Chapter 39: CH 043

TL: Moonlit

Even though the people in the Qi family tried their best to conceal it, news of their spending millions on a fake painting leaked out, turning them into a laughingstock within the art circle.

A painting merchant who relied on selling paintings for a living had been easily tricked and fell into such a foolish trap. As a result, not only did the Qi family’s business suffer, with a significant decline in sales, but even the previous buyers of their paintings openly or secretly sought evaluations, afraid of becoming victims themselves.

Fortunately, no issues were found, and people realized the difference.

“The Qi family only had Qi Yuyu as their notable art dealer, and now that Qi Yuyu has left, they’re on a downhill path.”

Father Qi, Mother Qi, and Qi Fenghua had all heard these comments, deepening their anger towards Qi Yuyu and reinforcing their belief: Qi Yuyu must have left the Qi family out of discontent and secretly sabotaged them!

Qi Fenghua clenched his teeth in secret. In the past, he had always been praised as a talented young artist, while Qi Yuyu was just a vulgar businessman. How could they be compared?

Recently, Qi Fenghua found himself constantly overshadowed by Qi Yuyu, both in terms of artistic skill and art business. Qi Fenghua used to admire his brother a lot. In his impression, his brother had always been good to him, and whatever he wanted, his brother would find a way to get it for him.

But now, Qi Yuyu had become unrecognizable to him.

A chill ran through Qi Fenghua’s heart. He didn’t care about Qi Yuyu’s change in attitude towards him, nor did he care about being surpassed in artistic skill. His one sore point was Yi Wusheng.

Qi Yuyu should never have plagiarized Yi Wusheng’s paintings! Qi Fenghua looked at his phone, made up his mind, and pressed the send button.

Unconcerned with their thoughts, Lin Hanchuan’s art gallery displayed several paintings, including works by Qi Yuyu and Yue Hong. The empty exhibition hall was finally taking shape.

After witnessing Qi Yuyu painting personally, Yue Hong completely dispelled any doubts he had about Qi Yuyu. Every day, he eagerly ran to Qi Yuyu’s house to learn from him, his face beaming with joy.

Lin Hanchuan had other matters to attend to, so he entrusted all the affairs of the gallery to Qi Yuyu, disappearing without a trace.

Qi Yuyu was clueless about what he was busy with, neglecting even the gallery. He was lost in thought.

“Painting! Painting! Painting!” Yue Hong lifted his head and saw a drop of ink forming at the tip of Qi Yuyu’s paintbrush, on the verge of falling.

Qi Yuyu’s hand, despite the surprise, remained extremely steady. He looked at it calmly and continued to paint, the brush gliding smoothly across the Xuan paper. The ink drop turned into a magnificent range of mountains, extending endlessly with extraordinary momentum.

Yue Hong watched Qi Yuyu paint, his eyes filled with amazement.

Creating a painting wasn’t as carefree as depicted in movies and TV shows. It often took days or even weeks to complete a piece of artwork. Artists immersed themselves in various colors, looking disheveled and dirty. Most artists self-deprecatingly joked that it was no better than working as a laborer on a construction site.

But watching Qi Yuyu paint was like experiencing a form of enjoyment. His expression was composed, his demeanor relaxed, and his brush danced freely, splashing ink in a carefree manner. Every stroke was spontaneous.

What amazed Yue Hong the most was the emotional impact conveyed in Qi Yuyu’s paintings.

Skills could be practiced, but emotions couldn’t be sculpted. As the outline of a painting gradually took shape, Yue Hong couldn’t help but sigh, “Brother Qi, if you had started learning to paint from a young age, how could there still be a place for my name in the art world?”

Qi Yuyu was two years older than Yue Hong, and now Yue Hong willingly called him “Brother Qi”.

Qi Yuyu smiled. He had drawn paintings when he was young and had even presented them to his father, hoping for a word of praise. However, his father only glanced at them and casually commented that they were decent, with no further discussion.

Later, Qi Fenghua also handed his paintings to their father. Their father, who had been indifferent towards Qi Yuyu, changed his attitude and praised Qi Fenghua’s extraordinary talent, calling him a natural-born young artist.

Since then, Qi Yuyu gave up the idea of learning to paint. He treated it as a personal, invisible hobby and painted secretly until Lin Hanchuan appeared.

As he shifted his gaze, Qi Yuyu was about to continue painting when he noticed someone entering the gallery. “The gallery is not open yet, so we’re not receiving guests at the moment.”

The visitor was a stern-looking old man. The corners of his mouth slightly curved downward, and his forehead bore the creases formed over the years, indicating a character that wasn’t easy to approach with kindness.

