Chapter 26: 026 part 1
Yan You, who had emerged from his state of immersive painting, put down his brush and rotated his wrist to relieve the soreness.
Yan You looked at his completed painting—a tiny green sprout breaking through the soil amidst a desolate wasteland, becoming the only bright spot on the entire canvas.
Yan You didn’t know if such a painting would be liked by everyone, or if it fit the theme of ‘hope.’
But for him, seeing the small eco-zone in the [Zhuying Anxiang] shop, and having his inspiration surge again after it had withered, this vitality born from plants was his hope.
Yan You’s gaze was soft. “You’re so cute. I’ll call you ‘Sprout.'”
Yan You named the painting on the back and signed his name.
The two characters of his name, ‘Yan You,’ in decorative script, looked a bit like small butterflies—soft and beautiful.
[Waa… he’s so gentle!]
[To be able to paint like this, Yan You must have a very soft heart!]
[Yan You feels like a completely different person when he’s painting compared to his usual self, so charming…]
[How did I only discover such a beautiful artist now? I deserve to die!]
[Usually he’s a cold, introverted little beauty, but once he picks up a brush he becomes a cold, elite boss. That really hits my spot!]
…
Yan You couldn’t see the bullet comments. He could only see a floating camera flying around, filming him from different angles.
At this, he felt somewhat uncomfortable. His eyes darted around, and the tips of his ears turned red.
[He’s flustered! He’s flustered! He’s flustered!]
[So cute!]
[You paint so well, why are you so introverted? You should be more confident!]
…
Yan You didn’t know that the bullet comments in his room were currently so thick they covered the entire screen.
He didn’t think many people were watching him paint. After all, he wasn’t as famous as Yan Han—no, he should say, he was just a “nobody” in the world of painting.
Taking on the challenge today, Yan You hadn’t necessarily thought about winning. He just wanted to prove to others that as Bai Luo’s student, he wasn’t worse than anyone else.
“I hope you can like my painting…” Seeing that there was still a bit of time, Yan You plucked up the courage to speak to the camera, trying his best to liven up the audience like other streamers.
“The inspiration for this painting comes from an online shop called [Zhuying Anxiang]. There’s a small eco-zone at the shop entrance. As soon as I stepped into the shop, I was attracted by the plants in the eco-zone. They are very beautiful, and in my eyes, they are art.”
As Yan You spoke, he became more relaxed and natural.
He was very calm, his speaking speed neither fast nor slow, making it very comfortable to listen to.
“Actually, I haven’t painted much over these past few years because I had no inspiration. I also doubted if I was suited to be a painter and thought about changing professions.”
“But, returning to my heart, I ultimately still love painting.”
“If I lose today, it’s because my skills were inferior. Teacher Bai Luo is very good to me; please don’t say bad things about my teacher.”
In contrast to Yan You’s sincere expression, Yan Han, after completing his painting, had entered “business mode.”
“Do you like my painting? If you do, please send some small free gifts!”
“As long as I win today’s match, I’ll be able to fulfill a dream I’ve had for a long time. Will you all give me a hand?”
“This painting is titled ‘Dawn.’ I think I painted much better than in previous months, what do you think?”
…
In the final five minutes, both Yan Han and Yan You’s livestream heat and gift status were hidden, so none of the viewers knew who had the higher heat.
Although Yan Han’s livestream room had been miles ahead at the start, toward the middle and end, Yan You’s room heat had suddenly surged.
[Yan Han is indeed good, but I think Yan You moves me more!]
[Should I say it’s as expected of Bai Luo’s disciple? Even without much fame, the painting is truly fantastic!]
[When I was watching Yan Han paint, I was just looking at his face, but when I was watching Yan You paint, I couldn’t move my eyes from the canvas.]
[Yan You’s painting gave me goosebumps. He’s truly strong.]
…
As the countdown approached, most of the people in the interstellar who followed the art world or the entertainment section were quietly waiting for the final result to be announced.
Would it be Yan Han, lauded as the number one young artist of today, who won, or would it be Yan You, who was unknown but came from a prestigious master?
Countdown 5… 4… 1.
The answer was revealed.
Yan Han’s livestream heat: 15.2 million Gift-converted heat: 3.11 million
Yan You’s livestream heat: 19.94 million Gift-converted heat: 0.92 million
In the comprehensive total, Yan You had beaten Yan Han!
“Congratulations to Yan Han for gaining nearly 20 million heat in attention!”
“Congratulations to Yan You. His comprehensive heat has exceeded 20 million, coming out slightly ahead.”
