After the Divorce, the Paranoid CEO Begs for a HE with His Life Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Ji-zong, What a Line About “The Pure Stay Pure”

Facing the overwhelming wave of doubt and verbal abuse, Jian An stood there in a panic, his expression tense.

What on earth were those people saying…?

The host walked over to his side but didn’t expose him immediately. Instead, he spoke tactfully: “Dear contestant, did you perhaps bring the wrong painting? Or did you ‘draw inspiration’ from someone else’s work?”

The bizarre question left Jian An confused. He immediately shook his head resolutely and denied it:

“I didn’t take the wrong one, nor did I plagiarize anyone else’s work. I painted this oil painting with my own hands.”

The host clearly didn’t believe him and gestured for him to turn around.

“Then please look at the oil painting on the main exhibition stand. Don’t you think your work is very similar to it? Plagiarism is the ultimate taboo in any competition and is the most unacceptable behavior.”

When he turned to look at the display for the best works, he was struck by a sudden shock. His widened eyes were full of bewilderment, and even the muscles in his cheeks were twitching slightly.

There, stood an oil painting identical to his own! Furthermore, the artist noted beside the work was: “Contestant No. 9848, Shen Chuyan.”

Jian An was instantly speechless, unable to utter a single word. He just stood there quietly.

His desperate defense became pale and weak in the face of so many mouths that only believed what they saw. He could only let the crowd push him into the eye of the storm.

At this moment, he felt like a puppet abandoned in the wilderness—devoid of sensation, devoid of emotion, where even breathing became a struggle.

“And here I thought he was some genius artist. Turns out he’s just a copycat! And he copied it exactly the same way—how stupid!”

“Does the Venice Art Competition have no entry requirements? Can any random cat or dog sign up?”

“This is so embarrassing! If it were me, I’d kill myself on the spot! What was this person thinking? Of all people to copy, he dared to plagiarize Professor Shen? I’m embarrassed for him!”

The countless gazes of mockery, ridicule, and contempt sliced through his fragile nerves like knives.

Jian An wanted to flee, but his legs wouldn’t move.

For a brief second, he habitually looked toward the man in the judges’ seats, his eyes filled with a plea for help and fear.

Ji Songting met his gaze directly, but remained unmoved. The look in his eyes held a trace of discrimination and deep disgust, which completely chilled Jian An’s heart.

In that instant, Jian An finally realized he shouldn’t hope for a shred of redemption from him—even if this man was his husband of three years, albeit one with no affection.

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That man’s indifference had reached the extreme. He could stand by and watch his legal partner be reviled by everyone and remain completely indifferent.

He would even join the crowd in snapping Jian An’s wings and then strike a blow directly at his weakest point.

“I believe Jian An did not plagiarize!”

A steady voice suddenly rang out from below the stage.

Jian An snapped out of his chaotic thoughts and looked to the side. All the fear and helplessness in his heart finally found a place to rest.

Shen Yunheng strode toward the center of the stage, a faint but reassuring smile on his lips.

He stood unswervingly by Jian An’s side, shielding him from all the rumors and slander.

Before the crowd could question him, Shen Yunheng took the microphone. His expression was solemn as he spoke word by word:

“I stake my character and reputation as a guarantee. All of Jian An’s paintings, including his work for this competition, are the result of his own hard work and creation. He never ‘borrows’ ideas, let alone plagiarizes. As for Jian An’s artistic style, the fellow teachers at his school have all witnessed it.”

This statement immediately caused a massive uproar.

“Professor Shen plagiarized? Impossible. Even with the Shen Group’s CEO as a guarantee, I still don’t believe it.”

“Besides, isn’t Shen Yunheng Professor Shen’s brother? Why is a brother helping an outsider go against his own family?”

Shen Chuyan clenched his fists. Beneath his calm eyes, extremely frenzied emotions were hidden.

Why was Shen Yunheng meddling?!

He hated the brother who spoke up for others, and he resented everyone who tried to obstruct his dreams.

The organizers, sitting in their seats, adjusted the microphones in front of them and asked with interest: “What evidence does Shen-zong have to prove this contestant didn’t plagiarize?”

Shen Yunheng walked toward the oil paintings behind him and said seriously:

“By doing a professional comparison of the two works, it will be clear who plagiarized. But I also hope that before the results come out, the person who plagiarized can take the initiative to admit it.”

“As you wish. Do the comparison. Xiao Yan couldn’t possibly plagiarize; I have also witnessed his artistic talent.”

Ji Songting stood up from his seat, his face cold and sharp. Feeling anger and a sense of injustice for his beloved, he continued:

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“Furthermore, as his brother and kin, you are actually questioning your own younger brother. Outsiders would think you are intentionally targeting him.”

Jian An lowered his eyes, his long lashes covering the irrepressible disappointment in the depths of his gaze.

Why was Shen Yunheng willing to believe him even under the pressure of the media, but Ji Songting was not?

