Chapter 569 (2/2)

Even so, Han Leng and Du hang felt that Lady Zhao was far too generous to them, and it worried them…

Thanks to their last meeting, Du Hang had begun to dislike Lady Zhao, yet now, he felt like he was at home. He would not have been here if he had not been invited by Han Leng. It was Han Leng’s remarkable writing skills that drew Du Hang here.

Out of courtesy, Hang Leng and Du Hang both tasted Lady Zhao’s “exquisite” tea. They could not rush through it like thirsty dogs, could they?

They both had no idea on what the “way of tea” was, but they had to at least pretend to have some knowledge. After all, they were both learned authors who had a wealth of knowledge concerning literature and culture.

Zhao Youyue turned around to look out the window, her back facing them. She had to hide her smile from both men. When she turned back, her face was solemn, intent. In a faint voice, she asked, “How was my tea?”

It was just tea, but Han Leng pretended to study the lingering aftertaste on his lips and replied “It was good. Your way of tea was splendid! You have put in a lot of practice and effort, it was amazing!”

Du Hang stared at Han Leng incredulously. He thought Lady Zhao was faking every moment, just like a freaking anime character. She was roleplaying one of those classy characters!

He did not reject the idea of a noble Lady Zhao. He rejected the idea of blatantly imitating an anime character. Other authors and artists knew the archetype all too well. Very, very few must have seen the true Zhao Youyue at her best.

Du Hang too did not know anything about the “Way of Tea.” He bluntly described the tea as nothing but ordinary tea and thanked the president for her afternoon tea.

Zhao Youyue smiled with satisfaction. She asked Han Leng, “Great Scholar Han, you once claimed that you are familiar with the authors of light novels. I am looking for a person.”

Han Leng shook his head, “Not really. I do have some exposure to the authors of youth literacy and online literature… As for light novels, Du Hang should be very familiar.”

A ray of light shimmered in Zhao Youyue eyes. She had sensed that Du Hang was talented in something. Was he perhaps a light novelist?

Zhao Youyue’s eyes were full of hope. Du Hang could sense her intent – she hoped for an honest, sincere answer.

Seated at the far end of the long table, Du Hang spoke rather softly, “I do some light writing – you may call that light novel – sometimes.”

“And… your pen name is?” Zhao Youyue asked anxiously.

Translation Note:

[1] The Japanese tea ceremony, also called the Way of Tea, is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha (抹茶), powdered green tea. In Japanese, it is called chanoyu (茶の湯) or sadō, chadō (茶道), while the manner in which it is performed, or the art of its performance, is called (o)temae ([お]手前; [お]点前). Zen Buddhism was a primary influence in the development of the Japanese tea ceremony. Much less commonly, Japanese tea practice uses leaf tea, primarily sencha, in which case it is known in Japanese as senchadō (煎茶道, the way of sencha) as opposed to chanoyu or chadō.