"Ms. Qin, maintaining the national honor is our undeniable responsibility."
He spoke so-righteously, so grandiosely, yet Qin Xiangnuan just wanted to laugh, finding it ridiculous. How had it suddenly become someone else's possession? What did this have to do with national honor? She didn't need to ask now; she probably knew already.
They must have taken that screen to participate in some competition. Yes, there seemed to be a famous competition recently, with many countries participating, especially that country. Embroidery is Huaxia's national quintessence, but how had it become theirs? He had never seen a country so shameless, so fond of plundering others, and so adept at telling blatant lies.
Even so, what did it have to do with her? She wasn't the one who took it to any competition.
Seeing Qin Xiangnuan's indifferent attitude, Bai Xingqi felt a rush of urgency. Hastily, he said, "Ms. Qin, let's set other matters aside for now. That Qingming River Painting must be proven to have originated from your hands, not stolen by us. Otherwise, no one can bear this responsibility. It's not just tarnishing the Bai Family's name, but the entire nation's."
Qin Xiangnuan remained unconcerned.
It really had nothing to do with her. She repeated the same line; she wasn't the one who took it to any competition.
"Ms. Qin," Bai Xingqi called out again.
"Oh…" Qin Xiangnuan responded nonchalantly.
"What can you make me say? It did come from my hands, but…" she was truly sorry, "it wasn't embroidered by me. What am I supposed to do about it, embarrass myself with you?"
She admitted she had become worse but why should she help them? The screen wasn't theirs to claim. If they lacked the skill to win, they shouldn't have entered the competition and caused such trouble with fraud.
So, when it was time to claim honor, it was theirs, but when doubted, it became someone else's problem.
"Qin Xiangnuan, what do you mean by this?" A young girl stood up, her mouth rattling off loudly, "That was embroidered by you, yet here you are, blatantly lying to me. When I bought it from you, Qin Xiangmei had already told me it was yours. If you say it's not, then where did you get it from?"
Qin Xiangnuan casually sized up the young woman in front of her, wearing heavy makeup, looking not much different in age from herself, a decent girl, yet masquerading as something else. Did she really think that looked good? People really do court disaster, which is exactly what she meant.
Right, she just mentioned that she bought it from Qin Xiangmei? Oh, that's her. Seems like her name was He Juan. Nowadays, everyone had such glamorous names; too much fanfare, she hadn't remembered it.
No wonder she didn't recognize her; it was all the makeup plastered across her face. With such a thick layer, her real face was unrecognizable.
She fought with vehemence, desperate to pin the issue of the screen on Qin Xiangnuan. Where else could she accuse someone? Latest content published on novel✶fire.net
Qin Xiangnuan still seemed unbothered; neither agitated nor impassioned, she smoothed her hair, a mocking curl at the corners of her mouth.
"You bought it from Qin Xiangmei, you can go find Qin Xiangmei then. It has nothing to do with me, why insist on involving me?" She picked up a pot, weighed it, and found it empty.
"Sorry, I'll go add some water," she stood up, ready to add water, and of course, to be out of sight, out of mind.
"No need to trouble yourself," Bai Xingqi quickly stopped Qin Xiangnuan, "We truly didn't mean to bother you so much, we have other matters and must take our leave now," he said with a grin, a face hard to dislike. They say it's hard to strike a smiling face, and with such a smile, who could really rebuke him?
He Juan might have wanted to say more, but with a glare from Bai Xingqi and a change of expression, she dared not speak further.
After the few had left, Qin Xiangnuan added some boiling water to the pot and placed it on the table, pouring herself a cup and slowly sipping it.
The tea was good, her tea-making skills average; just boiling the water and steeping the tea worked, the quality passable thanks to the good tea leaves, making her mediocre skills seem presentable.
When Jian Zhiqing returned, Qin Xiangnuan briefed him on the matter.
"I'll check it out first," Jian Zhiqing furrowed his brows, sensing this was no small issue, and quite significant.
Anything concerning the nation couldn't be taken lightly.
He picked up his phone, seeking out contacts to investigate the Bai Family's actions. The Bai Family was a reputable clan in the Capital City; it was unthinkable they'd stoop so low. If they indeed used the Qingming River Painting in the competition, he was truly at a loss for words.
It was astonishing the Bai Family could descend to such disgraceful acts.
It was unclear whom he was calling, but after a few calls, his expression darkened.
Qin Xiangnuan sensed that the situation might really be complicated.
She set her notebook on her lap and added a few strokes; after these touches, a design of a finished coat was complete. What followed was the drawing, tailoring, and the final product.
Jian Zhiqing placed his phone on the table and sat down across from Qin Xiangnuan.
"They did use the Qingming River Painting in the competition. The Shi Family, Wu Family, Bai Family, and many other embroidery households participated. That country also sent a few representatives. It was supposed to be a trivial matter, but the problem arose when your painting clinched first place. However, the needlework wasn't something the Bai Family knew. Coincidentally, someone from that country knew this embroidery technique, hence they accused us of theft, claiming it was their ancestral creation, misappropriated by the Bai Family. They compared the embroidery techniques on the spot; none from the Bai Family mastered it, but that representative from that country did."
Qin Xiangnuan slammed her cup down on the table, exactly as she had suspected.
It was just unclear whether the Bai Family was more shameless or if that country's people were more despicable.
"So…" Qin Xiangnuan propped her face on the table, her eyes squinting slightly as if sleepy yet brightly attentive.
"So…" Jian Zhiqing smiled, his smile tinged with mockery, "they are now looking for the real embroiderer of that painting, which of course, is you. If they find you, the nation's dignity remains intact, and the Bai Family's face is saved. But, you refused."