Almighty painter

Chapter 97 Invitation from the Godfather of Yangon

Gu Weijing has no plan to go to the orphanage in today's schedule.

Except that he is going home to copy "Old Church" again, every Friday night is also the time for video lectures that Professor Lin Tao has arranged with him.

The work "Hundred Flowers" painted by Professor Lin Tao's junior sister, Ms. Tang Ning, which won the gold medal at the Shanghai Art Exhibition, has been mailed to Gu Weijing.

There are teaching materials for copying.

Professor Lin will also carefully dismantle the painting methods of each different flower and natural scenery for him.

For example, last week's class talked about daylilies.

Hemerocallis is also known as the flower of worry-free. Since ancient times, there has been a saying in China that hemerocallis forgets worries.

It is not easy to paint dark green leaves, but stone green and ink should be added to avoid anger and vulgarity.

At the same time, the branches and leaves should be long and short, and the petals should be sparse and dense, seemingly chaotic and chaotic, seemingly uneven, interspersed properly, and graceful.

These detailed experiences are valuable experiences that others cannot ask for. Except for close teachers, few people would give them so generously.

As Gu Weijing walked out of the campus, the sound of noisy people came over his face.

The main entrance of the campus is located on several famous commercial streets.

There are cafes for couples, electronics stores, luxury clothing stores, high-end Internet cafes, and a go-kart club.

The spending power of students in international schools is good, and many of the young people who come and go in these places are wearing Dulwich College uniforms.

He turned the corner and was about to hail a taxi home.

at this time,

Snapped!
Suddenly there was a crisp sound like setting off firecrackers.

Gu Weijing saw about a dozen meters away from him, a middle-aged man in a black T-shirt who was waiting to cross the road limply fell to the ground, and his whole body hit the ground head-on.

"Gang vendetta?"

The conversation with Mrs. Sakai in the afternoon was like a glass of strong wine, which made Gu Weijing a little dizzy.

But with the sound of the gunshot, he quickly woke up.

Gu Weijing just witnessed a shooting.

a person died,

It happened right in front of his eyes.

If it is the style of "Infernal Affairs" in the old-fashioned Hong Kong film, the vendetta of the underworld must be accompanied by a long chase, a confrontation on the rooftop, and exciting background music.If it is a Japanese-style film directed by Akira Kurosawa, then it is estimated that there will be a few long-shot close-ups, and there will be a few confessions about "men's justice" before the sword confronts.

But in chaotic Burma,
Everything started and ended so quickly.

Cruel and dry.

It was just a light, not too loud gunshot,
The bullet shot into the back of the head at close range while the silhouettes intersected. The man fell face to face, and the shooter quickly disappeared into the crowd.

Even the people who watched this scene got used to it. After a brief panic and scream, they realized that the gunman had left the danger and disappeared, and quickly regained their composure.

Some daring boys even pulled their phones out of their pockets and started taking pictures of the scene.

According to Myanmar's national security report, in the past six months, there have been 2570 bombing incidents in public places alone. A shooting that was probably entangled by gangsters is really just an after-dinner conversation.

"Mr. Gu? Are you here too?"

Seeing that someone had already called the police, Gu Weijing didn't intend to go up to watch the excitement, so he prepared to walk away from the side.

At this time, someone patted himself on the shoulder.

"It's you?"

Gu Weijing turned his head, his pupils contracting slightly.

He didn't expect to meet an acquaintance here, who turned out to be the bald man who had looked for him during the Spring Festival.

A few boys with bald heads not far away looked at the direction where the middle-aged man fell to the ground, with the ferocity and wild excitement of seeing blood in their eyes.

The officer brother of the VIP protection team in Yangon stood guard in front of their calligraphy and painting shop for two weeks.

Cao Lao withdrew after leaving Myanmar.

This is an obvious expression of unwillingness to be associated with the underworld.
Brother Hao's subordinates never came to the door again.

Gu Weijing originally thought that the matter had come to an end, but he didn't expect to bump into a bald head here again.

Is the other party waiting for you here?
"No, don't get me wrong, I have other things to do today. But I really want to find you, and I plan to visit the gallery of Mr. Gu's house in a few days. Since we meet today, it will be convenient."

