Almighty painter

Chapter 876: Old Gu Zi, Hmm ...

"Hello, I'm Ma Shi."

When Gu Tongxiang took out the phone from his arms, he saw the unfamiliar number on the screen and heard the voice coming from the other end of the receiver, and he didn't react for a moment.

The Ma Shi Gallery is a family gallery.

The Mesch family founded this internationally renowned painting brand and has been operating it to this day. The name "Mesch" is to the Mesch Gallery what the name "Irene" is to Oil Painting magazine.

The status can only be higher, not lower.

after all.

Oil Painting Magazine is not called Irena Magazine.

The Ma Shi Gallery is really called the Ma Shi Gallery.

In fact, it is not uncommon for a business company named after its founder to exile the founder's family from the company.

Kruger Brothers Bank has undergone the transformation from Kruger & Forth Hammer Bank to Kruger & Forth Private Bank and then to Kruger Brothers Bank. The banker has become richer and richer in the process. However, no matter whether the gallery's operation is good or bad, it will reach its peak in the hands of Mr. Ma Shi, and then disappear in the unpredictable business waves in the hands of another Mr. Ma Shi with the same name.

at least.

To this day, this super gallery, valued in euros, is still firmly in the hands of the Maison family and the man on the other end of the phone in Gu Tongxiang's hand.

Gu Tongxiang himself actually didn't react at all, he was talking to a wealthy man.

Mr. Ma Shi III is obviously used to introducing himself in this way. In the entire gallery, and even in the entire art world, if the name Mr. Ma Shi is mentioned without any additional modifications, then it is only him.

Mr. Gu, who had just joined the gallery, couldn't quite wrap his mind around this.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his excitement, and spoke in a deep voice.

"Ah."

The Ma Shi family is not like the Irena family which has a small number of members. Not counting the brokerage team that provides private services to artists, these large galleries have at least hundreds or even thousands of employees. It is easy to find five or six people with the surname Ma Shi in various positions, not to mention ten, not to mention the members of the side branches.

Like Gu Laotou’s current agent Hanks.

Hanks Mash.

His surname is also Ma Shi. He looks like a mixture of 30% business elites and 70% workplace bullies tortured by their boss's KPI. He is not a kingly figure who can make others bow down to him with just a shake of his tiger body.

Gu Tongxiang's nasal sound.

The inner thoughts generally mean - Oh, oh, oh! You are a member of the Ma Shi family! A relative of the big boss, this guy is so straightforward, I admire you, and then, then, what do you want from me, I'm listening!

There was silence for a moment on the other end of the phone.

After introducing themselves, the artists would definitely give very enthusiastic feedback, but I didn’t expect Gu Tongxiang to be so indifferent.

He deliberately waited for several seconds before speaking again and adding tentatively.

"I'm Ma Shi."

"Massi III."

Gu Tongxiang opened his mouth wide and his lips formed an O shape.

Wow!
He must have heard correctly, it was the big boss himself who turned over his nameplate, how impressive! In the days since he joined the Ma Shi Gallery, he had not even met the big boss, let alone the head of the London branch. He had indeed only just joined the Ma Shi Gallery not long ago.

Gu Tongxiang subconsciously raised his wrist and looked at his watch.

If I'm not mistaken.

According to the time zone, it might still be early morning on the side of Maximus III.

The interview will only start earlier. Could it be that the Boss did not sleep all night last night and has been watching the results of the interview from afar?

Gu Tongxiang smacked his lips.

Unlike Lao Yang, Lao Yang's licking technique is offensive. He sticks out his tongue and chases people to lick them.

To put it nicely, Gu Tongxiang is reserved, but to put it bluntly, he is "reserved and shy".

In terms of cultural literacy, Gu Tongxiang is actually no match for Lao Yang. No matter how slick Lao Yang is, he is truly a serious high-level intellectual, a student at a prestigious university. When he was a freshman, he could stand in Taoranting Park, facing the sparkling lake with his hands behind his back, and recite the entire works of Keats in front of a girl. He accompanied Cao Xuan to Germany, and Cao Xuan himself has not yet learned German. Half a year later, Lao Yang could already tell jokes to a blonde girl in a bar while eating garlic sausages.

Of course, there is the factor that it is more difficult to learn languages ​​as you get older.

