After hearing Su Yi’s words, Liu Man’s eyes fell on Yu Zhan, who stood behind him and looked at her intently.
Yu Zhan’s emotions had already calmed. He could be sure now that the dream he thought was a hallucination was real; the little girl was Liu Man!
Since he could see Weiyang Palace from two thousand years ago, Liu Man could come to the future after two thousand years. It was not a contradiction.
Although he had a mind full of questions, it was not a good place to share secrets with many people coming and going, so he said nothing and acted as usual.
Liu Man did not look strange on the surface and smiled as she asked him, “Are you satisfied with my performance today?”
“It has surpassed my imagination.”
Yu Zhan was saying his true inner thoughts. It was the first time he watched Liu Man create live. He witnessed Liu Man turning an ordinary table into a work of art, which felt completely different from watching Liu Man stream her calligraphy.
It was lunchtime, and the trio prepared to leave before a civil servant stopped them, saying that Deputy Minister Guo and the mayor were inviting Su Yi and his apprentice to lunch.
Of course, they could not refuse the upper management’s lunch, so Liu Man had to separate from Yu Zhan. She promised to meet him at the hotel and set off to attend the rendezvous with Su Yi.
Yu Zhan stayed at the Exhibition Center. He wanted to examine Liu Man’s “Innocence”; it would be best if he could purchase it.
The staff were taking off each author’s work. One person’s actions were slightly rough, and the other reprimanded, “Be careful. Maybe the work in your hands will be priceless in the future.”
The duo was preparing to move Liu Man’s table.
“Where are we moving the table to? There’s nowhere in the exhibition hall to exhibit it.”
“Let’s ask the upper management.”
“There’s no one left. They’ve all gone to attend lunch.”
Yu Zhan walked over and asked them, “I want to purchase this table. How does the trade work?”
The staff said, “You may not be able to buy it. After all the works are displayed for one week, some will be selected for permanent collection by museums or art galleries in many places, and some will be reserved by collectors and investors in advance.”
“Then, I’ll reserve this table right now.”
“Eh…”
The staff exchanged glances, “We can’t make the decision. What if you return tomorrow and ask the curator?”
After coordination, Liu Man’s table was displayed in the center of the outer exhibition hall.
The stream on TV ended after Zhou Budai received his award. The audience could not suppress their excitement after watching the live stream, and those who lived close directly arrived at the scene to tour the exhibition; therefore, a long line formed again outside of the Exhibition Center.
Any visiting tourists could see the prominent table at first glance. Many people surrounded the table; some were taking photos, some were looking at Liu Man’s drawing, and some were studying her essay. Although Liu Man placed fifth, his fame was undoubtedly in the first place.
Two literati discussed, “As I read this short writing carefully, I constantly feel like it’s hiding a person. Look at the ending where the girl says to ‘never forget.’ Who can she never forget?”
“Maybe a relative of hers.”
Yu Zhan, who was beside them, heard the conversation.
He had been studying the writing since the table was moved here. Even after listening to the judges’ explanation, he still could not understand some details. His ancient Chinese reading skills were too weak, and he was at about the same level as those netizens who claimed to be illiterate.
After hearing the literati scrutinize each character seriously, he felt “Innocence” was written for him.
Liu Man wanted to tell him that this was her story.
She never forgot the “eunuch” that had helped her.
Meanwhile, Liu Man had already arrived at the hotel hosting the lunch party. It was a very formal occasion, with four tables in total. All ten judges and top ten authors arrived at the scene, along with government officials and members of the Calligraphy Association.
Liu Man sat at the same table with other authors. She was next to Zhou Budai, who looked especially happy. He whispered in Liu Man’s ear, “Minister Guo plans to take my ‘Western Regions’ back to the capital and hang it in the Banqueting House. When leaders meet with foreign guests in the future, especially those from countries along the ‘Silk Road,’ they will use my work to demonstrate the ancient history of diplomatic relations and promote the country’s calligraphy culture.”
Zhou Budai was scared that other authors would hear him, so he kept his voice very low, but he could not hide the pride in his countenance.
To any calligraphers in the today, this was a great honor. Liu Man felt sincerely happy for him, “It seems that it won’t be long before I call you Master Zhou.”
Zhou Budai knew she was teasing him about how he called Professor Su “Master Su” when they first met, “Actually, you are more skilled than I am, but you didn’t choose the right theme. If you write an essay about themes such as ‘feudal lords vying for the throne,’ your work can also be exhibited in the Banqueting House.”
Liu Man shook her head sincerely, “I can’t write it. I don’t have that kind of mind or vision; I can’t be a queen.”
With a “pff,” Zhou Budai burst into laughter, attracting the side glances of people at their table, “I didn’t say you need to be a queen. Besides, you only need to read more historical books to write these things. You girls are just too emotional.”
Liu Man declined to comment.
The magnates at the main table did not exchange many toasts; the meal was merely a high-end casual meal, and the entire atmosphere was harmonious and peaceful.
Deputy Minister Guo relaxed his dignified persona and talked about calligraphy and other traditional cultures with the calligraphers. Liu Man did not listen until he said,
“While coming to Gudu and observing this calligraphy exhibition, I saw many exquisite calligraphy works and met all of you outstanding calligraphers. I feel deeply touched. My son works in the documentary department of the National Channel and is a documentary director. I plan to have him make a calligraphy-related documentary, and my main purpose is to promote calligraphy skills to young people. I hope to get your cooperation.”
Liu Man heard it and immediately thought of Guo Nan, who was coincidentally surnamed Guo and was a documentary director. Yu Zhan had also told her that Guo Nan had a background.
There’s no way Guo Nan is Deputy Minister Guo’s son…
Does he know his son is taking advantage of his identity to do evil deeds?
On the surface, the calligraphers would naturally agree to cooperate with Deputy Minister Guo’s proposal. Usually, the upper management leaders merely made such empty promises at the spur of the moment. God knew when the documentary would be filmed.
Nobody expected Deputy Minister Guo to really plan on filming such a documentary. He suddenly called over Liu Man and Zhou Budai for a conversation and said, “You two are the best among the younger generation, representing the calligraphy circle’s future strength. I hope you will participate in the documentary’s filming by then and act as role models for youngsters.”
Zhou Budai nodded and said yes.
Liu Man, however, was silent.
As soon as she became silent, the atmosphere felt strange. Su Yi signaled her with his expression; he felt confused because Liu Man was usually courteous. Why would she not act politely during such a significant occasion?
Liu Man looked at Deputy Minister Guo and asked, “May I ask, is your son named Guo Nan?”
Translated by: Sydney
Vandez Translations 