Car-hailing Driver: Rewards from Complaints-Chapter 326 - 180: A Painting That Amazed Everyone, Twins’ Hearts Stirred
Zhang Quan approached and asked with a smile, "Teacher Lin, Miss Lin, is this your friend? What does he do?"
Lin Shuying: "Not a friend, he’s a ride-hailing driver. I can’t drive, so I took his car back. Have you finished your painting?"
Zhang Quan: "Hearing Teacher Lin and Miss Lin chatting so happily with this ride-hailing driver brother, I couldn’t concentrate on painting at all. Maybe I should join you and hear what’s making you so happy."
It was obvious to the onlookers that Zhang Quan was interested in the sisters. Yang Chen didn’t want any unnecessary trouble, so he quickly said, "If you want to chat, go talk over there. I need to rest for a bit; I’ve got to drive later. Driving while tired is really dangerous."
Zhang Quan: "Teacher Lin, Miss Lin, let’s not bother him. Besides, he’s just a ride-hailing driver; what topics could you possibly have with him?"
Lin Shuying: "The way you say that, it sounds really harsh. This morning at the museum art exhibition, there were four particularly good paintings, but he could notice a problem in one of them that even Layman Qingfeng Grandpa Zhao couldn’t see. Isn’t that impressive?"
Lin Anxiang: "He might have been a bit off with the last two lines of his poem just now, but the first two lines were really good. ’The sunset’s red clouds color the autumn scene, the lake light dyes maple leaves a flowing red.’ Can you come up with such lines on the spot? Do you know what ’flowing red’ means?"
Zhang Quan was stunned, not knowing how to respond for a moment.
Huh?
This isn’t how we play.
Isn’t this setting someone up?
It sounds like the sisters were defending Yang Chen, but with what they said, Zhang Quan would definitely be jealous and would make things difficult for Yang Chen.
Since Yang Chen became wealthy, he has encountered this kind of situation more than once.
Being too outstanding, he finds himself resented by the admirers around beautiful women for no reason!
What do cultured people value most?
Face and honor!
They can accept someone stronger than them being more capable, but they absolutely cannot accept an ordinary person being more capable than them."
Using the example of the Huaqing Academy of Fine Arts, ordinary netizens criticize them for having a problematic aesthetic, catering to foreigners’ discriminatory standards toward Dragon Country people’s aesthetics, and plagiarizing foreign works, turning the story of Hou Yi shooting the sun into some bald foreigner using a foreigner’s bow to shoot the sun.
But they don’t think there’s anything wrong with themselves; instead, they blame the netizens for lacking the ability to appreciate art, saying that art is not something everyone can appreciate, and so on."
Who is Zhang Quan?
The most talented young teacher at Hai City Academy of Fine Arts, who became a professor at just 27, more talented than Lin Shuying.
Now, the two girls he likes both say he’s not as good as a ride-hailing driver. Isn’t that essentially a slap in the face?
Can cultured people in the arts tolerate such a slap in the face?
Definitely not!
Yang Chen saw Zhang Quan’s displeased expression and quickly said, "Miss Lin, don’t say that. How can a ride-hailing driver like me compare to you teachers from the Art Academy? I’ve had enough rest, so I need to get back to driving. Everyone, see you never!"
With that, Yang Chen got up to leave.
He might never see these people again in his lifetime, so there was no need to hold grudges with anyone.
Moreover, Yang Chen had matured; he was no longer willing to fall out with people easily.
However, it wasn’t a situation he could just walk away from easily.
"Brother, wait a minute. I apologize for my previous lack of insight. Teacher Lin says you could see something that even Layman Qingfeng couldn’t; clearly, you have high artistic achievement. Look, I’m painting this scene with falling maple leaves and a lake, but I’m stuck. Since you understand painting, I would appreciate your guidance. Let me thank you in advance." Zhang Quan said with a smile.
He spoke politely, but that’s not what he was thinking inside.
His inner thoughts were: "You, a ride-hailing driver, claiming to understand art in front of me? Since they think you’re so great, I’ll make you embarrass yourself in front of them and see if they still think you’re so impressive! I’m a 27-year-old professor with a bright future, and they dare compare me to a ride-hailing driver. That’s an insult!"
Yang Chen quickly replied, "No, no, I still have to drive."
Zhang Quan: "How much can you make driving for an hour?"
Yang Chen: "It’s uncertain, about fifty or sixty. Better drivers might earn more, but I’m pretty relaxed about it, so I don’t earn much."
Clearly, Yang Chen oversimplified things; he assumed Zhang Quan was just casually asking about a ride-hailing driver’s income. However, Zhang Quan directly took out a hundred yuan and stuffed it into his hand, saying he was booking him for two hours to discuss painting techniques.
"Teacher, that’s not cool." Yang Chen said, a bit unhappy.
Zhang Quan: "What, too little? How much do you want? I’ve booked you for the whole afternoon. I’m especially fond of painting and also like people who understand it. If you can appreciate something even Layman Qingfeng can’t, you must have some extraordinary qualities, and I can’t let you go without discussing painting with you. Come, brother, let’s talk."
As he spoke, Zhang Quan dragged Yang Chen over to his painting board.
Lin Shuying quickly stepped in to stop it: "Teacher Zhang, what are you doing? He’s just a ride-hailing driver; appreciating art doesn’t mean he can paint. There’s no need for this."
Zhang Quan: "But you two said he’s amazing. When I meet someone remarkable, I want to chat more. Isn’t that a normal thought?"
Lin Anxiang: "Hmph, everyone knows what you’re thinking. But he’s just a ride-hailing driver; even if you gain something from him, it won’t make you seem impressive."
