A Single Person's Infinite Wonderful Life

Chapter 1. Small Gatherings with Acquaintances

Riding his motorcycle, Li Wei quickly arrived at his destination. The traffic situation in Tokyo is not very good, and most people choose to travel by train. However, for people with more flexible schedules, motorcycles are more convenient. After all, each train stop may not be the place you want to go, and after getting off the train, you still have to walk for a considerable amount of time, which is annoying to think about.

However, Tokyo is so big that the range of a typical electric scooter is not enough to travel around the city. Therefore, all kinds of motorcycles are available in Japan. Most people who cannot buy a car because they do not have a parking space but still need to commute will buy a motorcycle.

The "old place" that Mr. Saikawa mentioned is a family restaurant located in Nerima Ward. It's one of the few family restaurants that offers affordable prices and generous portions. The cost of living in Nerima Ward is relatively low, but this is looked down upon by several relatively wealthy wards, who consider Nerima Ward to be an agricultural area where everyone grows radishes, a disgrace to the thirteen wards of Tokyo.

The family-run restaurant on the food street was doing quite well; even before dark, the drinkers were already having their fill. Li Wei lifted the curtain at the entrance and opened the paper door, revealing that the seats inside were almost full.

At one of the four "private booths" on the right-hand side of the entrance, a middle-aged man with a slightly disheveled appearance, thin cheeks, and large black-rimmed glasses on his nose waved to Li Wei.

"Li Weijun, over here!" Because the family restaurant was very noisy, the young man had to raise his voice.

The atmosphere at this family-run restaurant is very free; everyone can talk loudly and boisterously, so you can hear the noise even during the day. Compared to other family-run restaurants, this one is much more "free."

Japan is a very oppressive social environment, and this small family restaurant is like a haven for many people. Here, there is no hierarchy among customers. No matter what job or position they have outside, here they all have one identity: diners.

The owner here has excellent cooking skills. Li Wei heard that the person across the street was a retired star chef, which is probably not an exaggeration. In addition, the atmosphere here is relaxed, which attracts diners from all over the world. Li Wei is already a regular customer here, but before, he was just eating at his teacher's place.

Li Wei walked to a corner booth and sat down, saying, "There was a bit of traffic on the way, so I took a longer route."

The slender middle-aged man picked up his glass and said, "I understand, it's rush hour now. What would you like to drink, oolong tea?"

Li Wei put the motorcycle helmet aside and said, "Just don't give me any flammable oolong tea, I'll have the same kind as Uncle Lang's."

The thin middle-aged man waved, and the proprietress, with a triangular scarf wrapped around her head and a warm smile on her face, came over.

"Li Weijun, it's been a long time. What would you like to order today?" The proprietress took out a small notebook and pen from the front pocket of her apron to record the names of the dishes Li Weijun mentioned. After all, the restaurant was very busy, and it would be easy to get confused if she didn't use a notebook to record the customers' orders.

Li Wei glanced at the wooden sign hanging on the wall. He hadn't been here for a while, and the owner had come up with quite a few new dishes.

"One Shingen pouch, one fried spring roll, one fried shrimp, one grilled eggplant, two chicken skewers, and a large cup of oolong tea," Li Wei said.

"Okay! Just a moment, I'll bring you the oolong tea first." The proprietress put the notebook she had written down into her pocket and quickly left the table.

Li Wei looked at the other person, a thin young man named Yasuo Saikawa, a teacher specializing in sketching and also a highly skilled oil painter. Although not well-known outside the art circle, one of his oil paintings had sold for tens of thousands of dollars, demonstrating his talent and skill. Unfortunately, he was a slacker, making collectors and dealers who urged him to paint both love and hate him. However, this slacker was also one of the few teachers at the school with whom Li Wei had a relatively good relationship.

Saikawa Yasuo said, "Li Weijun, I really envy you. You can eat fried food without any worries. The doctor said my stomach is not good and I can only eat light food."

The dishes in front of Yasuo Saikawa were all very bland. Li Wei was not used to this kind of food. Li Wei was quite particular about food. He liked all kinds of heavy oil and salty "big flavors" the most. He only liked bland food, such as rich and fresh mountain and seafood soup.

Li Wei said, "Teacher Cai Chuan, the doctor is doing this for your own good. After all, that banquet in Zhicheng hurt your stomach. You haven't been able to eat anything oily or salty for the past two years. Those officials, it must have been really hard for you to drink with them."

Yasuo Saikawa sighed, scratched his messy, bird's-nest-like hair, and said, "There's nothing I can do about it. What can I do? I'm a teacher at the academy. If I were just an ordinary painter, I wouldn't have to deal with this kind of thing. But you know about the drinking culture in Japan. That's how the whole society is."

