lled Song Huashan in that manner, he hadn't paid attention. Now, upon hearing Zhou Ruoying’s words, he remembered the change in Xiao Yu's way of addressing Song Huashan and Zhou Ruoying."Hehe, it's li...Chapter 558: Unexpected Results

After looking at the boy's handwriting for a while, all three of them nodded involuntarily. The brush strokes were light and agile but also penetrated the paper, indicating solid basic skills. Moreover, the transitions between characters were very flexible, clearly having received guidance from an accomplished teacher. The only drawback was that due to a lack of life experience, there was an element of naivety in his writing rather than genuine emotion.

This child is indeed young despite appearing quite mature; nonetheless, this alone makes him exceptional and somewhat extraordinary.

In summary, the quality of this teenager's handwriting is enough to be shocking. Such proficiency at such a young age is rare even among those who have practiced calligraphy their entire lives. With some refinement, he could very well become one of the top masters in the future.

After observing the boy’s work, none of them commented and instead turned to examine that of the elderly man. Honestly speaking, his handwriting wasn’t the best but there was a certain artistic conception in it—a rare quality as it allowed the author's essence to be subtly infused within.

To achieve the level of a master calligrapher, one must imbue their work with emotion; however, despite being far from that level himself, this elderly man’s current writing already hinted at the artistic conception characteristic of masters—a significant highlight in his work.

Take, for instance, the four characters "Zhong Zheng Ping He" (中正平和) written by the elder. To ordinary people, there's nothing special about them, but to these three experts, it exudes a sense of calmness and stability that is unmistakably his.

While the boy's handwriting was undoubtedly excellent, the elderly man’s work also had its own merits. Thus, deciding between them was no easy task for the trio.

"Alright, you three judges don't make things difficult for yourselves. If two out of the three of you write down your choice on paper, isn’t it simple to decide by majority" Seeing their expressions, Director Sun showed a hint of satisfaction and hurried over to say this.

In the afternoon, Old Hu told Director Sun about his discussion with Old Wu, so seeing this situation was exactly what he had hoped for. This way, they could resolve things without drawing any attention.

Initially, Old Hu found it difficult because according to the results of the first two rounds, this elderly participant's calligraphy wasn't particularly outstanding. But unexpectedly, these four characters in this round were written superbly by the elder, advancing him into contention for a top-two finish. This made the situation easier to manipulate.

After all, their opponent was just a child; losing first place in such an amateur competition wouldn’t be too damaging. However, if this elderly participant didn’t win, it would seriously affect Director Sun’s position. Moreover, even if they let the elder win now, they had reasonable justifications.

Although he felt somewhat guilty towards that child, who could blame them when one's career prospects were at stake Besides, it was merely an amateur competition.

In fact, if they were to choose based on normal criteria, they would all pick the kid. After all, in every aspect, the kid’s calligraphy surpassed the elder’s.

The three quickly wrote down their choices and put them on the table. Director Sun walked up, reached out to open the slips of paper. As his hand touched the papers, it trembled slightly; after all, this was crucial for him. Although Old Hu had agreed, he hadn’t given a definitive answer, so he felt even more nervous than either the elder or the child.

"Haha, two votes chose this elderly gentleman! This elderly gentleman is in first place!" Upon Director Sun unfolding the paper and seeing what was written on it, he laughed aloud and announced.

After Secretary Liu and his secretary heard Director Sun's loud announcement, they both sighed in relief. They were here merely waiting for this result. Although it might seem like a trivial matter to an outsider, it would help them build rapport with the elder. Moreover, he was going to personally present a trophy to the elder soon. In future interactions, they could bring up this event as a topic of conversation to strengthen their relationship.

The onlookers didn’t have much to say about the result either. The elder’s victory over the child in calligraphy shouldn’t come as a surprise. Their grandchildren at such an age might not even know how to hold a brush, let alone write!

Although the kid lost, finishing second was still quite commendable.

However, Xiao Yu frowned slightly when he heard the outcome. He glanced unexpectedly at Hu Lao and Wu Lao. As judges with solid calligraphy skills themselves, they shouldn’t have missed the quality of the works! True, the elder’s handwriting had its merits, but it wasn’t enough to overshadow the child's work for first place.

When Director Sun announced the results, both Hu Lao and Wu Lao wore slightly embarrassed expressions. As scholars, they detested such trivialities, yet here they were partaking in them. While they had done so, their hearts weren’t at ease either.

The more Hu Lao and Wu Lao saw Xiao Yu’s puzzled expression directed at them, the more uncomfortable they felt. Consequently, when Xiao Yu looked over, they avoided eye contact and became evasive.

Xiao Yu instantly understood their situation upon seeing their demeanor. He then turned to look at Director Sun before glancing at Secretary Liu and the elder. As he did so, Xiao Yu couldn’t help but shake his head in amusement.

Earlier on, Xiao Yu had been wondering why Director Sun was being so proactive. When he saw that the winner was the elder, it was as if a transformation had occurred within him. It seemed there were other reasons at play here.

But was it a coincidence that Secretary Liu came here

Xiao Yu felt that he had wasted the whole day when he saw these people. If this competition had gone well, then he wouldn't have considered today's visit as a waste of time and wouldn't mind losing one day, but this result made him lose his appetite. In such a case, it would be better to spend time with family at home.

After hearing the results, the little boy did not show any extreme reactions; instead, he remained calm. Xiao Yu was secretly amazed by the child's composure. If an ordinary kid were in this situation, they would probably already have a look of disappointment on their face. Moreover, since his calligraphy level wasn't bad, he could see through the elderly man’s brushwork.

"Haha, Tang Ran, right Are you satisfied with these results" Xiao Yu asked the child.

"Hmm... I am quite content because I learned a lot from Master's handwriting. He managed to infuse some of his thoughts into his calligraphy, which is something worth learning."

After hearing what Xiao Yu said, Tang Ran paused while packing up and thought for a moment before looking at Xiao Yu.

"Haha! Good job. Even though you lost today, it was an honorable defeat!"

Xiao Yu was stunned after hearing the little boy's response. He hadn't expected him to answer like this. In his opinion, if the kid had been satisfied with the result, he would have harbored resentment. Unexpectedly, instead of complaining about the loss, he saw the elderly man’s strengths and wanted to learn from them. As a result, even Xiao Yu couldn’t help but laugh heartily.(To be continued...): "Huhu, what if I disagree" Upon hearing his leading officer's response, Wu Shouye’s expression changed as he sneered.He was the deputy director of the Public Security Bureau, yet now he was threaten...