This novel has been rebooted, look up Apex System if you're interested in reading the new version!

A poem collection. 
For the people who aren’t sure of anything anymore 
I guess, this is a look into my life

"Brother, you are writing…?"
"This is a poem!"
"You...I mean, what words are these?"
"Calligraphy."
"Your calligraphy...I've never seen this way of writing before. Is this a new type of font?"
When Lu Yuan blew on the ink to dry them, Xu Xiaonian's eyes were wide open as he stared at the words on the paper. He hesitated for a long time before he asked the question.
Lu Yuan's calligraphy was very 'stylish', as chaotic as snakes and dragons. It looked extremely messy.
Xu Xiaonian took in a deep breath and exhaled.
Such a calligraphy style made him feel as though he just saw a ghost. He looked at it for a very long time before he saw the word 'farmer'.
He didn't know why, but at this moment, there were millions of grass mud horses galloping through his heart. In fact, he even began to doubt how Lu Yuan managed to answer the couplet…
"Cough, cough… Actually, I only know how to write nicely using a pen. I'm not that proficient in brush calligraphy...that's why my words are a little slovenly…" Lu Yuan glanced at his own poem, and an embarrassed look appeared on his face.
This expression was a little stiff.
"This poem of yours…" Xu Xiaonian glanced at the surroundings and looked at those who were pondering deeply while biting their brushes or scribbling rapidly on their xuan papers. He cast another glance at Lu Yuan who looked completely free from pressure. This caused even more grass mud horses to gallop through Xiaonian's heart...
Although he couldn't tell what the hell Lu Yuan was writing, from Lu Yuan's relaxed expression, he felt that the words were definitely nothing good.
"Cough, cough… Actually, I also don't have much talent and don't really know how to write a poem. Hence, I casually wrote something… Eh, brother are you not going to write one? Why are you looking at me…?" Lu Yuan coughed lightly. He increasingly felt that the words he wrote were truly ugly.
"Ah, right… I've forgotten about myself." Xu Xiaonian was shocked awake by Lu Yuan's words. He hurriedly focused and began to ponder about his own poem.
Lu Yuan pretended to seriously look at his own words, but he was sneakily trying to see the words others had written…
When comparing them, he suddenly felt his confidence being impacted!
Forget it…
He did write out all of it in one go, but the things he wrote out...
What the shit was this?
A ghost doodling?
Could it even be shown?
Lu Yuan opened his eyes wide, but he couldn't even recognize any of this dog-shit stuff…
If he handed up this joke of a poem…
Wouldn't he lose face all the way to his granny's house?
He shook his head. After rolling up the first paper he had written on, he dipped his brush in ink again while secretly copying Xu Xiaonian's way of holding the brush. He rewrote his poem slowly. But when Lu Yuan seriously started to write, he discovered that his speed of writing was very slow. 
When Lu Yuan reached the mid-way mark, there were already people handing up their papers…
He looked at those people before glancing at the words he wrote. He ultimately sighed.
How could one's calligraphy improve in the span of a few minutes?
It was indeed ugly-looking, but at the very least… the words written were clear enough, right?
They were only competing in poetry and not how nice the calligraphy was, correct?
But what if they also took the calligraphy into account?
Should he write another poem then?
The quality of words was not beautiful enough, so should he make up for it in quantity?
(In any case, I did a check and no one wrote these two poems before. Even if I wrote them, no one would know.)
(Mn… Should I be shameless or not? Damn, I can't be so shameless!)
Lu Yuan glanced at the others. He eventually gritted his teeth and decided that he might as well go all-out. He wrote another poem at the blank space of the xuan paper.
(How can I be so shameless after all? I'm a plagiarizer! What a sinful person I am!)
Lu Yuan criticized himself for a long time.
......
"Mn, Dao Yuting's calligraphy looks courageous and strong. Although she is a female, the words she wrote are extremely domineering. This [Busy Farming Season] is also very well written. Good, good… As expected from someone who began studying literature at a young age. I feel that this poem can be rated 8.5 points."
"I feel that although the vigor of strokes in her calligraphy isn't bad and the words rhyme, it lacks 'flavor'. It seems a little too lively and romantic. I don't like the feelings this poem inspires. I suggest 8.4 instead."
"Hmm...i think 8.3 is more appropriate. After all, the poem has lost its 'flavor'."
"Shen Rong's [In the Field] is a modern poem containing the style of the current era. I feel we can give him 8.8 points. The moral of the poem isn't bad."
"Why an 8.8?"
"Haha, poems that can get above 8.8 would be something all of us old fellows approve of. Last year, the poem [Sky] managed to obtain this score. I feel that the modern poetry [In the Field] still lacks something. What do you think, Little Xi?"
"Mn, there are a few flaws in the text. The meaning is okay, but it emphasized too much on feelings… I would give it an 8.7."
"Hehe, you are even stricter than us, old fellows. Haha!"
"Mn? Check out this poem, it isn't bad. But who is the one who wrote it? Was it written by Ma Runzhi?"
"Ma Runzhi? That gifted scholar of Yan University?"
"Yea, this young man is exceptionally talented. His [Farmland]'s had sufficient meaning and concept. I think 8.9 is a fair score."
"8.9? It's quite high, right…?"
"Look."
"Oh, not bad, it's really not bad. I will give it 8.9 too. This poem can be considered an outstanding work. Old Li, are you not compiling poems and literary works from modern eras? I feel that this poem can enter your book."
"I think so too. Let's give it 8.9 then. His calligraphy causes my heart to lighten when I see the words. It's excellent."
.........
After the last person handed up his poem, everyone stared at the judging panel ahead.
They could see the old fellows either discussing with each other, sinking into contemplation, or sighing as they were deeply moved.
All of the contestants were filled with trepidation in their hearts.
To them, the monetary reward was nothing. The valuable thing was the evaluation and admiration of these old fellows.
These old men could be considered the cornerstones of China's literature world. All of them were existences the students looked up to. What was more important was that one of the old men was named Li Guonan, someone who was currently writing a [Poetry Anthology of the Modern Era]. If someone's work could enter his book, it would mean that they would be famous and could posture in the literature circle.
"Brother, do you feel very nervous now?"
"Still okay."
"Eh, then are you looking for something?" Xu Xiaonan cast a strange look at Lu Yuan's hands.
"No…" Lu Yuan drew in a deep breath and placed his hands honestly on the table.
He was searching for cigarettes out of habit. He clearly knew he hadn't purchased any, but he subconsciously made the motion of searching his pockets.
In this situation, not smoking was something lonesome to Lu Yuan.
After all, waiting was lonely.
When Lu Yuan glanced at the direction of the judges, he saw an old man smoking while reading the xuan papers, and Lu Yuan felt a surge of envy in his heart. In fact, he even felt the impulse of heading over to that old man to get a cigarette.
"Brother, you really want it, right?" Xu Xiaonian stared at Lu Yuan.
"How did you know?"
"Naturally, because I also want to!"
"Oh? Can we go up the stage?"
"How can we go up the stage? We can only wait."
"Can what we want wait?"
"Why can't it wait?"
"Will he come over to give us cigarettes?"
"???" Xu Xiaonian, who originally had a face filled with anticipation, almost fell out of his seat when he heard Lu Yuan's words. When he turned his head and looked at Lu Yuan again, his balls were aching. "Give us cigarettes? You...you…"
"Wait, are we talking about the same topic or not?" Lu Yuan felt somewhat innocent.
"I'm hoping that my poem can enter his book...what are you thinking of?"
"I want to get him to spare me a cigarette. My addiction is kicking in…" Lu Yuan coughed softly. He felt an unbearable feeling as though the skin on his face was about to peel off.
"..." Xu Xiaonian instantly felt his vision turning dark.
What the hell!
.........
"These words are really… is there someone among us whose calligraphy is that bad?"
"Lu Yuan? Mn? [Sympathy for Peasants]?
"Two poems? Isn't it too exaggerated? Did he want to use quantity to make up for his ugly calligraphy?
"Hoeing grains in the blaze of noon."
"Eh… Each seed that's sown in spring?"
"What!"
"Bang!"
"This…"
"This is…"
At the venue, the sound of a judge smacking his palms on the table rang out.
Old Li who was smoking suddenly stood up. His eyes widened, and he was overwhelmed with shock!
Note:
悯农 [Sympathy for Peasants]"
This poem can be split into two parts, both were written by a poet named Li Shen from the Tang Dynasty
For those who are keen, you can find the english translation here: 
https://www.trainchinese.com/v2/wordDiscForWebsite.php?rAp=0&wordId=116399&tcLanguage=en 
https://shawnpowrie.com/chinese/min-nong/


