"Elder Yuan is back..."
Suddenly, Yuan Deyou was seen entering, supported by a middle-aged man. Shen He and Liu Shuhuai, along with Chen Yun and the others, hurried forward, asking with concern, "Elder Yuan, are you alright?"
Yuan Deyou, who had nearly died from Wan Yunting's calligraphy at the competition venue, had a full body check-up at the hospital that afternoon. After the doctor confirmed he was fine, he returned. Yuan Deyou's old face was grim. He waved his hand and asked, "How did your discussions go? Have you confirmed the top ten works selected from the top hundred?"
"Yes, Elder Yuan, we have selected the top ten works. Now we are waiting for you to select the top three," Chen Yun said, bending over and supporting Yuan Deyou as he spoke, his smile servile like an obedient dog.
The crowd moved to the wall displaying the top ten works. Yuan Deyou also looked at these ten pieces. Upon seeing Wan Yunting's wild cursive calligraphy, he couldn't help but feel a pang of apprehension.
Fortunately, Wan Yunting's current work did not, like the first piece, integrate Qi and sword intent into his calligraphy. This piece had been restrained considerably, yet it still captured the wildness and momentum of cursive calligraphy.
Seeing this person's work, Yuan Deyou's heart grew heavy. He let out a cold snort and shifted his gaze to the works of Huangfu Hongfang and Ning Yuqing...
Shen He, Liu Shuhuai, Fang Guowen, and Hu Tianchi, who were following behind, saw Yuan Deyou's reaction and knew that he harbored resentment towards Wan Yunting. After all, at the competition, he had nearly been scared to death by Wan Yunting's first piece, which had utterly shamed him. It was impossible for him not to hold a grudge.
"Elder Yuan, according to the online voting rankings on our official competition website, Huangfu Hongfang is first, Ning Yuqing is second, and Wan Yunting is third..." Chen Yun showed his phone to Yuan Deyou. Yuan Deyou nodded, then turned directly to Shen He and Liu Shuhuai, saying, "Let's just go with the official website's voting rankings."
Fang Guowen's heart tightened. He was about to say something when Hu Tianchi quickly pulled him aside and whispered, "Mr. Fang, it's come to this. Don't defy Elder Yuan anymore!"
"But..."
"Forget it!" Hu Tianchi glared at him, telling Fang Guowen not to argue with Yuan Deyou, as it would do him no good.
Shen He and Liu Shuhuai exchanged glances. Seeing Yuan Deyou's decision, they understood his intentions...
"Wait a moment!"
At this moment, accompanied by Cao Hui and Wang Mianzhi, Fan Liren walked over.
"This... isn't this Elder Fan? Why is he here?"
Upon seeing Fan Liren, the judging committee members were all startled. Their faces were filled with confusion as they murmured amongst themselves, "No one said Elder Fan was coming..."
Shen He and Liu Shuhuai immediately stepped forward to greet him, bowing and saying, "Elder Fan, why have you come?"
Fan Liren's old eyes, behind his glasses, shot a glance at Shen He and Liu Shuhuai. He said, "With such a major incident, how could I not come to see?"
Elder Fan was naturally referring to the sensation caused by Wan Yunting's calligraphy during the competition that afternoon. The matter was escalating, with some believing Wan Yunting's calligraphy could cause fear, while others simply didn't believe it. However, it had caused a huge stir, with news outlets already reporting on it. Many news reporters were now crowding outside the art museum, eager to interview Shen He, the Chairman of the Art Association, Liu Shuhuai, the Vice Chairman, and Yuan Deyou, to ascertain whether they were truly frightened by Wan Yunting's calligraphy.
Fan Liren had been traveling in his hometown with Cao Hui and Wang Mianzhi. Upon hearing the news, they were all very surprised. They hadn't expected Wan Yunting to cause such a commotion at the Lanting Award Calligraphy Competition. Yesterday, at the Purple Bamboo Teahouse, Fan Liren and the others had already witnessed Wan Yunting's calligraphy and knew it was indeed extraordinary. Fan Liren was now at the art museum to see how Shen He and Liu Shuhuai would judge the first place winner of this year's Lanting Award Calligraphy Competition!
"Elder Fan..." Yuan Deyou, having recovered from his surprise, quickly walked over and bowed slightly to Fan Liren, smiling, "Why didn't you inform us when you came to Shaoxing? We could have come to pick you up!"
"Shen He and Liu Shuhuai know," Fan Liren replied, glancing at Yuan Deyou with a poker face. He seemed rather indifferent towards Yuan Deyou!
Shen He and Liu Shuhuai nodded and explained to Yuan Deyou and the others, "Elder Fan is visiting his hometown, so he asked us not to make a fuss."
"I see..." Yuan Deyou and Chen Yun nodded with smiles.
"How did your judging go? Who is first place?" Fan Liren asked them.
Yuan Deyou smiled and said, "It's already decided. Huangfu Hongfang's wild cursive calligraphy won first place!"
"Oh, take me to see it." Fan Liren was a little surprised to hear it wasn't Wan Yunting.
"Please, Elder Fan..." Shen He and Liu Shuhuai immediately invited Fan Liren to move forward. Yuan Deyou and Chen Yun hurried to follow, arriving at the wall displaying the top ten entries. Yuan Deyou pointed to Huangfu Hongfang's work and said, "Elder Fan, this is Huangfu Hongfang's work. I believe his writing is superior, and according to the official website, the public also voted for him as the highest scorer for first place!"
