Chapter 244: A bully game?
After a brief exchange, the group of six arrived at the Go room.
As soon as they sat down in front of the board, Gu Yun and Guo Yuan's demeanor instantly changed. Their childish air vanished, and the aura of masters became unmistakable.
Zhou Jie stood behind his master, his eyes occasionally drifting toward Ning Xi.
Too beautiful!
Originally, he thought Gu Ziyi was already stunning, but after seeing Ning Xi, he finally understood what it meant to be breathtakingly gorgeous.
A flicker of fervor flashed in his eyes.
A boyfriend?
So what!
He could just take her—such a simple matter!
Zhou Jie had absolute confidence in himself. After all, he was a rising star in the Go world, a prodigy. If Ning Xi were an outsider, it might have been difficult, but since she was Gu Yun's disciple, that gave him full confidence that he could attract her attention.
Ning Xi's delicate brows furrowed slightly. She could feel the aggressive gaze from Zhou Jie, and it made her uncomfortable.
She took a small step back, standing behind Ye Fan, peeking over his shoulder to observe the board's situation.
Sensing her movement, Ye Fan glanced at Zhou Jie, his brows knitting together.
Enough is enough, huh?
But given the current situation, he couldn't say anything just yet, so he endured it for now.
The two ninth-dan Go masters played at an incredibly fast pace. Once the game began, they barely hesitated, placing stones one after another.
It wasn't until over a hundred moves later that the pace finally slowed down.
"Pa—"
Guo Yuan placed a brilliant move, cutting off the vitality of the white stones in the center. A smug smile appeared on his face.
"Old Gu, stop struggling. Your opening choice was wrong. One wrong step, and you lose the whole game."
"A loss is a loss. What's there to be so smug about?"
Gu Yun glared at Guo Yuan in annoyance, took two stones from the bowl, and placed them in the corner of the board.
He conceded!
Guo Yuan glanced at Zhou Jie and instructed, "Record the game. Review it properly when we get back. You should be able to learn something from it."
"Yes, Master."
Zhou Jie nodded respectfully, then shifted his gaze and took the initiative to suggest, "Master, since Master Gu has also taken on a disciple, why don't I play a match against her?"
Guo Yuan was momentarily stunned before turning to Gu Yun.
Gu Yun thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. "Zhou Jie, Ning has only been learning for a short while. Just play a teaching game with her."
"No problem."
Zhou Jie smiled and turned his gaze toward Ning Xi, who was hiding behind Ye Fan. He pointed to the board.
"Ning Shimei, come on."
Ning Xi bit her red lips and tugged lightly at Ye Fan's shirt, whispering in a barely audible voice, "Brother, I don't want to play against him. His gaze is… so annoying."
"Leave it to me."
Hearing the girl's soft whisper, Ye Fan's lips curved slightly. He ruffled her hair and turned to Gu Yun.
"Master Gu, Xiao Xi isn't feeling well. How about I take her place?"
"Sure."
Gu Yun readily agreed to the suggestion.
Zhou Jie, on the other hand, felt extremely displeased.
The reason he had proposed playing against Ning Xi was to impress her. Who would have thought that some nobody would suddenly jump in to disrupt his plan?
Guo Yuan chuckled and asked, "Ye Xiaoyou, how long have you been studying Go?"
"A little over a month."
"…"
Hearing Ye Fan's response, Guo Yuan's smile froze.
He was utterly speechless.
Someone who had only been learning for a month actually volunteered to play against a professional seventh-dan?
This…
Truly bold!
Zhou Jie's eyes flashed with a cold glint upon hearing that Ye Fan had only been learning for a month.
Fine.
Today, he would let this guy experience what it meant to be completely crushed!
It was also a great opportunity to humiliate Ye Fan in front of Ning Xi.
Once Ye Fan sat down, Zhou Jie pushed the black stone bowl toward him and said, "You can play black first. Show me your best."
Ye Fan picked up the bowl and placed it beside him, responding flatly, "I always rise to the challenge against strong opponents. You better be careful."
As soon as he said this, everyone except Ning Xi was left speechless.
A guy who had only been learning for a month was telling a professional seventh-dan player to be careful?
That was… ridiculous!
"Ahem—"
Gu Yun looked slightly embarrassed and said, "Ye Fan, just do your best. Zhou Jie's level is no joke. Just take this as a learning experience."
Guo Yuan didn't comment, but he leaned toward Gu Yun and whispered with a grin, "This kid is quite arrogant. Interesting."
"Young people, you know how it is."
Gu Yun brushed it off and said no more.
Gu Ziyi, meanwhile, covered her mouth and chuckled. She leaned toward Ning Xi and whispered, "Xiao Xi, Ye Fan probably doesn't realize how strong professional players are. He's going to get crushed. Senior Zhou Jie doesn't have a great temper."
Ning Xi's clear eyes flickered as she murmured, "That's not necessarily true…"
For some reason, even though Ye Fan's opponent was a professional seventh-dan, she still had full confidence in him.
"Xiao Xi, what are you mumbling about?"
"N-Nothing."
Ning Xi smiled sweetly and lifted her chin. "Sister Ziyi, let's watch the game."
Gu Ziyi didn't think much of it and focused on the board.
Zhou Jie, after hearing Ye Fan's arrogant words, narrowed his eyes slightly, a mocking smile appearing on his lips.
"Oh? Then I look forward to seeing your skills."
"You'll see soon enough."
"Overconfident. Let's see if you last fifty moves."
"Oh."
Ye Fan remained expressionless, too lazy to waste words with Zhou Jie. He calmly picked up a black stone and placed it on the lower-right star point.
Zhou Jie didn't take it seriously and followed with his own move.
To be blunt, he could beat Ye Fan blindfolded.
After just ten moves, Zhou Jie launched an aggressive offensive, showing no intention of playing a teaching game.
His attacks were so fierce that even a professional player would struggle to hold on—let alone someone who had only been learning for a month.
Seeing this, Guo Yuan frowned and was about to speak when Gu Yun stopped him.
"It's fine. Young people naturally have a competitive spirit."
"But Zhou Jie is… going too far!"
Guo Yuan snorted under his breath.
Though Zhou Jie was indeed his disciple, what was right was right.
He disapproved of Zhou Jie's behavior, finding it shameful.
In a way, Zhou Jie represented him, and such unsporting conduct was unbecoming of a professional Go player.
Gu Yun opened his mouth but said nothing.
On the other side, Gu Ziyi shook her head and sighed.
"It's over. Senior Zhou Jie is clearly mad. Ye Fan won't last fifty moves."
Ning Xi remained silent, clenching her hands slightly. Her clear eyes were filled with nervousness.
Ye Fan had stepped in for her.
No matter the outcome, in her heart, Ye Fan was already the best!
Yet, in contrast to Zhou Jie's aggressive play, Ye Fan remained calm, placing each stone with composure, completely unfazed.
A slaughter game?
Heh—