Almighty painter

Chapter 743: Mr. Gu and Miss Anna met for the first time. The atmosphere was not good at first (Part )
"Okay, Mr. Gu."

The woman pursed her lips, her tone was tough, and those who were familiar with Anna would understand that the word "good" she said was a courtesy rather than a trust, and was given to "Goethe" rather than to the little painter with a gold watch in front of her.

She didn't want to dwell on this issue for too long.

Holding Goethe in hand was not her privilege, and flattering her was not a crime. She left the other party the last bit of face.

After all, it was she who took the initiative to find Gu Weijing.

In a park in the center of Vienna, you put 20 euros into a street clown's top hat and ask him to perform a magic trick to amuse you.

Even if the other party's magic show was ridiculous and full of mistakes, and the props fell out halfway through the performance because of excessive force.

You saw him using a rearview mirror to peek at the poker numbers in your hand, and you clapped twice tactfully.

The clown doesn't know how to end gracefully, with a shy smile and a bow.

He was stubborn and asked, "Is the 7 of Hearts correct? Did I guess it right? I am the master of magic!"

Miss Elena still knew the courtesy to smile and not really pull the mirror out from under his wrist.

Really.

If I had gone to such great lengths to perform in front of her, why did I hide in a secluded place alone just now and give her expectations that she shouldn't have?

Or.

That was part of his performance?

In that case, the other party's performance was not that bad.

"I really do like Goethe, that's true—"

No matter why you are pretending to hold this book, little painter.

Miss Elena looked at Wei Jing and added the second half of the sentence unhappily in her heart, as if it carried a hidden thorn.

……

Gu Weijing looked at Anna in the wheelchair and thought unhappily in his heart -

"She's a bit too pretentious."

He always felt that there seemed to be a little thorn in the other party's words.

He didn't like this.

Being strong is not a woman’s fault, but being arrogant is everyone’s fault, regardless of whether they are men or women.

I am willing to respect her out of politeness and upbringing, not because she is an honorable "earl".

Gu Weijing was stunned by the other party's appearance for a moment.

Really talking. After just a few words, he could sense that Anna's tone and eyes still had a condescending scrutiny.

Review?

Is it because... my appearance is not elegant and decent enough?

"Gu Weijing, all she needs is to breathe. The moment she smells the air around her, Miss Elena will know whether you are a member of the same circle or not."

"If you want to impress her, you have to find a way to resonate with her!"

The words of warning are still fresh in my mind.

In an instant, it was perfectly verified.

They were people who had no resonance and were not in the same circle. What if Lao Yang gave him a gold Rolex? Miss Elena once collected one of his paintings and gave him an accessory in return, so what? They were still people who had no social connection, living in different circles day and night.

Gu Weijing didn't even recognize the brand of the watch on the other person's wrist, but he guessed that the watch with an exquisite hollow ring on the hand might be worth as much as the price of their family's ancestral calligraphy and painting shop.

But what else does she want from herself?

Didn't he already fully realize all of this? He was very polite and left alone, very politely hiding in a corner where no one cared, but she still kept holding on to him.

Really.

Since she looked down on me in her bones, from head to toe, every strand of hair was full of superiority and arrogance, why did she have to go through the circle of people who surrounded her and flattered her in the entire banquet hall to find me? Why did she even reach out to me?

The moment the woman in the wheelchair held out her hand, looked him in the eyes and said, “Hello, I’m Anna Elena.”

It really gave Gu Weijing different expectations.

The young man and the young woman looked at each other unhappily.

None of them wanted to speak first, and it seemed that this conversation, which had just started less than two minutes ago, was about to be stuck in the gears of awkwardness and could not continue.

"I like Goethe, too! Faustria and all that, it's so good, so good, so good."

An extremely cheerful voice sounded from beside them.

The two turned their heads.

Old Yang came out from the side, shaking his head and wagging his tail, and hugged Gu Weijing's shoulders enthusiastically.

"He is Gu Weijing, Miss Elena, you have heard of him, my little brother. He learned many things from me." He slapped Gu Weijing's arm hard. Old Yang, who had just asked him to stand still and wait for him to take him flying, was now very affectionate to the young man as if he were a half-brother with an age difference of almost half a century.

He quoted from classics and told short stories. "There is an interesting story about Goethe and rotten apples. Do you know that it is said that Goethe liked the special taste of rotten apples..."

Miss Elena sighed inwardly.

