Taking Liu Yifei back to Northeast China for the Chinese New Year has sent the entire internet into

Leading the way was Qi Wenhai, the president of the National Academy of Painting.

Behind him were two vice chairmen of the China Artists Association, as well as several respected elders in the calligraphy and painting circles.

These titans, who are usually rarely seen, all had rosy cheeks and walked with a lighter pace than usual today.

But the reporters' cameras passed over them and quickly focused on the two people surrounded by the crowd in the middle.

Fang Yu and Liu Yifei.

Fang Yu was wearing a dark-patterned modern Chinese-style long gown today. The hem was long and the collar was neatly fitted. The cuffs were decorated with only a circle of very fine silver cloud patterns.

He completely suppressed his usual lazy, street-smart demeanor.

Tall and elegant, with a clean and sharp jawline, he appeared both aloof and refined.

Liu Yifei, standing next to her, was wearing a moon-white, modernized embroidered Chinese-style long dress.

The high collar accentuated her long neck, and the hem of her skirt swayed slightly with each step.

Her long hair was styled into an elegant bun, with only a single white jade hairpin inserted at an angle.

She wore no heavy makeup, yet possessed a cool and stunning beauty, with an innate air of nobility.

One black and one white.

The two walked side by side, looking exactly like a pair of celestial beings who had stepped out of an ancient painting.

The sound of camera shutters clicking filled the air.

"That aura is absolutely amazing!"

"Fang Yu looks really good in modern Chinese style!"

"Other young actresses in the Chinese entertainment industry should definitely copy Liu Yifei's look!"

However, the seemingly calm and aloof fairy in the eyes of outsiders was actually having a lot of internal urges to back out.

Liu Yifei held Fang Yu's arm, her fingers tightening their grip little by little.

She maintained a dignified and proper smile, but her voice was extremely low, almost squeezed out from between her teeth.

"Fang Yu, is it too late for me to leave now?"

Fang Yu kept his eyes straight ahead, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"What's wrong?"

"I suddenly remembered that there was an emergency at home."

"What's up?"

"Um... I forgot to turn off the tap at home."

Fang Yu almost burst out laughing on the spot.

"Fairy Sister, do you really have so little faith in me?"

"confidence?"

Liu Yifei's smile remained gentle, but her molars were almost ground to powder.

"The thing you drew really doesn't inspire me at all."

Fang Yu gently patted the back of her hand, his tone calm.

"Don't panic, you don't understand the realm of a Grandmaster."

While the two were subtly pulling at each other, Qi Wenhai had already led them to the center of the exhibition hall.

The main exhibition booth was completely covered by a thick red silk cloth.

A crowd instantly surrounded them.

Young painters, critics, art professors, and various media outlets all focused their cameras on that red silk.

The identity of today's final piece has become the most anticipated mystery of the entire exhibition.

Qi Wenhai walked to the booth and scanned the entire area with his eyes.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today is the opening day of the National Academy of Painting's Youth Art Exhibition."

"Over the years, there has been a prevailing opinion that there is a thick barrier between traditional calligraphy and painting and contemporary youth."

"Young people don't understand ink painting, so it's difficult for ink painting to truly enter the lives of young people."

He paused deliberately at this point.

He then raised his hand and solemnly pointed at Fang Yu.

"But Mr. Fang Yu's work showed me another possibility for traditional ink painting in the contemporary context."

Qi Wenhai's tone grew increasingly serious and resolute.

"What is meant by the unyielding spirit of calligraphy and painting, and what is meant by the freehand style of painting? You will understand when the red silk is lifted."

The atmosphere at the scene changed instantly after these words were spoken.

Lin Chen and the other young painters unconsciously straightened their posture.

Qi Wenhai is not one to easily praise others, and he certainly wouldn't casually exaggerate the merits of a work at the opening ceremony.

Could it be that beneath the red silk lies a magnificent landscape painting, powerful enough to dominate the entire scene?

