The world of film and television begins with Hikaru no Go

"That's someone else." Zhu Dayong put down his wine cup. "But don't get cocky, kid. Your teacher and I are still waiting for you to win another world championship this year."

Ban Heng pushed up his glasses and said with a smile, "He was just joking. Just do your best."

Zhang Rui kept his head down and didn't say anything.

Zhu Dayong glared at Ban Heng: "What do you mean by 'try your best'? This kid's got a temper."

"Um."

"What's with the 'hmm'? Let's eat!"

After a few rounds of drinks, Xu Hou leaned back in his chair and looked around.

"By the way, how's the dojo doing now? How many students are there?"

"Forty-eight." Ban Heng put down his chopsticks. "Divide into two groups, sixteen people in one group and thirty-two people in the other. I'll lead the second group, and Lao Zhu will lead the first group."

"Forty-eight?" Xu Hou was a little surprised. "I only had eight people back then, right?"

"That's an old almanac from so many years ago," Zhu Dayong snorted. "This is only because Ban Heng deliberately controlled it; I don't know how many people sign up every year."

"Don't you know who those people are after? Besides, even if we recruit them all, the two of us can't manage them all."

Xu Hou smiled and looked at Zhang Rui: "Teacher Da and Teacher Ban really didn't spoil you for nothing. The dojo is where it is today, and you deserve a lot of credit for that."

Zhang Rui paused for a moment as he was putting away the bowl, but didn't reply.

"He's really good at this," Ban Heng said with a smile. "I'll collect the bowls later, you can sit there and rest."

"That's right, I haven't finished drinking yet."

As he spoke, Zhu Dayong picked up the bottle again, preparing to pour himself some more.

Zhang Rui ignored him, snatched the bowl and plate, placed it on top of the dishes, and carried them towards the sink.

"This kid." Seeing that there was no more wine to drink, Zhu Dayong became anxious.

"Forget it, drink less." Ban Heng pulled him aside, then winked at Xu Hou.

"I haven't had much to drink yet..."

Understanding the implication, Xu Hou continued the previous topic: "Are there any promising talents among this batch of trainees?"

"There were a few, but they weren't very promising." Speaking of the trainees, Zhu Dayong wasn't so concerned about the alcohol anymore. "Shen Yilang, you remember him, right?"

"I remember, it's been about two years now. What, you didn't get a spot last year? I remember that kid played really well, his style was steady..."

"What's the point of being steady? In the end, it's just being weak. You don't kill when you should, and you don't dare to fight when you should. Last year in the professional qualification tournament, I had a winning streak and the situation looked great, but in the seventh round, I lost by half a point. My mentality collapsed, and I suffered a series of losses afterward and failed to qualify."

Upon hearing the first part of the sentence, Xu Hou subconsciously thought the teacher was referring to him, but then he breathed a slight sigh of relief: "Half a point? That is indeed a bit of a pity."

"What's there to regret? The qualification tournament is all about mentality. Losing by half a point is enough? What will you do when you get to the professional stage?"

"Don't worry," Ban Heng advised from the side. "He has the ability, he just lacks a bit of drive. Let's try again this year."

"Yeah, not everyone is like Zhang Rui, able to get a high rank in one go..." Seeing Zhu Dayong's strange expression, Xu Hou changed the subject, "Anyone else?"

"Honghe," Zhu Dayong said, his expression somewhat complicated. "That kid's a troublemaker too."

"What happened?"

"When this kid came to register alone, Ban Heng was worried and asked him a few more questions. He found out that the kid had come without his family's knowledge, using the tuition money his family gave him to register at the chess club. It was really true."

"Yes, luckily I was careful at the time. You know, that kid is too bold."

Xu Hou laughed: "And then what happened?"

"Ban Heng handled it. I don't know how he explained it, but in the end, his family agreed, so he stayed at the dojo."

"His father also hopes his son will succeed, but he doesn't know much about Go. It's good that he explained it to his son. If the child genuinely likes it, the parents can understand and support him."

"How's this kid's talent?"

"He's quick-witted and has a good feel for the game, but he just can't sit still." Zhu Dayong shook his head. "Making him review the game is more painful than killing him."

Xu Hou smiled and asked again, "Just these two?"

"And there's Yue Zhi."

"What's wrong with him?"

"Refuses to stay overnight."

Ban Heng objected: "Their family is rich and they can afford to hire a driver to pick them up. Why do you care so much? Just teach them chess."

