Chen Mian: "?"
Liang Shi stared at the painting again and again, but still didn't think it looked very similar.
It's probably because I've gotten used to seeing myself.
but……
Liang Shi asked Chen Mian, "What is the relationship between Zhu Mingqi and Qiu Zimin?"
Chen Mian answered simply, "Rival in love."
“Chen Chi had countless romantic scandals when she was young,” Chen Mian said. “But she had two childhood sweethearts, one was her white moonlight, and the other was her cinnabar mole.”
Liang Shi: "?"
You artists all have quite a few romantic histories.
Chapter 176
Chen Mian told Liang Shi that the reason for this was very simple.
First, the person who bought the painting was Qiu Zimin; second, the person in the painting bears a resemblance to Liang Shi.
Liang Shi stared at the painting for a while, but still couldn't figure it out.
I did hear Chen Mian tell me a few interesting stories related to the sinking pond.
It's less of an amusing anecdote and more of a love story.
Chen Chi was Chen Mian's teacher, so they were of the same generation.
He was also a renowned painter decades ago.
She excels at painting landscapes and portraits, with a distinctive style. However, what she is most renowned for is her family background and her love life.
Chen Chi's two childhood friends were her classmates, and the three of them practically grew up together.
One of them dated her, but they broke up not long after.
They can still maintain their friendship.
Despite her numerous scandals, she still harbors feelings for her beloved.
Later, her beloved got engaged, and she was diagnosed with late-stage cancer.
The trio parted ways, and after Chen Chi passed away, it was said that the two childhood sweethearts had a huge fight at her funeral.
However, these are all secrets within wealthy families, and not many people know them.
Chen Mian only heard it mentioned casually by her teacher, and then became very secretive about it.
I don't know much.
Liang heard a story that had nothing to do with him.
However, when she asked Chen Mian to meet Qiu Zimin and Zhu Mingqi, she asked Chen Mian to invite her along.
Chen Mian agreed.
//
Chen Mian met Qiu Zimin first. At that time, Liang Shi was sitting in Chen Mian's studio, listening to the conversation between Qiu Zimin and Chen Mian through a door.
Chen Mian had no intention of selling the ruins of the sinking pool.
This painting was passed down to her by her teacher, and it has considerable sentimental value.
Moreover, people have started bidding now.
Not wanting things to escalate, Chen Mian politely declined Qiu Zimin's offer.
Qiu Zimin, however, remained firm: "Name your price, I want this painting."
Chen Mian said helplessly, "I'm sorry, I don't intend to sell it. If you are in this painting, then there is another person in it. To be honest, Ms. Zhu is also trying to buy this painting from me, but there is only one painting, and I want to keep it for my personal collection."
“But this is a painting by Chen Chi,” Qiu Zimin said.
Chen Mian nodded: "I know, this was left to me by my teacher."
Qiu Zimin paused: "You mean you want to sell it to Zhu Mingqi?"
"No," Chen Mian replied, "I plan to keep it as a personal keepsake."
Qiu Zimin stared at her, quite resentful.
Chen Mian then asked, "May I ask why you want this painting so much?"
Qiu Zimin scoffed, "Knowing it's presumptuous, why ask?"
"My teacher told me some things before," Chen Mian said. "Let's verify them."
"What did your teacher say to you?" Qiu Zimin asked, slightly nervously.
Chen Mian paused slightly: "This painting depicts the person that Teacher Shen cares about most."
"who?"
Chen Mian pointed to the person on the far right, and Qiu Zimin's expression immediately changed. "Nonsense!"
Chen Mian shrugged: "That's what I heard. Including the fact that my teacher was with Teacher Shen until she passed away, so... it should be somewhat credible."
“Impossible.” Qiu Zimin stood up. “You don’t know anything, what nonsense are you talking about?”
Chen Mian gestured for him to proceed, saying, "Believe it or not."
"Are you really not going to sell?" Qiu Zimin gritted her teeth and offered again: "Eighty million."
