Chapter 1224 - So Who’s the Winner?

Chapter 1224: So Who’s the Winner?
The smile on Xia Ruya’s face stiffened as she heard the judge’s comments. Her heart sank to rock bottom and she even began swaying her slim and delicate body unsteadily from side to side.
The fact that the judge had given such an elaborate comment about Wen Xinya’s painting simply meant that Wen Xinya had already won.
But, I don’t get it. Why did I lose?

I’ve clearly plotted everything properly. Wen Xinya is inferior to me when it comes to painting and she has also been poisoned with jimsonweed. But why did she still win?

How could I have lost?

I was clearly confident of winning!

Yet, I actually lost in front of everyone at the gala. In the eyes of everyone, I’m already inferior to Wen Xinya and they’ve been comparing her to me over and over again.

How am I supposed to face anyone now that I’ve lost to her?

Wen Xinya stood in front of her quietly like a plum blossom tree, cold and aloof. She was also a little rosy, resembling a vibrant apricot blossom. If looked closely, one would find that she was graceful like pear blossoms and oriental like begonias.
Feelings of jealousy and anger overwhelmed her.
At this moment, the host said,
Miss Wen seems to have applied a quick fix to her painting, though the structure and color scheme are brilliant. However, her painting skills are still a tad bit inferior to Miss Xia.

Xia Ruya snapped out of her trance at the instant that she heard the words of the owner. A tinge of radiance formed on her pale face and she suddenly remembered about the host.
Another judge said,
That may be the case, but the structure and color use is still unique and wonderful. Miss Wen is very skilled and it’s my first time seeing such a unique painting. I think it’s flawless.


Although it’s flawless, skill matters more than structure and color use. Miss Wen has already lost because her foundation is not strong. Her brilliant structure and color matching can’t make up for it.

Another judge who was proficient in arts was suddenly caught in a dilemma and hence, remained silent. The other two judges did not express their opinions because they were not experienced in the art.
It was difficult to deduce a winner.

Xia Ruya finally smiled. She almost forgot about the presence of the host. Why would I lose with her around?

Wen Xinya had already expected that to be the outcome. Xia Ruya was highly-skilled in painting, without a doubt. Although Wen Xinya’s painting had a good structure and unique color scheme, she did seem to lack skill. Hence, there was a dispute.
Wen Xinya noticed that Xia Ruya was staring at her coldly in a challenging manner. Her eyes turned dark and gloomy like a black hole that had sucked away all of Xia Ruya’s emotions.
Xia Ruya squinted and looked away.
At this moment, the indecisive judge seemed to have come to a decision. Just as he was about to speak…
Du Ruoxin suddenly rose from her seat and said,
Since it’s difficult to tell who the winner is, why don’t we listen to the opinions of the other ladies here? I’m sure everyone is more or less skilled and experienced in painting. Besides, paintings are for the viewing pleasure of everyone and visual appeal matters so much more than technique, structure, foundation, and color. Ladies, am I right?

Extremely bright and alert, Ye Feiyu smiled and said,
Miss Du’s suggestion is great. Painting is not like playing the zither, chess or calligraphy, all of which can only be appraised and judged by those who know the art well. The eyes of the public are proof when it comes to painting. The fairest way to decide on a winner would be to consider the opinions of everyone here.

The rest agreed with Du Ruoxin’s and Ye Feiyu’s suggestion.


Since there are differing opinions and the judges are having a tough time deciding who to crown as the winner, we should adopt Miss Du’s interesting suggestion.

Everyone agreed without considering the opinions of the host and the judges.
Xia Ruya closed her eyes slowly and thought to herself, I’m definitely going to lose.

She initially thought that she would definitely win this round because she had the help of the host. However, she did not expect there to be such an unexpected twist of events. Since everyone agreed to Du Ruoxin’s suggestion, the host would have no choice but to go along with their opinion regardless of what she thought.
She did not have a good reputation in Capital city, unlike Wen Xinya, who enjoyed fame and attention. That was her weakness which could not be changed. Besides, Wen Xinya had performed outstandingly in the three arts just now and was at the peak of her glory. Hence, everyone would definitely be biased towards Wen Xinya.
She did not expect Du Ruoxin to be the one to cause her to lose. Although she detested Du Ruoxin, she had never taken her seriously. Besides, she had no idea why Du Ruoxin wanted to defend and help Wen Xinya since the two of them had gotten into several conflicts earlier on. Besides, she had never offended Du Ruoxin.
The host removed her mask and frowned a little before asking,
Ladies, do you have any objections?

Wen Xinya shook her head and said,
Of course not.


Wen Xinya did not expect Du Ruoxin to come up with such a suggestion. Clearly, it was in her favor. If nothing went wrong she would win this round.
Wen Xinya slowly glanced at Xia Ruya, who had turned as pale as a sheet. However, she still looked rather obstinate and arrogant. She could not hide her anger, either.
Xia Ruya bit her lip tightly and clenched her fists, her sharp nails sinking into the flesh of her palm. The pain made her grimace and she hesitated for a long while before exclaiming,
Me neither!

The host sighed softly and said,
In that case, we’ll go ahead with Miss Du’s suggestion!

The heiresses began expressing their opinions of the paintings, even those who were experts in the art.
The color matching and structuring of the painting is a brilliant skill that not everyone can master. Miss Wen is clearly gifted in this aspect. However, she does have room for improvement in terms of skill. The fact that Miss Wen can master the four arts and make rapid progress within just three years, means that she’s very talented. I think Miss Wen deserves to win.

Wen Xinya had more supporters than Xia Ruya. As expected, Wen Xinya won that round.