The next morning, Wan Yunting, Gu Luotang, and Qi Miaomiao woke up on time. They left their rooms at eight o'clock and coincidentally ran into Fang Guowen and Hu Tianchi, the president of the Literary Association of the East Market, as they were also coming out.
"Mr. Wan, it's been some time since we last met after the Mid-Autumn Festival," Hu Tianchi said happily upon seeing Wan Yunting.
"Yes, President Hu."
Wan Yunting smiled and greeted them politely, adding, "But President Hu, you can just call me Xiao Wan or Yunting. I'm really not used to being called Mr. Wan; it feels too unfamiliar."
"Haha, alright, I'll call you Xiao Wan like Old Fang." Hu Tianchi readily agreed.
He had been quite impressed by Wan Yunting's excellent calligraphy at the Mid-Autumn Festival gala, believing he would achieve great things in the literary and artistic world. Coupled with Wan Yunting's unassuming, humble, and low-key demeanor, Hu Tianchi found himself liking him even more.
"Xiao Wan, Luotang, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Let's all go down for breakfast together, and then head to the Cultural Center. The competition doesn't start until nine, so we still have time," Fang Guowen said with a smile to Wan Yunting, Gu Luotang, and Qi Miaomiao.
"Okay, Uncle Fang..."
Wan Yunting nodded with a smile. Gu Luotang's expression was a little unnatural when she saw Fang Guowen; she nodded slightly and followed them with Qi Miaomiao into the elevator. After exiting the hotel entrance, they went to a small breakfast shop next door.
While having breakfast, Hu Tianchi and Fang Guowen discussed the Lanting Award calligraphy competition with Wan Yunting and Gu Luotang, highlighting the differences from previous years. Finally, Hu Tianchi asked with a smile, "Xiao Wan, do you think you have a good chance of winning first place in this Lanting Award calligraphy competition?"
Wan Yunting smiled slightly at this, saying, "President Hu, you jest. As you mentioned, there are thousands of participants in this calligraphy competition. There are always people better than oneself, and mountains beyond mountains. Perhaps there will be someone who writes better than me. I don't know if I can win first place. I'm purely here to broaden my horizons this time."
"Haha..."
Hu Tianchi nodded with a smile and pointed at him, saying, "You're good at everything, except you're too humble."
"Exactly."
Qi Miaomiao, eating her steamed dumplings, also nodded in agreement.
However, Fang Guowen put down his chopsticks and sighed, "My only concern now is Yuan Deyou!"
"Yuan Deyou?"
Hu Tianchi was startled and turned to Fang Guowen, asking, "Old Fang, why are you worried about him?"
Fang Guowen glanced at him sideways and replied, "Because he is the chief judge of our judging panel this time!"
"That's true, but what does that matter?" Hu Tianchi asked him with confusion.
Wan Yunting smiled. Fang Guowen had already told him about his concerns earlier.
But he was not interested at all in whether he could win first place in the Lanting Award calligraphy competition!
"Never mind, we'll talk about it later."
Fang Guowen checked his watch; it was already half-past eight. "Have you all finished eating? If so, let's head over."
"We're done..."
Wan Yunting and Gu Luotang stood up. Qi Miaomiao had just popped the last steamed dumpling into her mouth. Hu Tianchi insisted on paying the bill, then hailed two taxis for them, and they headed directly to the nearby Cultural Center...
The Cultural Center was located not far from the Lu Xun Memorial Hall. It was already crowded, with people coming and going, all gathered in a large plaza in front of the main entrance of the building.
Traffic had already been blocked on the four surrounding streets, forcing vehicles to park outside, as the interior was packed with people and no vehicles could enter...
"So many people..."
Wan Yunting, Gu Luotang, Qi Miaomiao, Fang Guowen, and Hu Tianchi, after getting out of the car, looked at the bustling crowd. There were at least over ten thousand people gathered here.
Wan Yunting had not expected a Lanting Award calligraphy competition to attract so many people. The majority of the crowd were spectators, but there were also calligraphy enthusiasts from all over the country who had come to participate.
He even saw many young men and women dressed in ancient Chinese Hanfu, styled as scholars, drawing curious glances and whispers from others...
Some people were live-streaming on the spot. Many calligraphy enthusiasts, seeking attention, were broadcasting their writing on Douyin or other platforms. Some half-baked streamers were even teaching calligraphy live. For the sake of viewership, some young women were dressed provocatively while live-streaming their calligraphy, solely to attract attention.
Genuine scholars and calligraphers disdained these individuals, believing they only brought corruption, filth, and disgrace to the art community...
Of course, there were also genuine scholars and calligraphers making videos teaching the public how to practice calligraphy. However, in the age of the internet, who could truly dominate the scene?
Fang Guowen and Hu Tianchi led Wan Yunting, Gu Luotang, and Qi Miaomiao through the crowd. They happened to encounter a group from the Hanfu community who immediately recognized Gu Luotang and Qi Miaomiao. This caused many onlookers to cheer, shouting towards Gu Luotang, "It's Fairy Luotang, so beautiful..."
After all, Gu Luotang and Qi Miaomiao were considered leading figures in the national Hanfu community.
