Sheng Jingchu tried to gauge her emotions, though he could solve a Rubik’s cube in 9 seconds, he couldn’t decipher the meaning behind a facial expression.
To be honest, he didn’t see much value in spending time on this either, as most people’s emotions—whether happy or sad—had little direct impact on him.
Cheng Liao quickly explained, "Actually, I’m not really…"
Sheng Jingchu handed her something—a piece of fruit candy in his open palm.
"Have some candy."
Cheng Liao accepted the candy, realizing she wasn’t really angry. It was just… a little strange. She could still feel the lingering warmth of his fingers on her wrist, and she unconsciously clenched her fist.
She unwrapped the candy and put it in her mouth, unable to resist making a joke. "So, what kind of grapefruit is this? How old are柚?"
It was a pun, playing on "How are you" being translated as "How old are you?"
Sheng Jingchu didn’t understand the joke, but he vaguely sensed that her mood had improved after eating the candy.
The flight from Jiangcheng to Hangzhou took only an hour.
On the plane, Cheng Liao quickly sketched out an interview outline in a notebook filled with all the information she had gathered about Sheng Jingchu, including clippings and handwritten notes.
Sheng Jingchu wasn’t originally from Jiangcheng. His extraordinary talent had been recognized at a young age, leading to his apprenticeship under Xie Hanzhou for Go training.
When Sheng Jingchu was sixteen, he signed a mentor-student agreement with Xie Hanzhou, which stipulated that Sheng Jingchu would give 30% of his international competition winnings to his teacher. Prize money is the main source of income for professional Go players. Although Sheng Jingchu eventually signed the agreement, rumors circulated in the media that this caused a rift between them.
At that moment, Sheng Jingchu was deep in thought with his eyes closed. When he was thinking, he shut out all external stimuli—he couldn’t hear sounds, smell scents, or even feel the temperature.
Cheng Liao sneaked a glance at him.
It was said that Sheng Jingchu was an orphan and had become estranged from his master. His relationship with his junior, Cao Xihe, also seemed strained—they didn’t even follow each other on Weibo.
He must be very lonely, she thought.
Touched by this realization, Cheng Liao wrote down a title in her notebook:
Sheng Jingchu—A Child Walking Alone in the World of Go.
After disembarking from the plane, Cheng Liao suddenly felt a bit lost. Xiao Qi hadn’t given her any hotel information. She was about to ask Sheng Jingchu when she spotted Cao Xihe at the exit.
Cao Xihe was the second disciple of Xie Hanzhou. He had lost three times to Korean Go player Zhao Yanhun and then, against all odds, defeated the Japanese master Kato Kiyomasa. Online discussions about Cao Xihe’s games were divided—some thought his playstyle was erratic, lacking strategy, while others believed there was hidden brilliance, only imperceptible to those with insufficient intelligence.
He had a toothpick in his mouth, was wearing slippers, and had a tuft of yellow-dyed hair on his forehead. Although he was a rising star in the Go world, his appearance was more reminiscent of a young man from a rough urban neighborhood.
Sheng Jingchu frowned, "What did you do to your hair?"
Cao Xihe grinned, "I lost a bet. I lost a game to Xiao Wu." His gaze flicked to Cheng Liao, and his grin widened. "Well, if it isn’t Sister-in-law."
Cheng Liao shuddered at the term "Sister-in-law." She quickly clarified, "I’m here for an interview."
Cao Xihe flashed a knowing smile and caught up to Sheng Jingchu, taking his luggage.
"Xiao Wu lost even more; his hair is like a painter’s palette now." He then turned back to Cheng Liao, "Sister-in-law’s tagging along the whole time, huh? What would you like for lunch? West Lake Vinegar Fish? Licorice Fish? Steamed Bass?"
Before Cheng Liao could respond, he turned back to Sheng Jingchu, "I’ve set up a game. We’re just waiting on you to make the fourth player."
Sheng Jingchu brushed him off, "I don’t need the money."
"But I do!" Cao Xihe said as he stowed the luggage in the trunk, giving the car a pat. "This is the organizer’s car—I borrowed it for a spin."
Sheng Jingchu opened the rear car door for Cheng Liao, "Sit here."
Cheng Liao did as instructed. Sheng Jingchu walked around the back of the car, opened the other door, and sat beside her.
Cao Xihe winked at Cheng Liao.
Puzzled, Cheng Liao looked at Sheng Jingchu. He pointed to the seatbelt. "Buckle up."
Cao Xihe, bored with the drive, started chatting idly, then challenged Sheng Jingchu to a game of blindfolded Go.
Cheng Liao listened for a while before realizing that blindfolded Go meant playing the game without a physical board, relying entirely on memory. With 361 intersections on a Go board, not only was setting up a strategy challenging, but simply recalling the game’s progression was a feat.
Cheng Liao had already witnessed Sheng Jingchu’s incredible memory, but Cao Xihe’s was equally impressive. As he played, he bragged to Cheng Liao, "Zhao Yanhun’s IQ is 136. Mine’s 139."
Curious, Cheng Liao glanced at Sheng Jingchu, wondering about his IQ.
Cao Xihe, noticing through the rearview mirror, remarked, "My senior brother is very humble."
From what little she knew about Sheng Jingchu, Cheng Liao agreed—he wouldn’t brag about something like that.
Just then, Cheng Liao’s phone rang. The ringtone was the popular online song I’m So Hungry. Without checking the number, she answered, only to hear Xu Chi’s voice.
"I’m back. Let me treat you to dinner." His voice was as lazy and indifferent as ever.
Cheng Liao’s breath caught, her voice tinged with a slight tremor. "I’m on a business trip, in Hangzhou."