"Enough with the small talk."

Qi Wenhai laughed heartily and reached out to grasp a corner of the red silk.

"The true essence is revealed upon opening the book!"

He suddenly exerted force with his arm.

"Splash—"

The red silk slid down to the ground.

Inside the display case, the paintings behind the bulletproof glass were completely exposed to the brightest spotlights.

The shutter clicked instantly.

Everyone craned their necks to look over.

next second.

The entire exhibition hall suddenly fell silent.

The barrage of flashes, which had been as dense as a downpour, suddenly stopped for several seconds.

An entertainment reporter in the front row, holding a microphone, couldn't help but speak up.

"Huh? This..."

The cultural reporter next to him also pushed up his glasses, his expression changing from expectant to blank.

On a four-foot-long sheet of Xuan paper, almost all the space is left blank.

There are no famous mountains or rivers, no flowing streams, and no complicated background.

In the lower right corner of the Xuan paper, there is only a lone black bird.

The blackbird stood on one leg, its neck tucked in, its body slightly hunched back.

The most outrageous thing is its eyes; its eyeballs are rolling straight upwards.

It was as if he was rolling his eyes at everyone present, as if he were standing through glass.

Liu Yifei closed her eyes in pain.

It’s over.

That night in the study, she felt that the bird looked extremely irritating.

Unexpectedly, magnified by professional spotlights and non-reflective glass, the level of irritation was increased more than tenfold!

Where is the spirit of freehand brushwork?

This is clearly an Angry Bird that has come to life and is mocking all of humanity at the National Academy of Painting!

There was a full five seconds of silence.

Finally, one of the reporters couldn't hold back any longer.

A reporter wearing an entertainment weekly badge raised the microphone, carefully choosing his words.

"Teacher Fang, doesn't this painting... look a little rushed?"

Another reporter immediately followed.

"Teacher Fang, is there any special meaning behind such a large area of ​​blank space, or... is the artwork not yet finished?"

"Why is this bird rolling its eyes? Does it mean you have any objections to some of the rules of this art exhibition?"

"Teacher Fang, could you please explain this?"

"Hasty?!"

Qi Wenhai suddenly turned around, his voice rising eight octaves.

The scene instantly fell silent.

Qi Wenhai strode to the display case and tapped heavily on the painting on the glass with his finger.

"Where is the carelessness in this bird's gaze?!"

"That's a contempt for vulgar rules! A cold indifference to worldly prejudices!"

Qi Wenhai pointed at the bird's body, his face full of heartache and indignation.

"You only saw it rolling its eyes, but you didn't see it standing on one leg!"

"It refuses to compromise with this corrupt world, so it would rather stand firmly between heaven and earth than bow its head and yield!"

The surrounding reporters were stunned.

Someone looked down at the painting.

Then I looked at the black bird that was rolling its eyes.

You know what, after Old Qi's elevation of it, it actually seems... there's some truth to it?

The two vice chairmen of the China Artists Association also walked excitedly to the display case.

An elderly gentleman put on his reading glasses and almost pressed himself against the glass.

"Brilliant!"

He pointed to the few strokes of ink on the bird's beak, his voice trembling.

"Look at the use of ink here, the variations in shades are remarkable, and the dryness and wetness complement each other."

"With just a few strokes, the bird's loneliness, stubbornness, and disdain are vividly portrayed!"

The other vice chairman stared intently at the blank space in the painting.

"The most brilliant part is the use of white space."

"This isn't emptiness; this is the highest level of 'using white space as black' in traditional Chinese painting!"

"The scene has no sky, no earth, and no background, yet it evokes a sense of vastness and stillness!"

Several leading figures in the world of calligraphy and painting got more and more excited as they talked, their faces flushed with excitement.

The group of reporters below were completely dumbfounded.

They looked at the bird rolling its eyes, then at the several elderly men who were so excited they were almost delirious.

How could this ugly bird have such high artistic value?

Are we blind, or has the world gone mad?