Chapter 45

I’ve thought about it many times.

The moment he heard those words, Ji Wei’s cheeks felt like they were burning. He shot up and walked to the door, too embarrassed to stay with Lu Shenxing any longer.

Just as he was about to open the door—

He stopped.

A serious problem had suddenly occurred to him. He turned back to look at Lu Shenxing and asked uncertainly, “The mic wasn’t turned off, was it?”

The man didn’t speak.

Ji Wei took that as a silent confirmation, and the world instantly spun around him. He took a deep breath to steady himself, but he was still panicking, his breathing completely unstable, let alone opening the door.

As he was trying to figure out how to explain to everyone that they were just innocently wiping off lipstick, Lu Shenxing slowly wheeled himself over and handed him the earpiece.

Ji Wei first let out a sigh of relief, then asked in confusion, “When did you take off the mic? How did I not know?”

The man sized him up and replied faintly, “When I was kissing you.”

His question was originally innocent, but combined with his idol’s answer, didn’t it just prove that he had been too engrossed to even notice when his mic was removed?

Ji Wei wanted to find a hole to crawl into and hide from everyone.

But remembering that they were still recording the show, Ji Wei could only put the earpiece back on, open the door, and walk out.

The bullet comments exploded.

[What just happened? I only heard something about wiping off lipstick, and then the sound cut out. Ahhh, is there anything the audience can’t hear?]

[Huh, the lipstick on Weiwei’s mouth just faded a little, it’s not completely wiped off. You really need makeup remover for cosmetics.]

[But why are Film Emperor Lu’s lips a little red? Is it just my imagination?]

[You’re not alone!]

Ji Wei went back to the kitchen and ate two slices of bread, then returned to the shop to help with packaging. However, the sales revenue was stuck at one hundred and fifty thousand and wouldn’t budge.

He thought about it and figured it was normal. St. Lawrence was just a small town, and news traveled fast. The curious customers had already come early on. The remaining people weren’t very interested in the Palace Museum Little Shop, so it was natural for the revenue growth to slow down.

“How about we sell at a 30% discount?”

Zhao Yue took stock of the remaining goods in the store. “They only mentioned revenue, not profit. It doesn’t matter if we sell at a loss.”

Ji Wei didn’t quite agree. The previous customers hadn’t received any discounts. Offering a 30% discount now would be bad for their reputation in the long run.

But with the two-hundred-thousand-dollar revenue target looming, besides trying a discount, there didn’t seem to be a better way.

So he just listened quietly.

[30% off? The production team is losing so much money. They’re losing money on every item sold. If they shipped it back to China, it would be snatched up instantly.]

[Can they change locations? It feels like all the foot traffic here has been exhausted. Next time, the revenue will probably be even worse.]

[+1, you can’t keep shearing the same sheep.]

The task of writing the discount poster was given to Ji Wei. He took out a white sheet of paper and was about to write on it with a black marker when a large group of people of various ethnicities entered the quiet shop.

He recognized one of them as Charles, the man who had bought his painting. He didn’t know the others.

Charles walked over enthusiastically, about to give him a hug, but Lu Shenxing wheeled himself in front of Ji Wei and said with his eyes lowered, “A hug won’t be necessary.”

Charles immediately understood and shook hands with Lu Shenxing instead. “I forgot, you Chinese are more reserved.”

[It’s clearly Film Emperor Lu’s own issue. What did the innocent Chinese people do wrong? (runs)]

[Only he can hug Weiwei.]

[Ahhhhhhhhh, dying from sweetness! Watching the live stream and smiling like a fool.]

After greeting Charles, Charles introduced a French-American man in his twenties standing next to him. “This is Mora, a graduate of the Paris Academy of Fine Arts, majoring in oil painting. He saw your painting and wanted to discuss it with you…”

Mora, who had long hair, interrupted Charles and extended a hand to Ji Wei, his tone casual. “Charles told me your memory is better than mine. I’d like to compete with you.”

[He came here specifically to cause trouble, didn’t he?]

[Holy crap, the Paris Academy of Fine Arts!]

[I think I remember this person. A rising star in the New York art scene. His story is also quite legendary. He once forged a painting by Monet, but the buyer cherished his talent so much that he didn’t sue him and even helped him open a studio.]

Today’s revenue goal hadn’t been met yet.

Just as Ji Wei was about to refuse, Zhao Yue suddenly spoke up, “He’s an employee of our shop. We haven’t sold all our goods yet, so we can’t compete.”

Mora glanced at the goods on the shelf, assuming they weren’t very expensive. “I’ll buy them all.”

