The Versatile Master Artist

The same comment came from a girl with a full figure and graceful curves.

It didn’t seem greasy, but rather cute.

Koukou lifted her upper body, glanced around, and after finding that her classmates and teacher’s attention were all on the stage and no one noticed her,

she couldn’t be bothered to take a detour.

Supporting herself on the plush backrest of the auditorium seat, she held down the hem of her school skirt with one hand to prevent it from riding up. Koukou, like a nimble big cat, flipped directly over the seat in front.

This scene definitely didn’t comply with the constraints of the ”Fitz School Student Behavior Regulations.”

If Mona saw such an unladylike act, she would surely order the student council to deduct Koukou’s conduct points.

Gu Weijing just felt a fragrant breeze brushing his face.

Koukou’s body was exceedingly light as she flipped over the seat, and the corner of her skirt lightly flicked his shoulder, the skin of her thighs under the fluttering skirt appearing and disappearing like snow just solidified in winter.

”So cool!”

He whispered in silent applause.

”Humph, impressive, isn’t it? What’s flipping a seat? My dance teacher is a Russian aunt. Back in her day in St. Petersburg, when she performed in ’The Nutcracker,’ she had to spin 1080 degrees in place in the final scene, all relying on the power of the big toe on one foot. That was really impressive.”

Koukou hummed sitting next to Gu Weijing.

Unlike her nonchalant words, there was a sense of satisfaction in her pretty eyes for her own graceful move just now.

”Actually... I just watched that short film and didn’t think it was anything extraordinary.”

Koukou thought for a moment, pouting and murmuring quietly, ”The university film festival is just fooling around. My dad says these local government cultural festivals basically have awards like Best Outstanding Newcomer, Best Student Male and Female Lead, Best Benevolence Award, and such are all pre-arranged with performance and PR companies.”

”With just a few thousand US dollars, you can easily get listed! The more than thirty thousand dollars you donated to the orphanage is enough to buy all these small awards.”

Koukou raised her eyebrows, softly saying, ”As for the ’Yangon Economic Weekly,’ it is indeed a bit tricky, but just requires some smooth operation, mainly depending on connections.”

”Once, I casually participated in a fencing competition, and a similar newspaper wanted to please my dad and even wanted to write a small column for me, which my dad found inappropriate and declined...”

Gu Weijing lightly uttered an ”oh.”

He actually didn’t feel envious of Jerry.

The other’s short film was indeed well-made, with eye-catching material, and professional editing and scoring. Connections are also a part of capability.

For Jerry to win an award, there was nothing to be sour about.

Mona and Jerry were affectionately involved, it’s none of his business; his childhood sweetheart had clearly and repeatedly stated that they were not related.

To entangle any further would be meaningless.

Koukou saw that Gu Weijing was still maintaining that indifferent look and felt a bit unhappy.

Koukou thought seeing his ”ex-girlfriend” being loving with another guy on stage would surely make him sad, so she kindly came to comfort him.

As a result, after thinking for a while about what to say, she only got a response as flat as ”oh,” which felt like trying to get a word out from a statue.

This made Koukou feel like she was performing a solo act to a sculpture, with no sense of achievement at all.

”Thank you, Koukou.”

Gu Weijing turned his head, looked into Koukou’s big eyes, smiled, and earnestly said, ”Even though I don’t actually need comforting, I still really appreciate it.”

”I’m really touched.”

”Alright, I didn’t come specifically to comfort you. Sitting in the seat was boring anyway, so I might as well find someone to chat with...”

Seeing his solemn gaze, Koukou was slightly taken aback, then turned her head slightly, explaining in a small voice, yet her mouth irresistibly curled up.

The two of them sat silently, shoulder to shoulder, in a corner of the last row of the auditorium.

After Jerry walked off stage, the old principal didn’t return to his seat. He was still at the front giving a long-winded speech about campus cultural construction.

But Koukou wasn’t in the mood to listen.

She found sitting in silence a bit dull, lowered her head, playing with a curl of her hair, occasionally humming a few bars of an obscure English tune.

”Huh?”

The girl seemed to suddenly spot something interesting.