With his bald head facing the coffee shop to the side, he made a gesture of invitation: "I don't mean any malice, it's just that Brother Hao admires you very much, let me pass on a few words."

On the window seat of the coffee shop, the clerk brought two cups of Americano coffee.

"You pick first...don't worry, adding psychedelic drugs to drinks is something only a bum who sells white powder does. Brother Hao is a man of good manners, so you can drink it with confidence."

The bald head pushed two cups of coffee towards the center of the table.

"People who talk about the rules... Hehe, were you responsible for the shooting just now?"

Gu Weijing sneered at the corner of his mouth.

Although it was only a month, he no longer needed to be as cautious as walking a tightrope like during the Spring Festival, for fear of offending the other party.

People are energy.

As long as you speak, whether it is Uncle Sakai or Mr. Cao Xuan, or even Cao Xuan's assistant Lao Yang or Professor Lin Tao.

It is not difficult to arrange for myself to leave Yangon to go to school elsewhere.

Uncle Sakai had previously suggested that he transfer to an English international school in Japan this semester, and he could directly live in an empty room in their home.

It's just because the Lucky Orphanage is in Yangon, and Gu Weijing's schedule for the past six months is already very tight.

He didn't have a clue about the works he participated in the Singapore Art Exhibition, and it took time to adapt to a new environment, so he gave up.

"It's just to give the boys under him a chance to do things for Brother Hao. Not everyone is like Mr. Gu. It is an honor for 99% of the people in this city to be able to do things for Brother Hao."

The bald head didn't even mean to hide it at all.

In Myanmar, a black and white tycoon like Brother Hao is like the Italian godfather in Chicago or Atlantic City before World War I.

high social status,

Even the police gave them three points, and even a nest of snakes and rats.

"Mr. Gu, Brother Hao wants to cooperate with you."

The bald head inserted the plastic straw, took a sip, and stared straight at Gu Weijing.

"I answered this question during the Spring Festival, and it will not change now."

Gu Weijing shook his head: "Sir, let me be honest. There are quite a few people in Myanmar who know how to paint. Why do you have to hold on to me?"

Gu Weijing really didn't understand.

His original drawing level was good, and he also had some talent, but he could only be called outstanding among young local students.

The bald head is right, not everyone has such a strict family education like Mr. Gu Tongxiang.

90.00% of the people in this city will regard it as an honor and an opportunity to make a fortune to work for Brother Hao.

The twisted melon is not sweet,

Why do you have to find him?
"Brother Hao has always liked to use young lads. He is passionate and dares to do things. He is more obedient and loyal than those adult painters. And Brother Hao really likes you, with a bottom line and persistence. He thinks you are a person who can do great things. people."

The bald head thought for a while: "Brother Hao was also a painter at the beginning, I think he saw the shadow of his youth in you."

"I'm not proud of being a fake painter."

Gu Weijing shook his head.

"Oh? Who said that I came here to ask you to be a fake painter?"

Bald smiled.

"Isn't that what you meant?"

Gu Weijing was puzzled.

"That's because we don't know Mount Tai. You, Mr. Gu, take this matter as a joke. Don't say that we have found a young counterfeit artist who is willing to work for Brother Hao. As long as you can be accepted by Mr. Cao Young people I appreciate, asking Mr. Gu to do such a thing is both offensive and reckless."

""Picture of Respecting the Buddha and Protecting the Dharma", right? I heard that it was the color adjusted by Mr. Gu. Brother Hao went to see it with his own eyes. The color is awesome. He is full of praise for your talent. Compatriots in Yangon can show a person who is praised by Mr. Cao. It's really rare to praise a young man who is better than me." The bald head exclaimed.

Gu Weijing was taken aback for a moment.

He knew Yihao’s contacts in Yangon, and it was not surprising that he knew what happened in the mural restoration project.

Why do you just say this to yourself with a bald head?

"Mr. Gu, you have always said that you want to be a painter. Have you ever imagined that one day your works can sell for $500 million, $800 million, or even $1000 million?"

The bald head and eyes are shining.

