On the day of the exhibition.
To ensure the artists weren’t disturbed, the venue was divided into zones. The temporary, cramped viewing area was separated by double-layered soundproof glass and felt a bit claustrophobic.
But even this cramped viewing area was something money couldn’t buy—only the artists’ close friends and family could get in.
Yun Zhiyi kept glancing toward the entrance. “There are only eight minutes left until it starts. Why aren’t Xiao Sheng and Junzi here yet?”
Mo Hua frowned slightly. “Can’t get through on the phone either.”
Zhou Jing pushed up his glasses and looked around. “Where’s Jia Qi…?”
…
Two hours earlier.
Sun Jun and four others set out from his rented apartment. Gao Gusheng patted Sun Jun on the shoulder. “Junzi, check your bag again. I have a bad feeling.”
He clicked his tongue in annoyance. “If Jia Qi’s being so quiet, he must be up to something.”
Sun Jun smiled wryly but obediently opened his backpack to check.
He was always meticulous—he’d already checked his bag twice before bed last night to make sure nothing would go wrong at the exhibition.
But this time, as he checked, he noticed something off with his paints.
“Hmm?”
His smile faded to confusion and seriousness.
Sun Jun was very sensitive to color. Sometimes, when store-bought paints didn’t meet his needs, he’d make his own. He’d brought a few tubes of homemade paint for this event.
He liked things clean, and his paint tubes were spotless on the outside, looking almost unopened.
But this time, he noticed a sesame-sized black dot on the outside of a tube of peach-black paint.
He took out the tube. Gao Gusheng leaned over. “What’s wrong? Not enough paint?”
Sun Jun shook his head gravely, then carefully unscrewed the cap. The seal was tight, but as he opened it, a faint fishy smell wafted out.
Sun Jun took a tissue and dabbed some paint onto it. What should have been black paint appeared as varying shades of dark brown.
And this tube seemed especially watery—the tissue soaked up the liquid and became limp, while the colored part dried unusually fast, almost completely dry in seconds.
Even Gao Gusheng, who knew nothing about painting, could tell something was wrong. He was both shocked and angry. “Damn, someone switched your paint?!”
Such a faint fishy smell could easily be masked by the paint’s scent. If Sun Jun had used it at the exhibition, he would’ve made a fool of himself.
He’d made his own paint to perform better, but if something went wrong, he’d be labeled as “overreaching.”
Sun Jun quickly checked his other paints and found two more tubes had been tampered with.
Gao Gusheng grabbed Sun Jun’s wrist. “Come on, let’s go replace the paint. When we get back, I’ll beat the crap out of whoever did this!”
He waved to Yun Zhiyi and the others. “You guys go ahead and save us good seats!”
Sun Jun was angry at first, but seeing Gao Gusheng fuming like an inflated little pufferfish, he couldn’t stay mad. He smiled wryly. “Alright, alright, we left two hours early—there’s plenty of time.”
The two hurried back to Sun Jun’s place. Gao Gusheng rubbed his arm, goosebumps rising. “Junzi, you should move after this. I don’t think it’s safe here. By the way, what are you planning to paint this time?”
Sun Jun was opening the door as he replied, “Still flowers this time, I like—mmph!”
Gao Gusheng’s pupils shrank.
Just as Sun Jun opened the door, a hand shot out and covered his mouth and nose!
Gao Gusheng was all too familiar with this move. Instinctively, he lashed out with a kick!
The force slammed the alloy dorm door into the person at the entrance. The cloth covering Sun Jun’s mouth and nose instantly fell away. Gao Gusheng caught Sun Jun. “Are you okay?!”
Sun Jun shook his head, still a little dizzy, but thanks to Gao Gusheng’s quick reaction, he was mostly fine. He gave Gao Gusheng a thumbs-up.
“I think we should check if that person has a problem first.”
He thought he heard the sound of a skull hitting the wall.
Sun Jun turned his head and saw a deep dent in his door.
Someone was lying behind the door, their fingers trembling, looking quite “unrestful in death.”
However, Gao Gusheng didn’t bother checking the person’s injuries. He just supported Sun Jun, listening to the approaching footsteps and frowning slightly.
He pressed his emergency contact button and, watching people approaching from all directions, sighed, “Hey, Junzi, after this exhibition, you really need to move.”
…
There were five minutes left before the exhibition started. The elders were already seated, the livestream was about to begin, and the cameraman was making final adjustments.
Sun Jun still hadn’t arrived.
Wu Qin frowned slightly, glancing at the entrance from time to time. The host, with a bit of mischief, had seated Wu Qin and Wu Ren together.
Wu Ren sneered, “Could it be that someone’s student chickened out before the battle and doesn’t dare to come?”
Wu Qin retorted with a cold laugh, “That’s still better than someone’s student hyping up their artwork.”
Wu Ren raised an eyebrow, “Any artwork you don’t like is just hype? You’re so domineering, Old Wu.”
…
The two bickered, but both kept glancing toward the entrance.
The real value of this exhibition was in networking. If a young artist had decent talent but was arrogant and disrespectful to elders, they’d never gain the old masters’ favor.
If Sun Jun was late to such an important event, his reputation would take a hit.
Meanwhile, Jia Qi had arrived early. He was good-looking, witty, and after his 80-million-yuan auction success, he was the center of attention. Many elders smiled at him, and the younger generation quickly befriended him.
