Chapter 3: The Painting and the Russian Friend Teaching English from a Thousand Miles Away
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
On his way to the gallery, Lin Su received a friend request.
—Shi Wenze.
He parked his car on the side of the road and stared at the screen for a full five minutes, as if trying to commit the name to memory. The afternoon light filtered through the dappled shadows of the trees, casting a direct beam into the classroom of a seventeen-year-old, as the years began to melt and flow, colors so vivid that Lin Su felt a bit dazed. It wasn’t until the foreman urged him that he snapped out of it, quickly turning the steering wheel and driving straight to Bai Lu Street.
Shi Wenze made a call. “He didn’t accept it.”
Lan Weiwei was shocked. “Impossible! Didn’t you follow my instructions?”
Shi Wenze fell silent, realizing he hadn’t mentioned the special card.
Lan Weiwei couldn’t understand. “You’re still worried about your pride when handling official business? Just act like a fan, what’s the big deal? If the suspect runs, I’m not responsible. Or you can give me your WeChat account and password, and I’ll help you bait him.”
Shi Wenze would never agree to that suggestion.
Lan Weiwei racked her brain for new ideas, but with matters like fan obsession, one had to give up a bit of reason. Once that happened, it often seemed abnormal. Shi Wenze listened indifferently while scrolling through the “Xie” gallery page, stopping at an interview. Just then, Lan Weiwei suggested, “Or you could find something more eye-catching than the special card—something unique that could lure the clever criminal into adding you.”
Shi Wenze didn’t bother correcting her “clever criminal” comment. Instead, he frowned at Lin Su’s latest interview and asked, “Who is Cang Daming?”
Lan Weiwei didn’t immediately understand. “Huh?”
Shi Wenze opened the search box, and a few news stories quickly popped up.
Cang Daming, a contemporary rising artist, was currently holding a charity sale of his “Siberian Blue” series at the Chengdu Riverside Art Museum. Lin Su had mentioned in the interview that he admired “Siberian Blue.”
Lan Weiwei, after hearing this, reminded him, “Big brother, the plan might work, but it’s too expensive. Are you sure the department can reimburse it?”
The reimbursement wouldn’t be possible, but fortunately, Cang Daming wasn’t yet very famous, so the paintings were relatively inexpensive, with the Siberian series going for around five thousand each. Shi Wenze immediately called the Riverside Art Museum.
After hearing his request, the receptionist politely declined, saying the last piece in that series had just been reserved, and the paintings currently for sale were from the “Champs-Élysées Gold” series, with starting prices at 88,888. Shi Wenze rubbed his temple, feeling a throb. “I’m sorry, I’m only interested in Siberian Blue. Are you sure it’s all sold out?”
“Yes,” the receptionist replied. “The last painting has been reserved by Mr. Ji, who will be coming to pay soon.”
Soon? Shi Wenze quickly caught on. “I can transfer the payment right now.”
“Sorry, sir,” the receptionist said patiently. “That would be against the rules. Besides, Mr. Ji’s deep yearning for his hometown has touched the artist, and they had a pleasant conversation this morning.”
Since longing for one’s hometown could move the artist, Shi Wenze replied logically, “Well, I long for it too.”
There was a brief silence on the other end. “But, if I may be frank, your hometown doesn’t seem to have any connection to Siberia.”
Shi Wenze was puzzled. “Does another person’s hometown have a connection to Siberia?”
“Yes, Mr. Ji Dmitrievich is indeed from Siberia.”
“…”
“Goodbye, sir.”
“Wait!”
Shi Wenze took a moment to gather his thoughts. “Actually, I’m buying this painting as a gift for a Siberian friend.”
The receptionist was surprised. “Really?”
“Yes,” Shi Wenze sighed deeply. “He’s been teaching English to children deep in the mountains, and due to work, he hasn’t been back to his hometown for a long time. He just happens to be in Chengdu now, so I wanted to get him a meaningful gift.”
There was a rustling sound on the other end, as if the receptionist had covered the phone and was whispering to someone. It wasn’t clear if she believed the touching story of a Russian teaching English from thousands of miles away or simply didn’t want to continue the hassle. Either way, three minutes later, the receptionist cheerfully said, “Sir, I just checked with the artist’s assistant. It turns out that Cang Daming actually has one more painting from the Siberian Blue series that he’s been keeping. Originally, it wasn’t for sale, but if you really want it, he’s willing to part with it. However, there’s one condition.”
Shi Wenze swallowed his thanks. “What’s the condition?”
“Cang Daming would like to meet your Siberian friend.”
Shi Wenze’s vision blurred. “That might not work, he still has lessons to prepare for the kids.”
The receptionist regretfully responded, “If that’s the case, then it might not be possible to complete the transaction.”
Shi Wenze gritted his teeth and compromised. “Tomorrow afternoon.”
The receptionist replied, “That won’t work. Cang Daming’s flight is at seven tonight, and he has a three-month academic exchange in Moscow. You have less than two hours to prepare. By the way, sir, may I ask your name?”
Shi Wenze hung up the phone, gripped the railing next to him, and jumped from the second floor to the first.
Hearing a “thud,” Xu You had no choice but to lift his head from a pile of tools. He had already given the same lecture countless times. “Can you please pay attention? Don’t jump around like a mutant monkey when the shop door is open, especially when Aunt Wang Cuifen across the street just had heart bypass surgery?”
