Chapter 257 The mistake was marrying the wrong person
"Contestant number seventeen, what do you mean by that?" someone on the judges' panel asked.
A chill ran through Jiang Xingyao's fingertips as she listened to Number Seventeen's words.
Some past events once again troubled her mind, causing her to feel immense fear.
She has come this far through her own hard work. She performed with an injury and was just one step away from winning the championship, but she was still unfairly accused and smeared.
She turned her head to look at the unfamiliar contestant number seventeen next to her, and met his gaze, which was full of malice.
The man snapped his fingers, and several people dressed as staff members started distributing printed papers. Jiang Xingyao glanced at them from afar; she recognized the pages all too well—the ones that had trended on social media when Jin Qingyu had led the charge in accusing her of plagiarizing Cheng Jing.
Now, not only have they been translated into English, but they've all been printed out and distributed everywhere.
Number 17 was still boasting: "Our champion is not only a plagiarist, but also a thief. After she went to Master Nilia's studio to study with her teacher, Master Nilia lost several manuscripts. Do you think someone like that really deserves to be the champion of the Jinle Cup competition?"
"My God, plagiarism and theft? How dare they participate in such an international competition? That's utterly shameless!"
"If someone like this wins the championship, wouldn't the Golden Melody Cup become a joke? How can someone like this be a role model for piano lovers all over the world?"
"The champion of the Golden Melody Cup competition has always been the face of the piano world. No matter how well you play the piano, if you don't have good character, you are not qualified to win this trophy."
Before much noise could be heard from the audience, the judges' panel was already in chaos. Those who had just praised Jiang Xingyao now looked at her with varying degrees of disgust.
Standing amidst a throng of strange gazes, Jiang Xingyao was being judged from head to toe. It felt as if she had returned to the Shen family's conference room, where one mocking gaze after another, filled with doubt and disdain, surrounded her like an impenetrable net.
Whatever she says is wrong.
But the Jiang Xingyao of today is no longer the Mrs. Jin who just left the Jin family and was powerless to resist the mudslinging thrown at her.
"Where are the security guards? Why aren't they all here? Hurry up and drag this woman down!" Someone in the crowd shouted, and some security personnel tried to go up on stage.
Jiang Xingyao said, "Wait, I have something to say. The news about me that was being circulated in the audience did cause a great stir in our country back then. I can't deny these news reports, but you might as well listen to this first about the truth of the matter."
Jiang Xingyao walked off the stage by herself, took her bag from Madam Rongyue, and took out a voice recorder.
Jiang Xingyao glanced around the entire venue, then snatched the microphone from the reporter and directly played the recording.
The unclear sound, mixed with the static of the microphone, spread to every corner.
“Yaoyao, I told you before, you are Mrs. Jin, you don’t have to worry about anything, I’ll take care of everything.”
"If you handle this well, you'll just be helping outsiders confirm that I plagiarized, and you'll make me bear the stigma of plagiarism forever, right?"
"There won't be any bad reputation, Yaoyao. From now on, you can be Mrs. Jin in peace. Clothes, bags, cars, houses, whatever you want, I can give you."
If you want to go out shopping, there are countless wealthy wives in this circle who flock to you, willing to accompany you and fawn over you. Isn't that a good life?
Why bother making songs and getting involved with those people in the entertainment industry?
Why insist on throwing yourself into such a smoky and polluted place?
"Jin Qingyu, don't change the subject. These are two different things. Even if you don't want me to compose music, you can tell me. There's no need to betray me online."
"They're determined to solidify this plagiarism accusation on me just to prevent Jiang Cancan from going to jail, aren't they? You knew perfectly well that I composed the music myself."
"Yaoyao, didn't you sign with Shen's Entertainment without my consent?"
"We're even. Don't think about those songs anymore. Just stay home and be Mrs. Jin."
For every sentence spoken by the voice recorder, Jiang Xingyao translated it into English with a strong and clear voice.
She looked at those who were attacking her, her gaze gradually shifting from disdain to shock. She said, "This is the truth about plagiarism that you all talk about. The truth is that I married a man who wasn't quite right for me. During our marriage, he had an affair with my sister. He knew that my sister had stolen my music, but in order to prevent her from going to jail, he framed me for plagiarism, just to lock me up at home and make me a decorative housewife."
Even if I made a mistake, it was just that I was blind and chose to marry someone whose values weren't compatible with mine. I believe that has nothing to do with whether I win this championship or not, right?
