{Chapter: 286 How could I chase after my sister-in-law?!}
While acting coquettishly, Yu Shanshan tilted her round, chubby face up toward Lin Yuan and blinked her big, innocent eyes like a spoiled child trying to charm her favorite older brother. Her soft baby cheeks were still faintly red from when Lin Yuan and Chi Qian had playfully pinched them earlier, giving her an amusingly pitiful look that made people want to laugh and pinch her all over again.
Despite her best efforts to act cute, the faint traces of those earlier pinches gave her a comically aggrieved appearance. She looked like a small squirrel puffing up in protest.
Lin Yuan couldn't help but smile at the sight. "Alright, alright. I'll write something for you," he said casually. "But… there's one condition."
The moment she heard the word condition, Yu Shanshan immediately let go of Lin Yuan's arm as if it had suddenly grown spikes. Her expression turned serious and guarded, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"What condition?" she asked warily, arms folded. "You better not say what I think you're about to say again. If you dare ask me to introduce my beautiful, charming wives to you, dream on! I'm warning you—don't even think about it!"
Lin Yuan raised his hands in mock surrender, looking amused. "Come on, how could I be so shameless as to chase after my own future sister-in-laws?"
Yu Shanshan paused, blinking, then gave a satisfied nod. "Hmph. At least you know your place."
But before she could even finish nodding in approval, Lin Yuan smoothly added with a grin, "I just want to get to know what my sister-in-laws are like in advance. You know, for the sake of family harmony. Just give me their WeChat accounts… with photos and their three sizes. Nothing much."
Yu Shanshan's face turned red in an instant, burning with righteous indignation. "Get lost, you pervert!" she snapped.
But Lin Yuan only laughed harder and teased, "Oh? You sound a little scared. Could it be that you're not confident in your charm anymore? Afraid your lovely wives will fall for someone like me instead?"
The jab hit the mark, and Yu Shanshan's cheeks puffed up. She didn't respond with words this time—she just lunged forward, opening her mouth like she was going to bite him.
Lin Yuan quickly pulled his hand away and laughed. "Alright, alright! I'm done teasing. You win." He softened his tone and added gently, "I know you really want something, so I'll write one for you. But in return, you need to be a good girl from now on."
Yu Shanshan crossed her arms and stood proudly, placing her hands on her hips like a tiny general who had just won a great battle. Her eyes sparkled with satisfaction.
Around them, several people were beginning to glance over again. After all, they had just seen Lin Yuan clearly declare earlier that he only wrote two calligraphy pieces per day. Yet now, here he was, going back up to write a third one—just for this girl.
Many people who overheard the interaction looked on in disbelief.
Wasn't this the same man who confidently said he had a strict limit?
Now, he was writing again… and so casually at that!
Lin Yuan's behavior felt utterly two-faced to them. But of course, no one dared say it out loud.
What could they do, really? Lin Yuan clearly had the final say in everything. He wrote when he wanted, didn't write when he didn't want to, and made it seem like the heavens revolved around his brush.
And judging by the way he dressed, spoke, and carried himself—elegant yet effortlessly superior—most assumed he came from a powerful, influential family. They could only dream of getting a single piece of his work, resorting to begging like loyal, tail-wagging dogs.
A few of the older masters sighed with regret, thinking, If only I had a granddaughter half as adorable. Maybe then I'd have a chance too.
Soon enough, Lin Yuan finished writing a piece for Yu Shanshan.
Knowing she struggled with cursive, Lin Yuan deliberately wrote it in a clean, elegant standard script—every stroke refined and masterful, yet legible enough for her to read easily.
The moment he put down the brush, Yu Shanshan dashed over in excitement, her eyes glowing.
"Well done, young man! Not bad at all. I like it a lot!" she said cheerfully, nodding with exaggerated approval.
Then, in a surprisingly comical display of dominance, she patted Lin Yuan's shoulder like a boss giving approval to her employee. But since she was far shorter than him, she had to tiptoe to reach, making the scene even funnier.
This sight drew a quiet chuckle from Chi Qian, who was standing nearby. She covered her mouth with one hand, her eyes bright with amusement as she watched her friend act tough.
Lin Yuan smiled, looking at Yu Shanshan with mischief dancing in his eyes.
"But Shanshan," he said casually, "I'm not giving this one to you."
Yu Shanshan blinked in surprise. "Huh? Then who's it for?"
Lin Yuan grinned. "I will not give it to you, Shanshan. It is not for you."
"Hmph. Then don't give it to me if you don't want to!" Yu Shanshan pouted, crossing her arms with a mock huff of indignation.
But despite her outward display of disdain, she held the calligraphy close to her chest with both arms like it was a treasure. The glint in her eyes and the faint smile tugging at her lips betrayed her true feelings—she was overjoyed.
Seeing her reaction, Chi Qian stepped forward gently and said, "Shanshan, be careful. It's still fresh. The ink hasn't dried yet. If you're not careful, it'll smudge and ruin the writing… and possibly stain your clothes too."
Yu Shanshan scoffed and raised her chin proudly. "If it gets smudged, then so be it! I don't care. I'll just use it to wipe my butt when I get home!"