"Alright then, maybe when you’re back."
His response was so casual that before she could feel disappointed, he added, "Did you miss me?"
She pretended not to hear and hung up the phone.
Cao Xihe turned to look at Sheng Jingchu, "Senior brother, you’ve got a rival in love."
Sheng Jingchu ignored him, but after a moment of silence, he asked Cheng Liao, "Why did he call you ‘Zhiliao’?"
Could anything be worse than having your phone conversation overheard? And can’t you two embrace the traditional Chinese virtue of pretending you didn’t hear?
After an awkward pause, Cheng Liao explained, "When I was born, the cicadas were particularly loud, so my original name was Cheng Zhiliao."
As for why it was later changed, perhaps it was because her mother’s name had the character "Zhi" in it. After her mother passed away, Cheng Zhiliao became Cheng Liao.
Cheng Liao, "Cheng Liao." The children of her generation in the Cheng family were all given names with similar sounds.
Cao Xihe chuckled, "Why not call you ‘Cheng Chan’?"
Cheng Liao had never considered that before and was momentarily stumped.
Sheng Jingchu explained for her, "One reason might be that the character ‘chan’ includes the insect radical, which doesn’t look as nice when written. Another reason could be that ‘chan’ and ‘cheng’ share the same initial consonant, so ‘Liao’ is more distinct."
Did that really need an analysis?
"So you’re a summer baby?" Sheng Jingchu continued, following the line of thought.
"Yes, in July…" Cheng Liao hesitated. Telling someone your birthday can feel like hinting for a gift, so she switched topics halfway through, "Are we almost there?"
Cao Xihe slapped his forehead, "Oops, we passed it."
"Senior brother, shall we continue?"
"I’ve already won."
"We’re still in the middle of the game…" Cao Xihe protested. "Are you using the usual rule? Black stones get a 7.5-point handicap."
"The upper and middle sections of the board have already connected. Do you want to keep going?"
After a moment of intense thought, Cao Xihe sighed, "I really lost."
Suddenly, a Buick swerved into their lane, and Cheng Liao screamed, "Watch out!"
In that split second, Cheng Liao was thrown against the car door, but Sheng Jingchu extended his arm, shielding her from it.
Her shoulder hit his hand hard, and before she could react, the Buick narrowly missed the car and sped past on Sheng Jingchu’s side.
With a sharp screech of brakes, the car came to a halt just before crashing into the greenery.
Once the car stopped, Cheng Liao’s heart, which had been pounding in her chest, finally settled. She took a few deep breaths and quickly looked at Sheng Jingchu.
"Are you hurt?"
Sheng Jingchu shook his head as he withdrew his hand.
Cao Xihe looked a bit sheepish, "Are you two okay?"
The incident cast a shadow over the rest of the drive, making it a quieter journey.
Traffic was heavy, and after a long series of stops and starts, they finally arrived at Meijiawu.
The competition venue was set at the Xinghe Hotel in Meijiawu, surrounded by tea plantations. In June, the tea trees were as lush as fine emeralds. Little clusters of flowers peeked out along the roadside, blooming freely in pale purples, like splashes of paint left by an artist cleaning their brush.
As soon as they got out of the car, a girl in a long dress ran over and clung to Sheng Jingchu’s arm.
"Senior brother, you’re finally here."
Sheng Jingchu gently pushed her hand away and introduced her to Cheng Liao, “This is my junior sister, Ding Lan.”
Cao Xihe, rubbing his chin as he glanced around, grinned and squeezed between the two of them.
Ding Lan's eyes darted around like a curious cat, her gaze landing on Cheng Liao with an expression full of curiosity. “Who’s this?”
Before Cheng Liao could answer, Cao Xihe jumped in, “Don’t play dumb. You were the one who showed me the news photo. This is our sister-in-law, Cheng Liao.”
Ding Lan, still looking innocent and confused, said, “She doesn’t really look like the photo.”
Cheng Liao was about to explain when Cao Xihe cut her off again, “Let’s go eat. You guys must be hungry.”
“Oh no, what should we do?” Ding Lan blinked, feigning concern. “I booked a Western meal, but it’s only for three people.”
Cheng Liao didn’t want to get involved with them at all, so she quickly declined, “You go ahead. I’ll check in first.”
Ding Lan tugged at the tassels on her outfit, looking conflicted. “Maybe you should go, and I’ll just stay behind.”
Cao Xihe offered a suggestion, “Let’s eat Hangzhou cuisine instead. You’re Chinese; why bother with Western food?”
Ding Lan shot a glance at Cheng Liao, “But I reserved a Michelin three-star chef. Do you know how hard it was to get that reservation?” The implication was clear—she was hinting that Cheng Liao should back off.
Just as Cheng Liao was about to find an excuse to leave, she looked up and saw Yan Xiao and Linda walking out of the hotel.
Relieved, Cheng Liao ran over to them but turned back to Sheng Jingchu and quickly explained, “You all go ahead and eat. I’ll join my colleagues.”
Yan Xiao spotted Cheng Liao and hurried over excitedly, “Why are you so late? We took the next flight and thought you’d already arrived. Then we found out you hadn’t checked in yet.”
Linda, without sparing a glance at Cheng Liao, strutted over to Sheng Jingchu. As the company’s star host, she naturally exuded a commanding presence.
Cheng Liao was used to being overlooked by her and secretly mused about the impending clash between the “department flower” and the “junior sister.” One was sophisticated and charming, the other cute and innocent. It was going to be interesting to see who would win.
She chuckled to herself and started chatting with Yan Xiao about work.
“Did the team leader send you here?”
“Da Guang and Lu Yue are here too.”
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