Chapter 8
After a few seconds passed.
Ji Wei asked in a small voice, “You’re… kidding, right?”
Lu Shenxing glanced at Ji Wei.
The young man’s beautiful eyes were wide with shock, and his tea-colored pupils, catching the light from the window, shone with an exceptionally bright luster.
He looked just like a beautiful Siamese cat, anxiously pacing with its tail held high, before finally letting out a soft, kitten-like “meow.”
Lu Shenxing’s Adam’s apple bobbed. Feeling a little hot, he averted his gaze.
“I’m not kidding.”
He reined in his smile and said with extra seriousness.
Ji Wei: “…”
Lu Shenxing’s brow arched slightly. “Or should I really compete in appraisal against the director of the Palace Museum?”
[Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap! Did I hear that right?? A mere extra is the director of the Palace Museum??!]
[History major here to give some context on Director Lu. Don’t be fooled by his unassuming appearance. The man graduated with a Ph.D. in archaeology from Peking University at sixteen, became the vice chairman of the expert committee of the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics at twenty-eight, and is now the youngest director in the history of the Palace Museum.]
[If that’s the case… isn’t National Style a little too rich? I’m truly sh-shook!]
[And it’s not just a matter of money, is it? It’s a matter of whether you can even invite him. What kind of connections does Yancheng Television Station have? Are they the secret love child of CCTV’s daddy??]
Ji Wei was even more shocked.
But before he could process his shock, he was suddenly pulled into an embrace by Lu Shenxing. By the time he realized what was happening, he was already in the man’s warm arms.
“I always honor my bets.”
Lu Shenxing’s voice was low and husky, with an almost bewitching quality.
The man rested his chin on his head, one hand on his waist, slowly, slowly tightening its grip. The gesture was gentle yet impossible to escape.
Even though they were separated by layers of clothing, the places he touched couldn’t help but tremble slightly. This made Ji Wei acutely aware that…
His idol was hugging him.
This was the person he had liked for a whole seven years.
His idol.
Ji Wei’s heart was still pounding furiously.
His heart had never beaten so violently before, as if it were about to burst from his chest. For a moment, he felt like he was dreaming.
No, they were just completing a task.
At this thought, Ji Wei slowly calmed down, trying his best to push away any inappropriate thoughts and treat it as a normal hug between friends.
[Why is the bullet chat so quiet… ]
[Everyone’s busy taking screenshots to post on Weibo! A hug between a man and a young man, maybe I can secretly hope for a ** drama starring them?]
[Uh… as a guy, I really can’t understand the thought process of fujoshis. Film Emperor Lu is obviously straight, okay? All the actresses he’s worked with have said he’s the manliest of men.]
[+1, there are CP fans everywhere, I’m over it. Can you imagine that even Lin Daiyu and Voldemort have CP fans?]
[Seconded. If they spent the time they use to ship couples on research, they might be the next Director Lu.]
However, no one could have imagined that Director Lu, who was being held up as a positive example, was busy taking photos and posting them in his family group chat, acting like a CP fan leader—the unwelcome, flame-war-starting type.
[Lu the Third] I met Ji Wei! My special trip to be on the show wasn’t in vain. He’s so cute! Cuter than in the photos, and way cuter than my smart-mouthed nephew. Are you all jealous? It’s no use being jealous.
The group chat erupted.
[Oh, is being the director of the Palace Museum such a big deal? Why didn’t the show invite me? I’m an academician of two academies, you know. I want to see my nephew’s wife too.]
[Heh, have I, the richest Chinese person in the world, said anything? The show is about culture, not scientific research. I wonder how much sponsorship it would take to get on the show. I wonder if ten million is enough.]
[I’m not too familiar with the cost of living in the country, but if it’s in RMB, I feel like… it’s not enough. What can you even do with ten million these days?]
…
When the time was up, Director Lu finally put down his phone with satisfaction and slowly recounted the origin of Luoshui Village. “Luoshui, a tributary of the Wei River. The local goddess who presides over the Luoshui is named the Luo River Goddess, also known as Mi Fei…”
The Ode to the Luo River Goddess was created by Gu Kaizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and is considered the first painting in existing ancient Chinese art to be adapted from a literary work, holding an extremely high artistic status.
Ji Wei was slightly distracted.
This smiling director kept staring at him, like a mother looking at her son.
He didn’t find it endearing.
On the contrary… it was creepy.
The young man sighed sorrowfully.
This was truly… an eternity.
***
An hour later, the production team notified everyone to gather in the square. A small child was waiting in the center of the square and handed out six cards and six pens to the guests.
Everyone took a card and found the same question written on it.
