Dragon Clan: Lu Mingfei Returns from Japan

Chapter 630 If Side Story: Assuming Lu Mingfei is a Go Prodigy (Part 3)
The tide of memories washes over you, carrying the unique scent of the wooden chessboards and the cool touch of the chess pieces from the Baidi Chess Academy.

This is the origin of the ill-fated relationship between Chen Motong and Lu Mingfei. Chen Motong didn't know if meeting this guy was bad luck, but anyway, from that day on, Nuonuo became the name that has followed her ever since.

Although only Lu Mingfei calls her that.

However, the arrival of Chu Zihang and Lu Mingfei did indeed bring a breath of fresh air to the Baidi Chess Academy.

Initially, Chen Motong didn't take these two junior brothers, who had just started learning, seriously. In their occasional matches, she consistently dominated them.

She found it quite rewarding to guide this clumsy "junior." She mimicked an adult's tone, giving instructions: "Lu Mingfei, you need to 'fly' here, understand? 'Fly'! Not 'bend'! You're so clumsy!"

But the change came silently. It was as if overnight she had become unable to compete with these two people.

Chu Zihang was one thing, but she later learned that the expressionless Chu Zihang was actually a renowned Go prodigy. He had been learning Go since he was a child, and his father, Chu Tianjiao, was said to have once been a ninth-dan Go player.

Although Chu's father was later stripped of his ninth-dan ranking for some unknown reason and is now a full-time taxi driver, the genes still matter. She could only tolerate it if she couldn't win.

But even though Lu Mingfei started learning chess later than her, his chess skills quickly surpassed hers in less than two months.

Chen Motong still remembers the first time she lost to him.

It was an ordinary afternoon. She watched as her prized group of black stones was brutally slaughtered by her opponent's seemingly scattered pieces, the chessboard a scene of carnage. She bit her lip, her face flushed red, almost crying, but stubbornly refusing to let the tears fall.

Lu Mingfei sat opposite him, looking like a child who had made a mistake, completely at a loss.

"Go again!" Chen Motong pouted, unwilling to admit defeat.

The chess pieces were cleared from the board, and the two began to play again. Nono lost even more badly this time.

"Go again!"

"Snapped……"

"Go again!"

……

The little witch Nono finally encountered an opponent she couldn't defeat no matter how hard she tried, making her feel the same way her previous opponents felt.

She bit her lip, feeling resentful, and dragged Lu Mingfei to practice Go with her every day. But her win rate against Lu Mingfei kept getting lower and lower.

Why can't I beat Chu Zihang? Why can't I beat Lu Mingfei? Why can that Lu Mingfei beat Chu Zihang?

Although she felt resentful and unconvinced by Lu Mingfei, she had to admit that, looking back now, that period seemed to be the most memorable time in Chen Motong's life.

When the cicadas' chirping sizzled among the sycamore leaves in July, Chen Motong always loved to squat under the old locust tree at the alley entrance outside the chess academy and watch the two crazy boys play chess.

The boy in the blue and white school uniform was glued to his gleaming chess pieces, while Chu Zihang, who always zipped his uniform up to his chin, sat quietly on a stone bench under the locust tree, carefully counting the endgame moves of himself and Lu Mingfei. She was acting as the referee.

He was called a referee, but he was just holding half a watermelon, scooping out the flesh with a spoon, and tempting Lu Mingfei to get distracted so he couldn't play chess properly.

The fragrance of old locust blossoms wafted from the entrance of the chess academy. Lu Mingfei lost by half a point to Chu Zihang, so it was her turn to play.

Although she was always the weakest of the three in Go, her skills improved rapidly without her even realizing it, thanks to her daily practice sessions with Lu Mingfei. She could even hold her own against Chu Zihang. Even her teacher said she had the talent to be a professional female Go player.

The tables have turned, and now it's Lu Mingfei's turn to squat in the corner, munching on an ice pop, tempting her. Watching her and Chu Zihang locked in a fierce battle, he occasionally interjects, "Nuonuo, your move was too greedy. Be careful you don't get counter-attacked. You should stick to this side."

"Observers of chess should not speak!" Chen Motong bared his fangs at Lu Mingfei while letting out a "whoosh" and biting off half of Lu Mingfei's popsicle.

Those days were bright and cheerful. The chess pieces landed on the nineteen lines of the chessboard, their crisp sound like the gentle tinkling of wind chimes carried by the winds of time.

The certificates of merit from the children's Go tournaments that the three of them brought back gradually covered the walls of the Go academy. Thanks to their achievements in the city's children's tournaments, the number of students in the Go academy finally increased again. But it was still always the three of them playing Go under the old locust tree at the entrance of the Go academy.

This period of time lasted from Nono's first grade of elementary school until the later years of elementary school.

