Chapter 897

Su Xinghui nodded, left the study, first greeted Song Qiao, and then said to Lu Xiaoya, "Xiaoya, I'm leaving."

Although Lu Xiaoya was reluctant to part with him, she knew Su Xinghui had important business to attend to, so she saw him out. Outside the villa, Su Xinghui kissed Lu Xiaoya on the cheek before leaving the Provincial Committee compound on his own, hailing a taxi to return to the White Rose Hotel.

After reaching the eighth floor, Su Xinghui walked straight to the door of Hou Guangbi's room and knocked. The door was opened by Hou Dali, who smiled and nodded at Su Xinghui upon seeing him, saying, "You're here."

Su Xinghui called out "Uncle Hou" and followed him into the room.

Hou Guangbi was sitting in the room drinking tea while playing Go with Hou my lord. His two sons, Hou Dayi and Hou Dajun, were watching from the side. Although they were middle-aged men in their forties or fifties, they still sat upright like students, which demonstrated the Hou family's excellent upbringing.

Seeing Su Xinghui enter, the group nodded at him. Su Xinghui pulled up a chair and sat down to watch the two play.

Hou my lord played black and Hou Guangbi played white. After watching a few moves, Su Xinghui discovered that both of their skills were quite good. Hou Guangbi's style was calm and peaceful, more akin to that of old-school masters, emphasizing the shape of the pieces and having a good sense of the overall situation.

Hou my lord's style, however, focused more on territory and favored combat, excelling at winning through chaos.

The game had already entered the mid-game battle, and the situation was basically evenly matched; for a while, it was impossible to tell who had the clear advantage.

Everyone in the room strictly observed the ancient rule of not speaking while watching a game, remaining silent; the only sound in the room was that of the pieces being placed.

In the end, Hou Guangbi won the game. Hou my lord made a mistake during the endgame stage, losing about three points, and after the final count, Hou my lord lost by two and a half points.

Hou my lord shook his head and said, "Sigh, it was a mistake after all."