Her Student?
When Melody noticed Johnny’s expression, her own expression unconsciously became more solemn
than before. What is it that can be so difficult to handle? She quickly took out her phone, tapped on her
chat with Alexander, and clicked on the link.
In the next moment, she had the same expression as him.
“Is this the extremely important matter you mentioned?” Melody was confused. She turned her phone
screen that showed the ‘National Goddess’ voting interface in Alexander’s direction.
“Is that not important?” Alexander leaned his head back against the sofa and started spewing nonsense.
“If Elise is not a goddess, then who is?”
Both Melody and Johnny were silent. We have no words for your shamelessness. Thank you very much.
…
During the weekend, Elise dug out two tickets given to her by the principal from her bag and took Joey to
visit the art exhibition.
The art exhibition was held in the Science and Technology Museum. Unlike a solo art exhibition, this
exhibition included the most famous works of modern domestic artists. The exhibits were not chosen
based on the artists’ background, but based on the presentations of their artwork alone.
This art exhibition was also known as the cradle of artists in Cittadel. The artists who could exhibit their
works in this exhibition would have a bright and promising future.
Elise and Joey only came here to join in on the fun. Elise originally planned to take a quick look around
before leaving, but she saw her artwork ‘Appreciation of Spring’ being exhibited at the place where the
artwork had gathered most people.
When Joey saw Elise stopping to look, she asked curiously, “Do you like it, Elise? Should I buy it for
you?”
The artworks here were being exhibited, but they were also being sold. Moreover, one-tenth of the sales
proceeds would be donated to the Red Cross Society as a charity.
Elise smiled and did not reply. Then, she stepped to the side to call Julius as she took out her phone.
Julius answered the phone quickly. “What’s up, Boss?”
“Did you get rid of my paintings without permission?” She got straight to the point and asked the
question.
“Paintings? Are you talking about those ink paintings?” He mulled over her question. “No. Noel took one
previously, but the rest are being stored properly.”
“That makes sense then,” she said. “That painting is currently on sale at the Science and Technology
Museum’s art exhibition.”
“What!? Noel sold the painting!?” Julius was absolutely astonished. “Has he gotten so desperate that he
has to sell the paintings for a living now? Boss, please don’t blame him for this. I will go and purchase
that painting immediately!”
“No need. I’m right here,” Elise replied. “Leave this matter to me. You don’t need to worry about this.”
Then, after a brief pause, she added, “If you get the chance, you should find Noel and bring him back.
Tell him that what happened is water under the bridge now. We are still a family.”
“I knew it. You don’t blame him at all, Boss. It’s Noel who can’t let go…” When talking about Noel, Julius
couldn’t help but feel saddened.
“Whether or not he can let it go will depend on him. Nobody can do anything for him, so don’t blame
yourself.” After saying that, Elise ended the phone call.
While on her way back to where Joey stood, Elise coincidentally overheard the discussion among
several people participating in the art exhibition, which had gathered around one of the ink paintings.
Thus, she couldn’t help but stop to listen.
“The thin layers of mist and the mountains scattered around are simply ethereal. Not to mention, the
vague figures and the beautiful scenery complement each other and give off a delicate vibe.”
“What an ethereal world. It truly is an exceptionally gorgeous ink painting!”
“The ink painting is incredibly vivid and life-like. The artist created such a heavenly place with only a few
strokes. The black mountains and the white waters… Although there are only a few colors in the
painting, the result is exquisite and noble!”
“That’s right. As the saying goes, ‘Each new generation excels over the last’. It looks like this is an
extremely talented artist. This artist will surely become one of the pillars of Cittadel’s ink painting industry
in the future!”
Behind the crowd, Tiana listened to these compliments from a distance. The corners of her mouth
twitched slightly; she couldn’t help feeling proud of herself. These evaluations proved that her hard work
had not been in vain over the years.
At this time, somebody put forward a different opinion.
“Why does the painting style seem similar to that of the Little Picasso, SQ?”
“When you put it that way, it really does seem quite similar. However, compared to SQ’s painting, this
artwork lacks strength. It is still lacking in some ways.”
Tiana did not expect there to be experts who understood art in this exhibition. After composing her
expression, she parted the crowd, walked over, and explained in a manner that was neither humble nor
arrogant. “I studied under SQ, so it’s not strange for our painting styles to be similar. I am proud to be
compared to my teacher’s painting.”
“Oh, so you are SQ’s student! Forgive me for the disrespect.”
“Those who can impress SQ are extraordinary indeed. Your initial artworks are already so superb that
one cannot look away. I believe your future achievements will be comparable to SQ herself!”
“That’s right! This painting has great collection value!”
The people fervently discussed among themselves. As they were fascinated by the title of ‘SQ’s student’,
many were thinking about buying the painting to keep in hopes of it rising in value in the future.
Elise crossed her hands in front of her chest as she watched calmly from a distance. I don’t remember
taking in a student.
Those paintings were something she found fun in the past. After learning from the masters of traditional
painting for a few days, she had casually drawn those pictures. It’s one thing to be praised to the moon
and back, but why didn’t anybody tell me that I’ve even taken in students?
At this time, another person spoke up.
“I heard that SQ’s artwork is also being auctioned at this art exhibition.”
“That’s right. I just came from there. The ‘Appreciation of Spring’ is truly a masterpiece!”
“The painting is excellent indeed, but three paintings are being exhibited today. Only one of them is
genuine, but which one of them is the real deal? It’s so hard to differentiate between the real and the
fake!”
“Huh? Isn’t SQ’s student standing right here? With her around, there’s no need to worry about telling
which is fake and which is real!”
“That’s right! Let’s ask Miss Hill to join us!”
As their hospitality was hard to refuse, Tiana hesitated for a moment before finally going with them.
Elise originally intended to return and look for Joey, but she leisurely followed behind them instead.
The number of people gathering at the ‘Appreciation of Spring’ booth had only increased compared to
earlier. The space seemed even more crowded after Tiana and the others came over.
Three identical paintings hung side-by-side on the display wall within the cordon. Under the illumination
of various lights, each of them had its own respective beauty. Moreover, they were separated by a
distance of one meter, so it would be difficult to tell them apart unless one was a professional in the field.
Fortunately, Tiana had done a lot of research on famous paintings. She could tell that the ‘Appreciation of
Spring’ hanging in the middle was genuine at a glance. Thus, she confidently announced, “My teacher’s
painting has vigorous and powerful strokes. The control over the finer details is also particularly critical.
Although the first and third paintings are amazing imitations, in the end, they are far from the teacher’s
standard in terms of strength. Only the second painting actually came from my teacher’s hand.”
The way Tiana mentioned her ‘teacher’ was so smooth and intimate that Elise herself was beginning to
doubt whether or not she had taken in a student in her sleep!
The others nodded in approval.
“As expected of SQ’s student, she can tell it right away. I’ve been enlightened.”
“Looks like the ‘Appreciation of Spring’ is bound to become a big hit in today’s auction.”
As soon as those words rang out, Tiana waved her hand and summoned one of the staff members from
nearby. Following a whispered discussion, the staff member turned to look at everybody and announced
loudly, “Miss Tiana Hill has offered a bid of one million for the ‘Appreciation of Spring’.”
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