After hearing this answer, Gao Yuheng was quite happy. Although he had been repeatedly humiliated and slapped in the face by Lu Ming, he who laughed last was the true winner.
This one who laughed last was Gao Yuheng!
At least, that's what he thought.
The most disappointed person on the scene was Jiang Mengxin. Seeing the 'close' relationship between Lu Ming and Zhu You, she thought her acceptance as a disciple was a sure thing. But the slap came so quickly.
As expected, she couldn't have any expectations of Lu Ming.
She shook her head with a bitter smile, laughing at her own foolishness. Why would she have any expectations of Lu Ming? He was just an live-in son-in-law with no background or status. It was already a great honor that Master Zhu was willing to see him. How could he possibly agree to more requests?
To talk about taking disciples, hehe. Zhu You was such an arrogant person, he had never taken a disciple in his life. How could he easily take Jiang Mengxin?
Sigh...
Jiang Mengxin couldn't hide her disappointment and sighed deeply.
Xu Qin, standing beside her, pointed at Lu Ming's nose and scolded, "You useless piece of trash! If you can't do something, don't make false promises. Can you die if you don't brag? You gave my daughter such great hope, and now you can't deliver. Isn't this purely playing with her?"
Lu Ming had nothing to say in the face of Xu Qin's harsh criticism.
Just as Gao Yuheng was thinking of adding insult to injury, he never expected Zhu You to wave his hand and say, "No, you've all misunderstood. Things are not what you think."
What's different? Everyone looked at each other.
Zhu You explained, "I don't take disciples not because of any special requirements, nor because I'm arrogant and look down on others. It's just that I'm clumsy with words, and I'm not good at teaching disciples, so I wouldn't mislead anyone. But I know Director Jiang's desire to learn is very sincere, so I've thought of a compromise."
What compromise?
Jiang Mengxin looked at Zhu You with full of expectation.
Zhu You said, "My research and insights in painting over the years have been compiled into a practical guide. I will now give this practical guide to Director Jiang."
With that, Zhu You took out a small booklet from his embrace, a simple and unadorned small booklet.
Although it looked ancient, everyone's eyes were shining, and they were salivating!
Zhu You's research and insights were the most precious treasures!
"My heavens, the value of this booklet is probably over a hundred million yuan, right? It's much more precious than any artwork."
"As the saying goes, teaching someone to fish is better than giving them a fish. These research and insights are much more valuable than giving you a painting, especially for those dedicated to the study of painting, it's a priceless treasure."
"Lu Ming is truly blessed! He was able to get Master Zhu to bring out his most treasured possession."
"This is even more valuable than taking a disciple."
Everyone present was clear-headed and knew the importance of this booklet. Many were already fantasizing about how they could buy it from Jiang Mengxin at a high price!
But it was obvious that Jiang Mengxin would absolutely not sell it.
Zhu You handed the practical guide to Jiang Mengxin and instructed, "This guide is the result of my many years of research. I hope it can be of some help to you."
Jiang Mengxin's eyes welled up with tears as she took the practical guide with both hands.
"Thank you, Master Zhu. I will do my utmost to protect it. It will become a treasured heirloom of our Jiang family!"
Her excitement showed how much she valued it.
At the same time, Jiang Mengxin glanced at Lu Ming inadvertently. At this moment, she was filled with gratitude and admiration for Lu Ming.
He said what he meant, and he did it. This is a true man.
The most awkward person on the scene was Gao Yuheng. He felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly, and he deflated like a punctured ball, becoming listless.
Then, everyone spontaneously applauded Zhu You.
Amidst the sustained applause, Zhu You waved goodbye to everyone with a smile and left the venue.
A long time passed.
The crowd calmed down.
Lu Ming walked up to Jiang Mengxin and asked with a smile, "Do you like it?"
Jiang Mengxin's eyes were full of smiles. She pursed her lips slightly and nodded vigorously, saying one word: "Mm."
One "Mm" was enough to show Jiang Mengxin's joy.
Silence spoke louder than words at this moment.
There was no need for many words to convey Jiang Mengxin's feelings.
