Rebirth: He Decides to Lie Flat
Chapter 267 - 267 264 Shining Brilliance (Part 2)

Chapter 267: Chapter 264: Shining Brilliance (Part 2) Chapter 267: Chapter 264: Shining Brilliance (Part 2) “You said painting a piece doesn’t take much effort, and I’m offering to pay, not trying to freeload like Professor Li. Why won’t you just sell me one?”

Huangfu Yun had been pestering Mu Jiawen to buy one of her paintings since before the winter break, and even now, he hadn’t given up, bothering her whenever he had the chance.

Kou Chuan let slip that if the painting got into Huangfu Yun’s hands, he could sell it for at least twenty thousand.

Mu Jiawen felt that something was off, just like Huangfu Yun said, her paintings were good but she wasn’t famous, so they really wouldn’t fetch a high price if sold.

What was even stranger was that he didn’t need her to sign it or stamp it.

Because of this weird feeling in her gut, she hadn’t agreed to Huangfu Yun’s request so readily.

But him coming over every day to nag was really annoying.

“Tell me, where exactly do you sell the paintings you get?”

Huangfu Yun’s face stiffened, and he immediately shook his head, saying, “Who said I’m selling them? I’m not selling, I’m keeping them…”

“Get lost!”

At these words, several boys around them all laughed. This was the first time they had heard Mu Jiawen swear in class, which showed just how exasperated she was with Huangfu Yun.

Huangfu Yun touched his nose, feeling guilty.

Shen Mengfei stood up, walked to the penultimate row at the back, and forcibly dragged Kou Chuan, who was in the middle of solving problems, over.

“What’s going on? Can’t you see I’m busy here?”

Kou Chuan was clueless. Although he hadn’t failed any subjects in the final exams last semester, he had barely passed one, and the counselor had warned him to pull his grades up soon.

Right now, he was rare earnestly working on problems from Zhong Liangang’s notes.

“Where does Huangfu Yun sell the paintings?”

“It’s just at the anci… Ouch, my foot!” Kou Chuan blurted out, but before he could finish, Huangfu Yun stepped on his foot hard.

Kou Chuan snapped back to reality, first glancing at Mu Jiawen, then awkwardly scratching his head as he looked at Xue Weisong and Shen Mengfei, “What was that, Mengfei? What did you just ask?”

“Where does Huangfu Yun sell the paintings?”

“I don’t know.”

Shen Mengfei: …

He turned and called out to the back, “Zhong Liangang, take your notes back, remember, don’t lend them to Kou Chuan again. And everyone else, if he asks questions, don’t tell him.”

Zhong Liangang was stunned for a moment, got up, took his notes from Kou Chuan’s desk, and left. The others agreed with laughs and snickers.

“Hey, Mengfei…..”

Kou Chuan laughed with a guilty face, “Come on, you shouldn’t do this to me. This is between you and Huangfu, why take it out on me?”

Mu Jiawen stared at him and turned to ask Xue Weisong, “He just mentioned the word ‘ancient’. Is there a place that sells paintings with ‘ancient’ in it?”

Both Huangfu Yun and Kou Chuan’s hearts skipped a beat at the same time. Kou Chuan hurriedly said, “You heard wrong, there’s no such word.”

“Then what word is there?”

“It’s ow…”

His foot was stepped on again, and Kou Chuan couldn’t help but curse, “Can you fucking stop tormenting just one foot?”

Huangfu Yun ignored him and sighed, “Forget it, I don’t want the painting anymore, all right?”

What a shame, he had originally planned to make a big profit.

Mu Jiawen scoffed, “Huangfu Yun, even if you flip my paintings, you won’t be able to sell them for such a high price. You want my paintings but don’t need a signature or seal. Let me guess… could it be that you’re passing them off as someone else’s work?”

Even though Xue Weisong and Shen Mengfei didn’t know much about the traditional painting industry, they were stunned when they heard the words “passing off as someone else’s work.” Both looked at Huangfu Yun in shock, “You’re doing that?”

