Almighty painter

Chapter 987 Williams' "Life or Death Contract"

The agent has a much thicker skin than Williams.

She remained calm.

"What a beautiful cat! I also have a cat, but none of them are as big as this one." She bent down, reached out, and wanted to touch Awang's belly to show affection.

"This is... your cat?"

She seemed to be probing casually.

"I think I've seen it in a video online."

Awang turned his head, opened his mouth, and showed off his sharp canine teeth.

Did I let you touch it? Did I let you touch it? Have the offerings been presented yet?
I'll bite you!

"No, it's a friend's pet, I'm just looking after it."

Anna's fingers stroked Awang's back.

Maybe it's the neck.

Uncle Sakai is a fat man without a neck, while Awang is a tabby cat without a neck.

The agent's heart sank slightly, and he withdrew his hand.

She could confirm it was indeed the same one.

She recognized it at a glance; it was probably the little animal next to Gu Weijing in the video. Recognizing Awang among a group of cats is no more difficult than recognizing Professor Hawking or Miss Anna among a group of wheelchairs.

She even prayed that maybe there were two tabby cats in the world that weighed more than 20 pounds.

She wasn't quite sure what the personal relationship between Miss Elena and Gu Weijing was like, but at least... she was a friend she could entrust "Cat" with.

Williams?

His importance in Miss Elena's heart might not even compare to that of the cat.

"The things that happened before... I don't know how they got around to being spread, there was probably some misunderstanding."

"Williams—Williams?"

"Ah."

Anna made a nasal sound.

"Was it a misunderstanding? Oh, I see." She asked Awang, who was in her arms.

Awang shook his head.

No.

Fakenews!

Meow.

The agent called the violinist over to his side.

Williams walked over with a stiff expression.

“Williams doesn’t really like Gu Weijing,” the agent said sincerely.

That's professionalism.

She didn't dare say anything like the nonsense that Williams actually considered Gu Weijing a good friend. The moment she saw Anna, the agent spent half a second thinking about how much of the conversation at the table Ms. Elena had overheard.

Can we just gloss over this?

one third?

Half?

Or more?

After much hesitation, the agent gave up. Williams never lowered his voice; he made no attempt to hide his sarcasm and disdain. The woman was certain that Miss Elena had heard the name "Gu Weijing" at least three or four times.

Perhaps more.

To say to someone's face that all the rumors are misunderstandings would be clearly just to fob them off.

She has no shortage of acting skills.

But she didn't have the guts.

“Young artists are like that, they all think they’re the best in the world.” The agent gave a helpless wry smile. “But that previous post was a complete misunderstanding. It was mainly aimed at the judges of the Master Project. He thought he was being targeted because he received a low score.”

"Later, he found out that everyone had received low scores that day. So... he deleted that post. I'll have him post something else to clarify those rumors."

The agent pointed at Williams.

Williams said in a gruff voice, his face flushed.

“Yes, Ms. Elena… that was… a misunderstanding.”

The violinist spoke dryly.

“I will clarify this point specifically.”

“Excuse me, to clarify—can I take this as a formal apology?” Anna asked. “I thought you would feel that Gu Weijing didn’t deserve your apology.”

Anna never cared about the rule of not hitting someone in the face.

Williams' face turned pale, then red.

He let out a breath and wanted to turn around and leave, but his manager's unusually stern gaze kept him rooted to the spot.

"unnecessary."

Miss Elena suddenly chuckled softly.

“It’s perfectly normal for young artists to have grievances and conflicts,” she said with a smile. “Gu Weijing has only been learning the piano for a short time, so it’s perfectly normal for him not to play it well.”

The agent breathed a long sigh of relief.

So I smiled along with him.

"As long as you understand."

“I really like Williams’ personality,” Anna said. “You know, the family foundation has been sponsoring promising young people in the arts for years. Gabriel and his sister Carey, you should know them. They are both artists sponsored by the Elena Family Foundation over the years.”

The agent wondered why Anna had suddenly brought this up.

Could it be that the other party wants a deal?
Since they have insulted Gu Weijing, and they want Miss Elena to let this matter go, they need to help her in other ways.

fair enough.

Who knows, you might become friends after a fight, and eventually, business will start to go on.

She casually remarked, "A music magazine named them the most promising new generation of German violinists and cellists. Of course I know them; they're both incredibly talented young people. If you ask me… have they considered signing with CAA? CAA not only has connections in Hollywood, but also some resources in classical music…"

Business is business.

An apology has been made.

The agent also tentatively raised their demands.

"Willie also envies Gabriel for being able to perform in a large classical orchestra; if only he had the chance—"

"it is good."

Anna said.

The agent was confused; why was it just a quick "okay"? It seemed far too abrupt. After all, they hadn't even made any requests yet.

"Hmm?" She blinked.

“He wants a position in a major classical symphony orchestra, no problem. The Hamburg Symphony Orchestra? Sure,” Anna said. “Or how about the Vienna Philharmonic?”

"what?"

That's the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the most renowned large-scale symphony orchestra in all of Europe, it doesn't even need the suffix "one of".

In many classical music orchestra rankings.

The Vienna Philharmonic is undoubtedly the best in Europe.

Since 1842, Mahler, Richard Strauss, Brahms, Bruckner, and countless other composers and conductors have led the orchestra in performances, and its string section has produced more violin masters than can be counted on two hands.

Even for Williams, performing with the Vienna Philharmonic is one of the ultimate ideals in life, much like a painter having a solo exhibition in the Louvre and having his work permanently collected.

Miss Elena tossed it out so lightly.

He only said one word: "Okay".

“You mean—” “To perform with the Vienna Philharmonic is extremely difficult. At Williams’ age, becoming the concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic is almost impossible—”

Anna glanced at Williams and then said.

