Chapter 25

25

Who held the title of school beauty at St. John’s might be open to debate, but when it came to the Chinese department, it was undeniably Zhang Ming.

Zhang Ming had a prominent family background, elegant poise, top grades, and striking looks. The boys who pursued and admired her could have lined up from the classroom all the way to the school gate. If the word “socialite” was still a compliment in this era, then Zhang Ming was undoubtedly its definition.

At school, hardly any male student could bring himself to refuse a request from Zhang Ming.

Naturally, she rarely needed help from others. If anything came up that she could not resolve on her own, her family was more than capable of taking care of it for her.

Today, however, she ran into a bit of trouble.

An admirer blocked her path.

Admirers were nothing new. With her background and looks, she had plenty of them. People popping out of nowhere to give her flowers or letters were an everyday occurrence, and the female classmates with her often teased with giggles that she was the dream goddess of every boy at St. John’s.

Yet the person standing in front of her right now was someone she recognized, and her impression of him was not great.

Or rather, terrible.

“Miss Zhang, ever since we spoke at the salon that night, I’ve really admired the way you talk. I feel like we share so much in common. What’s even better is that I only found out afterward that we’re actually classmates in the exact same department! If that isn’t fate, what is? It must be meant to be!”

Shen Po stepped right in front of Zhang Ming, took off his sunglasses, and flashed what he thought was a dashing smile.

Zhang Ming stared at him for a few seconds before pulling her classmate along and walking around him with an expressionless face.

Shen Po hurried forward to block her again.

“Classmate Zhang, don’t leave yet! Let’s chat. Weren’t we getting along great that night?”

Zhang Ming’s expression darkened. “Please conduct yourself with some dignity. When was I ever ‘getting along great’ with you?”

Shen Po grinned cheekily. “Didn’t you want to get in touch with Old Mr. Zhang? I’m his grandnephew. I can arrange for the two of you to meet again.”

Zhang Ming knitted her delicate brows. “I admire Old Mr. Zhang’s scholarship, but I find it deeply regrettable that he has a grandnephew like you. Please stop pestering me, or I’ll report you to the teacher!”

She took a few steps forward and suddenly looked back, only to find Shen Po trailing right behind her.

Shen Po said, “I told you we’re in the same department. I’m heading to class too. You can’t be trying to stop me from attending class, can you?”

Zhang Ming turned away coldly and ignored him.

There were plenty of people who wanted to pursue her, but Shen Po was the exact type she hated most.

Flippant, arrogant, completely unlearned, a playboy; he was precisely that kind of person.

Still, she did not own the road, so she naturally had no way to stop him from walking behind her.

At this moment, Shen Po was communicating with Wen Yan.

Shen Po: 【How was that? Was I annoying enough?】

Wen Yan: 【I thought that was just your true nature.】

Shen Po: 【Don’t think I can’t do anything about you!】

Wen Yan: 【Got it, got it. Go find a Daoist priest to exorcise me. Hurry up!】

Shen Po: 【Hmph!】

Wen Yan: 【All right, jokes aside, what’s your plan for later?】

Shen Po: 【The class we’re heading to happens to be taught by Asai Sui. Didn’t you say she has a close connection with that little Japanese guy? It’s the perfect chance to check it out. When class is over, I’ll corner the two of them. Since we’re going fishing anyway, we might as well reel in both at once.】

Wen Yan thought to himself, You, fishing? Just make sure you don’t end up as the catch instead.

Yet in order not to dampen Shen Po’s enthusiasm, he ultimately kept those words to himself.

Shen Po swaggered into the classroom right behind Zhang Ming.

Zhang Ming knew Shen Po was behind her, so she deliberately picked a seat against the wall. Her female companion sat on the aisle side, with people in front and behind them, leaving Shen Po no opening.

What she had not expected was that Shen Po would use the power of money to buy out the seat behind her and sit right there.

Asai Sui walked in.

Zhang Ming did not get the chance to lose her temper and had to focus on the lecture first.

“Hello, students.”

“Hello, Professor!”

Asai Sui pressed his hand down, motioning for everyone to sit.

“All right. Today, we will discuss the influence of Japanese culture on Chinese culture.”

Wen Yan: 【%@#?】

Shen Po: 【You’re an honorable teacher of the people! How can you curse in my head?】

Wen Yan: 【Never mind. Hearing his topic just got me a little worked up. Maybe I’m being overly sensitive.】

Shen Po replied testily, 【Honestly, you scared me!】

While Shen Po was still locked in a mental battle with Wen Yan, Asai Sui had already moved into the core of his lecture.

“Ever since the Battle of Yamen^[1] in the Southern Song dynasty, Chinese civilization was completely swallowed by foreign tribes. In the subsequent Qing dynasty, it was likewise ruled by foreigners. These outside tribes extended the life of a civilization on the brink of extinction and revitalized a decaying culture. This inevitably brings us to the late Qing era, where Chinese civilization, having absorbed foreign cultures, once again reached a dead end. It was at this moment that Japan lent a helping hand. Your country’s Hundred Days’ Reform was modeled after Japan’s Meiji Restoration. From then on, Japanese culture has continuously influenced China, awakening the Chinese people…”

Shen Po asked Wen Yan, 【Why do I feel like what he’s saying sounds a little weird?】

Wen Yan was already stammering with anger: 【Part of the theory he’s putting forward incorporates the views of the modern Japanese historian Naito Torajiro^[2], and the rest is definitely his own fabrication! No wonder he’s coveting Zhang Yuanji’s book collection. He’s plotting so hard to swindle those books away, only to blend and reshape them into a part of Japanese history. In the future, wouldn’t that become “irrefutable proof” of Japan’s influence on China?!】

Shen Po: 【Should I interrupt him right now and give him an earful?】

Wen Yan: 【Don’t. Haven’t you noticed? Everyone is listening raptly. In your era, Japan holds extraordinary influence. Because it’s an Asian country just like ours and also underwent reforms when lagging behind, yet their reforms succeeded while China’s failed. That’s why the Japanese can act as victors and lecture us on the state of China.】

At this time, despite the chaos of war and turmoil across China, many were still searching for a path to save the nation. Some leaned toward Western models, while others favored learning from Japan. Hardly anyone believed that the Chinese people could forge a path of their own.

