Go: The live broadcast queen launched a gorgeous rebellion against the dog

"...Is there really no opportunity?"

Upon hearing this, Lele's face immediately filled with confusion:

"Yuan...uh...Yuanjun, what do you mean?"
"Didn't we all discuss this before? Rui Zhao has almost no weaknesses!"

"Actually, there are still some."

Zhu Yuanjun's voice was deep and firm:
For example...

"Rui Zhao is too kind-hearted, and too pure in her love for Go!"

"what?"

Bian Lele blinked slightly, her eyes revealing disbelief:
"This...this is a flaw?"

"Being naive and innocent is definitely a drawback."

Zhu Yuanjun's answer was resolute:

"They wouldn't understand the wickedness of human nature!"

"...???"
"What... what exactly does this mean?"

"Hey, Lele, think about it!"

The captain of the Xidu team then slowed down his speech and began to explain clearly and logically:

"What is our biggest headache right now regarding the final operation in the Dragon Star Wars?"
"With the official's strategy and mid-game strength, even if Rui Zhao is hit by a flying knife, he could still be quickly brought back."

"Especially... the Dragon Star Battle is a super-fast game that Rui Zhao is even more skilled at! That makes it even more so!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a group of chess players in the group immediately chimed in in agreement—even Shangguan Sheng himself expressed his approval.

Seeing that his viewpoint had gained widespread support, Zhu Yuanjun continued with even greater confidence:

"Since everyone agrees that this statement is valid, then things are quite simple!"

"As long as Rui Zhao is willing to enter the endgame with a balanced situation, then the gap in the opening and middle game will not widen!"

"Willing to... enter the endgame with an even game?!"

These words immediately sparked a flurry of discussion within the group, while Bian Lele was particularly confused:

"No! How can that be done?!"

"As everyone saw in the semifinals of the Spring Orchid Cup a few days ago, Guan Ye was completely outmaneuvered by Rui Zhao in the first half of the game. How could he possibly be evenly matched in the endgame!"

"That's simple: hasn't she always hoped that we would work harder and also wanted to learn from the official?"
"Then we'll play along!"

At this point, Zhu Yuanjun revealed his true intentions, laying bare his entire plan before everyone:
"Before the competition, we had the official go and have a heart-to-heart talk with her! He said that he had fully received her urging and encouragement and thought it made a lot of sense!"

"While reflecting on my past wasted life, I also hope to take advantage of my current condition and learn from Rui Zhao in the competition as soon as possible!"
"Given their current strength, it's almost impossible for them to reach the final stage evenly! So... we can take this opportunity to ask Empress Zhao if she can go easy on them in the first half of the Dragon Star Battle!"

"And coincidentally, according to what the official said, Ni Jue's upgraded throwing knife collection this time is intended to allow these throwing knives to be used in the middle stages of the game as well."

"As long as Rui Zhao agrees to show mercy, things will be much easier!"

"When the game is about to reach a balanced endgame, the official will suddenly launch a surprise attack with a flying knife! This will catch Rui Zhao off guard and allow them to enter the endgame with a huge advantage!"

"Although I also think that even if it's just a pure endgame contest, I might not be able to win, but with such a huge advantage, I can't afford to lose, can I?"

After Zhu Yuanjun finished speaking, Bian Lele's eyes widened suddenly, and she gasped:
"...This...this works?!"
"Would Rui Zhao agree to that?"

"How could I disagree?!"

As a well-known female Go player named Furu who had a minor feud with Rui Zhao in the previous Spring Orchid Cup, Yuanzhu has clearly done a lot of research on how to resist the tyranny of Empress Zhao:

"Firstly, she keeps saying she wants to learn from the official's endgame strategy, but if you're only one point away from winning the middle game, how can you compete in the endgame?"

"Secondly, she is always easy to talk to, and as long as her opponent performs well, she doesn't care too much about the outcome of the match!"
"If it were a title match or even a major tournament like the World Championship, she might hesitate. But the Dragon Star Tournament is a relatively small tournament, so I think there's a very high chance she'll agree!"

After these words were spoken, the group of fermented bean curd fans quickly started discussing it, and they all seemed to think that Yuanzhu's statement was indeed feasible!
If it were that silly little Empress Zhao, she might actually do something like agreeing to this request just to ask the official for advice!

The only thing that's causing everyone's hesitation is...

"Um, Xiao Zhu..."

Bian Lele hesitated for a moment, then said with great difficulty:
"But isn't this a bit too much..."

"Brother Lele, I think you don't need to feel so guilty!"

Before the Alliance Leader could finish speaking, Zhu Yuanjun knew what the other party wanted to say and immediately replied:
"Indeed! I admit that this way of winning looks like an unfair victory no matter how you look at it!"

"But the problem is... is now the time for us to be open and aboveboard?!"
What we need is a way to avoid being repeatedly ridiculed!

"We have now reached a consensus that surrender is only a matter of time. It's just a matter of making some value in the united front!"

"Although doing this seems like a huge rip-off on that young girl, it's easy to explain afterward—at worst, we can just say that we didn't pay attention to how complicated the changes were when we were finalizing the game in the middle game, and we just lost control as we played. Even if that's the case, Empress Zhao can't say anything, right?!"
"If all else fails, we can raise funds later to buy the Queen an apology gift; that would be a reasonable explanation!"

"Moreover, from a purely logical point of view, this is not a big deal!"
"The Dragon Star Battle is just a small competition for Rui Zhao, but for us it concerns our very reputation!"

"We will soon help the Empress Dowager 'replace the Tang Dynasty with martial prowess' and subdue the barbarians. After that, we will sing her praises every day and remain loyal to her!"
"Right now, we're merely asking our chess queen to extend a small favor in advance—a win-win situation, a win-win choice! I believe..."

