Chapter 853: Chapter 853: Embarrassing on the International Level (2)

The male intern stopped a staff member to inquire about the situation.

The staff member suddenly understood, “Oh, you’re asking about this piece? Chairman specifically instructed us to send this up as a warning to the art world that plagiarism is intolerable.”

Duan Jingtao felt completely humiliated.

All the praise he had previously lavished on Ji Qingwei was now a joke.

Each compliment now felt like a silent slap to his face.

The male intern added fuel to the fire, “Mr. Duan, didn’t you say your junior sister’s embroidery was unmatched? Her unmatched work is plagiarized from Teacher Si’s, and poorly at that?”

This single sentence snapped the already strained cord in Duan Jingtao’s mind.

He yelled, “I don’t know,” and rushed out.

He pulled out his phone, dialing Master Zhuang’s number with trembling hands, “Teacher, aren’t you already at Glenn? When are you coming to see the exhibition?”

“Yes, I am here,” Master Zhuang replied, “I’m waiting for the Ji family. They will arrive today. The official exhibition isn’t until this afternoon. Why?”

“Teacher, what on earth is going on?” Duan Jingtao couldn’t suppress his shame and anger, “Why is my junior sister’s work being called a plagiarized piece?”

Master Zhuang paused, his tone rising sharply, “What did you say?”

Duan Jingtao quickly recounted the recent events.

Master Zhuang was equally incredulous, “That’s impossible!”

He had personally overseen Ji Qingwei’s embroidery process. How could it be plagiarized?

“It’s true,” Duan Jingtao took a deep breath, “What do we do now? I believe in Qingwei’s character, she wouldn’t plagiarize, and she had no opportunity to do so, but…”

The official exhibition in the afternoon would attract many international guests, and the central hall was of significant importance; everyone would see it.

Ji Qingwei’s reputation was on the line, but it would be a disgraceful one.

“This makes no sense,” Master Zhuang frowned, “I’ll contact the organizers to find out.”

Duan Jingtao, overwhelmed with anger and shame, ran off without any attempt by the show’s crew to stop him.

Director Qin, following Gu Huiyan’s instructions, recorded a special segment with Si Fuqing, to be released on Weibo as a behind-the-scenes clip.

It was a great opportunity to promote the culture of Great Xia, and the promotion was necessary.

After recording, the crew was preparing to leave when another staff member approached Si Fuqing, asking her to stay.

Director Qin instructed the assistant director to escort the other interns and celebrity guests out first.

A few minutes later, the chairman arrived in a hurry.

“Miss Si,” he exclaimed, “Finally, I get to meet you. Your face is truly a masterpiece created by the gods.”

As a sculptor himself, he had been invited to sculpt numerous goddesses from Western mythology, but this was his first time seeing such a perfect face.

Si Fuqing shook his hand naturally, “Yes, this is Nuwa’s masterwork from her graduation showcase.”

Director Qin: “…”

I didn’t know you could praise yourself like this.

But there was nothing wrong with that.

“We would like to invite you to dinner,” the chairman smiled, “and we will also invite Director Gu. How about six o’clock this evening? Are you free, Miss Si?”

Si Fuqing turned to Director Qin, silently asking for his opinion.

“Of course, you must go,” Director Qin immediately agreed, “If you don’t, I’ll dock your pay.”

Si Fuqing: “…”

What a ruthless threat.

“Then it’s settled,” the chairman said happily, “I look forward to our dinner together, Miss Si.”

He personally escorted Si Fuqing and Director Qin out.

Back at the hotel, the assistant director approached Director Qin with a laptop.

“Old Qin, we’ve been instructed to film an episode centered around Teacher Yun Lan before we leave Glenn,” the assistant director said, “This is the script sent over by the network head.”

Director Qin nodded.

Yun Lan had left many marks in Glenn.

Even though she had retired from the spotlight six years ago, fans from various countries still traveled to Glenn daily just to walk the paths she once tread.

The only regret was that she had quit the entertainment industry at the peak of her career.

However, Director Qin had high hopes for Si Fuqing.

He believed Si Fuqing would become the next Yun Lan and once again represent the Great Xia Empire in Glenn.

**

At two in the afternoon, the Ji family had just arrived in Glenn. Leaving the hotel, they headed straight for the International Youth Cultural Exhibition.

Director Mou and Director Luo had arrived earlier and went straight to the central hall.

By this time, many guests had already gathered, whispering around the glass display case.

Director Luo, with sharp eyes, spotted an embroidery piece through the crowd and smiled, “It seems the International Art Association highly values Miss Qingwei’s work.”

They had even placed it in the central exhibition.

Director Mou nodded, “Art transcends borders. Good work deserves praise.”

But as he listened more closely, he realized something was wrong.

“They’re both from the Great Xia Empire, but this one is plagiarized. Copying it so closely, did they think no one would notice?”

“Copying is one thing, but displaying it right next to the original is ridiculous.”

“This is too funny. They dare to copy anything. The organizers are harsh, putting the plagiarized work right next to the original. This Ji Qingwei is a joke.”

Director Mou’s expression changed, and he quickly pushed through the crowd.

He then saw another embroidery piece below the glass display case.

The information was clearly written.

Ji Qingwei, Great Xia Empire.

Originally, this piece was noteworthy, but compared to the original, it was immediately exposed as poor attempt at imitation.

The guests at the exhibition were all talking, pointing at the two “Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains” embroideries.

Aside from the crew from “The Birth of an Employee” and the people invited by the Ji family, the visitors were all from the Western Continent.

They didn’t understand Chinese but could pronounce “Ji Qingwei.” That alone was enough to ruin her reputation in the international art circle.

To be precise, her reputation was tainted before it had even begun.

Although art exhibitions were always niche and didn’t attract much traffic, the few visitors were all highly accomplished in the field of art.

Today, there were also many students and teachers from art schools.

Director Mou and Director Luo looked extremely displeased.

They had never imagined that Ji Longtai’s claim of Ji Qingwei winning an award would be false.

Not only did Ji Qingwei not win an award, but she was also now branded a plagiarist.

The similarities between the two embroideries were too striking. Apart from plagiarism, Director Mou couldn’t think of any other explanation.

And once someone was labeled a plagiarist, even their other works would be questioned and stained, impossible to clear.

“The Seven School Joint Examination results were never publicly announced. Maybe she cheated there too,” Director Luo said bitterly, “The Ji family is playing us for fools!”

Though they had used their positions for personal gain and clashed with Gu Huiyan, they had never supported such blatant plagiarism.

What was the Ji family thinking?

The people around them were all whispering, their gazes full of disdain.

Director Mou couldn’t stand it any longer and turned to leave.

Director Luo didn’t want to look any longer and followed suit.

As they exited the central hall, they ran into Ji Longtai and Madam Ji, along with several other distinguished guests from Sijiu City that Ji Longtai had invited.

“Director Mou!” Ji Longtai called out respectfully, “Director Mou, have you already seen Qingwei’s work?”

He hadn’t expected so many people to come today.

But it made him even prouder.

Ji Qingwei had kept a low profile for so long, it was time for her to shine.

Director Mou replied coldly, “Yes, I’ve seen it. Congratulations, Mr. Ji.”

Ji Longtai beamed, humbly, “Thank you, Director Mou, for your approval. My daughter is still learning, and there is much she needs to improve on. We would appreciate your guidance.”

“Yes, congratulations indeed,” Director Mou sneered, “Congratulations on embarrassing yourself on the international level!”

Plagiarizing so blatantly and being exposed was the end for Ji Qingwei in the international art world!