"So rich?" Xu Hou asked in surprise. "Then why are you here?"

"Hey, what are you talking about?"

Zhu Dayong made a move to hit him, and Xu Hou quickly begged for mercy.

"Although his initial motives were impure, Yue Zhi is actually a pretty good kid. He's not spoiled and he takes learning Go seriously."

"Impure motives?"

"I heard that our Yijianghu Go Academy offers a chance to play against the current number one Go player and even receive guidance..."

"So they came here because of Zhang Rui."

Zhang Rui, who had just finished clearing the dishes, heard his name called and, thinking he needed something, quickly ran over: "What's wrong?"

Seeing Zhang Rui wearing an apron and holding a rag, completely lacking the imposing presence he had during the afternoon chess game, Xu Hou burst into laughter.

"It's nothing, we were just talking about this year's students." Ban Heng stood up, took the rag from Zhang Rui's hand, and said, "Didn't I say I'd clean up later? You can just soak the dishes there. Your hands, which are used for playing chess..."

"fine."

Zhang Rui smiled and didn't rush to do the work anymore, letting Ban Heng wipe the table.

"Speaking of which, I just took on a student this year, you should like him."

"Who?"

"Zhang Fugui, I guess."

"Zhang Fugui?"

Xu Hou was stunned for a moment, not understanding what it meant.

"Ban Heng dug it up. He was on business in another city when he saw a kid playing chess at a roadside chess stall in a small county town. He came back and told me he had found a treasure."

"That kid has a really good feel for the game. Although he hasn't had any systematic training, his overall strategic vision is naturally excellent. With proper nurturing, he'll definitely have a bright future."

"Mainly because they're chubby and look festive," Zhang Rui added.

"Indeed, you and Xu Hou are practically cut from the same mold."

"I'm sure this is what's going on." Xu Hou listened with great interest. "It sounds like the dojo is quite lively."

"What's all the fuss about?" Zhu Dayong sighed. "They're all problem children. Oh well, never mind. They're all destined to be busy anyway."

Xu Hou's lips twitched slightly, then he glanced at the time and realized it was almost ten o'clock. He quickly stood up and said, "It's so late, I have to go back."

"Don't go."

"What?"

"Don't drive if you've been drinking."

"I only drank a small cup, I'm fine."

Xu Hou waved his hand, making a move to leave.

"Zhang Rui is right, and it's not safe this late," Ban Heng added, offering his advice.

"...Okay then." Xu Hou scratched his head. "Shall I squeeze in with Zhang Rui?"

"no."

"Why? Didn't you leave it with me?"

"You snore when you sleep."

Xu Hou opened his mouth: "When did I ever snore in my sleep?"

"Last time, he even ground his teeth."

Xu Hou wanted to refute, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that he was indeed a bad sleeper and often found his blankets kicked off somewhere in the morning.

"Then where am I going to sleep?" Xu Hou resigned himself to his fate. "I can't possibly sleep in the game room."

Ban Heng thought for a moment and said, "I remember there are still empty beds in Shen Yilang's room. Why don't you sleep there? There are plenty of blankets."

"Alright then." Xu Hou stood up. "Are they upstairs?"

"They should be back in their dorms by now. I see the lights are all off in the control room. Zhang Rui, take Xu Hou over there first and say hello to Shen Yilang and the others. I'll go get Xu Hou some bedding."

"Okay, I'll take you there."

The two walked up the stairs to the third floor. At the end of the corridor, the light was still on in the room, the door was half open, and they could vaguely hear people talking.

Zhang Rui walked over and knocked on the door.

The door opened.

Shen Yilang opened the door, wearing a dark blue T-shirt and with slightly messy hair.

Upon seeing Zhang Rui, she paused for a moment, then smiled somewhat sheepishly: "Brother Rui, what's up so late?"

In fact, Zhang Rui was younger than the students accepted by the dojo, but these people usually called him that, so Zhang Rui let them call him that.

"Shen Yilang." Zhang Rui nodded. "Xu Hou will stay here tonight and squeeze in with you guys."

"Xu Hou, fourth dan?" Shen Yilang looked behind him and then noticed there was another person. He quickly stepped aside and said, "Please come in."

The room wasn't big; there were two bunk beds on the left, a wardrobe on the right, and a table.

A round-faced boy sat cross-legged next to the table, holding a chess piece in his hand. When he saw Zhang Rui enter, his small eyes lit up: "Brother Rui!"