IHSAGW Chapter 26

“Bro, so you were actually telling the truth!”

Xiang Lang stared blankly at the match results. It had only been a little over two hours, yet Wu Xingyi had already resigned!

Remembering Huo Weiran’s earlier words—He can do it—Xiang Lang had assumed his good friend was simply biased in favor of his arranged-marriage partner, making an emotional assessment that had no real accuracy. Who would have thought it was genuinely an objective evaluation?

“Is the match already over?” Huo Weiran glanced at the time and instinctively stood up, quickly making his way to the window.

“Wu Xingyi resigned. It only took two hours.” Xiang Lang checked the time, then looked toward the entrance of the competition venue. “I just saw Nian Le heading toward the dining area. It looks like he hasn’t left yet.”

He’s eating out instead of coming home?

Huo Weiran glanced out the window, then sat back down in front of his computer with a stiff expression.

“You know what? The Yixin Cup organizers hired some pretty good chefs.” Unaware of the gloomy atmosphere on the other end of the phone, Xiang Lang enthusiastically began describing the food.

“I went there yesterday and helped myself to a meal. Even the dish names were pretty interesting. There was ‘Determining the Outcome,’ ‘Spicy Square Formation,’ ‘Invincible Great Avalanche,’ and ‘Embrace and Feast.’ They also had desserts provided by the sponsors, arranged across two long tables…”

Xiang Lang wanted to continue, but the call suddenly ended.

Realizing that his good friend probably wasn’t interested in any of this, Xiang Lang tried hard to restrain himself from calling back and continuing to list the dishes.

It was still early, and there weren’t many people at the players’ dining area. Not all the food had been served yet, either. Nian Le picked up two freshly baked desserts and sat to one side, eating them slowly.

After waiting for over an hour, the dining area gradually filled up. Several players who knew one another sat together, chatting as they ate.

“I’m seriously losing my mind. I ran into the veteran, Ninth-Dan Fang Chun, and I was so nervous that my palms wouldn’t stop sweating. What terrible luck!”

“Can’t be helped. I got matched against Seventh-Dan Hei Ziyi, too. At least I only lost by seven points.”

“I lost as well, but getting to witness Eighth-Dan Zhu Yun’s Hundred Branches, Thousand Blossoms playing style made the trip worthwhile.”

Nian Le quietly listened to their conversations.

Before long, the competition entered its break period, and even more players arrived at the dining area. Some ordered meals, while others simply grabbed food from the buffet for convenience.

“Oh, isn’t that Fifth-Dan Li Yang?”

One of the players sitting at the table in front of Nian Le waved toward someone nearby. The man being called Li Yang spotted his friends and hurried over with a broad smile.

“You look awfully happy. Did you win this round?” one player asked curiously.

“Not yet. It’s just break time.” Li Yang sat down, barely able to conceal his excitement. “But I’m not far from winning!”

“Are you that confident?” another player asked, sounding doubtful.

“Be careful. Don’t get so excited that you make one terrible move and throw the game away.”

“Even if I make one terrible move, it won’t matter.” Li Yang looked around at the others mysteriously. “Guess who I’m playing against!”

The players exchanged glances.

Li Yang struggled to contain his grin. “Here’s a hint: my opponent is a seventh-dan player.”

“Seventh dan!” one of the players exclaimed in shock. “You’re only fifth dan, and you’re saying you’re guaranteed to beat him?”

With that hint, the other players had already guessed who he meant. Seeing their companion’s astonished expression, they couldn’t help suppressing their laughter.

“You really don’t know? This seventh-dan player has been quite famous over the past few years. In a previous tournament, he couldn’t beat a first-dan player and lost all three games! I don’t know how many people nearly laughed their teeth out over that!”

“Who is it?” the player beside him remained confused. “How come I haven’t heard about this?”

“Who else could it be? Meng Tianyuan’s son, Meng Cheng!” Li Yang cheerfully revealed the answer. “If you haven’t heard about it, it’s probably because Meng Tianyuan has been helping cover it up. Well, it’s that embarrassing. Who would want the whole world knowing about something like that?”

Hearing this, the player beside him froze for a moment before immediately understanding the situation.

In Go, the central star point on the board is called the Tengen. The title of Tengen is also one of the highest honors a Go player can receive.

