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

...Someone's knocking on the door!
Like a startled rabbit, Nie Yunyi's entire body stiffened for a moment, then he abruptly sat up halfway from his curled-up position. At the same time, he frantically searched his mind for possible candidates:
Brother Sun and Brother Ruixin... they both left after being eliminated and didn't stay until today.

The post-match cleanup... The volunteer work ended yesterday, and today the chess association's own staff are handling all the follow-up matters. Logically, no one should be contacting me.

Eliminating all the impossibilities, then... then it couldn't be...

A sense of absurdity mixed with a hidden sense of luck arose spontaneously. Almost instantly, his heart went out of control, pounding against his chest like a war drum, so fast it was almost painful.

The "impossible" image in her mind seemed to be swaying at the door, making Xiao Nie Miao's throat feel dry and tight!

But he still subconsciously swallowed, and almost on some kind of panicked instinct, he hurriedly got out of bed, stumbled towards the door, and pulled it open with trembling fingertips!
The figure at the door came into view: the person was indeed a leader of China, but not the one who had triggered his intense emotions last night...

Before Nie Yunyi stood a middle-aged man with gray hair, a warm expression, yet an air of authority:

Shang Chaotian is the current chairman of the China Chess Association.

"Chairman Shang...?"

Nie Yunyi's voice was dry, and he was clearly surprised.

He never expected that the person who would come to his room early in the morning would be the head of his own association!

"Good morning, Xiao Nie!"

Shang Chaotian wore the gentle smile typical of chess association leaders, nodded slightly, and walked in naturally, as if he were just taking a stroll.

But upon noticing Nie Yunyi's prominent dark circles and his disheveled hair, the chess association chairman's smile faded slightly. He then sighed softly and began to speak:

"I heard from the event management that you didn't attend the thank-you dinner for the volunteers last night?"

Upon hearing this, Nie Yunyi stiffened and hurriedly replied in a somewhat flustered manner:
"Ah, yes... Chairman Shang, I'm sorry!"
"Last night, I just... I just felt a little tired and wanted to rest early."

He tried to gloss over the fact that he had "slept all night"—he couldn't very well say that he was struggling with his feelings for a female chess player who was six years older than him, could he?

Ke Shangchaotian had already walked naturally to the single sofa by the window. His posture did not give people a sense of oppression, but Nie Yunyi felt that the air in his room had become a bit stagnant.

Seeing Xiao Nie's slightly uneasy expression, he waved his hand tolerantly:

"It's alright, it's alright. The competition is over, you should get some rest. I heard you didn't come, and I was a little worried, so I just happened to be passing by and came up to check on you."

He paused, then looked gently at Nie Yunyi, who was still standing at the door, seemingly at a loss. His tone was inquiring but not dismissive:
"May I sit here for a while and chat for a bit?"

"Of course!"
"Chairman Shang, please have a seat!"

Nie Yunyi seemed to wake from a dream, hurriedly agreed and closed the door. Then, almost as if he were walking in a daze, he quickly walked over and invited the leader to sit down at the small tea table.

Shang Chaotian smiled knowingly, naturally attributing all of Nie Yunyi's awkwardness to the outcome of the Spring Orchid Cup. He then leaned forward slightly and cut to the chase:
"Xiao Nie, I know that the result of this Spring Orchid Cup may have left you feeling a little bitter."

"Uesaka Rei has indeed made a significant breakthrough by reaching the quarterfinals this time."
"Lin Ruixin... uh, you should have watched that quarterfinal match too; "

"Rui Zhao eventually won four consecutive World Championships, making her famous all over the world!"
"Although this is a good thing for Chinese Go, I know that from your perspective, it must be somewhat unpleasant..."

Shang Chaotian's voice was low and tinged with helplessness, clearly intended to be considerate of Nie Yunyi's feelings.

Indeed, in the past, Nie Yunyi would have been deeply moved upon hearing these words.

The frustration of his idol's defeat and the overwhelming success of his rivals would instantly ignite his youthful passion, making him secretly vow to work hard to surpass them!

However, at this moment, when Shang Chaotian spoke to him earnestly about these things, Nie Yunyi's heart could no longer be stirred by even the slightest ripple.

Feeling down?
It's not good at all—but not at all because of these grudges and face-saving disputes.

His entire being, all his thoughts, were gripped by another matter, which he could not possibly utter a single word about to the chess association chairman before him!

Nie Yunyi carefully avoided the other person's gaze, finally uttering a few off-key syllables, his voice as low as a mosquito's hum:
"Uh... um... yes... a little..."

However, Shang Chaotian was completely unaware of the turbulent, rambling waves of emotion churning within the young man's heart.

He assumed that the country's rising star was simply extremely depressed because his idol had suffered a crushing defeat and his rival had won, which was why he was slow to react and listless.

This situation... requires timely guidance!

"Little Nie!"

