Chapter 36: Friends in the Studio

According to Qin Miaoyu’s original plan, she intended to return to Jing City after her grandmother’s memorial day. However, with the plagiarism issue still unresolved, she decided to postpone her departure. Yet, it was already rare for Lu Qi’an to free up so much time, and he couldn’t remain any longer, so he had to return to Nan City ahead of schedule. Before leaving, he told Qin Miaoyu to seek out Gu Xunan if anything came up.

“You make it sound as if any troublesome matter can be handed over to Gu Xunan. Did you save his life or something?” Qin Miaoyu remarked as she packed.

Lu Qi’an nodded at her words. “I truly did save his life. Back then, if I hadn’t had a sudden bout of compassion, he might not have survived. So, if anything happens, just go to him without hesitation. I do have that kind of pull.”

Qin Miaoyu’s curiosity was piqued. “So it was really a life-saving debt?”

“That’s right. You’ve probably heard about the complicated affairs of the Gu family. Gu Xunan nearly became a casualty in their internal strife, and I just happened to help him out at the right time.”

Qin Miaoyu felt a tinge of emotion. Although the Gu family was based in neighboring Liang City, she’d heard bits about their affairs, but hadn’t expected the infighting to be so severe that Lu Qi’an would describe Gu Xunan as a ‘sacrificial lamb.’

“So, don’t be shy about asking him for help. He’s eager to repay the favor as soon as possible.”

“All right,” Qin Miaoyu replied, though she didn’t really intend to approach Gu Xunan. After all, it was Lu Qi’an whom Gu Xunan owed, not her.

But Gu Xunan had already taken the initiative and, via Ji Xuan, had sent her the information she wanted.

“This time, at the Nan City Art Museum exhibition, Liang Sixuan’s painting will also be on display. It’ll probably be placed in a corner, but just taking part in this exhibition is enough to boost her reputation.”

“Liang Sixuan has hired a professional marketing team to promote her as a young painter, but they’re being careful not to overdo it, so her online reputation is currently very good.”

“She’s only being marketed as a young painter?”

“Yes. I have a friend on that marketing team. They’ve set her image as a young artist because it’s a safe bet—less likely to backfire.”

After hearing Ji Xuan’s report, Qin Miaoyu pondered for a moment and browsed online to check the marketing and reviews related to Liang Sixuan.

She spent a long time reading, then asked Ji Xuan for a favor.

A few days later, the exhibition opened as scheduled.

Qin Miaoyu hadn’t attended the previous Huixin Art Museum exhibition, but this time she was determined to take a good look at “Becoming a Butterfly.”

To be honest, apart from the first time she’d seen the painting years ago and taken it in properly, she hadn’t studied it carefully since.

Now, examining it closely, flaws leaped out at her everywhere!

The biggest difference lay in the use of color and the presentation of the theme. At first glance, the paintings seemed unrelated; only someone with a trained eye would notice the similarities. Back then, she’d been so young that she hadn’t questioned why, right after her painting was stolen, she was accused of plagiarizing Liang Sixuan. If memory served her right, the person who took the painting was around their age and had no real talent for art.

Could someone like that really recognize the similarities between two paintings at a glance?

Liang Sixuan also noticed Qin Miaoyu standing in front of the painting, but remained completely unruffled.

There was nothing Qin Miaoyu could do back then, and even less now. After all, how could one prove something without evidence?

Liang Sixuan turned away indifferently, took her fiancé’s arm, and prepared to introduce him to her teacher.

“Do you like this painting as well?” someone suddenly asked beside her.

Qin Miaoyu turned to the right and saw a stranger.

“No, I don’t like it. This painting shouldn’t look like this,” she replied.

The man glanced at her in surprise. “Why not?”

“The theme of this painting shouldn’t be rebirth and hope,” she said softly.

The man was silent for a moment, then replied, “Great minds think alike. Besides, someone as uninspired as Liang Sixuan could never have painted something like this.”

The scorn in his tone surprised Qin Miaoyu. She studied his face, finding him vaguely familiar.

“And you are?”

“Qin Miaoyu, you really are forgetful. I’m Liu Qingquan.”

Liu Qingquan!

At the sound of his name, Qin Miaoyu’s memories came flooding back.

Back then, her art teacher had several students, and Liu Qingquan was one of them. She’d gotten along with him fairly well, and they’d often exchanged thoughts on painting.

“Liu Qingquan, it’s been a long time. You’ve changed a lot.”

She hadn’t expected that the young man who could never seem to lose weight would have slimmed down so much.

Liu Qingquan laughed at himself. “I never thought I’d lose weight either.”

As they strolled through the exhibition, their conversation rekindled the camaraderie of their student days.

After they’d finished viewing the paintings, Liu Qingquan asked, “Can you tell me why you insisted on never returning to the studio to study?”

At that time, Liu Qingquan had family matters to attend to. When he returned two months later, Qin Miaoyu was gone. He didn’t know where she lived, and they had no way to contact each other, so they lost touch naturally.

“Something happened back then. I was young and inexperienced, so I didn’t go back,” she replied.

There was more than one teacher at the studio, and her teacher wasn’t even the best. But at the time, Qin Miaoyu was timid and fearful.

Sensing she didn’t want to discuss it, Liu Qingquan didn’t press her, instead shifting the topic to their lives over the intervening years.

Their conversation didn’t last long before Liu Qingquan’s girlfriend arrived—a girl Qin Miaoyu also knew.

“Yang Sisi?”

Yang Sisi greeted her with a smile. “Miaoyu, it’s been years.”

“How did you two end up together? Didn’t you used to clash?”

Qin Miaoyu remembered they used to argue constantly.

While she and Liu Qingquan studied painting at the studio, Yang Sisi practiced music next door. Qin Miaoyu had met her through Liu Qingquan; the two would bicker every time they met, and Qin Miaoyu was often dragged in to act as judge, usually either smoothing things over or giving both a fair scolding.

“Exactly! But we both disliked Liang Sixuan. Because of her, we stopped fighting.”

After saying this, Yang Sisi pulled Qin Miaoyu aside and whispered, “What really happened back then? I heard someone say you left the studio because of plagiarism, but I didn’t believe it. Still, you never came back, and later, after Liang Sixuan and the others left too, I couldn’t find you at all.”

Qin Miaoyu hadn’t expected that so many people had kept her in their thoughts. She was moved, but since the matter was unresolved and there was no evidence, she couldn’t say much yet.