When Chen Yiyang arrived, the other party was already waiting for him in the tea restaurant.
"Mr. Chen, right?" They shook hands.
This was a woman with a strikingly distinctive temperament — whether it was her posture, manner of sitting, or way of speaking, she gave off a unique feeling.
Sitting face to face, Chen Yiyang felt like he wasn't facing a person but rather a breeze, a stack of books emitting a bookish aroma, or a touch of elegant color.
Though the description was quite abstract, it was the first time Chen Yiyang encountered this type of woman in reality.
Previously, he'd only seen women with similar grace hosting ceremonies or grand events on television.
He handed the tube of paintings to the woman.
The woman softly twisted open the cap and took out the painting.
Chen Yiyang took this opportunity to call the waiter over to order food.
"What would you like to eat?" Chen Yiyang asked.
"I'll just have a shrimp omelet," the woman replied promptly after Chen Yiyang finished speaking.
"I'll have crispy roast pork and pineapple sweet and sour rice," Chen Yiyang stated his order.
Although he wanted to appear more elegant in front of such a woman,
his stomach, hungry all day, wouldn't allow it.
So he had to go with his instincts.
"My name is Zhang Yuling," the woman said.
"What relation is Zhang Jiuqian to you?" Chen Yiyang asked out of curiosity.
"He's my uncle."
"Oh."
"The painting is fine."
Before their ordered food arrived, Zhang Yuling had already come to a conclusion.
"Is Mr. Chen willing to sell this painting? My uncle is willing to buy this early work of his back for two hundred thousand," Zhang Yuling inquired.
"The offer is too low."
Although the elegant woman in front of him made Chen Yiyang quite fond of her,
he had already thoroughly researched Zhang Jiuqian's past online before coming today.
The artist Zhang Jiuqian was actually a "prodigal son" figure.
When he first started learning to paint, his works were full of spirit and caught the eye of a predecessor in the art world, who took him on as a disciple.
With a bit of fame, Zhang Jiuqian quickly began producing and selling a large number of paintings for some money.
Busy every day earning money, he neglected improvement in technique.
So by the time he was thirty, his paintings were still full of spirit but lacking in skill.
When a person is ten years old and paints with only spirit and no technique,
others will praise the child for having a boundless future.
When a person is twenty and still paints with only spirit and no technique,
others will say that if the young person is willing to work hard, there is great future ahead.
But when a person is thirty and still has only spirit and no technique,
everyone will say it's a pity for the spirit they possess.
That's how Zhang Jiuqian's situation was.
His mentor delivered a final warning, forbidding him from selling any more paintings and telling him to focus on honing his skills.
Then, just a few days later, his mentor discovered he was secretly selling paintings again.
At this point, each of his paintings was worth only one or two thousand.
Most of that money came because of his mentor's reputation.
This drove Zhang Jiuqian's mentor, literally enraged, to the hospital, where he passed away.
From then on, Zhang Jiuqian never sold paintings again.
He burned all his past works, like a prodigal son returning, and devoted himself to developing his skills, improving his abilities.
He eventually became a rising star in the art world.
His future is destined to reach even greater heights.
And as a way to atone, in recent years, he has been trying in various ways to retrieve the paintings he sold back then.
Chen Yiyang read others' rumors on forums.
It was said that last year, Zhang Jiuqian's studio claimed they had retrieved all the paintings Zhang Jiuqian sold back then.
Only to find out now he could locate another one.
If nothing unexpected happens, this could very well be the last painting Zhang Jiuqian created in his youth that has remained outside.
For ordinary collectors, the painting might be worth only ten-something thousand.
But for Zhang Jiuqian, with his guilty conscience, the painting has a completely different value.
Chen Yiyang's response left Zhang Yuling in silence.
She hadn't dared hope that Chen Yiyang was truly ignorant, thinking of it as just a typical work by Zhang Jiuqian.
Actually, many of Zhang Jiuqian's early paintings circulated the market very cheaply due to quality issues.
So when Zhang Jiuqian decided to buy back his youthful paintings,
his studio promptly responded to the market by buying back most of the paintings at very low prices.
The remaining ones either disappeared, possibly thrown away as trash by those who bought them back then,
or were held in institutions that specialize in hoarding works by young artists.
Zhang Jiuqian relied on his current fame and face, gave some promises, and finally got those paintings back.
But now person suddenly appeared claiming to possess an authentic work of Zhang Jiuqian.
The studio quickly confirmed through photographs.
This painting was indeed the last one Zhang Jiuqian painted in his youth.
After this painting, his mentor was infuriated into hospital, and Zhang Jiuqian himself decided to turn over a new leaf, no longer selling paintings.
It's not easy.
Zhang Yuling bit her lip.
She knew she had to sacrifice a bit today.
So she spoke again, "Five hundred thousand."
"The price meets my expectations. But the actual profit doesn't." Chen Yiyang thought carefully about the price and then gave a reply.