Meng Tianyuan’s real name was Meng Xiande, and he had long enjoyed a prestigious reputation in the Go world. When he was a professional ninth-dan player, he participated in the Tengen tournament and won the championship, earning the coveted title of Tengen. He went on to defend the title for two consecutive years, making him a household name throughout the Go community.

Meng Tianyuan had two sons, both of whom had followed the path of professional Go players. Meng Cheng was his eldest son.

“My impression of him is still stuck at the time when he earned his dan rank at fifteen. He kept advancing through the ranks for four consecutive years, until he won the bilateral championship at twenty-one and jumped straight from fifth dan to seventh dan,” one of the players sighed.

“People used to say he might become the youngest Tengen ever. How did he end up like this over the past few years?”

“It’s been three or four years now. Ever since that bilateral championship, he hasn’t won more than a handful of games. I heard Meng Tianyuan was so furious that he sent him abroad to study for a while. But when he came back, his playing got even worse. He can’t even beat first-dan players anymore.”

Li Yang covered his mouth and snickered.

“His father has practically given up on him these past few years and is now focusing on training his younger son. The team that signed Meng Cheng is only keeping him around out of respect for his father’s reputation. Otherwise, they would’ve kicked him out already.”

“Then should we congratulate you in advance for making it into the Top 8?” one of the players teased, raising his glass of water in a toast.

Li Yang hurriedly waved his hands, but his smile was impossible to hide. He clinked glasses with everyone at the table.

“Thanks to Seventh-Dan Meng Cheng, I’ll have something extra to add to my résumé from now on. After all, not every player can claim to have beaten a professional seventh-dan opponent.”

After downing several mouthfuls of tea, Li Yang grew even happier and began to lose himself in his own excitement.

“Sure, he’s an absolutely terrible seventh-dan player, but the rank is still there. It’s not like Go has a system for demoting players. Otherwise, he might’ve ended up back in the amateur ranks!”

The more Li Yang spoke, the more excited he became. He failed to notice that the other players around him had fallen silent.

It wasn’t until he saw one of them pick up his food and shift slightly to the side that Li Yang realized something was wrong.

He immediately stopped talking and cautiously turned his head.

A short distance away stood the very person they had been discussing.

He had been badmouthing someone, and that very person had happened to be standing right behind him.

Remembering everything he had just said, and considering the influence Meng Tianyuan wielded, Li Yang wanted nothing more than to slap himself across the face.

The surrounding area suddenly fell silent.

Nian Le raised his head, his gaze passing over the players at the table in front of him before settling gently on the newcomer.

The man had a handsome face and wore a discreet, perfectly tailored black suit. Even at a glance, it was obvious that the suit was expensive.

Meng Cheng appeared not to have heard any of the insults directed at him. There wasn’t the slightest trace of resentment on his face. Instead, he wore a flawless smile, one so impeccable that nobody could find anything wrong with it.

“Fifth-Dan Li Yang, I was just about to suggest that we come over and grab something to eat together.”

Meng Cheng walked over, bent down, and placed one hand on Li Yang’s shoulder. His gaze swept over the food on the table, and his smile remained bright.

“I didn’t expect you to be so eager. You’ve already started eating.”

“Hah… hahaha.” Li Yang forced out an awkward laugh. Meng Cheng’s sudden closeness made him so nervous that his entire body stiffened.

“I heard Seventh-Dan Meng Cheng is planning to switch careers and go into business?” one of the players asked cautiously, trying to change the subject. His gaze fell on the expensive watch around Meng Cheng’s wrist.

“If you come across any good business opportunities, don’t keep them to yourself!”

“Just a small side venture.” Meng Cheng slowly straightened up, a smile on his face. “The senior players have already secured all the good opportunities. For juniors like us, being able to follow along and earn enough to get by is already pretty good.”

“Seventh-Dan Meng Cheng is certainly modest,” the players said with awkward laughs, carefully avoiding any further mention of Go.

“This seat looks pretty good.”

Meng Cheng casually sat down beside Li Yang and rotated his wrists a few times. His smile remained flawless.

“Don’t mind me. I’ll just join your table. It’s a good chance to hear what other funny stories have been going around lately.”

