Chapter 64: Can't Keep Up the Act Anymore?

Very few people can distinguish these two rare colors and name them correctly; that is something only those well-versed in art would know.

To me, however, these two hues were simply mixed at random. Because time and pigments were both limited, this was the only color combination I could come up with.

Su Ran smiled and said, "The painting is perhaps a bit hasty. What I wanted to express is a sense of artistic conception, something that can pull us right back to the moment this photo was taken."

Upon hearing my explanation and taking a fresh look at the painting, Zhao Fangting’s slightly furrowed brow and raised shoulders relaxed considerably.

"Well, now that you put it out, that really is the case. This color combination hits you right in the heart."

With that, she turned her head to look at me and asked curiously, "Who did you get to paint this? This person is no ordinary individual."

Chu Haoran let out a cold snort and said, "Mom, I think he's just making up a forced explanation."

At this moment, Chu Mingyuan spoke up, "I saw him sketching in the office this afternoon. Although it was just a hand-drawn draft, it's not something an ordinary person could possibly draw by hand."

As soon as Chu Mingyuan said this, Chu Haoran retorted again, "Dad, is it possible that he also had someone else draw it, and then deliberately left it in his office to make us think he did it?"

I really had to hand it to this troublemaker Chu Haoran; why did he have to target me at every turn?

I hadn't refuted him all this time—did he really think I was just a coward?

I immediately let out a cold laugh, "Then Brother Ran, what would it take for you to believe that I painted it?"

Chu Haoran cast a cold glance at me and said, "That's easy. Paint a picture right here in front of all of us right now! Paint whatever you want."

This was precisely the sentence I was waiting for. You won't be satisfied until I slap you across the face, is that it?

I nodded without hesitation, "Fine! Bring me the brushes."

Zhao Fangting immediately instructed the maid beside her, "Sister Cai, go up to my studio on the upper floor. There's a small brown leather case inside. Please bring it down for me."

Yet even though I agreed so readily, Chu Haoran’s expression clearly remained one of utter disbelief.

Even Chu Meng瑶 stood with her arms crossed over her chest, wearing the look of a spectator waiting for a good show.

Before long, the maid brought down Zhao Fangting’s small leather case.

Zhao Fangting cherished the items inside that case dearly; even the container holding these paints and brushes was a Louis Vuitton piece.

She opened the case herself, revealing a complete array of various pigments and brushes.

In all my years, I had never seen such a comprehensive collection of paints and brushes. If one were to dedicate themselves to creation here, they surely would have become a master of some sort by now!

Zhao Fangting pointed at the painting tools inside the leather case and looked up at me, asking, "See if anything is missing."

I quickly shook my head, leaned in for a closer look, and was genuinely startled.

I hadn't looked closely before, but now I noticed that these brushes appeared to be made of mink hair, with even the most ordinary ones being badger hair brushes.

To put it without exaggeration, just these paintbrushes alone were probably enough to buy a villa in Qingcheng.

My eyes dazzled at the sight, and I hesitated for a long time without reaching for a brush.

At that moment, Chu Haoran sneered again and said, "What? Are you going to start, or are you just running out of pretense?"

I glanced back at him, thinking to myself why Chu Haoran had to be so irritating.

Sigh, it was probably because the lingering resentment between these two brothers ran too deep, resulting in me being targeted at every turn.

In the end, I chose the most ordinary brush in the set—a round brush.

This kind of brush was one of the oldest types of oil painting brushes, quite similar to a traditional writing brush, though available in various sizes.

The reason I chose this brush was because I had glanced at the other brushes in the case and realized they were way beyond my league, plus cleaning them would have been quite a hassle.

Seeing this, Zhao Fangting immediately said, "This brush is already worn out; I was just about to throw it away. Choose another one."

"It's fine, Mom, this will do."

Zhao Fangting looked slightly surprised, but said no more.

However, Chu Haoran seized the opportunity to throw in another remark, "You don't even know how to pick a brush. Go ahead and paint, I really want to see what kind of garbage you can churn out."

