will be embarrassing.

"Really? It's my honor to receive praise from An Hongshi," Zhuang Weisheng said with a smile.

An Hongshi was taken aback, then smiled and shook his head, knowing that Zhuang Weisheng was teasing him, and said, "You rascal."

"Professor An Hongshi, it's been two years since you last came to China, hasn't it?" Zhuang Weisheng asked while tidying up the chess pieces.

"Yes, two years ago."

An Hongshi said with a smile, "I've been missing Mapo Tofu and Kung Pao Chicken for a long time, and now I can finally eat them again."

"Mapo tofu and Kung Pao chicken? What a pity, this exchange is at the Central Chess Academy, not the Western Chess Academy. But the specialty here is hot dry noodles, which are also very delicious."

Zhuang Weisheng said, "You might fall in love with it."

"Really? Since you put it that way, I'll definitely have to try it," An Hongshi said with a smile.

"Summer is just around the corner, and major world championships are coming one after another. Your visit to the Chinese Chess Academy is probably also to prepare for the world championships, right?" Zhuang Weisheng asked.

"Correct."

Ahn Hong-seok nodded and said with a smile, "They are all very talented young people, but they have only played against North and South Korean players and lack experience playing against foreign players."

"The purpose of this exchange with the Chinese Chess Academy is to prepare them mentally."

An Hongshi picked up the last white stone from the board and put it back in the box, then continued, "After all, there's a big difference between the world championship and the domestic championship."

"Although they have a good record in domestic competitions, their performance in international competitions is not necessarily the same."

Zhuang Weisheng nodded thoughtfully and said, "Indeed, there is a big difference between civil war and foreign war. However, they played very well. Have they never participated in international competitions before? Like team competitions?"

"Many of our chess players are reluctant to participate in international tournaments if their domestic performance hasn't met their expectations. They focus all their energy on title matches."

An Hongshi smiled slightly and said, "We're very competitive over there, you know that."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Weisheng couldn't help but chuckle, nodded, and said, "That's true."

"..."

An Hongshi suddenly glanced at Zhuang Weisheng and asked abruptly, "However, Mr. Zhuang Weisheng, have you changed a bit?"

Zhuang Weisheng was taken aback upon hearing this and looked at An Hongshi.

"If it were the old you, you wouldn't have made that move of sacrificing a piece. It's too risky. You've always been a rather prudent person. You usually plan things out before you act and wouldn't be so aggressive."

An Hongshi looked at Zhuang Weisheng and spoke.

Zhuang Weisheng was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled and asked, "Then, Professor An Hongshi, do you think this change is good or bad?"

"This...I don't know either."

An Hongshi shook his head, hesitated for a moment, and then said truthfully, "It has become completely unfamiliar. Some parts have become stronger, but some parts seem to be not as good as before."

"Some areas have become stronger, but others are not as good as before?"

Zhuang Weisheng said with a smile, "Then my goal is to be far better than before in every aspect of my life."

"Isn't this the goal of all chess players?"

An Hongshi smiled and shook his head, then the smile on his face gradually faded as he continued to ask, "It shouldn't be... just that, right?"

Zhuang Weisheng was taken aback, staring at the empty chessboard in front of him. After a moment, he slowly said, "I look forward to that rematch with a chess player then."

"A chess player?"

An Hongshi glanced at Zhuang Weisheng, and after a while, continued to ask, "That chess player... is it Yu Shao?"

Zhuang Weisheng did not reply.

An Hongshi looked at Zhuang Weisheng, already knowing the answer in his heart.

"Tomorrow is the title match main event."

After a long silence, Zhuang Weisheng finally spoke up: "Teacher An Hongshi, since you've come all this way to China, and it just so happens to coincide with the title challenge match, how about we postpone the exchange match for a few days and go to Beijing tomorrow to watch that game?"

"With great pleasure."

Upon hearing this, An Hongshi smiled and said, "That's exactly what I was thinking."

Just then, a few young chess players passed by outside the lounge. Out of the corner of their eyes, they saw An Hongshi and Zhuang Weisheng inside the lounge. They were startled, and then their eyes widened.

"It's Go Master An Hongshi and Teacher Zhuang Weisheng!"

"Why is An Hongshi, the Go master, here?"

"I heard a few days ago that a group of young Go players from North and South Korea came to the Central Go Academy for an exchange. Is Go Master Ahn Hong-seok leading the group?"

"Chess Master An Hongshi and Teacher Zhuang Weisheng are sitting on either side of the chess table. Are they going to play chess later?"

"Let's go and have a look!"

A group of people rushed into the lounge and sat down on the sofa, staring at An Hongshi and Zhuang Weisheng.

"They're all watching us."

Upon seeing this, An Hongshi said with a smile.

"They're probably waiting for us to play chess, right?"

Zhuang Weisheng smiled faintly and asked, "Since everyone is so looking forward to it, how about we play a game of chess? We can go to the airport afterward."

"Row."

An Hongshi did not refuse upon hearing this. He smiled, then opened the chess box and said, "Then let me see what Zhuang Weisheng is like now."

……

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(End of this chapter)