Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

When one of Yang Che's university teachers failed to get a promotion, he said something to the effect that the Chinese art world had become completely Westernized.

Art college admissions and teaching focus on sketching, color, and quick sketching (the foundation of Western painting), while traditional Chinese painting, calligraphy, poetry, and classical Chinese texts are marginalized or even completely absent from exams and courses.

What kind of things will grow if you plant Chinese seeds in foreign soil?

Every single native-born Chinese person who paints Western paintings is an artist.

Furthermore, those who study traditional Chinese painting can't even memorize the most basic classics like "Dream of the Red Chamber," "The Book of Songs," and "Songs of Chu," so how can they possibly paint anything?

Art teachers are busy getting promoted every day... So-called professional painters are busy attending conferences and holding exhibitions... Painting for utilitarian purposes will never produce masters, never!

Those famous paintings and calligraphies that have been passed down—which of those famous artists didn't emphasize self-cultivation when creating their works?

Perhaps when culture is fully revived someday, a group of people who have been pampered since childhood happen to like painting and have talent, then some famous painters and masters may emerge.

.............

Gao Yuanyuan felt that her boyfriend was particularly agitated, indignant, and disappointed in her.

"Okay, I understand. They're all scammers."

As they were talking, Yang Che arrived at a mutton soup restaurant diagonally opposite her junior high school, guided by Gao Yuanyuan. After getting out of the car, the smell of mutton skewers wafted into his nostrils. Of the seven or eight small square tables at the entrance, only two were empty, indicating that the business was booming.

Newly dating couples want to be together every single moment.

After getting off the bus, the two tacitly took hands and didn't let go even when they sat down at the small square table at the entrance of the store. If the table hadn't been so small, they would definitely have sat side by side.

The fifteen or sixteen-year-old waiter stared at Gao Yuanyuan after handing her the menu, until she smiled at him. Only then did he turn away, his face flushed and his neck red.

Yang Che naturally noticed this. If he wasn't worried that the waiter might add something extra when serving the food, he would have kissed Gao Yuanyuan to tease him.

"A plate of tripe, 20 meat skewers, a skewer of kidney, and two bottles of cola."

This was something the two of them had discussed in the car, and of course, it wasn't just about ordering these things.

When it comes to tripe, you should first order a plate of crisp and tender ones to try and gauge the condition of the ingredients that day.

While waiting for their meal, the two went to a nearby pastry shop and bought sugar ears and donkey rolls. She liked these and talked a lot about how her brother and father used to give her pocket money to buy snacks when she was a child.

Yang Che asked a few questions and learned that her brother's name was Gao Yong, who was four years older than her. After graduating from Tsinghua University in 97, he joined the Ministry of Labor and Social Security as a programmer and was currently working on a management system.

The family has a strong academic gene, so Gao Yuanyuan's claim that she used to have excellent grades is not an exaggeration; she's definitely inherited it.

As she spoke, Gao Yuanyuan tilted her head and said, "Why do you keep asking him? Are you afraid he'll hit you?"

Yang Che shook his head: "I want to understand you from multiple perspectives."

Gao Yuanyuan pursed her lips and felt that the candy ears in her hand were even sweeter.

Yang Che enjoyed the meal quite a bit. After all, it was a restaurant that had been open in the residential area for over ten years, so even if the taste was bad, it couldn't be too bad.

Just as he was enjoying his meal, his phone rang. Yang Che picked it up, glanced at it, and hung up.

Gao Yuanyuan felt particularly remorseful because she subconsciously glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was "Little Fatty," and she knew who that was.

She felt a mix of bitterness and a touch of happiness, yet also a hint of joy, since he hadn't answered her call.

She had overheard him talking on the phone with "Little Fatty" before. Although his words were sometimes quite harsh, they were always filled with care and affection, which she envied.

Yang Che didn't say anything, nor did he look at Gao Yuanyuan. He continued eating as if nothing had happened.

Gao Yuanyuan opened her mouth but didn't say anything. She just put a candy ear in her mouth, but it didn't taste sweet anymore.

So she spoke up: "Why aren't you answering?"

Her voice was somewhat hoarse, as if she were afraid to hear something, yet also wanted to hear something.

"Crunch, crunch..."

Yang Che heard the sound of himself chewing the pill stop, followed by the sound of swallowing.

He paused, then looked up at the girl beside him: "Can we not talk about this before the movie is finished? I have to be responsible for everyone, not just you and her, but the entire crew."

Throughout history, the pig's tactics have been used to describe people—or rather, the strategy known as the "delaying tactic"—which involves delaying tasks to wait for a favorable opportunity or a change in the situation. The core of this strategy is to use time to create a turning point.

This is an essential skill for a "qualified" leader.

Seeing the difficulty in his eyes, Gao Yuanyuan lowered her head slightly. She even felt a little guilty, because she had just said not long ago that she was willing to wait and didn't care.

But love is selfish, so her kind but unwilling voice lowered considerably: "What's your relationship with her now...?"

"Just like you before today."

At this point, Yang Che shifted the stool under his bottom to face her directly: "Yuanyuan, since you want to know, I'll explain it more clearly."

Gao Yuanyuan took his hand, opened her big eyes, and looked at him with her lips pursed.

"Um."

"I met her earlier, and unlike my pure liking for you, my liking for her is mixed with other things, such as sympathy for her experiences and how well she matches the role of Xingxing. I especially hope that she can play the role well, so I hope that she can focus on it... I know this is a bit utilitarian, but this is what I really think."

If you can't accept it, that's okay, I..."

Yang Che managed a weak twitch at the end, then stopped talking.

Then he thought the action was brilliantly designed!

Then he thought Wu Shixian had a problem with his eyes, and that Laozi's acting skills were unparalleled.

Then he remembered a saying by Emperor Jiao Huang: "A person who can act in real life cannot be an actor, because an actor needs genuine feelings."

Finally, Yang Che realized he was sick; what was he thinking?

Gao Yuanyuan didn't think he was overthinking. She stared blankly at his somewhat dazed eyes, feeling heartache, self-blame, and sadness. Then, without thinking, she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss.

Just as Yang Che came to his senses, he heard her say, "I'm sorry."

This time, Yang Che wasn't smug. He wasn't that much of a beast! How could this girl be so good?

If you're asking what she's after because of his acting skills, it's him as a person. What else could she be after?

Seeing the love and tenderness in her boyfriend's eyes, Gao Yuanyuan's eyes instantly welled up with tears. She sniffed and said, "You're not allowed to say 'I can't accept' again. It hurts me."

Yang Che didn't say anything, but simply reached out and touched her cheek.

Gao Yuanyuan laughed, then pouted, "Oh dear, your hands are oily and have chili peppers on them."

"You're such a mood killer."

Yang Che was speechless, and picked up a piece of paper to gently wipe her face.