"Professor Bai, distinguished experts, Chen Yang's painting of a lady is virtually flawless in terms of both structure and brushwork. What's even more remarkable is the overall natural freshness of the work; the flowing skirts of the figures exude an ancient charm. Although it employs traditional Chinese painting techniques, it possesses a strong sense of realism, making it truly exceptional!" Liu Guangya's high praise for Chen Yang's work from the outset surprised everyone present.
Even Master Bai Yan raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at Liu Guangya with surprise. Just moments before, Liu Guangya had been the most opposed to awarding Chen Yang the gold medal; why was he now praising him?
Everyone watched Liu Guangya quietly, knowing he would inevitably say "but." Sure enough, after successfully capturing everyone's attention, Liu Guangya immediately changed the subject, saying:
"But, don't you all think it's too perfect? This painting has masterful brushwork and a beautiful artistic conception. If you didn't see the signature, I think most of you would consider it a masterpiece. Experts, think about it, is it possible for such a work to come from the hand of a college student in his early twenties? Especially the signature characters—each one is ancient and profound, giving a sense of understated mastery. It's impossible to write such characters without decades of immersion!"
Liu Guangya's words immediately caused a stir, and the experts began to whisper among themselves. Upon hearing this, He Ping's face immediately showed displeasure:
"Dean Liu, so you mean Chen Yang cheated?"
Liu Guangya smiled faintly and said:
"I didn't say that, but as far as I know, this competition is open to submissions, meaning there's a lack of oversight. Theoretically, this painting could be from anyone... By the way, Chairman He is renowned for his paintings of ladies; you should be the most qualified to speak on this."
This was a veiled attack; Liu Guangya was subtly implying that the painting might have been done by He Ping. Considering He Ping's earlier high praise for the work, many experts who had initially sided with He Ping showed hesitation.
He Ping's face flushed red with anger. Because he was skilled at painting ladies, he was acutely aware of the excellence of Chen Yang's work. His strong recommendation of Chen Yang was entirely out of genuine appreciation for the work, without any personal bias. Unexpectedly, Liu Guangya made unfounded accusations, implying that He Ping had accepted bribes to ghostwrite for Chen Yang. This was undoubtedly a great insult to a scholar who valued integrity and reputation above all else.
He Ping slammed his fist on the table, glaring angrily at Liu Guangya, and shouted:
"Everyone here knows my character perfectly well. I would never do such a despicable thing as ghostwriting! Dean Liu, you must take responsibility for what you've said. I can sue you for defamation!"
Liu Guangya remained calm despite He Ping's fury. He was determined to help Yan Huiming win the gold medal, and He Ping, who strongly supported Chen Yang, was skilled at painting portraits of women. He had no choice but to force a connection in that direction, even if it offended He Ping, since the two belonged to different systems and didn't interact much. Then Liu Guangya said sarcastically,
"President He, I never said you used a ghostwriter! You're the one who's jumping to conclusions!"
"You…" He Ping was speechless. He was a typical scholar, deeply immersed in his studies. In terms of eloquence, he was nowhere near the same level as Liu Guangya, who was in charge of the daily work of the calligraphy and painting academy and constantly engaged in external social interactions. He had easily been swayed by Liu Guangya.
"Alright! What kind of commotion is this? People will laugh at us." Master Baiyan, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up when he saw the two arguing. "This matter is quite simple. I think we should have these two youngsters each create a piece on the spot, and then we can all judge it again!"
In fact, Master Baiyan had a keen eye and could naturally see clues in Chen Yang's work, especially the signature. No matter how well Chen Yang concealed it, he couldn't escape Master Baiyan's eyes. He knew it was indeed the work of a young man. However, Master Baiyan was also quite interested in Chen Yang and, showing a fondness for his talent, wanted him to create a piece on the spot so he could personally examine it.
As soon as Master Baiyan spoke, the experts present fell silent. The old man's authority was formidable; his words were considered golden rules by the experts. He Ping naturally had no objections, and Liu Guangya dared not raise any objections. Besides, he himself was increasingly convinced that Chen Yang had likely had someone else paint the work, as the quality of the painting of the lady was simply too high.
