Noon .

His mother had called to order a barbecue .

"Just place it here . "

"Alright, Auntie . "

"Oh yes, bring some more beer . It's a grand occasion today . "

"Is someone celebrating their birthday?"

"It's not that . My son has just come back!"

Several of the hotel's staff carried the barbecue equipment and food over to the villa's yard . They also brought over a lot of cold beers and placed them on the table . As Zhang Ye was afraid that he would get recognized, he habitually put on his sungla.s.ses again . This had become a reflex of his over the years ever since he started working in the industry . But he soon discovered that no one seemed to have noticed him at all, much less recognized who he was .

When the hotel staff left .

His mother laughed and said, "Was that necessary?"

Zhang Ye chuckled and said, "The sun was too bright . Can't I put on my sungla.s.ses on for that reason?"

His father called him over . "Son, let's drink together today!"

"Whoa, it's so rare seeing you wanting to drink," Zhang Ye said happily .

Wu Zeqing brought their daughter out and said, "Our dad is just really happy today . "

His father said, "That's right, I'm very happy today . "

His mother said sarcastically, "What are you so happy about? Now that this kid is back, something big is surely going to happen again . Do you think he can give it a rest for even a day? Like I'd believe that!"

Wu Zeqing laughed .

Everyone got seated .

Sisi was sitting in Wu Zeqing's lap . Sometimes, she would give Zhang Ye a look, then steal another glance at him every now and then .

Wu Zeqing smiled and signaled to Zhang Ye with her eyes . She whispered, "Our daughter seems to be paying a lot of attention on you . Let her get used to it first and take it slowly . "

Zhang Ye nodded .

His father said, "Come, let's toast . "

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "Sure . "

Wu Zeqing also raised her cup . "Cheers . "

Zhang Ye said, "Dad, Mom, Old Wu, it's been hard on you these past few years . I'm not gonna say anything else, so lemme toast you . I'll drink first, and you can drink at your own pace . "

He emptied the cup into his mouth .

His father sighed like he had a lot to get off his chest .

Only then did Zhang Ye ask, "How has everyone in the family been?"

His father said, "Your grandpa had some heart issues last year and underwent a heart stent procedure . He has recovered quite well since then . Your grandma still has the same old problems . She still has high blood pressure and cerebral thrombosis, but they're all under control . As for your mom and I, we're doing quite alright . "

Zhang Ye asked, "Have we renovated the house yet?"

His mother laughed and said, "Renovate? We've already moved out from there . "

Zhang Ye said, "Where did you move to?"

His mother said, "Some place not too far from where Zeqing is living . She has to go to work, so your dad and I take care of your daughter . Oh, and sometimes it's Zeqing's parents who take care of her . "

Zhang Ye looked at Old Wu, "How're Mom and Dad doing?"

Wu Zeqing smiled . "Pretty good . "

His mother said, "Yes, it's just that Zeqing's dad would put you down so often . "

His father laughed and said, "That's only because our son did not live up to their expectations . Since there's some resentment, surely we can allow him some criticism . "

His mother said, "About your return, aren't you going to let Zeqing's family know about it?"

Zhang Ye hurriedly waved his hands . "Please don't tell them . Wait until I return to Beijing so that I can go and apologize to them in person . If we tell them now, I'm afraid that Father-in-law will take the next plane and come for me in the afternoon . "

Everyone laughed .

Wu Zeqing smiled and said, "Don't say that . I think it's actually possible that he would do something like that . Quite a few people from the China Qiyuan have also come to Sanya on vacation . If I remember correctly, they should be staying near our hotel . My parents had wanted to come as well, but they didn't as they don't really like flying . "

Zhang Ye said, "I've already met the Qiyuan people . "

Wu Zeqing said, "When did you see them?"

"On the way here . " Zhang Ye said with a laugh, "I got a ride from them, but they didn't recognize me . I even played several games of Go with them . '

His mom exclaimed, "You haven't touched Go in so many years . Can you still play?"

