Chapter 103 Slap in the Face! Qu He's Talent Revealed
When Qu He received the invitation to record "Success", she was replying to Qi Mo's email and the two were on a video call.
Since the last public opinion incident, many media outlets and variety shows on Weibo have invited her to participate in program recordings, but most of them are just using the program as a pretext to actually show interest in her private life.
She had heard of the variety show "Cheng Qi" (成器), which featured six first-year students from various ceramic art schools who had to experience all 72 steps of ceramic production within a month and then hold a promotional exhibition at the end.
Qu He didn't want to participate in this kind of variety show and subconsciously refused.
During the video call, after hearing this, Teacher Qi Mo seemed thoughtful, "It seems that Shi An also participated in this program a couple of days ago."
Qu He was surprised.
Qi Mo said earnestly, "Qu He, your teacher would strongly recommend that you participate. On the one hand, it can increase your visibility, and on the other hand, your teacher also hopes that you can use the program to promote Chinese ceramics."
Qi Mo said a lot more afterward, and in the end, Qu He was swayed.
On the day of the show's recording, Zhuang Bieyan took her to the airport and told her, "I'll fly there on the third day."
The program was filmed in a ceramic town in Jiangcheng, which is said to be the earliest birthplace of celadon.
The event will last for three days and two nights, and will be broadcast live simultaneously.
Upon arrival, Qu He learned that there were two other guests recording with her: one was the famous ceramic artist Zhou Jian, and the other was a mystery guest who would arrive the next day.
After a brief introduction, the recording began.
As soon as the students saw Teacher Zhou Jian, they swarmed around him, and Qu He was pushed to the outermost edge of the crowd.
In the afternoon, they visited the Celadon Town, which consists of a celadon museum, a celadon factory, and a celadon experience classroom.
The camera, instead of focusing on the pottery content, kept following Zhou Jianyi reminiscing about the past.
Qu He was overlooked. The so-called pottery program only touched on pottery; it was actually a lifestyle variety show, with most of the time spent playing games and a small portion spent making ceramics.
After dinner, everyone sat around on the lawn, where the program team prepared a quiz.
The production team announced the rules while holding up the answer board: "If you answer all the questions correctly, you can win one of your wishes. If you answer incorrectly, you will have to go down into the lotus pond to collect soil tomorrow, and the loser will have to answer additional questions from the production team."
Qu He felt uneasy, and sure enough, when it was her turn, the production team brought out three pieces of broken porcelain. "Ms. Qu He, could you please identify which dynasty these three pieces of broken porcelain belong to?"
Qu He glanced at the production team.
At this moment, viewers flooded into the live broadcast room.
[Here she is! I heard Miss Qu He is participating in a variety show, so I came to check it out.]
[I feel like Qu He has been unfairly treated! I spent the whole afternoon watching the live stream, and it felt like Qu He was completely marginalized. Although I understand that Teacher Zhou Jian is an elder, this kind of favoritism is really unfair.]
I agree. Every time Zhou Jian appears, he starts reminiscing about the past, and I don't want to listen at all.
[The production team is clearly biased, targeting Qu He. Everyone else's questions were very simple, but why is it so difficult for Qu He?]
[Haha, wasn't Qu He supposed to be amazing? Wasn't she number one in ceramics? She's already been exposed?]
[I bet the production team did this on purpose! They wanted to see Qu He unable to answer, so they could ask her about President Zhuang's private affairs.]
Qu He naturally saw through the production team's little scheme, but she just smiled and said nothing.
The atmosphere on set was subtle. A male college student next to me said, "Is the challenge from the production team really that big? We've already won all the previous ones. If Teacher Qu He loses here, the pressure on her will be too much."
After these words were spoken, everyone's gaze towards Qu He changed.
Although it seemed like she was speaking up for Qu He, everyone understood the underlying meaning: if she answered incorrectly, it meant Qu He was incompetent and would have to take the blame.
A girl nudged his elbow and gave him a disapproving look.
"Teacher Qu He is fine. She was just going down into the lotus pond to scoop up some soil. It's a good experience for her."