As the starting time approached, everyone took their seats. The hall was spacious, giving everyone plenty of room, which made any empty seats stand out even more. Some people had already noticed the vacant spot and started speculating about which arrogant person dared to be late to such an important occasion.
Yun Zhiyi was so anxious she nearly pulled Zhou Jing’s hair out. Zhou Jing, pushing up his glasses, waved his other hand wildly, trying to fend her off. “Stop it! Maybe something happened to them. Let’s go report to the organizers first!”
The three squeezed toward the exit. Mo Hua led the way, but just then, the countdown began.
Jia Qi sat calmly, slowly opening his paints. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Wu Qin’s stern face and sneered inwardly.
Now, Sun Jun probably wouldn’t even be able to hold a brush, let alone show up.
But just as this thought crossed his mind, someone pushed the door open.
The boy in front was fully geared up, his face hard to see; the boy behind him wore a gentle smile. He carried a painting bag and sat in the only empty seat. As he set out his paper and brushes, the timer ended and the livestream began.
Yun Zhiyi thumped Zhou Jing’s back. “Xiao Sheng, you finally made it! Why were you two so late?”
Zhou Jing struggled under Yun Zhiyi’s “claws.” “Let go, tomboy! Go hit Xiao Jun, not me!”
Gao Gusheng tilted his head back and drank half a bottle of water. Mo Hua handed him a Band-Aid. “Got into a fight?”
Gao Gusheng stretched out his scratched arm. “It’s fine, already scabbed over.”
Mo Hua glanced at the Band-Aid, then put it away.
Gao Gusheng stretched lazily. “Just loosened up a bit, but Junzi really needs to move—and so does Jia Qi.”
…
The moment Jia Qi saw Sun Jun arrive, his heart was in chaos.
Why… why did Sun Jun still manage to come?!
He’d planned everything perfectly: had his art department guy swap Sun Jun’s paints, got Zhou Da to ambush him at home, and even arranged for thugs outside.
If Sun Jun hadn’t noticed the paint issue, he’d have embarrassed himself at the exhibition. If he went home to swap paint, the playboy would knock him out, making him miss the event.
Sun Jun was good-looking—Jia Qi hated to admit it, but his foundation was better than his own. After this period of rest, not having to hand out flyers in the hot sun or wash dishes until his hands peeled, Sun Jun’s looks had basically recovered. He wasn’t the most handsome, but definitely the type the playboy liked.
The playboy, driven by lust, wouldn’t let Sun Jun slip away.
Even if the playboy failed, there were still the thugs he’d hired. Those guys were ruthless, and the Sun family was well-off, Sun Jun was gentle and pretty—afterward, they’d take photos. Whether for blackmail or just for fun, it would ruin Sun Jun completely.
He’d planned every detail.
So why was Sun Jun still able to show up?!
Jia Qi bit his lip and picked up his brush to mix paint.
But his mind was a mess, his head buzzing, and his still-aching lower body throbbed as if everything was stopping him from painting.
He hadn’t picked up a brush in ages. It felt like there was a monster in his head devouring his inspiration—he couldn’t think of anything to paint.
Art relies heavily on inspiration. The organizers had anticipated this and didn’t require students to paint anything specific. Some students without inspiration would simply show off their technical skills.
But that was something Jia Qi simply couldn’t do.
His fundamentals were poor, and after neglecting them for so long, he couldn’t even hold a brush properly. If he tried to paint here, he’d be exposed.
What to do? What to do?!
To make things worse, from his angle, he could just barely see Sun Jun’s canvas. This seat, meant to help him keep track of Sun Jun, now became a form of torture.
An hour passed. Jia Qi had only managed a few rough strokes. Painting takes time, and some people hadn’t even started yet, so he didn’t stand out—but only he knew his back was already soaked with sweat.
Even worse, Sun Jun’s brush moved like lightning—he’d already sketched out the composition, and you could vaguely see it was a cluster of wisteria.
Maybe I should just fake fainting, pretend I’m not feeling well.
But letting Sun Jun steal the spotlight like this—he just couldn’t accept it.
Jia Qi racked his brain for a way out, but soon, he didn’t need to think anymore.
As viewers discussed the livestream, most focused on Sun Jun, since his progress was clearly outstanding. Others kept their eyes on Jia Qi, mostly out of envy for his 80-million-yuan painting.
【Is that wisteria?】
【So fast.】
【As an art student, I’m impressed.】
【Jia Qi’s progress seems slow?】
【Masters always take their time for quality.】
【Will he create another 80-million-yuan piece this time?】
【Is this a real vs. fake young master showdown?】
【What’s that about? Tell us!】
The chat quickly went off-topic.
When everyone circled back to the drama between Jia Qi and Sun Jun, some viewers started to notice something was off: 【Most people have started painting, but why does Jia Qi look totally uninspired?】
【Maybe we just don’t understand a master’s art?】
【Master, my ass.】
【Masters all have their quirks, right?】
Just as the discussion heated up, the doors suddenly burst open, startling everyone in the livestream.
【What’s going on? Don’t artists need peace and quiet?】
“Police!”
With a loud shout, several figures rushed in. Before anyone could react, Jia Qi was pinned to the ground by police.
“Come with us.”
The livestream went black, abruptly cut off, leaving the screen full of question marks.
【WTF! What happened???】
【Master Jia was taken away!??】
The internet exploded.
##