It really shows how smart Lao Yang is.

Therefore, when Lao Yang was racking his brains to tell Miss Elena jokes, Gu Tongxiang could only hold his mobile phone and vigorously build his social image, intending to arouse some interest when others accidentally saw it.

For example.

Facing a small river with bubbles, Lao Yang, wearing only big shorts, rushed into the river to fish. Gu Tongxiang stood by the river, carrying a fishing rod, casually casting two or three times to see if there were any fish willing to take the bait.

This was the first time in Gu Tongxiang’s life that he came into contact with the head of a large gallery.

He imagined all kinds of possibilities. Why did Ma Shi III call him? Was it about the contract? Was it about the Biennale? Was it about his or Gu Weijing? Maybe it was about his grandson Gu Weijing. Did the big boss know what happened here? He took the initiative to contact him...

The conversation was not interrupted because Gu Tongxiang was studying the eighteen different ways to shape a fishing rod.

Mashi III was silent for a moment.

He paused.

The owner of the Ma Shi Gallery actually took the initiative to speak: "Mr. Gu Tongxiang, I understand that you are dissatisfied with me in your heart. I have my own difficulties, but... well, before this conversation begins, I formally apologize to you, and I hope you can accept it."

Totally unimaginable.

At the beginning of the conversation, Ma Shi III was surprisingly humble. It sounded as if Gu Tongxiang was the boss between the two of them.

Gu Tongxiang was stunned again.

What? WHY? What does this have to do with anything? Why did Marc III apologize to him? Is there something he doesn't know?
Just when Gu Tongxiang was about to utter a clear, confused and naive question, Old Man Gu forcibly held it back.

"I originally made this call to congratulate Mr. Gu Weijing on finding such a...treasure. But I understand your attitude. Yes, before congratulating you, I want to say sorry to you." Ma Shi III repeated again.

There is one good thing about Gu Tongxiang.

What he learned is - to be quiet.

Quiet means inaction and silence.

If you are as still as a mountain, you will be as hard as iron.

This is what Gu Tongxiang learned from Hemingway's works. One of Hemingway's most important literary theories is called the "Iceberg Theory", the core of which lies in simplicity.

Icebergs float on the sea. Because the density of ice is about nine-tenths of liquid water, only one-tenth of the ice is visible on the sea surface. The remaining nine times the volume is always hidden below the sea level.

So it looked like just a tiny thing from a distance, and then the giant ship Titanic passed by and sank.

The same is true of Hemingway's writing style.

Always write only one point, and always hold only two hands, so that the readers can only see the one point between their fingers.

The remaining nine percent are all there, hidden in the water and in the text. The more you read, the more you will find it lingering.

Now more than half a century has passed, and the aftertaste of Hemingway's works still lingers. Gu Tongxiang has only read Hemingway's relatively serious modern literary works in his life, and he has always regarded himself as Hemingway's loyal dog.

How come he is such a cool tough guy.

He doesn't understand, but Teacher Hai does. Those who understand will understand the value of the lion hidden in the dream. There is a lot to say.

Even though Gu Tongxiang only had a superficial understanding, he developed his own theory of life.

The rest.

This is especially true when one is not clear about the situation. When he understands, Old Man Gu will pretend to be powerful and will never show mercy. But when he does not understand, he will be a very quiet, peaceful, and "calm and composed" person.

Gu Tongxiang thought about it many times.

If it was him, Gu Tongxiang, who had the conversation with Elena's family in the cafe of Raffles Hotel that day, he would definitely not have started an argument with them on the spot. Instead, he would have picked up a cup of coffee, elegantly put his leather shoes on his calves, looked out the window absent-mindedly, uttered a few nasal sounds, and waited for Anna to say something.

Be the iceberg of the sea, my friend.

The other icebergs in the sea floated steadily on the sea surface, while "Gu Tongxiang" might be a light plastic mountain that was not heavy enough. However, as long as he did not move or shake, he would lie silently on the sea surface and stay still, blending in with the others.

When the lookout on the mast of an ocean liner craned his neck and looked over with a telescope, he would still regard him as a huge monster weighing more than ten thousand kilograms. He would sound the alarm for the entire ship and retreat far away with respect.

He had rehearsed all the poses in his mind.

But I can't find an opportunity to show my skills.

At that moment, at this moment.