Zhao Yue was shocked. Where did this sucker come from? If not now, when would be the time to strike? “Sir, the total is one hundred thousand US dollars.”

Mora was speechless.

Seeing Mora hesitate, Zhao Yue felt he might have been a bit too harsh. “Fifty thousand should be fine, right?”

[Hahahahahaha, fifty thousand isn’t cheap either.]

[A scene of trying to show off and failing spectacularly.]

[This is too funny. My source of happiness for the day.]

“How about forty thousand?”

“Is thirty thousand still not enough?”

***

In the end, Mora haggled the price down to twenty-five thousand US dollars, with Charles chipping in ten thousand.

He had bought Ji Wei’s painting and wanted to help Ji Wei make a name for himself in the New York art scene through Mora to increase its value, so he had brought along a group of renowned collectors.

“How do we compete?”

Ji Wei asked.

Unless the skill levels were vastly different, it was difficult to determine a winner in painting. Not to mention, one of them specialized in oil painting and the other in traditional Chinese painting; they were completely different things.

Mora rubbed his wrists. “I’ll draw a picture, you’ll draw a picture. We’ll have five minutes to look at each other’s work and then draw it from memory.”

“Purely a quick sketch.”

It seemed he wanted to compete on memory.

Ji Wei nodded.

Mora had clearly come prepared. His companion untied the painting tube on his back.

He opened it—

Four sheets of paper, each two meters long and one meter wide, were unfurled before the crowd. Everyone couldn’t help but let out a gasp of amazement.

[Holy crap, I thought it would be the size of a sketchbook. To draw something this big from memory in five minutes, is this Mora a god?]

[Is this the world of the great masters? I’m truly on my knees.]

[I’ve heard of zither battles, but I’ve never heard of a painting battle.]

Ji Wei’s expression remained calm.

Mora wasn’t just showing off; oil paintings were typically large. But Ji Wei had also painted many long scrolls of traditional Chinese painting, so he felt no pressure.

Xiao Chi moved several tables from the second-floor storage room and joined them together. Ji Wei and Mora sat opposite each other. They were given three hours to paint.

Using a pencil would be a bit slow, so he borrowed a charcoal stick from Mora. Charcoal produced effects quickly, but its disadvantage was that it was not easy to modify.

He planned to draw the exterior of the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden Palace. The Hall of Supreme Harmony was the tallest and largest of the three main halls in the Forbidden Palace.

He recalled the scene from his last visit to the Forbidden Palace and put his charcoal to paper.

He didn’t make a preliminary sketch; he started drawing directly.

And he started from the top.

[Holy crap! Never mind not making a draft, he’s starting directly from the top. I’m truly in awe.]

[Mora isn’t making a draft either. His strokes are precise and fast. I’m really curious what’s inside their brains.]

[I’m so nervous watching this. I feel like Mora’s drawing is more complex.]

More and more people came into the shop to watch. Zhao Yue took the opportunity to sell the cultural and creative products. In less than three hours, they had met the revenue target.

Time was not up yet.

Ji Wei added a few tourists walking in pairs and groups on the paper, then finished his drawing.

The bullet comments were all very anxious.

[Weiwei is being too honest. That foreigner drew so many things, the lines are so dense you can’t even see them clearly.]

[Holy crap, why are there more and more people in the stream room? I’m shocked by the ten million viewers.]

[Ji Wei probably doesn’t know who Mora is, but just to clarify, Mora is really amazing. That forgery of his was almost indistinguishable from the real thing.]

Three hours were up.

Mora also finished his sketch.

The two had five minutes to observe. Ji Wei and Mora swapped places to memorize each other’s paintings.

Mora had drawn a battle scene with hundreds of medieval knights. The lines weren’t messy, but the details were fragmented, down to a fine crack on a knight’s helmet.

It was not easy to remember.

Ji Wei’s brow furrowed slightly.

The crowd on site held their breath in unison. You could hear a pin drop. They were afraid of disturbing either one of them.

After five minutes, the paintings were taken away.

They were replaced with blank sheets of paper.

The atmosphere became even more tense.

Watching the two of them draw non-stop on the canvas, Xiao Chi, who had been very confident in Ji Wei, couldn’t help but hold his breath. He asked in a low voice, “Senior Lu, who do you think will win?”

Lu Shenxing replied calmly, “He is no match for Ji Wei.”

Xiao Chi was speechless. …He shouldn’t have asked.

Old Sir Ma Liqing, who was beside them, also sighed, “The two are evenly matched. I’ve seen Mora’s exhibition. The details are extremely insane. It’s a pity I didn’t get to see his copy of Monet’s Haystacks. It’s said to be his masterpiece.”

