Chapter 182 - 167: I’m Not Going to Be a Painter

Wei Shuojie was never one to beat around the bush.

Hearing this, Ni Bingyan couldn’t help but let her gaze drift to the side.

A clear sign of a guilty conscience.

"I-I didn’t sell that many... Do I... have to pay taxes on this?"

Ni Bingyan always had a peculiar way of thinking. Even though Wei Shuojie had imagined many times how she would respond, she never expected her to ask *this*.

She couldn’t help but say irritably, "That’s something you need to ask your lawyer. Why are you asking me? I’d guess you do have to pay taxes, but I don’t know the specifics of how."

"Paying taxes is a huge deal. It can’t be taken lightly. Sister Wei, wait for me a moment. I need to make a call to check first, so there’s no delay."

With that, she went upstairs to get her phone.

She couldn’t remember where she’d put it yesterday and had to search all over for it, finally finding it on the bay window in her study.

When she picked it up, she saw the battery was at eight percent.

’Great. Now I have to charge it before I can even make a call.’

Ni Bingyan hadn’t closed her study door, and the hallway outside faced the living room downstairs. Wei Shuojie waited for a long time before she finally heard the sound of her talking on the phone. Sighing, she picked up the plate of red raspberries and started eating them one by one.

Perhaps it was the effect of the fresh, delicious berries that softened her up. Wei Shuojie’s mood eased a bit. She also remembered that Ni Bingyan hadn’t hidden her drawing from the crew on set. Realizing Bingyan probably hadn’t intentionally kept it a secret from her, most of her anger dissipated.

At this point, whether she had hidden it or not wasn’t important. What mattered was whether they could leverage this to their advantage.

Ni Bingyan was serious about consulting her lawyer. She learned that she did indeed need to pay taxes and that anyone with an annual income over 120,000 had to file their own declaration. The process was quite complicated, so she decided to use her time off to visit the law firm she worked with long-term and find a lawyer familiar with this area to help her handle it.

After finishing her call, Ni Bingyan went downstairs and told Wei Shuojie what she’d learned, her face full of relief. "Thank goodness you came and reminded me today. I would’ve been so screwed otherwise!"

Wei Shuojie really wanted to say that this wasn’t why she had come.

But tax evasion was indeed a career-ending issue for a celebrity. Even if the amount was small and paid back promptly, if the paparazzi exposed it, it would still damage her career.

Compared to this, the fact that Ni Bingyan had hidden her painting talent seemed insignificant.

"You can try to save money elsewhere, but never with this. It’s right to be cautious."

Wei Shuojie agreed with her. Then, a bit curious, she asked, "Doesn’t it say you pay taxes on ’income from personal services’? Does that 120,000 threshold include your acting fees and endorsements, or does it just refer to the money from selling paintings?"

Celebrities had many different taxable items and usually had long-term lawyers for that reason. Wei Shuojie wasn’t actually clear on such technical matters either.

Ni Bingyan sighed. "I don’t know if it’s taxed separately or if it’s combined with my other income. I’ll have to ask the lawyer to find out. But I have a painting in an art exhibition that someone bought the day before yesterday for exactly 120,000. No matter how it’s taxed, I’ll have to pay something, right?"

"What? An art exhibition? And it sold for 120,000?"

Wei Shuojie had just poured herself a glass of water. When she heard this, the water caught in her throat and she nearly choked.

"The exhibition isn’t over yet. We’ve only signed a letter of intent, so the transaction isn’t fully complete. And I’m not sure if that price is pre-tax or post-tax."

Ni Bingyan gave her an embarrassed look, then suddenly remembered something and slapped her forehead. "No, I need to call and get the details. That way, when I contact the lawyer, they’ll have a clear picture."

With that, she actually started making another call right in front of Wei Shuojie.

Wei Shuojie, still holding her water glass, took a deep breath. After a long moment, she couldn’t contain her excitement and shot to her feet.

Selling a painting isn’t much to generate hype about. After all, anyone can buy one.

But being invited to participate in a proper art exhibition, and then having your work sell at that exhibition—that was a completely different story!

When Ni Bingyan hung up the phone and saw how excited she was, she finally understood why Wei Shuojie had rushed over to see her. She couldn’t help but give her a pleading, puppy-dog look.

Seeing refusal written all over her, Wei Shuojie snapped out of her excitement, feeling as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her head.

"You’re... unwilling?"

Ni Bingyan nodded quickly.

It was fine for a celebrity to have a little hobby that people saw. The key was not to let them know she was actually *good* at it.

Otherwise, she’d be asked to show off her skills at every opportunity. Just the thought of it was exhausting.

"But why?"

Ni Bingyan lowered her head, closed her eyes, and steeled herself. "I’m an actress, after all. It’s one thing to work hard promoting things related to my acting career, but there’s no point in hyping this up. I’m not trying to become a painter."