In that year, with a script finished in five hours, Lu Yuan who was dying for money successfully got a large investment of one million Yuan from a rich and beautiful girl.
At first, he just planned to spend eight hundred thousand Yuan on shooting and take the remaining two hundred thousand Yuan home before the movie's release, marrying a wife and running a small business. He swore he would never come to Hengdian again.
However…
The box office got an extraordinary success…

"Hssss!"
The crowd inhaled a breath of cold air!
Composing a poem on the spot was young master Mo’s expertise!
Someone then shouted out, "I’ve heard that young master Mo managed to compose a poem in just ten steps for the Fire Emperor. Do we have the fortunes of seeing such a skill?"
Everyone started to reveal cheers of joy and anticipation.
Most of them had heard of young master Mo’s ten step poem before the Fire Nation's Emperor. If they manage to hear young master Mo compose a poem in ten steps once again, it would be a historical moment for everyone!
Once the poem was completed, it would also be a poem that would be recorded in the books of history.
Besides, young master Mo’s talents in poem are undoubted. In fact, he was so good in poetry that he was the unrivalled Poem King within Fire Nations. Anyone who could witness his ‘ten steps poem’ would be deemed to be extremely fortunate.
Madam Ya was rather astonished as well. In previous banquets, the crowd would come up with their own topics of discussion, since they would have made preparations before coming and allow others to enjoy their work. Today, young master Mo requested for her to give a topic. He clearly wanted to win some of his pride and dignity back.
Although Madam Ya felt that agreeing in this wouldn’t be fair to Xu Que, she badly wanted to witness young master Mo’s ten step poem as well.
"Regardless of whatever topic Madam Ya gives, I will be able to complete a full poem within ten steps!" Young master Mo stood up, as he readied himself. His eyes were focused as he smiled and looked at Madam Ya.
Complete a full poem within ten steps!
Madam Ya was so excited by these words that her heart was hammering in her chest. Such confidence and exquisite talents caused her to go in a daze!
For a student to compose a good poem was the ultimate test of how brilliant and knowledgeable he was. If he wasn’t the best student or the most talented, how will he ever dare to speak such big words to promise a complete poem within ten steps?
Hence, Madam Ya replied, "Alright. Since young mister Mo’s so full of confidence, I shall come up with a topic!"
As she finished, she turned her head back to look at her surroundings before looking at the sky.
At this point, the sky was gradually turning dark as if it was about to rain anytime soon!
Madam Ya smiled gently as she spoke, "Since we’re right on the brink of spring, everyone can look out and see that the clouds are dense and thick. Maybe we shall receive our first spring rain today. Let’s have spring rain as the topic. What do you think?"
Spring rain?
When the students heard this, their eyes gleamed. This wasn’t very hard!
However, even though this wasn’t a difficult topic, it would be rather hard to compose a poem within ten steps!
To most of the students present, writing a poem would always have the comfort of their own homes. They would rack their brains and think for hours on end before they produce a work that’s average at best. For someone to do it in within ten steps was practically impossible to them.
Xu Que was still standing by the side when he heard the topic of ‘spring rain’ and was elated.
Hehe... spring rain? Within my book of 300 Tang Poems, most of them can be linked to this topic. Besides, each and every poem in this book is a work of genius!
Even before Madam Ya could finish speaking her sentence, Mo Yun Shang walked out.
When he took his first step, everyone’s expression was one of surprise.
"How... How is this possible?"
"Doesn’t he even need to think?"
Even Madam Ya reacted to this in amazement. As soon as he heard the topic, he could immediately compose a poem. That was amazing. It’s no wonder he’s referred to as Poem King!
Mo Yun Shang’s eyes exuded immense confidence in his own abilities as endearing dimples were able to capture the hearts of those who heard him. Mo Yun Shan reared his head up before taking his second step, "The spring rains are as fine as dust."
Soon after, he took his third step, "While the willow trees outside, a brilliant shade of yellow."
Even before the audience could ponder over his words, he took another step forward and recited the fourth line, "Curtains entwined with the gentle wind."
He was down to his last line. Everyone held their breaths in nervous anticipation as they watched his feet. He had three steps to go. Could he complete the poem within three steps?
Indeed, the contented look on Mo Yun Shang’s face indicated that he was more than confident of achieving such a feat. He took a deep breath before finishing his last three steps. He then spoke loudly, "As the satin cloths sway in the mild breeze."
He took a total of ten steps and delivered such an amazing poem!
Clap clap clap clap…
The audience were filled with astonishment and were clearly impressed!
The sounds of applause were almost deafening.
"Great poem! What a great poem!"
"Indeed, he’s the Poem King. He could compose a brilliant poem from scratch within just ten steps.
"The spring rains are as fine as dust, while the willow trees outside, a brilliant shade of yellow. Indeed, that is the scenery we get to view at this very moment across the great lake!"
"It’s hard to imagine how talented young master Mo is. Even before the first drops of rain had descended, he’s already painted a beautiful picture of spring in our imaginations that is so lifelike!"
Several students voiced out their opinions and were filled with respect.
Tang Liu Feng was sighing as well, "The title of Poem King is indeed not in vain. Today, my eyes have been treated to a sumptuous experience!"
Madam Ya was mildly trembling as her eyes twinkled in delight. She sighed, "Young mister Mo’s poem is indeed the best poem to describe spring rain!"
"Pu!" Xu Que spat out an entire mouthful of tea on the floor, as his face contorted in disgust.
Fuck, how could this be considered ‘best poem’? Are you trying to tease me?
Indeed, when he spat out tea, he had attracted the attention of everyone again.
Mo Yun Shan turned around and glared at him, his eyes emanated an icy stare and laughed coldly, "What? Could it be that Brother Li despises my poem?"
"Gulp… It’s alright, but it isn’t even worth my despise!" Xu Que wiped away some tea water on his lips and laughed dryly.
As soon as this words were spoken, the crowd’s lips puckered in disgust.
It isn’t even worth his despise?
Fuck me! Big brother, you’re bragging a little too much here right?
The quality of this poem could even be the best in Fire Nation! And he even composed it all within ten steps. With the amount of talent it took to produce something like that, you even say that it’s not worth your despise?"
Mo Yun Shang couldn’t bear it any longer and burst out, "Since that’s the case, I wonder if brother Li has a better piece of work?"
"Me? Of course I do. Are you sure you wish to hear it?" Xu Que blinked several times as his heart roared with happiness. This humble subject didn’t wish to act tough, but you forced me to. I shall oblige you. Looks like sometimes, even when I don’t wish to act tough, the career catches me off guard! So, don’t blame me for putting on a good show!
The crowd looked at his face and had to suppress the inner urge to rush forward and beat his stinking face. Their hearts were filled with disgust and repulse for him.
A student then cleared his throat, "Young master Mo composed his poem in ten steps. If you can really compose a poem, it still won't mean that you’re more talented than him!"
"Hehe… did you say ten steps?" Xu Que laughed coldly before shaking his head, "To me, that poem was utter trash!"
"You… What did you say?"
"The audacity! How outrageous! You dare to lose your mannerisms and speak in such a way!"
"If a ten step poem is too easy for you, are you going to compose a poem in seven steps?"
The crowd was enraged when they heard this and that Mo Yun Shan was truly being treated unjustifiably.
The ten steps poem was extremely difficult and he even managed to compose such a high quality poem, but you actually called it trash?
"Boom!"
Xu Que slammed the tea cup heavily on the table, as he smiled out, "Seven steps poem? What’s the big deal with that? But I have to apologize. This humble subject won’t just compose one poem in ten steps. Instead… I shall compose ten poems in ten steps!"