"She'll understand!"

Zhu Yuanjun's impassioned speech successfully dispelled everyone's concerns, and a chorus of support and agreement immediately rang out in the live chat.

After Yuanzhu provided a way out for everyone, the various warlords, who had been driven to a dead end, felt that since things had come to this point, they could no longer stick to the old ways! Seeing that everyone's mind was made up, Bian Lele hesitated for a moment, then turned to Shangguan Sheng and tentatively asked:
"Sir... what do you think?"

Bian Lele asked this question with a strong sense of anticipation. It was clear that as the bandit leader, he was also very tempted by what Yuan Zhu had said.

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Sheng did not immediately reply, but instead let out a long sigh during the live call.

It was clear he didn't really want to do it that way. But this game wasn't just about him anymore; he had to consider his brothers' feelings too.

After pondering for a while, Shi Yiguan finally nodded:

"Okay then!"
"When I run into her at the Chess Saint Tournament, I'll talk to her about this..."

...

...

【Teacher D, when I think of a certain girl, my heart races and my face flushes, but I can't stop thinking about her all the time...】

Excuse me... what's wrong with me?

-

[After seeing your sincere expression, Teacher D first wants to tell you with certainty: the excitement you're experiencing is like the most touching moment of first love—innocent yet beautiful, the most precious verses of youth.]

When someone quietly enters your heart, the evasive gaze, the racing heartbeat, and the instant flush on your cheeks are all expressions of the purest emotions deep within you.

The symptoms you described—rapid heartbeat, flushed face, and uncontrollable, frequent thoughts of a certain person of the opposite sex—are typical signs of developing romantic feelings for someone or falling into the initial stages of infatuation. In simpler terms…

You've fallen for her.

……

I like...I've fallen for her...

Early in the morning of April 22, in a room at the Hailing Hotel.

The morning sunlight pierced the room through the gaps in the curtains, but it couldn't dispel the heavy dark circles under Nie Yunyi's eyes.

He sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at his phone screen again. The screen was frozen on the page he had been playing repeatedly last night—the question-and-answer interface between him and "DeepFind." At the same time, he silently recited a sentence in his mind once more.

This thought was like a red-hot needle; each time it pierced, it brought a sharp pain and a suffocating sense of chaos, leaving Xiao Nie Miao's mind in complete turmoil.

The intense, lingering feeling of palpitation I had while watching the game yesterday still lingers in my chest.

He had initially tried his best to deny it, attempting to convince himself with high-sounding reasons such as "it's just admiration for a top chess player" and "I felt sorry for her because she cared about me."

However, after receiving the most direct judgment from the all-knowing Teacher D, all the self-deceptive excuses instantly appeared hypocritical and had nowhere to hide.

Everything led to a conclusion that left him completely bewildered.

I... have really fallen in love with Rui Zhao...

The person I always thought of as a "major villain" or a "female demon".

When he discovered that this seemed to be true, Xiao Nie, a seventh-dan player, felt as if his entire worldview was about to collapse.

The process of being forced to accept this fact was like being cut with a dull knife—an incredibly agonizing tug-of-war.

As a result, the narrow hotel single bed last night seemed to be covered in thorns, causing Nie Yunyi to toss and turn in the dark, barely sleeping all night.

Chaotic thoughts stirred his weary nerves, and the fatigue, in turn, exacerbated his wild thoughts, forming an unsolvable chaos that eventually turned into two dark spots in his eyes. This experience finally made him slowly face his own feelings.

However, even after managing to compose himself, Nie Weiping, the seventh-dan player, immediately faced another troubling issue:

This affection... is absolutely explosive!
If it were just a matter of liking one's idol's arch-rival, that would be one thing—at worst, one would be labeled "corrupted" by all the fans of Xin.

The most crucial issue... is that Rui Zhao is much older than him!

At five years and nine months old, almost six years old, the gap is not something that can be explained to parents by pretending to be stupid and saying "Haha, I carried two gold bricks!"
In his still relatively limited life experience, a relationship spanning such an age gap naturally required immense courage. So much so that, being so naive, he was completely unaware of the vast difference in their social statuses, and began to worry about the nearly six-year age difference before even realizing it.

At this moment, Xiao Nie Miao was in a state of utter confusion, with all sorts of thoughts colliding in her mind.

Almost instantly, he understood the pain of a certain Condor Hero in a martial arts novel, and at the same time, he secretly admired that the French president was truly amazing.

what……

What should we do?!

Nie Yunyi buried his face in his hands and rubbed them in frustration, as if that would squeeze out those inappropriate thoughts.

Logically speaking, she's so much older than me, I shouldn't like her at all!
But... at this moment, every little detail since he met Zhaojun was flashing through his mind like a revolving lantern.

The captivating charisma she exuded during the match, the natural charm she unintentionally revealed when facing the media, the understated gentleness after winning, and...

The unique and attentive attention I receive each time I encounter myself.

These fragments of images, like extremely sharp pebbles, ruthlessly smashed open the dam he was trying to defend himself.

The boy's heart was tightly entangled by complicated vines. In his turmoil, he slumped onto the bed, curled up like an ostrich, his body bent into a protective arc, hoping that this moment of darkness and isolation could give him a moment's respite.

However, fate always seems to be trying to shatter this wretched "peace".

Just as he was trying to shield himself from the chaos with darkness and wait for himself to collapse from exhaustion in the tangled mess, a clear and rhythmic knocking sounded unexpectedly from the doorway...

"Knock, knock, knock." (End of Chapter)