It wasn't until the summer vacation after fifth grade that Mr. Chen, seeing that his daughter's focus had been honed, felt that if she wasn't pursuing a professional Go career, it was time for her to return to her studies. Now was the crucial time for her to prepare for the entrance exam to junior high school.
So he took the initiative to ask her if she wanted to become a professional Go player.

At that time, Chen Motong didn't know what a professional chess player was. He shook his head, with only one thought in his mind: to beat Lu Mingfei.

Just like he rubbed me hard on the ground, I'll rub him hard on the ground too! I'll make him call me "Senior Sister" from now on, and stop calling me "Nono".

So, when Chen was in sixth grade, his father didn't enroll Chen Motong in the Go club's interest class.

Many years later, she learned that Lu Mingfei had also left the Baidi Chess Club six months after she left.

……

On Friday, as soon as school was over, Chen Motong went to the No. 1 Middle School as promised.

She had originally wanted to bring Lu Mingfei along, but he disappeared as soon as get out of class ended, and she couldn't find him in his class. Feeling uncertain, Chen Motong had no choice but to bite the bullet and go alone to the No. 1 Middle School Go Club's trap.

When she arrived at the entrance of No. 1 Middle School, Chen Motong sent a message to Green Bean Ice Cream, asking her to wait a moment at the entrance, as she would come out to meet her shortly.

After closing the WeChat chat window with Green Bean Ice Cake, the profile picture of "Pighead Junior Brother" popped up.

9月17日下午17:31:30
It's Nono:

I still feel it's a bit risky for me to go alone.

It's Nono:

Why don't we go together?

It's Nono:

Are you in class or in the literature club right now? I'll come find you.

9月17日下午17:35:11
It's Nono:

???

It's Nono:

Where are you? Where did you go?
9月17日下午17:39:55
It's Nono:

Stop playing dead!
It's Nono:

Green bean ice cream sent me a message; I need to go to No. 1 Middle School to find them now.

9月17日下午17:45:01
It's Nono:

……

9月17日下午17:57:16
Pig-headed junior brother:

I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, something happened at the literary society that I had to deal with.

Pig-headed junior brother:

Senior sister, how are things going on your end?

Mo Zhutou:
Nothing unexpected happened, right?

Nobody believes you! You just don't want to desert your post...

Chen Motong pursed her lips while rapidly pressing a few keys to reply.

It's Nono:

I haven't gone in yet; I'm still waiting for that mung bean cake vendor at the entrance of No. 1 Middle School. If you come now, you should still be able to make it. It's Nuonuo!

Is this method really reliable?

It's Nono:

What if I get too nervous and forget?
Soon, a reply came from the other end of the phone.

Pig-headed junior brother:

That shouldn't be the case, right?

Pig-headed junior brother:

Don't worry, it's okay if you make a small mistake in your answer. I believe in you, senior.

When a girl asks you for help, shouldn't a normal guy reply with something like, "Wait for me over there for a bit, I'll be right there"?

Such a straight man's reply!

Chen Motong bit her lip, unable to help but mentally criticize Lu Mingfei.

"You must be Chen Motong?"

Just as Chen Motong was feeling indignant, a light voice came from ahead. A girl in a No. 1 Middle School uniform jogged towards Chen Motong. She had fair skin, wore thin-rimmed glasses, and her eyes curved into shallow crescents when the lenses were lowered. Her neat ponytail was tied behind her. She fit every fantasy of a science-oriented girl.

It's Nono:

Junior brother, isn't Mung Bean Ice Cream a stunning beauty?
It's Nono:

Do you regret it?
Lu Mingfei didn't reply. Chen Motong quietly closed her phone, then looked up and greeted him confidently, "Hello classmate, I'm Chen Motong. Are you Green Bean Ice Cream classmate?"

"That's just a screen name."

The girl looked a little embarrassed and stood on tiptoe in front of Chen Motong: "My name is Su Enxi, you can just call me Enxi."

“Enxi…”

This name sounds a bit like the name of some kind of female protagonist... Chen Motong muttered to herself.

But the girl in front of him clearly had the typical features of a Chinese girl: slender eyebrows, a high nose bridge, and a classic oval face, combining the gentle grace and scholarly air of the Jiangnan region. Calling Lu Dou Bing Gao a beauty wouldn't be an exaggeration. She wasn't lying to Lu Mingfei.

She suppressed her curiosity and politely refrained from asking further questions. South Korea has always been a strong player in Go, an economic activity, and in recent years it even subtly suppressed China and Japan. There are also quite a few South Koreans who enjoy playing Go.

