My Wife is a Hidden Big Shot-Chapter 55 - 52: Unappreciative

The proctor rushed to check the bottom-right corner of the paper, where the name and exam number should have been, but the space was completely blank.

She looked all over the paper but couldn’t find any information about the student who had painted it.

’Forgetting to write your name on an exam? What was this student thinking?’

After the exam, the proctor delivered the anonymous painting to the dean of the Academy of Arts.

The dean was overjoyed, praising it again and again. The brushwork was so exquisite that it was almost identical to the original painting. The use of color was especially outstanding, highlighting the work’s depth and lending it a soulful quality.

Painters with such a keen eye for detail were a once-in-a-century talent in Veridia. Now that they had finally found a student with this kind of potential, they absolutely could not let them slip away!

"Go notify Mr. Guthrie. Then get to the security room. I don’t care if you have to tear the place apart—find that student."

***

Two hours later, Zane Guthrie rushed to the Arcadian University School of Arts. "Where’s the painting?"

Dean Hale pointed to his desk.

Zane Guthrie strode forward and eagerly examined the painting. His eyes grew brighter the longer he looked, and he finally slammed his hand on the desk. "Incredible! Who is this student? Do they have a master?"

While the painting looked identical to the original at first glance, a closer inspection revealed its own unique style. It was a testament to the artist’s consummate skill—a true prodigy of traditional painting.

’There’s hope for the future of ancient painting restoration in Veridia!’

But the dean shook his head. "We couldn’t find them!"

"What do you mean you couldn’t find them? What about the security cameras?"

"The exam was held in a new classroom, so there were no cameras installed yet. The proctor didn’t remember the student’s face either." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"How could you let this happen? This is the kind of talent that comes along once in a century!"

Zane Guthrie’s face was etched with disappointment and regret.

Back at the association, he ran into a few of his students. He glanced at Stella Sinclair and sighed.

Stella Sinclair herself was a rare talent with the potential to be trained in ancient painting restoration. But ever since she painted the *Child Feeding Chickens Painting* at sixteen, she had never again produced a work of such breathtaking quality.

Her technical skills were far superior to most, but her work now lacked the soulfulness and unique flair she had displayed in that piece.

"Mr. Guthrie, is something wrong?" Stella Sinclair asked. Seeing him glance at her several times, her heart skipped a beat. After so many years in the Sinclair Family, she had learned to read people well. ’He’s pitying me...’

"A true prodigy of traditional painting has appeared in Veridia," he said. "Such a shame... such a shame..."

Zane Guthrie’s students had never seen him so dejected and began asking what was wrong. He didn’t hide it, telling them what had happened at the Arcadian University art exam.

The other students all looked disappointed, but a sense of foreboding crept into Stella Sinclair’s heart.

’Aurora took the art exam today!’

***

A few days later, the results for the Arcadian University art exam were supposed to be out. When Master Sinclair still hadn’t received a call, he had Butler Sinclair look into it.

It turned out that Aurora Sinclair was on the list of absentees. While the Arcadian University art exam had a large number of participants, it wasn’t uncommon for students to miss it for various reasons each year.

Master Sinclair couldn’t sit still. He immediately took Aurora Sinclair to the Arcadian University School of Arts to inquire about the situation.

The dean, meanwhile, had been beside himself with worry, sighing incessantly as he stared at the list of absentees.

Somehow, word had gotten out that a traditional painting prodigy had emerged from the Arcadian University art exam but had forgotten to sign their work. As a result, countless students and parents had been flocking to the school over the past few days to claim the painting as their own.

Although they were all exposed on the spot, it didn’t stop these opportunistic students from trying to make a name for themselves.

"Dean Hale, another absentee is here looking for their results."

Irritated, the dean frowned and snapped, "Just tell them I’m not in!"

"It’s the Sinclairs of Kingsford. It’s Stella Sinclair’s grandfather!"

Stella Sinclair was Zane Guthrie’s newest apprentice and was making quite a name for herself at the Kingsford Calligraphy and Painting Association. The dean’s impatience instantly vanished, replaced by a look of pleasant surprise. "Quickly, show them in!"

Master Sinclair led Aurora Sinclair into the dean’s office, where Dean Hale politely exchanged a few pleasantries with him.

