"That... Teacher Ting Yu, I'm your fan. Can I make a small request?"
Just then, Qi Hao, wearing a baseball cap, suddenly raised his hand.
"What request?" Su Yu was startled and gestured for him to speak.
"We all watched the poetry duel between you and Xiao Meng before, and we admire you immensely, Teacher Ting Yu. Today, could I boldly invite Teacher Ting Yu to compose lyrics with me? I wonder if you could grant me this small request." He smiled kindly and spoke humbly.
Su Yu chuckled inwardly.
Given his current status, he had no need to compete with these brats.
Nor did he have any interest in competing.
However, while the other party's attitude was decent, there was an obvious hint of challenge in his tone.
"Damn, Qi Hao has some nerve!"
"I think this is the common sentiment of the Four Great Talents. After all, Wu Xiao Meng and Shen Chun both lost to Ting Yu before. Now they naturally want to regain their reputation."
"Will Ting Yu agree? Qi Hao and Duan Yan Sheng are not easy to deal with!"
"It's best if he doesn't agree. Given Ting Yu's current status in the music scene, there's absolutely no need. 'Ancient Style Talents' is already the greatest recognition he can get from the public. Winning would bring no improvement, and losing would be a net loss."
"Given Ting Yu's temperament, he'll probably agree, right?"
The audience chattered amongst themselves.
The older generation from the cultural circles also turned their gazes towards Su Yu on stage.
"I knew these few kids would go looking for trouble with Ting Yu," Shen Lingyun, the president of the Calligraphy Association, chuckled.
"I'd like to see if he can perform at the level he did during the cultural exchange meeting when facing Duan Yan Sheng and Qi Hao," said Wu Tian of the Poetry Association, nodding.
Last time, at the cultural exchange meeting, the entire literary circle was overshadowed by Ting Yu.
No one could match him in couplets or poetry.
Now that the Four Great Talents of the capital had gathered, they naturally wanted to regain their pride.
"As an outsider in music, I won't join the fray with you professionals."
Just then, Su Yu on stage responded.
He refused.
Whether it was the cultural circle or the audience present, their expressions revealed a hint of regret.
However, they also understood that Ting Yu's choice was quite normal. Given his status, he had no need to compete with these younger talents.
But it was indeed a shame not to witness Ting Yu's astonishing poetic talent again.
"That's truly a pity," Qi Hao sighed, shaking his head. He cupped his fists towards Su Yu and sat down.
Su Yu nodded slightly at him.
He returned to his seat with a smile.
"I thought Ting Yu would agree. I didn't expect him to refuse?"
"It's normal. Ting Yu's current status allows him to be on par with the older generation. Competing with these young people now would be like bullying."
"Are they afraid of him falling if his fans praise him so highly?"
"I think he's afraid of losing. But with his popularity, he shouldn't lose anyway."
"Poetry is different from songs; it's easy to distinguish good from bad. If their writing isn't as good as Qi Hao's, and he forcefully wins through popularity, it will only be Ting Yu himself who loses face."
"But his literary talent even overwhelmed Wu Xiao Meng, how could he be afraid of losing?"
"Ting Yu's choice is not wrong; he's not from the cultural circle, after all."
All along.
Ting Yu had borne the title of "Ancient Style Talent."
But this did not mean he had entered the cultural circle.
As an outsider, his refusal of Qi Hao's suggestion was quite normal.
...
"It's a pity that Ting Yu didn't give us a chance to clear our name," said the elegant Duan Yan Sheng, looking at Su Yu in the distance.
"I expected it. If I were him, I wouldn't agree either. One must cherish one's reputation," Qi Hao said, shaking his head.
"Qi Hao, don't think of yourself so highly. Perhaps Ting Yu simply sees you as a child and can't be bothered to play with you?" Wu Xiao Meng said with a smile.
She and Qi Hao had been at odds since childhood, and bickering was common.
"Heh, if it weren't for you losing to him before, would I risk being scolded by his fans to challenge him?" Qi Hao snorted.
Wu Xiao Meng was instantly rendered speechless.
Indeed, she had lost thoroughly back then, being ruthlessly suppressed by Ting Yu in both couplets and poetry.
Thinking of this, she looked at Shen Chun, who was still nonchalantly beside her, and roared inwardly, "You useless teammate!!"
She thought Shen Chun was a goner.
His mind was definitely filled only with that Zhou Sisi now.
Today, she would have to face them both alone!!
...
For the poetry segment, the participants were given ten minutes to write their lyrics.
The theme was unrestricted, as long as it was related to Chen Lie.
Next, the Four Great Talents stepped onto the stage and wrote their poems on the tables prepared by the production team, using calligraphy brushes.
All eyes were on the four on stage.
Quietly awaiting their works.
The production team also played tense background music, creating a highly atmospheric scene.
"It's a shame Su Yu isn't participating," Zhou Sisi sighed from the media area in the audience.
In her opinion, Su Yu's talent was definitely superior to these individuals, as he could even write "Journey to the West," and "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" was also written by him. The poetic lines about Yue Fei within were practically written about Chen Lie.
Therefore, Zhou Sisi understood Su Yu the best. She knew how formidable Su Yu was. Let alone these "Four Great Talents," even the older generation was far inferior to Su Yu when it came to poetry about Chen Lie.
Unfortunately, Su Yu didn't seem interested in stealing the spotlight.
Backstage.
Gong Ju Ren looked at Qi Hao and the others on the screen with disdain.
"You think Brother Yu is on the first floor, but he's actually in the stratosphere,"
He chuckled and murmured.
Brother Yu didn't want to join the bandwagon with these talents, but that didn't mean he wasn't writing poetry.
Thinking of this, he felt a stir of excitement.
He had been practicing this song daily and could now perform it perfectly.
Moreover, the style suited him very well. He had even hired professional interpreters at great expense to understand the meaning of the lyrics.
Gong Ju Ren still remembered the look of shock on the expert's face when he saw the lyrics.
"Waste! What a waste!!"
While explaining the lyrics to him, the expert had exclaimed this sentiment more than once.
Meaning, such excellent lyrics were being used as song lyrics, which, from the perspective of someone in the literary field, was a waste.
Five minutes later, Qi Hao put down his brush and blew on the paper on the desk.
He stood straight in front of the desk and looked at the others.
Not long after, Wu Xiao Meng also finished and put down her brush.
Then came Duan Yan Sheng and Shen Chun.
Their artistic attainments in poetry were not as deep as Wu Xiao Meng and the others, so they took more time.
Ten minutes later.
All four had completed their poems.
The audience looked at the stage with anticipation.
These four were the most poetic talents among the younger generation.
And they had been competing for ranking among themselves. Today, this opportunity should allow them to determine the victor!
...