To be honest, this painting normally wouldn't be worth five hundred thousand.
But it also depends on how it's sold.
If you're shameless and determined to make money, Chen Yiyang could even inquire who in the arts world has issues with Zhang Jiuqian, has a competitive relationship, or simply holds grudges.
Imagine that scenario.
Every time Zhang Jiuqian holds an exhibition, his enemy brings out this painting to tell everyone about how Zhang Jiuqian angered his mentor to death.
That would be devastating for Zhang Jiuqian's future career.
Then, whether selling this painting to Zhang Jiuqian's enemy or threatening Zhang Jiuqian himself,
the painting could even sell for over a million.
But there's no need.
Doing it like this would ruin one's reputation, and mingling in the arts world would be impossible afterward.
With his app for finding hidden gems, who knows how often he'd deal with the arts world in the future.
Reputation is definitely worth more than a couple hundred thousand in cash.
Zhang Yuling understood the meaning behind Chen Yiyang's words.
This painting could sell for five hundred thousand, but it still requires a gesture of goodwill or something else in return.
"My uncle is willing to hold an exhibition in Jin City. You can be the intermediary."
Zhang Yuling added another good condition.
With artists like Zhang Jiuqian holding an exhibition in a secondary city, he would certainly be welcomed by the local arts community.
Though the commission might not be much, it certainly boosts one's prestige.
If managed well, the rewards can't be measured in monetary terms.
"Then it's settled." Chen Yiyang nodded.
"Aren't we going to sign a written agreement?" Zhang Yuling didn't expect a man with such a big appetite to ignore such key details.
"Zhang Jiuqian is my favorite artist in the arts world. I'm naturally willing to trust his character. Let's consider this a gentleman's agreement."
"Thank you for liking my uncle."
While Zhang Yuling accepted the painting and expressed gratitude, she asked, "By the way, what do you think of my uncle's latest painting style?
According to him, he's made a big decision, significantly changing his work from before. But he's worried others in the arts community won't accept it.
Since you're familiar with my uncle, could you please share your thoughts?"
Indeed, Zhang Yuling didn't doubt Chen Yiyang's claim of being a fan of Zhang Jiuqian.
After all, if someone wasn't a true fan, who would dare to assert that such a poor painting was actually created by the famous master Zhang Jiuqian?
So she really hoped to get some feedback from Chen Yiyang.
Then, Chen Yiyang felt embarrassed.
He didn't understand a bit about painting.
He was just busy checking Zhang Jiuqian's past. What Zhang Jiuqian had drawn recently was completely unknown to him.
Just at that moment, the waiter brought out the sweet and sour pork with pineapple he ordered.
"Let's eat first. My mom taught me not to speak while eating, so let's talk after we finish."
"Okay." Zhang Yuling nodded.
Halfway through the meal, Chen Yiyang excused himself to the restroom and sent Sun Xingguo a message, asking him to call in twenty minutes.
After twenty minutes, when Chen Yiyang was full,
and Zhang Yuling was about to continue discussing Zhang Jiuqian's new painting style, Sun Xingguo's call came in.
Chen Yiyang answered, responding with a few pretentious words, then looked apologetically at Zhang Yuling and said,
"I have some business matters to attend to shortly. Let's sign the contract first and then find time for a private discussion, okay?"
"No problem." Zhang Yuling nodded.
As a member of Zhang Jiuqian's studio, Zhang Yuling and Chen Yiyang naturally couldn't conduct this transaction like buying goods at a market.
The two sides needed to sign a proper trade contract and pay taxes.
Zhang Yuling and Chen Yiyang went to a print shop to print the contract.
After confirming there were no issues with the contract, they signed and stamped it.
Worried that Zhang Yuling might ask more questions during the payment process, Chen Yiyang didn't wait for the money to come through. He slipped away with his copy of the contract as soon as he signed it.
However, by the evening, the payment from Zhang Jiuqian's studio arrived.
Sitting on a recliner in his rented room, Chen Yiyang checked his account balance, totaling nine hundred and forty thousand.
Becoming a millionaire is just a matter of time.
And it has only been ten days since he first found a hidden gem.
An average daily income of one hundred thousand.\p>
It's known that celebrities earn two hundred and eight thousand daily. He's earning a hundred thousand.
So Chen Yiyang is currently about one-twentieth of a celebrity.
Also, it's known that the small target for top tycoons is one billion. Chen Yiyang has already completed one percent of that target.
Keep up, treasure hunter.
Chen Yiyang celebrated himself in front of the mirror in his rented room.
Afterward, he gave Hans a full bowl of freeze-dried food, letting Hans enjoy himself.
Sharing joys and hardships equally.
When your brother becomes successful in the future, he'll buy you a luxurious kennel and find you a couple of beautiful German Shepherd girls.
Chen Yiyang hugged Hans and painted a rosy future for him.