Chapter 49
Not long after Ji Wei left the office, his phone was bombarded with messages. Everyone was asking him what had happened, and some were just short of asking, “Did you plagiarize?”
He told Chen Yan and the others not to worry, that he would handle it. As for the others who came to question him, he was in no mood to reply.
As he was walking towards the security office, he was stopped by a voice. He turned around and saw it was Teacher Wang, who taught their flower-and-bird painting class.
Although Teacher Wang was in his forties and still just a lecturer, he had always been patient and responsible with his students. Everyone was also willing to go to him for help with their personal problems.
Teacher Wang walked over, frowning as he asked, “I saw online that you were accused of plagiarism. What’s going on?”
Ji Wei saw the genuine concern in Teacher Wang’s eyes. After thinking for a moment, he told him the whole story.
Gao Cheng insisted that he had only painted one picture at the time, but the surveillance footage from that day should still be in the monitoring room. As long as they could retrieve the footage, Gao Cheng would have nothing to say.
But it was not easy to get the school’s surveillance footage. If he went by himself, the security office might not let him. It would be much better to have Teacher Wang with him.
Seeing that Ji Wei’s expression didn’t look like he was lying, Teacher Wang followed him to the security office with some doubt. He filled out the “Surveillance Viewing Approval Form” and signed it for Ji Wei.
The two then walked to the monitoring room and knocked on the door. A security guard in his thirties came out, looking like he hadn’t slept well. He yawned and asked, “Teacher Wang, you want to see the surveillance footage?”
Teacher Wang nodded and handed him the “Surveillance Viewing Approval Form.” “This student of mine has run into some trouble. Sorry to bother you.”
“Hey, what’s there to be sorry about?”
The security guard took it without looking closely and waved them in listlessly. “Come in. Which day do you want to see?”
“The surveillance video of Teaching Building 2, Room 108, from Monday afternoon. Thank you.”
Ji Wei said.
“Teaching Building 2, Room 108?”
The security guard’s steps back into the monitoring room paused as he asked.
“That’s right.”
Ji Wei replied nervously.
The security guard handed the “Surveillance Viewing Approval Form” back to Ji Wei and said regretfully, “Ah, the equipment malfunctioned the day before yesterday. The videos from that day are all gone. They’re still being recovered. I’ll notify you when they’re restored.”
Teacher Wang sighed heavily. “That’s really unfortunate.”
Ji Wei clutched the form in his hand, unable to help his disappointment. But fortunately, it could be recovered. There was nothing else he could do now but wait.
As he was about to leave with Teacher Wang, he suddenly stopped.
Something was wrong.
Something was very wrong.
If the video from Monday was really gone, why did the security guard have to confirm Teaching Building 2, Room 108 with him? When Gao Cheng lied, he wasn’t worried at all about him going to see the surveillance footage.
He had a guess in his mind.
Just then, his phone vibrated.
Ji Wei swiped the screen open.
—It was a call from his idol.
He apologized to Teacher Wang and said he’d be right back, then walked to the stairwell and answered the call.
Ji Wei originally thought his idol would ask what had happened like everyone else, but the man on the other end of the line only asked him, “Where are you?”
Ji Wei was stunned for a moment, then replied, holding his phone, “At the school’s monitoring room.”
Ji Wei answered.
“Did you see the surveillance footage?”
Ji Wei looked towards the monitoring room, his tone unknowingly becoming tense. “The surveillance equipment is malfunctioning. I don’t know if I’ll be able to see it.”
“Don’t worry,”
Lu Shenxing’s voice was gentle.
“Thank you.”
Ji Wei was very grateful for Lu Shenxing’s call at this time. Even if it was just a simple “don’t worry,” he felt inexplicably at ease.
He walked back to the monitoring room door, wanting to bluff the security guard. So he opened his mouth and asked, “Why did the security office say I could view it? Did the equipment break again today?”
The security guard saw his student-like demeanor and didn’t think he was lying. He believed Ji Wei had really called the security office, and his expression immediately became a little flustered, but he still didn’t budge.
“We discovered it during today’s inspection. It should be a fault left over from last time.”
As expected…
Ji Wei’s heart sank. Gao Cheng must have already talked to the monitoring room. They said the video could be recovered, but they could just keep pushing it off day after day. It might never be recovered.
Teacher Wang also became confused as he listened. “Why are you acting so strange today? You’re not making any sense.”
They were at a stalemate for a while when suddenly, Ji Wei heard the sound of a wheelchair behind him. He subconsciously turned around.
It was actually Ying Guanxiao pushing his idol.
The man in the wheelchair was wearing a mask, revealing only his sharp eyes. When he smiled, his eyes would curve, but when he didn’t, he looked even colder.
When they got closer, Ji Wei couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you guys here?”
Ying Guanxiao pointed to the top of Lu Shenxing’s head.
The security guard was already fuming from being pestered. Seeing the masked Lu Shenxing, he didn’t recognize who he was. “Who are you? Is the monitoring room a place you can just come to?”
Lu Shenxing pulled Ji Wei to his side and said faintly, “A student’s family member.”
Ji Wei’s face flushed.
The security guard thought he was his older brother and didn’t press the issue. “You should take him back. I told you the equipment is malfunctioning. Even if you talk here for half a day, I can’t magically produce a video.”
Lu Shenxing sized him up. His shoes were very worn, and the cuffs of his uniform were faded, but he was clean all over. His wife must be a frugal person.
The security guard felt his hair stand on end under his gaze. “What are you looking at? I still have work to do. I don’t have time to waste with you.”
Lu Shenxing glanced through the gap in the door and saw the instant noodles on the table. He nodded. “That’s right, I shouldn’t affect your work. It must be hard to support a family in Yancheng, right? The cost of living is high, and so are the housing prices.”
