Pei Tingyu turned the chair in front of the table and sat next to her bathtub. "I used to paint architecture, landscapes, and still lifes. You are my first portrait."
"That means this painting is quite valuable. I want to collect it." Si Yang said as he placed it on the pillow beside him with great care.
Pei Tingyu saw her cautious look and his thoughts instantly drifted back to the time when he was at the Bai family.
He was eight and a half years old when he first came to the Bai family, and when he first met Bai Tian, she was three years old.
The little girl, who was over three years old, was surrounded like a star. A group of adults watched her paint on the canvas, and someone praised her from time to time.
Bai Tian was trained as a painter by the Bai family since she was a child, because Bai Tian's grandfather was the director of an art museum and there were two artists in her family.
But Bai Tian did not inherit much artistic talent. She was lively and active and could not concentrate, so she could not draw anything decent.
But the Bai family refused to give up and continued to support her creation with all their strength.
The first time Pei Tingyu painted at the Bai family was when eight-year-old Bai Tian damaged a painting that was to be exhibited and cried for his help to repair it.
He saw that the painting had been destroyed beyond recognition by the paint and could not be saved.
So he simply helped to copy another one based on the painting.
The aunt had no idea that her daughter's painting had been "switched". She took the painting to an exhibition, and unexpectedly, it was noticed by a collector, who bought it at the highest price in the exhibition.
The aunt was very excited about this, thinking that her daughter had finally awakened in the field of art. However, when she returned home and saw Bai Tian kneeling on the ground to admit her mistake, she realized that her painting had been thrown into the trash long ago, and the painting that was sold at a high price was actually the work of thirteen-year-old Pei Tingyu.
After this incident, the Bai family suddenly changed their previous indifference and disgust towards Pei Tingyu, and even treated him as a guest of honor, often letting him learn painting with Bai Tian.
At first, Pei Tingyu was grateful for this, but one day when he accidentally overheard the conversation between his aunt and uncle, he realized that he was just a tool for them to make money and gain fame.
It turned out that all of Pei Tingyu's paintings were sold under Bai Tian's name. Bai Tian had already earned a reputation as a talented painter in the Haicheng art circle thanks to his paintings.
Although Pei Tingyu does not have a high pursuit of fame and fortune, he longs for freedom and does not want to continue to live under the Bai family's roof.
He needs money, only with money can he become independent.
The thirteen-year-old boy negotiated with others alone for the first time. They could use his paintings to gain fame and profit, but they had to pay him the due compensation.
But his uncle's words were like nails that nailed him to the ground. "Do you think your paintings can still be sold without the Bai family's halo? They will buy your paintings only because they think they are painted by Director Bai's granddaughter."
"Without the Bai family, these things you drew would be nothing but waste paper!"
"The Bai family adopted you, so you should know how to repay their kindness instead of thinking about running away. Have you grown strong enough yet?"
The negotiations were fruitless. How could he, a helpless teenager, be a match for a group of old foxes?
They asked Pei Tingyu to continue drawing for Bai Tian and would not let him refuse!
After Pei Tingyu refused repeatedly, he almost lost one of his hands.
At this point, he knew that he was weak and powerless, and had no choice but to endure.
But artistic creation must always come from the heart. Things drawn under duress are obviously unsatisfactory.
After three of his paintings were returned in a row, his uncle became furious and locked him in the studio, depriving him of food and water. He would only be released when he produced a satisfactory painting.
After he had been locked up for two whole days, the studio door was opened. Bai Tian tiptoed in and handed him a bowl of rice and a glass of water.
"Cousin, eat quickly, don't let them find out..." This chapter has been read (please click on the next chapter to continue reading!)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
