Reborn as a great painter, with a system, you can be willful

The twilight on Manhattan's Upper East Side, like a piece of satin soaked in champagne, shrouds Fifth Avenue in an amber halo.

Jiang Zhe and Wang Zhen went to Miller's house as guests. Then, the driver took them to a mansion they had never been to.

Jiang Zhe thought of Miller's two residences he had visited before, and he was secretly amazed at how many homes this guy had.

As they walked, Wang Zhen whispered, "Last year, Architectural Digest ranked this building third among the top ten luxury apartments in New York."

Jiang Zhe didn't know much about luxury homes in New York, but after hearing this review, he knew they were very expensive.

Passing through the granite-carved arched doorway, the geometric patterns of the marble reflected the light of the crystal chandelier, reminding him of the mosaic floor tiles of the Greek Hall in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

"Jiang, welcome to my new home. Beautiful Wang, welcome." Miller walked down the spiral staircase. Outside the entire glass curtain wall behind him, the lights on the river bank were flowing into the Milky Way in the night.

In this situation, even if he wears a shirt and casual pants, he doesn't look cheap at all.

Miller invited the two to sit down in the living room, and the waiter brought fruit drinks and wine.

He asked about Jiang Zhe's plans after coming to New York.

While Jiang Zhe and Miller were chatting, Wang Zhen quickly looked around.

The banquet hall looks like a fragment cut out of a classical oil painting. A three-tier crystal chandelier hangs from the hollow dome, and waiters shuttle between the gilded columns. The crisp sound of silver forks hitting porcelain plates and the improvisation of jazz pianos rise and fall one after another.

A landscape oil painting by Jiang Zhe is placed next to the Italian alabaster decoration in the living room.

The bronze frame glows like liquid gold under the light.

"There's another guest today. She's very interested in your work and has been asking me to introduce you two to each other. Do you mind having another guest?" Miller asked.

Jiang Zhe was a little surprised, but this was Miller's home, so he should follow the host's wishes. "No problem, I hope to meet more friends in the circle."

When Wang Zhen heard that the customer was interested in Jiang Zhe's works, he also expressed his hope to meet more friends. After all, Miller's friends were also interested in Jiang Zhe's paintings and might be the buyer.

Miller rubbed the condensation on her glass of iced juice. “She saw your sculptures at the Met. Thinks you need more outlets.”

Miller suddenly leaned forward, his eyes blazing. “Do you know who asked me for your contact information last week? A Guggenheim curator and the executive director of an old family art foundation. I believe you will soon be able to make a name for yourself in New York.”

"Lend your blessings."

After they chatted for a while, a waiter came over to announce that the guests had arrived.

Miller quickly led a lady in a silver-gray fishtail skirt into the living room.

Jiang Zhe and the other man stood up.

The lady was about thirty years old and was in very good condition.

"Susanna von Eisen, my friend. Angel investor." Miller introduced the two parties.

When Jiang Zhe shook hands with the woman, he noticed that the yellow diamond on her ring finger reflected a honey-like luster under the chandelier.

"Christie's contemporary art evening sale last month? She bought two works. One of them was one of yours." Miller said as he led a few people to their seats.

When he heard that it was a buyer, Jiang Zhe felt that they had common interests.

Wang Zhen was also very enthusiastic. Because of her connection with Christie's, she paid more attention to some potential customers. When she saw the woman, she had already begun to speculate about her background.

The guests arrived and the banquet began.

Miller sat in the main seat, Jiang Zhe sat opposite Susanna, and next to him was Wang Zhen.

Miller knew that Jiang Zhe liked champagne, so he specially prepared two or three kinds of champagne for him, which made Jiang Zhe feel very comfortable.

Others can also choose according to their own preferences.

The waiter served the first dish to the group. "Try this, the lobster flown in." Miller introduced it to Jiang Zhe.

The lobster slices were placed on the gilded plate. The caviar covering the lobster tails flowed like black pearls under the candlelight. The shape of the food looked like a fine work of art.

Each dish is not too big and the waiter will replace it promptly. Guests can enjoy more food without interrupting conversation.

Miller swirled the whiskey in his crystal glass. "You said you've got your first research project from Professor Kerry? I would say you should spend your time creating and enjoying life. Last week Susanna went to see an exhibition at Gagosian and said that new paintings are rising fast and disappearing fast."

Jiang Zhe is tasting seafood jelly. "I should be able to adapt to life here quickly, and then allocate my time reasonably."

The waiter brought the truffles and steak.

