When Li Shuyang went in, he came out with Dean Jin.
Dean Jin, all smiles, adjusted his glasses. "Alright, voting is over. Everyone, come in and let's count the votes."
The crowd filed in.
There were no assigned seats in the studio, so everyone found a stool and sat down.
Li Shuyang and another female teacher stayed behind to help.
Jin clapped his hands, cleared his throat, and waited for the studio to quiet down before saying, "Without further ado, let's present one theme at a time, starting with the reconciliation group."
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Shuyang and the female teacher had already flipped over the paintings in the "Reconciliation" group one by one, and the number of little red flowers was immediately clear.
Jin walked to the picture with the most red flowers, picked up the drawing board and flipped it over. "The reconciliation group's vote was quite polarized, as everyone saw just now. I suppose I don't need to count the votes again, right?"
The painting with the most red flowers in the "Reconciliation" group was an abstract portrait of a child sitting on the ground hugging himself.
The beauty of this painting lies in the little boy's expression.
His expression was calm, with a slight smile playing on his lips.
His gaze was fixed on the distance, as if he could see the future and hope.
Everyone applauded.
"Whose painting is this? The artist's skill is amazing!"
"Teacher Qi."
"Really? Teacher Qi usually seems so quiet, but when he gets serious, he's incredibly formidable!"
All eyes fell on the female teacher in the corner, wearing black-rimmed glasses, shyly lowering her head, with braids and bangs.
"Congratulations, Teacher Qi! Don't forget to treat everyone to a meal after winning the award."
"Yeah, I heard the prize money this time is in US dollars, that's a lot!"
"Of course! Teacher Qi isn't a stingy person, is she?!"
Everyone chimed in, and Teacher Qi's face turned even redder; she couldn't utter a single word.
Dean Jin noticed her unease and quickly smoothed things over with a smile, "Quiet down, everyone, please be quiet."
The studio quickly quieted down after the dean spoke.
Dean Jin smiled and continued, "It's only the group stage now, far from the time to celebrate. Let's see the results of the free group first."
Dean Jin is a senior member of the institute. He was originally of retirement age, but the school rehired him.
His words carried weight, and almost no one dared to act disrespectfully in front of Dean Jin.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Li Shuyang followed the female teacher to the "Freedom" group and flipped the drawing boards one by one.
Xu Ruantang actually lacked confidence.
After all, this was her first time participating in an international competition, and she was doing so with teachers from the Academy of Fine Arts.
Before she transmigrated into the book, she hadn't even finished university. Any teacher here could be her teacher.
So she has a good attitude; at least she doesn't have zero red flowers, and that's enough.
The canvases were lifted one by one, and the result was beyond everyone's expectations.
A gasp went up from the crowd, and murmurs arose in the art studio.
"This...this is too strange!"
"Yeah, these four votes look pretty close."
"Dean, let's count the votes!"
Unlike the polarized situation in the "Reconciliation" group, the number of red flowers on the back of the four paintings in the "Freedom" group was roughly the same to the naked eye.
The little red flowers were added by Dean Jin later; to know whether the votes were close or not, one had to count them one by one.
Jin Zeng stepped forward with a smile, "Okay, I'll do the statistics."
The results came out quickly: two paintings each received twelve votes, tying for third place.
The remaining two paintings received seventeen votes each.
Before Dean Jin could even count the last piece, someone else announced the number.
"Eighteen votes!"
"Eighteen votes win!"
"Dean, turn it over quickly, let us see!"
This situation is even more exciting than the one involving the "reconciliation" group.
After all, the difference between winning and losing is just one vote. Losing to your opponent by one vote will surely leave a deep impression.
Dean Jin raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.
"They're all young people, why are they all so impatient?"
As he spoke, he flipped to the painting with seven votes, saying, "Let's look at this one where I lost to my opponent by one vote."
A cheer erupted from the crowd.
"I know, this belongs to Teacher Li!"
"Teacher Li?! What a pity! I thought with Teacher Li's strength, she would definitely get first place!"
"Those who choose the free theme are all experts, and among experts, the difference is always just a hair's breadth."
Xu Ruantang also looked at Li Shuyang.
As a fellow contestant, she understood Li Shuyang's feelings even better.
Just then, Li Shuyang was also looking in this direction from the crowd and gave her a warm and cheerful smile.
It seems he is the only one who can remain calm and composed in this situation.
That magnanimity wasn't something he put on; it was an innate quality he possessed.
Xu Ruantang slowly curled the corners of her lips.
With this kind of mentality, she'll need a lot of time to learn from it.
"Dean, stop keeping us in suspense and let us see the eighteen entries!"
"Yes, yes, Dean, I'm so worried."
"Yes, I want to see who can beat our Teacher Li!"
Jin stopped being coy and walked to the eighteen works, flipping the canvas over directly.
If the winning entry in the "Reconciliation" group was somewhat abstract, then the winning entry in the "Freedom" group was definitely an artistic masterpiece.
Even among art school teachers, everyone's comprehension abilities differ.
Some people think it's good, while others think it's bad.
"Wow, this is refreshing and really good."
"The use of color is so bold! There are no specific objects in it, but how can I see a feeling of free flight in it!"
"You said what I wanted to say."
"It's too abstract. Will foreigners be able to understand it?"
"Yeah, that's a bit too bold. What if people think it doesn't fit the theme?"
"You obviously haven't participated in any international competitions, have you?"
Someone immediately retorted, "Foreigners are much bolder than us. I don't see any problem with this. The bolder they are, the more innovative they are. Otherwise, they would always say we are old-fashioned."
"Yes, we are an art and design company, and what we need is innovation and imagination."
"Anyway, the voting is anonymous, and the public's eyes are discerning. I just like this painting!"
"I like it too. I have a feeling that we can win first place in this competition!"
A cacophony of opinions filled the small art studio.
Dean Jin stood by with a smile the whole time, without saying a word.
Xu Ruantang's ears were ringing, and she subconsciously looked at Li Shuyang.
Li Shuyang nodded slightly to her, and secretly gave her a thumbs up where no one else could see.
Xu Ruantang's first thought was that Li Shuyang hadn't cast his vote for her, but instead gave it to her.
If he hadn't done that, the work representing the "Freedom" group now would be Li Shuyang's.
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