Almighty painter

Chapter 1042 Bond's "True Love" (Part 2)
(Second update, 10000 words.)
"The essence of consumerism may be a kind of compulsive repetition."

Gu Weijing said, "You need to use a stimulating behavior to escape the anxiety or pressure in your heart. After you complete the purchase, the pleasure will disappear quickly. You will find that you have bought a lot of useless things, which will bring even greater anxiety, and then you will continue to buy."

"Buying - Anxiety - Buying - Anxiety - A huge cycle."

“Gambling may also be a form of compulsive repetition,” Gu Weijing said. “For those who lose, gambling brings only despair, and for those who win, it’s likely they won’t find real enjoyment in the process. They’re not enjoying the game itself, but rather the concept of winning. They may also be very anxious.”

"Gaining money, anxiety, wanting more money, continued anxiety—"

"I have a rather outrageous point to make. Our society certainly hurls the most scathing curses at those who lose everything at the gambling table, calling them gamblers, sinners, villains, scum, and the dregs of society. But it seems that our subconscious, our film industry, still thinks that those who can win money at the gambling table are very, very cool."

"Blackjack, Rain Man, Royal Tramp, God of Gamblers... and of course, the enduring classic casino movies in the James Bond series."

Gu Weijing said, "If you lose the bet, you are a loser, a worthless wretch. But if you have a respectable three-piece suit, shiny leather shoes, and gently kiss the hand of the beautiful woman beside you, and of course, you are also very handsome."

"At this point, you're playing cards and saying to the bartender, 'Oh, a martini, stir, don't shake it.' And at this point, once the cards are dealt, you've already won."

"You will attract the love and respect of everyone around you, you will be the symbol of masculinity, you will be a gentleman full of masculine elegance."

"This is also a very result-oriented statement."

"Then a conclusion can be easily drawn—"

“Gambling itself isn’t the problem; the problem lies in being bad at it, in lacking skill. Gambling itself isn’t evil; losing a game, like when you’re playing blackjack and you get a royal flush, that’s evil. Or, someone who gambles in a cheap suit is a fool and a gambling addict. If you wear a bespoke suit from a Savile Row tailor, a Patek Philippe mechanical watch, or a jewel-encrusted Rolex, then you’re a dashing and debonair gentleman from high society.”

"You can win everything at the poker table, and every woman you see will go crazy for you."

"Isn't that a strange thing?"

Mr. Sloth fell silent.

Perhaps only when something happens to you personally can you truly empathize. Anna didn't understand what Gu Weijing was saying at all; she thought he was being pretentious.

But for a time.

Miss Elena suddenly remembered her uncle, the dashing and elegant Mr. Carla, who had lost a lot of money in the casinos of Monaco.

She was somewhat speechless.
-
"A dry martini. Saken, not stirred!"

—James Bond—
"My blunt theory is that whether you win or lose money, whether you keep winning or keep losing, whether you're a street gambler or some kind of gambling god or king, once you're addicted to gambling, you're trapped in a cycle."

"Winning or losing is just a difference in outcome; it's just that some elements in this cycle have been replaced. But the power of the cycle itself still exists, as does the power of this compulsive repetition."

"The alienation that money can cause to a person is exactly the same."

“My grandfather was a big fan of the God of Gamblers movie series,” Gu Weijing said. “He was a huge fan of Chow Yun-fat, and his love for suits largely stemmed from Chow Yun-fat’s early films.”

"I rewatched this movie a while ago."

"I discovered that the protagonist of this movie is set as a 'God of Gamblers,' but if I had to say something, I think the greatest charm of this movie might be that it is not how superb his gambling skills are, but that he has broken out of the cycle about money."

"A person who always wins at gambling has won countless games and countless amounts of money in his life. In the final gambling game in the movie, Chow Yun-fat sits next to a blackjack game and bets everything he has won in the past, all his money, Swiss bank checks, New York hotels, everything. The background music starts playing, and this time, he is not betting on money."

"But it was for... 'revenge'."

Gu Weijing shrugged.

"You see, the director knows what he should express. Even in a movie about blackjack, the final dramatic tension comes from transcending the game of money itself."

"If the protagonist were sitting there, mortgaging all his money, his Swiss bank checks, and his New York hotels, just for more money, for more Swiss bank checks, for more New York hotels, then the plot would immediately lose its sanctity."

"Just like Bond, Bond never gambles for the sake of gambling. If you gamble for the sake of gambling, after one game there will be another, after one win or loss there will be another. You are still in this cycle, and as long as you are still in this cycle, the act of winning money does not change anything."

