After Cen Huai’an finished, Grandpa Jiang immediately pointed out his mistakes: “Your seventh and twenty-third moves…”

The Go tournament Cen Huai’an was participating in was not just for players from the capital but included players from other cities as well, both amateur and professional.

Consequently, the number of participants was considerable, and the competition stretched out a bit longer.

This tournament was an elimination competition with a double-elimination format, meaning players were out if they lost two games consecutively.

Unlike ranking or qualification tournaments, this was a nationally renowned event among youth competitions, sponsored by a well-known enterprise in the capital.

The final winner would not only gain honor but also receive a substantial cash prize.

The tournament lasted three days.

On Monday, Cen Huai’an went to Mr. Jiang to request a two-day leave.

After Cen Huai’an explained his reason for requesting leave, Mr. Jiang put down his math book, looked up at Cen Huai’an with raised eyebrows, and showed some surprise.

“‘Hongsheng Cup’ Go tournament?”

Cen Huai’an replied with a simple “Mm.”

“To my knowledge, this is one of the high-caliber national Go tournaments. Cen Huai’an, how many surprises do you have that I don’t know about?”

Saying this, Mr. Jiang signed the leave request and placed it on the table, signaling Cen Huai’an to sit down.

“You should be aware that you have a talent for mathematics, but your Go skills are also quite strong if you can participate in the ‘Hongsheng Cup.’ However, one’s energy is limited. With your academic workload increasing and your involvement in competitions, adding Go might be overwhelming.”

Cen Huai’an nodded.

He understood what Mr. Jiang was saying, which was why he focused primarily on studying and competitions in the third year of middle school.

“Cen Huai’an, although you’re still young, you’re now in high school. You need to seriously consider whether you want to pursue a path in mathematics, a professional career in Go, or something else. Once you decide, you can allocate your time accordingly.”

As a teacher, it’s natural for Mr. Jiang to think about his students, even if they don’t necessarily appreciate it.

He smiled and handed the leave request back to Cen Huai’an. “Think about it yourself.”

When Mr. Jiang began speaking, Cen Huai’an’s expression showed deep thought.

He had not previously considered what he wanted to do in the future; he just enjoyed solving math problems and playing Go.

He took the leave request, stood up, and sincerely thanked Mr. Jiang.

As Cen Huai’an walked out of Mr. Jiang’s office, he continued to ponder whether he liked mathematics or Go more.

He seemed to enjoy both, but as a future career choice?

Cen Huai’an felt a bit lost and wasn’t sure if he should commit to one path.

For now, he needed to focus on the Go tournament and couldn’t afford to quit halfway.

He set aside these thoughts, picked up his backpack, and left the school gate.

Zhang Lu grabbed his arm at the gate, looking as if she wanted to follow him.

“Why did the teacher not agree to my request to accompany you?”

As a student, no matter how good their grades, Zhang Lu preferred days without classes and would be happy to skip a day if possible.

Cen Huai’an pulled his arm free and turned to Zhang Lu. “Because the teacher saw through your intention.”

Zhang Lu sighed and stood at the gate, waving at Cen Huai’an. “An An! Good luck with the tournament! Even though I can’t be at the venue, I’ll be cheering for you at school!”

“Mm.” Cen Huai’an nodded, then got into Jiang Zhida’s car.

Jiang Zhida casually leaned against the car window, waving to Zhang Lu with one hand as the car drove away.

Soon, Zhang Lu could no longer see the car’s rear end.

“Zhang Lu.”

While Zhang Lu was sulking, she heard Tang Song’s voice.

Her pout relaxed, and she looked surprised at him standing not far away. “Tang Song, what are you doing here?”

It was class time, and if Zhang Lu hadn’t said she was coming to see her brother off, and if her parents weren’t outside, she wouldn’t have been able to leave the classroom.

“Class just ended,” Tang Song said.

Zhang Lu then realized she had spent too much time at the gate and hadn’t noticed the end-of-class bell.

There was a distance between the gate and the teaching building, so few students ran over here when class ended.

Zhang Lu walked towards him. “Then I need to hurry back. If I’m late for the homeroom teacher’s class, I’ll be in big trouble!”

Although Mr. Jiang did not impose excessive punishments on students for mistakes, his ways of disciplining were varied and often more intimidating than physical punishment.

His personal aura was somewhat mysterious, and students were inexplicably afraid of him, despite his constant smile.

So Zhang Lu, like her classmates, preferred not to provoke the homeroom teacher if possible.

Tang Song followed her without speeding up. “You don’t need to rush; class just ended.”

Zhang Lu breathed a sigh of relief and forgot to ask Tang Song why he was at the gate.

Instead, she asked him if the Chinese teacher had said anything about her not returning to class.

“Nothing. But the Chinese teacher assigned a writing assignment…”

“Ah? Writing again? What’s the observation topic this time?”

Zhang Lu’s Chinese teacher was highly emotional, easily moved by the blooming and withering of flowers.

Thus, he encouraged students to observe their surroundings and frequently assigned observational essays.

“Chrysanthemums. Write about the characteristics of chrysanthemums.”

Zhang Lu patted her chest, relieved, and smiled. “That’s perfect. My uncle and great-grandfather have a lot of chrysanthemums at home. I can just pick a pot and observe. Do you have chrysanthemums to observe?”

Tang Song shook his head, his tone a bit downcast. “No one at my house plants flowers.”

Zhang Lu immediately said, “Then I’ll bring a pot from home! We can observe it together!”

Tang Song replied, “Okay, thank you, Zhang Lu.”

Zhang Lu waved his hand nonchalantly. “No need to be polite; my family has plenty of flowers.”

As Tang Song looked at Zhang Lu’s radiant smile, free of worries, he felt as if he was basking in the sun.

