The Versatile Master Artist

”No need.”

Gu Weijing shook his head, ”Madam, is there something you need from me?”

He didn’t have much of an impression of Mrs. Sakai.

He had only briefly greeted this beautiful lady through the car window while sitting in the front passenger seat of the Mercedes-Benz driven by Koshiba Tarou.

”Then, let’s be straightforward. Gu Weijing, I really don’t like you at all...”

Mrs. Sakai turned her back to the floor-to-ceiling window, took a shallow sip from her coffee cup.

”...but my daughter might like you.”

Gu Weijing was completely stunned,

he had imagined countless directions for his conversation with Mrs. Sakai, but he never expected it to unfold like this.

”Madam, you must be mistaken. Miss Shengzi and I aren’t in that kind of relationship.” Gu Weijing extended his hand, somewhat at a loss for what to do.

Mrs. Sakai looked at Gu Weijing with full displeasure.

”Hearing that Shengzi likes you, and your first reaction is not to be overjoyed but to refute it. You know, I really want to throw this cup of coffee at your face right now.”

”Shengzi, she...”

Gu Weijing opened his mouth, still unable to recover from the shock of Mrs. Sakai’s words.

Koizumi Katsuko likes him?

How is that possible?

She indeed treated him differently from others, but that was just because they needed to discuss the thesis together.

”Alright, don’t refute it. Young man, I understand my daughter better than you do. She is a rare treasure kissed on the cheek by the Goddess of Art. I even once suspected that besides painting, she wouldn’t pay attention to anything else, let alone fall in love with anyone.”

Mrs. Sakai waved her hand, indicating Gu Weijing to listen to her finish speaking.

”You are the first peer whose name Shengzi frequently mentioned.

During the first week Shengzi came to Myanmar, she frequently mentioned your name during calls with me.

The admiration and competitiveness in her tone when mentioning you had never been present in her life before. I used to be a girl too, I know that curiosity about peers of the opposite sex is the first step for a girl falling for someone.”

Mrs. Sakai leaned forward, staring intently at Gu Weijing, ”So I immediately notified Koshiba Tarou to fly with me to Yangon.”

”Do you remember the guy who tore your painting?”

Gu Weijing nodded.

”He tore your painting with my consent. My husband wanted to stop it, but I called him off. You have the right to be angry, but I won’t apologize for it.”

Mrs. Sakai’s tone was playful.

”Even now, I still believe Mr. Xiaomao is much more suitable for my daughter than you. His father, Koshiba Kentaro, hopes to form an alliance with our family. Mr. Jian Tai is the chairman of the Japan Calligraphy and Painting Federation, and their family’s Xiaosong Gallery is ranked in the top ten in Japan. Whether Shengzi likes it or not, he’ll be a good husband.”

”I originally thought the matter had come to an end. You were just a passerby in Koizumi Katsuko’s life, and she wouldn’t even realize she had feelings for you. Once she left Myanmar, it wouldn’t take long for her to forget you.”

Mrs. Sakai looked directly into Gu Weijing’s eyes.

”But you gave me a reason I can’t refuse, an A&HCI paper. Before such a paper, even I couldn’t stop Shengzi from staying in Myanmar.”

”Shengzi is very indifferent to love. I understand my daughter. It’s hard for a person like her to realize whom she likes, but once she realizes she has fallen for someone, it’s hard to forget.”

Mrs. Sakai sighed.

”I saw her tying your tie that day. Do you think Shengzi would casually be so intimate with an ordinary friend?

Yesterday, during dinner, Shengzi even mentioned Mr. Xiaomao to me.

She probably feared making me angry, so she spoke very euphemistically, but I could still hear her expressing reluctance to get engaged to Xiaomao too early.

That was when I realized I had to talk to you.”

Mrs. Sakai tilted her chin upwards, ”In discussions about marriage before, Shengzi always maintained a nonchalant attitude, neither catering nor opposing it.

Gu Weijing, we all know the reason for Shengzi’s change is you, though she may not have realized it yet herself.”

Gu Weijing frowned, ”Mrs. Sakai, I understand what you mean. Are you...warning me to stay away from your daughter?”

”Why?”

Mrs. Sakai laughed.

