Chapter 70: Old Painter, Accepting Students!
Yan Gui Xing had apologized sincerely and offered to discuss work again; Mu Mu naturally wouldn’t refuse.
But serious discussions needed a formal setting, so they moved from the dining room to the living room. To show importance, they sat opposite each other across the coffee table, as if they needed to start over from where they failed.
Mu Mu didn’t beat around the bush, directly asking, “Gui Gui, do you agree that I can go to work?”
Yan Gui Xing had never imagined that he would be the first to surrender in this cold war. But having surrendered, he shouldn’t use ambiguous language to start another one.
“Yes, I agree.”
Mu Mu jumped up happily, cheering, “Yay! Mu Mu won! Mu Mu can go to work!”
Watching Mu Mu’s joyous expression, Yan Gui Xing felt a heavy stone on his chest.
He thought sourly, if someone unaware saw the little fool so happy, they would think he had imprisoned, abused, and starved him.
In fact, Yan Gui Xing had indeed imprisoned Mu Mu, but he hadn’t deprived him of food or anything else.
Yan Gui Xing glared at Mu Mu with a blend of resentment and affection, raising his right hand and pressing down, signaling Mu Mu to sit down.
Mu Mu, like a pet dog obeying its owner’s command, paused for a second or two before slowly sitting down. But his legs still trembled excitedly.
“I agree that you can go to work. But where you work and what you do, we need to discuss further.”
Mu Mu blinked, his raised lips pursing slightly because he didn’t quite understand. He was like an outdated robot, freezing for a few seconds before restarting.
He looked at Yan Gui Xing blankly, saying, “Ah, but Mu Mu can’t do anything else besides those jobs.”
Seeing that Mu Mu had listened and no longer insisted on his old jobs, Yan Gui Xing smiled, his voice gentle and seductive, coaxing,
“It’s okay, Mu Mu, you have me now. Don’t think about what you’ve done or what you can do before. Think about what you like and want to do.”
Mu Mu thought that Gui Gui’s question was just like what teachers always asked in elementary school: What do you like? What are your aspirations? What job do you want to do when you grow up?
What was his answer back then? Oh, right! He said he liked painting and wanted to be a painter when he grew up.
Mu Mu tried to tell Yan Gui Xing the dream he had never forgotten, buried deep in his memory.
After speaking, he cautiously looked at Yan Gui Xing, nervously twisting his clothes, afraid that Yan Gui Xing would show the same mocking expression as his classmates back then.
“Painting, huh?” Yan Gui Xing nodded thoughtfully. Fearing Mu Mu was being perfunctory, he briefly searched his memory and found evidence of Mu Mu’s love for painting.
In the interstellar era, few people read physical books or used paper and pens. Paper was precious, and books made of paper were antique collectibles.
While Yan Gui Xing’s father was indeed a nobleman, he had grown up on Wu Hui Xing, in an environment even worse than the slums of Capital Star.
After achieving financial independence, the competitive habits he’d developed due to his environment subtly emerged.
Specifically, after becoming a General, he modeled his home after other people’s houses, and he got a custom treatment instrument for Xiao Ting, inspired by other generals’ similar upgrades for their robots.
Other generals’ libraries were like small, carefully curated libraries, filled with a vast collection of books and various types of paper.
Yan Gui Xing didn’t care if he was used to reading antique books or using paper and pens; he simply wanted to own them, all kinds.
So, when Mu Mu first arrived and toured the villa with Xiao Ting, he discovered the library that Yan Gui Xing had only entered once since the house’s construction.
On his first day exploring, he found a book on cartoon drawing, a box of sketchbooks, and a set of antique, collector’s-grade 500-color colored pencils.
That set of pencils was a gift given by the Empire’s largest pigment manufacturer to his halfling son’s hundred-day celebration.
Only 101 sets of these pencils were made. The boxes were decorated with an animal park illustration by the manufacturer himself, using an old Earth gold-leaf technique. Each box had a serial number.
Inside, the box’s interior featured gold-leaf lettering: “May you possess all the colors of the world.”
The set numbered NO.1 was kept for his son.
Of course, the eyes of the animals on his son’s box were inlaid with real gems.
These pencils, even with their exorbitant price (unthinkable for ordinary people), sold out in five minutes.
Many officials and nobles who missed out offered high prices to buy them from those who had already acquired a set.
