Chapter 38: CH 042

TL: Moonlit

Qi Yuyu subconsciously glanced at Lin Hanchuan beside him, feeling a hint of sweetness welling up from the bottom of his heart. He said, “I was influenced by someone.”

The expressions of Qi Fenghua and Yue Hong flickered for a moment, and Yue Hong wore a complex expression, as if he had something to say but hesitated to speak.

The people admiring the artwork didn’t notice anything amiss. They were completely immersed in Qi Yuyu’s painting and couldn’t come back to their senses. Their eyes sparkled with astonishment.

“When I painted this style that combines Eastern and Western characteristics, my teacher used to criticize me. Now, he must be regretting it,” Qi Yuyu remarked.

“Is this a new style being attempted by a big shot? I haven’t seen a work with such strong appeal apart from those few big shots.”

“It doesn’t seem like the work of a big shot. This style is too unique.”

“So… have we witnessed the emergence of another genius in our circle?”

The crowd fell momentarily silent, followed by a burst of more intense discussions. Everyone made an effort to lower their voices, but with so many people gathered together speaking at the same time, the volume naturally rose.

“A new generation of painters has produced another genius. I wonder how they compare to those emerging artists.”

“With such a strong personal style, only Yi Wusheng can rival him, I suppose.”

“I feel that Yi Wusheng can’t compare to this painter. Yi Wusheng’s paintings lack depth and feel empty.”

The voices of the crowd discussing these matters rushed into Qi Fenghua’s ears. His expression grew increasingly gloomy, and he even wanted to shout out to silence these people. Yi Wusheng had been learning to paint since childhood, dedicating over twenty years to diligent practice. How could he be outdone by someone who took up painting halfway!

Qi Yuyu also heard these praises and felt somewhat surprised. He didn’t expect his work to receive such high praise, which touched him to a certain extent.

Lin Hanchuan curled his lips, feeling a sense of pride as well. It was like discovering a dusty gem and giving it a slight wipe, revealing its hidden brilliance.

The unanimous praise from the crowd was like a knife stabbing Qi Fenghua’s chest. He clenched his teeth, his eyes filled with a mix of resentment and anger. Unable to restrain himself any longer, he suddenly raised his voice and questioned, “Why does your painting resemble the one Yi Wusheng won an award for three years ago?”

Someone recognized Qi Fenghua’s identity and followed his gaze to Qi Yuyu.

The people in the exhibition hall focused their attention on the two of them, their expressions varied.

“What did you say?” Lin Hanchuan walked to Qi Yuyu’s side, furrowing his brows as he asked. Frost formed between his eyebrows and eyes, and his dissatisfaction with Qi Fenghua reached its peak.

At this moment, in the exhibition hall of the Spring Breeze Art Exhibition, which was crowded with people, Qi Fenghua suddenly blurted out this question, capturing everyone’s gaze.

Qi Fenghua had no evidence, he just asked casually. But by asking this question in front of everyone in the industry, he planted the seed of doubt in people’s hearts and cast a shadow over Qi Yuyu’s reputation.

Even if the truth was later clarified, rumors and gossip were terrifying. There would always be people who seized the opportunity, selectively ignoring the clarification, and attacking Qi Yuyu with the accusation of “plagiarism”.

Qi Fenghua deserved condemnation. Lin Hanchuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

“What are you pretending not to know?” Qi Fenghua spoke without reservation, saying harshly, “Anyone can see how similar this painting is to Yi Wusheng’s work from back then!”

After a moment of impulsiveness, Qi Fenghua quickly regained his senses. But he didn’t think he had done anything wrong. On the contrary, he became more convinced of his own thoughts: with such a high level of similarity, what else could it be if not plagiarism!

Qi Fenghua refused to admit it. Deep in his heart, he felt a twinge of jealousy. He envied that Qi Yuyu, who only started painting halfway, had more impact than him, who had been learning to paint since childhood. He also envied… that Qi Yuyu had a person like Yi Qinglou by his side.

“Accusing someone of plagiarism is the gravest accusation against a creator,” Yue Hong spoke up. “Without evidence, you cannot definitively assert that he plagiarized.”

After saying that, he paused for a moment and continued, “Perhaps it’s not him who plagiarized, but Yi Wusheng.”