It wasn't until the newly crowned world champion Chu Zihang emerged like a peerless sword drawn from its sheath, defeating Park Se-dol, then the top Go player in South Korea, in three consecutive world championships—the Fujitsu Cup, the LG Cup, and the Samsung Cup—that China finally regained control of the world Go scene.

While she was lost in thought, Su Enxi was already leading the way.

"Go this way."

"...Okay." Coming to her senses, Chen Motong immediately followed the other person's steps.

With her hands behind her back, she followed Su Enxi into the school gate of No. 1 Middle School. Facing them was a straight tree-lined path, with tall beech trees on both sides intertwined, filtering out dappled sunlight.

It was right after school, and the streets were bustling with activity as students carrying their schoolbags headed home.

However, whether it was because her Shilan Middle School uniform was too conspicuous or for some other reason, Chen Motong noticed that many people around her were secretly glancing at them.

"Has Chen ever been to the No. 1 Middle School Go Club before?" Su Enxi suddenly asked.

"I've been here once," Chen Motong answered truthfully.

Go is a popular sport in Luzhou City. Shilan Middle School and Luzhou No. 1 Middle School are both strong teams in the Luzhou City High School Go League. The two schools are not far apart, and their Go clubs are also members of the Luzhou City Middle School Go Association. Naturally, they have some Go exchanges from time to time.

But there are only a few... because the two sides are old rivals in the City Central Federation of Industry and Commerce Challenge Cup.

The full name of the Municipal Middle School Joint Go Club is Xixiang City Middle School Joint Go Club. It is a club initiated by the Municipal Go Academy and is open to young Go enthusiasts in the city. The president of the Municipal Middle School Joint Go Club is determined by the Municipal Middle School Joint Go Club Challenge Cup and is elected every six months.

As one of the top key schools in Xixiang City, the Go club of Municipal No. 1 Middle School is on par with the Go club of Shilan Middle School, where Chen Motong and his classmates are located. They also take turns serving as the president of the municipal Go club.

Rivals are fiercely competitive, often refusing to yield to each other, resulting in very limited exchanges between the two Go clubs. The atmosphere is far more hostile than friendly.

Last year, as a new high school freshman, she came with the president of the school's Go club. The scene was polite but distant, and there was an invisible tension in the air.

anyway……

As if remembering something, Chen Motong asked Su Enxi, "Su, are you a first-year high school student?"

“No, it’s the second year of high school,” Su Enxi said. “Why are you suddenly asking about this?”

"Because when I visited the No. 1 Middle School Go Club last year, I don't think I saw you, Su."

"Oh." Su Enxi turned her head and smiled slightly: "It's normal that you haven't seen me before. I actually only transferred to No.1 High School this semester and just joined the Go club not long ago."

"I see." Chen Motong nodded, thinking that this made sense.

If the president of the Go club knew that he had actually lost to a new foreign player from No. 1 Middle School, he probably wouldn't be so affected.

While the two were chatting, Su Enxi had already led her into the No. 1 Middle School teaching building. The No. 1 Middle School's Go club was at the end of the corridor on the first floor of the teaching building, and Chen Motong had been there once before.

Chen Motong secretly glanced at her phone screen; Lu Mingfei hadn't replied to her message yet.

She took a deep breath and angrily stuffed her phone back into her pocket.

Forget it, relying on others is unreliable; in the end, you still have to rely on yourself. Fortunately, her memory has always been quite good, and memorizing game records is a basic skill in learning Go.

Although Lu Mingfei is unreliable, his seriousness and incredibly precise analysis during game reviews have been a huge help. The reviews with Lu Mingfei these past few days have been quite effective; she remembers every detail of the game records perfectly. Even if he's not around right now, there shouldn't be any problems.

The two walked to the window at the end of the corridor before stopping. Through the half-open window, they could see a Go club, about the size of two classrooms, with many people inside. The Go boards were simply placed on the desks. The wind carried the sound of Go stones being placed on the board.

"Let's go in," Su Enxi said with a smile, pushing open the door to the Go club.

Many eyes immediately turned around and stared curiously at her.

"..."

Chen Motong followed Su Enxi into the No. 1 Middle School Go Club. Suddenly, she had the illusion that she was there to challenge the club. Her mind began to quickly recall the game records that Lu Mingfei had reviewed for her in the past two days.

The two sat down at the empty Go table, and Su Enxi went to get the Go set box: "Chen, do you prefer to play black or white?"

"Black or white?"

Chen Motong was taken aback for a moment and asked, "Aren't we supposed to be reviewing the situation now?"

"no problem, no problem."

Su Enxi smiled and waved her hand: "The review can wait. I'd like to have a game with you, Chen, first. I get itchy fingers when I see a pro. Chen, you don't have anything else to do, right?"

"..."

Chen Motong's worst fears have come true.

……

(End of this chapter)