A crisp sound of a mobile phone being violently thrown to the ground echoed from the living room on the first floor of a villa. Huangfu Hongfang, dressed in a designer suit, gritted his teeth and roared, "Wan Yunting, I will be your sworn enemy!"
Beside him, Ning Yuqing’s pretty face was gloomy and her heart seethed with anger. She hadn't expected to be ranked fifth, so enraged that her hand, holding the phone, trembled.
"Sigh…"
Gao Jiaxu stepped forward to pick up the phone, its screen shattered from being smashed on the ground by Huangfu Hongfang. He looked at them and said, "I heard this ranking was re-evaluated by Fan Liren after he went to the Art Center to come up with the top ten…"
"Hmph."
Huangfu Hongfang sat back down, his round eyes blazing with fury. The anger in his heart continued to boil, but what was the use? Did he think he could go and reason with Fan Liren?
Let alone that he was not qualified, even his teacher, Yuan Deyou, had to obediently follow Fan Liren’s instructions.
"It’s just that Wan Yunting and his companions are lucky to know Fan Liren!" Gao Jiaxu also sat down and sighed.
Ning Yuqing put down her phone, her peach blossom eyes filled with resentment. She said coldly, "But I’m not convinced. Why can Gu Luotang get second place, while I’m only fifth!"
Huangfu Hongfang immediately stood up and said, "Let’s go find Teacher…"
At this moment, in the conference room on the second floor of the Art Center, Fan Liren, after seeing Shen He and the others had announced the re-ranked top ten results on the official website, said to the committee members present, "Alright, it’s getting late. Everyone go home and rest early tonight. You’ll have to work a little harder for the awards ceremony tomorrow."
"What Fan Lao says is what we should do," Yuan Deyou said with a smile, standing by his side.
"Fan Lao, we’ll escort you back."
Shen He, Liu Shuhuai, and others said this, and everyone else nodded. Fang Guowen and Hu Tianchi, standing among them, felt elated. They hadn’t expected that after Elder Fan’s visit and the re-ranking, Wan Yunting and Gu Luotang would actually win first and second place in the competition.
They looked at Yuan Deyou’s embarrassed and unnatural old face and felt immensely pleased…
"Then let’s go down together."
Fan Liren nodded. Thus, Shen He, Liu Shuhuai, and a group of people escorted him, Cao Hui, and Wang Minzhi downstairs.
Before they could even walk out of the main entrance of the Art Center, a group of reporters and media personnel carrying cameras and microphones rushed over. If not for a line of security guards blocking them, they would have overwhelmed Fan Liren and his entourage.
"It’s Mr. Fan Lao, why is he here…"
"I don’t know, hurry up and interview him…"
These reporters had been stuck at the entrance for several hours. Upon seeing the judging panel members coming down together, they immediately raised their microphones and asked them, "Mr. Fan Lao, can you tell us if Wan Yunting’s calligraphy work in the afternoon competition truly shocked you?"
Fan Liren, Cao Hui, and Wang Minzhi hadn't expected so many reporters to ask this question. Fan Liren immediately pointed to Yuan Deyou beside him and said to the reporters, "We were not present during the afternoon competition. You should ask Elder Yuan."
Instantly, the reporters’ microphones turned towards the somewhat displeased Yuan Deyou. But since Fan Liren had said so, he couldn’t refuse. He nodded and said, "Yes, that prodigy Wan Yunting’s first piece indeed had a magical quality!"
"So, it’s all true then?"
Upon hearing his words, the reporters were shocked. Someone asked, "Chairman Shen, is this not a publicity stunt from you?"
Shen He shook his head and said, "No, we don’t need publicity stunts for the Lanting Award calligraphy competition."
"So that means Wan Yunting’s first piece can genuinely scare people to death?" a reporter asked.
This statement made Yuan Deyou’s old face even more unsightly. He was inwardly furious; this joke just wouldn’t pass.
"I’ll say this."
Fan Liren immediately asked the reporter to point the microphone at him, and the cameras also focused on him. Fan Liren said, "I saw Wan Yunting’s work yesterday, and he also wrote in front of me. His calligraphy truly has extraordinary skill!"
Upon hearing this, everyone present was astonished, especially Shen He, Liu Shuhuai, Yuan Deyou, Fang Guowen, and Hu Tianchi. They turned to look at Fan Liren. The reporters seized this topic and asked, "Elder Fan, did you know Wan Yunting long ago?"
"No…"
Fan Liren shook his head and smiled, "I should say we just met the day before yesterday. Young Wan helped me catch a thief, and yesterday we met again at the Purple Bamboo Tea Garden, so I personally witnessed him writing calligraphy."
Yuan Deyou, Shen He, and Liu Shuhuai were shocked. So Elder Fan knew that Wan Yunting!
Fang Guowen and Hu Tianchi also exchanged glances, not expecting Wan Yunting to have this connection with Elder Fan.
"Elder Fan, how do you evaluate Wan Yunting’s calligraphy?" the reporter asked.