If an ordinary person heard Mars III speak like this, he would definitely be confused and full of puzzlement.

Gu Tongxiang himself was quite confused.

Otherwise.

He swallowed back the surprised "oh" in his throat.

The old man sat on the back of a chair in the opera house, stomping his calves gracefully, staring intently at the red curtain of the stage, and his voice suddenly changed from an ascending tone to a descending declarative tone.

"Ah."

Gu Tongxiang let out a slight nasal sound.

Ok?
What does um mean?
After hearing this, Mars III felt very unconfident.

As expected, right? This grandfather and grandson not only have connections with Cao Xuan, but they must have communicated with Elena's family early on.

That's why he acted so confident in this interview.

With the personal connections he has with Irina's family and the art director of Oil Painting magazine, he, the big boss of the Intercontinental Gallery, is really nothing special.

Make sense.

It might be difficult for the Elena family to shake Sir Brown's alliance of interests with just a few words, but if Anna wanted to introduce a gallery to a certain painter and get a good contract, such a small matter could be solved by just saying a few words.

She just flipped the card randomly.

Even those big guys in the industry who are known for their unruly behavior would not do such a small favor and make others unhappy given the influence of the Elena family.

Their Ma Shi Gallery has always said that the Singapore Biennale is an "entry test" before the formal signing.

Testing is always a two-way street.

It’s exactly the same logic as exams.

Schools choose students, and students also choose schools.

In all gambling games, whoever has more weight and more say will be more calm and composed. Those with more chips can naturally sit at the table, sip their martinis without ice through a straw, and see what other people's cards are.

Isn’t this art interview an “entry test” given by this grandfather and grandson to the Ma Shi Gallery?

See how supportive the gallery is of them.

They are sure of victory, which is why they can be so calm and indifferent during the process.

Are they tired of the hesitant and stingy attitude of the Ma Shi Gallery in the past two weeks? Isn't it a bit like "you are not a big deal" to call and congratulate after the interview?
Mars III originally had some private speculation about the relationship between Elena's family and the grandfather and grandson.

just now.

Seeing Gu Tongxiang's silent attitude, he immediately believed it to about 50%.

"I hope you don't mind."

He said sincerely.

"I didn't mind."

There wasn't much joy or anger in Gu Tongxiang's tone.

"That's the best." Ma Shi III said immediately, "At the end of the interview, I wanted to contact Mr. Gu directly. I sent a congratulatory text message and called him, but no one answered. I wondered if he was a little busy, so I thought I should call you. After all, you are his grandfather. At least, this is my attitude."

Ma Shi III added: "The attitude from the Ma Shi Gallery."

"And what about you?"

"Hmph." Gu Tongxiang snorted softly, then said.

"Mr. Ma Shi, I have always respected you very much." Gu Tongxiang would not put himself in a high position, and his tone sounded quite sincere. He just acted like an iceberg who would not move unless his enemy moved.

"Your family has a very glorious history in the art world," he said slowly.

"I also respect you very much, Mr. Gu. So, are we OK? Maybe the Ma Shi Gallery did not perform well enough in the past period of time. I will not find any contractual reasons. The contract is the contract and the apology is the apology. Can you accept my apology on behalf of Mr. Gu Weijing?"

“I can’t think of any reason not to accept it.”

Gu Tongxiang still had that lukewarm tone, and the old man lowered his head and fiddled with the corner of his clothes.

"The Ma Shi Gallery has done what it promised to do, that's enough, I don't think you need to apologize."

"No, I insist."

The less worldly Gu Tongxiang seemed, the more Ma Shi III insisted.

Mashi III said stubbornly, "And I guarantee that the resources that Mashi Gallery can bring to you and your grandson are not as good as what has been shown in the past two weeks. I guarantee that we are still his best, most outstanding, and most suitable choice."

"You have my promise, a promise backed by the honor of the Mashi family, Mr. Gu."

The man said, "If you have any requests, you can tell me directly. I assure you that in the art industry, the name of Ma Shi has always been successful and will always be so. We will always be the Aladdin's lamp for excellent artists to realize their dreams."

"Do you have any dreams? It's okay, please tell me." Mars III began to play the emotional card.

“Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale.”

Aladdin's lamp?
Gu Tongxiang lowered his voice and asked tentatively.

(End of this chapter)