I am the best when it comes to taking divergent paths. With just a flip of my hand, I shall take the path less commonly travelled. I search far and wide, only to find myself unbeatable and unrivaled. So now I ask, who else can match my awesomeness? 

Acting tough is second nature to me and I am a lone wolf.
 
The road is long and winding but I shan’t feel lonely as long as I am able to act tough!


Life and death bore me and I do whatever I deem fit.

“Young man, way back when I started acting tough, you were still learning how to put on your underpants!” Xu Que thus decided to take the path of acting tough. He decided to act tough every single god-damned day. If he wasn’t acting tough, he was scheming for the best way to act tough!  

There were countless of comments!
"Good poem!"
"Well said!"
"Fuck, fight it out with them!"
"Have long since chewed through my flesh? Isn't that describing Zhang Ye's current plight? Right, from the time he joined Central TV Department 1, they have been chewing through his flesh!"
"This poem is very similar to Dead Water which Zhang Ye composed in the past!"
"How long ago was it since Zhang Ye wrote a poem? I've already forgotten when I last read a poem by him. I can see that Zhang Ye is really furious this time. Every time Teacher Zhang gets angry, he writes a poem. But as for this soul wearing a pea-green vest? Leap out grinning from ear to ear? What does he mean by that?"
"I don't know either."
"I don't quite understand the last two lines of the poem."
"Does Teacher Zhang mean that he's going to show his prowess? But with what would he show his prowess?"
"Who cares? Anyways, this poem gives me the chills when I read it! It's incredible!"
... 
At Central TV.
Deputy Station Head Zhou who had helped Central TV Department 1 get the "loan" was just leaving work. While he was taking the elevator down, he heard the gossip of some staffers who were holding their cell phones and discussing in low whispers. They were pointing at the screens but he did not know what they were talking about. Occasionally, he could vaguely hear the words "Weibo" and "Zhang Ye."
Deputy Station Head Zhou asked offhandedly, "What are you guys talking about?"
The several of them hurriedly said, "Nothing, nothing, we're just chatting. You're off work now, Station Head Zhou?"
Deputy Station Head Zhou nodded at that. When he arrived downstairs, his chauffeur was already waiting there for him. He entered the backseat of the car before he took out his cell phone curiously to have a look at Weibo. At that moment, he saw the poem that was just posted by Zhang Ye.
Rotten fruit?
Chewed through by black bugs?
Deputy Station Head Zhou shook his head unhappily and immediately called Yan Tianfei.
The call connected.
"Hello, Old Yan."
"What's the matter?"
"Did you see Zhang Ye's poem?"
"What poem?"
"The one that Zhang Ye just posted on Weibo! Get him to delete it right away!"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Go and take a look then! Take a look at it right now!"
"I can't check because my home Internet is down."
"Are you purposely pretending not to know? Your Internet is down? Fine, then I will read it out to you. Rotten Fruit. Black bugs have long since chewed through my flesh. / I lie on a bed of moss so cold it stings…" After he finished reading it, Deputy Station Head Zhou asked coldly: "Answer me, Old Yan, who are the black bugs referring to?"
Yan Tianfei answered without even thinking: "Black bugs are bugs which are black in color. What's the matter with this poem? Isn't it just describing a fruit that is slowly spoiling? The meaning of the entire poem is so clearly expressed. Rotten Fruit wants to teach people how to economize food, to pay attention to their nutritional intake of fruits and vegetables which should not be wasted. Otherwise, when a fruit rots, it will turn into a spirit that haunts people who waste their food. How educational! This passage is littered with ideas promoting a cultured civilization with the five disciplines and four graces!"
When he heard Yan Tianfei say that, Deputy Station Head Zhou nearly fainted!
Economize food?
Nutrition intake?
Five disciplines and four graces?
Fuck, where the hell did you get that from?!
Deputy Station Head knew Old Yan was messing with him. He was so angry that he hung up on him straightaway!
On the other end, after Yan Tianfei hung up, he gave a contemptuous laugh. You people at the station were so biased toward Central TV Department 1 that you didn't even leave a single cent of promotional budget to us. Now that you have forced Little Zhang into a corner, oh, you won't even allow him to write a poem to mock you for a bit? Ha, what logic is that! All the good things are always left for you, huh?
... 
Central TV Department 1.
In the program team office of Rise to the Dance.
"Hey, quickly have a look at this. That Zhang Ye has written a poem again!" someone shouted.
Actually, besides the person who shouted that, many of the other staff had already seen it. However, they were too embarrassed to mention it to others. After all, Zhang Ye had a rather complicated relationship with their program team, as well as with the two directors, Xu Yipeng and Chen Ye. That was why Zhang Ye's name was never casually mentioned within their office area.
Chen Ye frowned. "Are you the only one who has nothing to do?"
That person could only whimper.
Chen Ye ordered, "Get back to your work! Read something useful instead!"
That person hurriedly said, "I understand."
Actually, Chen Ye and Xu Yipeng had also read that poem. When they clocked out, Chen Ye took the initiative and left with Xu Yipeng. They went downstairs together.
"Zhang Ye was indirectly scolding us," Chen Ye said.
Xu Yipeng shook his head and just said, "Ignore him. He's only good at blustering. Do you really expect him to use a documentary to compete and fight it out with us?"
Chen Ye smiled and said, "Of course not."
Xu Yipeng couldn't help but laugh. "If we can't even beat his documentary, then we should just quit our jobs, pack up, and go home. Hur hur, the people in the program team now are the elites of the station, while the invited guests are all big shots. With every aspect of the promotions in place, would we be afraid that a documentary that no one watches would be a threat to us? Even if those hardcore fans of Zhang Ye really tune in to watch A Bite of China when it gets broadcast, it still wouldn't be able to apportion 0.0-something percent of our viewership ratings. 0.0-something percent? That is as good as a negligible figure, so let alone being a threat, it won't even be an obstacle to us!"
Chen Ye smiled and remarked, "That's right, Zhang Ye has really taken us to be laymen in this area. But even if it's a layman making a variety show, there's no reason it will do worse than a documentary's viewership ratings!"
Xu Yipeng stated, "In this past two years, Zhang Ye has indeed created some very popular TV shows, but this has made him a little arrogant and he has lost the reverence for this industry as well. We can't totally blame him either. As a director and host of variety shows who has been transferred to a documentary channel, he has never had any experience with documentaries before. He probably still does not know how deep the water runs for a documentary type of show. After his documentary gets broadcast, the viewership ratings and advertising revenue will make him realize that there some things that just can't be changed because of an individual's heroics. Documentaries are a stagnant genre, so no matter how good Zhang Ye is or how strong his program planning and directing abilities are, there's not much that he can do about it! No one can bring life back to that puddle of stagnant water!"
... 
At a restaurant.
Jiang Naixiong, Jiang Yuan, and some others had left work early and were dining together.
During dinner, an executive of Central TV Department 1 was suddenly stunned by what he saw on his cell phone. Then he said in a speechless manner, "Zhang Ye is making a scene again. He wrote a poem to scold us this time!"
"What happened?"
"Let me take a look!"
The several of them read that poem.
Jiang Yuan said angrily, "Rotten fruit? Black bugs?"
Jiang Naixiong did not look happy either. "This Zhang Ye is getting more and more out of hand. Not only is he mocking Central TV Department 1, he's even bringing Central TV into this?"
Jiang Yuan took out his cell phone and said angrily, "Who's he calling black bugs? I must call Old Yan, what the hell!"
A deputy director said, "Don't you know what sort of temper Old Yan has? If Zhang Ye did not write a poem and instead bluntly called out our names to scold us on Weibo, Old Yan would surely still pretend not to see it!"
Jiang Yuan felt a little upset and said, "I'm afraid Zhang Ye will stir up a commotion and affect the reputation of our Rise to the Dance. After all, it would be for the best if there's less negative news. This is the golden period for the promotions and the most crucial time for us! Can no one really do anything about this Zhang Ye? The show will be broadcast the week after next, but not only is he not worried about his own show, he even has time to bother other people? If he has the time, shouldn't he be thinking about what to do with that documentary of theirs which doesn't even have a chance to be promoted? If the viewership ratings turn out too low, who would be the one embarrassed instead?"
What imprisoned soul?
What leaping out?
You have already been transferred to the documentary channel, yet you are still thinking about giving others a face-smacking? What the heck! Alright then, we would like to see how you are going to wear a pea-green vest and leap out grinning ear to ear!
TL Note:
[1. "five stresses and four points of beauty"—requirements for a cultured civilization]

