Xia Ruya initially did not plan to compete with anyone during the gala, but Lin Yingxin’s performance was too disappointing. She was afraid that Lin Yingxin would make a snide remark and end up ruining her plan. Thus, she decided to take Wen Xinya on herself.
Of course, she also did not expect that Du Ruoxin would say, “Even if she’s Old Mr. Mo’s granddaughter, it doesn’t mean that she’d be proficient in all the four arts.” Du Ruoxin’s words were obviously directed at her.
She discovered that there were plenty of heiresses at the gala who were casting peculiar glances at her and comparing her to Wen Xinya. Under such circumstances, her plan to steal the limelight would fail if she could not gain the upper hand in this round. Even if Lin Yingxin defeated Wen Xinya and Wen Xinya fell into her trap, everyone would see Xia Ruya as talentless.
Of course, she only initiated a competition in painting because she knew that painting was Wen Xinya’s weakness. When she first found out about that, she deliberately hired a painting expert to teach her, despite the fact that she was not interested in painting at all. However, she discovered that she had a flair for painting and managed to make remarkable progress after putting in the effort.
Most importantly, she knew that the jimsonweed had already begun working its effects on Wen Xinya’s central nervous system and that the adrenaline rush was already over for Wen Xinya. At this point, she was already slipping into slight lethargy that was most prominent in her brain. However, she would not notice it at first because the effects were mild.
Although the effects were mild, setups and planning were important when it came to painting. The brain would control the energy needed for one to wield the paintbrush and create a masterpiece. Hence, the slight change in one’s thought process and mental state would greatly affect the outcome.
She was rather confident of winning this round.
“Since Miss Xia is so sincere, I definitely can’t turn you down,” Wen Xinya said with raised brows, surprised that Xia Ruya was good at painting. It seems she had belittled Xia Ruya yet again.
She could turn down anyone except Xia Ruya, not only because of the complicated feud between them but also because she had never thought of backing away from Xia Ruya.
Reason being, Xia Ruya was the kind to take advantage of one’s kindness and push her limits.
Xia Ruya stood up and exclaimed, “Miss Wen, please!”
Wen Xinya rose from her seat and said, “Please!”
The two of them proceeded to move onto the porch.
At this moment, Lin Yingxin finally recovered from the shock and realized that she had overreacted. She could not help but berate herself for losing control of her emotions. She wondered, I’m never the type to act rashly, but why do I find it so hard to control my emotions whenever I see Wen Xinya enjoying glory?
She rubbed her throbbing forehead and tried to stop herself from getting too frustrated.
The personnel of Boya Pavilion prepared the easels, colorful paint, and brushes, after which the two of them began working on their pieces.
The host said, “You shall have the time of one joss stick. Ladies, you have to complete your paintings before the joss stick is burnt. The one who fails to complete her piece on time will be declared the loser.”
Wen Xinya looked at the incense burner, on which there was a lit joss stick that would last for another thirty minutes or so. She was really pressed for time.
Xia Ruya glanced at Wen Xinya before looking down and continuing to work on her masterpiece.
Wen Xinya knew that Xia Ruya would never do anything that she was not confident of. Since she had the gall to challenge Wen Xinya to painting, it meant that she was extremely confident in it.
On the other hand, Wen Xinya’s greatest weakness was painting and Old Mr. Mo had never expected much from her. She did not spend too much time on honing her painting skills, either. In fact, her painting skills were considered to be mediocre, and it was impossible for her to win against Xia Ruya at all.
However, she had to win.
Since she could not defeat her in painting, she could only resort to a quick fix and some tricks.
Si Yiyan had once painted the scene of four flowers of spring which had a delicate and fascinating structure. Even until today, she still kept it in her study.
Si Yiyan had especially taught her how to paint a painting like that because she fancied it very much.
Back then, Si Yiyan said that it was extremely difficult to paint the scene of the four flowers of spring, given her mediocre skills. However, she had two redeeming qualities; one was that she was good at planning the structure of the painting and the other was that she had a good aesthetic sense and could combine colors well to create beautiful color schemes. Hence, she would be able to conceal her weakness if she could put the two to good use.
Si Yiyan had also taught her how to plan the structure of a painting and how to use the colors of the seasons.
Hence, she planned to replicate that painting.
The aroma of incense wafted up into the air around the urn while everyone remained silent, for fear that they would disturb the two painters. The waitresses stepped forth and served fresh sets of snacks and tea before retreating silently again.
Everyone munched on the snacks quietly. Some would occasionally whisper to each other and take a look at the joss stick every now and then.
Half an hour felt like years for the ones waiting. However, it seemed to fly by like an arrow to the two candidates who were painting. Soon, the last inch of ash fell into the joss urn and the joss stick was completely burnt out.
The host exclaimed, “Time’s up!”
Wen Xinya and Xia Ruya put down their brushes.
The judges first took a look at Xia Ruya’s painting of peonies which looked lavish, opulent and resplendent. It was no wonder that they were termed, the King Of Flowers. Xia Ruya managed to make them come to live gracefully on the piece of paper for everyone’s viewing pleasure.
“Miss Xia has a strong foundation in painting and it’s clear that she’s very familiar with the different brush techniques. Her style is also exquisite. Every peony in this painting is shaped differently and every detail from the petals to the buds of the peonies has been refined intricately and meticulously.”
Next, the judge proceeded to look at Wen Xinya’s painting of the four flowers of spring, which was vibrant and attractive, so much that the judge could not take his eyes off the painting at all. The planning and structure of the painting were amazing and nowhere inferior to a painting expert. The details were fascinating as well.
“Miss Wen’s painting of the four flowers of spring include the plum blossoms of February, Apricot blossoms of March, pear blossoms of April and begonias of May, all of which are the most unique features of spring. Most amazingly, these four types of flowers all belong to the family of roses, the small arboraceae family with the same floral morphology.
“Miss Wen’s structure of the painting is unique and interesting. The strengths of each flower are clearly represented in the painting and the four flowers miraculously fuse together seamlessly, despite each being so very unique in their own right. How fascinating.
“Miss Wen seems to be excellent at matching colors and creating the best color scheme. Plum blossoms have a pale and pink color scheme that’s neither white nor red. Apricot blossoms are one of the top five flowers. The pear blossoms are white like jade, and the colors used here have fully expressed and highlighted the unique shape, elegance, and grace of pear blossoms. On the other hand, this begonia is painted beautifully and vibrantly. The structure of the painting has added a touch of vibrancy and light to the entire painting. Incredible.”