Chairman Shang's voice grew increasingly gentle, carrying a hint of earnestness:
“I can see that you sometimes have some… well, preconceived notions about female chess players. You think their ceiling is probably just that, or that losing to a female chess player is incredibly shameful.”

"But I think... I might need to change my mind!"

Shang Chaotian first tentatively stated his intentions, and seeing that Nie Yunyi did not seem to object, he then shared his own personal experience to persuade him:
"Take my partner for example!"
"You may also know that when she was competing, there were not many women's competitions in China, and it was very difficult to advance to the next level!"

"But when she plays against a group of male Go players, she can already beat a bunch of strong players and her 8-dan ranking is really well-deserved! I often lose to her when I play against her in private!"

What does this mean?

"This shows that, in terms of talent, especially at the top level, the heights that male and female chess players can reach are very similar!"
"The key to widening the gap lies in hard work, dedication, focus, and... learning from and absorbing the strengths of top players!"
"I think you don't need to have such deep hostility towards Rui Zhao!"
"Actually, she is a very outstanding chess player, worthy of your attention... uh, Xiao Nie?"

"Are you even listening?!"

Shang Chaotian's fluent speech came to an abrupt halt.

Because he noticed that the boy sitting in the chair opposite him had suddenly drifted off into his own world!
At this moment, Nie Yunyi stared intently at Shang Chaotian, sitting frozen in his chair as if under a spell—Shang Chaotian's admonitions about "learning from Rui Zhao" had clearly not penetrated Nie Yunyi's brain at all.

Seeing the boy's unusual blank stare, the chess association chairman, who had been speaking eloquently just moments before, was also caught off guard by this unexpected situation, and all the words of advice he had prepared stuck in his throat.

"Xiao Nie? What... happened to you?"

Shang Chaotian couldn't help but lean forward and wave his hand in front of Nie Yunyi's unfocused eyes:

"!!!"

As if the shaking hand had become a switch, Nie Yunyi, who had been lost in thought just a second ago, suddenly jolted awake, as if a high-voltage current had instantly passed through his entire body!

He sprang up from his chair, standing ramrod straight. The thick dark circles and exhaustion on his face were instantly replaced by an almost fanatical, enlightened excitement:
"Ah! Chairman Shang! You're absolutely right!!!"
"I...I can learn from you!"

"???"

Shang Chaotian was completely bewildered by his sudden and out-of-place excitement:
"Uh, Xiao Nie..."

"I mean, you should learn more from Rui Zhao! Why do you suddenly want to learn from me!"

“I’ve been working in this association for many years and haven’t played chess on the front lines for a long time. What is there for you to learn now…”

However, Nie Yunyi was now as energetic as if he had been injected with chicken blood! His previous fatigue, dejection, and absent-mindedness had vanished completely!

He completely ignored the obvious question mark in Shang Chaotian's words and the bewildered expression on his face, and rushed forward to grab Shang Chaotian's hand! It was as if he had found a long-lost guiding light!

Shang Chaotian was overwhelmed by Nie Yunyi's sudden and overwhelming enthusiasm. He wanted to pull his hand back but felt it would be impolite, so he could only let the seventh-ranked Nie hold it tightly, his face showing even deeper confusion.

Nie Yunyi was so excited that his voice trembled:
"I must become a leading figure in Chinese Go, just like you!"
"Then……

"...!!!"

But the moment the word "then" left his mouth, the fervor on Nie Yunyi's face froze instantly!
Almost instantly, Nie Yunyi gasped as if he had burned his tongue with his own words.

He gripped Shang Chaotian's hand tightly, then jerked away as if electrocuted, his whole body springing back a small step like a spring. He then feigned panic but tried to appear calm, saying:
"Ah! It's nothing!"
"That's all!"

"..."

With Nie Yunyi's panic and Shang Chaotian's bewilderment, the air in the room became eerily silent for a moment.

Shang Chaotian looked down at his hand, which had just been warmly grasped but was now being quickly shaken off. Then he looked up at the chess association chairman, a leading figure among the nation's "post-10s" generation, who seemed to have experienced both extremes of heat and cold in an instant. His mind was completely filled with huge question marks.

Isn't this child's train of thought a bit too disjointed?

He actually said he wanted to take this old man as a role model?!
Even if he really dislikes Rui Zhao, shouldn't he still support his idol?

He doesn't seem like the type to flatter or fawn.
Completely unable to fathom what Xiao Nie, the seventh-dan player, was thinking, Shang Chaotian was at a loss for words.

But the fact before my eyes was that Nie Yunyi, who was almost listless, suddenly cheered up after I encouraged him with a few words!
Hmm... Could it be...?

Do I actually possess some unique charm?

Thinking about this, Shang Chaotian suddenly felt a sense of unreality.

There's a feeling that something about this whole thing isn't quite right... (End of Chapter)