Chapter Three: The Master Ahead Emerges
Seeing that a casual painting of his could trigger such a dramatic chain reaction, even someone as even-tempered as Yang Xiaofan couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
After all, it came from his own hand!
Beside him, Gu Hao was still chattering away, excitement barely contained.
“Old Yang, right now there are bounties all over the campus. As long as you find that painting master, the reward starts at fifty thousand! If we two brothers manage to dig him out and claim those fifty thousand, maybe we can use it to treat your brain. Who knows, you might really get better.”
Yang Xiaofan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Having a loyal friend like Gu Hao was a stroke of luck, but being constantly thought of as brain-damaged was still exasperating.
Clearing his throat, Yang Xiaofan composed his face and said seriously:
“Fatty, actually... that master of Chinese painting is me!”
“???”
Gu Hao frowned, studying Yang Xiaofan.
Faced with his gaze, Yang Xiaofan was speechless.
“I’m telling the truth. You have to believe me.”
“Alright... I believe you. How about this, I’ll go out and look for clues. You stay here in the dorm and don’t wander around.”
With that, Gu Hao hurriedly got up and left the dormitory.
Moments later, Yang Xiaofan heard Gu Hao’s anxious voice echoing in the corridor.
“Hello, Dr. Li? Didn’t you say my buddy’s brain wouldn’t deteriorate any further? Why do I feel like he’s getting worse? Are you sure you don’t want to prescribe him something to clear his mind?”
“...”
Yang Xiaofan was left utterly speechless.
But this did alert him.
Ordinary people would never understand such things. Right now, he couldn’t afford to reveal the strange changes happening to himself to the world.
Otherwise, if someone captured him and used him as a lab rat, he’d have nowhere to even cry.
After thinking things through, Yang Xiaofan registered a new forum account and a new WeChat ID, then posted a message:
“I am the artist who painted on the campus wall. I am now sincerely offering various fine paintings for sale and can take commissions. If interested, add my WeChat: 5421.”
No sooner had he posted it than replies began pouring in.
There was no helping it—right now, the campus was abuzz with talk of the artist; posts about him were everywhere.
But when Yang Xiaofan opened the replies, his face darkened instantly.
“Damn scammer, riding the hype, aren’t you?”
“If you really were an artist of that caliber, would you need to sell your paintings on the forum?”
“Everyone, let’s report his post and get the mods to ban him.”
A flood of mocking and abusive replies left Yang Xiaofan fuming.
“Fine, just wait until I finish a painting. We’ll see what you say then.”
With that, he angrily shut his laptop, left the dorm, and went out to buy art supplies.
Meanwhile, the principal’s office was already in utter chaos.
The phone rang incessantly, leaving the principal with a splitting headache.
He finally unplugged the phone line and turned off his mobile, but before he could so much as catch his breath, the secretary had already clicked in on her high heels.
“Principal, just now the president of Yu Group called, hoping to meet the artist and asking for your help in arranging it.”
The principal snapped irritably:
“Arrange what? If I knew who he was, would I need to arrange anything? At this rate, the big shots calling about the artist could circle my office dozens of times! President Chen from the city art association, the master Zhang of Chinese painting—aren’t their statuses higher than his?”
“What about security? Did the surveillance catch anything?”
“Security is at their wits’ end too. This morning, when the guards spotted the artist, he bolted. He ran so fast they couldn’t catch up. And he seems to know our campus very well, managed to avoid every camera, so there’s no trace in the surveillance footage.”
“Then keep looking! He’s a person, not a ghost—he can’t just vanish into thin air! You must find him, or I might not keep my position.”
“Yes, sir!”
As for Yang Xiaofan, after leaving the dorm, he headed straight to a nearby art supply store.
Next to the university town, art supplies were easy to find; plenty of self-styled artistic types liked to cultivate little hobbies and a sense of flair.
“Boss, how much is the cheapest set of basic Chinese painting tools?”
The shopkeeper, a balding man in his fifties with a shrewd smile that betrayed years of fleecing customers, replied,
“Not expensive, just over a thousand.”
“What? Over a thousand for a basic set? Why not just rob me?”
Yang Xiaofan was taken aback.
His monthly food budget was only twelve hundred; to spend over a thousand on even the cheapest supplies was shocking.
“You think that’s expensive? The good sets cost tens of thousands!”
Yang Xiaofan couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—the arts truly demanded sacrifice.
But if he wanted to make money, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and pay.
“Alright, give me a set. Any discounts?”
“Ninety-five percent off for students. Seeing as you’re just starting on the path of art, I’ll take a hundred off for you, make it fourteen hundred.”
“Fourteen hundred? Damn, I’m a bit short. Can I buy on credit?”
The balding shopkeeper’s smile vanished, and he immediately turned and walked back inside.
“No credit here!”
Yang Xiaofan nearly coughed up blood in frustration.
He only got a little over a thousand a month to live on and still had to eat.
The ten thousand yuan Gu Hao had given him earlier had already been spent on top-ups. Besides, that was money from classmates—once he earned some, he’d have to pay them back.
If he bought art supplies now and couldn’t sell any paintings in the short term, he’d be eating nothing but steamed buns for days.
Just as he was fretting, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a graceful figure that instantly brightened his eyes.
Without another word, he hurried over.
“Class Rep, what brings you here?”
“Yang Xiaofan?”
The person he saw was none other than the class monitor, Qin Nuanyu.
At that moment, she was standing before an automatic claw machine, staring intently at the toys inside. When she saw Yang Xiaofan, she, too, was a little surprised.
“What are you doing here?”
“Uh... I came to buy something, but I’m a bit short on cash. I wanted to ask if you could lend me some. I’ll pay you back in a few days.”
Qin Nuanyu frowned slightly.
“If I remember correctly, didn’t the class just donate ten thousand to you today? You’re out of money already?”
Yang Xiaofan scratched his nose awkwardly.
“A little trouble came up, and I spent it. Don’t worry, though, once I have some money, I’ll definitely pay everyone back.”
Qin Nuanyu nodded.
“As long as you remember. How much do you need?”
“Not much, just a thousand.”
“Alright.”
Without another word, Qin Nuanyu transferred a thousand yuan to him.