Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Shen Qinglan was completely mortified by the ambiguous posture from just moments ago, feeling his ears burn as he kept his lashes lowered, too embarrassed to lift his gaze.

Han Zhang, however, was shameless, inwardly delighted but outwardly calm and composed.

Seeing the young lad so ashamed he could barely stand it, a deeper smile flickered in his eyes, and he gently gave him an out, saying softly:

"The parade here has ended, Brother. Shall we head over there to guess the lantern riddles?"

"G-Guess lantern riddles? Yes, yes, let's go!"

Relieved to have an out, Shen Qinglan sighed in relief and quickly nodded, then, with a flushed face, darted toward the street corner lined with lantern riddles.

Han Zhang watched his fleeing back with a faint smile before following.

At the lantern riddle corner.

This area was not as boisterous as the acrobatic parade; it was a gathering of refined scholars.

Thus, by the time they arrived, it was already crowded with scholars, and cheers rang out from time to time.

Shen Qinglan was delighted by the lively scene, and asked Han Zhang casually, "Brother Han, do you want to guess the riddles directly, or give it a go on the stage?"

In the capital, there were two ways to play lantern riddles: one was the traditional guessing game, and the other involved a contestant taking the stage to pose three riddles, which the audience and experts hired by the riddle master would try to solve.

Although Han Zhang had inherited the original body's memories, he had time-traveled from the future and wasn't well-versed in literature.

So how could he dare to guess on the spot? Naturally, he chose the latter and made up his own riddles!

After all, his memory was quite good, and he still recalled a few "classic lantern riddles" circulating online—winning a little riddle contest should be no problem.

"The glazed revolving lantern you wanted, the moonlight cloud brocade, the blue-green phoenix and white jade pendant... all are prizes on the stage. Tell me, Brother, which one should I pick?"

Han Zhang gently flicked Shen Qinglan's forehead with a smile, then walked over to the riddle master to sign up for the stage.

Shen Qinglan followed behind, grinning from ear to ear and cheering him on: "I knew you'd be the best, Brother Han! Go for it, Brother Han!"

The prizes for today's lantern riddles were quite enticing, and it was also a good opportunity to showcase talent and gain fame.

Thus, there was a good crowd at the stage sign-up table.

Here, Han Zhang also encountered several fellow students from the same academy.

"Han Zhang? Why are you here?!"

One of them, seeing him appear, his expression immediately soured.

Han Zhang recognized the person and remained composed, merely replying with a faint smile:

"Brother Huang, you're mistaken. At today's temple fair, everyone is here for fun; why can't I be here?"

The one who looked displeased at his arrival was none other than another fellow student from the academy, aside from Xiucai Luo, with whom the original body had a strained relationship.

His name was Huang Wenbin, and like the original body, he was also a scholar from a humble background.

As for any real bad blood between them, it wasn't really that serious.

The root of their conflict actually boiled down to two words—competition.

Just like the original body and Xiucai Luo, Huang Wenbin was also someone who desperately wanted to climb the social ladder and had high hopes for using marriage as a shortcut to wealth.

All three wanted to marry up, and being classmates, their social circles overlapped, and the pool of wealthy young masters and ladies they could approach often overlapped too—naturally, they became rivals!

Originally, among the three, Han Zhang was the best-looking and most talented.

But because he was tongue-tied, his competitiveness ended up being the weakest.

However, after transmigration, Han Zhang had become smooth-tongued and charming, instantly compensating for the original body's shortcomings and turning into the most dazzling dark horse among them...

Today's temple fair was a perfect opportunity to shine.

At that moment, Huang Wenbin was also sweet-talking his wealthy marriage prospect—the daughter of the Third-Rank Official, Minister Zhang. Seeing Han Zhang, his formidable rival, appear, how could he not make a sour face?

Han Zhang was more handsome and more talented than him; what if Miss Zhang took a liking to Han Zhang? What would he do then?

Sure enough.

The very thing he feared most had happened.

Huang Wenbin turned to look at the young lady of the Zhang family, who was leaning by the window on the second floor of a nearby tea house, watching the excitement. Her gaze, which had been fixed on him, had now shifted to Han Zhang, and it was especially fervent.

That rat Han always chose such moments to steal his thunder—truly a lowlife!

Huang Wenbin was seething with anger, almost forcing him to curse out loud.

But with Miss Zhang watching, he had to suppress his fury, force a smile, and maintain his composure. He cupped his hands in a bow and said, acting nonchalant:

"Brother Han is joking. The temple fair today is lively—of course you can come. I merely happened upon you and greeted you. Why does Brother Han have to look so upset?"

He paused, then raised his voice, deliberately making sure Miss Zhang on the tea house's second floor could hear, he added:

"Never mind, never mind. Brother Han's talent is extraordinary, renowned throughout the academy. I, with my mediocre abilities, naturally cannot catch Brother Han's eye. Since that's the case, I won't disturb your enjoyment any longer. I'll be going now..."

After this obvious backhanded compliment, he stepped aside to wait for his turn on stage.

Han Zhang could clearly pick up on the insinuation in his words, but he ignored it, remaining calm and collected where he stood. He didn't care in the least how Miss Zhang on the second floor perceived him.