At his words, the players immediately lowered their heads. They didn’t even dare exchange glances with one another. All they wanted was to escape the place as quickly as possible.

“If you can’t think of anything, take your time. I’ll go get something to eat, then come back and wait to hear everyone else’s amusing stories.” Meng Cheng glanced at the time before smiling at them.

“Just don’t take advantage of my absence to sneak away without saying goodbye. That would be rather impolite.”

“H-how could we do that?” Li Yang looked as though he was about to cry.

When Meng Cheng actually stood up and went to get some food, the others remained frozen in their seats, feeling as though they were sitting on pins and needles.

Enjoying their torment, Meng Cheng slowly browsed the food selection. He picked out a few simple dishes before making his way to the dessert section.

A plate of chestnut cakes caught his eye.

Chestnut cakes these days were much more intricately made than they used to be. Instead of being shaped into neat squares, they were now crafted to resemble actual chestnuts.

Meng Cheng stared quietly at the cakes for a moment before instinctively picking up a pair of dessert tongs and reaching for one.

Two pairs of tongs lightly touched above the same plate of chestnut cakes.

The other person seemed to have chosen their cake a second faster than he had.

Meng Cheng instinctively raised his head—and immediately saw the young man standing beside him.

Amber eyes. Gentle, otherworldly features. An elegant temperament that seemed innate.

An overwhelming sense of familiarity rushed toward him, instantly unlocking every one of his senses and flooding the deepest recesses of his memory.

The young man smiled faintly, appearing to stand in a pool of light, surrounded by an aura so dazzling it made one almost dizzy. He turned around, picked up his cake, and walked away with his tray held steadily in his hands.

It had taken only a brief glimpse of the young man’s profile for Meng Cheng to notice the small mole on the bridge of his nose.

It was in exactly the same place as the one in his memories.

Meng Cheng stood frozen in place, his fingers trembling uncontrollably.

More than ten minutes passed.

The people at Li Yang’s table felt as though ants were crawling all over their bodies. They looked toward Meng Cheng again and saw that he had been standing in the dessert area without moving for quite some time.

Unable to bear it any longer, one of the players called out to him twice.

But Meng Cheng seemed not to hear them. He remained frozen in the same position.

“Seventh-Dan Meng Cheng?”

Li Yang cautiously approached him.

Meng Cheng slowly turned his head. After just one glance at his expression, Li Yang found himself unable to say another word.

Li Yang had no idea how to describe that look in his eyes.

It was as though a demon drenched in poison was dancing wildly in the depths of hell. Or perhaps he resembled a butcher who had just laid down his knife, his eyes gleaming with an eerie brilliance while fresh blood still dripped from his hands.

Meng Cheng struggled to steady himself. He instinctively raised a hand to brush the corner of his eye, then carried his tray back to his previous seat.

When he looked up again, he saw the young man from earlier sitting not far away.

The young man had already finished the food in front of him and was now getting up to walk toward the staff area.

Meng Cheng stared at his retreating figure, his hand resting on his thigh clenched tightly into a fist.

“Seventh-Dan Meng Cheng, that person is an amateur third-dan player.” Noticing Meng Cheng’s gaze, Li Yang cautiously ventured to explain, carefully testing his reaction.

When Meng Cheng showed no sign of stopping him, Li Yang finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly shared the little information he knew.

“I think his surname is Nian. He’s pretty impressive. He didn’t lose many games in the qualifying rounds, and he even beat Third-Dan Chi Mianmian.”

Li Yang struggled to recall more details and looked to the others for help.

“He just beat Fourth-Dan Wu Xingyi, too!” another player quickly added, sharing the latest news. “I was sitting pretty close to their boards. Wu Xingyi signed the match confirmation form and left immediately. His face was practically black.”

Meng Cheng continued staring at the young man’s back.

He lowered his head and remained silent for a long time. When he finally looked up again, the perfect smile he had worn earlier had returned to his face.

“An amateur third-dan player? There’s not much of a joke to be found there. You spent all this time thinking, and that’s the best you could come up with?”

“Uh… does Third-Dan Lu An getting sued by his students count?”

The group racked their brains, desperately trying to think of something else.

Meng Cheng smiled and picked up his teacup for a sip. From the corner of his eye, he continued to follow the young man as he left the dining area.