Chapter 277: Cheating

Nobody knew better than Su Yi that Liu Man was the best at Western Han Seal Characters. Back then, he and his Ph.D. student even gave her font a special name: Western Han Bronze Seal Characters.

This challenge was really on point. 

Even if Liu Man used the clerical script to write it, which she wasn’t good at, she would still win!

Liu Man still couldn’t decide. She subconsciously looked toward Su Yi, and Su Yi nodded at her. He meant that she could just do what the judges required. Sure, his directions were important, but it was fine to adapt during special times.

Wu Qu, who was standing behind her, saw this scene. His expression was already very gloomy because of this impossible topic, and now, his expression got even worse.

Su Maolin was the most relaxed one here. He had already started writing. There were a total of fifty-one words in Yun Yang Ding, and it was just right for him to write all of them in fifteen minutes. He had to make good use of his time!

One contestant took his phone out and wanted to search for it on Baidu, but his actions immediately got discovered by one of the judges, who hollered, “People who cheat will immediately be removed from this evaluation.”

That person was so scared he hurriedly put away his phone.

After receiving Professor Su’s support, Liu Man, like Su Maolin, lifted her brush, dipped it in some ink, and started to write.

After fifteen minutes…

Only Liu Man and Su Maolin completed the passage, and as for the others, none of them even touched their brush from start to end. Their rice paper was white and clean, as empty as their brains were. There was no need for the judges to say anything; they knew they were automatically goners.

Next, the judges only needed to evaluate Liu Man and Su Maolin’s works.

The five calligraphists stood up at once and walked towards the duo.

They first looked towards Su Maolin’s work.

Su Xuezhen walked closer to his son. The father and the son exchanged eye contact, and at the same time, he had a smile that only they could understand. Su Xuezhen accordingly stood aside, signaling that he was avoiding all suspicion of cheating.

Now he starts thinking of avoiding all suspicion of cheating!

The four judges took a closer look at Su Maolin’s words. Cheng Zikun felt it was strange. He felt that Su Maolin’s words, written on the spot, were somewhat different from the Po Yao Fu, shown in the outside hall. It seemed as if… as if these two pieces weren’t written by the same person.

He pointed out his suspicion, and a hint of guilt flashed through Su Maolin’s eyes. He looked towards Wang Qinghai, asking for help, and Wang Qinghai immediately explained, “After all, he was improvising, and he must’ve felt a bit nervous. He couldn’t control his feelings, so he couldn’t be at his normal level.”

Cheng Zikun barely accepted this explanation, but he still felt a little suspicious.

Naturally, the other judge, cursive script calligraphist, Mo Qi, also thought this piece was unsatisfactory.

However, to not offend Su Xuezhen, he didn’t say anything. If he said anything, he wouldn’t get any benefits, and if he didn’t say anything, he wouldn’t have any loss.

This was why Su Yi told Liu Man before that the five judges would never be biased towards one contestant. Su Xuezhen could befriend Wang Qinghai, who was also from the Northwest part of China, but he couldn’t get the other three judges.

The running script calligraphist, Chen Jianqiu, who was standing far away, along with Wang Qinghai, who kept on helping Su Maolin. He came to an answer, and he had already noticed that it seemed wrong.

During the questioning part just now, he had already prepared several questions for Su Maolin, but just as he opened his mouth, Wang Qinghai stole his chance. Chen Jianqiu felt very unhappy and upset.

Now that he had seen this poor piece, he finally understood that Su Xuezhen was trying to set down a good future for his son.

That Yun Yang Ding was probably written by Su Xuezhen himself!

Chen Jianqiu, who had always been very honest, disliked this behavior, but he couldn’t go against Su Xuezhen right here on the spot. Right now, Su Xuezhen was ranked higher than him!

He couldn’t tell how many people were bribed by Su Xuezhen in this exhibition. Cheng Zikun also seemed confused, but Mo Qi wasn’t talking. What if he was also siding with Su Xuezhen? If he suddenly starts rebutting, they would be going two to three. No, if Cheng Zikun stood out and didn’t want to have anything to do with the conflict, then it would be one to three. He wouldn’t benefit at all and would be isolated.

Or else, why would there be a Chinese saying: Wherever there are people, there’s conflict? The five judges who were temporarily grouped together each had different thoughts.

Chen Jianqiu thought that he should continue observing Cheng Zikun and Mo Qi’s reactions before making his decision.

The five people proceeded to evaluate Liu Man’s work.

Su Xuezhen was the first one to walk up to Liu Man. He didn’t look at his work but was instead staring at her. Liu Man was uncomfortable under his stare, and Su Xuezhen wasn’t feeling good either.

Thirty years ago, Su Yi gave the opportunity to Fang Huaiyuan with the excuse that he was too young and could not graduate. As a result, thirty years later, he gave the opportunity to a girl, who was even younger than he was back then.

Hehe,

Of course. In Su Yi’s eyes, he wasn’t important at all. Su Yi attached great importance to Fang Huaiyuan; he attached great importance to this girl. Su Yi ignored him.

When he came to this thought, Su Xuezhen’s eyes became darker as he looked at Liu Man.

Chen Jianqiu was the first one to study Liu Man’s piece.

It was fine, it was fine. It was about the same level as her work, portrayed outside in the hall. She didn’t fail, and neither did she exceed her limits. Her flaw was still overmimicking, but at least she wrote it herself!

Chen Jianqiu glared at Wang Qinghai. He had the face to suspect that this girl’s work was written by Mr. Su Yi.

The cheaters thought that the others were cheating as well, a case of cheaters calling out other cheaters.

Cheng Zikun and Mo Qi also thought that Liu Man’s work was much better than Su Maolin’s work. They weren’t on the same level at all. The young girl’s work could be called calligraphy art, while Su Maolin’s work could only be regarded as amateur graffiti, it’s enough to fool outsiders, and could perhaps be sufficient for a Spring Festival couplet, but it truly can’t be on par with the big works.

Su Xuezhen asked Liu Man, “Do you know the meaning of Yunyang Ding?”

Chen Jianqiu frowned; this section was only supposed to evaluate their works, not their knowledge. Su Xuezhen shouldn’t have asked this question.

Liu Man detected Su Xuezhen’s hostility; whenever she thinks about his past doings, she just couldn’t respect him as an adult. She said politely but coldly, “Of course I know.”

Even though Liu Man didn’t make it too apparent, Su Xuezhen felt the disdain in her voice.

A little girl dared to look down on him!?

Su Xuezhen was very displeased, “please translate this article.”

“Translation is not necessary,” Cheng Zikun said, “It’s not a part of the evaluation.”  

“If she’s going to translate, Su Maolin has to do it as well,” Chen Jianqiu took the opportunity and said.

Su Maolin had no idea how to translate, he couldn’t even begin to understand the difficult texts in this article. Just memorizing the text was already hard enough. If he spoke up now, he’d be exposed.

Finally, Su Xuezhen gave up on the thought of embarrassing Liu Man.

Seeing Cheng Zikun and Chen Jianqiu argue back hurt his pride.

The judges stood in a stalemate beside Liu Man’s work, which sparked whispers from the 9th and 10th groups of participants. The members of the association who were on the sidelines did not know the reason either.

Su Yi smiled at Ouyang Cen, “Look, the judges are having an argument.”

Ouyang Cen said, “Su Xuezhen should’ve never appeared here at the same time as his son.”

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Translated by: Sydney

Edited by: Michael

VSROWDC Chapter 5 Part 2

Midnight.

The practice room lights were turned off one by one, in the practice room Ji Zeyu chose, all the students left as well.

Before they left, someone looked at Ji Zeyu and whispered: “Who is that person? He’s so good yet he’s still practicing.”

“According to his clothing, he should be in Class B…… Probably the result of too much pressure.”

Thank god Ji Zeyu hid most of his face under the cap, or else their jaws were going to drop.

12:30 am.

Lu Nanyun went over all the hard parts of his dance in front of the mirror, after making sure he had no mistakes, his tense face loosened up a bit.

Lu Nanyun knew he was placed second, but he wasn’t satisfied or happy.

Ever since he was a child, Lu Nanyun was a model student in the teacher’s eyes and a good kid in the neighbor’s eyes. After his mother died in an accident when he was in high school, he was taken back to the Lu Family, but decided to sign a contract with Chen Nan Entertainment after being accepted to a top college, and attended “Shining Future”,

The reason behind this decision was that Lu Nanyun’s mother used to be a famous dancer, he wanted to inherit the moments when his mother shined on the stage.

But, this decision wasn’t approved or understood by the Lu Family, plus the fact that he was an illegitimate child, his family never treated him well anyway. They’ve almost cut off all connections with him.

This motivated Lu Nanyun and he trained like crazy every day before the contest, and he surprised everyone at the initial rating stage. His Wei Bo follower count grew by hundreds of thousands in one day.

