"Teacher Youyouzi, a friend of mine loves calligraphy too. I showed him your work, and he'd like to commission a piece."
More business?
Wang Xiaoliang perked up. "Sure! What would he like me to write?"
The buyer soon sent over a document containing a few lines of classical poetry about gratitude and encounters.
"My friend wants to thank an elder for helping him along. Which line do you think would be best?"
Wang Xiaoliang looked at the document, but another face came to mind.
Vice President Song Yi.
He replied to the buyer in Qingdao, recommending "Repay a Peach with Jade" and explaining its meaning. The buyer was delighted and promptly sent another three-hundred-yuan red packet.
Wang Xiaoliang accepted the money, but his thoughts had already drifted elsewhere.
From a pile of finished calligraphy, he pulled out the sheet bearing "The Way Follows Nature."
It was a discarded attempt he'd written for the Qingdao client, but it was also his personal favorite. The brushwork was powerful, its spirit effortlessly harmonious, with an indescribable air of freedom.
He felt those four characters suited Vice President Song Yi's temperament perfectly.
He rolled up the piece, carefully wrapped it in newspaper, then slipped it into a plastic bag.
Once he had finished, he checked the time. Three in the afternoon.
Principal Song should be in his office at this hour.
Carrying the inexpensive "gift" that nevertheless held all his sincerity, he headed toward the Administration Building.
"Knock, knock, knock."
He knocked on the door of Vice President Song Yi's office.
"Come in."
Wang Xiaoliang pushed open the door. Wearing reading glasses, Song Yi was bent over his desk, marking up some documents. At the sound, he looked up and seemed a little surprised to see Wang Xiaoliang.
But that surprise was quickly replaced by professional warmth.
"Ah, Wang Xiaoliang. Sit down, sit down."
Song Yi stood and pointed to the chair opposite him, then personally picked up a thermos, poured Wang Xiaoliang a cup of water, and set it on the coffee table before him.
Everything was smooth, warm, and attentive, yet Wang Xiaoliang sensed an invisible barrier.
It was too formal.
"What can I do for you?" Song Yi returned to his seat and leaned forward slightly, assuming an attentive posture.
Wang Xiaoliang's heart sank.
He knew that posture all too well. It was the standard pose of a leader preparing to hear a subordinate's report or resolve a student's problem.
Song Yi thought he had come to ask for a favor.
He thought Wang Xiaoliang wanted him, as vice principal, to use the last of his connections and influence to help secure his future after graduation.
An indescribable heat rose to his cheeks.
He felt like someone who had carefully prepared a gift, only to be mistaken for a beggar at the door.
He hurriedly stood and held out the paper roll.
"Principal Song, I... I came to give you this."
Song Yi did not take it. He merely glanced at the object in Wang Xiaoliang's hands, then at Wang Xiaoliang himself.
His gaze was calm, yet Wang Xiaoliang felt as though he had been seen through completely.
"Wang Xiaoliang, I appreciate the thought, but take it back."
Song Yi's tone was matter-of-fact.
"I'm an old man about to retire. I don't have much say at the college anymore, and there's nothing I can help you with. You young people have to make your own way in life."
There wasn't a single harsh word in it.
It even sounded like earnest encouragement.
But Wang Xiaoliang felt worse than if he had been insulted to his face.
His genuine sincerity had been mistaken for a dirty transaction, a cheap attempt to curry favor.
Blood rushed to his head, and his fingers trembled slightly as he clenched the paper roll.
"Principal Song! You've misunderstood!"
Wang Xiaoliang's voice tightened with emotion.
"I'm not here to ask you for a favor! I came... I came to thank you!"
"Thank you for the advice you gave me, and for protecting Li Jun when that happened."
He placed the paper roll on the coffee table and pushed it toward Song Yi.
"It's calligraphy I wrote myself. It isn't worth a penny. It's just a small token of my gratitude."
With that, he turned to leave.
"Is that so?"
Song Yi stood, walked over to the coffee table, and picked up the roll.
"Then let's open it and have a look."
Wang Xiaoliang hurried over, and together they slowly unrolled the rice paper across the broad desk.
"The Way Follows Nature."
The four large characters flowed with bold, sweeping strokes and rich ink, radiating strength and an unrestrained spirit.
Song Yi's gaze settled on the writing and stayed there for a long time.
"Excellent!"
After a long silence, Song Yi uttered that single word.
"Excellent calligraphy!"
He turned to Wang Xiaoliang, and the smile on his face finally became genuine and gentle.
"I'll accept this gift."
