Honkai Impact 3rd: Join Anti-Entropy at the start and dominate the entertainment industry.

"You're President Ningguang?!"

Ningguang smiled and nodded: "You must be the genius young painter Gretchen. Hello."

Greta was very nervous: "Hello."

Ningguang smiled as she looked at Bai Qianqu's painting: "Don't mind me. I was just attracted by this painting, so I came to take a look. I just didn't expect to have the opportunity to appreciate the painting process."

Then, with some anticipation, she asked, "Mr. Bai, would you sell me this painting? I really like it."

Bai Qianqu hesitated for a moment: "But I planned to paint this as a gift for Gretchen, so I'm sorry I can't sell it."

"Really? Me? For me? Thank you, Teacher Bai!!" Gretchen was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then overjoyed. If there weren't other people around, she would have excitedly hugged Bai Qianqu and kissed her.

When she first saw the finished painting, a voice arose in her heart.

I want it so badly!

She discovered that she had fallen in love with the painting at first sight!

The previous sketch aroused her desire for "love," but this painting made her completely fall for it.

This is a primal desire that comes from the bottom of one's heart, a desire that is thrilled by the sight of something new.

She felt she would regret it for the rest of her life if she couldn't have this painting.

But she didn't know how to ask Bai Qianqu for it; she seemed to have nothing to offer in exchange.

And then she heard that Bai Qianqu was going to give it to her directly, which made Gretsch overjoyed.

"Of course, but you have to grant me a small request," Bai Qianqu said slyly.

"Don't just ask for one, you can ask for a hundred!"

Gretchen was so overwhelmed with joy that she was completely unaware that she had fallen into Bai Qianqu's trap.

Ignoring Kosmo's suspicious gaze, Bai Qianqu continued, "Here's the thing, I want to open a comic studio and I'm looking to hire a comic assistant. I'd like to ask you to be my assistant for a while. If you agree, I'll give you this painting. How about it?"

"A comic studio? A comic assistant?" Gretchen hadn't expected such a request. She had been thinking about what excuse she could come up with to learn from Bai Qianqu, but now that she heard this, she nodded repeatedly without hesitation, "Of course! It would be my honor!"

However, Greta quickly added, "But I need to tell my parents about this. Can you wait for my news tomorrow, Ms. Bai?"

"Of course, it's my pleasure." Bai Qianqu was very satisfied with her achievement. "I'll give you this painting as a gift."

"Thank you!" Gretchen looked at the ink bamboo painting on the easel, liking it more and more. She then asked, "Teacher Bai, you haven't named this painting yet. Why don't you give it a name?"

After thinking for a while, Bai Qianqu finally decided to use the original name: "Let's call it 'Ink Bamboo Painting'."

"Okay, I've got it! I'll definitely take good care of this painting!"

Gretchen thought for a moment, then asked cautiously, "Ms. Bai, may I submit this painting for exhibition? I would like more people to appreciate it!"

Gretchen's idea was simple: such a masterpiece should be seen by more people; keeping it hidden in her home would only let it gather dust.

Bai Qianqu nodded; he didn't seem to care.

"Participating in the exhibition is fine, just don't mention my name."

Greta nodded as if she understood, but other painters would want to put their names in the most conspicuous place if they painted a good picture.

"I don't like being the center of attention."

Upon hearing this, Gretchen suddenly realized that such hidden masters seemed to dislike being disturbed, and fame and fortune were like fleeting clouds to them.

She patted her chest and assured him, "Don't worry, Teacher Bai, I'll keep it a secret! I absolutely won't let anyone know your identity!"

"Gresh is such a good girl." Bai Qianqu reached out to pat Gresh's head, but seeing Kosmo frowning beside her, she quickly withdrew her hand.

Ningguang, who had been standing to the side, sighed slightly. She did want the painting too, but unfortunately, Bai Qianqu had already given it to Gretsch, and she couldn't very well take it away from someone else.

With her discerning eye, she could naturally see just how outstanding this painting was; if she could acquire it, it would definitely be a rare and valuable collectible.

Ningguang has never been able to resist works of art of this caliber; she wants to buy them whenever she sees them.

Although she felt a little regretful that Bai Qianqu had given the painting to Gretchen, she quickly revealed a look of eager anticipation in her eyes.

Since Bai Qianqu can paint such a picture so quickly, he should be able to paint another one, so I still have a chance.

Ningguang spoke only after Bai Qianqu and Gretchen had finished talking.

"Mr. Bai, your 'Ink Bamboo Painting' is the best I have ever seen in my life, and I greatly admire your painting skills. Can you paint another painting like this? If so, I am willing to offer ten million to buy it."

Ten million?!

Bai Qianqu's heart skipped a beat. Although ten million was not even a fraction of the true value of the "Ink Bamboo Painting", that was because of its added value.

The same painting is a national treasure in Mr. Shishi's hands, but in Bai Qianqu's hands, it is at most a perfect painting.

Chapter 228 Master of Traditional Chinese Painting?

Ten million is already a lot. You have to understand that Van Gogh's sunflowers couldn't be sold for a single penny back then.

Is it because sunflowers aren't good enough? No, it's because the author isn't famous yet.

Gretchen thought Bai Qianqu was a hidden master, but he was actually an unknown person, and no one in the art world knew him.

Even if he were to bring out "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" right now, it probably wouldn't sell for ten million.

