The Versatile Master Artist

The illustrator’s arm stiffened for a moment.

He turned around to look at his son beside him, his face twitched slightly, and he called softly, ”Tony?”

Tony shyly stared at his toes without responding.

It seemed that sharing a small room with Professor Boggs and Lady Anya, two ”strangers” who had been together for a few days, still made him somewhat uncomfortable and a bit timid.

Just when the illustrator was disappointed and thought it might be some kind of illusion.

He saw Tony quickly look up, stealthily glance at the painting frame near Professor Boggs’ hand, and whispered, ”Cat?”

Heaven be merciful.

Mr. Jean Arnou had experienced all kinds of storms in his life.

When he received the gold medal of the Andersen Award from Queen Margrethe II of the Danish Royal Family, Jean Arnou was as graceful as ever.

This soft call of ”cat” instantly brought tears to the illustrator master’s eyes.

The old gentleman had tried everything for this son, Jean Arnou himself had personally drawn a series of fairy tale illustrations featuring cats as the main characters.

Yet Tony was indifferent to all these images, paintings, or photos.

He didn’t have much special emotion towards other small animals either.

Occasionally he’d hold the gray cat plush toy provided by the pet hospital in a daze.

Most times, even the cat plush toy couldn’t catch his interest.

Tony only wanted that cat named ”Amy.”

When the master illustrator invited the name family of painting knife painting to his ranch, his emotions were like those of a terminally ill patient hearing news of an experimental new therapy entering clinical observation.

They had been excited by similar news time and again, only to face disappointment each time.

Eventually, there was only a slight expectation of a miracle in his heart, with the rest being a numb feeling of doing his best and leaving the rest to fate.

That call of ”cat” from his son reignited the old gentleman’s hope.

The unique thick texture of painting knife painting.

It really works!!!

”Dr. Jin? Doctor? Tony...” Mr. Arnou wanted to shout and dance with excitement.

”Keep your voice down, don’t scare him.”

Dr. Jin Anqing had been paying attention to Tony’s state and also noticed the unusual look in his eyes when he looked at Professor Boggs’ work.

He was worried that the discussions might disturb this child and the precious curiosity he barely established towards the image.

The doctor immediately gestured for silence with his finger on his lips, signaling the onlookers around to be quiet.

Dr. Jin asked everyone other than Professor Boggs and Tony to step back a few steps, leaving Tony’s peripheral vision to create a relatively quiet and private space.

”Yes, it’s the cat.”

The psychologist held Tony’s hand in front of the painting frame, gently guiding him: ”It’s not just the cat, it’s the Amy you’ve been wanting to see.”

The doctor knew that as long as this painting could attract Tony’s curiosity, it was a great thing.

For patients with autism, the most troublesome part is the lack of communication with the outside world.

Curiosity was Tony’s first weak link with the outside world, like the first spark in the dark.

If handled properly.

This spark could slowly spread, illuminating his sealed heart.

”You’ve always wanted your father to find Amy for you, now this grandpa has brought her to see you.”

Dr. Jin reminded, ”Do you remember? When your father first brought Amy home, you loved playing just like this with the cat.”

”She is Am...y?”

Something deep in Tony’s eyes seemed to be touched.

He was still holding the faded, shedding cat plush toy, his gaze sweeping across the canvas, his eyelashes trembling.

The silhouette of the gentle cat in his deep thoughts slowly overlapped with the white shadow on the canvas.

A bit excited.

A bit confused.

Also a bit hesitant.

”Yes, she is Amy.”

Dr. Jin waved his hand, and Professor Boggs began flipping over each remaining painting frame.

All the canvas themes were about Tony and Amy.

They walked together, chased together, played together.

Each canvas was like a piece of amber, solidifying a small memory of Tony and Amy with fairy tale-like colors.

Professor Boggs was a master immersed in the art field, thoroughly understanding the advantages of painting knife technique.

Any painting technique Gu Weijing could think of, how could he not?

The same theme, the same technique.

A failed artist paints all sorts of things, whereas an exceptional artist even ends up drawing similarly.

Within these painting knife paintings, time quietly passed, Amy and Tony’s figures gradually grew up.

The canvas sizes weren’t large.

Professor Boggs mainly focused on Amy, with parts featuring Tony often showing only half a body, an arm, and a blur of color.

But Tony felt Professor Boggs’ creative intention.

He seemed to really immerse himself.

Tony’s large, confused gray eyes finally found focus, his mouth slowly curled into an entranced smile.

The paintings tugged at Tony’s memories.

He tightly hugged the old plush toy in his hand, looked at Professor Boggs’ work with eyes showing a gentle ripple.

In a moment, Professor Boggs had already flipped through six paintings.

The sixth painting.

Professor Boggs also chose the material from a photo of them taken at Tony’s first psychologist’s private treasure site.

It was the last healthy photo of the cat Amy with Tony before she fell ill.

As if a miraculous fate, Amy in this photo, just like when they first met, was jumping on Tony’s neck.

Before this painting, Tony stood for a long time.

His shoulders trembled as they looked at the gentle cat leaning on his shoulder on the easel, and his eyes just filled with joy turned into fear.

”The cat... is going to get sick.”

The forty-one-year-old spoke slowly in a groaning tone.

”Tony.” Jean Arnou’s heart tugged sharply.

He knew.

Amy’s death was the biggest nightmare his son was unwilling to recall.

After leaving the cat’s euthanasia room, Tony’s condition took a sharp turn for the worse, and all the happiness Amy had brought vanished with her departure.

To this day.

This silly child’s memory still clearly imprinted the scene that happened shortly after the painting on the easel.

His cat was about to get sick.

Jean Arnou looked at Dr. Jin Anqing with questioning eyes, hoping to discuss whether continuing to look at the remaining illustrations was suitable.

”Don’t worry. I have great confidence in my work, it won’t stimulate this child.”

Professor Boggs rarely understood the look in Jean Arnou’s eyes, waved his hand, and casually said.

”This series of paintings is not only the peak of my artistic skills but also the pinnacle of my creative philosophy.” Professor Boggs held the frame of the seventh piece.

He suddenly asked, ”Do you believe in reincarnation?”

There was an unusual silence in the room, everyone present held their breath to see what kind of stunning artwork Professor Boggs would reveal.

This inexplicable question felt like a heavenly slap of the Tathagata Divine Palm, confusing everyone directly.

”I once joined a Zen retreat tour, and when burning incense at Dongxia Su Hang Lingyin Temple, the elder monk told me that beings in the world are like a cycle. A king from a past life can reincarnate into a beggar, mortal enemies can be reborn as lovers eternally devoted to you, hence everyone should be compassionate.”

”Besides ’Amy,’ my series also has another name, ’Reincarnation.’” Professor Boggs smiled mysteriously as he turned the frame over.