Chapter 41 This painting is for you and its name is... "Tragedy"...
The hot topic has been going on for several days. There are conspiracy theorists, people pretending to be insiders, and people who just want to watch the fun and make trouble.
That day, Gao Xing saw the news online and immediately called Zhou Jinkai, but no one answered after several calls. Feeling uneasy, she contacted Ji Nian, hoping to get Qian Chuan's contact information. Unexpectedly, Ji Nian told her that Zhou Jinkai had been detained by the police.
"Detention?!" Gao Xing was shocked.
"Don't worry, the situation isn't as bad as you might think," Ji Nian comforted him on the other end of the line. "Who could have imagined the hatred between Zhou Jinkai and his father would be so deep, reaching such a life-or-death level? Luckily, Qian Chuan and I arrived in time, and no real harm was caused. Qian Chuan is already contacting a lawyer he knows, so there should be some room for improvement."
Gao Xing's hand trembled slightly as she held the phone. Hearing Ji Nian's words, her heart finally relaxed a little, but she quickly realized something else: "You and Qian Chuan?"
Ji Nian coughed awkwardly twice. "Anyway, this is a long story. I'll tell you after Qian Chuan has dealt with it."
Three days ago, at the foot of Mingtai Mountain.
Zhou Jinkai stood by his studio window, a smudge of paint still on his fingertips. Over the distant ridgeline, clouds were dispersing at a visible pace, making way for the skylight. The wind whipped through the trees at the foot of the mountain, stirring up layers of dark waves. The rustling sound filtered through the cracks in the glass and echoed throughout the empty studio.
He raised his hand and turned on his phone, and the hot search terms on the screen exploded one after another like a lit fuse.
Within an hour, his account was banned, and the trending search terms continued to decline, but the number of reposts and followers on the topic exploded. The comment section was like a hornet's nest, with angry, shocked, and questioning comments scrolling wildly.
Some people have begun digging into Li Siping's history of wealth over the years, revealing that he had seized the works of many students, that he had amassed wealth under the guise of running training courses, and that he had colluded with multiple galleries to launder money secretly...
Some people even dug out old newspapers from twenty years ago and found a report of his first interview that year, confirming that "Morning" was not written by him alone, but was co-authored by him and his girlfriend Shi Xu.
Every word Zhou Jinkai posted on Weibo was verified by someone.
Of course, this is also thanks to the help of Xu Jiakai, an outstanding young entrepreneur. Without Guanya's influence, how could the old man Li Siping's petty tricks attract such large-scale attention?
Initially, he hadn't intended to go so far. He had planned to obtain an invitation to the Prism Auction from Shi Yunran, leading to Li Siping's disgrace in front of those dignitaries, his loss of his right to sit at the table, and his complete defeat. But Xu Jiakai insisted on threatening him, so he had no choice but to play along.
Zhou Jinkai curled the corners of his mouth, put his phone back into his pocket, and went to the table to shake the water in the teacup.
He knew that some waters, once boiled, would never calm down.
The door of the studio was wide open, and soon, hurried footsteps were heard at the door.
"What on earth do you want to do?!"
A weak roar broke the silence, and the person he was waiting for finally arrived.
Li Siping always loved to put on airs, his masterly manners abounding, even his goatee was meticulously trimmed. Zhou Jinkai had been subjected to numerous rules during his time in his studio, but now, the very person who had dictated them appeared before him, visibly utterly utterly bewildered.
"Do you really have to fight to the death with your father?" Li Siping suppressed his anger, but his voice trembled a little because he knew Zhou Jinkai was a real lunatic.
Zhou Jinkai didn't rush to reply. Instead, he brought him a cup of tea and handed it to him: "Do you know why I chose this place as my studio?"
Li Siping couldn't figure out what he was up to, but seeing that he was in a relatively stable condition and could still communicate, he felt a little relieved.
He came today to ask Zhou Jinkai to clarify that the things he said online were all his mental illness and imagination, so that the people above him would come forward to protect him. Zhou Jinkai is his own son, who would dare to protect him if he didn't solve the problem?
The road to Mingtai Mountain was bumpy, and there wasn't even a decent road in front of the shabby studio, so cars couldn't get in. The surroundings were gloomy and unlucky! Li Siping was furious, so he drank the tea to calm down.
He didn't answer, and Zhou Jinkai didn't rush. He said calmly, "Because her grave is here."
Li Siping naturally knew who the "she" he was talking about was. He snorted and remained unmoved.
Zhou Jinkai's mother, Feng Haixiu, also known as Shixu, died five years ago and was buried in Mingtai Mountain.
Li Siping didn't even want to talk about his fleeting romance from over 20 years ago. He cursed, "She abused you like that when you were a child, and you were so filial to her! I've been so sincere to you, and you're trying to hurt your father!"
