Chapter 65 The Competition

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"Brother Lin, did that girl offend you?"

In a corner backstage, a few people were gathered together, and the one speaking was clearly the boy who had just bumped into She Ning.

Lin Hongwei was looking down at the paper in his hand when he heard this, so he looked up at the side of the stage.

The girl standing below the stage had her back to him, standing as straight as a pine tree, so his expression was hidden. However, the girl who had been surrounding her was pacing anxiously, her face filled with panic.

Lin Hongwei slowly tore the pale yellow manuscript paper into pieces, a smirk playing on his lips. "Some people don't know their place. Let's teach her a lesson so she won't become narrow-minded and arrogant."

Those around him looked at him in bewilderment, especially the person who had helped steal the manuscript; their eyes widened in surprise.

He helped bring the manuscript over because they said they wanted to take a look; he didn't say he wouldn't return it, much less that he wanted to destroy it.

The boy took a small step forward, wanting to stop them, but his companion grabbed his wrist and shook his head at him.

Suddenly, the boy remembered Lin Hongwei's family background. His eyes darkened slightly, he bit his lip, and finally stopped himself from leaning forward.

He retreated back into the crowd and silently watched as the pale yellow manuscript covered in black ink slowly turned into pieces and was thrown into the trash can.

"Let's go watch her performance." After throwing away the trash, Lin Hongwei clapped his hands to clean up the scraps of paper, then stood up and headed towards the front of the stage.

Lin Hongwei looked down on She Ning, believing from the bottom of his heart that she had no chance of winning against him. However, his experience since childhood taught him that one should always be prepared for both possibilities, because even a one in ten thousand chance is still a chance.

So he arranged for someone to bring her manuscript over. Without the manuscript, he wanted to see how she could surpass him.

The speech on the 18th was rather bland and unremarkable. If it had been earlier in the list, it might have received a higher score. However, after listening to more than a dozen speeches without any breaks, everyone in the audience was exhausted.

After the speech, the applause from the audience was light and intermittent. The judges remained silent, engrossed in writing and drawing.

Already somewhat unsettled, when she saw this scene, her eyes reddened slightly. After bowing, she quickly and unsteadily left the stage.

"Next, please welcome speaker number nineteen, She Ning, a representative from Xiahe Middle School in Xiahe Town," the host introduced.

"It's her turn. Get ready for a good show." Lin Hongwei deliberately found a seat with the best view and gestured to the people around him to be quiet and focus on the show.

Originally, it was thought that without the script, the person would panic and cower. But to everyone's surprise, upon hearing the shouts, She Ning walked steadily to the center of the stage. Her posture was upright, and her fair face was full of confidence, with no emotional impact whatsoever.

"Brother Lin, she doesn't seem to be affected at all." People around Lin Hongwei looked at the imposing figure on the stage and turned to say to him.

"Could she actually be capable?"

"Country folks are always good at putting on airs. You'll see if she's a paper tiger once she opens her mouth," Lin Hongwei said, his gaze fixed on the person on the stage, feigning indifference.

But looking at the confident person on stage, he felt a little uneasy. But then he thought, even if she performed normally, she couldn't compare to his speech. His speech had been revised by several excellent people.

With this thought, his mind calmed down, and he continued to watch the people on the stage.

"He's also from the countryside, so there's a limit to how good he can be. Unlike our Brother Lin, who not only has good grades and a good family background, but is also handsome."

The people around him fawned over him, saying only what he liked. Lin Hongwei felt pleased, and his gaze toward She Ning became increasingly disdainful and contemptuous.

The malicious gaze was like a bedbug in a sewer, sticky and disgusting. She Ning glanced coldly at him, then looked away and focused on her speech.

In her past life, in order to quickly complete extracurricular credits and improve her oral presentation skills, She Ning actively participated in various speech contests and debates both inside and outside the school. Having been through countless battles, she was well aware of the predicament of being at the end of the list.

After taking the stage and introducing herself, She Ning followed the lead of the other speakers and was about to explain the definition of leadership, but she did not do so.

On stage, She Ning didn't rush to give her speech. She took two steps forward and then squatted down at the edge of the stage.

Her move left everyone a little confused, but all their attention was focused on her. Even the judges, who had been writing with their heads down, put down their pens and looked at She Ning.

Seeing this, She Ning smiled slightly and confidently began to ask questions to the audience.

What do you consider to be leadership?

Have you demonstrated leadership in your daily life?

Those who came to listen to the speech contest were all outstanding students from various schools, especially those sitting in the front row. The students who were selected by She Ning answered very actively and enthusiastically.

After they finished sharing their cases, She Ning quickly and accurately delivered her own viewpoints and core content.

She Ning not only elaborated on the diverse definitions of leadership, innovative practices, and future development trends, but also encouraged everyone to start with small things in their daily lives, actively participate in club activities, volunteer services, and innovative projects to cultivate their leadership skills.

This was the first time everyone had encountered such a presentation style, and their interest was piqued. The judges also stared intently at She Ning, nodding from time to time.

Below the stage, the people surrounding Lin Hongwei whispered among themselves.

"She spoke very well. Look at the judging panel, it seems like Brother Lin's chances of winning are a bit slim."

"Keep your voice down. If Brother Lin hears you, he'll smash your head in. I won't care."

