Reno realized he had been too definitive, so he quickly added that his grandfather would have wanted his paintings to be worth money. Didn't the old man often complain that his paintings weren't selling?
"Really? Mr. Reno, if you'd like to sell, I'd like to buy some to study the achievements of French artists in painting and calligraphy..."
Zhuang Rui's surprise at this moment was genuine. He was just thinking about how to persuade Renault to sell the painting in the box, but unexpectedly Renault brought it up himself, saving Zhuang Rui a lot of trouble.
"Of course it's true, but these are all my grandfather's sketches, and they are very precious to me..."
When Renault saw that Zhuang Rui really wanted to buy, he was overjoyed, but his face showed a troubled expression. His thoughts and his expression were completely opposite. This is a professional quality that all businessmen must have, and Renault's performance can definitely be called the best among them.
“Oh, I understand, Mr. Reno. Could you tell me how much a single ticket would be commensurate with your grandfather’s status?”
"Your grandfather has no net worth whatsoever," Zhuang Rui said, while cursing inwardly. If it weren't for the items mixed in, he wouldn't have taken these sketches even if they were given to him for free.
While chatting idly with Renault, Zhuang Rui deftly pulled out all the sketches from a large kraft paper envelope and mixed them in with some other manuscripts that actually belonged to old Renault.
Chapter 631 Sketch Manuscript (Part 2)
Zhuang Rui didn't know why Renault hadn't noticed these sketches, because when Zhuang Rui took them out, he could easily tell that the quality of the dozens of sketches was far superior to that of old Renault's painting skills.
"Thirty-two sheets..."
After carefully examining the black and white sketches, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but feel excited, because he even saw Picasso's autograph on one of the sketches. Although the handwriting was messy, Zhuang Rui still recognized it.
However, upon seeing this sketch, Zhuang Rui's heart skipped a beat, because he was afraid that Renault would also discover Picasso's signature, in which case his plan to snag a bargain would be ruined.
"Mr. Reno, how much do you intend to sell these paintings for?"
After Zhuang Rui mixed up Picasso’s thirty-odd sketches among the many works by old Reno, he turned to look at Reno, who was sitting in the outer room waiting.
"Well... Mr. Zhuang, what price are you willing to offer?"
Renault, who had just been saying that the keepsake was not for sale as a memento of his grandfather, was now behaving like a shrewd businessman.
Renault was unaware that his grandfather had received dozens of sketches from Picasso. The only person who knew about it was his father. However, more than ten years ago, Renault's father died in a plane crash and went to see his grandfather. These sketches have remained in that kraft paper envelope ever since.
“These paintings by your grandfather have been of great help to my research on foreign painting art. I was thinking, how about this, I'll just take a stack of them from this box and pay you 20,000 euros, is that alright with you?”
Zhuang Rui considered it for a moment and gave Renault his answer. He didn't want to count by the sheet, otherwise, during the inspection, Renault might discover Picasso's sketches that were completely different from those of old Renault.
After hearing Zhuang Rui's offer, Renault stood there in thought for a moment, then looked up and said, "20,000 euros, Mr. Zhuang. You must know, these are all my grandfather's works. Each sketch is like a child to him. This price..."
"Damn, your grandfather is lucky to have a grandson like you. There are tens of thousands of sketches in these boxes. Could your grandmother have given birth to that many?"
Zhuang Rui cursed inwardly, but he knew very well that this was just a tactic Renault used to negotiate the price.
“30,000 euros for 100 sketches, Mr. Renoir. You should know that I wouldn’t have paid that price if your grandfather hadn’t been a friend of Picasso…”
Zhuang Rui said slowly, and displayed an attitude that he would leave immediately if Zhuang Rui didn't sell to him.
“Well, I think 30,000 euros is in line with my grandfather’s net worth, Mr. Zhuang. You can choose now…”
Renault realized that 30,000 euros was Zhuang Rui's bottom line. If they continued to negotiate, they might end up with nothing. So he readily agreed.
In fact, Zhuang Rui's initial asking price was already quite high, 20,000 euros, enough to buy a painting by a rising star in Paris. It was just that, true to his business sense, Renault simply raised the price a bit.
Upon hearing Renault's words, Zhuang Rui was secretly delighted, but outwardly remained calm. He began rummaging through the sketches in the box, seemingly taking out one by one at random, but in reality, he had hidden all thirty-two Picasso sketches inside.
The sketches in these boxes are all made on basically the same sketch paper, and they are all A4 and A4 sizes. Unless you examine each one carefully, you can't tell the difference from the outside.
Zhuang Rui patted the stack of drawings he was holding in his left hand and looked at Renault, asking, "There are 100 drawings in total, Mr. Renault. Would you like to check them?"
When Zhuang Rui asked this question, his heart was pounding. If Renault really examined each sketch one by one, he would definitely find something amiss. He was betting that Renault had seen these sketches before and wouldn't check them again.