Li Wei said, "Actually, this is not bad. At least this way, the old man (the dean) won't drag you to drink with those officials. If he's so capable, he can go by himself."

Yasuo Saikawa said, "I can understand the dean's difficulties. After all, the school has many places where money is needed, and many times we still have to ask the Ministry of Education for help. That time I drank so much that I got a stomach problem, but at least the Ministry of Education spoke up and approved a sum of money for us, which relieved the school's financial pressure at the time."

The proprietress brought over the oolong tea, and Li Wei picked it up and took a big gulp. Knowing that Li Wei liked cold drinks, the proprietress had ice in the oolong tea, making it quite refreshing.

Li Wei disliked such things. Even if he took on freelance animation work, he earned his living through his own abilities and never attended drinking parties. However, drinking culture is rampant in Asia, and Japanese drinking parties are similar to those in Okinawa, where those with low alcohol tolerance end up drinking until they're crawling under the table.

Li Wei said, "That's understandable. Someone in the school's finance department embezzled funds to speculate in stocks and ended up losing money. That's the story."

Yasuo Saikawa gave a wry smile. It is said that family scandals should not be aired in public, but there are no secrets that can be kept forever. This matter has become a joke in the entire Tokyo art circle.

The finance staff member who embezzled the money felt that the Japanese stock market wasn't profitable, so he invested the money in the higher-risk, higher-return US stock market. However, the person who embezzled the money was quite skilled at stock trading, losing 90% on the very first day. Undeterred, he stubbornly held on, losing another 90% the next day. After this series of questionable actions, when the college realized the problem, only a meager 90% of the embezzled funds could be recovered, leaving the school leaders in a complete mess.

A gag order was issued for this matter, but it couldn't stop well-informed people like Li Wei from prying into it, and soon many people knew about it.

Chapter 1. Small Goals Achieved

Saikawa Yasuo said, "Although it's a bit unkind, I still can't help but laugh when I think about it. By the way, I called you out today because I have two pieces of news to tell you, one good and one bad. Which one would you like to hear first?"

Li Wei raised an eyebrow and said, "When I eat strawberry cake, I always like to save the strawberries for last, so I'll choose to hear the bad news first."

Saikawa Yasuo said, "Okay, the bad news is very simple: Li Weijun, you've lost your scholarship."

Li Wei's expression didn't change. In the past, this kind of thing would have made him unhappy, but now he didn't care about the money anymore, so scholarships didn't matter. However, he still wanted to know the reason behind it.

Li Wei said, "Now you can tell me the good news, right?"

Saikawa Yasuo said, "I recommended your paintings to a wealthy German businessman. He really likes them and is willing to pay $10,000 for two of your paintings. If you agree, you'll receive $10,000. First, let me clarify that I didn't take any cut; you can contact the businessman yourself to confirm. As for your scholarship being cancelled, that was the professor's decision. Recently, you've gained a junior student whose family is very poor, so the professor is considering giving her the scholarship. I expect the professor will call you in a couple of days."

Li Wei said, "I don't care that much about scholarships. I recently made some money in the stock market, and my living expenses are settled. I'll leave the scholarship to those who need it. That unlucky guy lost most of the school's funds, but I've made a fortune. I even bought an apartment near Akihabara."

Yasuo Saikawa showed a "Holy crap" expression. He was Li Wei's sketching teacher and also Li Wei's senior. Their teacher was the old professor mentioned earlier. Because they had a lot of contact in their daily lives, he was quite clear about Li Wei's living conditions.

In order to save money to buy a house, Li Wei took on a lot of art outsourcing work for game companies. The old professor didn't like this, but considering that Li Wei wanted to save money to buy a house, the old professor turned a blind eye. Who knew that Li Wei would get a windfall and directly achieve his goal of buying a house.

After regaining his senses, Yasuo Saikawa said, "Congratulations! But buying a house is such a big expense, you probably don't have much money left. I'll treat you to this meal."

Li Wei laughed and said, "I'm not that bad yet. I have plenty of cash on me. I used to always come here to mooch off your meals, but this time it's finally my turn to pay the bill. It's a pity you can't drink strong liquor now, otherwise I'd order you a bottle of 'Bear Killer' and I'd have a few drinks too, and we'd celebrate."

Yasuo Saikawa laughed and said, "My stomach will need to recover for another two years. I'll remember your bottle of 'Bear Killer'. By the way, since you've already bought a house here, are you staying here as a junta? Anyway, I know you'll never become a citizen."

Yasuo Saikawa knew very well that Li Wei was very proud of his Chinese identity, so he knew that Li Wei would never naturalize. However, after having a house here, he would be free from visa restrictions and could stay here as long as he wanted.

