And apparently, the non-human truly had no concept of social awkwardness.
Not only could Yu Bai hear him, but so could the two old men at the board.
The black player, already irritable from his losing position, couldn’t hold back. He scowled at them with clear annoyance, shooing them away. “If you don’t know how to play, quit yapping! Move along!”
No wonder no one was watching this game. What a foul temper.
Yu Bai was used to steering clear of these kinds of confrontations to avoid escalating into full-blown spectacles. He had no interest in arguing with the elderly, so he instinctively turned to leave.
But Xie Wufang didn’t budge. Instead, he met the black player’s glare head-on, his voice calm and genuinely puzzled. “Why do we have to move?”
The old man blinked, then bristled his mustache and glared even harder. “Because you’re spouting nonsense! ‘White’s about to win’? Do you even know what a comeback looks like?”
At that, a familiar sense of foreboding welled up in Yu Bai’s chest.
…Wait. Why feel foreboding?
This was inside the loop, after all.
Yu Bai reflected on his long-honed instincts and halted, curiosity drawing his gaze back to Xie Wufang as the old man bore down on him.
“I don’t,” Xie Wufang admitted honestly. Then he added, “If white isn’t about to win, why are you so angry?”
Good question.
His tone was utterly sincere, without a hint of sarcasm.
As the old man’s face twisted into something even more spectacular, Yu Bai dredged up some melancholy memories to keep from laughing.
Unable to refute that, the black player resorted to deflection, trying to shift the focus. “You clueless folks love to run your mouths! Do you know how hard Go is? And there you are, blabbing away…”
Unfortunately, the tactic fell flat on Xie Wufang.
He zeroed in on the key point. “How hard is it?”
“…”
The old man had never encountered someone so utterly unmoved. His mustache practically quivered with rage.
“Hard enough that you’d lose too! That’s how hard!”
“Is that so?” Xie Wufang replied gravely. “But that hasn’t happened yet. How can you be sure of the outcome?”
The black player slammed the table and shot to his feet. “Don’t believe me? Give it a shot! The rules are simple enough. Can’t play? I’ll teach you right now!”
The white player sighed, arms still crossed, and quietly stepped aside—as if this were a scene he’d seen many times before.
Yu Bai, meanwhile, scanned the area for a vendor selling sunflower seeds.
A game of Go could drag on forever.
He’d never realized that Xie Wufang’s blunt, question-everything style was so perfectly suited to getting under people’s skin.
Moments later, Yu Bai sat in the shade, munching on sunflower seeds and snacks procured by his enthusiastic bodyguard. He watched his non-human neighbor face off against an unknown human old man in an epic Go showdown.
A few familiar old-timers passing by in the park did double-takes at the unusual sight.
“Hey, Old Yuan, picking on foreigners now? That’s a bit much.”
“Can’t even Old Zhang put up with you anymore, you Stinky Go Basket?”
Old Zhang, the white player, stood by with arms crossed and sighed. “Sigh. I was this close to winning.”
Old Yuan shot back instantly. “Nonsense! I had a comeback brewing, and this kid ruined it!”
“And he’s no foreigner! Speaks perfect Chinese!”
The “foreigner” at the center of it all was staring down at his phone, where Yu Bai had pulled up Go rules and beginner guides.
The rare sight of a local old man pitted against a blue-eyed young foreigner drew curious onlookers—even some who’d been watching Chinese chess elsewhere wandered over.
“Not started yet? What’s the kid looking at… oh? Beginner rules?”
One passerby let out a startled cry. “Whoa, Old Yuan, and you claim you’re not bullying him!”
Old Yuan looked a touch guilty but doubled down stubbornly. “He said Go wasn’t hard, so I’m showing him the ropes!”
He coughed twice, then addressed the young man. “You’ll play black and go first. I’ll spot you a few stones too—no claims of bullying. It’s just a tryout. Lose and you lose. If you’re really into Go, you can learn properly later.”
Xie Wufang didn’t respond. He pocketed his phone and handed it back to Yu Bai. “I’ve finished reading.”
Yu Bai, mid-chip, caught it in his palm. “How’s that? Think you got it?”
“I should have.” Xie Wufang met his eyes. “I memorized all the rules.”
His tone was earnest, the slightly curly black hair at his forehead aglow in the sunlight, his gaze shimmering like rippling water.
Unbidden, Yu Bai recalled the brand-new plush toy he’d once left incubating an egg on the sofa: a fluffy white mutt with floppy fabric ears, lying perfectly still.
What was he looking at? The odd human who’d brought him out to experience city life, or the strange-smelling food in that human’s hand?
Amid the thick scent of potato chips, Yu Bai jiggled his bulging bag. “These get your fingers greasy. Not convenient right now. Eat after your game’s done—I’ve saved you a bag.”
A Qiang and the others had bought a pile from the nearby shop and were now cracking sunflower seeds nearby.
Xie Wufang nodded. “Okay.”
“Good luck,” Yu Bai encouraged. “No big deal if you lose. Go’s pretty tough.”
