All-rounder Artist-Chapter 825 - 782 Exhibition (Part 1)

In Qin Continent, August is the hottest month of the year, when the sun spews tongues of flame, searing the earth. Even Antarctica, who usually loves the bustle, seems to have lost the desire to go out and play, choosing instead to stay quietly in an air-conditioned room most of the time.

On this day.

Lin Yuan stayed at home playing with Antarctica when his cellphone suddenly rang. It was a call from Jin Mu.

"It’s Saturday today, does the boss want to see an art exhibition?"

"Art exhibition?"

"A Butterfly’s Love for a Flower is being displayed at this exhibition…"

"No, I won’t go."

Lin Yuan firmly rejected the offer.

In such scorching weather, Lin Yuan had no desire whatsoever to go out, not to mention that A Butterfly’s Love for a Flower was not a work he was particularly proud of.

Jin Mu didn’t insist any further.

Just because Lin Yuan didn’t want to go out didn’t mean others felt the same; people are often driven by some motivation or force.

At that moment.

In an art center in Su City.

A medium-sized art exhibit was taking place.

In Blue Star, a place with a rich artistic atmosphere, visiting art exhibitions is a reason some people choose to go out on a Saturday, even if they inevitably arrive at the venue sweating profusely after walking a few hundred meters because cars can’t get through.

A promotional board was displayed at the entrance of the exhibition.

The board listed information about the painters whose works were on exhibit.

This was a medium-sized traditional painting exhibition. Most of the exhibiting painters were moderately famous within the circle, known to traditional painting enthusiasts but not yet among the top tier.

"Yulian’s works are on display."

"Ren Feifei is here, too."

"Yuan Liu’s work as well, I saw it last year at a high-end exhibition—very impressive skill level."

"I’m familiar with Shi Xiang, a promising figure in the traditional painting community. I came today just for him."

"This exhibition has a decent scale."

"There aren’t any top-name masters, but none of the participating painters are obscure."

"Especially Yulian, who won a big prize last year and received accolades from many top artists."

"..."

The crowd around the promotional board exchanged thoughts.

At that moment.

Suddenly, one of the onlookers exclaimed with surprise, "Shadow’s work is also on display?"

Everyone was startled.

Soon enough, they indeed found Shadow on the promotional board.

And in a moment.

There was a buzz among the crowd.

"Isn’t Shadow a comic artist?"

"A comic artist can participate in this kind of formal traditional painting exhibition?"

"Why would the organizers put works from a commercial comic artist in here?"

"That’s interesting; as far as I know, Shadow’s painting skill is actually quite remarkable."

"I didn’t expect Shadow to be part of this traditional painting exhibition. I happened to see some illustrations Shadow did for Chu Kuang Novelist’s stories, and the person’s foundational skills are truly solid, with a very lavish style. It makes sense for them to do traditional painting."

"What’s the meaning of this?"

"Having a nice appearance and conveying artistic conception are two different things, just like comics and traditional paintings are not the same concept. The presence of Shadow has brought down the prestige of the exhibition."

"Disappointed."

"What a joke, works from a commercial comic artist can be exhibited, the organizers must have been looking at Shadow’s fame, right?"

"Shadow must have paid the organizers a bribe."

"I have no good feeling towards these commercial artists. His presence is simply a desecration of traditional painting; all they know is to create eye-catching imagery and now they dare to dabble in traditional painting?"

"..."

Although Shadow has a decent reputation among online followers.

At this kind of exhibition, many people actually feel indifferent or even hostile towards him as a comic artist.

The reason is simple.

They are not the same community.

Those willing to brave the August sun to view the exhibition are traditional painting enthusiasts who consider themselves to have refined tastes.

These people generally don’t read comics.

They often possess a strong sense of artistic superiority, capable of discussing various masterpieces at length. They appreciate high art, so how could they be interested in a commercial comic artist?

It’s not only the painting enthusiasts who think this way.

Even in Blue Star’s professional artistic community, comics are often seen as the lowest rung on the esteem ladder, with many traditional artists looking down on pure commercial illustration.