However, the assistant director in charge of on-site coordination looked troubled. After all, the competition's procedures had been arranged in advance, and the various departments had even rehearsed them beforehand. Changing the procedures at the last minute, if anything went wrong, he wouldn't be able to explain it to the stage leaders. After all, Secretary Fang of the Provincial Party Committee was present today; if something went wrong, it would be incredibly embarrassing.
But Master Baiyan's next sentence immediately dispelled the assistant director's concerns.
Master Baiyan said, "A live competition needs a prize! Here's what we'll do: this suggestion is mine, and I'll provide the prize. The child who wins will become my disciple!"
Upon hearing this, the assistant director immediately and excitedly replied, "Yes, yes! I'll go arrange it right away!"
He then rushed out of the meeting room. Having worked in the industry for many years, the assistant director immediately realized that Master Baiyan's words were a huge publicity stunt. If handled well, it would be a tremendous boost to both the television station's ratings and the brand of the calligraphy and painting competition. Master Baiyan hadn't taken on any disciples for years, and today he was actually doing it live! Even if it was just a nominal disciple, it was still a significant event! Therefore, as soon as he left the meeting room, he went straight to the station director to report the matter. Minister Hao of the Publicity Department is the top leader of the provincial TV station, and Secretary Fang Hongda is the top official of the provincial party committee. With both of them attending today's event, the station director naturally dared not neglect their duties and personally oversaw the proceedings, fearing any mishaps. Therefore, the assistant director approached him immediately.
Upon hearing the assistant director's report, the station director's eyes lit up, and he rattled off a string of words:
"Excellent! Immediately notify all department heads to come here for a short meeting… um, you won't attend this meeting. Start working on the on-site preparations now, and make sure there are zero errors!"
Thus, with Master Bai Yan's casual remark, the provincial TV staff busied themselves. Although it was just a small adjustment to the schedule, it involved coordinating lighting, props, hosts, cameramen, and many other tasks.
After assigning the tasks, the station director didn't rest either. He strode to the VIP section, whispered a few words to Minister Hao of the Publicity Department, and quietly reported this last-minute change to his superiors. Minister Hao, upon hearing this, took it very seriously and personally stood up to report to Provincial Party Secretary Fang Hongda.
Fang Hongda, after listening, smiled and said:
"That's excellent! Elder Bai is highly respected; you should respect his opinion. Old Hao, witnessing Elder Bai accepting disciples firsthand, it seems our trip today wasn't in vain!"
"Yes, Secretary! I wholeheartedly agree with your opinion! This will greatly promote the brand building of the college calligraphy and painting competition!" Minister Hao echoed with a smile.
The student audience below the stage, however, was unaware of these changes. They were simply puzzled by the prolonged delay in announcing the results. The closed-door meeting was supposed to last ten minutes, but nearly twenty minutes had passed, and the event hadn't resumed. The host interacting with the audience had changed; the original host, Bai Xue, had been called away to a meeting to arrange the on-site competition.
Finally, as everyone began whispering and speculating, host Bai Xue walked onto the stage with a beaming smile, and the various units quickly took their positions, and the live broadcast continued. Bai Xue said:
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting! The expert judging panel has just finished its closed-door meeting. The fact that it took so long shows that these final ten works are all exceptionally excellent, making it difficult even for the experts to choose!"
A knowing laugh rippled through the audience. Bai Xue paused appropriately, then continued:
"Just a few minutes ago, the judging panel made a significant decision. What was it? Please allow me to keep you in suspense for now. Let's give a warm round of applause to Minister Hao Xueqin of the Southeast Provincial Party Committee Propaganda Department to announce some of the winning works for this calligraphy and painting competition. Minister Hao will also reveal the judging panel's decision!"
Thunderous applause erupted. Minister Hao, smiling, strode confidently onto the stage. Bai Xue's emphasis on the word "some" during her presentation had fueled much speculation.
Lü Qiushi frowned slightly, thinking: "According to past practice, the gold, silver, and bronze awards are usually announced immediately after the closed-door expert meeting! Why is it still only 'some' awards this time?" And the judging panel made a "major decision"? What exactly happened?
Amidst everyone's anticipation, Minister Hao Xueqin opened the envelope in his hand and spoke into the microphone:
"Now, I'd like to announce the students who won the bronze medal in this calligraphy and painting competition. They are: Zheng Xiaoxuan from Southeast Normal University, Shen Tu Fan from Rongcheng University..."