Among them, those advocating to learn from Japan were the most numerous. Just as Wen Yan had said, Japan and China shared many geographical and cultural similarities, making it easy to force China into Japan’s mold. Many felt a natural affinity toward Japan deep down, believing that they were both yellow-skinned Asians after all.

This feeling of closeness could not be easily reversed, even decades later.

Wen Yan: 【Aren’t we supposed to invite Asai Sui and Zhang Ming out to eat? Since Zhang Ming dislikes you so much, you might as well start with Asai Sui. But you can’t just blindly agree with him right off the bat; you need to catch his attention and pique his interest.】

Shen Po: 【Why does it have to be so complicated?】

Wen Yan: 【In a moment, when I tell you to stand up, stand up and speak. Just repeat whatever I say.】

Over at the podium, Asai Sui was holding forth on how Chinese culture today had withered into something neither Eastern nor Western, and how it needed to draw upon Japanese culture. His mouth parched from lecturing and feeling it was rather dull to just drone on by himself, he announced to the class that they would move on to an open Q&A session where they could ask questions about the lecture.

The students looked at one another, none of them having thought of what to ask yet. Zhang Ming admired Asai Sui deeply and felt that everything he said was correct, so she naturally had no objections.

Only a single hand went up.

Asai Sui looked over and asked in confusion, “Is this student new here?”

Shen Po said without missing a beat, “I have long admired you, Professor Asai, and I transferred departments specifically for you.”

Asai Sui had probably not expected himself to possess such charm, and was momentarily taken aback.

“What is your name? Have we met somewhere before?”

“My name is Shen Po. Don’t you remember, Professor Asai? We met at Old Mr. Zhang’s cultural salon. He’s my grand-uncle. What you said back then was a true eye-opener for me, so after I returned, I processed my transfer paperwork just to come and listen to your teachings.”

Realization dawned on Asai Sui. The fact that the young man claimed to be related to Zhang Yuanji particularly stirred his interest.

“So it’s Student Shen. What would you like to ask?”

Shen Po cleared his throat and began reading like a script, repeating word for word whatever Wen Yan fed him.

“Professor Asai, I greatly admire the strength of modern Japan, but I also have a question. You said Chinese culture was influenced by Japan, but why did Japan send envoys to China during the Tang Dynasty to learn from it? Wasn’t it precisely because Japan learned from its master that it grew powerful later on?”

Asking a question that was too sharp would hinder their plans to reel him in later and would not fit Young Master Shen’s persona. Only something shallow and superficial, lacking real depth while carrying a slight edge of nitpicking, truly sounded like something Shen Po would say.

Asai Sui indeed smiled. “Quite right. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, Japan was indeed influenced by China. Unfortunately, as I mentioned earlier, China fell under the rule of foreign tribes after the Tang and Song, and it was no longer the advanced culture of old, which was why it gradually fell behind later on. Japan, on the other hand, well preserved the teachings of its master, carried them forward, and created its own unique Japanese culture, which led to the Japan of today. Therefore, strictly speaking, the true orthodox Chinese lineage now resides in Japan!”

The final remark was delivered with deliberate shock value. Sure enough, a buzz of commotion broke out across the classroom as people whispered amongst themselves, yet not a single person openly raised an objection. Shen Po wanted to refute him, but lacking scholarship of his own, he could not formulate a proper argument, growing so anxious he nearly scratched his ears and cheeks in frustration.

【How about I just curse him out? I’ll curse all eighteen generations of his ancestors; he definitely can’t out-curse me!】 he told Wen Yan.

Wen Yan: 【Shut up. The moment you start cursing, all our efforts go down the drain.】

Shen Po: 【I can’t stand this bastard turning black into white! Damn it, why didn’t I read more books back then? I would’ve made him choke on his own words right now!】

After finishing his explanation, Asai Sui looked at Shen Po, whose expression was tangled in hesitation as if struggling to speak.

“Student Shen, is there something else you don’t understand?”

Shen Po’s mouth twitched. “Professor Asai, what you said sounds like it makes sense, but it also feels off somewhere. Still, my knowledge is limited, so I can’t put it into words. How about you meet with my grand-uncle? He would definitely be able to refute you on my behalf.”

Asai Sui found it amusing, thinking this was merely a young man’s competitive streak. However, he genuinely wanted to find an opportunity to meet Zhang Yuanji again, because Zhang Yuanji’s book collection was an invaluable treasure in the eyes of an expert like him.

“If you can arrange a meeting with Old Mr. Zhang, I would naturally be delighted to discuss scholarship with him. Our brief encounter last time left me wanting more.”

Hearing Asai Sui’s words, Zhang Ming furrowed her brows.

She felt Shen Po was not seriously seeking knowledge at all; this was nothing more than one of his cynical antics!

Therefore, the moment the dismissal bell rang, she immediately went to find Asai Sui.

“Professor Asai, please don’t listen to his nonsense. This Shen Po can’t invite Old Mr. Zhang at all! I asked around after the salon last time, and he only snuck in with some classmates. Old Mr. Zhang is just a distant relative, and they’ve barely even met in their daily lives!”

Her family had deep ties with Asai Sui, so upon hearing this, Asai Sui grew somewhat wary as well.