I Don't Want to Be the Villainess Anymore - Chapter 42

Qin Yuzhen smiled gently and appropriately: “I believe that speaking the truth doesn’t count as insulting someone. Besides, I hadn’t even finished what I was about to say, Miss Chu.”

Chu Can chuckled and took out her phone: “Want to exchange contact info?”

“I don’t just give out my contact details to anyone,” Qin Yuzhen replied with a smile.

“Quite the attitude for someone so young.”

“Miss Chu speaks as if she’s already in her seventies or eighties,” Qin Yuzhen said, looking at Chu Can.

“I’m twenty-three this year—round it up, and I might as well be seventy or eighty,” Chu Can drawled lazily.

“Your math is impressive.”

“So, are you adding me or not?” Chu Can asked, watching her.

“No,” Qin Yuzhen said. “Let’s wait until I’m an adult.”

“You’re much more interesting than those boring socialites,” Chu Can remarked with a sigh.

“You enjoy being talked back to?” Qin Yuzhen glanced at the exhibit on stage and signaled Assistant Wang to bid for her. “This is the first time I’ve encountered such a peculiar preference.”

Chu Can said very seriously, “In a few years, you might just take my place in this circle.”

“Overthinking it,” Qin Yuzhen leaned back in her chair. “The circle I belong to has only me in it.”

Chu Can laughed.

“Youthful arrogance?”

“It’s called confidence,” Qin Yuzhen said, eyeing the boxes in front of her. “I thought there’d be more worthwhile items here.”

“The good stuff comes later,” Chu Can replied.

“The next item up for auction is a painting titled Corner of the Garden by the current pop singer Yu Qie. This piece has received high praise from numerous masters of traditional Chinese painting…”

Qin Yuzhen froze when she saw the painting on stage. She didn’t hear another word the host said afterward because the painting displayed was unmistakably the one she had painted for Rong Yao—except the width was noticeably shorter, clearly having been cut down.

She had only skimmed the first few pages of the auction catalog and hadn’t checked the rest. Rong Xi had told her to buy whatever she liked, so she hadn’t bothered with the catalog—otherwise, she would have noticed sooner.

“Is something wrong, Miss?” Assistant Wang asked, noticing Qin Yuzhen’s expression darken.

“That’s my painting,” Qin Yuzhen gritted her teeth before letting out a cold laugh. “I gave it to Rong Yao as homework. Never thought someone would dare steal from me.”

Assistant Wang glanced at the painting on stage.

“Win the bid,” Qin Yuzhen ordered coldly.

“Understood.”

Chu Can, sitting beside her, looked at Qin Yuzhen with mild surprise. “Is this the standard for kindergarten homework in your family?”

“I can’t produce low-quality work even if I tried,” Qin Yuzhen said, lightly tapping the armrest.

Assistant Wang secured the painting for 500,000 yuan, facing little competition. As the attendant brought the painting over, Qin Yuzhen turned on her phone’s camera and began recording, meticulously documenting the frame and the artwork once it was in her hands.

“Miss, is there any way to prove this painting is yours?”

“This is a corner of the Rong family estate. While the pavilion isn’t entirely unique, and some mansions might have a similar layout, an exact replica is rare,” Qin Yuzhen explained. “The real giveaway is my signature—it’s not just in the corner. What were they thinking? The audacity is astounding.”

“Look here,” Qin Yuzhen pointed to a shadowed area of the painted rock. “My name is hidden here.”

Assistant Wang leaned in and faintly made out the character “Qin.”

“Miss, what do you plan to do?”

“After I get back, I’ll ask Rong Yao why my painting ended up being someone else’s.” Qin Yuzhen closed the video, her mood thoroughly soured by the whole affair.

Assistant Wang thought for a moment, then stood up and left her seat.

Ten minutes later, she returned. “Miss, I just called Vice President Rong. Rong Yao said he had no idea what happened after he submitted it, but he gave me the kindergarten teacher’s contact. I’ll follow up on that now.”

“Mhm.” Qin Yuzhen stared at the painting on the table.

If this were ancient times, she might have just raided the offender’s home outright. After that…

Passing off someone else’s work as your own was utterly disgusting. Just how shameless did one have to be to claim another’s creation as their own?

Qin Yuzhen tapped her fingers on the table. Actually, she didn’t need to go through all this trouble—she had plenty of cheat codes at her disposal.

“System, do I still have any of the ‘Remote Photography’ item cards left?” Qin Yuzhen asked.

“Yes, five remaining,” the system replied.

“Once I meet him, I’ll use one right away,” she said.

“Understood.”

“You seem pretty calm. Have you figured out how to handle this?” Chu Can asked.

“I’m still working out the process, but his fate is pretty much sealed,” Qin Yuzhen said, flexing her wrist. Those who crossed her rarely ended up in a good place.

“Yu Qie has been flaunting his ‘prodigy’ persona since his debut. Recently, I heard he’s trying to pivot into acting. Judging by his moves, he’s probably eyeing a role in Director Liu’s upcoming art film,” Chu Can said. “Rumor has it the protagonist of Director Liu’s film is a traditional Chinese painter.”

“At this rate, news of his painting selling for 500,000 will probably hit trending soon,” Chu Can added.

Qin Yuzhen scoffed. “I hope it does. If it doesn’t make it to the top, I’ll give it a little push myself.”

“So, I’ll just sit back and enjoy the show?”