Zhang Ye smiled and said, "Of course . "

Wu Zeqing asked, "Did any of the newcomers catch your eye?"

Zhang Ye gave it some thought and said, "They're alright . They aren't too bad . I played some games with Chen Ying's two nieces and saw many ways of playing that I've never encountered before . "

Wu Zeqing nodded and said, "In these years that you've been away, the Go world has undergone a lot of change . There are a lot more playstyles now, and many of them were innovated by my dad and those old comrades he retired alongside . They studied all the different ways of playing and came up with new ones in order to deal with the AI . But after two years, there is still no one who can beat PeterGo in a match . "

His father sighed and said, "The Go world is in such a terrible state right now . "

Zhang Ye said, "I've also heard a little about this . "

Wu Zeqing smiled and said, "That's why my dad keeps putting you down whenever he's at home . He says that if you were around, there could still be a chance that humans could turn the tables on PeterGo . "

Zhang Ye's eyes narrowed as he smiled and said, "Aren't I back now?"

Wu Zeqing said, "When do you intend to announce this to the public?"

Zhang Ye said, "We'll see about that . I haven't decided yet . "

Out of the blue, Sisi said, "Mommy, I'm full . "

Wu Zeqing nodded . "Alright, why don't you go and play by yourself?"

Sisi said, "I want to play Go . "

Wu Zeqing smiled . "Why don't you play with Daddy then?"

Zhang Ye replied excitedly, "Yes, yes, Daddy will play with you . "

Sisi was unwilling . "I want Mommy to play with me . "

Wu Zeqing ruffled her hair and said, "Mommy isn't as good as Daddy . Didn't I already tell you that? Daddy is the greatest Go player in the world . Back then, there was no one in the entire world who could beat him . "

Zhang Ye corrected, "What do you mean 'back then'? It's still relevant now . "

Sisi whispered, "Is he better than Grandpa?"

Wu Zeqing said, "Of course . "

"Hur hur . " Zhang Ye laughed and said, "Even if there are ten of your grandpas, they wouldn't be a match for Daddy . He will always lose to me . "

His mother rolled her eyes . "Will it kill you to brag less?"

Sisi did not believe that . She tugged at Wu Zeqing's sleeve . "Mommy, I want you to play with me . "

Wu Zeqing could do nothing about it . "Alright then . "

The mother and daughter set up the Go board nearby .

Zhang Ye asked his father . "My daughter can even play Go?"

His father laughed and said, "It was Zeqing's dad who taught her . He teaches her whenever she goes over to their place . He says that it would help with the early development of her intelligence . In fact, Teacher Changhe's teaching method is quite good . The girl is very smart too and doesn't play too badly . It happens that Sisi is also quite interested in the game herself . "

She likes to play Go?

That is good!

This is an opportunity!

…

Meanwhile .

At Yalong Bay . In a hotel's restaurant .

A group of over 30 people were sitting together . Chen Qiqi and Chen Niannian were also among them .

"Have you all stowed your luggage in your rooms?"

"Yes . "

"Alright, let's eat then . We'll a.s.semble for training tomorrow . "

"Ah? We're starting tomorrow?"

"Did you really think we're here on vacation?"

"Alright, we get it, Teacher Tian . "

"We'll have one day of rest and start taking on PeterGo in batches from tomorrow onward . "

"Ah? Please, no . "

"What are you guys yelling about? This is the training schedule we planned . "

Tian Weiwei lectured them with a stern face . He looked like he had matured a lot and was no longer the green teenager who was a crybaby several years ago .

Much had happened in these past few years . The artificial intelligence had dealt the Go world a bloodbath and a storm was raging . The former world number one of the Go world, Xiang Rong 9-dan, had quietly gone into retirement, while Li Yi 9-dan and the others gradually left the scene as well . The Go world was devastated, so a lot of people were forced to grow up quickly .

At this moment, Chen Ying came over from afar .

