The Versatile Master Artist

Miao Angwen mumbled defiantly.

”Only 0.1% of people can become professional painters in this industry. The remaining 99.9% are destined to remain isolated from the word artist.”

Mrs. Sakai shook her head, ”It doesn’t make sense to talk about how bad it is. If you’re not outstanding, it’s all empty talk. Titian was already famous in Florence at nineteen. Masaccio could paint for the Pope at twenty-one. Andrea painted the dome mural for the Venice Cathedral at seventeen... I can give you many such examples.”

”That was the Renaissance five or six hundred years ago, it’s different. Back then, painters became famous early on.”

Miao Angwen spoke awkwardly.

”Even among your classmates, there are those who are far superior to you. In the recent Great Golden Pagoda restoration project, even Mr. Cao Xuan praised one of your peers highly.”

Mrs. Sakai shook her head again, uninterested in highlighting Gu Weijing. She just mentioned it casually.

”You can’t claim to be my students now because I will only teach you for one semester. How much you learn depends on your abilities. But if you perform well, everything you want... is not impossible to achieve. I might consider giving you a recommendation letter, or recommending you for exhibitions, or internships in my husband’s studio. These are all easy to do, provided you have the capability.”

Jerry and others immediately became excited.

”However, at least from what I’ve seen of your works so far, you are still far from this goal.”

Mrs. Sakai shook her head.

”Miao Angwen. What on earth did you paint for your holiday assignment? It’s a copy of Arnold Böcklin’s ’Island of Death’, right? It’s not that you can’t do imitations, but if you only mimic the surface without capturing the essence, you might as well sell fake paintings in the future. Maire...”

Mrs. Sakai was never an easy person to get along with.

At this moment, she scolded the immature works of these high school students, leaving them trembling and drenched in scathing criticism.

”...Jerry, you’re even more ridiculous. Used the complementary color principle technique? The color coordination isn’t bad. However, with your painting skills, the proportions of the characters make them look like apes. Even if Turner or Cézanne personally mixed your colors, it would still be like placing a flower in manure.”

”Miss Sande Nu.”

Mrs. Sakai turned her attention to the last, Mona.

”Professor, please guide me.”

Mona nervously awaited the professor’s criticism, fully prepared for Mrs. Sakai’s harsh words.

”As for you...”

Mrs. Sakai stared at Mona. Unlike her casual dismissals of the other five students, she was much more serious now.

Her tone carried a sense of contemplation, as if a storm was brewing within.

The students watching from the sidelines all became solemn.

They wanted to see what kind of unique evaluation Professor Cruz would give to this exception of a classmate.

”Miss Sande Nu, I’ve heard your love life is quite eventful?” Mrs. Sakai asked.

Ahem...

Koukou, who was chewing bubble gum and spectating, nearly choked herself, bending over and coughing vigorously, eliciting gasps from the classmates.

Originally, everyone was observing a professional art lesson, so why did it suddenly turn into a gossip channel?

”Professor...”

Mona’s face flushed red, nervously clutching the hem of her garment, utterly at a loss.

She had no idea why Mrs. Sakai suddenly brought up such a bizarre question.

Was she assessing the character of her students?

But Mona was definitely not someone with a rich love life.

Throughout her school years, she hadn’t even had a boyfriend with whom she held hands, much less anything beyond that.

Not to mention the comparison to Koukou, the cheerleading captain,

She wasn’t even up to the average level of openness at Fitz International School, to the extent that envious female classmates had maliciously labeled her as a frigid stone woman.

Why was Mrs. Sakai so curiously concerned about such matters? Was it because of the commotion during the opening ceremony?

”There’s no such thing, Professor. Jerry and I have no relationship.”

”What about that boy Gu Weijing, whom you’ve grown up with?” Mrs. Sakai seemed not to care much about Jerry.

”That’s even more out of the question. He is he, I am me.”

Mona’s face turned cold.

She even felt a bit relieved at heart that Gu Weijing didn’t get into the advanced class.

There were only these few people, and even if Mrs. Cruz had added an additional spot due to her visit,

If Gu Weijing had been selected, it might have squeezed out her opportunity.

Mrs. Sakai scrutinized Mona for a moment and nodded.

”Very good, Miss, I like focused students.”

The noble lady smiled very happily.

...

”Hey, Gu Weijing, wait a minute.”

Gu Weijing was carrying his backpack, waiting at the corner by the campus gate for a ride, when he was suddenly called from behind by a breathless voice.

He turned his head and saw a girl wearing a cool single earring standing behind him, scrutinizing him.

”Hi, Koukou. Do you need something?”

His relationship with Koukou wasn’t close, so he didn’t know why she suddenly sought him out.

The girl stepped forward, made a finger gun shape with her thumb and forefinger, and lifted Gu Weijing’s chin from below.

”Be honest, what’s your relationship with Mrs. Sakai?”

Koukou squinted her eyes, her tone laced with suspicion.

Having witnessed the scene in front of the bulletin board not long ago,

Miss Koukou, from a family of military and police, with exceedingly rich emotional experience, sensed a strange air of melodrama in the atmosphere more acutely than her peers.

This made her gossip-hungry instincts itch intensely. Just as she saw Gu Weijing on her way home, she chased after him.

”What relationship can there be?”

Gu Weijing, who recently had been through quite a few ups and downs, naturally wouldn’t be so easily intimidated by the little girl, he retorted.

Koukou scrutinized Gu Weijing for a moment with some doubt, shook her head, and mumbled, ”Forget it. I thought that little Mona got into Mrs. Sakai’s advanced class because of you.”

She dismissed the absurd idea from her mind.

”Waiting for a ride?”

Koukou looked at the poor guy who had just been clearly dumped by his girlfriend, pointing at a police car by the roadside, ”I remember my route home is the same as yours, I could give you a ride?”

On the opposite side of the road, a Toyota Land Cruiser in police car paint was parked.

Koukou had a designated driver in a Myanmar police car pick her up for school every day, which was no less flamboyant than those rich young guys in Mercedes and Porsches.

”No need, I’m waiting for someone.”

Koukou nodded, then turned and walked towards her own vehicle across the street.

Interesting.

As she got in the car, she was still pondering the scene that unfolded that afternoon.

Koukou felt there was some gossip she didn’t know about.

Koukou opened the car door, the driver started the engine, but didn’t hurry to leave the spot.

”Wow! Whose car is that, students at Fitz are this rich now?”

The driver glanced at the rear-view mirror, whistling softly.

Koukou turned to look, a beautiful dark-colored extended Bentley Limo (limousine) was cruising down the street like a blue whale.

Even though there were many rich students at Fitz, having a luxury car like a Bentley worth several billion Myanmar Kyat was quite rare.

Everyone watched this ultra-luxurious car with amazed eyes.

The driver stared at the Bentley for a moment, then maneuvered the car to make a U-turn on the road.

Suddenly, Koukou rolled down the car window and leaned out abruptly.

Unlike the boys, she wasn’t particularly interested in luxury cars; initially, Koukou only cast a curious glance and then looked away.

However, when the two cars passed each other, something caught her eye.

The Bentley had stopped at the street corner, the driver, wearing white gloves, opened the door and made an inviting gesture.

And the person they were inviting, if she wasn’t mistaken,

was... Gu Weijing.