Chapter 82 - A sudden change in the situation

Xia Liuli's heart suddenly shrank, as if it was tightly grasped by an invisible hand. That familiar yet strange voice, like a nightmare in the middle of the night, made her want to escape involuntarily. She hurriedly said goodbye to Xia Huaijin and Xia Zhuozhuo, and returned to Du Haoran and his son, but found that she could not get rid of the panic in her heart. "Liuli, you don't look well, what happened?" Du Haoran asked with concern, his eyes full of worry. Du Zhengguo also cast an inquiring look, and there seemed to be some kind of subtle expectation hidden in his eyes. Xia Liuli forced a smile, her voice dry: "It's okay, maybe I'm a little tired." However, the uneasiness in her heart was like a wildfire, getting more and more intense. She took a deep breath and decided to tentatively ask Du Zhengguo to leave first to relieve her inner pressure. "Uncle Du, you are very busy. If you have any urgent matters, you can go and deal with them first. We will notify you as soon as the results of the competition are announced." Du Zhengguo frowned slightly when he heard this, and was obviously puzzled by her proposal. Du Haoran was even more puzzled: "Liuli, what are you talking about? Isn't the result of the competition going to be announced soon? Since Dad is here, he wants to witness this moment with his own eyes." Du Zhengguo nodded gently, with a bit of comfort in his tone: "Liuli, you don't have to be too nervous. Even if you don't win the championship, it doesn't mean that your efforts are in vain. You are now a disciple of Master Zhao Ti, and your future is limitless." Xia Liuli's smile was uglier than crying. She knew that although Du Zhengguo said so, at this critical moment, any slight disturbance might expose her secret. She could only pray silently, hoping that Xia Huaijin would not discover the truth, or suddenly leave for something, allowing her lies to continue. However, reality is often more cruel than imagined. At this moment, a commotion suddenly broke out in the crowd, and the name of the champion flashed on the big screen in the main exhibition hall. "Quick! Go and see!" "The champion is out!" People swarmed and squeezed towards the screen. Xia Liuli was also pulled into the crowd by Du Haoran, while Du Zhengguo remained calm and paid close attention to Du Haoran's reaction. At the same time, Xia Zhuozhuo and Xia Huaijin also squeezed into the crowd. Xia Zhuozhuo's appearance was like a clear stream, and the crowd automatically made way for her. On the screen, five big words were clearly visible - "Champion, Xia Liuli". Xia Zhuozhuo frowned slightly, and an inexplicable doubt surged in her heart. "What's going on? Sixth Brother is not the champion?" She thought to herself, was her judgment really wrong? If Xia Liuli was a plagiarist, how could she defeat the original owner and win the championship? Xia Huaijin also saw the result of the game, and a trace of guilt appeared on his face. "I'm sorry, Xiaoqi, I let you down." Xia Zhuozhuo came back to her senses from the surprise, shook her head gently, and smiled with some comfort: "It's okay, Sixth Brother. It's just a championship. It doesn't matter if you can't get it." Although she said so, Xia Huaijin still felt mixed emotions. He sighed and said, "It seems that our previous guess was wrong." Xia Zhuozhuo nodded, and for the first time, his sixth sense was shaken. On the other side, Xia Liuli and Du Haoran also saw the results of the game. Du Haoran showed joy on his face and held Xia Liuli's hand tightly. "Liuli, I told you not to be nervous, right? You are the champion, congratulations!" Du Zhengguo saw Du Haoran's expression from a distance and had guessed about 70% in his heart. He took a few steps forward and saw Xia Liuli's name on the screen. "Congratulations." Du Zhengguo also congratulated, with a little imperceptible satisfaction in his tone. Although Xia Liuli was happy, she was more worried. She was worried that once her work was displayed, Xia Huaijin would see through it. She took a deep breath and decided to leave this place of trouble first. "Thank you, uncle, Haoran. I have something to do, so I'll go over first." Du Zhengguo nodded, and Xia Liuli locked her eyes on Xia Zhuozhuo and Xia Huaijin, took a deep breath, and walked over. She deliberately showed a calm smile and said in the most gentle voice: "Thank you, Seventh Sister and Sixth Brother, for waiting here to congratulate me on winning the championship." Xia Huaijin glared at Xia Liuli fiercely, and was about to speak, but was stopped