Chapter 94: 092 Boss Ying is simply not human [5 updates]

Sketching…

The head of the art department fell into silence as he looked on, so shocked that he couldn’t speak.

“Indeed, in all the competition categories, the first place is taken by student Ying Zijin,” one of the teachers responsible for the evaluation coughed, “so it’s quite special.”

In previous years, there were quite a few promising talents, but at most they would sweep the awards in three categories.

Having even one first-class prize was already quite an achievement.

Taking first place in everything was almost impossible.

After all, expertise lies in specialization; no one is omnipotent.

But this time, a student who achieved first place in everything truly emerged.

Is this even human?

The evaluating teachers and masters of the art community had also looked at each other, and indeed, there was nothing to dispute.

To give a first-class prize would still be an understatement.

The head of the art department remained silent, and after a long while, he finally muttered in a daze, “Ah, go ahead and post it on the bulletin board later.”

**

As soon as the opening ceremony ended, this art festival became irrelevant to most students.

Many students shouldered their backpacks and cheered as they left the school.

Before leaving, they didn’t forget to run in front of the third-year high school building to boast a bit.

This infuriated a group of third-year students who felt like throwing down their pens, but with the college entrance exam looming, they had no choice but to continue working on their papers.

Wen Tinglan, on the other hand, was not in class.

Being a specially recruited student of Verdant, he enjoyed considerable privileges.

Because of him, Verdant even made a special trip to Qingshui County, intending to get him into the Elite Class.

As long as Wen Tinglan ultimately takes part in the college entrance exam, nothing else matters.

So even if it’s midterm or final exams, Wen Tinglan could skip them if he wished.

It’s not as if there were no students in the Elite Class who complained about this.

But alas, Wen Tinglan could score full marks even in the notoriously difficult Elite Class papers recognized throughout the internet.

They are top students, Wen Tinglan is a freak.

They had no choice but to keep silent.

So while other students were solving problems, Wen Tinglan was accompanying Old Master Zhong in the Scholars Corridor for a rest.

Old Master Zhong arrived at the school at half-past eight, but he didn’t watch the opening ceremony; instead, Ying Zijin had Wen Tinglan take him away.

Although, Wen Tinglan didn’t understand why his sister did that.

Old Master Zhong brought over a rocking chair and lay comfortably in the shade of the trees, “Xiao Lan, you won quite a lot of red packets from your grandpa that day, didn’t you? Don’t you think you should agree to a request from grandpa?”

Wen Tinglan gazed at him quietly.

Just then, Old Master Zhong took out his phone and opened Weibo, “Come on, follow your grandpa.”

“…”

Wen Tinglan said expressionlessly, “I don’t use Weibo.”

“Eh?” Old Master Zhong muttered, “You young people not using Weibo, even more out of touch than me.”

He lost a follower.

He was unhappy.

Wen Tinglan’s eyelashes drooped, and he pursed his lips tightly.

He really wanted to, but he was also afraid of connecting with the outside world.

“Xiao Lan, why don’t you tell your grandpa some interesting things about Zijin when she was a child? Did she ever roll off the bed while sleeping?” Old Master Zhong smiled, “Did she ever roll off the bed while sleeping?”

He did not get an answer, receiving instead a look from the youth as if he were gazing at a foolish old man.

“…”

With a feeling of constriction in his heart, Old Master Zhong took out his phone and began to surf the net.

The happiest part of his day was to join the young netizens in savoring the latest juicy gossip.

“Yo-ho, what has Wei Hou done now.” Old Master Zhong pushed up his reading glasses, “He actually provoked the Hua Country Calligraphers Association to personally issue a statement.”

Wen Tinglan’s eyelashes lifted, and he looked over.

[@Hua Country Calligrapher AssociationV: Following a report, our council member @WriteRegularScriptWeiHou has engaged in unfair competition practices, falsely claiming student work as his own, an extremely serious offense. He will be expelled as a punishment from the association, permanently blacklisted, and should such incidents occur in the future, our association will not tolerate them!]

The post was accompanied by a notice bearing the seal of the Hua Country Calligrapher Association.

As well as signatures from the chairman and vice-chairman.

The Hua Country Calligrapher Association is a main association while the Shanghai Art Association is just a local branch association.

The chairman of the Shanghai Art Association cannot even compare with a single member of the Hua Country Calligrapher Association.

Everyone admitted into the Hua Country Calligrapher Association is a celebrated calligrapher, representing the pinnacle of Hua Country’s calligraphy.

Geniuses like Lin Xi don’t even have the qualifications to be assessed right now.

The older generation of calligraphers are generally low-profile; since the Hua Country Calligrapher Association’s Weibo account was created, it has only posted ten times, nine of which were re-posts.

The first original Weibo post was an automatic greeting from Weibo itself.

This second one is a punishment notice against Wei Hou.

As noon approached, there were fewer people browsing Weibo, but the heat was not decreasing.

Not just calligraphy enthusiasts, but also ordinary passersby clicked in.

Because it had been heavily promoted several times, Wei Hou’s name was even more renowned than Sheng Qingtang’s.

[Holy shit, Wei Hou got expelled from the Hua Country Calligraphers Association? What kind of serious offense did he commit? I remember him being an honorary calligrapher.]

