stjorthotic Chapter 335: A Hot Topic Across the Internet
Chapter 335: A Hot Topic Across the Internet
One hundred thousand?
really!
Old Zhang had initially been somewhat disdainful, but when his gaze fell upon the flowing, elegant golden calligraphy signature on the screen, he froze instantly.
"This...this character..."
As a retired university teacher, Lao Zhang has spent a lot of time immersed in cultural activities.
Although he is not a calligrapher, he has been in the education field for so many years, so he still has a good eye for things.
The three words on the screen were written with a steady, mountain-like stroke, yet the ending was as playful as a fox.
The pauses and pauses in the brushstrokes, the seamless flow of the work, actually made him feel a sense of overwhelming pressure from a master!
He stared intently at those three words, then slowly turned his head to look at Jiang Bai, who had a calm expression on his face.
"This was written by Jiang Bai... his sister?"
Old Zhang felt a buzzing in his head.
He knew Jiang Bai was strong and knew Jiang Bai could act.
But to his utter surprise, this kid was even proficient in calligraphy.
It's even written quite well!
"Five...fifty thousand?"
Old Zhang's voice was hoarse, and Su Ze's words echoed in his mind.
Minimum 50,000!
It once soared to 100,000!
Fifty thousand... one hundred thousand... for an autographed photo?
hiss! ! !
Old Zhang took a deep breath, and when he looked at Jiang Bai again, his eyes actually showed a hint of awe as if he were looking at a god, and even seemed to be shining!
"Um... Jiang Bai."
Old Zhang's expression instantly became extremely eager, even carrying a hint of ingratiation:
"You said we're having a calligraphy competition this afternoon... Our class committee must fully cooperate on this!"
"Tell the teacher if there's anything you particularly need?"
"Even if it requires the principal, I'll risk my reputation today to bring him here for you... for your sister!"
"Can you help me?"
Jiang Bai stroked his chin and pondered for three seconds.
"Actually... there really is."
"If we really had to use a fixed format for writing, the tables at the charity sale stalls would be too shaky to convey any sense of grandeur."
"She needs a big table."
Jiang Bai looked at Old Zhang, his tone calm:
"I need a large, sturdy table."
.......
Just as Jiang Bai was discussing with the others.
Outside the school, as the lunch break arrived, the excitement of the first morning of the sports meet did not diminish due to the suspension of the games. Instead, it spread like wildfire across the internet, fueled by wireless signals.
Initially, the storm was confined to the Shanghai Theatre Academy campus.
On the school's online forum, new "bragging posts" pop up almost every second.
[Come look at my SSR poster! It's that close-up of me crying while saying "I Love You, China"! Brothers, look at the image quality, look at those eyes, I feel like my soul has been cleansed! I'm going to buy a safe and enshrine it right now! [image.jpg]]
[For 50 yuan, I got a chibi-style keychain, a giant poster, and an autographed photo that would make my dad disown me! This goddess is practically doing charity!]
[Brothers, look at this signature! Golden ink, and I heard it even has the warmth of a goddess's fingertips! This is a steal!]
Originally, this was just a small-scale celebration.
However, as candid photos of Jiang Baizhi in her "black stockings and fox ear senior outfit" were leaked, passersby couldn't sit still.
"Holy crap, is this level of beauty even real?"
"I'm in Shanghai. If I take a taxi to the Shanghai Theatre Academy now, is it still possible to buy one in time?"
"Wake up, you upstairs! I heard the stall was so crowded it collapsed, and even that purple bag of blind boxes was snatched up and is now being treated like a precious artifact!"
"I heard those autographed photos are being resold for several thousand yuan each at the school gate? Is that true?"
"Fake! Autographed photos start at 50,000, and the most expensive one I've seen sells for is 100,000. A few thousand? Who do you think you are!"
"One hundred thousand? Holy crap!!"
Immediately afterwards, this news appeared on Weibo's trending topics list.
#A signed photo for 100,000 yuan at the Shanghai Theatre Academy?#
A torrent of criticism followed online.
After all, Jiang Baizhi achieved the miraculous score of 1995 points in "The Voice of China".
But ultimately, he's still a newcomer.
An ordinary autographed photo has been sold for an exorbitant price, which seems like malicious marketing by a manipulator behind the scenes.
The comments section below instantly turned into a massive conspiracy theory forum:
[Haha, these days they're really willing to spend money on hype. 80,000 for a signed photo? Why don't you say 800 million? This hype is too obvious.]
[Exactly, even if Jiang Baizhi becomes popular, she's still just a newcomer. Are her fans crazy, or does money grow on trees? This kind of idiotic behavior is unbelievable, even a dog wouldn't believe it.]
Resist this kind of fake consumption; don't turn campus charity sales into a game of capital!
Public opinion overwhelmingly believes this is a marketing tactic devised by Jiang Baizhi.
After all, an autographed photo can sell for 80,000 yuan. Even the most popular stars in the world today don't get such treatment!
Until one of the parties involved, the owner of Qian Duoduo, publicly revealed his identity.
Who is Boss Qian?
He's known as a real estate miser in Shanghai. Aside from buying land, he loves hanging authentic works by masters in his study.
He posted a high-resolution image on Weibo with an extremely arrogant caption:
[Hype? You bunch of bumpkins don't know anything! I've been in business for thirty years, what kind of fakes haven't I seen? I spent 80,000 on this photo, not for the face, but for the 'spirit' behind those three characters! This kind of calligraphy, 'powerful strokes, fluid as a dragon,' 100,000? That's me taking advantage of Bai Zhi's daughter!]
Mr. Qian's statement was like a resounding slap in the face, leaving netizens stunned.
[Words? Because words are valuable?]
[No, these days idols not only have to be good-looking, but they also have to be calligraphers?]
[If you said you were paying for Jiang Baizhi's work, I might believe you. But this calligraphy, worth 100,000? Come up with a better excuse!]
Just when the whole internet was skeptical, and some even mocked Boss Qian as "an old lecher making excuses."
next second.
Mr. Wu, the foremost calligrapher of running script in China and honorary chairman of the Calligraphy Association, posted a photo on Weibo.
In the photo, the elderly gentleman, who usually keeps to himself, is standing at the exit of Shanghai Hongqiao Airport with a shoulder bag on his back, against a backdrop of hurried crowds.
The accompanying text was only a short sentence:
[Just arrived in Shanghai. My friend Jiang Baizhi's book is masterful, with a natural and refined style; it's truly a work of a contemporary master. Mr. Qian, please take me to consult with you this afternoon! @Mr.Qian]
boom--!!!
The entire internet is completely down!
If we say that Boss Qian is "rich and willful", then...
Old Wu's words were practically a golden robe for Jiang Baizhi, as if she were a "God of Literature descended to earth"!
[Holy crap! Old Wu personally confirmed it?! Did I overreact?!]
"A contemporary master," "Seeking guidance"...aren't these high compliments? That's Elder Wu!
[It seems Jiang Baizhi's calligraphy really is worth 100,000?]
[They're all insane! They've all gone completely insane! I was just about to stuff the blind box I had into the safe, and now my dad's banging on the door with a rolling pin, demanding I hand it over and give him half!]
[To the person upstairs: I suggest you share half with me, but not with your dad!]
[You're focusing on the wrong thing! Old Wu is heading to the Shanghai Theatre Academy! Calligraphy enthusiasts all over Shanghai are probably going to rush there; the walls of the academy are about to collapse!]
[Don't even mention them rushing to the Shanghai Theatre Academy, people from my neighboring province want to go too!!!]