But the Lu family was not satisfied by this feat.

Lu Nanyun’s fans screamed and fangirled over his cool dance moves, but rarely anybody knew how much he worked for this.

Looking at the empty dance room, Lu Nanyun wiped his sweat with his towel and prepared to head back to his dorm.

Ever since he joined the show, Lu Nanyun’s practice time has always been at the top, and whenever he finished, there was practically no one left in the practice rooms.

But today seemed a little different.

There was another practice room that had its light on, and distant sounds of music came through.

Lu Nanyun thought, there were only three days left until the public performance, if there was anyone who practiced this hard and this late, it’d probably be a student from Class F. Comparing them to the others, they definitely had more stress than others.

When he walked past the practice room, Lu Nanyun glanced inside, but his gaze was suddenly fixated.

In the middle of the practice room, there was a slender young man who wore a Class B shirt, his black cap covering most of his face.

He swayed to the music and seemingly melted into the rhythm. His body was smooth and beautiful, without any extra movements, seemingly simple but eye-catching.

Lu Nanyun’s attention was captured, it wasn’t until the music stopped that he finally snapped back. He was surprised: There were dancers with this kind of skill in Class B? How come he’s never heard of him?

At this moment, the young man turned around, walked to the corner, and picked up a drink. He took off his cap and drank.

Lu Nanyun’s eyes suddenly widened.

Ji Zeyu had practiced non-stop for hours, he didn’t have much stamina left, and his throat burned for a drink.

After he took a few sips, a few drops of sweat traveled down his chin and dropped on his collarbones.

Ji Zeyu put down his water bottle, lifted up his shirt, and wiped some sweat off his face.

The boy’s casual movements made him look full of life under the light, his hazel eyes carrying the fatigue after a long practice session.

After his shirt was lifted, from Lu Nanyun’s angle, he could see a flash of Ji Zeyu’s waist, and his visible mermaid line and abs.

Lu Nanyun froze to the ground, his brain empty.

At this moment, Lu Nanyun thought he was going crazy.

Because he even thought, the person he hated the most… 

Is super sexy.

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Translated by: Puppxteer/Yutong

Chapter 276: Problems With Precision

To everyone’s surprise, Wang Qinghai spoke up first and challenged Liu Man,

“Was your work completed under the supervision of Mr. Su Yi?”

His words hinted at how he suspected that Su Yi wrote this for her.

Of course, Liu Man mimicked Su Yi’s clerical script style, but no matter how similar their words looked, one of them was male and one of them was female. One of them was an elder, while one of them was a youngster. Their style also looked prominently different. Professional calligraphists could notice the difference right away.

Wang Qinghai’s question made it clear that he was obviously challenging Liu Man.

None of the others felt that there was an issue, for this part was specially designed for the judges to question the contestants.

Liu Man did not panic and said calmly, “No. I wrote this independently.”

“Oh? Can you discuss with us why you chose to write these words?”

“I wrote this piece two months ago. At that time, I was being treated unfairly and had just been fired from my university. This is a description of what was going on inside me. No matter how much the others slander and frame me, my mind still remains as pure and clean as a bright mirror, and I remain free and complete.”

Liu Man did not try to hide this past downfall in her life at all.

The Hanfu Goddess was not famous enough that everyone knew about her. Calligraphists and cyber stars were in two different tiers, and their industries would never connect.

Therefore, her words made many people feel surprised. Whenever someone mentioned that they got fired, everyone would subconsciously think of scums or unscrupulous students, but this girl looks like neither!

They then subconsciously looked toward Su Yi. This time, when Su Yi took in his apprentice, it was sudden and in a hurry. He didn’t report to the association, and most people didn’t know about the specific details. Of course, not everyone was hidden in the dark. Ouyang Cen was very clear about the situation.

Time passed quickly. Lots of talented people appeared in the calligraphy circles. Now, it was the younger generation that dominated the calligraphy association. The youngsters had their own thoughts.

Su Yi had trouble communicating with them. He now barely attended the activities hosted by the association, and he only talked to the elders like Ouyang Cen.

However, Ouyang Cen still asked Su Yi, “Which school was your apprentice fired from?”

“I’ll tell you about it at dinner.”

Wang Qinghai did not ask follow-up questions about why Liu Man got fired; it had nothing to do with calligraphy. Next, he said,

“Please give us your opinion on the first-ever monument in the Da Duo Dynasty.”

This question seemed very difficult, and many contestants may not even know what this monument was, not to mention giving an opinion of it? They probably would not even be able to say a single word, which would result in an embarrassing departure.

About half a month ago, Liu Man, like the rest of them, had no idea what this monument from the Da Duo Dynasty was. At that time, Professor Su gave her a file containing all kinds of different questions. One of them was this question Wang Qinghai had just asked.

Professor Su said that, although in the face-to-face round, the judges could ask whatever they wanted to ask about, they would usually refer to this “top-secret file”. This was like a collection of questions, similar to the ones for different exams. After all, thinking of an appropriate question was also something that wasted brain cells. The judges were usually very busy and would only get to know the contestants and the others’ work on the day of the evaluation. They wouldn’t tire their brains out just to think of questions for hundreds of people!

Because Professor Su did this when he was a judge at the exhibit. He kept this collection of questions that the association handed out in his study, and he never threw it away. To his surprise, it could still be of some use. 

Professor Su also said that he couldn’t guarantee that the judge would definitely ask the questions from the file, but being prepared would definitely be better than being helpless when asked on the spot. And so, Liu Man got completely prepared and memorized every question and answer in the collection.

She searched through her mind for a moment before she answered, “The Long Zang Shi monument is publicly recognized as the first and best monument back in the Duo Dynasty…”

The girl’s gentle and soft voice flowed through the room. She was very confident and relaxed.

Everyone who heard her answer exclaimed in their mind: Which school was foolish enough to fire such an outstanding student?

And the challenger, Wang Qinghai, along with Su Xuezhen, all had weird expressions, as if they were surprised that Liu Man was able to answer it.

Excluding them, the other three judges all nodded, satisfied. They all put a checkmark before Liu Man’s name on their respective lists.

It seemed that Liu Man had passed this part. She sighed in relief.

The judge continued to ask the others. The nine following people all had very unsatisfactory answers. Some people, like contestants in previous groups, completely didn’t know how to answer when they were challenged with very difficult questions. Some people stammered and barely got on point, and some gave very unreasonable replies, not making any sense.

Only two people replied as fluently as Liu Man did. One was Su Maolin, and the other was a man standing right behind Liu Man. When he replied to the question, Liu Man turned her head and saw his name card; his name was Wu Qu.

Liu Man felt that Wu Qu was at least 30 years old. His hair was scarce, and he was a bit fat, but none of it affected his sophisticated temperament.

When Liu Man sneaked a look at Wu Qu, he also took a glance at her in a competitive way. Obviously, he put his whole mind into trying to pass the evaluation.

No matter how everyone responded, they all had to enter the final portion — writing with their brush on the spot.

The five judges discussed for two minutes, and at last, Wang Qinghai was the one who announced the topic: “Every single font came into shape in the Han Dynasty. The people in the two different Han Dynasties helped the art of calligraphy prosper with their smart and clever ideas. They created huge numbers of classical pieces, and at this moment, our calligraphy exhibit is hosted at the Han Dynasty exhibit. Therefore, we would like to ask everyone to write the famous bronze carving, ‘Yun Yang Ding’ from the Western Han Dynasty, and change the font from seal characters to the clerical script. You have fifteen minutes.”

As soon as the topic was given, all the contestants had a bad expression on their faces.

Because the topic was way too challenging!

They were only good at the clerical script, so people would rarely go study the seal character. The Han bronze carving was very unpopular, and the “Yun Yang Ding” was the most unpopular out of all unpopular pieces. Some of the seal character calligraphists might not have even read this passage before.

Some people sweated, some furiously scratched their head, and some tried their best to search back through their memory.

Liu Man stared at the white rice paper, absent-minded.

Her teacher had reminded her so many times for her to write using seal characters this round, but as a result, the judge, as if intentionally going against them, gave a topic that required translating from seal characters to the clerical script. How could she do this?

She didn’t feel like this was hard. Quite on the contrary, she felt like it was super easy. It was much easier than the Jin passages and the Song poems, which were given for the two previous groups!

She knew nothing about the struggles and the sadness in her competitors’ mind. She thought everyone else felt it was easy, just like she did.

So she was very troubled; she was worried about whether her rookie calligraphy style was enough to best out her competitors.

Zhou Budai felt worried for Liu Man, seeing her completely helpless face. He started learning calligraphy when he was five, and he had studied it for sixteen whole years. Even he didn’t know what this passage, “Yun Yang Ding,” was.

Su Yi and Ouyang Cen knew about the content of “Yun Yang Ding.” Its carved copy was displayed in the Gudu Museum.

Ouyang Cen, “This part is too strict. Looks like your apprentice can only stop here.”

