The Charm of a Powerful Woman Spreads Across the World

Chapter 33

"Exactly, and that young master is so handsome, you can imagine how pleasant it is to look at someone like that."

"He's just too beautiful, but he doesn't look too well. Apparently, he's not in good health. It's really heartbreaking."

…………

Ru Feng pouted, and by the end, they had already started discussing what kind of woman Yun Tianze would like most.

Ru Feng shook his head, thinking that Yun Tianze must already have a large number of fans.

Ru Feng glanced at the piano competition again, but wasn't very interested. She saw Yu Jue still sitting quietly on the stage, smiling, and there were only three people left on the stage. Looking at the crowd listening intently and the women with flushed faces, Ru Feng frowned, took a look, and left.

Only Fengxian Academy and Luolin Academy remained to compete in the book competition. The two sides exchanged verses, throwing out excellent lines at any time, creating a lively and enthusiastic atmosphere. When the poems were recited on stage, the audience fell silent.

Ru Feng didn't look at anyone else, only at Mu Wenchen. He saw Mu Wenchen sitting upright in the middle, his eyes fixed on the table, occasionally glancing at the sky. He showed no impatience or joy, but his occasional comments convinced everyone.

Ru Feng listened with rapt attention to Mu Wenchen's voice, which was as gentle and comforting as jade. However, such opportunities were rare, as Mu Wenchen seldom spoke. Ru Feng stood there for a long while, feeling somewhat discouraged. He then stared blankly at Mu Wenchen. Finally, Mu Wenchen looked in his direction, and Ru Feng quickly waved. Mu Wenchen merely glanced at him casually, as if looking at a stranger, and quickly looked away.

Ru Feng pouted. Mu Wenchen was too cold. He could at least give her a smile. But then again, she realized she'd never seen him smile before.

Feeling dejected, Ru Feng strolled over to watch Yu Xuan's match again. He was surprised to see Yu Xuan looking serious and focused, exuding a completely different aura from his usual carefree attitude.

However, considering that Yuxuan had already shown talent and love for drawing since childhood, it's not surprising.

Similarly, Yu Xuan also had many fans. Ru Feng, still upset from her recent setback, only watched for a short while. Being rather short, she didn't see what Yu Xuan was drawing, but everyone was commenting on their drawing techniques and pen-holding gestures. Frustrated, Ru Feng quickly left the competition area and returned to the bulletin board.

Resting her chin on her hands, looking at the leaves and some trash on the ground, Ru Feng thought for a moment and decided that since everyone was too busy, she would sweep it up herself.

With that thought in mind, Ru Feng perked up and grabbed the broom beside him to start sweeping. Phew—finally, he wasn't bored anymore.

***************************************

Meanwhile, at the poetry competition, students from Fengxian Academy and Luolin Academy were racking their brains to come up with verses. Both sides had mobilized the elites of their respective academies, all in an effort to win this competition.

The inner voice of Lorraine Academy: Hmph, we tied yesterday, we're determined to win today! Didn't you say we at Lorraine Academy were rude? As long as we beat you in this, you bunch of cowards still won't be satisfied! Let's see if you dare to be arrogant in front of us again, calling us all brawn and no brains!

The sentiments of Fengxian Academy: Damn it, yesterday's match was a draw, we absolutely have to win today! I wonder how the other three matches went? Regardless, let's secure the "book" award first. If we lose, heavens, how will we face those brutes? How will we face our classmates? How will we face the headmaster? But why did they send so many people this year, and each one is exceptional, including one particularly formidable one? Waaah… Headmaster, we miss your quick wit and eloquent speech so much! But where are you now? Do you know how difficult it is for us to think this through?

Of course, this was just their own little scheme. On the surface, everyone was still waving their feather fans, appearing calm and friendly, but their minds were racing.

The match was still going on, but neither side could gain the upper hand, and the two sides remained deadlocked.