Fan Liren's gaze lingered on Huangfu Hongfang's work for less than three seconds before shifting to the piece on the left, also a wild cursive calligraphy. He asked, "This must be the second piece by that contestant, Wan Yunting, who almost scared you to death, right?"
This remark made Yuan Deyou's old face stiffen. Being reminded of the incident by Fan Liren made him feel both embarrassed and angry.
"Where is his first piece?" Fan Liren asked.
Shen He replied, "Elder Fan, that first piece by Wan Yunting was indeed quite peculiar. He already took it back. Later, we gave him a second chance, and he submitted this piece."
Fan Liren pointed to Wan Yunting's work on the wall, then to Huangfu Hongfang's, asking, "So, you believe this work of his cannot compare to this work by someone named Huangfu Hongfang?"
This question left Shen He, Liu Shuhuai, Yuan Deyou, and Chen Yun, along with the other forty-eight judges present, stunned. Fang Guowen and Hu Tianchi exchanged glances, looking at Fan Liren, unsure of his intentions. They had no idea that Wan Yunting had spent the entire night with Fan Liren, Cao Hui, and Wang Mianzhi at the Purple Bamboo Teahouse yesterday, even sharing a grand feast, and that Wan Yunting had almost become his disciple.
"Old Yuan, you tell me, what aspect of your disciple Huangfu Hongfang's work is better than this work by Wan Yunting?" Fan Liren then turned his head, looking askance at Yuan Deyou, prompting him to speak.
Mentioning his disciple's status made Yuan Deyou's heart skip a beat, and his old face grew somewhat embarrassed. He replied unnaturally, "Elder Fan, this work by Wan Yunting, I don't know what sorcery he used, but upon seeing it, one feels a suffocating sensation as if being pierced through the throat by a sword, so..."
"I'm asking about this work, not the one that almost scared you to death!" Fan Liren's old face darkened. He pointed to Wan Yunting's work on the wall and snorted at Yuan Deyou, "Are you saying you would allow personal prejudice to dictate your choices, giving your disciple a chance to become famous while burying a talented calligraphy master?"
At these words, Yuan Deyou's old face immediately paled. He quickly shook his head and waved his hands, "Elder Fan, I absolutely did not mean that. This ranking is based on the public votes on the competition's official website, so I..."
"Hmph, Old Yuan, don't think that just because I'm old, I don't know about the backroom dealings online!" Fan Liren's old eyes fixed coldly on Yuan Deyou and said, "Moreover, we must be realistic and make decisions based on the quality of the works. Your perfunctory attitude would surely dampen the spirits of those talented artists! If this is how it's done in the future, who would participate in this calligraphy competition? Tell me, who would bear this responsibility?"
These sharp rebukes made Yuan Deyou sweat profusely. Internally, he trembled with fear. He lowered his head, daring not to breathe, as with Fan Liren's status in the entire Chinese art world, a single word from him could strip him of all his current standing in the art community. Shen He, Liu Shuhuai, Chen Yun, and the other judges also lowered their heads, chastened by Fan Liren's sharp words, none daring to refute him. Fang Guowen and Hu Tianchi stood amongst them, exchanging glances. They felt a surge of excitement, realizing that the previously set outcome might just have a turning point.
"Let's return to these two works!" Fan Liren pointed to Wan Yunting's and Huangfu Hongfang's works on the wall and commented sharply, "Wan Yunting's work possesses a wild yet meaningful quality. His brushstrokes are like swords, flowing like water, truly a superior work of wild cursive calligraphy!"
"Now, look at your disciple's work. He has only captured the form of wild cursive calligraphy but not its essence. Such a work, does it truly deserve first place in the Lanting Award?" Fan Liren's old face contorted in anger. He pointed at Yuan Deyou, who was trembling with his head lowered, and berated him, "Nonsense! I even doubt if you, Yuan Deyou, know how to teach students!"
Such sharp and stern words made Yuan Deyou tremble violently, but he dared not retort or show any anger. He repeatedly bowed his head to Fan Liren, admitting his fault, "Yes, yes, Elder Fan. It is my lack of proper guidance. Your reprimands are correct..."
Fan Liren snorted and turned his gaze back to the works on the wall, asking, "Who is second place?"
Shen He, having recovered, immediately pointed to Ning Yuqing's work, saying, "Elder Fan, this is the work of Ning Lao's granddaughter, Ning Yuqing. She ranked second."
Upon hearing this, Fan Liren's displeasure was evident. "Is Ning Guo so remarkable that his granddaughter can take second place? If I were to have my own granddaughter compete and she wrote like chicken claws, would she also get first place?" These words left Shen He with an embarrassed flush and he lowered his head.
"All of you have brains filled with excrement. Letting you be responsible for the Lanting Award competition is simply a foolish decision." Fan Liren's old face was grim as he berated Shen He, Liu Shuhuai, Yuan Deyou, and the entire group present. However, everyone kept their heads down, meekly accepting the criticism without any trace of resentment. After all, who could argue with Fan Liren, the undisputed patriarch of the art world?
"All rankings are to be redone!" Fan Liren pointed angrily at the top ten works displayed on the wall and shouted, "Fairly and justly, re-rank them!"
"Yes, Elder Fan. We will re-adjust..." Yuan Deyou, Shen He, Liu Shuhuai, and the other forty-eight judges, all with their heads bowed, nodded obediently. No one dared to object or raise any dissent, as their previous rankings were inherently unfair...