Chapter 33: You Are Cheating

"Chen Fan, what is it that you wish for me to do for you?" Instructor Liu asked, looking at Chen Fan with curiosity.

Instructor Liu was not in the least bit offended by Chen Fan's request. It was not only because of Chen Fan's talent, but more importantly, because Chen Fan gave him an indescribable feeling. He had never encountered such a unique young man before.

"I hope that you, sir, might help me sell my storybooks in the capital," Chen Fan said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Instructor Liu looked at Chen Fan in astonishment. He had initially assumed that Chen Fan would beg for his assistance in gaining admission to the Imperial Academy, and he had already prepared himself to grant such a request. He had never expected Chen Fan to ask for help selling books.

The surrounding crowd was extremely curious about what had been said, but they were too far away to hear anything clearly.

Noticing the look of shock on Instructor Liu's face, Chen Fan quickly added, "Please rest assured, I would not have you do this for nothing. I will give you thirty percent of the profits."

This idea had been carefully considered by Chen Fan. The sales of his books in the small county of Dongyang would reach saturation in a few days, and the meager earnings were not enough to satisfy his goals, so he needed to expand his market. Where else would the market be larger than in the capital? Furthermore, having an esteemed figure like Instructor Liu sell them personally would be equivalent to an endorsement from the Imperial Academy; who would dare not buy them then?

"Just this?" Instructor Liu asked, still somewhat skeptical.

"That is correct. This is my only request. If you agree, sir, I shall provide the matching line for the couplet immediately," Chen Fan said, looking at Instructor Liu with anticipation.

Seeing that expectant gaze, a hint of disappointment flickered in Instructor Liu's heart. How could someone so gifted be willing to engage in such a lowly trade?

"Very well, I agree. I will not take your commission; I shall sell them for you free of charge," Instructor Liu nodded.

Upon hearing this, it was Chen Fan's turn to be stunned. No share of the profits and help selling for free? Could such a good thing exist in this world? This old man must have another motive. Chen Fan wore an expression of disbelief.

Seeing this, Instructor Liu guessed what Chen Fan was thinking and gave a helpless smile. "Your storybook is exceptionally well-written. I like it very much. Even if you hadn't asked, I would have recommended it to my colleagues and students at the Imperial Academy anyway."

Hearing this, Chen Fan finally realized that the old man was also a fan of his work. This revelation dispelled Chen Fan's concerns, and a brilliant smile immediately spread across his face.

This left Zhao Hongwei and Chen Hao, who were watching from below, feeling very curious about what favor Instructor Liu had granted to Chen Fan.

"I am deeply grateful to you, Instructor. I shall now provide the matching line," Chen Fan said, bowing to Instructor Liu.

"Ahem, ahem."

Chen Fan turned to face the assembled students and cleared his throat. Seeing this, the surrounding students immediately fell silent, all looking at Chen Fan with intense curiosity. Could this poor boy really match such a difficult couplet?

"My matching line is: Gazing at the River Pavilion, gazing at the river flowing; gazing at the River Pavilion, we gaze at the river flowing. The river pavilion stands through the ages, the river flows through the ages," Chen Fan said with a calm demeanor.

Although Chen Fan remained composed, the students below, including Instructor Liu, were anything but. Everyone present carefully mulled over the line Chen Fan had just spoken, their eyes widening in astonishment the more they thought about it. They had not expected him to actually succeed.

"A perfect match! Truly a perfect match!" Instructor Liu exclaimed excitedly, repeating himself. This top line had troubled him for quite some time, but any matching line he could think of was either lacking in parallel structure or lacked elegance. He simply could not conceive of a flawless response. Hearing Chen Fan's line, he found it perfect in both symmetry and elegance.

"The young master is truly amazing!" the two sisters chirped excitedly. They were the happiest of all, their eyes filled with pure adoration.

Beside them, Su Wenqi also wore a look of excitement. She had not imagined that Chen Fan could actually provide such a difficult match. "I wonder what else he is capable of," she thought to herself.

In contrast to their joy, the expressions on the faces of Zhao Hongwei and Chen Hao were incredibly unsightly. Neither of them had expected Chen Fan to succeed. Consequently, Chen Fan had stolen the limelight at this Talent Assembly, while they had both lost all face.

"You... how could you possibly match it? Someone must have told you beforehand. You cheated!"

"That's right, someone must have tipped you off. Otherwise, how could a poor boy like you possibly guess it?" the two men said, refusing to believe their eyes.

Seeing their expressions, Chen Fan was not angry; instead, the smile on his face deepened. "Since you believe I cheated on this line, I shall provide another," Chen Fan said with a laugh.

At these words, everyone present was stunned. Even Instructor Liu looked at Chen Fan with an expression of disbelief. Could Chen Fan really provide yet another matching line?

"Meeting at the Poetry Pavilion, meeting the poets; meeting at the Poetry Pavilion, we meet the poets. The poetry pavilion shall endure forever, the poets shall endure forever."

"How is this matching line?" Chen Fan asked, looking at the two with a smile.

The crowd fell silent, all staring at Chen Fan as if he were a monster. Another perfect match! How on earth did he come up with these?

"Are you still not satisfied? Then I shall provide one more," Chen Fan said with an air of indifference. His tone was so casual, as if the task presented no difficulty at all and he could rattle them off at will.

The people below stared at him with mouths agape. Could he really provide another? Three perfect matches in a row?

"Reading in the pavilion, listening to the sound of reading; reading in the pavilion, we listen to the sound of reading. The reading pavilion shall last for ten thousand years, the sound of reading shall last for ten thousand years."

"Will this do?" Chen Fan asked with a smile.

By now, no one spoke. Everyone looked at Chen Fan with eyes full of worship. This was an incredibly difficult couplet, yet not only had Chen Fan matched it, but he had provided three perfect, absolute matches in succession. For the students, "astonishment" no longer sufficed to describe the feeling.

Zhao Hongwei and Chen Hao were left speechless. Instructor Liu looked at Chen Fan with pleasant surprise. With these three perfect matches from Chen Fan, the remaining segments of the Talent Assembly seemed rather dull in comparison. Everyone at the assembly would remember Chen Fan's name. After the event, he was the primary subject of everyone's discussions. It could be said that Chen Fan had completely stolen the show.

The next day.

Chen Fan was still fast asleep, holding the two sisters, when a series of urgent knocks sounded at the door.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Young Master Fan, something terrible has happened!" came Guo Hua's anxious voice.

Chen Fan frowned as he got up to open the door. "Why are you bothering me so early in the morning instead of out there storytelling or selling books to make money? Do you know that disturbing someone's sleep is..."

Before he could finish the word "dead," he swallowed it back. He saw that Guo Hua was covered in bruises and injuries, clearly having just been beaten.

"What happened?" Chen Fan asked with a grave expression, knowing that something significant had gone wrong.