Unfortunately, those who managed to buy a set in the first place didn’t need the extra star coins.
Yan Gui Xing obtained the pencils without much effort; he saw them in his half-brother’s study after returning to the Yan family.
Because of the pencils’ unique symbolism, Madam Yan insisted her son have them. However, Yan Gui Xing’s artistic talent was far inferior to his useless brother.
His useless brother didn’t like them, leaving them to gather dust in his study. Thus, Yan Gui Xing acquired a brand-new, unopened set.
The reason was simple: he just thought the box was pretty, and he wanted it.
The pigment manufacturer had excellent drawing skills, winning first place in a competition in his youth; the judges called him a “human camera,” capturing the vibrancy of old Earth animals in his art.
However, he preferred working with colors, abandoning his career as a painter to inherit the family business.
When Yan Gui Xing opened the box and saw that there were twenty or thirty different shades of red, he was quite surprised.
On a whim, he used some colors to doodle. However, lacking any artistic talent, his lines were just that—unidentifiable lines.
Yan Gui Xing’s work was busy; his interest faded quickly. These pencils, which were now worth a planet, were casually tossed into the library.
They were later discovered by Mu Mu. Unaware of their value, he hugged the pencils and started drawing.
Mu Mu, unsurprisingly, had talent in painting. Copying the book, he could reproduce the animals with about 80% accuracy.
Yan Gui Xing praised Mu Mu for his skill.
Yes! Painting! Yan Gui Xing’s eyes lit up. It was a good profession; leisurely, not tiring, and flexible—perfect for his little fool.
“Right, Mu Mu, you like drawing animals, don’t you? It just so happens that there’s a painter who specializes in animals on Liuli Star.”
Mu Mu looked at Yan Gui Xing questioningly, “Mu Mu likes fluffy animals and likes to draw, but what does the painter have to do with Mu Mu?”
“Dummy,” Yan Gui Xing chuckled, “He opened an art gallery. If you go there to learn to paint, it becomes relevant.”
Mu Mu was surprised and delighted, his eyes shining like a galaxy, “Really? Mu Mu can really learn to paint? But…”
He tugged at his clothes, his smile fading into worry, “Mu Mu is a simpleton, and he doesn’t draw well. Will the painter want a simpleton who can’t draw well as a student?”
Yan Gui Xing didn’t know the standards for those painters’ student selection, but he knew they wouldn’t accept talentless simpletons.
But it didn’t matter. Mu Mu had him. As long as Mu Mu liked it and wanted to learn, those painters had to accept him as a student and teach him properly.
Yan Gui Xing got up, sat beside Mu Mu, spread his arms, and hugged Mu Mu, childishly swaying him from side to side.
“What are you worried about? Mu Mu’s drawings of cats and dogs are so cute; they’d be thrilled to have such a talented student.”
Mu Mu chuckled, resting his head on Yan Gui Xing’s shoulder, “Gui Gui is good at coaxing me. I know my paintings are ordinary~ But even if the painter doesn’t accept Mu Mu, Mu Mu won’t be sad; Mu Mu will find another job.”
Yan Gui Xing was surprised by Mu Mu’s positive attitude. He leaned down and kissed his forehead gently, softly saying, “Don’t overthink it. I’m here; I’ll help you do what you want to do.”
——
Having agreed to Mu Mu, Yan Gui Xing didn’t delay. He personally contacted the old painter who ran the art gallery on Liuli Star.
The old painter was a famous animal painter, contributing classic images to many fairy tales and cartoons.
This included Mu Mu’s favorite Interstellar Treasures; the black cat Mimi and the Border Collie Wangwang were both created by the old painter.
The old painter lived alone, preferring peace and quiet in his old age, moving from bustling Capital Star to Liuli Star to open a small gallery and live a secluded life.
Residing on Liuli Star, he naturally knew of Liuli Star’s ruler, Yan Gui Xing. They had met at a large event.
But they didn’t have a personal relationship.
When the old painter opened the video call and saw Yan Gui Xing’s stunning and sharp face on the screen, his first reaction was, “What amazing bone structure!” His second was, “Is this a scam?” His final reaction was, “Why is this terrifying figure contacting me? Have I committed some crime?”
With a completely impassive face, the old painter listened to Yan Gui Xing’s request, his expression forming a large question mark.
He even suspected that his age had affected his hearing; had he heard General Yan say he wanted to send his lover to learn painting?