She didn't care about the joke about Goethe and the rotten apple, but after Lao Yang's intervention, the invisible unpleasant atmosphere was slightly eased.

Even if Gu Weijing himself is not happy.

Miss Elena came to see Gu Weijing and she had something important to discuss.

She waited for a moment while Lao Yang was speaking, interrupted him, turned to look at Gu Weijing, glanced at the almost untouched wine glass that Gu Weijing had placed on the table, and spoke.

"I want to talk to you about something."

Anna glanced at Lao Yang who was waiting beside Gu Weijing, and added, "It's just the two of us."

Old Yang suddenly became depressed.

He felt as aggrieved as if someone had thrown a frisbee to him but didn't let him play.

He felt a little strange, not understanding why his little jokes could never make Miss Elena happy.

"If you are not interested in champagne, why not go for a cup of coffee?" Anna invited Gu Weijing. "There is an independent water bar on the ground floor of the Raffles Hotel. The famous cocktail Singapore Sling originated here, but the coffee there is also pretty good."

"It's a little more secluded there. We won't be interrupted when we talk."

Gu Weijing was silent for a moment.

"Can I ask what you wanted to talk about?"

he asked.

"Goethe? I haven't read many of his books, so I probably don't have a very deep understanding of him."

Gu Weijing has his own principles. He is much poorer and smaller than the other party, but he can live his own life without bothering others or begging for others' favors.

Two people who were destined not to be friends were trying to force themselves to be together and get close to each other.

This kind of "knowledge" with your head held high is too tiring.

Miss Elena sneered in her heart.

Now, you are a noble artist again?
After so much preparation, now... I patiently extend the invitation privately. Isn't this what you want? And yet you are making such a ridiculous gesture of wanting to refuse but also to welcome.

"Let's not talk about Goethe. You will have a symposium at the Esplanade in a few days, right? Oil Painting magazine will participate in that event, and I would like to know some details in advance. Of course, it won't take up too much of your time."

She also placed the champagne glasses on the table nearby.

"A quick conversation over a cup of coffee." Anna's tone was a mixture of invitation, teasing and instruction.

Gu Weijing nodded.

There is no reason to refuse.

This was also his original intention of wanting to meet Miss Elena.

He politely placed his hand on the back of the woman's wheelchair.

"Electric, but please... I'll show you the way..."

Old Yang stared at their departing backs in amazement. Amid the gazes and whispers of countless people in the audience, while countless guests were queuing up to chat with Miss Elena... the young man pushed the woman's wheelchair and disappeared at the door of the banquet hall together.

Huh?
I still have a lot of jokes to tell! I can still lick, I can still bark.

Miss Elena, who was so old, was "carried" away by Gu Weijing.

Can...

So domineering!
Yang Dekang was very sensitive. He did not hear the entire conversation between Gu Weijing and Anna, but when he came out, he still vaguely felt that there was a strange smell of gunpowder in the atmosphere between the two people.

In this regard.

His nose is as sharp as a bomb disposal dog.

Coupled with the repeated setbacks in his "joke" offensive, the killer instinct in his chest was vaguely firing a warning shot. Just now he began to wonder if he had made a mistake in the approach to please Ms. Elena from the beginning.

No.

Absolutely right.

Old Yang touched his chin. It was obvious that Miss Elena treated Gu Weijing differently from how she treated other people.

It's okay to have a little bit of hostility. People like Anna are really not interested in you and don't even bother to pay attention to you. Even if you attract her attention at the beginning, she will suddenly raise her hand and tell you to shut up.

For example, Cui Xiaoming’s embarrassing experience.

But Gu Weijing - he actually "took" Anna away!
A private conversation between two people!
too weird!

Why does he have this ability?

Although Gu Weijing's paper was related to Oil Painting magazine, there were many other guests present who were related to the interview with Oil Painting.

Why wasn’t it the Venice Golden Lion winner who pushed Miss Elena away? Why wasn’t it the curator Mika Tonks who had coffee with the woman?
Their weight should be much greater than a paper that is full of controversy.

"wrong."

"There's something fishy."

"Ms. Elena's attitude is obviously wrong! This is not the way to treat a young person you meet for the first time." The middle-aged man muttered to himself.

Think about it again carefully.

What on earth could be so sparkling as the sun that it attracted Miss Elena to pass through all the celebrities in the banquet hall and come straight to Gu Weijing?
The experience of watching "Detective Conan" tells Lao Yang that no matter how bizarre a hypothesis is, when all other possibilities are eliminated, it is the one closest to the truth.

