Tao Rui was not exaggerating when he said that his painting skills had improved. When he completed the painting in three days and showed it to Li Jiaxuan, Li Jiaxuan was quite amazed.
Before, Li Jiaxuan had seen his paintings, which were only at the student level. This time, his paintings could be sold for at least one hundred thousand or two hundred thousand, which is already at the painter level!
Li Jiaxuan found it incredible. She stared at the painting of herself. Tao Rui could even sense the intensity of her contemplation. She asked in astonishment, "Brother Rui, how did you do that? In just... half a year?" She thought for a moment. "Half a year? It seems like less than half a year, and you've made such great progress."
Tao Rui put his hands behind his back and smiled slightly smugly, "Thank you for the compliment. This proves that my hard work every day has paid off."
"You are really talented. No wonder you like painting so much." Li Jiaxuan looked at the painting and made a decision.
She looked at Tao Rui seriously and said, "Brother Rui, if you like painting, just focus on it. Don't worry about anything else. I'll take care of everything else."
Tao Rui smiled at her. "Don't you think it's hard? You're the only one earning money to support your family and managing such a large group. There might even be people who will say something bad about you, thinking you have poor vision..."
"I don't care." Li Jiaxuan shook her head decisively, put her arms around Tao Rui's waist, and looked up at him. "I don't care what others think. I know I have good taste. You are the best in the world. I don't find it hard either. I enjoy working in the company and managing it. How can I find it hard to do something I enjoy?"
What's more, I have your support, and I feel that this kind of life makes me enjoy it very much. Brother Rui, I also want to support you and let you do what you like most. So, don't have any worries, we are the happiest couple. "
In just six months, Li Jiaxuan had shed her youthful immaturity. Tao Rui saw a mature, powerful woman. Though still young, her brilliance was undeniable. Li Jiaxuan's business era was about to begin.
Tao Rui was very happy that he had accelerated her growth. He hugged her and said with a smile, "Now that you say that, what else can I say? Of course I'm happy to do what I love most."
Tao Rui had found joy in painting. When he didn't need to socialize, he would enter his spiritual realm, consult with international masters, and study for 24 hours. Afterward, he would drink a glass of spiritual spring water to restore his mental strength before returning to the small building to paint. Except for going to the company to eat with Li Jiaxuan, he would paint all day.
He no longer needed his previous painting teacher, who said he was making rapid progress, likely due to a solid foundation and exceptional talent. The teacher suggested he seek instruction from a renowned painter, though this depended on availability. Little did Tao Rui know that the golden finger he had purchased in this lifetime already encompassed the skills of all the most renowned painters, both ancient and modern, both Chinese and foreign.
Imagine the enormous opportunity it would have been to learn to paint alongside Leonardo da Vinci, Picasso, and Monet. As long as one is intelligent and diligent enough, the possibilities are unimaginable. This is why Tao Rui made such rapid progress. A distinguished teacher produces a brilliant student; no one could have had such exceptional learning conditions.
Tao Rui didn't waste time, diligently studying every day. Although his time was virtually endless, after traveling through so many worlds, he had come to understand one thing: there was no end to the knowledge in this world. Every field was worth a lifetime of study, and even a lifetime might not lead to reaching the pinnacle of a field.
Fortunately, the things he learned often complemented and influenced each other. For example, if he were to learn painting now, the anatomy he learned in his previous life as a doctor would be of great help in his art. He knew every inch of the human body's skin, muscles, and bones, making it easier for him to paint lifelike portraits.
Furthermore, he spent his entire life studying plant and animal care in the 1970s, gaining a deep understanding of everything from seed to seedling to flowering and fruiting. This gave him an advantage when painting plants and animals that others lacked. Living longer and learning more allows him to connect knowledge across different fields, which greatly aided him in his rapid learning process.
Occasionally, when Tao Rui is tired of studying and needs to relax, he will invite two or three friends to get together, and then get to know other people through them to expand his circle of friends.
Gradually, everyone realized that they rarely saw Li Jiaxuan at social gatherings because she was too busy, but they often saw Tao Rui. If they wanted to have a good relationship with the Li family, they just had to get along well with Tao Rui. But this was not a simple matter. At first, everyone treated Tao Rui like any other social lady: polite and respectful, that's all.
Later, through conversation, everyone who interacted with Tao Rui discovered that he was very intelligent and knowledgeable. They could discuss anything with him happily, and occasionally get some inspiration. Tao Rui was also a gentleman, always smiling, and never arrogant towards those of lower status. He had none of the bad habits of other upper-class people, and everyone was happy to get along with him.
Then people gradually discovered that joining Tao Rui's circle of friends was difficult. He was a gentleman, but he treated everyone the same. The idea that simply getting along with him would earn you favors was a complete illusion. He handled requests in a businesslike manner. He only considered fewer than ten people his true friends, all of whom were powerful figures from various families, potential heirs, or people of genuinely good character.
The fact that he could make such extraordinary friends proved that he was no ordinary person. However, outsiders did not understand what those friends could gain from him and why they were willing to be close friends with him.
However, if they just spend time together on a daily basis, many people can become friends with Tao Rui in an ordinary sense. For example, sometimes, a lady meets Tao Rui, talks about unpleasant things at home, and curiously asks Tao Rui how he can get along so well with Li Jiaxuan.
At this time, some of the suggestions given by Tao Rui will be very useful.
Sometimes, when a rich young man fails in his investment, the advice given by Tao Rui can turn the tide and at least recover the capital.
For example, some teenagers hate being disciplined by their elders, and some elders worry that their children are difficult to manage, Tao Rui can give constructive suggestions.
