After the True Heiress Travels Back
Chapter 572: Sun Yijian Has Already Seen the Gift

Chapter 572: Chapter 572: Sun Yijian Has Already Seen the Gift

Facing Shi Yaoguang’s curious gaze, Zhou Minran felt an urge to dig a hole and bury himself in it.

He had used the label of "performer" to belittle Shi Yaoguang, simply to prevent her from getting too inflated. He wanted her to understand that a performer was nothing more than an object for others’ amusement and that she was merely superficially glamorous.

However, Shi Yaoguang’s words had dragged painters into the argument as well.

Both being of the lower echelons, who was more noble than the other?

Zhou Minran truly couldn’t find words to argue with her, and his face began to look awkward right away, "Don’t think that by sophistry you can change the fact that you’re a performer!"

Shi Yaoguang questioned, "Sophistry? I’m not."

"You..." Zhou Minran was at a loss for words, as she seemed to indeed have not resorted to sophistry.

Everything was a matter of his own lack of skill.

He had called Shi Yaoguang a performer to attack her but had forgotten that Shi Yaoguang could similarly use ancient statuses to criticize him.

Just as he was racking his brains for a comeback, he caught a glimpse of a dignified elderly man out of the corner of his eye.

Seeing him, Zhou Minran lost the interest in snapping back at Shi Yaoguang and promptly walked quickly towards the elder.

"Grandpa!" Zhou Minran called out, and the elder nodded to him without stopping and continued walking forward.

Zhou Minran looked puzzled at the elder’s actions, "Grandpa, where are you going?"

The elder said, "The young friend I’ve told you about has arrived, come with me to meet them."

At these words, a sparkle appeared in Zhou Minran’s eyes, "Where is she?"

The elder pointed in a direction.

Zhou Minran was astonished, "Are you talking about Shi Yiqing?"

The elder shook his head while expressing confusion, "Shi Yiqing? Who’s that?"

"I have seen Shi Yiqing’s paintings, her lavender piece was truly lifelike, I have never seen a painting with more ’Spiritual Energy’ than hers..."

The elder listened to him and slowed his pace slightly, "The Shi Yiqing you’re talking about, wouldn’t happen to be Shi Ruhong’s daughter?"

Zhou Minran nodded, "Yes, that’s her!"

As he spoke, he still wondered, "Grandpa, you’re not talking about her?"

The elder shook his head, "I am not talking about her, but a young friend named Shi Yaoguang."

"Shi... Shi Yaoguang?" Zhou Minran’s face was full of astonishment.

Most of all, it was disbelief, and he couldn’t quite accept it.

"How could it be her?"

Hearing Zhou Minran’s astonished voice, the elder counter-questioned, "Why couldn’t it be her?"

As they spoke, they had already arrived in front of Shi Yaoguang.

Upon seeing Shi Yaoguang, the elder approached her with a beaming smile, "Yaoguang, my young friend!"

Shi Yaoguang smiled and nodded at him, "Chairman Zhou."

The elder, named Zhou Danqing, was the chairman of the Calligraphy and Painting Association.

He was also one of the organizers behind the exhibition, and the invitation to Shi Yaoguang came from him.

"Yaoguang, my young friend, how come you haven’t gone in yet?"

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Shi Yiqing, "You must be Shi Ruhong’s daughter, right? I’ve heard long ago that you are a young prodigy. Indeed, looking at you now, you really stand out from the ordinary."

Despite the words, anyone with discerning eyes could see that, compared to the intimate way Zhou Danqing spoke to Shi Yaoguang, his praise for Shi Yiqing was clearly just a mutual business flattery.

After all...

Zhou Danqing hadn’t even seen Shi Yiqing’s paintings up until now, calling her a young prodigy was just lip service.

He didn’t really take it to heart.

The person in charge, on seeing Zhou Danqing, was relieved, thinking that the matter they had asked Zhou Minran for help with was settled.

But as it turned out, Zhou Danqing and Shi Yaoguang obviously had a good private relationship.

The person in charge naturally wouldn’t have such a huge ego to think himself more important than Shi Yaoguang.

For a moment, his heart felt cold and chilly.

Fortunately, he hadn’t trusted the wrong person.

Zhou Minran obviously still remembered the task he was entrusted with and, after his surprise, said to Zhou Danqing, "Grandfather, no matter how you know Shi Yaoguang, I just hope you haven’t been deceived by her!"

"Hmm?"

Zhou Danqing’s face became stern, and his tone carried a hint of displeasure, "What do you mean?"

Zhou Minran immediately recounted the events that had just transpired to Zhou Danqing.

Of course, he relayed the version the person in charge had told him.

In passing, he also criticized Shi Yaoguang’s painting skills, "Grandfather, I’ve already seen her painting. It’s just a sunflower painting that hardly looks better than a child’s doodling. To call it doodling is already giving her face."

When Zhou Minran spoke of this, his face was unsightly and filled with contempt.

Zhou Danqing so wished he could discipline the brat himself, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

"I didn’t say anything wrong," Zhou Minran retorted, feeling aggrieved, "I’m telling the truth."

Zhou Danqing naturally didn’t believe it. The first time he noted Shi Yaoguang was because of her sensational blackboard newspaper in her second year of high school.

Even if it was just a blackboard newspaper, it was sufficiently astonishing.

Knowing her level of artistic skill, Zhou Danqing couldn’t wait to approach her when he was organizing the art exhibition.

Initially, he was worried Shi Yaoguang might not agree, but fortunately, she eventually accepted.

It didn’t stop there; she said she had also prepared a gift as a surprise for him.

Zhou Danqing had reached an age of accomplishments and a family full of children and grandchildren.

If there was anything he was fond of, his most obvious and sole passion was his love for paintings.

Regardless of the subject, he liked every painting.

The gift from Shi Yaoguang was likely to be related to this.

Though Shi Yaoguang was young, her foundational skills in painting were undeniable.

Her techniques were refined yet not overly flashy, whether it was the use of color or the deeper meaning conveyed within her paintings, which could be described as rich with emotion.

The piece Shi Yaoguang had used for the exhibition was the first he saw.

A painting named "Rural Dwelling," upon a single glance, transported one into the scene.

That feeling was only understood by those who had experienced it personally.

In comparison to this, whatever Zhou Minran said about lifelike painting was something Zhou Danqing wouldn’t take to heart.

The logic was simple.

After having tasted exotic delicacies, who would be amazed by plain vegetables and steamed buns?

Zhou Minran, however, was not privy to his thoughts.

He had never seen Shi Yaoguang’s "Rural Dwelling," and in his eyes, the most astonishing work in the exhibition was the lavender painting by Shi Yiqing.

Seeing that Zhou Danqing was not taking Shi Yiqing seriously, he couldn’t help but speak up for her, "Grandfather, believe what I say."

"Shi Yiqing’s painting is really lifelike; if you don’t believe me, we can wait until her exhibition is out, and we can go see it together."

Zhou Danqing had the same intention, "Since you’ve said so, let’s do as you suggest."

After speaking, he then inquired of Shi Yaoguang, "Yaoguang, the gift you said you had for me..."

As he asked, he felt somewhat embarrassed.

Here he was at his age, actually asking for a gift.

But he was really curious and wanted to know what Shi Yaoguang had prepared for him.

So he had to set aside his pride and ask her.

Shi Yaoguang glanced at Zhou Minran before replying, "Your gift has been taken backstage by a staff member, and moreover... your grandson has already seen it."