Even the most critical Xu Qin could not find fault at this moment. All her previous taunts against Lu Ming now seemed so pale.
It still proved the saying: facts speak louder than words.
No matter how much you taunt or smear, as long as Lu Ming fulfills his promise, victory will always belong to Lu Ming.
In the face of facts, all quibbling seemed pale and powerless.
If even Xu Qin couldn't find fault, let alone others.
Instead, Lu Ming looked at Gao Yuheng and said self-deprecatingly, "Alas, I lost in the end. I promised Master Zhu would take Mengxin as his disciple, but it didn't succeed. Young Master Gao, you won."
Won?
Was this called winning?
Did you call this winning?
Wasn't this pure humiliation?
Gao Yuheng lowered his head, so angry he couldn't utter a word. All his pride seemed worthless in front of Lu Ming.
Today, he had lost.
Gao Yuheng had painstakingly arranged for Jiang Mengxin to attend this exhibition, intending to showcase his talents and humiliate Lu Ming at the same time.
But the result?
The hunter became the prey.
Gao Yuheng not only failed to humiliate Lu Ming but was repeatedly trampled into the ground by Lu Ming, becoming the laughingstock of everyone.
If he had known this would happen, Gao Yuheng would rather not have come to the exhibition.
What a disgrace.
What agony.
Finally, Gao Yuheng, unable to bear the shame any longer, left the exhibition without a word.
As he left, everyone could see the fury in his eyes.
This matter was not over.
It was not over!
Gao Yuheng vowed in his heart that he would make Lu Ming pay a heavy price to compensate for the psychological trauma he had suffered today.
Seeing Gao Yuheng leave, Jiang Mengxin sneered.
Only now did she finally see through the hypocrisy of this man.
Because she met a perfect man, all of Gao Yuheng's "goodness" was actually a disguise. If not for Lu Ming's appearance, Jiang Mengxin would have truly been deceived by Gao Yuheng.
Thinking of the worst-case scenario, if Jiang Mengxin had chosen to part ways with Lu Ming and fall into Gao Yuheng's arms, she would have cried so much later on.
At this thought, Jiang Mengxin patted her chest, feeling fortunate.
Fortunate not to have been deceived by Gao Yuheng.
...
On the other side.
After leaving the museum, Gao Yuheng immediately got into his car and returned home.
As soon as he got home, he sat on the sofa indignantly and chugged a can of beer.
His father, Gao Xuan, the chairman of Biao Niu, was stunned. He knew his son well. Gao Yuheng was very particular about his physique and appearance and never drank beer.
Something must have upset him.
Gao Xuan asked, "What's wrong? You look so unhappy. Did you fail to win over Jiang Mengxin at the art exhibition today?"
He definitely hadn't won her over.
But there was something even worse!
Gao Yuheng said dejectedly, "I, Gao Yuheng, was humiliated by a live-in son-in-law who guards graves. Dad, I'm not reconciled. I... I want to kill someone!"
Hmm?
Gao Xuan's expression changed drastically, and he looked at Gao Yuheng very cautiously.
He put down his teacup, sat down next to Gao Yuheng, and patted his shoulder, saying, "Why are you so angry? Come on, tell Dad what happened."
Then, Gao Yuheng told Gao Xuan everything that had happened that morning.
After listening, Gao Xuan's expression also turned grim.
He doted on his only son. Seeing his son bullied, Gao Xuan felt even worse than Gao Yuheng. A gentleman never forgives an insult!
Gao Xuan said, "Revenge is a must. If we don't avenge this, people will think our Gao family is easy to bully. Moreover, son, if you want to win over Jiang Mengxin, this Lu Ming is a stumbling block, and he must be eliminated. So, for both emotional and rational reasons, we have ample reason to get rid of Lu Ming!"
Gao Yuheng's expression brightened. "Dad, you support me?"
"Of course."
Saying that, Gao Xuan took out his phone, dialed a number, and said, "Don't you do the killing. Leave it to Dad to handle. I guarantee Lu Ming won't see tomorrow's sun."