Chapter 10 – The Scholar’s Six Arts Book
Following the lively streets of the ancient town, the group didn’t walk far before they saw a bookstore and art shop with a classical decor.
“Yade Bookstore!”
Lu Lecheng, thinking himself rather charming, snapped open his folding fan with a flourish, gently fanning himself as he turned to Lin Ran and said:
“Brother Lin Ran, let’s go in and ask around. I heard this is the largest bookstore in town—it might be related to that Scholar’s Six Arts book.”
Lin Ran nodded and glanced at Shi Cha.
Shi Cha was closest to the entrance. He pressed his lips together, steeled himself, and was the first to step into the shop.
The shop owner was a pretty young woman. She had already been informed by the production team earlier that guests would be coming to participate in a challenge, and the test questions were all prepared in advance.
The moment she saw Shi Cha enter, her eyes lit up. Such a handsome young man definitely didn’t look like an ordinary customer. Then, when Lin Ran followed close behind, her suspicions were confirmed—this handsome boy had to be a celebrity. Her eyes filled with surprise.
The production team had even managed to invite top star Lin Ran this time.
Although she was thrilled inside, her expression didn’t show it at all. She greeted the guests politely, pretending not to recognize Lin Ran.
“All of our calligraphy and paintings are created by renowned artists. Is there anything you might like?”
Hearing the introduction, Shi Cha immediately froze. The shopkeeper didn’t seem like someone who was about to present them with a challenge.
Suddenly, his heart began to race, his palms grew sweaty, and he could feel Lin Ran watching him from behind.
He moved his lips slightly, putting into practice the techniques he had learned in acting class.
Yes—just treat this like a performance. Shi Cha, you can do this.
In his usual cool and quiet voice, he asked, “Excuse me… do you have a test question here?”
The shop owner, a straightforward person, saw that the guest was asking directly and didn’t keep them in suspense. She smiled and replied, “Of course we do.”
As soon as she spoke, the staff in the store—calm yet efficient—swiftly set up brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones on the three tables inside.
It was clear everything had been prepared well in advance.
As Lin Ran and the other two entered the shop, a crowd of curious onlookers had already gathered outside.
The moment Lu Lecheng saw the brushes on the table, he had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, the shop owner smiled as she gestured politely toward them.
“Our ‘Yade Bookstore’ plaque has been in use for many years. We’ve been thinking about changing it recently, and we’d like to trouble the three of you to create a new one for us.”
Lin Ran asked, “Do all three of us have to write it?”
The shopkeeper shook her head. “Not necessarily. As long as one of you completes it, that’s fine.”
Upon hearing that, Lin Ran spread his hands with a warm, helpless smile. “I’m afraid I really don’t know how to write large calligraphy like that.”
As he spoke, he turned to Lu Lecheng. “Looks like we’ll have to rely on you, Lecheng.”
However, fans and viewers familiar with Lin Ran would know that it wasn’t that he couldn’t do calligraphy—his Weibo account even had photos of his daily handwriting practice.
Though to be fair, he had never shown himself practicing large-scale calligraphy.
Lu Lecheng, on the other hand, didn’t look so good at the moment. He deeply regretted boasting earlier.
He had practiced calligraphy for a few years back in middle and high school, but he hadn’t touched it in recent years. And even if he had…
There’s a big difference between writing small characters and writing large ones—especially for something like a signboard. It’s not just a matter of enlarging the characters.
The strength, brushstrokes, and overall technique are completely different.
Lu Lecheng gritted his teeth. Since he had already agreed earlier to take on the writing task, he had no choice now but to follow through—even if he wasn’t confident.
Still, he left himself some room to retreat gracefully.
Facing the camera with an apologetic look, he said, “I’ll give it a try, but I usually only practice small characters. My large calligraphy might not turn out that well.”
The shopkeeper gave a polite smile and gestured for him to begin.
Lu Lecheng took a deep breath, picked up the brush from the table, and began dipping it into the ink.
The live broadcast camera zoomed in on the blank paper in front of him.
In the livestream, Lu Lecheng’s fans were furiously spamming the comments.
[“Our Chengcheng used to win awards in calligraphy competitions! So proud! insert proud emoji“]
However, the moment sweat began to bead on Lu Lecheng’s forehead and he finished writing the four characters, their tone immediately changed.
[“Compared to those totally talentless idols, our Chengcheng is already doing great.”]
[“Exactly! Lin Ran and Shi Cha didn’t even write anything. Chengcheng is doing amazing!”]
[“Please stop trying to pit them against each other. Ran-shen’s handwriting isn’t bad either—you can check his Weibo if you don’t believe it.”]
Once Lin Ran’s fans began to clap back, Lu Lecheng’s fans quickly backed off from dragging Lin Ran and redirected their criticism toward Shi Cha—using him as a foil to make their idol look better.
