Chapter 19
There was still half an hour before lunch.
The servants were bustling in and out of the courtyard with dishes in their hands.
Yu Chen had gotten a new toy and was having the time of his life playing with He Zhen. But now that he had caught the scent of food, his grape-like eyes began secretly trailing after the dishes, and his mind slowly started to wander.
He Zhen sat on a rock beside the artificial hill, tossing a ball in the air as he laughed at him. “Yu Chenchen, are you hungry?”
Yu Chen obediently shook his head. “Nope.” After a pause, he slowly poked his little deflated tummy. “It’s the one that’s hungry.”
He Zhen smiled, packed away the ball, and jumped down from the stone beside the rockery. “Come on, let’s go eat.”
The moment he heard the word eat, Yu Chen instantly became as busy as a little spinning top. Like a gust of wind, he rushed to He Zhen’s side, and the two of them walked inside hand in hand.
As they passed by a side room, He Zhen suddenly stopped in his tracks—
He seemed to have heard his mother’s name.
Inside the room, two relatives he was not especially familiar with were chatting.
“It looks like Old Master He really likes the gift Jingcheng sent. That painting must be very valuable, right?”
“Of course. But why does that painting look so much like Yun Qiang’s earlier work?”
“Then he must’ve copied Yun Qiang’s. That kind of thing is pretty common in the art world.”
“That’s too much, isn’t it? If I were He Zhen, I’d be furious.”
“Exactly. They’re just taking advantage of the fact that he’s a child. A copied work isn’t that no different from feeding off someone else’s blood? If you ask me, that painting shouldn’t be kept at all!”
Outside the door, young He Zhen stood beneath the window, his expression darkening by the second.
The Yun Qiang the relatives were talking about was his mother, and she was also a very outstanding artist and designer who had created many excellent works in her lifetime.
If someone had really plagiarized his mother’s hard work, then he absolutely would not allow it!
Yu Chen did not really understand what plagiarism meant, but he could tell it was not a good thing. As he quietly left with He Zhen, he could clearly feel the anger and grievance filling He Zhen’s heart.
He Zhen was moving so fast he was nearly running, his little fists clenched tightly, his entire body radiating a frightening hostility.
And the two adults who had just been speaking had, at some unknown point, already come out of the side room and were silently watching the two of them.
Yu Chen felt very nervous. He had to hurry along just to catch up with He Zhen.
“Boss!”
He grabbed He Zhen’s hand and slowly moved closer. “Are you unhappy?”
He Zhen stopped. His whole body was taut when he spoke. “Yu Chenchen! Someone plagiarized my mom’s work! It’s like copying homework!”
Yu Chen immediately understood and folded his little arms. “Then that really is a huge bad guy!”
He Zhen was so angry that even his breathing had become rushed. “I’m going to go take a look.”
“Okay! I’ll go with you!” Yu Chen looped himself around He Zhen’s little arm and boldly declared, “I’ll help you teach that painting a lesson!”
Hearing those words, He Zhen’s breathing visibly slowed a little. He had not expected Yu Chen to agree with him so strongly all of a sudden. As the two of them walked farther inside, he gripped Yu Chen’s chubby little hand tightly. “Yu Chenchen, you’re really nice.”
Yu Chen put on a serious little chubby face and nodded in full agreement.
Sure enough, the adults were all sitting in the living room admiring the painting He Jingcheng had sent.
Old Master He seemed to be in a very good mood. He lovingly stroked the sunflower in the oil painting, his eyes full of tenderness.
At a single glance, He Zhen recognized that the painting looked extremely similar to the one in his bedroom. Both depicted wild sunflowers, and both were drenched in golden sunlight.
And especially when everyone was praising the painting for how wonderful it was, He Zhen’s grievances had nowhere to go.
Just then, servants brought in a pot of matsutake pear soup for all the guests to taste. He Zhen’s gaze landed on that pot of pear soup, and as if he had made up his mind, he started walking toward it.
He Jingtai and He Jingcheng exchanged a subtle glance, hiding the darkness and scheming in their eyes as they quietly waited to see what would happen.
“Boss.”
Yu Chen suddenly grabbed He Zhen’s hand and tugged him outside.
“Yu Chenchen, I can’t play with you right now. I have something important to do.” Even though Yu Chen had interrupted his plan, He Zhen still followed him out into the courtyard and patiently explained things to him.
His Yu Chenchen was a child with a fragile little glass heart. If he did not explain himself, then Yu Chenchen would probably start crying again.
