I Became an All-round Artist

Zhong Yu's eyes widened in shock.

Sketching is a fundamental course that every art student must master. In fact, any great artist must first excel in sketching. Without a strong foundation in this, there can be no mastery.

Some even say:

Without color, sketching is everything.

Regardless of whether this viewpoint holds true, the importance of sketching is undeniable. That’s why Zhong Yu, now a third-year art student, still practices it diligently.

For someone like Zhong Yu, who had spent years refining his sketching skills, he considered himself fairly competent.

But today, that belief was shattered—by a second-year student in just ten minutes.

"…"

Lin Yuan stood there, staring pointedly at the scraps beneath Zhong Yu’s feet.

Snapping out of his daze, Zhong Yu's face broke into a broad grin. He quickly grabbed the cleaning tool from Lin Yuan’s hands. "Master, how could I let you do this kind of menial work? I'll clean up for you!"

Before Lin Yuan could respond, Zhong Yu had already swept up the eraser shavings under his seat.

He then ushered Lin Yuan into his chair, full of enthusiasm. "My name is Zhong Yu, third-year in the art department!"

"I'm Lin Yuan."

"Great, great. Master Lin, please sit. Let me finish cleaning, and we can chat!"

With that, Zhong Yu briskly moved toward another student nearby, his smile disappearing as he ordered, "You, stand up."

"Brother Zhong?" The student quickly rose, startled and confused. "How can I let you do the cleaning? I’ll take care of it..."

"No need."

Zhong Yu cleaned that spot swiftly and then moved to the next seat, calmly but firmly saying, "You too, get up."

"Got it."

Zhong Yu was efficient, far faster than Lin Yuan had been. Wherever he went, students would stand up without him needing to say a word.

Once the cleaning was done, Zhong Yu returned the broom, grabbed a small stool from somewhere, and sat down beside Lin Yuan with a warm smile.

"Master, could you teach me how to sketch?"

Lin Yuan shook his head. "Too much trouble."

Still smiling, Zhong Yu persisted, "You don’t need to teach me in-depth. Just correct my drawings like you did earlier."

Lin Yuan frowned. "There’s too much to correct."

The sheer amount of errors was overwhelming.

Zhong Yu’s smile faltered, feeling a bit disheartened. "Is my drawing that bad?"

Lin Yuan nodded. "Yes."

Zhong Yu's face fell, but then he quickly pleaded, "That’s why you must help me, Master. And of course, I won’t let you do it for free. If there’s anything you need, just let me know…"

It was obvious to Zhong Yu after watching Lin Yuan work that he was dealing with a true master. Even the art professors at their school might not have been able to correct his drawing as efficiently or skillfully as Lin Yuan had. So, Zhong Yu was determined—this was a golden opportunity.

Lin Yuan paused, then said, "I suppose I could teach you."

Zhong Yu was ecstatic. "Whatever you need, just say the word!"

Lin Yuan replied seriously, "You'll need to pay tuition."

Zhong Yu froze, suddenly nervous. "How much would you charge?"

Lin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "200 yuan per hour."

Zhong Yu blinked in surprise.

Lin Yuan, thinking the price was too steep, was about to lower it when Zhong Yu quickly exclaimed, eager to seal the deal before Lin Yuan could change his mind, "Deal!"

He had initially been worried that learning from someone of Lin Yuan's skill would cost a fortune, but 200 yuan an hour? That was a bargain!

In Qinzou's art scene, someone of Lin Yuan's caliber could easily charge 1,000 yuan per hour, and students would still line up to learn from him!

"Deal!" Lin Yuan was equally pleased. This rate was far better than sketching portraits for pedestrians on the street. He had already considered going out to earn money this way, so he was familiar with the market rates.

It seemed he had underestimated the system.

Teaching might not bring immediate rewards like songwriting or novel writing, but it could provide a steady stream of tuition income.

A true win-win!

Lin Yuan checked his phone for the time and said, "Let's begin. It's almost 1 PM now. How many hours do you want?"

He prided himself on being a man of his word. Since he was charging a fee, he would teach with full commitment.

"Why don’t we start with this? Master, could you sketch this for me, and we’ll count the hours afterward?"

Zhong Yu flipped through his sketchbook and chose the most challenging portrait: a man with curly hair and a thick beard. The sheer complexity of the hair alone was enough to overwhelm 80% of art students.

"Okay."

Lin Yuan didn’t find it particularly difficult. It would just take some time, especially to make the hair look natural.

"All the pencils are here," Zhong Yu said, quickly sharpening the dulled pencils.

Lin Yuan began to sketch.

The fact that this image was featured in the art department's official sketchbooks meant it had been drawn by a master in the field. Lin Yuan wasn’t trying to surpass the original; instead, he focused on perfectly replicating it. Since this was a copy, achieving that was relatively easy for him.

At first, Zhong Yu asked a few questions.

But as Lin Yuan’s outline became clearer, Zhong Yu fell silent, completely absorbed in watching, his breath occasionally catching in awe.

"Swish, swish."

Lin Yuan worked with precision and speed, fully aware that he was being paid. His hand moved swiftly, ensuring every detail was captured perfectly. His pace was far beyond that of the average artist.

Unbeknownst to Lin Yuan, a few members of the art club walked by behind him. At first, they glanced casually at his work but quickly stopped, eyes widening in shock, as they gathered to watch.

More members passed by.

Each new person that glanced at Lin Yuan’s sketch stopped dead in their tracks, mesmerized. Soon, a small crowd had gathered behind him.

One person.

Two.

Three.

Four.

By the time Lin Yuan had finished his sketch, over twenty people were crowded around him, watching in stunned silence, some even pushed to the outer edges of the group.

"Done," Lin Yuan said as he completed the drawing, only then noticing the crowd that had formed. Dozens of people, some unable to get a clear view, had gathered around him.

"Holy crap!"

"This is insane."

"Who is this guy?"

"Isn't this the ‘impossible’ sketch that no one could replicate? I’ve never seen anyone actually manage to draw that old man before!"

"This looks too real!"

"Is this some new art club master? And he's just a student? His skills are terrifying, like on par with our professors!"

"…"

As murmurs of astonishment rippled through the crowd, Zhong Yu finally noticed the commotion and stood up, trying to clear the crowd. "Don’t you all have something to do? Why are you standing around?"

No one wanted to leave.

Even though Zhong Yu had been in the art club for years, there were members with more seniority than him, and he wasn’t able to disperse them. They continued to stare at Lin Yuan’s sketch, with some even attempting to introduce themselves to Lin Yuan.

"What's going on here?"

A voice interrupted from behind, silencing the crowd as they turned toward the speaker with expressions ranging from respect to nervousness.

"The vice president…"

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