—What is knowledge?
It seemed they were supposed to write their answers on the paper.
Ji Wei thought silently.
He already had an answer in mind.
Du Ruosong was the first to speak, his expression extremely frustrated. “We spent an hour stirring slurry until our hands were sore, only for the villagers to tell us that every spring they go into the mountains to cut tree bark and bring it back to pound into pulp.”
Old Sir Ma Liqing looked at Du Ruosong apologetically. “You’ve worked hard, Xiao Du.”
Du Ruosong waved his hand. “I’m young, what’s a little hard work?”
[Looking at the wrinkles at the corners of Songsong’s eyes, I fell into deep thought. So young.]
[The non-celebrity little brother is the one who’s truly young, okay? His face is full of collagen. I really want to pinch it.]
[Person above, your thoughts are very dangerous. Film Emperor Lu is watching you.]
Ma Liqing patted Du Ruosong’s shoulder and continued to address the group, “I touched the paper they made. It’s very high-grade paper. The content of the raw material, sandalwood bark, is over 80%. The history of their papermaking must be very long.”
Zhao Yue also eagerly spoke up, “We moved half a room’s worth of paintings out to dry in the sun until our backs ached. Only then did the villagers tell us that almost everyone in Luoshui Village knows how to paint.”
He then stated his own idea, “I guess Luoshui Village makes a living from painting, relying on their painting skills to support themselves. Those who can’t paint engage in papermaking and brush making.”
Du Ruosong had a sudden realization. “I thought it was papermaking before, but I didn’t expect their main business to be painting. Not bad, Xiao Yue.”
Old Sir Ma Liqing also nodded slightly.
Zhao Yue was secretly quite pleased. “Not at all, not at all. It was just a random guess.”
“Excessive modesty is just another form of pride,” Du Ruosong said with a smile.
[Hahahahahahaha, Zhao Yue finally gets to hold his head high for once. I saw him sneak a smile!]
[The non-celebrity little brother couldn’t figure it out? It was pretty easy to guess. To be outdone by Zhao Yue… If he were really an academic ace, he wouldn’t even have to think, right?]
[He never said he was an academic ace. Weren’t the netizens the ones who guessed that?]
[+1]
Suddenly, Ji Wei spoke.
“That’s not the answer—”
But Ji Wei had barely started when Zhao Yue interrupted him with a sour expression, “If not that, then what could it be?”
After speaking, he took his pen and scribbled the word “painting” on the card and handed it to the child.
“The origin of Luoshui Village should be related to the Ode to the Luo River Goddess,” Ji Wei said.
Zhao Yue laughed. “That clue doesn’t sound very useful. The village makes a living from painting, so isn’t it normal for it to have a name like that? It’s perfectly normal.”
“Young friend Zhao Yue has a point.”
Old Sir Ma Liqing also agreed with Zhao Yue’s view.
“As everyone knows, the original manuscript of the Ode to the Luo River Goddess is lost. The existing versions are only Song dynasty copies, and two of them are housed in the Palace Museum,” Ji Wei began.
“When I came over, I looked at the paintings drying in the threshing ground. By modern standards, they are only of average quality and wouldn’t sell for a high price, maybe not even enough to make ends meet. But they all faintly bear the shadow of famous paintings.”
“So I speculate that the villagers’ livelihood is not painting, but forgery—a complete industrial chain from papermaking, brush making, and painting to even aging the works.”
“And most importantly—” Ji Wei tapped his temple, “the production team has been leading us to think about painting. The answer that’s laid out in the open is definitely not the correct one. Why even… consider it?”
This was an experience he had accumulated from playing puzzle games.
[Holy crap! I love this line of thinking. Little brother, are you looking for a girlfriend!!!]
[The face-slapping may be delayed, but it will never be absent @Zhao Yue]
[I declare that from today onwards, I am the little brother’s girlfriend fan! He’s so charismatic when he speaks!]
[Am I the only one who cares about the ‘as everyone knows, the original manuscript of the Ode to the Luo River Goddess is lost’ part… I’m sorry, I don’t deserve to be a person!]
[Why do I feel like I’m watching a game stream? Huh, this tone is strangely familiar.]
Du Ruosong was so impressed that he couldn’t help but ask Lu Shenxing, who was beside him, “How is he so smart? Does he usually eat a lot of brain-boosting things like walnuts and peanuts?”
Lu Shenxing’s gaze was fixed on Ji Wei as he said lazily, “Because—”
This could be interesting.
So Du Ruosong listened attentively, even preparing to take notes.
“He’s my person.”
Du Ruosong: “…We’re just teammates, okay!”