In the art world, seniority matters.

As a seasoned businesswoman, Ningguang also pays close attention to the art world. Naturally, she knows that there is no one named Bai Qianqu in the art world, and judging from his age, he cannot be a well-established big shot.

Ningguang's willingness to spend ten million was actually an investment. Although Bai Qianqu was not famous at the time, she believed that Bai Qianqu would definitely become famous in the future, and the price of his paintings would be incomparable.

Offering ten million to an unknown person for a painting shows that Ningguang has a lot of guts.

But Bai Qianqu shook her head.

He knew that the same painting could not be painted exactly the same in different scenes and moods.

This is the irreproducibility of paintings. Unlike writing novels, each painting is inherently unique, and it is impossible to imitate an exact replica. Why are some paintings so expensive? It's because they are all unique, and even if the original artist came, it would be very difficult to reproduce them.

"I'm sorry, this painting was actually done on an exceptionally high scale; I usually can't paint like this."

Ningguang had no doubts about Bai Qianqu's explanation, and she nodded in deep agreement.

It's normal for some artists to have a flash of inspiration and create works that far exceed their usual level.

However, Ningguang did not underestimate Bai Qianqu because of this, because one thing was certain: Bai Qianqu had a painting skill far beyond her years.

Ultimately, without sufficient skill, even with abundant inspiration, one cannot create a masterpiece as stunning as "Ink Bamboo Painting".

Without a doubt, Bai Qianqu is a true genius of traditional Chinese painting!

Although he is not famous yet, Ningguang believes that he will definitely become a true master of traditional Chinese painting in the near future!

Ningguang is very confident in her judgment, and her conclusions are rarely wrong.

As a businesswoman, she values ​​return on investment above all else. In her eyes, Bai Qianqu is a high-quality investment target. As long as she provides a little support now, the return on investment in the future will be amazing.

A master of traditional Chinese painting! That's even rarer than a master of music.

Although he may not be as well-known as Qu Shen, his status in the art world is in no way inferior to Qu Shen's.

Such people can sell any painting for an astronomical price. Of course, at that time, people will be proud to own their works, which are truly collectibles that can be shown off.

So Ningguang's smile remained unchanged, and she said slowly, "Mr. Bai, there's no need to be modest. I believe that with your skills, you will definitely create even more outstanding works in the future. May I take a few photos?"

"can."

With Bai Qianqu's permission, Ningguang took out her phone and carefully took a few photos of the "Ink Bamboo Painting," then took out a golden card.

"This is my personal business card. If you have time, you are welcome to visit Qunyu Pavilion. I will certainly make sure to welcome you with open arms."

Bai Qianqu took the business card: "Okay, I'll definitely go when I have time."

Seeing that the other party had accepted the business card, Ningguang had achieved her goal and did not linger any longer: "In that case, I will not disturb you any longer. I wish you a pleasant time at this exhibition."

Watching Ningguang's graceful departure, Bai Qianqu smiled helplessly.

Ningguang was well aware of Ningguang's thoughts. In fact, he didn't really want to accept the other party's support, because the hardest thing to repay in this world is a favor.

If he were to sell a painting to Ningguang now for a profit of ten million, Ningguang would inevitably have to recoup twenty million from him later.

His original intention in drawing was simply to create character illustrations for games, and to draw comics in his spare time. He has not included so-called painting masters in his plans at present.

Even if he wants to become a master painter in the future, he doesn't want to owe anyone favors.

After exchanging contact information with Gretchen, Bai Qianqu casually strolled around the exhibition hall. There were quite a lot of goods there, but Bai Qianqu couldn't really understand most of them.

He discovered that there seemed to be no such thing as Impressionism in the world of painting; in any case, he had not seen any similar paintings in the art exhibitions.

The techniques people used to paint were not as diverse as those in the original world.

"It seems that the world is still missing something because it hasn't experienced those few earth-shattering art movements."

Bai Qianqu muttered to herself softly before leaving.

He has achieved his goal for this trip.

At that moment, Ningguang was getting into a car and preparing to leave. Standing next to the car was a woman in professional attire named Baiwen, who was Ningguang's personal secretary.

Bai Wen asked with some doubt, "President Ningguang, several partners want to meet with you. Are you leaving now?"

Ningguang was browsing her phone, and on it was Bai Qianqu's "Ink Bamboo Painting".

"Hmm, I've gotten something much more interesting. What a beautiful painting! It's a pity I missed out on it. What a pity, what a pity, what a real pity."

Ningguang uttered three sighs in succession, which showed that her inner world was not as calm as her outward appearance.

Bai Wen asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Did you miss out on some treasure? Is there anything I can do for you?"

"It's nothing, I just reminisced for a bit." Ningguang put away her phone. "The most important thing now is to finish the short film our company is making. I put a lot of effort into getting a really good piano piece, so we can't let it go to waste."

"Ok!"

"Okay, I'll leave this to you. I'll be going now."

"You walk slowly."

After watching Ningguang's car drive away, Baiwen turned around, her eyes still full of doubt.

"What kind of painting is it that has the CEO so concerned?"

She couldn't figure it out, and eventually she could only stop thinking about it.

The day after returning home, Bai Qianqu received a reply from Gretchen. She had already spoken to her parents, and they did not object but rather supported their daughter's choice.

With such open-minded parents, Bai Qianqu was somewhat envious of Gretchen.