Japan's visa system has certain restrictions for international students and tourists, including limits on the length of stay. However, once someone establishes a permanent business in Japan, they are essentially considered an investor, and visa restrictions no longer apply. After all, the Japanese government would only turn away wealthy people if they were too busy. Due to its beautiful scenery, many wealthy Europeans and Americans own vacation villas in Japan and stay for several months when the weather is pleasant. Naturally, the government wouldn't use visa issues to annoy these wealthy individuals.

Li Wei said, "That's natural. No matter how the external environment changes, the Yanhuang bloodline in my body will not change."

Yasuo Saikawa's expression of admiration showed that Li Wei could be considered the cream of the crop among his peers, and now that he had achieved his long-term goal, he seemed to have a completely different spirit and energy.

The dishes Li Wei ordered were all served. The kitchen of this restaurant is very efficient. Even with the restaurant full of customers, the kitchen is still able to serve the dishes to the customers in a timely manner.

··· ·Requesting flowers···· ··

Yasuo Saikawa said, "You've already achieved what many of your peers have accomplished in their lifetimes. Do you have any new goals now?"

Yasuo Saikawa was somewhat expectant. Li Wei's painting talent was absolutely unquestionable, ranking among the top students in all his years. After all, their master, the old professor, was very strict in accepting students. Without sufficient talent and sensibility, the final achievement would be limited, and the effort of education would only be wasted.

Although painting is only a part of aesthetics, it still requires a lot of talent. People who are naturally more sensitive to beauty have a higher understanding of beauty than ordinary people, and only such high sensitivity can make them true masters. Otherwise, they can only be craftsmen at best.

 …

Yasuo Saikawa knew that he hadn't achieved anything significant by the time he was in his forties, and he no longer dared to dream of founding a new school of thought. He was already content as long as he could learn all of the old professor's skills and continue to pass on the school of thought that the old professor had inherited.

However, Li Wei was different. As one of the top geniuses in painting since the founding of Tokyo University of the Arts, the leaders of the college had high expectations for Li Wei. Although Li Wei had poor interpersonal relationships with his classmates and did not "read the air" like the Japanese, they regarded all of this as just the eccentricities of a genius and did not care.

The younger generation of teachers didn't like Li Wei, but the older generation saw him as a "returnee" of the Tokyo University of the Arts' revival. Even Yasuo Saikawa himself had high hopes for Li Wei.

Li Wei said, "Right now, I'm a bit lost. After all, I've already achieved my life goals, and I have plenty of time and energy to do what I want to do. I'll probably continue exploring the path of oil painting. I plan to study Leng Jun's surrealist style."

Upon hearing the name, Yasuo Saikawa said, "Is it that 'Ten Billion Yen Genius'? That's a difficult path, and most people can't endure it. After all, that school of thought is too damaging to the body."

Yasuo Saikawa's expression also turned serious; he didn't want Li Wei to joke about his painting career.

Chapter 1. New Directions in Painting Creation

Leng Jun is quite famous in the Japanese art circle. After all, he is a genius who can sell a single painting for more than 10 million RMB, which is more than 1 billion yen. The Japanese have given him the nicknames "1 Billion Yen Genius" and "King of Realistic Cinema".

The Japanese are quite similar in many details. For example, the two national table tennis players from China were given nicknames by the Japanese, such as "the destructive dragon of the empire," "the fierce tiger of the empire," and "the omnipotent warrior." The players themselves would feel embarrassed when they heard these nicknames.

Ten million RMB is roughly equivalent to ten million USD based on the exchange rate. Yasuo Tsawa's best performance record is only 100,000 USD per painting, while Li Wei has not yet officially debuted. His current notable achievements are the two paintings that have already been ordered at the exhibition, which are only 100,000 USD per painting. Compared with Leng Jun, the difference in their achievements is huge.

Hyperrealism is scorned by some, but respected by others. Li Wei and Yasuo Saikawa are among the latter, because they are also painters and therefore understand the difficulty of this hyperrealistic style.

If Li Wei hadn't gained extraordinary power through a fortuitous encounter, it would have been impossible for him to reach Leng Jun's level without ten years of arduous training. Now, Li Wei can replicate Leng Jun's works, and even improve upon them, but Li Wei knows very well that he's cheating. Without cheating, catching up with this senior is no easy task.

Li Wei wanted to incorporate hyperrealism into his painting system. Because he often painted illustrations and concept art, Li Wei's mastery of large scenes can be described as very skillful and exquisite.

Li Wei's painting style is quite complex, with influences from various types and schools visible in his works. However, the most profound influences on him are the meticulous brushwork style of traditional Chinese painting, the realist oil painting of Europe, and the niche dreamlike color painting of Japan. He combines the advantages of various styles and schools and is able to master them. He is just one step away from creating his own school.

To be able to do something like this, especially before acquiring the "golden finger" (a special ability to enhance one's skills), demonstrates just how formidable Li Wei's talent in painting must be. There's a reason why the older generation at Tokyo University of the Arts saw Li Wei as the hope for the university's revival.