“That’s yet to be decided on.”

Everyone felt very anxious, but Su Yi had a big smile.

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Translated by: Sydney

Edited by: Michael

Chapter 23 – The Movie King’s Son

Ms. Liu, scared of letting this child say anything else surprising, stood in front of her and said to Gu Xi: “I’ll take her to change.”

Gu Xi did not talk and held his forehead while looking at the camera. When he saw the female actress being reluctant to do anything, he couldn’t help but slam the script against the table. “Cut!”

Everyone knew that Director Gu was going to be mad, and everyone there wished Zhou Xuan good luck. 

After changing into the right clothes, Fang Jiu sat in the makeup room, letting the make-up artist do whatever he wanted. Ms. Liu came through the door, thought of something, and couldn’t hide her smile. 

“What are you laughing at, Ms. Liu?” Fang Jiu couldn’t move, so she looked at her from the side of her vision. 

Ms. Liu sat down and opened her bottle of water with an interesting expression, yet she did not say a single word. 

The makeup artist noticed and couldn’t help but whisper: “Our director Gu is handsome, tall and all, but when he’s directing a play, he holds no emotions. That Zhou Xuan already failed many times today. Director Gu must be angry right now, so you, Ms. Fang, better watch out.”

Fang Jiu was clearly uncomfortable about being called “miss” by someone older than her. But actors and actresses don’t look at ages… Yet, thinking about how Gu Xi scolded Zhou Xuan, she still felt hollow. 

“Ma is correct. If you don’t understand something later, ask. Don’t be shy. Gu Xi is not like those directors of literature and art movies. He’s not strict on the acting; as long as you don’t make mistakes, he won’t scold you.” Ms. Liu said, putting down her water bottle. 

Fang Jiu replied: “Mhm,” holding on to her script, examining it. Even Zhou Xuan, who is a popular actress, was scolded like that. She herself was merely a new actress. 

After her makeup, Fang Jiu, who looked originally shy and youthful, seemed beautiful and filled with feelings. The red decoration in the middle of her forehead made her bewitching, to the point that even the artist complimented her natural beauty. 

Scared of being scolded, Fang Jiu continued to stare at her script. She understood the mechanisms of her character yet still wanted to know more about it. 

Before the filming started, she met her partner for this scene: Zhao Qi, who is acting as a debauched monarch. Zhao Qi is known as the most popular actor, but he previously only went for the smaller movies. Now that he got his awards, he aimed for larger-scale movies, and it seems that he lowered his required payment in order to gain this role. 

Fang Jiu saw Gu Xi talking to Zhao Qi about the play, so she hurried with her jacket over. 

As Fang Jiu came over, Gu Xi lazily glanced at her. Seeing that her makeup did make her look like the role she’s acting for, he decided to speak to her: “I’ll give you the beat later. When I cue you, go propose the toast to the emperor. You…”

Gu Xi didn’t know how to explain it. This scene required her to seduce the emperor, and he had no way of explaining that to a young lady. 

“I understand!” Fang Jiu nodded her head. 

Zhao Qi glanced at the girl and thought that she was funny. Looks like this scene is going to take a while to film. 

Gu Xi did not say anything else. He waved his hand to get the actors in place. 

Fang Jiu took off her jacket and handed it to her manager. The red, flaming dress showed her figure. Zhao Qi wore a yellow, dragon emperor robe as he sat on the imperial chair, squinting at the female dancer beneath his place, evidently already in the mood of his character. 

Gu Xi decided that if this girl fails this scene, he will take her back to her parents. A girl shouldn’t be messing around in the world of actors. 

“Everyone ready….” Gu Xi stared at the camera. “Action!” 

The air blower started and Fang Jiu’s dress moved with the wind. The others around her started dancing, and she, with her veil, moved swiftly. She spun  softly, her eyes filled with flirtation. 

The actors inside the palace whispered and showed amazement towards Fang Jiu. Even the emperor stared at the woman. 

Fang Jiu took dance lessons at school and learned this dance with her teacher multiple times before taking this role. Now, all she needs to do is pretend this dance is an assignment. 

When the music in her earphones stopped, Fang Jiu walked barefoot to the emperor. She kneeled on the floor with a cup of alcohol with her head down: “Here’s to my emperor~”

Her tone seemed so flirtatious, to the point that Zhao Qi had to steady himself for a moment. He excitedly took over her glass of alcohol and stroked Fang Jiu’s hand for a moment. 

“Emperor~” Fang Jiu turned around to leave. Zhao Qi tried to grab her yet took only her veil. Her appearance became clear to everyone there. Each person took a deep breath. 

Everyone had to say that Fang Jiu’s look definitely satisfied the demands of this role. The other workers at the scene watched with disbelief, each doubting how an unexperienced actor could have adequate skills and not be scared in this sort of scene. 

Gu Xi stared into the camera with a complicated feeling. Fang Jiu isn’t the best at acting, but she’s good for being unexperienced. Like what her mom said, Fang Jiu definitely has the potential. 

“Beauty… Don’t leave!” The emperor Zhao Qi was acting for instantly stumbled after her. Fang Jiu left a flirtatious smile and ran in other directions of the palace. 

She did not run fast, and Zhao Qi reached her quickly, embracing her tightly. “I have finally caught you!” 

“Emperor~” Fang Jiu blushed, looking down. 

“Cut!”

At that moment, Fang Jiu pushed Zhao Qi away as her manager gave her her jacket. She ran in the direction of Gu Xi. 

Zhao Qi fell silent. Is he really that despiteful? 

“Director… Gu, anything I need to change?” Fang Jiu stood behind his chair, staring at the replay inside the camera. 

Gu Xi didn’t speak. He still had complicated feelings, and he feels that he should have a talk about life with Fang Jiu tonight. 

A little girl in the world of acting… hugging and kissing others… this is burning her alive! 

“No, you did very well.” His voice was still cold. 

The workers were all surprised as they looked at Fang Jiu. This is the first time their director complimented someone! 

Fang Jiu let out a deep breath. She suddenly thought of something, and moved a chair to sit down beside the director. “I have a little request.”

Gu Xi glanced at her. Instead of the flirtation that was previously on her face and despite her makeup, she had clear eyes and seemed shy as if she did not know how to phrase what she was going to say. 

“Yes?” He still did not have any emotions inside his voice. 

Fang Jiu hesitated for a long time, and at last said: “I… would like to find a substitute for my next scene.” 

The next scene, which is at the bathhouse, requires her to show her back. Fang Jiu did not want to be to exposed, even if this was the basis of being an actress. Well… who cares. 

After she said so, the vice-director couldn’t help but take a few glances at her, as if he could already see director Gu scolding her. 

Gu Xi was silent for a few seconds and said: “Yes.”

There was no need for Fang Jiu to show her back. Zhou Xuan already had the scenes with shady relations. 

Fang Jiu, after hearing his decision, happily ran off with her script to prepare for other scenes. 

The vice-director looked at what just happened in complete confusion. Isn’t the type of actors who find substitutes the type that their director Gu hated the most? 

The next two scenes weren’t difficult. Fang Jiu almost completed them on first tries. However, tomorrow she has a scene of a dance at a ball which she needs to practice. 

When the crew stopped filming, it was already six o’clock. Gu Xi was toxic, yet he never took time to rest from any celebrities or actors. As long as it’s not necessary for a night scene, he usually never filmed at night. Everyone respected him for this. 

After changing, Xiao Qi, Fang Jiu’s manager, asked her where they should eat. Fang Jiu wanted to practice dancing and decided to order food. 

The first thing Fang Jiu saw was Zhao Qi talking to her manager after Fang Jiu walked out of the makeup room. Fang Qi, seeing that Fang Jiu walked out, said: “We would have many scenes together. Do you want to eat together to get to know each other?”

Zhao Qi is 185 centimeters tall and handsome. At least he already enchanted Fang Jiu’s manager. 

“Next time maybe. I have an important scene tomorrow and I need to practice it.” Fang Jiu looked at the dim sky, reminding herself of how there will be all sorts of paparazzi out there. She had no interest for creating any gossip. 

Seeing that she’s leaving, Zhao Qi grabbed her elbow and asked seriously: “Then, tomorrow?” 

Zhao Qi’s manager stood silent the whole time. He did not know that his actor, who has never been involved in gossip, now asks other actors out. 

Who knows where he learned that. 

Fang Jiu scowled, looking at his hand on her elbow. He let go immediately, smiling awkwardly. 

“I don’t know whether I have time tomorrow. How about we talk about this when there’s time?” Fang Jiu did not want to anger anyone, but neither did she want to be too close with anyone. Zhao Qi does look very handsome, but the entertainment business never lacked handsome men. 

Surprised by being rejected, Zhao Qi felt destroyed. Is it because he’s no longer young? No young girls like him now? 