Shi Wenze cut straight to the point, “Do you know any Russians?”
Xu You froze for a moment. “Your requests have been getting weirder and weirder lately. Why would I know any Russians?”
“Foreigners will do.”
“There’s a foreign language high school across from Huai Tree Street. You could try there and see if you can find a foreign teacher.”
“It’s too late.” Shi Wenze grabbed his arm and gave a firm order, “From now on, you’re a Russian.”
Xu You was shocked, his hair standing on end. “Why?”
He was dragged along, stumbling. Before he could react, a helmet was slammed onto his head. Shi Wenze revved the engine. “Hold on tight!”
Xu You fumbled to grab his waist. As the motorcycle roared at full speed, he shouted over the noise, “At least give me a reason!”
Shi Wenze yelled into the wind, “When we get there, you shut up, and let me handle everything! First, come up with a Russian name for yourself!”
Without thinking, Xu You blurted out, “Putin.”
“No way!”
“…”
They arrived at the riverside art museum before four o’clock.
Although the name “Cang Daming” sounded like the title of an old man with a white beard, the person was actually quite young, just over thirty. The artist stood in front of the glass archway, eyeing Shi Wenze and the “Yevgenyevich” beside him, who had yellow skin and black eyes.
The assistant politely intervened, “Gentlemen, let me escort you to the parking lot.”
Xu You, or rather, “Yevgenyevich,” nudged the culprit with his arm. “See? I told you it wouldn’t work!”
Shi Wenze pulled Cang Daming aside. “Mr. Cang, this friend of mine really is Russian,” he added with a serious tone, “a spiritual Russian. Gender identity disorder, have you heard of it? And he has a nationality identity disorder. He didn’t develop properly during puberty, so now he often falls into the pain of self-doubt.”
Cang Daming was surprised. “Such a condition exists?”
“He’s undergoing treatment,” Shi Wenze nodded. “But it’s recurring. The problem is, we can’t really send him to Siberia, so using your excellent art skills to soothe his pathological emotions is undoubtedly the best option.”
Cang Daming looked ahead again and saw the “spiritual Russian” standing straight.
Shi Wenze explained, “Lately, he’s been watching Red Square parades nonstop.”
Cang Daming lowered his voice, “What if I played ‘Katyusha’ right now? How would he react?”
Shi Wenze immediately stopped him. “That could make his condition worse.”
“Really…” Cang Daming clicked his tongue and said frankly, “I can sell you my last private painting of Siberian Blue, but in exchange, I want to create a brand-new series with your friend as the model.”
When Shi Wenze entered, he had already scanned the artist’s character style. Overall, it was quite eerie. Considering that his friends didn’t have any exhibitionist tendencies, Shi Wenze set a condition. “He needs to wear clothes, at least pants.”
Cang Daming immediately agreed.
Five minutes later, the artist’s assistant brought out a painting frame from the warehouse. Although Xu You was one of the key figures in the situation, he had no idea what was going on. He watched in silence as Shi Wenze swiped his card to pay, then had a friendly handshake with the artist. The scene was not exactly creepy, but it was definitely far from normal.
“Yevgenyevich,” Cang Daming made sure to come over and shake his hand. “I hope you return to Siberia soon, to the beautiful and blue Baikal Lake. Until next time.”
Xu You struggled to utter a “Mm,” unable to comprehend the artist’s logic. He also couldn’t understand what Shi Wenze was up to. As soon as they left the museum, he ordered Shi Wenze to stop the motorcycle. “What’s going on?”
“I’m buying this painting for a friend,” Shi Wenze explained, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. “And that artist, Cang Daming, wants you to model for him.”
Xu You sucked in a breath. “He’s blatantly eyeing my young body?”
“If you really want to strip, it’s not impossible,” Shi Wenze reminded him. “But remember, to make this money, you better maintain that blank expression like earlier. This is the artist assistant’s contact. You handle the details.”
“Is this for real?” Xu You took the contact in disbelief. “Can I really make money in the art world?”
“So you better act…” Shi Wenze’s words were cut short as his phone suddenly pinged with a new message, his palm growing slightly sweaty.
L: Hi
After another few seconds, the other party, seemingly unwilling to wait for a response, simply called. Shi Wenze’s mind went blank as he grabbed Xu You’s arm with one hand. “Don’t make a sound.”
Xu You’s face twisted in pain. “Damn, with the way you’re grabbing me, who wouldn’t make a sound?”
Shi Wenze sent him off to buy coffee and pressed the answer button.
Lin Su was sitting cross-legged on the living room couch, freshly showered, his hair still dripping. His voice carried a damp, husky quality. “I just saw the message on WeChat.”
“I just… got off work,” Shi Wenze leaned against a tree. “I passed by your gallery.”
“It won’t be ready until next month. It’ll open in the fall.”
“Then congratulations in advance.”
They continued speaking, exchanging small talk about the gallery, but it felt strange. After not seeing each other for years, conversations with old high school friends typically start with surprise or some silly memories. But instead, they skipped the pleasantries and directly discussed future plans, as though they had been in touch every day prior to this.
“How did you know that was my gallery?”
“I read it in the local news.”
Shi Wenze tapped the corner of a painting frame in front of him. “I actually… happen to have a painting here.”
Lin Su asked, “Are you trying to sell it to me?”
“No.” Shi Wenze exhaled lightly. “I want to give it to you.”
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