IHTIAP Chapter 107

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Chapter 107: The idea is great, but the painting is fake

When Yu Nian got in the car, he saw Xie You completely engrossed in his phone. Curious, he asked, “What are you so focused on? You haven’t even spared me a glance.”

Xie You kept staring at his phone and replied, “I’m watching Nian Nian.”

“Me?” Yu Nian leaned over, looking at the screen with Xie You, and indeed, it was him. In the video, there was a large green field with the audience seats filled with people. He was wearing a black and white sports outfit, performing the opening act for a major sports event.

Xie You smiled lightly and said, “Nian Nian is trending.”

“I saw the tags under the video,” Yu Nian felt disappointed, “like #ThePrompterGaveMeMyDestiny#. Well, I knew it. It’s not obvious to have a prompter on stage, and you can still cover it up. But on a big field like a sports stadium, surrounded by six or seven prompters, it’s really embarrassing!”

Xie You put down his phone and touched Yu Nian’s face, kissing him gently, and coaxing him, “It’s not embarrassing; it’s cute. I really like it.”

Rarely was the adjective “cute” associated with him, and Yu Nian felt a little embarrassed. He leaned over and kissed Xie You’s lips, then quickly changed the subject, “After I finish recording the second episode of ‘Treasure Hunt,’ I’ll be joining Ri Yao Mobile’s charity team to visit a mountainous area. It’ll probably take four or five days.”

Xie You held Yu Nian’s hand, sounding somewhat restrained, “You’re going for so long?”

Yu Nian rested his head on Xie You’s leg, tilting his head to look at him, “I’ll be back soon, and I’ll miss you a lot.”

Xie You gently ran his fingers through Yu Nian’s hair and said in a soft voice, “How often should we communicate?”

Yu Nian’s smile widened as he replied, “Every minute, every second!”

Finally, Xie You seemed satisfied.

The wheels rolled over the stone-paved road in the western part of the city, finally stopping at the entrance of a private restaurant. Yu Nian looked outside and said, “Let’s get off; Uncle Shen must have prepared a table of dishes for us.”

Xie You didn’t move, hesitating for a moment before saying, “…I need a minute to prepare.”

Sensing that Xie You was a bit nervous, Yu Nian also stayed put and sat in his seat, chatting casually.

“My birth father is unknown, and my mother passed away after giving birth to me. My grandparents also passed away one after another. Uncle Shen watched my mother grow up and then me. Although not a blood relative, he treated me like a family elder.” 

Yu Nian recalled. “When I was a child, I was a picky eater for a while and couldn’t gain weight. Uncle Shen was even more worried than my grandparents, always cooking different dishes for me. Although he called me ‘Young Master’ in a playful way, he treated me like a family.”

Xie You nodded, hesitated for two seconds, and then asked, “Nian Nian, your birth father—”

Knowing what Xie You wanted to ask, Yu Nian shook his head and said, “I haven’t thought about finding him. Since my mother returned home pregnant and never mentioned it to my grandparents, I don’t see the need to investigate the past.” His eyes were clear, “My mother’s love and the love from my grandparents are enough for me.”

Xie You didn’t ask further and stayed in the car for another two minutes before finally saying, “I’m ready now.”

“Okay, let’s go!”

Yu Nian had already called Uncle Shen ahead of time, informing him that he would bring his loved one today, so the private restaurant was obviously cleared out. It was peaceful and quiet inside. After arriving at the reserved private room named “Magpie’s Branch,” it didn’t take long for Uncle Shen to open the door and come in.

Seeing Xie You sitting together with Yu Nian, Uncle Shen hesitated for two seconds at the door before a smile appeared on his face. He placed the pre-meal pastry on the small table and scolded jokingly, “Young Master, you didn’t say anything in advance.”

“Let me introduce. This is Uncle Shen, and this is Xie You,” Yu Nian said.

Xie You greeted respectfully.

Yu Nian unceremoniously picked up a piece of pastry and fed it to Xie You’s lips. Then he took another piece for himself and smiled at Shen Wei with narrowed eyes.

