This seriousness made Grace momentarily lose her composure. She saw him fully absorbed, dipping his brush in ink, continuously sketching the outlines of the Seven Sages on the paper with the tip of his brush. His eyes sparkled, focused and sharp. At times, his eyes shone with delight; at other times, his brows furrowed in distress. Sometimes he folded his arms, lost in deep thought, and sometimes he would unconsciously let out a hearty laugh and continue dotting the ink.

　　After half an hour had passed, he let out a long sigh, set down his brush, and gently blew on the still-wet ink with great care: “It’s done.” He shouted loudly toward the study door: “Sam, come in.”

　　Sam Walker came in and, together with Grace, leaned over to look at the painting. Sure enough, a stunning scroll appeared before their eyes. Grace sincerely exclaimed, “Big Brother Sullivan’s painting is truly wonderful.”

　　But Sam Walker frowned: “Big Brother Sullivan, this painting is a bit different from the one the princess gave to the young master.”

　　Adam Sullivan chuckled and said, “Of course it’s different. If it were exactly the same, it would be second-rate. What I’m copying is not Sun Wei’s painting itself, but his style—the exquisite brushwork, the boldness and vigor, the lofty and unrestrained spirit. That’s the highest realm of imitation.”

　　Adam Sullivan picked up a pastry from the table and took a bite: “Sam, go call the young master and have him come take a look.”

　　Sam Walker muttered, “First you call me in, now you send me out again.”

Chapter Five: Very Conflicted

　　“Will this painting do?” Henry Clark looked at Adam Sullivan suspiciously, his gaze dropping to the scroll spread out on the table.

　　“It will, definitely. When the princess sees this painting, she’ll lose her appetite and sleep, she’ll be so ashamed and feel inferior.” Adam Sullivan answered him with certainty and brevity.

　　Confidence is important. Adam Sullivan showed confidence so that Henry Clark, who knew nothing about painting, would firmly believe in his talent.

　　“The painting the princess gave me has four sages and three children, but why does yours have seven sages and five children?” Henry Clark looked rather unsure.

　　Adam Sullivan said, “I’m copying the artistic conception, not the painting itself. If I just copied it exactly, wouldn’t I be as mediocre as the princess? To amaze everyone, to astonish the whole room, I have to recreate a Seven Sages painting and let the princess see that she’s underestimated me, that she’s judging people through a crack in the door.”

　　Henry Clark laughed, “Right, we need to teach her a lesson. But… the princess’s eyes are beautiful, you can’t describe them as ‘dog eyes.’”

　　Adam Sullivan shot him a look: “Alright, the painting is done. What about the matter of the pageboy?”

　　Henry Clark rubbed his hands together, grinning slyly: “There’s a bit of trouble. I talked to my mother, but she said the head of the inner residence has already recommended his nephew. Supposedly he’s a scholar, and because his family is poor, he plans to work as a pageboy for a while to earn some silver to help out at home, and wait for next year’s imperial exams. My mother is very satisfied with him, so, so…”

　　“You’re not keeping your word!” Adam Sullivan was about to cough up blood. He had paid the money, but the other side said there was no stock—utterly outrageous. This scoundrel’s despicable behavior had deeply wounded Adam Sullivan’s innocent heart.

　　Henry Clark hurriedly said, “Don’t worry, don’t worry, the matter is already settled, but thanks to my efforts, my mother finally agreed to let you all meet her during the Mid-Autumn Festival, have a competition, and then decide who gets chosen.”

　　Adam Sullivan said discontentedly, “We agreed I’d be the pageboy, why is there still a test? No way, I don’t agree!”

　　On the side, Ethan and Sam were already feeling a bit awkward. They hadn’t expected Adam Sullivan to speak to the young master in such a tone, and were both worried for him.

　　Henry Clark also felt a bit embarrassed and tugged at Adam Sullivan’s sleeve: “Let’s talk in private.”

　　The two of them went to a corner, and Henry Clark said, “I have faith in you. What’s there to fear from a bookish scholar?”

　　Adam Sullivan sneered. This guy was just trying to talk him into it. Faith? He himself didn’t have that much faith. What he hated most was competing for a job, especially when he didn’t have any inside connections.

　　“No way, Young Master Clark, we made a pact with a handshake. How can you just change it?”

　　Henry Clark glanced at Ethan: “Have you taken a liking to that Ethan?”

　　Adam Sullivan sensed a strong whiff of conspiracy: “So what if I have?”

　　Henry Clark chuckled in a low voice: “That makes things easy. As long as you become my pageboy, I’ll talk to my mother and have Ethan serve me. That way, you can be with her all the time, haha… Alright, alright, look, if you say no again, I’ll get angry, and when I get angry, the consequences are serious.”

　　“So shameless, actually threatening and bribing me.” Adam Sullivan cursed the Zhou family’s ancestors in his heart, but this kind of bribe was actually quite to his liking.

　　A wise man doesn’t take a loss in front of him, better not to make this guy angry. Adam Sullivan squinted his eyes: “What’s the competition on Mid-Autumn Festival?”

　　Henry Clark grinned, “First, a painting contest, then poetry, and finally, gift-giving.”

　　“Gift-giving?” Painting and poetry made sense, but gift-giving was a bit bizarre. Was the lady trying to make a profit while recruiting a pageboy? So shameless! Adam Sullivan’s fragile heart was wounded once again.