In the anti-fan group:
—Who cares whether she’s his sister or not? We’ll insist that they’re dating. There are always clueless passersby who’ll believe us!
—Exactly. What good is being good-looking? I hate these princes who debut halfway through and steal our oppa’s screen time!
—Come on, everyone! Let’s go clean up the forums in reverse!
Qiuyun frowned. She had joined this anti-fan group simply because she couldn’t stand Qiu Ze. She hadn’t expected them to bash Qiu Ze and then dare drag Sister Xiaoqiu into it as well!
After thinking it over, she sent the group owner a private message: “I’ll give you ten thousand yuan. Sell me the owner position.”
Group Owner: !?
Pure Passerby: Twenty thousand.
Group Owner: !!??
Pure Passerby: Thirty thousand. Are you doing it or not?
Group Owner: Deal!
Five minutes later, the two of them smiled with satisfaction at their respective phones.
The group member list changed. The new group owner, Pure Passerby, kicked out the few members who had been stirring things up and posted a group announcement:
We are high-class anti-fans—anti-fans with manners. We only criticize Qiu Ze himself. Bringing his family into it is forbidden. Anyone who objects may leave on their own.
Hey!
What’s with this new group owner? So arrogant!
A command red packet was sent out right afterward:
Only criticize Qiu Ze. Do not involve his family.
The members opened the red packet and saw the amount inside. Aside from frantically posting the command in the chat, everyone fell silent for several minutes.
Then:
We’ll follow the group owner to the death!
We shall obey the group owner’s orders!
Pure Passerby: All right, go help clean up the forums. Our wording must be unified: Qiu Ze is a useless man who can’t even protect his family, so innocent people get dragged into the mess.
Group Members: Yes, ma’am!
Meanwhile, Qiu Ze’s fans, the Little Swings, were completely baffled.
Why did it feel as though the anti-fans’ attack was so weak this time?
They couldn’t figure it out.
And so, before either of the two people involved even knew what had happened, the storm quickly died down.
Qiu Ze disconnected from the internet to film a variety show.
Qiuyun, meanwhile, stepped up her calligraphy practice.
The literary gathering had been scheduled for the first day of the fourth lunar month—in other words, tomorrow.
The theme of the event was printed in gold foil on the invitation:
Revolution and Preservation: Cultural Inheritance Seen Through the Revival of Stele Calligraphy.
On the surface, the theme appeared to concern calligraphy. But given the identity of the person who had invited her, it was impossible to regard this gathering as merely an appreciation event.
“Revolution” meant reform, while “preservation” meant upholding tradition.
And considering that Mr. Wenchuan had said that the gathering needed fresh blood, the young people attending this time were clearly not limited to her and Pei Cizhou.
The young attendees’ performances at the gathering were likely to be part of the discussion as well.
“Sigh.”
The thoughts of those in power were truly difficult to guess.
Forget it.
Since the gathering was mainly about calligraphy, she would focus on practicing her writing a little more.
Looking at the mountain of discarded drafts piled beside her desk, she couldn’t help sighing again.
She really did lack talent in this area.
But then again, she was comparing herself with someone like Pei Cizhou, who had begun studying under calligraphy masters at the age of eight or nine.
Compared with her past self, however, she had made considerable progress. After practicing for a month, she had already worn away seven or eight parts of the stiff, affected quality in her handwriting.
Qiuyun unrolled the copy of the Shanglin Fu she had bought secondhand and continued practicing by tracing the characters.
They said a person’s handwriting reflected their personality. His handwriting really was beautiful.
The next day.
Qiuyun requested leave from Madam and the young ladies early in the morning.
She spent the morning reading at home.
In the afternoon, she changed into a white sleeveless mandarin-collar vest and paired it with pale pink embroidered linen-cotton straight-leg trousers. The hems were slit slightly at the sides, revealing a pair of ivory-colored, low-cut New Chinese-style flats.
She wore no jewelry. Her hair was loosely tied and swept to one side, giving her an elegant, graceful appearance.
