Chapter 26
Lin Mian deliberately avoided everyone, including Lin Xiaomi and Xu Ming.
But this is not something she can avoid just because she wants to.
Lin Mian has won all the gold medals in the children's group of all the prestigious piano competitions in the country. Lin Xiaomi is still hoping that Lin Mian will calm down a bit and then win the gold medal in the youth group in one go.
Tell her now that Lin Mian wants to give up?
Are you crazy?
Lin Xiaomi thought that no matter what Lin Mian said, she would persuade her to come back.
Not to mention anything else, just because of their teacher-student relationship, Lin Xiaomi couldn't bear to leave Lin Mian.
But Lin Mian's attitude was as hard as a wall made of steel, and it was impossible to break through.
If this road doesn't work, then let's take Lin Mei's road.
But Lin Mei is more difficult to deal with. She looks soft, but her heart is harder than Lin Mian's.
"I won't object to anything Guo'er doesn't want to do. Go back, Teacher Lin. Thank you for your continued concern for my Guo'er."
As she spoke, Lin Mei stuffed something into Lin Xiaomi's hands.
Lin Xiaomi refused to accept it, but Lin Mei was too good at pushing and pulling, so when Lin Xiaomi left, her hands were still full of things.
After a final deep look, Lin Xiaomi saw that the curtains in Lin Mian's room were still drawn, and sighed.
She almost hated Tu Chenglin. How could her best student be so stubborn?
Lin Mei felt the same way. After Lin Xiaomi left, she went to Lin Mian's room and asked, "Are you really going to give up the piano?"
Lin Mian raised his eyes, his gaze fixed on somewhere unknown.
"It's better to suffer a short pain than a long one. I'll have to leave soon. Let's talk about it when we get to North City."
This kid.
Lin Mei shook her head slightly and stopped trying to persuade her.
The company is moving to North City, and she is very busy, with many procedures and decisions to deal with.
And Lin Mei believed in Lin Mian. Her child was stronger than she thought.
Xu Ming is not as easy to deal with as Lin Xiaomi.
Of course!
After all, Lin Mian has won gold medals in the children's group of prestigious piano competitions in the country, and Lin Xiaomi's resume is so long that it would be impossible to finish writing it.
What did Xu Ming have? Those amateur championships that Lin Mian had won?
It’s all because of the Go Association’s broken rules, which have set strict regulations on everything, leaving Xu Ming with no choice but to suffer in silence.
What everyone had been looking forward to was for Lin Mian to participate in the ranking tournament after he reached the age limit and break the domestic record.
Now Lin Mian tells him he’s quitting?
Of course Xu Ming would overturn the table.
Even if Lin Mei gave him a lot of money as an apology, Xu Ming would not accept it.
He has enough money to live on now, he just wants a reputation, and Lin Mian is his hope, so Xu Ming is not willing to give up.
"Don't you think that if you give up now, you'd be quitting? Do you want to be a quitter?"
Xu Ming didn't give up. Lin Mian was annoyed by his pestering, so he told him directly that he was going to study in Beicheng for junior high school. They were thousands of miles apart, and he didn't know what would happen in the future. Why should he worry about her now?
"You mean, you're going to North City for junior high school?"
Xu Ming did not give up as Lin Mian thought, but instead seemed to have rekindled his fighting spirit.
"Then can you stay here during the summer vacation and go to North City when school starts?"
"ha?"
Lin Mian really wanted to say, why not take a look at what he is saying and what Xu Ming is thinking.
"You'll be eight in July, and those tournaments you've won already qualify you. As long as you're old enough, I can schedule your application and you can complete your promotion during the summer. Don't you want to qualify?"
Defining a rank?
Lin Mian's ears moved. Unlike the piano competition, she had won so many awards and had no desire.
But it’s different for different levels. Lin Mian desires things that he hasn’t obtained.
Seeing that Lin Mian was persuaded, Xu Ming added fuel to the fire.
"Remember Wang Zeyi? He's almost reaching the third dan level. Don't forget how he looked down on you back then. If you stay and participate in the competition and get promoted, I'll find a way to get you a match against him. How about revenge?"
That was all old news. If Xu Ming hadn't mentioned it, Lin Mian would have almost forgotten about this person and wouldn't have had any thoughts of revenge.
However, as Xu Ming said, if she didn't participate, she would always think of this matter in the future and might even regret it.
Successfully qualifying for the professional level can be considered a good ending to the time spent learning Go.
Lin Mian agreed.
Yeah!
