After Old Mr. Collins nodded at her in approval, Janet walked down the stage and left the ballroom.
All the guests were dumbfounded.
“What’s going on?”
“Has Janet Jackson pulled out of the contest?”
“Hahaha, I guess she must have wet her pants because she couldn’t produce anything.”
“See, I told you she couldn’t draw at all but you refused to believe me. Now, you can see the truth very clearly with your own eyes.”
Those who didn’t know Janet well were jeering at her. Only Lee and Lara, who were sitting at a secluded corner of the ballroom, exchanged a smile with each other knowing that it was a typical move of Janet before she pulled off something wondrous.
Two minutes later, Janet rushed back to the ballroom and hurried back to her seat. She was holding something in her hands which she later affixed on her canvas before covering up her painting.
Everyone was exchanging puzzled looks with each other as no one had a clue what she just did.
Looking all smiles, Old Mr. Collins announced, “I hereby announce that the contest has come to an end and the paintings will be revealed in fifteen minutes!”
The guests dispersed right after his announcement—some of them going to enjoy the refreshments and some heading to the bathroom.
Janet then went to the lounge backstage where she bumped into Emily; no one else was there at that juncture.
Judging from the sly smirk on Emily’s face, she seemed to be secretly hatching some schemes.
Janet cast her a glance before asking her in a crisp and soft voice, “Are you plotting something against me now?”
Smiling smugly at her, Emily put on an innocent look and refuted in a demure and gentle voice, “Janet, how can you think of me that way? There’s no way I am plotting anything against you as I’m a very kind person.”
In response to her statement, Janet snickered sarcastically.
Within two minutes, Shirley, Jade and Megan arrived at the lounge too.
Looking concerned, Jade asked, “Janet, why were you sleeping on stage just now? Are you feeling unwell?”
Janet answered her with a calm smile, “Nope, I’m alright.”
Shirley put on a smirk and ridiculed, “Mom, you don’t have to worry about her. Perhaps she spent too much time feeding the pigs in the village that she can now sleep anytime and anywhere just like them.”
“Shirley, watch your words,” Jade warned in an annoyed tone.
“Did I say anything wrong?” Not looking bothered, Shirley took Chloe’s hand and led her out of the lounge. “Chloe, we shouldn’t stay too close to pigs. We don’t want to be dirtied by them.”
Emily bit her lips to suppress the urge to laugh when she heard Shirley.
Ten minutes later, the guests returned to the ballroom where they waited for the paintings to be revealed and the winner to be announced.
Old Mr. Collins had hired some helpers to reveal the paintings.
The helpers did their work professionally by wearing white gloves so that they would not smudge the painting.
Chloe’s painting was the first to be shown.
Everyone gasped in shock as soon as her painting was revealed.
It was as beautiful and charming as her.
A butterfly with bright and vibrant colors which looked almost like the real thing was drawn on the canvas. Her painting was outstanding as it depicted the moment when the butterfly was harvesting for nectar in flowers and the layer of nectar that covered the end of the butterfly’s body was a brilliant detail.
Although her work was not really creative, she managed to make up for it with her excellent drawing skill.
Old Mr. Collins too nodded in satisfaction when he saw Chloe’s painting.
Noticing how awestruck everyone was by Chloe’s work, Shirley held her head up haughtily as though her daughter was already the winner.
She was very glad that her daughter had brought her glory instead of letting her down.
Next up, the second helper stepped forward to reveal Emily’s painting.
On the canvas, a school of kois in golden yellow and bright red were drawn; the colors glittered and sparkled under the spotlights.
It was drawn so vividly that the fishes looked like the real thing.
The use of colors created an illusion that made the kois look like they were swimming in a pond, forming a sight of magnificent beauty.
The pond in which the kois were swimming was clear and the water seemed like it was really flowing.
Some kois in the painting were painted in black to provide a strong contrast to the gold and red colors—it was a marvelous combination of mystery and beauty.
Staring at Emily’s painting, Old Mr. Collins’ eyes were brimming with surprise and pride. He was so impressed that he couldn’t even speak smoothly. “T-The colors are so brilliantly matched!”
The guests were also staggered by the splendid beauty of her painting.
“This color combination is second to none.”
“Why didn’t I know that Emily was this good before?”