“Mhm, just wait.” Qin Yuzhen glanced at the painting again.

Yu Qie’s hideous signature and seal on it made her skin crawl—utterly defiling her work. Once this was over, she’d burn the damn thing.

“Miss, I just spoke with the kindergarten teacher. The painting was taken home by Teacher Wu, who then said her daughter brought it to school… Long story short, after passing through many hands, it ended up with Yu Qie.”

Qin Yuzhen: “…”

If Yu Qie had known the painting came from the Rong family, he wouldn’t have dared touch it. But after so many intermediaries, he probably assumed it was just some anonymous artist’s work.

“Miss, what should we do now?”

“Check the kindergarten’s surveillance footage. See if Rong Yao submitting the assignment captured my painting. Save that clip,” Qin Yuzhen said. “As for the rest… we’ll see.”

“Understood, Miss.”

“If I want to ruin his reputation completely, would that be too much?”

“Not at all,” Assistant Wang replied. “Besides, Miss, you’re just seeking the truth. If his reputation is ruined, that’s entirely his own doing.”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

By the time the auction ended, Qin Yuzhen checked the trending list. Sure enough, “Yu Qie’s Painting Sells for 500,000, All Proceeds Donated to Charity” was already at #13 and climbing.

Qin Yuzhen nearly gagged.

Opening the trending page, all the posts were praising Yu Qie for her beautiful painting, kind heart, and immense talent.

Using stolen work to gain praise—doesn’t that weigh on your conscience?

“Miss, actually, matters like these can be left to us to handle,” Assistant Wang said.

“No need. Just assist me when the time comes.” Qin Yuzhen glanced at the time. “It just so happens I’m bored.”

“Understood.”

Assistant Wang informed Rong’s father about the matter, but he had no particular reaction, only instructing Assistant Wang to cooperate. In his view, a minor celebrity like this could simply be crushed—there was no need for such complications.

After returning, Qin Yuzhen stuffed the painting into a corner, not wanting to see it at all.

She sat on the sofa for a while, then picked up her phone five minutes later and sent a message to Assistant Wang.

Qin Yuzhen: Assistant Wang, I want to meet Yu Qie. Contact the auction organizers and say I wish to see her—don’t use the Rong family’s name.

Assistant Wang: Understood.

Qin Yuzhen thought it was only fair to give the other party a chance. What if they were willing to issue a public apology? Though the likelihood of that happening was minuscule—about 0.01%.

When Rong Xi returned, she habitually scrolled through Weibo while in the car and absentmindedly clicked on the top trending topic. The moment she saw the painting ranked first, she froze.

Back when Qin Yuzhen had finished painting it, Rong Xi had been utterly awestruck, the image seared into her memory. Now, seeing it auctioned off under someone else’s name felt nothing short of surreal.

It was as if something had exploded in her head.

Study Hard to Surpass Someone: Are we sure he painted this??? Why is it identical to my sister’s work?

Rong Xi left this comment, only for it to be swiftly deleted, and she was promptly blocked.

The speed was impressive.

She took a deep breath. So mad! So mad!

Unable to wait until she got home, Rong Xi immediately made a call. “Hey! Sister, listen—I just logged onto Weibo and saw your painting being auctioned off under someone else’s name!”

“How shameless! Absolutely shameless!”

“I know. I was the one who bought it,” Qin Yuzhen replied.

“How did this happen?” Rong Xi frowned. She was practically fuming, yet Qin Yuzhen sounded completely unruffled.

“The painting was taken by a relative of the kindergarten teacher and eventually ended up in that celebrity’s hands,” Qin Yuzhen explained. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it. I plan to meet with that person in the next few days to see what their stance is.”

“Alright.”

“You sound even angrier than I am,” Qin Yuzhen remarked.

“Because I… uphold justice,” Rong Xi said. “Seeing something like this, it’s only natural I’d feel indignant.”

“Mm.” Qin Yuzhen took a sip of milk. “When are you getting home?”

“I’m already at the door.”

“Then why are you calling me?” Qin Yuzhen raised an eyebrow.

“I couldn’t help it!”

Qin Yuzhen could hear the wind rushing past Rong Xi’s end of the line—she must have started running. Soon came the sound of footsteps on the stairs and her increasingly heavy breathing. “I’m almost at your door. I’ll hang up now.”

Qin Yuzhen: “…”

Indeed. Though Rong Xi had recently been showing signs of turning into a cunning schemer, at her core, she was still the same silly, earnest girl.

But even as a silly, earnest girl, she still remembered to knock before entering.

Rong Xi’s face was flushed as she panted heavily, “When are you going to meet that thief? I want to go with you.”

“I’m going alone,” Qin Yuzhen replied.

“Why? What if they bully you when you’re by yourself?” Rong Xi frowned.

Qin Yuzhen propped her chin on her hand. “Wouldn’t that just prove he’s a terrible person? Then I can deal with him properly.”

Rong Xi: “…”

“Entrapment?”

“Something like that.” Qin Yuzhen glanced Rong Xi up and down. “Why are you in such a hurry?”

“I was afraid you might cry, so I rushed back to comfort you,” Rong Xi said, leaning against the door.

“I usually only make others cry. Don’t say anything online for now, and don’t tell anyone else.”

Rong Xi’s expression froze for a second.

“You already did?”

“Yeah… and then I got blocked.” Rong Xi sighed.

“Tsk.” Qin Yuzhen chuckled.