Xu Ming cheered in his heart, but he kept a serious face and told Lin Mian that he didn't have to go to the Go interest class anymore. He could come to his house to study. His wife would be there every time, so if that didn't work out, he could come to Lin Mian's house.
In fact, Xu Ming was afraid that Lin Xiaomi would come and argue with him again after knowing it.
Lin Mian agreed with great difficulty, but he couldn't let Lin Xiaomi be the jackal.
After discussing with Lin Mian and Lin Mei, they decided to let Lin Mian go to Xu Ming's house to study. After all, Lin Mian is still a student.
But Lin Mei also hired a life assistant named Chen Xiaoqiu, who would be responsible for taking care of Lin Mian's life in the future. This included when Lin Mian went to Xu Ming's house, Chen Xiaoqiu would follow him and stay by his side.
This way you respect your teacher and nothing bad will happen.
It was also because of his frequent visits to Xu Ming's house that Lin Mian became familiar with Xu Ming's wife Chen Qiuping.
Chen Qiuping is an elementary school teacher. She likes children. In addition, she has been married to Xu Ming for more than a year and has not had a child, so Chen Qiuping loves Lin Mian even more.
She thought that "little adult" kids like Lin Mian were very interesting. No matter how smart she was or how amazing she was, when she saw that cute face with baby fat, how could she imagine how amazing the kid was?
Chen Qiuping really liked to pinch Lin Mian's face. After they got to know each other, Lin Mian also liked Chen Qiuping very much, but he could only be angry but not say anything.
How could the person next to him or her not know what the other person was thinking? In order to comfort his wife, Xu Ming always called Wang Zeyi to come home for dinner. However, Wang Zeyi was already thirteen years old this year and looked like a teenager. He could not be considered a child at all.
But who can blame Xu Ming for this? He only has Wang Zeyi among his juniors.
Now that there are two younger generations in the family, Chen Qiuping is not so depressed anymore.
Snacks were piled on the table. While Lin Mian and Xu Ming were playing chess, Chen Qiuping and Chen Xiaoqiu were eating melon seeds and chatting.
If Wang Zeyi comes in the middle, invite him to chat together.
The child was having a boring time learning Go in the dojo, so Chen Qiuping wanted him to chat more and reduce his stress.
Wang Zeyi sets high standards for himself, so he is under a lot of pressure.
He is striving for the third dan this year. Some time ago, Fujita Osamu, a second dan player from Japan, successfully achieved the dan at the age of 13, becoming the youngest third dan player at present.
This made Wang Zeyi grit his teeth. He always seemed to be like this, always lacking luck.
He was promoted to professional professional at the age of ten, but he was still two months behind the national record, but now he has been overtaken again.
But he was also arrogant. He never watched the games between Lin Mian and Xu Ming. He had no interest in understanding such amateur chess players.
He came to Xu Ming's house because the two families had a good relationship and Xu Ming was also very good to him. He knew that Xu Ming was worried about his aunt's inner depression. Sometimes even if Xu Ming didn't call him, Wang Zeyi would still come.
Seeing Wang Zeyi's indifference, Xu Ming smiled and said to him, "Do you remember that you asked me why I cared so much about this girl? She's going to participate in the Dan ranking tournament this year. She might even make it and break the record."
Wang Zeyi snorted coldly, "Her?"
"Yes, that's her. Xiao Yi, how about making a bet with me? If she successfully becomes a professional player, how about playing a game with her?"
"If she successfully becomes a professional, she'll be considered my opponent. But uncle, I advise you not to place your hopes on her. The greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment. I don't think she's anything special."
"Really?" Xu Ming said ambiguously, "If you had watched the chess game between her and me, you would have known."
If you have that much time, you might as well play with Xu Ming.
Wang Zeyi shook his head. "I'm not interested, but if you fail, you have to buy me the chessboard I had my eye on before."
"no problem."
Because of his self-confidence, Wang Zeyi lost the opportunity to understand Lin Mian's strength.
Xu Ming was quite happy. As a child, you have to suffer some losses to grow up better.
Lin Mian had no idea what the two were talking about. Chen Qiuping was enthusiastically stuffing sliced apples into her mouth.
"Solid wood, the nest is full of food, enough for the birds."
But Chen Qiuping's enthusiasm has not stopped. She likes needlework. She had observed Lin Mian carefully when he came before.
She knitted a bright yellow hat for Lin Mian.
The weather is not cold anymore, and I am afraid that the clothes and pants I knit for Lin Mian will not be suitable for wearing next year. However, the hat is very good and it is not difficult for her to not wear it.
Lin Mian liked it very much. She hugged Chen Qiuping and kissed her on the face.
Chen Qiuping was very happy, but there was a look of loss on her face.
