Transmigrated Into the Stand-In of the Tragic Novel’s Heroine - Chapter 35

He Yanjin repeatedly spoke about her inspiration and concept, but she simply could not produce proof that her song was composed earlier than the other. She couldn’t explain the similar passages. If, at the start, it was just an amateur busybody who transcribed the music, she could have simply denied it, but as the incident spiraled, more professional musicians became involved, and most importantly, they publicly stood up against her.

This was undoubtedly a death sentence for He Yanjin.

All her endorsements and the script she was preparing to shoot were halted because of this matter. Contracts that had been finalized were snatched up by others, and the company simply told her to wait.

Unable to contact Zhou Yunmeng, He Yanjin gradually understood what was happening. She would be trapped by her contract with Yunmeng Entertainment, and her dreams of stardom were likely cut short at this very moment. To think she had once believed Zhou Yunmeng’s gentleness and tranquility were somewhat similar to Chang Yishao’s!

No matter what the general atmosphere of the entertainment circle was like, it couldn’t explain away this incident. He Yanjin was exhausted from dealing with the rumors and could only curl up in her apartment, repeatedly looking at the encouraging messages sent by her “loyal” fans.

Two days later, seeing that the situation was irreversible, she finally released a less-than-sincere apology letter, as advised by her manager. Her heart was filled with intense resentment, and her emotions were hard to control, yet her words subtly attempted to drag others down with her.

For many years, this had become commonplace in the industry: they would buy lyrics and compositions from struggling people for a small price, then sign their own names, while the true authors remained unknown. The authors knew their work might shine, but that success would never be theirs.

— Poking my head in, can someone tell me, is it really like this? Is everyone copying?

— She’s already apologized, what more do you want? Do you want to force her to die? She didn’t write the song herself, but she sang it. Without her singing it, how many people would have known about it?

— To the person above, so should we thank He Yanjin?

— Making a fuss over such a small thing, how boring. As long as she corrects herself, I will still support her in the future.

Online comments were divided into three groups: a large number of people who were unconcerned and didn’t care about the plagiarism, and the remaining were He Yanjin’s fans battling another group of righteous people. The voices originally supporting Xie Qingtang were almost drowned out by He Yanjin’s fans, but as soon as He Yanjin dragged other people into the scandal, the fans of those artists also stepped forward to boycott her.

He Yanjin had apologized, but besides the person who was plagiarized, who had the right to decide whether or not to forgive? Furthermore, those who claimed the industry norm was like this—which people exactly were stealing others’ work? They should name them one by one! Why be so cryptic and passive-aggressive?

A sum of money entered Xie Qingtang’s personal bank account—it was the “paparazzi fee” paid by Chang Yishao. However, the deposit didn’t stay long, and Xie Qingtang ended up “squandering” a significant portion, along with her original savings—the opposing water army was flooding the internet, so she had to put up a fight, didn’t she? However, this significantly reduced her card balance, causing her to sigh constantly.

“You’re not going to Pingyao anymore?” Chang Yishao asked.

Xie Qingtang shrugged, looking at Chang Yishao, who was about to leave for school, and replied, “The reality show filming is over, and my temporary worker life has officially ended.” She paused, then added, “However, the old man introduced a place to me. I’m considering whether to go.”

“Where?” Chang Yishao had already reached the entrance hall. She stopped, turned around, and looked at Xie Qingtang with her arms crossed.

“The Folk Handicraft Museum,” Xie Qingtang replied.

Chang Yishao frowned. She said, “It’s not in Yucheng.”

“Yes,” Xie Qingtang replied. This museum was a private exhibition hall located in Shencheng. If she went, the contract between her and Chang Yishao would likely have to end early.

Chang Yishao hummed, her knitted brow remaining unfurrowed. However, she didn’t say much about the matter. Her gaze drifted across the folding fan kite on the wall, then finally settled on Xie Qingtang’s face. She softly said, “I’m going to school. Text me if anything happens.”

