Chapter 184: Teacher, I Want to Learn Sand Painting

Chapter 184: Teacher, I Want to Learn Sand Art

Sand art!

As Meng Fan was being mocked for being a fool by the song "Down to the Sand," this specific category of painting suddenly surfaced in his mind.

One could hardly claim that the art of painting is unsuitable for performance, yet it rarely lent itself to the stage—at least, not until the advent of sand art.

This form of artistic expression emerged relatively late, and its true entry into the public consciousness came even later. Initially, sand art was static—a process involving glue or latex as a base, upon which sand was sprinkled. It slowly evolved into dynamic sand art, with the first true sand art performances appearing only in the 1970s, and it has only gained widespread popularity in recent years.

Sand art performances are ephemeral, shifting in the blink of an eye. With their unique performative charm, combined with stagecraft and beautiful background music, they transport audiences into a dreamlike state of magical visual delight, possessing immense aesthetic value.

Meng Fan certainly did not know when or with which song the first marriage of sand art and music occurred, but he knew that in China, the most famous example was undoubtedly the music video for Eason Chan’s "Silk."

He was certain that sand art was perfectly suited to be a component of musical performance, especially when executed in real-time.

If he could master a formidable sand art routine, he could propose to provide a "painting" accompaniment for Bai Zhi. She would likely not find it difficult to accommodate him, and the chances of her recommending him to the organizers would be quite high.

For Meng Fan to acquire top-tier skills in musical accompaniment, harmony, or dance would be an arduous task. Those would require starting from scratch, and even with his heightened musical sensitivity—which was at an 8—learning them would be faster than for an average person, but reaching a brilliant level quickly would be impossible.

Sand art, however, was different. Meng Fan’s current painting skill was at +23, and when combined with his initial attributes, he was practically a god!

Moreover, this +23 in painting was not limited to manga; it encompassed other categories of art as well. While he hadn't touched other genres, and starting them wouldn't immediately grant him a +23, the transition would only require learning, familiarity, and adaptation.

How long would that process take?

Perhaps reaching a full +23 would take time, but reaching +10 or +15 should be swift—and +10 or +15 would be more than enough!

Coupled with his attributes in imagination, world-building, and screenwriting—all essential for the creativity required in sand art—and his hand speed of +16, he was perfectly suited for real-time sand art performance!

No, no!

At that very moment, Meng Fan realized his previous assessment of his attributes was imprecise, as a notification chime rang in his mind.

"Ding! Total collection of web manga has reached 1 million, completing the [Million Collections] milestone. Reward: +100 points."

"Ding! [Million Collections] task completed. Achievement title [Million Collections] acquired (Painting +3, World-building +3, Screenwriting +3)."

A few days ago, the combined collection count of his two manga had already exceeded 800,000, and it had been climbing steadily. Meng Fan remembered that when he uploaded the latest chapter yesterday, the total had just crossed 900,000. Accumulating 100,000 in a single day was somewhat anomalous.

The reason for the anomaly became clear once he opened the pages of his two manga.

Many comments and messages were related to the concert; clearly, people had been curious after watching the live stream, searched for Meng Fan, and naturally stumbled upon his manga.

With the attribute bonuses from this title, Meng Fan’s stats had taken another step forward. While his painting skill wouldn't change drastically, his world-building and screenwriting stats had effectively doubled, which was a massive help.

"I never expected that after completing this task and earning the achievement, the first application wouldn't be for manga, but for sand art."

The car soon arrived at his residential complex. Meng Fan thanked the driver and stepped out. Once home, he immediately searched for numerous videos on sand art performances. Having returned late from the dinner, it was already past three in the morning by the time he finished watching.

The next morning, he naturally saw Wu Tong during his run. Meng Fan pretended that yesterday’s musical confession had never happened, and Wu Tong acted as usual—warming up, running, and chatting as always. It was only while stretching after the run that she remarked, "The internet says your version of the song is better than the original. I’ve listened to it many times, and I think they’re quite right."

Meng Fan froze for a moment. What did that mean?!

Wu Tong then turned and asked, "Will you become a singer?"

Meng Fan shook his head decisively. "Probably not. Actually, my singing is quite average. I sang that song well only because I was moved by the moment; otherwise, I couldn't sing like that."

"Oh."

This time, Wu Tong didn't bluntly say, "You're flirting with me again," but instead shifted her stretching position, turning her back to Meng Fan.

Gulp.

Meng Fan swallowed, feeling somewhat pathetic. Even though they often warmed up, ran, and stretched together, he still hadn't developed an immunity to the postures she inadvertently struck.

Wu Tong never aimed for a sexy image, but sometimes, she was simply lethal!

...

"Teacher Wen."

At nine-thirty in the morning, Meng Fan knocked and entered an office.

"The big singer has arrived."

Wen Wan, who was pouring water, turned around and saw Meng Fan. She teased him with a smile before asking, "Would you like tea or coffee?"

Meng Fan was a bit flattered. "Water is fine."

Wen Wan placed the freshly poured water on the coffee table and gestured for Meng Fan to sit. She asked with genuine curiosity, "I heard from Qin Jiu that you were looking for me?"

The art of sand performance had only become popular in recent years. Most established sand artists had transitioned from other painting disciplines or practiced it as a secondary skill. To this day, no famous sand artist had started with sand art as their primary focus; it was only in the last few years that major art academies had begun to offer it as a professional course.

Wen Wan herself was a latecomer to sand art. Having received a formal fine arts education and graduating from the China Academy of Art, she was skilled in sketching, oil painting, and gouache. She only began exploring sand art in 2008. She was one of the few female sand artists in the country, a pioneer of dynamic sand art with a powerful stage presence. Three years ago, she returned to her alma mater to teach and opened her own studio.

If Meng Fan wanted to learn sand art, watching videos alone would not suffice. Being close to the source, finding a teacher at the art academy was convenient.

Although Wen Wan had no classes that day, she had immediately headed to the school upon receiving Qin Jiu’s call. Giving Qin Jiu face was one thing, but her primary motivation was curiosity about Meng Fan himself.

If there was any student in the art academy with immense fame, it was undoubtedly Meng Fan. The awards and honors he had accumulated in the art world were so numerous that people were tired of hearing about them. His story was truly a novelty.

Meng Fan nodded and got straight to the point, saying earnestly, "Teacher, I want to learn sand art."