“I gave my birthday gift, what does it have to do with you?” Xiao Yifeng glanced at Wang Haoran with displeasure.

“We’re all students, let’s not get into these formalities. Qin Yunhan and I came empty-handed, and now you’re giving a gift. Isn’t that deliberately making us look bad?” Wang Haoran said.

“Exactly, Zhaozhao is the granddaughter, so it’s normal for her to bring a gift. You’re not Grandpa Mu’s grandson, so why bother with this?” Qin Yunhan chimed in.

As students without much financial capability, even if we prepare gifts, it’s with our parents’ money. It lacks sincerity and is meaningless, better not to give anything.

Hearing the young lady speak, Xiao Yifeng found himself in a dilemma.

If it were just Wang Haoran’s opinion, Xiao Yifeng could ignore it. But with the young lady also involved, it made things difficult for him.

Insisting on giving the gift to Mu Cong would be like slapping the young lady in the face.

“My young friend, I appreciate your kindness. I’m already very happy that you think so highly of this old man. Please take your gift back,” Mu Cong smoothed things over.

“Well… alright then.” Xiao Yifeng felt aggrieved but had to take the gift back.

The reason he wanted to give Mu Cong a birthday gift was mainly to win the favor of the young lady and Mu Zhaozhao.

Now, insisting on giving the gift would only make the young lady angrier.

[Ding! The host prevented the protagonist Xiao Yifeng from showing off, gaining 200 villain points. Xiao Yifeng’s protagonist halo -10, host’s villain halo +10!]

Wang Haoran was pleased to receive a wave of rewards.

At this moment, Qin Kai approached with a smile, congratulating Mu Cong and presenting a birthday gift.

Mu Cong quickly stepped forward to greet him, exchanging pleasantries for a while.

Due to the relationship between Qin Yunhan and Mu Zhaozhao, the two families were closely connected, and Qin Kai and Mu Cong had a good relationship.

After chatting with Mu Cong, Qin Kai walked over to his daughter.

“Is the dormitory comfortable?” Qin Kai asked with a light smile.

“Very comfortable, I plan to stay until graduation,” Qin Yunhan huffed.

To this, Qin Kai just chuckled.

He knew his daughter too well. Raised in luxury, she couldn’t possibly get used to living in a school dormitory.

Returning to the small villa was just a matter of time.

To say Qin Yunhan could last until graduation, Qin Kai wouldn’t believe it no matter what.

…

“Master Mu’s calligraphy is becoming more and more refined.”

“Such exquisite calligraphy, I think it’s worth a thousand gold per character.”

“A thousand gold per character is nothing. I think it will be famous for generations to come.”

In the banquet hall, some of Mu Cong’s recent calligraphy works were displayed. Guests interested in calligraphy admired and discussed them.

Mu Cong was a well-known contemporary calligrapher, with a diverse style including running script, cursive script, and regular script.

His running script was particularly praised and admired.

“Yunhan, let’s go take a look too,” Mu Zhaozhao suggested.

Having been influenced by her grandfather’s calligraphy since childhood, she had a strong interest in it, though her lazy nature meant she hadn’t learned much.

But this didn’t affect her interest in calligraphy at all.

“Sure.”

Qin Yunhan nodded and walked with Mu Zhaozhao towards the calligraphy hanging in the banquet hall.

She wasn’t particularly interested in calligraphy, but from a distance, the calligraphy looked very elegant and lively, so she wanted to take a closer look.

Seeing this, Xiao Yifeng followed without hesitation.

He had no interest in calligraphy, but he was very interested in Qin Yunhan and Mu Zhaozhao.

Qin Yunhan and Mu Zhaozhao admired the calligraphy, occasionally whispering words of admiration.

Xiao Yifeng, after getting close to them, interjected:

“These characters are really well-written, truly worthy of a master.”

“You country bumpkin, you haven’t even read many books, do you actually understand calligraphy?” Qin Yunhan sneered.

“I haven’t read much, but I can write, and I think I write quite well,” Xiao Yifeng boasted.

“Who would believe you?” Qin Yunhan scoffed.

“My young friend, do you also practice calligraphy?” Mu Cong, who was nearby, overheard Xiao Yifeng’s words and came over to inquire.

“I do,” Xiao Yifeng nodded, “but my calligraphy isn’t written with a pen, it’s written with a sword.”

With Mu Cong’s exquisite calligraphy present, Xiao Yifeng dared not show off, so he wanted to demonstrate his talent in another way.

Having practiced martial arts for many years, he wielded a sword as if it were an extension of his arm. Writing with a sword was no different from writing with a pen.

However, for ordinary people, this was considered a unique skill.

Combined with swordsmanship, it would definitely amaze everyone.

“Oh?!” Mu Cong was intrigued.

He knew some unconventional calligraphers who didn’t use brushes.

But none of them used a sword for calligraphy. Hearing Xiao Yifeng’s words piqued his interest, and he wanted to see it for himself.

“Old Master Mu, could you get a sword, no less than 30 pounds, the heavier the better,” Xiao Yifeng made a specific request.

For him, it didn’t matter what kind of sword he used to write.

But using a heavy sword seemed more challenging and impressive.

Mu Cong was even more surprised.

A sword that heavy would be difficult just to hold, let alone use for writing. The difficulty was indeed significant.

Mu Cong was increasingly looking forward to Xiao Yifeng’s performance.

“Alright, I…”

“Today is Grandpa Mu’s birthday, a great day. Sword dancing seems a bit inauspicious,” Wang Haoran deliberately interrupted Mu Cong.

“This…” Mu Cong hesitated.

The older one gets, the more superstitious they become.

Having swords flashing at a birthday banquet was indeed not a good omen.

“Dancing with a sword for calligraphy, not fighting, what’s inauspicious about that?” Xiao Yifeng looked at Wang Haoran with dissatisfaction.

“He’s not your grandfather, of course, you don’t think it’s a big deal,” Qin Yunhan, displeased with Xiao Yifeng, couldn’t help but retort.

“Grandpa, I also think sword dancing is inappropriate, let’s not do it. If you really want to demonstrate calligraphy, using a pen is just as good,” Mu Zhaozhao, more concerned about her grandfather, also advised.

“That’s true.” Seeing his beloved granddaughter speak, Mu Cong immediately dismissed the idea of having Xiao Yifeng demonstrate calligraphy.

He looked at Xiao Yifeng and said:

“My young friend, how about using a pen instead of a sword?”

“I’m used to writing calligraphy with a sword, I can’t get the feel with a pen, so let’s forget it,” Xiao Yifeng made an excuse, but as he spoke, he glared at Wang Haoran with displeasure.

[Ding! The host prevented the protagonist Xiao Yifeng from showing off, gaining 200 villain points. Xiao Yifeng’s protagonist halo -10, host’s villain halo +10!]

Wang Haoran received another wave of rewards, feeling very satisfied.

He then took a few steps forward, glanced at the surrounding calligraphy works, and suddenly praised:

“Grandpa Mu’s calligraphy draws from the strengths of ancient and modern calligraphy, creating a unique style. Truly admirable.”

“Haoran, do you also understand calligraphy?” Mu Cong couldn’t help but ask.

“In front of a master, how dare I claim to understand,” Wang Haoran humbly replied, then shifted the conversation:

“However, I have some knowledge of calligraphy. I’ve copied works of the four great masters of regular script, the four masters of the Song dynasty, and the great masters of running and cursive script at least hundreds of times, and I dare say I’ve grasped the essence.”