"He's just an ordinary gambler."

Gu Weijing's fingertips brushed across the microphone, producing a soft rustling sound.

"Bond still possesses a sense of mission that transcends the game of money itself. He has his own meaning in life. He is a super agent created by the British government at great expense. He sat down at the gambling table for the benefit of MI6, for the benefit of the British Empire, and even, according to the logic in the movie, to prevent a huge disaster."

"Regardless of whether this matter contains a standard Hollywood narrative template."

"Whether it's revenge or something else."

"It is this transcendence of the money game itself that distinguishes their behavior from that of ordinary gamblers, rather than whether they win or lose, or how much money they win."

Do you think you also experience this kind of compulsive cycle?

Mr. Sloth asked Gu Weijing a question.

at the same time.

Miss Elena was also examining herself, and the conversation seemed to have drifted into the realm of psychology.

The layer of ice between the two broke, melted by real fear, real melancholy, real confusion... these real emotions turned into icy water, slowly seeping into the depths of their bones.

—Those who sit at the gambling table and pick up the playing cards will, regardless of winning or losing, be equally alienated by money.

This is a radical statement from Gu Weijing.

Strangely enough, this passage is like a mirror.

When Gu Weijing asked himself in his heart what the difference was between him and Gu Lin, and whether it was just because he was luckier, he realized that...

Anna also saw Uncle Kara's face in the mirror.

She looked down on him so much.

But if we treat the art market as a purely money game...

So what exactly is the difference between her and Kara? Just how noble is she, the true heir of the Elena family and the incomparably noble Countess?
Is she more elegant, more beautiful, or more knowledgeable?
Or something else?

If we follow the logic of prioritizing appearances, then they are fundamentally no different. As long as this is treated as a money game, the remaining differences are merely differences in outerwear—whether it's a cheap suit or a bespoke Savile Row tuxedo.

These differences can never define the differences between people's true nature.

The biggest difference between her and Uncle Carla was that he kept losing at the Casino Royale in Monaco, while she kept winning in another game about "The Painting".

Uncle Kara's chips are real currency.

What are Miss Elena's bargaining chips?
It's probably Gu Weijing.

He was the one she chose. She resigned as the art director of the magazine "Oil Painting" and became Gu Weijing's personal agent.

She hoped they would keep winning, keep winning, until one day, perhaps they could sweep through the entire gambling table, knock all the other opponents off the table, and eventually win the entire board of directors of the "Oil Painting" magazine.

Then.

That being the case.

Anna not only plays bigger games, but also has better card skills.

What is the biggest difference between her and Uncle Kara?
Gu Weijing said that whether you play big or small, whether you have good or bad card skills, whether you have a straight flush or a royal flush, has little to do with what kind of person you are.

Who you are depends on your heart and your desires.

Then.

That being the case.

Which of the two men in Miss Elena's life, both named Kara, Miss Kara von Elena and Uncle Kara, did she resemble more?

During their heated exchange in the ranch living room, old lady Sarah relentlessly attacked Anna, asking if Anna was imagining the wrong person whenever she cried while reading Kara's diary or reading Ms. K's stories.

Which Elena is she actually impersonating?
Which Kara was she actually impersonating? This is a question we should ask ourselves often.

……

“A compulsive cycle, or path dependence, is fine,” Gu Weijing said. “I’m not Balzac, I’m 0.00001%. The story of ‘Salvator Mundi’ has been told to me almost verbatim. It’s like I’m not the kind of person who loses everything. I’m the kind of person who, in my first game of life, found a slot machine, randomly inserted a coin, pulled the lever, and then won $1000 million in the lottery.”

Some say that what's scary about gambling is never losing, but winning.

"Losing might be okay, but if you lose one game, people might curse you and then quit. But the thrill of winning is a hundred times greater than losing, and you'll remember that feeling forever."

"I remember that feeling, that enjoyment, and the sensation of eating the big stuffed pancake."

"I may say I don't care, but in my heart, I probably remember it more clearly than anyone else."

“I would feel that this is the only meaning: to buy a painting for a very low price, and then double, double, and double again, making a fortune—”

Gu Weijing said, "I would subconsciously think that this is the only right thing in the world. Anyone who goes against this principle is an idiot, a complete fool."

"That's what I'm thinking; it's a conditioned reflex of my brain."

"Pavlov's dog".

"As soon as a bell is rung, I can't help but drool."

