Chapter 247: Turning Decay into Magic
"Game over!"
Zhou Jie sneered, and the white stone landed on the board.
Checkmate!
Upon seeing this, Gu Yun and Guo Yuan sighed in unison. They had already calculated this outcome.
Over a dozen moves ago, the situation had become quite clear. With a slight calculation, they had already foreseen the result.
Lost by 33 and 1/3 of a stone. White wins by mid-game!
Such a crushing victory— even for Gu Yun and Guo Yuan, both professional ninth-dan Go masters—was a first-time experience.
Ning Xi gently slid her right hand over Ye Fan's left shoulder and softly comforted him: "It's okay. When we get back, I'll play a few rounds with you. You can crush me however you like. Don't take it to heart."
Hearing this, Ye Fan couldn't help but chuckle.
This girl was just too adorable!
Sitting across from them, Zhou Jie was stunned upon hearing Ning Xi's words.
What was going on?
This reaction…
Wasn't right!
Why was it so different from what he had expected?
Ye Fan hadn't yet placed the black stone in his right hand. The stone spun once between his fingertips before he slowly raised it.
"Pa—"
A crisp sound echoed, making everyone in the room freeze.
He was still playing?
But the game was already over!
While the board technically allowed for further moves, any additional black stones would only worsen the defeat. There was absolutely no chance of a comeback.
The black stones in the corner were already in a desperate situation. Most of their main forces had been completely surrounded and killed by the white stones.
Seeing that Ye Fan insisted on humiliating himself, Zhou Jie moved to collect the dead black stones.
Now, only a few scattered black stones remained on the board—barely more than twenty. In contrast, the white stones numbered nearly sixty, a formidable and powerful force.
In a hopeless situation like this, the more he played, the worse his loss would become!
If he wanted to embarrass himself, Zhou Jie was more than happy to oblige…
Yet before he could think further, his expression suddenly froze.
The other four people, upon seeing where Ye Fan had placed his move, all widened their eyes.
This single black stone was like a thread stitching together the surrounding black stones in the corner, effectively trapping all of White's stones inside the small corner. And the black stones surrounding that area?
They were precisely the nine so-called "blunder moves" from earlier!
Gu Yun and Guo Yuan immediately moved closer to the board, each taking a side. They leaned in so much that their faces were almost touching the board, their expressions beyond fascinating.
A comeback?
A comeback!
A COMEBACK!!!
"Holy shit—"
The two of them, truly like-minded individuals, blurted out the same curse at the exact same time, completely losing the dignity of ninth-dan masters.
The reason for their loss of composure was simple.
This had been a completely lost game, yet Ye Fan had managed to turn it around with a single move—utterly beyond their imagination.
They had seen comebacks before, but a reversal of this level, one that could only be described as a miracle?
They had never seen nor even heard of such a thing.
A miracle!
Turning decay into wonder—this was pure magic!
The fact that two ninth-dan professional Go players were so shaken spoke volumes about how astonishing Ye Fan's move was.
Zhou Jie sat there in a daze, his face full of disbelief, his expression shifting between shock and doubt.
As a professional seventh-dan player, he naturally understood how incredible Ye Fan's move was.
Somehow, his certain victory had inexplicably turned into a loss.
If Ye Fan had been a high-level professional player, that would have been one thing.
But he was just a beginner who had only recently learned how to play!
And yet, Zhou Jie—a seventh-dan player—had become nothing more than a background character!
He lost?
Zhou Jie clutched his hair with both hands, unable to accept it. The despair on his face was indescribable.
Go was his pride. He had always been hailed as a genius of the Go world in Xia Country. Media outlets had widely reported that he was destined to become the nation's third ninth-dan player.
Yet today, he had lost to a mere beginner?
The blow was beyond devastating!
His pride lay shattered into pieces!
Gu Ziyi walked over to the board and, upon seeing Black's miraculous reversal, her expression became somewhat broken.
She had considered all kinds of outcomes, but not once had she imagined Ye Fan winning.
This was ridiculous!
As she gazed at the three people utterly shaken by the game, Ye Fan merely smiled in silence.
This result had long been within his calculations.
The reason he had been able to pull off such a miraculous comeback was entirely thanks to his astonishing computational ability.
Ning Xi covered her mouth with both hands, staring blankly at Ye Fan.
No, she wasn't looking at the board.
She was looking at Ye Fan.
Her clear eyes fixed upon the boy beside her, a faint glimmer of admiration flickering in her gaze.
When a girl starts admiring a boy, it means she is just one step away from falling for him.
Ye Fan turned to meet Ning Xi's gaze. His expression showed no trace of arrogance. Instead, he smiled lightly and said, "I told you I could win. Have a little more faith in me from now on, okay?"
"...Mhm!"
Ning Xi nodded gently, looking absolutely adorable.
"Ahem—"
Gu Yun took a deep breath and turned to Ye Fan. "Did you calculate this in advance?"
Guo Yuan and Gu Ziyi also turned to Ye Fan, while Zhou Jie remained motionless, still in shock.
Ye Fan spread his hands and chuckled, "Nope, I just played randomly."
"…"
"…"
"…"
The three of them were dumbfounded.
Played randomly?
Emmm...
Ye Fan didn't bother explaining further.
After all, he was just a beginner who had barely learned the game. Defeating a professional seventh-dan player in such a miraculous way was inexplicable in itself.
Since that was the case, he might as well say nothing. Let them think whatever they wanted—he wasn't going to explain anything.
Seeing the three of them left speechless by Ye Fan's words, Ning Xi giggled, her bright eyes shining even more.
She didn't believe for a second that Ye Fan had played randomly.
Recalling what he had said at the start of the match and remembering his terrifying skill whenever they played together, she was certain—Ye Fan's victory over Zhou Jie was no mere stroke of luck.
A genius student, skilled in medicine, a Go prodigy, incredibly handsome, and, most importantly, so good to her…
What girl wouldn't be moved?
Ning Xi was no exception!
As she recalled Ye Fan's words from before, a blush crept up her cheeks.
"After the college entrance exams, I will pursue you."
Those eight words sent ripples through her heart, and she quietly made a decision.
She would become even better!
To her, love wasn't about hiding in someone else's light—it was about becoming each other's light and illuminating each other's world.
The future was long. She would come to him with sincerity and dedication.
Guo Yuan glanced at Zhou Jie and said, "Why are you still sitting here? Get lost already. Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough?"
Zhou Jie slowly snapped out of his daze, his eyes filled with unwillingness.
No! He had to win back his honor today.
Otherwise, this would be a lifelong humiliation!
Ignoring his teacher's reprimand, Zhou Jie's eyes turned bloodshot—like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, filled with malice.
"One more game!"
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