Bab 23: Master Feng’s Heir Appears (2)
The old man's eyes twinkled with excitement. He barely noticed that he already crumpled the paper in his hand. Ria Zhang who was well aware of what was happening glared towards him.
It does not matter that the man in front of her was already in advanced age. However, no one treats her works as trash and gets away with it. "Must you really crumple my paper?" She crossed her arms in front of her chest.
The old man shook his head before glancing at his hand. Indeed, he had crumpled the piece of paper. "Oh, my bad," he exclaimed, but not a bit apologetic. Those sharp eyes kept staring at Ria Zhang. A smile hovered on his thin lips. She frowned. Now, what? She got tangled up with a lunatic?
Ria Zhang extended her hand. "Give it back." She just wanted to get out of this place. Never mind about writing and earning money. Stan Co will definitely cut her neck, err, her allowance if she got involved in another scandal.
The old man once again shook his head. "Oops, not so fast. Did you write this one?" He asked before squinting at the paper.
Ria Zhang exhaled. "So, what if I did?" She doesn't care if she sounded impolite. The other party started it first. Besides, she was already sixty years old in her past life. The old man in front of her could be a few years older than her but they were of the same age range.
The old man expected the answer but his heart was still beating fast. The woman in front of him did not fawn over him just like those people who wanted to grab his thigh. Of course, he did not follow the news and social media so he was not familiar with Sierra Co and her scandals. "Do you want to be a writer?"
"Nope," she replied curtly. She used to be a writer in her past life. There's no need to pursue a career similar to that during this time. Ria Zhang just wanted to write to ease boredom and stress.
The old man raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"
" Don't want to. Give me back my paper now," she demanded. She took a peek at her watch.
"Do you know who I am?" The old man persisted.
Ria Zhang let out a soft sigh, putting her arm down. She thought she was lucky to go out today with no drama occurring. It seemed the opposite.
"Look sir," she suddenly went polite. "I don't know you because I am not a local. If I offended you, I'm sorry," she responded.
The old man twisted his mouth. Who would have thought that there will come a time that someone does not know him? He finally extended his hand to give the paper back.
Ria Zhang reached for it, exhaling in relief. "Thank you, sir." She bowed down lightly before turning around, her footsteps were light.
She put inside her bag the notebook and pen. She pursed her lips as her fingers accidentally brushed against the cold cup of chamomile tea. What a waste of money, she lamented.
The old man's eyes followed Ria Zhang's movement. Although she wore simple clothing, he can tell that the woman came from a well-to-do family. However, he was not sure if she was connected with the other three families, the Cos, Yuns, and Lings.
"You should join the Literary Olympiad, young lady. The grand prize is very much tempting," he urged her. Despite the simple appearance, the old man recognized the woman's talent in writing. It was the first time in decades that he saw someone who wrote like that.
The first was the Literary Goddess, Dana Hu, his first and only disciple. But she already withdrew from the literary world and focused on being a housewife of Jake Yun.
Upon hearing what the old man told her, Ria Zhang stopped moving. She turned her head back. "How tempting?"
"One million Costa dollars, a honorary seat in the Royal Literary House, and a chance to be the next disciple of Master Feng," the old man explained unhurriedly.
Ria Zhang nodded. Her hands tightened its hold on her bag. So, that was the string of prizes, huh? She doesn't care about the last two prizes but she badly needed the money.
"Okay, I'm in," she replied after a while.
The old man released the breath he didn't realize he was holding. He thought he was going to exhaust all his convincing powers to gain the woman's approval.
"You need to register first. The preliminary round will start this Saturday," he told the woman. "By the way, what is your name?"
Ria Zhang doesn't want to attract trouble with her name. "Just call me Ria," she answered.
The old man's lips formed a thin line but said nothing. Writers are eccentric creatures. Anyway, if she won the competition, there would be a lot of time to know about her.
"I am a recruiter of the Royal Literary House. But don't expect to win just because I praise your writing skills," he remarked.
Ria Zhang raised her shoulders. "I'm expecting no less." Although she needed money, she wanted to earn it with hard work. She hung the strap of her bag on her left shoulder. "See you soon, Mister Recruiter."
The old man just tilted his head, watching Ria Zhang disappeared from his eyes. Not a second after, a man in black suit ran inside the garden. "Master Feng, there you are," he exclaimed, running after his breath. His boss has a habit of disappearing. He felt crying. His boss was already nearing seventies but still act like a teenager.
"Prepare the Phoenix Palace," Master Feng ordered.
"P-Phoenix Palace?" The assistant stammered. The Phoenix Palace was the official residence of Master Feng's disciple. Almost twenty years had past and no one has lived in that place after the Literary Goddess got married. Does it mean that Master Feng's heir has already appeared?
"I will see to it, Master Feng," he trembled. Yes, it was not a simple disciple that his master was looking for. The Master of Feng Family was actually looking for an heir to continue his legacy.
The old man didn't speak. He just stared at the entrance of the garden solemnly.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
Yuinavarro
Yuinavarro Hello, dear readers. I am trying to update the story as soon as I have free time. Thanks for the patience. Enjoy!
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