Cassandra sneered, her red lips curling with disdain, her eyes full of mockery.
She was very confident in her skills, believing herself to be so great that she could dominate the entire calligraphy world.
Sylvia didn’t spare her a glance, thinking this woman was simply insane, like a lunatic with an empty brain, always trying to show off.
In Sylvia’s eyes, Cassandra was not worthy of being her opponent, just a piece of trash.
The competition began quickly. The theme was two ancient poems, and they had to write the two specified by the organizers.
After all, writing the same characters was the only way to compare quality.
Sylvia glanced at the two ancient poems.
The first one had fewer lines and was easy to write.
The second one was more challenging, with many characters and some obscure ones. It was easy to make mistakes and hard to maintain one’s level, potentially leading to a poor performance.
However, these problems were not issues for Sylvia.
She picked up a quill pen, dipped it in ink, and began writing the first poem.
These ancient poems, which she had memorized since childhood, didn’t require any reference.
She wrote quickly and finished the first poem in no time.
After a few minutes, she examined her work briefly and then started on the second poem.
Shelley’s “Ozymandias” contrasted the glory and arrogance of kings with the merciless passage of history, giving a deep insight into the cycles of history and the changes in life.
When she started writing the second poem, Sylvia switched to another script style.
Sylvia wrote very seriously, not looking around at all.
Next to her, Cassandra was not doing well. When she inadvertently looked up and saw that Sylvia had already finished the first poem, she was shocked.
Her heart skipped a beat. How could Sylvia write so fast?
She craned her neck for a better look and felt bewildered.
Looking down at her own writing again, she felt an inexplicable sense of unease and crisis.
In her panic, she made a mistake in one character.
Feeling flustered, she threw away the sheet she was working on and started anew with fresh paper.
But no matter how she tried, she couldn’t get it right. She ruined several sheets in a row without producing a satisfactory piece.
Meanwhile, Sylvia was about to finish her second poem. Cassandra had no choice but to calm down and continue writing the first poem.
The most important thing in calligraphy is a peaceful mind. If one’s mind is as steady as a mountain, they are halfway to success.
She had been taught to stay calm and composed since she started learning calligraphy as a child.
But with Sylvia right next to her, she couldn’t calm down at all.
After several deep breaths, Cassandra finally focused on writing again.
Time passed bit by bit. Several contestants had already submitted their works.
Sylvia also put down her brush, blew on the ink on the paper to dry it, and then submitted her work.
Seeing Sylvia leave her seat made Cassandra even more anxious.
But she had just finished the first poem and still had the long second poem ahead of her.
Her anxiety was useless.
Fortunately, there was still enough time left.
Finally, when the host announced, “Time’s up. Please submit your works,” Cassandra put down her pen, having just finished the last character.
Some contestants hadn’t finished yet, while others hurriedly completed their work and were not satisfied with it.
Those who submitted their works early seemed calm and composed, unlike those who were either agitated or regretful.
The host quickly sent all the collected works to the judges’ table, where about six judges were seated.
Matthew and other respected figures in the calligraphy world began evaluating the works. “This one is good.”
“Oh wow, this one is excellent too.”
“Whose work is this?”
“These two pieces are both outstanding!”
The staff recorded the scores given by the judges and then displayed the works for everyone to see and appreciate.
There were high scores and low scores, but most were around eight points. It was rare to see scores above nine points.
Cassandra sat beside Madam Virginia but no longer had her initial confidence and pride.
Madam Virginia whispered worriedly, “Cassandra, how did it go this time? Why did you take so long? Did you not do well?”
Cassandra’s face looked a bit unpleasant. She forced herself to remain calm. “How could I not do well? I was just being very meticulous. Unlike Sylvia, who finished early. She probably didn’t put much effort into it and doesn’t understand calligraphy.”
But just as she finished speaking, there was a commotion in the crowd.
“This score is so high!”
“It’s 9. 8 points!”
“Is this Cassandra’s work?”
“Check whose name is on it!”
Cassandra’s heart tightened with a hint of joy on her face. “Mom, look! I got 9. 8 points!”
“I’ll go check.” Madam Virginia also showed a happy and proud expression. “My daughter must be the best.”
With a perfect score of ten points, 9. 8 was indeed very high.
Madam Virginia walked towards the exhibition area where many people were gathered to evaluate today’s works.
She squeezed through the crowd to get to the front and immediately saw the highest-scoring piece written in Gothic script.
But… Cassandra didn’t know Gothic!
Madam Virginia’s heart sank as she saw the signature: Sylvia!
Her vision went black, almost fainting. It was Sylvia’s?
Damn it! Even someone who didn’t understand calligraphy could see how beautiful this piece was. Each character was exquisite and pleasing to the eye.
She stared at the work with a stiff face, unable to recover for a long time.
“Oh my! Isn’t this Cassandra’s work? Why did it only get six points?”
“She was first place last year. Has her calligraphy deteriorated?”
People whispered among themselves. Madam Virginia looked over with a stiff face and saw Cassandra’s familiar Copperplate script for “Grass.”
It was mediocre… really mediocre. Compared to Sylvia’s work, it looked terrible.
Madam Virginia felt a mix of emotions. Why did her daughter perform so poorly? Could it be that Sylvia did something during the competition?
This thought crossed her mind without any evidence, but she was convinced that Sylvia must have sabotaged Cassandra’s performance.
Fuming, she walked towards Sylvia and raised her hand to slap her. But before she could do so, a strong hand grabbed her arm tightly.
“What are you doing?” A cold male voice sounded. Madam Virginia looked up in shock and saw an impossibly handsome face.
Franklin released his grip, causing Madam Virginia to stumble back several steps. She screamed hysterically, “He hit me! The president’s son hit me! And he’s protecting Sylvia! My daughter’s low score must be because of Sylvia!”
She acted like a shrew with no dignity or grace befitting a lady of the Sweeney family.
Sylvia was also startled by Franklin’s sudden appearance. She had been about to defend herself when Franklin appeared out of nowhere and stood in front of her.
His broad back felt like an unyielding mountain providing her with ultimate security.
Isaac’s face darkened but quickly returned to normal.
He glanced at Madam Virginia with impatience in his voice. “Madam Virginia, get your facts straight. There are surveillance cameras here. Sylvia did nothing wrong. Don’t falsely accuse others.”
Why did Franklin come here now? And steal his thunder by protecting Sylvia?
Isaac felt frustrated but didn’t show it.
Instead, he smiled at Franklin and greeted him. “You’re quite busy. What brings you here?”
“Sylvia is participating in the Cultural Heritage Fair here. I heard there’s a competition too. Naturally, I came to support her.” Franklin’s dark gaze lingered on Isaac’s handsome face for a moment before returning. “Thank you. Although I know she’s safe with you around, I still want to accompany her personally.”
He had rushed over after handling his affairs just to prevent Isaac from getting any chance with Sylvia.
Their conflict attracted many onlookers, but people were more interested in comparing Sylvia’s and Cassandra’s other works to see whose score was higher.
At the judges’ table, Matthew looked very displeased. He was furious about his student’s poor performance.
Especially after learning that such an outstanding Sylvia was Old Mr. Thompson’s student, he felt even more indignant.
But there were six judges; he couldn’t lie through his teeth since everyone could see that Sylvia’s work was truly excellent-almost perfect!
Especially her second piece using Business Penmanship for Shelley’s sonnet “Ozymandias.” It flowed effortlessly and looked magnificent! The ink strokes were free and bold; the overall effect was stunning!
It was hard to believe such grandiose Business Penmanship came from a woman!