"Oh, no need, Mr. Zhuang. May I ask how you will pay? By card or cash?"
Just as Zhuang Rui thought, the sketches and oil paintings in these boxes were all sorted out by Renault himself. Now that they had been sold, Renault was too lazy to check them again. What he was most concerned about now was how to get his share of the 30,000 euros.
Looking at the thick stack of drawings in his hand, Zhuang Ruiqiang suppressed his excitement and said, "Swipe the card, shall we go back to your shop?"
Renault shrugged upon hearing this and said, "There's no other way, we'll just have to go back to the shop. Let me find something to pack these sketches up for you..."
As Renault spoke, he found a canvas bag for carrying drawing boards in the corner and handed it to Zhuang Rui. Zhuang Rui carefully put the drawings in, zipped it up, and slung the bag over his shoulder. Only now could Zhuang Rui finally relax completely.
"Xuanbing, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting for so long..."
After coming out of the small basement room, Zhuang Rui took Qin Xuanbing's hand with some guilt. He had originally planned to accompany her shopping today, but it turned into his own Taobao shopping trip.
"What are you saying? I'm happy just being with you..."
Qin Xuanbing playfully twisted Zhuang Rui's waist, feigning embarrassment and annoyance. However, upon noticing the sketchbook bag behind him, she asked curiously, "What's in here? How much did it cost?"
Qin Xuanbing had been reading a book about European classical jewelry and hadn't paid attention to Zhuang Rui and Renault's deal, which is why she asked the question.
"It's a sketch by Mr. Reno's grandfather. It's been a great help to my research on European art. I'll get it for you to see when I get back..."
Zhuang Rui glanced at Renault walking ahead and explained to Qin Xuanbing in broken Chinese. He didn't dare to explain too clearly, as who knew if Renault would understand Chinese?
Qin Xuanbing glanced at Zhuang Rui with some curiosity. She knew her fiancé very well; Zhuang Rui wouldn't easily make a move unless there was something in it for him. There must be something strange about those sketches.
Back at Renault's craft shop, Zhuang Rui took out his card, swiped it for 30,000 euros, then refused Renault's offer to look around for more items he liked, and left the quiet street with Qin Xuanbing. ...
"Haha, I'm rich!" As soon as he entered the hotel room, Zhuang Rui kicked the door shut with his heel, picked Qin Xuanbing up by the waist, and excitedly kissed her red and tender lips.
"Mmm...mmm...let go, I'm suffocating, darling, what's making you so excited?"
Qin Xuanbing was a little breathless from Zhuang Rui's kiss. She finally managed to push him away and asked, somewhat puzzled, "It's just a few sketches and a bronze mirror, why are you so happy?"
"I'll talk about it later, I can't hold it in anymore..."
Zhuang Rui had long been aroused by Qin Xuanbing's fragrance. At this moment, he carried Qin Xuanbing to the bedside, pushed her forward with his hands, and pounced on her (2000 words omitted here)...
"Alright, tell me, why are you so excited?"
Half an hour later, as the passion subsided, Qin Xuanbing pulled her long, beautiful hair back and stretched out her jade-white arms to embrace Zhuang Rui. She could sense that Zhuang Rui was particularly excited today; needless to say, he must have found something precious.
"Hehe, today we've come to a foreign country and become robbers for a while." Zhuang Rui's big hands roamed over Qin Xuanbing's body with great interest, occasionally touching some sensitive spots, which would elicit a soft cry from Qin Xuanbing.
"Look how happy you are, as if that painting is by Van Gogh?"
Qin Xuanbing rolled her eyes at Zhuang Rui, then suddenly grabbed his wrist. She felt his right hand wandering towards her groin, and Qin Xuanbing was now aroused.
"Haha, we don't have Van Gogh's, but we do have Picasso's..."
Zhuang Rui withdrew his hand, gave Qin Xuanbing's high breasts a hard pinch, then jumped off the bed and picked up the canvas bag he had just thrown on the floor, naked.
At first, Qin Xuanbing was so embarrassed by Zhuang Rui's masculine body that she hid her head under the covers. However, after seeing Zhuang Rui take a canvas bag to bed, she couldn't resist her curiosity, picked up the bathrobe placed on the bedside table, put it on, and sat up.
"Let's get up and look at it, so we don't ruin these sketches..."
Zhuang Rui thought for a moment, then put on a bathrobe, took the bag, and walked to the sofa, placing the thick stack of sketches on the glass coffee table in front of the sofa.
"This one is Picasso, this one isn't..."
Zhuang Rui pulled out a pair of white gloves used for appraising cultural relics from his suitcase and began to sort through Picasso's sketches. For him, this task was exceptionally simple; he only needed to determine whether there was any spiritual energy within them.
"Pah, you scoundrel!" Suddenly, Qin Xuanbing, who was sitting next to Zhuang Rui, saw a sketch and spat. Zhuang Rui was confused. He turned to look at the drawing in his hand and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Xuanbing, you've lived abroad before, why are you so averse to this?"
