Page 21

...It seemed Gu Jiuque's talent for learning was not as outrageous as they had imagined!

As a graduate student in Jingzhou University's cultural heritage program, Fang Zhimiao had always considered himself a genius. While still in graduate school, he had earned an internship at the Jingzhou Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau through his own efforts. After joining the Cultural Heritage Management Bureau, he had actively participated in the restoration of various large-scale ancient architectural projects. At such a young age, he was already a highly experienced restorer of ancient buildings.

Fang Zhimiao had always believed he was a practical genius. That was why he looked down on a spoiled rich kid like Gu Jiuque, who threw his family's weight around. When Gu Jiuque assigned work, he had deliberately provoked him, hoping to curb Gu Jiuque's bossy arrogance and make him back down in the face of difficulty.

Yet he had never expected that although Gu Jiuque did not know CAD drafting, his fundamentals and learning ability would be outrageously impressive. Not only could he sketch architectural structural drawings freehand without any tools at all, but the drawings he produced were even more precise and beautiful than the models they created using all kinds of measuring and drafting tools. And he had learned CAD drafting in just one afternoon...

The talent and ability he had been so proud of had been completely outclassed and crushed. Even more astonishingly, Gu Jiuque was younger than him—he had not even started university yet!

Realizing this, Fang Zhimiao felt both admiration and shame. Around him, the equally young restorers were also passing around Gu Jiuque's hand-drawn structural plans for the Gu Family Mansion, as well as the Western Wing reconstruction notes he had carefully organized, their emotions just as complicated.

Their thought processes were much the same as Fang Zhimiao's. To pass the Jingzhou Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau's examination at such an age and become professional restorers of ancient buildings, regardless of their fields of study or backgrounds, they were undoubtedly the cream of the crop. People like them were generally proud and would not be easily won over by anyone else.

Thus, in the original novel, when these people realized that Bai Yuesheng had no relevant knowledge of cultural relic appraisal and had only made wild guesses to steal the limelight at the Antique Appraisal Tournament, they stood up one after another to question him. They believed Bai Yuesheng must have cheated by some means in order to pass so smoothly. Yet Bai Yuesheng, who had intercepted the Gu family heirloom and gained the supernatural ability to appraise antiques, viciously humiliated them.

To highlight the dazzling moments of the universally adored male lead, the original novel described how Bai Yuesheng could not even be bothered to explain himself when questioned. He merely pointed casually at every glowing cultural relic in the venue and retorted brazenly, "I really don't know anything about appraising cultural relics, but the Antique Appraisal Tournament only requires contestants to pick out the genuine items within the allotted time, doesn't it? Right now, based on my intuition, I'm guessing that these, these, and these are all genuine. If I get even one wrong, I lose. I'll withdraw from the competition voluntarily. But if I get every single one right, I want all of you to apologize to me! And pin your apology statements to the top of every social media platform! And voluntarily withdraw from the Antique Appraisal Tournament!"

...The result was obvious. The lucky, universally adored protagonist did not need any real knowledge at all; he simply crushed the "clowns who only knew how to envy and resent others" with his cheat ability. The minor cannon fodder characters, full of genuine expertise but without any cheats, could only slink away in defeat at the feet of the universally adored male lead, becoming stepping stones that "forged Bai Yuesheng's halo as a genius antique appraiser."

And because they had repeatedly targeted Bai Yuesheng during the Antique Appraisal Tournament, they had angered his admirers. After the tournament, every one of them, without exception, suffered retaliation from Bai Yuesheng's admirers. Not only were they cursed out on every social media platform by Bai Yuesheng's fans and the paid trolls hired by his admirers, but they were also ostracized by their schools and workplaces in real life. In the end, they had no choice but to leave school or resign in disgrace, some even leaving the city. The more serious cases committed suicide to apologize for their crimes. Even after death, they were cursed for wasting land resources.

The scene shifted. The proud restorers who had likewise looked down on Gu Jiuque had all transformed into the most obedient fans and expert flatterers after realizing that Gu Jiuque's talent and ability truly surpassed theirs. They crowded around Gu Jiuque, begging him to teach them how to draw such beautiful architectural structural plans without drafting tools.

"Great Master Gu! Great Master Jiuque! Please, magnanimous master, don't hold it against a mere mortal like me." Fang Zhimiao, the first to question Gu Jiuque, stretched out his paws and shamelessly began kneading Gu Jiuque's shoulders and thumping his back. "Could I borrow these Western Wing restoration notes and make a copy?"

He genuinely wanted to use those restoration notes to seriously study Gu Jiuque's logic and thought process regarding ancient building restoration.

"I want one too! Me too!" The others raised their hands to make their positions known.

One of them, a baby-faced female restorer with a ponytail, boldly raised her hand. "Great Master, if you're willing to teach me drafting, I swear I'll give myself to you!"

That really wasn't necessary!

Gu Jiuque immediately said, "We're all around the same age. We can talk things out properly. Whatever you want to learn, I can teach you—as long as I know it. And if there are things I don't understand, I hope you'll teach me as well. We can exchange knowledge and learn from each other... There's no need to offer yourself to me."

Seeing Gu Jiuque put on such a mature air, everyone could not help laughing. "How old are you? You're an eighteen-year-old brat. You're not the same age as us. We're all in our twenties, and we've already graduated from grad school!"

Fang Zhimiao shot the baby-faced ponytailed girl a sidelong look and mocked, "Exactly! Exactly! So certain people should stop trying to rob the cradle!"

The baby-faced girl flew into a rage and slapped the back of Fang Zhimiao's head. "What business is it of yours? I'm willing!"

Fang Zhimiao clutched his head and groaned. "See? See? I told you! You're so violent, the great master definitely won't like you!"

The baby-faced girl's almond eyes widened. "Fang Zhimiao, are you tired of living?"

Fang Zhimiao covered his head and scurried away like a rat, shrieking, "I'm not wrong! Just look at how the great master is prettier than you. How could he possibly like someone as wild as you?"

The baby-faced girl was truly enraged. Rolling up her sleeves, she chased after him. The two began roughhousing around everyone. The baby-faced girl's face had gone pale with anger. "Am I really that awful?"

Before anyone else could speak, Gu Jiuque said gently, "It's not your problem. I just don't like girls. We're the wrong gender combination, so we can't date."