Shen Wei remembered very clearly that during the time when Yu Nian came to borrow the kitchen to cook, he mentioned wanting to cook for the person he liked. The person he liked was 186 cm tall, in good shape, but unable to conceive. At that time, he had some speculation but hadn’t confirmed it yet.

Looking at Yu Nian sitting beside Xie You, his eyes and brows filled with smiles, and his relaxed expression, the heavy stone in Shen Wei’s heart gradually fell.

Shen Wei’s skin wrinkled with love and gentleness as he pushed the plate of desserts toward Yu Nian’s direction and said in his usual manner, “Young Master, you eat too little, that’s why you’re so thin. Maybe Mr. Xie will really be able to lift you against the wall with one hand in the future.”

Yu Nian didn’t pay attention and choked on a crumb of pastry, coughing until the corners of his eyes turned red. He drank most of a cup of tea offered by Xie You’s hand before recovering.

He leaned against Xie You’s shoulder, his voice slightly hoarse, pretending to be displeased but unable to hide the smile, “Uncle Shen, if you keep saying that, I’ll really get angry!”

Shen Wei laughed happily, feeling a bit nostalgic, “Time flies, the young master who used to run around the yard and squat to count ants has grown up and found someone he likes. By the way,” he stood up, “I always get forgetful when talking, the dishes are still in the kitchen, let me check, wait a moment.”

The door to the private room closed, and seeing Xie You’s body slightly tense, Yu Nian smiled, squeezing Xie You’s long fingers and said, “Grandpa used to say that life is no more than a hundred years. It’s already quite rare to meet someone you like, so we shouldn’t ask for more. Uncle Shen thinks the same way, and when he was young, the person he was supposed to marry fell seriously ill and passed away. Uncle Shen vowed not to marry again, and he has been living alone until now. So as long as I’m happy, he approves.”

Saying this, he fed the half-eaten pastry into Xie You’s mouth and continued, “Trust me, everything will be fine.”

Finally, Xie You opened his mouth, ate the remaining half of the pastry, and took the opportunity to nibble on Yu Nian’s fingertip, making him itch and quickly pulling back his hand.

Not long after, Shen Wei brought the dishes to the table—three main dishes and four side dishes, a table full of delicious fragrances.

After the meal, Shen Wei smiled and said, “Speaking of which, I also watched ‘Treasure Hunt,’ the one you recorded with Mr. Gu and Director Gan.”

Yu Nian, having drunk some tea to ease his digestion, curiously asked, “How did I do?”

“Not bad, but the things you said, were they all memorized from the family history?” Shen Wei inquired.

Yu Nian rubbed his nose and confidently said, “Yeah, it shows that I took the family history seriously and remembered it well when I was a child!”

He then turned to Xie You and added, “When I was a child, the most terrifying and difficult thing was the family history. It was stacked on the ground, taller than me! I asked Grandpa if I could stop memorizing it, there was just too much. But Grandpa said no, because he had gone through the same thing when he was young.”

Amusement rose in Xie You’s eyes.

“Later, Grandpa advised me, ‘Nian Nian, you see, it must be quite hard for those who write family histories, right? We can’t let their efforts go to waste, can we?’ With that idea of respecting their labor, I persevered and memorized each scroll of the family history with tears in my eyes.”

Under the table, Xie You held Yu Nian’s hand, “Nian Nian was easy to coax when he was a child.”

Shen Wei observed the two sitting side by side and felt more and more that they were a perfect match. He looked content and began telling a story, “Young Master was indeed easy to coax as a child. There was a tree in the yard with a bird’s nest on it. Every morning, Young Master would run to the tree and earnestly greet the little birds, sometimes chattering with them about his dreams from the night before he even had breakfast.

But later, there was a heavy rainstorm with strong winds at night, and the bird’s nest was blown down, and the birds were gone. Young Master cried until his eyes were swollen, and his tears flowed like a flood, and I laughed and said that the flood was about to drown the Yu family.