“Yes, yes,” the agent echoed.

Is this a special form of humiliation from the other party?

It would be such a disgrace to not be the principal violinist of the Vienna Philharmonic. If you told Gu Weijing that no one would spend $1000 million to buy his works, would he consider it a disgrace?
"But—it's possible."

The woman said calmly.

Her will was conveyed through her tone, relaxed yet resolute.

"I can do that."

“I can’t guarantee how long Williams will stay in the Vienna Philharmonic if he doesn’t perform well. But… I can guarantee that he will join the Vienna Philharmonic and become its principal violinist this year.”

"The rest depends on his own efforts and how well he integrates with the orchestra. But even if he performs poorly, he will at least be able to perform in a large public show."

Anna held Awang in her arms.

“This is my promise, a formal promise from the Elena family. No matter how difficult it may be, I will do everything in my power to help him achieve this.”

Holy shit!

Several of the students nearby couldn't help but cover their mouths.

What the hell is this?

Everyone was stunned. Was Williams going to perform with the Vienna Philharmonic, and were they witnessing history? No one asked what would happen to his schooling if Willie went to the Vienna Philharmonic.

So funny.

To hell with universities and master programs! Only a fool would continue studying if he could become the concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic. That master program, with its jury of judges, isn't even worthy of carrying Miss Elena's shoes with that promise.

Williams' head is completely blank.

who am I?
Where am I?

what am i doing?
“Miss Elena, this, this, this is too…too much, I don’t know, I should—” Williams was so overwhelmed with surprise that he suddenly became mute, babbling incessantly.

Don't blame him.

The young artist was inexperienced and had never seen anything like it. But the experienced and shrewd agent beside him—

Sorry.

She had never seen it either.

She was dizzy too.

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra doesn't even recruit musicians from outside the orchestra—yes, it doesn't recruit. There's nowhere to submit your resume. When it needs new members, it only selects from musicians with more than two years of outstanding performance experience in the Vienna State Opera Orchestra, which is one of the most competitive orchestras in Europe.

Hundreds of talented musicians often compete for a single position.

Considering that classical music is a niche genre, the competition for a position is among the best musicians in Europe, with only one in hundreds of applicants.

Today, if you mention the Vienna State Opera Orchestra, the manager will believe you.

But to say it's the Vienna Philharmonic, specifically the concertmaster, is just too much—

That's illogical and outrageous.

But since it was this woman in front of him who said it, Anna Elena who said it, no matter how outrageous or illogical it was, the agent believed it.

That's what makes this whole thing so terrifying.

This thing is true.

If the other party puts in their best effort, they really can do it.

Agent's letter.

She just couldn't understand—why was this happening? Why was she doing this?

Having more life experience, she was the only one who understood the situation when all the other students were stunned into a blank and at a loss.

"No matter how badly she performed, she guaranteed Williams at least one opportunity to perform on stage in public."

It's not that there's a problem with what you're saying.

If Miss Elena said she could keep Williams in that position indefinitely, the agent would be skeptical, after all, it represents the pinnacle of European classical music.

This statement, in fact, shows that Anna was serious about this promise.

The agent simply felt that "no matter how badly someone acts"—this wasn't the tone a top sponsor who genuinely wanted to send someone to a symphony orchestra should have uttered.

But why?

If she thinks Miss Elena sent Williams to the Vienna Philharmonic so that he would struggle to adapt to the world's top orchestra and suffer a major setback, then she is the biggest joke in the world.

Would you open an exhibition for someone at the Louvre just to embarrass them?

Whose sugar-coated bullets are coated with two pounds of gold?

I'll put my words here.

Even if it means embarrassing himself on stage, even if he's just playing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on the piano, Williams would still give it a try if given the opportunity.

"I heard that his dream is to give a solo recital in the Golden Hall."

"very good."

Anna nodded. "That's fine too. To be honest, this might be a bit simpler than making him the concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic."

"Since we've come this far..."

"You just mentioned Lincoln Center. Okay, I'll sponsor it too."

Miss Elena casually promised a fortune, but after that one glance, she didn't even look at Williams again.

"So, here's the deal."

"Mr. Williams will become the concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic, and the Elena family will also sponsor him to give a solo recital in the Golden Hall and another at Lincoln Center. You can set the dates."

"So—what do you need Williams to do?"

The agent asked, puzzled.

On one side of the scale lies a chip that could stop any musician's heart from beating; on the other side, what does this woman want?
She can have anything she wants.

any.

Don't even mention calling him Willie; even if Williams threw himself up there, he wouldn't be heavy enough.

Paganini.

Anna used her fingertips to brush aside a tuft of cat hair stuck together near Awang's ear.

“Before sponsoring a musician, one must always assess their worth. Now, I would like to ask Williams to play Paganini’s Capriccio in A minor. If he plays well, then I will applaud him. All of this will be his.”

"The performance was not good."

"It's alright, he hasn't suffered any actual loss."

the woman said.

Shouldn't great artists maintain their true selves under pressure?

Didn't Williams claim that anyone with the help of the Elena family could become a great artist? Didn't he promise to give Gu Weijing 100 euros if he could produce a copy of Paganini?

There's no need for your patronage.

I'll reward you.

The opportunity is yours; now it's your turn to seize it.

Williams didn't understand how to appreciate painting; he criticized Gu Weijing from a musical perspective.

It stands to reason.

Anna should ask Williams to paint a picture of her, but it doesn't matter; Miss Elena is an exceptionally generous person.

She then asked Williams to perform his best violin piece.

She tied a mountain of gold to one end of Williams' bow.

Then say to him—

Please play out those lively, changing notes for me.

(End of this chapter)