Chapter 187 - 186: Scumbag Torture Scene, Meng Shuyan at Death’s Door
Chapter 187: Chapter 186: Scumbag Torture Scene, Meng Shuyan at Death’s Door
SWISH! Every eye in the venue instantly snapped to Meng Shuyan. Gazes of bewildered suspicion, thoughtful contemplation, and unbridled fury fell upon him. Meng Shuyan held his chin high, basking in the attention like a proud rooster.
Although the sudden commencement of the awards ceremony had caught him slightly off guard, it didn’t stop him from proceeding with his plan. Thanks to Old Sir Meng’s former status, the Jianghuai Calligraphy Association was a place where he could come and go as he pleased. It couldn’t have been easier for him to tamper with the calligraphy piece. But Shi Changying had cheated first; he couldn’t be blamed for this!
Around him, a chorus of whispers broke out.
"Young Master Meng falsely accused someone last time. Is he trying to pull the exact same trick again?"
"Even though I don’t like the newly returned daughter of the Xu Family, Meng Shuyan really has zero credibility and reputation to speak of."
"I don’t care for either of them, but does Meng Shuyan think we’re idiots? Turning a public place of learning like our school into his personal platform for a power grab? Who has time for him?"
"Exactly. We have no obligation to provide any emotional validation for a rich boy like him."
The winds of public opinion weren’t blowing as smoothly as Meng Shuyan had anticipated. Gritting his teeth, he strode quickly toward the rostrum and reiterated, "I have proof!"
Principal Ning’s face was darker than ever. "Meng Shuyan, step down!"
"Principal, I really have proof this time." How could Meng Shuyan possibly give up? "If you don’t believe me, hold this calligraphy piece up to the sunlight. You’ll see the anti-counterfeit mark I left behind."
Just as Principal Ning was about to scold him again, Cui Jinghan suddenly stood up. His unwavering gaze was fixed on Meng Shuyan. "Alright. As you said, hold it up to the sunlight."
Meng Shuyan flinched slightly but then puffed out his chest, his eyes flashing with a venomous excitement. With Cui Jinghan’s approval, two judges moved the calligraphy piece into the sunlight. As the light pierced through the paper, new characters emerged across the scroll—MSY, the exact Pinyin initials of Meng Shuyan’s name.
"This is the anti-counterfeit mark I left behind," Meng Shuyan sneered. "Bet you didn’t see that coming, Shi Changying!"
He looked down at Shi Changying from his vantage point, hoping to catch even the slightest hint of panic or fear on her face, but there was none. His expression shifted slightly. Could Shi Changying possibly have a backup plan? No, he was absolutely certain she couldn’t have written such a masterpiece!
Following the appearance of the anti-counterfeit mark, the entire school fell into an uproar.
"No way, Young Master Meng actually has proof this time?"
"To be fair, Shi Changying couldn’t possibly write such exquisite calligraphy, but Meng Shuyan doesn’t have the skill either."
"To write a piece like this, you’d have to be a master calligrapher from the Mingjing Cultural Heritage Institute, right?"
"Yingying, what’s going on?" Lu Mi asked, stunned. "Why is his name on your artwork?"
Shaoyuan said evenly, "There’s a type of perfume that only leaves a visible trace when exposed to sunlight; it stays hidden under artificial light. It’s a very cheap trick."
Song Qingmu stamped his foot anxiously. "When did Meng Shuyan touch Senior Sister’s work? What do we do now?"
Shi Changying looked indolent, even going so far as to let out a leisurely yawn. "We do nothing, because he’s even more foolish than I imagined."
Cui Jinghan stared deathly hard at the massive letters "MSY" on the scroll, his body trembling violently from sheer, unadulterated fury.
"Mr. Cui, please calm down!" one of the judges hurriedly stood up. "We know it’s rare for you to value a calligraphy piece so highly, but who wrote it doesn’t matter."
Did it really not matter? Cui Jinghan felt his entire chest fill with rage. Known for his cold and detached demeanor, he found himself utterly unable to control his emotions in this moment. He had planned to carefully treasure this calligraphy, even though it was a poem by Pei Xuan. But now, this masterpiece had been ruined by those three letters, "MSY"!
Completely ignoring the placating words of the other judges, Cui Jinghan swept his knife-like gaze over Meng Shuyan and asked, enunciating every word, "Are you absolutely certain that you wrote this piece, and that this student, Shi Changying, stole your work?"
The sheer intensity of that look struck a sliver of fear into Meng Shuyan. He subconsciously took a step back but remained firm. "I’m certain!"
When he said those words, he didn’t notice the icy, somber expressions of Teacher Bei and Teacher Zhou. Both of them had seen Shi Changying’s blackboard writing; they knew for a fact that she had written this piece. Indeed, it was hard to believe an eighteen-year-old girl could possess such calligraphy skills, but nothing was impossible.
"Good." Cui Jinghan laughed out of extreme anger. "Cheating is indeed a grave offense. If this is true, the culprit will be permanently banned from entering the Mingjing Cultural Heritage Institute and will never be accepted by any Double First-Class university. Have you thoroughly considered these consequences?"
Meng Shuyan held his head high, his voice echoing with absolute conviction. "Of course!"
Cui Jinghan gave a faint hum of acknowledgment. "Play the video."
A video? Meng Shuyan froze. Before he could even process the words, a new image flashed across the screen. Everyone saw it clearly. In one smooth, uninterrupted motion, Shi Changying finished writing Pei Xuan’s poem, signed her name, and stamped it with her personal seal. In the final few seconds, Yan Sinian’s voice echoed with pure awe: "Miss Shi, you’re amazing! First place is definitely yours this time!"
"..."
Dead silence. The situation had flipped so fast that it caught everyone completely off guard. The judges exchanged confused glances, utterly clueless as to where Cui Jinghan had obtained this footage.
Meng Shuyan’s face turned deathly pale in an instant. "No... that’s impossible! She couldn’t have written it; she doesn’t have the skill! I don’t believe it!"
Both he and Xu Shuyu had received the full, devoted backing of the Meng Family to cultivate their calligraphy skills. And what about Shi Changying? Was she relying on Ming Chengli, a thoroughly mediocre historical archaeologist?
"Jianghuai High School is a top-tier institution in Jiuzhou. For your esteemed school to produce a student like this... I am truly disappointed," Cui Jinghan stated plainly. "Do you know how much this calligraphy piece is worth?"
Meng Shuyan’s face drained of even more color. His lips trembled, but he couldn’t force a single word out.
"This piece is priceless, and yet you ruined it!" Cui Jinghan’s voice turned glacial. "You deliberately destroyed a literary masterpiece, and then dared to falsely claim it as your own!"
"I didn’t!" Meng Shuyan finally choked out a response. "I just... I just..."
"This piece was in pristine condition before it was sent to the Jianghuai Calligraphy Association. It seems you tampered with it while it was in the association." Cui Jinghan cut him off. "Do you think you wield that much power in Jianghuai?"
He paused, letting out an icy laugh. "Then you can have your family try their luck. We’ll see if you—and the family backing you—will ever be able to make a name for yourselves in any cultural sphere across Jiuzhou ever again!"