Lao Yang's pupils suddenly contracted.

Think before and after.

If Mr. Cao had not made any private greetings, then there was only one possibility left. His unintentional guess was actually closer to the truth, which was -

……

……

"Is my big gold watch so impressive? Do people just like this kind of simple and mature contrasting style?"

Old Yang's body trembled. He raised his chin, and the pink Hello Kitty cat on his chest seemed to smile even brighter.

So this is... the power of tyranny.
-
"What would you like to order?"

The ground floor of Raffles Hotel.

Cafe.

The hotel is proud to be one of the few remaining Victorian-style luxury hotels in the world.

The style of their coffee shop is also Victorian.

The so-called Victorian style means that you don't order at the bar, and there is no electronic ordering counter. Instead, the waiter will hand over a handwritten drink menu with gold and English cursive letters to each table of customers, and they will check the menu themselves.

The menu changes frequently.

Legend has it that truly discerning customers may even order hidden items that are not on the menu.

For example, a white wine from a special year, or a specially blended hand-ground coffee.

Gu Weijing didn't know whether there was only one copy of the beautiful handwritten menu, and why the waiter handed the menu directly to the woman in front of him after saying "good evening" instead of the other way around.

He guessed.

It’s still about power.

Who orders the food, who pays... Gu Weijing never cared about such things before. He used to go out with Mona and have a cup of Starbucks or something, and they would split the expenses.

But when he and Miss Elena sat face to face.

suddenly.

This metaphor of power relations becomes so sharp and clear at all times.

Don't just patronize for the sake of knowing.

Not only Miss Elena knows this.

Even the waiter in the cafe understood in an instant who was in control and who had more power between him and Miss Elena when Gu Weijing and Miss Elena sat down at the table.

Under the midday sun, every detail on the canvas is visible.

Sitting next to the woman who was as bright as the sun, moon and morning stars, even a menu with a list of coffee and cocktails cast a shadow like a seal when it was handed to her.

Anna probably didn't know what the young man opposite was thinking.

She ticked two boxes on the drink list in front of her, and then asked Gu Weijing, "GEISHA and Blue Mountain, do you have any special requests?"

"This is?"

"Coffee beans." The handsome male waiter beside him said, "We have two kinds of coffee beans available today: Gesha and Blue Mountain. Gesha is number 16, and Blue Mountain is number 20 today. (Note)"

(Note: The higher the diameter of the coffee bean filter, the larger the single coffee bean, which usually means the better the quality of the coffee.)
Gu Weijing still didn't understand.

He didn't know the difference between coffee beans labeled No. 16 and No. 20.

He knew that he didn't like the feeling of being firmly in control.

Gu Weijing originally wanted to say it doesn’t matter.

After thinking for a moment, he ordered, "Lipton tea bags... okay?"

The waiter was stunned.

Five minutes later, the drinks were served.

Next to a cup of hand-brewed Gesha coffee produced by a famous coffee farm in Ethiopia, a 150-pack of Lipton black tea at S$ is being steamed by hot water in an exquisite bone china teapot, emitting wisps of smoke.

"You've never seen Lipton tea?"

Gu Weijing's tone was also a little bit harsh.

Miss Elena's attitude made Gu Weijing feel uncomfortable.

He noticed that Miss Elena's eyes were fixed on the QR code for scanning and winning the lottery on the black tea bag outside the teapot, and she looked a little absent-minded.

When Gu Weijing ordered this cup of tea, he was telling the other party something.

We should be equal.

I am willing to answer your questions sincerely, but I don't necessarily ask you for anything.

You drink your precious pour-over coffee.

I can also drink my cheap Lipton black tea.

He is a man with a somewhat mild character. His revenge and his thorns are also as mild as black tea.

Anna may have understood the meaning of his words, or she may have overlooked Gu Weijing's implicit Eastern way of using objects to describe people.

The woman who spoke and behaved condescendingly in Gu Weijing's mind was not angry at all.

"I've seen it."

She said gently, "But it's rare in coffee shops. Is this some kind of personal habit of yours? I heard that Buffett and a certain American president like to drink Coke, and I know someone who always asks the receptionist to prepare unopened mineral water for any occasion, whether it's a diplomatic dinner or a meeting with the president of the German Central Bank, and he always only drinks mineral water."

"And you drink Lipton tea? That's a pretty artistic way of behaving."

Anna held the coffee cup and looked at Gu Weijing.

His eyes are deep.

