I am a Big Player
Chapter 357 - 355, Crazy One More Time (First Update)_1

Chapter 357: 355, Crazy One More Time (First Update)_1

Now, after the romance between Yang Xi and Knight was exposed, there was no doubt that this had become the most sensational news in the country, while abroad, when foreigners suddenly learned, "Oh my, Knight’s girlfriend is in a New York hyperrealism comic exhibition?" This was too shocking, okay?

"I want to see what Knight’s girlfriend looks like, are you going?"

"I’m in, I’m in!"

This was something the organizers had never anticipated; normally, an oil painting exhibition wouldn’t draw big crowds even in major cities, since it wasn’t exactly the kind of event that could stimulate adrenaline like music festivals, beer festivals, or carnivals, so the target audience for an oil painting exhibition was niche in the first place.

But now there was a problem: starting early this morning, countless people with Red Scarfs wrapped around their necks had been queuing up for entry, and the exhibition hall was packed to the gills!

The organizers were puzzled: this definitely wasn’t about appreciating the art!

Everyone was crowding around the painting "Stubbornness", taking photos and group photos, as if it were some sort of tourist attraction.

The organizer’s boss didn’t follow Knight, so he had no clue what was going on; a bunch of people grabbed him and asked if Knight and the boss were friends, leaving the boss speechless!

Of course, among Knight’s fans were rich tycoons, all inquiring about the price, asking if they could get a discount because they were a bit short, and saying they’d take the painting now if given a twenty percent discount!

What? There’s no such thing as a discount here! The organizer simply felt unwell at that moment, but after the staff spent half a day explaining to him, he finally understood that all these people were fans of someone named Knight, and the girl in the painting was Knight’s girlfriend, and the painting was very likely done by Knight...

At that point, the organizer hurriedly called Richard to ask about the artist’s identity, but Richard thought there was some kind of trouble again, like that vomiting incident...

He was a bit traumatized by the last incident, always feeling like Ren He’s paintings could somehow stir up trouble, and out of a desire to protect Ren He, Richard said bluntly, "I don’t know."

What the hell, you brought it, and you don’t know? When you delivered it, some of the oil paint wasn’t even fully dry yet, okay? It obviously must have been painted right before your eyes!

Knight’s fans gradually came to the hyperrealism oil painting exhibition to see Knight’s "Stubbornness". They had to admit they were impressed; this guy Knight was crazy about extreme sports, and now he’d taken up oil painting too, with his first piece being appraised so highly!

Just as the leading figure in free solo climbing was still worrying about Knight crossing over into his territory, they suddenly realized Knight’s crossover journey had already transcended sports...

Well, that’s great, that’s great. Try more art stuff, don’t keep messing with extreme sports, right? Athletes from other disciplines seemed to have released a sigh of relief.

But as it would turn out, they celebrated too soon.

...

Sitting in the apartment, Ren He was a bit stunned; he really hadn’t expected that a single painting could stir up so much trouble. It was ridiculous, how could it have been exposed?!

It wasn’t really his fault, since so many people were interested in Knight and demanded information about him, countless people had initially followed Chinese travel magazines, but Ren He hadn’t paid attention to these things, to the point that he didn’t even know such a photo existed!

When was it taken? He smacked his forehead hard, thinking if he had known about that photo earlier, he definitely would have differentiated the colors to at least prevent anyone from recognizing the similarities at first glance!

But now it was too late for anything; he could almost predict that his parents-in-law surely knew he was Knight now.

There was no need to worry about Mrs. Ren and Ren, though. If they saw the news, all they would know was that an extreme sports fanatic named Knight was together with the country’s new Queen, and he had painted an oil painting worth millions.

But these reports never revealed Knight’s real identity, for they weren’t too clear about it either.

The silver lining in misfortune probably referred to a situation like this.

Although the mother- and father-in-law will inevitably deduce Ren He’s identity based on Yang Xi’s boyfriend status, Ren and Mrs. Ren are still in the dark.

The difference lies in that telling the mother-in-law will lead to a relationship crisis while telling Mrs. Ren will spark a crisis of freedom.

If Mrs. Ren knew that her usually well-behaved son Ren He has caused such a ruckus right under their noses, from early romance to risking his life and skipping classes to travel abroad, she wouldn’t consider letting him leave the house before a month of reflection.

What would they do if their precious son died?!

Actually, the Chinese style of parental education has always been criticized, with many people emphasizing, "Ah, in America, parents stop caring for their children after 18 and let them be completely independent."

Setting aside the merits of different approaches, Ren He also believes that it’s better for children to become independent earlier and that the American way of education isn’t bad, but you can’t just say that all Chinese parents are bad. That’s not acceptable.

Even if they’re not perfect, they’re still your parents. No matter your age, they selflessly worry about whether to buy you a house or a car, and in their old age, they worry about how you will cope without them. Perhaps your car and your house were bought with savings they scraped together by skimping and saving, but they’re still happy.

Isn’t it said that ’the depth of parents’ love is unfathomable’ when they worry about how you will live even after they’re gone? Can you really criticize such love? Don’t criticize, just become independent, it’s stronger than anything.

Ren He had seen people, who became adults, blame their parents: "I’m not independent and am without achievements because you made me this way!"

Although the parents are partly to blame, who are you to criticize? Haven’t you read books? Haven’t you studied? Haven’t you seen how independent people live? Can’t you learn a bit from them?!

So Ren He doesn’t blame Ren or Mrs. Ren at all. He just doesn’t want them to worry too much, and he doesn’t want to cause any conflict with them over his dreams.

But now the problem isn’t with Ren and Mrs. Ren; it’s with Yang En and Su Ruqin...

That night, Su Ruqin called to say she was flying to New York the day after tomorrow to talk things over with Ren He...

What’s left to talk about? You either give up your future in extreme sports or leave my daughter. In summary, the negotiation was about how to avoid making Yang Xi a widow...

Sitting by the window of his apartment, Ren He grumbled with a pang of annoyance. Could he give up? He couldn’t let go of either extreme sports or Yang Xi. Greedy about love and dreams, Ren He thought it was okay, but how to resolve the current dilemma?

He had always avoided confronting Su Ruqin head-on, worried about putting Yang Xi in a difficult position. He didn’t even go to her apartment next door that evening, giving Yang Xi some space to think, not wanting to influence her in any way.

After all, his dream was indeed crazy and could cost him his life at any time. Ren He had always been lucky, but that didn’t mean his luck would last forever.

Ren He couldn’t give up his dreams; if he gave them up, no matter how much money he had, he would be no different from the ’Ren He’ who failed in his past life.

Ren He couldn’t give up on Yang Xi either, for she was the love he planned to hold onto for life.

What to do? Ren He was really troubled!

At that moment, his apartment doorbell rang. Ren He hesitated but still went to open the door, knowing it must be Yang Xi. No one else knew he was there, but he was also worried Yang Xi might make a decision harmful to their relationship—so he hesitated. Yet something inside him told him that Yang Xi would be just as resolute as he was.

Ren He took a deep breath and opened the door, astonished to see Yang Xi standing there with a suitcase, fully armed and ready at his doorstep. Then she said to him, "My mom arrives the afternoon after tomorrow. I’ve packed my things, we can go anywhere, just as long as I’m with you. Let’s elope."

...

Another round of dog food, happy or not.