Yi Yun looked at her child. She was still angry until she noticed how her son had left her waiting for so long and still appeared unhurried.
"I've been here for so long and you're just coming down now?" Yi Yun said.
"I'm busy; you can go back; I'll come to you when I'm finished." Cui Yan sat comfortably on the sofa.
"Will you really come to me? When I was the one who first came to you like this?" Yi Yun clearly understands her son's personality. He's been in the rebellious stage since he was sensible and never gotten out of it. He never takes his parents' words seriously and left the house as soon as he made his first money. The only time he actually listened to their plans was when he inherited the family business.
"What have you been doing?" Yi Yun questioned, his gaze fixed on Cui Yan.
"You said you were busy. Mom, just tell me what you need from me." Cui Yan stated.
Yi Yun put the tea cup down and asked, "I want to ask, that student named Mu Jin, did you really take away all five of his paintings that were hung up on the gallery?"
"I took it; what's the problem?" Cui Yan looked at her defensively.
"Give me three paintings." Yi Yun stated clearly. She had intended to buy all five of them after the exhibition. Who knew the paintings would be taken away before she could get them? She eventually discovered that the painting had been taken by her own son, Cui Yan.
"Three paintings?" Cui Yan knew immediately what his mother had come for and simply refused, "I don't want to."
"Smelly kid, you think you've grown up, don't you?" Yi Yun became enraged.
"Shouldn't you have known after all these years? After all, you've known me for a long time." Cui Yan is not afraid of her rage.
"Don't think I didn't know you used my reputation to deal with that student named Su Mo."
Yi Yun was taken with Su Mo's "Merciful Grace" when she first saw it. Although the painting technique did not meet her requirements, the painting's concept and the content he wanted to express were excellent. But the more time passes, the more the news seems to go too far. It was even stated that she wanted to accept Su Mo as a student.
She initially thought Su Mo was too bold to use her name to promote himself. She wanted him to recognize his own weight and teach him a lesson, but her husband told her that while it's true that Su Mo was using her name to create hype at first, but the exaggeration that spread later is entirely his son doing. So, since it's his battle, they should just leave them alone.
Yi Yun initially assumed Cui Yan was interested in Su Mo, so she wanted to know about him. She requested for her husband to look into this Su Mo, worrying that Cui Yan had made a mistake this time. But, for some reason, she felt a little happy at the prospect of causing Cui Yan distress.
Only after Jing Yang revealed the evidence of Su Mo's plagiarism did she realize who her son truly wanted to help.
Each of Jing Yang's five paintings is a work that has the potential to make him famous instantly. Yi Yun felt that Mu Jin's "Merciful Grace" perfectly suited her taste. She also likes the other four paintings, and after learning that her son had taken them away, she knew she would never be able to get all of them, but she must find a way to get her hands on at least two of them. So she purposefully asked for three paintings, leaving room for bargaining.
"So what if you know?" Cui Yan said unconcernedly. There was nothing to hide in front of his parents.
"Is your mother's reputation so easily exploited? I'm not going to let it pass if I don't take advantage of it!" Yi Yun acts shamelessly.
Cui Yan couldn't take it anymore. "Mom, how can you claim to be a painter and a noble lady while acting like a thug? So ugly"
"You dare to call your mother a thug?" Yi Yun was upset to no end by her son. "You dare to call me ugly?"
"I just said like, not that you are." Cui Yan said calmly.
"You, you..." Cui Yan had already rendered Yi Yun speechless; because of her childhood upbringing, she couldn't even think of cursing people, let alone to her son.
Jing Yang initially thought that since Cui Yan's mother was here, he shouldn't be sleeping on it. He should come down and say hello regardless. After all, he wants to spend the rest of his life with Cui Yan, and he can't exclude his family. He came down after gaining some strength and his feet were no longer as weak. But, because the atmosphere between this mother and son seemed off, he wasn't sure what kind of opening remarks he should use to greet them.
Cui Yan looked up just in time to see Jing Yang standing at the top of the stairs, and he stood up immediately and said, "Why did you get up? If you're not feeling well, just stay in your room and rest. Why are you coming down?"
When did I start feeling unwell? Jing Yang glared at Cui Yan and walked down by himself just as he was about to help him.
"Hello, Auntie, my name is Mu Jin." Jing Yang politely greeted Yi Yun.
"Hello." Yi Yun has regained the graceful appearance of a noble lady. "Please take a seat."
Yi Yun looked at Jing Yang, thinking that this child is very attractive, especially with his clear and intelligent eyes. It's no surprise that her picky and radical son will be drawn to him. It appears that the personality is also very good, very well-educated, and courteous; this is not a child that ordinary people can raise.
"It's getting late, Mom; you should go back." Cui Yan began to rush her.
"Are you Mu Jin?" Yi Yun ignored Cui Yan and asked Jing Yang with a smile.
"Yes, Auntie." Jing Yang replied.
"I've been meaning to see you for a while. I was surprised to see you here. It appears that I have come to the right place." Yi Yun said with a smile, "The five paintings you brought to the exhibition are well-known now. I wanted to buy them, but none of them are available when I go back. It's a pity."
"I asked Cui Yan to keep it for me. If Auntie likes it, have Cui Yan send it to you." Jing Yang stated.