Susanna used a silver knife to cut the tender steak, and the truffle crumbs were mixed with a variety of aromas: "Next week, I will hold a yacht cocktail party, and several curators and collectors will also be back. If you participate in a few more social activities, you will soon be able to integrate here." Although they had not known each other for a long time, she had already seen that Jiang Zhe did not like socializing very much.

Miller also invited Jiang Zhe to participate in the club's next wine tasting event.

Jiang Zhe understood the other party's suggestion and was interested in him, so he accepted the invitation. But he was a little skeptical in his heart, why was he so highly regarded?
While eating, Miller and Susanna introduced Jiang Zhe to the current situation of the New York art circle, especially how successful painters should live, enjoy, and further develop.

To them, it was just like chatting about family matters, but it gave Jiang Zhe an intuitive understanding of this strange place.

When Wang Zhen saw this scene, he sighed that Jiang Zhe was lucky.

Jiang Zhe easily got the treatment that many people tried their best but failed to get.

The banquet lasted until about nine o'clock in the evening.

Miller and Jiang Zhe agreed on the next time they would meet and sent a car to take them back to the hotel.

"They treat you like an uncut Kashmir sapphire." Back at the hotel, Wang Zhen came to Jiang Zhe's room and talked about today's banquet. He also suggested that Jiang Zhe establish a solid relationship with Miller and others. "The gem needs to be set in a platinum base before it can be auctioned."

……

On the third day after arriving in New York, Jiang Zhe and Wang Zhen, led by a real estate agent, began to look at houses.

"Mr. Jiang, please look, this LOFT was the birthplace of many excellent works." The real estate agent pushed open the cast iron door of a building in Chelsea, and all kinds of smells wafted in the face.

Miller heard that Jiang Zhe was planning to rent or buy a house, so he recommended an agent. Christie's also recommended some options for him. Jiang Zhe planned to look at a few more places today.

However, many of the properties here are historic houses, so you need to be careful.

Walking into the room, sunlight pours down from the high sawtooth skylight, cutting out geometric spots of light on the mottled wall.

The agent's high heels stepped across the floor: "The transaction price in 1985 was only , and now it is listed for million - of course, it can also be rented." Her voice echoed in the empty space.

Jiang Zhe listened to the introduction and glanced over the walls, where there were graffiti that had not been scraped off. There were also many stains and traces of splashed paint in the corners and hard-to-clean corners.

“There are a lot of big galleries nearby, including Gagosian,” the agent pushed open the fire door to show a good view.

The heat wave rushed in with the noise.

Wang Zhen silently hinted that he should not express his opinion yet, and then asked the agent how much it would cost to transform the place into a studio and a residence.

The agent mentioned many projects. Jiang Zhe understood that the price was not cheap. "Next is the view apartment on 115th Street in the Upper West Side. It only takes eight minutes to walk to the Columbia University Library." The agent drove and took Jiang Zhe and his partner to see the next property.

She turned the air-conditioning in her car to full blast.

Jiang Zhe stared at the Chelsea gallery group gradually shrinking in the rearview mirror.

This place is suitable for use as a studio, but it is not comfortable to live in.

Soon, the townhouses outside the car window were gradually replaced by granite facades.

"This Renaissance-style building was designed by McKim, Mead & White and has been featured in magazines several times." The agent took the two people into the elevator.

“The apartment is 2200 square feet, with three bedrooms, three bathrooms and a private terrace.” The agent swiped his card and pushed open the oak and copper-inlaid door.

Jiang Zhe was in the hall, and saw the room full of light, the entire curved floor-to-ceiling window, and the beautiful scenery outside the window. The oak tree crowns of Morningside Park were surging like emerald waves, and the ferry on the Hudson River turned into silver buttons adorning the blue velvet-like river surface.

The agent described how upscale and comfortable this place is. The marble kitchen island, Sub-Zero refrigerator and Miele kitchen appliances are all standard, and there is a hidden wine cabinet...

Jiang Zhe's attention was attracted by the study.

The walnut bookshelf that occupies one wall would be beautiful if filled with books.

"The owner is in a hurry to sell the house and is asking $15 million, % lower than the market price." The agent lifted the sunshade on the terrace, and the Manhattan skyline was slightly distorted in the heat wave.

"Why are you in such a hurry to sell it?" Wang Zhen asked.

"Because..." The agent lowered his voice, "Last month, a senior executive of a Wall Street investment bank died after a failed investment."

"it's here?"

"No, it's not."

Wang Zhen didn't ask any more questions. She found an opportunity to hint to Jiang Zhe not to consider this.

