The Versatile Master Artist-Chapter 56 - 48: Plan B

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"Can I exchange some gold coins at your family’s shop?"

Gu Weijing took out a small transparent plastic box containing gold coins from his backpack and placed it on the bed.

"Exchange money? What do you need money for?"

Mona’s tone carried some surprise, her eyebrows slightly raised.

She knew Gu Weijing had always been someone with little material desire, and there were quite a few wealthy people in their international school.

Mona also had many suitors, but Gu Weijing wasn’t the most remarkable in terms of conditions.

Those guys whose parents were entrepreneurs or local officials were quite generous, often taking girls to exclusive member-only restaurants and gifting new bags and phones without hesitation.

Yet, compared to those playboys who changed girlfriends like changing clothes, she rather appreciated the quiet demeanor of Gu Weijing.

Many of Mona’s friends couldn’t understand.

Clearly, there were many outstanding guys; why did a girl as excellent as the student council president Mona enjoy being with Gu Weijing?

He wasn’t particularly handsome.

Compared to those foreign students with blonde hair and blue eyes, he wasn’t tall or muscular like marble.

He couldn’t showcase his masculinity on the football field, and didn’t have enough money to constantly gift his girlfriend new lipstick, bags, perfumes, and shoes.

Except for being good at painting, he was just a nobody in school, and wasn’t considered "cool" either.

The school wasn’t quite an Ivory Tower; high school girls had vanity too.

Being good at painting... how many could really become great painters?

But being handsome and wealthy was undeniably a real asset.

Just watch "Gossip Girl" and you’ll understand.

In this kind of private elite school, girls’ horizons were broader, their lives more privileged, and maybe more materialistic.

They would compare whose boyfriend was more handsome and wealthy, and compare the value of gifts received from their boyfriends that month, rather than caring about a person’s inner qualities.

Mona knew some girls in the student council were material girls, who could easily get a monthly allowance of thousands from boyfriends whose parents were senior executives of foreign companies in Myanmar.

But Mona didn’t see things that way.

She always felt that Gu Weijing was a scholarly, elegant, introverted boy with typical Eastern qualities.

He was a very quiet person.

There was no hustle of the era on Gu Weijing, and he could make Mona feel a sense of peace and tranquility, just like sipping a warm cup of Darjeeling tea.

She wasn’t naive or foolishly in love.

Mona had always been a smart girl, valuing long-term benefits more than short-lived glory and indulgence.

She saw the potential in Gu Weijing to become an excellent painter, and more importantly, a good boyfriend.

The latter was more important than the former.

Think about it, from a girlfriend’s perspective, what kind of people were the great painters in history?

Titian, playboy.

Monet, scumbag.

Van Gogh, lunatic.

Gauguin, lunatic and scumbag.

And Picasso?

My God, this guy lived with two wives, five lovers, and his life’s emotional trajectory was almost a delight in hurting women.

Why didn’t lightning strike this kind of person to death?

Modern painters aren’t any better; half of some new European painter clubs are playboys, surrounded by models and call girls. Among the remaining half, 40% divorce faster than pulling up their pants.

The last ten percent might just be lunatics who, when the mood strikes, blow their brains out with a gun.

And society is very forgiving of these artists.

You could say that Uncle Sakai, who is upright after marriage and whose only hobby is feeding himself into obesity, is definitely considered a super invincible five-star good man.

Choosing such a gentle person as a boyfriend is very reassuring.

She believed that with Gu Weijing’s excellent spatial sensitivity and diligent painting practice, there was no reason he couldn’t become an excellent painter.

The kind of great painter who can hold solo exhibitions in art galleries is unrealistic to imagine; it’s just too difficult.

But having grown up together, Mona could foresee the life she imagined for Gu Weijing at a glance.

Applying to a well-ranked Art Academy in high school.

In four years of college, if he performed well and could stay on, join the studio of a Name Family master, or even participate in art exhibitions—that would naturally be the ideal best-case scenario.

Becoming a truly market-recognized Professional Painter, even if only a small painter with some shallow fame in the European Market, is the best path for an art student.

The path of a painter is indeed rough, but a Professional Painter certainly makes much more money than a lawyer or a doctor.

Dignified, leisurely, elegant, mingling with celebrities, the perfect white horse prince she dreamt of since she was a little girl.

But Mona didn’t dare to think so far.

She felt that with Gu Weijing’s potential, even if he couldn’t stay at school after graduation or be favored by a great studio.

As long as he had a degree from a prestigious school and didn’t dream of making millions on a single painting on his career path.

Honestly, going to some major Internet companies for art design, game animation, or joining some special effects post-production teams in Hollywood were also very lucrative jobs.

As long as he’s serious and diligent, earning more than her father in a year is not an extravagant hope.

This was Mona’s more realistic expectation of Gu Weijing, and by then she would also consider actually marrying him.

The rich second generations in school were mostly playboys enjoying life, and in the short term, being their girlfriend was naturally glamorous.

But from a long-term perspective, it was far inferior to a potential stock like Gu Weijing.

Choosing the former, besides a monthly allowance of one thousand dollars and possibly getting pregnant, you’d be left with nothing when he abandoned you.

Choosing the latter is a stable long-term investment.

Of course, Mona’s heart wasn’t fixed on choosing Gu Weijing as her boyfriend.

She also had quite a favorable impression of Gu Weijing.

But as always, she was a smart girl.

No smart girls would recklessly fall in love without considering practicalities.

All this was based on whether Gu Weijing could provide her with a decent and affluent life, and Mona considered this not gold-digging, but the passing grade for marrying a charming girl like herself.

Therefore, if there was a more valuable boyfriend pursuing her than Gu Weijing, Mona would also remain open-minded internally.

This is also why she had never established a relationship with Gu Weijing.

But deliberately maintained a not-too-intimate ambiguity.

A girl’s talent allowed her to handle a boy like Gu Weijing, with his introverted Eastern emotions, with ease.

"Mediocre Choice"—Mona felt that Gu Weijing fit the typical middle way discussed among cheerleaders about boyfriends.

Not good enough to shine but not bad either.

He was Mona’s eternal "Plan B."

Boys like him were nice but not exceptional.

If she couldn’t find a better man, Mona understood from a very young age that choosing Gu Weijing, she would at least live very happily.

She knew she was very beautiful and also knew many boys pursued her in her studies. In comparison, Gu Weijing was not that eye-catching.

In the emotional balance, the better side naturally should have more room to choose and make demands.

And growing up, Mona always looked after him.

She knew Gu Weijing had little regard for money, his family conditions weren’t as good as hers, so wherever they went—whether it was the cinema, amusement park, or go-karting—she and Gu Weijing always went Dutch.

She would never give Gu Weijing overly expensive gifts.

This wasn’t because Mona was stingy; how much was a movie ticket anyway? As someone better off, she was taking care of the boy’s self-esteem.

Mona would write a birthday card for him by hand on New Year, and bring a beautifully decorated apple back to school after Christmas break.

On his birthday, she would bake a small cake for him, with "My Best Friend" written in purple frosting.

This took more effort and touched him more than casually picking a small piece of jewelry from her home.

Mona understood these traditional Eastern boys too well; as long as you showed enough kindness to them, they’d stay by your side like little tails and never leave.

In her memory, Gu Weijing never had any major expenditures, never being influenced by consumerism. His phone, clothes, shoes were just enough for use.

What did he want to do with money today?