“Precisely because he is my, Shen Yunheng’s, younger brother, I understand him—and that is exactly why I shouldn’t allow plagiarism to exist!”

These words were powerful and resonant, with every sentence making sense. The people present suddenly stopped their accusations against Jian An and turned suspicious eyes toward Shen Chuyan.

Shen Chuyan panicked instantly. His eyes filled with mist and turned red. His voice was the picture of grievance:

“Brother, I know you don’t like me, but you can’t slander my dreams. I spent half a month creating this oil painting. How can the hard work of painting and the pain of lacking inspiration be described as plagiarism?”

At that pitiful sight, Ji Songting felt a surge of heartache. He comforted him in a light tone:

“Xiao Yan, there’s no need to mind his words. The pure stay pure, and the muddy stay muddy.”

“Ji-zong, what a fine line about ‘the pure stay pure.'”

Shen Yunheng usually maintained his decorum and rarely lost his temper, but at this moment, his face darkened. He said in frustration: “You’ve been defending Shen Chuyan this whole time. Isn’t Xiao An also—”

Before he could finish his sentence, Jian An suddenly pulled his arm, signaling him with a pleading look not to continue.

As for why, Shen Yunheng knew all too well.

The marriage between the two had always been private and had never been announced to the public. Those who knew were mostly family and friends, and they could be counted on one hand.

Others only knew that Shen Chuyan was Ji Songting’s lover. No one knew of the existence of Jian An as the legal spouse of the Ji family. He was like a transparent person, dispensable.

The entire hall fell silent for a time. People who didn’t know the truth loved to follow the wind, swaying back and forth.

Shen Yunheng looked at the organizers and said: “The most important thing now is to authenticate the two works.”

The organizers nodded. “Please wait. Our professionals will soon be on stage to identify which work is the plagiarism.”

Hearing these “fair” words, Shen Chuyan felt as though he were hammering home the fact of Jian An’s plagiarism.

After all, who could have guessed that he had swapped the two oil paintings long ago?

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His grievance from a moment ago vanished, replaced instantly by a face full of malice. He muttered to himself in a voice only he could hear: “Jian An, let’s wait and see who becomes the fool.”

After about half an hour of carefully identifying the two works, the staff gave a rigorous conclusion:

“Contestant 9849 is the one who plagiarized.”

Jian An’s expression turned hideously pale, his mind going completely blank. “How could this be…”

Shen Yunheng stepped forward and gently pulled the man behind him. The confusion on his face grew deeper. “Did you make a mistake? Please identify them again.”

“We used professional techniques and tools to compare the two oil paintings. There can be no mistake.”

The staff member placed the two works side-by-side on an easel facing the audience. Then, he sent the images circling the problem areas to the large screen and explained:

“Whether it is plagiarism is very obvious to identify. Contestant No. 9848’s work has complete compositional details and natural brushstrokes. On the other hand, for Contestant No. 9849, many of the brushstrokes in his work are very rough. The tone imitation is highly similar but not comprehensive. It was clearly caused by nervousness during the painting process.”

“The elements expressed in Contestant 9849’s work—the specific character settings, character relationships, plot events, and so on—have over five points of overlap. Or rather, the content plagiarized from Contestant 9848’s work has reached over 80%. This can be considered very serious plagiarism.”

Hearing this, Shen Chuyan couldn’t help but let out a light sneer. He secretly felt that Jian Yufeng was indeed meticulous enough to allow the professionals to describe the artist’s emotions on the spot.

Now, everyone was completely convinced that Jian An had plagiarized Shen Chuyan.

The organizers added: “Over 80%? This situation is a serious infringement. Plagiarizing others’ works violates the Copyright Law and carries legal responsibility.”

Jian An was stunned at first, then the gaze he turned toward the easel gradually became filled with despair and terror. His voice was tight:

“Why do you all say I plagiarized? I didn’t plagiarize! My oil painting must have been swapped. This highly similar work is not mine…”

The voices of disdain crashed over him from all sides. Shen Yunheng raised his hands to cover Jian An’s ears, comforting him in a low voice:

“Xiao An, don’t listen to what they say. They’re all just jealous of you. I believe you didn’t plagiarize. Someone must be behind this. With me here, you won’t have to take any responsibility.”

Jian An shrank behind his tall frame, his voice trembling slightly, as fragile and helpless as a startled fawn. “Yunheng, I didn’t plagiarize…”

“I know. I will always believe in you.”

Watching the two of them acting so intimately on stage, Ji Songting’s face darkened. His fingers instinctively clenched together, and a cold murderous intent burst from his eyes.

Originally, he thought Shen Yunheng was a gentleman. Now it seemed he was just like Jian An—a treacherous person. Two pieces of trash together really made a pair!

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But why? Every time he saw Jian An entangled with someone else, he felt an inexplicable sense of bitterness, irritation, and unease. He even felt a surge of rage, wishing he could lock the man away in a cage forever.

Just then, Shen Chuyan suddenly stepped onto the stage and walked straight toward Jian An.

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