Chapter 1
“Aria! What are you spacing out for?”
The studio door burst open as my best friend Zoe rushed in, waving her phone.
I snapped my eyes open, taking in the familiar easel and the unfinished graduation piece resting on it.
I had been reborn.
Reborn to the day before Olivia plagiarized my graduation work and publicly exhibited it.
“Quick, look at the school forum! That green tea bitch Olivia is stirring up trouble again!”
My gaze fell on Zoe’s phone screen.
The pinned post had an eye-catching title: “To All Fellow Art Lovers: When Your Closest Junior Steals Your Inspiration, Where Do You Go From Here?”
In the post, without naming names, she told the story of a hardworking senior whose work was shamelessly copied by a genius junior.
Even without explicitly stating who the genius junior was, everyone knew it was me.
I was the art prodigy of our year, hailed as a genius since enrollment.
Olivia had even included comparison images in her post.
One was her so-called competition entry, and the other was the archive of my graduation piece that I had only submitted to the school database yesterday.
The composition, colors, brushstrokes, and even the innovative “point dyeing technique” I had only first proposed in my graduation thesis - everything was identical.
It wasn’t just similar; it was an exact copy!
The comments section below had exploded.
“I always thought something was off about that Aria, acting all high and mighty. Turns out she’s just a plagiarist!”
“So much for being an art prodigy. She probably just had some shady deal with the training school teachers!”
“Olivia is too kind. If it were me, I’d report her and get her expelled!”
“Poor Olivia, sending hugs. People like this are a disgrace to the art world. They should just get out!”
The familiar words pierced my heart like poisoned daggers.
In my previous life, it was this very post that sent my life spiraling into an endless hell.
I was vilified by thousands and investigated by the school.
Professor Bennett’s gaze changed from initial admiration to utter disappointment.
Meanwhile, Olivia climbed higher by stepping on my corpse.
She won the National Young Artist Gold Medal with my painting, signed with a top gallery, and enjoyed limitless glory.
I was nailed to the pillar of shame for plagiarism, and finally jumped from the roof of this very studio.
Looking at Olivia’s innocent face on the phone screen, I slowly clenched my fist.
Seeing my expression change, Zoe was on the verge of tears: “Aria, say something! Let’s go to the professor right now and show her all your drafts and evidence! We can’t let Olivia bully you like this!”
Evidence?
In my previous life, I had presented all the evidence.
From my initial inspiration notes to every compositional sketch, to detailed technical analysis.
But it was useless.
Olivia always managed to produce even earlier evidence.
She could even articulate my creative concepts eloquently before I did.
“Aria?” Zoe shook me anxiously.
I looked up and gave her a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry, Zoe.”
This time, I was determined to find out how she did it!