When he came to Gu's Painting and Calligraphy Shop a month ago, he still had a condescending attitude, but now, he is showing a little flattery.

"This opportunity is right in front of your eyes. Brother Hao wants to cooperate with you, not you as Brother Hao's subordinate, but an equal cooperation. He likes to give young people opportunities, and he only needs to take a small percentage from your commission .”

"You mean...money laundering?"

Gu Weijing finally understood now.

The art trading market has always been a super hard-hit area in the international money laundering trade.

The reason is simple. Regardless of the maritime law system or the civil law system, large-scale financial transactions are required to undergo strict registration and record review in the "Anti-Money Laundering Law".

However, the "Auction Law" additionally stipulates that "if the consignor or the buyer requests to keep their identity secret, the auctioneer shall keep it secret".

This creates space for the black industry to launder money.

Before the birth of virtual currency, bulk art transactions were the safest and fastest means of money laundering, not even one of them.

Even today, Interpol estimates that tens of billions of dollars of funds are still laundered by the art trading market every year and scattered into anonymous accounts around the world.

There are few better ways to raise money than war and drugs.

In Myanmar,
Warlords and drug dealers are not completely poor money owners.

Some of them have people in their hands, and some have money, and they may even have more money than the Burmese government.

However, due to international sanctions, there is no means to spend the money.

This kind of money from drug trafficking or fraud can't be deposited in a bank.

Yangon godfathers like Brother Hao have filled this "market gap".

Those warlords in northern Burma in the Golden Triangle, no matter how good they are at making money, without Brother Hao, money is really just a bunch of numbers that can only be seen.

This is also the reason why Brother Hao is so powerful.

Even the bald heads of his subordinates can call those drug dealers "little punks who sell white powder".

"I personally prefer to call it a win-win cooperation, Mr. Gu."

The bald licked his lips.

The method of money laundering of early works of art was simple and crude,
Just create a piece of fake artwork and hype it up, and the money will go around in circles.

But Interpol and financial review agencies are not fools. Basically, in the past ten years or so, it is not very easy to do so.

The favorite of the money laundering methods these days is the hype painter himself.

Painters try their best to have a certain standard, especially young people like Gu Weijing who have been admired and endorsed by the master Cao Xuan are the best.

To hype his fame, millions and tens of millions of funds have repeatedly speculated on his market price.

After the market price has been raised, money laundering is carried out by controlling the painter.

for example,

New York-based young up-and-coming conceptual artist Richard Tove fetched £2014m for an average work in 560.

This is just the starting point for the turnover of his works.

In the following months, his works were wildly hyped again. By March 2015, any of his paintings had been sold by auction houses for a sky-high price of 2500 million US dollars.

In just a few months, his works have entered the ranks of super-class artists.Then, it was rumored that Richard was involved in the money laundering business of Latin American drug lords and was being investigated by the International Anti-Money Laundering Organization.

"Mr. Gu, I understand that you are an upright person, but there is no need to be too rigid. If you only follow the righteous path, how much money can you make in your life?"

cast aside moral judgments,

Many art practitioners in the world are desperate for such an opportunity.

Want money to have money, want to be famous.

Of the tens of millions of dollars in each transaction, even if the big head is sure to be taken away by someone like Brother Hao, but if you draw a few points at random, you can be chic in this life.

The bald head also understands Brother Hao's appreciation for Gu Weijing.

Being able to get the appreciation and endorsement of Mr. Cao, and being a native of Yangon, this is like a gold mine, there is really a lot to do in it, and a national painting genius can be fired casually.

"With such a talent, it's normal for Mr. Gu to look down on those few million kyats before. This is a meeting gift from Brother Hao. If there was any offense before, please bear with me."

talking room,
The bald head took a car key from his belt, put it on the table, and pushed it over.

in the sun,
On the brown leather key, the chrome-plated silver letter B shines, exuding an alluring light.

The bald head pressed the button on the key twice.

Gu Weijing turned his head away, and in the parking space across the road, the lights of a silver streamlined touring sports car flickered twice.

He doesn't understand cars,

Still, it can be seen that the Lara is an expensive driving machine.

