Even a Rotten Piece of Wood Can Play Go

Noon.

Li Guanqi had gone off to fool around with the Xuan Ying group again.

Su Cheng felt it was high time to reassert his dominance as the man of the house!

After all, it had been ages since he last enjoyed a lovingly prepared lunch on the lawn.

But not today.

Today, he had to go to the Archery Club at noon.

So—

The grand display of his reasserted dominance would have to wait for another day!

Yesterday, President Ji had helped handle the matter concerning Senior Sister Si, but Su Cheng wasn’t privy to the specifics. Hence, he needed to meet with President Ji at noon today to discuss the details.

……

Archery Club.

"Hey, Su Cheng, when are you going to become Flame City’s number one?"

Just as he was about to step into the Archery Club, a familiar voice called out from behind.

He turned his head and saw Yang Xin, a classmate his age.

"Aren’t I already Flame City’s number one in archery?"

Su Cheng didn’t bother with modesty, straightening his posture with a hint of pride.

His supremacy in archery was an indisputable fact, known to all.

Any further humility would just come off as insincere.

However, Yang Xin’s expression turned odd.

Because he was talking about Go, not archery.

"No," Yang Xin shook his head, correcting him. "I meant number one in Go, not archery."

Su Cheng froze for a moment before instantly refreshing his demeanor, adopting an air of humility. "I’m just a beginner who got lucky. Saying something like that makes me nervous."

"But everyone on the forums says that even though you haven’t taken the professional ranking test yet, with your skill, you’d definitely qualify for the professional dan ranks," Yang Xin retorted, widening his eyes in disbelief. Su Cheng’s reaction seemed completely serious.

Su Cheng frowned in distress. "Forum rumors are as unreliable as online gossip—pure sensationalism!"

He waved his hand dismissively, as if the discussions online were nothing but baseless exaggerations meant to inflate his reputation.

In truth, he knew full well.

His "greatness" was entirely a product of others’ imaginations.

Yang Xin was left speechless.

"Anyway, President Ji needs me for something. I’ll head in now." Su Cheng gave a casual wave and hurried into the Archery Club.

A small gesture, but a mighty blow.

To Yang Xin, this was peak humblebragging.

After all, getting to speak with President Ji one-on-one even once was like celebrating New Year’s for him.

"I’m so jealous of his relationship with President Ji…"

Yang Xin stared at Su Cheng’s retreating figure, muttering under his breath. "Out of thirty club members, all thirty’s favor rests on him alone. And Su Cheng isn’t even in the club anymore, yet their bond hasn’t changed one bit… Sigh!"

He sighed deeply, his face filled with envy, before finally resigning himself to a helpless exhale.

…………

Knock, knock.

As usual, Su Cheng stood at the door and rapped lightly.

But this time, there was no response.

No cool, indifferent voice called out, no poker-faced attendant opened the door—just silence.

"Strange."

Su Cheng frowned. This was rare. While it was possible that Ji Qingyi hadn’t arrived yet, she had scheduled this meeting yesterday. At the very least, she should have left an attendant behind to receive him.

Puzzled, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

To an outsider, barging into Ji Qingyi’s private space like this might seem reckless.

But his relationship with the club president was rock-solid. There had been similar instances before, so he wasn’t worried about reprimand.

As he entered, a familiar fragrance—Qingyi’s signature scent—wafted into his nose, so refreshing it felt like it could add years to his life.

Whenever he encountered Ji Qingyi in the club, she exuded an aura of serene elegance, like an orchid blooming in a secluded valley.

Su Cheng scanned the room but found no trace of her. The place was empty.

The layout was identical to before, save for minor rearrangements of the furniture.

"A Go board?"

His eyes landed on a pristine white jade Go set placed beside the bookshelf.

This surprised him.

There had never been a Go board here before.

Was this because of yesterday’s incident with Senior Sister Si?

He wondered.

Approaching the board, he examined it closely.

To his relief, there was no prearranged puzzle waiting for him.

For a moment, he had feared Ji Qingyi had set up some intricate "Linglong Puzzle" to test him.

Given her personality, she would do something like that.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, he noticed a book tucked beneath the board’s stand.

"Even a Blockhead Can Learn Go!" [Beginner’s Edition]

"?"

A question mark popped up in Su Cheng’s mind, followed by a darkening expression as he felt an inexplicable sense of insult.

Was Ji Qingyi treating him like a blockhead?!

How low was her opinion of him?

"Blockhead" was just a polite way of saying idiot, moron, dimwit, or fool.

But after a moment’s thought, Su Cheng dismissed the idea. Ji Qingyi wasn’t the type to be so shallow. He quickly composed himself.

Sitting before the board, he picked up the book and flipped through it.

A single glance revealed that the teaching methods inside were literally designed for the mentally challenged—claiming that with enough patience, even a zoo monkey could learn Go…

His lips twitched. If Ji Qingyi actually used these methods to teach him, it would be downright disrespectful.

Just then, he heard light footsteps approaching from behind.

Su Cheng immediately snapped the book shut and turned around.

Sure enough, it was Ji Qingyi.