She asked back, ”Did you think I came here today to make things difficult for you? No, no, no, that’s too childish. You’re the person Shengzi likes; the more feelings are forbidden, the more rebellious they become. Make things difficult for you? I’m more afraid you’ll hurt my daughter.”

”But Xiaomao...”

”Koshiba Tarou is certainly a better choice. But I’m not selling my daughter to whomever offers the highest price.”

Mrs. Sakai shook her head, ”As long as it’s not too bad, I naturally hope Shengzi can find someone she likes. Why should I meddle?”

”So why did you call me here today?”

Gu Weijing was somewhat confused.

”I didn’t like you before because I felt you were completely unworthy of my daughter. Money was never the point, and Shengzi isn’t a gold-digger. I just thought that a native artist like you, grown in an artistic desert like Yangon, would drag Shengzi down. In an environment like Japan, having an unsatisfactory husband, a girl would be unhappy for the rest of her life.”

”But now, I have to say, your performance has surprised me a bit. It’s not just about the thesis; Yakai Ichiro really thinks highly of you, confidently telling me you will become an outstanding artist.”

Mrs. Sakai shook her head, ”Anyone my husband thinks so highly of, I’m willing to give a chance.”

She stood up and looked down on Gu Weijing, ”I won’t meddle in matters between you young people. I only have two requirements. If you want to be with Shengzi, first, you must get accepted into an art academy ranked in the world’s top thirty. As long as your thesis is successfully published, it shouldn’t be a big problem. Second, one of your paintings must sell for at least ten thousand dollars. This is the minimum benchmark for an excellent young artist.”

”You should know this isn’t a high requirement. You have to prove something to earn my trust to entrust my daughter to you.”

”Before that, at most, you can hold hands... At least you can’t sleep together.”

Gu Weijing widened his eyes, seriously looked at Mrs. Sakai for two seconds, then confirmed she wasn’t joking.

”I’m serious. This is both my request and a mother’s plea to you. Shengzi is a simple young girl; once love hits, it’s easy to forget everything else. I have a duty to protect her, and so do you, if you indeed like her.”

Mrs. Sakai’s expression was very serious.

Gu Weijing hesitated for a long time.

Then he quietly said, ”I’m sorry.”

”You’re unwilling to make even this small sacrifice, or have you two already...” Mrs. Sakai was shocked.

”No, madam, what I mean is, it’s really a bit too early to say all these. I don’t even know if I like Shengzi. Miss Shengzi might not like me at all either.”

”It doesn’t matter, if you’re not in love, I’d be grateful. As I said, I still think Mr. Xiaomao is more suitable than you.”

Mrs. Sakai chuckled.

”You can view today’s conversation as a precaution. I just want to tell you, from a mother’s perspective, where the boundaries lie.”

After realizing her daughter might have already taken a liking to Gu Weijing,

she made quite a thorough inquiry.

Mrs. Sakai even heard about Gu Weijing and the female student council president at that school.

But she never took that Indian girl, Sandunu Mona, seriously.

Not to mention, during the opening ceremony, the girl explicitly stated she didn’t have a boyfriend.

Even if they were indeed a couple,

what would it matter?

Mrs. Sakai had ample confidence in her daughter’s charm; in the presence of a real swan, a local ugly duckling was nothing.

Upon noticing Shengzi’s growing fondness for Gu Weijing,

the issue from start to finish was never about whether Gu Weijing would fall for her daughter.

It was merely about whether Gu Weijing was worthy of Shengzi.

This conversation stemmed from that realization.

”Oh, there’s one more thing.”

Mrs. Sakai took out a letter from the office drawer and handed it to Gu Weijing.

”What is it?”

Opening the envelope, Gu Weijing found a handwritten recommendation letter from Mrs. Sakai.

”Regarding my advanced class. Koshiba Tarou also came to Myanmar, and I will have him substitute my classes. He is a very excellent young man, and frankly, I very much hope Shengzi will like him. This is the opportunity I created for him.”

Mrs. Sakai spoke frankly, not at all off-putting.

”But I estimate the two of you meeting won’t be a pleasant experience. I’m giving you the recommendation letter; I won’t enroll you.”