Among the many luxury cars parked by the parents of international middle schools to pick up and drop off their children, they are also extremely eye-catching.

When passing by the car, many boys and girls looked at the pearl silver body with awe and yearning eyes.

"The Bentley Continental GT is not a smuggled luxury car with a deck that you often see in Myanmar. The procedures are legal and formal. It was just airlifted from the UK last week. I just picked up the car a few days ago. I thought I would give it to Mr. Gu in person next week. Send it over."

The bald head stared at Gu Weijing, with a seductive tone like the devil that Fausteli expected to sign a contract with humans.

Brother Hao has always been generous to his talented subordinates,
But giving a Bentley as a meeting gift is also a very rare big deal.

Boys like nothing more than girls and cars. As long as there is money in Myanmar, there will be girls.

And when this ultra-luxury sports car that symbolizes wealth is in front of you, no one can easily refuse it.

Brother Hao has always liked the movie "The Godfather". When he was filming "The Godfather 2", the big director was so dragged to death that he was reluctant to make a sequel.

The executives of Paramount Pictures slapped the keys of a luxury Mercedes-Benz on the table as a signing fee, and even the big director immediately succumbed to the money offensive.

The bald head didn't know if Brother Hao found the inspiration in the movie.

But just like that classic film history line,
This is a reason that cannot be refused.

Looking at the bald head looking at his burning eyes, Gu Weijing suddenly felt a little funny.

He felt that life was just capricious.

In the afternoon, Mrs. Sakai was still worried about whether she could sell a painting for ten thousand dollars in the future.

After school in the afternoon,
First, he witnessed a shooting.

Then someone told himself that he could help him to quickly raise the price of his paintings to sky-high prices, and even generously wanted to give himself a super luxury car.

And he didn't even have a driver's license himself.

"I reject."

Gu Weijing said softly with a restrained smile.

"Art is art. I don't need anyone to hype it up for me. It doesn't matter if it sells for one dollar or [-] million dollars. It is a disgrace to the painter to cooperate with a money laundering black market like yours. If I am obedient, you can send me a luxury car." Che, if I am disobedient, you will send a bullet into my head without hesitation." Gu Weijing looked out the window.

"Mr. Gu, I think you are prejudiced against us."

The smile on the bald man's face faded, and he was obviously a little angry: "Do you think the man who was killed just now is a good thing? Bad gambling, debt to usury, one bullet, brother Hao is already very kind, you know the other bosses What will you do in the face of this kind of thing? In Myanmar, a healthy body can be sold on the black market..."

"Sir, don't tell me how you do things, I'm not interested."

Gu Weijing shook his head in disgust, "I just hope you don't bother me anymore, Brother Hao will make money from Brother Hao, and I will be my little painter, okay?"

The bald head stared at Gu Weijing, and the expression on his face changed several times. For a moment, Gu Weijing was ready for the other party to be furious because of his ignorance.

But finally,
The bald head just sighed.

"It's still the same sentence, what I said doesn't count. I need to talk to Brother Hao to hear what Brother Hao means."

The bald head took out his mobile phone and made a call, "Brother Hao, Mr. Gu, I don't agree to your proposal... Yes, he refused. He said that art is art..."

Gu Weijing looked at the bald head and had a brief conversation with the other side of the phone in a very respectful tone, before putting down the phone again.

"I don't understand, but Brother Hao is not angry... He seems to really appreciate you, and he likes young people with ambition."

He clapped his palms.

A boy who was waiting outside the coffee shop came in, and whispered a few words in Xiao Di's ear with his bald head.

A few minutes later,

Xiaodi brought a new mobile phone from a shop on the side.

The bald head unpacked the phone in front of Gu Weijing, and after operating for a while, handed the phone to Gu Weijing.

"Brother Hao asked me to save my private phone number."

Bald said. "If you change your mind, please call him at any time. If you have any other requests, it's okay. Brother Hao is looking forward to making you a little friend. Seriously, in Myanmar, even a senior police inspector can get it." Brother Hao's phone number is proud."

He pushed the phone over.

"With a friend like Brother Hao, you won't regret it."

(End of this chapter)