Yue Hong also looked in that direction and was startled. “Zhang… Elder Zhang…”

Zhang Xiwei was the founder of the painting world, and no artist could possibly be unfamiliar with him. Yue Hong was extremely surprised. How could Elder Zhang come here?!

Qi Yuyu also recognized the visitor. He stood up and respectfully greeted him, “Elder Zhang.”

Zhang Xiwei, with his hands behind his back, made a small sound of acknowledgment. His gaze swept around the gallery a few times before returning to Qi Yuyu. “You’re painting?”

Qi Yuyu didn’t know the purpose of the esteemed elder’s visit, so he cautiously replied, “Just a practice piece. It wouldn’t meet Elder Zhang’s discerning eye.”

Zhang Xiwei’s expression was inscrutable. He walked over to Qi Yuyu and sat on the chair that Yue Hong had promptly brought, raising his chin and instructing, “You keep painting. I want to take a look.”

His attitude was quite arrogant, but Yue Hong was excited and kept signaling to Qi Yuyu with his eyes: Agree, agree quickly!

This was a heavyweight figure in the world of traditional Chinese painting. It was the dream of many to receive guidance from him. And today, this opportunity had fallen into Qi Yuyu’s lap!

Although somewhat perplexed, Qi Yuyu went along with it and picked up the brush to resume painting.

With two people eagerly watching beside him, Qi Yuyu paid them no attention and soon became immersed in the world of painting.

Zhang Xiwei lazily drooped his eyelids and observed quietly. After Qi Yuyu had made a few strokes, his eyes opened, and gradually, he sat up straight, his gaze fixed on Qi Yuyu’s painting. He couldn’t help but speak, “If you want to depict a rising sun, the ink shouldn’t be so thick. When painting in the traditional Chinese style, the most important thing is to avoid heavy strokes. Your strength is even, but being too even loses a bit of charm…”

Qi Yuyu readily followed his advice, making slight adjustments based on Zhang Xiwei’s words. As expected, the entire painting’s texture improved by a notch. While painting, Qi Yuyu expressed his gratitude, “Thank you for your guidance, Elder Zhang.”

Zhang Xiwei’s gaze flickered slightly, and he leaned back. After watching for a while longer, he suddenly asked, “What are your views on plagiarism and copying?”

As soon as these words were spoken, Qi Yuyu and Yue Hong instantly understood Zhang Xiwei’s intention.

It seemed that the dispute from the other day had reached the ears of the judging panel. Aware of Zhang Xiwei’s intention, Qi Yuyu remained calm and composed. In a clear voice, he replied, “Copying is a means of learning for beginners, which can be understandable. However, plagiarism is when established artists steal others’ ideas, creations, and distinctive styles.”

“The former is a private form of learning, which can be excused, while the latter is a means to seek fame and deceive, which is unforgivable.”

Zhang Xiwei was one of the chief judges of the Spring Breeze Art Exhibition, and he had indeed come because of the rumors of Qi Yuyu’s plagiarism.

The Spring Breeze Art Exhibition’s phone lines were almost overwhelmed today. Numerous reports came in through various channels, all stating one thing: Qi Yuyu was suspected of plagiarism.

The organizers and the judging panel were in a panic, and their first reaction was to revoke Qi Yuyu’s qualification, to quell the situation. Upon learning this, Zhang Xiwei angrily berated everyone involved.

It was not easy for the traditional Chinese painting scene to produce such a promising talent. Zhang Xiwei still remembered the astonishment he felt when he first saw Qi Yuyu’s paintings. He didn’t want to easily label Qi Yuyu as a “plagiarist disqualified from the competition” and strongly opposed the panel’s rash handling of the situation.

If Qi Yuyu were disqualified this time, he would forever carry the original sin of plagiarism. Even after his death, he would be nailed to the pillar of shame and be ridiculed.

As a heavyweight figure in the art scene in Qingzhou City, Zhang Xiwei used his influence to temporarily protect Qi Yuyu. He would make a final decision after the truth of the matter was uncovered.

Seeing Qi Yuyu painting on the spot, Zhang Xiwei became even more determined. He couldn’t let this young man unjustly bear the stigma of alleged plagiarism!

Qi Yuyu’s paintings had a unique style and were distinctive. The works he submitted for selection in the competition were like this, and the painting he was currently working on was also the same. Witnessing the process of his painting, it was impossible for him to be plagiarizing!

“You have been reported for plagiarism.” Zhang Xiwei’s gaze remained on Qi Yuyu’s painting. There was a hint of appreciation in his eyes as he continued, “Rest assured, as long as you haven’t done anything wrong, we will not wrong you.”

After saying this, Zhang Xiwei lifted his eyes and solemnly warned, “But if you have indeed done something wrong, I will be the first one not to spare you!”

Zhang Xiwei made a mysterious circle and then left, leaving Qi Yuyu and Yue Hong looking at each other in confusion.