Qu He glanced at the girl who had spoken; she was the only one who had greeted her that afternoon, and her name was Tang Tian.
She smiled, turned to the production crew, and asked, "Can I take another look?"
The production team hesitated for a moment, then came up with a somewhat smug decision: "We can only watch for three seconds."
"Can."
The production team brought over the three numbered pieces of broken porcelain again, then immediately moved them away three seconds later and covered them with a cloth.
The viewers in the live stream went wild:
[Just one glance? Three seconds? Are you trying to fob me off like a beggar? Who are you trying to fool? Just say it's intentional.]
[I'm a graduate student at Taoyuan University, and I can only say it's extremely difficult. It's too dark at night; you can't see it in three seconds. I can only say good luck to Qu He.]
[I'm so worried for Qu He! Where's President Zhuang? Calling President Zhuang, your wife's been bullied!]
Off-screen, Zhuang Bieyan stared at Qu He's face, which flashed briefly on his phone, his expression somber.
She stood in the middle of the lawn with a frown on her face, the camping light shining on her, making her look particularly thin.
Tan Cong, standing next to him, didn't dare to breathe.
"Mr. Zhuang, should I contact the production team?"
Zhuang Bieyan's face paled instantly, but his gaze remained fixed on the screen: "No need for now. Book me a flight to Jiangcheng right now."
Tan Cong: "Okay."
As the countdown to the show drew to a close, Qu He wrote her answer on the whiteboard.
When the answer was announced, all the viewers in the live stream were on edge.
The program team couldn't wait to reveal the answer: "These three pieces of broken porcelain represent the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Now let's look at Qu He's answer."
Qu He paused for a moment, then flipped the whiteboard over.
The three answers written above are the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and the Western Jin Dynasty.
[Oh no, I saw Qu He frown just now, she definitely answered wrong.]
[But that's still impressive, getting two right, especially considering the close proximity of the Eastern and Western Jin dynasties.]
However, the production team showed no mercy and finalized the result after the answer was announced.
They raised their voices: "Teacher He from Nagqu got the last answer wrong, it's very regrettable. According to the rules, you need to answer questions from the program team."
Qu He looked at him. "What question?"
The production team rubbed their hands together, as if they had already anticipated the ratings surge, and brought out the question board, "Ms. Qu He, you dated your ex-boyfriend for seven years, and now you're married to President Zhuang. Have you ever argued about this?"
As soon as the question was asked, Qu He's face darkened.
The Yanqu couple in the live stream also went wild.
[The production team is utterly inhumane; how could they possibly ask such a personal question?]
[Isn't this a pottery program? What does this question have to do with pottery at all?]
【Sister Qu He, we're not recording anymore! This is a trap. Let President Zhuang pay the penalty for breach of contract; he can afford it!】
Everyone stood up for Qu He, but the atmosphere at the recording site was different.
Everyone was there to watch the show; they had all heard about Qu He's gossip and were just there for the spectacle. Zhou Jian, standing nearby, remained aloof, sipping his tea.
The production team kindly reminded her, "Ms. Qu He, you have one minute left to answer the question."
Qu He looked at him coldly: "I won't answer."
The production team wasn't going to back out either. "This is a live broadcast. Are you going to go back on your word in front of the entire online audience?"
Qu He looked in the direction of the camera he was pointing to and smiled, "You said I only need to answer questions because I was wrong, but I didn't answer them wrong."
The production team retorted, "Don't try to deny it! We invited experts to authenticate it, and Professor Zhou Jian was present. Do you not even respect Professor Zhou Jian?"
"Professor Zhou Jian is a senior, and I respect him very much, but professional issues cannot be concluded based on seniority."
As she spoke, Qu He stepped forward, picked up the last shard of porcelain, turned to look at the camera, and slowly began to speak:
"The Western Jin Dynasty was a northern dynasty that was in the Bronze Age. At that time, it was during the Five Barbarian Invasions and the Eight Princes' Rebellion. Bronze was used to make weapons, and celadon was used to make daily necessities. Therefore, the surface of the objects at that time would have bronze inscriptions."