The security guard didn’t know what this man was trying to say, but his instincts told him not to talk too much. He turned to walk back into the monitoring room, but froze when he heard the man’s next sentence.
“Is it worth losing your job over someone irrelevant?”
He forced himself to say, “Why would I lose my job?”
Lu Shenxing’s tone was flat. “I asked Principal Fu before I came. According to regulations, the school’s surveillance videos must be stored for at least seven days. If it’s an equipment malfunction, it’s understandable. But if it’s man-made…”
He paused without continuing.
But cold sweat had already broken out on the security guard’s forehead. He didn’t know who this man was, but he actually knew Principal Fu.
A few days ago, Professor Gao had paid him three thousand yuan to delete a video. He had been blinded by greed and agreed, not expecting it to cause such a big mess.
Lu Shenxing glanced at Ying Guanxiao, who understood and took out a carton of Hard Pack Chunghwa Cigarettes and gave it to the security guard.
The security guard immediately waved his hands. “I don’t smoke.”
“You can still open it and have a look even if you don’t smoke.”
Ying Guanxiao stuffed it into his hands.
The security guard couldn’t refuse him.
The moment he opened it, he was shocked.
It wasn’t filled with cigarettes, but with stacks of yuan bills. A quick glance told him it was at least ten thousand!
He looked at it for a second and immediately closed it, his heart pounding. He took a deep breath and said, “There should be a backup of Monday’s video.”
Teacher Wang was completely bewildered, not knowing what they were talking about. He was just happy to hear there was a backup. “Then why didn’t you take it out earlier?”
The security guard gave a bitter smile.
He had kept the video only as a precaution against Gao Cheng. He had no intention of exposing it himself. Money was one reason, and another was that the man who had come today was probably not an ordinary person.
It was good that there was a backup.
Ji Wei finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He turned his head to look at Lu Shenxing and suddenly understood what the man had meant by “don’t worry” earlier. It wasn’t just comfort; it meant “don’t worry, I’m here.”
Lu Shenxing happened to look at him at the same time.
Their eyes met—
Looking at the man’s dark eyes, like ink on paper, Ji Wei’s heart skipped a beat.
“Come in and have a look.”
The security guard’s words brought him back to his senses. He turned his head back, but he could still feel Lu Shenxing’s gaze fixed on him.
It wasn’t until they entered the monitoring room that the gaze disappeared.
The security guard pulled up the backup. Everyone watched quietly. When Teacher Wang saw in the video that Ji Wei had clearly painted two pictures and Gao Cheng had even guided him, he thought about how he had completely denied it in the audio recording.
He instantly understood the whole story and his face changed. “How can Gao Cheng still be called a teacher? This matter must be handled seriously. I’m going to find Principal Fu right now!”
After Teacher Wang left, Ji Wei and the others also prepared to leave.
As Ji Wei walked out of the office, he saw that Lu Shenxing was still inside, seemingly discussing something with the security guard. When he finally came out, he had a USB drive in his hand.
He asked in confusion, “You copied the video?”
Lu Shenxing gave a faint “mm.”
“Don’t you know Principal Fu? Can’t you let him handle it?” Ji Wei asked.
“I don’t trust him,”
the man said, lowering his eyes.
He would not allow anyone to leave a stain on Ji Wei’s name, not even the slightest risk.
The things the young man couldn’t do.
He would do them.
***
The controversy online grew more and more intense. Some people even began to question whether Ji Wei’s previously award-winning paintings were also plagiarized. Otherwise, how could a second-year university student win so many awards both at home and abroad?
[Half-cooked]Plagiarism is either once or countless times. Ji Wei’s memory seems to be particularly good. Who knows if he saw it somewhere and pieced it together?
[Spicy Chicken Noodles]I’m speechless. Can you stop trying to stir things up? If he really plagiarized a professor’s painting, wouldn’t Yan University issue a statement and deal with it? Can you have a little faith in a top university?
[A Leaf]Holy crap, Yan University issued a statement! Go look, it shocked me.
[Accelerating Forward]As a casual fan, I’m shocked. I was just defending Ji Wei all afternoon, and now I’ve been slapped in the face so quickly???
Yan University’s official Weibo account had less than ten thousand followers, but the moment his announcement was posted, it immediately garnered thousands of comments and reposts. Some people couldn’t help but sigh that Ji Wei was really famous now.
Many people rushed over to watch the drama unfold, but who would have thought that the announcement wasn’t what they had expected.
[Yancheng University]The personal works of Professor Gao Cheng from our university’s Chinese Painting Department are suspected of plagiarism. The university attaches great importance to this matter and has established a special investigation team to carry out verification work. Once verified, the university will handle it seriously in accordance with regulations.
The comments below were in an uproar.
[Kiwi]Who posted this announcement? Isn’t this a mistake? Professor Gao Cheng is the victim.
[Little Hedgehog]How could such a serious matter be posted by mistake? I suddenly remembered that everyone has been discussing how similar Ji Wei and Gao Cheng’s paintings are all afternoon. So why does everyone say Ji Wei plagiarized Gao Cheng, and not that Gao Cheng plagiarized Ji Wei?
[A Little Bit]Professor Gao Cheng plagiarized? He was already famous before Ji Wei was even born. This announcement is a bit hard to swallow. Film Emperor Lu seems to have a powerful background, right? It’s not impossible for him to turn black into white.
[Grapefruit]Confused. The more I eat this melon, the less I understand. But I feel like Ji Wei probably didn’t plagiarize. His eyes are very clear.
It was obvious.
Meng Hao looked at the comments online and shook his head. He saw his target leave the Yan University campus, put his phone in the pocket of his No. 3 Middle School uniform, and slowly followed, disappearing into the crowd.
Like a drop of water disappearing into the water.