Chapter 104: Learning Zhao Style Calligraphy
Just before she went to sleep the previous night, Xu Youyou suddenly remembered that Lu Jingyao had mentioned he would visit this morning, though he hadn’t specified why.
Now, looking at Lu Jingyao’s face on the display screen and then at Song Zhibai, who stood beside her like a pitiful little kitten, she unexpectedly felt a sense of unease.
She hadn’t done anything wrong, so why was she feeling guilty?
Shaking her head vigorously to clear these ridiculous thoughts, she tried to keep her expression calm and pressed the button to open the door.
As the entrance slowly swung open, Lu Jingyao saw Xu Youyou personally welcoming him and immediately smiled.
But his smile barely lasted two seconds before he caught sight of the eyesore that was Song Zhibai.
It was only 10 a.m., yet Song Zhibai was here at Xu Youyou’s house, dressed in such an eye-catching way. No matter how he looked at it, this did not seem like a good sign.
Lu Jingyao, who could stay composed even in billion-dollar business negotiations, now found himself unexpectedly anxious. He did his best to keep his tone neutral as he asked, “What a coincidence. Mr. Song is also here to visit Miss Xu? You arrived before me. How much earlier?”
Did he come last night?
Lu Jingyao barely managed to hold himself back from asking that outright.
Song Zhibai hesitated for a second. He could have said something ambiguous but chose to be honest instead: “I arrived around six. I had something to discuss with Miss Xu.”
Lu Jingyao immediately let out a silent sigh of relief. As long as he hadn’t stayed the night.
Considering Song Zhibai’s profession, Lu Jingyao added, “With your outstanding looks and Miss Xu’s support, don’t you have filming commitments? If you don’t have a suitable script right now, I can have my team find a few good ones for you. I could also introduce you to some investors.”
Suddenly, Song Zhibai felt like he was at a disadvantage. As an actor, he spent most of his time on set, which meant he had far fewer chances to spend time with Xu Youyou compared to Lu Jingyao.
“Thank you for your kind offer, Mr. Lu, but I belong to Miss Xu. She has a very clear plan for my career, so I won’t trouble you,” Song Zhibai replied with measured politeness.
Lu Jingyao immediately corrected him, “You’re Miss Xu’s artist, not her possession.”
Song Zhibai responded with a calm smile, his eyes carrying the kind of patience one would use with a child throwing a tantrum.
Xu Youyou, watching this side of Song Zhibai, felt another wave of inspiration. His range just expanded! She hadn’t expected the seemingly fragile Song Zhibai to have such a sharp edge. In the future, he could totally play a domineering CEO role instead of always portraying the reserved and tragic hero.
Lu Jingyao, noticing Xu Youyou’s gaze lingering on Song Zhibai, frowned and interjected, “Didn’t you say you were in a hurry to leave, Mr. Song? We won’t hold you up any longer.”
Song Zhibai paused and replied, “Unlike Mr. Lu, I’m not that busy. There’s no rush.”
Lu Jingyao had indeed been swamped with work lately, so much so that he hadn’t seen Xu Youyou in days. Today was the first time he could finally free up half a day to visit her.
Listening to their back-and-forth, Xu Youyou glanced at Lu Jingyao with a hint of regret.
What a shame. A dominant CEO like him would never consider entering showbiz. Otherwise, if she paired these two as a duo, the fan wars alone would generate crazy engagement, and she could just sit back and count money.
The thought of missing out on such a profitable opportunity made her sigh.
Both men spoke at the same time:
“What’s wrong?”
“Why did you sigh?”
A cold, moonlit beauty and a dazzling, sun-like man both looking at her with concern—Xu Youyou almost felt like a Mary Sue heroine.
“Nothing, I just thought of something unfortunate,” she replied casually.
Again, they spoke in unison:
“What’s unfortunate?”
Xu Youyou: …
Of course, she couldn’t say the truth. Wanting to end this weird conversation quickly, she turned to Song Zhibai and said, “You should go now. Your mother is waiting for you and needs your help.”
Song Zhibai responded gently, “I’ll come pick you up at noon.”
Lu Jingyao immediately asked, “You have lunch plans?”
Xu Youyou explained, “He just moved, and his mother invited me over for a housewarming meal.”
Lu Jingyao’s mind worked at lightning speed. He turned to Song Zhibai and asked directly, “You wouldn’t mind one more guest, would you?”
Song Zhibai instantly understood Lu Jingyao’s intention. The man was truly shameless. But with Xu Youyou present, he had no choice but to reply politely, “If Mr. Lu is willing to honor us with your presence, that would be wonderful.”
Though reluctant, Song Zhibai had no choice but to leave for now.
Not wasting a second, Lu Jingyao immediately pulled Xu Youyou inside and firmly shut the door behind them.
“I recently acquired a piece of calligraphy and wanted to show it to you,” he stated, finally revealing his reason for visiting.
He conveniently left out the part where he had to wrestle it away from his father at the Lu family’s estate.
When Xu Youyou opened the package and saw the familiar script, her eyes lit up with excitement. “This is Zhao Mengfu’s Luo Shen Fu!”
Lu Jingyao nodded. “Zhao Mengfu transcribed Luo Shen Fu at least four times in his life. This particular piece was written in the first year of the Dade era for his student Zhang Yuan.”
He also conveniently omitted the fact that his father had once spent 500 million at an auction to acquire this very piece.
Xu Youyou marveled at the calligraphy, her face full of admiration. “The brushwork is so refined and smooth, and the composition is so balanced and graceful. No wonder Zhao Mengfu was called the greatest calligrapher of the Yuan Dynasty.”
Seizing the moment, Lu Jingyao suggested, “Since you’re learning calligraphy now, this would be perfect for you to practice Zhao Style.”
Xu Youyou’s hands trembled slightly.
Her? Practice calligraphy? On an authentic Zhao Mengfu piece?
A priceless artifact worth billions—just to use as a practice sheet?
(Zhao Mengfu, pronounced ‘fu’ like ‘fǔ’.)
