The Master’s Mask Unveiled Again
Chapter 878 - 877: Turns Out It’s Plagiarism

Chapter 878: Chapter 877: Turns Out It’s Plagiarism

The woman beside them, Weng Xia, hadn’t expected Fu Yu to reject it so outright. She shook her head in disapproval, saying, "That Fu Yu is too clueless. What’s so great about Lu Mian’s so-called masterpiece... It’s clearly plagiarism."

"Plagiarism?"

Lu Xinnuan, who was always quick to pick up on gossip, immediately sat down.

Weng Xia glanced around, then lowered her voice and said, "I heard it from one of your cousin’s friends. That piano piece by Lu Mian resembles some composer named Mi Lu’s style a lot—it’s highly likely she copied it!"

"Mi Lu?" Lu Xinnuan hurriedly pulled out her phone to search the term.

But official information about Mi Lu was scarce, with only a handful of related posts.

"Auntie, are you sure?"

Weng Xia was certain. Back during Chu Kong’s apprentice concert, Shao Yunxuan had been bullied terribly, and she’d heard quite a bit herself. Shao Yunxuan and her daughter, Fu Shuangshuang, were childhood friends, and Shao Yunxuan had shared plenty about Lu Mian’s works.

Later, she’d even gone with Shao Yunxuan to apologize to Lu Mian, but Lu Mian’s arrogance had been overwhelming—she refused to accept any apology.

Ever since that incident, Weng Xia felt even more animosity toward Lu Mian.

What’s said casually might be taken seriously by others.

Lu Xinnuan exchanged a glance with Fu Man, as if they’d finally pieced together the reason Lu Mian suddenly became adept at arranging compositions.

Turns out, it was plagiarism...

Over and over, Lu Xinnuan had been dealt blows by Lu Mian—even their shared uncle seemed to have been taken from her. This grudge was intolerable.

Why was Uncle devoted to helping Lu Mian but wouldn’t lend her a hand?

A trace of darkness swept through Lu Xinnuan’s gaze, and she began formulating a plan.

Plagiarism is taboo in this industry; no matter what, she must uncover the truth!

——

At Yijing Residence.

Lu Mian spent an entire day rearranging the piano piece, "The Four Seasons." She shifted to a vintage piano style, supplemented with simple guitar notes. Based on La Ge’s vocals, she even added a small segment of rap.

After listening to it several times, Lu Mian sent the edited composition back to La Ge.

As she did, she noticed a large number of unread emails cluttering her phone inbox. She opened one titled [Jinjing Diverse Music Festival], with its carefully designed and exquisite page displaying the words "Sincere Invitation."

Lu Mian thought for a moment before clicking "Confirm Participation."

Once she was done, she headed downstairs.

Coincidentally, Mo Si had just returned, carrying two long, black cases that looked expensive.

"Miss Lu, you’re heading out?"

"Yeah, I’m going to MM Ji." Lu Mian glanced at the items in Mo Si’s hands. "What are these?"

"They’re fishing rods that Mr. Mo asked me to buy. It took me quite a bit of effort to find these two!" Mo Si lifted the black boxes with a pained expression.

"Oh." Lu Mian furrowed her brows slightly, muttering as she walked out, "Why buy so many of them..."

——

La Ge was ecstatic when he received the new song from Lu Mian.

Following the melody, he tried singing it, and suddenly felt as though his soul had been struck.

He couldn’t get enough, singing it repeatedly in the rehearsal room.

Until Shen Yixin arrived.

This time, Shen Yixin brought along Fu Yu. Upon learning that Lu Mian had given La Ge the rights to the song, Fu Yu took a particular interest.

Mianmian didn’t want to pursue a path in music, but anyone she chose, he would unconditionally support to the best of his ability.

The two stood outside listening for quite some time.

Shen Yixin suddenly reflected, "Don’t you feel that ’The Four Seasons’ increasingly carries the flavor of Mr. Mi Lu?"

As a fellow fan of Mi Lu, Fu Yu immediately recognized this similarity.