“What are you two doing!” Gu Xi stopped walking as he passed by this scene. He scolded: “It’s not time for publication yet!”

It seems that the public morals are declining day by day. 

Fang Jiu did not know what to say. 

She did not want to stay longer. Fang Jiu put on her hat and her mask as she slipped out of the set. 

Since the cast was filled with famous actors, these paparazzi waited every day for potential gossip. A few pictures of some scenes would be enough material for them. Fang Jiu already met many, many paparazzi on her way from the set to the hotel, yet all of them were kept at the hotel door. These people wouldn’t wait for too long unless they had mini-cameras, yet no one would usually be so manic to do so. 

After returning to her hotel room, Fang Jiu asked Xiao Qi to order food and then went to shower. After her shower, she ate and talked to herself about the script. 

At the same time, Gu Xi exited the bathroom of his presidential suite upstairs, looked at tomorrow’s schedule, made a few adjustments, and remembered, despite having prepared to go to sleep early, that a “friend from his childhood” was waiting for him to get his materials. 

He knew that his mom must’ve bought random, little gadgets for him, but he still put on a black jacket and hat, walking downstairs. 

Fang Jiu was practicing alone when her doorbell rang. She wiped her sweat and went for the door immediately. Opening the door, she saw Gu Xi standing at the entrance, wearing all black. 

“Where are the things?” Gu Xi looked at her body, noticing how the girl who used to chase him around has grown to become an adult. 

Fang Jiu wore a lose robe, showing her fair and clean legs. There was a thin layer of sweat on her face which was free from makeup. Seeing him, she turned to the side: “Come inside first. It’s not good for people to this.”

After hesitating for a moment, Gu Xi marched inside. His door was always the one knocked; he never had to knock on someone else’s door. 

“Wait for a moment,” Fang Jiu said, walking in and out of her room with an intricate blue bag: “Mrs. Gu told me to give this to you. She also wants to remind you to stay healthy and not be too tired.”

Then, she took a bottle of coke out of her fridge. “I didn’t know that you became a director. You said you wanted to be an astronaut, remember?”

Gu Xi fell silent. Why does she remember this? 

“No matter what you say, shouldn’t you think about what your mom will think of if she seems you hugging some other men?” Gu Xi walked towards the door with the bag. He glanced back before leaving: “If you like acting, go for plays and musicals. This place is not for you.”

Then, he opened the door and left, leaving Fang Jiu alone. 

How will I get closer to you if I don’t enter this field?

The next day, Fang Jiu went to the set early morning. She has a big scene today, which meant dancing on a high stage. This is also a scene with many others, which meant that every actor would be here. She’s not the center, but there would be a few scenes with only her. This is, actually, the hardest to control. 

Gu Xi dislikes people who are late, so everyone was punctual. Seeing Fang Jiu practice dancing, Zhou Xuan had to stop with her hot coffee. She studied her from top to bottom: “I heard that Xia Xi is your aunt?” 

Becoming still and seeing the eyes of other workers focusing on her, Fang Jiu replied instantly: “I don’t have such a good aunt like Ms. Xia.”

The entertainment field always exaggerates things. If someone says today that the main actress is her aunt, tomorrow someone will say she’s her mom. 

Zhou Xuan sipped her hot coffee and lazily watched Fang Jiu dance. “Having a good aunt makes her different. She can get the role out of no where, and could even delete her scenes…”

Everyone knew that the scene at the bath place is gone now. Even Gu Xi had to allow Fang Jiu’s request, so Xia Xi must be her connection! 

Fang Jiu stretched, took her jacket from her manager, did not speak, and left silently. 

When Gu Xi was talking about the play, everyone had to listen. The workers all knew that it was time for director Gu to lash out at the actors. 

“Mr. Qi, you had a very good concept just then. When you slam the table, just listen to my beat.” Gu Xi said to the older main actor. Then, looking at Zhou Xuan who kept putting on more makeup, he slammed his script onto the desk, his face filled with apathy: “Are you trying to act as a corpse by making your face so white?” 

No one spoke. 

Fang Jiu couldn’t control it and laughed with a low volume. 

Zhou Xuan put her makeup tools away and glared at her. Zhao Qi tried to help: “Zhou always had beautiful, white skin. She’ll shine if she puts on more!” 

Everyone likes compliments, and since it was Zhao Qi who usually did not compliment anyone, Zhou Xuan immediately felt satisfied, holding up her script. She pretended to be curious and humble as she flirtatiously looked at Gu Xi: “Director Gu, I don’t really understand this scene. Could you explain it?” 

Gu Xi did not take an extra look at her. He commented coldly: “Spend your makeup time on your script and you would understand it.”

Then, he put his attention on the space around Zhao Qi and Fang Jiu. At last, his gaze landed on Fang Jiu’s dress: “This gown is too ugly. Let the people in charge of costumes find another one.”

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Translated by: Valerie

Edited by: Yutong/Puppxteer

Chapter 22.3 – The Movie King’s Son

With the female lead’s help, the original had a smooth debut. Her company was also owned by the female lead, then she filmed a typical idol romance film and made her debut. Now that she has gained some fanbase, today, she headed to a big movie’s acting set!

That’s right. This movie was directed by the male lead’s son, and she was forced into the cast by the female lead!

“We’re here!” Ms. Liu looked back at her and said seriously: “Gu Xi has a bad temper, not to mention that you were forced in by his mother. If he doesn’t respect his mother’s choice of putting you in, please just endure it and don’t have a temper tantrum.”

Looking at all the employees walking around, Fang Jiu nodded her head and followed Ms. Liu into the set.

In this show, the male and female leads were hot shots, they had both looks and acting skills. Even the side role casts consisted of actors who knew their way in the industry. Fang Jiu was the second female lead, an enchanting and charming dancer. Later in the show, she successfully seduced the Emperor and became the concubine of the sixth house.

As she walked further in the set, she saw more seasoned actors who were big shots in the industry. Even though some were just here for a cameo, they all arrived early since Gu Xi didn’t like it when people were late.

A man wearing black casual wear was staring at the cameras not far from the filming set. He wore a black hat and was currently carefully watching the replay from the security cameras. His side profile was comparable to an extremely handsome celebrity.

While Feng Jiu was still thinking about how this mission would be easy, she saw him suddenly stand up, and cruelly said to the actress: “Zhou Xuan, are you brain damaged or do you have a Myocardial Infarction?”

Fang Jiu: “……”

But, no one in the filming set dared to laugh, it was as if they were used to his insults. The one currently being filmed was the third female lead, she was also a popular actress. Since everyone knew that Gu Xi’s movies always have a good box office, being in his movies will definitely help Zhou Xuan with her future. Or else she would never be here to endure these insults.

Fang Jiu suddenly wanted to back away, since she was forced in here, god knows how she’d be insulted!

“What are you hesitating for? Just go!” Ms. Jiu dragged her towards the security cameras.

The second female lead had an important role, but she doesn’t appear on the screen a lot. Plus, Fang Jiu’s mother was sick, so she didn’t come to the set for the past few days. But the original had already completely understood the script, so Fang Jiu was confident.

“Mr. Gu, it’s been a while.” Ms. Liu seemed to know Gu Xi, she pulled Fang Jiu towards her while she spoke.

Retracting his gaze from the monitor, Gu Xi sat on the chair and glanced at Fang Jiu. His mother had already told him how good his childhood friend’s acting skills were, and that if he didn’t recruit her, he’d regret it for life. Now that he’s taken a look at her, he didn’t want to speak.

Today, Fang Jiu did not put on any makeup and only wore a set of simple sportswear. Her hair was tied into a simple ponytail. Although her face was delicate enough, it looked a bit immature. She was like a college student who had not graduated yet.

“Did you read the script?” He asked aloofly.

The staff around them continued with what they were working on. They were already used to Gu Xu’s aloofness. He never knew what it meant to be gentle towards ladies.

Fang Jiu nodded, and responded seriously: “I did!”

The latter gave a light glance and realized that the girl in his memories, who chased him all around, seemed to be much quieter. He wondered why she felt as if she had no choice but to enter such a messy place as the entertainment circle.

Seeing that all the staff around them were busy with their own business, Fang Jiu suddenly moved her head closer to his and said in a soft voice, “Gu Xi Big Bro, your mom made me bring you some gifts she bought you from abroad.”

Gu Xi: “…”

Miss Liu: “…” Why doesn’t this child know how to stay low-profile!

After taking a deep breath, Gu Xi scanned around them and discovered nobody seemed to have heard them. He frowned and said in a low voice: “I’ll come to your room to get it tonight!”

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Translated By: Puppxteer/Yutong

Chapter 275: The Mentor and the Former Apprentice Meet Again

The ten contestants that were in the eighth group silently stood up and took the initiative to walk towards the wooden table with their respective name cards.

When Liu Man got up, Zhou Budai said to her in a small voice, “You can do this!”