Even Zhao Fangting began to suspect I was bluffing; if I truly knew how to paint, I wouldn't have chosen that particular brush.

When dealing with something I excelled at, I was in no rush.

I calmly and unhurriedly unfolded the canvas, then pondered what to paint.

There were no reference objects around—was I just supposed to paint blindly like this?

Not that it wasn't possible, but what could one even paint by drawing blindly?

As I hesitated, Chu Haoran spoke up again, "Go on and paint! We've been waiting for two minutes. What's the point of this?"

"Will you stop making noise!" I could no longer hold back, turning around to snap at him.

"Fine, fine, fine, I won't speak anymore. If you really have the skill, then paint. If you actually paint something that satisfies all of us, I'll let you do whatever you want."

I ignored him further and continued thinking about what to create.

Suddenly.

I raised my head and saw a traditional ink-wash landscape painting hanging on the wall. It was also an oil painting, remarkably vivid and possessing a strong visual impact—truly a fine piece of work.

I'll paint that one!

No sooner said than done, I began mixing the colors. I didn't intend to make an ink-wash painting as well.

Since the painting on the wall was already extremely difficult to surpass, trying to replicate it as an ink-wash painting would be meaningless.

I wanted to add color to this painting—colors as I understood them.

During the color-mixing process, everyone stared at me with intense concentration, and even the maid nearby leaned in to watch the excitement.

Among those present, probably only Zhao Fangting could truly understand.

A few minutes later, I had mixed the colors I would need.

With so many pigments at hand, what tone couldn't be mixed?

Immediately afterward, I picked up the paintbrush and began executing bold, sweeping strokes across the canvas.

Novices painting in oils usually start with a sketch and then fill it in with brushes.

But I didn't need a sketch; I painted directly.

The brush danced in my hand, my flexible wrist twisting continuously as I painted with a serious, utterly focused expression.

Just as I started, Chu Haoran began to mock from the side, "What on earth are you painting? A complete mess of random strokes—I could do that too!"

"Great, once I'm finished, it'll be your turn." I replied coolly while continuing to paint.

Both Chu Mingyuan and Chu Chengyao wore expressions of utter disdain, and Chu Mingyuan opened his mouth several times as if to speak, but stopped himself.

Only Zhao Fangting asked with a calm expression, "Are you painting that picture on the wall?"

"Yes, I really didn't know what else to paint, and I thought the one on the wall was quite nice."

"Good, carry on." Zhao Fangting smiled with satisfaction.

Chu Haoran looked up at the painting on the wall and sneered, "Are you kidding me? The painting on the wall is an ink-wash landscape, and what on earth is this thing you're making?"

"Forget about seeing any trace of a landscape; do you even understand ink wash? Why on earth is there color in yours?"

I looked at the agitated Chu Haoran and smiled, "Brother Ran, don't rush. Wait until I'm finished painting before you judge."

Chu Haoran let out a cold scoff and said no more.

Painting a good oil painting is actually no easy feat; some works even require several months of slow polishing.

That was precisely why I decided to imitate the painting on the wall.

I didn't have the time right then to invent a subject from scratch; using a ready-made piece as reference and adding my own creative interpretation would suffice, wouldn't it?

Even so, executing it well was no easy task.

The difficulty of landscape painting lies in its rhythmic vitality and artistic conception, while composition and layout are actually secondary; the core challenge is one's understanding of the beauty of nature.

Although I didn't know who the author of the wall painting was, I could tell it was undoubtedly the work of a master, and it must have been painted on-site from direct observation.

Only in that way could such an evocative mood be captured.

As I painted a secondary creation based on this piece, it was clear that no matter what, I wouldn't be able to recreate that exact ethereal beauty.

I could only pour my efforts into the color palette, which happened to be my strong suit.

Everyone was watching me with undivided attention.

Some were waiting for a good show, some were waiting for me to make a fool of myself, and some were watching with hopeful anticipation...