As she spoke, she pointed to a very small pattern mark on the outer corner of the broken porcelain shard in her hand, "This is the rolling decoration technique of the Western Jin Dynasty, with strong lines and traces of northern nomadic culture."
Qu He looked at the program team and continued, "Later, during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Jin family moved east and established their capital in Jiankang, becoming a southern dynasty. People at that time began to admire nature, and their aesthetics changed. The decorative patterns on porcelain became less and less."
"Therefore, this porcelain shard was unearthed from the Western Jin Dynasty, not the Eastern Jin Dynasty."
Qu He spoke slowly and softly, and her speech was captivating, drawing everyone in.
The live stream room fell silent for a moment, then erupted into an even more heated discussion.
[I'm learning history on a variety show? And surprisingly, I didn't fall asleep this time?]
[So many historical stories behind a single piece of porcelain?]
My maternal grandfather is an archaeologist specializing in broken porcelain. He said Qu He got everything right. He spent a long time examining the pieces before identifying them, while Qu He distinguished them in just a few seconds! She's truly amazing!
So the production team made a mistake; they should give Qu He the justice she deserves!
[I'm completely engrossed in listening; I want to hear Qu He continue telling the story of the other two porcelain shards.]
Online public opinion shifted, and the production team quickly took emergency measures to remedy the situation, but netizens were not buying it.
Left with no other option, the show's producer had to apologize in public.
Just as Qu He was about to turn around, he stopped her, this time with a very respectful attitude: "Teacher Qu He, netizens would like to hear you tell the stories of the other two porcelain shards."
Qu He realized that she had come to the program for a reason, so she turned back and continued her explanation.
She picked up a porcelain shard from the Northern and Southern Dynasties and looked at the camera. “Porcelain shards from the Northern and Southern Dynasties are easy to identify. Everyone has heard the poem ‘Four hundred and eighty temples in the Southern Dynasties, how many pavilions are shrouded in mist and rain’. So we can know that Buddhism was popular during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. The lotus is one of the sacred flowers of Buddhism, so there are many lotus patterns on porcelain shards from this period.”
Qu He's explanation this time was less obscure, and she tried to make it as easy for everyone to understand as possible.
She picked up the last shard of porcelain, glanced at it, and frowned. "Actually, this shard is technically called 'secret-color porcelain.' You can learn more about it online. But there's a picture in our high school history textbook called 'The Night Banquet of Han Xizai,' and the utensils in that picture are made of secret-color porcelain."
After finishing her explanation, Qu He leaned closer to the camera and said, "Actually, the history of porcelain is half of history, and I'm very fortunate to be able to stand here and share this with everyone. But what I'm saying isn't to prove how amazing I am, but rather to tell everyone that the people behind every piece of porcelain are true craftsmen. Craftsmanship creates art, and no piece is inferior. I hope everyone can learn more about our country's ceramics and porcelain, and bring China to the world!"
I cried! This is the true meaning of the show "Success or Failure"!
As a student of Tao Yuanming University, I was deeply moved by Qu He's words!
"Craftsmanship creates exquisite pieces; those who can say this must be people with a deep passion for ceramics!"
[The production team is so foolish! They're ignoring this crucial aspect of the show!]
Qu He's words were quickly made into a video clip and circulated online. The next day, it was even reposted by the official website, and various ceramic art schools also reposted it.
"Craftsmanship creates exquisite objects, bringing China to the world!" For a long time, this even became the recruitment slogan of major ceramic art colleges.
Qu He, who was at the recording site, was completely unaware of what was happening online. It wasn't until three hours later, after the recording ended and she returned to her hotel, that she was left.
Exhausted from all of this, she suddenly missed Zhuang Bieyan and wondered if he had watched the live stream.
As soon as she swiped her card to open the hotel room door, she was pulled inside, and the familiar scent of cedarwood instantly enveloped her.
"My Ah He, tonight everyone finally got to see her!"
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