Madam really couldn’t help it, so she made up a reason, saying that it was the Qixi¹Chinese Valentine’s Day Festival, and the little birds had gone to help build the Magpie Bridge in the sky. Only then did Young Master stop crying.”

Yu Nian blushed and pulled Xie You’s hand to cover his face, “I don’t even remember!”

Shen Wei laughed even more heartily, “I remember. I remember everything about Young Master very clearly.”

At that moment, the alarm on Yu Nian’s phone went off. He suddenly remembered, “I was so engrossed in our conversation that I forgot. Brother Meng reminded me when he left to remember to repost Hersey’s official Weibo post.” He added, “Luckily, I’m clever; I set an alarm.”

Xie You remembered more clearly than Yu Nian, “Hersey’s advertisement is officially being released?”

As Yu Nian operated his phone, he answered, “Yes, it was already filmed by the end of May, and now it’s already August 16th.”

Not long after the official release of the Hersey advertisement featuring Yu Nian, the number of reposts exceeded five thousand, and the comments soared to six figures.

[I’m in tears. What kind of divine advertisement is this?! Nian Nian is driving a convertible sports car, wearing a white shirt and light-colored shorts, and stepping out with sunglasses. I was just thinking. What the hell with this playboy’s look? In the next second, Nian Nian changed into a retro suit. After passing through the corridor and entering the luxurious banquet hall, I literally forgot to breathe!]

[I regret not studying Chinese well in the past. Besides ‘aaaahhh’ and ‘damn damn,’ there’s nothing else to describe Nian Nian’s beauty and temperament! Too beautiful! I’m obsessed! I’ve already looped this advertisement more than a dozen times, really in awe. How can Nian Nian be so good-looking? He’s just perfect as the young master of an old money family! No, I’m going to watch it again!]

[I’ve been won over, sisters, help me! Nian Nian really leaves no room for fans of handsome faces!]

Then, on the third day after the official release of the Hersey advertisement, at nine o’clock in the morning, Daibo also promptly announced that Yu Nian would be the new spokesperson for the Daibo brand.

Subsequently, taking advantage of this momentum, many marketing accounts wrote mini-articles to gain traffic.

“Eating Melon Group: Summing up the brands that Yu Nian has endorsed since his debut, we found that the quantity is not many, around ten, but the quality is astonishingly high! Just take a look at Fana Poetry, Oumu, Ri Yao, or Florence; they are all excellent endorsements. Not to mention the luxury brand Hersey, and now the recently announced global spokesperson for Daibo!

Well, Eating Melon Group is feeling sour already. I guess those who used to mock Yu Nian for not getting endorsements are feeling sour too, right? But think about it, with his talent and looks being top-notch, plus participating in Slimane’s fashion salon, we can’t underestimate his fashion resources!”

Various mini-articles emerged one after another, and Shi Rou was really into them. Whenever she came across something exciting, she would read a couple of lines aloud to Yu Nian.

“Due to the endorsements by Hersey and Daibo, your popularity has been high these past two days! And as expected, Zhao Shuya’s fans came to provoke as usual. Seriously, they are everywhere!” Shi Rou then summed it up, “They came to provoke, and the Nian Gao fans threw your achievements at them, instantly crushing and defeating them. Their attempt to provoke you beyond their level failed once again.”

Shi Rou finished speaking and propped up her chin, taking a deep sigh, “Just thinking about seeing Zhao Shuya again later makes me feel so depressed!”

Yu Nian was chatting with Xie You on his phone when he raised his eyes with a smile, “Then, Sister Rou Rou, just close your eyes. Let’s not bother with annoying people; it’s bad for the eyes.”

Shi Rou was amused, “Good idea! But I always feel that something is amiss. Nian Nian, be careful, okay?”

When the program started recording, the atmosphere at the venue was excellent. Gu Yiyan and Gan Zhou were both introverted and modest individuals who didn’t like to interrupt each other. When dealing with artifacts involving a lot of historical content and background, Gu Yiyan would take the initiative to let Gan Zhou and Yu Nian explain.

