"Xiao Ye, have a seat, don’t worry about someone." Zhang Ma invited Ye Fan to sit down.
"Okay." Ye Fan replied straightforwardly, without any reservations, and directly found a place to sit down.
"He really doesn’t see himself as an outsider, so familiar." Zhang Jiefang looked at Ye Fan, thinking this in his heart, then provocatively said, "Kid, no matter how you know my daughter or what your relationship is, I’ll just ask you, what can you do?"
Zhang Jiefang definitely regarded Ye Fan as an outsider, showing no kindly face. Zhang Ma and Zhang Lu’s friendliness towards Ye Fan was none of his business. Now that there was an outsider here, he wasn’t willing to make a fool of himself, just wanted to give Ye Fan a lesson to show his own status.
"What can I do?" Ye Fan was taken aback, "I can do a lot, why are you asking this?"
"Kid, don’t boast shamelessly, saying you can do a lot, can you play Go?" Zhang Jiefang said playfully.
"A little bit." Ye Fan replied humbly.
"Bring the chessboard." Zhang Jiefang commanded, thinking to himself, "I’ll let you be arrogant, you’ll be crying in a moment."
Zhang Ma brought the chessboard, set it up, and then stood aside with a smile.
She whispered, "Lulu, can your boyfriend play Go? Your dad has immersed himself in Go for decades, even professional ninth-dan players aren’t his opponents. I think the old stubborn is using his specialty to bully Xiao Ye, and later he’ll definitely lecture with pride."
"Don’t worry, he can handle it." Zhang Lu was just as worried about Zhang Ma’s concern, but at this point, she could only watch. She didn’t know Ye Fan could play Go, but she couldn’t say that; otherwise, her lack of knowledge about Ye Fan would make her mom doubt their relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend.
"Black or white?" Zhang Jiefang asked.
"Doesn’t matter." Ye Fan replied casually.
Zhang Jiefang’s mouth twitched, seething inside, "What a brazen kid, arrogance knows no bounds."
He tossed the black pieces in front of Ye Fan, picked up the white pieces, and made the first move.
"Want me to give you a two-piece advantage?" Ye Fan swaggered.
Zhang Jiefang’s mouth twitched, nearly infuriated, roaring, "Kid, do you even know how to spell ’ignorance’?"
"Please enlighten me, write it for me." Ye Fan said politely.
"Bratty child." Zhang Jiefang was infuriated, giving a two-piece advantage—what a joke, utterly ridiculous.
"Pfft." Zhang Lu couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
"Xiao Ye is really amusing." Zhang Ma chuckled, right in front of Zhang Jiefang, so openly brazen—Ye Fan was the first, making her unconsciously see him in a new light.
"Less talk, make a move." Zhang Jiefang nearly shouted.
"Playing Go is all about having a calm heart and mind. With your stormy attitude, you definitely can’t play well, probably only know the basics." Ye Fan sat upright, back straight, saying, "No problem giving you a few lessons."
"Later, I’ll see how arrogant you can be." Zhang Jiefang glared at Ye Fan, deciding not to continue arguing, planning to use facts to give Ye Fan a harsh lesson, teaching this kid the meaning of humility.
Thus, Ye Fan and Zhang Jiefang began their game.
Ye Fan moved swiftly, hardly thinking, frequently placing pieces.
Zhang Jiefang managed to match the speed initially, but later he couldn’t keep up, occasionally frowning and pondering.
Zhang Ma brewed tea and placed it to the side.
"How’s it going? Is the old stubborn about to lose?" Zhang Ma didn’t understand Go, but seeing Zhang Jiefang stopping to think for ages before making a move while Ye Fan quickly placed pieces with minimal thought, led her to conclude the old stubborn was about to lose.
"The black and white pieces are fiercely engaged, neither side concedes, focusing on offense, currently stalemated, neither side in the lead." Zhang Lu gave an objective analysis.
"How can that be? It seems obvious to me that the old stubborn is about to lose, considering how slow he’s making moves." Zhang Ma said.
"Mom, winning or losing has nothing to do with speed." Zhang Lu smiled helplessly.
Zhang Ma retorted, "In my opinion, the Go rules should change—slow moves should mean losing."
She was eager for the old stubborn to lose, to truly embarrass him. Being so arrogant without anyone to check him, he’s become a petty emperor issuing commands at home. This can’t continue, someone needs to curb him, and she’s pinning her hopes on Ye Fan.
"Silence is golden when watching the game, you just don’t get it. Go cool off somewhere, stop distracting me." Zhang Jiefang turned to scold.
His wife and daughter hoping for his loss, truly ungrateful.
"Xiao Ye, do your best, win a few more games from the old stubborn, and I’ll make you a good meal later, a nice treat." Zhang Ma enthused.
"Sure, Auntie, I’ve got this." Ye Fan chuckled lightly.
Zhang Jiefang shot a murderous glare, prompting Zhang Ma and Zhang Lu to step aside, sitting not far off and whispering softly.
"Arrogant brat, wanting to beat me, you’re not skilled enough." Zhang Jiefang declared confidently.
Ten minutes later, the game reached the mid-stage.
Ye Fan remained very relaxed, despite Zhang Jiefang being skilled enough to beat professional ninth-dan players, winning against him was still easy due to Ye Fan’s mental agility and calculation power, far beyond Zhang Jiefang’s level.
Zhang Jiefang’s palms were sweaty, at times frowning in thought, other times holding pieces, marking them back and forth.
By now, Zhang Jiefang was thoroughly stuck in a stalemate.
"Don’t rush, take your time, let me have a sip of tea to catch my breath."
"Think carefully before placing a piece, don’t misstep."
"Even if it takes forever, it’s fine. This is not an official match, no time limit. You can think a bit more."
Ye Fan leisurely sipped tea while chatting nonchalantly.
Zhang Jiefang ignored Ye Fan’s words, completely focused on the board.
"This kid truly has a reason to be arrogant, getting me into a tough spot. If I can’t turn it around, I might really lose." Zhang Jiefang thought, "I absolutely cannot lose, by any means, must not lose."
"Xiao Ye is winning, right?" Zhang Ma said joyfully, yet surprisingly.
"At least dad is in a passive position, thinking for five minutes without playing, while Ye Fan is at ease. Dad might lose soon." Zhang Lu said seriously, also slightly puzzled, "Didn’t expect his Go skills to be so high, even giving dad a hard time."
"Great." Zhang Ma couldn’t help but cheer.
"Mom, just secretly rejoice, don’t let dad blame his loss on you later. If that happens, you won’t have a good explanation." Zhang Lu warned.
"Right, I’ll secretly rejoice, shouldn’t let the old stubborn vent his frustration of losing on me, gotta rile him up, see how he stays arrogant in the future." Zhang Ma enjoyed it thoroughly.