"Dean Hale, this is my youngest granddaughter, Aurora Sinclair. She came to the academy a few days ago to take the art exam, but for some reason, her results are listed as ’absent’."

The dean explained with a smile, "It’s possible Miss Sinclair simply forgot to write her name on her paper."

Aurora Sinclair’s eyes widened slightly. ’Now that I think about it, I really don’t think I wrote my name.’

The dean continued, "Miss Sinclair, do you remember what you painted?"

"Lotus flowers..."

The dean’s eyes lit up. He nodded. "Take a look at these and tell me which one is yours."

The dean brought out a stack of unsigned paintings for Aurora to look through, watching her expression carefully from the side.

Aurora looked them over and shook her head. "Mine isn’t here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, it’s not here."

Master Sinclair grew anxious and stepped forward to look. "How can it not be here? My granddaughter definitely took the exam..."

The dean quickly placated him. "Mr. Sinclair, please don’t worry. There are quite a few scrolls; this is only some of them. I’ll go get the rest."

Only then did Master Sinclair feel relieved.

The dean asked his assistant to keep them company while he rushed out to make a phone call, unable to hide the joy on his face.

"Mr. Guthrie, I’ve found the traditional painting prodigy!"

On the other end of the line, Zane Guthrie was instructing students on traditional painting. He was so overjoyed by the news that he nearly ruined a new piece he was working on.

"Are you serious? You really found them? What’s their name? Where do they live?"

"Aurora Sinclair. Stella Sinclair’s younger sister!"

The expression on Zane Guthrie’s face froze in astonishment for a moment before turning to elation. He quickly said to a nearby student, "Go get Stella..."

Stella was currently a Level Three member of the association. Aside from Mr. Guthrie’s public lectures and private tutoring sessions, her instruction was handled by other teachers.

Ten minutes later, Stella approached with a faint smile. "Mr. Guthrie, you were looking for me?"

"Stella, I had no idea your sister’s painting skills were so superb! Who did she study traditional painting with?"

The smile on Stella’s face froze. She glanced at the other students in the room and instinctively shook her head. "Mr. Guthrie, who told you that? My sister can’t paint. She spent all her time before this practicing martial arts up in the mountains; she’s never been exposed to any of this. My grandfather even asked me to help find a teacher for her recently! Scott knows about it..."

Scott Warren, who had just been mentioned, nodded. "It’s true, Master. Stella did ask me about teachers for her sister not long ago."

Zane Guthrie’s expression darkened instantly. "I see," he said curtly, then walked out of the classroom, phone in hand.

***

When Dean Hale returned to his office, the warm expression was gone from his face. He stated in a strictly businesslike tone, "Mr. Sinclair, I was mistaken. These are all the paintings from the absentees."

Master Sinclair’s expression soured. "Then where is my granddaughter’s painting? She couldn’t have taken the exam here only for her painting to just disappear, could she?"

The dean’s expression remained unchanged. He walked back to his desk and continued, "Mr. Sinclair, that’s a question you’ll have to ask your granddaughter. We run into this kind of situation every year, and it’s always something the parents have to resolve at home..."

"What’s that supposed to mean?" Master Sinclair naturally understood the implication, but he refused to believe Aurora would hand in a blank scroll. If she said she could do traditional painting, then she definitely painted something.

A sneer formed on the dean’s face. "We’ve had far too many students pretending to be that painting prodigy these past few days. Miss Sinclair, a person should be honest. Trying to get ahead through trickery is not a good look. If you didn’t take the exam, you should just be honest with your grandfather. Don’t make things awkward for everyone."

Master Sinclair was so furious he trembled. "You...! Aurora, let’s go! This pathetic academy... we wouldn’t deign to attend!"

The dean watched them leave and snorted. "So ungrateful."

***

The media outlets that had been closely following the story of Arcadian University’s painting prodigy naturally didn’t miss the news of Master Sinclair taking Aurora to claim the painting.

While the mainstream media held back due to the Sinclair Family’s influence, a few fearless gossip blogs published articles about it.

[The Arcadian U. Painting Prodigy Saga Continues! Kingsford’s S Family Tries to Jump on the Bandwagon, Gets Brutally Shut Down!]

It was reposted hundreds of thousands of times within just half an hour.

Someone quickly paid to make it a trending topic on entertainment platforms.

#SFamilyHeiressHumiliatedByArcadianU#