There were also a few others with her . They were all of the higher ranked professional Go players .

Chen Qiqi pulled a long face and said, "Aunt, are you all going to challenge PeterGo again?"

Chen Ying said with a smile, "Yes, you guys are the future hope of the Go world . What you have to do now is to study your opponent and familiarize yourselves with it . You have to believe that PeterGo is not unbeatable . There will come a day when someone will beat it . Teacher Tian and I, along with everyone else at the Qiyuan, are hoping that the person will be one of you . This is because you are the most outstanding players among the newcomers . "

Chen Niannian gave a bitter smile . "What future hope of the Go world? Aunt, don't speak so highly of us already . "

Chen Ying was taken aback . She said in amus.e.m.e.nt, "What's the matter?"

A girl said, "Hai, don't mention it . "

A boy said, "While we were on the way here, we were crushed by someone . "

Tian Weiwei was startled . "There's someone who can defeat you guys in Go?"

Chen Qiqi said dejectedly, "Yeah, it was an expert amateur player who beat us . "

Chen Niannian added, "And he even uses that really old Cosmic Flow playstyle . It was such a bloodbath, and he also knows how to play Xiangqi . "

An 8-dan Go player asked curiously, "Who is that person?"

Chen Qiqi shook her head . "I don't know . "

Chen Niannian said, "Oh yes, I think he said that he knows Teacher Tian and Aunt . "

Chen Ying and Tian Weiwei looked at each other . "He knows us?"

Chen Qiqi couldn't explain it . "The man is about this tall, and he was wearing a pair of sungla.s.ses, so we didn't get to see his face properly . In any case, his Go skill is pretty impressive . He claims to be an amateur 9-dan, but I think he's higher ranked than that . "

Chen Niannian interrupted, "He didn't say that he was an amateur 9-dan . Now that I think about it, he only said that he was a 9-dan . "

Chen Qiqi rolled his eyes . "Like he would be a professional 9-dan? There are only so many professional 9-dan players in history . Would we not know if he was one of them?"

Chen Niannian said, "Well, that's true . "

Tian Weiwei said, "Or maybe it was one of the retired Go players?"

Chen Ying said, "Where is he staying?"

Chen Niannian pointed west . "At No . 1 Villa Hotel . "

Chen Ying didn't really take this matter to heart either . "I guess we'll know who it is if we ever b.u.mp into him over the next few days . "