Qi Yuyu’s mind stirred, and he turned on his phone, which had been on silent mode all this time. He discovered that people had been sending him messages continuously over the past few hours. The art dealers and artists he had previously interacted with were reaching out to him, and he pieced together the entire chain of events.

Qi Fenghua was a well-known artist in China, with over one million followers on video platforms. Just a few hours ago, he had posted a video detailing the discovery of someone plagiarizing the previous year’s gold award-winning artwork at the Spring Breeze Art Exhibition.

The comments section of his video exploded with activity. Not long after, based on Qi Fenghua’s words, they deduced Qi Yuyu’s identity.

⌈”The Spring Breeze Art Exhibition is the most serious and rigorous competition in the country. We can’t let one rat spoil the whole pot!”⌋

⌈”If we can’t trust the results of the Spring Breeze Art Exhibition, what can we trust?”⌋

⌈”Dear friends, we can report this contestant for plagiarism. The Spring Breeze Art Exhibition regulations stipulate that if a participant engages in imitation or plagiarism, once discovered, their qualification will be revoked!”⌋

⌈”The hotline for reporting to the Spring Breeze Art Exhibition is… The online reporting address is…”⌋

⌈”A plagiarizing dog doesn’t deserve to appear at the Spring Breeze Art Exhibition!”⌋

After reading the barrage of comments and comments on the video, Qi Yuyu’s expression became somewhat complicated.

Yue Hong scratched his head and said, “Brother Qi, did you offend someone? They are relentless in trying to label you as a plagiarist.”

The ruthless tactics employed by those who wanted to crush Qi Yuyu and bury him alive were chilling.

Unable to discern his true feelings, Qi Yuyu replied calmly, “He’s my younger brother.”

“Is he your biological brother?” Yue Hong instinctively asked, but seeing that Qi Yuyu’s expression was slightly troubled, he immediately closed his mouth.

Yue Hong had a simple mind and only understood that these tactics were ruthless. However, Qi Yuyu could see that Qi Fenghua was using online public opinion to force the Spring Breeze Art Exhibition to take action.

If it weren’t for Zhang Xiwei’s protection, Qi Yuyu would have probably already been disqualified, and the stain of plagiarism would have been thrown at him.

Qi Yuyu considered himself generous towards Qi Fenghua, his younger brother. Although their relationship wasn’t particularly close due to their parents, Qi Yuyu always tried to accommodate Qi Fenghua and protect him in every way possible. But now, his one and only brother had stabbed him so ruthlessly.

This hurt him more than the biased treatment from his parents. At least since his youth, he no longer had any expectations of his parents. But his brother was his true brother, the one who had always clung to him and called him “brother.”

In the midst of the gloomy atmosphere, Lin Hanchuan walked in. “Why do you both have such expressions?”

Before Qi Yuyu had a chance to speak, Yue Hong stepped forward and spilled everything.

The feeling of disappointment vanished from Qi Yuyu’s heart. He began to regret why he had impulsively taken in Yue Hong, who had a big mouth. Even if he wanted to reveal the truth, it would have been better if he had done it privately, late at night. He would have earned some sympathy. What good did it do for Yue Hong to do it on his behalf?

Qi Yuyu stared at Yue Hong, who responded with a smug smile.

“You definitely wouldn’t have the courage to say it yourself, so I said it for you. Isn’t that considerate?” Yue Hong conveyed this message through his eyes.

Qi Yuyu couldn’t help but chuckle. He glared at Yue Hong and didn’t bother to look at him again. “It’s fine. The judging panel is investigating the truth of the matter.”

After listening to everything, Lin Hanchuan’s gaze turned cold. He sneered, “Relying on those people…” With a seemingly smiling expression, he raised his phone, “Do you know what I found out?”

Qi Yuyu was stunned. During the time when Lin Hanchuan had disappeared, he had actually been investigating for him?

Yue Hong cooperatively asked, “What did you find out?”

Playing with his phone, Lin Hanchuan opened his photo album. The pictures of handsome men and beautiful women flickered under his fingertips. “Yi Wusheng… His personal life has been chaotic in recent years. He has had numerous boyfriends and girlfriends, all young artists with some talent and spirituality.”

Having a relationship with one artist partner could be seen as a spiritual connection, but having relationships with two… what would that be called?

Author’s Note:

Seeing that my adorable readers have basically guessed the truth, I have to brag to my best friend about how smart my little angels are~

Then I suddenly realized that among the little angels who guessed to varying degrees, there was one cute little angel with a unique style. She asked cutely, “Is Yi Wusheng a reincarnated individual?”

I can’t say it’s exactly the same, but there’s no connection.

Too cute, so naive and adorable. I want to hug her.