Zhuang Rui laughed and teased Qin Xuanbing. The sketch was a woman's nude portrait. Her full breasts, slender waist, and mysterious dark triangle area were all presented in the painting with great detail. Even her facial expression was clearly visible.
“It’s not that I’m against it, but Picasso was a big scoundrel, you can’t be like him…”
Having spent several years in London and Paris, how could Qin Xuanbing not know Picasso? In fact, she knew him far better than Zhuang Rui.
"Honey, this is art! You won't even let me see this one? Okay, then I'll put this one away..."
Seeing Qin Xuanbing's resolute attitude, Zhuang Rui gave up the idea of comparing the differences between Chinese and foreign women.
Chapter 632 A Clash of Titans (Part 1)
Qin Xuanbing harbors deep resentment towards Picasso because, for Picasso, women were merely sacrifices on his artistic altar, as well as the source of his artistic creation—something Qin Xuanbing could not accept.
Without a doubt, Picasso was a true genius, and the 20th century belonged to him. At the beginning of this turbulent century, he came from Spain to Paris, the world's art capital at the time, and began his lifelong journey of artistic discovery.
In the 20th century, no artist was as versatile and universally known as Picasso. Picasso's fame stems not only from his early success and masterpieces such as "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" and "Guernica," but also from his abundant creativity and colorful life, which resulted in a vast body of multifaceted artworks.
Picasso completed approximately 60,000 to 80,000 works, including not only paintings and drawings, but also sculptures, ceramics, prints, stage costumes, and other forms of artistic expression.
Since Picasso's death in 1973, major art museums around the world have continuously presented retrospective exhibitions of various kinds about him, and there has been a constant stream of discussions about Picasso, often with new arguments, as if he were still alive.
However, Picasso was a controversial figure, aside from his captivating and awe-inspiring talent. He painted many portraits of his wives, lovers, and children, and his family members had mixed opinions about this genius painter.
Picasso died in 1973 at the age of 92. During his lifetime, people were eager to befriend him, and a quarter of a century after his death, people are still arguing about his story and fame.
Picasso's achievements in painting were unparalleled, but his family life was a complete mess.
His tragic story is known to all: Picasso's widow Jacqueline committed suicide, as did one of his lovers, Marie, who bore him a daughter, Maya. His grandson, Pablo Rido, also committed suicide after Jacqueline kicked him out of his grandfather's funeral.
Two years ago, Pablo Rido's sister Marina wrote some memoirs revealing her tragic childhood and blaming Picasso for everything.
Frances was the only woman in Picasso's life to abandon him; she left him in 1953 with their two children.
Later, she collaborated with an art critic to write "My Life with Picasso," a book that was both bold and detailed, covering almost everything, even the painter's sexual adventures. Such books were rare at the time, causing a great uproar. In retaliation, Picasso refused to see her two children from then on.
Women are emotional, and Qin Xuanbing had read that biographical book, so from a woman's perspective, she was extremely disgusted by Picasso's tendency to fall in love with every woman he met.
"By the way, Zhuang Rui, how can you be so sure these paintings are Picasso?"
Qin Xuanbing suddenly remembered this question. It seemed that Zhuang Rui's appraisal time was not very long. Qin Xuanbing believed that Zhuang Rui was an expert in Chinese antiques, but she was a little shocked that Zhuang Rui was also so familiar with foreign art.
"What's so special about that? Do you think old Renault could paint a work like this?"
Zhuang Rui smiled and shook his head, then picked out a few works by old Reno and Picasso and placed them side by side. The difference in quality was immediately apparent. Then he took out two paintings with Picasso's casual signature. This time, without Zhuang Rui saying anything more, Qin Xuanbing understood.
"Zhuang Rui, your luck is just too good, isn't it?"
Looking at the more than thirty black and white sketches on the table, Qin Xuanbing couldn't find the words to describe Zhuang Rui's amazing abilities. She had followed the whole process, and probably no one would have imagined that a small shop owner's home would contain genuine Picasso works.
These days, let alone Qin Xuanbing, who once studied and worked in England and France, even an ordinary person in China has probably heard of Picasso's name. After all, those four oil paintings, which are worth billions of RMB, are simply too breathtaking.
"Xuanbing, how much do you think these sketches are worth?"
Zhuang Rui categorized the sketches on the coffee table into three types. One type was figure sketches, which consisted of six sketches, all of which depicted young women without clothes.
Zhuang Rui couldn't understand why Picasso would give a sketch of his woman to Renoir. Did they have such a good relationship that they could even share women?
The second type of sketches are of children. Zhuang Rui knew that Picasso was a person who loved children very much, so many of his works are of children playing in the streets and alleys. There are quite a few sketches in this category, a total of eighteen, and six boys were drawn in total.
Another type of sketch features static objects, ranging from apples to vases, from room furniture to windows and doors; there are a total of eight such works.