She couldn't bring down Jin Qingyu with this recording back then, and even Old Master Jin didn't bother to destroy it, because they both knew that even if the recording was true, it wouldn't be able to shake the behemoth that was the Jin family.
Jiang Xingyao had also experienced despair and confusion, but Shen Mingsu was right about one thing: it wasn't her fault that she couldn't shake those people for the time being; it was just that she wasn't standing high enough yet to make fairness and justice tilt in her favor.
To clear one's name, one must first demonstrate the ability to do so and provide convincing reasons.
For example, she has overcome numerous obstacles to reach this position.
People here may question her character because of those rumors, but no one questions her piano skills.
She kept the recording, not only waiting for the day when her name would be cleared, but also to remind herself that only when she was strong enough could she not be defeated by such a clumsy lie.
Both the audience and the judges fell into a long silence. Jiang Xingyao took out her phone again and turned on the projector on the stage. It showed the names of dozens of songs, including charity songs, commercial songs, and theme songs from movies and TV dramas. All of them were credited with the three characters "Qu Weiyi".
Jiang Xingyao added, "These are all pieces I composed over the past few years. Some of them have won awards in our country, and some have become popular throughout the country. Most of the people here are experts. Even though my style has changed drastically over the past few years, I believe everyone can hear the commonalities in these pieces."
Conversely, regarding Cheng Jing, who is accused of plagiarizing me, since receiving my song "Thorn," he has only released two other pieces, both with distinct styles, clearly not created by the same person. As for the piece he allegedly plagiarized, it also shows signs of plagiarism. I will now play that piece and my original song live, and I believe the truth will immediately become clear.
From the moment she unveiled her compositions from the past few years, occasional murmurs of surprise rippled through the audience. Those who came to watch the competition were music lovers and piano enthusiasts from various countries. Jiang Xingyao had several pieces that were quite famous in China, but her later compositions were all released under the name Qu Weiyi. Many people did not know that this rising star in the composition world was the same person as the previously infamous Mrs. Jin.
Ignoring everyone's expressions, Jiang Xingyao immediately played the song that Cheng Jing had plagiarized from her.
She used to treat this piece of music as her scar, and she deliberately avoided listening to it, as if covering her ears would make it seem like none of it had ever happened.
But now she won't hide anymore, nor will she be afraid. The infamy that has been placed on her should be washed away.
On the judges' panel, after listening to the piece, the judges all cast apologetic yet approving glances at Jiang Xingyao.
The contestant number seventeen who jumped out to accuse Jiang Xingyao still wouldn't let it go, saying, "Even if you can prove that the plagiarism was a misunderstanding, so what? You can never wash away the fact that you stole Master Nilia's manuscript! You are a thief, and even if you didn't plagiarize, you are still a despicable person."
"Contestant number 75, do you have anything to explain about this matter?" Given that Jiang Xingyao had been wrongly accused of plagiarism before, the judges did not directly question her this time. Instead, the lead judge kindly inquired about Jiang Xingyao first.
“She doesn’t need to explain this.” A deep male voice suddenly came from the audience. Jiang Xingyao looked up and her eyes met those of Jin Qingyu, who was walking over from a distance.
Behind Jin Qingyu was another person. The person had his head down, making it difficult to see his features, but his figure seemed strangely familiar.
"And who are you? What right do you, an outsider, have to speak here?" Number Seventeen asked urgently.
Jin Qingyu had already walked up to Jiang Xingyao's side: "I am the ex-husband she mentioned whose values are not quite right. Because I was blinded by greed, she was branded with the stigma of plagiarism. Otherwise, with her abilities, she should have been famous all over the world before she stepped onto this stage, instead of being unknown and suspected by you all like this."
"Because of my selfishness, fearing she would look down on me, fearing she would leave me, I used every means to keep her within my sight, making her suffer endless grievances. Now it's time for me to make amends. Yao Yao has always been the most honest and upright person; she would never stoop to stealing. As for the details of this matter, let the parties involved explain it to everyone themselves."
He reached out and shoved the woman he had brought up, forcing her to raise her head. Caught off guard, everyone saw her face – it was Nelia.
Number Seventeen was the first to react, shouting, "What did you do? Did you threaten Master Nelia in private?"
"What's the panic? Whether I'm threatening her or not, we can all decide for ourselves when she speaks," Jin Qingyu said.
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