Before the Hanfu movement gained widespread popularity, Gu Luotang, who had loved wearing Hanfu since childhood, was one of the first people to wear Hanfu in public. Therefore, within the national Hanfu community, not knowing Gu Luotang was akin to not being a Hanfu enthusiast.
Wan Yunting, Fang Guowen, and Hu Tianchi did not anticipate that because of Gu Luotang and Qi Miaomiao's presence, they would almost be mobbed by these Hanfu enthusiasts. It was only when security guards from the Cultural Center intervened to maintain order that chaos was averted.
One had to admire Gu Luotang's immense influence within the Hanfu community...
Finally, Fang Guowen and Hu Tianchi brought Wan Yunting, Gu Luotang, and Qi Miaomiao into the Cultural Center. However, the calligraphy competition had not yet begun, and participants were not yet allowed inside the building.
Naturally, with their connection to Fang Guowen and Hu Tianchi, Wan Yunting, Gu Luotang, and Qi Miaomiao were able to enter smoothly. They also noticed many elders accompanying young people inside the venue.
Clearly, these young people, like Wan Yunting and Gu Luotang, had gained entry through connections.
"Senior sister, look over there! Isn't that Huang Yaodong!"
Qi Miaomiao suddenly pointed at a tall, handsome young man dressed casually in front of them. Wan Yunting and Gu Luotang looked over, and she smiled, nodding, "It really is Brother Dong!"
Huang Yaodong turned around and also spotted Gu Luotang, his face immediately lit up with a joyful smile. He walked over with another young man and woman and said, "Sister Luotang, little Miao Miao, why are you only arriving now? I've been looking for you for a while."
Gu Luotang smiled at Huang Yaodong's still carefree demeanor. Qi Miaomiao playfully hit his arm and said, "Brother Dong, can you stop calling me 'little girl'? Do you still think I'm a child?"
Huang Yaodong then looked up and down at Qi Miaomiao, nodding with a mischievous grin, "Mmm, you've certainly grown a lot."
"Pah! Where are you looking? Be careful, I'll gouge your dog eyes out," Qi Miaomiao glared at him fiercely when she noticed his inappropriate gaze.
"Haha..."
Huang Yaodong burst into laughter and waved his hand. Then he noticed Wan Yunting accompanying Gu Luotang and pointed at him, saying, "This brother looks a bit familiar. I think I've seen him somewhere before..."
"Isn't this Wan Yunting from the disaster area? I saw his Douyin videos!"
A tall beauty standing next to Huang Yaodong, who had been staring at Wan Yunting since they arrived, finally remembered who he was.
"Yes, yes, Wan Yunting, the one who was trapped in the cave with Gu Luotang, right?" Huang Yaodong also immediately recalled and said excitedly, pointing at Wan Yunting.
"That's right."
Qi Miaomiao said, linking her arm with Wan Yunting's, and proudly smiled at Huang Yaodong and the others, "How is it? Isn't my Brother Yunting very handsome?"
Huang Yaodong looked Wan Yunting up and down, then pretended to say dismissively, "Not as handsome as me."
"Tch, shameless." Qi Miaomiao rolled her eyes, letting him figure it out for himself.
Wan Yunting also smiled. He could tell that this young man had a very close relationship with Gu Luotang and Qi Miaomiao, otherwise, they wouldn't be joking like this.
"Brother Yunting, I forgot to introduce you. This is Huang Yaodong. His grandfather is the famous master of traditional Chinese painting, Huang Jiayu, and he's a good friend of my grandfather," Gu Luotang introduced Huang Yaodong to Wan Yunting.
"So it's Huang Jiayu. I saw his paintings in Uncle Fang's study before. He truly is a master," Wan Yunting complimented with a smile.
"Brother, my paintings are also quite impressive. I'll let you experience them next time."
Huang Yaodong was the type of person who was naturally outgoing, could joke around, and was easygoing. He immediately addressed Wan Yunting as a brother.
"Alright."
Wan Yunting smiled and nodded.
"Luotang, Miao Miao, let me introduce you to my friends..."
Huang Yaodong also introduced his friends to Wan Yunting and Gu Luotang. The tall beauty was named Zhao Yushi, Huang Yaodong's girlfriend, and the other two young men were his good friends...
They all introduced themselves to each other and sat in a side room of the Cultural Center, chatting casually...
Meanwhile, Fang Guowen and Hu Tianchi, as judges and assistants to the National Cultural Association, were responsible for the on-site setup and coordination of the calligraphy competition. Therefore, they were in a large conference room on the second floor of the Cultural Center, holding a meeting to prepare for the pre-competition arrangements...
In the side room on the first floor of the Cultural Center, Wan Yunting, Gu Luotang, and Huang Yaodong's group were waiting. Besides them, many young men and women from the literary circles were also waiting there, chatting in small groups...
Just then, Huangfu Hongfang and Gao Jiaxu, accompanying Yuan Deyou and another middle-aged man, walked in from outside, escorted by several security personnel. They passed by the side room on their way to the second floor for a meeting, as the judging panel was waiting for him.