[You guys don’t know? Wei Hou brazenly claimed that a high school student’s calligraphy was his, accused the student of cheating, and stealing his work to enter a competition.]

[??? Wait, has Wei Hou lost his mind? He’s a calligraphy master, yet he’s also doing this kind of thing? He has fame and status, what more does he want?]

[Right? In the end, Sheng Qingtang showed up, and Wei Hou was immediately exposed.]

[Do you know what the funniest thing is? Wei Hou claimed someone else’s student’s work, right? That student didn’t even care, and right on the spot, he wrote a new piece that was even better. I was there; here’s the video for y’all ［Video］]

When Old Master Zhong clicked on the video, his brows instantly furrowed, “The calligraphy Wei Hou claimed is actually Zijin’s?”

He rose in anger, “Such a shameless old bastard, bullying a child, I’m going to beat the living daylights out of him.”

Wen Tinglan’s expression paused for a moment.

He finally understood why his sister had brought Old Master Zhong here.

Because if Old Master Zhong had been at the scene, he would have definitely rolled up his sleeves and kicked someone.

“Xiao Lan, follow Grandpa,” Old Master Zhong was unable to contain his anger, “Grandpa will take you to avenge your sister.”

**

Wei Hou, naturally, also saw the Weibo post.

But by the time he saw it, it was already afternoon.

Just a few minutes ago, another director from the Hua Country Calligrapher Association had already visited in person, bringing the sanction notice and confiscating his certificate.

Wei Hou’s complexion was deathly pale, not having foreseen that events would escalate to this extent.

It wasn’t the first time he had done something like this.

His entry into the Hua Country Calligrapher Association’s qualification assessment was actually not based on his own calligraphy, but that of another candidate.

But that candidate wasn’t as famous as him, had no evidence, and no significant backing.

He could only watch powerlessly as his work was taken, with no recourse for appeal.

Later, Wei Hou even took the honorary certificate from the Hua Country Calligrapher Association to that candidate’s house to gloat.

What could they do to him?

But now, Sheng Qingtang prompted the Hua Country Calligrapher Association to thoroughly investigate him, and they even uncovered that past incident.

He was not only expelled, but his reputation was completely destroyed.

Absolute, utter disgrace.

Wei Hou’s greatest concerns were reputation and wealth, and now he was about to lose both.

It was all because of that junior, Lin Xi.

Wei Hou’s eyes turned cold as he picked up his phone and asked Lin Xi for Zhong Zhiwan’s number.

When he called, his voice was chilling, “Zhong Zhiwan, you dare to set a trap for me, let me tell you, if I’m going down, you’re not getting away either.”

“This piece of calligraphy was given to me by you, meaning you stole it, and you can’t escape the blame!”

Zhong Zhiwan received the call while standing in front of the bulletin board.

Upon hearing this, she frowned slightly, first glancing at the other students before moving to a small grove nearby.

“Master Wei Hou, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Zhong Zhiwan smiled, “You got greedy and wanted to claim my cousin’s credit for yourself, how can you blame it on me now?”

“My senior brother even asked you clearly if the calligraphy was yours, and you just took it away. Could it be that I did that too?”

Wei Hou was furious, “You made me stamp my seal on that piece of calligraphy.”

Zhong Zhiwan remained calm, replying indifferently, “I made you, and you just did it? Master Wei Hou, by slandering me this way, are you prepared to offend the Zhong family?”

Wei Hou’s expression change drastically.

Of course, he knew about the Zhong family.

One of the Four Major Noble Families in Shanghai City, they held a very high status.

Previously, he wouldn’t have been afraid of the Zhong family; they would have to respect him.

But he had been expelled by the Hua Country Calligrapher Association and caught claiming someone else’s work; he was already universally reviled.

“Master Wei Hou, don’t forget, the calligraphy you claimed belongs to my cousin.” Zhong Zhiwan laughed softly again, “My grandfather adores my cousin very much. Do you think he will listen to your explanations when he sees you?”

“Will he believe me, or you?”

Wei Hou, out of anger, smashed his phone.

Zhong Zhiwan’s expression didn’t change as she blocked Wei Hou’s number and was about to leave the school.

But at that moment, the crowd in front of the bulletin board suddenly became noisy.

“Holy crap, Ying Zijin is some kind of freak, all first-class awards?”

“I won’t say anything about the calligraphy since we saw it with our own eyes, but how did she also surpass Goddess Zhong in traditional painting?”

“The selection must be fair, so it means that Zhong Zhiwan is not as good as Ying Zijin, what else could it be?”

“I’m a bit disappointed, isn’t Goddess Zhong the Zhong family’s young miss? How can she be outdone in painting and calligraphy by someone from the countryside? Her title as ‘Goddess’ seems a bit undeserved.”

“What are you talking about?” Lu Fang, a devoted admirer of Zhong Zhiwan, retorted angrily, “Painting is just for amusement, you see. Does Ying Zijin have even one grade higher than Zhiwan overall?”

“Comparing her with Zhiwan is just lowering Zhiwan’s level.”

Lu Fang sneered, “If Ying Zijin’s total score for next month’s final exam exceeds four hundred, I’ll live stream myself eating shit.”