CHAPTER 142

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 Text © 2024 .

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?”