Su He’s art exhibition proceeded as scheduled.
That day, she went to the beauty studio early for an intellectual makeover and changed into a custom-tailored dress from Su Ying, styling herself meticulously until she exuded a certain artistic flair.
The jade bangle on her wrist was a gift from the old man upon their first meeting, exceptionally precious and something she rarely wore. It was only on occasions like this that it was suitable to wear it to maintain appearances.
This was Su He’s first art exhibition, and it would be a lie to say she wasn’t nervous.
“Nervous?” Lu Yan Bei held her hand, feeling its clammy sweat.
Su He nodded. “Do you think no one will come?”
Although invitations had been sent out, it was hard to say how many people would deem it worthy of their presence.
“They will come,” Lu Yan Bei reassured her. He had taken a day off specifically to be by her side, and he couldn’t bear to see the light in her eyes dim.
With his comfort, Su He felt a little better.
As the appointed time drew near, the previously deserted entrance of the exhibition center began to liven up. Luxury cars slowly drove in, and elegantly dressed men and women alighted.
Hearing the commotion outside, Su He hurried to the entrance to check.
The first to arrive was her mentor, Ms. Hong. She wasn’t alone this time; she brought her husband and several of their children. Their family of five or six arrived in a lively procession, a truly impressive sight.
“Teacher,” Su He said upon seeing Ms. Hong, her heart instantly calming.
“Have you been waiting long?” Ms. Hong gently patted her hand. “I said I wanted to come early, but they were all dawdling. It took ages to get everyone together, and then we made a detour to the gas station…”
“I’m already very happy that you could come,” Su He said with a smile, linking arms with her in a show of closeness. Then, she politely greeted the rest of the He family behind her.
“Uncle He, Qin Jie, Rong Jie, Bin Ge, Yao Ge, Shu Fan.”
As she finished greeting everyone, more guests arrived at the entrance.
Knowing Su He would be busy, Ms. Hong offered a few brief pleasantries and led her family inside.
With Ms. Hong as her anchor, Su He gained a measure of confidence. As she continued to greet guests, she became increasingly adept and comfortable, earning much praise.
“Is this the young madam of the Lu family? She looks quite good, not at all like the rumors say…”
“That’s why you can’t believe rumors!”
“Mrs. He is famously strict; could her disciple be any less capable?”
“Then I must choose one or two paintings to take home later! Who knows, they might be worth more than this later!”
An art exhibition served two purposes: fame and sales.
Most of the invited guests were wealthy and influential, with generous spending power. If they fancied a piece, they could purchase it on the spot. The more paintings sold, the better the art was deemed, achieving both recognition and profit.
Now that Su He was Mrs. Lu, she was naturally not short of money. Therefore, in the eyes of most, she was merely seeking a good reputation to please the Lu family patriarch.
However, upon entering the venue and seeing Su He’s artworks, many began to change their minds.
Su He’s paintings were truly vibrant and brought a sense of comfort.
Her works primarily featured flowers and birds, arranged according to the seasons, making visitors feel as though they were immersed in a vast sea of blossoms. Various flowers in different colors and forms encircled them, a feast for the eyes, allowing any worries to be cast aside and completely forgotten.
“These paintings are exquisite!”
“Indeed! They remind me of my days living in the countryside when I was young…”
“Time flies, and the younger generation is truly formidable!”
“No wonder Mrs. He is so supportive; she certainly has some talent!”
“I thought it was just a reputation, but unexpectedly… this trip was worthwhile!”
For this art exhibition, everyone from the Su family attended except for Su Chen. Even Su Lin was there! Unlike his usual evasiveness, he entered through the main door with confidence, without sunglasses or a hat, standing alongside the Su family without any pretense.
His tall, upright figure quickly drew the attention of many.
“That tall young man looks familiar, is he a celebrity?”
“It’s Su Lin!”
“He’s here too!”
“I heard the Lu family’s daughter-in-law is also surnamed Su, and they’re siblings!”
“And that’s Su Ying next to him? The siblings are all so accomplished!”
“Birds of a feather flock together! It seems Mrs. Lu is also very accomplished, just overly low-key!”
The Su siblings were unaware that their attendance at Su He’s art exhibition would have such an effect.
Su Ying noticed the surrounding gazes and nudged Su Lin with her elbow. “Are you trying to cause a commotion by coming here so openly?”
“The exhibition isn’t open to the public, and there are less than fifty people in the venue, so what’s there to fear! Besides, there are security guards outside; what trouble could arise!” Su Lin replied nonchalantly while examining a painting.
“Don’t underestimate your fans! If they found out about your schedule, they’d surely follow. Those few guards at the entrance wouldn’t be able to stop them!” Su Ying rolled her eyes.
Did he have a misconception about his own popularity?
A superstar with tens of millions of followers, venturing out without even an assistant – wasn’t he afraid of being mobbed by his fans?
“You’re here to support Su Su; don’t end up causing trouble.”
Su Lin pouted unhappily. “I know, I’ll leave in a bit!”
He hadn’t even finished looking at the paintings; what a disappointment!
Su Ying patted his shoulder. “Don’t be upset! I’ll bid on that painting for you later!”
Su Lin had already made up his mind and was about to speak when a sudden commotion erupted from a distance.
The siblings exchanged a look and walked towards the source of the noise.
After inquiring with Tang Jiao Jiao, they learned that someone was accusing Su He of plagiarism. The incident began when a lady guest mentioned that a painting in the venue looked very similar, almost identical, to one hanging in her room. She then muttered a few words to her companion, who took it seriously and reported the matter to Ms. Hong.
Ms. Hong, concerned for her student’s reputation, insisted on investigating. Firstly, she abhorred plagiarism and couldn’t tolerate such a thing. Secondly, if they tried to gloss over it, it would only damage Su He’s reputation. It was better to uncover the truth and clear her name.
Su He was quite bewildered at the time.
She could guarantee with all her heart that these paintings were her own creations and that she had never copied anyone else’s work.
However, the guest presented her case with reasoned arguments.
To support this, Su He even dug up a post from several months ago, which contained a casual photograph she had taken. The background of the photo was the lotus pond at night, which looked like it had been made from the exact same mold as the painting in the venue.
With such strong evidence, Su He had no way to deny it.