She wore her school uniform, her jet-black hair cascading over her shoulders. Her breathtakingly beautiful face was as cold and aloof as ever, radiating an aura that kept others at arm’s length.

When Ji Qingyi noticed the book in Su Cheng’s hands, her steps faltered for a split second, a flicker of awkwardness crossing her face before she calmly continued toward her office.

Su Cheng’s expression darkened. So she did see him as a blockhead.

He held up the book, ready to demand an explanation. "President Ji, care to explain what this book is about?"

Ji Qingyi glanced at it, her expression unreadable. "Oh, I came across it by chance and left it under the board."

"……"

Su Cheng choked.

By chance?

More like specifically ordered from a zoo gift shop!

"You weren’t planning to use this to teach me Go, were you?" Su Cheng ventured, his face twisting into an awkward grimace that practically screamed, Do you think I’m a blockhead?

Ji Qingyi pondered for a moment before shaking her head. "No. It’s lunchtime now. Let’s eat first."

Without waiting for his response, she turned and walked away, leaving Su Cheng standing there, utterly bewildered.

Why did she need to think before answering that?!

……………

At the dining table.

The two ate in silence, as usual, but today, the air was tinged with awkward tension.

After the meal, they moved to the tea table.

"About the matter with Senior Sister Si… How did you handle it?" Su Cheng broke the silence, his tone cautious.

Ji Qingyi, her slender jade-like fingers gracefully arranging the tea set, lifted her gaze. Her eyes, deep and still as stagnant water, fixed on Su Cheng with quiet intensity.

"I've postponed our match to the day before midterm exams this semester," she said, her voice calm and composed.

Su Cheng froze.

"So... what do you plan to do for this next month...?" he asked hesitantly. "Teach me Go?"

Ji Qingyi gave a faint hum of acknowledgment, then poured the brewed tea into cups, sliding one toward Su Cheng. "By now, you should understand your current situation, correct?"

"Thank you."

Su Cheng accepted the tea, lowering his gaze to the steaming liquid.

"There's plenty of time. From now on, come to the club during lunch breaks. We can take it slow and steady," Ji Qingyi said evenly, as if the matter were already settled.

Su Cheng remained silent for a long moment before finally taking a deep breath and looking up with a strained smile. "If President Ji is willing to spare the time to teach me, of course I’d be grateful. But..."

"Speak your mind directly."

Ji Qingyi glanced at him, her tone indifferent.

Su Cheng didn’t hesitate. "Even so, there’s no way I can defeat Senior Sister Si..."

Ji Qingyi cut him off coolly. "Stop focusing on winning. All you need is to avoid losing."

Su Cheng blinked in surprise.

He realized that Go could end in a draw—rare, but possible.

"But the problem is, I’m starting from zero. Even with a month, there’s no way I can reach a level where a draw is feasible..."

He shook his head with a bitter laugh.

Ji Qingyi pressed her lips together, her eyes filling with absolute trust and expectation as she spoke, her voice soft yet clear and melodious. "I can’t speak for others, but you absolutely can. Because I believe in you."

"What!?"

Su Cheng nearly leapt out of his seat in shock.

Where the hell did this blind confidence come from?!

Ji Qingyi remained unperturbed, merely running her slender, pale fingers along the rim of her delicate teacup. Her voice was steady and crisp. "To me, you seem like a rare marvel woven together by time and coincidence."

"???"

Su Cheng’s eyes widened.

Is she insane?!

Was she treating him like some miracle again?

Without the system’s tools, he was nothing but deadwood!

Right now, he wished he really were just deadwood.

He couldn’t bear the weight of such expectations.

"President Ji, all my past successes were given by the system. I’m just an utterly ordinary nobody..." Su Cheng’s expression darkened as he sighed. "If anyone else had this system, they’d do far better than me..."

"No."

To his surprise, Ji Qingyi firmly rejected his words, shaking her head with composed certainty. "There’s no point in arguing. Let’s begin today’s lesson. First, learn Go."

Su Cheng stared blankly for several seconds before snapping back to reality.

Soon after, the two sat down at the Go board.

"President Ji, your teaching material."

Su Cheng tentatively handed over a book titled Even Deadwood Can Play Go.

Ji Qingyi immediately shook her head. "What textbook? Did you think I’d use something meant to teach monkeys?"

Su Cheng exhaled in relief.

Thank goodness—she wasn’t treating him like a monkey.

Of course, even if Ji Qingyi wasn’t the best teacher, she wouldn’t resort to such a dumbed-down book.

She gave the book in his hand a brief glance before placing a black stone on the board. "Pick up a stone and try surrounding this one."

"Okay."

Su Cheng obeyed.

He placed four white stones around the black one, blocking its liberties.

His movements and posture were surprisingly decent.

"You’ve memorized the basic rules and gestures. Good."

Ji Qingyi offered faint praise before summoning a butler, who brought over a brand-new board—though this one was much smaller.

"This is a 6x6 mini-board."

As she spoke, she tore off the packaging.

But Su Cheng’s gaze lingered on the label, and he froze in shock—

Montessori Early Education Tool: Develops Right-Brain Function, Logical Thinking, Concentration, and Fine Motor Skills.

"You swore you weren’t using this book’s teaching methods!!?"