Chapter 48

Hearing the interview in the video, Ji Wei suddenly felt that learning was not something that could be accomplished overnight. It was already twelve o’clock; it was time to sleep.

Otherwise, who knew what other strange things his idol would play? Although the agreement clearly stated the spousal duties, he was not prepared at all.

His idol’s leg hadn’t healed yet, so he would definitely have to be on top. The thought of him being on top of his idol, looking at Lu Shenxing’s well-defined face, made his… legs feel a little weak.

Ji Wei’s face flushed as he packed up his art supplies. He then hurried to the door, emphasizing, “I’m too tired. I need a good rest.”

He couldn’t do anything physically strenuous.

Ji Wei silently added in his heart.

Lu Shenxing watched Ji Wei’s fleeing figure, chuckled softly, and turned off the computer.

Ji Wei quickly washed up and lay down on the bed with his eyes closed. When he heard the man getting into bed, he immediately said, “I’m already asleep. The kind you can’t wake up.”

His eyes were shut tight.

But in his heart, he was not sleepy at all. He worriedly thought, if his idol insisted on him being on top, should he do it or not? It was so difficult.

As his mind was in turmoil, a cold, woody scent approached. The man’s slightly cool lips landed on his neck, and the small patch of skin that was kissed trembled.

Why was he still kissing him when he was asleep…

Ji Wei couldn’t help but open his eyes, meeting Lu Shenxing’s distinct black and white eyes. Just as he was about to speak, the man said slowly and deliberately, “Aren’t you asleep?”

Ji Wei belatedly remembered that he had said he was asleep. He immediately closed his eyes again, forcing himself to fall asleep quickly.

Perhaps because he had been painting all day and was tired, he fell asleep not long after, his breathing steady and long.

Lu Shenxing kissed Ji Wei on the forehead. The young man showed no reaction. He murmured, “Looks like he’s really asleep. Staying up late is not good.”

Only after confirming that Ji Wei was asleep did he close his eyes with peace of mind.

***

The next day, Gao Cheng did not go to the university, but stayed in his studio at home.

A night had passed, but the painting Ji Wei had made yesterday kept appearing in his mind. He couldn’t explain why, but he felt that the painting had an extremely rare vitality.

Why was that?

As he pondered, he opened a new sheet of Xuan paper and began to imitate Ji Wei’s painting.

Painting was a time-consuming affair. By the time he finished, a whole morning had passed. Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door.

He walked out of the studio and opened the door.

It was a good friend he had known for many years.

Seeing that he was still holding a writing brush, his friend asked, “Are you painting?”

He nodded. “Just finished. What’s up?”

“Our auction house is holding an auction the day after tomorrow. I just came to ask you if you have any satisfactory works recently,” his friend replied in a relaxed tone.

China Guardian Auctions was one of the top ten auction houses in the world, mainly dealing in art and cultural relics.

Gao Cheng did not want to miss this opportunity.

He led his friend into the studio and pointed to the paintings hanging on the wall. “All my works from this year are here.”

His friend looked around, clearly not seeing anything he was satisfied with. Suddenly, his gaze fell on the table, where a painting with ink still wet was laid out. He looked at it carefully, then looked up and said seriously, “Are you selling this one?”

Gao Cheng’s expression was not good. “I just painted this one casually. It’s not top-tier compared to my other works.”

His friend shook his head. “Trust my judgment. This painting is better than all your previous ones. I have a feeling this painting will be your ticket to fame again.”

Seeing that Gao Cheng didn’t reply, his friend continued, “I’m only being direct because I consider you a friend. You should have felt it yourself, right? Your painting has hit a bottleneck in recent years. Xu Yan, who used to be worse than you, has already pulled ahead. This painting is your chance.”

Gao Cheng just stared at the painting, his thoughts unreadable.

***

Ji Wei spent the whole day thinking about Professor Gao Cheng’s words. Was there really a problem with his painting? He couldn’t figure it out himself and didn’t dare to bother Old Sir Ma Liqing, so he thought about submitting it to the “Traditional Chinese Painting” Journal to see what they thought.

