Chosen One, how did I end up as the villain?

Qin Huaiyu smiled politely and said to the three of them:

"Gentlemen, I, Xiong Ba, greet you." He then bowed slightly.

Upon seeing this, Yan Chong's heart skipped a beat. How could he accept the other party's bow? After all, his life was in the other party's hands, and if he displeased them, the consequences would be unimaginable.

He quickly bowed and said:

"Brother Ba, please don't stand on ceremony. You are Chengye's friend, so you are my friend. Such friendship surpasses mere formalities!"

His words had two meanings: first, to return a courtesy, and second, to build a closer relationship as friends.

Qin Huaiyu understood his intention, and nodded.

This guy doesn't seem to be brainless; he knows how to fabricate stories, and you can't even refute him.

As expected, the young members of the family were not as simple as they seemed. They all looked like playboys, but they were actually quite cunning.

The two people standing nearby looked surprised when they saw this.

Who is Yan Chong? He is a notorious tyrant in the city, so much so that even dogs would give him a wide berth, and he doesn't necessarily give a friendly look to those who are close to him.

But why is he being so polite to an unknown young man today, and even seems a little cautious?

...Could this person be the offspring of some important figure?

Gongsun Shu thought about it carefully. There was no Xiong family in the city, and his father had mentioned that none of the important figures in the capital had such a surname.

Could there be another hidden story?

Having failed to achieve his goal, he had no choice but to give up, and so he politely said:

"Greetings, Young Master Ba. I am Gongsun Shu, the organizer of this academic gathering."

Although Liu Man was surprised, she didn't think much of it, assuming that Yan Chong was out of his mind, and casually uttered two words.

"Liu Man!"

Li Chengye, on the other hand, composed himself, his unfathomable eyes darting around as if deep in thought...

The room fell silent.

As the head of the household, Gongsun Shu naturally took the lead, so he cleared his throat and raised his voice:

"Since almost everyone has arrived, please come in!"

With that, he took the lead and walked towards the pavilion with the four of them.

Upon seeing this, the other men and women who came to participate in the association immediately followed.

"Brother Gongsun, didn't you say the princess was coming? Why haven't I seen her?" Li Chengye asked, glancing around at the people as he walked.

Upon hearing this, many people listened intently, including the other two young masters and Qin Huaiyu.

Gongsun Shu was very unhappy. Sure enough, some people with ill intentions came for the princess, and their excuse of joining the academy was just that—an excuse.

It is pathetic and lamentable that scholars, who pride themselves on their integrity, would squander their knowledge to win the hearts of women!

We have fallen!

I must seize this opportunity; the princess admires talented people.

Thinking to himself, he smiled and said:

"The princess is of noble status and it is not appropriate for her to be present, but she will see your talents."

Didn't they come?

But what does it mean to see that?

Qin Huaiyu pondered for a moment and thought of a possibility: the sound of reading aloud drifting in on the wind. If that were the case, it would be quite pretentious.

But some people clearly didn't understand, and instantly became disheartened, their faces filled with disappointment.

The group entered the pavilion, with Gongsun Shu, the initiator, sitting in the main seat on the high platform, and several scions of noble families below him.

Of course, Qin Huaiyu, as Li Chengye's friend, was also among them.

Once everyone was seated, Gongsun Shu raised his wine cup.

"It is a great honor for me that you all could be here today to participate in the academic conference. Like wild geese returning home, time never stops, learning is boundless, and we strive tirelessly, year after year, without rest..."

"......."

Qin Huaiyu felt a headache coming on. It felt like he was back in his school days, attending a pep rally where the principal was giving a long speech while the students below were fast asleep.

As is customary throughout history, the opening is always damn long!

He could only pass the time by eating fruit. Each glistening grape was sweet and delicious as it entered his mouth, but compared to the torment his ears had endured, this sweetness was far from enough to compensate.

This guy doesn't look very old, but he acts like an old scholar. All he does is show off in front of people. Even Tang Sanzang would shake his head if he saw him.

I don't know how much time passed, until another juicy red apple was eaten.

Only then did the group raise their somewhat frozen hands, and with resentful eyes, they drank the wine in their glasses.

Gongsun Shu put down his cup and glanced at Qin Huaiyu with great dissatisfaction. He had noticed earlier that while he was speaking, this guy was eating the whole time and didn't take him seriously at all.

That's absolutely infuriating!

Before he could figure out who the other person was, he didn't dare to lash out and could only curse in his heart.

"That wild boy has no manners at all. He must be a vulgar person, not fit for a refined social setting."

"Young Master Gongsun, is our lesson today about studying the writings of sages, or about exploring classical texts together?" a student asked.

"How about we try something different today?"

Gongsun Shu suppressed his emotions and maintained a gentle smile.

"Novel, what do you mean?"

Gongsun Shu picked up the wine pot and filled the silver goblet, saying:

"Martial artists engage in physical duels, and scholars naturally engage in literary duels. Today, let's use wine as our theme and have a poetry contest!"