Zhao Shuya was the sixth to take the stage, and a scroll painting was carefully placed on the display stand by the staff. The host said, “Now, let’s invite the sixth contestant to introduce this treasure.”

Zhao Shuya, wearing a long robe with a mandarin collar, had a typical retro style. He held the microphone, “Hello, everyone, I am Zhao Shuya. My father is Professor Zhao Chunming from the Southeast University of Fine Arts, and both he and my grandfather, Zhao Guodong, are painters of Chinese paintings. This painting, titled ‘Night Banquet,’ was a treasured possession acquired by my grandfather through multiple visits and a hefty sum, and has been kept at home as a family heirloom.”

The host responded, “If it is indeed the legendary ‘Night Banquet,’ then it is indeed extremely precious!”

“Yes,” Zhao Shuya nodded proudly, “Another slightly inferior work by the same author as ‘Night Banquet’ was sold for 190 million in a calligraphy and painting session at the Yuan Jia auction.”

The audience at the venue gasped in amazement.

The host knew about the gap between Zhao Shuya, Zhao Chunming, and Yu Nian, and upon hearing this, he felt that something might be wrong. He quickly continued, “For many years, it has been said that ‘Night Banquet’ is extremely precious. Now, let’s invite our appraiser to tell us what makes this painting so valuable!”

Gan Zhou took the microphone and spoke slowly, “As we can see, ‘Night Banquet’ was brought up to the display stand together with the glass display cabinet. Because it is an ancient painting and very fragile, even a slight mishandling could cause damage.”

“That’s right,” Zhao Shuya smiled brightly, “When I took this painting out of the house, my grandfather repeatedly reminded me to bring it back unharmed.”

Gan Zhou nodded and continued, “So what does ‘Night Banquet’ depict? It shows the emperor and his officials feasting in the palace, hence the name. However, the scene is anything but festive; instead, it is extremely sorrowful.

Why is that? As you can see, in the center of the painting stands a man holding a wine cup. Who is he? He is General Song Zhige. After drinking the wine bestowed by the emperor, he led an army northward to confront the barbarian tribes, protecting the people and the country beyond the national borders. But he died in battle with his body wrapped in horsehide. As for the author of this painting…”

Gan Zhou turned his head to face Yu Nian, “I’ll take a sip of water, and then, teacher Yu Nian, please continue.”

Yu Nian took the microphone, “The author of this painting is Yu Hongzhi, a renowned painter and the Minister of Rites at that time, first-class. General Song Zhigr, as mentioned by Master Gan Zhou, was the third son-in-law of Yu Hongzhi.

At that time, when the enemy attacked our country’s borders, Song Zhige guarded the frontier and fought many difficult battles. Three months after the war started, the two sides engaged in a decisive battle at Guiyan Pass. Song Zhige cut down the enemy’s military flag, captured the enemy’s general, and fought valiantly before dying. His wife, Lady Yu, defended the city with great courage during the critical moment and led the battle until victory was achieved. However, in the end, Lady Yu died from a concealed arrow, and her unborn child also perished.

The news spread, causing grief and sorrow throughout the court. The emperor posthumously honored General Song Zhige and Lady Yu. After hearing the news, Minister Yu Hongzhi, the Minister of Rites, painted ‘Night Banquet’ overnight, but after setting down his brush, he burst into tears, weeping uncontrollably.

This is the story behind ‘Night Banquet.'”

The host said, “Although it is just a simple painting, it embodies the tragic defense of the country and the tearful loss of a loved one, as well as the spirit passed down through generations of our nation.”

Zhao Shuya took over, “Indeed, it is extremely precious. That’s why my grandfather estimated the value of this painting to be around 250 million.” He smiled, scanning Yu Nian, sitting at the appraiser’s seat, with a hint of arrogance and disdain in his eyes. He continued, “But regardless of whether it can be sold for two billion, three billion, or even four billion, I will never sell it for money!”

“Teacher Yu Nian, do you think my idea is good?”

Yu Nian met Zhao Shuya’s gaze, took the microphone, and answered, “Your idea is great, but the painting is fake.”

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