"What's the matter, Madam?"
"No, I was just thinking... I wish I had a child as cute as you."
Lin Mian also knew that Chen Qiuping and Xu Ming didn't have children not because they didn't want them. They had always wanted children. Both of them loved children, so how could they not want them?
"She's just lost. She'll find her way soon."
At that moment, Chen Qiuping almost couldn't hold back her tears. Crying in front of a child was not adult-like at all, and it was too lame.
Thinking of this, tears still flowed down, but a happy smile appeared on Chen Qiuping's face.
"Yes, she must be a naughty child. It seems we will have to worry about her a lot in the future."
Lin Mian, who was mistakenly believed by Xu Ming to have made Chen Qiuping cry, came under his intense gaze.
Chen Qiuping quickly explained, "Oh, we were just having such a good time chatting that I cried. You're such a jerk! You can't even behave yourself in front of your students."
Looking at the quarrel between his master and his wife, Lin Mian felt a little uncomfortable.
She said goodbye to them with a smile.
Sitting in the car, Lin Mian supported his head and looked out the window.
All couples in the world are different, but why had she never noticed the sometimes stiff atmosphere at home before?
What is true and what is false?
Lin Mian didn't understand.
Math problems are so easy to solve, she can always know the answer at a glance. It would be great if all problems in the world were so easy to solve.
The days of waiting were not difficult and everything went smoothly.
On the day of the preliminaries, Lin Mian had not moved yet, and Lin Mei would wait for her.
She participated in the women's group. The rules stated that she had to compete in the women's group in the preliminaries, but if she continued to win, she could apply to compete in the men's group in the main competition.
Lin Mian had already made up her mind that if she could qualify for this competition, she would compete in the men's group. Since she wanted to break the record, she would not leave any room for criticism.
She has become more cautious. She wouldn't have thought about these things before.
Wang Yuting was slightly surprised when she saw Lin Mian. She couldn't help but sigh that each generation was getting scarier than the last. How old was this girl? I'm afraid they were comparing us based on our age.
She had been in the same situation before. She had obtained the preliminary qualification very early, but she had not been able to get promoted for such a long time. If she still couldn't get promoted this year, she would not be able to go to the chess academy.
Thinking of this, Wang Yuting calmed down.
I'm sorry, little sister, I'm going to block the first step in your Go journey.
Lin Mian took out a black piece, and Wang Yuting picked up the white pieces and scattered them on the chessboard.
The number of white pieces is even, and Lin Mian plays white.
The black piece started the game by making a small move in the wrong direction, and the white piece responded slowly, like a naughty kitten playing with a mouse before eating.
Amid the sound of the timer being pressed repeatedly, Lin Mian's finger hovered above the chess pot. Under Wang Yuting's strong attack, the black pieces seemed to have the advantage in the game.
But in fact, although the black piece seems to be coming in with great momentum and unmatched, it has left an imperceptible flaw in the lower right corner.
And Lin Mian saw it.
"Snap"
The white piece simply tapped the chessboard, destroying the first move's advantage.
Wang Yuting suddenly put away the folding fan that had been fanning non-stop, and her fingers left marks on the edge of the chessboard.
Her eyes were fixed on the chessboard, as if everything that had just happened was just her fantasy.
But reality is reality, and no matter how hard Wang Yuting stares at the chessboard, she can't change it.
Facing the more serious Wang Yuting, Lin Mian carefully thought about the chess game.
In the 111th move, Wang Yuting was already fighting with the momentum of a last-ditch effort, but at this time the white piece suddenly moved to the upper left corner.
It seemed like a simple jump, but in fact it weakened the energy gathered by Kuroko.
Cold sweat broke out on the back of her neck and her teeth began to chatter. Wang Yuting seemed to have seen the ending.
As Wang Yuting pressed the timer for longer and longer intervals, finally, at the 156th move, with the white piece falling, the white chess's murderous intent was fully revealed, and the outcome was decided.
Wang Yuting leaned weakly on the back of the chair. She didn't expect that she would be defeated before even two hundred moves.
Should I blame myself for underestimating my opponent? But seeing how relaxed and carefree he looked, as if he hadn't even used all his strength, Wang Yuting sighed, a vine of resentment tightening around her heart, making even breathing difficult.
Seeing Wang Yuting lying dejectedly on the chair, Lin Mian took the initiative to extend his hand. Wang Yuting then remembered etiquette and stood up to shake hands with Lin Mian.
“Please keep up the good work in the next game.”
The elimination system for the women's group is a double-elimination system, so Wang Yuting is not without a chance.
