LOL: Can’t I play other games professionally?

Chapter 449 He's Stronger Than Park in Every Way (Too short, I'll make up for it with 10,000 words tomorrow, my day off, and try to finish it in one go)

Lin Ruo originally wanted to slowly cook a bowl of noodles for her opponent, but Liao Yuanhe ordered too quickly, thus avoiding a possible massacre scenario.

Then there's no way
Liao Yuanhe acted very rationally. Although there are occasional players in Go competitions who know they can't win but are still stubbornly holding on even when they are only a few dozen points behind, just to drag out the time in the endgame and annoy others.

However, it would be difficult for Liao Yuanhe to sabotage his game even if he wanted to, because if he didn't vote for Lin Ruo, Lin Ruo would most likely capture all of his pieces.

Whether it can be dragged to the final stage is a huge exclamation mark of impossibility.

Moreover, Liao Yuanhe had no such intention. He felt that dragging it out would only be torturing himself, not his opponent.

With the pieces falling off the board, the first group of the best-of-three semifinals of the Mengbaihe Cup came to an end.

One hundred and nine lots were closed.

Lin Ruo successfully achieved the second fastest game record in this year's Mengbaihe tournament, the first being a 100-move surrender against a Japanese prodigy.

This gave Liao Yuanhe some comfort; at least he wasn't the one who got taken down the fastest.

After all, people only remember the first, not the second, so there is a huge difference between them.

"Congratulations! It's a pity you still didn't play a great game. Good luck in the finals and keep the championship."

Liao Yuanhe stood up and sighed repeatedly. Losing to Lin Ruo, who could sweep through the ninth dan, was not shameful, but he was disappointed that he had not played a brilliant game.

"Don't worry, the finals won't be any exciting matches either," Lin Ruo said jokingly, extending her hand for a handshake.

Liao Yuanhe immediately understood what he meant, and he didn't know whether to be shocked or impressed.

The finals won't have any exciting matches; it'll just be one side dominating the other.

Is Lin Ruo actually planning to crush Park Jung-hwan in the finals...?

terror.

Liao Yuanhe not only admired Lin Ruo's confidence, but also wondered just how much strength must be behind it to be able to say such things with a mindset he had never seen before.

"Then I hope you'll keep your word and not be like me, breaking your promise."

Liao Yuanhe, regaining his senses, couldn't help but make a self-deprecating joke. He had twice said that he would put on a great performance against Lin Ruo, but he failed to do so even once, and was forced to concede defeat within 150 moves each time.

After the two finished reviewing the game and tidying up the chessboard, while the game was still going on next door, Lin Ruo had already arrived in the hall to accept the inevitable interviews from the media who had surrounded her.

That is, the routine basic operations.

Reporters from Sina, Fox News, and other well-known figures in the industry shoved microphones in their faces, eager to ask their questions.

In the journalism profession, it's all about who has the loudest voice and who can get the first question; otherwise, you'll always be at a disadvantage in group interviews.

Unless you're Peter Parker, who has a fixed group of interviewees, that's an exception.

"Congratulations to Lin Ruo, a first-dan player, for winning the semifinals of the Mengbaihe Cup and advancing to the final with a score of 2-0."

To achieve such remarkable results in their first appearance at the Mengbaihe Cup, and to advance by defeating two promising young South Korean stars, is truly impressive.

Lin Ruo, do you have anything to say about your outstanding journey so far?

The highly professional Sina media reporter beat everyone else to the punch and asked the first questions with a series of clear and concise statements.

It's impressive that she could beat everyone else to ask a question first, but as for this old, tired question, Lin Ruo could only say it was so-so.

He had prepared himself for reporters to ask all sorts of high-profile questions, but all he said was his feelings and thoughts.

Dude, if I asked you ten questions about your feelings, would even one of them, "I'm invincible," generate any buzz?

For a media outlet like Sina, known for its ability to generate traffic, this deserves a huge thumbs down.

So why ask such a normal question? Lin Ruo could only give a perfunctory yet supportive answer: "I'm very happy that you've been performing so well all this time. I hope you can do the same in the finals."

"How did Lin Ruo, a first-dan player, maintain an undefeated record since participating in the Mengbaihe Cup—no, I mean, since the National Games?"

"Well, with your hands."

Lin Ruo again downplayed the second question, at most adding a sentence about maintaining a good lifestyle or not being stressed.

As for how to avoid pressure, just treat each opponent as a harmless cabbage.

Of course, there's no need to watch someone as invincible and lonely as him; if you're going to watch, you should see your opponents as easy prey.

It's like that kind of thing where you can pinch a little chick in one hand.

However, no contestant can win all the time, so Lin Ruo humbly added, "I look forward to someone who can beat me, and I hope he's not still in kindergarten."

It goes without saying what the reaction will be when these words get out.

