In an instant, Ye Mingxuan understood what had happened. Ye Yufan had swapped their artwork, submitting his painting as his own assignment—and even earned Teacher Qi’s praise!
Fury surged through Ye Mingxuan, his chest heaving as he clenched his fists. He glared at Ye Yufan, who seemed to sense his gaze and feigned composure, lifting his chin even higher.
Shameless… For the first time, Ye Mingxuan cursed someone in his mind, unleashing nearly every profanity he could think of.
“Bitch!” Li Ran hissed under her breath. “He swapped them!”
A nearby classmate overheard and asked curiously, “What’s going on?”
Li Ran explained, “This painting is by Ye Mingxuan, not Ye Yufan. He must have swapped it when no one was looking.”
The classmate gasped, “Seriously?”
Their conversation drew attention from those nearby, who turned to ask if it was true.
Li Ran declared, “Of course it’s true! I saw Ye Mingxuan paint it with my own eyes!”
“Holy crap.” Those students quickly spread the news to those around them. Word spread like wildfire, growing louder and louder below. More and more eyes turned to watch Ye Yufan and Ye Mingxuan.
Ye Yufan felt probing stares from nearby and dug his fingernails into his knees.
The classroom soon erupted into a chaotic buzz.
Qi Lin noticed the commotion and adjusted his reading glasses. “What’s going on? Any thoughts on Ye Yufan’s painting?”
The noise below grew even louder.
Qi Lin frowned. While his class encouraged students to freely express their interpretations of oil paintings, he would not tolerate a lack of discipline.
“Quiet,” Qi Lin said. “What exactly are you arguing about?”
Someone shouted, “Teacher, they’re saying this isn’t Ye Yufan’s painting—it’s Ye Mingxuan’s!”
Ye Yufan stiffened, raising his voice to retort, “You’re lying!”
“Then who exactly is lying?”
All eyes turned to the speaker. Ye Mingxuan gritted his teeth, his eyes red with anger, his voice trembling. “You know very well whether you painted this or not.”
Ye Yufan flinched, his eyes darting nervously, yet he stubbornly insisted, “Of course I painted it! My name is on it!”
Qi Lin motioned for silence. His gentle gaze peered over his glasses at Ye Mingxuan. “Ye Mingxuan, are you saying this painting is yours?”
Facing Teacher Qi, Ye Mingxuan stood and bowed. “Teacher, this painting is indeed mine. Li Ran can vouch for me.”
Li Ran also stood up: “Yes, Teacher Qi. Last time, my pendant accidentally hit Ye Mingxuan’s canvas. That’s the one—it has a dent in the lower left corner. I wouldn’t mistake it for anything else.”
“And I watched Ye Mingxuan finish the entire painting. The one on the screen is identical to the one he painted.”
Ye Yufan felt his blood freeze. First, he hadn’t expected Ye Mingxuan to speak up. Second, he hadn’t even noticed the dent in the lower left corner!
Qi Lin narrowed his eyes and examined it closely. Sure enough, he spotted the dent in the lower left corner. He turned to Ye Yufan: “Ye Yufan, you explain.”
The stares from those around him felt like dozens of icy blades piercing through his body. His limbs felt numb, frozen solid. “I… I… You’re just jealous of me! This is my painting!”
“Enough.” Qi Lin frowned. “I need to know the truth immediately.”
“Teacher, why not have them both draw it here on the spot!” someone shouted.
“Yeah, a live showdown will settle it!”
“Great idea! That’d be thrilling!”
“Hurry up and draw! I want to see their skills!”
The mere mention of a showdown sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Qi Lin nodded. “That’s not a bad idea. What do you two think?”
Ye Mingxuan gave Ye Yufan a faint glance, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then straightened his back, a flame burning within him. “Teacher, I’m willing to draw on the spot.”
Years of suppression had taught him to yield in every other matter, but this time, he absolutely refused to let Ye Yufan claim his artwork. He would never allow another to take credit for his hard work!
Qi Lin nodded. “Both of you, come forward.”
Ye Yufan remained motionless. The crowd, eager for drama, egged him on: “Hurry up! You said it was yours, didn’t you? Get up there!”
Amidst the clamor, Ye Mingxuan and Ye Yufan sat side by side in the classroom center, surrounded by the crowd. Qi Lin leaned against the lectern, watching them.
Ye Mingxuan’s heart pounded so fiercely it felt ready to burst from his chest. Rage twisted his stomach into knots, and his hands began trembling uncontrollably.
The pain felt like frost, solidifying from his limbs toward his core. Ye Mingxuan’s right hand gripped the paintbrush, hovering over the canvas for several seconds. Li Ran called out, “Mingxuan, are you okay? Ye Yufan has already started painting. What are you thinking about?”
Someone questioned, “You’ve been holding it for so long. Are you lying?”
“Feeling guilty? Why else wouldn’t you paint?”
“If he is lying, this drama will be quite entertaining.”
Li Ran: “You… you guys, what’s the rush? Mingxuan hasn’t painted yet. Don’t mess with his mindset!”
Ye Mingxuan took the thermos cup Li Ran handed him and drank some water. Li Ran patted his back: “Feeling better now?”
“Thank you,” Ye Mingxuan said gratefully, seeing how concerned Li Ran was about him.
His stomach still ached, but time wouldn’t wait for him. Lips turning pale, Ye Mingxuan forced himself to focus through the pain, placing the first stroke on the blank canvas.
Meanwhile, Ye Yufan grew increasingly uneasy as he painted. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Qi Lin studying him intently. Swallowing hard, Ye Yufan continued smearing paint across the canvas, though his mind had gone completely blank.
“How could he paint like this…”
“This isn’t even close to the level of the reference image the teacher provided, is it?”
“So Ye Yufan was lying? Live painting really exposes your true skill level. I’m going to check how Ye Mingxuan is doing.”
The murmurs from the surrounding crowd reached Ye Yufan’s ears. Panic seized him as he realized this lie couldn’t be covered up. His body began to tremble uncontrollably.
“Hey, hey, you guys, go check out Ye Mingxuan! His drawing is amazing!” Someone pushed through the crowd to call out.
“I’m going to see!”
“Me too!”
“Since you’re all going, I’ll come too—wait for me!”
The crowd around Ye Yufan thinned rapidly, while Ye Mingxuan’s painting drew an ever-growing circle of admirers, murmuring praise as they studied his work.
The situation was now crystal clear. Qi Lin called a halt, but still followed protocol, instructing Li Ran to collect both their paintings.
Ye Yufan sat stiff as a board on the stool, his face ashen. Ye Mingxuan stared intently at Qi Lin, anxiously awaiting his verdict.
Ye Yufan’s pupils dilated in shock: “Te… Teacher…”
The classroom fell into an eerie silence. No one had expected Teacher Qi to be so decisive, directly dismissing Ye Yufan from class.
But seeing Ye Yufan get what he deserved, everyone adopted a spectator’s attitude. Ye Mingxuan stared quietly at Ye Yufan, then stood up: “Apologize to me.”
Li Ran chimed in: “That’s right! Ye Yufan, you should apologize to Ye Mingxuan!”
Others echoed: “Exactly! Apologize! Apologize!”
“Ye Mingxuan is being generous just asking for an apology. Why aren’t you apologizing?”
Ye Mingxuan waited for Ye Yufan’s response. Ye Yufan, isolated and facing everyone’s accusations, had completely lost face.
Resentful and ashamed, he finally spoke: “I’m sorry!” He grabbed his backpack and fled the classroom as fast as he could.
The classroom erupted like boiling water, buzzing with chatter about the incident. Qi Lin looked at Ye Mingxuan and nodded approvingly. “Now that we’ve cleared things up, the highest score for this assignment goes to Ye Mingxuan.”
Ye Mingxuan’s eyes lit up, his excitement nearly silencing him. “R-really…?”
Li Ran chimed in, “Absolutely! Congratulations, Mingxuan!”
Others quickly followed suit. “Mingxuan, congratulations! Your drawing is truly excellent.”
“Sorry, I thought you were lying just now…”
Ye Mingxuan pressed his lips together, smiling sheepishly like melting snow in spring.
Qi Lin: “We’ve wasted too much time today. Class dismissed early.”
The class erupted in chatter as they scattered—some grabbing their backpacks, others pairing up, but most were messaging friends to gossip about what just happened.
Ye Mingxuan organized his backpack and headed for the door when Qi Lin called out, “Ye Mingxuan.”
“Teacher, is there something else?” Ye Mingxuan paused to ask.
Qi Lin said kindly, “You have a real talent for drawing.”
Ye Mingxuan froze, then broke into a genuine smile. “Thank you, Teacher.”
He bid Teacher Qi farewell, clutched his backpack tightly, and headed out the door. As he neared the academy entrance, he spotted Tan Sizhe’s car and quickened his pace.
Opening the door, he spotted Tan Sizhe scrolling through his phone in the backseat. “Sir!” he greeted cheerfully.
Tan Sizhe grabbed his backpack and placed it on his lap, then put a soft pillow behind Ye Mingxuan to make him more comfortable. “Since you’re so happy, we should celebrate tonight. Where do you want to eat?”
Ye Mingxuan hesitated. “Um… just eating at home is fine.”
Seeing him hold back, Tan Sizhe asked, “What’s wrong? You seem troubled.”
Ye Mingxuan looked up, surprised Tan Sizhe had seen right through him. It was as if the other man possessed X-ray vision; nothing seemed to escape his notice.
He hadn’t intended to mention it, assuming Tan Sizhe wouldn’t care about such trivial matters.
But today, Ye Mingxuan felt an overwhelming urge to pour out all his worries, sorrows, joys, and even anger to Tan Sizhe.
So Ye Mingxuan paused for two seconds before beginning to recount his story. To his surprise, Tan Sizhe didn’t interrupt him, listening quietly until he finished.
“That’s how it is,” Ye Mingxuan murmured, pursing his lips as he glanced at Tan Sizhe, anxious about what judgment might follow.
Tan Sizhe stared at him for a long moment before reaching up to ruffle his hair. A soft, wind-chime-like sound brushed past Ye Mingxuan’s ear—the man’s gentle whisper.
“Mingxuan, you defended what was yours. You did exceptionally well,” Tan Sizhe said.
Ye Mingxuan felt as if a soft little cloud had struck his heart. He lifted his beautiful eyes to see Tan Sizhe’s lips move as he continued, “And what makes me even happier is that you chose to share this with me.”
“Mingxuan, I’m so happy.”
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