He himself barely knew the game—could only follow the basics.
But Xie Wufang replied earnestly, “It’s not that hard.”
“…”
Old Yuan, who’d been contemplating calling it quits, slammed the table with renewed vigor. “Fine! Let’s start! Your move!”
Xie Wufang glanced at him, then plucked a black stone from the bowl and placed it gently on the board.
He declined the handicap, taking black and the first move.
The onlookers fell silent. Those who understood watched the board; the rest eyed the players’ expressions for drama.
Yu Bai, with his half-baked knowledge, watched everything while savoring his chips.
Xie Wufang’s expression remained serene throughout, his moves quicker than average.
Old Yuan started cautiously, determined to humble the cocky youth. Gradually, though, smugness crept into his restrained demeanor, speeding up his plays.
The board looked decisively one-sided.
Whispers stirred among the crowd.
“Black’s done for. Clearly at a disadvantage.”
“Yeah, but the kid just learned and he’s already this good? Doesn’t play like a total newbie. Real talent—if he practices, watch out.”
“Even without skill, that mindset’s a winner. Born for this. Stays cool while trailing? Old Yuan’s only edge is experience.”
“Right! And thick skin!”
With his mouth full of snacks, Yu Bai nodded along with all their chatter.
The group of chess-loving old men were especially indulgent toward this talented young fellow. They worried that if he actually lost, he might feel too embarrassed and lose his enthusiasm for learning Go. So they started laying into Old Man Yuan ahead of time.
Yu Bai figured there was no shame in losing. Picking up a strategic game like Go so quickly was already pretty impressive. He was certain that with just a bit of basic coaching, Xie Wufang could whip up a perfect batch of fried chicken all on his own.
Still, something about the black-and-white Go board in front of him struck him as oddly familiar.
Meanwhile, Old Man Zhang, who was sitting beside Old Man Yuan, slowly unclenched his arms from where they’d been folded confidently across his chest. He couldn’t help but rise to his feet.
Old Man Yuan—the resident stinky Go basket who rarely held the upper hand—was in high spirits. Then a large shadow suddenly fell over his head. He shot a glance upward. “What’re you standing up for all of a sudden? Don’t distract me!”
Old Man Zhang, who had played white in the previous game, completely ignored him. He stared at the young man holding the black stones in utter shock for a long moment, shaking his head repeatedly. “Unbelievable…”
Old Man Yuan was getting fed up. “Unbelievable my ass! Shut it!”
Only then did Old Man Zhang turn to look at him. Seeing that he was still oblivious, Old Man Zhang let out a wistful sigh and slowly sat back down. “Sigh. You’re gonna lose again.”
“Bullshit! It’s obvious I’m about to win this one—”
As he spoke, Old Man Yuan suddenly realized something. He took a fresh look at the board.
On the goose-yellow Go board, clusters of white stones enclosed scattered black ones that looked isolated and vulnerable.
It was exactly the same as the unfinished game he’d played against Old Man Zhang earlier—the only difference was that last time, he’d been the one playing black and getting surrounded, while this time he was white and holding all the advantages.
The experiences were night and day, so it had taken him a moment to recognize the familiar pattern.
Old Man Yuan could scarcely believe his eyes. His face froze in shock, and the white stone in his hand slipped from his fingers with a clatter into the Go bowl.
The blue-eyed young man across from him still remembered what he’d said earlier.
“Now you’re saying white’s going to win too,” Xie Wufang pointed out.
Old Man Yuan gaped at him, his face gradually turning red.
Yu Bai hid his stifled laughter behind his bag of snacks and began seriously pondering the possibility of having his non-human neighbor tackle some world-class math problems.
The onlookers gradually sensed something was off, their gasps of surprise rising one after another. This drew even more curious spectators from the surroundings.
Old Man Yuan’s face was as red as a pig’s liver. He panted heavily, looking like he might keel over at any second.
Old Man Zhang swiftly pulled a small bottle of pills from the breast pocket of Old Yuan’s jacket, popped one into his mouth, and then reassured his opponent. “He’s fine, don’t worry. Keep playing. How do you plan to turn this around?”
Old Man Yuan hurriedly swallowed the pill and bellowed, “There’s absolutely no way for black to come back from this!”
Xie Wufang looked at him in confusion. “But earlier you said there was a way to—”
Old Man Yuan cut him off before he could finish. “I’m a stinky Go basket! I only said that because I didn’t want to admit I was losing! This time, I really can’t see any comeback. So what’s your next move?”
“…”
Xie Wufang had heard this bizarre, convoluted term several times already that evening. “What does ‘stinky Go basket’ mean?”
Old Man Yuan felt like swallowing another pill. “Look, I’ve admitted it already. Can we drop it? Have some pity on my old face. Just make your move already! I want to see how you win!”
Xie Wufang said, “No, I really don’t know what ‘stinky Go’—”
Old Man Yuan threw up his hands in defeat. “It means I’m terrible at Go! Terribly bad, always cheating, and stubbornly begging people to play me anyway! Argh, kid, you’re killing me! Fine? Now play!”