Li Wei said, "I know that the hyperrealistic style is very time-consuming and puts a lot of strain on the body, but that's only true for ordinary people. How about I demonstrate how to crush a soda can with my bare hands right now?"

Li Wei grabbed a can of beer from the table and gradually squeezed it until it burst. However, because Li Wei had shielded the can beforehand, the beer inside did not splash out.

Yasuo Saikawa looked at Levi with an expression as if he were looking at a monster, and said, "Are you a strongman?! How did you do that?"

Yasuo Saikawa picked up the can of beer and started to exert force, but no matter how hard he tried, the can of beer remained stubbornly unchanged.

Li Wei laughed and said, "I dare to study the hyperrealist style. My good physical condition is my biggest trump card. The physical problems that that genius faces are nothing to me."

Leng Jun suffers from nearsightedness and severe cervical spondylosis. In particular, the high intensity of painting has made his nearsightedness and cervical spondylosis worse. This school of painting can be said to be burning one's life in creation. However, most artists are "crazy". In order to create a perfect work, they don't care if they burn themselves.

Just like Li Wei himself, he also had the experience of practicing to the point of obsession, staying in the studio for two days and two nights just to break through his own bottleneck. Never underestimate the madness of painters.

Li Wei said, "I've always been really into working out, but my style is street workout, so I haven't developed the massive muscles that you get with gym equipment. But my muscles are enough to support me in high-intensity painting. And while I'm working out, I can clear my mind and pursue inspiration. If I get an idea, I can stop and continue creating immediately. You could say I'm making perfect use of my time."

Yasuo Saikawa looked at Li Wei. Li Wei's clothes were relatively tight, and the outline of his muscles could be vaguely seen. He was indeed quite muscular, just as Li Wei had said. Yasuo Saikawa wondered if he should start exercising too. After all, a good physique was essential for better creative work, just like Haruki Murakami, a perennial Nobel Prize in Literature runner-up, who was also an avid runner and had developed a great physique through running...

Saikawa Yasuo said, "I'll go back and renovate my house, turn it into a small gym for my own use, and then I'll have to work out too."

Li Wei smiled and said, "Exercise is a good thing. I'll give you a list of what personal fitness equipment you need, how to set up your gym, and I can also find you some exercise materials to help you avoid detours. If you really don't understand anything, you can just ask me."

Saikawa Yasuo picked up his wine glass, clinked it against Li Wei's oolong tea glass, and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you."

Li Wei just smiled. After all, they were both students of the old professor. Although Saikawa Yasuo was a teacher at the school and taught sketching in his grade, they addressed each other as fellow students in private, since they were both students of the old professor.

What Li Weiqiang wanted to complain about was that the old professor was actually a fanatical admirer of Mao Zedong, and was particularly "red" in his heart. Even his apprentices and followers became "red" as well, and they created a lot of anti-war and political criticism works. It was only because the old professor was highly respected that he did such a thing. If someone else had done such a thing, they would probably have been arrested and put on a pork chop dinner.

After a satisfying meal, Li Wei said goodbye to his senior, Yasuo Saikawa, and rode his motorcycle back to his apartment. It was already dark, and he planned to contact Chiya Jinchengzhai after he got back. Li Wei himself found it somewhat unbelievable that he could meet a girl who made his heart flutter in the real world, so he decided to take the initiative.

After parking his motorcycle in the apartment's underground garage and locking it, Li Wei took the elevator back to his apartment floor.

Meanwhile, Jin Chengzhai Qianye had just finished her part-time job at the convenience store and returned to her rented room. Although Li Wei had given her a substantial tip during the day, she wasn't one to live off her savings. Even with a small tip, she didn't act arrogantly like others; instead, she continued with her life as usual, without any disruption to her routine.

Chapter 1. Night Chat

Jinchengzhai Qianye took off her coat and put it on the simple coat rack by the door. After a long day of work, all she wanted to do was lie down and rest. Unlike junior and senior high school, university classes were not scheduled all day. So most of the time, there were only morning or afternoon classes, with only Wednesdays being full-day classes.

To support herself in Tokyo, she worked most of the time when she wasn't in class. However, this put a lot of pressure on her. After all, the service industry in Japan is really tough. In the service industry, you basically have to be subservient and endure whatever kind of strange customers you encounter. So, this kind of life only makes people feel more and more tired.

When the lights were turned on, the whole room was illuminated. The place she rented was a small single apartment with an area of ​​only three tsubo (tsubo equals 0.1 square meters). This dilapidated apartment was quite cramped. After putting in all kinds of living utensils, even the sleeping mat on the floor had to be stuffed into a place when not in use. This situation is something that most young people who come to Tokyo to work hard will experience.