After the awards ceremony concluded.
The entire school's teachers and students came to know the three individuals on stage.
Especially Wang Yue.
His calligraphy, which was so astonishing it could move heaven and earth and wring tears from ghosts, was unforgettable, and he was also strikingly handsome.
Many girls were inquiring about Wang Yue's contact information, hobbies, and so on.
Meanwhile, Yang Yue, standing amidst the crowd, now had a reason to boast.
However, she wasn't ready to reveal that she was friends with Wang Yue just yet, lest she lose her advantage.
She set a goal for herself: to be the first to date Wang Yue and make all the other girls in school envious!
After the awards ceremony, Qin Chuan and several other calligraphy association bigwigs approached Wang Yue.
"Young man, what do you plan to do with this Orchid Pavilion Preface?" Qin Chuan asked nervously.
"If nothing unexpected happens, I'll probably take it back and hang it on the wall," Wang Yue replied with a smile.
The author had the right to dispose of their submitted works.
Qin Chuan's face lit up, and he then said, "Young man, I'll personally offer fifty thousand yuan to purchase this piece. What do you say?"
Qin Chuan was utterly captivated by the calligraphy.
He intended to buy it back for constant observation, hoping the artistic spirit within the strokes might elevate his own calligraphy.
Wang Yue was also taken aback.
He hadn't expected Qin Chuan to offer such a sum.
Honestly, for a layman's brush calligraphy to fetch such a price was already exceptional, and it clearly showed Qin Chuan's sincerity.
Calligraphy was something Wang Yue could produce endlessly.
Since Qin Chuan was so earnest in his desire, selling it to him wasn't out of the question. After all, he wouldn't complain about having too much money.
So, Wang Yue nodded in agreement: "If President Qin wants it so badly, I can give it to you."
"Hahaha, excellent! Young man, I owe you a favor. Give me your bank account number, and I'll transfer the money immediately." Qin Chuan breathed a sigh of relief, chuckling.
He had genuinely feared that Wang Yue might not sell him the calligraphy.
The other judges were full of envy.
They also admired the piece, but they couldn't afford to spend such a sum to acquire a student's work.
After the transaction was complete.
Qin Chuan treated it like a treasure, stating he would have it mounted and admire it day and night at home.
He also expressed his anticipation for Wang Yue's performance in the next city calligraphy competition.
...
After the calligraphy competition concluded, the school had a half-day holiday.
The students' cheers were so loud they nearly shook the school apart.
As the star of the competition, Wang Yue's walk through the campus garnered a hundred percent rate of turned heads.
Occasionally, bold younger female students would approach him, asking for his QQ or phone number, but Wang Yue deflected them all.
Qiao Zixuan observed all of this.
She couldn't hide the smile on her face, very pleased with Wang Yue's performance.
"Why didn't you give them your contact information?" Qiao Zixuan asked with a smile.
"How can a handsome guy's contact information be given away so easily?" Wang Yue said seriously. "A guy needs to protect himself when he's out and about."
"Pfft." Qiao Zixuan was amused again. "It's usually girls who need to protect themselves when they're out."
"Not true, not true," Wang Yue shook his head and said, wagging his finger. "The law hasn't yet stipulated that it's a crime for women to harass men, so we guys are more at risk. What if there's a female hooligan with ill intentions? Wouldn't boys be at a disadvantage?"
As Qiao Zixuan listened, she felt there was some logic to it, yet something felt off. How did Wang Yue manage to twist the words so that she herself got confused?
However, Qiao Zixuan soon stopped dwelling on it and instead asked, "Did my driver bring your BMW today?"
"Of course." Wang Yue smiled. "Didn't you notice we're heading towards the bike shed?"
Qiao Zixuan smiled sweetly and said, "I get to ride in the BMW again."
Wang Yue thought to himself that his old clunker, bought in middle school, had certainly gotten its money's worth this lifetime.
When the two arrived at the bike shed, Wang Yue discovered that his car tire was flat.
"Who's so malicious? Letting my tire down?" Wang Yue was somewhat annoyed.
Letting the air out of someone's tires was a common prank among students.
It was usually done by someone who disliked the owner.
Qiao Zixuan covered her mouth and snickered. "I didn't expect your BMW to have a flat. But it's okay, there's a repair shop just outside the school, we can go get it pumped."
"If I find out who did it, I'll let their air out for a month," Wang Yue declared fiercely.
Just then, a sweet female voice called out, "Encountering trouble, senior?"
Wang Yue looked up and saw a girl in a short skirt smiling sweetly at him.
Wang Yue felt a sense of familiarity but couldn't recall who she was for a moment.
"You are?" Wang Yue asked.
The girl's expression fell. She glanced at Qiao Zixuan and said sullenly, "Senior, you don't remember me? The noodle shop owner from outside the school."
"Oh." Wang Yue suddenly realized. "I remember now, Yang Yue, right?"
Yang Yue smiled sweetly again. "It seems I left a deep impression on you, senior, that you remembered me as soon as I mentioned it."
Qiao Zixuan looked at Yang Yue with a hint of suspicion, wondering where this clueless junior had appeared from.
Couldn't she see that she was having a pleasant conversation with Wang Yue?
Unbeknownst to her, Yang Yue was also feeling a sense of urgency.
Seeing the beautiful Qiao Zixuan chatting animatedly with Wang Yue, she felt that if she didn't make a move now, she might miss her chance.
Otherwise, how could she brag to the girls in her class?
"Heh." Wang Yue chuckled. It was indeed a deep impression; he had almost forgotten her.
Yang Yue glanced at Wang Yue's flat tire and then said, "Senior, is your tire flat?"
"Someone let the air out," Wang Yue replied helplessly.
"Wait a moment." Yang Yue said, taking a pink air pump from her bicycle. "Senior, I have an air pump here, you can use it." Yang Yue said with a smile.
Before Wang Yue could respond, Qiao Zixuan interjected, "Junior, do you usually carry an air pump with you?"
Qiao Zixuan seemed to understand what was going on. Could it be that this junior had deflated the tire herself and was now using this opportunity to strike up a conversation with Wang Yue?
What a cunning mind! What a wicked woman!
Qiao Zixuan's gaze towards Yang Yue had clearly turned her into an adversary.
You're eyeing the person I have my sights on? No way!
Yang Yue blinked and said, "Because I often encounter bored people deflating my tires, it's reasonable for me to carry an air pump, isn't it, senior?" Yang Yue looked at Wang Yue pitifully.
Wang Yue also felt something was amiss, but without proof, he wouldn't make wild accusations.
He could only say to Yang Yue, "Thank you then."
He took the air pump and filled the tire.
After inflating the tire, Wang Yue returned the air pump.
Yang Yue smiled sweetly again. "Senior, I watched your competition today, you were amazing! I've never been good at brush calligraphy; could you spare some time to teach me?"