"You...you, you, how is this possible? You must have copied it from an ancient book. I don't believe a young person like you could write such a poem. It's absolutely impossible!"
Old Liu's voice trembled slightly as he spoke.
Now he really regrets standing up for Old Pang.
While others' backs didn't get strained, my own back got hurt.
This young man has no sportsmanship! How could you possibly produce an ancient poem of this caliber?
Normally, when you young people publish your poems, shouldn't you just bow down and worship?
What kind of scoundrel did I run into today? Something's not right.
Old Liu was depressed.
At his advanced age, he is a highly respected figure wherever he goes.
Who would have thought that I would suffer such a great loss from a mere young upstart today? This is incredibly embarrassing.
Old Pang looked at his old friend with sympathy, but also felt a sudden sense of relief.
Well, now he's not the only one who's embarrassed; at least someone's here to help share the burden.
I feel a little more relaxed now.
However, this was not the time for gloating, and Elder Pang quickly echoed:
"That's right! It's a good thing for young people to be knowledgeable, but using that knowledge to bully others is not right. That's not how cultured people should behave..."
Xu Lu hadn't even said anything upon hearing this.
Zeng, the fat man who brought him here earlier, suddenly curled his lip.
He thought to himself, "You old guys don't seem like cultured people at all."
Director Xu hadn't even had a chance to speak when you guys gave him a good dressing down.
They sent someone more timid; we're probably going to suffer a loss today.
But Director Xu is truly a capable man; he managed to shut you two old fogies up completely.
That's really interesting.
Meanwhile, the other two of the four masters, Teacher Wang and Teacher Li, exchanged a glance.
I know it's probably impossible to remain unaffected.
Both Old Liu and Old Pang lost face, and the four of them were clearly of one mind.
We share both glory and shame.
So if we want to save face today, we have to suppress the arrogance of this overbearing young man no matter what.
Let him know what it means to be an experienced person.
Teacher Wang was the first to stand up and said in a deep voice:
"Young man, I also have a poem here, listen carefully..."
As Teacher Wang recited a poem, everyone around him became smarter.
They didn't praise him immediately, even though Teacher Wang's lyrics were indeed well written.
But since Director Xu hadn't even made his move yet, everyone just nodded symbolically.
Then they all turned to look at Xu Lu.
Xu Lu was also interesting; he didn't disappoint everyone and said directly:
"You have one, so I'll return two to you!"
"Wow! Director Xu is really addicted to this. Does he want to crush all four masters? Teacher Wang only had one song, but he's trying to take on two against one!"
"Hahaha, I love Director Xu's unrestrained attitude. That's how it should be. Who cares about being a master or not? Just start criticizing."
"I wonder what kind of poems Director Xu will come up with this time. Seriously, are there really so many poems in The Return of the Condor Heroes? That's amazing!"
"Heh, those masters have really run into a ghost today, but they have no way out now and can only grit their teeth and keep going..."
...
Amidst the expectant gazes of those around him, Xu Lu continued speaking:
A lone white rabbit... wanders east and west...
'New clothes are worse than new ones...old friends are worse than new ones...'
"Well, this one is relatively simple, so consider it a bonus. Next up is a longer one, that's the main course..."
Those around couldn't help but sigh in amazement:
"Wow, Director Xu, that's amazing! Although it's only two simple sentences, it's so meaningful: 'New clothes are worse than old ones, but old friends are worse than new ones!'"
"There's no need for a second song. With just this one, Teacher Wang has already lost. He's lost so badly, there's no comparison..."
"A lone white rabbit, wandering east and west, my goodness, just hearing it evokes a feeling, the profound meaning is unimaginable."
Not to mention the sighs of the onlookers.
Just moments ago, Teacher Wang was very confident, but now her face was ashen, and she looked like she was about to faint.
He originally thought that the kid opposite him had already taken out two poems, and that he must have used up his stock.
That's why he stepped forward so actively, hoping to take this opportunity to suppress that kid's arrogant Kia.
In this way, not only were the two masters saved, but his own reputation was also enhanced.
But now he realizes he was too happy too soon; that kid actually had some left over!
He chose the wrong time and ended up being humiliated by that kid, following in the footsteps of Elder Pang and Elder Liu.
Amidst Teacher Wang's regret, Xu Lu calmly read the second poem:
'I asked the flower… but it remained silent… For whom did it fall… For whom did it bloom…'
'The beauty of spring... is divided into three parts... half carried away by the flowing water... half settling into the dust...'
...
'A pillow... a sweet dream in a brothel... then... a startled awake by wind and rain...'
Hearing this, Teacher Wang took two steps back, deeply shocked, and shouted:
"Where did this come from? Which ancient books are these from? Why have I never heard of them before?"
Just then, someone nearby suddenly chimed in:
"I just searched online and didn't find any similar poems. Could it be that Director Xu wrote all of these himself?"
"Wow, that's amazing."
"I wonder what kind of poetry the last of the four masters, Teacher Li, will use to deal with the incredibly assertive Director Xu!"
"Regardless, Director Xu has certainly made a name for himself in cultural circles today. Taking on four opponents single-handedly, he's truly amazing..."
"Ahem, it's said that intellectuals are the most vengeful. Director Xu has offended them, so he might be in trouble later."
Just as this person said those words, Xu Lu suddenly gave him a meaningful look, which startled the bystander, who was afraid that Director Xu would expose him.
Fortunately, Director Xu did not do such a thing, but as everyone expected, he looked at the last of the four masters.
As for Teacher Li, who was the only one who hadn't appeared yet, she was already panicking.
He considered himself to be far inferior to Master Pang and Master Liu, and only on par with Teacher Wang.
Now that all three of them have been humiliated by this kid surnamed Xu, even if he goes out, he'll just be there to make up the numbers.
With that in mind, Teacher Li decided to be shameless today.
Since it would be embarrassing either way, he might as well take the initiative. So, he said directly:
"Um... I'm going outside to take this call, everyone please continue!"
To everyone's astonishment, Teacher Li simply ran away.
Completely disregarding his three colleagues who were still in dire straits, this outrageous act left everyone dumbfounded.
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