Before she had even left, Pei Cizhou called.
“Good afternoon, Miss Qiuyun.”
Qiuyun picked up the invitation. “Good afternoon. Where are you?”
“The garage.”
“All right. Wait a few minutes. I’ll be right down.”
Since Mr. Wenchuan had invited the two of them together and had only sent one invitation, naturally they had to go together.
When she stepped out of the elevator, the black Hongqi sedan flashed its taillights.
The car he was driving today was far more understated than the flashy silver sports car he had driven that day.
Qiuyun walked over, opened the door, and got in. After fastening her seat belt, she asked, “Is this your brother’s car too?”
“Of course not.” Pei Cizhou started the engine. “It’s my father’s. When he found out I was attending Mr. Wenchuan’s gathering, he specially lent it to me.”
Qiuyun looked over his outfit.
He was wearing a very proper dark gray Zhongshan suit embroidered with green bamboo over the chest. His hair had been trimmed as well, making him look youthful and spirited. It was obvious that the outfit reflected the tastes of the older generation in his family.
Pei Cizhou noticed that she had been looking at him for some time from the corner of his eye and grew a little self-conscious.
“What? Do you like me dressed like this?”
Qiuyun shook her head. “I’ve never seen you dress so seriously. Does your family attach great importance to today’s gathering?”
“You bet.” Pei Cizhou sounded helpless. “My grandfather and father both come from military backgrounds, and my grandmother works in scientific research. The only side of the family with any connection to culture is my maternal grandmother’s.”
Qiuyun understood.
People always wanted most what they lacked.
Before long, the car stopped in front of an unassuming gatehouse by Houhai. After a staff member checked their invitation, the two of them passed through a security gate and entered the courtyard.
It was a private club converted from a Qing dynasty princely residence. Its style leaned more toward that of the middle and late Ming dynasty. Inside were Ming-style huanghuali furnishings, while rockeries and bamboo stood outside the windows.
“My father heard that quite a few young people are attending this gathering. The two of us shouldn’t stand out too much.” Pei Cizhou followed her around a long corridor.
Qiuyun nodded.
She had already guessed as much.
Following an attendant around the back of the corridor, they arrived at the Banana Shade Pavilion in the rear courtyard. Several small groups of people who had arrived early were already gathered there.
“Oh, isn’t this Young Master Pei? What a rare guest!” A young man in a white shirt and suit trousers walked over. “Young Master Pei, relying on the fact that you’re Old Yang’s last disciple, you really have no sense of propriety. You even had to bring a female companion to Mr. Wenchuan’s gathering.”
Pei Cizhou glanced at the clown standing before him, then turned to explain warmly to Miss Qiuyun, “Don’t misunderstand. He isn’t targeting you. He was my classmate in elementary and middle school. I ranked one place higher than him every time we took an exam, so he kept coming after me to make a fool of himself. He’s hated me for years.”
The man had come to provoke him, only to be ignored as if he were nothing.
Seeing the other man’s expression grow increasingly twisted, Qiuyun barely suppressed a laugh.
The little devil really was an expert at getting under people’s skin.
“Don’t get cocky, Pei!” The man was furious. But after thinking of something, he suddenly reined himself in and sneered. “You’ll only be able to swagger in front of me for a little while longer. When you embarrass yourself in front of this woman later, don’t say I didn’t warn you!”
Pei Cizhou leaned sideways and bent down, continuing to speak softly to Miss Qiuyun. “Don’t worry. He loves making bold threats, then tripping over his own feet. And he never learns his lesson.”
Qiuyun pressed a finger against his arm and pushed him away slightly, sighing. “You should worry about yourself instead.”
Pei Cizhou straightened up and smiled brightly. “Thank you for your concern, Miss Qiuyun. But a minor character who’s always been my defeated opponent isn’t worth my attention.”
Qiuyun was speechless. She turned her head away from his youthful, exuberant face.
Young people really were far too cocky.
