Chapter 142: Chapter 142: Thorough Investigation
The art department professors on stage were discussing and marveling at the painting, from time to time exclaiming in admiration.
They had a new understanding of this painting and once again marveled at the superior skills of the artist. After all, not everyone possessed such talent. It wasn’t easy to embed one’s name into one’s own painting. You must make the name blend seamlessly into the painting, without creating a hint of discordance. Otherwise, the painting would be ruined.
And even if you incorporated your name, you had to do so in a way that it wasn’t recognizable; otherwise, it was also a failure.
The artist of this painting had handled it exceptionally well, using the classic Dense Style Seal Script to integrate the name with the lines of the mountains and rivers, making it look completely natural and impossible to detect as a name.
With the professors’ exclamations, the audience below was completely silent. Everyone’s faces had only one expression: shock. Clearly, this was a result they had not anticipated.
Zhong Nianyao authored.
...
Does that not mean that the painting was truly drawn by Zhong Nianyao? Otherwise, who would subtly include someone else’s name in their own painting? And behind that name was even the character for “authored.”
It meant that Shen Yixue’s award-winning piece was not her own work but stolen from Zhong Nianyao.
As everyone looked at Shen Yixue, their gazes were filled with undisguised contempt.
Shen Yixue stood on stage, her lips devoid of any color, her body trembling, unable to utter a single word.
All she felt now was an icy chill enveloping her, as if she were submerged in ice water during the deep winter. She had not anticipated that the artist behind Ten Thousand Miles of Mountains and Rivers would be Zhong Nianyao and that Nianyao had cunningly hidden her name within the painting’s details.
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It was all over now, completely over.
So many people here knew the painting belonged to Zhong Nianyao. The news would soon spread throughout the academy. How could she show her face after this?
Today was supposed to be the most glorious day of her life, but it had turned into the darkest.
“Xiao Xue, what on earth is going on?” Li Jingming couldn’t believe what he was seeing and immediately grabbed Shen Yixue’s shoulder to question her directly, “Explain yourself! This painting is yours, it has nothing to do with Zhong Nianyao. You need to clarify now!”
He couldn’t believe that the innocent and beautiful Shen Yixue would do such a thing. This incident completely overturned his understanding of her.
“Li Jingming, are you blind?”
Zhao Xuanglang stood up and shouted out loud, “Isn’t the truth already clear? This shameless Shen Yixue dared to steal my brother’s artwork to enter the competition. After winning the first place, she shamelessly accepted congratulations from so many people.”
“Shen Yixue, you really have no shame at all!”
The questions made Shen Yixue’s face even more embarrassed. She wanted to explain but didn’t know what to say. The more nervous she became, the faster her heart beat.
Suddenly, her vision went dark, and she lost consciousness.
“Xiao Xue, Xiao Xue, how are you?”
Seeing Shen Yixue faint, Li Jingming reacted quickly to support her, and then he began to check on her with anxiety. He sighed in relief upon realizing that she hadn’t been hurt.
Then, he promptly carried Shen Yixue out.
Although he was heartbroken and disappointed in what Shen Yixue had done, she was still important to him. So what mattered most to him was Shen Yixue’s safety.
As one of the protagonists, Shen Yixue left the scene in disarray.
However, her departure didn’t cause the others to leave. Instead, it made the crowd’s discussions even more fervent.
Meanwhile, Chen Lianlian had already snuck away early. She didn’t dare stay, fearing that drawing others’ attention would make her situation even more embarrassing.
At the same time, she blamed Shen Yixue in her heart for doing such a thing and continually deceiving her. She had made a fool of herself defending Shen Yixue time and again.
On stage, the art department professors looked at Zhong Nianyao once more, their eyes shining as if they had seen a treasure.
These people, who dedicated their hearts solely to art, never took the academy’s gossip to heart. So they didn’t know much about Nianyao, but that did not prevent them from appreciating her.
To them, it was an utter waste of talent for someone like Nianyao not to be in their art academy.
Xue Zhi’s eyes were especially bright. He took a step forward, came up to Nianyao, and assured her, “This student is called Zhong Nianyao, right? I’m getting on in years, so let me be presumptuous and call you by your name.”
“Nianyao, don’t worry. The Painting and Calligraphy Association will definitely investigate this thoroughly, and Shen Yixue’s achievements will all be nullified. Once we’ve thoroughly investigated, we will make everything public and ensure you are not wronged,” he declared earnestly.
Watching Xue Zhi’s serious demeanor, the corners of Nianyao’s mouth twitched involuntarily.
She really wanted to say that there was no need to be so serious. She had chosen to expose Shen Yixue today simply to prevent her work from being used as a stepping stone for Yixue’s unwarranted rise.
Nonetheless, this matter indeed required a thorough investigation. And not just by the Painting and Calligraphy Association—the academy too—
A hint of coldness flashed through Nianyao’s eyes before she turned to look at the academic leaders, who were still in shock, and spoke directly, “Director, shouldn’t the academy also give me an explanation for this incident? Why did my submission end up being credited to Shen Yixue?”
Hearing Nianyao’s nearly accusatory words, the school leaders were not annoyed but became very serious, “Student Zhong Nianyao, the school will also conduct a thorough investigation. Should any misconduct be discovered, the school will impose strict punishment.”
Nianyao was satisfied with the school leadership’s response.
This day’s events had spread throughout the school like a farce, creating a buzz among the students.