The calligraphy industry had always put men before women; it can be told just by looking at the ratio of men to women among calligraphists. The number of women was so few. 

Therefore, it wasn’t strange when there was only one woman in these ten contestants. 

All the five judges gave her an extra glance, and Su Xuezhen’s look was meaningful.

The list they each held contained a list of all the contestants, and behind each name was a box where there would be additional notes. The additional notes were about their mentors and their accomplishments so that the judges could have a preliminary understanding of each contestant. Su Xuezhen saw that behind Liu man’s name was the name, “Su Yi.”

He scanned the room, and at the back of the left audience seats, he discovered Su Yi and Ouyang Cen. Both of them had just sat down. 

It had been thirty years since he had seen his former mentor. In these thirty years, although there was no contact at all between the two, Su Xuezhen still knew a lot about what happened to Su Yi. Su Yi’s ranking in the calligraphy industry was too high; he was an authority. Just his one word or one action could affect the entire trend of clerical scripts and official scripts in the country.

Noticing Su Xuezhen’s stare, Su Yi locked eyes with him. His old yet still glowing eyes, at this moment, showed coldness and contempt. He did not watch the first two groups’ face-to-face evaluation just now, for he did not want to spend a single extra second with Su Xuezhen in the same space. Now that it was Liu Man’s turn, he had to come and supervise in person.

The Su Xuezhen in his impression was still a boy just over twenty years old, so arrogant just because of his talents. The Su Xuezhen now had become much better at surviving in this society, carrying an aura that belonged to a character of great importance. 

He stared directly at Su Yi, not a single hint of regret or guilt to be seen in his eyes. He even looked proud.

Su Xuezhen, of course, was very proud. He was only a bit over fifty years old, but he had already gained lots of money and a good reputation. He was a famous calligraphist, an admired calligraphy academy principal, and a successful businessman. He was a winner in life!

He had already had enough power and experience to face Su Yi. His eyes were, as if, telling Su Yi: “My choice back a few years ago was correct. Fang Huaiyuan couldn’t beat me at all. Fang Huaiyuan was a principal of a university and a principal of an academy, but who could still remember that Fang Huaiyuan was also one of Su Yi’s apprentices?”

If this happened before, Su Yi would have raged and walk away, so he wouldn’t have to see Su Xuezhen.

But now, he has Liu Man!

Su Yi gazed at the girl standing with her back to him, as if he had found someone to rely on. The somberness in his mind seemed to have found a solution.

After Su Xuezhen, he became extra discreet when taking in apprentices. No matter how talented the youngsters he later met were, he would still consider it for quite a bit before he decided whether he should take them in or not.

Because of that, he had only taken in three apprentices within the twenty years after he disowned Su Xuezhen. Unfortunately, these three people, similar to Fang Huaiyuan, all developed a good path in their careers, but no one could persist on this path of studying calligraphy until they became a “calligraphist”.

Later on, he gave up, too. He thought that he would never meet an appropriate person for the rest of his life to take on his knowledge. He was getting old, too, and he cared no more about this world. He began to put all his attention into educating students at the university.

And like this, ten years had passed. He saw Liu Man’s piece, which she wrote to earn money, on the internet.

His heart, which had been dead for so long, began to start beating again. He didn’t expect to see hope when he was just about to enter his grave. This really must be God’s intention.

He hurriedly made Liu Man participate in this calligraphy exhibit because he didn’t know whether he could live past the next four years, or else, he would definitely teach her everything he knew for as long as five to ten years, making sure that she was a meeting-expectations heir, before letting her participate in the exhibit.

Liu Man didn’t know about what was happening between her mentor and his former apprentice. She wasn’t even looking at any of the judges. The first thing she did when she walked to her table was reorganize the calligraphy brush, ink, paper, and inkstone according to her habits. Her actions were light and silent. After she did all of this, she stood back and stopped moving.

Her standing posture was trained by Xiao Zhao since she was just a toddler. Xiao Zhao, who was born as a dancer, thought postures and appearances were the priorities. She didn’t teach Liu Man how to dance, but she taught Liu Man all the basics of dancing. This was why Liu Man could stand as straight as a pine tree and take such soft steps.

With her ancient-styled dress, she looked like an ancient noble, her silhouette tall and pretty.

Every one of Liu Man’s competitors couldn’t resist but turned their heads to look at her. The one that took the most glances was a young man in the row behind her. Her glance was so prominent that Liu Man couldn’t help but look back. She saw the name card hung up on his desk: Su Maolin.

So he was the author of that clerical script, “Po Yao Fu”, Su Xuezhen’s son.

Su Maolin looked like he was just twenty years old. He looked very tall, and his clothes were all from famous brands, making him look very energetic and slightly handsome.

However, Liu Man thought Su Maolin didn’t have his father’s temperament. He didn’t even seem as scholarly as Zhou Budai and didn’t have the style of a calligraphist. At first glance, he was just a normal son of a rich father.

Liu Man felt confused. Was he really the author of “Po Fu Yao?”

The round started as each of them had a different thought in mind.

First up was the part where the commenting on the works happened. The five judges exchanged their opinions, and they started commenting on the first contestant, who was closest to the judges’ seats.

Each judge would comment on two pieces, and their comments would only contain one to two sentences. They were mostly full of sarcasm and criticism; none of them was a compliment.

Liu Man was positioned in the middle, and it was soon her turn. The judge who commented on her work was one with a goatee. Liu Man knew he was named Wang Qinghai. He was a famous calligraphist and also a member of the calligraphy association. He was good at the official script.

Wang Qinghai said as he looked at her, “You’re overly copying someone else’s style. It almost cannot be classified as art!”

Zhou Budai had already said something similar, so Liu Man could comfortably accept the criticism. She said gracefully, “Thank you, judge, for your feedback.”

Wang Qinghai felt a bit surprised, and he exchanged glances with Su Xuezhen.

Su Xuezhen gave a slight nod that was almost unnoticeable.

Wang Qinghai continued to comment on the next contestant’s work. The next one in line was Su Maolin. Su Maolin, who was about to listen to his feedback, did not seem to be in a low posture like the others. He seemed as if he didn’t really care, and he even carried a smile.

Su Maolin said, “I can see that your brush carried strength when you wrote this, and your mind was calm.”

This was the only good feedback in all ten of the comments.

To be honest, Su Maolin’s work was definitely the best in all of theirs, but it was impossible for him to not have a single flaw. The commenters could even criticize Wang Xizhi’s work.

TL’s Note: Wang Xizhi was a famous calligraphist in ancient China.

Everyone knew this very clearly. Wang Qinghai said this because Su Maolin was Su Xuezhen’s son! However, he was very skillful as proved by his work, and even if the others were feeling unsatisfied, they had no complaints.

They knew they could not be better than him!

Next came the questioning part, where many had cried before. There is no sequence in this part. Each judge could ask whoever they wanted to. Everyone felt anxious as they waited to be asked.

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Translated by: Syclney

Edited by: Michael

Chapter 22.2 – The Emperor’s Son

It wasn’t until the eunuch’s shrill sound came from outside the room that everyone in the room knelt to the ground. After the door was pushed open, they immediately stoof and shouted: “The servants and maids bring our greetings to the emperor. Long live the emperor!”

Fang Jiu did not kneel, despite the old servant who kept on tugging her sleeves. She sits there, still as a mountain.

Kneel?

This guy would have died long ago if not for her cure,  let alone become the emperor!

“Leave us.” Xuan Yuanfan waved them away, his bright red dragon robe made him look more extravagant than ever, the other servants and maids had no choice but to quietly leave.

When there were only two people left in the palace, Xuan Yuanfan then walks over to her, looking at the stunningly beautiful face he remembered from his blurred memories, he lowers his head and whispers “My empress really is the most beautiful of them all. ”

Fang Jiu: “……” Idiot!

She immediately takes off her crown, her brow slightly furrowed, “Let me tell you, I’m going to return to the countryside with my father. Trust me I’m not going to stay at your stupid harem and fool around tricking your other concubines.”

Xuan Yuanfan’s originally good mood took a wild turn, his face changing color, “What about me?”

How can an empress not be at the palace!

“Not my problem.” She rolled her eyes, then continued to take off the myriad of little accessories in her hair, god knows how many accessories were put in there.

Her long and silky hair fell down like a waterfall, Xuan Yuanfan couldn’t resist but princess hugged her and marched towards the bed.

“Why fight with the other concubines? I’ll pick you every night.” He puts her down on the bed; looking at her flawless face, he couldn’t resist her beauty, and leaned in for a kiss, while it turned into a french kiss…

“Who… needs you… to pick them every night….” Fang Jiu tried to push him aside. She’s seen ridiculous people, but none were as absurd and shameless as him.

Ignoring her struggles, he continues to rip open her bright red empress gown; the well-made gown was ripped in half with one swift motion. Fang Jiu was speechless, she didn’t understand, how could he possibly have interest when her face was covered full with makeup?

