CH 127

Chapter 127 – Sufficient Evidence

The press conference of the Dream Cup was being live-streamed on Weibo for countless netizens who cared about the matter. If you opened the barrage now, the live screen would already be covered with barrage comments.

[233333, am I the only one who finds Mr. Zhuge really cute?]

[Not only you, 2333333]

[Wasn’t the focus just now on the expression of the journalist when Mr. Zhuge claimed to have evidence proving the innocence of “Light’s” creator?]

[Exactly! I was just thinking about that. The journalist seemed to have already assumed that “Light’s” creator is a plagiarist, and that look on his face was really unsightly!]

As a few comments were posted, many others followed, filled with offensive and malicious words.

[“Light” plagiarized! Shameless! Get out of the Dream Cup!]

[Plagiarizing scum, get out of the Dream Cup!]

Initially, some people might have paid attention to these comments, but now, many were ignoring them and chatting amongst themselves.

[Seriously, it’s not just my conspiracy theory, but this journalist’s reaction is way too intense; there must be something fishy going on!]

Regardless of what the barrage was saying, the journalist who asked the question did have an unpleasant expression. He suddenly became serious.

The journalist who asked the question hadn’t expected to receive such an answer from Zhuge Yu. The forceful momentum he had was completely thwarted by this response, and he suddenly became weaker. He even opened his mouth but forgot what he wanted to ask.

However, after all, this journalist had been in the industry for many years. Soon, he thought of a counterattack, “As far as I know, the creator of ‘Light’ is your student, Mr. Zhuge. He was able to participate in the Dream Cup thanks to a recommendation letter from you. So, I’d like to ask, Mr. Zhuge, did you…?”

He didn’t explicitly say anything in the latter part of his question, but his meaning was not concealed. He directly insinuated that Zhuge Yu was protecting his student and even hinted that “Light” winning the Dream Cup’s gold award might be because of Zhuge Yu’s influence.

The journalist thought he had provoked Zhuge Yu with this statement. However, when he looked at Zhuge Yu, he saw Zhuge Yu staring at him with a dumbfounded expression, as if he were looking at an idiot.

Not only Zhuge Yu, but the other journalists in the venue also had the same dumbfounded look.

Thankfully, this journalist wasn’t too foolish and quickly realized that he had been too clever for his own good.

The ten journalists who covered the Dream Cup finals were prominent figures in the Chinese art world. Most of them had outstanding characters and no major controversies in their careers. They wouldn’t, for the sake of Zhuge Yu, favor his student in a competition. Besides, among the participants, some were their own students.

The question posed by this journalist practically stirred up the animosity among those masters on stage. These people all had connections, and if they really wanted to make a fuss about this journalist’s attempt to discredit someone, his newspaper probably wouldn’t tolerate it.

The journalist must have realized the gravity of the situation and felt embarrassed as he sat back down. The arrogance he displayed earlier had disappeared.

Lu Xiuran, who was sitting in the corner, now had a somewhat pale face. From the moment Zhuge Yu mentioned “evidence,” a sense of crisis had begun to spread within Lu Xiuran.

Could it be that there really was evidence? But if there was evidence, why didn’t they disclose it right away? It could have prevented the creator of “Yearning for Rebirth” from entering the Southeast Regional Finals and quashed this controversy in its infancy.

Instinctively, Lu Xiuran wanted to escape from this press conference, but his feet seemed rooted to the spot. He wanted to witness, witness the rise and fall of this rising star, Chen Li.

The press conference continued, and when Zhuge Yu claimed to have evidence proving the innocence of the author of “Light,” the journalists below became restless. They raised their hands, eager to know as soon as possible what kind of evidence could ensure the originality of “Light” and prove its innocence.

The President of the Calligraphy and Painting Association understood the doubts in the journalists’ minds this time, so he had no intention of letting them ask questions. Instead, he took the initiative to reveal the answer.

“I know you all want to know the truth of the matter, so now I’ll ask Mr. Wang to reveal the truth for you,” Zhao Liyou said and asked the staff to hand the microphone to the only new face among the journalists.

The journalists thought this person was the author of “Light,” so when the microphone was passed to this Mr. Wang, everyone’s gaze followed.

Mr. Wang seemed nervous, after all, facing so many journalists for the first time. He stammered, “I… I’m called… Wang Weisheng, the creator of… ‘Yearning for Rebirth’ in your mouths.”

After saying this, it seemed like it took great effort for Wang Weisheng. His chest heaved, looking exhausted.

The journalists were shocked by Wang Weisheng’s identity. They hadn’t expected him to be the creator of “Yearning for Rebirth” not “Light.”

