Zhang Bin was suddenly flustered. He and Liu Ruolan had been lovers for so long, and she had never cried before. Yet today, she was on the verge of tears?

He quickly said, "Honey, don't be angry. It's like this... I've been practicing calligraphy myself recently and I've improved a lot. So, my standards have gotten higher. That's why I felt your writing wasn't quite up to par, that it was subpar. It really has nothing to do with the reason you're thinking of."

"You've been practicing calligraphy? And you've improved a lot? I haven't seen you practice at all?" Liu Ruolan asked in surprise. The tears threatening to spill from her eyes stopped, mainly because she could feel that Zhang Bin's love for her hadn't changed.

Now that she was living in Sanchahe Village, she often went up to the villa in the mountains, mostly to help Liu Ruomei clean. But she had never found any ink, brushes, or paper in the study there, nor had she ever seen any of Zhang Bin's calligraphy or paintings.

"My brother made his girlfriend cry, and now he's talking nonsense. When has he ever practiced calligraphy?" Zhang Lele muttered from the side.

The others thought the same, all believing Zhang Bin was spouting nonsense.

"I do practice often, I just keep the ink, brushes, and paper stored in my Space Ring," Zhang Bin said.

He instantly regretted telling the truth. Would it have killed him to tell a little lie? What was he going to do now? He absolutely couldn't let her suspect that he was the one who had been pretending to be Chen Junheng.

"Then take them out and show me," Liu Ruolan said, still suspecting he was lying.

With a flick of his thoughts, Zhang Bin retrieved ink, brushes, and paper from his Space Ring. He said softly, "See? Now do you believe me? I wasn't lying to you."

"Show me your work. What good is blank paper? I want to see for myself how extraordinary your calligraphy is," Liu Ruolan said, holding out her hand.

"I... I don't have any finished pieces," Zhang Bin stammered. "I wasn't satisfied with what I wrote, so I threw them all away."

"Fine. Come here and write a couplet. If your calligraphy is that much better than mine, I'll believe you. Otherwise, I'm leaving right now, and I'm not coming back."

Liu Ruolan grabbed Zhang Bin's sleeve and pulled him over to the table.

Instantly, Zhang Bin's face crumpled into a miserable expression, as bitter as a gourd.

It wasn't that he couldn't produce good calligraphy; he was just worried that Liu Ruolan would suspect he was Chen Junheng, which would likely make her even angrier.

It was a classic case of a guilty conscience.

In truth, Liu Ruolan had never even considered the possibility that Chen Junheng and Zhang Bin were the same person.

After all, back when Chen Junheng had performed his miraculous feats online, Zhang Bin had always been right there with her. He hadn't even touched a computer, so how could he have been impersonating Chen Junheng?

"Are you going to write or not? If you don't, I'm leaving." Liu Ruolan shoved the brush into Zhang Bin's hand, threatening him.

This was incredibly important to her; she had to be sure. If Zhang Bin's handwriting was rubbish, and he had deliberately belittled hers, then it meant he truly didn't love her anymore. Their relationship was facing a grave crisis.

Mother Zhang and Father Zhang also realized what was at stake. They sighed in the corner, knowing what Zhang Bin's handwriting was usually like. Liu Ruolan was bound to be furious.

How could something like this happen during the New Year celebrations?

Xiao Fang also watched with a puzzled expression. Could it be that he's fallen for Su Man? Is that why he's starting to find fault with Liu Ruolan? Will he find fault with me someday, too?

At this thought, her heart began to flutter with anxiety.

"Brother, you were just joking earlier, right?" quick-witted Zhang Lele asked, winking at Zhang Bin to give him an out.

"He wasn't joking. He really despises me now." Liu Ruolan's eyes reddened. Seeing how he was acting, it was obvious his handwriting was shameful—definitely not as good as hers.