Wang Yuting smiled bitterly. Being comforted by her opponent made her look weaker.
"You too, please don't give anyone the chance to defeat you."
This blessing came from the heart. Wang Yuting sincerely hoped that Lin Mian could keep going. He had already defeated her. If he lost to someone else, she would not feel happy.
This morning round ended early and attracted a lot of attention, making the afternoon game even more anticipated.
Lin Mian did not disappoint others' attention and also finished very early. She was always quick and decisive and finished quickly, as if she didn't need to think at all, which made people a little more wary of her.
In the next two days, Lin Mian was not afraid no matter how high the titles of his opponents were.
She was calm and composed, no different from the people around her, but once she appeared, the area around her seemed to empty out automatically, and no one came forward to greet her.
She looked like someone who was not to be messed with. She had a cold face, her shoulder-length curly hair was tied into small buns, and she occasionally chewed something. She looked indifferent and powerful.
It may not seem appropriate to use the word "powerful" to describe an eight-year-old girl, but it is just right when used to describe Lin Mian.
Anyone who has seen her chess skills will not underestimate her.
She takes the right path and she also takes the wrong path.
She will use anything that can win her the game. She can even adapt her opponent's moves to her own advantage, frightening them and causing them to lose their minds.
As Lin Mian's teacher, Xu Ming knew that Lin Mian's strategy had changed.
What she said about only playing until she reached the fixed level was true, because she no longer liked it and was not as obsessed with it as before.
The only reason I can stay is that I don’t want to leave any regrets for myself.
But now Lin Mian has really lost his love for Go.
By the time of this competition, Lin Mian looked even colder. She seemed to be freezing her love for Go and freezing her former self.
She was the most popular contestant present. She participated in the men's mixed competition. This situation had not happened for several years. Moreover, this contestant was only eight years old!
The current age record for qualifying in China is 9 years and 7 months. Her appearance makes people sigh that this is truly an era where geniuses emerge frequently.
Everyone knew that Lin Mian was here to break the record. If they were not careful, they would become the stepping stone for this girl's fame. However, some things could not be changed by being cautious.
There are many young chess players in Sucheng who became famous at a young age and have strong chess skills. Wang Zeyi is one of them, but no one can be like Lin Mian, who reached the rank of sword master at the age of eight.
Lin Mian didn't care about the gazes that were being looked at, both openly and covertly.
She sat down and the person opposite her was staring at her.
Lin Mian took out the black piece and placed it on the chessboard.
"please."
Beneath the calmness, there was the uneasy breathing of another person.
Ding Junhua started the game cautiously, with the black piece landing at a small eye.
His chess style is actually fierce, but he had seen Lin Mian's chess moves before the game and found that she had not stabilized. Facing such an opponent with a changeable style, Ding Junhua chose to be cautious.
In this tournament, every game is important and he cannot afford to make any mistakes.
Lin Mian did not attack rashly before she had tested the opponent's strengths. Her eyes turned cold, and she only saw the black and white pieces on the chessboard.
Soon, Ding Junhua began to get anxious. The black piece made a low pass, and Lin Mian chose to jump the white piece in the second pass. Sitting back and waiting for death was not Ding Junhua's style. He took the initiative to attack, pushing the black piece down, but then the white piece came close.
How could she be so persistent and not leave him any way to develop? It's so hateful.
Ding Junhua did not continue, as he would be eaten by the tiger Lin Mian. He wanted to change his route and scare Lin Mian, so he launched a strong attack on the white pieces in the star position, intending to suppress the development of the white pieces.
Lin Mian smiled, the fish was caught in the net.
Sweat dripped down his cheeks. Even if he wiped them with a tissue, they would come out again the next moment. Nothing could help, just like himself. Ding Junhua couldn't tell whether he was nervous or scared, he just felt more sweat on his head.
The black piece jumped to the middle of the abdomen to build up external momentum. Ding Junhua was really not a patient person and had already forgotten his original idea.
Just when Ding Junhua thought he was saved, the white piece cut off the black piece's luck and Lin Mian took the piece.
Calm down, calm down... please calm down!
At this moment, this was the only thought in Ding Junhua's mind. He was so panicked that he didn't know what to do next.
Although he should have focused only on the chessboard at this time, Ding Junhua couldn't help but look up at Lin Mian. Her eyes didn't linger on anyone, only on the chess pieces, as if... he was not worthy of being her opponent, he was not qualified to make her eyes stop for him.
Ding Junhua had no ability to save the situation.
Finally, White won by 3 points and everything was over.
Both parties stood up and shook hands, one with a smile on his face, the other in a daze.
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