Chapter 331: 【331】A genius, naturally stands out from the rest_1

“You have thirty minutes, starting now!”

With the command from the on-site staff, the intermediate appraisal for calligraphy and painting officially began.

All contestants rushed into the array of one hundred paintings and calligraphic works, eager to use every second.

The appraisal for calligraphy and painting is more difficult, so the organizers limited the number to one hundred.

Even so, the average speed still had to be within eighteen seconds per piece; the time was very tight.

Zhong Pan’er didn’t waste a second and quickly joined the queue for observation.

After she rapidly viewed ten pieces, she wanted to check Tang Feng’s progress.

However, to her astonishment, Tang Feng wasn’t even looking at the artworks; instead, he was squatting at the edge of the area, engrossed in a game on his phone.

“What are you doing? This is an assessment,” Zhong Pan’er couldn’t help but remind him.

“It’s fine, you guys go ahead, I’ll finish this round first,” Tang Feng replied without lifting his head.

He wasn’t trying to show off; he was just about to join the others in viewing the artworks when this round had started unexpectedly.

Adhering to the principle of not letting his teammates down, he decided to finish the round first.

Zhong Pan’er thought this guy was completely unreasonable.

This was during an assessment, for heaven’s sake. Others were racing against the clock, and here he was, playing a game?

What’s more important, the game or the assessment?

Her disdain for Tang Feng’s disrespectful behavior towards the assessment grew stronger.

If he continued to waste time like this, even a great talent would eventually be squandered and not get very far.

In just a brief delay, several seconds had passed.

She couldn’t be bothered to deal with him anymore and continued to focus all her energy on the artworks.

Tang Feng’s actions also caught the attention of the judges’ panel.

All ten appraisers were puzzled by his behavior.

“What on earth is this guy doing? It’s an assessment, and he’s playing a game?”

“This is outrageous, I’ve never seen a contestant so disrespectful towards an assessment.”

“While other contestants are scrutinizing every second, only he is acting out of line—what is this nonsense?”

“As for a contestant who scorns the assessment, I suggest we revoke his qualification…”

The judges all felt that Tang Feng’s behavior was a blatant disrespect to the assessment and were greatly displeased.

Yao Guhuai looked at Ouyang Yushan with schadenfreude, “Mr. Ouyang, your protégé Tang isn’t making things easy for you.”

“Half the time is almost up, and he’s still gaming? Is he planning to give up on the assessment?”

Ouyang Yushan was also frowning at this moment.

In fact, he didn’t know much more about Tang Feng than the judges seated there.

He only knew that Tang Feng had outstanding medical skills and was also adept at antique appraisal, but that was about it.

Seeing him so nonchalant now made Ouyang Yushan somewhat displeased.

It’s not ignorance or weakness that stops a person from succeeding, but arrogance.@@novelbin@@

No matter how good your talent, if you can’t keep the right attitude, you’ll eventually fail.

Although this was on his mind, he didn’t want to show weakness to Yao Guhuai, “Geniuses are naturally different. If they were like everyone else, what would make them geniuses?”

Yao Guhuai couldn’t believe his ears, “I can’t believe these words are coming from you, Mr. Ouyang. Didn’t you always adhere to the principle that education should be available to all? Among your disciples, there are many with mediocre talent who have made a name for themselves in the world of antiques. You shouldn’t be saying this.”

“Though I uphold education for all, I have never denied the existence of geniuses. Geniuses really can’t be confined to the conventional ways. If my disciples had the same talent as Tang Feng, their achievements would be even higher,” Ouyang Yushan said these words without a change in his expression.

Yao Guhuai was at a loss for words and could only smile awkwardly, “I hope he doesn’t let you down, Mr. Ouyang.”

Ouyang Yushan appeared to ignore him, his eyes on Tang Feng in the appraisal area, and he sighed inwardly.

Lad, I’ve already made the claim, you better not make me lose face.

Time flew by, and more than twenty minutes had quickly passed.

Zhong Pan’er had already viewed all one hundred pieces but decided to go through them again to be safe.

Meanwhile, Tang Feng had finally finished his game.

Looking at the “Victory” sign on his game interface, a satisfied smile spread across his face.

His persistence had paid off, winning him the round.

He then turned off his phone’s screen and put it in his pocket.

Looking at the time, there were less than ten minutes left—plenty of time.

He sauntered into the appraisal area, glancing over each work as casually as if he were merely sightseeing.

He spent no more than five seconds in front of each art piece.

If it weren’t for fear of causing a stir like before, he could have gone even faster.

When he was halfway through, he happened to cross paths with Zhong Pan’er, who was reviewing the artworks.

Only one painting stood between them.

Tang Feng caught sight of her perfect profile through the gap between two pieces, her face covered in fine beads of sweat that, under the sunlight, looked incredibly clear and crystalline.

If this were a scene in a romantic drama, there would surely be a series of slow-motion close-ups of the two.

The male and female leads lock eyes, falling for each other at first sight…

But in reality, their gazes only met for less than a second before they both looked away.

Tang Feng even saw a trace of disdain in Zhong Pan’er’s eyes.

Probably because he hadn’t taken the assessment seriously, she disdained him even more.

Tang Feng just smiled faintly, not minding at all.

Being misunderstood is the destiny of a genius.

Seconds ticked by, and the thirty-minute observation period ended all too soon.

In the final second before the end, Tang Feng finished viewing the last painting.

He swiftly filled in his answers on the answer sheet.

When he handed in his sheet, he ran into Zhong Pan’er again.

“Huh, do you even need to turn that in?” She couldn’t help but sneer upon seeing him.

“What kind of question is that? If I don’t turn it in, how am I to receive my intermediate appraiser’s certificate?” Tang Feng replied as if he couldn’t detect her sarcasm, and handed his answer sheet to the person in charge.

“Hmph, if you pass this time, I’ll eat that test paper,” Zhong Pan’er said spitefully and then turned and walked away.

Tang Feng couldn’t help but scratch his head, “Why would she eat the test paper? Is that some kind of special hobby?”