Chapter 35: Swindling the Painting!

Chapter 35: Swindling a Painting!

Liu Ruohan could never have imagined in her wildest dreams that she would witness such an incredible scene.

One of them was... an ordinary small-time boss of a game company, with only a high school diploma, who had been struggling with job hunting and facing constant setbacks just a short while ago.

The other was world-renowned, a representative figure of an entire era, currently chased by capital, with every single one of his paintings starting at hundreds of thousands or millions. When she was abroad, whenever her mentor discussed contemporary art, Mendeleev was a presence that could not be bypassed!

These were people from two different worlds, two different social strata!

So... how could they be drinking together? It was insane!

Liu Ruohan slowly approached the table. Then...

"Drink! Let us empty a large cup; after we empty it, we shall start anew..."

"Good!"

"..."

She heard Zhang Yang’s voice sounding somewhat excited as he toasted Mendeleev. Mendeleev’s eyes were slightly bloodshot, his face flushed with wine, but he picked up his glass and downed it in one gulp, looking remarkably bold and unconstrained.

"In truth, all my life, I have held a deep longing for art. Some art is a witness to history, giving us the feeling of having a dialogue with people of that era... For a very long time, I would often go to concerts to listen to symphonies, visit exhibitions to see paintings, and go to sculpture galleries... I actually revere art deeply!"

Zhang Yang seemed a bit tipsy, his tongue tripping over his words, sounding slightly slurred, but he was very sincere.

"I actually love Mozart’s 'Requiem', Tchaikovsky’s 'Pathétique Symphony', and, of course, Beethoven’s 'Symphony No. 5, Fate'—I love that one too..."

"The classics that many left behind at the end of their lives still echo in my mind to this day..."

"When you open history books, no matter how many years have passed, you can clearly hear their voices, as if you are in conversation with them, listening to them tell their stories..."

"..."

Mendeleev listened to this blankly. He was listening, but among the figures Zhang Yang mentioned, he hadn't heard of a single one. Was he ignorant, or was something else going on?

Shen Yi and Liu Ruohan, standing behind, were equally stunned. They could understand Zhang Yang’s talk about art, but they had absolutely no impression of the names he cited—not even the slightest. Was Zhang Yang so drunk that he was babbling nonsense? Yet, looking at his expression, he didn't seem to be making things up!

They didn't know. They only knew that Zhang Yang seemed to be venting something deep within his heart.

Then... after drinking a bit more, they suddenly saw Zhang Yang pull a piece of paper and a pen from his pocket.

"Mr. Mendeleev, actually..."

"Yes? Mr. Zhang?"

"Could I trouble you to write a few words for me?"

"Oh? Of course, what would you like me to write?"

"'Universe Technology'—just those words."

"Ah? Sure!"

"Um, Mr. Mendeleev? I have another question..."

"Go ahead..."

"How do you think one should paint the universe?"

"The universe?"

"Yes, for instance, if you were to paint the cosmic galaxy on this piece of paper..."

"This paper is so small, yet you want me to paint the cosmic galaxy?"

"Can you do it? I know the difficulty might be very high, and in this setting, everyone is drunk, which might affect your creativity..."

"What kind of form do you want? It’s fine; I once painted on the walls of a cowshed in the most difficult times; this is nothing!"

"The simpler the form, the better?"

"Good!"

In the small tavern, amidst the noise and dim lights, Mendeleev seemed unaffected. After writing the words "Universe Technology" in Chinese on the paper, he pondered for a moment...

Then, using the pen Zhang Yang provided, he drew a circle and began dotting stars inside it. Soon... a simple prototype of the universe appeared under Mendeleev’s hand.

"Amazing, Mr. Mendeleev!" Zhang Yang’s eyes lit up!

"Haha, it was just a simple sketch. While drawing it just now, I felt a touch of childhood innocence, remembering the days I spent in China many years ago..." Mendeleev put down the pen, his drunken eyes looking into the noisy distance, as if lost in memories, with so much he wanted to say.

But...

"Mr. Mendeleev..." Zhang Yang suddenly interrupted his reminiscing.

"What is it?" The interrupted Mendeleev looked a bit dazed.

"It’s getting late, shall we call it a night? It’s time to go home and sleep..." Zhang Yang tucked the paper away as if it were a priceless treasure, then cleared his throat.

"Ah?" Mendeleev had been feeling lonely for years, plagued by the rot of vanity and money. Having finally found someone to talk to while under the influence, he was just about to pour his heart out. And then... you tell me you want to go home and sleep?