She suddenly felt a big hand slip in towards her waist, then she was suddenly flipped around like a pancake.

“Let’s try a new position today……” He whispers to her.

Fang Jiu quietly swore “F*ck”, but before she could say it out loud, her underpants were suddenly stripped away from her and a breeze of cold air suddenly rushed in…… 

“Just you wait, tomorrow I’ll go home with my father, you shouldn’t come find me anymore…… ah!”

Suddenly, a surprised moan came out of the bright red bed, mixed in with sounds of a man’s rough breath. Dim candle lights illuminated the entire room, showing a different kind of soft charm…… 

Fang Jiu, who returned to the system space, was indifferent, but still couldn’t help but ask: “008, did we have beef with each other?”

System: “Host, why would you ask this?”

Fang Jiu: “……” I don’t want to speak to you!

“This mission was indeed a bit dangerous, but it is truly random. Us systems don’t have the power to control the mission type.” The system’s mechanical voice felt as if it expressed a helpless emotion.

Fang Jiu didn’t want to believe her, and instead asked: “Then how many missions do I have to complete before returning?”

The system was silent for a while, then formally replied: “We don’t have permission to know that information, but since we were once colleagues, I’ll ask the director after my shift.

“Alright, I’ll stop speaking. You should enter your next mission, remember, if you fail, your mind will forever be stuck in the virtual space!”

After the system’s creepy words ended, Fang Jiu’s vision went dark. When she woke up, she found herself in an RV.

Looking at the scenery flashing by the window, her mind was completely in shambles!

If she fails she has to stay here forever? Can the system not be so bad!

“Xiao Jiu, you have to remember to be nice when we arrive. You’ve just made your debut not long ago, and this movie is full of big shots in the industry. Just try to make some connections with them.” The front seat sat a woman in white suit. She turned around to look at Fang Jiu with concern.

Fang Jiu tilted her head, and half seriously nodded her head.

Seeing this, the woman turned back, trying to trust her words.

This was an Entertainment circle novel, where the female lead couldn’t attend college because of her poor family background, then became the male lead’s assistant on pure chance. Even though she did not receive professional training, she had lots of talent in the acting field. After landing a role of the third female lead in a movie with the intentional help from the male lead, she had slowly but surely built up her reputation, then finally got picked up by a famous director. With the male lead’s help, she overcame obstacles and became the youngest movie star with double awards in China.

Although the process seemed to be very simple, the dramas in the entertainment circle would never end. The female lead transformed from her naive self, at the beginning, to being shrewd. The male lead had been secretly protecting her the entire time until the female lead was framed for sleeping with the director in order to get a role. The male lead finally couldn’t resist but stood out to announce that he and the female lead were already together. Although it was fake, since they had already poked through the ambiguity in the air, they got together on a rainy day.

Now that the male and female were married, the male lead had already been awarded as the film emperor twice in international awarding ceremonies. He had an important role in the international industry, not to mention just inside China; however, nobody could get him to act in a film anymore nowadays. This was also one of the regrets of many famous directors. 

While the female lead remained active in the entertainment circle. Well, slightly active. She only occasionally attends fashion events, guest-starring in movies with her acquaintances, because she already had a stable status in mainland China, almost with the elites. So, if the movie wasn’t good, she wouldn’t act in it.

However, their son did not become an actor, but instead became a director!

Their son was overpowered, he received the national prize for most talented new director at a very young age, winning this prize was extraordinary, plus he had already been awarded the best director prize twice in China. And their son was weird as well, he never shoots artistic films, even though this genre was easy to win prizes with, he always goes for high-end films, and the box office for every film of his goes higher every time. Actors who can appear in his films were all big shots. If you wanted trending topics, they had trending topics. If you wanted acting skills, they had the skills, and he never accepts actors who pay their way in. He didn’t care if you were the higher up’s daughter, and no one dares to bat an eye.

Nowadays, the directors in China are seen as very important people. Excluding those super top-tiered actors, basically no one would be foolish enough to offend a director. Nonetheless, the male lead’s son didn’t reveal his relationship with his parents. Only a few people in the circle knew about it.

And her role…… 

Fang Jiu’s mood was complicated. She was originally the daughter of the female protagonist’s best friend. When she was a child, she played with the male protagonist’s son for a while but followed her grandma to go abroad, waiting for her to be picked up by her mother. At that time, the male protagonist’s son had already studied directing abroad, and the two did not have time to meet, so the original Fang Jiu also went to learn acting, but she was very talented, and even the heroine felt very aura when he saw it, and then introduced Fang Jiu into the circle.

TL Note: So sorry about the last chapter, but it’s only Sydney and I working at midnight on this so I just got lazy and used google translate.

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This was a hard chapter to translate, and for my fellow brothers out there reading this, it will be a hard chapter to read—and that can mean different things 😉

Translated by: Sydney & Michael
Edited by: Yutong/ Puppyxteer

Chapter 274: The Start of the Face-to-Face Round

At the same time, more news regarding the calligraphy exhibit appeared on TV, in newspapers, and on the internet. After all, this was a national exhibit that only occurred once every four years, and it was a huge event in the calligraphy circle. Now that the upper ranks were advocating for reviving the old culture of the country, calligraphy was one of the categories that would be most capable of representing the Chinese culture; therefore, even if the calligraphy exhibit was unpopular, it was still put on the front page of the newspaper. It was one of those “main melody” head titles, and people would normally just glance at the title, too lazy to read the content.

There were already a lot of people who studied calligraphy as a hobby, gathering around inside the exhibit. They took lots of pictures and posted them on Wei Bo, and most of them were pictures of works they liked. One of the Hanfu Goddess’s fans was the first to discover that, within all of these pieces, one work was signed by “Liu Man”.

He copied the picture of this work and sent a Wei Bo post, asking everyone, “Please, I need my question answered. Was this written by my Goddess? Or was this written by someone with the same name? I’m waiting online and am in a hurry!”

At first, only a few people noticed this post. They were also curious about the answer, so they helped repost it. More fans saw it, and even more, fans helped repost it; this was how it all linked up. This post immediately went viral and received lots of attention from the netizens. Everyone commented their opinion on whether this was a treasure from the Hanfu Goddess.

Some said it was the Hanfu Goddess; others said it was just someone with the same name. Everyone had a different opinion.

Even netizens who never paid any attention to calligraphy started feeling curious about this National Calligraphy and Carving Exhibition.

“The name of this exhibit is way too long. Can someone teach us, the uncultured ones, a lesson about it?”

“I’ve read the description in the news. It says that this is a calligraphy evaluation activity hosted by the National Calligraphy Association. It’s the most outstanding batch put in the exhibition, chosen from all the calligraphy and carving works in the country. It can be compared to ‘The Voice of China’ in the singing industry.”

“There’s also a description in Baidu. It only occurs once every four years! Today’s its fifteenth anniversary.”

“It sounds high-tiered.”

“It’s too professional. Those people who don’t know anything about calligraphy won’t even know about it.”

“Today’s the opening of the exhibit, and the 300 pieces presented have already been chosen cautiously through a very difficult process. If this work is really from the Hanfu Goddess, then she’s crazily good at calligraphy.”

“So, can anyone tell me if this is written by her?”

“Just directly ping Princess Man and ask her.”

“I did ping her. She ignored me.”

“Let’s just go to the exhibit and see. There are exhibits in both the capital and Gudu. If we go to the Capital Art Center, maybe we can run into the Hanfu Goddess herself.”

“The Capital Art Center only showcases the carvings. The calligraphy works are in the Gudu Exhibition. To verify this, we can only rely on the netizens located in Gudu.”

“Fine. For the Hanfu Goddess, I’ll go to the exhibit right now.”

“I’m coming too. I live close to it.”

…

More and more netizens were getting intrigued by the calligraphy exhibit. To be more accurate, they wanted to join the fun and see if the Hanfu Goddess was there!

The number of visitors inside the exhibition got multiplied by two in the afternoon. These extra visitors were different from those who simply loved calligraphy. The first thing they did when they came in was to find Liu Man’s work, and when they did, they would madly take photos with their phone and send it on Wei Bo!

They would then wander around for a bit to see if any other works looked fine, randomly take a few photos, send them in moments, write a few words, and make themselves seem very sophisticated.

Liu Man’s clerical script, which originally got belittled, was now surrounded by waves and waves of crowds, each holding their phone, looking very excited. The other visitors assumed that this was a piece from a master, and they came to admire it as well. Everyone was raising their phone high over their head in the crowd that could not get any crowdier.

If one didn’t study closer, Liu Man’s words were pretty good-looking and were enough to be presented. Everyone only felt unfortunate because they didn’t see the Hanfu Goddess.

Was this “Liu Man” not the Hanfu Goddess?

