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

"...Who says it isn't!"

Lu Wenjie's voice was filled with full agreement and a sense of "eye-opening" amazement; he was clearly completely taken aback by Rui Zhao's actions.

His gaze shifted to Shang Chaotian, his eyebrows slightly raised, carrying a hint of inquiry and a search for a pillar of support:

"...Brother Tian, ​​what do you think about this..."

"Should we intervene? Should we try to guide them?"

"Tube?"

Shang Chaotian seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world, and let out a bitter laugh. He then waved his hand vigorously, with a rather large gesture.
"What do you care? And how can you care?!"

"To say that she was wrong to urge everyone to study her is to contradict her own slogan of 'encouraging competition and raising the overall level'."

He paused, his tone carrying a deep sense of helplessness and clarity:
"Besides, with her achievements overshadowing those of the emperor, what can I do to 'control' her?"

"I've said it before, she's the biggest rule-maker in the Chinese chess world right now! Let her be!"

Lu Wenjie shrugged slightly, looking as if he had expected it—indeed, what could be used to manage it?

Empress Zhao is practically a "godmother" figure in the world of Go right now! Trying to control her would be suicidal!

As Shang Chaotian continued talking, it seemed he had a lot to say about this, and he went on to say more:

"...And although what they said may sound a bit harsh, they really have the confidence to back it up!"
"In this King of Kings tournament, she won the championship with a perfect record and didn't lose a single game! She has now won ten consecutive games against Lei Qi, who is recognized as the second best in the world - it's no exaggeration to say that she is undefeated!"

"Although as the chairman of the chess association, I certainly wish deep down that our country's chess world would produce a true hegemon-level player who could dominate the world and reign supreme for more than five years..."

"But Rui Zhao's dominance is just too exaggerated!"

He turned around and looked at Lu Wenjie, his bitter smile deepening.

"Look at her overall record this year, she has 48 wins and 1 loss! Since losing to Lei Qi in the regular season of the Chinese Weiqi League in January, she has had a full 44-game winning streak!"

"This has broken the record for the longest winning streak in the history of professional competitions! Unprecedented and unparalleled!"

"Now, let alone the five-game match of the Chess Saint Tournament that will officially start on the 1st of next month, even the Tongge Cup World Championship, the media and fans of the entire chess world are overwhelmingly optimistic that she will win an unprecedented five-time consecutive World Championship title!"
"This kind of prediction, which is almost a certainty, makes me shudder!"

"……indeed!"

Lu Wenjie nodded in deep agreement:
"Tian-ge, to be honest, I've seen all sorts of ups and downs in all these years of competitions and work, but I've never felt anything like this before!"
"Back then, Choi Myung-ho dominated the Go world, but he also had his nemesis—he even had a bit of a psychological shadow when facing Old Wu!"

"In previous years, Liu Shixian was at the height of his power, with his annual winning rate soaring to over 90%! But there were always times when he was in a sorry state and lost badly."

"Moreover, if you look closely at the content of the games, in many unimportant minor games, these two GOATs will also make inexplicable mistakes from time to time, and their form will fluctuate, which is visibly affected."

"But what about Rui Zhao now? Her level of terror has completely risen to another level!"
"A 98% win rate since the beginning of the year is simply inhuman, not to mention that if you look at each game individually, it's almost always a clean sweep!"

"Players below Xiao Lei's level almost feel hopeless just watching her! And even Xiao Lei, every time he faces her, it's just a matter of seeing how long he can last..."

"With such achievements, even liberal media outlets abroad are running out of things to say about Rui Zhao!"

"And what's even more outrageous is that Rui Zhao is only twenty-two years old! She has at least three to four more years of peak performance ahead of her!"

"If this situation continues for another three or four years... hiss—"

The vice chairman of the chess association gasped, not finishing his sentence.

But the "hiss" at the end perfectly conveyed the chilling image that was so unsettling just to think about it.

Shang Chaotian also fell silent for a moment. In the VIP viewing room, only the faint sound of traffic outside the window and the soft hum of the air conditioner vents could be heard.

He had previously heard Du Weichen privately remark that watching Rui Zhao play chess sometimes gave him a strange feeling of "professing a love for dragons but fearing its power": he should have been on her side, but the more he watched, the more terrifying it seemed, and he even occasionally hoped that his opponent could win a game.

Back then, I thought Du Weichen was too sentimental and his descriptions were a bit exaggerated, but now I have to say...

That's so apt!
Just as Shang Chaotian felt a chill run down his spine, a slightly abrupt cell phone vibration broke the silence in the room. The buzzing sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

Shang Chaotian snapped out of his reverie, took out his phone, and glanced at the screen. A slight look of surprise crossed his face when he saw the caller ID:

[Caller: Lin Fan (Lin Ruixin's father)]

...Lin Ruixin's father?

Shang Chaotian's heart skipped a beat.

Mr. Lin is a low-key person who is very careful about his words and rarely calls the chairman of the chess association directly, for fear of disturbing the other party's work. The last time he called was to apologize on behalf of his son for overturning the chessboard during the Chinese Weiqi League playoffs, which was more than a year ago.

It's strange that they're calling me now, when nothing's been going on lately!
Shang Chaotian immediately exchanged a glance with Lu Wenjie beside him, and Lu Wenjie nodded slightly, indicating that his leader should listen first.

So the chairman of the chess association composed himself, pressed the answer button, and at the same time tacitly pressed the speakerphone button so that Lu Wenjie could hear clearly.

"Hello? Mr. Lin?"

"Hello, Chairman Shang!"

Lin Fan's polite but slightly reserved voice came from the other end of the phone:

"Sorry to bother you, sorry to bother you, it's been so long since we last talked." "Not at all, not at all! Lately I've just been acting as a mascot at various events..."

