Until he hung up the phone, Qian Jin had no idea what Su Yu meant by that.
Was he talking about the voting results, or the stage for the fifth episode?
But since the main person himself hadn't mentioned anything about behind-the-scenes manipulation, what more could he, a perfectly ordinary General Director, say?
Right after Qian Jin hung up the phone, Su Yu had another call!
This time, it was Old Master Jiang Hua who called him, and it was even a video call?
This made Su Yu not dare to be careless at all, because at this time, they should be at Yan University for a literary exchange meeting, right? A call at this time probably meant trouble for him.
"Xiao Yu, today is the cultural exchange meeting, isn't it? Li Fengshan of the Calligraphers Association brought out a painting, which can be considered his final work! Everyone was writing poems for this painting earlier, but the poems we wrote always felt like they were missing something. That's when I thought of you, after all, your poems like 'Jiang Xue' and 'zhu shi (bamboo stone)' were written with great artistic conception and shocked many people~"
Jiang Hua spoke with a smile, and while he was talking, he turned the camera to another old man.
"Young friend Su Yu, your poetic talent and your calligraphy and painting works are obvious to all of us. They are truly excellent and rare! Compared to the 'zhu shi (bamboo stone)' you gave to Old Jiang, my painting pales in comparison."
Li Fengshan in the video also wore a kind and warm smile, and with a few humble words and calling Su Yu a young friend, he directly elevated Su Yu's status quite a bit.
Su Yu sighed inwardly, he knew that he couldn't avoid today's matter.
This was clearly a stage set up for him by Jiang Hua and this Old Master Li Fengshan. As long as he could handle it and write a poem that would impress everyone present, then his future development in the literary world would soar!
No wonder Jiang Hua insisted on attending such an exchange meeting; it turned out that he had already made such arrangements during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
"Elder Li, can I see the painting first? As for whether it can satisfy everyone, I can't give an answer yet."
Since he couldn't refuse, he could only be forced to show off.
Su Yu could only hope that Li Fengshan's painting wasn't too bad, otherwise, it would truly be a disservice to the classic poems in his arsenal.
However, when Li Fengshan's painting was displayed on the phone screen, Su Yu was completely stunned.
It truly was a beautiful ink wash painting of mountains with birds singing and flowers fragrant!
The skill level was actually even slightly better than Su Yu's top-tier painting skills.
However, there was also a regrettable aspect; although this painting was good, it was still a tiny bit short of being a masterpiece!
Su Yu's expression after seeing the painting was seen by everyone present, because the video call was projected onto an LCD television.
This was something Su Yu had absolutely no idea about.
And Su Yu's expression, from surprise, to shock, and finally with a hint of regret, was all clearly seen by those who wanted to find fault.
Surprise and shock, they understood perfectly, after all, they had the same expressions when they saw the painting.
But what was that regret at the end? Was he trying to show off his noble and high-class demeanor!
"Xiao Yu, what are you regretting?" Jiang Hua naturally noticed the change in Su Yu's expression and directly asked.
"It's just a tiny bit short of being a masterpiece! Elder Li's painting skill should be the best in the contemporary Chinese painting world, right?" Su Yu didn't think much and blurted out his true thoughts.
At this, everyone present was no longer calm!
Although they thought highly of themselves, their appreciation abilities were all genuine.
Su Yu's comment on this painting was actually what they had always wanted to say but couldn't bring themselves to say it.
After all, they were all in the same circle, and their status and position were similar, so why should they bestow the title of 'best' on others? This would make them seem inferior.
"Alas, it's a pity that I haven't been able to take that step for many years!" Li Fengshan sighed deeply after hearing Su Yu's words.
Clearly, not being able to reach the master level was his biggest regret.
Coupled with his old age and declining energy, he knew himself that it was impossible to paint another work that surpassed this one.
"Xiao Yu, you've seen the painting, how is it? Do you have any inspiration?" Jiang Hua asked with a chuckle.
After all, the main business was important, and Old Man Li wouldn't be leaving anytime soon; they could always chat at home later.
"I can certainly try. I'll go to the study to write it!"
Su Yu nodded, then went to the study. After securing his phone at the right angle, he began to grind ink and write.
Su Yu felt that if he only recited the poem, some people would still question his calligraphy skills, so he might as well go all out and show off his skills directly.
After preparing, Su Yu wrote a five-character quatrain in a steady, flowing semi-cursive script in one go.
"From afar, the mountains have colors; nearby, the water is silent.
Spring departs, yet flowers remain; people arrive, but birds are undisturbed."
When Su Yu finished writing the last character, all the bigwigs and literati attending the literary exchange meeting were stunned.
Because the five-character quatrain Su Yu wrote on the spot was not only well-structured and antithetical, but also had a profound artistic conception, and most importantly, it was very much on topic and perfectly matched Li Fengshan's painting!
What also surprised everyone was Su Yu's semi-cursive calligraphy, because its standard was no longer inferior to the decades of experience they had in the field of calligraphy.
This was simply unbelievable, wasn't it? If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't have believed it even if they were beaten to death.
However, the evidence was right in front of them!
Su Yu in the video not only had outstanding poetic talent, but his calligraphy was also exceptional!
Should such a brilliant young man really exist in the contemporary literary world? This is very unscientific~!
"Good poem! Good handwriting! Good literary talent! Why do I suddenly feel that my painting is not worthy of this poem?" Li Fengshan's three consecutive "good"s already expressed their opinion.
Li Fengshan didn't need to praise it; everyone present's appreciation ability already knew how powerful this poem was, right?!
They were just a little annoyed that such talent wasn't theirs.
"Xiao Yu, you really didn't disappoint me! By the way, what is the name of this five-character quatrain?"
Jiang Hua felt utterly refreshed and asked Su Yu with a smile.
"Painting!" As Su Yu spoke, he wrote down the title of the poem and casually signed his name.
"Simple, direct, and straight to the theme. Very good, very good!" Li Fengshan applauded, his gaze never leaving the poem.
"How about this, let Xiao Yu directly inscribe the poem on the painting? His calligraphy is no worse than ours. You all come to my house tomorrow, it's settled!"
Jiang Hua directly settled the matter before Li Fengshan could even react.
However, for Li Fengshan, having Su Yu, the author of the poem, inscribe it was actually quite good.
"By the way, Xiao Yu, I want this piece of your calligraphy. Remember to bring it with you tomorrow!"
At the end of the video call, Jiang Hua said with a proud expression.