He didn't know if it was an illusion, but Gu Weijing felt for a moment that Miss Elena's extremely delicate and cold face seemed to smile.
-
Anna didn't know if it was an illusion, but for a moment she felt that she was thinking of someone.

It's not just Ole's old-fashioned, stingy German banker father who always only drinks mineral water.

The young man in front of me was sitting on a chair in a coffee shop with luxurious amber decoration style, with his eyebrows lowered, slowly pouring a pot of cheap Lipton black tea. He looked a bit like the illustrator who was slowly selling a ten-dollar drawing online in a corner of the bustling art world.

This feeling is fleeting.

When Gu Weijing put down the teacup with his left hand, the feeling disappeared again.

Miss Elena still had no interest in developing personal friendships, but her tone softened a lot.

She was a very difficult person to approach.

But if someone could get close to her heart and touch her warm side, she would also become warm.

"Let's talk about that paper, 'The Old Church on a Thunderstorm', right? You are the first author. In a few days, the editorial team of 'Oil Painting' magazine will interview you at the Esplanade."

Miss Elena spoke.

She got straight to the point.

"Will you be the interviewer on site?"

Gu Weijing recalled all the strange things that had happened around the approaching art event since he came to Singapore, as well as the vague worries in his heart.

"It's hard to say. Oil Painting has a lot of activities these days, let's see the time. Excuse me, there are a lot of debates about that paper, and the team hasn't come up with any specific arrangements yet."

Miss Elena gave almost the same answer that she gave to the Maldivian artist at CDX Gallery.

This is not a lie.

She had learned a lot about the cover article of Asian Art from Katsuko Sakai.

Anna also had a preliminary subjective judgment in her mind about the authenticity of the painting.

The remaining focus is on the person who wrote the paper.

If Gu Weijing's performance is worthy of her presence, Miss Elena would not mind hosting the conversation personally.

in contrast.

If Gu Weijing was a dull, boring and formulaic person, he would only speak formulaic words to cope with the situation at the meeting.

There are so many choices.

Why should she go there in person?
Secretary Elliot was able to take Miss Elena's place at Phin's lecture, and another column editor from the Oil Painting magazine team could naturally take Anna's place in front of the camera at the Esplanade.

And Anna has already made preparations to buy the work in Gu Weijing's hands.

From a purely investment perspective - the more popular Gu Weijing's paper is, the less suspicion of fraud there is, and the higher the capital cost will be, and vice versa.

"What will the interview format be like and what kind of questions will I face?" Gu Weijing continued.

He wanted to find out.

Why did Lao Yang think that the interview that day would be "risky".

What is true is true.

Fake is fake.

It doesn't even matter whether it's true or not.

According to common sense, the worst case scenario that Gu Weijing faced was that the academic community found some solid evidence to prove that their conclusion that "Ms. Carroll was the first female Impressionist painter in history" was wrong.

That's it.

It is not an honorable thing, but it is by no means an unacceptable outcome.

In the field of art, especially in the field of art archaeology, a certain painting of a certain school has always been believed to be painted by a certain person. Later, new and accurate documentary materials are found to prove that it was the work of the other person's disciple or teacher.

This kind of thing is all too common.

Even the top scholars and tenured professors at famous art academies are bound to make mistakes of one kind or another - drawing wrong conclusions due to insufficient materials or personal negligence.

That's what research is.

Whether it is getting closer to the truth or identifying fallacies, it is academic progress, not academic regression.

Research allows for failure, is not afraid of failure, and cannot avoid failure.

He and Katsuko Sakai were only 18 years old, and when they submitted their papers, they were not even 18 years old. Is it hard to understand that two high school students would make mistakes?
Of course, if you really want to prove that the paper is false, gossip about it may be inevitable.

There will even be some very unpleasant and dark speculations in society, but speculations are just speculations.

Speculation cannot infer guilt.

In theory.

As long as it is proven that they did not intentionally falsify the evidence when writing this paper.

In reputation, they are safe.

Since the editorial department of Asian Art believed that the research level of the paper written by him and Katsuko Sakai had reached the level that could be published in their journal, it was published with the treatment of a cover paper.

Then.

Maybe even things like academic paper rejection will not happen.

On the contrary, Gu Weijing was certainly aware that they had no intention of falsifying information when they wrote the paper.

Where might the danger lie?

Judging from what Gu Weijing knew—

Naturally, he would feel that the biggest source of risk lies with Oil Painting magazine, or even with the woman in front of him.

(End of this chapter)