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

"hiss--

"Wenjie, I have a feeling..."

"There are far more reporters and onlookers today than during the first handicap challenger match!!"

January 23, 2028, the 27th day of the 12th lunar month.

At 7:30 a.m., at the revolving restaurant on the rooftop of the Oriental Hotel in Singapore.

After casually glancing at the view outside the window, Shang Chaotian, who was having breakfast there, beckoned to his assistant who had just brought over coffee with a slightly incredulous tone.

In his view, the second challenge should not be more exciting than the first one—domestic media coverage of events is usually most extensive at the opening and closing ceremonies.

But the current level of attention, which is clearly increasing rather than decreasing, seems very unusual to him.

"Hmm? Brother Tian, ​​you haven't been paying much attention to public opinion lately?"

Lu Wenjie gently placed the coffee cup on the table, glanced in the direction Shang Chaotian was pointing, and a knowing smile appeared on his face:

"Ever since Liu Shixian's first challenge ended in a crushing defeat, Rui Zhao has once again stirred up an unprecedented wave of public opinion around the world!"
"Liu Shixian was already one of the top three masters in the world, but even when he was given the first move, he still had no power to fight back and was directly defeated in one area!"
"In the post-match interview, he was completely convinced and even directly suggested that Deepbrain come down and accept Rui Zhao's challenge..."

"With all these things combined, how could the buzz not continue to grow!"
"It feels like in F1, a world champion driver says before the race that he will never participate in qualifying again and can still win the championship by starting from the last position on the grid!"
"Or, the world's number one tennis player could publicly declare that he would send his opponent the first three games of every set before starting the match, and still easily win the title!"

"I've never heard of anything like this in other projects! But Rui Zhao has managed to do it!"

"Therefore, how could the global media not pay extra attention to this second challenge from Lei Qi, who is widely recognized as the second best in the world?"

"I heard that Xiao Ai is even regretting selling the broadcasting rights too cheaply back then!"

"Uh……

"Is this, like this?"

Shang Chaotian was a little confused by Lu Wenjie's series of analyses and analogies, which were packed with information, and subconsciously responded.

Seeing that his chairman seemed to know everything before, Lu Wenjie blinked and asked with a hint of inquiry:

"Looks like you really didn't pay attention to these things, Brother Tian... you were too busy watching the game?"

"...I guess so!"

Shang Chaotian gave a somewhat perfunctory reply, clearly not wanting to put his concerns on paper.

He wasn't wrong; he was indeed primarily focused on the game.

But to be more precise, he was more concerned about... one person in the competition.

Lin Ruixin.

Ever since Lin Ruixin's shocking intrusion and questioning at the "Yongzhao Junwei" Challenge press conference, Shang Chaotian's heart has been hanging in suspense, fearing that this former genius, now obsessed with his own path, the leading figure of the Chinese Go generation, might pull off some uncontrollable stunt.

After that, although Lin Ruixin did not do anything drastic, he did not give up his obsession at all!
The seven-time champion of China still immerses himself in Go every day, with an astonishingly high training intensity, as if he wants to devote all his energy to that small Go board.

Even though he was completely defeated by Lei Qi again in the penultimate round of the Chinese Weiqi League on the 6th, Lin Ruixin's face showed no sign of dejection, only more silence and burning focus.

After Yong Shi Zhaojun delivered a stunning performance in the first match before the South China Sea Cup, completely defeating Liu Shixian and demonstrating terrifying strength that rivaled AI, Shang Chaotian thought this would be enough to make Lin Ruixin face reality and waver...

But it didn't!

At the South China Sea Cup, the former Chinese chess master showed an even stronger fighting spirit!
He first defeated his peer, an old bastard who had eliminated him in the semifinals of the Yingyi Cup three and a half years ago, in the first round, and then once again defeated the queen's dog in the round of 16! He stormed into the quarterfinals!
However, in the quarterfinals, Lin Ruixin encountered his biggest nemesis in the past seven years, apart from Rui Zhao – South Korea's Yoo Se-hyun.

As a result, he suffered another defeat, extending his losing streak against Liu Shixian to an astonishing ten games! He was once again blocked from the World Championship semifinals, providing the world's chess fans with the latest material to ridicule his overestimation of his abilities.

...Tsk!

How long is Lin Ruixin going to keep going?!
Didn't he used to love mocking others for being inflexible? Why is he so fixated on this point when facing an opponent like Rui Zhao who is practically unbeatable?

The thought of the former champion's terrifying silence and stubborn gaze after being eliminated weighed heavily on Shang Chaotian's heart, and he slowed down the way he was tearing the bread.

Seeing that Shang Chaotian seemed to be distracted by something, Lu Wenjie immediately understood.

