CH 122

Chapter 122 – Plagiarism Controversy

Haijiao Forum was the largest forum in the country, and within it, there was a section dedicated to fine arts.

Today, this section was flooded with a painting titled “Light,” and a significant portion of the forum’s users, who were art enthusiasts, had been following the “Dream Cup” competition since its inception.

Whenever the Dream Cup came to an end, there would always be debates in the forum. People argued whether the painting that won the gold award truly deserved it or if another painting that won the silver award was actually better.

Each painting had its own supporters, and even after the results were announced and set in stone, these supporters still presented themselves as experts, meticulously discussing every award-winning piece.

However, today’s forum was unexpectedly harmonious. Everyone felt that “Light” deserved the gold award without a doubt. Every person who had seen this painting was deeply moved by it. Some individuals were at a loss for words to express their love and admiration for “Light,” so they copied some comments from Weibo and pasted them onto the forum. This action sparked numerous scattered comments and discussions from others.

Compared to Weibo, the forum’s users appeared more professional. Some praised the technique of “Light,” while others were impressed by the emotions conveyed through the painting—countless words of praise were expressed.

Yet, amidst this harmonious atmosphere, discordant voices emerged. The title alone was provocative: “Is ‘Light’ truly deserving of the gold award? Plagiarism must be driven out of the Dream Cup!”

At first, the post sank quickly, but the person who posted it was persistent and kept bringing it back up. Eventually, someone, curious about its contents, clicked on it. One click led to another, and gradually, the post claiming that “Light” was plagiarized gained popularity.

In reality, no one in the forum knew the truth, and after reading the post’s content, they became even more confused. Could “Light” be plagiarized? How was it possible? Could such a deeply moving piece be copied? Plagiarized from what? Whose work was it allegedly plagiarized from?

With such doubts, the curious onlookers started examining the evidence provided by the original poster (PO). At first, the PO shared a picture claiming it was a participant’s artwork from the southeast region called “Yearning for Rebirth,” and then they posted a picture of “Light” taken at the exhibition hall on the same day.

During this stage, the PO didn’t disclose any other evidence, merely using two paintings that were 80% similar to visually suggest that “Light” plagiarized “Yearning for Rebirth.”

After some people started defending “Light,” stating that showing two paintings without context couldn’t prove plagiarism since they didn’t know when the paintings were completed, the PO provided more information. They claimed to have obtained submission times from someone inside the Dream Cup, and it was clear that “Yearning for Rebirth” was submitted one day before “Light.”

This evidence made many people hesitant, but there were still others who refused to believe it and staunchly defended “Light,” although they had no concrete evidence to counter the well-prepared PO. Upon reading the post, a commentator on the forum couldn’t help but write a response.

【These two paintings, when compared side by side, clearly show their differences. The former is just a simple accumulation of colors, looking like a few color blocks. Any beginner in painting could imitate such work. On the other hand, the creator of the latter has bestowed a soul upon the painting.】 The commentator on the forum had a verified identity, and others quickly expressed their support since the commentator was a professional.

【Absolutely right! If it’s a case of plagiarism, why is the allegedly plagiarized painting more outstanding and remarkable than the original one?】

【They’re just trying to ride on the popularity of “Light” but doing it so obviously. When the entire world is in awe of “Light,” they’re trying to tarnish its reputation!】

【Are the people above all internet trolls? And what about that commentator? Have they been bribed too? How can you turn a blind eye to such obvious plagiarism? Does the plagiarized work suddenly become superior, and therefore, not considered plagiarism?】

【Kick the plagiarizers out of the Dream Cup!】

【Plagiarizer, return the Dream Cup gold award!】

【May the whole family of the plagiarizer perish!】

A series of violent comments started flooding the forum. Some who had some rationality quickly realized that this was an orchestrated attack against “Light,” and it had been planned for quite some time.

The commentator also noticed this, and they couldn’t help but reply, 【Whether it’s plagiarism or not, we need an official response.】

Their supporters quickly followed suit, using the same format to push the violent comments down.

However, at this moment, the original poster (PO) played their trump card.

【The creator of “Light” is undoubtedly a plagiarizer. In order to ensure “Light” enters the finals of the national competition smoothly, the creator’s family even went to a certain city in the southeast to threaten the creator of “Yearning for Rebirth.” Here’s the recording. You’re welcome. PS: One more thing, the creator of “Light” is currently the Marketing Director of a company that recently gained fame because of a magazine.】 After this paragraph, the PO indeed attached an audio recording.

Curious onlookers clicked on the recording and heard a low, soothing voice. Ignoring the content, the voice was so pleasant that it could make someone’s ears pregnant with delight.