The media was already in a frenzy, and other clever reporters quickly followed suit: "In the other semi-final, Park Jung-hwan 9-dan has a slight lead. If Park Jung-hwan 9-dan can advance to the final, who do you think has a better chance of winning, him or her?"

Good, finally, the media doesn't have to bother him to create his own memes.

Lin Ruo coughed, realizing that there's no harm in comparison, and immediately became serious, saying, "Since you asked, I'll tell you sincerely that I should be the one to win the championship, as expected."

Just kidding, who would praise someone more impressive to their face? Of course, if this question were posed to other players, the answer would likely be 50/50, or they would choose not to answer directly depending on the situation.

But for Lin Ruo, it's a 91/10 split. Why? Because that's just how it is.

"Really? What makes Lin Ruo think she has the right to ask?" The reporters at the scene seemed to have tasted success, and several of them asked in unison.

why?
Lin Ruo's answer to this additional question was simple: "There's no why, because I'm better than him."

As soon as he finished speaking, a commotion erupted.

Who knows what kind of expressions the media reporters in front of them had? It wasn't surprise or disbelief, but rather an almost manic excitement.

This answer is really generating a lot of buzz.

It has to be Lin Ruo, the god of interviews in their media industry.

"So, in your opinion, where is Lin Ruo stronger than Park Jung-hwan 9-dan?" Within seconds, another reporter instinctively followed up with the question, making Lin Ran feel like she was being led through a nested doll, with each question building upon the last.

Since that's the case, then we can only continue to speak the truth. Lin Ruo smiled and said, "I think I'm better than Senior Park Jung-hwan in every way."

...

After a deathly silence, all the media reporters pricked up their ears, and even the photography staff seemed unsure of how to hold the camera.

Like a bombshell, it completely ignited the scene.

No, how dare you do that?

Is this the kind of story you can just tell in front of the media? Dude, you're really underestimating us.

Lin Ruo could only say that was it, and as for the worst, she should never ask him why he was so arrogant, because there was only one answer.

That's right, they learned it from Jaguar.

After all, Jaguar's arrogance is a well-known fact among Go enthusiasts.

In this regard, I suggest referring to Lee Sedol, the former national champion from West Brazil, who was quite annoyed by Jaguar's overconfidence.

It was precisely before the 2016 Mlily Cup final that Lee Sedol was able to say he had a 100% chance of winning in an interview, while he only had a 50% chance.

Anyone would be furious in this situation, let alone the ever-high-profile Lee Sedol.

That's why later on, interview topics emerged such as Jaguar's lack of game etiquette, Jaguar being too young to be worthy of the title of world's number one, and it's impossible to say that he already has the ability to lead.

These are all Lee Sedol's comments on Jaguar; his mindset is self-evident.

Therefore, it's understandable that South Korean Go fans have a bad impression of Jaguar. Not only is he arrogant, but he also relentlessly attacked their national champion Lee Sedol in the Samsung Cup and Mengbaihe Cup, two world championships.

Are you trying to kill us?!

Just like Lin Ruo, media reporters who understand Go immediately thought of Ke Jie.

The only difference is that Lin Ruo's words seem even more arrogant than Ke Jie's.

I wonder how Lee Sedol will react when he hears this; this is probably the only thing the media reporters are hoping for.

Even after Lin Ruo left the scene, the reporters' expressions of surprise remained unchanged; being strong in every way was simply too exaggerated.

...

Meanwhile, in the other match room, when Park Jung-hwan, who had also won both of his matches and advanced to the next round, walked out of the room, he was immediately interviewed by the media present.

Naturally, there were discussions about the finals, specifically regarding Lin Ruo, who had remained undefeated since the start of this year's Dream Lily Cup.

Park Jung-hwan, perhaps finding today's victory easier than he had imagined, looked quite confident, feeling he couldn't lose face in front of a young man who had just come of age.

So he arrogantly declared that he would hand Lin Ruo his first defeat in the finals, and bluntly stated: "Lin Ruo, a first-dan player, is indeed a genius, but I have seen many geniuses. He can only be considered a rather special one. Due to the difference in experience, I will most likely have the advantage in the finals and the probability of winning will be greater."

As a seasoned and current South Korean national team player, Park Jung-hwan believes that his statement demonstrates enough confidence and does not diminish his status as the number one player.

However, when the media reporter who arrived late to interview Lin Ruo relayed her interview remarks...

Just a second ago, Park Jung-hwan was confidently puffing out his chest, but now he was incredulous and his jaw almost dropped.

What? Lin Ruo said he's sure to win the finals because he's better than me in every way?

Impossible, absolutely impossible. What makes him dare to say such a thing, just because he made it to the finals of the Mlily Cup?

Hmph, Park Jung-hwan has made it to this final countless times, to the point that he subconsciously thinks the media is just stirring things up.

However, it's unreasonable for media reporters to make such baseless claims.

so…

After a moment's thought, Park Jung-hwan's face turned as red as Guan Yu's without him even realizing it.

(End of this chapter)