“I say, what’s Old Sun doing? This is a matter for us literary folks. Is it really appropriate to let an actor meddle in it?”
“But I heard this Qin Yunxuan is the girl who cracked Qinghui’s couplet and even came up with ten matching lines!”
“Wasn’t that person Wu Yunqing?”
“They got it wrong; it’s Qin Yunxuan!”
“Heh heh, Old Sun would even do something like this just to suck up to an actor?”
“You mean…”
“It must have been arranged beforehand. Otherwise, how could a singer, an actor, possibly produce a matching line for Zhao Qinghui’s couplet?”
“Now that you mention it, that really is possible!”
……
The old professors below the stage were also whispering among themselves.
The popularity of a group of old professors was being overshadowed by a singer, which made them very unhappy.
It further solidified their belief that Qin Yunxuan was just there as a formality.
“Li Qubai, go over and challenge Qin Yunxuan later. We must expose her true colors!”
Li Qubai, the champion of the last poetry conference, was called over by his mentor and given a task.
Li Qubai’s expression stiffened, a look of bitterness appearing on his face.
“What’s wrong? Can’t you do it?” The old professor’s face darkened as he spoke.
Li Qubai hesitated for a moment before saying, “Teacher, I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing that Qin Yunxuan is interested in poetry, is it?”
To be honest, Li Qubai really didn’t want to do something like this.
He was also young, so he naturally knew how much influence Qin Yunxuan had among young people.
If news of him challenging her got out, he would offend a huge number of her loyal fans!
Just thinking about the consequences made him shudder!
Besides, Qin Yunxuan was so beautiful. Being able to get up close to such a beautiful singer was actually a pleasant thought for Li Qubai.
But… who knew his teacher would give him a task like this? It was so frustrating!
“Hmph, what do you know? This is a matter for our literary circle. Do you think it’s appropriate for her, an actor, to interfere?” Li Qubai’s teacher’s face darkened as he barked.
Li Qubai wanted to say ‘yes’, but looking at his teacher’s grim face, he wisely shut his mouth.
Provoking the teacher at this moment was not a wise choice.
“Just tell me, are you going or not?”
“I’ll go, I’ll go. It’s just a singer, right? I’ll show her!”
Li Qubai thumped his chest loudly, making a grand pledge.
The lengthy introductions finally came to an end, and the poetry conference below officially began.
People gathered in small groups, praising each other’s recent works and sharing their latest insights.
“Xuanxuan, I wrote a poem recently. Can you take a look at it for me?”
Zhao Qinghui looked at Qin Yunxuan, a hint of shyness on her face.
Qin Lang quickly refused: “I’m really not interested in poetry. Aren’t you forcing me? Let’s just chat casually!”
A look of disappointment appeared on Zhao Qinghui’s face.
Qin Lang felt a twinge of guilt, as if he had done something terrible.
Disappointing such a lovely girl really didn’t seem like his style after all.
“Well… I think I can take a look! And I’m also curious about what kind of poetry you can write. You are the youngest talented woman in Kyushu!”
“Not at all!” Zhao Qinghui blushed slightly, then found her notebook and handed it to Qin Lang.
First, let’s see the poetry of this world’s number one talented woman. That way, when I comment on others later, I won’t be completely clueless!
Qin Lang comforted himself with this thought.
Opening the notebook, it was filled with delicate, beautiful handwriting, each page containing a poem.
This girl really does love poetry!
Qin Lang felt a touch of admiration.
A shallow dream arrives with the new sunset haze,
The dream veranda winds through to sloping railings.
Only the flowers before the court feel sorrow,
Still shedding tears for the one of old!
Whoa!
Qin Lang was stunned. This Zhao Qinghui really had some skill.
This was pretty well written.
“How is it?” Zhao Qinghui asked like a child waiting for praise.
Qin Lang didn’t really know how to critique it; he just felt it had a nice rhythm when read.
“Not bad, not bad, it’s really good!”
“Really?”
Zhao Qinghui’s eyes lit up, and she broke into a happy smile.
It seemed Qin Lang’s praise was the greatest compliment she could receive.
Just then, a young man approached them.
“Miss Qin, hello. I’m a huge fan! Let me introduce myself first. My name is Li Qubai!”
The young man said with a slight smile.
Qin Lang remembered. Wasn’t the last champion this Li Qubai?
But… what did he want?
“Hello,” Qin Lang nodded. “Is there something you need?”
“I heard that Miss Qin matched Qinghui’s couplet, and even came up with ten lines. My skills are itching a bit, and I wanted to seek a contest with you.”
Qin Lang felt a headache coming on: “That was just a spur-of-the-moment thing for me. I don’t really know much about this.”
“Miss Qin is being modest. Qinghui is a talented woman in our Poetry Association. For you to produce ten matching lines, you must also be a master of poetry. I sincerely wish to learn from you. Are you really going to be so ungracious, Miss Qin?”
As he spoke, Li Qubai raised his voice a few decibels: “This poetry competition is supposed to be a place for mutual exchange and learning. It’s really unacceptable for Miss Qin to be so disrespectful!”
Li Qubai’s voice quickly drew the attention of many people nearby.
When they learned that Li Qubai wanted to challenge Qin Yunxuan, everyone excitedly gathered around.
When Qin Yunxuan had shown her skills at the door earlier, those inside hadn’t witnessed it firsthand. Even when they heard about it later, they were still somewhat skeptical.
Now that Li Qubai was personally challenging her, they were naturally happy to watch the excitement.
Would Qin Yunxuan really dare to accept Li Qubai’s challenge?
“I doubt it. Li Qubai is no ordinary person!”
“I think Qin Yunxuan was just lucky before. In terms of real skill, how could she possibly be a match for Li Qubai?”
“But for Li Qubai to challenge her at this moment, I get the feeling he’s up to no good.”
“Haha, it’s more interesting if he’s up to no good, isn’t it?”
……
As the saying goes, scholars tend to disparage one another.
They weren’t even convinced by their own peers, let alone a crossover singer.
Although many people liked Qin Yunxuan and found her very beautiful.
Sorry, but this was the poetry conference, and here, everything depended on strength.
However, there was probably only one person in the room who had full confidence in Qin Lang.
“Xuanxuan, accept his challenge! Li Qubai, don’t come crying when you lose later!”
A confident expression appeared on Li Qubai’s face: “No problem. Miss Qin, please enlighten me!”
Qin Lang’s head throbbed. Did I agree?
I clearly didn’t agree, but why… does everyone act as if I have?
This isn’t good!
But… I’ll deal with whatever comes my way. If I keep refusing, I’ll just give people more reason to doubt me!
Isn’t it just matching couplets? If it gets tough, I’ll just pull out those timeless, perfect couplets and let them rack their brains over them!