Zhang Ye was originally a mundane college graduate with aspiring dreams to become a star, but unfortunately has below average looks and height. However one day, he woke up and suddenly found himself in a parallel world! 
It’s like the same world, but wait a minute…many brands, celebrities and even famous works from his world changed and are gone in this new world! Armed with the profound literary knowledge of his previous world and a heaven-defying Game Ring that gives him magical items, stats and skills, Zhang Ye embarks on a journey to pursue his life-long dream of becoming famous!
Follow Zhang Ye as he takes the new world by storm, one plagiarized piece at a time, to hilarious reactions!

Rays of warm spring sunshine illuminated her body gently, adding to her radiant beauty.
Having finished a poem, she put down her brush and turned over to look at the Dowager Duchess. It seemed as if there were fragments of light flowing about her clear, radiant eyes which glimmered brilliantly with every slight movement she made.
She stuck out her tongue. "Grandmother, I'm done writing, but I don't think I wrote it well. I hope you don't punish me," she said. 
Long Chi stared at her in a daze. He then squinted his eyes slightly. 
He had never known that this dimwitted girl had such stunning visuals! 
"This girl, you're afraid of being punished by me?" the Dowager Duchess bellowed. Nonetheless, the look on her face softened as she got up to head over to the front of Lu Liangwei's table, then proceeded to pick up the paper before her. 
She began reciting lightly, "On this very day last year at this very gate, faces and cherry blossoms both bloomed red. The faces are now in places unknown, yet the cherry blossoms still beam in the spring wind," she read. 
When she finished reciting, the courtyard fell silent. 
A moment later, the Dowager Duchess snapped out of her daze and stared at Lu Liangwei unblinkingly. "Girl, you composed this poem on your own?" she asked. 
Lu Yunshuang clutched the handkerchief in her hand tightly, a sophisticated look flashing across her eyes. 
How was it possible for this dimwitted girl to compose a poem when she could not even memorize a poem? 
Aunt Zheng had the exact same thoughts. This pathetic girl was used to behaving in a capricious manner since her youth due to how much the Lord doted on her. She did not even read many books, how did she know how to compose poems? 
In contrast to the scornful mother-daughter pair, Longchi took a few thoughtful glances toward Lu Liangwei. 
'The faces are now in places unknown, yet the cherry blossoms still beam in the spring wind?'
Assuming that he managed to grasp the connotations of Lu Liangwei's poem, slight contempt glinted in his eyes.
This woman had previously expressed that she did not want to become his concubine. However, it was obvious that she had not forgotten him. Otherwise, why would she compose such a poem?
Seeing the Dowager Duchess's eyes fill up with admiration, Lu Yunshuang was just about to expose Lu Liangwei when she started speaking. 
"Grandmother, you've really overestimated me. How would I know how to compose a poem? I saw this poem from a book I read in the past and memorized it as I found it to be quite good," she said. 
Hearing what she had to say, the corners of Lu Yunshuang's lips curved upward. At least this dimwitted girl had a clear understanding of her own abilities. 
Upon hearing this, the Dowager Duchess was slightly disappointed, but when she thought about it from another perspective, this granddaughter of hers had never liked studying. How could she become so highly skilled within a day's time? 
Thinking that way, she felt relieved and caressed Lu Liangwei's hair. "It is alright if you do not know how to compose poems. I am not demanding you to become a teacher. However, you must read more books daily as it'll definitely benefit you greatly," she said lovingly.
"Weiwei understands," Lu Liangwei responded while appearing extremely obedient.
The Dowager Duchess felt even more delighted upon seeing this. "Grandmother has read a few books before as well. However, how have I never come across this poem that you've written down? Which book is it from?" she asked. 
Lu Liangwei blinked. "I do not recall the book I saw it from, but if I do see it the next time, I'll definitely send it over to Grandmother," she said. 
"Alright," the Duchess Dowager nodded.
Dismal flitted across Lu Yunshuang's eyes. 
It was obvious that the poem she composed was way better than the poem Lu Liangwei copied from some unknown source. Nevertheless, in the eyes of the Dowager Duchess, there was only Lu Liangwei. 
Deep in her heart, this made her feel extremely uncomfortable. 
Turning around, she saw Long Chi staring at Lu Liangwei thoughtfully. Beyond shocked, she was instantly filled with jealousy. 　　
The Duchess Dowager was being like this, but even the Crown Prince had his attention on Lu Liangwei. 
Lu Yunshuang gave Lu Liangwei a fierce, ruthless glare. 
This dimwitted girl! 
Noon followed soon after. The kitchen had already prepared the dishes and drinks, so everyone remained in the Longevity Hall to have their meal. 
　


Lu Liangwei wakes up to find herself transmigrated as a supporting character in the novel she had been reading a few days ago. According to the novel, this character has everything—beauty, wealth, status—except brains. Before Liangwei had taken over, she even went as far as to hang herself for the male protagonist that she loved: the Crown Prince as well as her sister's lover. Now that she has become a "brand new" person, it is time for her to turn her life around with charm and wit! She will get everyone to fall in love with her, even the Crown Prince's uncle—the Emperor! Who needs a prince when you can become the Empress herself?