“Boss, should we ask an adult for help?” Yu Chen felt this matter was very complicated and should probably be handled by grown-ups. If He Zhen really ruined the painting, Grandpa He would definitely get angry.
He Zhen’s expression softened a great deal, though his tone remained somewhat dejected. “Who am I supposed to ask? Auntie?”
Yu Chen nodded his little head. “That works! Grown-ups always have the most ideas!”
After thinking it over seriously, He Zhen felt Yu Chen made sense. So he and Yu Chen secretly tugged Auntie away from the crowd while she was still admiring the painting.
Suddenly being affectionately surrounded by two little children left He Jinglin both surprised and delighted. Happily, she took their little hands and led them into the room next door to listen to their secret.
After hearing He Zhen’s concerns, He Jinglin patiently explained to him, “Xiao Zhen, artists often paint around the same themes. For example, if they’re all painting sunflowers or the sun, then naturally the colors they use will look similar, right? If you really want to determine whether a work is plagiarized, you have to look at the composition, the details, and the painting techniques. Let me search for some examples for you—see? Paintings of wild sunflowers all look kind of similar.”
He Zhen leaned in very seriously to look, and discovered that Auntie was right. All the works really did seem to look pretty similar.
“This painting was drawn by your grandmother before she passed away. Because it had been damaged, your third uncle sent it to a professional restorer. There’s no plagiarism involved.”
He Zhen lowered his eyes, and guilt flickered in his stubborn gaze. “I’m sorry. I misunderstood.”
“It’s all right. It just means Xiao Zhen keeps his mother in his heart and is very filial.” Taking the chance, He Jinglin pinched Yu Chen’s chubby cheek. “And you too—you knew to ask an adult for help.”
Yu Chen immediately looked proud. “Mm-hmm! Those grown-ups were just little dummies too.”
“Which grown-ups?” He Jinglin asked with a curious smile.
Taking Yu Chen with him, He Zhen recounted everything that had just happened from beginning to end. After listening, the gentle smile on He Jinglin’s face gradually faded, and her brows took on a more serious air.
A moment later, she told He Zhen, “Xiao Zhen, being able to think carefully before acting is a grown-up skill. But if Xiao Zhen can learn to do that too, then you’ll be especially amazing. In the future, if something happens and you’re not sure what to do, don’t be impulsive. Come find Auntie, okay?”
He Zhen lowered his big eyes shyly, his ears growing warm. “Thank you, Auntie. I won’t believe people so easily anymore.”
Copying after He Zhen, Yu Chen chirped, “Thank you, Auntie! We understand now!”
He Zhen lowered his eyes and quietly took Yu Chen’s little hand, stealing glances at him.
It was really fortunate that Yu Chen had been there for this matter.
His little underling was so smart.
Cute and pretty and a big eater too.
From now on, wherever he went, he was taking him along.
He Jinglin smiled faintly, then looked thoughtfully toward He Jingcheng in the living room.
And just like that, the plagiarism incident passed without danger.
When the few of them returned, He Jingcheng and He Jingtai were clearly caught off guard, though they did not reveal too much on the surface. They merely took the opportunity during lunch to step into a side courtyard together and talk.
He Jinglin kept secretly observing the two of them. Even after all the relatives had dispersed, she was still thinking about the matter.
Three days passed quickly.
But the two little children, He Zhen and Yu Chen, were very happy. When they got tired of playing, they would go watch cartoons. When they got tired of that, they would go outside and play hide-and-seek. Sometimes they would accompany Old Master He during chess or while reading picture books. Their days were full and satisfying.
He Zhen owned a storybook called The Three Butterflies, and inside it was a famous line. After Yu Chen “adapted” it, he began repeating it every day in his babyish little voice.
“Boss and I are good friends! If we come, we come together! If we leave, we leave together!”
In the snow-covered courtyard, Yu Chen was bundled up like a thick little penguin. As he built snowmen with He Zhen, he kept chanting his newly revised little rhyme.
By now, everyone in the He family already knew that Yu Chen had become He Zhen’s closest little companion. Especially that burly boy from the family quarters—whenever he saw Yu Chen now, he ran faster than anyone else, not to mention bullying him anymore.
Children loved snowy scenery best, and it had snowed every day lately. Thanks to the efforts of the two little ones, the whole courtyard was now filled with little snowmen, standing there like tiny soldiers guarding the yard, full of imposing spirit.
That day, while Li Huan was outside playing with the two of them, Uncle Li from the security room came hurrying over.
He said to Li Huan, “Housekeeper Li! There’s a couple at the gate! They say they’re Yu Chen’s relatives and they’ve come to take him home!”
