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

The sweltering heat of early August was still lingering, with cicadas chirping and heralding the last days of summer.

But after several heavy rains, a slightly cool, thin blade seemed to be hidden in the wind.

The cicadas' chirping faded, the morning dew turned cool, and the summer heat was quietly smoothed out...

It was 8 PM on August 12th. In Jinling City, Jiangsu Province, at Sun Yi's home.

On the giant television screen, the second game of the best-of-three series of the National Chess Tournament had just ended, and Rui and Lei, the two players who had just faced off, were reviewing the game.

Sun Yi leaned back on the sofa, about to share his thoughts on watching the game with his wife, when he noticed that Xiao Xiaoniao was frowning and scrolling through her phone, clearly engrossed in something.

"Yu Hong, what's wrong?" Sun Yi asked upon seeing this. "Is it really that upsetting to see your junior brother lose the title of 'National Champion' again?"

"Ah... I, I wasn't looking at or concerned about that!"

Liu Yuhong expressed no resentment whatsoever about his junior teammate failing to defend his national title:
"I looked at the screenshots of foreign online forums sent back by chess players who recently went abroad to 'teach' in rural areas, and I feel that the wind has completely changed!"

"Monkey, something seems wrong!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Yi subconsciously frowned and pushed away the laptop on his lap:

What...did they say?

"They just keep making a fuss about the idea that 'humans can't beat AI' from every angle!"

Liu Yuhong put down her phone, her face filled with frustration and confusion:

"No matter how you explain the depth, artistry, competitive charm of Go, or even that AI is not omniscient and that humans have an advantage in understanding certain complex situations... the other side just said one sentence!"

"So, in the end, isn't it because we can't beat AI?!"

Are they all just parrots?!

Liu Yuhong exhaled forcefully, as if trying to release the pent-up frustration:

"What's even more frustrating is that it seems most ordinary people have been completely misled by this kind of public opinion!"

"I heard that Jingjing was furious when she saw the comments on foreign websites! If Chu Jun hadn't held her back, she would have gone online to argue with them!"
"Why are there so many annoying people on the internet?!"

After listening, Sun Yi did not immediately show anger or rush to refute the fallacies on the internet like the little bird.

He was silent for a few seconds, then a very helpless smile appeared on his lips:

"There's nothing I can do..."

"For most ordinary people... schadenfreude is an instinct."

Sun Yi looked at his wife and began to analyze the situation based on his early experiences:

"Think about it, for those neutral people abroad who originally had no interest in Go, what direct benefits would supporting Go's inclusion in the Olympics and its wider appeal bring them? None."

"Can focusing on a complex Eastern intellectual game that we've never really explored bring us any enjoyment? Probably not!"

"Therefore, instead of letting people who have practiced Go enthusiastically tout how profound and valuable it is, making yourself look like a fool who doesn't understand anything..."

"Then why not turn it around and laugh at those who study chess as fools! They're clinging to outdated ideas while working with something that can be easily solved by machines!"
"Who wouldn't want that sense of intellectual superiority from looking down on others, that 'emotional value' that provides instant gratification without any effort?"
"This is just like when AI painting first came out. Didn't those people who used AI painting tools to generate seemingly decent works in a few seconds also stir up a wave of ridicule against traditional painters and even all art-related practitioners on the Internet?"
"Does mocking artists bring any real benefit to those people? Obviously not."

"But that contemptuous pleasure of 'Look, your profession/hobby is nothing special,' that sense of superiority that comes from surpassing others' efforts without needing to understand or practice skills, simply by using tools, is enough to make those who lack awareness unable to resist!"

At this point, Sun Yi lightly slapped his thigh and shook his head, saying:

"The same principle applies to Go..."

"Although we all know that AI is powerful, it is far from reaching the end of Go!"

"It even makes mistakes in judgment quite often! Every now and then, it makes moves that are inferior to those of human players!"

"But...who would want to listen to all that explanation from you?"

At this point, Sun Yi sighed, a sigh filled with helplessness at the current situation:
"People just follow the simplest logic: can you afford to buy me a graphics card that costs several hundred dollars?"
"If you can't even download it, then you're not even as good as a broken graphics card! Isn't that the truth?!"

"When my parents saw OMEGA GO suddenly appear, they asked me if I could still play Go. They said if not, I should hurry up and learn interior design from them! It really made me both laugh and cry!"

"I thought that thanks to Rui Zhao and others' continuous efforts in popularizing science in China over the years, such anti-intellectual remarks would no longer appear. But who would have thought... that at this crucial juncture of promoting Go's inclusion in the Olympics, we would fall into the same trap again!"

After listening to her husband's long, calm yet helpless analysis, Liu Yuhong's worry did not dissipate; instead, she turned to more specific questions:

"Then... what about Rui Zhao?"

She lowered her voice, as if discussing a matter that needed to be kept secret:

"Does she know about these recent developments?"

"They probably don't know yet!"

Sun Yi immediately shook his head, making a very quick judgment:
"You know her personality!"

“As long as we don’t bring it up with her, she usually doesn’t pay attention to these off-market opinions and controversies.”

"And judging from her recent post-match interviews, she doesn't seem to know anything about it."

Liu Yuhong nodded thoughtfully, but then hesitated:

"Then...should we mention it to her? At least let her know?"

"carry?"

Sun Yi reacted quickly, shaking his head almost immediately:
"I think... we should keep it a secret for as long as possible! After all, no one around her has told her!"
"Besides, even if she found out, what could she do?"

"It's just adding to your troubles!"

...

...

"...Okay, thank you Rui Zhao for accepting our interview!"

"Congratulations again on winning your fourth title, 'National Master'! We also wish you the best of luck in achieving a Grand Slam at the year-end YiXian Tournament!" "Thank you!"