“Traditional Chinese Painting” was the country’s leading artistic journal, featuring not only critical articles but also showcases of works.

The reason it had achieved such a high status was not only because of its excellent content, but also because the reviewers for “Traditional Chinese Painting” were all famous traditional Chinese painters. Even for rejected submissions, they would provide sharp and insightful comments.

He mounted yesterday’s painting, wrote down his school and name, and sent it to the magazine.

The threshold for “Traditional Chinese Painting” was too high. He didn’t expect to be published. The works showcase section was filled with works by famous painters. Compared to them, his own painting was not mature.

He only hoped to receive a fair evaluation.

But Chen Yan and the others were very confident in him, especially the vice class president, who said with full confidence, “You’re so outstanding, you’ll definitely have no problem.”

“If Ji Wei can’t get published, I don’t know who can,” Chen Yan praised even more extravagantly.

Even Cui Jiu, who was usually buried in his studies, looked up and sighed, “This painting of yours is really amazing. You were born to do this. I can only stick to theory.”

Being praised by them, Ji Wei felt both embarrassed and moved.

***

He received a call from the journal on Friday at noon.

He was rushing home to get a book, the door still ajar, when his phone suddenly rang. The caller ID showed it was from the publisher of “Traditional Chinese Painting”. “Hello, hi—”

“Excuse me, are you Ji Wei from Yancheng University?” a man’s voice came from the phone.

“Yes, I am.”

Ji Wei couldn’t help but get excited too.

Because according to online rumors, if you received a call from an editor of “Traditional Chinese Painting”, it was nine times out of ten that you would be published.

More importantly, it meant that his line of thinking was not wrong. After all, with his previous skill level, he would definitely not have been able to get published.

“I’m very sorry, but your submission did not meet the adoption standards.”

A flash of disappointment crossed his heart.

Ji Wei was stunned for a moment, then asked politely, “May I know the reason?”

The man’s voice on the phone became serious. “You paint very well, but we will not accept works suspected of plagiarism.”

Plagiarism?

He had painted it stroke by stroke. Ji Wei was a little stunned when he heard this. “I didn’t plagiarize. Is there some mistake?”

The person seemed not to have expected him to be so righteous and paused for a moment. “Then can you explain why it’s so similar to the painter Gao Cheng’s work?”

Before Ji Wei could say anything, the call was hung up, leaving only a “beep beep beep” sound. He held the phone, completely bewildered.

Ji’s Father had been having a very pleasant time recently. That fellow Bai Canglin might have had a pang of conscience, as his attitude towards him had taken a 180-degree turn, constantly checking in on him. He was also very pleased with this.

When he came out of the kitchen, he heard Ji Wei’s conversation with someone else and untied his apron. “Did something happen? Why did I hear the word plagiarism?”

Ji Wei didn’t speak immediately.

He Baidu-ed Gao Cheng’s name. The latest news showed that one of his paintings had sold for 1.8 million at a China Guardian auction, successfully elevating him to the ranks of first-class painters.

He clicked on the image.

At first glance, it didn’t look similar, but an expert would be able to see the similarities between that painting and his own.

Ji Wei pursed his lips. “I didn’t plagiarize.”

Ji’s Father didn’t doubt him at all. “How could you plagiarize? Don’t I know my own son?”

Ji Wei looked at Gao Cheng’s painting. “It’s possible that Professor Gao Cheng plagiarized my painting.”

He chose his words carefully, but his father understood immediately and said angrily, “What kind of professor is this? Plagiarizing his own student’s work. No, I have to go to the school and find him, and complain to your school leaders.”

“Dad, you don’t have to go. I’ll go myself,” Ji Wei soothed, not wanting to blow the matter out of proportion.

He secretly hoped that Professor Gao had unconsciously borrowed from him, not daring to believe that the highly respected professor in his mind would actually… plagiarize.

