“Appetite resets every day; today’s cravings are satisfied, and tomorrow’s can be filled anew. Other desires are not like this; once a level of satisfaction is achieved, the next requires a substantial upgrade in desire, needing to be fulfilled step by step, often accompanied by pain and anxiety… In this sense, appetite is the easiest to satisfy and the quickest to provide positive feedback,” Hua Jie remarked, suggesting that any unhappiness could be remedied by a good meal.
There’s much discomfort in life, but thankfully, good food can heal all wounds.
“…Hmm, that makes sense,” Pei Jun raised his eyebrows, finding Hua Jie talented and interesting, but he hadn’t expected her to casually discuss philosophical matters with an old man like him, which was quite remarkable.
“Later, I’ll draw the Peking duck, and if I crave it, I can just look at the picture to satisfy my craving,” Hua Jie suddenly said with a smile.
“…” Pei Jun raised his eyebrows again, then turned to Wang Jian and said, “Wang Jian, maybe we should get some vacuum-packed Peking duck for the young artists attending the awards ceremony to take home. It’s a specialty, after all; we can’t let them go back empty-handed, only able to satisfy their cravings by looking at pictures.”
“Alright,” Wang Jian readily agreed.
“There’s no need… Teacher Pei…” Hua Jie’s face turned red again, as if… Mr. Pei, by saying that, it almost seems like I asked you for the duck…
“Hahaha, we haven’t even started eating, and the child is already thinking about taking some home,” Shen Jiaru laughed heartily, helping Hua Jie out of the awkward situation, then added, “That’s good, thinking of benefits for everyone competing.”
“…Ah…” Hua Jie touched her nose and laughed awkwardly.
Despite being experienced from living two lifetimes, Hua Jie still found herself defenseless against the teasing of her elders.
As the adults ate and drank, they inevitably began to boast.
Hua Jie and the other minors didn’t need to drink or engage in social niceties, they just focused on eating heartily.
Especially Qian Chong, a boy still growing, who seemed unstoppable with one roasted duck after another, enjoying soup and mung bean cake, and having no trouble adding some pastries to his feast. He ate so much that Wang Jian couldn’t help but worry about his wallet.
Finally, unable to watch any longer as Qian Chong and the others seemed intent on bankrupting the event organizers through their eating, Wang Jian turned to chat with Hu Yue and others, then once again formally introduced the top ten emerging artists of the competition to the editors and reporters from various major magazines.
Consequently, the feast came to an end for Qian Chong and the others. They were each taken aside by an editor, seated in pairs, and interviewed while merely sipping on drinks, unable to take another bite.
Wang Jian breathed a sigh of relief, proud of his quick thinking.
Hua Jie was first asked why she chose watercolors, followed by questions about her journey in painting, and a variety of other questions like ‘Why did you choose to pursue painting?’ and ‘How did you become a student of Teacher Shen?’
When Wang Qi sat down in front of her, Hua Jie cleared her throat and sat up straight, exuding confidence as if to say, ‘I’m quite good at answering questions now, please feel free to ask anything!’
However, Wang Qi’s approach was entirely different. He lifted his camera, gestured with his chin towards several exquisite spots in the courtyard of Quanjude, and smiled, asking, “May I take some photos of you?”
Eventually, Hua Jie gave Wang Qi the address of her family’s shop on the top floor of the Fuyun Building in Jingzhou City. The photographer Wang Qi agreed to give her two copies of each photo once they were developed, reaching an agreement.
The two of them, one older and one younger, got up and moved through the crowd to find spots with fewer people, where they could shoot the ‘portrait’ without interruptions.
Through the lens, as he captured the serene and spirited smile of the girl under the sky and beside the red lanterns, Wang Qi could already imagine how many people would want to buy a unique dress like hers after the magazine went to press, and how many would try to imitate her bangs and bun hairstyle.
Being talented and beautiful is indeed a key element that can start a trend.
…
…
With everyone full and satisfied, they dispersed from the restaurant entrance.
The magazine and newspaper staff had to rush back to develop photos and write their articles, as a new round of competition and publication began.
It was now a contest to see who could capture the most compelling stories from the event, who could attract the most readers, and cause a surge in sales.
The invited guests returned to their hotels to rest, and the next day, they would either catch flights home or continue to enjoy their time in the capital at their leisure.
After a good night’s sleep, Shen Jiaru and others had to wake up early the next day, as the competition organizers had planned various sightseeing activities that were set to continue.
The ten award winners and their mentors were invited to a sketching outing; today’s destination was the Forbidden City, and they were even planning to brave the cold wind at the Great Wall later.
Hua Jie wasn’t worried about the fatigue; in fact, she was somewhat excited.
It was a rare opportunity to tour and observe the scenery with a group of painters, each with their unique perspective. Listening and observing more would certainly be educational.
After lunch, the group began painting within the Forbidden City.
Qian Chong had just set up his easel in a wind-sheltered spot with a good view and was about to start painting when someone walked over and stared coldly at his paper.
It was Sun Qian, a university student of Teacher Ju Lei.
For this sketching and group painting outing, Sun was the only student of Teacher Ju who was participating for free, while his three other classmates, who competed but didn’t make the top ten, had to pay their own way.
Though Ju Lei felt it was somewhat embarrassing, he still thought it was an opportunity not to be missed.
The other three students didn’t really want to come; they felt humiliated and dejected, but couldn’t refuse their teacher’s insistence and had to follow quietly.
Their mood had been poor these past few days, having endured their teacher’s sarcasm and criticism, and they harbored resentment and jealousy towards Teacher Shen’s four students.