This is somewhat reminiscent of the literary community on Earth.

Earth’s literary world, traditional novelists, and those who live by traditional literature also look down upon online writers.

It’s the general environment.

Whether it’s prejudice or generalization, such views and notions are deeply ingrained in many people.

Therefore.

The presence of Shadow at this exhibition irritates many, their faces plainly displaying disdain as if their own prestige has been diminished.

...

Meanwhile, behind the noisy crowd, under an umbrella, a middle-aged man spoke indifferently:

"Do you see? This is the attitude our traditional painting community has toward comics."

Standing beside the middle-aged man, a woman with her hair tied into a bun retorted discontentedly, "Everybody else’s daddy supports his little girl, so why do you always have to rub salt in my wounds?"

What’s wrong with comic artists?

Did they steal your rice?

Eh?

Maybe the comic artists really did eat the rice from home since she herself was a comic artist.

"Luo Wei…"

The man spoke with a hint of frustration, "Daddy isn’t trying to discourage you, he is just afraid of you taking the wrong path!"

Indeed.

The woman with the bun was none other than Luo Wei.

Today she wore a blue floral dress, looking uncharacteristically ladylike and charming, unlike her usual disheveled image as a tomboy when working on comics in her studio.

And the man was Luo Wei’s father, the master of traditional painting, Luo Cheng!

Luo Wei pouted and replied, "No matter what you say, I’ve already acknowledged Teacher Shadow as my master. You’ve always taught me since I was little that ’one day as a teacher means a lifetime as a father’, so you two are both my dads."

"You…"

What outrageous nonsense!

What a bizarre analogy!

Luo Cheng felt an urge to hit someone, his heart sour beyond measure. That person called Shadow had even become the father to his precious daughter?

Who’s taking advantage here!

And yet Luo Cheng had always been extremely indulgent towards his cherished daughter, never uttering harsh words.

All he could do was to swallow his discomfort, maintaining a stern face as he said:

"Then I’ll see what level your teacher is at in a moment. If he’s just a charlatan seeking fame, your whims end here!"

What a joke!

The Luo family is a renowned painter family in the Qin Continent, and throughout its history, many master painters have emerged. Yet, his own daughter is learning from a manga artist, even acknowledging this manga artist as her mentor?

This was something Luo Cheng could not accept.

Where would that leave Luo Cheng’s face if word got out?

Today, in front of his daughter, Luo Cheng was determined to thoroughly assess Shadow’s work, to show his daughter, whose painting skill was still immature, just how much Shadow, who liked to play the teacher, really weighed.

"Hmph."

Luo Wei defiantly lifted her head.

Her father had his motives, and she had hers.

She intended to show her father Teacher Shadow’s skill in traditional painting today, and make him see just how outstanding her teacher was, or else the old antique at home would always be biased against manga artists.

This was a war between father and daughter.

As father and daughter were having their conversation, suddenly a passerby exclaimed in surprise:

"Are you Teacher Luo Cheng?"

As soon as this voice sounded, the crowd ahead turned around all at once, their gazes turning towards Luo Cheng with immense enthusiasm.

"That’s me."

Luo Cheng smiled slightly, not surprised to be recognized.

There were many lovers of traditional painting at the exhibition, and Luo Cheng had always held a significant status in the world of traditional painting, his skill easily overshadowing the artists who came to exhibit their work today, having been famous for nearly thirty years.

All at once!

The crowd became excited, no longer discussing Shadow!

"Teacher Luo Cheng, I’m a fan!"

"Did Teacher Luo Cheng come by invitation today?"

"Are there any works by Teacher Luo Cheng exhibited today?"

"Could Teacher Luo Cheng sign something for me?"

"Teacher Luo Cheng, how about we take a photo together?"

"Teacher Luo Cheng, I love you!"

"Teacher Luo..."

"..."

Luo Cheng was surrounded by warmth and excitement.

