Soon, Deng Zixin came out dressed and ready. She looked bold and stylish in black leather boots, black shorts, and a black leather jacket, with a red GUCCI purse slung over her shoulder.
After locking the door and going downstairs, Deng Zixin opened the garage. A brand-new white Audi R8 sat inside, gleaming.
Chen Zhao clicked his tongue inwardly. It looked like Deng Zixin had gotten another new car. Every few weeks or month or so, she switched cars, and none of them cost less than a million yuan. Chen Zhao suspected that, besides being a landlady, she moonlighted as a car dealership owner—or perhaps she had a boyfriend who owned a dealership.
They got in and fastened their seat belts.
"You're in for a treat. My dad's treating you to dinner at Qilin Mansion tonight." Deng Zixin put on her sunglasses and stomped on the accelerator. The car roared into motion.
......
Qilin Mansion.
This was an upscale restaurant by the river, a postmodern building of glass and gray concrete, with lush osmanthus trees planted around it. The parking lot was full of luxury cars. Since the average meal here cost over ten thousand yuan, ordinary people couldn't afford to come.
On the east side of the restaurant was the private room called "Coral Hall."
It was a particularly luxurious private room. It was called Coral Hall because a half-meter-tall coral tree stood on the dining table, air-freighted from the Great Barrier Reef. That single coral tree was worth as much as a small sports car.
Deng Tiejun wore a white tai chi uniform and a long beard. He sat at the table with an air of otherworldly serenity.
Beside Deng Tiejun sat two bespectacled old men in plain clothes. They looked like professors or old-fashioned scholars.
"Old Deng, why hasn't that author, Chen Zhao, arrived yet?" one of them asked.
"Don't rush, Old Mu. He should be here soon. It's not even dinnertime yet," Deng Tiejun said with a smile.
"Chen Zhao may not know the two of us are the ones who want to meet him, but even if he's coming to see you, he shouldn't be this late, should he? He's a junior, yet he's keeping calligraphy and painting master Deng Tiejun waiting. What kind of behavior is that?" The other old man frowned, looking rather displeased.
"Why are you getting worked up too, Old Ma? You can't blame Mr. Chen. It's my daughter's fault. After all, Mr. Chen's riding here with her." Deng Tiejun chuckled. "You two watched my girl grow up. You know what she's like. When has she ever been punctual?"
The two old men, called Old Mu and Old Ma, sighed. They had indeed watched Deng Zixin grow up, and she was practically like a daughter to them. There was nothing they could do about her chronic lateness.
All they could do was wait.
A few minutes later, the door was suddenly flung open. Deng Zixin hurried in, with Chen Zhao following behind her.
"About time!" Deng Tiejun beamed at the sight of his daughter, grinning like a child.
Chen Zhao was at a loss. He'd thought only one old man would be waiting, so he could simply greet Uncle Deng. He hadn't expected three of them. How was he supposed to address them?
Fortunately, Deng Zixin introduced them right away. "This is my dad, Deng Tiejun, the calligrapher and painter. You know that."
Chen Zhao hurriedly said, "Hello, Uncle Deng!"
"This is my dad's friend, Mu Tianque. He's an expert on ancient artifacts and studies all kinds of antiques. He's well known in the country. He used to work at Peking University and the Forbidden City, but he's retired now and runs his own antique exchange, appraising antiques for people." Deng Zixin pointed to the old man beside her.
Chen Zhao thought the man's name sounded like some sect patriarch from a fantasy novel. He hurriedly greeted him. "Hello, Uncle Mu!"
"This is my dad's friend, Ma Qingtian. He's a historian and a literary scholar. He used to teach at Wuhan University and Fudan University, but he's retired now too," Deng Zixin said, introducing the last man.
Chen Zhao said, "Hello, Uncle Ma!"
Mu Tianque and Ma Qingtian both nodded and smiled kindly. "Hello, young man."
Deng Tiejun glanced at the door, then looked at his daughter. "Has Mr. Chen Zhao not arrived yet? This handsome young fellow... is he Mr. Chen's son?"
Mu Tianque and Ma Qingtian also asked curiously, "Yes, where's Mr. Chen?"
Deng Zixin paused, then nudged Chen Zhao. "Isn't he right here?"
The three old men froze. They looked from Chen Zhao to Deng Zixin, seeming unable to process what she'd said.
All three were deeply knowledgeable about traditional culture. They had read the classical essay "Exhortation to Learning" in the newspaper and figured its author had to be an expert in ancient culture. Then they heard that Deng Zixin knew the author, so they'd quickly suggested having dinner together. They wanted to befriend such an impressive person and discuss academic matters with him in the future.
All three had assumed that anyone capable of writing an essay like "Exhortation to Learning" had to be a middle-aged or elderly scholar. But there was no such scholar in sight—only a high school senior. They instinctively assumed he was Chen Zhao's son, tagging along for a free meal.
Deng Zixin rubbed her temples, seemingly exasperated by the three old men's slowness. "I told you, this handsome young fellow is Chen Zhao! The essay you saw in the Baicheng Times was written by him! Chen Zhao is him, and he is Chen Zhao. Got it?"
The three old men stared in disbelief. This young man was actually the author of "Exhortation to Learning"?
So young?
How could that be possible?
It was complete nonsense!
"Preposterous! How could a brat possibly have written an essay like 'Exhortation to Learning'?" Mu Tianque was the first to get angry.
"Zixin, stop teasing us old bones. Mr. Chen hasn't arrived yet, has he?" Ma Qingtian asked.
"My dear girl, I asked you to bring Mr. Chen here, so you need to make sure you bring him in. Did he go to the restroom or park the car or something? Go wait for him! Making him find his own way in would be terribly inhospitable, wouldn't it?" Deng Tiejun frowned too.
Deng Zixin had no choice. She pulled out a chair for Chen Zhao. "Sit."
Then she pulled out a chair beside him and plopped down carelessly. She snapped her fingers, and a server hurried over.
"Everyone's here. Bring out the food," Deng Zixin said.
The server immediately went to tell the kitchen to start serving.
Chen Zhao saw all three old men watching him with suspicious looks and knew they still didn't believe him. He smiled and explained, "Uncles, 'Exhortation to Learning' really is my humble work. I didn't write it all in one go; I spent a long time revising and polishing it. I've always been fond of writing classical Chinese. As it happened, the essay fit the exam question, and after I wrote it, my teacher submitted it for publication."
Chen Zhao had lied. It wasn't very plausible to claim he'd dashed off a timeless classic like "Exhortation to Learning" in one sitting, so he said he'd spent a long time revising and polishing it.
But after Chen Zhao explained, the three old men furrowed their brows even more.
Clearly, they still didn't believe Chen Zhao had written the essay.
"Chen Zhao, tell the truth. Who wrote this essay?" Mu Tianque demanded sharply.
Before you continue