"Really?" Yi Yun looked surprised at Jing Yang. She had intended to reserve the next painting in advance with Jing Yang. She intended to bargain with Cui Yan slowly for those five paintings.
"Of course." Jing Yang was well aware that the problem of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had existed since ancient times and would continue to exist in the future, regardless of time, space, or world. Because he intends to spend the rest of his life with Cui Yan, he naturally desires to maintain as close a relationship with his family as possible.
He, on the other hand, is not the one who causes himself to be mistreated. If Cui Yan's family dislikes him or if getting along with him is difficult, then just don't get together in this life.
"They're all mine!" Cui Yan was dissatisfied as he looked at Jing Yang. He didn't even want to give a piece, but he gave them all at once.
"Since when are they yours?" Jing Yang puzzledly looked at Cui Yan and said, "You didn't pay me, and you just asked to keep them for me temporarily."
"That's right, how can it be considered yours if you don't pay? Mu Jin, after the painting is delivered, Auntie will definitely give you a suitable price," Yi Yun said quickly.
"There's no need, Auntie." Jing Yang stated, "It's great that you like them. Simply treat this as a gift."
"I really appreciate it. Auntie will also give you a gift in return." Yi Yun smiled happily at her frustrated son, "Have you heard that, brat? Those paintings are now mine, so send them to me as soon as possible."
Cui Yan protested sternly in silence.
"I'll paint for you again." Jing Yang shook Cui Yan's hand and comforted him in a whisper, "Auntie will receive those paintings. In the future, I will paint specifically just for you, okay?"
Despite Cui Yan's continued reluctance, Jing Yang had already said that. Cui Yan didn't want to contradict him, so he nodded and agreed.
Yi Yun joyously walked away with the paintings, and her son finally had a nemesis. This is something that will bring her joy for a long time. Furthermore, this nemesis is both intelligent and capable. If her son is being unreasonable in the future, she can simply tell him and his son will be well-behaved.
"Don't be upset," Jing Yang said as he sat on Cui Yan's lap, rubbing his face, "I will make a better painting for you in the future."
"Then you compensate me now." Cui Yan said as he wrapped his arms around his waist.
Jing Yang did not ask the nature of this compensation. Anyway, this man had no other thoughts than that, so he just lay on his shoulders and pretended to be pitiful. "My waist hurts, and my feet hurt as well. It hurts~ oh it hurts so much, why am I so pitiful, no one cares about me."
Cui Yan felt heartache despite knowing he was acting, and immediately hugged him back into the room, massaged him, made him relax, and let him sleep well.
~
"Teacher Wu, do you realize how much damage you're doing to the school's reputation?" The principal slammed the table angrily and yelled at Wu Xiuyuan, "Even if the information you post on the Internet is true, you should first report the situation to the school before posting it on the Internet! Do you think the school hasn't been scolded enough?!"
"Sorry, Mr. Principal. I..., I just want to make something known to everyone. I didn't give much thought to what I did in a fit of anger. I'm going to delete it right now." Wu Xiuyuan's face isn't in good shape, but he appears to be regretting and apologizing.
"What is the effect of deleting now?! Everyone on the Internet is already aware of it, and the media has begun to spread it as well. Will it make any difference if you delete it?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Principal. I am willing to take the school's punishment," Wu Xiuyuan said as he closed his eyes.
The principal stood up, glared at him, and said, "It appears that you planned and purposefully published that, rather than being impulsive ! Let us not speculate on whether the words you expressed are true or false. Regardless of the school's reputation, the teacher made such a move. This is not a problem that can be solved simply by accepting punishment. If what you said and published were not true, I can tell you right now, you're going to regret it!"
Although Wu Xiuyuan was threatened by Su Mo, and despite his displeasure, he could only do what he said for the sake of his own reputation. He wrote a posting about how Mu Jin seduced him, and then photographed the greeting cards Mu Jin gave him in return, as well as the blessing cards he wrote.
Both Mu Jin and Su Mo are now the focus of the Internet; Su Mo plagiarized Mu Jin's paintings, defaming Mu Jin's work in the process. The heat hasn't subsided, and Wu Xiuyuan's post has pushed the two of them back to the brink of a storm.
In that post, Wu Xiuyuan did his best to describe Su Mo as an excellent and good student. He defended him by claiming that he would imitate Mu Jin's paintings in order to please his gravely ill grandmother. Although his plagiarism was incorrect, his filial piety toward his grandmother could not be entirely dismissed.
Wu Xiuyuan also labeled Mu Jin as a nasty person and threw unfounded accusations on him. He claims to have a bad personality, and that after winning a few awards, he has become particularly conceited and arrogant. The point is, he also stated that Mu Jin thinks he has a good appearance, so he frequently tries to seduce him. Even if he refuses many times righteously, he hasn't restrained himself, and he has ambiguous involvement with people outside the school. He is an orphan with no father or mother, but he is frequently picked up in luxury cars. He was extravagant with his spending. So as a teacher, he is concerned that the money is tainted.
Wu Xiuyuan was suspended and the principal demanded that he stay at home. As a result, he would not be attending classes for the time being. When the school determines the veracity of his articles, he will be informed of the specific punishments imposed on him.
Despite the principal's warning, Wu Xiuyuan was not overly concerned. In the worst-case scenario, he was expelled. Things will have calmed down after two years, and he will transfer to another school and become a teacher. It's better than Su Mo exposing those photos and ruining him.