1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 319: Scolding him is his reward!

Cotillard was prepared for the other party to hang up the phone, but to her surprise, the middle-aged man not only ignored her threat as if he were deaf, but also took the initiative to ask if she needed a car to pick her up in two days. At the same time, his tone became polite and humble.

Throughout the entire call, the other party never uttered a word of urging, instead focusing on communicating the details and precautions for handing over the work.

While professionally communicating the details with the other party, Godia was thinking to himself:
Is the person who calls her every day a masochist?

Can't you speak politely? You feel better after hurling insults at me?
With this gossipy feeling in mind, two days later when Cotillard went to Gold to deliver her work, she made a point of asking who was calling her every day.

Simmons, who was receiving her, immediately turned pale.

He is not from the art world, but a representative of the business community. He was assigned by the Provence Arts Committee to assist Marechal in organizing the center's sculpture exhibition, mainly responsible for the construction of the venue and some logistical work.

But because there were simply not enough people, he became a "sapper," going wherever there was a shortage of manpower to help.

However, Simmons did not want to include urging Ronan to submit his work as soon as possible in his resume.

He is clearly a gentle and refined gentleman. It was Marecchal who forced him to be the villain. He will never take the blame for this!
Simmons deliberately lowered his voice to distinguish it from the voice on the phone:

"It was Mr. Marechal, the curator of the central sculpture exhibition, who highly valued Ronan's work."

Let those in the art world handle their own affairs.

Cotillard paused as he handed over the artwork.

Mareczer?

Distinguished professor in the Sculpture Department of the Provence Higher School of Art?

Marečar, whose public lectures are always packed with students?

God, what a hypocritical and dangerous fellow!
The act of accepting the artwork was merely a formality. In order to finalize the matter as quickly as possible, Simmons took Cotillard directly to Gold's temporary office at the Central Sculpture Exhibition Center to give her the result on the spot.

You'll naturally run into Marecchall when you go to the office.

Marecchal brought several experts to his office to look at Ronan's work, and he always felt a chill run down his spine.

He asked Simmons:
Who is the woman with the afro sitting on the sofa?

The woman's gaze towards him was rather strange.

Simmons said with an unreadable expression:
"Ronan's agent."

Marecchaer nodded almost imperceptibly, guessing that the other person was probably too nervous about the outcome, which was why his eyes had become 'anxious' when he looked at him.

He turned around, gave Codia a friendly smile, and seemed to want to convey to her:

Don't worry, the result will definitely satisfy you.

But Cotillard interpreted this friendly smile as something else entirely.

I was sitting perfectly still, why are you smiling at me like that?
She turned her head away sullenly, complaining inwardly:
Damn it, he really is an old pervert.

Ronan, I've sacrificed too much for you!
Cotillard's 'indifference' made Marecchal inexplicably nervous.

Could there be something wrong with the work?

He urged Simmons:

"Hurry up and show us your work."

“I’m trying, but this piece is too tightly wrapped; it has three layers of cushioning,” Simmons explained.

The experts who came with them had been 'reminded' by Marechal beforehand that they would have to temporarily abandon their professionalism for the sake of traffic.

No matter what you see, you must nod and say it's good, and unanimously approve the selected works.

If that's the case, should it be protected like this?

Three-layer buffer structure?

It looked like it was going to be sent to Paris.
Seeing that Simmons' movements had become more exaggerated, Cotillard nervously reminded him:
"Be gentle, be gentle, whatever you do, don't touch it!"

The seasoned veteran Marecchall also shook his head with a smile, agreeing that Ronan's agent was making a mountain out of a molehill.

For fragile artworks, simply prevent tilting and provide multiple points of support during transportation; there's no need to add so many layers of cushioning.

He gave Cotillard another smile.

It seems Ronan's agent is a newbie who has learned some protective measures from somewhere and is using them without thinking twice.

Cotillard wished he could rip his eyes out.

Is this workplace sexual harassment?

Why does he always smile at me?

At this moment, Simmons finally opened the last layer of the buffer cover, revealing a small transparent box containing an exquisitely crafted little bird.

Before Marecchal could say anything, the experts around him pressed their faces against him.

“This knife skill—” an expert took out his glasses from his pocket, seemingly about to appreciate it seriously.

“Look at the curve of the beak tip. One more stroke and it would look blunt, one less and it would look hollow. It’s so lifelike.” Another expert carefully stroked the bird’s beak through the glass.

"There are also subtle patterns beneath the feathers, as if they were created with the side of a scraper." An expert unconsciously mimicked a carving motion with his fingers.