I can't worry about all that right now. I just have to get through this first, Zhang Bin thought to himself. Then he declared proudly, "Honey, I am a peerless, once-in-a-generation calligraphy genius, and my skills have already reached mastery. I was only afraid of shocking you, which is why I was reluctant to put brush to paper."

"Afraid I'll be ashamed? That I'll feel so inferior I won't know where to hide?" Liu Ruolan said. "Don't worry, I won't. If your calligraphy is truly that good, I won't be angry at all. In fact, I'll be thrilled that my boyfriend is a genius who excels at everything he does."

"Alright, I'm writing then," Zhang Bin said. "Try not to be too stunned."

"That chicken scratch of yours? I've seen it plenty. There's no way it could stun this old mom of yours," Mother Zhang retorted.

"Ooh, I'm so scared," Zhang Lele added with a snicker.

Father Zhang and Xiao Fang remained silent, but their faces were grim, etched with worry.

The moment Zhang Bin dipped his brush in ink and raised it, his entire being transformed. He went from timid and hesitant to poised and confident. He stood tall like a mountain between Heaven and Earth, exuding the dignified aura of a Grandmaster who could look down upon the entire world.

A rich, scholarly fragrance billowed from him, gushing forth to fill the entire hall.

Expressions of shock and disbelief appeared on everyone's faces.

Of course, Liu Ruolan was the most astonished of all, for she had seen such an aura once before, emanating from Chen Junheng. However, Chen Junheng's aura had been far less intense than Zhang Bin's. The difference was immense. After all, at that time, Chen Junheng had not yet reached the pinnacle of his art and was not yet considered a Calligraphy Grandmaster. But the Zhang Bin of today had long since become a Calligraphy Grandmaster, and the dignified air of a master flowed from him naturally.

Zhang Bin began to write. His brush danced like a dragon and a serpent, its golden hooks and silver strokes slowly revealing exquisitely beautiful characters on the red paper.

"Fortune's grace through a hundred victories is a fine thing; When green covers the Nine Provinces, it is finally spring."

Each and every character seemed to have been fashioned by a fairy from the Immortal Realm, stunning beyond compare. Together, they were like a multitude of fairies in countless graceful poses, exuding an endless, mesmerizing beauty. They were captivating enough to make anyone lose themselves completely.

Compared to this, Liu Ruolan's and Zhang Lele's calligraphy looked like shameful scribbles. It was inferior. So, so very inferior.

Indeed, at best, their handwriting could be called decent. But how could it possibly compare to the work of a Calligraphy Grandmaster?

Mother Zhang gasped. "H-how is this possible?" Then, her face beamed with elation. Fantastic! Now I have new bragging rights! My son is a true calligrapher! Writing like this will definitely be passed down for millennia!

My son has truly become an immortal, so the characters he writes have become immortal too. Father Zhang was rendered completely speechless, his eyes fixed on the couplet in a captivated daze.

In truth, neither he nor Mother Zhang knew the first thing about calligraphy. Yet, the Grandmaster's work was so breathtakingly beautiful and majestic, a style all its own, that even a complete amateur would be left spellbound.

Zhang Lele and Xiao Fang stared dumbfounded, their mouths forming perfect circles. Their faces were masks of pure shock, and their eyes, radiating an intense light, were glued to the couplet, utterly unable to look away.

As for Liu Ruolan, she stood as if struck by lightning, completely immobilized. To be honest, as a calligraphy aficionado herself, her ability to appreciate the art was far greater than the average person's. She had seen the works of many famous calligraphers before, but compared to Zhang Bin's, the work of those so-called masters was like a child's graffiti.

Clearly, this was a masterpiece of the highest order, undoubtedly comparable to the work of the great Wang Xizhi himself.

No wonder Zhang Bin had said her own calligraphy was poor and that she hadn't even reached the entry level.

"I'm sorry... I misunderstood you," Liu Ruolan said, overwhelmed with emotion. She threw herself into Zhang Bin's arms. "I admire you so much! I love you..."

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