"Mr. Mendeleev, your agent is sitting over there. I see she has been waiting for a long time. Staying up late isn't good for a young lady..." Zhang Yang pointed to the red-haired woman not far away, then added earnestly, "Actually, I don't think it’s very gentlemanly to keep a lady waiting for so long..."

"???"

When you were spouting off earlier, why didn't you think you were being a gentleman? Why are you suddenly a gentleman now? Mendeleev felt he couldn't wrap his head around it.

...

At the entrance, Mendeleev left. He seemed to have a bellyful of words he wanted to say, but the other party hadn't given him a chance! In the end, he was helped into the car by the woman in red. Before leaving, he glanced at Zhang Yang, a myriad of emotions welling up.

Once in the car, he suddenly felt ridiculous. The whole thing was absurd—a famous painter drinking with a random stranger he had just met... He only knew the guy was the boss of a small company, and he hadn't even asked what kind of company it was... Who would believe this?

The bodyguards looked around vigilantly and got into the van nearby. Zhang Yang waved at Mendeleev’s departing car. Once it was out of sight, he patted his pocket under the streetlight, grinning brilliantly. He sat in a taxi that seemed to have been waiting for him and vanished into the vast night.

Shen Yi and Liu Ruohan had stood silently in the distance for a long time, eventually choosing not to approach. What they had witnessed today was simply too bizarre. Their original plan to headhunt the guy had died on their lips; they didn't know how to start the conversation.

Liu Ruohan searched online for Mozart’s "Requiem," Tchaikovsky’s "Pathétique Symphony," and Beethoven’s "Symphony No. 5, Fate"... but found no trace of these people or their works. Was this guy just bluffing? And he bluffed so convincingly! She shook her head, speechless. Of course... she had no idea that in the coming years, these things...

Well, that was in the distant future.

...

Four hours until the release of the game "Crazy Slapping Alpacas"!

Mendeleev could not sleep all night. Anyone in art can easily fall into a dead end. Zhang Yang’s words had been a revelation, a sudden awakening that left him feeling incredibly ashamed. An ordinary boss could see the world more clearly than he could... How could I...

In the morning, Mendeleev climbed out of bed, his body tired but his spirit bright. A thought struck him. He rushed to the bathroom and looked at his reflection. The more he looked, the more disgusted he felt! He clenched his fists!

"Degenerate painter!"

He went to his studio and painted a satirical piece based on his own image! In the painting, the artist lay sleeping atop a mountain of money and fame, surrounded by pot-bellied capitalists. On the other side, a young man was frantically trying to wake him up!

After finishing, he felt the complex emotions deep within him had finally been swept away. The morning sun shone into the studio. Facing the dawn, he felt reborn. He felt a strange, lingering gratitude toward that young man...

But just then, his phone rang. After the call, his expression was blank. Then, his agent walked in with a stack of documents.

One was a headline in the art world: he had destroyed his own painting on the spot, causing a huge sensation! The other was a headline from a forum.

The news read:

"Interview with Mr. Zhang Yang, Chairman of Universe Technology!"

"Zhang Yang: A friendship between gentlemen is as pure as water. Every one of our games is art!"

"Last night, I had a deep conversation with Mr. Mendeleev about our game art, from primitive human games to future tech games. Mr. Mendeleev was deeply moved, feeling inspiration bursting forth. He drank several large cups on the spot, and in a moment of excitement, took up his pen to add the finishing touch to our Universe Technology logo, designed a Universe logo for us, and encouraged our company to keep striving!"

"Surely, everyone has heard that Mr. Mendeleev destroyed his own paintings at the exhibition!"

"Many think Mr. Mendeleev is crazy!"

"However, I believe he is not only not crazy, but his understanding of art has advanced a step further!"

"He is breaking the shackles and reaching the peak once more!"

"Our logo is Mr. Mendeleev’s work of rebirth, symbolizing his abandonment of the secular and his return to the highest hall of art! In the future, it will surely be a representative work of an era. I assert that it will drift through the long river of art history, a point no one can bypass..."

"We do not produce art; we are merely the porters of human art..."

"Below, I will analyze the state of mind of Mr. Mendeleev when he created this work. This 'Universe Technology' painting incorporates many of Mr. Mendeleev’s philosophies..."

"..."

After reading it... Mendeleev trembled all over! In an instant, he felt his blood pressure spike! How was this guy even better at bragging than those detestable capitalists!