Because he had no intention of courting her at all; in fact, he hoped she wouldn't have her eye on him!

Yeah, he did want to marry into money, but he didn't want to be under his father-in-law's thumb for life.

A high-ranking father-in-law was more trouble than it was worth. He only needed his father-in-law's initial support; once he entered officialdom, he believed his own abilities would let him thrive without someone constantly breathing down his neck.

After all, if he had wanted a Third-Rank Official as a father-in-law, he wouldn't have screened all the eligible matches in the capital and ultimately chosen the Shen family.

Anyway, back to the point—he was quite fond of Shen Qinglan at the moment and had no intention of changing him for someone else.

Speak of the devil.

Huang Wenbin's intentionally loud and sarcastic remarks had also reached Shen Qinglan's ears.

The young lad, sensing something was off, stepped closer, looking concerned and asked, "Brother Han, who was that person talking to you? Why was he being so sarcastic and nasty to you?"

Han Zhang had nothing to hide.

Han Zhang explained bluntly: "That man is called Huang Wenbin, a fellow student of mine at the academy. We've never been on good terms. The moment he saw me, his face changed—he's afraid I'll block his path to climbing the social ladder."

As he spoke, he slightly lifted his chin, subtly gesturing toward the second floor of the neighboring teahouse.

Shen Qinglan followed his gaze discreetly and saw a girl adorned with pearls and dressed in silk, leaning by the window. He immediately understood.

Then he couldn't help but puff up in anger and say:

"That Huang Wenbin is such a petty man! What did he take you for, Brother Han?"

"You, my brother, are the most upright, brave, and honorable man, always acting with integrity. How could you ever stoop to such shameless tricks of deceiving young ladies and currying favor with the powerful?"

"He's the one with a crooked mind, and he assumes everyone else is like him! How dare he judge you so narrowly—no wonder he has that shifty-eyed, rat-faced look about him, hardly like a decent man!"

He ranted indignantly in defense of his friend.

Han Zhang, who was in the middle of tricking the young lad, was left speechless...

Well, he'd always had thick skin.

Sure, his own intentions weren't entirely pure either, but he was way better-looking than Huang Wenbin—how could that guy compare?

With that thought, Han Zhang felt justified.

He reached out and ruffled the young man's hair, his gaze tender as he leaned in close with a smile: "You understand me, Worthy Brother."

His warm breath brushed against Shen Qinglan's ear, instantly turning the latter's entire face crimson again.

"Th-that's right—I share a deep connection with you, Brother Han..."

Shen Qinglan fidgeted shyly, embarrassed.

Before they could chat for too long, the lantern riddle master's hired riddle expert turned out to be extremely skilled, as one by one, the scholars who stepped onto the stage were quickly shooed off in disgrace.

Soon, it was Huang Wenbin and Han Zhang's turn.

Indeed, their turns on stage ended up being right next to each other!

"To think I'd be placed right next to that scoundrel Han Zhang—what rotten luck..."

Huang Wenbin grumbled again when he heard his number called, but he had no choice but to take the stage before Han Zhang.

Fortunately, he had prepared well in advance, having specially commissioned three riddles from an outside expert.

That Han Zhang was only a little better than me—how could he compare to a real expert?

Miss Zhang wasn't a shallow woman who only cared about looks. As long as he could win the prize, she definitely wouldn't be fooled by that scoundrel's good looks.

Money well spent really made a difference.

Huang Wenbin's third riddle managed to stump the expert hired by the lantern riddle master.

"Congratulations, Master Huang, on winning the third-tier prize!"

the lantern riddle master announced loudly.

The surrounding crowd burst into applause and cheers.

"Even though it's third-tier, this Master Huang is quite impressive—today's defenders are all juren, and among them are skilled riddle solvers."

"Indeed, indeed—it's been a while, and Master Huang is the first one to win a prize."

"Yes, yes—a scholar from Xiangnan Academy really has solid knowledge..."

Everyone showered him with praise.

Even Miss Zhang, sitting on the second floor of the teahouse, looked impressed.

Feeling smug inside, Huang Wenbin put on a humble front, clasping his hands and saying, "You flatter me, everyone. I'm just a shallow scholar, unworthy of such praise..."

Then, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Han Zhang below the stage.

Seizing the opportunity, he deliberately set a trap, raising his voice:

"This Master Han is a fellow student of mine at the academy, and his scholarship is unmatched among us. How dare I act presumptuously in front of Brother Han? Master Han, why don't you come up and show us what you've got?"

Han Zhang was left speechless...

Since the guy had practically shoved his face in, how could he not slap it?

"Fine,"

Han Zhang paused for just a moment before breaking into a warm, jade-like smile and nodding calmly. He straightened his robes, adjusted his sleeves, and strode confidently onto the stage.

Then...

He deliberately turned at a forty-five-degree angle, standing beside Huang Wenbin, who had yet to leave the stage.

Because, back in his original world, the universally acclaimed 'handsomest man in three realms' celebrity had once mentioned in an interview: this angle makes a person look their most handsome!