Chapter 111: Chapter 111: Returning Favor for Favor

When the painting slowly emerged on the projector, everyone in the classroom collectively held their breath!

Oh my God, it could actually be changed like this!

What a divine stroke!

Everyone instantly understood why Professor Sanders praised Sean Grant so highly, even admitting that he was far inferior to him in terms of artistic talent.

...

As the most prestigious academy in Veridia, the students at Stellerton University were the best of the best. Their appreciation abilities far surpassed those who were unfamiliar with art.

The work displayed on the projector completely deviated from what Cecilia Vaughn initially intended to express—the pastoral joy of a sunset over the countryside and the streamside cottage. The style had dramatically shifted!

Although the composition was still roughly based on Cecilia Vaughn’s foundation, Sean Grant had performed some transformation and restructuring.

Katherine North added a layer of dark orange to Cecilia Vaughn’s originally tranquil and harmonious tones, but the texture was coarse and incompatible with the original style, appearing chaotic and disordered.

Sean Grant simply took these two incompatible styles and took a different approach. He used a lot of dark green, deep red, and deep orange, gradually blending them into the sky and its reflection on the stream’s water.

The tones were exaggerated and the rendering bold, with the colors almost overflowing from the paper, yet now they strangely fused together, showcasing an intense emotion that bordered on surreal.

Cecilia Vaughn’s original style leaned towards realism, focusing more on the scenery, but Sean Grant’s alteration turned it into magical realism, provoking curiosity about the painter’s intense emotions.

Gloomy, profound, intense, varied—all these emotions accumulated to form the current brushwork.

...

Some in the audience couldn’t resist thinking of a famous master painter, Van Gogh.

Van Gogh’s paintings also possessed a wild and unrestrained style, not concerned with realism, favoring exuberant emotions.

Sean Grant’s modification bore an uncanny resemblance.

Some even boldly speculated that if it weren’t for Cecilia Vaughn’s original painting’s limitations, it would have been even better if Sean Grant had painted it directly.

...

Professor Sanders carefully held the corner of the painting, clearly fond of it.

"I initially rated this painting a C, but with Sean Grant’s modification, I think even an A is inadequate; it has become an S!"

This was an unprecedented evaluation from Professor Sanders, the highest possible!

The audience erupted in shock.

Katherine North nearly slammed the table in anger, thinking that all her efforts were going to waste.

She quickly stood up.

"Professor, this is Sean Grant’s painting. It has nothing to do with Cecilia Vaughn, so the grade should be awarded to Grant instead!"

Professor Sanders frowned, clearly seeing reason in that.

But just then, Sean Grant stood up, casting a cold glance at Cecilia Vaughn, his tone indifferent.

"Professor, this should be considered a collaborative painting. If it weren’t for Classmate Vaughn’s inspiration, I wouldn’t have thought of such modifications."

Indeed, inspiration is crucial for an artist, almost equivalent to the artist’s life.

Professor Sanders hesitated for a moment, then finally said.

"Then let it be. This painting will be deemed a collaborative work, but the grades will be balanced, both recorded as A."

Katherine North was furious, glaring at Cecilia Vaughn, thinking what incredible luck this woman had!

How did she manage to turn the tide! It’s unbelievable!

...

Bella Prescott was genuinely happy for Cecilia Vaughn.

In her view, Cecilia Vaughn’s original work might not be as good as Sean Grant’s, but if Katherine North hadn’t secretly tampered with the painting, an A was what Cecilia truly deserved.

As the class bell finally rang, ending the commotion, the surrounding girls began to chatter.

"Grant is amazing! He’s handsome and so skilled in painting!"

"It’s a pity such a genius heartthrob is an exchange student, only here for a year at Stellerton University. I wish I could have a handsome mixed-race boyfriend!"

"Hey, daydreamer, don’t get your hopes up. Even if Grant were a full-time student at Stellerton University, he wouldn’t be interested in you."

"Don’t burst my bubble!"

...

Hearing the chatter, Cecilia Vaughn sighed a little. After all, he helped her out, so Cecilia decided to walk over to Sean Grant.

Maybe because Sean Grant seemed so unique, despite everyone’s discussions, no one dared to approach him.

"Thanks for what you did in class."

"You’re welcome, consider it a reward for directions."

Sean Grant nodded lightly, seemingly indifferent to the earlier painting modification.

Since the other party was polite and detached, Cecilia Vaughn just nodded in return and then returned to her seat.

...

It soon was lunchtime, and the sun was scorching. The art department’s classrooms had no air conditioning and were far from the cafeteria and dormitories, so the boarding students returned to their dorms after eating.

Bella Prescott and Cecilia Vaughn finished their meal at the cafeteria, and Bella asked if she wanted to come to her apartment to rest for a while, but Cecilia politely declined with a smile.

She had more important things to do.

Cecilia Vaughn was never one to let a grudge go unavenged; she wasn’t a pushover.

...

Cecilia Vaughn slowly walked back to the art department classroom.

There were still almost two hours until the afternoon class, and without air conditioning, even for self-study, people generally didn’t come here.

Most importantly, the surveillance was broken today and wouldn’t be fixed until tomorrow.

...

However, Cecilia Vaughn hadn’t calculated one thing.

Someone was there.

Sean Grant, looking as stunning as a character from a comic, was resting his head on one hand, eyes coldly fixed on the Swiss Army Knife in Cecilia Vaughn’s hand.

"Classmate Vaughn, what are you doing back here?"

Cecilia Vaughn furrowed her brows slightly.

Honestly, she disliked having others around when she was up to no good.

But she somehow felt that Sean Grant wasn’t the type to meddle in others’ business.

...

"Back for revenge."

Cecilia Vaughn didn’t bother to hide it, treating Sean Grant like he was invisible, and went straight to Katherine North’s seat.

The Swiss Army Knife was very sharp.

She painstakingly cut the legs of the chair bit by bit.

The sound of sawing wood mixed with the laughter from the playground outside created an eerie atmosphere.

...

And Sean Grant remained seated at the far corner, watching her, with a half-smile, half-cry expression, his cerulean eyes like an unreadable sea in the night.

"Aren’t you afraid I’ll report you?"

"Go ahead."

Cecilia Vaughn replied straightforwardly, but she trusted her instincts more, and with the surveillance down, she could simply deny it.

...

After a bit of effort, Cecilia Vaughn was finally done. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

She was careful to leave just a tiny bit uncut, but once Katherine North sat down, the chair would definitely collapse in a few minutes.

Sean Grant walked over, his long lashes slightly fluttering.

"You’re interesting."

"Thanks for the compliment, I’m just turning the tables in kind."

...

"Cecilia Vaughn, if you don’t want me to report you, you need to promise me one thing."

The slightly chilly, lazy male voice caught the girl’s attention.

Cecilia Vaughn’s brows tightened, and before she could ask what it was, suddenly, a graceful figure appeared at the classroom door.