Huo Shaoheng's eyes almost lit up after he heard Gu Nianzhi complete her analysis.
However, he quickly calmed down and discreetly shook his head, replying gruffly, "That makes sense. It can explain many puzzling questions."
"Oh, really? Which questions made you feel puzzled, exactly?" He Zhichu smirked and asked sarcastically, "Or do you still need Nianzhi to explain any further for you?"
Gu Nianzhi looked down, pursing her lips, and said quietly, "...Actually, I've never believed that human race improvement and optimization can actually be realized using such destructive and invasive means."
When she heard Huo Shaoheng talk about Operation Borrowed Seed, from the very beginning, these suspicions began to grow in her mind.
From the way she saw it, using this type of research method would no doubt lead to a dead end.
"I agree with your perspective." He Zhichu looked at Gu Nianzhi in surprise and said, "You actually grasped the key to this issue if you are able to think about it that way. This type of method would absolutely never result in true technological advancement."
Gu Nianzhi didn't have memories from before she was 12 years old, yet she still had this kind of intuition.
He Zhichu couldn't help but think optimistically. Didn't that mean that he should have somewhat of a position in Gu Nianzhi's heart?
Huo Shaoheng balled one hand into a fist to rest his chin on. He thought for a moment, then said, "...This explanation does make sense. After that Japanese numerical unit lost the war, they handed over nearly all their human experimental data to the winning countries. This was the only set of data that was never handed over.
"This was because the data didn't involve typical human experiments. If it were actually handed over, the winning countries would never be able to accept this kind of pure evil sin, even if they had their own ulterior motives.
"This also explains how Nianzhi's grandfather, Gu Haoze, would later on use all sorts of ways to remove the experimental data from the Gestapo headquarters."
Reinitz also thought it over and replied succinctly in German, saying, "The data was not about the optimization of the Huaxia race, but… Data targeting weaknesses in the Huaxia genetic makeup? If that's the case, now I also understand why our bureau's predecessors would write such contradictory things in their memoirs."
Perhaps they could also tell what the data was actually about, but this was the kind of thing that still challenged the people's ethical perspective at the time. So, the bureau chose to reveal selective things, or flat out stay quiet about others.
The Nazi race optimization eugenics program was also very evil, but its main purpose was to optimize their own race.
As for what the Japanese did, they actively chose to drag down another race when they discovered that it would be impossible to optimize their own race.
In other words, they would be number one if they killed the person running ahead of them…
That kind of perverse and shameless mentality would forever prevent them from being the ultimate winner.
"But if your grandfather Gu Haoze was only an accident and an uncontrollable factor that occurred within the experiment, why didn't they simply kill him off? Why did they send him to the Gestapo headquarters in Europe, instead?"
Huo Shaoheng thought that there had to be something else they didn't yet understand.
Gu Nianzhi nodded and said, "I am still thinking about this point. Huo Shao, do you remember why the Gu family had adopted gu Yanran and her mother, Gu Jing?"
Huo Shaoheng stiffened slightly as he replied, "You are saying that the Gu family's genetic disease was rooted in Gu Haoze? And that Gu Haoze's genetic illness was a consequence of the race optimization operation?"
Gu Nianzhi began to laugh. "Huo Shao, your brain works even faster than mine does. Right, this is exactly what I meant," she said.
So, there must be a reason why they had no choice but to do this.
However, this point was not related to the topic of discussion at the moment.
Gu Nianzhi said, "Afterwards, the data went missing. Because our country won the war, Japan could no longer capture our citizens on a large scale in concentration camps to conduct experiments as they did during the war years. So, they have returned to the first goal of Operation Borrowed Seed, which was to optimize their own race. Coupled with the development of science and technology, it was unnecessary for them to continue using that kind of stupid method to conduct race optimization experiments.
"…That's why they set up all these clinics treating infertility. They are now able to steal the reproductive cells directly from the patients seeking treatment, and conduct artificial insemination and reproduction to observe the results of optimization."
Huo Shaoheng walked back over to his laptop to open another folder.
Gu Nianzhi agreed completely, saying, "My father must have also discovered their intentions, so he chose to use this method to warn the people trying to look for the data."
"However, why didn't your father report these clinics directly to the authorities if he discovered that they were conducting similar experiments?" Reinitz asked curiously. "I thought he hated this kind of thing more than anything."
"Of course he hates it, but do you think my father alone can fight against the power of an entire country?" Gu Nianzhi glared at Reinitz as she said, "After all, I investigated these clinics myself. They are genuinely researching how to optimize Japanese genes, but are not involving any Huaxia genes. So, I think that my father was strictly monitoring these clinics to prevent them from doing anything that would harm the Huaxia Empire."
Reinitz shook his head. With a smile, he said, "Cereus, you've never even seen your father before. How are you so certain that he's actually a good person?"
Gu Nianzhi's expression was resolute as she said, "I know. I know it for a fact. My father is absolutely not a bad person. Not only is he a good person, but he is a rare and capable good person.
He Zhichu averted his eyes in silence, no longer able to stand looking at Gu Nianzhi's expression.
Huo Shaoheng was about to add a few comments to Gu Nianzhi's idea when he looked up and saw He Zhichu look away. He thought that something didn't feel right.
But He Zhichu always spoke vaguely and changed the topic. Now he was even using Gu Nianzhi's presence as a condition of telling the truth.
Huo Shaoheng decided to stop trying to get any information out of He Zhichu. He was also wary about taking the few things He Zhichu had already said as facts.
He needed to resume his previous work method. Just like Reinitz, he would doubt everything and rely on himself to prove everything.
…
"Earlier, I demonstrated my conclusion using the three perspectives of premise, history, and follow up. In other words, Operation Borrowed Seed did not succeed. The operation to exterminate the Huaxia race did not succeed, either."
Gu Nianzhi looked up with a smile and stared at the curved screen TV in front of her.
Huo Shaoheng had just opened a new folder, which was the handwritten English poem that Gu Nianzhi took a photo of in the Dass clinic's consultation room –"A Little Girl Needs Daddy."
When the framed and wall-mounted poem was enlarged on the curved screen TV, Gu Nianzhi suddenly thought the poem's shape looked a bit familiar.
The swirling handwriting of the English poem was filled with curves and lines that spun together to create each word. Each word actually looked like a flower.
The framed handwritten English poem consisted of short and long lines intersecting like flowering vines that seemed to form a complex picture.
If someone who didn't read English saw this poem, they would probably think it was a picture as opposed to a poem.
An abstract drawing made up of black and white intersecting lines.
Gu Nianzhi's mind suddenly felt enlightened when she thought that this was actually a picture.
She pointed to the TV screen and said, "...Look at this. Doesn't this handwritten English poem look like a picture when you observe the shape?"
"What picture?" He Zhichu glanced at it and said, "I can't tell."
Huo Shaoheng stood behind the desk and stretched forward. With both hands bracing against the desk, he looked up at the enlarged handwritten English poem displaying on the TV screen. He nodded thoughtfully. "It does look a bit familiar," he said.
"Isn't that right?" Gu Nianzhi grew excited as she said, "Tell me, doesn't this handwritten English poem look like a map of Africa?!"
Huo Shaoheng squinted his eyes and slowly straightened his body. His eyes stared at the picture unblinkingly.
Gradually, he stopped trying to decipher the handwritten English words and purely examined it as though it was a picture.
As expected, the picture appeared increasingly similar to the map of Africa in his memory!
Huo Shaoheng bent over and immediately opened a map of Africa on his computer. He put it beside the handwritten English poem.
Everyone could now see it with the comparison.
The handwritten English poem was laid out in a method that was nearly a mirror image of the general shape of Africa.
Gu Nianzhi couldn't help but grab the mouse from Huo Shaoheng and take things into her own hands.
She opened a photo editing software and first copied the map of Africa on it. Then she also copied the handwritten English poem to allow the photo editing software to find the overlap between the two.
With the help of the photo editing software, Gu Nianzhi quickly discovered a very obvious bright spot in the bottom corner of the two images.
It was where the English word 'there' was located.
The last two lines of the poem read, "So diving deep or soaring high, she'll always find him there."
Gu Nianzhi's heart plummeted.
She quickly marked down the point where the word 'there' overlapped with the map of Africa, then opened the marked-up image of Africa and inputted it into GPS software to look for the coordinates.
Huo Shaoheng, He Zhichu, and Reinitz all quietly watched Gu Nianzhi quickly use the computer and discover the message her father had left behind.
The map software took less than one second to bring up the coordinate data.
"33.9249° South, 18.4241° East."
Gu Nianzhi laughed. "It's 33 degrees 55 minutes south latitude, 18 degrees 25 minutes east longitude. The location this latitude and longitude points to is the second-largest city in the southernmost country in Africa – Cape Town.
"It's there. My father must have left something in that place."
When Huo Shaoheng saw the latitude and longitude and the name of Cape Town, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
How could it be such a coincidence?
In order to find the true whereabouts of the flight MH210 that Gu Xiangwen had been on, he sent Zhao Liangze to a station on a small island in the Cape of Good Hope to facilitate the search of the nearby waters.
The Cape of Good Hope was the landmark of Cape Town. It was only two kilometers away from the city, which is completely within walking distance.


Gu Nianzhi had no idea how to get the aloof and handsome Major General to fall in love with her. 

His eyes were dark and serious. "...Seduce me. If you can do it, I’m yours." 

Gu Nianzhi: "!!!"

Disclaimer: The following stories contains sexual assault, rape, nonconsensual acts, mentally abusive relationships, and violence towards women. Readers are advised to proceed with caution.