It was almost vacation time, so there weren’t many people at the school on the weekend. He didn’t even eat lunch and headed straight for the school.

As he opened the door and walked out, he suddenly saw someone’s back. It vaguely looked like Meng Hao, but the person quickly went down the stairs, and he couldn’t get a clear look.

He must have been mistaken.

How could he be here?

Ji Wei had asked his father about Meng Hao’s situation. He was someone who could live very well on his own, a lone wolf who disdained accepting kindness from others, holding his head high even in a washed-out school uniform.

His father was originally afraid that after the theft incident was clarified, his classmates would still look at him with prejudice. But he didn’t know what method Meng Hao had used, but no one dared to mention the word “theft” again.

Before Ji Wei even reached the school, he received a call from his counselor, asking him to come to the office.

He sounded very anxious.

Ji Wei had no choice but to go to the counselor’s office first. When he entered, the counselor asked him to sit down and even poured him a cup of tea.

This made Ji Wei feel strange.

He couldn’t help but ask, “Is there something you need to see me about?”

The counselor didn’t answer his question, but said with concern, “Actually, there’s no need to push yourself so hard. Everyone knows you’re very talented.”

Pushing himself so hard…

Ji Wei was even more confused.

Compared to Cui Jiu, who studied from dawn till dusk every day, he probably wasn’t considered hardworking. When he wasn’t taking exams, he would stream at night and participate in variety shows on weekends. He couldn’t be considered to be pushing himself very hard.

Seeing that he didn’t nod, the counselor sighed. “It’s not good to go down the wrong path. The “Traditional Chinese Painting” journal gave me a call.”

Ji Wei remembered that he had left his school information and instantly understood why the counselor was looking for him. He defended himself, “I didn’t plagiarize.”

The counselor sighed again.

Ji Wei understood. No matter what he said now, the counselor wouldn’t believe him.

He could understand.

The counselor was not his father. Without evidence, he would not believe him unconditionally. But when he walked out of the office, he still felt a little down.

He suppressed his feelings and went straight to Professor Gao Cheng’s office. Through the window glass, he saw Gao Cheng talking to his graduate student.

He paused before knocking.

He opened his phone and clicked “record.”

Then he knocked politely, stepped into Gao Cheng’s office, greeted the graduate student senior, and then turned to Gao Cheng and said, “Professor Gao, I have something I’d like to ask you in private.”

Unexpectedly, Gao Cheng shook his head, took off his glasses to wipe them, his expression as usual. “Let’s just talk here. What is it that needs to be said in private?”

Ji Wei paused for a moment and asked, “Why is Professor Gao’s painting at the China Guardian auction so similar to my landscape painting class assignment?”

He had thought Gao Cheng would hesitate for a moment, but Gao Cheng’s expression didn’t change as he pulled out a stack of Xuan paper. “Landscape painting class assignment?”

“Let me see, is it this one?”

The graduate student looked at Ji Wei curiously, then at the painting. This painting didn’t look similar at all; the artistic conception was completely different.

“The professor knows, I also drew another one, which you commented on,”

Ji Wei continued.

Professor Gao seemed not to want to talk to him anymore, rubbing his temples. “The landscape painting class only required one assignment. Why would you draw two?”

His expression showed no flaws.

The graduate student also nodded and said tactfully, “Junior, did you see wrong? My mentor’s painting is of a very high level.”

Ji Wei pursed his lips and left without saying a word.

After walking out of the office, he stopped the recording on his phone.

At this time, the school forum exploded because of a message.

[Goldfish Bubbles]Don’t spread this around, everyone. I just walked past the counselor’s office and heard some big news. Ji Wei plagiarized Professor Gao Cheng’s painting and got caught when he submitted it to a journal. This is such a disgrace to our school.

[1L]Holy crap, is that for real? Don’t just spread rumors without evidence, especially something as serious as plagiarism.