“I’ve seen it,”

Lu Shenxing said softly.

Old Sir Ma Liqing was a little surprised. “Didn’t they say it was bought by some wealthy businessman and has never been exhibited again?”

“It’s at my house,” Lu Shenxing said, pausing for a moment. “The original is also at my house.”

His tone was faint, but it dealt a huge blow to Xiao Chi. He knew Lu Shenxing’s family was rich, but he never thought he was… this rich.

[Holy crap, an original Monet!]

[I thought Film Emperor Lu was just saying that. Listening to his tone, maybe Ji Wei is really better than Mora?]

[But even Old Sir Ma said they were evenly matched. Such a subtle difference would be hard to spot, right? Film Emperor Lu isn’t an art major, is he?]

[The more you say, the more conflicted I get.]

Ji Wei, however, grew calmer as he drew.

Mora’s painting had many details. He didn’t draw the whole picture first and then the details; instead, he started drawing directly, because the painting was displayed so clearly in his mind that there was no need to deconstruct it.

When Mora had completed the rough outline, he had only drawn a small part.

[This is too slow. He could have drawn the overall picture first and then the details. That would save a lot of time trying to recall.]

[Yeah, it’s making me anxious just watching.]

[I’m actually enjoying watching two people draw, but they are both so amazing. I don’t even know how many times I’ve been amazed today.]

But as time passed, the small part gradually became a complete scroll. Mora’s painting was recreated under Ji Wei’s brush.

He only took two hours and thirty minutes.

Mora, on the other hand, was still drawing.

[Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap! I believe Ji Wei is a walking photocopier now. Who the hell can do this?]

[But they said it’s about drawing it accurately, not quickly, right? Mora took three hours to finish his painting, and Weiwei finished so fast. I’m a little worried. Does he really not need to make any more changes?]

[Crap, I forgot to take a screenshot to compare!]

Ji Wei stopping his brush surprised Mora a little, but he didn’t pay it any mind. He knew the difficulty of his own painting. Finishing so quickly would undoubtedly mean missing a lot of details.

He would not miss a single detail.

He continued to draw until the three hours were up, then he put down his brush.

The judging was done by Charles, Old Sir Ma Liqing, and others. The four drawings were laid out side by side for comparison, and the crowd immediately burst into a clamor.

They were just too similar.

[Holy crap, this spot-the-difference is too hard. They look like they were photocopied.]

[If I hadn’t been watching the live stream, I would have thought it was an effect staged by the show. How is it possible to draw like this, and to have two of them at once? They’ve really met their match.]

[That being said, Mora is almost thirty, right? Weiwei is only nineteen.]

Almost everyone had looked them over, and no one could find any differences. Just as Charles was about to declare a draw, Mora stood up. “I lost.”

Ji Wei was a little confused.

Mora extended his hand candidly. “You drew faster than me, and the painting you copied was more difficult, so I lost.”

“You drew better than me,”

Ji Wei said as he shook his hand, praising him sincerely. If this had been a pure sketching competition, he would not have been able to beat Mora.

[I didn’t expect this guy to be so gracious.]

[If he hadn’t mentioned it, I would have forgotten about the time and difficulty. Ji Wei is truly amazing, and he’s only nineteen. Mora looks like he’s over thirty.]

[Sigh, people of mixed race tend to look older. He’s actually only twenty-eight or nine.]

Charles and his group praised Ji Wei for nearly an hour, until he was too embarrassed to continue. Only then did they leave, and the shop became quiet again. Ji Wei felt he had been sitting for too long, so he went out to buy a few bottles of mineral water.

As he came in carrying the mineral water, Zhao Yue quickly helped him take it. “If you wanted to buy water, you could have just asked Xiao Chi to go.”

Ji Wei was speechless.

Xiao Chi was speechless.

At that moment, Lu Shenxing wheeled himself over from the lounge area. Zhao Yue, being perceptive, handed him the water.

Lu Shenxing shook his head and didn’t take it. “Thank you, but I don’t like to drink mineral water.”

Only then did Ji Wei remember that his idol liked to drink sweet things. His brain was a little fuzzy after painting all afternoon.

He had forgotten.

Just as he was about to speak, Zhao Yue immediately said, “Ji Wei bought it in a hurry and didn’t ask about everyone’s preferences. I’ll go buy some more.”

Who would have thought that Lu Shenxing would take the mineral water from his hand and say faintly, “I won’t trouble you.”

Zhao Yue was baffled. “Didn’t you say you don’t like mineral water?”

Lu Shenxing glanced at the young man and lowered his eyes. “I like it now.”