The world of film and television begins with Hikaru no Go

The next day, at the temple's dining hall.

Several long tables were pushed together and were laden with dishes—braised pork belly, sweet and sour pork ribs, steamed sea bass, braised prawns… a very lavish spread.

Chef Liu, wearing an apron, came out of the kitchen carrying a large bowl of seaweed and egg drop soup, beaming, "Eat as much as you like! It's all you can eat! Teacher Zhu is treating today!"

The students of the dojo entered the canteen one after another and found seats.

The students who were selected for the top section were seated at the middle table, while the other students sat around them, chattering amongst themselves.

"Honghe, I heard you cried yesterday?"

"Bullshit! Who cried?"

"I clearly heard..."

"Time, is it you?"

Hong He, his face flushed and neck red, grabbed his chopsticks, ready to cause trouble for Shi Guang, but Tian Min quickly pulled him back: "It's a celebration today, not a good time to fight."

Shi Guang sat at the table on the side, holding a glass of cola, completely unaware of the danger.

Chu Yingpiao was beside him, all smiles.

"Chu Ying, do you think I'll be able to sit at that table next year?"

"Yes! As long as you don't slack off for the next year!"

"When did I slack off?"

"You missed doing ten life-and-death problems last Tuesday."

"..." Shi Guang guiltily looked away. "Weren't you tired that day...?"

Zhang Rui was the last to enter. Although the Fujitsu Cup had long ended, the Go Association and the Japanese side still had some exchange activities, so he had to stay there for a while longer, which caused him to miss this year's professional ranking tournament.

In reality, even if he were to attend the exam, he probably wouldn't go to accompany the student; it would be good enough if he could just come to the celebration.

He had just finished showering and was wearing a dark gray T-shirt; his hair wasn't completely dry yet.

When Zhang Rui entered, the cafeteria fell silent for a moment, then Hong He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Brother Rui, sit here!"

Zhang Rui glanced at it, but didn't go over. Instead, he walked to an empty table in the corner and sat down.

Hong He wasn't embarrassed. He turned to the others and said, "Rui-ge is just like that, don't mind him."

Ban Heng and Zhu Dayong brought over several large bottles of drinks from outside, placed them on the table, and said with a smile, "Although today is a good day, we still don't encourage everyone to drink alcohol. Let's just have soft drinks."

"Teacher Ban, how are you and Teacher Da drinking together?" Hong He protested.

Zhu Dayong walked over from behind and slapped him on the back: "You've only just reached the first rank, haven't even achieved any results yet, and you're already getting cocky?"

Honghe shrank back and gave an awkward laugh.

Ban Heng raised his glass and looked around: "Today's meal is to celebrate the fact that six people from our academy (not counting Yu Liang) have achieved the highest rank this year. This is the best result since the establishment of our Yijianghu Academy. Let's toast to them!"

The trainees raised their drinks and clinked glasses together.

"But if you ask me—" Ban Heng paused after finishing his drink, as if he had more to say, "achieving the first dan rank isn't the end, it's the beginning. The road to becoming a professional Go player is long, and you've only just begun..."

Seeing him rambling on and on, Zhu Dayong snorted from the side, "Why all that nonsense? Eat!"

Everyone laughed and started eating, digging in their chopsticks with gusto.

After a few drinks, Zhu Dayong still didn't curse. Instead, he raised his glass and toasted each of the students who had reached the next level.

"Honghe, don't embarrass me and your teacher in the future."

"No, Mr. Hachiman!"

"Tian Minze, you still need to practice your endgame. Don't think that setting a high level is enough."

"Understood, Mr. Hachiman."

"Bai Xiaoxiao, you are a female chess player, and the road ahead will be even more difficult. But remember, chess has no gender distinction; it only matters whether you win or lose."

"I understand, Mr. Hachiman."

"Yue Zhi, I watched your game against Yu Liang. It wasn't a technical issue, it was a matter of mentality. You were too eager to win, a bit too impatient for quick success."

Yue Zhi pursed his lips, said nothing, but nodded.

"Deng Yang—" Zhu Dayong glanced at him, "You're lucky, but you can't rely on luck forever. Go back and practice hard."

"Yes, Mr. Hachiman."

Compared to the joy of others, Shen Yilang was much more downcast, sitting against the wall and barely eating anything.

His gaze would occasionally fall on the students at the middle table who had secured their places in the top section. It wasn't jealousy, but rather envy, along with a hint of inexplicable disappointment.

Bai Xiaoxiao would occasionally steal glances in Shen Yilang's direction, even though there were several people between them.

She wanted to go over and talk to her, but there were people all around, and she felt a little embarrassed.

Hong He, on the other hand, was very easygoing. He strolled over to Shen Yilang with a drink in hand, plopped down, put his arm around Shen Yilang's shoulder, and said, "Yilang, don't think too much about it. We can come again next year."

Shen Yilang smiled and said, "I know."

"Shen Yilang." Bai Xiaoxiao had followed us unnoticed. "I've always thought you were the most promising person in our dojo. Look at how hard I practice every day, hoping to catch up with you even a little bit, or even half as much? Really! So you must never give up on Go. Hong He, and the others will all be waiting for you! We promised to compete against each other in the professional arena."

"Yes, we'll all wait for you."

"Alright, alright, I know." Shen Yilang gave Hong He a push. "You guys go eat, don't worry about me, I won't give up Go."

"Are you sure we don't need to do anything about it?"

"Really, you don't need to."

Hong He glanced at him, making sure Shen Yilang wasn't just putting on a brave face, before standing up, patting him on the shoulder, and returning to the crowd with Bai Xiaoxiao.

Shen Yilang picked up the cola, took a sip, and found it cloyingly sweet.

He put down the cup, leaned back in his chair, and stared at the ceiling.

next year……

Zhang Rui sat in the corner, scooped up a bowl of rice, picked up a few pieces of vegetables, and ate slowly.

Shi Guang walked over with a can of cola and sat down opposite him.

"elder brother."

"Um?"

"Aren't you going to sit over there?"

"It's quiet here."

Shi Guang hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Do you have any more matches coming up?"

"No, the next LP Cup isn't until October."

"So you'll be staying at the dojo from now on?"

"Um."

"Then you..." Shi Guang scratched his head, trying to find a topic but not knowing what to say. "Could you help me review a game? I've had a few games recently that I just can't figure out."

Zhang Rui looked up at him and said, "You miscalculated the third branch of that 3x3 variation."

Shi Guang paused, nearly spilling his cola: "What?"

"In the game you lost last week, you miscalculated the third variation after the 3-3 point. White had a 'cross' move that you didn't see."

Time opened its mouth, wanting to refute, but its mind quickly went through the change diagram, and it seemed that there really was such a trick.

How did you know?

Zhang Rui didn't say anything, picked up his bowl, and continued eating.

Shiguang sat opposite him, stunned for a moment, and then left after a long while.