There was bitterness when they met again, but "literature must return to being an artistic discipline that is concerned with aesthetic judgments." The impurities in their relationship settled over time, and Chen Fang-ming eventually determined to put it to rest. "When people now ask me who my teachers were, I never hesitate.
重逢是苦澀的，但「文學必須回到藝術的紀律，回到審美的位置，」當一切雜質隨著時間沉澱，陳芳明終於確定：「如果有人問起我的師承，我的答案不再遲疑。