[“Our Chengcheng has way more backbone than that Shi Cha who didn’t do anything.”]
[“Even the pretty shopkeeper praised his writing!”]
Inside the bookstore, the shopkeeper smiled politely as she looked at the four characters Lu Lecheng had written.
“Very well done!” she complimented.
But she didn’t say a word about whether it was suitable for the shop’s signboard—because anyone with a discerning eye could see that it wasn’t even close to the quality of the current plaque hanging above the door.
Lu Lecheng, pretending to be humble, gave an apologetic smile. “My skills are limited—sorry to have embarrassed myself.”
The shopkeeper turned and instructed the staff to take the calligraphy away. At the very least, she couldn’t be openly dismissive of it.
However, as she turned, she happened to spot Shi Cha at another table just setting down his brush.
“Oh? You wrote something too, little brother?”
Shi Cha still wasn’t entirely comfortable when being addressed by others. He gave a small nod. “Mm.”
Before the shopkeeper could walk over, Lin Ran—who had been standing beside Shi Cha the whole time, watching him write—suddenly lifted the rice paper from the table.
Everyone nearby turned to look at the large characters in Lin Ran’s hand and immediately revealed expressions of shock.
The four characters “Yade Bookstore” were written with powerful, bold strokes. The calligraphy was majestic and dignified, full of classical grace and elegance.
Compared to Shi Cha’s writing, Lu Lecheng’s calligraphy now looked like the scribbles of a schoolchild.
The shopkeeper stepped forward to take a closer look at Shi Cha’s work and beamed with delight. “This is wonderful! My grandfather will love it—thank you!”
She handed Shi Cha the challenge completion card she had prepared in advance. “You have to keep up the good work, okay?”
As she spoke, she also gave him a cheerful thumbs-up.
Shi Cha’s ears turned red as he gave a small nod.
Thinking back on how the shopkeeper had treated him earlier, Lu Lecheng’s smile was starting to falter.
As soon as the three of them stepped out of the bookstore, Lu Lecheng couldn’t hold back his complaint.
“Shi Cha, you know calligraphy—why didn’t you say so earlier? You made me…”
…look like a fool.
Shi Cha was still happily examining the card in his hand, but when he heard Lu Lecheng’s words, he couldn’t help but ask, “If I had told you, would you not have participated?”
Lu Lecheng: “…”
Truthfully, even if Shi Cha had said something, he still would have taken part. He wouldn’t have believed he could lose to Shi Cha until the very last moment.
Lu Lecheng awkwardly covered with a stiff response.
“Of course I would’ve done it. Only one person needed to pass anyway.”
Shi Cha really wasn’t someone who liked talking, and he was uncomfortable with socializing. But having known Lu Lecheng for four years, he was at least a little more comfortable with him than with complete strangers.
And with Lin Ran around, he would unconsciously reveal his more childlike side.
After thinking it over for a moment, Shi Cha spoke seriously to Lu Lecheng.
“For the next few challenges, I’ll participate in all of them—except for horseback archery.”
Lu Lecheng: “…”
What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying I’m not even needed anymore?
Does that mean I won’t get any screen time?
…
Originally, Shi Cha hadn’t planned to show off.
But earlier in the bookstore, while Lu Lecheng was writing, Lin Ran had leaned close and whispered:
“Xiao Shi, don’t you help your family write Spring Festival couplets every New Year? Why not give it a try? Who knows, maybe your mom and dad are watching the show.”
Shi Cha lowered his gaze, remembering the huge argument he had with his parents right before graduation.
It was the first time in so many years that he had strongly expressed his own desires. Three months had passed since then, and neither side had backed down.
He had to prove to his parents that he could choose his own path—and live well doing it.
…
Lu Lecheng felt so choked by Shi Cha’s words that he could barely breathe.
He paused in his steps, falling one step behind the others.
He needed a little distance from Shi Cha—he was afraid he might say something he’d regret.
Lin Ran, still smiling, glanced at Shi Cha. The younger man didn’t even seem to notice that he’d upset someone. Thinking back to Lu Lecheng’s earlier comment on camera about Shi Cha ignoring his roommates…
Lin Ran casually asked, “I went to A University too. Which dorm building were you guys in?”
Shi Cha thought for a moment before answering.
“I don’t remember. I only went once on the first day. I didn’t end up staying—due to personal reasons.”
Lin Ran already knew that Shi Cha hadn’t lived on campus, and he also knew why.
“So basically, you and your roommates never really interacted—just attended large classes together?”
“Mm.”
Lin Ran continued walking beside him.
“Same here. I didn’t really get to know everyone in college either.”
“…”
Though Lu Lecheng had fallen a step behind, he didn’t miss a single word of their conversation.
He just couldn’t understand why Lin Ran was being so protective of a ‘younger brother’ he hadn’t seen in years.