Seven students won bronze medals in total. Upon hearing this, the audience was immediately filled with mixed emotions. Lü Qiushi felt a surge of joy. Rongcheng University had three students who made it to the top ten, and now only Shen Tu Fan had won a bronze medal, meaning Chen Yang and Su He had both entered the top three. This was no easy feat; after all, Rongcheng University only won one silver medal last year, with nothing else.
This year, not only would they have one bronze medal, but they would also be able to win at least two silver medals, perhaps even one gold and one silver. Lü Qiushi was extremely grateful that he had personally attended the calligraphy and painting club that day; otherwise, Chen Yang's work might have been rejected outright by Shen Tu Liang, and he wouldn't even have had a chance to participate.
Meanwhile, Hu Lizhong, Dean of the School of Arts at Southeast Normal University, wore a dark expression, clearly frustrated. Two of the top three spots went to Fuzhou University, and Hu Lizhong couldn't possibly be happy. However, he felt a sliver of comfort: Yan Huiming, their only remaining student, was their top pick. If Yan Huiming won the gold medal, Southeast Normal University would still have the upper hand over Fuzhou University this year, even if they won two silver medals. The weight of a gold medal and a silver medal were completely different.
After announcing the bronze award, Minister Hao immediately unfolded another sheet of paper, glanced at it, and then said with a smile:
"Now I announce that Su He from Rongcheng University has won the silver award in this competition for her calligraphy work 'Dian Jiang Chun'!"
After speaking, Minister Hao paused, seeing that the audience, especially the instructors, were craning their necks waiting for him to announce the other results, and couldn't help but smile, waving the paper in his hand and saying:
"You don't need to look at me anymore, this paper only has this one line written on it. You must be wondering why the gold award winner and the other silver award winner weren't announced on the spot? This involves..." "And now for the momentous decision the expert panel just made!"
After saying this, Minister Hao glanced around, whetting everyone's appetite, before continuing:
"The two remaining works are both outstanding, each with its own strengths, making it difficult for the expert judging panel to choose. Therefore, the experts have decided to hold an impromptu competition, allowing the two students to create an impromptu piece on the spot, and the judges will decide the gold and silver awards based on their performance!"
Minister Hao's words immediately sparked a buzz of discussion among the audience. No one had expected this year's competition to be so fierce, necessitating an impromptu competition to determine the winner.
Dean Hu Lizhong of the Southeast Normal University's School of Art gave a deep look at Lü Qiushi beside him. He hadn't expected Rongda University to have such a strong contender this year. He had thought Yan Huiming was a sure thing for the gold award, but Rongda University had produced such a powerful student who had even the experts struggling to choose, meaning his skill level was at least comparable to Yan Huiming's. No one noticed that Minister Hao hadn't used the phrase "major decision" in his speech; everyone assumed the additional competition was the expert panel's major decision.
Minister Hao didn't clarify, but waited until the murmurs in the audience subsided before smilingly saying:
"The TV crew just informed me that while the expert panel made this decision, Master Baiyan also announced that the winner of the additional competition will be accepted as his disciple!"
This was the real "major decision from the expert panel"!
Minister Hao's words exploded like a bombshell in the audience. A collective gasp of surprise followed, and then a murmur of discussion filled the room.
This news was astonishing!
Master Baiyan hadn't accepted any disciples since he was seventy, not even as disciples. His graduate students at Yenching University were merely his students, not his disciples.
To become Master Baiyan's disciple was like embarking on a shortcut to becoming an artist! Not only the students, but even the instructors and school leaders were filled with envy. Lü Qiushi was especially so; he had been fortunate enough to receive guidance from Master Baiyan, benefiting immensely throughout his life. At this moment, he even wished he could take Chen Yang's place in the competition!
Chen Yang was also shocked upon hearing this news. If he won that tiebreaker, he could become his teacher's disciple again?
"Perhaps this is fate! Our teacher-student bond from my past life hasn't ended, and in this life, the god of fate has brought us together again, to rekindle our teacher-student relationship!" Chen Yang thought to himself.
He hadn't even considered the outcome of the tiebreaker, because for Chen Yang, it was completely irrelevant…