The journalists’ doubts grew even greater due to Wang Weisheng’s appearance. Cameras and camcorders were all aimed at him, shuttering away, and some journalists couldn’t contain their urge to ask questions, but in the end, they held back.

Feeling a bit startled by the scene, Wang Weisheng organized his thoughts in his mind and spoke again, this time without the stammering from before, presumably having prepared himself mentally.

“Firstly, I want to say that the recording of the Changfeng Group’s director and me that was posted online is genuine. However, it’s only a part of our entire conversation. It was taken out of context and used to mislead the public by malicious individuals,” Wang Weisheng said, swallowing unconsciously.

Wang Weisheng took the bottled water handed over by a staff member and took a big gulp. “I have the complete recording in my possession. I can release it now. Once this recording is out, I believe the truth will be revealed.”

As Wang Weisheng finished speaking, the staff played the complete recording of him and Wei Chen.

The recording started from when Wei Chen entered Wang Weisheng’s house.

[Wang Weisheng: Who are you?]

[Wei Chen: I’m a relative of the painter whose painting you copied. I’m here today because of the Dream Cup incident.]

[Wang Weisheng: There’s nothing to discuss. ‘Yearning for Rebirth’ is my work. He can claim plagiarism all he wants, but plagiarists won’t get far.]

[Wei Chen: Do you have evidence to prove that he plagiarized? If not, as soon as it’s established that you plagiarized, your qualification for the Dream Cup will be revoked!]

[Wang Weisheng: If they want to revoke it, let them. I have a clear conscience.]

[Wei Chen: Then let’s see how long you can hold on!]

Above was the leaked recording. The onlookers thought it was the whole thing, but there was still more to come. There was a gap in the middle, and no one knew what Wei Chen showed Wang Weisheng after speaking, but when Wang Weisheng spoke again, he seemed agitated.

[Wang Weisheng: Do you think a few chat screenshots can prove that I plagiarized? Everyone knows that Photoshop skills are powerful nowadays, and things can be easily fabricated.]

[Wei Chen: Then listen to this.]

Another voice came through the recording, somewhat hoarse, but it was still possible to recognize one of the voices as Wang Weisheng’s.

[Wang Weisheng: Yes, I can imitate the style of that painting and submit it as my own entry for the competition. I’ll hand it over whenever you want, as long as you give me enough money.]

Another voice sounded unfamiliar, and many people didn’t know whose voice it was, but Lu Xiuran knew.

In fact, when Lu Xiuran heard the recording, he was stunned. He knew that Zhuge Yu and the others truly had solid evidence proving Chen Li’s innocence!

Lu Xiuran slumped to the ground, watching as Wang Weisheng continued to reveal more and more recordings. These recordings were all phone conversations between Lu Xiuran and Wang Weisheng, detailing their deal from the moment Lu Xiuran approached him, how they framed Chen Li for plagiarism, every detail was laid bare.

So it turned out… Wang Weisheng had kept this ace up his sleeve all along, recording all their conversations, and everything was there, verifiable, and all real.

It’s over… it’s all over…

This was the most desperate voice in Lu Xiuran’s heart at the moment. Once the recordings were made public, once they found out it was him, his future would be ruined!

No, he couldn’t let it end like this. Someone would save him! Yes, someone would save him!

Lu Xiuran hurriedly got up and fled the scene. When he reached the entrance of the building, he was about to take out his phone to call Chen Qing when several police officers surrounded him.

“Hello, Lu Xiuran, we are now arresting you on charges of defamation and spreading rumors,” the police said without any explanation, handcuffing Lu Xiuran and taking him to their car.

Everything happened too quickly, and Lu Xiuran didn’t even have time to react. When he got into the police car, he was still in a daze. But when he finally reacted, Lu Xiuran fell silent, and a blood-red color crept into his eyes, a grim smile forming on his lips, making him look sinister and terrifying.

But the next moment, he slumped back in his seat, utterly defeated.

As the phone recordings were released one by one, the Dream Cup incident experienced the most significant reversal. The barrage in the online live streaming suddenly decreased, and those who had now learned the truth from the recordings fell silent as they watched the ongoing press conference.

They felt a burning sensation on their faces, as if they had just been slapped. “Light” was undoubtedly excellent, so why did they doubt this painting and even its creator?

If… If the creator of “Light” knew about all these events and felt the weight of this darkness, would the light in his life fade away?

Some people shed tears and cried out of guilt. They felt like sinners, people who had pushed someone with a shining light in their heart back into the abyss!