Returning to the Hearing, Baici retorts against Zhezhi’s claims
Baici: “That's quite the story. At best, this merely proves our involvement in the incident at best, yet the real culprit remains unknown. Your accusations are groundless. Allow me to remind you, she was the one who created those paintings, insisted on selling them, and concocted the entire terrifying incident. Do you honestly believe her paintings would've earned a single penny without my intervention?”
Zhezhi: “No... Mr. Baici, you're changing the subject.”
Baici continues to denounce Zhezhi and pin blame on Mingyan
Baici: “How ungrateful. She ensnared us in this debacle, and now you dare to lay the blame at our feet? For it to be forgery, there has to be another original artist. These paintings are all the work of Mingyan. Even if she made dozens of identical copies, it wouldn't be considered forgery.”
Unfazed, Zhezhi presents a piece of evidence to the table: a Recording Device
Zhezhi: “B-Before we proceed, I wish to present this audio recording to the court.”
Recording Playback: "Ugh, Mr. Baici stopped by again, grumbling about the delay in getting Mingyan's paintings to the Shanyun Art Exchange...”
Recording Playback: "If Yinfeng hadn't pushed her, she wouldn't have gotten hurt. Now she can't even paint, and our order is gonna be late. She's been rebellious and a bit too smart for her own good lately. I just wanted her to keep her head down and work. Who knew she'd crack and cause that mess.”
Zhezhi: “Mingyan was initially only making copies. Everything changed after you stepped in. Trickery, misinformation, and later on even threats... She was led down the path of forging artworks for you. I do understand that... if her own heart hadn't wavered, none of this would've happened... But there was already no turning back by the time she wanted to quit. So, saying she was the mastermind behind it all... that's just not fair.”
Baici: “Even so, how is forgery a valid accusation? Nothing like that was mentioned in your recording, now was it?”
Rover stands up to support Zhezhi, objecting Baici’s defense
Rover: “We found the original painting in the hidden warehouse.” / “We found evidence of forgeries being bought and sold. This evidence clearly shows that these paintings are no ordinary copies, but your way of making a profit.”
Baici stands their ground, rebutting Rover’s claims and attempts to regain audience compassion
Baici: “Heh, there's no such thing as real or fake paintings. You're not fooling anyone. For it to be forgery, there has to be another original artist. These paintings are all the work of Mingyan. Even if she made dozens of identical copies, it wouldn't be considered forgery.”
*Rover realizes Baici makes sense in their logic and is unable to contest his argument
Zhezhi, still calm and collected, makes her arguments*
Zhezhi: “...Mr. Baici, do you recognize this painting?”
Baici: “Well, of course. It's Serenity of Xiehua Village, the work of the Arcane Artist.”
Zhezhi: “Then can you tell the difference between this one and the others?”
Baici: “Of course, this piece possesses a lifelike quality unmatched by any other, all thanks to the Resonance ability of the Arcane Artist—Mingyan.”
Zhezhi: “However, judging from these paintings, it seems Mingyan's ability never stabilized successfully, except for this original piece.”
Baici: “What does this have to do with anything? Do you have solid evidence to prove the differences between these paintings? What you're saying is all speculation. There's no guarantee a painter won't make mistakes, is there?”
Zhezhi: “Artists seeking perfection always choose the highest quality pigments for their most important pieces.”
Zhezhi begins to speak to the audience and the court, gaining their compassion to her stand
Zhezhi: “During our investigation of the studio, I accidentally got paint on me and discovered something interesting about the materials used in these paintings. The original paintings had pigments that were purer and brighter, able to blend more naturally and retain color for longer. In contrast, the forgeries used pigments made from mineral scraps. These don't hold up the same, smudging at the slightest touch. We can distinguish the real paintings from the fakes simply by analyzing the ink used.”
Baici, visibly worried that he’s losing the fight, makes a final stand
Baici: “Doing so only proves the so-called "original painting" is created differently from the others. Are you implying that Mingyan is only allowed to use a single kind of pigment throughout her work? How is this supposed to prove that we are behind the forgeries?!”
Zhezhi pauses for a brief moment before confidently revealing her truth
Zhezhi: “… Because the original creator of Serenity in Xiehua Village is me.”
Rover, and the entire audience in court, are visibly stunned by her statement
Zhezhi continues, recollecting buried memories of her youth