---

On Jiang Zhida’s car, there were only Cen Huai’an, Grandpa Jiang, and him.

Today, Chuxia had class, and Cen Zhengnian couldn’t get away from the research institute either.

Cen Huai’an sat in the back, looking out the window as the car sped past, stirring up countless fallen leaves on the ground. Yellow leaves occasionally drifted down from the trees beside the road.

“An’an, what are you thinking about?” Grandpa Jiang noticed his distraction and called out to him. “Worried about today’s competition?”

“Not really.” Cen Huai’an brought his thoughts back and decided not to mention what his homeroom teacher had said.

He preferred to ponder his future instead.

Grandpa Jiang raised his hand and affectionately ruffled Cen Huai’an’s hair with his wrinkled hand. “Don’t overthink things. Just because you don’t have the answers to some questions now, it doesn’t mean you won’t in the future.”

Cen Huai’an looked at Grandpa Jiang, surprised.

He thought his great-grandfather understood his worries.

But seeing the smile on his face, Cen Huai’an realized that Grandpa Jiang was merely speaking from his life experience.

“I understand, Great-Grandpa.” His words made Cen Huai’an feel less confused.

Jiang Zhida stopped the car and also ruffled Cen Huai’an’s hair. “At your age, overthinking will stunt your growth. Let’s go! Time for the competition!”

Cen Huai’an nodded and got out of the car, helping Grandpa Jiang as they walked toward the youth center.

Today, Cen Huai’an had matches both in the morning and afternoon, and again tomorrow, which would be mentally exhausting.

Therefore, Jiang Zhida was carrying a large food container filled with various snacks.

“An’an, don’t worry about the competition. If you get hungry or thirsty, just let me know!” Jiang Zhida assured him.

Cen Huai’an glanced at the large food container, hesitating. “Uncle, is that too much?”

“Not at all! It’s for me and your great-grandpa too,” Jiang Zhida replied.

The container attracted a lot of attention as they entered the competition area. Cen Huai’an felt many eyes on them.

He hesitated for a moment but soon got used to it; as long as his expression remained unchanged, no one could tell he disliked being the center of attention.

Jiang Zhida and Grandpa Jiang took their seats in the audience, while Cen Huai’an went inside to draw his match number.

Compared to yesterday, there were noticeably fewer competitors.

This time, Jiang Zhida’s opponent was Zhao Qi, a player he recognized.

They had had some unpleasantness during a previous youth exchange event.

Since then, Cen Zhengnian hadn’t seen Zhao Qi again, but he remembered her because of his good memory.

Although she had grown up, her face hadn’t changed much.

Clearly, Zhao Qi recognized Cen Huai’an too.

Her gaze towards him was wary, with a barely perceptible hint of hostility.

The now-grown Zhao Qi was no longer as impulsive as before.

The atmosphere between them was a bit awkward.

Cen Huai’an didn’t mind and followed the etiquette of playing Go, making each move deliberately.

Zhao Qi mirrored his actions stiffly.

Once seated, Zhao Qi looked at Cen Huai’an and finally spoke the first words since their last meeting. “This time, I won’t lose to you.”

Cen Huai’an picked up a piece and asked her to guess whether it was odd or even.

Words about winning or losing were just verbal exchanges; actual victory depended on skill.

Zhao Qi glanced at him. “Even.”

She guessed correctly, and thus she played first.

Cen Huai’an didn’t let his previous win over her make him complacent.

He treated every opponent seriously, even if it were a three-year-old.

This was both a respect for his opponents and for the game itself.

Zhao Qi’s playing style hadn’t changed much from before.

She still employed a cautious strategy, but her skills had improved significantly since their last match.

The layout on the board was much tighter, and the vulnerabilities he had exploited in their previous game were no longer present.

Cen Huai’an adjusted his strategy and thought carefully about how to lead her into traps to capture her pieces.

Playing Go was fundamentally about who could capture more pieces and dominate more territory, much like a battlefield.

Likewise, Zhao Qi was also trying to encircle his pieces.

With past grievances between them, their match turned into an intense battle.

It seemed that Zhao Qi channeled her frustrations with Cen Huai’an into this game.

Initially, she was cautious, but as the game progressed, she seemed to abandon all restraint, eager to capture as many of Cen Huai’an’s pieces as she could, indifferent to her own losses.

Cen Huai’an showed no mercy, ruthlessly capturing her pieces.

As expected, Zhao Qi lost the match.

“I know I can’t win against you,” Zhao Qi said, sitting across from him. “But I’m happy I managed to capture quite a few of your pieces.”

While the staff were busy counting the pieces on the board to tally the territory each player occupied, they needed to record both sides’ captured pieces as per the rules.

Hearing Zhao Qi’s words, a staff member shot her a surprised glance, then looked at Cen Huai’an, his eyes filled with curiosity.

Cen Huai’an didn’t understand Zhao Qi’s mindset.

Their paths diverged, and their approaches to the game were different.

He didn’t want to engage her in conversation and instead waited for the staff to announce the results.

Seeing his attitude, Zhao Qi didn’t get angry but instead felt her own mood grow increasingly agitated.

As soon as the staff announced the results, Zhao Qi immediately stood up and left.

Cen Huai’an thanked the staff before he exited.

The competition area was bustling with participants, and the judges, along with the coaches from the provincial and national teams, had already begun to take notice of Cen Huai’an.

He had made a name for himself in the capital’s team, and the provincial team had previously invited him to join.

At that time, Cen Huai’an was still quite young, and joining the provincial team would have meant dedicating all his time to Go training, leaving him with little time for his parents.

He was reluctant, and Chuxia had disagreed as well.

At just ten years old, Cen Huai’an had other interests and hobbies.

She didn’t want him to lock in his future career path before he even grasped the concept of it.