"In terms of style, it’s definitely similar. It’s just a shame—I still haven’t been able to figure out Mi Lu’s true identity..."

Shen Yixin sighed with some disappointment but then found herself comforted by the thought of August’s music festival. "Who knows, maybe we’ll get to meet Mi Lu in person at the festival."

"Hmm, I’m really looking forward to meeting him!"

Fu Yu said while looking at La Ge, who was completely engrossed in rehearsing. "So, this is Mianmian’s chosen talent?"

"Yes, he really is a lucky one." Shen Yixin spoke half-jokingly yet earnestly.

To have received Lu Mian’s authorization for the song, along with her personally arranging and writing lyrics for it—even Shen Yixin started to envy La Ge’s luck a little.

Fu Yu nodded in agreement but decided not to interrupt La Ge’s practice, instead directly dialing Master Kunyang.

"Master Kunyang, I need a little favor from you."

——

Master Kunyang updated his Weibo status. As a master whose updates are few and far between—once every year or so—any mention from him would inevitably stir attention within the music industry.

The Weibo post read: [Worth listening to! @La Ge]

Accompanying it was a video of La Ge singing.

The video lasted one minute and showed a clean-cut young man seated on a high stool, softly singing the rearranged "The Four Seasons."

This video was filmed by Fu Yu, who had deliberately sent it to Kunyang beforehand to help build buzz for La Ge.

The plan was for La Ge to perform the complete version live during the music festival, causing a definite sensation.

To Fu Yu, the idea was simple—if he couldn’t directly assist Lu Mian, helping her music achieve prominence was another way of contributing.

Master Kunyang, touched by his long-time friend’s sincerity, wasted no time lending a hand. Upon learning that La Ge was singing "The Four Seasons," he was so moved he almost cried.

After all the back and forth, he finally found a way to connect with Lu Mian, however tenuous the link may be...

Master Kunyang might be a veteran artist, but he had mentored many singers within the music circle.

Their fans showed immense respect toward the elder master. When Kunyang posted on Weibo, they immediately reshared, commented, and liked enthusiastically.

Initially, most were just showing support out of courtesy, but after snooping the video for a minute, Kunyang’s comment section exploded.

[Where’s the full version??? Please, I’m begging you!]

[Such a beautiful voice! The melody is amazing! The lyrics are so poetic! Mom, my ears have awakened!]

[Top-notch recommendation! But wait, who is this singer called La Ge? Why haven’t I noticed him before?]

[He looks kind of familiar—have I seen him somewhere...?]

——

La Ge’s song became a hit even before its official release.

La Wenwen excitedly shared the good news with Su Luo: "Luoluo! Luoluo! My brother’s been noticed by Master Kunyang! My brother’s going to be famous!"

Su Luo chuckled and congratulated her.

"Your brother has finally made it. After all those years singing on street corners, it was worth it to wait for someone who truly recognized him!"

"Exactly! Exactly!" La Wenwen hugged Su Luo excitedly, exclaiming, "I always say, good things happen every time I meet your friend Lu Mian! Turns out it’s true!"

"...That’s some serious superstition." Su Luo pushed her away without mercy.

"I don’t care. To me, Lu Mian is a mascot of good fortune!" La Wenwen nearly held Lu Mian in divine reverence. Clutching her phone, she suddenly remembered, "Oh, wait! I need to call my brother!"

La Wenwen quickly dialed La Ge’s number.

"Brother! You’re famous! Have you seen Weibo? You’re trending already!" La Wenwen congratulated him.

On the other end, La Ge laughed warmly, his voice carrying pleasant tones. "It’s just luck—meeting the right person at the right time."

"Exactly! Master Kunyang is definitely the right person to have on your side!"

"..." La Ge paused for a moment. "No, it’s not Master Kunyang. My benefactor is someone else."

La Wenwen wondered who could possibly outrank a revered figure like Master Kunyang, suspecting her brother might’ve sung himself into delusion.

Curious, she pressed further, "Who exactly is it then?"