……

"call……

"Luckily, the reporter didn't ask any questions this time!"

Five minutes later, in the Bianjing Hotel in Bianzhou City, Central Plains Province, in the live broadcast room of [Weiqi Xiaozhao].

Seeing that the post-match interviews were over, and that the questions the reporters asked Rui Zhao on the live broadcast were all routine, Zeng Guangwen, who had just finished the live broadcast of the match, breathed a small sigh of relief.

As for why he was so apprehensive... well, it was naturally because of the extremely unfavorable public opinion situation on foreign websites recently.

Although no bad news has been officially released yet, it is no secret in the Chinese chess community that the current situation of public opinion on foreign websites is worrying.

The seemingly promising situation regarding Olympic qualification has completely stalled in the past ten days, leading people to vaguely sense that something is amiss.

All of this made Hua Ran and Zeng Guangwen feel quite depressed.

If Rui Zhao, who has always hoped that Go could be included in the Olympics, heard these messy comments on foreign websites, it's hard to imagine how much it would affect her mentality!

Therefore, during the national team competition, Ai Jianan, Hua Ran, and Zeng Guangwen reached an unspoken understanding—to keep it a secret!

Regardless, keep it from Rui Zhao for now! Let her focus on the game at hand.

Fortunately, Rui Zhao never inquired about it. Her world seemed to be forever occupied by the chessboard with its nineteen lines, and she crushed all her opponents in this national tournament, winning the championship and continuing her march towards the great cause of "dominating all titles"! This was undoubtedly gratifying for her loyal hound.

"But Brother Zeng..."

At this moment, Hua Ran, who was sitting to the side, raised her head, her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and her face showed a hint of uncertainty and hesitation:
"Now that Sister Rui Zhao has obtained her fourth title...shouldn't we talk to her about it?"

"Don't! Don't!"

Upon hearing this, Zeng Guangwen practically jumped up from his chair!

"Just think about it! How much did the diva sacrifice for Go to be included in the Olympics?!"

"Let's not even talk about the competitive aspect! What about off the field? How much money has she personally invested in the 'Zhaomiao Cup'? Sponsoring those overseas amateur competitions, promoting projects... which one of them wasn't supported by her behind the scenes?!"

"If it weren't for that damned blond guy in North America secretly sabotaging us and using state-level power to suppress us, I think we really had a good chance of getting into the Olympics, given the momentum created by the Queen!"
"But now? This situation doesn't look good at all!"

"If the diva knew about these upsetting things, and then got angry and distracted... that would be truly terrible!"

"What she should do most right now is to focus single-mindedly! Concentrate on breaking those winning streaks and consecutive championship records, and focus on achieving the great feat of 'dominating all titles'!"

"As for the public opinion battles outside... that's something that President Ai, the Chess Association, and the national level need to consider!"
"No matter how powerful the queen is, she's only powerful on the chessboard! Once she's not on the chessboard, she's just a simpleton!"

"Even if we knew, what good would it do besides adding to her worries and affecting her chess performance?"

"So let's just pretend we don't know and keep it a secret for as long as we can!"

Hearing Zeng Guangwen's heartfelt words, Hua Ran fell silent. But the hesitation in her eyes had vanished.

indeed.

The current situation is entirely a contest of propaganda and operational tactics between the two sides, and the world's number one player on the chessboard has no say in it.

If one had to say what Rui Zhao could do, it would be to focus on playing each game well and try to accumulate as much public opinion and momentum as possible for the left wing...

Although it may not be able to fundamentally reverse the downward trend!
However, just as this brief silence began, the door to the live stream was gently pushed open...

"...Brother Zeng, Ranran, you're both here!"

The host of the live stream naturally walked in and greeted the two of them.

"...Queen of Pop?!"

Ah! That's natural!
"I need to learn from your post-match interview remarks!"

Upon seeing his master approach, Zeng Guangwen seemed to have a switch flipped, instantly jumping up from his chair.

The worried expression on his face vanished as if by magic, replaced by an exaggerated, radiant smile filled with obsequiousness.

You have always been the only sun in my heart, illuminating my path forward!

"Your post-match interview was full of insightful words and wise sayings, which I naturally had to study immediately, ponder repeatedly, and deeply understand!"

"Uh……

"Y-really?"

Rui Zhao pursed her lips slightly, a hint of embarrassment in her voice.

Hua Ran, standing to the side, curled her lip indifferently—after all, she knew that the current number one player in the chess world always found flattery disgusting, and would probably be about to stop her dog's extremely utilitarian tail-wagging behavior.

However, to Hua Ran's surprise...

Unlike before, Athena, in her usual gentle yet firm tone, didn't tell Zeng Guangwen to "stop it" or "get down to business." Instead, she tilted her head slightly and followed Zeng Guangwen's words, saying:
"...Since I am the only sun in your heart, Brother Zeng...then..."

Can you answer my question truthfully?

"Your Majesty, please speak!"

At this moment, the Celestial Hound was completely unaware that something was wrong. Seeing that its master had some needs, it naturally wagged its tail even more fiercely!
"My loyalty to you has always been absolute! The sun and moon bear witness!"

"I'll tell you everything I know, without holding anything back!"

When Zhaojun nodded slightly, her bright eyes were now calm as water, unlike her usual innocent and carefree self.

The corners of his mouth seemed to curve upwards in an extremely slight arc, but the smile lacked its usual gentleness; instead, it carried an unavoidable sharpness.

She looked at Zeng Guangwen and Hua Ran, her voice not loud, but clearly penetrating the lingering noise in the live stream, instantly touching their hearts:
"……you……

"Are you hiding something from me lately?" (End of Chapter)