Brother Dao Took the Entertainment Industry by Storm, Fans Beg Me Not to Kill Anymore

Chapter 654: The Story Behind Emperor Chen’s Authentic Script

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The door to the adjacent audition hall slowly swung open.

The judges who had finished their evaluations were now filing out one by one.

The most important judges had left through another exit, including Qiu Zhenlong, who—to ensure the fairness of the final audition results—would not come into contact with other auditioning actors for a short time along with several other producers.

However, the other historical consultants sitting nearby all came out through the main entrance.

Before leaving, they planned to take another look at Emperor Chen’s authentic script displayed on the first floor of the art center.

And so, Elder Qian, as he walked out, happened to spot Xiao He and Yang Heng standing ahead.

“Ah, you’re both still here.”

Seeing the two, Elder Qian’s crow’s feet deepened, his smile exceptionally warm. When he noticed Xiao He, his hand instinctively reached toward his pocket. “Well, perfect timing. You should have your phone back by now, right? Let’s exchange contact info.”

“Of course, and thank you for your trouble, Elder Qian.” Xiao He stepped forward immediately, proactively asking for Elder Qian’s QR code with a smile on his face. “I was thinking that phone calls can be slow for communication, so I figured I’d hang around a bit longer to see if I could bump into you again. Looks like Elder Qian and I share some fate after all.”
“Haha, you young people sure know how to talk.”

Elder Qian laughed heartily, while another person on the side handed over their phone, showing Xiao He their own QR code. “Uh, I’d like to add you too, if that’s convenient?”

Xiao He looked up and saw it was the screenwriter he had made cry earlier.

Even though the other party had now resumed their aloof demeanor, with no trace of tears, Xiao He still remembered the moment vividly.

“Of course, of course.”

Xiao He nodded, turning his camera toward the screenwriter’s QR code. But as soon as this screenwriter took the lead, the other judges exchanged glances, then pulled out their phones and looked at Xiao He.

Xiao He: ? Wait, seriously? Are you all jumping on the bandwagon now?

“Teacher Xiao He…” The youngest consultant, who looked the most junior, adjusted his glasses and asked a bit sheepishly, “Would you be willing to sell the calligraphy piece you wrote during your audition? My grandfather is a huge fan of Emperor Chen, so I was hoping to buy one from you…”

“Ahem, actually, me too…”

“Don’t worry, Teacher Xiao, we’ll provide the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. You just write one on the spot. We just hope the quality matches what you did during the audition…”

Xiao He: “…Alright, alright, no problem.”

Take it easy, take it easy. After adding you, I’ll add you, and then you, and then you…

So, after he made a full round, his phone was now filled with a string of new contacts.

Xiao He had truly underestimated these people’s obsession and love for Emperor Chen, as well as their higher pursuit of calligraphy mastery.

If the Little Box fans were Xiao He’s fans, then these folks—who had specifically come to serve as historical consultants for the production team—were without a doubt Emperor Chen’s extreme fans.

And since they were extreme fans, collecting their idol’s items was naturally a lifelong pursuit.

Even if they couldn’t get their hands on authentic pieces, buying a high-quality imitation of the same kind was more than satisfying.

“Alright, I need to chat with Xiao Xiao a bit more. Once you’ve added each other, hurry up and leave. Don’t hold us up.”

Elder Qian began shooing the others away, pulling Xiao He toward the stairs. “Come on, come on, let’s go take another look at the authentic script downstairs!”

Though they were being dismissed, the others followed along downstairs as well, and soon everyone gathered in front of the display case at the corner of the first floor.

Luckily, the entire art center had been rented out by the production team for today’s auditions, barring anyone else from entering. Otherwise, with an authentic script on display here, the center would have been packed to the brim every single day.

But it wasn’t bad now either. This group of consultants, finally done with their work, crowded around the display case so tightly that they practically blocked it off. Their attitudes were even more exaggerated than the staff member Xiao He had seen earlier, with nearly their eyes glued to the glass.

Elder Qian, thanks to his higher status, naturally took the best spot at the front. Pushing up his reading glasses, he repeatedly scrutinized the details of the display case, clicking his tongue in amazement every so often. “Yes, yes, there really is that gap! It completely defies normal writing habits… It seems Emperor Chen must have paused suddenly while writing this character… Ah, it’s a shame we can’t deduce what happened to him at that moment…”

“But Xiao He, you know—”

Elder Qian turned around, looking at Xiao He with great astonishment. “You actually imitated that pause as well. Your ability to mimic and your eye for detail are truly remarkable.”

“This young man’s potential is boundless!”

As he spoke, several people around him nodded in agreement. “Indeed, Xiao He’s observations are very sharp. If we hadn’t seen the authentic script, we wouldn’t have noticed that gap.”

The last time this authentic script had officially appeared at an auction was many years ago. Back then, photography technology was quite mediocre, and it had only been exhibited overseas, leaving behind far too few photographs. As a result, most of the photos these people had seen were black-and-white, with subtle speckles. Little did they know that one of those speckles had just happened to fall exactly over that gap, blending seamlessly with the script. It was only now, after all this time, that they could finally see these fine distinctions on the authentic script itself.

No wonder so many things could only reveal their historical charm after being seen with one’s own eyes.

Hearing their praise, Xiao He felt a bit embarrassed. But when he processed the implications of their words, he was slightly taken aback. “You teachers are also seeing this authentic script for the first time in person?”

When he had been practicing calligraphy earlier, he had looked at those blurry black-and-white photos without giving them much thought, assuming Wen Yuan had simply found them online.

But judging by their reactions now, that didn’t seem to be the case.

That was a bit strange.

Even if they hadn’t had the chance to fly overseas to see the legendary authentic script in person, according to what Yun Ziqi and Shu Han had said, many people clearly knew of its whereabouts. Later, as times advanced, photography technology wouldn’t have damaged the script’s material, and many antique scanning techniques were highly developed. Yet, it seemed… before this authentic script officially returned to the country, everyone had only seen that black-and-white photo.

And with his question, the scene fell silent for a moment.

Xiao He immediately shut his mouth, noticing the uncomfortable expressions on everyone’s faces.

Elder Qian didn’t dare look at Xiao He, merely gazing up at the script with a whirlwind of thoughts in his eyes. Others let out sighs, but said nothing.

Only the person Xiao He had earlier mistaken for a staff member—the one he’d seen wandering around—suddenly stepped forward indignantly and shouted loudly, “Isn’t it because it was swindled away by some scammer?! They’ve kept it locked up in a private vault and refuse to show it to anyone! Back then, many of our teachers personally flew to the United States, begging to leave behind a single high-definition photo for future academic research, but that person wouldn’t even let us through the door!”

“And if it weren’t for them pretending to be a patriotic overseas Chinese, manipulating others to abandon their bids out of sentiment and morality, how could this authentic script still be stranded overseas to this day?!”

“Qian Wenhao!”

Elder Qian barked harshly, while Xiao He’s blood pressure spiked from listening.

Holy crap, there was actually such a story behind this authentic script?!