Noon . His mother had called to order a barbecue . Just place it here . Alright, Auntie . Oh yes, bring some more beer . Its a grand occasion today . Is someone celebrating their birthday? Its not that . My son has just come back! Several of the hotels staff carried the barbecue equipment and food over to the villas yard . They also brought over a lot of cold beers and placed them on the table . As Zhang Ye was afraid that he would get recognized, he habitually put on his sungla.s.ses again . This had become a reflex of his over the years ever since he started working in the industry . But he soon discovered that no one seemed to have noticed him at all, much less recognized who he was . When the hotel staff left . His mother laughed and said, Was that necessary? Zhang Ye chuckled and said, The sun was too bright . Cant I put on my sungla.s.ses on for that reason? His father called him over . Son, lets drink together today! Whoa, its so rare seeing you wanting to drink, Zhang Ye said happily . Wu Zeqing brought their daughter out and said, Our dad is just really happy today . His father said, Thats right, Im very happy today . His mother said sarcastically, What are you so happy about? Now that this kid is back, something big is surely going to happen again . Do you think he can give it a rest for even a day? Like Id believe that! Wu Zeqing laughed . Everyone got seated . Sisi was sitting in Wu Zeqings lap . Sometimes, she would give Zhang Ye a look, then steal another glance at him every now and then . Wu Zeqing smiled and signaled to Zhang Ye with her eyes . She whispered, Our daughter seems to be paying a lot of attention on you . Let her get used to it first and take it slowly . Zhang Ye nodded . His father said, Come, lets toast . Zhang Ye smiled and said, Sure . Wu Zeqing also raised her cup . Cheers . Zhang Ye said, Dad, Mom, Old Wu, its been hard on you these past few years . Im not gonna say anything else, so lemme toast you . Ill drink first, and you can drink at your own pace . He emptied the cup into his mouth . His father sighed like he had a lot to get off his chest . Only then did Zhang Ye ask, How has everyone in the family been? His father said, Your grandpa had some heart issues last year and underwent a heart stent procedure . He has recovered quite well since then . Your grandma still has the same old problems . She still has high blood pressure and cerebral thrombosis, but theyre all under control . As for your mom and I, were doing quite alright . Zhang Ye asked, Have we renovated the house yet? His mother laughed and said, Renovate? Weve already moved out from there . Zhang Ye said, Where did you move to? His mother said, Some place not too far from where Zeqing is living . She has to go to work, so your dad and I take care of your daughter . Oh, and sometimes its Zeqings parents who take care of her . . Zhang Ye looked at Old Wu, Howre Mom and Dad doing? Wu Zeqing smiled . Pretty good . His mother said, Yes, its just that Zeqings dad would put you down so often . His father laughed and said, Thats only because our son did not live up to their expectations . Since theres some resentment, surely we can allow him some criticism . His mother said, About your return, arent you going to let Zeqings family know about it? Zhang Ye hurriedly waved his hands . Please dont tell them . Wait until I return to Beijing so that I can go and apologize to them in person . If we tell them now, Im afraid that Father-in-law will take the next plane and come for me in the afternoon . Everyone laughed . Wu Zeqing smiled and said, Dont say that . I think its actually possible that he would do something like that . Quite a few people from the China Qiyuan have also come to Sanya on vacation . If I remember correctly, they should be staying near our hotel . My parents had wanted to come as well, but they didnt as they dont really like flying . Zhang Ye said, Ive already met the Qiyuan people . Wu Zeqing said, When did you see them? On the way here . Zhang Ye said with a laugh, I got a ride from them, but they didnt recognize me . I even played several games of Go with them . His mom exclaimed, You havent touched Go in so many years . Can you still play? Zhang Ye smiled and said, Of course . Wu Zeqing asked, Did any of the newcomers catch your eye? Zhang Ye gave it some thought and said, Theyre alright . They arent too bad . I played some games with Chen Yings two nieces and saw many ways of playing that Ive never encountered before . Wu Zeqing nodded and said, In these years that youve been away, the Go world has undergone a lot of change . There are a lot more playstyles now, and many of them were innovated by my dad and those old comrades he retired alongside . They studied all the different ways of playing and came up with new ones in order to deal with the AI . But after two years, there is still no one who can beat PeterGo in a match . His father sighed and said, The Go world is in such a terrible state right now . Zhang Ye said, Ive also heard a little about this . Wu Zeqing smiled and said, Thats why my dad keeps putting you down whenever hes at home . He says that if you were around, there could still be a chance that humans could turn the tables on PeterGo . Zhang Yes eyes