Yuan Mei immediately came to Yan Ning’s side, with a face full of surprise, after hearing this, and took a closer look at the words Zhang Jingdong had written for the tutor.
After a while, she couldn’t help but exclaim, "Mr. Zhang, I didn’t expect someone as young as you to possess such profound skills!"
"Especially this line, ’The great passes are like iron, yet now I stride from the beginning again,’ really captures some of the tutor’s boldness!"
Zhang Jingdong hurriedly laughed and shook his head: "Sister Mei, you’re flattering me too much, I really don’t deserve this!"
Unexpectedly, Yuan Mei became even more serious: "Calligraphy, music, chess, and painting are my hobbies. I never lie about these things. If something is good, it’s good; if it’s not, it’s not."
"Mr. Zhang, what do you think about this arrangement? From now on you can come here anytime, I won’t charge you, but you help me to write a piece of calligraphy. How about that?"
No sooner had she spoken than both Yan Ning and He Jieyu’s eyes lit up.
If her previous compliments could possibly have been given for Yan Ning’s sake, then this offer was proof enough of her genuine admiration for Zhang Jingdong!
Yan Ning even developed a sense of crisis because she knew how obsessed Yuan Mei was with calligraphy, music, chess, and painting, and how much she respected the masters in these arts.
And the most crucial point was that she had never actively asked someone for their writing, yet now she was asking Zhang Jingdong for it right in front of her.
Although she knew it didn’t necessarily mean that Yuan Mei had fallen for Zhang Jingdong, this development still took her by surprise.
At that moment, Zhang Jingdong glanced at Yan Ning, then said, "Well, since you’ve put it this way, if I don’t agree, Mr. Yan definitely won’t let me off the hook, so I suppose I have no choice but to obey!"
"What would you like me to write?"
Upon Zhang Jingdong’s agreement, Yuan Mei immediately said, "The tutor’s ’Song of the Plum Blossom’ from ’Divinations’."
Just then, Yan Ning couldn’t help herself, "Sister Mei, you’re not planning on transferring his writing onto the wall of Plum Blossom Garden, are you?"
Yuan Mei immediately beamed with joy, "Exactly, you really get it, Mr. Yan, you’re so quick-witted!"
Yan Ning sighed, "Boss Zhang, Sister Mei really is taken with your handwriting! The Plum Blossom Garden is her pride and joy. It seems from now on I’ll have to bask in your reflected glory when I visit!"
At this moment, Yuan Mei finally caught the hint, "Mr. Yan, I set up the Plum Blossom Garden based on your suggestion in the first place, and during the process, you offered a lot of advice on everything from the flower species to the overall structure."
"Now, with Mr. Zhang’s calligraphy to add the finishing touch, this Plum Blossom Garden is practically a joint effort from you two, so you really have no reason to be jealous!"
Caught off guard by this comment, Yan Ning blushed and chided, "Sister Mei, what are you talking about, Mr. Zhang and I... we’re just friends!"
"But what about you? You’ve never actively asked anyone for their writing before, but now Mr. Zhang shows up and you’re suddenly begging him for it. Could it be that you’ve taken a liking to Mr. Zhang’s talent?"
"Mr. Yan, you’re all ’our Mr. Zhang’ now, I wouldn’t dare to have any inappropriate thoughts about him!"
"Come on, stop hiding it. Just admit you’re in a romantic relationship with Mr. Zhang!"
"With our current relationship, I’ve been embarrassed to call you out on it until now, but do you really feel comfortable keeping it from me?"
Listening to this, Zhang Jingdong couldn’t help but think: Women, no matter how classy, aloof, or cultured they may seem, can mess up in minutes when it comes to their best friends!
While he was secretly relishing the moment, Yan Ning, who had just been put on the spot by Yuan Mei, found herself at a loss and instinctively looked over at him, "I’m only friends with him, and you can ask him if you don’t believe me!"
Then, for a moment, all three beautiful women present turned their gaze towards Zhang Jingdong.
Zhang Jingdong was taken aback at first, then smirked, "Actually, we’re just..."
Before he could finish, Yan Ning interrupted, "Boss Zhang, think carefully before you speak. Don’t talk nonsense!"
Zhang Jingdong, who had been somewhat hesitant, saw her become a bit flustered and said resolutely, "Alright, given that this concerns Mr. Yan’s reputation, I can’t lie."
"Actually... we really are together!"
Yan Ning, who had slightly relaxed after hearing the first part, was utterly disarmed by the latter half!
"Zhang Jingdong, what on earth are you saying? Have you lost your mind? Sister Mei, he’s talking nonsense; don’t believe him!"
At this point, Zhang Jingdong replied honestly, "Fine fine fine... I was talking nonsense, happy now? Sister Mei, I was just joking; we’re really not together, we’re still just friends!"
Seeing his schadenfreude, Yan Ning became anxious, "Zhang Jingdong you... you’re doing this on purpose! You just wait, I won’t let you off later!"
At this, Yuan Mei couldn’t help but laugh, "Mr. Yan, I believe you now, right? You and Mr. Zhang are still just friends. Your ’our Mr. Zhang’ was just a slip of the tongue."
Completely at a loss, Yan Ning gave up, "Forget it, I won’t argue with you, but from today on, he and I are through!"
At this, Zhang Jingdong said, "Um... I’m hungry, let’s hurry up and try some of the delicious food Sister Mei prepared!"
Yan Ning also remembered the food Yuan Mei had made and immediately put the previous matter behind her, heading over to the dining table without another word.
Yuan Mei shook her head with a smile, "Mr. Yan, don’t be angry, to apologize, I’ll personally play a few songs for you today."
Yan Ning finally felt satisfied, "Since you say so, I’ll forgive you for the sake of your music."
Hearing this, Zhang Jingdong chimed in, "In that case, allow me to play a couple of songs for you later, will you forgive me too?"
Yan Ning blinked her beautiful eyes, "Unless you play better than Sister Mei, otherwise... no deal!"
Zhang Jingdong laughed easily, "Well then, I suppose I’ll have to give you yet another surprise!"
Upon these words, the eyes of the three beautiful women in the room suddenly filled with surprise once more.