Upon hearing these words, Qi Fenghua’s eyes turned red with anger, and his fingertips trembled slightly. He took out his phone and displayed a picture, surveying it for a moment, then showed it to everyone.

“Anyone who compares these two works can’t overlook the differences! Don’t play dumb, explain why the composition and proportions of these two paintings are so similar,” Qi Fenghua said.

The picture displayed on the phone was an oil painting of a sunset. The vivid and vibrant colors spread across the canvas, depicting the afterglow of the setting sun. The pale yellow sunlight and the cold gray steel city coexisted without interfering, creating a stark contrast.

Oil painting and traditional Chinese painting were originally two different types of art with distinct styles, techniques, and focuses. However, now that these two paintings were juxtaposed for comparison, people faintly felt that something was not quite right.

“These two paintings do seem to have some resemblance…”

“One depicts a sunrise, the other a sunset; one is an oil painting, the other a traditional Chinese painting. I feel like they might have accidentally chosen similar subjects.”

“They do look somewhat alike, but the oil painting by Yi Wusheng is more melancholic, while the traditional Chinese painting has an air of serenity and openness. They evoke completely different feelings.”

“These scenes are from our city, Qingzhou. Without further evidence, it seems inappropriate to accuse anyone of plagiarism…”

The crowd murmured in discussion for a while, unable to reach a definitive conclusion.

Some believed that there was a possibility of borrowing and imitation, while others thought that since the compositions were similar and depicted scenes from the same city, it could be understood.

After a few minutes of debate, everyone unanimously agreed that accusations of plagiarism should be supported by evidence. It was extremely terrifying for any creator to be labeled as a plagiarist based on just a few words. It would be a devastating blow to the entire ecosystem of the industry.

Just imagine, if people could convict others without presenting evidence, if someone disliked a painter, they could angrily accuse them of plagiarism, and everyone would rush to join in the condemnation without considering the truth. If such incidents occurred frequently, the entire art world would be destroyed.

One person in the crowd explained and then turned to Qi Fenghua, saying, “Do you have any other evidence?”

If it was truly plagiarism, no creator would tolerate it!

Qi Fenghua opened his mouth but couldn’t say a word.

Were the high similarities between these two paintings not considered evidence? Qi Fenghua’s face turned pale under the relentless scrutiny of the group. Feeling unable to bear it, he left in haste.

Before leaving, Qi Fenghua ignored the concerned gaze of Yuan Xiao next to him and turned to look at Lin Hanchuan and Qi Yuyu in the crowd. He took a deep breath, tightly gripping his phone, with the screen still displaying Yi Wusheng’s artwork.

Lin Hanchuan felt a slight sense of relief in his heart and exchanged a glance with Qi Yuyu.

More and more people arrived after hearing the news. Qi Yuyu’s identity had been exposed, and Lin Hanchuan led him out of the crowd, leaving the art museum. After stepping out of the museum’s entrance, Lin Hanchuan stopped in his tracks, feeling somewhat helpless.

“Mr. Yue, may I ask where you want to go with us?” Lin Hanchuan asked helplessly.

Yue Hong said confidently, “I want to see him paint.”

Yue Hong, who was always straightforward and without cunning, didn’t quite understand the concept of being subtle. However, Lin Hanchuan quite liked this direct style. However, the painting techniques and processes of each artist were exclusive and highly secretive, rarely shown to outsiders. Lin Hanchuan didn’t want to put Qi Yuyu in a difficult position, so he was about to refuse when Qi Yuyu took the lead and spoke up.

“Sure,” Qi Yuyu pondered, “What do you have to offer in exchange?”

Yue Hong thought for a moment. “Do you want money? Or perhaps I can paint a piece for you? Do you have any famous artists in the industry you’d like to meet? I can introduce you to them…”

Yue Hong rattled off a list of things he could do and offer, but Qi Yuyu remained unmoved. Frustrated, he couldn’t help but blurt out, “What do you want? Are you interested in me and want me to offer myself?”

Qi Yuyu: “!!!”

Lin Hanchuan: “?”

Qi Yuyu: “You’re talking nonsense!”

“You haven’t signed with any studios yet, right? I want you to sign with his studio!” Qi Yuyu hastily voiced his request, afraid that Yue Hong would say something even more outrageous.