At the same time, in the second half of the exhibit, all five judges were already seated. They were about to have a face-to-face evaluation of the work of the contestants in groups 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Group 6 was the running script, group 7 was the official script, group 8 was the clerical script, group 9 was the cursive script, and group 10 was the seal character.

Liu Man was in the eighth group, and Zhou Budai was in the ninth group. They had already arrived early to the second hall.

There were ten wooden tables, put into lines, in front of the judges. Each table was numbered off, and brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones were placed on every table.

Behind the wooden tables were fifty plastic chairs that were temporarily placed there. The contestants in the groups that would be evaluated later could sit there and wait for their round. The round was not open to the public, so only members of the calligraphy association could come in to spectate. Their chairs were even more high-tiered; they sat on the soft armchairs that were sat on by Su Yi and Ouyang Cen earlier.

There were around 20 of these soft chairs, spread around the tables. It was as if this was another way of judging.

Liu Man and Zhou Budai sat on the plastic chairs, and after watching the judging process of the first two groups, they already knew how the round worked.

First, the judges would evaluate each of the pieces in the sequence they were handed in at, then they would question each of the contestants. Everyone would get a different question, and nobody knew which judge would be the one to question them.

Questioning, here, was more challenging.

Just now, a contestant from the sixth group, the running script group, met a judge challenging him. He couldn’t come up with a response and was so anxious that he was blushing; however, the judge did not let him pass and forced him to say something. He had to quit the round.

No one in the five judges was generous. Everyone spoke sharply. Maybe this was a purposeful setting in the face-to-face round, so they could eliminate half of the contestants.

At last, the judges would come up with a sentence, a poem, or a short passage. The ten contestants in the group would have to write it all out right there in a limited time to decide the first and second place.

And the pieces they wrote on the spot would be given back to the contestants, at their disposal, unless they were in the first place or second place — In which case, their works would get recorded.

After the face-to-face round was finished for the seventh group, the two people who passed had expressions that lit up as they were feeling glad, and the other eight people had different expressions; none of them had a good expression. One of them angrily ripped the piece he had just written on the spot just now in front of everyone.

He turned around and wanted to leave.

Su Xuezhen called his name to stop him.

“Please leave after you’ve cleaned up the floor so you won’t affect the next group’s evaluation.”

This person was very ambivalent. He still felt angry, but he dared not to vent his emotions.

If he had offended Su Xuezhen, his piece, which was currently being presented in the outside hall, would have been immediately taken off. His name would also be permanently wiped in the Chinese calligraphy circle.

He started behaving well and walked back to his table, knelt, and picked up the ripped pieces of paper. He only left after making sure not a single piece of ripped paper could be seen on the floor. This time, his silhouette seemed lonely and defeated.

None of the five judges did anything about it. They lowered their heads to scroll through the overview of the works that were going to be presented by the next group. The staff quickly retrieved the works from the previous group, respread all the clean rice paper, and changed the name cards on the table so they matched the people in the eighth group.

All of this went on in silence; not a single person spoke. 

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Translated by: Sydney

Edited by: Michael

Chapter 273: An Objective Comment

Liu Man had her head raised as she looked at her work. There were lots of passersby behind her, but she did not get disturbed by any of them.

She didn’t know that many people were looking at her. 

This exhibit was very professional. Those who didn’t know a lot about calligraphy would probably have never heard about it. Because of this reason, all the visitors who came to the exhibit so early in the morning were all people who loved calligraphy.

These people were often very civilized and normally would not pay attention to cyber stars; therefore, when they stared at Liu Man, they didn’t recognize her identity as a cyber star but rather thought that this scene was pure and beautiful. It looked as if this scene was from a poem, and that they had traveled through time. It seemed so magical that there wasn’t a single scent of modernity found on this girl wearing a hanfu.

The sense of modernity was very vague and abstract. It was not that there were no other young girls wearing hanfu on the street, but nobody would ever mistake them for ancient people because they had a modern sense.

“Sensei Liu,” A hesitant voice sounded behind Liu Man.

Liu Man turned her head to see Zhou Budai, standing two steps away from her.

Zhou Budai didn’t dare to get closer because he was scared of ruining this beautiful scene; however, Liu Man took the initiative to walk towards him, smiling, “You’re also here for the exhibit?”

“Mhm. Since I have nothing to do, I’m here to study from others’ works,” Zhou Budai’s thoughts were similar to Liu Man’s, “My teacher’s here too. He’s talking to Professor Su over there.”

Liu Man looked towards the direction that Zhou Budai was pointing at. Two soft chairs magically appeared in the corner of the exhibit. Ou Yangcen and Su Yi were chatting while sitting down, and they each had a cup of hot tea in their hands, having a chill time.

The deputy director of the National Calligraphy Association, sure enough, had a unique treatment.

Zhou Budai noticed the inconspicuous signature in the top right corner of the paper along with the Profesor Su’s red stamp, “So the piece you have been paying so much attention to is your work. Are you really satisfied with it?”

Liu Man smiled as she shook her head, “What are some things you think I can improve on?”

“Eh…” Zhou Budai didn’t expect Liu Man to be so straightforward. Normally, don’t people enjoy being complimented on? Why was Liu Man trying to challenge herself?

“Don’t be polite. If there’s anything bad, just say it. I want to hear the opinions of others.”

Liu Man’s question was very genuine. 

“But I’ve only learned the clerical script when I was in elementary school, and later on, I switched to learning the cursive script. It’s been a long time since I’ve written anything in the clerical script, so I’m not professional at it. However, since it’s your request, I’ll help you review it,” Zhou Budai took one step back so he had a broader view. He started studying Liu Man’s characters, stroke by stroke.

“In general, it’s great and is very comfortable to look at; however, I think your trace of mimicking others is very obvious. Did you write this according to Professor Su’s works?” Zhou Budai asked her.

“Mhm,” Liu Man admired him, “You are very professional!”

“It’s just that I’ve studied Professor Su’s work before,” Zhou Budai felt a bit embarrassed to be complimented on by a beauty. He continued to say, “My teacher has told me before that there are two ways to mimic someone else’s work as you’re learning. One is to mimic the appearance, and one is to copy the feeling the words give you. For example, when an artist draws a portrait for someone, copying the appearance meant that they would draw their face and hands. Copying the feeling the person gives them would be drawing their actions and how they laugh. Your words are more of the first type, and it’s a bit unnatural,” Zhou Budai was afraid Liu Man would get angry, so he added on, “This is only my personal opinion, so don’t take me seriously.”

Liu Man, however, nodded, for she learned something. No wonder Professor Su was so satisfied with this work of hers; it looked like his work. Who would not like themselves?

“Do you have any other work to recommend for me? I’ve not been studying the clerical script for a long time, so I’ve always been using Professor Su’s words as a model. I don’t have any other examples to take into consideration.”

Zhou Budai naturally asked, “How long have you studied calligraphy?”

“Five months. At the same time, I’ve also been learning the official script, but my official script is worse and shouldn’t even be seen. If you have any models for official scripts, please also recommend them to me.”

“…”

Zhou Budai felt extremely astounded on the inside. She was a total genius for being able to produce such a great piece within five months! He had studied the clerical script for three years when he was younger, and he wasn’t as good as her. This was too embarrassing for him!

“Sorry, I’m going to take back my comment. Your work is completely fine. For beginners who have just started five months ago, it’s normal to copy the appearances. It’ll be fine if you just practice more,” Zhou Budai emphasized, “It has no issues; however, it sure cannot beat other clerical script works.”

Zhou Budai was very objective. He glanced around at the other works and pointed at one specific piece, “In the few clerical scripts works nearby, I think that piece is the best.”

Liu Man walked over to read it. The piece read: “A horse can run for thousands of miles, but it cannot go that long without a rider; A man can have the courage to fly until he touches the sky, but without fate, he cannot understand how he can do it.”

This quote came from “Po Yao Fu” by Lü Mengzheng, who was from the Northern Song dynasty. Under high pressure from Professor Su, Liu Man had memorized this poem before.

These words were written beautifully. The strokes were steady, they were large and proud, yet it didn’t lose its beauty. Liu Man looked at who the author was, and he was named Su Maolin. She casually wondered: “Why is his last name Su as well……”

“Because he is Su Xuezhen’s son.”

Liu Man was shocked and asked, “Is it ok for the judge’s son to participate?”

“No rules are forbidding this, but normal judges would take the initiative to avoid these types of situations.

Yesterday, when they went back home, Zhou Budai had asked follow-up questions to Ou Yangcen about Su Xuezhen. Ou Yangcen felt he should also remind his apprentice, so he told Zhou Budai everything. Therefore, now Zhou Budai also knew all about Su Xuezhen and felt contempt for him.

He was standing far away before and did not see the author of the piece. If he had known before, he would not have led Liu Man here. It ruined his mood. He was also wondering why, despite Su Xuezhen was so immoral, he was so skillful at calligraphy. Even his son was very talented. As a wise man once said, all talented fathers had talented sons.

