Chapter 112: An Eternal Masterpiece

“Gege, you truly are...”

After a long pause, everyone sighed in admiration—there’s really no comparison between the living and the dead.

Su Tong, at such a tender age, could compose poetry so transcendent and unparalleled throughout the ages. What on earth does he have in his mind?

Yet, the spirit of this poem bore a striking resemblance to Su Tong himself; it was a reflection of his character.

Through over an hour of dining and conversation, everyone fully discerned Su Tong’s personality—as showcased in the livestream—radiant, cheerful, humorous, and magnanimous...

“Brother, you really have some gray hairs now.” After her initial excitement, Wen Peiyan noticed a few strands of white amidst Su Tong’s thick black hair and nearly burst into tears.

Someone like him, so talented, must have endured great hardship.

Though Su Tong never explicitly mentioned it, everyone knew he had to care for Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao, earning a living to support the family—it was no easy feat.

“Now that the autograph is done, this poem has finally been unveiled. I’ll post it online so everyone can see it too,” Su Tong said, taking out his phone to photograph the poem and uploading it to Weibo with the caption: “A poem for our League of Legends’ Linlang Fairy.”

Wen Peiyan and a few others quickly logged onto Weibo to comment in real time.

Linli Fairy: “Heehee, this is a new poem Brother just wrote in my notebook. Well, to be precise, it’s a ci poem. How’s that? Aren’t you all insanely jealous? Hehe, and oh, a few of us had dinner with Brother tonight too.”

Invincible King: “Gege is unbelievably talented. I witnessed the birth of this masterpiece just now, and it stirred my blood with passion—I wish I’d been born in the Three Kingdoms era.”

Unparalleled Under Heaven: “I envy our League of Legends’ Linlang Fairy so much. She’s so straightforward and generous, with the toughness of a tomboy yet the delicate beauty of a woman. Brother wrote this new piece specially for Linlang Fairy who came all the way to meet him. Brother is perfect. He’s sitting right beside me now, chatting with some of our League brothers and sisters. I had my script ready before coming here, determined to invite Brother to my room, but now I feel unworthy and can’t follow the script. Why is Brother so outstanding?”

The King Returns: “A timeless masterpiece, truly unrivaled in the Three Kingdoms.”

Promise That Sweeps the City: “Gege single-handedly supports the whole family; it’s so hard for him. Seeing those few gray hairs among his thick black hair breaks my heart.”

Who Can Compete: “I was there too. Great handwriting, excellent poetry, and an even better person.”

These were the instantaneous comments from six fans.

After Su Tong left, many other admirers of Niannu Jiao soon discovered the poem and were utterly amazed.

“Wow, Gege must have traveled through the Three Kingdoms era to write such verses. I only learned from reading the ‘Records of the Three Kingdoms’ that the Battle of Red Cliffs wasn’t the kind of story folklore makes it out to be with Zhuge Liang taking full credit. In fact, historically, Zhuge Liang had nothing to do with it—the real hero was Zhou Yu.”

“Gege is commanding, delicate yet grand. I knew there was nothing he couldn’t do. Such a magnificent poem—I must show it to my teacher.”

“No way, did Brother really write this poem? Don’t scare me.”

“Nonsense, do you think Gege is some dumb pig like you?”

“Haha, Gege has switched to writing ci poems now. Can we finally have some fun?”

“Sniff, I want to meet Gege so badly. Next time, take me with you—I’d sell everything just to see Brother once.”

“I’m ready to sell my blood.”

“I heard sperm donation has subsidies too. Not donating is a waste. I do it five times a day.”

“Haha, you only five times? I can do ten without even panting.”

“You guys are exaggerating. Didn’t you see the news? A PhD student donated four times in eleven days and died suddenly outside the semen collection room.”

“Off topic. Stop spouting nonsense.”

“……”

At Principal Song’s home:

“Ah~” came a piercing scream from Shi Jiaqin’s room, followed by her frantic rush out, clutching her phone.

“You child, how many times have I told you? You act like a wild girl,” Principal Song frowned slightly. A bit of liveliness was good, but too much was not.

Shi Jiaqin was overwhelmed with excitement: “Mom, Brother has a new work again—it’s just... so amazing.”

Principal Song’s brow relaxed: “Did Su write another beautiful song? Even more exquisite than the lyrics for ‘Journey’?”

The lyrics of ‘Journey’ were indeed beautifully evocative; Principal Song had listened carefully. Though she was not much into music, thanks to Su Tong’s connection with her daughter, she now enjoyed his songs.

“No, no, not a song, a poem,” Shi Jiaqin said excitedly. “Mom, Brother is incredibly talented. He created a new ci pattern under his stage name. The verses are unparalleled across time—simply... unbelievable.”

Only then did Principal Song take the matter seriously and asked: “Let me see your phone.”

After reading Su Tong’s Weibo post, Principal Song was deeply moved. As a former Chinese language teacher, she understood the true value.

Laymen watch the spectacle; insiders see the essence.

Principal Song was astonished by Su Tong’s poem.

“Good, good, good,” she repeated thrice. “Based solely on this poem, I could almost recommend him for the Qin Writers’ Association.”

Principal Song had already researched Su Tong’s family background—they were all academic prodigies, a family of talents.

Su Tong had skipped grades; so had Xiaoyu. That clever Xiaoxiao would likely skip grades in the future. A family full of talents.

Principal Song quickly forwarded the Weibo post to some friends in the National Writers’ Association.

“Bad Brother, writing such magnificent and classical ci for that Linlang Fairy—I want him to write one for me too,” Shi Jiaqin said with a sour pout.

Su Tong’s Weibo usually circulated only among fans and insiders, but with Principal Song’s share, it quickly reached the traditional literary circles.

Though Su Tong dabbled somewhat in online literature, that belonged to internet writing, which traditional literary folks generally looked down upon.

Authors of online literature rarely, if ever, dared to call themselves writers. Politely, they were authors; neutrally or pejoratively, just scribblers.

Online literature was fast-food culture, despised by traditional literary authors.

Almost the entire traditional literary world harbored psychological resistance to emerging online literature—essentially a lack of trust: lack of trust in the writing quality, in its future, and in its social responsibility.

Su Tong himself pondered this deeply, considering online literature like the various beverages on the market, while traditional literature was like exquisite teas.

But most people neither understood nor had the leisure to savor tea; they preferred drinks instead.

Min University was eager to promote Su Tong as a public face. When he shared the poem “Facing the Sea, with Spring Blossoms,” Principal Song had wanted to recommend him for the writers’ association but hesitated because Su Tong lacked other strong works.

“Setting Out” was a fine essay but insufficient to qualify Su Tong for the national writers’ association.

“Wukong Biography” was decent and barely qualified as experience, but “Zhuxian” and “Panlong” placed him firmly on the opposing side of traditional literature.

“This poem is flawless.”

“Who’s the old master behind this? I’m impressed!”

“Magnificent, sweeping, spanning past and present... Old Song, are you sure this was written by a newcomer?”

“Knowledgeable about the Three Kingdoms and with accumulated life experience, only someone in their forties could write such verses. Not bad at all.”

“Is this a student from Old Song’s school? A promising talent indeed.”

“……”

Many from the National Writers’ Association praised the poem lavishly—it was truly exceptional.