Campus Ace Girl-Chapter 495 - 496: Astonishing! Are all talented people unrefined?
After King Jingyao finished speaking, he walked over to the pile of design drafts that resembled a small mountain and began to examine them patiently, one after another.
"This one is well-drawn; that little brat couldn’t have drawn this."
"Hmm, this one is terrible; it’s possible she drew it."
"This one... it can’t be hers either."
"This name is too refined; she couldn’t have come up with this."
"This one reaches new heights of awfulness; the more I look at it, the more it seems like her work."
...
The Secretary General’s mouth twitched as he listened. Who talks about their own sister like that? And what kind of perverse amusement was this, anyway?
The Secretary General chuckled. "Are you planning on working overtime tonight, Sir?"
Upon hearing this, King Jingyao laughed. While looking at the design drafts, he said, "Jingchuan, are you trying to get back at me for making you work overtime the other day? Not happy about it?"
The Secretary General immediately responded, "How would I dare! I am entirely loyal to you; no one can break us apart."
King Jingyao glanced at him. "Cut it out. I know you too well. You’re only good at sweet-talking me."
The Secretary General pressed further, "My actions also demonstrate my unwavering loyalty to you."
King Jingyao chuckled softly. Suddenly, his gaze fell upon one design draft. His eyes lit up, blazing with excitement.
The Secretary General sensed this change immediately and moved closer. "What is it?"
King Jingyao pulled out the noteworthy design. "Take a look at this."
The Secretary General looked over. Even as a layman, he was astounded. "Heavens, this is divinely skillful work! This style is truly phenomenal."
King Jingyao spoke, "On this design, there’s no trace of any established master’s style. It’s completely unique and very impressive."
The Secretary General thought for a moment, then asked, "Could it be KO?"
King Jingyao looked at him. "Didn’t you say Gu Mingzhu *is* KO? Is this her design draft?"
The Secretary General hadn’t paid it much mind, but now that he was prompted, he checked and indeed pulled out another draft. "Here it is. It’s not the one from before."
King Jingyao merely smiled at this.
The Secretary General held his breath, waiting for his superior’s critique. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
King Jingyao’s voice was calm. "This piece looks decent, but the fundamentals are weak. There are obvious signs it was touched up by someone else; it’s not the work of a single person. Furthermore, the person who made the revisions was clearly an inexperienced student of some master. This work was bought, and someone was paid to fix it up."
The Secretary General was thoroughly impressed. "You can tell all that?"
"I minored in architecture," King Jingyao said indifferently. "But I had no talent for it, so I gave up."
The Secretary General, a master of flattery, feigned deep regret and then gazed at King Jingyao with adoring, starry eyes.
King Jingyao put the two design drafts together. "When Maestro Xunyi arrives, show him these two!"
The Secretary General asked softly, "What about Miss Anxi’s?"
King Jingyao glanced at the draft in his hand, hesitating for a moment. "We’ll have to compensate that little brat somehow later. We can’t let COMO become a laughingstock just because of my fondness for her."
The Secretary General chuckled in agreement.
King Jingyao, flustered and annoyed, snapped, "Jingchuan, what are you laughing at!"
The Secretary General chimed in playfully, "You truly dote on Dr. Gu, Sir."
Did the great man have no pride?
He snorted coldly. "Dote on her? Bullshit!"
He paused for a moment, then lowered his voice. "When Maestro Xunyi arrives, let her witness what true mastery looks like. If she’s interested, have Maestro Xunyi teach her a bit. Then, for a future project, we can just let her handle the design."
Saying this, he picked up that design draft again and said calmly, "This design is settled. Don’t spread this around outside, especially not to the Gu family, understand?"
He paused, then added, "If you breathe a single word of this, watch how I deal with you."
As if the Secretary General would dare.
They looked at the artwork together. Seeing his boss’s expression, the Secretary General knew he was very pleased, so he quietly suggested, "How about this, I’ll contact this designer first?"
King Jingyao replied crisply, "That won’t be necessary."
He admired the work, not necessarily the person behind it.
The Secretary General spoke even more cautiously, "What if it’s a talented and adorable young woman?"
King Jingyao laughed. "Such a sharp piece of work? It’s probably from some crude fellow, the type they talk about online, those unkempt slobs. Where would an adorable young woman come into it?"
He paused briefly. "Did you really think I believed Gu Mingzhu was KO?"
The Secretary General feigned shock. "Such a thing could happen?"
King Jingyao eyed him. "Didn’t I say? In the design world, the talented ones are mostly crude, unkempt men. Young girls are better suited to painting or playing the piano."
The Secretary General disagreed. "Isn’t Dr. Gu multi-talented?"
A slight smile touched King Jingyao’s lips. "She’s not just some adorable young girl; she’s an adorable little rascal, different from everyone else."
The Secretary General’s heart was a maelstrom of emotions. His boss was so protective he wouldn’t even compare her to others. Tsk, tsk. Just imagine... King Jingyao, with all his power and status today, couldn’t even win over the one little rascal he adored. What good was all that power then? What good was it!
「Three days later,」
The top ten of the COMO design competition were announced. Even though Wang Jingchuan knew Gu Mingzhu’s design draft had been altered by someone else, he still included it in the top ten.
The Gu family was absolutely thrilled. After all, this building was a major project. Once completed, it would become a prominent landmark in Beicheng and the premier venue for concerts by musicians from all over the world—a truly sophisticated place.
Tang Yuan sounded quite regretful. "It’s just that it won’t be completed until next year. Otherwise, if your premiere, Mingzhu, could be held there, it would be so prestigious."
Gu Mingzhu smiled faintly. "I’ll have other movies in the future."
Tang Yuan couldn’t help but feel her spirits lift. "That’s true."
Gu Yuanshan came over. "What’s making everyone so happy?"
Tang Yuan’s eyes quietly reddened. Ever since her last falling-out with Madam Bo, Gu Yuanshan had been cold to her for quite some time. Now, he was finally speaking to her proactively again.
She smiled. "It’s like this, King Jingyao’s office organized a design competition, and our Mingzhu made it to the finals."
She couldn’t resist adding, "I heard Anxi also participated, but it seems... she didn’t make the cut."
Gu Yuanshan smiled briefly at Gu Mingzhu. "That’s good news."
Then he seemed to hesitate for a moment. "Yuanyuan, I know you have no feelings for that child. You can dislike her, but you don’t have to constantly target her."
He sighed. "We were so cruel back then... For that child to be living as she is today, it’s truly her own fortune. We can’t take her back into the family, but we aren’t enemies, are we?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Yuan was displeased.
In the past, Tang Yuan might have heeded Gu Yuanshan’s words, as long as Gu Mingzhu’s position was secure. However, ever since she discovered Bo Qing’s interest in Gu Anxi, she could no longer view the child she had abandoned with any fairness or impartiality...