She suddenly grabbed Gu Weijing’s sleeve, looking at the jade bracelet peeking out from under his cuff, blinking in surprise.

”Is this a consecrated bracelet from the Great Golden Pagoda?”

Koukou shook Gu Weijing’s wrist, speaking curiously as if discovering a New Continent, ”This type of bracelet is hard to come by, and yet you have one.”

She carefully used her fingertips to touch the embedded ice jade on Gu Weijing’s bracelet, observing the fine carving of the character [Gu] by a jade craftsman.

”It even has your surname carved on it. Such a bracelet, there aren’t many from the Great Golden Pagoda each year.” Koukou smacked her lips, ”Even I can’t get one.”

”Very rare and precious?”

Gu Weijing rotated the bracelet on his wrist; ever since Koizumi Katsuko had tied it on him, he hadn’t taken it off.

He remembered, participating artists in the Great Golden Pagoda restoration project, all had such a bracelet.

”This is a bracelet you bought, whether it’s precious or not, you’re asking me?” Koukou cast a sidelong glance at Gu Weijing.

”Not bought, it was given.”

”I see... then that’s quite a thoughtful gift.”

A national gift from the Myanmar Government to renowned artists, indeed a thoughtful present.

”So precious?”

”Not necessarily expensive, but definitely rare.”

Koukou bit her lower lip, speaking softly, ”Buddha Bodhisattva does not discriminate among beings based on wealth, so these bracelets and Buddhist Beads often vary in quality. Yours is of very good material, but similar ones made of rosewood or cheap agate might cost only a few hundred Myanmar Kyat, even laborers on the Yangon river can afford it.”

”If so, why not just make thousands or tens of thousands, so everyone can buy?”

Gu Weijing was puzzled. Although he grew up in the very Buddhist Yangon, he was not a believer, so he didn’t understand these subtleties.

”Pah! Just buy like that - do you think they’re like the buns in the canteen? These things emphasize sincerity, wishing for the well-being of those you care about. Randomly selling them wouldn’t count as sincerity. Tang Monk went through 81 challenges to fetch scriptures from the Western Heaven, why wouldn’t Buddha just hand them the true scriptures?”

Among the Four Great Classical Novels in Myanmar, the most famous is ”Romance of the Three Kingdoms.” It’s said that the notorious drug lord Kunsha never parted with it, followed by ”Journey to the West,” which almost everyone has read.

Koukou seemed to take this bracelet to heart, very displeased with Gu Weijing’s dismissive attitude.

She gazed at the tiny bracelet in Gu Weijing’s hand, softly saying, ”The Great Golden Pagoda has only fifty or so places every month for such consecrated bracelets and Buddhist Beads, one bracelet on each Buddha statue, it’s hard for ordinary people to get one.”

”If you want to get a consecrated bracelet and can’t go through official channels, no matter the cost, you must go to the shrine in front of the Great Golden Pagoda every weekend to pour water and register, consecutively making it into the top 50 for three weeks indicates your sincere devotion, thus earning the chance to own such a bracelet, any interruption means starting over.”

In Myanmar, worshipping involves not only burning incense but also offering water to the shrines in front of Buddha statues.

Previously, when Gu Weijing was painting the ”Buddha Worship and Protection Painting,” the reason why those adult artists were absent was because they were all following Elder Cao to pour water and worship.

Pouring the first bowl of water at the Great Golden Pagoda each day is akin to burning the first incense stick in front of the Yonghe Palace in the Capital City—it’s reputedly very efficacious.

So many people queue up early.

Attempting to rank in the top fifty for three consecutive weeks is as much a test of physical endurance as journeying to the Western Heaven for scriptures.

”When I was little, my mom went every year to get me such a bracelet for my peace and health.” Koukou looked at the jade beads on Gu Weijing’s wrist, showing a wishful expression.

”Isn’t Auntie willing to run for you now?”

Gu Weijing raised his eyebrows.

He had seen Koukou’s mother, a striking woman who appeared more like a sister to Koukou than a mother.

”No, my mom passed away many years ago. The enchantress you saw is my stepmother.” Koukou spoke with a calm expression.