by Xia Zhuozhuo. "Then congratulations, you got what you wanted. Sixth Brother, let's go." As the two were about to leave, a tall figure accompanied by a group of bodyguards appeared in everyone's sight. It was Si Shenxing. His appearance was like a thunder, instantly attracting everyone's attention. In addition to Si Shenxing, he was followed by Zhao Ti, Director Chen and other judges. "Everyone..." Si Shenxing spoke slowly, with a bit of majesty in his voice, "There are differences of opinion among several judges about the results of the competition. Therefore, after careful consideration, we unanimously decided that this time, in addition to Miss Xia Liuli, there is another champion." As soon as these words came out, the crowd immediately exploded. "What? There is another champion?" "Who is it? Is it so controversial?" Xia Zhuozhuo subconsciously glanced at Xia Huaijin, and then turned to look at Si Shenxing. It happened that Si Shenxing also looked over here, and his thin lips raised an imperceptible arc. "The other champion is... Xia Huaijin." These words were like a bolt from the blue, and Xia Liuli was instantly stunned. Xia Huaijin? ! Why? ! He also participated in the competition? When did it happen? How could she know nothing about it? Moreover, didn't Xia Huaijin always treat this as a pastime and never participated in any competition? Why did he suddenly participate in the competition this time? Xia Liuli's uneasiness surged like a tide, making it almost impossible for her to stand still. Xia Zhuozhuo was surprised, but quickly came to her senses and cast a congratulatory look at Xia Huaijin. "Sixth brother, you are also the champion, congratulations!" Xia Huaijin was still immersed in shock, and only came to his senses after hearing Xia Zhuozhuo's words. He grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, and smiled from ear to ear: "Great, Xiaoqi, I didn't let you down." Xia Zhuozhuo looked at Xia Huaijin's smile, and a warm current surged in her heart. She suddenly realized that Xia Huaijin cared more about being able to share this honor with her than whether he could win the championship. At this time, Xia Liuli stood there as if her soul had been taken away. Her mind was in chaos, and countless questions were circling in her mind. Why did Xia Huaijin participate in the competition? When did he prepare? What was his work like? … These questions were like countless bees buzzing in her ears, almost making her collapse. However, reality did not allow her to think too much. Si Shenxing had already walked up with the judges, ready to present awards to the two champions. Xia Liuli could only bite the bullet and walk forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Xia Huaijin. She looked at Xia Huaijin's smiling face, with mixed feelings in her heart. What consequences would this sudden change bring, but she knew that her lie was already in danger. She could only pray silently, hoping that this secret could be buried in her heart forever and never revealed. However, fate did not seem to let her go easily. During the award ceremony, Xia Huaijin's eyes met several times, and there seemed to be some unspeakable emotions in those eyes. Xia Liuli's heart tightened, she knew that she had to find a solution as soon as possible, otherwise, this lie would eventually collapse like a domino. And by then, she will have nothing. Si Shenxing's voice sounded again, like thunder, shocking the whole audience: "At this moment, I will reveal the masterpieces of the two champions." Xia Zhuozhuo gently raised her eyebrows and looked at Xia Liuli. Xia Liuli's face instantly turned as pale as snow, as if she had foreseen the turning point of fate. Xia Zhuozhuo smiled in her heart, and her sixth sense did not deceive her. The big screen slowly lit up, and the paintings of Xia Huaijin and Xia Liuli appeared on it. One was a proud winter plum blossom, and the other was an elegant and refined summer lotus. Although the two subjects were very different, they seemed to be from the same person, and the style was surprisingly similar, like twins. The crowd was boiling and talking. "It's really a perfect match, it's hard to tell which is better, no wonder the judges were hesitant." "I thought ink painting was gradually declining, but after seeing it today, I know that Chinese ink painting has successors and young talents are emerging. It's really gratifying!" However, some people with unique vision have raised questions: "Have you noticed that the styles of these two paintings are so strikingly similar, is it just a coincidence?"