Episode 41 Art Festival
At that time, Xu Yiwei had just arrived in Shanghai and was taking the subway for the first time. With the living expenses given by her grandmother, which were barely enough for daily meals, she went shopping in Jing'an Business District with her roommates on weekends. In order to save money, she did not follow her roommates to buy tickets to enter Jing'an Temple, but she said:
"I'm not interested in temples. You guys go and see them."
Fortunately, Jing'an Temple was not very big, so she was not left alone for too long.
In the bustling street scene with numerous business districts, large promotional screens and small billboards shine even brighter under the scorching sun, and posters on street lights along the way are promoting the "Shanghai International Art Exchange Exhibition" - the address is nearby.
"I heard this exhibition is a joint project of major universities. The works and artists are very trendy, and students can get in at half price. Since we're here, why not go take a look?"
This is the suggestion from the roommate who is most playful.
The crowds at the exhibition entrance were so vast and thronging that it was hard not to draw attention. Sponsor logos were everywhere on the giant screen, and the artists' masterpieces were each unique. In this digital age, entry only required scanning a QR code and filling in a personal information form.
But even so, when Xu Yiwei filled in the information and the system reminded her to pay for the ticket, she still hesitated for a long time. However, this price was already cheaper than the ticket to Jing'an Temple. It was not easy for her to go out with her roommate, so she couldn't be interested in nothing.
She gritted her teeth, pressed the payment button, followed her roommate, and was swept into the venue by the crowd.
Although it is the beginning of autumn, the heat in Shanghai in September is still strong. The sun is scorching high in the sky, just like in midsummer. When people go indoors, most of them are so hot that they take off their masks and don't care about any epidemic prevention controls.
Tourists are relatively free, but staff and volunteers are not so lucky and naturally need to wear masks throughout the entire process.
After getting the brochure, a few people followed the instructions of the venue and took a quick tour along the longest route.
Xu Yiwei was a layman at the time and had no idea about the different schools of painting or the different painters. Contemporary art could only be classified according to personal feelings. Ordinary people only divided it into two categories: "somewhat interesting" and "incomprehensible".
It was not until she turned the corner that she stopped at the AI digital images occupying three large booths. The images were simulating and restoring Van Gogh's "Sunflowers", Monet's "Water Lilies" and Millet's "The Gleaners" into three-dimensional 5D light and shadow images.
Such bright and gorgeous black technology is hard not to attract passers-by to stop and admire.
However, this algorithm was clearly immature. Xu Yiwei intuitively felt that some of the colors were a bit off and green, so he curiously approached and stared at the misaligned details for a long time... until a particularly magnetic question rang in his ears:
"Student, are you interested in our digital imaging? I can introduce you to our conceptual structure..."
"Oh, that's not the case," Xu Yiwei, who was innocent and bright at the time, asked when she didn't understand. "I've seen this painting in art textbooks before, and the colors in this part don't seem right. Did you mix them specially?"
Hearing her point out the error so directly, the other party was speechless. Even though he was wearing a mask, Xu Yiwei could sense his surprise, but the boy's beautiful eyes were much more dazzling than those "fake paintings" made up of numbers.
She couldn't help but stare at him for a while, until the boy squinted his eyes and looked at her awkwardly.
"Maybe the frequency is wrong, causing the frame to be misplaced. You have a pretty sharp eye. Are you an art student?"
She didn't have the money to study art, she just had a sharp eye, so her praise was not wrong. She didn't answer this, but continued to ask:
"Did you make this model?"
"They are my senior brothers and sisters. I am only a sophomore and I am not capable enough. I just come here as a volunteer, doing odd jobs and learning something."
For this art exhibition, relevant majors from well-known universities have registered the project works of their respective innovative teams. After all, it is an international exchange exhibition. Only entry and no exit is not the essence of exchange. Since it is a joint project of universities, there is no reason for the host not to show off their skills.
From this perspective, the modeling errors made by college students are not worth learning from.
Xu Yiwei couldn't help but be curious: "What do volunteers do? Do they get paid?"
"Since I'm a volunteer, I definitely don't get paid. It's almost like volunteering, but it's social practice and can earn me credits."