“This doesn’t look like it was carved with a side edge; it looks more like it was cut with scissors,” another expert noted.

Suddenly, Mareccher stood in front of the artwork, interrupting their comments:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I think the results are in, aren't they?"

The expert panel looked at each other, and no one raised any objections.

“Great work, we have no objections.”

Even without Marechal's prior 'reminder,' they would have included this work in the central sculpture exhibition hall.

Mareczer immediately said to Simmons beside him, "Wrap it up and put it in the safe."

"Let us see again!" the experts protested collectively.

Mareczer gave them an apologetic smile.

Sorry, your mission is complete!
Time is of the essence, my fellow artists from Provence!
Simmons asked Marecchall:
"Is it still a three-layer buffer?"

Mareczer shook his head.

Simmons nodded:
"Okay, I also think one layer is enough."

Upon hearing this, Codia couldn't sit still any longer and jogged over to try and remind them.

One floor won't work!

Do you know what's in here?

Marechar continued speaking to Simmons:
"What I mean is, three layers aren't enough."

Cotillard slammed on the brakes and stopped on the outskirts of the crowd, patting his chest.

so far so good.

That old pervert isn't senile.

"Fourth floor?" Simmons continued to ask Marecchall.

Marechar said solemnly:

"First wrap it with heat shrink film, then embed it in an inert gas-filled bag."

Simmons' expression froze.

Such a high standard?
But Marecchal wasn't finished speaking:
"Then place the temperature control pack and set the temperature to—"

Cotillard reminded him:

"No temperature control is needed; Ronan has applied anti-corrosion treatment."

Mareczer looked at Cotillard with admiration.

He was wrong before; it turns out Ronan's agent is a professional.

The quality and ability of an agent also reflect the level of the artists under their management.

Marecchall's opinion of Ronan immediately changed—he is definitely a new artist with popularity, talent, and professionalism, and his future is limitless!
When you encounter an artist like this, you should definitely get to know them as soon as possible, as there will certainly be other opportunities for collaboration in the future.

Mareczer walked up to Cotillard with a smile and asked:
“I’ll be in Gold for the next two weeks. If we have time, let’s schedule a time to have a proper talk?”

Cotillard's fist hardened!

I want to swear back, but I'm afraid it will only excite the other person more.

Isn't publicly humiliating him a reward?

"We'll see when the time comes," she replied through gritted teeth.

While Marecchal and Cotillard were talking, the experts began to whisper among themselves.

They previously thought Cotillard was making a fuss over nothing.

Now they believe Marechal has also been infected.

This piece is indeed exquisite, and the knife work is superb, but is it really necessary to protect it like this?

Inert gases are being used?

And why did Marechal say that temperature control was necessary?
One of the experts picked up the artwork's description that had been sent with it, and after reading only the first line, he exclaimed in surprise:

"This is a dessert!"

"Desserts? I thought they were made of clay!"

"The main ingredient is actually a kind of bean paste. The author said that it has been preserved, but you can eat the same dessert at his restaurant."

An expert wearing glasses frowned deeply and asked those around him:
"Have any artists in Provence created works of art using desserts?"

Everyone shook their heads:

No, never.

The expert, who wore glasses, continued to ask everyone:
"Do you guys remember what Andy Goldsworth's current tagline is?"

Andy Goldsworth's team started promoting themselves as soon as they landed in Provence, and someone immediately blurted out:

"This time, he will use flowers, leaves, soil, pine cones, stones and branches to paint on the spot, using natural materials to inject scarcity and chance into the work."

Another addition:
“They have been making a big deal out of the on-site creation, precisely because they know we can’t produce works of the same type as theirs, so they want to highlight their own uniqueness.”

In this ring battle, Provence is temporarily at a disadvantage, which is why Marecchall is eager to use Ronan's popularity to his advantage and prevent all attention from being focused on the English team.

“I get it!” A chubby expert clapped his hands. “I understand why Marechal values ​​this work so much now. Even desserts have uniqueness. Andy Goldsworth isn’t the only ‘unique’ anymore, so we have the ‘unique’ gimmick now!”

Having figured out the reason for Marechal's unusual behavior, the experts wanted to praise him for his "accurate judgment," but when they turned around, he was already gone.

“What about Marechal?” they asked Simmons.

Simmons smiled and sighed:

"I'm going to meet with some media friends; our publicity strategy needs to be changed."

"What will it become?" everyone asked curiously.

Simmons spread his hands:
"To be honest, I don't know either, but I'll know when I see tomorrow's Provence Daily. Marechal had already booked tomorrow's headline a week ago."

(End of this chapter)