The Versatile Master Artist

"Sign him!!!"

Hanks received the call suddenly at nearly 4 a.m. yesterday.

The business management course tells us that the larger the company, the more bloated it becomes, and the slower its operating efficiency.

Ma Shi Gallery isn’t one of those colossal conglomerates with hundreds of thousands of employees, but it can be counted as a multinational private company with assets conservatively estimated at over several hundred million euros.

The entire company’s operational system is like a complex set of gears.

An agent like Hanks is directly led by the administrative manager of the Asia region, who reports to the senior administrative director at the gallery’s headquarters in Regensburg.

The director, in turn, reports directly to the big boss, Ma Shi III.

For those large contracts not within Hanks’ scope of authority, as proposed by Mrs. Sakai yesterday,

Hanks needs to convey his opinion to the manager,

which then gets conveyed to headquarters.

The headquarters’ administrative manager will glance over it briefly, and since Mrs. Sakai’s proposal involves not only profit-sharing but also personal exhibitions and the publication of special art catalogues, they need comprehensive communication with the operations and exhibition departments.

If necessary, legal involvement is also required.

Since it involves prominent artists like Lin Tao and Professor Yajima,

the entire gallery’s leadership needs to discuss and come up with an appropriate opinion and ultimately present it to Ma Shi III himself, for this billionaire to make the critical decision personally.

If the entire process goes quickly, it could take a week at best.

During a busy season with major exhibitions, receiving accurate feedback within ten days would be considered fortunate.

Representing prominent artists is inherently a complex and meticulous task.

Whether before or after signing a contract, every matter must be handled with precision to minimize potential future disputes, thereby securing all available benefits for the gallery.

Gu Weijing himself isn’t a renowned artist, but the connections behind him allow him to enjoy the privileges of one.

Hanks initially planned to wander along the Yangon River, visit the Great Golden Pagoda, and get some massages in the coming days.

Meanwhile, he hoped to see if he could connect with Mrs. Sakai, exchange private numbers and build some relationships, which would make this trip worthwhile.

Therefore, when he received the gallery’s call in the early hours, Hanks was stunned.

Not just surprised.

When Hanks realized that not only had the gallery issued instructions in the middle of the night, but the call was from Ma Shi III himself,

Hanks turned pale green.

That was the leader of one of the largest galleries in the world!

Hanks took advantage of his Ma Shi surname, raising a glass in a toast to the big boss during the gallery’s annual meetings, who would simply nod blandly at a crowd from the podium.

Events like the Christmas family dinner were occasions where relatives like him were not even invited.

Hanks seemed to vaguely remember that Ma Shi III had bought a small winery in Southern France. During this season, Ma Shi III should have been vacationing in the lavender fields about to bloom in the South of France.

Staying up late to make business calls while on vacation, is this the extent a boss goes to?

"Sign him!"

Ma Shi III’s authoritative voice came from afar, awakening the stunned agent, "Hanks Ma Shi, right? If you can’t sign him, I will be very disappointed, and you won’t get the trust fund."

"WTF..."

Ma Shi is a large family.

The sugar industry tycoon from the first half of the twentieth century and the founder of Ma Shi Gallery, Ma Shi I, established a family trust fund when he passed away, allowing descendants to receive money based on their bloodline and use the trust for education, medical care, etc.

The Ma Shi Clan has long exited the industrial sector, but the trust remains. People like Hanks can receive one to two thousand euros monthly from it.

Firing someone from the company is tricky and requires various compensations, but stopping the trust is within the power of the family head of Ma Shi III, as stipulated in the bank contract.

These collateral relatives can have their trust terminated as per the discretion of the family.

"Sign him, and this year’s gallery outstanding employee award and bonus are yours, and I will invite you to this year’s Christmas family dinner."

Ma Shi III truly understood the capitalistic strategy of using both a stick and a carrot to drive the donkey tirelessly, casually promising rewards.

"Good luck."

Just as Hanks was debating whether to be happy or worried, the administrative director’s call came in.

Then the operations director and exhibition planner.

Then, the company’s head of legal affairs.

Hanks didn’t know what exactly it was for.

He only knew.

That night,

the entire leadership team of Ma Shi Gallery was working overtime for a contract with an art novice.

Ma Shi III didn’t hang up, remaining in the conference call, occasionally voicing opinions and giving instructions on specific terms.

What puzzled everyone in the conference call was that Ma Shi III was not always fighting for the gallery’s benefits.

Many times, he asked his team to make more concessions and share more benefits and advantages with Gu Weijing.

Especially at the moment when the big boss agreed to the other party’s welfare conditions.

Even the operations director and exhibition planner, who have worked for Ma Shi Gallery for over 30 years, were a bit lost.

An unknown art novice.