“…Are there any other benefits?”
"Other benefits? That's a matter of opinion. Anyway, I've learned a lot of dirty tricks from my seniors in the past two weeks. It's really sharpened my hands-on and communication skills... Oh, by the way, aren't you an art student? There's a very famous painter from Hong Kong and Taiwan coming to our booth in a few days. If you have time, come by again. You can get his autograph."
During the conversation, he revealed his strong willingness to invite, which was very pure and sincere. Later, Xu Yiwei was also moved by this sincerity and purity.
"I'm not an art student, nor do I know any painters. I was just passing by today and came here with a friend because I was attracted by the art. I'll have to spend more money next time I enter the gallery, which is not worth it."
It was at this moment that she saw clearly the school badge on the boy's chest - it was one of the best universities, something she was destined to be out of reach of.
But at that time, she wanted to give it a try, "If I volunteer, will I no longer need to buy an admission ticket?"
"Of course not."
"Really? I'd really like to try it. Where can I sign up? Are there any requirements? Is it okay if I'm not from your school?"
She expressed her wishes to the other party with great anticipation, but before the other party could respond, her three roommates suddenly appeared behind her and complained to her:
"Hey, why are you still here? We agreed to act together, but there are so many people here, it's going to be a hassle to look for someone!"
Seeing that his roommate's face was full of impatience, Xu Yiwei didn't want to talk back, so he had to go along with it and let himself be dragged away by them and merge into the crowd again.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the four of them turned a corner, the boy caught up with her, anxiously pushed aside the crowd behind her, and patted her shoulder——
"Classmate, please add me on WeChat, send me your name, school, and major, and I'll help you register."
He took out his phone and tried to unlock the screen to open the WeChat QR code, but the facial unlocking was not sensitive, so he had to pull the mask down. The next second, the contact information was right in front of her.
The one who reacted the most to this quick and easy operation wasn't Xu Yiwei, but rather his roommates' infatuated faces pretending to be calm...
"My name is Cen Shuo, and I'm a sophomore studying digital media. What about you?"
Some people's university life began with a party, some people's university life began with a love affair, and her university life began with an invitation that was tacitly agreed upon by both parties.
In the following two months of the exhibition, she followed him, traveling back and forth between the campus and the exhibition in the bustling subway, making up this busy and fruitful autumn.
She didn't know how Cen Shuo had managed to get her into his school's team, so when Xu Yiwei asked about it the second time they met, Cen Shuo told her directly, his peach blossom eyes smiling wantonly and secretly delighted.
"This exhibition is bustling with people every day, and there's so much going on. You're actively asking for advancement. Volunteers don't get paid, and they're just doing the work for free. Why can't you apply?"
At that time, Xu Yiwei realized that the rules of this world can occasionally be broken as long as you dare to open your mouth.
Besides, anyone with the necessary skills and intelligence could do things like guiding exhibition areas and handling procurement and logistics. Furthermore, Xu Yiwei's ability far exceeded expectations.
Although she is not an art student, she is sensitive and has a liberal arts background, so her writing style is very contagious. Although she self-deprecatingly says that most of what she reads are online literature and romance novels, she has been influenced by them and is more than capable of writing a promotional manuscript or sending a tweet.
Cen Shuo couldn't help but tease, "I really can't understand how you ended up in a junior college."
"I'm biased in one subject. I don't study math or English."
Perhaps this is the saying "a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger". Although Xu Yiwei's family was poor at that time, she was very smart. She would ask questions when she didn't understand and speak up when she had something to say. She easily got along with others - just like one of her original reasons for wanting to be a volunteer was to get to know Cen Shuo, a top student.
At that time, she took advantage of her spare time every day to squeeze into the subway, wearing a mask and moving among the dense crowds. With the longing for a new life and great expectations for campus romance, she chatted, studied and participated in social practice with the boys she admired every day. No matter how hard it was, she was willing to do it - not to mention that she didn't feel it was hard at all at the time.
So much so that when she looks back on it many years later, this experience is still the most painful thing in her memory...
"This art exchange lasted three months. As a freshman, I was squeezed in to participate in the project during the last month or so. Due to my age and experience, I wasn't able to directly participate in the creative projects of the exhibition. I only did some publicity work, maintained order on site, and handled logistics. Including the day when Professor Pierre personally visited our booth, I and..."
