"ah?"

Xiao He looked at the person in front of him with a look of astonishment.

"You want to buy my calligraphy too?"

"I'm very sorry, my request may be a bit abrupt, but I really, really love Emperor Chen's work, and I wanted to leave myself with a memento, so after hearing about your audition, I wanted to ask you for one of your works..."

Qian Wenhao spoke somewhat nervously, and if you looked at his hands, you could see that his fingers were clenched together.

Xiao He remained silent for a moment, his gaze lingering thoughtfully around the other person before he readily agreed, "That's fine, as long as you don't mind."

"You don't need to give me money, it's just writing a word, consider it an exchange of calligraphy."

Xiao He had heard Qian Wenhao's reasons many times recently.

During the audition, several senior actors asked him for his calligraphy, and some even wanted to frame Xiao He's calligraphy as a congratulatory gift for their elders... Xiao He didn't really understand the differences between the calligraphy pieces. After all, a fake is a fake, not an original. It felt strange that these people bought and collected it. However, he basically accepted all offers and gave them what he could, which helped him make many friends and build connections.

So when Qian Wenhao made this request, Xiao He readily agreed, temporarily ignoring the somewhat strange things about Qian Wenhao.

"Really? That's great!"

Upon hearing Xiao He's straightforward response, Qian Wenhao's eyes lit up almost instantly: "Are you free now?"

"Huh?"

Xiao He was somewhat surprised and glanced at the time. "It's getting late. Are you sure you want to go now?"

Qian Wenhao nodded repeatedly: "We're going on a business trip in a few days, and I'm worried we won't be able to find you later—luckily, our association has everything we need. How about we just take up ten minutes of your time now? I've prepared everything for you, so it won't take up too much of your time."

Xiao He rubbed his nose, glanced at Qian Wenhao from head to toe, and then turned to look at Liu Rulan sitting behind him: "Then, Sister Liu, please wait here for a while, about ten minutes, I'll be right back."

Liu Rulan never spoke ill of Xiao He's private affairs and friendships. She simply glanced at the time and nodded slightly to him, saying, "Go early and come back early."

"good."

Xiao He got out of the car and followed Qian Wenhao toward the calligraphy association building.

-

To be honest, before arriving at the calligraphy association building, Xiao He had always thought that the calligraphy association would be a building hidden in an old alley, deep in the courtyard, with blue bricks and gray tiles. Not only would the overall decoration style be full of antique charm and classical culture, but the building itself would also have a great history. It would be a mansion that has been passed down for hundreds of years, a place that looks like it has a rich heritage at first glance.

Ideally, the first thing you should see upon opening the door is a wooden lattice window, and upon looking up you should be able to see plaques and couplets. With a gentle sniff, you can also smell the fragrance of ink and the scent of old wood in the air, making you want to slow your pace, as if only in this way can you do justice to the ancient charm that has been accumulated for thousands of years in the ink, paper and inkstone.

But Xiao He was stunned when he actually stood in front of him.

What you see before you is not an elegant courtyard, but a modern art center with a highly designed aesthetic.

When Qian Wenhao turned on the main lights in the dark hall, the coldness of the modern design was even more overwhelming—the sleek glass curtain wall, the simple metal lines, the large areas of blank lighting... almost everywhere exuded avant-garde and minimalism.

There are no carved beams and painted rafters, no antique tables and chairs; instead, there are transparent exhibition halls, austere display cases, and futuristic lighting and installations.

The imagined ancient charm has been completely hidden away, replaced by the coldness and sophistication of modern art.

Xiao He stood at the door, momentarily dazed: "This place is not quite what I expected."

If it weren't for the calligraphy association sign hanging at the main entrance, Xiao He would have thought he had accidentally wandered into the art center he had just passed.

Qian Wenhao was skillfully adjusting the lights in the hall and checking his entry and exit records /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ on the machine next to him. When he heard Xiao He's words, he was stunned for a moment, and then explained with a smile: "This is indeed a newly built association building in recent years, but our old headquarters is still in the old city. It is relatively more lively there, and the homes of several presidents are also nearby, so they prefer to teach or communicate there."

The new headquarters here is more geared towards formal communication and use, serving as the face of the entire Chinese Calligraphy Association. Therefore, the interior design is more in line with international standards, and the overall equipment and tools are more complete.

The only pity is that it somewhat sacrifices the elegant atmosphere of calligraphy.

However, times are changing, and calligraphy doesn't necessarily have to be tied to classical culture.

Xiao He nodded, still looking somewhat amazed, and then followed Qian Wenhao, turning on the lights as they walked towards the elevator.

The association had already closed long ago, and the surroundings were pitch black, with only the green emergency indicator lights still lit in the corridors and stairwells. But now, after following Qian Wenhao and turning on the lights all the way, Xiao He inexplicably felt that the entire building was as bright as day, as if a grand welcoming ceremony was being held for him.

He then said somewhat tactfully, "Actually, there's no need to turn on so many lights. We can just come over with our phone flashlights."

"Oh, it's okay. I've already told the security guard. I'll turn off the lights in a bit."

Qian Wenhao waved his hands repeatedly, "It's already great that Teacher Xiao is willing to come."

So Xiao He followed Qian Wenhao to the third floor.

The third floor has many small classrooms similar to calligraphy practice rooms, and Xiao He can even see many students' calligraphy displays hanging in the corridor.

To be honest, all the works on display were quite good. Although Xiao He didn't really understand the technical aspects, he could appreciate them and enjoyed them as he looked through them.

Following Qian Wenhao, we walked deeper into the calligraphy room, where he unlocked the door with a key.

"I'll get the tools ready right away. I'll have to trouble you to wait here for me, Teacher Xiao."

After saying this hastily, Qian Wenhao went to another room.

Xiao He didn't ask any more questions, but simply sat down and observed the room.

This is just an ordinary calligraphy practice room. Apart from the calligraphy and paintings hanging on the surrounding walls and a few works placed to dry, the rest of the arrangement is quite clean and tidy. There are also many calligraphy tools piled up on the bookshelf next to it.

Xiao He glanced at it, and had some vague guesses in his mind, but he wasn't very sure. He even thought that he was being a bit far-fetched.

So what exactly does Qian Wenhao want to do?