The classroom had rows of low tables and cushions to sit on. There were two of these low tables in each row and I made my way over to an empty one. The prince silently sat down next to me and I had to stop myself flinching. Why can't these royal bastards leave me in peace? First it was the fifth prince, and now it was the youngest one. 
Prince Sanghue doesn't yet have his title of third prince, as he was borne from a concubine, but he still had many years to prove himself. I look over to Wu Roqing and she is seated next to the youngest son of the Huong family. He becomes one of her love interests later in the book. She looks back and waves at me and I cheerfully wave back, completely ignoring the prince.
Teacher Pie begins his lesson on poems and other nonsense. I've always hated literature and was very mediocre in the subject. But thankfully I remember a lot of poems from my previous life. I could just steal some and say that I created it myself.
"When you write poems, you must express yourself, say what you feel. Bring it out from your soul, within your heart…"
God he sounds like my highschool Creative writing teacher. While I'm thinking about what to write, I subconsciously tap my brush handle on the table, which was an old habit of mine. The prince seemingly got irritated by this and said, "Could you kindly not do that?"
'Okay…' I said still not looking at him, deep in thought, not aware that he had even spoken to me. Ah, I decide to write a depressing poem, that won an award in my previous life.
I write it down as best as I can remember it. Teacher Pei claps his hands, "Alright, when I call your name, stand up and recite your poem. First to go, Prince Sanghue." 
~~~~~
Jin Qingye was deep in thought. Why did Xier's sister remind him so much of someone? He felt like he had seen her somewhere. Where had he heard that voice before? He sat his office and was pondering this for almost an hour now. His attendant, who was sitting in front of him, stared at his master's strange expression.
"Master, is there anything that is troubling you?"
"Say, have you seen the eldest Miss Song outside of the palace?"
"No Master, she hasn't come out to the public yet."
"I keep thinking I saw here sometime else…"
"Shall I send my spies to gather information?"
"Yes do that…"
He gets up and heads towards Teacher Pei's building, to see Laing. He stands outside her window, and he could hear her speaking. It seems like she is reciting some sort of poem.
~~~~~
The prince's poem was something about nature, and was totally boring. While everyone enthusiastically clapped, I just gave him a slow clap. Everyone else's poems were also nature based, and some even about the kingdom. However I clap extra hard when my cousins and Roqing present because I'm a great friend.
"Song Laing!"
I stood up to present my plagerised poem. I clear my throat and begin.
'Sometimes, when one loves,
Their love is destined to end in pain.
But when I see her face,
I can somehow tell,
We were meant to be.
But even love that was meant to be,
Was never meant to be.'
When I finish my poem, everyone is silent, and even Teacher Pei doesn't say anything. I clear my throat and sit back down. I guess people don't do depressing stuff. I look a the person next to me, to only catch him staring at me thoughtfully. I freeze and frown, and look away. Why is this guy looking at me? What a creep…
The rest of the lesson is spent in silence as Teacher Pei explained things to us. After class, I quickly ran towards Roqing and my cousins.
"Wow, Miss Laing, that was such a deep poem. How did you come up with it?"
'Oh you know, I just reflected my feelings like teacher was telling us to do.'
"My cousin is really talented, ah!"
'You guys a really too much…'
We laughed all the way to the food hall.
~~~~~
Jin Qingye was a bit shocked after hearing her poem. It sounded so sad, and heartbreaking. He wanted to know who on earth dared to hurt this girl. After the lesson had ended, she ran towards her friends and listened as she explained she had written from her feelings.
Seeing her happy face when she talked about something so sad made him feel extremely strange. He remembered the sad tone she narrated her poem in.
"Where have I heard that tone before?" he thought to himself.
He needed to ponder on this a bit more.
~~~~~
Prince Sanghue looked in surprise as the girl named Song Laing ran off towards her friends. What a strange girl. Normal girls would shower him with the utmost respect and importance, but this girl she didn't even attempt to speak to him the entire lesson. 
What surprised him was the quality of her poem. He didn't want to admit it, but her poem's quality rivals those of the poets in the high courts. It was better than his in every way.
The way she narrated it also dumbfounded him. The pain in her voice could clearly be heard. It sounded so genuine, like she had been through quite something. 
He walked back to the prince's residences pondering thoroughly about many things.

After a Japanese woman dies in an accident, her conscious and soul somehow transports into the body of the Villainess in one of her favourite light novels.
Unfortunately for her, as a villainess she is destined to have a bad ending. This is the story of how she tries to change her fate and save everyone she loves.
Will she be able to change her destiny?

-------
Note: None of this is based on actual events or real life places in history. This story is set in a fantasy world, with its own set of rules.

*This novel is experimental, I'm trying to get more experience as a writer.

Warning:
Few Mature Scenes
Course Language

- Early morning

Zhang Jie Yu and Yue Qiu Shan were seated in a restaurant. There was a stone table in front of them and stone chairs about half a metre tall surrounding the tables. On the table was a jade tray, containing a pot and several tea cups. Two praying mats were beside them, with two other people occupying them.

The rising sun had just begun to shine. Zhang Jie Yu was seated quietly, meditating and chanting Dao Mantras. There was a line of Qi energy, similar to a thread on his body. 

Yue Qiu Shan had originally been drinking tea, but seeing a white string of Qi energy on his disciple’s body he knew it was the energy of an Elementary Scholar. He then said, "This energy is very profound. I was just thinking about your examinations, I did not expect to see results so soon. This is a gift.”

“With the Elementary Scholar status, your mortal side has been dissolved considerably.”

As Zhang Jie Yu was deep in meditation, his senses were all shut, and thus did not hear anything. A string of purple energy was visible for a second before he started vomiting. After three huffs, it disappeared. 

Yue Qiu Shan hurriedly poured a cup of red tea and brought it to Zhang Jie Yu who opened his eyes after smelling the aroma. 

Yue Qiu Shan smiled and said, "Come and sit Jie Yu.”

Zhang Jie Yu took the cup, drank a few mouthful and said, "That tasted good.”

“The product of a wealthy land obtained from ancient people with sincerity.” Yue Qiu Shan sighed and said, "Your Elementary Scholar status is already out.”

“In this world, people only care about wealth.” Yue Qiu Shan sighed again and said, " Look at these items. The curtains, the wooden files, the stove, the kneeling and praying mats. Even the tea you just drank. Are they not wealth too?”

“If you wish to speak of things of the Earth; although the divine mountains are not of this planet, Black Alter Sect’s mountain, Truth Sect’s Flat West mountain and First Pole Sect’s Green Treasure mountain, are they not Immortal mountains and not of this world either?”

“There can be no divine mountains without mountains.”

“As for paradise, even if our sect conquers the divine mountains, it is still a mountain. Therefore, the mountain Immortals, regardless, are still mountain people too.”

“These mountains need to have spiritual sources as with everything under the heavens.”

“Since there are many mountains on this Earth, you cannot conquer just one mountain and proclaim yourself king. People have to confer the title upon you, and recognize this to prevent any trouble. You know that if a mountain has no spiritual energy, conquering it means you are a just a rogue cultivator, and can only reach spirit Immortality. 

“This disciple knows that there are five classes of Immortals. Spirit Immortals, Human Immortals, Earth Immortals, Deity Immortals and Heaven Immortals. As for rogue cultivators, even if a human can cultivate the five energies, he will be no younger than a hundred and twenty when he is done. Then he will become a mere spirit Immortal. Zhang Jie Yu’s face was pale as he sighed, "The manual says that the pains of cultivating surpasses all else. Cultivation is like crops grown in sand and rocks, almost impossible to result in growth. Even if a person has the ability to fly, he would come up empty when he reaches paradise, and would only undergo transformation after.”     

“Only when there’s paradise, will there be Earth Immortals. Only when there’s a divine mountain, will there be Deity Immortals. The point of this discussion is to highlight the fact that even if you have the substance to become Immortal, but do not reach paradise, you will not become an Immortal. But our sect knows the path to paradise, and we have cultivated up to Earth Immortal status. 

“But teacher, what is the actual reason for coming so early? I am guessing it is not to say all these things.”

Yue Qiu Shan laughed and said, "We have thirteen people under us, and among them, I like you the most. You are young and have already developed such intelligence. Before I can even say anything, you have already guessed my intentions. You are correct.”

