After arriving in Beijing, Murong Yuyan returned to her company, while Liu Xiaoyuan went to the hotel with Zhao Qianhai and the others.
After putting their luggage in the hotel, the group took a car to attend this calligraphy competition.
The calligraphy competition was held in the calligraphy association’s building. Liu Xiaoyuan followed Zhao Qianhai and the others inside. There were already over a hundred people sitting in the spacious room, most of them older than Liu Xiaoyuan. There were very few young people like Liu Xiaoyuan.
Upon seeing Zhao Qianhai and his group enter, several people immediately came over and greeted them warmly.
"Old Zhao, is this your new apprentice?" one of the men, who was about the same age as Zhao Qianhai, asked with a smile.
Zhao Qianhai immediately shook his head and said, "No, Lao Wang, I don't have that ability. This is Mr. Liu Xiaoyuan, whom I told you about."
Upon hearing Liu Xiaoyuan's identity, the other party was immediately astonished, as if they had discovered that Liu Xiaoyuan was a superman who wore his underwear on the outside.
"You're Liu Xiaoyuan, the one who can perfectly imitate the 'Slender Gold' calligraphy style?" Old Wang asked in a shocked tone.
What do you call copying? Mine is the original!
Liu Xiaoyuan smiled and nodded, saying, "Mr. Wang, you flatter me. I am unworthy of such a perfect resemblance!"
"What do you mean by 'ashamed'? Your calligraphy skills are so good that even Old Zhao is ashamed of himself. Truly, heroes emerge from among the young," Old Wang said with admiration.
Those in the room who didn't know Liu Xiaoyuan's identity immediately started whispering among themselves, asking who Liu Xiaoyuan was. They were all more or less familiar with Zhao Qianhai; in the eyes of those present, Zhao Qianhai's Slender Gold calligraphy style was absolutely top-notch.
As Lao Wang just mentioned, this young man's calligraphy style is so exquisite that even Zhao Qianhai is ashamed of his own work. This is a bit hard to believe.
In an instant, Liu Xiaoyuan became the focus of everyone's attention, with everyone speculating about his background.
Just then, two more people walked in through the door, one old and one young. The old man was around seventy years old, wearing a white shirt and a pair of old-fashioned Beijing cloth shoes. The young man was a few years older than Liu Xiaoyuan and was probably the old man's apprentice.
Upon seeing the old man and the young man enter, everyone present stood up, wanting to go forward and greet the old man.
Seeing this, the old man smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Gentlemen, no need to be so polite, please sit down!"
Liu Xiaoyuan couldn't help but guess the old man's background. The fact that everyone present stood up to welcome him was enough to show that the old man was of very high status, so high that everyone present had to respect him.
Whether it's genuine respect or just a superficial gesture remains to be seen.
"President Meng, you've arrived!" Zhao Qianhai immediately greeted him.
"Old Zhao, long time no see. How are you doing?" Chairman Meng asked with a smile.
Zhao Qianhai chuckled and said, "Thanks to Chairman Meng, I'm still in good health and can still eat three meals a day!"
Liu Xiaoyuan, who was standing nearby, heard the conversation between Zhao Qianhai and Chairman Meng and felt that the relationship between the two was not as friendly as it seemed on the surface.
But something felt off, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it, so Liu Xiaoyuan just assumed he was overthinking it.
"Old Zhao, you've taken on another apprentice. Congratulations!" Chairman Meng said with a smile, but to Liu Xiaoyuan, there seemed to be a hint of sarcasm in Chairman Meng's smile.
"Xiao Hao, hurry up and greet your old Mr. Zhao!" Chairman Meng said to the young man beside him.
"Greetings, Mr. Zhao!" The young man greeted Zhao Qianhai insincerely.
"Old Zhao, this is my grandson Meng Hao. He has learned a little bit of calligraphy from me over the years. Today, you have also brought your new apprentice. How about letting my grandson have a competition with your new apprentice?" Chairman Meng asked with a smile.
Chairman Meng's move was entirely intended to embarrass Zhao Qianhai, and almost everyone present knew this.
Back then, both Zhao Qianhai and Chairman Meng were popular candidates for the position of president of the National Calligraphy Association, and Zhao Qianhai seemed to be more popular than Chairman Meng.
In this life, very few people can live without seeking fame and fortune. Zhao Qianhai also knew that his popularity was higher than Chairman Meng's, so he was already mentally prepared to take on the chairmanship.
But the result was completely unexpected for Zhao Qianhai. Meng Yisong actually won and became the president, which left Zhao Qianhai completely dumbfounded.
Later, after making inquiries, it was discovered that Meng Yisong had resorted to some underhanded tactics, such as giving gifts and treating people to meals...
As the saying goes, "He who eats another's food is bound to be obligated to him; he who takes another's money is bound to be obligated to him." Under Meng Yisong's manipulation, it was only natural that Zhao Qianhai lost this competition.
It was because of this incident that Zhao Qianhai and Meng Yisong developed a grudge.
Later, because one of Meng Yisong's apprentices achieved more than Zhao Qianhai's apprentice Li Chenggong, Meng Yisong would bring up this matter from time to time to humiliate Zhao Qianhai.
At that moment, Meng Yisong deliberately said that Zhao Qianhai had taken on a new apprentice, which was a real dig at Zhao Qianhai for having taken on another useless apprentice.
"Mr. Liu is not my apprentice!" Although Zhao Qianhai was very unhappy with Meng Yisong, Meng Yisong was the chairman, so he still had to put on a show.
"Oh, so what's your relationship with Mr. Liu and Old Zhao?" Meng Yisong asked, and after speaking, he gave Liu Xiaoyuan a special look.
“I would say Mr. Zhao and I are friends despite our age difference,” Liu Xiaoyuan answered first.
From the conversation between Zhao Qianhai and Meng Yisong just now, Liu Xiaoyuan could tell that the two didn't get along.
"Oh, a friendship that transcends age? Mr. Liu, are you also a calligraphy enthusiast?" Meng Yisong asked Liu Xiaoyuan with a smile.
Liu Xiaoyuan nodded and said, "I guess so. Actually, I don't usually practice calligraphy."
"Oh, then I wonder what Mr. Liu usually does for fun?" Meng Yisong saw that Liu Xiaoyuan had come with Zhao Qianhai, so he wanted to take this opportunity to make an example of Liu Xiaoyuan. As long as he humiliated Liu Xiaoyuan, Zhao Qianhai would lose face.
"Me? I usually just go to work and help out with chores around the house, like digging, planting vegetables, and harvesting rice," Liu Xiaoyuan said casually.
Zhao Qianhai didn't understand why Liu Xiaoyuan said that. Just as he was about to speak, Liu Xiaoyuan reached out and tugged at his clothes, stopping him.
Zhao Qianhai glanced at Liu Xiaoyuan, suppressing his doubts and remaining silent.
Digging and planting vegetables? Where did Zhao Qianhai find this clown? It seems Zhao Qianhai has been getting more and more out of touch these past few years, even managing to become friends with such a clown despite their age difference.
"Mr. Liu does all this farm work every day, where would he find the time to practice calligraphy?" Meng Yisong asked with a smile.
Liu Xiaoyuan laughed and said, "As for calligraphy, although I rarely practice it, it's not a problem for someone as talented as me. I can write beautiful characters even with my eyes closed."
(End of this chapter)
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