At the qualifying tournament for professional Go rankings that year, Qi Yi, a young woman from a small town, burst onto the scene with an undefeated record. She outperformed the male player hailed as the hope of the Go world, becoming the tournament's biggest dark horse. Countless reporters and Go fans poured into the impoverished yellow-earth region, praising the phoenix that had flown out of the mountain ravines.
Two years later, Shen Zhaoyou, the hope of the Go world, won a bronze medal at an international tournament. He became the youngest medalist since the event was founded, setting a new age record for its winners. His handsome looks and privileged family background also brought a rare surge of attention to the steadily declining sport of Go.
Meanwhile, Qi Yi, a first-dan player named the most commercially valuable player and signed by a top team before earning her professional rank, made the headlines while hospitalized after falling behind on her medical bills.
The scandal spread alongside the good news. One side had the glory of bringing honor to the country, the other the sorrow of struggling to get by. The starkly different fortunes of the sport's two rising stars left people sighing, but many wondered: Where had the money gone?
Hospital.
The medical equipment beeped steadily. At the center of the storm, Qi Yi lay in her hospital bed, thin as a sheet of paper.
She reached out and placed a stone on the Go board, instantly turning the tide on one side.
"Look, the black stones escaped."
No CP. The hope of the Go world is a pair of rising stars. Their careers intersect, but there will be no romance. (Much of the early story takes place when they're minors, so please be aware.)
The setting is fictional, but the timeline will take inspiration from real events. Please don't overanalyze it.
There are no real-life models! If anything, the idea came to me while rewatching Hikaru no Go. I wanted to write a story about a female Go player.
I'll post ten chapters to start. I'll revise them repeatedly, and feedback or discussion is welcome. Weibo: Princess Pea Can't Lie Flat
Theme: Break through your limits and support other women.