The recent “plagiarism case” involving He Yanjin was the only significant event. Xie Qingtang understood her meaning, nodded, and mumbled, “Oh,” but her expression was somewhat perfunctory.

Chang Yishao looked at Xie Qingtang, swallowing a light sigh she was about to make.

As soon as she left, the house became even quieter. Xie Qingtang covered her mouth to yawn, her eyes still carrying traces of fatigue. She walked a circle in the cold, silent living room, found it difficult to find any warmth, and turned back to her room.

Such beautiful weather, better to sleep.

When she woke up again, she leisurely picked up her phone, blinking her sleepy eyes, and slowly checked the news online.

He Yanjin’s apology letter brought the plagiarism matter to a small climax in terms of heat.

Among her fans were not a few conspiracy theorists, who deduced that Xie Qingtang had deliberately orchestrated the whole thing—first leaking small fragments, then selling the music, and finally launching a counter-attack—in their eyes, a small-time streamer could easily be bought off with money. Xie Qingtang blinked, feeling deeply wronged. Wasn’t she just stuck because she had no inspiration?

The audience in her live stream was divided, with some standing on Xie Qingtang’s side and arguing with He Yanjin’s fans. The back-and-forth instantly made the comment section a mess.

Xie Qingtang sighed softly. She had not genuinely spoken out about this matter, but she couldn’t let others keep fighting for her. After pondering for a moment, she posted a Weibo update:

There is a quote in Winter’s Journey that I find very meaningful, and I’d like to share it with everyone.

“Man’s instinct is not to forgive, but not to forgive.”

I choose to follow my instinct.

Xie Qingtang didn’t want to forgive. Even if her attitude as a mere tool might lead to negative consequences, she still chose not to forgive.

There was no room for compromise in creativity.

The conflict would escalate because of this, and some might find her relentlessly pursuing the matter and lacking “grace,” but she didn’t care.

Xie Qingtang knew she was not a kind person. In that chaotic scene, she even harbored a smile and a degree of hidden satisfaction.

The number of comments and likes gradually increased, but Xie Qingtang didn’t have the time to pick out the trolls.

Artist Qi Da sent her a message.

“The score was lost in Pingyao, right? There weren’t many people moving around that day. I asked around. Zhou Yunmeng took the music score and gave it to He Yanjin. Sorry.”

Xie Qingtang glanced at it and found it amusing. She said, “Why are you apologizing? There was no name on it, so it’s normal for them to find the wrong owner. This matter is almost resolved.”

After a moment, Qi Yu sent a simple “Mm.”

Qi Yu sat formally in her studio, a simple line drawing in front of her, her expression serious. After thinking for a moment, she picked up her brush and wrote “Support Originality” in the upper right corner. Qi Yu didn’t frequently manage her Weibo, occasionally uploading a painting, but she had millions of followers, far surpassing Xie Qingtang’s.

By posting this image at this time, her stance was crystal clear.

She didn’t put too much thought into Weibo, but instead opened her contact list. Looking at the sparse conversation history with Zhou Yunmeng, she hesitated for a moment but finally decided to ask her friend:

“Why did you give He Yanjin someone else’s music score?”

Zhou Yunmeng didn’t reply; she hadn’t seen Qi Yu’s message.

After her phone calls were unsuccessful, He Yanjin disguised herself and found the Zhou residence.

Pale-faced and haggard, in just a few days, she was completely demoralized. Zhou Yunmeng’s usual gentleness was entirely withdrawn, replaced by a cold, icy expression towards He Yanjin.

“You want to ask me why?” Meeting those bloodshot eyes, Zhou Yunmeng scoffed.

“What did I do to wrong you?” For a moment, He Yanjin saw the reflection of Chang Yishao in Zhou Yunmeng again—the cold, frosty Chang Yishao after their breakup.

