Chapter 217 - 213: Incredulity and Relief

At that moment, He Wenqing spoke up. "The artist behind this painting is incredibly skilled. There are only a handful of painters in the entire Art World with this level of mastery."

"Oh?"

Everyone from the film crew, including Wei Yang, turned to look at He Wenqing.

They all knew that besides being a director, He Wenqing was also a professional painter. When it came to art, he was the authority on the subject.

'From what He Wenqing was implying, the artist was even more incredible than they had imagined!'

'Could this young owner really have found someone that skilled to paint for him?'

'That would be quite an accomplishment.'

Wei Yang, thoroughly intrigued, asked Li You, "Sir, may I ask which master created this piece?"

Li You replied, "It was painted by Master Guyi."

Li You's tone was casual, but to the ears of Wei Yang and the rest of the film crew, his words struck like a clap of thunder from a clear sky.

They were utterly stunned!

After the initial shock, everyone—except for Wei Yang, of course—was in disbelief.

'Painted by Master Guyi?'

'How could that be possible?'

Everyone but Wei Yang thought Li You was full of it.

'Even if this young owner was well-connected, it would be impossible to get Master Guyi to come out of retirement.'

After all, Master Guyi hadn't released a new work in nearly ten years, nor had he accepted any commissions.

Rumor had it that someone once offered over a hundred million yuan for a commission and was still turned down.

'So what made this young owner think he could convince Master Guyi?'

'Kids these days really have the nerve to boast about anything!'

'But what was the point of such a tall tale? No one would believe him.'

'He's still too young. Can't even tell a convincing lie.'

'If he had named any other famous master, they might have actually believed him.'

Besides Master Guyi, there were several other highly prestigious masters in the Art World.

Their paintings were also incredibly valuable.

The crew members all agreed: Li You had botched his attempt at a boast.

Only Wei Yang was lost in thought.

'From what he knew of Li You, it didn't seem like the kind of thing he would lie about.'

'So, how did Li You manage to get a piece from Master Guyi?'

'Was it Ye Shengge's doing?'

'If Ye Shengge got involved, then it was definitely possible.'

He didn't know the full extent of Ye Shengge's background, but according to Zhao Yanglin, it was unfathomably deep.

'And if her background was that deep, commissioning a piece from Master Guyi would be well within her means.'

'The relationship between Ye Shengge and Owner Li You is truly something else.'

With this in mind, Wei Yang smiled. "I never would have guessed it was a piece by Master Guyi. No wonder even laymen like us can tell it's something special."

Hearing Wei Yang say this, the rest of the crew stared at him in disbelief.

'What's gotten into Director Wei?'

'The young owner is so obviously lying! How could he have fallen for it?'

He Wenqing said, "Director Wei, this painting couldn't possibly be by Master Guyi."

Wei Yang shook his head. "No. I believe him. Others may not be able to commission a piece from Master Guyi, but he can."

The crew members once again stared at Wei Yang in disbelief.

'Director Wei holds this young owner in such high esteem?'

'What is going on?'

Just then, Li You smiled faintly. "Director Wei, you've misunderstood. I didn't commission this piece from Master Guyi. He came here for a meal, and on a whim, he painted it himself. Then he gifted it to me."

Everyone except Wei Yang stared with wide-eyed disbelief. It wasn't because they believed what Li You said, but because they couldn't believe he would double down on such an outrageous lie.

'Master Guyi came *here* to eat? Then felt inspired and painted this? And then he just *gave* it to you?'

'This young owner's lies are getting more and more ridiculous.'

More than a few of them felt like giving Li You a thumbs-up. When it came to spinning a yarn, if this young owner claimed to be number two, no one would dare claim to be number one.

Only Wei Yang looked thrilled and excited. He urged impatiently, "So even Master Guyi has eaten here! Sir, you have to tell us what happened when he visited."

Wei Yang completely believed Li You's story. He also realized his earlier guess had been wrong. It wasn't Ye Shengge who had intervened; this was what had actually happened.

This was, without a doubt, far more exciting than if Ye Shengge had been involved. This way, the painting had its own story, its own legend.

It was the kind of story and legend that countless people would relish telling.

So, what were the circumstances that led Master Guyi to create such a work? It was a question that sparked immense curiosity and anticipation!

That was why Wei Yang was so eager to hear the tale.

And the more eager Wei Yang became, the more baffled and incredulous the crew felt.

'What is with Director Wei today? How could he believe the young owner's story again?'

'It was beyond comprehension.'

Li You was about to give a simple account of what happened when a customer in the restaurant spoke up. "Owner, how about you let us tell Director Wei and his crew the story?"

Li You looked over at the customers, nodded, and smiled. "Then I'll leave it to you."

"No trouble at all, no trouble at all," the customers said one after another.

The chance to tell the story of Master Guyi's visit to a major director like Wei Yang, and to so many stars they had only ever seen on screen, made them feel excited and proud.

Wei Yang said to the customers, "Then we'll have to trouble you to tell us the story."

The customers all replied, "Not at all, Director Wei."

Then, together, they recounted the story of Master Guyi's visit in considerable detail.

The more Wei Yang listened, the more excited he became, nodding his head nonstop.

Meanwhile, the other crew members, including He Wenqing, found the story more and more unbelievable as they listened.

But this time, their disbelief stemmed from the fact that they were slowly starting to believe it.

At first, they thought that it wasn't just the owner who liked to tell tall tales, but his customers as well.

'The owner tells a lie, the customers back him up with the same lie... that's some next-level dedication.'

But as they listened, the crew members gradually felt that the customers didn't seem to be lying.

It was a gut feeling. If they were truly lying, they were sure the vibe would be completely different.

'So, could it actually be true? Did Master Guyi really come here to eat?'

If this place really had the best food and the finest wine, it was certainly possible.

After all, Master Guyi's love for gourmet food and fine wine was practically common knowledge.

And Director Wei had repeatedly said the food and wine here were the best.

'Thinking about it that way, it really was possible that Master Guyi would have come.'

And it was also plausible that after enjoying a delicious meal, fine wine, and the warm enthusiasm of the crowd, Master Guyi might be moved by inspiration to casually create a painting.

Masters like Guyi were difficult to commission, even for a fortune, but it was also said that when inspiration struck, they might casually dash off a painting and gift it to someone they felt a connection with, without asking for a single penny.

That was the spontaneity and free-spirited nature of a true master.

This was one of the reasons the crew members were slowly coming to believe the story.

'So the owner hadn't been lying at all. He was simply stating a fact.'

The crew found it hard to believe, but they were slowly being forced to accept it.

It was just too incredible!

Every member of the crew was in awe.

At the same time, they finally understood. They understood why the owner and the customers had been so calm when they arrived, despite knowing who they were.

The reason was simple: even Master Guyi had eaten here, personally painted a masterpiece on the spot, and that very painting was now hanging on the wall.

After something like that, seeing a few big-name directors and famous actors was, in comparison, hardly a reason to get excited.

They might be celebrities, but their status paled in comparison to Master Guyi's.

The crew members couldn't help but smile wryly, especially the younger actors in the group.

'It seemed they had thought a little too highly of their celebrity status.'

Thankfully, they had only thought Li You was lying in their heads and hadn't shown their skepticism through their words or expressions.

'Otherwise, they would probably be too embarrassed to even remain here now.'

'What a relief!'

Every member of the crew was secretly sighing in relief.

...