The Versatile Master Artist

”I’ve been drawing illustrations online and made a little money.”

Gu Weijing thought for a moment and decided to reveal a little.

It’s always necessary to choose a few people to trust.

Uncle Ah Lai should be a very trustworthy person, with both vision and principles.

”A little money? Mr. Gu, one million dollars is not a little money; that’s a lot, a whole lot of money.” Uncle Ah Lai seemed unusually inclined to tease.

Only in his deep and steady tone.

The tease also sounded unhurried, like an old monk reciting scriptures.

”Do your family members know?” the driver asked again.

”No, they don’t. I’m not sure how to bring it up, and I don’t know how to explain that I made money and then donated it all... You should understand what I’m saying; these things are always hard for the elders to comprehend.”

Gu Weijing leaned back on the chair, scratching Ah Wang’s ear: ”Especially since my identity as an online illustrator is anonymous, maintaining enough mystery is good for this line of work.”

”Uncle Ah Lai, you are the only one who knows about this. If you have concerns about whether my earnings are clean, I can reveal my anonymous identity to you.”

An illustrator who can earn ten thousand dollars a month is not rare, but those who can make one million dollars a year are few and far between worldwide.

With the capability of this middle-aged man, if he really wanted to investigate, it would be easy.

Rather than everyone guessing, it’s better to be straightforward.

Uncle Ah Lai was stunned for a moment, feeling a slight stir in his heart.

In his worldview, trust is something rarer than gold.

In many situations, it’s also a very dangerous thing.

When he was working in narcotics control, if an undercover informant told you something that only you knew, it meant he was entrusting his life to you.

And when doing VIP personnel protection, if a leader suddenly told you a secret, it often wasn’t a good thing.

It not only represents trust but also implies binding you into their political camp, and if you don’t behave, you’ll be silenced.

The gatekeeper’s eyes glanced through the rearview mirror at the young man in the back seat.

This guy probably didn’t have the idea of getting rid of him, nor did he have the ability to control him.

Perhaps...only in the hearts of young, naïve people at this age would they easily hand over something as precious as trust to others, right?

They have not been betrayed yet and don’t understand the importance and weight of trust.

He was inexplicably entrusted with such an important matter—a secret worth one million dollars.

”Like Banksy?”

The gatekeeper uncle suddenly asked.

Gu Weijing was stunned.

He originally thought Uncle Ah Lai would continue to ask about his identity, but unexpectedly, he suddenly asked this question.

”Who?”

”I mean, Mr. Gu, is your current work similar to Banksy’s, the one who painted ’Girl Holding a Balloon’?”

”A very fitting example. Yes, it’s quite like Banksy, but not as good as he is.” Gu Weijing nodded in surprise.

Banksy is a pseudonym for an anonymous artist.

The world’s most renowned modern artist and also one of the most mysterious artists.

Aside from the moniker Banksy, the public knows nothing about his true identity, not even whether he’s male or female.

His public media image is that of a mysterious figure with a brown fast-food paper bag over his head.

Maintaining mystery has become one of his most crucial public self-marketing strategies. He is even the only anonymous person in history to have appeared on the cover of Time Magazine.

Collectors love Banksy’s mystery and eccentricity, and his auction prices repeatedly break the one million pounds threshold.

’Girl Holding a Balloon’ is Banksy’s most famous masterpiece.

In the literary field, Ferrante, who wrote ’Naples Tetralogy,’ and Banks, who painted ’Girl Holding a Balloon,’ have identities that remain two of the most famous unresolved mysteries in the arts community.

Gu Weijing didn’t expect Uncle Ah Lai to immediately come up with such a fitting example like Banksy.

Despite Banksy surpassing Monet, Picasso, and Turner in the BBC’s 2014 survey, becoming the most popular local artist in the United Kingdom due to the public’s endless fascination with his ambiguous mystery and the media’s relentless discussions of his true identity.

But this artist’s recognition in the public domain isn’t actually that high.

Those who aren’t art enthusiasts might not even know him at all.

Even someone like Gu Tongxiang, an aged Yangon painter relatively distant from cutting-edge art, might need a moment to react when Banksy’s name is mentioned.

”You actually know Banksy?”

”Mr. Gu, I’m not a boy scout who just takes a gun and goes to the battlefield under a warlord. Sometimes I have to carry out some diplomatic tasks, representing the face of the nation.”

”Hence, during previous international exchanges, I received training in diplomatic etiquette and basic art and religious knowledge. From 1900 to today, I can recite all the most famous hundred artists in the art field and their masterpieces.”

Uncle Ah Lai’s tone didn’t sound boastful, just a simple statement of fact.

”Got it, Mr. Gu, I think I roughly understand what you’re up to. You don’t need to tell me your identity.” The driver nodded silently.

The weight of trust is too heavy.

Uncle Ah Lai is willing to be his assistant, helping him deal with some troubles, yet still not prepared to pierce that last layer of the window paper with Gu Weijing.