Watching You Burn In Regret novel Chapter 125

In the past, Seren had attended all kinds of competitions alongside Mr. Shaw. Facing situations like this, she always remained calm and collected—nerves simply weren't in her nature.

Today, she took the stage with another judge, a seasoned expert. The man looked to be in his late fifties or early sixties, dressed in a well-pressed tweed blazer and round reading glasses perched on his nose. His hair was almost entirely white, but his eyes were sharp and alert, practically sparkling with intelligence.

The stark contrast between the two judges—a distinguished elder and a young woman—immediately set off a flurry of commentary in the livestream chat.

The consensus among viewers was clear: only the older gentleman truly looked the part of an expert. Seren, with her refined, elegant features and serene poise, seemed to them more like a pretty face the producers had thrown in to boost ratings.

As Seren entered, she saw an easel already set up on stage, displaying a landscape painting. Standing beside it was a young woman dressed in a vintage-inspired cocktail dress, her hair and makeup done with meticulous, classic flair.

Seren knew the drill: because of time constraints, contestants with time-consuming talents like painting or crafts would bring finished pieces to the show.

She guessed this must be the up-and-coming actress everyone was talking about—and the painting was her entry.

Even from a distance, Seren recognized the work: it was a careful reproduction of "The Hidden Vale". Back when she first started studying traditional painting under Mr. Shaw, she'd spent most of her first year practicing by copying that very piece.

In fact, when she was nine, she'd entered her first painting competition with her own version of "The Hidden Vale."

But as she looked at the painting on the easel, something felt off. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it seemed… strange.

The elder judge went first. He pulled a gold-rimmed magnifying glass from his pocket and leaned in, scrutinizing every detail for a good ten minutes before finally pushing his glasses up and smacking his lips thoughtfully.

"The technique here is masterful," he declared. "The brushwork is mature, and the details are handled beautifully. I'd give this a perfect score."

The actress's eyes shone with pride at his praise.

She explained that every painting entered in that particular competition was auctioned afterward, with the proceeds going as prize money to the contestants. Her best guess was that the actress's family had purchased her painting at the time.

The actress focused on the corner of the painting—and sure enough, there it was: a small red seal.

There were so many stamps on the painting, she hadn't noticed the original artist's seal tucked away in the lower right. Truth be told, she barely knew anything about traditional painting at all. She'd simply chosen an obscure piece from her grandfather's collection, thinking she could pass it off as her own and score some easy points.

Now, she'd been caught red-handed.

Her cheeks flushed bright red as she quickly seized the lifeline Seren had offered. "Oh, I must not have looked closely—they all look so similar. I must've grabbed the wrong one."

But the viewers weren't so easily convinced. Someone took a screenshot of the painting and zoomed in, painstakingly researching the tiny, intricate characters on the seal in the corner.