【I came to see you today because of the Dream Cup.】

The other voice was probably that of the creator of “Yearning for Rebirth.” It sounded a bit submissive and trembling, seemingly fearful.

【There’s nothing much to discuss. “Yearning for Rebirth” is my own work. He claims it’s plagiarism, but plagiarism won’t get you far.】

【Do you have any evidence to prove that it’s plagiarism? If you don’t, once it’s proven that you’re the plagiarizer, your qualification in the Dream Cup will be immediately revoked.】

【If they want to cancel it, then cancel it. I have nothing to fear when I’m innocent!】

The recording ended there, providing very compelling evidence. Some of the previously undecided onlookers became even less certain about the originality of “Light,” and some were now convinced that it was indeed a plagiarized work.

The arguments intensified on the forum and even spilled over to Weibo. “Light,” “Yearning for Rebirth,” and even Wei Chen all made it to the top trending topics.

Some individuals who didn’t understand the situation quickly condemned “Light” based on the presented evidence. They even caused a commotion on the official account of the Dream Cup, demanding that “Light’s” gold award be revoked and that the plagiarizer be expelled from the art world. Even the official account of Changfeng Group was affected, as infuriated netizens demanded that Wei Chen, the person who supposedly shielded the plagiarizer, be fired.

Under the push of an invisible hand, the situation escalated further.

In the early morning, the Dream Cup issued a statement. It didn’t specifically address the alleged plagiarism incident but announced that a press conference would be held the next day at noon, welcoming interested journalists who had doubts to attend.

Almost all netizens believed that the press conference by the Dream Cup would result in the revocation of “Light’s” gold award. However, despite this, those who wielded their keyboards as weapons continued to rant everywhere. No matter which news article you read, you could always find their impassioned comments about the incident.

By the second day, the situation had fermented across the entire internet, and even foreign media began to take notice.

On that evening, Sylvester saw the articles about the alleged plagiarism incident involving “Light.” His emotions were quite anxious, as he firmly believed that Chen Li would never plagiarize. Though Sylvester had not spent much time with the young man, he knew that Chen Li was a pure individual, fully immersed in his own world, and would never copy someone else’s work.

He immediately called Zhuge Yu to inquire about what was going on. Sylvester thought that Zhuge Yu would be equally anxious, but to his surprise, Zhuge Yu seemed very relaxed, smiling as he reassured Sylvester not to worry and that everything would be alright.

Sylvester finally understood the meaning of the Chinese idiom “a puzzled monk can’t untie a puzzle.” He was, indeed, like that puzzled monk!

Even though Sylvester didn’t understand what had happened, he still trusted Zhuge Yu. If Zhuge Yu said everything was fine, then it must be fine.

Despite this, Sylvester couldn’t help but worry about Chen Li and had trouble sleeping that night.

*

Under the cover of the night, the once-closed Blues Café was now brightly lit.

Wei Hua held a cup of coffee, with his legs crossed, leaning back in a high-backed chair. His gaze was fixed on the person sitting in the chair, whose slender and attractive fingers were tapping on the keyboard. From behind, it was an ultimate delight, at least for Wei Hua.

At this moment, Cookie didn’t pay much attention to what Wei Hua was thinking. His fingers were dancing rapidly, and the code he typed seemed to come alive, effortlessly tracing through the network, catching every water army member associated with Chen Li and Wei Chen, and saving all the evidence before sending it in an email to Wei Chen.

It’s worth mentioning that Lu Xiuran was still quite cautious. He didn’t personally get involved with the actions against Chen Li and Wei Chen; he merely hired some water army members, including the one who wrote the post on the forum, to handle it. He only provided the raw materials.

Lu Xiuran probably thought that this way, he wouldn’t be caught, but who was Cookie? He was the world’s top hacker, and as long as it involved the internet, he could collect all the evidence without leaving a trace.

It took Cookie less than half an hour to complete all of this. As he sent the package of evidence to Wei Chen, applause erupted behind him.

“Amazing! Incredible!” Wei Hua praised Cookie endlessly, “The person I like is indeed amazing!”

Ever since admitting his crush on Cookie, Wei Hua had become increasingly shameless. He would often come to Cookie, acting flirtatious and even going as far as to butter up Little Biscuit. Biscuit got along well with Wei Hua and had officially met him twice. When Cookie was around Wei Hua, the latter would address him affectionately, using sweet and endearing terms.

Cookie had intended to stop all of this from happening, but he found himself powerless to do so. He couldn’t even stop himself from being drawn closer to Wei Hua.

“The matter has been settled; you can leave now,” Cookie coldly said to Wei Hua, trying to force himself to remain calm.