Chapter 118: Invitation to Wine
On the microblog, many people were following Su Tong. Scanning through, some nicknames were familiar, while most were strangers. Overall, there were more unfamiliar faces. Some were drawn by his poem "Nian Nu Jiao: Reminiscing at Red Cliff," while others came after the wild attention sparked by photos taken by Wen Peiyan and her friends during their afternoon swim by the sea.
That afternoon, when Su Tong played with Tianxia Wushuang and the others, they took numerous group photos. Linlang Fairy and the others selected a few they liked and uploaded them to the microblog, tagging him.
The sisters from the League of Heroes were envious. In the photos, Su Tong wore only swimming trunks, revealing his physique in full. Though not muscularly bulky, his form was well-toned and aesthetically pleasing.
At the time, when Wen Peiyan and the three other girls saw Su Tong after he changed into the trunks, their eyes lit up instantly.
Without taking off his clothes, it was hard to tell that his figure was so well-proportioned. His muscles weren’t overly pronounced, but the lines were clearly elegant.
Muscular men were certainly popular, but their appeal was somewhat limited. True charm lay in a balance of strength and gentleness.
Under the microblogs posted by Tianxia Wushuang and others, many young girls screamed and fainted in excitement. Most comments were marked with flirtatious and crying emojis.
The lustful emojis came because Su Tong looked even more attractive in his swimwear, much like how boys enjoy looking at women in bikinis.
The crying emojis expressed their regret at not being able to meet Su Tong in person.
“Hmph, you people showing off like this deserve to be dragged out and beaten.”
“Brother is amazing, I just want to touch him.”
“Wuwu, those female wolves caught me; I’m sure I’ll be doomed.”
“Let go of her, girls, let me take over.”
“…”
Such was the reaction of the girls.
“Great rivers eastward flow, washing away thousands of ages’ heroes. Gracious one, you make me feel ashamed—how can your figure be so perfect? Is there anything lacking in you?”
“Jagged stones pierce the sky, waves crash on the shore, rolling up heaps of snow. Gracious one, is it right to flaunt your body so blatantly?”
“Feather fan and silk kerchief, with a smile, enemy ships vanish like smoke. Gracious one, release those girls, I’ll take over.”
“Is it okay for you to plagiarize Gracious one’s new work like this? I can do it too: Life is but a dream, let me pour a libation to the moon. By the way, which sisters in the League of Heroes are those four beauties? They are all so beautiful and have perfect figures.”
“You guys upstairs are so uncultured. These days, no one talks about ‘Heavenly Thunder and Earthly Tiger’ anymore. I want the contact info for those girls—please take me away; I’ll keep the bed warm, wash clothes, and cook.”
“…”
These were obviously the comments from the wolf cubs.
In the end, the League of Heroes realized that the few fans who met Su Tong were at least million-level alliance leaders or godly guardians.
“Wow, so only million-level alliance leaders or godly guardians can meet Gracious one?”
“The Six Great Divine Alliances said that Brother treated them to meals, signed autographs, wrote poems, played games with them—it’s such great treatment.”
“It’s priceless happiness; I want to become a divine alliance member too. Next time there’s a meet-and-greet, I want to go.”
“Do you have to spend at least ten thousand Qin coins to go? That’s too much money; students like me can’t afford it.”
“I’m working now and have some savings, but that’s still a lot of money. There are so many expenses.”
“…”
Some were joyful, others sad.
Su Tong was speechless. Who started such a ridiculous requirement for meeting him? Wasn’t this just smearing him?
“Meeting is simply because it’s convenient for everyone and has nothing to do with fan status. Don’t be misled. To be honest, several friends from the League of Heroes came from afar—the farthest one flew straight from Yang City. I could only treat a few of them to dinner and swim together.”
Su Tong quickly posted a microblog to clarify. Luckily, he noticed in time; otherwise, who knew how much the haters would slander him the next day.
Actually, before Su Tong’s clarification, an unspoken rule had already formed within the League of Heroes: if you weren’t a million-level divine alliance member, you wouldn’t dare group together to meet Gracious one.
Moreover, they had to get Gracious one’s approval first, and everyone’s schedules had to align.
“Gracious one’s poem alone is worth ten thousand coins.”
“Hoho, Brother always writes poems for fans before uploading, just like last time with ‘Facing the Sea, Spring Blossoms.’”
“Gracious one treats fans so well. The new song was first shared with us before going online.”
“Gracious one is wonderful. I was once emotional over ‘Bi Yao’—sorry Gracious one, it won’t happen again.”
“Because of that, Bi Yao is even more heartbreaking, and ‘Zhu Xian’ is even more unforgettable and moving.”
“Speaking of which, when is the new Journey to the West fanfiction coming out? Gracious one mentioned it once before but hasn’t brought it up since. Have you forgotten?”
“Wukong, Wukong, and my Purple Mist Fairy…”
“…”
After settling the misunderstanding, Su Tong continued browsing through some of his followers, spotting a few notable names.
“National Writers’ Association.”
Seeing these official titles in their profiles, Su Tong was startled.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out that his poem "Nian Nu Jiao: Reminiscing at Red Cliff," which transcended time, had caught the attention of these venerable seniors.
Some of these elders spoke kindly, acknowledging that Su Tong was spending his youth on fruitless internet distractions. They advised him to be strict with himself, increase his social responsibility, and focus on writing and educating.
Others were quite rude and looked down on him. One member named Fan Jian even said, “I can’t believe ‘Nian Nu Jiao: Reminiscing at Red Cliff’ was written by someone under eighteen. I hope I’m just being paranoid.”
They blatantly doubted that Su Tong was the true author of the poem, suspecting someone else behind it.
Su Tong smiled faintly and didn’t get angry—after all, he wasn’t the original author.
“‘Invitation to Wine’
Do you not see the Yellow River’s waters rushing from heaven, flowing into the sea and never returning?
Do you not see the bright mirror in the high hall mourning white hair, once black silk in the morning, now snow by dusk?
When life is good, one must enjoy to the fullest; do not let a golden cup face the moon empty.
Heaven gave me talent; it will be useful. Though wealth scatters, it will return.
Let’s roast lamb and butcher cattle for pleasure; we must drink three hundred cups in one go.
Master Cen, Danqiu Sheng, bring the wine—don’t stop the cups.
I’ll sing you a song; please, listen attentively.
Bells and drums and jade dishes are not precious; I wish only to be forever drunk and never sober.
Ancient sages and worthies all were lonely; only drinkers leave their names.
King Chen once feasted at Ping Le, competing with wine worth ten thousand coins in merry jest.
Why say there is little money, host? Just buy wine and pour for the guest.
Five-flowered horse, thousand-gold coat, call the boy to trade for fine wine, to drown eternal sorrow with you.’
This poem, existing only in a previous life by Li Bai, was sent as a reply to Fan Jian. Su Tong also reposted it on his microblog.
His message was clear: If you feel resentful or can’t bear to see others surpass you, it doesn’t matter. I don’t mind. I’ll still raise a cup with you and revel freely.
Though seemingly an invitation to drink, Su Tong was also smacking his opponent’s face. You think I can’t write such bold poetry as ‘Nian Nu Jiao: Reminiscing at Red Cliff’? Here’s one for you.
Though this poem is bold on the surface, its ideas run deep, and its artistic expression is mature. It may not be as grand and magnificent as ‘Nian Nu Jiao,’ but it’s more than enough for Fan Jian.
After sending the poem, Su Tong logged into Diandian and was shocked again.