Then, a young man from Lorraine Academy stepped forward and said, "These poems are too ordinary; they can't stump us. I have an idea that can quickly decide the winner. What do you think?"

A referee with gray hair also felt that the match had been going on for too long, so he said, "Tell me what you think."

"Alright, I have a poem here, not a regular one. I just wrote it for fun. Now I'll show it to everyone. If your Fengxian Academy can come up with a poem in a similar style within the allotted two incense sticks, we'll concede defeat." With that, he picked up his brush and wrote furiously. Soon, the paper was placed on the table of Fengxian Academy.

The audience members below the stage passed around another piece of paper, praising it, some deep in thought, some watching the show, and some anxiously looking at Fengxian Academy.

The students of Fengxian Academy looked at the poem on the paper with surprise on their faces. Some of them had already started to rack their brains, but as time passed, the incense stick had burned out. Seeing the last incense stick being lit, everyone became anxious. The more anxious they became, the less they could think of anything. Their fans were twisted from being squeezed, and beads of sweat kept dripping from their foreheads.

The young man, who had been leisurely fanning himself, sat on a stool, took a sip of fragrant tea, and said sarcastically, "What? Isn't your Fengxian Academy supposed to be the best academy in the country? How come you're stumped by a mere poem? It seems the rumors are nothing but empty words." Upon hearing this, the other party burst into laughter.

The person from Fengxian Academy was furious and glared at the other party, but he was at a loss for what to do.

Suddenly, someone's eyes lit up: "Let's call Ru Feng! He'll definitely be able to do it."

Some objected: "Didn't they say Ru Feng wouldn't participate?"

"At this point, Ru Feng will definitely agree."

"That's true, but where is Master Rufengzhai?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone on the stage strained to see, and someone with sharp eyes pointed and exclaimed, "There it is!"

Instantly, hundreds of pairs of glasses turned to look in the direction the finger was pointing.

Everyone was immediately speechless. The person they were expecting was enthusiastically sweeping the trash on the ground with a broom. "Enthusiastic" because, well, why was he doing all sorts of fancy movements—rolling, jumping, and leaping—with such graceful movements? Has anyone ever seen someone use force to sweep the floor?

On the referee's stand, the old man who had spoken earlier asked Mu Wenchen beside him, "I haven't been to Xiangzhou City for a year. When did your Fengxian Academy produce such a person? Is he really that good? Can he save Fengxian Academy from its defeat?"

Mu Wenchen thought hard for a while. He didn't want to answer, but since the other party was of a different status, he said, "He is a very interesting person. You will be surprised."

On the other side, Ru Feng looked at the etiquette team member who had been acting mysteriously towards him earlier with a dark expression: "I'm not going. Anyway, we'll probably win the other three events, so what's the big deal about you winning this one? Besides, you wouldn't tell me why earlier."

The team member's face darkened further: "Master, the overall situation is more important. You should go. We've never lost this match before. If we lose this time, then no matter how many victories Fengxian Academy wins, it won't matter!"

"I'm not going!" Ru Feng raised her eyebrows.

The team member said with a mournful face, "Zhaizhang, go ahead, I'll tell you the reason later. Just don't kill me."

So, pulled by her teammates, Ru Feng arrived at the competition venue. Screams erupted from the audience, almost all of them from women.

The students on the stage greeted Ru Feng as if they were seeing a family member. They embraced Ru Feng and led him to the table, saying, "Headmaster, this is the question. It asks us to write a poem in the same style. We've never seen a poem like this before."

Ru Feng glanced at the poem, his brow furrowing habitually, for it was a pagoda-style poem. The title was "Summer," and the content was as follows:

Lush greenery and beautiful scenery

Vibrant colors everywhere

Butterflies flutter on the grassland, frogs croak in the pond

The daytime is filled with the sounds of people, and the sunset paints the sky with vibrant colors.

Birdsong fills the air, music and dance fill the air, a scene of bustling prosperity.

Under the shade of the trees, laughter and cheerful conversation filled the air as people enjoyed watermelons.