Qi Yuyu knew Yue Hong. Yue Hong was one of the more renowned emerging young artists in recent years, with skills surpassing those of Qi Fenghua and on par with Yi Wusheng. However, he had a solitary personality, kept to himself, and came from a wealthy family, so he hadn’t signed with any galleries or studios.

Coincidentally, Lin Hanchuan’s gallery was just prepared and lacked a prominent artist to showcase.

“Deal!” Yue Hong immediately agreed without hesitation.

Qi Yuyu was taken aback by the speed of his response and hesitated in his heart, unsure whether signing Yue Hong would be the right decision or not… Qi Yuyu wasn’t afraid of Yue Hong’s solitary nature; he was afraid of Yue Hong’s unrestrained remarks that could lead to awkward situations.

With these thoughts in mind, Qi Yuyu looked up and happened to meet Lin Hanchuan’s gaze. His heart skipped a beat, and in a panic, he hurriedly spoke to Yue Hong, “Then it’s settled!”

By the time Qi Yuyu realized it, it was already too late.

Fortunately, Yue Hong was only interested in his painting skills, as long as he could keep him separate from Lin Hanchuan. Qi Yuyu thought optimistically.

Lin Hanchuan watched as Qi Yuyu inadvertently elevated the reputation of another prominent artist, unable to help but smile. After the laughter subsided, he was reminded of what had just transpired, and a hint of chill flickered in his eyes.

When the three of them returned to Lin Hanchuan’s studio, Qi Fenghua had also returned home to the Qi family.

During these past few days, the atmosphere in the Qi family had been jubilant due to their acquisition of a genuine masterpiece from a famous painter at a low price. However, upon Qi Fenghua’s return, his mother didn’t come out joyfully to greet him, and his father was nowhere to be found.

Curiosity fleeting, Qi Fenghua wanted to inform his parents about what had just happened, preferably so they could inform Yi’s parents as well and make the plagiarist pay the price.

After searching around, Qi Fenghua stood by the study room door and heard voices coming from inside.

His mother’s voice sounded hoarse and choked with tears. “What do we do now?”

“You’re asking me? How would I know?” Father Qi’s voice was also hoarse as he cursed in anger, “Those bastards from the antique street colluded with outsiders to deceive me. They’ve set up such a big trap…”

“But that’s tens of millions, not just tens or hundreds of thousands!” Mother Qi grew anxious.

Father Qi sighed heavily. “We can’t report it to the police. If this matter gets out, I’ll become a laughingstock in the industry. Who would dare to buy paintings from me? Who would dare to sell paintings to me? And even if they do, there will be an abundance of fakes.”

“It’s all your fault. If you hadn’t acted without verifying the news of the painting master’s genuine artwork, we wouldn’t have ended up like this!”

Father Qi fell into silence for a long time, and Qi Fenghua suddenly realized that the problem lay with the genuine masterpiece!

In the room, Father Qi suddenly kicked something over. “Damn it! Let me tell you, it must be Qi Yuyu and that kid from the Yi family who set this trap! He couldn’t stand how much we doted on Fenghua, so he suddenly left and immediately set up this trap to ensnare me!”

“Is he… seeking revenge on us?” Mother Qi hesitated, half-believing Father Qi’s words.

Upon hearing Qi Yuyu’s name, Qi Fenghua’s body trembled, accidentally making a noise by the door. The person inside heard and opened the door, immediately softening their expression upon seeing Qi Fenghua. “Fenghua, you’re back. How was the art exhibition?”

Without answering the question, Qi Fenghua took a deep breath and said, “Dad, Mom, you’re right. They’re seeking revenge on us!”

Aside from this explanation, Qi Fenghua couldn’t think of any other reason!

Both of them had their reasons for seeking revenge—Qi Yuyu wanted to get back at the Qi family, while Yi Qinglou wanted to retaliate against the Yi family, which included himself. Qi Fenghua felt bitter in his heart, but determination shone on his face.

He could accept Yi Qinglou seeking revenge on him, but he couldn’t accept it if it involved Yi Wusheng! He must expose the true face of Qi Yuyu’s plagiarism and drive him out of the Spring Breeze Art Exhibition, preventing him from tarnishing its reputation!