At last, Wang Xiaoliang could breathe easy.
Song Yi lightly ran a finger along the edges of the characters, as though feeling the texture left by the dried ink.
"Do you know where 'The Way Follows Nature' comes from?"
Wang Xiaoliang froze.
He really didn't know.
He had only heard it before.
Those four characters had been requested by the Qingdao client. He simply thought they looked impressive when written and suited Song Yi's quiet, unassertive temperament, so he had offered the piece as a gift.
A little embarrassed, he shook his head.
"No. I... I just thought those four characters suited you."
"Hahaha!"
Song Yi suddenly burst out laughing, his laughter echoing through the spacious office.
"You little rascal, you certainly know how to flatter someone! You've gone and put me on Laozi's level!"
Wang Xiaoliang grew even more embarrassed, his cheeks burning.
Once Song Yi had finished laughing, he pointed to the calligraphy and began explaining at a leisurely pace.
"'Man follows the earth, the earth follows heaven, heaven follows the Way, and the Way follows nature.' That line comes from Laozi's Tao Te Ching."
"It means that people should follow the earth, the earth should follow heaven, and heaven should follow the Way, while the Way operates naturally, without any human interference."
"It's the highest principle governing everything in the universe, the ultimate law. And you think it suits me? Hahaha! That's far more praise than I can possibly live up to."
The teasing in Song Yi's words left Wang Xiaoliang deeply embarrassed.
He felt like a fool showing off his swordsmanship before a master, exposing his ignorance to an expert.
Shame welled up inside him.
"Your calligraphy really is good, lad. It has strength and spirit." Song Yi patted his shoulder. "But technique alone isn't enough to write well. You have to understand what the words mean."
"Take 'The Way Follows Nature.' If all you're thinking about is making it forceful and imposing, you've already fallen short and lost the true meaning of 'nature.'"
"Trying too hard only makes it worse."
Those final words tapped gently against Wang Xiaoliang's heart.
Suddenly, everything became clear.
Yes, whether in calligraphy or in life, sometimes the harder you deliberately pursued something, the further you strayed from its true essence.
This benefactor, soon to retire, had taught him another lesson.
The graduation ceremony was only a day away.
Four years of university were about to come to an end.
That evening, just after Wang Xiaoliang finished showering, his phone screen lit up.
It was a WeChat message from Wei Zijin.
"Are you busy tomorrow evening?"
Wang Xiaoliang's heart began to race.
He replied immediately, "No."
Almost the instant he sent the message, her reply arrived.
"Let me treat you to dinner to celebrate our graduation."
"Sure."
It was a simple word, but Wang Xiaoliang typed and retyped it several times. Unable to think of anything else, he finally hit send.
He tossed his phone onto the bed, so happy he wanted to whistle.
Did this count as a date?
It probably did.
Just as he was bursting with delight, his phone vibrated again.
Thinking Wei Zijin had sent something else, he picked it up eagerly and looked.
Zhou Qiang.
"Xiaoliang, are you busy tomorrow evening? We're graduating, so let me treat you to dinner."
Wang Xiaoliang barely gave it a thought.
"I have plans. No time."
He typed the curt reply without hesitation and hit send.
He could even imagine Zhou Qiang's stunned expression when he read it.
Just like that, he had turned down dinner with a multimillionaire without a second thought.
It felt... pretty good, actually.
Not long after he put down his phone, the screen lit up again.
This time, it was Wei Zijin.
"Um... there's been a change of plans. Two more people will be joining us. Do you mind?"
Wang Xiaoliang smiled at the message.
As long as you're there, what does it matter how many people come?
"No problem with me," he replied.
But things never unfolded quite as he expected.
Wei Zijin had just replied with an "OK" sticker when another WeChat message from Zhou Qiang popped up.
"For dinner tomorrow night, I've invited you lovebirds. Wei Zijin has already agreed."
Lovebirds?
The word filled him with a sudden sense of happiness.
In an instant, he put all the pieces together.
The "friend" Wei Zijin had mentioned was Li Lanxiang.
The two extra people were Li Lanxiang and Zhou Qiang!
He liked them both, so he immediately replied with a yes.
His phone vibrated again.
It was Liu Xinyu.
"Let me treat you to dinner tomorrow night! Our last meal of university!"
Reading the message, Wang Xiaoliang didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Why was everyone picking tomorrow?
"I already have plans. How about the day after?" he replied helplessly.
Liu Xinyu answered in a second.
"Come on! Who are you meeting? Can you bring me along?"
Before you continue