The video stopped there.
Jiang Ye was in high spirits, seeing that Jiang Senlin’s paintings had impressed the masters.
A child prodigy, a child prodigy! How could a father not be happy that his son was a child prodigy?
After a short wait, Shi Ningfu sent another message.
“The masters at our school just held a meeting and hope to arrange special admission for Jiang Senlin so he can begin systematic learning as soon as possible. Of course, admission can be at our school, or we can regularly send teachers to instruct him hands-on. Live and online classes can also be expedited. I’m just giving you a heads-up; you should receive a formal invitation and admission notice signed by the school’s dean in a while.”
Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng read the message together, gasping in unison.
They were actually arranging for Jiang Senlin to be admitted directly?
The couple had checked the information for Pingzong Academy of Fine Arts beforehand. It had a three-hundred-year history and was renowned locally and even in nearby star systems.
One statistic would suffice to show the school’s esteemed status.
There were a full 6.8 million applicants to study at Pingzong Academy of Fine Arts each year.
Yet, fewer than five thousand people could pass the rigorous assessments and be successfully admitted.
The admission ratio was a staggering 1360:1!
If Jiang Ye remembered correctly, even the admission ratio for Tsinghua and Peking Universities wasn’t that terrifying.
Moreover, those who dared to apply to Pingzong Academy of Fine Arts were no ordinary individuals. Painting prodigies from all regions, top specialty students, and even painters who had already established some reputation in the art world dreamed of advancing their studies at Pingzong Academy of Fine Arts. It was a battle of titans, yet the casualties were widespread, truly a twilight of the gods.
In short, it was a legend in the art world, a sanctuary for painters, a school where being admitted meant one could boast for a lifetime!
And now, they were directly arranging admission for Jiang Senlin.
Jiang Ye didn’t know if there were any diplomatic factors involved, considering Jiang Senlin was his child.
But who cared? As long as he could get in!
He quickly replied to Shi Ningfu, “Thank you so much! I am extremely excited and extend my sincerest gratitude to you and Pingzong Academy of Fine Arts!”
Cen Yemeng couldn’t help but snatch the phone and type furiously.
“Hello, Teacher. I am Jiang Senlin’s mother. Senlin is too young and also unwell. I’m not at ease letting him live on an alien planet, so I hope your esteemed school can provide remote teaching or dispatch teachers. The cost is negotiable; we don’t mind the tuition fees for nurturing our child.”
After a moment, a reply came.
Shi Ningfu: “There are no tuition fees. The admission agreement has already been printed. I glanced at it; there’s a Principal’s Scholarship. All tuition and art supply expenses will be covered by the Principal’s Scholarship. Jiang Senlin doesn’t need to pay a single cent to the school.”
Shi Ningfu: “This child’s situation is indeed quite special. He is too young to be too far from his parents, and we fully understand. We will be recording some online courses soon, all taught by the school’s top masters. These masters had all stopped taking apprentices, but they were so moved by this child’s talent that they all wanted to teach again. Later, I will come over to give a few face-to-face lessons with the child. If you have time, you can also bring the child over for short-term study. Everything is negotiable.”
Jiang Ye sent a message expressing his profuse thanks.
He expected the online course recording to take a week or two.
Unexpectedly, the next morning, Jiang Ye received the first online course video on his phone.
A fair-skinned beauty in a qipao stood before holographic projections of several ink paintings, smiling like a beautiful girl next door.
Were art teachers this beautiful these days? Jiang Ye was secretly surprised.
The online course was available so quickly; perhaps it was an old course from the school’s curriculum library.
Jiang Ye clicked play and immediately realized it wasn’t the case; this online course was specifically recorded for his son.
Because the first sentence the beautiful teacher spoke was, “Hello, Jiang Senlin, I am Shi Ningfu, your painting teacher. You can call me Teacher Shi…”
Her tone was as if she were coaxing a preschooler.
Jiang Ye moved the holographic projector to the studio and imported the online course.
After waking up, Jiang Senlin was carried to the studio by his mother. He watched the online class while eating.
Under the holographic projection, the teacher in the video was magnified to life-size, making it seem as if she were speaking right in the studio.
Jiang Senlin listened very attentively; he had a natural interest in anything related to painting.
When the teacher explained some classic painting techniques, he immediately put down his food, grabbed a brush nearby, and eagerly tried to draw.
At the end of the online class, homework for the day was assigned.
Jiang Senlin stopped eating and immediately started drawing his homework.
Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng watched in secret amazement. Was he this diligent and eager to learn?
They quietly left the studio and closed the door.
Cen Yemeng whispered to her husband, “Is it too tiring for the child to study painting so hard now? I’m afraid he’ll get worn out.”
“It’s alright. For him, it shouldn’t feel tiring. Painting is a hobby for him, not homework. When a teacher teaches him brush techniques, it’s like other children learning game strategies,” Jiang Ye said. “We’re not forcing him to learn; he’s learning for his own happiness, and happiness is most important.”
Cen Yemeng covered her mouth. “After I became pregnant, I read seventy to eighty books on early childhood education and prepared myself for the possibility of this child being a spoiled brat, anticipating all sorts of troublesome situations. I never expected this child to be so well-behaved, so well-behaved that I feel a little heartbroken. I still hope he plays more.”
“In the next couple of days, I’ll take some time to take him around the world for a trip,” Jiang Ye said, stroking his wife’s head. “His eyes must be hungry to be a painter; seeing different scenery will help him learn to paint.”
“Tour the world?” Cen Yemeng worried. “How will we tour?”
“We’ll have military escort, travel by military aircraft. It’s very fast; we’ll fly continuously, stopping to play for a while in places with beautiful scenery, and then take off again,” Jiang Ye said. “We’ll go out and play as a family. You haven’t had a chance to see much of this planet since you arrived.”
“Okay,” Cen Yemeng hugged him.
The next morning, a large fleet of ornithopters landed in the manor.
The robotic dog was quite startled and ran upstairs to sound the alarm.
But Jiang Ye patted its head, “Don’t panic, it’s our own military.”
Cen Yemeng was busy packing the suitcases, arranging clothes for all seasons for the family. After all, they would be touring the world, and temperatures varied across latitudes and regions. Wearing short sleeves in polar ice fields or cotton clothes under the equatorial sun would be inappropriate.
Jiang Senlin lay by the window, staring motionlessly at the ornithopters parked in the manor. He was curious about unfamiliar things.
Jiang Ye’s phone rang; it was Che Zhen calling.
“Hello, I see you’ve arrived. Send six soldiers up to help with the luggage. We need to bring a few boxes of canvases and art supplies. Find some soldiers with kind faces; don’t let any fierce-looking ones come and scare the child.”
Soon, a visitor notification popped up on Jiang Ye’s phone. He clicked to open the door.
The sound of marching boots echoed.
Six young female soldiers came up, greeted Jiang Senlin, and then carried the art supply boxes.
Jiang Ye carried his clothes and suitcase, while Cen Yemeng picked up Jiang Senlin from the window. They followed the soldiers downstairs.