Shang Chaotian quickly composed himself and began exchanging pleasantries. After a few simple pleasantries, he took the initiative to speak, using as calm a tone as possible to get to the point:

"...Mr. Lin, is there something you need to tell me before you call today?"

"Ah, I dare not presume to give you such a request! But there is indeed a small matter I need to trouble you with..."

Lin Fan paused for a moment, as if he had finally mustered up his courage:
"Chairman Shang, please excuse my poor appearance..."

“Our Ruixin is thirty years old now. It should be the time for him to settle down, start a family, and settle down. But... but this kid has been focused on chess for the past year or so, and he doesn’t even have a girlfriend!”

"His mother and I were so worried about him! His hair has turned quite a bit gray..."

Lin Fan's words were filled with the anxiety and helplessness of an old father about his son's personal life, which left Shang Chaotian somewhat bewildered.

Should I... talk to the chairman of the chess association about this?

I can't very well overstep my bounds and act as Lin Ruixin's matchmaker, can I?

Moreover, Lin Ruixin is known in the industry for his stubborn temper and sharp tongue. Although he has attracted many female fans, almost all female professional Go players keep their distance from him.

Just as Shang Chaotian was feeling confused, he noticed Lu Wenjie beside him giving him repeated winks while whispering something:
"It's probably related to Lin Ruixin's current state..."

Upon hearing this, Shang Chaotian suddenly understood and immediately decided to follow Lin Fan's lead and continue probing:
"Well... it's only natural for parents to worry about their children's marriage!"
"Rui Xin has indeed been working too hard lately. Well..."

"Mr. Lin, is there anything in particular you need my help with?"

"Ah, nothing else is wrong!"

Lin Fan's voice lowered, tinged with a shy embarrassment:

"Well... as you know, Ruixin has always been a strong-willed and proud person since he was a child."

"Over the past year or so, he's been getting a bit obsessed with winning Rui Zhao's hand."

"This has become a real worry for him. His mother and I have tried to persuade him several times, but he won't listen!"

"Originally, his mother and I thought it was normal for professional Go players to win and lose against each other. Although Ruixin is not as good as Ruizhao, if we put in a couple of years of effort and study hard, we should be able to find a chance to win a game, right?"

"Once he wins a game, this knot in his heart will be untied, he will feel at ease, and he will naturally let go of it, and his life will be back on track."

However, at this point, Lin Fan's voice suddenly turned dejected:

"But now... Chairman Shang, you certainly know better than us that Rui Zhao is just too strong! Terrifyingly strong!"

"Moreover, she has a grudge against Ruixin, and she will never slack off when she plays against Ruixin. My wife and I really find it hard to imagine her losing to Ruixin."

"So... could you please talk to Rui Zhao about it?"

"Considering that my Ruixin has won a lot of honor for the country, could you please go easy on him in a small competition and give him a way out?"

"It's good to turn the page! Time to get back to normal life..."

Shang Chaotian now understood everything—Lin Fan was worried that his son's physical and mental state would be dragged down by his endless obsession!

Faced with the world's number one person, who seemed to have descended from heaven, Lin Fan knew that his son, who had a grudge against the other party, had a very slim chance of winning. However, Lin Ruixin, who was extremely obsessed, refused to listen to advice. Therefore, he had no choice but to go to Shang Chaotian to ask Rui Zhao for help.

But how could Shang Chaotian possibly control Rui Zhao right now!

The chess association chairman pursed his lips and decided to tell the truth:
"Ah, Mr. Lin, thank you for your trust. But about this... I'll tell you the truth."

"I can subtly mention this idea to Rui Zhao for you. After all, as you said, Rui Xin is also a meritorious player for the national team."

"However, you should have heard that Rui Zhao and Rui Xin have a long-standing grudge against each other!"
"And to be honest... her current position in the Chinese chess world is so high that it's no exaggeration to say that she has 'overshadowed the master'!"
"Even for a reasonable request, my opinion as the chairman of the chess association doesn't really have much binding force with her, let alone the fact that this is a completely unreasonable request!"

"You need to understand this."

A longer silence fell on the other end of the phone, as Lin Fan seemed to be processing this expected answer.

After several seconds, he let out a heavy sigh:

"Ah... I understand, Chairman Shang!"
"This is indeed Ruixin's own fault, and our family is in the wrong!"
"In any case, we'd appreciate it if you could try to sound her out for us. Whether it works out or not, we'd be extremely grateful!"
"If you need us, the elderly couple, to go to her home in person to apologize or something, please feel free to ask, and we will definitely cooperate!"

After a few more words of comfort and thanks, the call ended in a somber atmosphere.

After putting down his phone, Shang Chaotian let out a long sigh, feeling a little uneasy.

He looked at Lu Wenjie, who had been listening in, and said with a complicated expression:
“Wenjie, haven’t we spoiled Lin Ruixin a bit too much? That’s why he has such a bad temper…”

"...Maybe a little! But it's a bit too late to talk about this now!"

Lu Wenjie's expression was equally serious. After a moment's hesitation, he offered a relatively safe suggestion:
"After the Chess Saint Tournament is over, Brother Tian, ​​find an opportunity to subtly mention Mr. Lin's intentions to Rui Zhao, but there's no need to put pressure on her. The final decision rests with her!"
"After all, she was the one who was genuinely entangled in trouble back then. We have no right to forgive her on her behalf, let alone 'be generous with other people's money'."

Shang Chaotian nodded silently, his gaze returning to the rushing waters of the Shengjiang River outside the window, his voice low and firm:
"Hmm." (End of Chapter)