Liu Man suddenly felt that this piece of work was revolting, and didn’t want to look at it again. She asked Zhou Budai, “Where’s your work?”

“I’ll show you where it is.”

Zhou Budai’s cursive work was at the other side of the hall. At this time, many people were crowding around his piece; everyone was admiring his words.

Liu Man heard the words of approval and the gasps of admiration. Some people took photos of it. The visitors were, sure enough, not amateurs. Some people took photos of Su Maolin’s work just now.

The cursive script was very hard to read and recognize. Liu Man stared at it quietly for half a minute before being able to read what he wrote: “Not taking advantage of any outside force yet still being able to independently survive; not running out of energy as my actions form a cycle.”

“Zhou Budai,” Liu Man murmured.

“I’m here!” Zhou Budai replied jokingly.

The two were already very familiar with each other and were not as awkward as before.

“So your name’s ‘dai’ is ‘殆’, I thought it was the ‘怠’ from neglect.”

“Haha, many people make the same mistake as you at the start. My mother had a hard time giving birth to me. My dad was waiting outside, feeling very anxious, so he could only read Tao Te Ching to calm himself down. Later on, I was born, so he instantly got the inspiration to give me this name.”

“So your work is about why you received your name.”

“Mhm. Now, you should be the one to comment on my words. How do you think I did? Be honest. I want to hear your opinion,” Zhou Budai told Liu Man the exact words of what she had just told him.

Liu Man thought for a moment before saying, “My comment is only one word: debonair.”

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Translated by: Sydney and Yutong/Puppxteer

Chapter 272: The Opening of the Exhibit

Su Yi told Su Xuezhen to go away, and he did, without turning back once.

Their mentor-and-apprentice relationship broke from then on, and they became strangers.

Later on, Su Xuezhen’s work naturally passed the second round. Like previously mentioned, all apprentices of famous mentors could pass the second round. Back then, there were much fewer people who signed up — not even over ten thousand people. This was why, back then, the face-to-face was the last round, and there was no free-write round.

Su Xuezhen got eliminated in the face-to-face round, and he was top 32 in the entire national exhibit.

To a youngster who was only 22 years old, this ranking was already really good. The contestants who were ranked above him were all older than him.

Su Xuezhen, indeed, had skills and abilities.

Through his outstanding performance at that calligraphy exhibit, Su Xuezhen started to become famous. He was a very aspirational but collected person, so he did not let this small accomplishment get to his head.

Without Su Yi’s mentoring, he taught himself and studied others’ work, repeating this day after day. He finally got payback for his hard work, and he got hired by the local Gudu government and became a government worker. From then on, his life became better and better, as if he had a cheating system. Now, he had long stopped working for the government. He was earning so much money being a calligraphist and the principal of his academy.

And Fang Huaiyuan gradually stopped being so interested in studying calligraphy because of this. He was more leaning towards treating calligraphy as a hobby and he wanted to focus on his actual job. It was probably why outstanding people were outstanding at everything, not just their specialty. In 30 years, he conquered all of his challenges and finally became the principal of Capital University.

After Su Yi finished the story, he straightforwardly ate a hypotensive drug to calm himself down,

“I told you these things because I want you to pay attention to Su Xuezhen tomorrow, in case he tries to obstruct you.”

Liu Man nodded, her appreciation filled her heart.

She felt pity for Principal Fang. During summer, she would often visit Professor Su’s house to practice her calligraphy, and she would often meet Principal Fang. She had already discovered that Principal Fang rarely writes. Before, she felt curious. Wasn’t Principal Fang one of Professor Su’s apprentices? However, he did seem quite uninterested in calligraphy; besides, she didn’t hear about any famous work coming from Principal Fang. As the principal, he could at least write words on plaques for academic buildings and gyms. Nonetheless, Principal Fang never did that.

The younger disciple he cared so much about back then returned his care with backstabbing. It completely broke Principal Fang down.

If Su Xuezhen didn’t replace his work that year, perhaps Principal Fang would already have become a calligraphist.

His selfish actions completely changed the two people’s lives.

After returning to her room, Liu Man searched up Su Xuezhen on Baidu and examined the description of his past life. She also looked at his work. To be honest, his clerical script was great, and Liu Man’s work was bad when compared to his. She admitted that she couldn’t be compared to him.

And when the description was elaborating on his relationship with Su Yi, the phrasing was: “Mr. Su temporarily received some education from the calligraphist, Mr. Su Yi,” The sentence completely avoided his embarrassing history and did not mention a single word of how he was disowned. He even took advantage of Su Yi’s reputation to make himself look better.

On the second day, the Nation Calligraphy exhibit, both opened at the Gudu Exhibition and the Capital Art Center. Three hundred outstanding works that passed the second round were exhibited, and the exhibit was open to the public for free.

The 200 exhibit contestants that had their works on paper were sorted into 20 groups according to their different fonts. The people who wrote with the same font were put into the same group. The judges were going to choose forty outstanding authors within twenty days, and these forty people were going to fight against the twenty carving contestants from the Capital Art Center for the top ten ranks.

Liu Man had already known beforehand that she would be sorted into the eighth group, and she knew that her round would be during the afternoon.

But she and Professor Su had promised each other to go visit the exhibit during the morning, for this was really why Professor Su made her join the exhibit — to learn from the works of other authors. Learning from examples was also an important part of learning calligraphy.

Liu Man changed into her hanfu, “Xiama”, in her room. Xiama was a dress made fully from ramie, and the pattern of the ramie was very clear. The color of the dress was the original ramie color, a kind of yellowish-white. In Liu Man’s past life, this kind of material was named the “summer fabric”, since the fabric felt light and cool.

Compared to the first five sets of hanfu that Liu Man had worn before, “Xiama” was more on the low-profile side. It was more natural and casual for her to wear “Xiama”, the style it gave off felt like an “Ancient Forest”.

She tied up her hair with a single hairpin, and she did not wear any makeup. Like what Zhong Jiangnan wanted to see, she was austere and simple all over, not wearing any flaunty accessories.

Liu Man packed up and waited for Su Yi in the hotel lobby.

Everyone in the hotel had their eyes glued onto her.

Just by standing there, she was already a ray of sunshine.

Su Yi walked out of the elevator and saw Liu Man’s elegant and calm silhouette. He called her name.

Liu Man turned her head and smiled at him.

Su Yi had almost lived past one century, and it wasn’t until today when he finally understood what “The smile that charms all make the concubines lose their glow.” meant.

TL’s Note: This was a Chinese saying used to describe how attractive Royal Concubine Yang, one of the prettiest royal concubines histories has ever seen, was. In this context, it is used for describing Liu Man’s beauty.

“What’s going on today? You look extra nice today.”

The eighty-year-old elder did not care about anyone’s appearance; as long as one wasn’t naked, appearances did not matter to him. However, Liu Man, today, really made his eyes glow.

TL Note: As Puppxteer, I have noticed that this sentence structure makes the old dude seem like a pervert. But I swear on Sydney’s life that he isn’t.

Liu Man lowered her head to pull on her dress, “It must be because of this hanfu.”

“Oh? Is there anything special about it?” Su Yi understood the Han dynasty’s history, but he didn’t know a lot about their clothing.

So on their way to the exhibit, Liu Man gave a detailed lesson to Professor Su about Zhong Jiangna’s hanfu.

When they got to the exhibit center, they followed the people who treated calligraphy as a hobby into the exhibit. Two hundred pieces, with different content and different fonts, that were either horizontal or vertical, were framed and hung up on the white wall. They looked very astonishing and stylish. A place like the exhibition had walls that were ten meters high. The place looked very empty and large, making even the crowd inside look tiny.

Su Yi randomly looked at a few pieces that were nearest to the entrance, as he commented, “All of the contestants this time are pretty skillful.”

Liu Man also thought everyone did a great job. After all, if they could be chosen from more than eighty thousand pieces, these contestants must all be outstanding; none of them would be just mediocre.

“Are you feeling a bit nervous?” Su Yi smiled and asked.

“No,” Not only did she not feel nervous, but she also felt excited. She already felt very honored that her work could get hung up and presented here. This was a recognition of her work, and it was also a reward for her teachers, Madam Xu and Professor Su.

The association was probably afraid that the visitors would get tired of these pieces, so every work was hung according to their fonts and there were different fonts in between. For example, if the previous one was a cursive script, then the next piece would either be the official script or the clerical script. There were exactly 200 works, filling all the walls. It took Liu Man a long while before she was able to find her piece.

“As one keeps a pure mind like a mirror, one would feel free and flexible.” The large words hung high on the wall. Liu Man’s regular script was like her character, refreshing and elegant; therefore, it was not, at all, suppressed by those large works with hundreds of words nearby but rather prominent.

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Translated by: Sydney

Edited by: Yutong/Puppxteer