Chapter 54: My Brush Skills Are Pretty Good
"Don't you understand?"
Beverly stared at Monica in surprise, her expression clearly conveying, "You really don't get it, do you?"
"Why are you saying that to me if you don't believe it yourself?"
Monica glared at Beverly resentfully.
"As a scientist, I can certainly distinguish between fact and fiction and dismiss this kind of nonsense, but that doesn't mean I can't use it to explain your situation."
Beverly said matter-of-factly, "Your parents are incredibly naive to believe this garbage, so using this flawed theory to explain your confusion is perfectly logical. What's so difficult to comprehend?"
"Don't feel bad. There are plenty of ignorant parents out there."
Little Sheldon heard this and nodded sympathetically at Monica, thinking he could relate.
"..."
Monica was speechless.
She felt so foolish. How could she have let such a cold person break down her defenses and make her cry like that, especially in front of Chuck? It was completely humiliating.
If there was a hole in the ground right now, she'd crawl right into it.
"Alright, everyone's here. Let's head inside,"
Professor Alicia Harper said with an amused smile.
Everyone followed her inside.
The house was modest in size, and while the décor wasn't lavish, it had a distinctly intellectual atmosphere. The only eyesore was Professor John Harper, slouched among towering stacks of academic journals and research papers, mumbling to himself.
"John, our guests are here!"
Professor Alicia Harper gave everyone an apologetic smile and called out loudly.
"Hmm?"
After calling his name three times, Professor John Harper finally looked up. Seeing Chuck and the others, his eyes lit up and he scrambled to his feet, nearly toppling over a stack of MIT Technology Reviews in his excitement. After steadying himself, he beamed at the group and said, "Excellent! You made it!"
He then looked at Paige with interest. "You must be Paige? Were you the third one to crack the equation?"
"Actually, I was second!"
Paige glanced at Sheldon with a smug smile.
Sheldon bristled but couldn't argue with the facts.
"Here's my research manuscript. It's my contribution to tonight,"
Paige handed it over.
"Wonderful, wonderful."
Professor John Harper took the manuscript and immediately began scanning through it, completely absorbed and oblivious to everyone else.
"Please, make yourselves comfortable,"
Professor Alicia Harper said with a knowing smile. "That's just John being John. Once he's engrossed in academic work, he's in his own world. Please don't take it personally."
"I completely understand. That's how a true scholar should behave,"
Beverly nodded approvingly, handing over a bottle of California Cabernet. "A small gift—it's customary when visiting someone's home."
"How thoughtful of you,"
Professor Alicia Harper accepted graciously, setting the wine aside.
"Chuck, what did you bring?"
Paige's question drew everyone's attention to Chuck. "Is that a painting?"
They noticed Chuck holding a cylindrical art tube, clearly designed for transporting artwork.
"Yes,"
Chuck nodded, offering it to their hostess.
"Thank you so much."
Professor Alicia Harper gave Chuck a meaningful look, accepted the tube, and was about to set it aside.
"Aren't you going to open it and take a look?"
Paige smiled mischievously. "We'd all love to see it too, wouldn't we, Monica?"
"Absolutely."
Monica stared at the tube, burning with curiosity about what artwork Chuck had brought.
Professor Alicia Harper looked to Chuck questioningly, and seeing he had no objection, she carefully opened the tube in front of everyone's eager eyes, revealing an oil painting inside.
"Oh my..."
Professor Alicia Harper trailed off, clearly taken aback.
"What is it?"
Monica asked anxiously, "What kind of painting is this?"
Although she'd briefly flirted with the idea of pursuing art after a credit card thief impersonated her and claimed to love art, her exposure had been too limited for her to recognize various masterpieces.
But she could tell that Mrs. Harper was genuinely impressed by this painting, and it looked like it might be extremely valuable.
This was not encouraging news.
She desperately needed to know just how expensive this gift was.
"Are you fond of oil paintings, Professor Harper?"
Paige glanced at Chuck and asked with interest.
"Yes, very much so."
Professor Alicia Harper's gaze remained fixed on the painting as she nodded slowly. "This is Pollock's 'Free Form' from 1946."
"Pollock?"
Beverly exclaimed in surprise. "As in Jackson Pollock, the legendary American Abstract Expressionist?"
"You're familiar with his work?"
Little Sheldon looked at Beverly with surprise.
"I've encountered it before,"
Beverly said coolly. "You know how it is—scientists inevitably cross paths with wealthy, pretentious collectors who love to show off their acquisitions."
"So true!"
Little Sheldon nodded knowingly.
"But surely it's not authentic?"
Beverly asked, voicing Monica's exact thoughts. "If it were genuine, I believe it would be worth well over ten million dollars."
"Ten million?!"
Monica was thunderstruck.
What did a ten-million-dollar painting even mean? It had to be a reproduction.
But Monica wasn't relieved at all.
Even if it was fake, it revealed plenty. At minimum, Chuck knew exactly what Professor Alicia Harper appreciated.
"It's not the original, no,"
Professor Alicia Harper confirmed.
"Even if it's not authentic, I imagine it's still quite expensive, isn't it?"
Paige observed.
"Indeed."
Professor Alicia Harper shifted her gaze back to the painting, then looked at Chuck with a complex expression. "This reproduction is virtually indistinguishable from the original. The artistic skill is extraordinary. Even as a copy, it's worth at least ten thousand dollars. I simply cannot accept such an extravagant gift!"
"Ten thousand dollars..."
Monica repeated numbly.
"The art market is always overinflated."
Chuck shook his head dismissively. "Actually, this painting cost exactly $24.50."
"Really?"
Monica's spirits lifted immediately.
"I never lie."
Chuck frowned at the implication.
"Of course not, I believe you,"
Monica quickly clarified, but she couldn't suppress her relieved smile.
$24.50 and "at least $10,000" were worlds apart.
One was a thoughtful gift, the other was excessive showboating.
"Even so, I still can't accept it,"
Professor Alicia Harper shook her head.
As someone who genuinely loved oil paintings and fine art, with a trained eye for quality, she understood the true value of this piece.
"$24.50... did you create this yourself?"
Paige's eyes sparkled with realization. "$24.50 would cover the canvas and paint supplies?"
"Exactly,"
Chuck glanced at Paige and nodded.
"You painted this yourself?"
Professor Alicia Harper was astounded. She studied the nearly museum-quality reproduction of the famous work and asked in disbelief, "How did you manage this?"
"I'm pretty good with a brush,"
Chuck said simply.
"..."
Everyone fell silent.
Monica's eye twitched slightly, being the only one present with a relatively conventional mindset, and her age making her more prone to misunderstanding the innocent comment.
"Remarkable,"
Professor Alicia Harper nodded in genuine admiration, with no inappropriate associations whatsoever.
The original Jackson Pollock had pioneered a technique where he would dip sticks or brush handles into cans of house paint and metallic pigments, then drip or fling the paint onto canvases laid flat on his studio floor. He painted intuitively, relying on spontaneous movement and years of experience, with no predetermined composition or focal points.
To most people, it looked like chaotic splattering and random marks.
When Chuck mentioned being skilled with a brush, Professor Alicia Harper understood that Chuck had mastered Pollock's distinctive drip-painting technique.
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