“Paradise has its limitations. I truly hope you will be able to rise in rank and eventually become an Earth Immortal, if not, to obtain the highest manual. But a word of advice, in order to become an Earth Immortal, you have to stand out from the rest.”

“I have a mission. If you are able to accomplish it, you will stand out from your peers.”

“Yes, thank you teacher for your guidance. Presumably, the new list of disciples have been confirmed?”

“The Elementary Scholars have been confirmed. Look, this is the namelist. Invite the Elementary Scholars according to this list. Silver Dragon Temple is just outside of the city and we have several outer circle disciples in the temple. Take these people into the temple. As to how you’re going to make them yield to you, I wish to see your methods. Take this as a test.”

“If you must know, unless you become a True Sovereign, you can never leave the mortal world. These disciples, regardless of inner or outer circle, are just assistants. Do not think too much of them.”

“Yes, I understand. If there is no inner or outer circle, even the heavens and divine mountains will not be able to contain me.” Zhang Jie Yu laughed as he spoke.

   …………

Safe Travels Inn

Pei Zi Yun was in his room reading after just having breakfast. At this point, he had no spiritual roots and was thus, unable to cultivate. Since he had nothing better to do, he started reading essays.

“After careful calculation, considering I did not make any mistakes, I should be ranked in the first band among the top three. The worst case situation would have me at the top of the second band.”

“It’s just that I am feeling very uneasy, I do not know why.” Pei Zi Yun thought of his mother back in Snail Village, and Ye Su'er back at Peach Flower Origins monastery and felt a flutter in his heart that would not become still. He turned a few times in his bed and tried to read the essay that he had memorized and written in the exams. He then sighed and finally understood.

I've obtained the literary skills of the old Elementary Scholar. Although he was very talented, it took him a long time before he eventually acquired the Elementary Scholar title. Hence, he bore a sense of despair and resentment.

“And this was shown when I wrote the essay. It was flawless in every aspect except for that tone of resentment.”

There was a knock on the door.

“Oh, it is brother Tang!” the person on the door was Tang Zhen, with a bubbly demeanor. He laughed and said, "Brother Pei, you have rested for two days already! Shall we go out and have some fun today?”

He then took out his invitation. Pei Zi Yun opened it and took a look. The invitation was from a poet’s society for a meet. The venue was at River View restaurant which was not far from the inn. Pei Zi Yun considered for a moment, thinking of how restless he was just now, being unable to read his essay. He did not want to seem too anti-social as well, so he decided to stop hesitating and finally said, "Of course.”

After instructing the hotel staff to bring some hot water for him to wash, he dressed in a newly washed and starched outfit. 

Before long, they were along the walkway as they approached the restaurant. From afar, they were able to spot it along the banks of the river. It had a good five stories to it, and was all glass. As they got nearer, they noticed that the river was facing the restaurant, with a few boats rowing along it. 

“River View and River Reflections are the biggest restaurants around the river. But River Reflections is much newer.” As they reached the entrance, they were welcomed by a student who was dressed in white and had a golden belt. He was holding a fan and welcomed them. 

Before they got to the entrance, the student hurried over to welcome them, "It is the famous brother Pei. Welcome, welcome! I remember you from the banquet that night. The poem you wrote on stage was very good, and hence, we just had to invite you. I hope you do not find it strange that I am this straightforward.”

He then led Pei Zi Yun up to the roof of the restaurant. Pei Zi Yun’s heart leapt as he admired the view from such a height. The wind blew over as the river gushed below. The river was so huge that to look in one direction, you were unable to see the end of the other. This made him think of an ancient poem in his previous life, as he recalled the exact emotions he felt while he saw scenery like this. He then said, "The front never got to meet the ancestors, and the end never got to meet visitors. It can only gaze into the heavens for all eternity.”

When he had arrived at the last line, he could not bring himself to finish it because it was too tragic.

The last line of the poem was the most important point. By missing it out, it was taken that he had the talent but not the opportunity. He was a young man, and the results of the examinations were not even out, from where did he get such old sentiments? He thus stopped and pretended that the poem ended there. He then said softly, "The poem has ended. The last line shall be completed another time.”

“Good, what a good poem. The only thing that was missing was the last line. What a shame.” Pei Zi Yun heard somebody say. He turned around to find the person holding a teapot and standing up. He poured a cup of tea and gave it to him. It was Zhang Jie Yu.

Zhang Jie Yu was dressed in his usual sharp attire, wearing a red sash around his waist. His shoes had a seasoned look about them, and were not extravagant, but seemed like they had faced a storm. 

Pei Zi Yun looked confused as he thought to himself, "What confidence he has, who would have expected that he is now a disciple of Holy Jail Sect." 

“Hearing brother Pei’s three lines, I was intrigued, only to hear that the poem has ended. I shall drink three cups to help brother Pei’s poetic inspiration.” Zhang Jie Yu laughed as he spoke, full of confidence.

“Sure!”

The students all around him voiced their agreements. 

Everyone saw the leader of the poet’s society bringing a youth up the stairs and found him very familiar. The students around did not seem to mind and were all exchanging poems with each other. The youth abruptly recited a poem. After hearing his first line, they were all smiling. As he recited the second line, a few were shocked. When the third line was said, everyone felt that it was a special, mythical poem. But he failed to deliver the final line. Thus when Zhang Yu Jia suggested a toast of three cups to help with his inspiration, everyone agreed.

In his memory of the previous life, Zhang Jie Yu did not become an enemy of the original owner. They just had certain small conflicts. He unintentionally caused the original owner to take a misstep that eventually caused him to lose many years. At this point, Pei Zi Yun could not refuse the toast, and drank three cups. The wine was bitter, but he swallowed it anyway.

After walking a few steps, an idea came into his head, but he did not reveal it yet. He then laughed and said, "Today my inspiration for the poem is depleted and I cannot complete it.”

Zhang Jie Yu sat down, and did not move.

A student sighed and said, "It was such a majestic poem, but without its proper ending. What a waste. Why doesn’t brother Pei leave a mark on this restaurant until he is ready to finish his poem? Would that not be a good idea?”

At this point, the waiter came up to serve dessert and another waiter brought an inkstone and a quill.

What a coincidence. To bring up the writing materials just as it was suggested. A student then took the ink and quill, and dipped the quill into the inkstone.

Pei Zi Yun then walked up without hesitation, took the quill and started writing. 

Before long, he had written the first three lines of the poem, with the waiter himself reading the poem out loud.

Once he had finished, he too felt a tinge of regret. Noticing that the poem had no name he asked, "Will young master leave a name for the poem so that I can hang it up and wait for you to return and complete it.”

Pei Zi Yun laughed, “Since this poem was written atop this place, the poem shall be called River View.”

Suddenly, a commotion was heard downstairs and a Daoist man came upstairs. Seeing a table had some meat and wine, he proceeded to help himself to those.

The waiter was still thinking about the poem when he saw this unkempt Daoist and began to rage. 

From where did this dirty Daoist come from, and how dare he come into this restaurant and cause problems?!

Pei Zi Yun looked at this man and thought he looked familiar. A student said, "You dirty Daoist, all you know is eat and laze. And you still want to steal meat? Have you given up on your cultivation journey?”

As he said this, he drank the wine and replied, "Food and wine are for the stomach. Dao is for the heart.”

The student heard this and was enraged, "You are not speaking logic Daoist, in fact you are speaking rubbish.”

The waiter heard this and called for more waiters, "Come, let’s bring this scoundrel to the courts.”

Upon realizing the severity of the situation, Pei Zi Yun felt compelled to do something and said, "Just give him the wine and meat. Today is the poets gathering, why should everyone get upset.”

The waiter heard Pei Zi Yun and laughed, "Since master Pei asks for compassion, it will do us no harm to give him a plate of salted vegetables. But he has to eat somewhere else.”

As he said this, he instructed, "Give this Daoist some salted vegetable, and let him eat downstairs.”

Seeing this, the Daoist man said, "You wretched people, you don’t know better.”

The Daoist laughed as he walked down. Pei Zi Yun felt a laughter in his heart. He looked at Zhang Jie Yu and noticed he was deep in thought and was immobile. 