She suddenly changed her words, "My seniors and I participated in the reception and curatorial work together. Although we only did a little bit of it, at the end of the exchange exhibition, the supervisor gave all of us certificates, including mine, of course..."
Logically, she should have taken all of these with her, but these certificates were rashly deemed useless when she broke up with her first love, so she threw them all away in the rental house she had lived in.
Helplessly, she opened her phone album and tried to search for photos from the event, including photos of herself, Cen Shuo, and Pierre...
But Lin Ying didn't care much about it, instead interrupted and said -
"These are just for reference. It doesn't matter whether you have a certificate or not."
She said: "You can speak so vividly, at least, your language organization skills are completely acceptable to me. As a young woman from another place who has just reached adulthood, you can strive for the opportunity to volunteer for a large-scale social event, which shows that you are also proactive.
But then again, all of this happened three years ago. What are your plans for the present and the future?"
Sure enough, there are three soul-searching questions that cannot be escaped in an interview: self-introduction, personal strengths, and career planning.
She didn't have any plans at all. In the past three years, she had turned her life upside down. She did everything but kept nothing. To this day, she had no confidence to make any plans.
But this is an interview after all, and since she has made the decision, she can't be timid——
"Actually, I don't have any plans right now, and I know that in terms of academic qualifications and professional expertise, I'm completely unsuitable for your company's background. But I know what the requirements are for this position, and I know what kind of person you need to match it. What I can do is to become what you need as quickly as possible."
"Then tell me, what kind of person do I need?"
"A skilled communicator and efficient. I heard from Jiang... from the introducer that your company is currently undertaking numerous art projects, so there will be a lot of items that require coordination and procurement. I wouldn't say I can handle these tasks perfectly, but they are my strengths. During my three years at university, in addition to volunteering and doing odd jobs, I also worked as a part-time anchor, did makeup for clients, and performed as a resident singer... I've also come into contact with some high-end clients, and have a basic understanding of design concepts and aesthetic trends."
In general, my hands-on and communication skills are not weak, although these are superficial, but I have a foundation. Whatever you need me to do, I will definitely be the one who can get started the fastest.
Most importantly, I desperately need a stable job and I also need it to prove myself, so my biggest advantage is... I have no way out. I can make others do ordinary work and do it to the extreme."
Hearing her firm and rhythmic tone, Lin Ying smiled and nodded, "You are quite open and confident about this."
She faced the computer screen and wrote down the candidate's characteristics - she had interviewed more than one person these days, and the previous candidates were undoubtedly better than the one in front of her in terms of ability, conversation and academic qualifications.
But it is true that they undoubtedly do not regard the gallery administration position as their top 1 future job. Even if they are offered, based on their mentality, they will not give their best to the job once they really start working. By then, forget about the top-down influence, and they may not even be able to compare with a "punching bag" like Xiao Xie.
As for Xu Yiwei's situation, Lin Ying had heard about it from Jiang Shu, so she asked her to choose her own experience to talk about. She not only wanted to understand her abilities, but also wanted to see what this girl thought about her own positioning and goals over the years.
She has such rich social experience, but she still chose her initial school experience. This is enough to show that she is still nostalgic in her bones and her patience has not been completely eroded by her previous experiences.
"Our first three months are a probationary period. The contract and salary will be based on internship standards for now. If you pass the probation, your salary will remain the same. Is this acceptable?"
Naturally, she had nothing to talk about, so she nodded immediately and then asked -
"That's acceptable, but I have a request..."
"What?"
"If I'm accepted, can I apply to the company for an advance of two months' salary? I'm currently sharing a house with someone, and the rent is due in two days, but I don't have enough money..."
This request was not polite, but considering her situation, Lin Ying did not show any surprise, and only said calmly,
"This needs to be discussed with the big boss. Why don't you go back and wait for notification?"
As soon as the interview was over, Lin Ying politely saw her out. When he stood up, he saw the thermos in her side pocket. He suddenly changed his serious attitude and asked directly -
"Can you send me the link to your thermos?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
