Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Zhan Yiran went on Douyin and registered an account called 'Little Ran Learns Chinese Painting'.

Then she edited a short video and posted it.

In the video, she first showcased a painting she had done, followed by the same painting that Gu Nanyan had modified, creating a stark contrast between the two versions.

Zhan Yiran also included Gu Nanyan's comments on how she corrected her painting.

On this account, Zhan Yiran didn't refer to Gu Nanyan as her sister-in-law, but simply called her "sister".

After posting the video, Zhan Yiran gave herself a like.

She didn't expect anyone to watch her video, she just wanted to document her journey of learning how to paint.

However, this video went viral instantly, garnering tens of thousands of likes overnight.

The general comments were: "Hahaha, the difference between the sister's painting and the sister-in-law's painting is way too huge."

"I'm dead, the sister's painting looks like an ugly duckling while the sister-in-law's looks like a beautiful swan."

There were also comments from professionals, "The sister's corrections are great, her skills are professional."

But these comments were soon drowned out.

As more and more likes poured in, Zhan Yiran was encouraged. She started painting a new piece every day, getting Gu Nanyan's guidance, editing it into a short video, and posting it on Douyin.

Before she knew it, she had accumulated hundreds of thousands of followers.

At this time, Zhan Yi, who was abroad, also came across these videos.

He had been too busy lately and hadn't had time to watch videos, except for when he was on the toilet.

"Hahaha."

Zhan Yi burst out laughing at the hilarious contrast between the two paintings.

Just as tears of laughter were streaming down his face, a foul stench hit his nostrils—

Oh no, he was on the toilet, how could he laugh so loudly?

Zhan Yi was utterly dismayed and decided to share his suffering with his good brothers Zhan Liang and Zhan Shan.

Soon, the bathroom stalls echoed with two distinct bursts of laughter.

Now that all three of them were enduring the stench together, Zhan Yi felt a sense of balance.

Zhan Liang tried to stifle his laughter and replied: "The sister's duck painting makes one want to stomp on it, while the sister-in-law's duck is so adorable that one wants to cradle it in their palms and kiss it."

Before he knew it, Zhan Lingfeng had watched all the videos by the author 'Little Ran Learns Chinese Painting', and he loved every single painting that the sister-in-law had corrected.

The little animals in the paintings were so lifelike and adorable that they melted the viewer's heart.

Zhan Lingfeng sent a private message to the author, asking if he could buy a few of the paintings, as he really liked the sister-in-law's work and wanted to collect them.

Zhan Yiran had no idea that the person inquiring about buying her paintings was her big brother Zhan Lingfeng, a wealthy heir who didn't need to sell paintings, so she simply refused: "Not for sale!"

Zhan Lingfeng was disappointed but didn't insist, and instead followed the account, hoping to buy the paintings when the author decided to sell them in the future.

Although Zhan Yiran wasn't selling her paintings, she told Gu Nanyan about the message: "Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, someone likes your paintings and wants to buy them."

Gu Nanyan smiled lightly, "Is that so?"

Zhan Yiran nodded enthusiastically: "Yes, he really likes your paintings and wants to buy them, but I won't sell them. How could I sell sister-in-law's paintings randomly? When you have more works in the future, sister-in-law, you can hold an exhibition."

Gu Nanyan wasn't too concerned about it; she painted simply because she enjoyed it, not with the intention of exhibiting her work.

However, Zhan Yiran was very serious and wanted more people to see her sister-in-law's paintings.

She felt that Gu Nanyan's paintings were exceptional, even better than those of renowned Chinese painting masters, but no one knew about her yet. Zhan Yiran believed that once people saw her sister-in-law's paintings, they would be amazed.

With this in mind, Zhan Yiran became more dedicated to managing the Douyin account.

It didn't take long for her follower count to surpass one million, with many true Chinese painting enthusiasts and learners following her.

Zhan Yiran interacted with these people, and her skills improved significantly.

As the account grew in popularity, someone shared one of her short videos with Le Xuanji.

Le Xuanji was the granddaughter of the contemporary Chinese painting master Le Chang, a renowned talent and beautiful female painter who had won numerous art awards since childhood.

Le Xuanji had over ten million followers on Douyin, where she often shared her daily life and critiqued artworks.

Many students would send their paintings to her for critique.

Le Xuanji had a profound knowledge of works by renowned artists from different eras and could provide insightful comments on the paintings sent to her. Her critiques were often spot-on, able to identify the painter's skill level at a glance.

Her critiques were highly constructive, and many painters made remarkable progress under her guidance.

Not only that, but she was also incredibly kind and never arrogant about her talent, treating each work with equal respect.

Even if a painter's skills were severely lacking, she would not belittle them but instead find their strengths.

That's why everyone adored her.

However, this time, she harshly criticized Little Ran's work.

"Nonsense, it's simply a cheap attempt to gain popularity!" she said vehemently.