The words had barely left her mouth when an audible gasp rippled through the onlookers.
Many of them were calligraphy lovers—some of them elderly, others middle-aged enthusiasts who had spent decades honing their appreciation for the art. The very idea of someone treating such a work with such crudeness was unthinkable.
"What did she just say?"
"Is she out of her mind?! That's Master Lin's calligraphy!"
"She wants to… use it to wipe… what?!"
Lin Yuan's brushwork had left everyone in awe just moments earlier, and now this girl dared to speak of desecrating it?
One elderly gentleman with a beard that fluttered with indignation stepped forward, glaring at Yu Shanshan. "Young lady, how can you speak such filthy words about a piece of art so precious? You might not appreciate it, but that doesn't give you the right to disgrace it!"
Another followed suit, adjusting his glasses in disbelief. "Yes! If you don't want it, sell it to me! I'm willing to pay a high price for Master Lin's work!"
Yu Shanshan, seeing herself surrounded and under verbal siege, immediately backed down. Her face, which had been so proud just seconds before, now flushed red in panic.
"I—I was just joking!" she stammered. "Come on, I would never really do that. It's from my cousin! I was just messing around! I would never use it to… that!"
But the calligraphy enthusiasts weren't having it.
"You mustn't joke like that, child!"
"Exactly. A masterpiece like this must be respected. Words have power, and you should choose them carefully!"
Yu Shanshan's cheeks were now bright crimson, and her earlier bravado was completely crushed. All she could do was bow her head repeatedly, mumbling apology after apology in a soft voice.
Watching the scene unfold, Lin Yuan chuckled.
He hadn't expected such a dramatic reaction, but seeing Yu Shanshan's embarrassment was strangely amusing. Her usual cockiness had been replaced with bashfulness, and her round cheeks looked even puffier now that they were red with shame.
Despite her mischief, there was something undeniably endearing about Yu Shanshan's childlike demeanor. Her words may have been outrageous, but even the angriest critics could see that she didn't truly mean them.
Lin Yuan strolled over to her with a smirk on his face. "It's alright," he said casually. "If you want to use it for that, go ahead. It's just paper, after all. Doesn't really mean much to me."
Yu Shanshan's eyes widened in disbelief. Was he serious?
But before she could respond, Lin Yuan added with a teasing grin, "Just be careful. If you really use it for that, your little daisy might turn into a black chrysanthemum."
The entire crowd was stunned for a second, then erupted into laughter.
Chi Qian, who had been standing quietly to the side, was the first to lose it. She covered her mouth, trying to suppress her giggles, but they burst out anyway in a fit of contagious laughter.
Yu Shanshan's jaw dropped in shock, and then her face turned an even deeper shade of red.
"You… you're such a pervert!" she shouted, swatting at Lin Yuan's arm with both hands.
But she wasn't truly angry. She understood that Lin Yuan was trying to help her out of the embarrassing situation—and she appreciated it in her own way.
Still pouting, she grabbed Lin Yuan's arm and clung to it again, shaking it slightly like a spoiled child seeking comfort.
Lin Yuan just smiled and glanced at Chi Qian. "Shall we go?"
Chi Qian nodded, still grinning.
Just as the three of them were about to leave, a figure quickly stepped forward from the side.
It was Ge Yuanshan, the elderly scholar who had been carefully studying the scripture Lin Yuan wrote earlier. His expression was filled with awe, and there was a hint of urgency in his steps.
"Xiao Yuan—no, I mean… Master Lin!" Ge Yuanshan corrected himself mid-sentence, bowing slightly out of deep respect.
His sudden change in address caught the attention of everyone nearby. Earlier, he had spoken to Lin Yuan with the ease of an elder addressing a younger man, but now he was calling him "Master Lin"?
Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow, though he didn't seem particularly surprised. "Old man Ge, what's the matter? Did you forget something?"
Ge Yuanshan held the calligraphy with trembling hands, his eyes still locked onto the strokes. "No… I just—after looking at your work more carefully, I realized I was wrong. Very wrong."
He looked up with sincerity in his expression. "At first, I thought you were just a talented young man with a knack for calligraphy. But now I see… your understanding of balance, your rhythm, the spirit within each stroke… It far exceeds mine. I have studied this art my entire life, but your brushwork contains something I cannot replicate."
A respectful hush fell over the crowd.
Many were surprised by Ge Yuanshan's humility. He was known for being a stern, old-fashioned calligraphy master who rarely praised anyone, much less admitted inferiority.
Yet here he was, addressing Lin Yuan with reverence.
"I meant every word when I called you 'Master Lin,'" Ge Yuanshan said. "It wasn't a formality—it was an acknowledgment of your mastery. And I offer that respect wholeheartedly."
Lin Yuan gave him a calm, almost amused look. "Well then, since you're sincere, I suppose I can accept it."
Yu Shanshan blinked. "Wait, wait, what? He's calling you 'master' now? Are we in a martial arts movie?"
Chi Qian covered her mouth again, clearly holding back another wave of laughter.
But Lin Yuan simply smiled and replied, "When the brush speaks louder than the sword, even masters bow."
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