190: Shocking Artist

A theater in downtown Kyoto.

It had been booked out for the day, serving as the venue for the auction Boss Liang had mentioned.

A dozen security personnel guarded the entrance, maintaining order while keeping curious onlookers outside.

The parking lot was already filled with luxury cars.

Many Tycoons, accompanied by large entourages, were making their way into the theater.

Influential and arrogant local big shots were now dressed in formal attire, giving off a cultured air.

They greeted acquaintances with utmost politeness.

When Qin Yun and Julia arrived,

a group of moderately famous artists, invited by the organizers to serve as background decoration,

were queuing up to enter one by one.

Seeing that Qin Yun and Julia arrived by taxi and were dressed ordinarily, their faces registered surprise.

These two really aren't taking the auction seriously at all.

They were probably just here to spectate, like us.

They couldn't possibly be participating in the bidding.

The items here start at several hundred thousand; it's not something ordinary people can get involved in.

The theater had two floors.

The first floor had rows of seats, where the young artists were placed as background decoration.

They didn't even have the qualifications to bid.

They merely held onto a one-in-ten-thousand hope that if a Tycoon took a fancy to them,

they could rise to prominence in the fiercely competitive art world.

But that chance was slim; most came just to broaden their horizons.

Seeing these young artists engaged in lively discussion and the auction not having started yet,

Qin Yun also found a seat at the back and sat down.

"Sitting on the first floor is so boring. When will I ever get invited to the second floor? You're here to broaden your horizons too, right?"

"I've been here three or four times, so I'm somewhat experienced. You're in the arts circle too, right? It's best not to take things here too much to heart, otherwise the inequality will be hard to bear."

A young man around twenty-five or twenty-six, seeing Qin Yun was a stranger, came over to greet him with familiar ease.

This man had long, flowing hair, a two-to-three-centimeter-long beard, a weathered face, and a strong artistic vibe.

Qin Yun nodded and vaguely replied, "My work is somewhat related to the arts circle."

"Sigh, the art world is tough to navigate, and doing business in it is hard too. In this industry, besides enduring and relying on personal skill, the key is knowing Tycoons and relying on hype!"

"Many bosses don't understand anything, lacking any cultural refinement, yet we still have to cater to them. It's truly tragic."

The long-haired young man took a deep breath and sighed with emotion.

The people around nodded in agreement, finding resonance in the long-haired artistic man's words, and couldn't help but voice their own views.

"This is the tragedy of today's arts circle. Our fates are controlled by a group of people who understand nothing; fame relies on luck, not skill."

"Don't think that just because we sell a painting for tens of thousands, it's anything but crap in the eyes of the big bosses."

"Yeah, if only the bosses had an eye for appreciating art, then we wouldn't have to cater to them!"

"Even if you barely manage to hold an art exhibition, without patrons to support it, it's hard to sell even one painting."

"They have absolutely no appreciation skills. I really don't know how those people made their fortunes. In my view, they're just a bunch of uncultured nouveaux riches."

"They lack any aristocratic refinement; they're all upstarts. They don't understand anything yet use artworks as a facade, not knowing how many jokes they've made."

...Having their inner bitterness spoken aloud, these people opened up, venting their dissatisfaction and disdain for the Tycoons.

Qin Yun found it somewhat baffling.

These people couldn't achieve fame, yet instead of considering their own shortcomings, they blamed the environment.

While mocking the bosses as uncultured upstarts, they still hoped for recognition and fame from wealthy merchants.

What a contradictory bunch.

He recalled the American micro-carving master, Li Zhengde.

Master Li never wallowed in self-pity over his circumstances; he continuously honed his craft until it reached a sublime level.

He seized an opportunity, became famous overnight, and became a revered Sculpting Master.

He was very popular in America.

His studio's orders were booked until the end of the year; one could say he achieved both fame and fortune.

In Qin Yun's view, an artist should have Master Li's mindset—grounded and continuously striving to refine their skills diligently. That's the right path.

"Everyone's eyes are sharp, and Tycoons aren't fools. If the work is good, fame is sure to follow."

Many eyes were on Qin Yun, waiting for this outsider to agree with their views.

Qin Yun didn't know what to say, so he could only brush it off with a universal platitude.

Hearing Qin Yun's dismissive remark, the group of young artists looked slightly angry.

Who doesn't know that better work increases the chances of success?

But there are at most two or three such people a year, which is far too few compared to those taking shortcuts.

When would it ever be their turn?

"An outsider wouldn't understand the hardships of us art practitioners."

"Art is too highbrow for the masses; ordinary people can't even comprehend it."

"I'd love to bury myself in creation, but if the market doesn't buy it, I can't just drink the Northwest wind."

"Tycoons chase after paintings by ancient masters, or at least artists famous for years. They lack the ability to discern the quality of new artists' works."

"If my teacher hadn't told me to come, I wouldn't want to fawn over these nouveau riche."

...While discussing art, their words were filled with contempt for the Tycoons.

Qin Yun merely smiled at these clearly insincere remarks and said nothing more.

"Stop talking, Boss Liang is walking over here."

A plump artist near the door said excitedly.

"Is it that Boss Liang who's been buying up heavily in the art market?"

"Who else could it be? I heard he's worth billions and has made quite a few artists famous?"

"If Boss Liang takes a liking to you, you're sure to become famous."

"He really is heading this way. It seems someone among us has caught Boss Liang's attention."

...The young artists stopped their complaints, standing up with serious expressions to await Boss Liang's arrival.

Boss Liang was a major patron in Kyoto's art circle.

If he decided to offer you a meal ticket, you could likely achieve both fame and fortune.

Some even began to have a gleam in their eyes.

When Liang Lejia arrived, he saw Qin Yun chatting and laughing with a group of young people.

He was still very interested in this newly made friend.

He wanted to see what kind of person Qin Yun really was through this unusual auction.

"What are you doing here? The auction is about to start. Shall we go up and sit?"

When Liang Lejia invited Qin Yun, everyone was curious about who the lucky person Boss Liang was referring to.

They were astonished when they saw Qin Yun stand up.

As the two walked side-by-side towards the second floor, everyone was completely stunned.

"Holy crap, who is that young man?"

"Was it really okay for us to spill our guts like that to him?"

"It's over, it's over! I was even bragging to that guy earlier. How could I be so stupid!"

"That guy is too low-key. Having such a good relationship with Boss Liang, yet he came by taxi."

"If that guy says a bad word about us to Boss Liang, our careers are finished!"

"I should have buttered him up. What kind of opportunity did I just miss?"

"You can't judge a book by its cover. Who would have thought the young man sitting with us had such powerful connections!"

...Only after Qin Yun and Boss Liang disappeared around the staircase corner did these young artists start speaking again.

They were filled with regret.

They had failed to grasp such a golden opportunity.

Simultaneously, they were curious: just what was that young man's identity?