Nobody else knows, but I do. Zhang Jie Yu is a disciple of Holy Jail Sect. This Daoist man tried to fool around and disgraced the Dao. Zhang Jie Yu could not bear it.

But in a situation like this, this Daoist man seemed very fishy. This event is very suspicious as well.



Earth Immortals are cultivated from a blessed land,
Heaven Immortals move to and fro from the divine mountains.
I have a stalk of plum blossom, and I shall maraud the Will of the Heavens with it!

"Sister Yunxi, you've got flowers again."
Little Moon and Little Star were employees of Y Cosmetics. Seeing Zhang Yunxi heading over, their faces immediately lit up with admiration.
They were slightly younger than Zhang Yunxi. They did not manage to get into university after high school but instead went to normal school. However, they were not well connected, therefore they never got to become a teacher, and finally settled on working for Y Cosmetics.
Although they were not considered the best in appearance, they were lively and still pleasing to the eyes over a longer period of time.
"Sister Yunxi had already received 16 bouquets of flowers and 38 confession cards. Meanwhile, Sister Miyako received 11 bouquets of flowers and 23 confession cards. Both of us only got four bouquets of flowers. The difference is just too vast!" Little Moon twiddled with her fingers dejectedly.
"Sister Yunxi, why don't we sell these flowers? I'm sure they're very expensive!" Little Star suggested with a greedy look on her face. "After selling them, we can enjoy a good meal!"
"Let's just give these flowers to our returning customers. Get to work," Zhang Yunxi replied with a smile, after which she looked at Ye Lingchen hopelessly. "Ever since Y Cosmetic became popular on the internet, we'd receive flowers on regular days as well."
"Boss, you have a delivery!" Outside, the sounds of a delivery guy could be heard once more.
"Hehe, you Chinese people are really lame!" Miyako chuckled condescendingly. Shreds of paper was littered in front of her; they were whatever was left from the confession cards she received earlier.
Ye Lingchen frowned. With her time spent just on receiving flowers, Zhang Yunxi would not be able to get anything done that day. 
'This won't do. This is picking on my cosmetic store!'
He quickly went into the inner room of the cosmetic store. It served as the break room for Zhang Yunxi and the rest. He quickly took out a piece of paper and a pen.
Zhang Yunxi took a curious peek at him just to see Ye Lingchen's pen move slowly on the paper. Each stroke was on point, as though they were printed from a printer.
"Crab is peeling my shell.
The notebook is writing on me.
The sky filled with me lands on the maple leaf and snowflakes.
Yet you're thinking of me."
It was a simple message, yet Zhang Yunxi was frowning and could not process it fully.
However, when she read through it the second time, her expression showed that she just had an epiphany. She was stunned as tears flowed from her eyes.
After a brief moment of blanking out, she finally looked at Ye Lingchen in astonishment. 
"Lingchen, you wrote this poem?"
"It's just something simple. These animals copied a few poems from the internet and dared to challenge my cosmetic store. How can I tolerate that?" Ye Lingchen harrumphed, then passed the poem to Zhang Yunxi. "Stick this outside. Tell them that if they can't beat this poem, then don't bother sending anymore."
"Pfft!"
Zhang Yunxi could not hold back her laughter. She rubbed the tears from the corner of her eyes and threw an amused look at Ye Lingchen. "Lingchen, you're so cute. Are you sure you're not being jealous?"
"I'm doing this to make sure my employees don't get cheated. It's to ensure my store can operate normally!" Ye Lingchen said with a straight face, as though he was on the side of justice.
Zhang Yunxi took the poem and placed it on the door of the cosmetic store. She also included Ye Lingchen's earlier statement. In an instant, those queuing up in the store rushed over curiously.
"This is a poem? That's so easy!"
"It feels a little like a love poem, but it just doesn't flow right!"
"Competition? This poem doesn't feel special at all. Is it that hard to surpass this poem?"
The crowd broke into their own debate. Quite a number of them even took out their phones in a hurry and uploaded this poem onto TikTok. At the same time, Zhang Yunxi had also uploaded this poem onto Y Cosmetics' official Weibo account.
Y Cosmetics had over three million followers. Just as it was announced, it immediately attracted a large number of views.
[Hahaha, pretty boss lady finally ran out of patience? It must be annoying to have countless people send you flowers and confessions right?]
[Ahhh, I can only express my admiration for this. Speaking of which, when will the pretty boss lady conduct the lucky draw?]
[These people are really quite annoying. With the never-ending deliveries, it's lowering the efficiency of the makeup process for our pretty boss lady. Please stop it already!]
[Who wrote this poem? To be frank, it's quite nonsensical, isn't it?]
[Is there some hidden meaning within? It doesn't seem like it! How can this poem be used as a standard?]
[Earlier this morning, I heard someone claiming on Weibo that Y Cosmetics began selling flowers. Hahaha, pretty ladies are so popular.]
…
It was Singles' Day. Countless internet celebrities would take this chance to bump up their popularity. However, when Ye Lingchen's poem made an appearance, it immediately stole the limelight, cascading out of control!
It was not because the poem was good, but rather due to it being nonsensical!
Others would try to perfect their own poem to make it more touching or elegant. However, Y Cosmetics was on another level. This poem was just all over the place, making others speechless.
Such a trashy poem somehow piqued everyone's interest. Countless netizens started to study and pick it apart.
How uncultured would a person need to be to produce a poem of such nonsensical quality!?
[Let's just leave it be. This is obviously Y Cosmetics' attempt to gain attention. It's a meaningless ordeal.]
[Just looking at this poem makes me feel good about myself, like one of the cultured folks. Wahahaha...]
[It should be written by an elementary school kid. It's so illogical.]
Little Moon and Little Star were also reading the poem repeatedly. Their faces lined with confusion. No matter how they read it, it did not flow well.
"Sister Yunxi, who wrote this poem? It feels so...lame," Little Moon could not help but ask.
Those around them shifted their attention to Zhang Yunxi, waiting for her reply.
However, Zhang Yunxi merely gave them a faint smile. "This poem is very simple. Just read it a few more times and you'll naturally understand. This is the most beautiful poem I've read in my entire life."
Everyone was taken aback, unsure of why Zhang Yunxi thought so highly of it.
When Zhang Yunxi's remarks were uploaded to the internet, it attracted even more attention. Nevertheless, they read it repeatedly and still could not figure it out.
Little Yu was a poem enthusiast. The elegance found in ancient poetry was her favorite, both beautiful and filled with sorrow, enrapturing her. Later on, due to her exceptional foundations in poetry, she was invited to take part in Poetry of China. A girl like her, equipped with literary knowledge carried an or ancient elegance, immediately attracted a huge following online.
It was Singles' Day. Unsurprisingly, she was sharing a few poems about love with everyone. Furthermore, she explained the meanings within the poem and shared her appreciation of the affection and sorrows within. Love poems were naturally something a girl would fall for.
However, right then, someone tagged her to have her rate a poem. 'New poem? Love poem?'
…


Ye Lingchen was a regular high schooler who struggled with exams and expectations from his parents.
All that changed after he woke up from a strange dream and discovered that he had been granted the 'Prodigy System'. His life changed from this point on. Reading a book allowed him to learn its content immediately. Listening to lectures granted instant understanding of the lesson. Observation of a technique imprinted knowledge of the technique used.
Learning had never been so easy, and as the saying goes, knowledge is power. In this case, he now had access to a ton of unbridled power. 
What does it feel like to become a 'prodigy' overnight? Follow Ye Lingchen on this journey to discover the limitless possibilities...

look up poem novel

Reboot! Look up Apex System!

I guess: poem collection

I Really Didn't Want to Be Famous

Ultimate Scheming System

I’m Really a Superstar

Transmigrated As My Former Uncle's Sweetheart

Hello, Mr. Major General

The Lazy Villainess

Plundering the Dao of the Immortal Journey

I Am A Prodigy

People search look up poem also like: