Chapter 735 - 336: Seek Not Without

"A painting?"

The elevator doors slid open from the sides, and Old Yang reached out to block the door with the back of his hand. Cao Xuan, however, stopped in his tracks and turned his head to look over. "Is there such a thing? Tell me, why did he think of sending me a painting?"

What else could it be? His mind was restless.

Old Yang chuckled inwardly.

A sense of crisis is always mutual.

Whoever’s position is lower will feel more anxious and uneasy.

The great artist Tang Ning is worried that Gu Weijing will divert the teacher’s favor and attention.

It would be fine if that underage art student were a bit dull and oblivious to social niceties.

But if he’s a little clever, he’d see that Tang Ning’s real hostility isn’t about artistic rivalry but a naked disdain for his status and "advice" to the teacher.

How could he not be afraid?

Losing what you’ve gained is much harder to accept than never having it.

Just after accepting the notion that he could be on the verge of reaching the sky in a single bound, at the sight of that big pie, he hasn’t even been cheerful for a few days.

Then turning around to find that all those beautiful imaginations might just be a dream, fleeting like smoke.

Put yourself in his shoes and think about it.

Old Yang thought if it were him, even thinking about it would scare him to death.

Probably wouldn’t even be able to sleep, tormented by gains and losses.

"He’s probably worried he can’t become your last disciple and wants to please you. A small-town kid, having lived eighteen years, suddenly has the good fortune to see a vine dangling from the clouds. No matter what one says, he’d probably cry and cling tightly without letting go. Thinking all over, he was at a loss and decided to send a painting to make you happy. A little clever, a little naive, but still, it’s human nature. Maybe it was his grandpa who owns that little shop who taught him to do things this way."

Old Yang supported the old gentleman, walking into the teacher’s empty elevator, speaking lightly.

[Please]

These two words aren’t pleasant, they sound a bit too calculating for someone so young.

Old Yang could beautify Gu Weijing a bit.

Using words that would please the old man.

Saying things like, it was just to show Mr. Cao some filial piety, and that he painted an impressive piece, asking the old gentleman to appreciate and critique his technique progression, etc.

He can also casually embellish it, using the topic to paint Gu Weijing as more opportunistic and calculating.

Even slick and disgusting.

Send a painting to Mr. Cao Xuan?

He doesn’t even consider what his own status is. Does the old man’s family lack his painting!

It’s said to be a copy of the "Hundred Flowers Painting," so they say his tone on the phone already has a hint of regarding himself as Elder Cao’s last disciple, looking down on Tang Ning’s works, and his tail has already cocked up to the sky.

From the tone.

Though Gu Weijing didn’t say it directly, Old Yang guessed that he might want to use this painting as a stepping stone, to please Mr. Cao, hoping for him to secure an exhibition platform in Singapore.

Life is all about words.

Anyway, the other party’s tone on the phone could be whatever, he, as the intermediary, could make up or guess as he wished.

Trying to take a shortcut.

Just by slightly knowing a big shot, he thinks he’s already entitled to privileges that place him above others, arrogant and opportunistic. This kind of person is basically a never-ending local specialty in the art circle.

Old Yang has seen things like this more than he has seen paintings by Gu Weijing.

Sending a painting to build a relationship is nothing.

Sending a pretty wife, young girlfriend, having an affair with a big shot, the husband might even turn a blind eye, happy to see it happen, all for a chance at fame.

These kinds of juicy stories are what Old Yang often heard at the liquor table, not ten, at least eight stories at a time.

In the midst of toasts and rounds of beer, people vividly narrate dirty jokes, describing how the husband goes home to discuss with the woman about the big shot’s bedroom affairs, devising strategies for his wife.

Joking and chatting, even if the gossip reaches the people involved, they might not even care.

Perhaps, a man might feel it’s a great thing to be some sort of bedfellow of a big shot.

Like every industry, the art world isn’t heaven nor hell.

A noble person can be very noble, but even a slimy person can make you feel disgusted with just a few words, as if you could scrape two pounds of greasy gutter oil from your ears.

What’s right, what’s wrong, where to go from here.

What are you willing to trade for success, effort, dignity, or your wife?

It’s nothing more than personal choice.

Old Yang bears no prejudice against those adept at currying favor, since he himself tries all sorts of ways to keep the old man happy every day.

If the paintings are dogshit, yet they reach high places solely by playing human relations, flattery, and borrowing power, it’s still a genuine skill others envy.

Old Yang quite admires it because those who truly can walk this path are less than one in ten.

What about the remaining ten?

They naturally end up with aspirations taller than the sky, with fates thinner than paper.

But Cao Xuan truly dislikes this sort of culture, even loathing it deeply.

The most disgusting cesspool across the ages in the art circle, this culture is the gooey mud at the bottom of the swamp.

Once such remarks are made, Gu Weijing of course can argue, claiming that it’s just a matter of hypocrisy around Elder Cao.

Perhaps Elder Cao may not really believe it.

However, the seed of doubt has already been planted, and the day may come when rumors become reality.

Old Yang genuinely doubts it.

Gu Weijing, at eighteen, before being tricked and suffering big losses a few times, would be so cautious as to record every phone call.

Back when he accidentally stepped into a pit others set for him at the Great Golden Pagoda, looking at the outcome, it undoubtedly turned out to be a blessing in disguise.