“A big thank you to all the viewers who participated in the livestream. All proceeds from the livestream will be donated to welfare institutions.”
“In addition, the paintings by the two artists will be auctioned tomorrow at the Xinggou APP’s holographic auction house. Everyone is welcome to attend.”
The host’s high-spirited voice came from the livestream equipment. Both the people watching and the two artists heard the result.
Yan Han, who had already prepared to welcome his victory, had his smile frozen on his face.
What…
He actually lost?
Lost to the Yan You he looked down upon?!
And Yan You also covered his mouth in disbelief, his light brown pupils trembling slightly.
Had he heard correctly?
He… won?
The dark clouds hanging over Yan You were swept away by a breeze.
Warm sunlight fell, pouring onto the desolate and barren soil, wrapping the earth in a layer of warm light.
A green plant broke through the soil. The beautiful new green intertwined with the golden sunlight, giving the world a new life.
He had actually done it.
Yan You showed a smile and bowed to the camera.
His heart was anything but calm. He had many things he wanted to say and many emotions he wanted to express.
But in the end, a thousand words were condensed into a single sentence of gratitude: “Thank you all for your love. I will continue to work hard.”
The art section of the largest interstellar forum was flooded with the name ‘Yan You’ because the unknown man had beaten Yan Han. Various posts were popping up one after another.
[An artistic analysis of why Yan You was able to beat Yan Han.]
[An analysis of Yan Han and Yan You’s two completely different painting styles.]
[Speculating on why Master Bai Luo took Yan You as a disciple but not Yan Han.]
…
At the same time, the online shop [Zhuying Anxiang] was also being widely discussed among artists.
That afternoon, those who frequented the art section soon learned that there was a shop called [Zhuying Anxiang] that sold natural plants.
The freesias in the shop were “holy grails” for chasing love, and other plants were said to have the effect of stimulating creative inspiration.
Following the clues, they found the [Zhuying Anxiang] shop in Central District 19.
They didn’t expect much, but what they saw shocked them.
On the streets of Central District 19, which should have been very quiet, there were currently groups of people—some sitting by the roadside waiting, some browsing the high-end luxury shops out of curiosity, and some holding specialty drinks and coffee, their brows furrowed.
The artists were all puzzled.
When did District 19 become so lively?
Was there an end-of-year sale?
That wasn’t right… how could shops selling high-end luxury goods have an end-of-year sale?
Although the artists were curious about the reason for the sudden increase in people in District 19, they didn’t probe too deeply.
They had come to District 19 today for a specific purpose—to get a glimpse of the truth behind [Zhuying Anxiang].
Could the [Zhuying Anxiang] that was described as legendary on the forums really stimulate creative inspiration?
However… they came with high spirits and returned dejected.
This [Zhuying Anxiang] shop was actually closed because the goods were sold out.
They couldn’t even enter.
This, this, this… was simply too much!
You, a new shop that just arrived in District 19, instead of working hard to list new products and expand your reputation, you’re pulling that ‘closing after selling everything’ routine.
You’re learning all the bad habits instead of the good ones.
This is truly disappointing.
“Oh, Zhuang Jiqiu, long time no see. You have time to go shopping today?”
A shop owner selling custom jewelry in District 19 greeted him.
Zhuang Jiqiu, who was one of the artists who came to check out the shop, responded listlessly.
“Yeah…”
“Yan You said he got inspiration from [Zhuying Anxiang], so I came to see what it was all about. Who knew it would be closed.”
The jewelry shop owner was quite surprised. “Even you came for [Zhuying Anxiang]?”
Zhuang Jiqiu: “Even?”
Zhuang Jiqiu suddenly had a bad premonition.
The shop owner said, “Look at all these extra people on the street—they all came for [Zhuying Anxiang], making our District 19 suddenly lively. I have many friends who are also curious and asked me to check out [Zhuying Anxiang] for them.”
“[Zhuying Anxiang] is quite something. The shop owner clearly said they would list new items at 3:00 PM, but this group of people has been waiting since midnight just to wait for the shop to open and then fight for speed to grab things.”
“It’s been quite an eye-opener for me too.”
Hearing this, Zhuang Jiqiu fell silent, his heart filled with astonishment.
What had he heard?
District 19 had become so lively all because of [Zhuying Anxiang]?
Zhuang Jiqiu was surprised. “You mean all those people on the street came for [Zhuying Anxiang]?”
The jewelry shop owner nodded and gave Zhuang Jiqiu a rundown of how the freesias sold by [Zhuying Anxiang] had become best-sellers in the forum’s emotional section.
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