He subtly changed the subject, drawing Shang Chaotian's thoughts back to today's focus:
"Brother Tian, ​​do you think Xiao Lei has a chance today?"

"Ah...you mean this!"

Blinking back to reality from his deputy's words, Shang Chaotian blinked, unable to help but recall the two raised eyebrows his student had made at him in the small conference room of the Zhigao Junrui Hotel earlier:
"I guess... it won't work."

"If we can hold out longer than Liu Shixian, that would be a victory!"

...

...Hmm...

Although she is indeed in very good condition...

But we'll stick to the original plan: if we can outlast Liu Shixian, that would be a victory!
On the same day, at 12:40 pm, in a room at the Oriental Hotel in Singapore.

Lei Qi stood in front of the full-length mirror, meticulously adjusting the collar and cuffs of his dark suit, while once again clarifying the "guiding principles" for today's challenge.

With this in mind, he calmly and firmly adjusted his tie one last time, then turned and walked towards the door, preparing to head to the special Go room to launch a doomed "challenge" against the eternal Zhaojun who sat atop the world of Go.

In fact, when Lei Qi first heard that Rui Zhao had decided to start the special challenge match, he was indeed filled with worry.

As a top player, he knows that giving a handicap in a top-level match means an insurmountable gap.

He worried that Rui Zhao was overconfident and that breaking her undefeated record would affect her reputation and her plan to force the AI ​​into battle.

But seeing that his sweetheart was determined to hold the competition to maintain popularity and force AI to compete, Lei Qi naturally couldn't object.

He'd be no stranger to this universally acknowledged Go goddess; if he didn't fawn over her, plenty of others would! How could he, Xiao Lei, possibly fall behind?

Therefore, he immediately expressed his unwavering support, while secretly making up his mind:
You must be the most competent knight by the side of this national princess, and do your best in international and domestic competitions to sweep away all threatening challengers!
As for himself...

As we all know, if one side in a competition doesn't want to win, it's very difficult for the other side to lose.

This was also his way of protecting his beloved outside the chessboard.

However... plans can never keep up with changes.

After witnessing Liu Shixian's textbook-perfect defeat, Xiao Lei, a 9-dan player, realized that his previous worries seemed somewhat unnecessary.

Although Liu Shixian's counterattack shortly after the start of the game against the world's number one player may have been a bit rash, the terrifying strength displayed when that god of war of the world revealed his long-forgotten Dragon-Slaying Saber was enough to leave any onlooker speechless!
Lei Qi was then shocked to realize that in Western mythology, Athena was a Valkyrie with an outstanding record of battles! Why would she need mortals to protect her!
Despite his admiration, Lei Qi did not change his original plan to "euthanize".

It's never too bad to be afraid of something going wrong!

Although Rui Zhao played almost like an AI in the first set of the challenge, the AI's analysis still revealed her mistakes and indicated that she could have won! This shows that she is not a truly flawless machine!

She is still human, and humans are capable of making mistakes and can be defeated!

If I were to accidentally win against Rui Zhao while giving him the first move, the consequences would be unimaginable, so I absolutely cannot take things for granted!

With this complex and subtle feeling, Xiao Lei, a 9-dan player, made his way to the Go room.

Inside the chess room, the Singaporean sunlight outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was still bright and dazzling.

On one side of the chessboard in the center, the figure he had always admired was already sitting in front of the chessboard.

Today, the eternal Zhaojun still wears no makeup, her simple yet elegant plain dress accentuating her graceful figure.

When Lei Qi walked in, Rui Zhao's beautiful, starry eyes naturally looked at him, and then a very faint yet clear smile appeared on her lips:
"Lei Qi, congratulations on winning the South China Sea Cup! This is your fourth individual title!"

"Thank you, thank you."

When he finally met her gaze, his heart skipped a beat—he hadn't seen his sweetheart for a while because Rui Zhao had gone into seclusion to study on her own.

"……but……

"Without your participation, this championship is less meaningful."

"Ah! Don't be so hard on yourself! I think Lei Qi, you're already excellent!"

“Hey, hey…

"It's fine for others to say that, but for you to say it just sounds pretentious!"

Lei Qi couldn't help but make a small comment about the world's number one player who was currently in a challenge match with a handicap.

Rui Zhao blinked, considered it for herself, and then realized that Lei Qi's words did seem to make sense, so she couldn't help but chuckle:
"Ah, it seems that's true... But it's alright!"
"Now is the perfect opportunity to prove it!"

She leaned forward slightly, her gaze intense, her clear eyes sparkling as if they could pierce through one's soul:
"I believe in you, Lei Qi..."

"They wouldn't deliberately throw this game, would they?" (End of Chapter)