But the man in the suit with slicked-back hair didn't care about others' opinions.
Wang Yue felt it was good this way.
Why should he care about others' views for something he wanted to do?
"Is that kid Wang Yue?"
Shen Linchuan's eyes flashed as he saw Wang Yue.
"Yes."
Seeing Wang Yue look over, Qin Chuan even smiled and nodded at him.
"He seems so casual."
"That must be someone with real talent."
"If I had the skill of a calligraphy master, I wouldn't be nervous participating in this kind of competition."
"I wonder what work he'll write today? Still the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion?"
There was much discussion among the judges.
Wang Yue's imitation of the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion was superb; everyone wanted to collect a copy if possible.
"I hope he doesn't imitate the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion again. I'd rather see his own calligraphy."
Qin Chuan chuckled.
Imitation could show one's foundation.
But it always lacked a touch of one's own true spirit.
Wang Yue stood in place, bored.
To be honest, he didn't want to participate in this boring competition.
But since he had been selected, he naturally couldn't refuse.
If before he participated in competitions for showing off and rewards,
now he no longer needed to prove himself by getting first place.
On one hand, he had ample assets. On the other hand, he was already very famous at No. 2 Middle School.
The competition started precisely at 9:30 AM.
Wang Yue glanced at the time; it was 9:10 AM, and the competition would begin in twenty minutes.
He yawned, thinking, maybe he should go back and take a nap in the afternoon?
Then he thought of the internet cafe. The computer had been assembled, and he planned to make it large and beautiful, just like internet cafes in later years.
First, the division would include a leisure area, a competitive area, and private rooms.
The private rooms would mainly be for two people, followed by rooms for three and five people.
The shop's decoration should be very modern and artistic. A huge competition stage and RGB lighting would give it a high-end feel.
The design blueprints were the result of Wang Yue personally negotiating with the designer for a week.
The designer was shocked by Wang Yue's forward-thinking vision and creative ideas.
He frankly stated that this internet cafe would become a paradise for gamers.
Little did he know that such internet cafes would be commonplace more than a decade later, with similar decorations for chain internet cafes.
Wang Yue was also confident that the internet cafe he opened would sweep the entire small town, and then this successful model would radiate to surrounding areas to open chain internet cafes!
Just as Wang Yue was lost in thought planning his future business routes, everyone had arrived.
When 9:30 AM struck,
the host began a long speech, and after finishing, announced the start of the competition.
The reward for first place in this competition was very generous: a certificate of honor + a prize of 20,000 yuan.
Many students' eyes turned red upon hearing this prize money.
If they could get their hands on it, this money could be used for many things.
After the competition began, everyone showcased their unique talents, with seriousness written on every student's face.
Wang Yue was an exception.
To avoid appearing too out of place, he picked up his pen, but hesitated to write, pondering what to write.
Preface to the Orchid Pavilion?
Definitely not considered; too many characters, too tiring to write.
After thinking for a long time, Wang Yue decided to write a poem.
"Looking at Mount Tai"
What a magnificent sight is Mount Tai!
Its greenness stretches endlessly over Qi and Lu.
Nature has endowed it with divine beauty;
Yin and yang divide the darkness and light.
The surging clouds from its breast rise;
Through the clear sky, homing birds I spy.
I must ascend its lofty peak,
And look down on all the mountains, small.
In less than ten minutes, Wang Yue finished.
The others were still diligently writing.
The competition time was one hour.
Wang Yue sat on his stool and began to rest with his eyes closed.
Due to his sensitive location, many people saw Wang Yue's actions and started discussing.
"What's wrong with that student? Why has he started slacking off?"
"It seems he's finished writing?"
"Is he that confident? Everyone else is still writing intently."
"He must have some skill to be arranged in this position, right?"
"No matter how skilled he is, he shouldn't be so blatant about slacking off. I bet he won't be in the top three this time."
Regardless of what others were saying,
Wang Yue couldn't hear it, and even if he could, he wouldn't care.
However, the young man in the slicked-back suit next to him inadvertently saw Wang Yue.
Then he snorted coldly, "Show-off."
"Mind your own business."
Wang Yue replied without opening his eyes.
Seeing that Wang Yue dared to talk back, the man in the suit stopped bothering him. It seemed he was a tough nut to crack.
At the judges' table.
"That kid isn't writing the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion this time. I wonder what he's written?"
"It looks like he hasn't written many characters. I hope he doesn't disappoint us."
"He shouldn't be bad; his skill is evident."
An hour passed.
The host announced that everyone should stop writing.
Basically, everyone had finished.
The very few who hadn't finished were due to repeatedly rewriting.
There weren't many contestants, only about thirty in total.
Subsequently, the judging panel began inspecting the calligraphy at each table.
When they arrived at Wang Yue's table,
Shen Linchuan, who was leading, his eyes flashed with brilliance, and he couldn't help but praise, "Excellent calligraphy!"
When Wang Yue wasn't imitating, he could write in his own style, which was no less inferior to the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion.
Others also vied to praise him.
"It seems the first place is already decided."
"This calligraphy is truly speechless; it's so much better than what we wrote."
"Alas, for the first time I feel old. The future belongs to the young."
The young man in the slicked-back suit beside them, hearing the judges' praise, looked over with a face full of resentment.
After looking, his eyes went blank, and he kept muttering words like "Impossible, I don't believe it."
He could naturally see the chasm-like difference between his calligraphy and Wang Yue's.
But they were the same age, and he had been practicing calligraphy since he was three years old. How could the gap be so large?
The result was, as expected, no surprise.
Wang Yue won first place.
While receiving the award, Wang Yue still looked disinterested.
However, he did manage a smile when he saw the certificate of honor. His parents would be happy to see it, wouldn't they?
After the competition, Wang Yue received his award and planned to go home.
His work would be displayed repeatedly as an outstanding piece.
Wang Yue was not interested.
To him, it was like completing a task.
The school soon received the news of Wang Yue winning first place.
Then the good news was announced on the broadcast.
"Now, an announcement of good news: Classmate Wang Yue from Senior Three, Class One, has won first place in the recently concluded city calligraphy competition!"
Hearing this broadcast,
some were happy, some were unhappy, and some were indifferent.
Shen Mushǐ was not surprised by the result but still showed a happy smile.
"Wang Yue, you're amazing!"
Qiao Zixuan secretly took out her phone and sent a QQ message.