Old acquaintances are hard to leave, and dreams linger for a single morning, but the people of yesteryear are no longer seen.
This was the poem he spoke of.
The reporter also thoughtfully provided a close-up shot.
"I met my beloved twenty years ago, but shortly after our marriage, my beloved was diagnosed with leukemia. I sold my car and house to pay for her treatment, but despite my efforts, my beloved eventually passed away. In my despair, I traveled to all the places we had been together, and saw all the sights we had never seen before.
This is the original of this painting. My master knew about it. When I became his disciple, I told him that I wanted to complete this painting. But I never expected that today, my master, the person I respected and admired most in my life, would do such a thing. I find it very difficult to understand.
My wife is not a tool for you to please everyone, nor a tool for you to exploit. I hope you can give me an explanation, and a reasonable explanation."
Ye Longlin sent a text message, asking Xuan Niao, who was in the capital, to investigate Pang Yun's background and send her a picture.
Within a minute, Xuan Niao replied: Received!
"However, I heard from public rumors that the Xia family and the Zhou family have had conflicts for many years. Furthermore, before the art exhibition began, there were rumors in the public that Zhou Tao would definitely make a move at the exhibition. Many people said that Zhou Tao would definitely ruin the reputation of Old Master Xia. These rumors were not just isolated incidents.
Therefore, I am also very curious whether such rumors are true. I remain skeptical about the painting you mentioned you have. Also, with so many reporters here today, I am curious if you arranged for them?"
Ye Longlin suddenly spoke, attracting the attention of everyone around. Curiosity appeared in everyone's eyes. After all, no one knew the truth of the matter, and a dispute had just arisen.
"Hmph! Slander! This is blatant slander!"
"I can tell you clearly that I have never arranged such a thing, nor could I possibly arrange such a thing!"
"Admittedly, I very much want to take the position of chairman. But now that Xia Mingzhong has stepped down, this position should be mine, considering my seniority and other factors. Therefore, there is no need for me to do such a thing; it would be more loss than gain."
"What is your intention in involving me now? My lord, you shouldn't be so quick to believe rumors. Moreover, I'd like to know why you, an outsider, are meddling here? What right do you have to interfere?"
Zhou Tao snorted coldly, speaking with a chill in his eyes.
At this moment, Cheng Yi, standing nearby, immediately snorted and said sarcastically, "This young friend is a Grand Master of Go."
The ranking system in Go is very strict, divided into amateur ranks and professional ranks.
Among them, amateur ranks range from 1 Dan to 8 Dan. Professional ranks, from lowest to highest, are sequentially Professional 1 Dan, Professional 2 Dan, ..., Professional 8 Dan, Professional 9 Dan. Amateur ranks are divided into two stages: kyu and dan. The skill levels, from low to high, are: 10 kyu, ..., 2 kyu, 1 kyu, Amateur 1 Dan, Amateur 2 Dan, ..., Amateur 8 Dan, and other ranks.
Above these are the National Masters (Guo Shou), and National Master 9 Dan. Even among National Masters, there are only Grand Masters (Da Guo Shou). Grand Masters are not ranked, but those who reach this level are currently only ten in Great Xia.
This young-looking man in front of them was one of the Grand Masters, one of the ten from the National Go Association!
"A Grand Master?! How is that possible! He's actually a Grand Master! There are only ten Grand Masters among 1.4 billion people, and he's one of them! Even if he is a Grand Master, he's probably the youngest one!"
"My goodness, to think that such a person would appear here! It truly adds splendor to this art exhibition. I didn't expect Old Master Xia to know such a person."
"Yes, a Grand Master! That's a distinguished figure who has appeared in international competitions. Tsk tsk, this is what a true important figure looks like, isn't it?"
Ye Longlin: "......"
Upon hearing their words, Ye Longlin was utterly speechless.
When he was learning Go, the old men in the military always said he was not doing proper work. He even went overseas to learn Chinese Go from a blond foreigner.
As for whether he was a Grand Master, he didn't know. Anyway, no one could beat him in Go, and he wasn't clear about the ranking system. In short, no one could defeat him.
It was merely a hobby, and there was no need to show off excessively.
But now that it was being revealed, he had no choice.
As expected, Zhou Tao's expression turned visibly gloomy, his eyes filled with a hint of unwillingness and a trace of wariness. He feared this young man would disrupt his plans.
"Hmph! So what if he's a Grand Master? Even if he's a Grand Master, he can't break our rules here, can he?"
Cheng Yi was known to him; he was the president of the Go Association. Since Cheng Yi had already declared Ye Longlin a Grand Master, there was nothing to argue about, as Go was not his forte.
"Rules? Are you talking about rules? After getting the position you want, you still want to ruin Old Master Xia's reputation. What kind of rules are you talking about?"
Ye Longlin said coldly. Although the initial impression was that Zhou Tao was causing trouble due to many rumors, there was no evidence yet, so he couldn't do anything to them.
"Are you guys arguing because it's interesting? I just want my master to give me an explanation. What's the point of you arguing?"
Pang Yun snorted coldly, cast a fierce glance at the two, and then turned his attention back to Xia Mingzhong.
"Master, I hope you can give me an explanation. I also want a reasonable explanation."
The reporter turned the microphone towards Xia Mingzhong. Xia Mingzhong gave Pang Yun a deep look and said directly, "My life has been upright and I disdain plagiarism. As for what you said, it might be a coincidence.
This painting is indeed something I have spent decades completing. Everyone should have noticed that the cherry tree in the painting is from the courtyard of my Xia family. As for the woman on it, she is my daughter, Xia Shumeng."
The moment Xia Shumeng's name was uttered, everyone was stunned, staring blankly at Xia Mingzhong.
"Cherry trees do not grow well in the Chang'an region, so all the fruit pits from Shuming's childhood were buried in the courtyard. However, only one seed sprouted, and it has grown this large over the years. Shuming is my daughter. I believe many people still remember that summer when I went to the capital.
My daughter died. As a father, I was powerless and had no way to prevent it. All I could do was to keep her alive in my heart, and that's all. This painting is called 'Dream Weaver,' because now I can only see my daughter in my dreams."