Usually, Luo Cheng didn’t like this kind of attention, but today, with his daughter by his side, he seemed quite pleased, even deliberately glancing at her a couple of times as if to flaunt his status in this world.

Luo Wei pursed her lips.

Meanwhile, at the height of the crowd’s excitement, a woman’s voice suddenly sounded from the side:

"Teacher Luo, long time no see."

Luo Cheng was taken aback for a moment, his gaze moving through the crowd to the woman. His eyes then brightened, and he called out instinctively:

"Teacher Qiu!"

This woman, named Qiu Yu, had just turned forty, with long hair cascading over her shoulders and a face not deeply marked by the years, exuding an intellectual aura. She was a goddess-like figure in Blue Star’s painting world.

"Teacher Qiu Yu!?"

Following Luo Cheng’s gaze, the crowd also turned to look at the woman speaking, and as soon as they saw Qiu Yu’s face, ripe with mature charm, everyone became excited!

Young men’s faces even flushed with excitement!

The goddess of the traditional painting circle, Teacher Qiu, had arrived!

This goddess recognized by the painting circle was even more beautiful in person than in her photos!

No one had expected that this modestly scaled exhibition would attract two big names from the traditional painting circle at the same time!

"Teacher Qiu, I don’t want to work hard anymore... ah, that’s not right, please sign an autograph!"

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When Qiu Yu appeared, she was immediately surrounded just like Luo Cheng had been, with the crowd even more frenzied, and she was quickly enveloped. There was a tendency for the crowd to grow, and for a while, the entrance to the exhibition was jam-packed.

The crowd around Luo Cheng quieted down quite a bit all of a sudden.

"Your goddess?"

Luo Wei teased her father, poking his arm without any formal respect.

Luo Cheng’s heart skipped a beat, and he replied irritably, "My conscience is clear, I simply admire Teacher Qiu Yu for her skill!"

"Oh."

Luo Wei rolled her eyes.

Luo Cheng coughed and said, "Don’t tell your mom."

Luo Wei replied with a smile, "Weren’t you clear in your conscience?"

Luo Cheng: "..."

Fortunately, the crowd considered themselves to be cultured, and after a round of adoration around Qiu Yu, they gradually made way.

"Shall we go in together?"

Qiu Yu, gracefully walking along the path the onlookers had parted, spoke to Luo Cheng, who was feeling somewhat left out at her side.

Luo Cheng nodded, "Let’s go."

The two of them entered the exhibition side by side.

The crowd didn’t hesitate, decisively following behind these two authorities!

Many were already taking photos with their phones and boasting on social media about meeting the masters of traditional painting at an exhibition, naturally following in step.

"???"

Luo Wei was taken aback for a moment, realizing her father had already gone inside.

This man had actually forgotten his own daughter at the entrance!

Damn it!

Luo Wei felt like giving the middle finger, but in the end she held back.

Taking out the ticket for the exhibition, she quickly slipped inside, and while doing so, Luo Wei noticed a commotion behind her.

It seemed like...

Reporters had arrived?

It was quite normal for journalists to come to a medium-sized exhibition, especially since her father and Teacher Qiu Yu were there, attracting the attention of some reporters.

The exhibition was much more lively than she had expected.

But for Teacher Shadow, this was a good thing.

Luo Wei curled the corners of her mouth, entered the exhibition hall, and quickly made her way to her father.

Her father had come because of her.

She wondered why Qiu Yu would be present too?

Was the scale of this exhibition enough to invite someone as influential as Qiu Yu?

Luo Wei knew just how formidable Qiu Yu was, her skill no less than that of her own father.

Under normal circumstances, only large-scale exhibitions could invite big names like her father and Qiu Yu to attend at the same time...

Forget it.

No point in wondering anymore.

After all, this was Teacher Shadow’s debut in traditional painting, and it was more interesting with a grand setup.

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ps: Thank you to the generous "Swallow 523" for the two Alliance Hierarch positions to you, I kneel before your support ▄█▀█●, Swallow has been donating recently, and I greatly appreciate such continued support, Polluted White will keep writing!