I Became an All-round Artist

After a few seconds of silence, the classroom suddenly erupted in shock.

"Oh my god!" "Who is this genius?" "Who was it in the group chat that said Lin Yuan's gouache skills were lacking? You call this lacking?" "This is terrifying." "If this is 'lacking,' then every art student should pack up and go home. And once home, their mothers should ask them why they're kneeling while watching someone paint." "We did come to help." "Though, it wasn’t to help paint—just to carry water, hand over brushes, and hold paint palettes." "…"

The students were stunned. Class president Cao Bin was equally dumbfounded. He had assumed Lin Yuan had called for upperclassmen from the art department to help with the painting, but it turned out Lin Yuan had called them over simply to assist him with the more menial tasks!

Was this even real?

Zhong Yu swallowed hard before speaking hesitantly, "So... not only are you great at sketching, but you're also a master of gouache?"

Here’s a quick art fact: sketching is about understanding form and spatial relationships, while gouache deals with color and environment. Though both focus on creating depth, most accomplished artists specialize in one or the other. Some excel in sketching, others in gouache, oil painting, or traditional Chinese painting. Outside their field of expertise, their skills in other areas might be decent, but rarely do they match their mastery in their primary medium.

So, naturally, everyone had assumed that Lin Yuan was predominantly a sketch artist. Who could have guessed he was also a prodigy, mastering both sketching and gouache to such a high level?

This was truly a grandmaster!

Many in the room were sketching prodigies themselves, but right now, they were all humbled. Someone finally called out:

"Lin Yuan, teach me gouache!" This sparked a chain reaction. "Ahhh, I want to learn gouache from Lin Yuan too!" "Please, notice me!" "Master, pick me!"

Lin Yuan had already earned his reputation by cultivating top-tier sketching students. Now, after showcasing his gouache skills, everyone knew how rare this opportunity was. They were all practically fighting for a spot.

"500 per hour," Lin Yuan responded calmly.

Zhong Yu pushed his way to the front. "All of you, stop fighting. If you want to learn gouache, you have to book through me! Don’t forget, I'm his number one student!"

"Shameless!" Someone yelled back, "You're obviously going to put your own name at the top of the list!"

Grumbling aside, everyone eventually lined up to book their lessons through Zhong Yu. And yes, he did put his name first.

"I'm heading out," Lin Yuan said to Cao Bin before leaving the classroom.

"Where's Lin Yuan going?" "To the cafeteria for lunch."

A bunch of art students immediately followed, shouting about treating him to a meal, leaving Cao Bin staring in awe at the newly finished blackboard art.

…

Yan Mengjia and her art group had resigned themselves to the idea that their class's blackboard wouldn’t be finished in time. But suddenly, Cao Bin called, urging them to come to the classroom. Reluctantly, they headed over.

"We must be in the wrong room," Yan Mengjia said, glancing at the blackboard after entering.

"Huh?" The boy behind her also looked at the blackboard and froze. "Are we sure we’re in the right building?"

"No, this is the right place," said another student, spotting Cao Bin by the blackboard. "That’s our class president."

They exchanged bewildered glances before rushing in. All of them were stunned into silence when they saw the landscape painting that now adorned the blackboard.

"You’re here," Cao Bin said, turning to Yan Mengjia and her group. "I'm off to eat now—hope the cafeteria’s still open."

"What… is this?" Yan Mengjia stood before the blackboard, utterly confused. The old artwork had been wiped clean and replaced with an awe-inspiring landscape painting. But hadn’t they only left the classroom two hours ago?

Was this some kind of magic?

Cao Bin understood their confusion and explained with a smile, "Lin Yuan painted it."

"The Lin Yuan we know?" asked the boy beside Yan Mengjia, unsure.

Cao Bin didn’t answer. Instead, he looked at Yan Mengjia. "Lin Yuan suggested that we list you as the lead for the blackboard, but I felt it was better to put your names after his. You’ll still get the credit for it."

"Oh… okay," Yan Mengjia responded, almost on autopilot.

…

That afternoon, when Lin Yuan returned to the classroom after lunch, someone shouted:

"Lin Yuan’s here!" "Lin Yuan, you’re incredible!" "Did you really paint that blackboard?" "In just two hours?"

Everyone looked at him like they were seeing him for the first time. Yan Mengjia quietly approached him, whispering, "Thank you."

"Mm," Lin Yuan replied as he took his seat.

His classmates exchanged knowing smiles. His reaction? Typical Lin Yuan.

Arrogant? No, not at all.

This was just so Lin Yuan.

Suddenly, there was a commotion in the hallway. The art department's blackboard contest judges had arrived, led by none other than the top figure in the department—Professor Kong An.

The class immediately straightened up. The judges filed into the room, and Kong An, at the front, glanced at the blackboard. He froze.

He wasn’t the only one. The other gouache instructors behind him also widened their eyes. Could this level of work really be done by a student?

They must have hired a professional, right? Or maybe a teacher secretly lent a hand?

After several long seconds, Kong An finally spoke, his tone serious. "Who did your class's blackboard?"

"Lin Yuan!" Yan Mengjia was the first to answer.

Lin Yuan raised his hand.

All of Kong An’s doubts vanished immediately. He stared at Lin Yuan, then at the blackboard, then back at Lin Yuan, repeating the process several times.

"Did you do this by yourself?" he asked.

"Yes," Lin Yuan replied.

Kong An moved closer to the blackboard, studying it in silence before finally saying, "I didn’t know you were this skilled in gouache. Though there are still a few details that could be improved."

"…"

Come on, considering how large the board was and the fact that Lin Yuan only had two hours, how could anyone expect every detail to be perfect?

Yan Mengjia’s group wanted to explain, but Lin Yuan remained silent, so they held back.

Another teacher turned to Lin Yuan. "The professor's standards are too high. To me, this looks almost perfect. Though... some of the paint still seems wet?"

Lin Yuan nodded. "It’s been rainy, so it’s a bit humid."

The rest of the class: "…"

Seriously, Lin Yuan? Why not just tell them that the wet paint and unfinished details were because you threw this masterpiece together in two hours?

But fine.

This was just so Lin Yuan.

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