The next few days, Kui was completely bombarded with reports. Everyone wanted to get to know about the inside story. His house was swarmed so much that it made it inconvenient to even go out grocery shopping.
Tan peered out the window. "Still going strong. Oh, I see people in tents. Kui, they won't leave until you give them a satisfying interview."
Kui scoffed. "I hate paparazzi. When I was framed, these exact people came at me with so many hateful questions. One even asked if was trying to gain attention." He sat up with a pout. "Why must I give them an interview?"
His best friend sighed. "that's how news works. They are hateful, but they can really help you out with your situation." he sat down beside him. "don't you want to be an artist again? Coe on chose one network you least hate and give that interview. Because those guys won't leave."
Kui bit his lips slightly. The national award committee had contacted him and was planning to give the award to him in about ten days. till then, the reporters will not leave until then.
'Ten days inside?' he sighed. 'I don't think I can. Plus, Tan has been unable to leave his home.'
His poor friend had been sleeping on the ground for the past few days. Tan had never mentioned it but it was because of the way he starching that he had a bad back ache from it.
Kui sighed and nodded. "Fine, I'll do it. You choose the network. Let's get this over with soon as possible."
"Good," Tan hopped up excitedly. "I'll go tell those guys that you will do an interview. Awesome!" he ran out of the house in a hurry.
Kui shook his head with a small smile. Without Tan by his side, he really would have lost his patience and shouted at the reporters. Thankfully, he at least had a person by his side whom he can rely on with all his troubles.
Suddenly, the paintings he had stored to the side caught his eye. His heart suddenly clenched.
He had a vague feeling of eyes watching him.
Sometimes during the night, he could sometimes feel the air turn humid and the familiar salty wind hit his face.
Nights had become such a horror for him.
'Shit… how do I deal with this…. should I just destroy these paintings and that brush? Will that solve my problems?'
He was not sure if it will.
The next morning, he got ready for the network interview. The other channels were allowed to come to the meeting. they placing the mike in front of him.
Kui nervously played with his fingers under the table, watching the whole interview room filled with reports.
At exactly ten, the live feed of the interview started. And so did the questions.
He did not brief on his relationship with Dai Zu but he clearly explained that it was his work that was stolen. A few of the reports asked how he felt about his new award.
Kui answered it honestly that he felt honored that his work was enjoyed by people all around the world.
Suddenly, one of the reports shot up. "Do you have any new works?"
"I do but..."
"When will be revealed? How many works have you done?"
The whole hall went into a frenzy.
Kui did not even have the time to explain that the paintings were faulty. he obviously could not sell paints that were... troublesome.
He cleared his throat and waited for the hall to fall silent. "My new works are only for display. They won't be sold. But the subsequent work will be up for sale. You can definitely hope for that."
"Why is that, mister Kui? Are there any problems with the paintings?"
"The pigments I used were handmade and some of them have problems so I won't be selling this new batch. Only display them to be enjoyed by others," Kui skillfully answered. His heart beat slightly went up. 'Is it okay to even display those pieces? He was sure those pieces were kind of possessed.
He took a deep breath. 'I've already said so. now I can't produce so many works to display. Might as well display them for a few days and take them down and destroy them completely.' He nodded to himself.
the meeting ended on a good note and the reporters left with a content smile.
After that day, he was not tortured by the paparazzi. So he leisurely arranged a gallery for his work.
Many of them wanted to show off his work, but Kui took a long time to choose a gallery that was good enough and also had a good reputation.
The viewing date was set for ten days later.
Kui had a lot of work to do. He had to pack and move the paintings again and had to check the layout of each piece. and the story and name of the painting needed to be destroyed.
He had never named the painting set. After they were mounted, he decided on the names for each piece and made sure they were in the correct order.
Ten days passed by in just a flash and the day of his viewing came around.
Kui stood in front of his mirror, anxiously fiddling with his tie. "Do I have to wear this? it looks too formal." He gazed back at Tan who was also in a three-piece suit.
Tan gazed at him up and down. The white three-piece suit was custom-made and fit Kui like a glove. It really gave him an elegant look.
He nodded. "You look amazing. God, your ass looks good."
Blushing, Kui hid his ass with his hand. "Stop looking at me like that. I'll pluck your eyes and pickle them,"
"Ohh very scary." Tan chuckled gleefully. "The car I arranged is down. Ready to walk your red carpet, buddy?"
Kui gulped and nodded.