Chapter 522 - Chapter 522: 209, it's your turn, Bai Jian! (Second update)_1
Chapter 522: 209, it’s your turn, Bai Jian! (Second update)_1
Bai Qiming had not seen Bai Lian for a very long time.
In his memory, Bai Lian was too extravagant, never studying properly from childhood. She only hung around a bunch of bad influences, frequenting bars and racing cars. Even when Ji Mulan personally taught her calligraphy and painting, she couldn’t learn, dozing off at the sight of books.
She could even infuriate her music teachers.
Her academic performance at school was poor, and she couldn’t even understand the Bai Family’s financial reports.
She was practically good for nothing.
At first, Bai Qiming thought that with his and Ji Mulan’s intelligence, they could produce a genius, but he gradually became disappointed when Guo Yueqing brought Bai Shaoqi and Bai Shaoke into the picture.
Merchants prioritize profits.
After weighing the pros and cons, it was clear that Bai Shaoke and Bai Shaoqi were more important than Bai Lian. He could abandon Ji Mulan; what more of Bai Lian?
Yet now, Bai Qiming was shocked to find that the Bai Lian he knew only as a party-goer and racer seemed very familiar with Vice President Zhou?
Vice President Zhou was also quite well-known in Beicheng, set to be the next president of the Calligraphy Association, having organized several calligraphy exhibitions; from a family involved in politics, no one who entered the high ranks of the Calligraphy Association was simple.
Jian Zhonghai was one such example.
But the Jian Family was even more inaccessible than the Zhou family.
How did someone like her come to know President Zhou?
“Your daughter?” Vice President Zhou was about to leave, but upon hearing Bai Qiming’s words, he couldn’t hide his surprise, “You mean… Bai Lian?”
Vice President Zhou remembered that Bai Lian came from Xiangcheng.
When she took the assessment in Jiangjing, she caused a sensation. Vice President Zhou had specifically checked her profile: from Xiangcheng with her household registration also in Xiangcheng.
Bai Qiming shifted his gaze away from Bai Lian, “Yes.”
“Bai Lian, ah, she’s a member of the Calligraphy Association,” Vice President Zhou glanced at Bai Qiming, then said, “She won first place in the youth category at last year’s Lanting Award. None of the young talents from the Jiangjing Calligraphy Association could surpass her. I came here today especially to take her to the Calligraphy Association.”
A special member of the Jiangjing Calligraphy Association had joined the Xiangcheng Calligraphy Association, and Vice President Zhou believed Bai Lian had great potential for the future.
Her talent not only gained Vice President Zhou’s recognition, but her potential also made it natural for him to personally come to the hotel to pick her up.
After saying this, he smiled at Bai Qiming and left.
Bai Lian’s residence was in Xiangcheng, and the way she acted as if she didn’t know Bai Qiming indicated something to Vice President Zhou.
Vice President Zhou left with a carefree attitude.
In the hotel lobby, it took Bai Qiming a long time to come back to his senses. He knew nothing about calligraphy, nor the significance of the Lanting Award, and was only shocked by Vice President Zhou’s remark about “specially taking her to the Calligraphy Association.”
Bai Lian…
She knew calligraphy?
In his memory, Bai Lian seemed to have never learned it, and Vice President Zhou appeared to hold her in high esteem…
“President Bai,” the assistant, who had also been watching Bai Lian leave, softly called out to Bai Qiming.
Bai Qiming snapped back to reality, remembering that today was for Bai Shaoqi’s celebratory banquet, Jiangjing University’s celebratory banquet.
Jiangjing University; he let go of the matter with Bai Lian.
In the hotel manager’s office behind the lobby, the manager was out, and Bai Qiming waited for an extra ten minutes. The Bai Family was a VIP client of the hotel, so as soon as the manager came in, he greeted Bai Qiming with an apologetic smile, “President Bai, sorry for the wait, Mr. Xie was delayed by an impromptu meeting.”
“Mr. Xie is here?” Bai Qiming set down his teacup, temporarily shelving the matter about Bai Lian, surprised.
“Yes,” whispered the lobby manager, “the hotel is hosting a VIP, and Mr. Xie is personally attending to them.”
To whom exactly was a detail the lobby manager had no clearance to know; he only knew Mr. Xie and the floor manager were personally hosting, not even the floor they were on.
Bai Qiming looked up, might it be…
That Dean Jian?
**
Five in the afternoon.
At Beicheng Airport, Dean Jian got off the airplane.
A middle-aged man with a suitcase followed him, “Dean Jian, are we heading to the Beiyin Guest House? Their car is waiting.”
As soon as Beicheng Conservatory of Music heard that Dean Jian was coming, they quickly got in touch with Old Hu, who was accompanying the dean.
“Not yet,” Dean Jian stopped and took out his phone to make a call.
The call was to Bai Lian.
It was picked up after just two rings, “Dean Jian?”
“It’s me,” Dean Jian casually remarked as he watched the cars outside, “How is your writing coming along?”
He was referring to composing.
Bai Lian always refrained from writing new songs, which made Dean Jian anxious.
“I had some inspiration last night and wrote a segment,” Bai Lian had just returned from a trip to the Calligraphy Association with Qiu Xuezheng, and the qualification assessment of the Xiangcheng Calligraphy Association would take a few more days.
“Is that so,” hearing that she had written a segment, Dean Jian quickly said, “Where are you staying?”
He was eager to know what style Bai Lian had composed this time.
“Jiahao.”
“Okay,” Dean Jian hung up the call and then told Old Hu, “Let’s go to Jiahao.”
Dean Jian had two personal assistants, being a busy man with three students, a school to manage, and the Cultural Bureau’s guzheng issues… his assistants were people who had been with him for a while.