Li Siping was right. Ever since Zhou Jinkai could remember, his mother had always been his inner fear. She was paranoid, crazy, and extremely controlling, and would beat him to vent her anger if she didn't get her way.
She forced him to paint, forced him to participate in competitions, and forced his world to contain nothing but brushes and paints. She wanted him to become someone who surpasses Li Siping one day!
Zhou Jinkai's childhood was spent in a long period of dampness and darkness. If his deskmate in junior high school had not discovered his suicidal tendencies, witnessed him being beaten, and called the police, he might have died long ago.
Later, his mother was put into a mental hospital, and he became an unattended child. Li Siping didn't want him, his grandfather didn't want him, and no one wanted him. He became the redundant person in the world.
In the end, the grandmother took him in, but it was not out of love, but disgust. Disgusted that he had the blood of the scumbag Li Siping, disgusted that her disobedient daughter had disregarded advice and brought shame to the family, disgusted that the rumors around them had portrayed them as cold and heartless elders.
During his adolescence, Zhou Jinkai lived with his family, but felt like a dependent.
He was unwilling and resentful, and didn't understand why there would be parents who didn't love their children, until he found his mother's old works in the basement of his grandmother's house.
She is so talented and brilliant, the word "genius" is embodied in her. Even her casual doodles are full of spirit.
Her grandparents had high hopes for her and wanted to send her to study at the top foreign universities, but she broke up with her family for a man who was nothing, and they never had any contact with each other until they died.
She thought she had found love, but she didn't know that the man only wanted to use her from beginning to end, to use her gifts and talents to build momentum for himself in exchange for fame and fortune.
She created "Morning" with love, but the result was betrayal.
Zhou Jinkai had also thought that there might be some misunderstanding between them, and Li Siping might have some difficulties, so like his mother did at the time, he took the entrance exam to the Beijing Academy of Fine Arts despite opposition, just to ask his father.
Only after entering his studio did I realize there was no misunderstanding, no hardship, no hidden secret. A robber is a robber, despicable is despicable, and it's his nature to seize the fruits of others' labor and then exploit them. He even wanted to deceive him and suck his blood just like he had deceived his mother.
How could Zhou Jinkai possibly let him succeed? He swore to make him return everything that didn't belong to him!
So he pretended to concoct "Twilight", and Li Siping was indeed ecstatic, thinking that he could become famous again. It was ridiculous!
He originally thought that the patchwork painting "Twilight" was enough to ruin Li Siping's reputation, but he never expected that not only was he not affected, but he also escaped unscathed.
Unwilling to give up, Zhou Jinkai teamed up with several students whose work Li Siping had coerced to publish their work to expose his misdeeds online. However, the allegations were suppressed without a single ripple. Furthermore, Li Siping reported him to the police and had him expelled from school.
Only then did Zhou Jinkai realize how powerful the enemy he faced was. In the face of power and money, the grievances of ordinary people could never be redressed.
He needs more power and a louder voice to become the one who can stir up the storm.
So he needed Qian Chuan. Qian Chuan was an excellent agent, always able to sell his chips at a high price. Sure enough, within two years, he used his connections to sit in the position of head painter.
Everything was going according to plan, but unfortunately, plans can't keep up with changes...
Zhou Jinkai tapped his fingers on the table, figuring it was almost time. He shook his head and said, "You really don't deserve to die."
Li Siping was just about to ask him what he meant when he suddenly felt weak in his limbs, his heart was pounding and he was short of breath, and his body fell down uncontrollably.
"You! What did you give me to drink?" Li Siping collapsed to the ground, his pupils suddenly shrank, and he was extremely frightened.
Zhou Jinkai looked up at the gloomy Mingtai Mountain in the distance, took a sip of the tea, and chuckled, "I never thought that in the end, our family would still be together."
Because of fear, Li Siping's adrenaline surged and he scratched his throat frantically, trying to get out the tea he had swallowed.
Zhou Jin opened the door, revealing the painting by the window that had been covered with a white cloth.
On the canvas, blue-black paint mixed with red lines looks like a devil holding a flower blooming in hell, with a strange beauty in the haziness.
He walked up to Li Siping and pushed the paper cutter. "All the pain in my life is because of you, so this painting is for you. It's called... Tragedy."
Suddenly, hurried footsteps were heard outside the door. When Qian Chuan and Ji Nian broke in, they saw Li Siping lying on the ground struggling desperately, while Zhou Jinkai was standing in the morning light, waving the paper cutter and preparing to stab him.
"don't want!"
Qian Chuan pounced forward and pressed Zhou Jinkai to the ground.
Ji Nian was so frightened that his face turned pale and he froze in place, not daring to move.
She just wanted to join in the fun after seeing the trending topic, but how did she end up running into a murder scene?
"What are you standing there for? Call the police!" Qian Chuan yelled.
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