Facing the reporters and cameras, Fan Liren said very seriously, "Young Wan’s calligraphy, whether it’s the Slender Gold Script or the Running Script, has reached a realm of perfection. In some aspects, even I am not as good as him!"
These words instantly caused a sensation among everyone present, and the reporters were completely electrified. They excitedly asked, "Elder Fan, do you mean his calligraphy is better than yours?"
Fan Liren nodded and smiled, "You can understand it that way."
"Good heavens, how is that possible…"
Outside the reporters, a crowd of talented men and beautiful women heard Fan Liren’s words and were immediately stunned.
Even Shen He, Liu Shuhuai, Yuan Deyou, and the other master judges looked at Fan Liren with disbelief.
After all, everyone knew that Fan Liren had once publicly stated he was not optimistic about the younger generation, finding them too impetuous.
"Originally, I wanted him to be my final disciple, but unfortunately, Young Wan’s attainments in calligraphy are not inferior to mine, and he is not interested in painting, so he refused me," Fan Liren said with a self-deprecating smile in front of the reporters.
…These words again caused the reporters, Shen He, and Liu Shuhuai’s expressions to become astonished, looking at Elder Fan in disbelief. That Wan Yunting had actually refused to become his final disciple.
"Was that Wan Yunting’s brain squeezed by a door? He actually refused Elder Fan…"
The following crowd of talented men and beautiful women couldn’t believe it. Countless gifted individuals had desperately tried to become disciples of Elder Fan, but none had succeeded in becoming his final disciple.
Now, hearing Elder Fan personally say that Wan Yunting refused to be his final disciple was so shocking that these talented men and beautiful women lost their composure.
"Alright, that's all for now."
Fan Liren smiled at the reporters, "The rankings of the top ten for this year's Lanting Award have been announced. If you have any further questions, please interview Elder Yuan and the others. Elder Cao, Elder Wang, and I will be leaving now…"
"Elder Fan, can you tell us more about Wan Yunting…"
These reporters still wanted to interview Fan Liren about Wan Yunting’s deeds, but he, Cao Hui, and Wang Minzhi left under the protection of security guards.
Another group of people surrounded Yuan Deyou, Shen He, and Liu Shuhuai for interviews. But Fang Guowen and Hu Tianchi, standing behind them, exchanged glances. Fan Liren’s public words to the reporters made Fang Guowen excited, saying, "Now Xiao Wan is truly famous in the art world…"
At this moment, on the second floor of the old street tavern…
"Congratulations, congratulations…"
On the second floor, a group of young talented men and beautiful women were congratulating Wan Yunting. He also clasped his fists and smiled, politely returning their greetings.
"Xiao Hua, bring the wine."
The proprietress, Lu Xiaodie, seeing that Wan Yunting had won first place in this year’s Lanting Award calligraphy competition, was also happy. She called for a server to bring several pots of fine yellow wine, "Brother Wan, I must celebrate properly for you tonight."
Wan Yunting also clasped his fists and smiled at her, "Thank you for your hospitality, proprietress."
"Come, let’s have a drink with Brother Yunting…"
Huang Yaodong, Lin Yushu, and Hou Xuesong were happy. They raised their wine cups. Gu Luotang, Qi Miaomiao, and Zhao Yushi also stood up. Lu Xiaodie, holding a large bowl like a chivalrous woman, clinked her wine bowl against Wan Yunting’s with great spirit, spilling some wine. "Bottoms up."
"Ha, good…"
Wan Yunting burst into laughter and drank the bowl of wine with Lu Xiaodie, feeling incredibly exhilarated.
Meanwhile, outside, the art world was in an uproar. The video of Fan Liren being interviewed had spread, going viral on Douyin and major online platforms. It immediately topped the trending search list, and local news also reported it.
"My God, Elder Fan actually praised that Wan Yunting so highly!"
"Tsk tsk, what’s even more impressive is that Elder Fan wanted to take him as his final disciple, and this Wan Yunting refused!"
"What a remarkable person. If he enters our circle in the future, he’ll definitely soar to success."
"Even if he doesn’t join our circle, he’s already a star now…"
For a time, Wan Yunting was being discussed in literary circles everywhere. Those who didn’t know who he was searched for his information and discovered he was the renowned Wan Yunting of Hua Du City.
The popularity of the video of Fan Liren’s evaluation of Wan Yunting to the reporters even overshadowed the popularity of him winning first place in this year’s Lanting Award calligraphy competition!
This was because, in everyone’s opinion, being recognized by the art world’s patriarch, Fan Liren, was the most convincing affirmation.
Huangfu Hongfang, who was on his way to find his teacher Yuan Deyou, also saw the segment of Fan Liren being interviewed. Sitting in the back of his car, he was completely disheartened.
Ning Yuqing, sitting beside him, was also the same. Finally, she murmured, "This guy really stepped on dog shit…"
Because they knew that Wan Yunting was about to become famous overnight!