[2L]+1

***

[396L]I’ve seen that painting, it’s really similar. Although the color scheme and details are different, the composition and concept are the same. Actually, Ji Wei is quite clever for not copying it entirely.

[397L]Is the person above from the second class of the Chinese Painting Department?

[398L]Not from their class. I saw a photo taken by his roommate. It’s completely different from his previous style. I was wondering at the time, how can a person’s skill level improve so quickly? I don’t think it’s possible. Also, let me just say, Professor Gao paints much better than him.

***

[705L]For real? He dared to plagiarize a professor’s painting. He’s got some nerve. Does he think he won’t be expelled just because he’s famous?

At first, it was only discussed on the Yancheng University forum. After marketing accounts reposted it, the matter blew up and sparked heated debate among netizens.

Although neither of the parties involved had spoken out, and it was all just speculation from “insiders,” it still made it to the top of the trending topics, where it was fiercely debated.

***

Lu Shenxing was at the hospital for physical therapy. As Ying Guanxiao was pushing him back to his ward to rest, he overheard a young couple next to them exchanging cookies with each other’s names written on them.

Ying Guanxiao couldn’t help but sigh, “It’s great to be young.”

Lu Shenxing didn’t say anything.

Ying Guanxiao’s heart skipped a beat. Did the word “young” hit a nerve? He, a man in his late thirties, had no problem with it. He immediately changed his tune, “It’s just too childish.”

Lu Shenxing had no sense of romance to speak of. He always found things like sweet talk and giving roses to be superficial. Could he even find a partner like this?

Other managers strictly guarded their artists’ relationships, but Ying Guanxiao was never worried. He was worried that Lu Shenxing would never even date, let alone get married in this lifetime.

He grumbled to himself, only a young kid like Weiwei would be fooled by Lu Shenxing.

As Ying Guanxiao’s mind wandered, he suddenly heard Lu Shenxing ask him, “Which dessert shop in Yancheng is good?”

“Old Li’s mille-crepe cake is very famous. The line there can stretch until night every day,” Ying Guanxiao said without thinking.

Thanks to this dessert lover, he was now an expert on the dessert shops in every city. He had several hundred of them saved in his phone’s contacts.

“Can they engrave names on it?”

What? Engrave names?

For a moment, Ying Guanxiao thought he had misheard. After he came to his senses, he laughed. He never thought an old house could catch fire. He was even learning on the fly.

As he opened his phone, he teased, “If you had come to your senses two years earlier, you might have had a child by now.”

Unexpectedly, Lu Shenxing said calmly, “That wouldn’t do.”

Ying Guanxiao looked confused.

“Two years ago, he wasn’t an adult yet.”

Ying Guanxiao was speechless. …Which word I said referred to Ji Wei?

He pushed Lu Shenxing into the ward. As he was about to order the cake, a notification suddenly popped up on Weibo. He clicked on it and was extremely surprised. “Ji Wei plagiarized his university professor’s painting?”

That was definitely impossible.

However, before Ying Guanxiao could take a closer look, Lu Shenxing took the phone from him.

The man’s well-defined hands swiped across the screen, his lips pressed into a thin line, making his features appear even colder. He muttered to himself, “Gao Cheng, is it.”

Those who were familiar with him knew that he was angry.

Ying Guanxiao remembered that the assistant director was still lying in the hospital and immediately advised, “I remember Gao Cheng is a very famous painter.”

The subtext was that something like a car accident wouldn’t be good.

Lu Shenxing handed the phone back to him. “Let’s be a bit more civilized this time.”

Only then did Ying Guanxiao feel relieved.

Who would have thought that Lu Shenxing would make a phone call, his tone faint, “Investigate Gao Cheng from Yancheng University. Academic misconduct, bribery, sex scandals, money laundering… you can check them all.”

The accusations were getting bigger and bigger.

Ying Guanxiao’s eye twitched as he listened. He thought to himself, how did Gao Cheng manage to provoke him?

Oh, no, Ji Wei.