"Actually, I prefer a studio like the one we just saw," Jiang Zhe told Wang Zhen, "Although it costs money to renovate, it can accommodate larger works and allow for more other artistic practices," he gestured at the easel in the air.

Wang Zhen whispered: "My experience at Christie's tells me that the housing prices in this area have increased steadily over the past ten years. If you want to buy, you can consider better options. It has increased fourfold."

The agent was tactful enough to give the two people space to talk.

After learning that Jiang Zhe was not satisfied, he still enthusiastically recommended other properties.

"A duplex on 82nd Street on the Upper East Side, specially recommended by Ms. Susanna." As the agent drove the car into the private driveway, the car clock showed : p.m.

The elevator went directly to the 22nd floor. The moment the double bronze doors slid open automatically, Jiang Zhe felt the sunlight blowing towards him.

In the 270-square-meter space, the greenery of the East River and Central Park interweaves and flows outside the -degree floor-to-ceiling windows, and the smooth marble floor reflects the streamlined outline of the suspended staircase.

"The entire wall of the kitchen is inlaid with natural stone, and all the appliances are of the highest-end brands." The agent touched the smart panel, and the hidden wine cellar slowly slid out from the wall. "The constant temperature system can keep the 1945 Chateau Mouton Rothschild in the best condition."

Jiang Zhe's fingertips brushed across the agate patterns inlaid on the center island.

The agent knew that Jiang Zhe was a painter, and he described in detail which spaces could be used for creation, which areas could be used for socializing, and which areas were suitable for living...

Several people came to the terrace and saw the glass dome of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The setting sun was gilding the buildings on Fifth Avenue.

"The listing price is 2.4 million, but Susanna can negotiate it down to 2.1 million." The agent handed over a gold-rimmed brochure, "Last year, the same apartment was sold for a net profit of 250,000. The people living nearby are all high-income earners."

As Jiang Zhe walked toward the stairs, the smart light strips under the tempered glass steps lit up one by one with his footsteps.

The second floor can be used as a studio, with a light source with adjustable color temperature and an automatically rising and falling easel.

When he pushed open the hidden terrace door, he saw the beautiful scenery on the other side of the river.

The agent told Jiang Zhe that the night view here is more beautiful.

"This studio should be able to accommodate most of your creations at the same time." Wang Zhen observed carefully.

Jiang Zhe was somewhat moved.

On the way back, the car passed Fifth Avenue.

Wang Zhen flipped through the information left by the agent: "The down payment for the Chelsea studio is $200,000, the monthly payment for the Upper West Side apartment is $8,000, and the Upper East Side duplex..." She suddenly chuckled: "Do you have enough money?"

Jiang Zhe looked at the tourists enjoying the cool air on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, lost in thought.
-
After returning to the hotel, the two had dinner and went back to their rooms to rest.

After Wang Zhen left, Jiang Zhe opened the system and found the rewards he had accumulated previously.

Today, I have viewed seven properties, three of which are suitable as studios, and the other four are apartments or mansions suitable for living.

He prefers a studio in an old building and a very expensive duplex mansion.

However, both properties have their drawbacks.

The studio is large and can fully meet his creative needs, but unfortunately, it has no advantages in terms of living. Jiang Zhe does not want to immerse himself completely in creation and lose his life.

Another luxury house for the second round of interviews can meet the needs of life. It is slightly lacking in creative space, but it can be tolerated. The disadvantage is that it is too expensive - more than 200 million US dollars.

The money he had left in his US account was far from enough. Although the agent told him about various payment methods, including just a down payment and monthly repayments, Jiang Zhe still felt uneasy.

He missed his seaside villa a little.

After getting used to the villa and studio, when I look for a new studio, I always want to compare it with that one.

In the system rewards, in addition to the accumulated rewards, there is also a special reward he received.

After clicking it, I found that this reward had new content.

You have access to two properties suitable for creation and living. This reward will help you improve your life. If you choose to buy any of these two properties, the system will help you obtain funds from multiple channels to meet your financial needs for purchasing the property.

After understanding the explanation of the reward, Jiang Zhe felt relieved.

Since the system can solve the funding problem, there is no need to choose.

Get the most expensive one.

He clicked to see the channels for obtaining funds, including selling paintings, lottery tickets and even stocks. He could obtain funds from multiple channels multiple times to avoid obtaining too much money at one time and attracting other people's attention.

After understanding it, he was completely relieved, and even felt a little regretful. If he had known this method earlier, he should have looked at more expensive properties.

Click to receive your reward.

I'll go and handle the procedures tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)