Chapter 204: Encountering a Go Stall
"Xiao Xi, Xiao Xi, come and look at this."
Su Ke and Luo Yumeng were standing in front of a Go stall. Next to the stall was an advertising board that looked like the kind used by fortune-tellers in martial arts stories. Four big characters were written on the board:
Lose One, Pay a Hundred!
The two girls immediately thought of Ning Xi. They knew Ning Xi could play Go and couldn't help but have the idea of letting her try.
However, when they turned and saw Ye Fan and Ning Xi holding hands, they were instantly stunned.
"Yumeng, aren't these two being too high-profile?"
"Be more confident—take out the words 'aren't they.'"
The two girls silently exchanged glances and sighed in unison with great understanding.
It's over!
Their grand lady Ning had completely fallen!
Ye Fan walked over, still holding Ning Xi's hand. He didn't seem fazed at all, but Ning Xi, on the other hand, lowered her head and didn't dare to look at the two girls. If there had been a hole in the ground, she would have dived right into it.
Su Ke winked at Ye Fan and said with a meaningful smile, "Ye Fan, not bad, huh?"
Luo Yumeng followed up with a playful remark, "Exactly! How long have you been at Zhenhua, and you've already managed to win over our school flower?"
"You've got it all wrong."
Ye Fan smiled faintly and said, "Xiao Xi and I are just good friends for now. At least until after the college entrance exams, that's how it's going to be. As for whether we'll take it further in university, well, that'll depend on what happens then."
After speaking, he couldn't help but remind them, "Stop gossiping already. Xiao Xi has a thin skin—you all know that. Just focus on your shopping!"
"…"
"…"
Su Ke glanced at Luo Yumeng, signaling to her with her eyes. The two girls exchanged a tacit understanding and immediately snatched Ning Xi away from Ye Fan's hand, standing on either side of her to silently declare Ning Xi's allegiance.
Ye Fan was highly displeased by this but could only watch helplessly.
"Xiao Xi, you can play Go, can't you?"
Su Ke, cleverly avoiding further talk of relationships, pointed at the four big characters "Lose One, Pay a Hundred" and said, "Want to give it a try? If you lose, it's on me; if you win, it's yours!"
Ning Xi sighed in relief and softly replied, "I can play Go, but… I'm not very good at it."
The stall owner was a man in his forties, sporting a classic handlebar mustache and a Tang suit, giving off the vibe of a reclusive master.
Seeing the young girls gathered around the stall, he knew business was coming his way. Smiling, he introduced, "Young lady, skill improves with practice. Want to play a game?"
He pointed at the "Lose One, Pay a Hundred" sign and explained, "One game costs 100 yuan. If, by the end, you can win even one stone against me, I'll give you 100 yuan. No upper limit. Plus, you can play as Black and make the first move, without komi."
"This…"
Ning Xi hesitated. She knew her own skill level, and most of the people who set up Go stalls like this weren't simple. Knowing there was a high chance she'd lose, she really didn't want to play.
"Give it a shot."
While Ning Xi was still indecisive, Ye Fan smiled and looked at the stall owner, asking, "Boss, I can play a bit of Go too. Can two people play together?"
"Of course!"
The stall owner's eyes lit up, and he enthusiastically replied, "If you want, all four of you can play together!"
"OK!"
Ye Fan nodded, glanced at Su Ke, and said, "Mind giving up a seat?"
Su Ke was momentarily stunned but quickly caught his meaning. She released Ning Xi's arm and stepped aside.
Ye Fan naturally took Ning Xi's hand and guided her to sit in the seat opposite the stall owner. Then he himself sat down on a small stool and pulled a 100-yuan bill from his pocket, handing it to the stall owner.
"Two against one. If we win, I hope the boss won't go back on his word."
"Young man, I've been running this stall on North Street for years. My word is my bond!"
The stall owner, beaming, accepted the money and patted his chest in assurance. He pushed the box of black stones toward Ning Xi and said, "But don't think it'll be easy to beat me. You'll have to try hard!"
Ning Xi held the box of stones in her small hands and looked at Ye Fan with wide eyes, whispering, "You paid for it, so you should play. I… I don't think I can do it."
"It's fine. It's just for fun. Don't take it too seriously."
Ye Fan opened the box and placed it on Ning Xi's right side, saying, "I'll tell you where to place the stones. Let's see if you can learn something from this."
"That works."
Hearing this, Ning Xi's eyes curved into a smile. She thought, if she was just a tool, she could manage that.
"Upper-left star point."
"Snap—"
"Snap—"
The moment Ning Xi placed her stone, the stall owner followed with his move. With a miniature teapot in his left hand, he leisurely took a sip of tea.
Both sides made their moves quickly, setting up the board.
At first, the stall owner seemed utterly indifferent, even a bit dismissive. After all, he'd been running this stall for years and had never lost, let alone to a couple of young people.
But as the game progressed, the casual expression on his face disappeared, replaced by one of concentration. All trace of condescension was gone.
"Seven-thirteen, atari!"
"Snap—"
With that move, the situation in the small corner became clear. Nine white stones were cut off and utterly defeated.
The stall owner's face turned alternately pale and flushed, his forehead breaking out in a cold sweat. His right hand, holding a stone, trembled slightly, unable to accept what was happening.
"Snap—"
After nearly three minutes of deep thought, the stall owner made a desperate move to salvage the situation.
Little did he know, Ye Fan had been waiting for this. As soon as the stall owner placed his stone, Ye Fan's lips curled into a subtle smile. "Xiao Xi, six-fourteen, clamp!"
"Okay."
Ning Xi carefully counted the grid and placed the black stone at the indicated position.
"Snap!"
The sound of the stone hitting the board made the stall owner's face collapse completely. His expression was as grim as could be.
Su Ke and Luo Yumeng, standing behind them, couldn't stop watching. Although they didn't understand Go, they could read the stall owner's face. When they saw his ashen expression, they exchanged a glance and secretly clicked their tongues.
Could it be that they were about to win?
This was amazing!
Ning Xi reviewed the entire board carefully, then said in a clear voice, "Boss, you lost. By at least twenty stones."
When she calculated this result earlier, she could hardly believe it.
Not only had they won, but they'd won by over twenty stones?
This…
Was crushing!
"…"
The stall owner's mouth twitched, and he remained silent, deftly moving a stone between the fingers of his right hand.
At that moment, his feelings could only be described as utterly defeated.
He wasn't blind; he could clearly see that White was completely out of options.
Not only had he lost, but he'd lost by more than twenty-three stones…
It wasn't about the money—he just felt humiliated!
Even when he'd played against professional Go players in the past, he hadn't lost this badly. Yet today, he'd been crushed by a young man and a girl?!
What the heck—were they cheating?!