I Became an All-round Artist

Kong An was not only a professor in the Art Department but also the candidate for the next head of the department. This was practically set in stone. Given his standing, paying the principal a visit late at night for a chat wasn’t an issue.

However, when Principal Shi Huainan heard what Kong An had to say, his first reaction was:

“You must be mistaken.”

He stared at Kong An seriously, struggling to process it. “Are you telling me that the top students in the junior class's sketching exam were taught by a sophomore from the Composition Department?”

“Absolutely,” Kong An's eyes were practically glowing. “Principal, I’m only asking one thing: get this kid transferred to the Art Department. I’d even make him a tutor!”

“You must be out of your mind,” Shi Huainan rubbed his forehead, exasperated. “You want a sophomore to be a tutor for juniors in your department?”

“Not just juniors,” Kong An said, “he could easily teach the seniors as well.”

Shi Huainan was stunned. “Is he really that good?”

Kong An nodded, “I checked before coming. Most of these students were average at sketching before, but after Lin Yuan's teaching, they made incredible progress. To be honest, his teaching skills surpass even mine.”

“I see,” Shi Huainan hesitated, “but this decision isn’t just mine to make. We’d need to get the Composition Department and the parents involved, not to mention respecting the student’s choice.”

“Fine,” Kong An agreed, “I’ll talk to him tomorrow. If I have to, I’ll drag him over!”

Shi Huainan smiled wryly. He knew Kong An was speaking figuratively—there was no way he would literally drag Lin Yuan to the Art Department.

“Alright, I’m off,” Kong An waved and left.

Shi Huainan watched him go, finally making note of the name "Lin Yuan."

...

The next day, the exam results were released, and the fact that nearly the entire top fifty in sketching were Lin Yuan's students sent shockwaves through the Art Department.

“Oh my god.”

“This is insane!”

“Are Lin Yuan’s students really that good?”

“You get what you pay for! I used to think it was too expensive, but now I’d sell everything I own to take Lin Yuan’s sketching lessons!”

“You think it’s that easy? His classes are fully booked. There’s already a two-week waiting list.”

“I didn’t believe the hype before, and now I regret it so much.”

“I’m willing to pay double to skip the line! Someone, please let me take their place!”

“I’ll offer triple!”

...

As the storm swept through the department, Lin Yuan appeared at the Painting Club, only to be immediately surrounded by curious onlookers.

Meanwhile, his sketching class appointments were almost full!

Lin Yuan found it odd that so many people had booked lessons today.

Zhong Yu, grinning slyly, leaned over and whispered, “Master, the surge in bookings today is because of a little news I stirred up yesterday!”

“How big?” Lin Yuan asked.

Before Zhong Yu could answer, a commotion erupted near the door of the Painting Club, and an elderly man entered slowly.

It was none other than Kong An, the Art Department professor!

Zhong Yu murmured, “That big…”

Kong An strolled over to the club’s exhibition area. He paused briefly to admire several displayed pieces, before his gaze fell on two sketches signed by Lin Yuan.

At that moment, Kong An’s body stiffened slightly. He turned and asked softly, “Is Lin Yuan here?”

A student quickly pointed the way, leading Kong An straight to Lin Yuan.

With a kind smile, Kong An gazed at Lin Yuan as if he were looking at a rare treasure.

“Hello,” Lin Yuan, always respectful towards elders, stood up politely.

Kong An studied him for a moment, nodding. “You must be Lin Yuan. No need to be nervous. I’m here to ask if you’d consider joining our Art Department?”

“No,” Lin Yuan replied simply, shaking his head.

Kong An’s smile faltered. He glanced at Zhong Yu and gave a light cough.

Zhong Yu, initially anxious that his actions had caused trouble for Lin Yuan, relaxed when he saw Kong An’s reaction. Picking up on the hint, Zhong Yu leaned close to Lin Yuan and whispered, “Master, this is Professor Kong from the Art Department. He practically runs the whole department…”

Lin Yuan nodded, “Nice to meet you, Professor Kong.”

Kong An regained his smile, “If you join the Art Department, I’ll personally mentor you.”

Having just seen Lin Yuan’s work, Kong An immediately recognized that Lin Yuan possessed professional-level sketching skills. Despite his youth, Lin Yuan was undeniably a sketching prodigy. Kong An’s desire wasn’t merely to recruit Lin Yuan for the department—he was also thinking about taking him on as an apprentice.

By now, the entire Painting Club had gathered around, eyes wide in disbelief.

Kong An was clearly offering to take Lin Yuan as his final apprentice!

Kong An was a highly influential figure in the art world. Becoming his apprentice was a dream for many aspiring artists, a ticket to a prominent place in the art world.

Yet, to everyone’s shock, Lin Yuan responded as if he didn’t grasp the significance. “I don’t want to join the Art Department.”

Kong An’s smile froze again.

“Don’t you like painting?” he asked.

“I do,” Lin Yuan replied.

“Then why not join us?” Kong An pressed.

Lin Yuan thought for a moment before answering, “The Composition Department suits me better.”

Art comes in many forms, and Lin Yuan knew he could excel in various fields. But, due to his background and personal preference, music was still his greatest passion.

“I’ll give you time to think it over,” Kong An said, not wanting to push too hard and risk triggering resistance in Lin Yuan. He was determined, though. A talent like Lin Yuan’s was a once-in-a-lifetime find, and there was no way Kong An would give up easily. In his mind, convincing Lin Yuan was just a matter of time.

“Alright,” Lin Yuan said, fully aware that "considering" typically meant declining.

Kong An sat down on a stool a student had brought over and asked, “Will you continue teaching sketching at the Painting Club?”

“Not sure,” Lin Yuan replied.

“Why not?” Kong An was curious.

“I plan to raise my rates.”

Lin Yuan's answer left Kong An momentarily speechless.

The surrounding students covered their faces in disbelief. Five hundred an hour was already steep for students, yet Lin Yuan was planning to charge more?

“How much?” Kong An asked.

“One thousand per hour,” Lin Yuan replied.

Kong An’s face twitched again. That was the same rate he charged. However, given Lin Yuan's teaching abilities, the price wasn’t unreasonable.

“When will you raise the price?” Kong An inquired.

“I’m not sure,” Lin Yuan said. He wouldn’t raise the price immediately. Only once he saw significant improvements in his teaching effectiveness would he consider it. After all, Lin Yuan prided himself on being fair and didn’t want to be seen as a swindler.

“Alright,” Kong An said, standing up. “When you do raise the price, come talk to me in the Art Department. We can discuss a formal collaboration, and the school will make sure you're fairly compensated.”

Lin Yuan nodded, “Okay.”

The surrounding club members were left in a state of shock. None of them had expected to witness the head of the Art Department negotiating business with a sophomore.

The whole scene felt surreal, yet given how Lin Yuan’s students dominated the recent sketching exam, raising his prices seemed entirely justified.

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