narrowed as he smiled and said, Arent I back now? Wu Zeqing said, When do you intend to announce this to the public? Zhang Ye said, Well see about that . I havent decided yet . Out of the blue, Sisi said, Mommy, Im full . Wu Zeqing nodded . Alright, why dont you go and play by yourself? Sisi said, I want to play Go . Wu Zeqing smiled . Why dont you play with Daddy then? Zhang Ye replied excitedly, Yes, yes, Daddy will play with you . Sisi was unwilling . I want Mommy to play with me . Wu Zeqing ruffled her hair and said, Mommy isnt as good as Daddy . Didnt I already tell you that? Daddy is the greatest Go player in the world . Back then, there was no one in the entire world who could beat him . Zhang Ye corrected, What do you mean back then? Its still relevant now . Sisi whispered, Is he better than Grandpa? Wu Zeqing said, Of course . Hur hur . Zhang Ye laughed and said, Even if there are ten of your grandpas, they wouldnt be a match for Daddy . He will always lose to me . His mother rolled her eyes . Will it kill you to brag less? Sisi did not believe that . She tugged at Wu Zeqings sleeve . Mommy, I want you to play with me . Wu Zeqing could do nothing about it . Alright then . The mother and daughter set up the Go board nearby . Zhang Ye asked his father . My daughter can even play Go? His father laughed and said, It was Zeqings dad who taught her . He teaches her whenever she goes over to their place . He says that it would help with the early development of her intelligence . In fact, Teacher Changhes teaching method is quite good . The girl is very smart too and doesnt play too badly . It happens that Sisi is also quite interested in the game herself . She likes to play Go? That is good! This is an opportunity! … Meanwhile . At Yalong Bay . In a hotels restaurant . A group of over 30 people were sitting together . Chen Qiqi and Chen Niannian were also among them . Have you all stowed your luggage in your rooms? Yes . Alright, lets eat then . Well a.s.semble for training tomorrow . Ah? Were starting tomorrow? Did you really think were here on vacation? Alright, we get it, Teacher Tian . Well have one day of rest and start taking on PeterGo in batches from tomorrow onward . Ah? Please, no . What are you guys yelling about? This is the training schedule we planned . Tian Weiwei lectured them with a stern face . He looked like he had matured a lot and was no longer the green teenager who was a crybaby several years ago . Much had happened in these past few years . The artificial intelligence had dealt the Go world a bloodbath and a storm was raging . The former world number one of the Go world, Xiang Rong 9-dan, had quietly gone into retirement, while Li Yi 9-dan and the others gradually left the scene as well . The Go world was devastated, so a lot of people were forced to grow up quickly . At this moment, Chen Ying came over from afar . There were also a few others with her . They were all of the higher ranked professional Go players . Chen Qiqi pulled a long face and said, Aunt, are you all going to challenge PeterGo again? Chen Ying said with a smile, Yes, you guys are the future hope of the Go world . What you have to do now is to study your opponent and familiarize yourselves with it . You have to believe that PeterGo is not unbeatable . There will come a day when someone will beat it . Teacher Tian and I, along with everyone else at the Qiyuan, are hoping that the person will be one of you . This is because you are the most outstanding players among the newcomers . Chen Niannian gave a bitter smile . What future hope of the Go world? Aunt, dont speak so highly of us already . Chen Ying was taken aback . She said in amus.e.m.e.nt, Whats the matter? A girl said, Hai, dont mention it . A boy said, While we were on the way here, we were crushed by someone . Tian Weiwei was startled . Theres someone who can defeat you guys in Go? Chen Qiqi said dejectedly, Yeah, it was an expert amateur player who beat us . Chen Niannian added, And he even uses that really old Cosmic Flow playstyle . It was such a bloodbath, and he also knows how to play Xiangqi . An 8-dan Go player asked curiously, Who is that person? Chen Qiqi shook her head . I dont know . Chen Niannian said, Oh yes, I think he said that he knows Teacher Tian and Aunt . Chen Ying and Tian Weiwei looked at each other . He knows us? Chen Qiqi couldnt explain it . The man is about this tall, and he was wearing a pair of sungla.s.ses, so we didnt get to see his face properly . In any case, his Go skill is pretty impressive . He claims to be an amateur 9-dan, but I think hes higher ranked than that . Chen Niannian interrupted, He didnt say that he was an amateur 9-dan . Now that I think about it, he only said that he was a 9-dan . Chen Qiqi rolled his eyes . Like he would be a professional 9-dan? There are only so many professional 9-dan players in history . Would we not know if he was one of them? Chen Niannian said, Well, thats true . Tian Weiwei said, Or maybe it was one of the retired Go players? Chen Ying said, Where is he staying? Chen Niannian pointed west . At No . 1 Villa Hotel . Chen Ying didnt really take this matter to heart either . I guess well know who it is if we ever b.u.mp into him over the next few days .