Now, as they freely chose spots to paint, Sun Qian couldn’t help himself and came over. He wanted to see for himself if the works submitted by Fang Shaojun and the other three were truly completed independently.
“Brother, could you move a bit? You’re blocking the light.” Just as Qian Chong was about to start painting, he suddenly noticed Sun Qian standing behind him—wasn’t this the guy who always looked down on him, finishing ninth?
Thinking back to how this person used to glare at him, Qian Chong couldn’t control his emotions, and his tone was unusually defiant.
Already in a bad mood, Sun Qian’s anger soared with Qian’s tone, and he coldly voiced his suspicions:
“Hmph, I heard that all four of your paintings were personally altered by Teacher Shen, even the compositions were done by him. I just want to see what your own level of painting is like.”
“…” Qian Chong frowned deeply, put down his brush, stood up, and faced Sun Qian confrontationally. “What nonsense are you spouting?”
Hua Jie and Fang Shaojun, who were originally searching for their own painting angles nearby, suddenly heard Qian Chong’s hostile tone, seemingly on the verge of a fight. They turned around to see that the elders were no longer in the area, possibly having gone out to find a place to drink tea, and hurried over.
“What’s going on?” Hua Jie approached first, asking while looking towards Sun Qian.
At this moment, Sun Qian’s three classmates also gathered around, as if ready for a group fight.
The other award-winning painters couldn’t help but crane their necks to see, and many tourists passing by also turned their heads to watch the commotion.
“He said that our award-winning paintings were all modified by Teacher Shen,” Qian Chong stated defiantly, his chest puffed out and his eyes filled with disdain and arrogance, ready for a confrontation like a belligerent rooster.
“Hmph, just because your own paintings are modified by the teacher, you think everyone else’s are too? This is a real-life case of the pot calling the kettle black, and it’s my first time seeing it,” Hua Jie stood by Qian Chong, her response just as spirited as his.
In this world, there are always people who can’t seem to enjoy peace without stirring trouble.
It’s normal for those who are passionate about art to feel dissatisfied; every artist should possess what might be called ‘painting courage.’ However, openly displaying jealousy and making baseless accusations to tarnish others’ reputations is rather despicable.
No wonder he only ranked ninth; such low behavior doesn’t deserve a public platform!
“Hmph, Teacher Shen’s four students all participated and all made it into the top ten, isn’t that suspicious enough?” Sun Qian retorted with equal fervor, his tone dripping with contempt.
“Yeah, the most suspicious is the runner-up, right? Good at both watercolor and gouache, and both are so well practiced. 15 years old? Who would believe that? It’s just the judges being wilfully blind, not wanting to offend Teacher Shen,” Ju Lei’s second disciple, Li Xiaohua, glared at Hua Jie, his comments becoming more offensive.
Hua Jie furrowed her brows. So, do many people really think their awards were undeserved?
Teacher Shen, a man so proud, would never stoop so low as to shamelessly manipulate results just for his students to win.
These people are truly disgusting, slinging mud at others.
“Have some dignity, will you? If you’re going to lose, at least lose with some grace instead of barking around like a dog!” Initially, Hua Jie just didn’t want to be bullied, but now she was genuinely angered, her eyes wide and stepping forward assertively.
Qian Chong was about to retort to Sun Qian but realized with Hua Jie there, who was exceptionally good at scolding, he couldn’t even get a word in.
Moreover, with the petite girl suddenly standing in front of him, he had the illusion of being protected by a big sister.
“You—” Li Xiaohua, too, stepped forward, agitated.
Sun Qian held out an arm in front of Li Xiaohua, staring down Hua Jie and Qian Chong and said:
“Why not settle it with a painting challenge? Let’s pick a similar spot and paint, and see whose work is better. When the results are out, we can place the paintings side by side for comparison. It’ll be clear who had their competition entries altered by the teacher and who is genuinely skilled. Arguing about it now is pointless.”
“…” Qian Chong suddenly froze, then a sense of déjà vu washed over him, and he uncomfortably looked at Hua Jie.
“…” Hua Jie, in tune with him, turned back, giving him a look that was half-smiling, half-mocking, as if to say: Look! Trash always likes to challenge others to a paint-off.
“…” A thought crossed Qian Chong’s mind, and he muttered, “I’m definitely better than these idiots.”
These people are truly shameless in their eagerness to challenge others in painting; it wasn’t like that for him in his time—he was seriously invited to compete.
By now, Fang Shaojun and Lu Yunfei had also joined them. It was clear that Hua Jie and Qian Chong were ready to accept the challenge, and they looked towards Fang and Lu. This matter had escalated to a contest between the four disciples of Teacher Shen and the four disciples of Teacher Ju.
On the opposing side, Sun Qian and his group were clearly united in their desire to compete through painting, but on this side, Hua Jie and Qian Chong hesitated to casually accept the challenge.
Fang Shaojun was a proud person; who could force her to compete in painting against someone?
If Qian Chong agreed and Fang Shaojun simply ignored the challenge, it would be quite embarrassing.
Especially since Fang Shaojun usually loved to oppose Qian Chong.
But before Hua Jie could even ask Fang Shaojun if she was willing to join, the typically defiant Miss Fang preemptively placed her stool on the ground in front of her, glanced at Hua Jie and Qian Chong, then glared at Sun Qian, coldly stating:
“Let’s use this spot, and paint that group of buildings ahead.”
“Alright,” Sun Qian responded, and with his three junior brothers lined up, they prepared to sit down and start painting.
Lu Yunfei, not one for idle talk, placed his stool next to Fang Shaojun and sat down.
Hua Jie and Qian Chong exchanged a look and shared an unspoken smile.