Chapter 142 - 142 138 Playing Chess

Words : 1310 Updated : Sep 27th, 2025

142: Chapter 138: Playing Chess 142: Chapter 138: Playing Chess Ye Fan adjusted his seat and carefully shifted the chessboard to face Zhao Lina’s father head-on. “Ye Fan, you take the black pieces. You have three minutes to examine the board,” Zhao Lina’s father said calmly yet with an indisputable tone. “Okay,” Ye Fan replied, then began to seriously study the positions on the chessboard. This Go endgame was known as “Ten-mile Listening Tide Crying Blood.” It wasn’t very old, about forty years or so; both black and white were evenly matched, and the game had reached a semi-climax. There were many subsequent variations, which challenged the player’s overall vision and strategic thinking. Although Ye Fan was almost certain it was the same “Ten-mile Listening Tide Crying Blood” endgame he had played seven years ago at fifteen, he did not dare to be careless and carefully examined the game again. On one hand, he revived some faint memories by tracking the flow of the game, and on the other, he checked if there were any additional changes. Zhao Lina saw Ye Fan observing the chessboard with proper form and thought he was pretending, so she couldn’t help but say, “Don’t pretend to know if you don’t…” Ye Fan, engrossed in the game, seemed not to hear her. Instead, Zhao Lina’s father immediately gave her a stern look. Zhao Lina had no choice but to close her mouth unwillingly, waiting to see Ye Fan embarrass himself soon. After two minutes and thirteen seconds, Ye Fan looked up and smiled, “That will do.” Zhao Lina’s father was inwardly slightly surprised but nodded subtly, “Let’s begin then.” Ye Fan immediately unapologetically placed a black stone on an empty space in the upper left corner, directly breaking away from the fierce battle in the center and starting a new fight. “Ha,” Zhao Lina let out a sneer, “Your big dragon is already dead, and still, you play haphazardly in an empty spot.” Under her father’s influence, she also played Go and played it well. She had played the “Ten-mile Listening Tide Crying Blood” endgame with her father twice. Of course, she was no match for her father, giving up after seventeen moves the first time and twenty-two moves the second. Because she was familiar with the “Ten-mile Listening Tide Crying Blood” endgame, she thought Ye Fan’s first move was utterly nonsensical. However, Zhao Lina’s father became cautious, did not utter a word, pondered for a moment, and then placed a white stone close to Ye Fan’s just-placed black stone. “Ah!” Zhao Lina exclaimed in surprise, unable to believe that her father was actually following Ye Fan’s leads. How could this be? She knew her father’s playing strength well and his deep study of the “Ten-mile Listening Tide Crying Blood.” He would definitely not be swayed by Ye Fan’s random play. After playing one move, Zhao Lina’s father turned to her and said, “Ye Fan is a Go master. If you don’t understand, just watch and learn.” Although it was a critique from her own father, in front of Ye Fan, Zhao Lina felt her face burn with embarrassment and was slightly annoyed at Ye Fan. However, Ye Fan didn’t have time to notice whether Zhao Lina’s cheeks were blushing; while Zhao Lina’s father was speaking, he had already made another move. Zhao Lina’s father turned his attention back to the game and placed a white stone at a key point. Despite being criticized, Zhao Lina didn’t leave in a huff; she chose to watch seriously, trying to see if Ye Fan truly was a master of Go or just a blind cat that found a dead rat, merely putting on an act. After seventeen moves each by Ye Fan and Zhao Lina’s father, Zhao Lina finally understood Ye Fan’s strategy. “He’s actually opening up a new battlefield, fighting back from the upper left corner. This endgame can actually be played like this,” she thought to herself in shock, “Why didn’t I think of that before?” “This annoying guy actually knows how to play Go!” “Wait, his moves are so quick and he looks relaxed, while Dad always takes a second or two to contemplate and his brows are slightly furrowed. Could it be that his chess skills are better than my dad’s?” “How, how could that be?” She couldn’t believe it and muttered to herself. “This annoying guy, aside from being good at fighting, actually has this refined side, how infuriating!” With this thought, her gaze involuntarily shifted from the tense chess match to Ye Fan’s determined face. Ye Fan appeared calm and unflustered, his eyes deep as the ocean and shining brightly, each of his moves calculated as if he were an ancient general strategizing behind the scenes, deciding victories from miles away. Before she knew it, she was somewhat mesmerized. After more than thirty moves, Zhao Lina’s father’s expression had visibly tightened, his dark eyebrows furrowing together. At the same time, his pace had slowed significantly, each move now taking him ten to twenty seconds of thought. Whereas Ye Fan still looked relaxed and composed, his pace had also slowed but only slightly. At this moment, Zhao Lina was completely certain that Ye Fan’s chess skills were likely superior to her father’s. “Why does he have such high chess skills? Isn’t he just a soldier who came back from service? With such formidable physical skills, he must have spent a lot of time training, but where does he find the time to study such profound Go strategies?” Zhao Lina was full of curiosity about Ye Fan, “He said he hasn’t played Go for six years, could that really be true?” Time passed quickly, and before she knew it, Zhao Lina’s mother had already finished cooking their meal and set the table. She had not been paying attention to the chess game between Ye Fan and her husband and called out from a distance, “Dinner is ready! Old Zhao, stop giving Ye Fan a hard time, eating is more important.” Hearing her mother’s call, Zhao Lina’s face revealed a peculiar expression. It wasn’t her dad giving Ye Fan a hard time; it was Ye Fan giving her dad a hard time. “The future father-in-law” wanted to test the “future son-in-law,” but ended up being tested by the “future son-in-law” himself. The loss of face was no small matter. Seeing that Zhao Lina’s father did not respond immediately, her mother walked a few steps closer and called out two more times. Zhao Lina’s father finally snapped out of the chess match, realizing victory would be tough, and chuckled in response to his wife, “Got it, coming to eat now.” Then, he smiled at Ye Fan, “Ye, you must be starving, right? Come on, let’s have a couple of drinks.” Saying that, he stood up. Naturally, Ye Fan also stood up with a smile. “Lina, tidy up the chessboard,” he casually instructed Zhao Lina without showing any signs. “Got it,” Zhao Lina replied, secretly admonishing her father for his lack of grace, unable to accept a loss to Ye Fan and even flipping the chessboard. However, for some reason, she felt a slight happiness in her heart. Sitting down at the dining table, Zhao Lina’s mother, worried that Ye Fan might feel embarrassed from the recent defeat, comforted Ye Fan, “Ye, your uncle has been studying Go for decades, don’t take it to heart.” Zhao Lina’s father, usually skilled at keeping his emotions hidden, suddenly blushed. “Pfft—” Zhao Lina couldn’t hold back and almost spit out her food, but she turned her head just in time, or else she would have sprayed the entire table, completely ruining the meal.

Chapter 142 - 142 138 Playing Chess

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