“Four years ago, you took something that didn’t belong to you in Pingyao,” Zhou Yunmeng sighed.

He Yanjin knitted her brows. She said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Zhou Yunmeng smiled, not surprised by He Yanjin’s reaction. She pushed the yellowed letter forward, and as she spoke, she seemed immersed in her memories.

“Chang Yishao was in Pingyao, learning a craft with Old Master Qi. You also followed Chang Yishao everywhere. You were afraid that Chang Yishao and Qi Yu would spend too much time together, weren’t you? You hated Qi Yu, but actually, it wasn’t just Qi Yu; you hated Lu Li, Tang Rong… you hated everyone in Chang Yishao’s circle because of them. You realized the vast difference between yourself and Chang Yishao, and you were afraid you couldn’t hold onto a future with her.”

“The Chang family, well, I don’t need to elaborate. And you? Your family environment shaped your character—an abusive father who became exceptionally violent after drinking, a mother who became hysterical at the slightest change. You grew up in pain, yet you had to mask your past suffering… You fear forming a family because, for you, a family is incomplete. You constantly seek to extract, and only then can you feel others’ unconditional, tolerant love for you.”

“Who is Chang Yishao? She cares about nothing; she isn’t concerned with life and won’t fear death! She grew up spoiled, so how could she be submissive? She was deliberate. She indulged you, so you would eventually fall into the abyss!”

He Yanjin’s face turned crimson because of Zhou Yunmeng’s words. Her breathing became increasingly rapid, and she couldn’t help but say angrily, “Shut up!”

Zhou Yunmeng looked at her with a half-smile and continued, “Qi Yu was in Pingyao, and Chang Yishao was also in Pingyao. Their families were old friends, and you were afraid. You couldn’t stand to see Qi Yu happy. Anything related to her, you wanted to destroy. Once, when Qi Yu was participating in a competition, you enthusiastically recommended a body model to her, but then you had the model renege on the appointment at the last minute, almost jeopardizing Qi Yu’s work… things like that are countless…”

“It was for Qi Yu, it was all for Qi Yu!” He Yanjin rudely interrupted Zhou Yunmeng. Her eyes were full of malice. Because of Zhou Yunmeng’s words, she finally remembered that old incident. “So you were the one who sent the love letter to Qi Yu.”

After a pause, He Yanjin laughed maliciously, “Even if it got delivered, so what? Could you and Qi Yu have a future? You’re taking revenge on me for Qi Yu, but what does it matter? Qi Yu won’t see you. Her eyes are only on her muse. Perhaps I should thank me. If that model hadn’t backed out, where would she have found a new goddess?”

Zhou Yunmeng’s lips were tightly pressed together, her chest rising and falling, also revealing her disturbed emotions. Focusing her thoughts on He Yanjin, she said, “I will continue to promote you, letting you repeatedly rise and fall throughout your life, but you will never achieve your goal.”

“You’re sick!” He Yanjin finally couldn’t bear it. She looked at Zhou Yunmeng and burst out laughing. She said, “You think it’s for Qi Yu, but it’s actually for yourself! You’re shifting your bad mood onto me, as if this proves that you and Qi Yu had no future because of external interference, instead of being mercilessly rejected by Qi Yu.”

“You are deceiving yourself! You coward! You don’t even have the courage to be honest with Qi Yu, so how could you have a future? Even if the letter was delivered, there wouldn’t be a result. Zhou Yunmeng, you will never get what you love in this life!” He Yanjin’s face was mocking, and the resentment in her eyes was completely unrestrained.

She had never doubted Zhou Yunmeng, yet this person had dug a pit for her to jump into, causing her to fall and lose her reputation.

“Yes, I’m sick.” Zhou Yunmeng raised her eyes and stared at He Yanjin. The tumultuous emotions seemed to calm down instantly. She looked at He Yanjin indifferently and said, “Have you found your answer now? You can leave.”

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