This meant that Tao Rui had friends of all ages, from young to old, both men and women. While he helped others, they were also willing to get close to him, allowing him to get more information. In just a few years, he became the most widely connected person in China's top circles.
If someone needed help and didn't know who to turn to, they could always turn to Tao Rui. As long as he agreed to help, he would always find someone to help. Especially since his wife, Li Jiaxuan, had become the richest person in China in just a few years, continuing the Li family's glory, his help could be a lifesaver for some people.
At this time, no one looked down on Tao Rui anymore. Although he still did not work and did not make money, everyone who knew him respected and admired him, because he never failed to accomplish anything he set his mind to.
As Tao Rui's fame grew, he established a charitable foundation. He held an annual charity auction, encouraging wealthy individuals to donate their collections, with the proceeds going to charity. He also occasionally hosted charity banquets, where the upper class gathered for socializing, often expanding their network and forging partnerships.
Of course, not everyone can attend his charity banquets, and invitations are hard to come by. Everyone is proud to receive his invitation. This also makes the power of the people around him grow stronger and stronger, which plays a significant role in Li Jiaxuan's career development. His charity work also makes the Li family's reputation excellent.
The Li family grew stronger and stronger, and after ten or twenty years, they had established a firm foothold in the international arena. At fifty, Li Jiaxuan successfully topped the world's wealth list, becoming the world's richest person. Meanwhile, Tao Rui had also become a world-renowned philanthropist and a renowned socialite in high society.
The legend of Li Jiaxuan spread throughout the world, but only those in the industry knew that Tao Rui was also a legend. Many important decisions of the Li family were made by Tao Rui and Li Jiaxuan together, and many important projects of the Li family were negotiated through Tao Rui. However, Tao Rui's calm demeanor made it difficult for outsiders to believe that he was as difficult to deal with as the fierce Chairman Li. Outsiders always thought that Tao Rui was kind and gentle.
This is a beautiful misunderstanding, and one of Li Jiaxuan's interviews only exacerbated it. At fifty, she looked a decade younger than her actual age. When asked about her maintenance secrets, she laughed and said, "Maybe it's because I can eat delicious food every day, stick to the gym, and completely relax after work."
Li Jiaxuan took the initiative to say, "Tao Rui's cooking skills are very good. I think they have reached the pinnacle. He has been cooking for me every day for decades, and I can enjoy his delicious and nutritious food every day. He also accompanies me in the fitness circle, and he requires me to take a nap every day and not stay up late at night. He also takes walks with me and watches movies after get off work in the evening. So the real way to maintain my health is probably because I have Tao Rui."
Her style in the business world is sharp and aloof, and it is rare for her to smile and speak at length like this. After the interview was reported, everyone who saw it thought she was showing off her affection!
But she truly is so happy. Just imagining the scenes she describes makes me feel happy. What man or woman can do what Tao Rui does? For decades, he's been cooking delicious meals for his wife, working out with her every day, urging her to take naps and not stay up late, and relaxing with her every night.
This is certainly the best way to maintain her health. She clearly has the healthiest life and the best love.
Of course, some people still say Tao Rui is a gigolo. After all, no matter how great a philanthropist he is, the money he earns for his charity is earned by his wife. His daughter, also surnamed Li, has grown up and is taking over her mother's business. His image, however, has always been gentle, kind, and gentlemanly, the best husband and the best father.
People jokingly call Tao Rui the "biggest gigolo." After all, his wife is the world's richest person, his daughter is the next richest person, and his wife and daughter love, adore, and respect him immensely. As a man, he's truly reached the pinnacle of his life.
It’s just that... many people think that if he were also an entrepreneur, he might be perfect.
It was not until Tao Rui was old that his daughter held an art exhibition for him.
Everyone who understands painting is amazed by his paintings!
Everyone knows that his hobby is painting, but few have seen his paintings, and naturally few know that his skill has long surpassed that of all contemporary painters. His achievements over the past few decades have been comparable to those of some of the most famous artists in history, and his paintings are priceless.
The most common paintings in the exhibition are the landscape paintings he and Li Jiaxuan painted when they traveled around the world after retirement. Going to see his exhibition gives you the feeling of seeing the beauty of the world, as if you can be among them and feel the scorching sun and continuous rain in the paintings.
The only few portraits in the exhibition are of Li Jiaxuan and their daughter, and the most precious one is of their family of three. It makes people feel how much he cherishes them and the happiness of their family.
Who can still say that a painter like this is a gigolo? He can become a wealthy man just by selling a painting, right?
Later, when Tao Rui was interviewed, the reporter mentioned this joke and asked Tao Rui if he minded people saying that he was a gigolo.
Tao Rui smiled and said, "They're not wrong. No matter how valuable my paintings are, I've never sold them. I've really been living off the fat of the land all my life."
"You really don't mind, then?"
"I don't mind. This matter is not important to me. The people I love are by my side, and everyone in the family is doing what they like. I think this is the best form of family. Facts have proved that we are indeed living the best life." Tao Rui's attitude and age show that he really doesn't care. This question instead highlights his open-mindedness and makes many people who have said bad things about him feel ashamed.
Later, everyone learned more about Tao Rui, such as how the Li family had developed into the nation's leading pharmaceutical chain, and how the formulas for its key drugs were all provided by Tao Rui; how many of the Li family's allies were strengthened by Tao Rui's connections; and how everything the Li family's heir learned wasn't taught by her mother, but by Tao Rui himself...
This gigolo wasn't a gigolo who depended on his wife; he simply toned down his edge and chose a path that was more beneficial to his family. He, like his wife, was a legend, and their daughter would continue their legacy. As he said, they both lived their best lives.
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