Soon, a bright apple appeared on the huge display screen, and Mones sat down casually, his face expressionless.
He heeded Fan Gao's advice, picked up the magnifying glass beside him, and then zoomed in on the apple image on the computer, slowly examining it.
But the next second, his pupils began to dilate, his mouth opened, and his hands moved the mouse faster and faster until finally, the magnifying glass fell to the ground.
"Impossible! This is impossible!"
Mones was furious, kneading his hair; he was deeply shaken.
"How could such divine skill exist in this world? This is the work of God."
Mones stared intently at the computer screen, feeling a deep slap in the face as he recalled how he had laughed when he first saw it.
This scenario is unfolding among veteran artists around the world, and they are among the first to notice the signs, as well as the most shocked and affected.
The great romantic city of France was alarmed, even by their president, because they had always been the champions of the art competitions. This time, however, China had produced such a powerful painter, which greatly alarmed them.
At this very moment, in Beijing, China, at the courtyard of the Fine Arts Association, countless staff and security personnel filled the entire courtyard. A group of old men's phones were ringing off the hook, leaving them all bewildered.
Because things were developing in a completely different direction than they had expected, it almost made them question their existence, wondering if something was wrong with how things were going.
Shouldn't you be shocked, then awestruck, and finally deeply in awe?
Why are all these comments swearing?
Qi Baishi opened an online forum, and what he saw shocked him.
"I think I know why we're being criticized."
Seeing the overwhelming anger and ridicule online, it took him a long time to find out the reason: Chen Feng's apple picture was so damn realistic that everyone thought it was a photograph.
What's the reason?
"Because the whole world thought that the amazing picture we released was a photograph."
Qi Baishi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It's no wonder netizens felt this way; if they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they probably would have thought it was just a photograph.
"Xiao Chen's painting skills are really amazing. It's a pity that my granddaughter is already married."
He lamented that such talent is rare and hard to come by.
"What, photos? This... I never expected this."
Mr. Yang was stunned. Throughout human history, he probably had never encountered a painting that was questioned as fake because it was painted too realistically.
"What should we do now? We can't keep being misled like this. This is an international event. The old leader just asked about it and said that the person above is paying attention to this event because netizens all over the world are mocking it."
"What can we do? This is a matter of life and death. We, the authorities, certainly cannot clarify or explain it. It will only get more and more chaotic. Now we either have to wait for professional painters to discover it, or we can only gain recognition in art competitions."
"Finally, someone has spotted the problem! Haha!"
Just as the group of old men were in a dilemma, one of the staff members shouted.
Everyone rushed over, but Qi Baishi pushed them away.
Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a netizen from France, and this was what he said.
"I was shocked and trembling. When I first saw this painting, I even vulgarly thought it was a photograph. But it is actually a masterpiece of God, which opened a deeper door to the world of art for me. I praised it without hesitation. China is indeed an ancient country with thousands of years of civilization. Such painting skills made me realize that I can only look up to it for the rest of my life."
Qi Baishi was shocked that someone had finally discovered that the painting was not a photograph. When he saw the title of the post, he trembled all over.
"This...this...this is actually the master Van Gogh, who has won the art championship for several consecutive years!"
Other elderly members of the association also came forward to watch, with some exclaiming, "He truly deserves to be called a master; his eyes are sharp, and he has discovered the secret."
"Now, with the testimony of the master Van Gogh, I believe that soon this painting will shock the world instead of being ridiculed."
"A bunch of frogs in a well have actually dared to bring this topic into the rectification process; it's simply a mess."
Mr. Yi was very angry because he saw that the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs had actually mentioned this matter at the press conference, and even claimed that a person will show off whatever they lack. Doesn't the incident of pointing at photos of China prove this point?
Online, Chinese netizens also noticed South Korea's statement, which made them angry and ashamed. It was unimaginable that such a large country would use a photograph as an artwork and release it to the world.
"I'm so angry. I think this must be a case of some high-ranking spies trying to damage our country's image. We must demand that the person who released this information be severely punished."
"We support this, and we absolutely must find out who is messing things up and treating this so childishly. This is unacceptable to hundreds of millions of Chinese compatriots; it is a disgrace."
Of course, such a great opportunity could not be taken advantage of by hostile forces and bad people hidden among the domestic population. They frantically created conflicts online, amplified them infinitely, and even tried to incite people to take to the streets.
In the Wind and Rain Building, Zhang Xiaopang was typing away at his keyboard with great enthusiasm, muttering to himself incessantly.
"I also think the China Artists Association is shameless. They're treating our intelligence like pigs. Look at how badly they're criticizing us on foreign websites."
He stumbled upon the art association's announcement by chance and only paid a little attention to it occasionally. Little did he expect that this attention would make him question the meaning of life.
"Mr. Zhang, what are you doing?"
Mao Buyi, holding a cup of coffee, saw Zhang Xiaopang typing angrily and asked.
"What else can you do but get angry? The online art association released a picture of an apple to the world, saying it was drawn, you know?"
Upon hearing this, Mao Buyi smiled shyly.
"I know."
"So what are your thoughts?"
"I don't have any thoughts on this. It's a national matter. I'm just a singer."
"There's nothing to say to you."
Zhang Xiaopang ignored Mao Buyi and started posting attacks again. Meanwhile, in another office, Li Zongsheng, Zhang Liangying, and others were also paying attention to the incident.
Wang Feng even said angrily, "In ancient times, people called a mouse a duck; now, people call a face a painting."
"Exactly! How can you publish a photo as a painting? We are an ancient and great Eastern country! Don't you care about your reputation?"
This news spread rapidly, reaching the entire world, and many people saw news pop-ups on their phones.
At this moment, in her private office, Li Qingning looked at the overwhelming barrage of insults on her phone and found herself wanting to laugh.
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