“Impossible!” Huangfu Yun hurriedly denied, “I just have dealings with a painting shop. Many people who go there to buy paintings understand art and can naturally sell a good one at a high price. They only look at the paintings, not the names.”

“If they don’t look at the names, why don’t you let me sign my work?” Mu Jiawen didn’t believe him.

“That’s because…aren’t I just worried that you might get into trouble later? Like, if they learn your name and harass you to buy paintings. You study physics, not fine arts, where would you find the time to deal with that, right?”

Kou Chuan had to admire the excuse Huangfu Yun came up with, truly fitting of someone who flipped goods for a living, damn good at bluffing!

“From Kou Chuan’s expression, I can tell you’re lying.”

Huangfu Yun and Kou Chuan were both stunned at the same time.

Confused, Kou Chuan said, “Sister, he’s the one talking; why are you looking at my face?”

With a stern face, Mu Jiawen said, “You’ve got ten seconds, or I’m going to tell Professor Li that yesterday’s homework was copied from me.”

Kou Chuan opened his mouth wide, completely falling apart, “Why is it him buying paintings but you’re all targeting me? What did I do?”

Shen Mengfei curled his lip, “Who told you to know and not tell?”

“Probably got a cut of the profit,” Xue Weisong added. He asked Kou Chuan, “How much does he give you from the money he makes selling each painting?”

“There’s none of that… Old Xue, don’t stir up trouble, I…”

“Ten, nine…”

Kou Chuan was at a loss; why did the countdown start so suddenly? There was no warning, could you not at least say ‘start’?

“Eight, seven…”

He couldn’t help but nudge Huangfu Yun with his elbow, signalling him to come clean.

Huangfu Yun frowned.

“Six, five, three, two, one! Okay, that’s it.”

Mu Jiawen looked at the two men expressionlessly, “Still haven’t figured it out? Fine, my next class is with Professor Li…”

“Wait a minute!” Kou Chuan widened his eyes at her, “Sister, what about four?”

Xue Weisong and Shen Mengfei snickered on the side.

Mu Jiawen ignored him, her gaze fixed on Huangfu Yun with seriousness, “If you really take those paintings outside to those without any real talent and pass them off as their own, I will tell the dean of the fine arts college. You won’t be able to buy a single painting from the college ever again.”

“It’s not that serious, and it’s not for someone to pass off as their own, he wouldn’t do such a thing, really, I guarantee it.” Although it was somewhat ‘imposturous’, it definitely wasn’t the same thing.

Kou Chuan confessed for him, “The shop he regularly collaborates with ages the paintings, then sells them off as works of some long-deceased famous person, but when they sell them, they clearly state that these are reproductions, not originals. And those who buy these paintings usually just want them as decorations to appear cultured, just so they have something to brag about when people visit, claiming they’re early works of some artist which they managed to acquire…”

Who would have thought there was such a thing?

On the side, Huangfu Yun added, “Although every artist basically has their own style, if you want to find similarities in paintings, you can always find a bit and then claim it’s an early work. Who knows if it’s true or false? Besides, the buyers themselves are clear they’re fakes; they don’t do anything with them, just hang them up at home, spend tens of thousands to save face and have a bit of fun, that’s all.”

Listening to this, it seemed quite reasonable.

Mu Jiawen lost interest and waved her hand, “Alright, I got it, go back.”

Huangfu Yun leaned forward slightly, whispering, “Mu Jiawen, why don’t we collaborate…”

“No deals, get going!”

Kou Chuan wanted to say you ask but then don’t provide the painting, what do you mean by that?

Huangfu Yun too felt somewhat discontented; he had even revealed his channel for selling paintings, how could he not earn a painting from that?

Mu Jiawen thought to herself, not knowing the reason she might have considered reluctantly selling him one, but now that she knew the reason, she definitely couldn’t do it!

After all, some people have said that she was destined to make a big splash in the world of Chinese painting!