“There are two kinds of teachers at my school. One kind looks very strict, and the other kind will always praise you. Oh, that’s good, not bad, pretty good, great… Which kind of teacher do you prefer? I actually know that some people say one thing but think completely different things.”

“I just told you, oh, that collector who missed out on a great work because of 5 euros is quite interesting.”

"I was thinking about something completely different."

"Although I don't know him at all, I've always thought deep down that this guy is a complete idiot, unsophisticated, greasy, and stingy..."

Yang Dekang stared blankly.

My little belly is wobbling around.

The person swayed from side to side.

That's outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! How could they go so far!
Every word Gu Weijing uttered felt like a parrot in its cage had bitten him, or a small whip had lashed him, and he almost cried out in pain.

What did Teacher Yang do to deserve this?

That Mr. Yang is stingy, did he eat your rice?!
Mr. Yang was peacefully listening to a podcast, eating hotpot, singing, posing, and playing with his parrots when, inexplicably, he was covered in knives.

Brother Gu is out there, openly slandering Mr. Yang's glorious image of being powerful and domineering!
"Actually, I was thinking of mocking him. I wanted to ridicule him, 'Oh, he missed a chance to make a fortune. How foolish of him, missing a bargain!' After my comment, the true value of that painting would definitely double. Maybe even increase a hundredfold!"

"He must be regretting it. He's the kind of person who'd be stingy even with five euros. If this story goes around for a long time, the painting he missed might have been worth enough for a new Porsche!"

I can't hold it in anymore.

I can't hold it in anymore.

Please, stop talking!
Yang Dekang felt that invisible tears were about to flow uncontrollably down his face.

"Mr. Sloth".

Gu Weijing said, "You are someone I respect very much."

"I tell this story because I want to gain satisfaction through your agreement. I want to prove my own correctness by criticizing the other party for being stingy and for picking up sesame seeds while losing watermelons."

"And this correctness stems from only one point, doesn't it?"

"I asked the young man."

"Making money is the only right thing to do, and winning this money game is the only right thing to do," Mr. Sloth said in a deep voice. "Based on this, everything you said above is true, and the description of picking up sesame seeds while losing watermelons is true."

Alienating others.

Alienating oneself.

It also distorts works of art.

Only when artworks are highly monetized and highly utilitarian can all of Gu Weijing's arguments truly stand.

Winning is the only goal at the casino.

All those who don't win are losers, they're fools.

If making money is the sole purpose of art.

In this process, all those who didn't get rich, all those who missed out on a Porsche sports car because of five euros, are naturally losers, all fools.

Even in another timeline, if the proprietress paid for the coffee and the customer actually bought the painting, it would be impossible.

Gu Weijing will not see that painting in the gallery.

Gu Weijing would not share this story with the audience at "Mr. Sloth's" art salon.

Without the sharing and endorsement of Gu Weijing, this "rising star of art," that artwork might not even be worth the price of a Porsche sports car.

"I accepted this answer, so I will not accept any other answers."

Gu Weijing countered with a question.

"This is a simple and crude alternative."

“But everything… has a price.” Mr. Sloth paused, then added, “If you don’t like that, let me put it another way.”

She said a sentence in Russian.

"Money is the freedom to be minted."

"These are Dostoevsky's words."

"Perhaps," Gu Weijing said. "Even if money is the freedom to mint, can the meaning of freedom be completely equivalent to the meaning of money?"

“Alai. This is my personal assistant, a man who loves to read. He reads almost everything, covering a wide range of topics. I once tried to borrow a book from him. I still remember its name.”

"It's called 'The Magical Possibilities of True Love: Things Girls Want to Protect Themselves from Bad Boys Should Know'—"

Gu Weijing recalled.

"Pfft."

Mr. Sloth chuckled. "You actually read this kind of book?"

Gu Weijing sighed.

"I heard that book stayed at number one on the New York Times bestseller list for many, many weeks, selling millions of copies worldwide. The cover says it's about Dr. Spock from some romance novel. It claims that everyone can find their Mr. Right if they use the right methods."

"So how's your cultivation going?" Mr. Sloth asked curiously.

"I flipped through it briefly. It's actually a book that teaches people how to date in singles bars. It teaches you a lot of tips and tricks. Like how to create sexual tension between partners by gazing into each other's eyes more often, or how girls can smile more to attract the opposite sex, as it can boost hormone levels... It's all very magical. It claims to be able to turn you into a single killer like James Bond."

"At first I thought it was a very magical thing."

"Until I suddenly remembered a very important comment about the 007 series: Bond... he never understood love."

(End of this chapter)