82: save6 Ideals and Reality
"The paintings are passable."
The young woman flipped through the paintings laid out on the street stall. Speaking in the local language which was also not very fluent, her voice sounded muffled due to the mask:
"I can detect traces of the academic school. You are a graduate of Rose Academy, are you not?"
Rose Academy was the most famous art university in the Cosmos Republic. The works of students graduating from this academy all carried a thick academic style: ticulous and scrupulous, like precise printing machines. This was the result of many years of repeated practice.
"My, I didn't expect you to be knowledgeable about this. It is truly surprising."
The stall owner appeared sowhat surprised, but she quickly recovered her composure and said:
"Yes, Miss. I was a student in the Fine Arts Departnt of Rose Academy. I graduated four years ago."
While flipping through the artworks, the young woman asked in a seemingly casual manner:
"I feel that your paintings rank among the best of the students in the academic school. Why did you say just now that no one has bought your paintings for several days?"
The woman lowered her gaze and said:
"Miss, I used to think that as long as I painted well, everyone would like my paintings. But in this city, being able to paint good-looking pictures is not the most important thing. Without connections, there are no opportunities to exhibit, and naturally, there are no people to look at the paintings."
"Heh... so that is the reason why your skills are so good yet you remain buried."
The young woman nodded slightly and said nothing more, instead continuing to bury her head and flipping through the paintings on the stall.
The woman felt a bit nervous because there were simply too many passersby who would just flip through them and leave. She was very worried that the young woman would also just take a quick look and then go.
However, the young woman did not do so.
She looked at them one by one carefully, and tucked the ones she liked under her arm.
The woman selected very slowly. And perhaps it was just the stall owner's illusion, but she felt that the woman's gaze seed to be constantly moving back and forth between her own body and the paintings.
In the end, the woman selected about five or six paintings and signaled the stall owner to wrap them up:
"Pack them up for ."
At this mont, the stall owner revealed a smile that was truly happy. She bowed slightly to the woman and said:
"No problem. Thank you for your patronage."
The young woman did not use electronic paynt but instead took out traditional paper bills, a thick stack, and lightly placed them on the woman's palm.
The woman just felt the weight of the paper bills slightly and hurriedly said:
"Wait a mont, Miss. Did you give too much..."
The young woman appeared unconcerned:
"Consider the excess as a tip."
The stall owner did not refuse this extra inco and bowed respectfully to the young woman once again:
"...Thank you."
The young woman did not say anything else. She simply cast her gaze over the woman one last ti, then picked up the plastic bag and left.
After the young woman left, the woman counted the money and was surprised to discover that the woman just now had actually given exactly double the listed price.
What a generous Miss...
The woman felt very happy. Although this inco was not enough to turn her life around, it at least let her see so hope.
Originally, she had decided to find a job like plate-waiting after this month ended. Now it seed she could postpone that for a bit.
If that generous Miss could co again tomorrow, that would be great.
Unknowingly, the woman produced such a thought.
Savoring that strange custor from just now, the woman felt a strange feeling.
For so reason, she felt that the voice of that guest just now was sowhat familiar, even though the guest was wearing a thick mask.
It was as if she had heard it sowhere before.
...
About a week later, the young woman visited the stall owner's stall once again.
This ti, the young woman selected quite a few paintings again. The woman took this opportunity to ask:
"Miss, do you live in this city?"
The young woman paused for a mont and replied:
"No, I am here for tourism. And incidentally... to et the person I love most. Well, I might live here for a period of ti."
"Does your lover live locally?"
"Correct."
"My... being able to live in this capital of art, your lover must be very happy. Aside from being unfriendly to artists like , this city is like a paradise for tourists and people settling here. It is full of artistic atmosphere everywhere."
The young woman said:
"I am not clear about that. I will have to go ask her."
"Her?"
Upon hearing this word, the woman couldn't help but widen her eyes slightly.
The young woman was still speaking the local language here, and the "she" used had a clear gender indication.
"Mm-hm."
The young woman was not concerned in the slightest. She lowered her head to look at the woman's works, then suddenly changed the subject and said:
"I like your work. May I know your na?"
The stall owner paused for a mont and answered:
"Liu Lili."
"Liu Lili."
The young woman read the na with emphasis, then asked:
"This na... you are from the White Lily Republic, correct?"
"Correct. I grew up in the White Lily Republic when I was little. I tested into Rose Academy for university and then lived here."
Liu Lili obviously hesitated for a mont, then imdiately asked the sa question:
"Miss, may I know your na?"
The young woman answered without hesitation:
"You can call Cola."
"Miss... Cola?"
"Mm-hm."
The young woman, calling herself Cola, gave a light hum again. She took the paintings Liu Lili had packed, paid readily, and left dashingly.
After Cola left, Liu Lili looked at the money in her palm, which was still double the normal asking price, and sighed slightly.
In fact, for the past week, aside from that young woman just now, only one person had visited her stall, and they hadn't bought anything.
The manga Liu Lili published online was also rarely asked about. To this day, she could only rely on the minimum guarantee from updates to obtain ager inco every month.
The her who was once full of ambition had now beco soone who just muddled through. Since the money she borrowed from her lover was almost spent, expenses like rent, utilities, and food costs had beco burdens on Liu Lili that could not be shaken off.
This was not sothing difficult to understand.
In this real world, hard work does not necessarily yield corresponding returns.
Successful people write the stories that belong to them and spread their thods of success as absolute truths, making countless people offstage mistakenly believe that success is that simple.
However, this is rely survivorship bias. Beneath their feet lie the piles of blood and bones of countless failures.
If hard work ant success, what use would there be for power and luck?
When Liu Lili clearly recognized this point, a full eight years had already passed since she left Lu Lele and the White Lily Republic.
Although Liu Lili was unwilling to admit it, she had failed.
And it was the kind where one couldn't even see a glimr of hope for success.
There were many classmates whose painting skills were not as good as Liu Lili's who were already slightly famous under the help of their ntors, developing quite well with a bright future.
But Liu Lili did not have a ntor.
The reason was also simple. ntors are not sothing you can have just because you want one.
To obtain the resources and connections in their hands, and to get the opportunity to climb up and enter the circle, one must pay corresponding things.
It could be money and gifts, or it could be so "items" that belong only to girls.
This kind of transaction is generally called unspoken rules.
Back then, Liu Lili resolutely refused the implication of unspoken rules from her forr ntor, choosing to go it alone after graduation.
At that ti, Liu Lili was full of confidence. In university, Liu Lili's grades were always among the best, which made her feel that even without a ntor's help, she could walk the path to success.
But reality slapped her hard across the face, completely tearing her small amount of pride into fragnts.
Reviews
All reviews (0)