Chen Mian shook her head: "Not for sale."
Qiu Zimin left angrily, but before leaving, she turned back to look at Chen Mian and said, "What your teacher said is all lies."
Chen Mian: "..."
Chen Mian nodded indifferently: "Think that way if you want."
When Qiu Zimin left, she slammed her door shut with a loud bang.
Afterwards, Liang came out and looked at the painting carefully, but still didn't think it had the potential to be worth 80 million.
Chen Mian chuckled: "Paintings, including works of art, all need people to give them value. It's not about how much money their materials and concepts are worth, but more importantly, what they contain."
Liang Shi barely understood.
The same thing happened when Chen Mian and Zhu Mingqi met again; Liang Shi still hid in his studio.
Chen Mian also rejected Zhu Mingqi with the same words.
After listening, Zhu Mingqi simply nodded and smiled gently: "No wonder your style is so similar to Chen Chi's; it turns out you're her apprentice."
"I studied under Teacher Shen, but I've never met him," Chen Mian said. "He's like my grandmaster."
Zhu Mingqi smiled and said, "But you should be the one who imitates it the best. You have a lot of talent."
"And this painting?" Chen Mian asked again.
"No, I don't want it anymore," Zhu Mingqi said. "It's just a memory for me. It would be good if I could buy it back, but it has a different meaning for you. It's fine if you keep it as a private keepsake. Anyway, these memories are all in my mind, and a painting can't prove them."
Zhu Mingqi was very friendly. When the conversation about painting didn't work out, she suggested visiting Chen Mian's studio to see if there were any other paintings that caught her eye.
Such people are actually very friendly to contemporary painters because they can make them richer.
Wealthy people spend money to buy paintings, giving artists a better environment to create.
No one could dislike it.
However, because there was someone hiding in Chen Mian's studio, he intended to refuse, but unexpectedly Liang Shi opened the door from inside and came out.
Zhu Mingqi was startled, "There are still people at home..."
"Ms. Zhu," Liang Shi greeted her.
After recognizing Liang Shi, Zhu Mingqi exclaimed in surprise, "Ah? It's Miss Liang. You and Chen Mian... Oh right, you left together at the art museum last time. So this is Miss Liang's home too? That's rather abrupt."
"No," Liang Shi immediately denied. "Chen Mian and I are just friends."
"So you said you were getting married last time?" Zhu Mingqi casually chatted with her.
Liang Shi nodded: "Yes, but not with Miss Chen."
Zhu Mingqi said "Oh," and then added, "Sorry."
"It's nothing," Liang Shi said. "I just had an appointment with Chen Mian, so I was waiting for her inside. You can go see the paintings if you want."
She then stepped back to Chen Mian's side, a move Chen Mian didn't understand.
Liang Shi whispered, "To make money."
Chen Mian: "?"
Zhu Mingqi didn't think much of it or stand on ceremony. She went to the studio, picked out a painting she liked, and bought it for 300,000 yuan.
That was originally used by Chen Mian to practice her writing; its style is quite different from her other works and doesn't resemble Chen Chi's at all.
But it is the most healing painting in her studio.
Zhu Mingqi said, "Miss Chen must have painted this painting with great hope in her heart. I see love and hope in this painting."
Chen Mian was speechless for a moment, unsure of what to say.
This painting was indeed created by her after she had drunk too much, thinking about Qi Jiao.
I thought of their first encounter.
It was an ordinary day, with sunshine, wind, and a large crowd.
The little girl sat alone in her seat, tilting her head to look out the window. Her face, which was originally very gentle, was now full of sadness. She turned her head unexpectedly, and their eyes met.
The little girl's lips curled up slightly, but her eyes held little light.
Later, she saw the light in her eyes.
I drew this while thinking about her smile, so the color tone is very warm.
Zhu Mingqi had guessed everything correctly, so Chen Mian could only awkwardly say, "Mm."