I started by signing in to a billionaire sister

Chapter 318 A Not-So-Great Artist
The auction officially begins.

The host walked onto the stage, and after some warm-up remarks, unveiled the red cloth, revealing the items to be auctioned.

The first item up for auction was a landscape painting. As soon as the artist's name was announced, there was a burst of applause, and the bidding began.

It's hard to tell whether these people came for the painting or for the artist.

From Chen Wei's perspective alone, this painting is really not very good; the level of skill is quite poor.

However, judging from the cheers from the audience and the fact that some people in the VIP seats on the second floor had already grabbed their bidding paddles and were preparing to compete, this seemed to be a master with considerable influence.

In the previous life, let alone being auctioned in a place like this, it would probably be difficult to even make a living.

It's no exaggeration to say that even if Chen Wei didn't have the ability to sign up for paintings, his skill was enough to crush that painter.

When he was bored from practicing calligraphy, he would also paint ink paintings to cultivate his mind and even won a major award.

If Chen Wei remembers correctly, the eagle painting that he is most proud of was once offered 650,000 yuan by a boss.

Chen Wei refused and gave the painting to his mentor instead.

"I don't understand."

"What?" Upon hearing Su Qingyue's voice, Chen Wei ended his recollection and asked.

"This painting is clearly not that great, yet they've already asked for over three million..." Su Qingyue didn't know the painter Liu Wenshan and had little experience in this field, so she spoke very directly without any reservations.

"There's a lot of hype involved in painting. Artists have backers who can easily sell their work for exorbitant prices," Chen Wei explained.

A company once approached Chen Wei with the intention of promoting him, but he resolutely refused and relied on his own abilities to make a name for himself.

Fame created through hype is ultimately illusory; it can only enjoy brief periods of glory before quickly fading into obscurity.

Su Qingyue didn't care what others thought. In any case, she would never spend money to buy such a tattered painting to bring home. She felt it was an eyesore to have it in her home.

"To be honest, that painter's skill level is far inferior to yours, Xiaowei," Su Qingyue said sincerely, looking at the floral pattern on the cheongsam.

This was sewn by Chen Wei with needle and thread, and the difficulty of making it was much higher than that of using ink and brush.

Su Qingyue stared at Chen Wei, suddenly curious about what would happen if the needle and thread in his hand were replaced with an ink brush, and the cheongsam with drawing paper.
Boom boom boom!
Just as Su Qingyue was about to ask Chen Wei if he had any expertise in ink painting, there was a knock on the door.

If it were a waiter, they should have knocked and then come in directly, which means that the person who came was not from the auction house.

"Come in," Chen Wei replied.

As he had guessed, the two men pushed open the door and walked in. Judging from their clothes, they were definitely not auction house staff.

After a careful comparison, Chen Wei remembered that these were people in the VIP section next door.

There was an old man and a young man; the old man was in his forties or fifties, and the young man looked a little older than Chen Wei.

"Who are you?" Chen Wei asked.

I don't have any impression of this person in my mind, and judging from the expression on Su Qingyue's face, that should be the case as well.

"My surname is Liu, and my given name is Wenshan." As he spoke, Liu Wenshan looked at Su Qingyue and continued, "I am the painter that this young lady just mentioned, the one whose work is not very good."

It turns out they came looking for trouble after hearing what Su Qingyue said.

Chen Wei suddenly realized.

"Oh, so?" But we'll have to ask to find out their real purpose for coming here.

"I heard from this young lady that you seem to be able to paint as well, so I'd like to see for myself." A hint of hostility could be detected in Liu Wenshan's words.

“You are quite good at it, but I don’t have an obligation to prove it to you, do I?” Chen Wei asked. “Artists have their own dignity. To be honest, I was very unhappy when I heard this lady say that I am not as good as you, so I came here to ask for your opinion.”

“People are free, and you certainly have no obligation to prove anything to me. However, if you bring out your work and it is truly better than mine, I will pay a hundred times the price to buy it, how about that?” The reason why Liu Wenshan dared to offer a hundred times the price was simple: confidence.

Chen Wei's hands are so delicate and smooth, how could he possibly be a painter?

Not to mention surpassing myself, I'm afraid I can't even compare to those newcomers who have been in the industry for a few months.

"A hundred times? Are you serious?" Chen Wei asked to confirm.

“I’ve been in this industry for decades, and I have assets worth hundreds of millions, so don’t worry,” Liu Wenshan reminded him. “But the premise is that you have to be better than me.”

So Chen Wei asked the waiter to get him some pen, ink, and paper, and also notified Li Laigeng to act as a notary, so that the old man wouldn't go back on his word later.

After hearing about the bet between Chen Wei and Liu Wenshan, Li Laigeng, as a friend, originally wanted to persuade Liu Wenshan to give it up.

Winning or losing is unpleasant, and in the end, there's no opportunity to speak up.

On the other hand, Chen Wei had already picked up a pen and started wielding it with great skill, and his posture actually looked quite professional.

At first, Liu Wenshan thought Chen Wei was just showing off his moves, but the more he watched, the uglier his expression became.

Chen Wei's landscape paintings are so lifelike that it's as if what's displayed before everyone is not a painting, but real mountains and rivers, and beautiful scenery.

Moreover, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that this painting shares the same concept as the work by Liu Wenshan that was auctioned.

Chen Wei simply took Liu Wenshan's painting, added a few strokes, and repainted it.

But the difference is so obvious that even a novice can see who drew better, let alone an expert.

Liu Wenshan clenched his fists, his face extremely bitter.

"Four million once, four million twice, four million... three times!"

boom!
"Congratulations to Mr. Zhang on winning this painting." The announcer's gavel fell, announcing the price.

One hundred times four million...

Four hundred million!

Even if Liu Wenshan's entire assets, including his savings and villas, were combined, they probably wouldn't amount to that much.

Now he's backing down and denying his promise. How can he possibly save face as a master of his generation?
Liu Wenshan has truly experienced what it means to be caught in a dilemma.

"I've decided not to sell this painting to you. The bet is void. Any objections?" Chen Wei said.

This kid isn't as bad as I thought; he even knows how to save face.

Liu Wenshan accepted his defeat wholeheartedly, shaking his head slightly and saying, "No objection, no objection."

After he left, Chen Wei asked Li Laigeng, "I'd like to auction this painting as well, is that alright?"

“Of course.” Li Laigeng nodded.

"Okay." Chen Wei wrote down his name and handed it to Li Laigeng.

Li Laigeng took over the conversation and confirmed, "What do you think would be a suitable starting bid for this painting?"

"Four hundred million."

(End of this chapter)