"Okay, okay."

"I heard that Brother Lin made a bet with her. If Brother Lin loses, he has to go on stage and shout #I was wrong, I shouldn't have looked at people with prejudice#."

"Oh my god, wouldn't that be incredibly embarrassing? Is Brother Lin really willing to go up there?"

"Going up would be embarrassing, not going up would also be shameful, what do you suggest we do?"

As they spoke, everyone would occasionally turn their heads to steal glances at Lin Hongwei.

Lin Hongwei, standing to one side, had a livid face and his lips were tightly pursed. He stared intently at She Ning on the stage, every word those people said stabbing his heart.

I've never suffered such a huge loss in my entire life.

That woman was just pretending to be weak to deceive him. She deliberately used reverse psychology to provoke him into a fight, just to embarrass him. What a despicable country bumpkin!

Lin Hongwei clenched his fists tightly under the table, his knuckles turning white from the force. His breathing became increasingly rapid, as if a fire was burning in his chest, yet he had nowhere to vent it.

"Brother Lin, should we retreat first? Something's not right," a henchman whispered, his voice tinged with worry.

Lin Hongwei, however, seemed not to hear, his eyes fixed on the stage.

She Ning's speech was nearing its end. She stood on the stage, her gaze sweeping across the audience before finally settling on Lin Hongwei.

Meeting her calm gaze, Lin Hongwei's eyes darkened slightly, and his expression turned grim.

"Thank you everyone!" She Ning bowed, and thunderous applause erupted from the audience.

The judges nodded in approval, their faces beaming with satisfaction.

"Contestant number 19's speech was outstanding. She perfectly interpreted the essence of leadership with a unique perspective and vivid examples," the host exclaimed excitedly. "Her performance left a deep impression on us!"

Hearing the host's praise, Lin Hongwei's face turned even uglier. He pushed back his chair, stood up abruptly, and was about to leave this place that had made him lose face.

"Why don't you watch until the end? The result isn't out yet, and our bet isn't over." A voice rang in his ear. He turned his head and saw She Ning standing behind him, speaking calmly.

"I don't need you to remind me, can't I go to the toilet?" Lin Hongwei said with a stern face.

“Of course you can, it’s your right.” She Ning spread her hands and stepped aside to let him pass.

"Ah Ning, he's not going to make a fool of himself by not coming back, is he?" Chen Xiaomin whispered disdainfully as she followed behind her.

Before he had gone far, upon hearing this, Lin Hongwei stopped in his tracks, his face instantly turning ashen. After a long while, he finally resumed his steps and left.

The 20th contestant finished his speech quickly. The content was decent, but because he was ahead of She Ning, he was under too much psychological pressure and his voice was shaky.

The results of the match will be announced in thirty minutes, and everyone is waiting backstage.

"Ah Ning, did you prepare two drafts? The one you gave on the spot is much better than the one I saw before!" Director Xia had helped She Ning review the draft before, and the content of that draft was already very good, but the content and style of today's impromptu speech were even better.

"Were you worried that the way you gave the speech was too innovative, which is why you didn't plan to use this piece before?" she asked, puzzled.

Director Xia had been sitting in the audience waiting for her to come on stage. When she first saw that She Ning didn't say anything after her self-introduction, she thought something had happened and was about to rush to the front to ask her what difficulties she had encountered. However, when she saw that She Ning used an interactive opening, Director Xia sat back down in her seat.

She Ning has always had her own ideas. Director Xia thought that she changed her approach because she saw that the previous contestants all had similar frameworks in their speeches.

"What! Someone stole your manuscript!" Upon hearing that the content had been changed because the manuscript had been stolen, Director Xia's voice rose, and he jumped up from his chair.

She Ning also told Lin Hongwei about the bet they made.

After hearing this, Director Xia was so angry that he gritted his teeth. "I'm going to ask his superiors how they educate students. They're narrow-minded, petty, and have a serious class mentality!"

"Where is he! Which school does he go to?" Director Xia asked angrily, rolling up his sleeves.

"Teacher, he went to the toilet, but ten minutes have passed and he still hasn't come back," Chen Xiaomin complained, linking arms with She Ning.

"I knew he'd use the excuse of needing to pee to escape. The kind of person he is would never admit defeat after a bet," Chen Xiaomin said with puffed-out cheeks and obvious disgust.

"You can run away from the monk, but you can't hide from the temple," She Ning said softly, patting her head.

The results of the speech contest came out quickly. Unsurprisingly, She Ning won first prize, while Lin Hongwei won second prize.

"Ah Ning, I won an award too! Thank you!!!" Holding the third prize certificate, Chen Xiaomin quickly came over and hugged She Ning tightly.

"Thanks to you for teaching me, otherwise I definitely wouldn't have won the award!" she said gratefully.

"What did Aning teach you?" Director Xia asked curiously, while the teachers from the Fourth Middle School who had come over also looked at the two of them with curiosity.

“I get nervous when I go on stage, and Aning told me to imagine the people in the audience as big radishes,” Chen Xiaomin said. “So, I approached this with the mindset of messing it up.”

"Going on stage with this mindset made me much less nervous," Chen Xiaomin said, nodding. "It's incredibly helpful!"

"Approach this with the mindset of messing up."

The slogans these days are all about striving for excellence, working hard, and being the best and strongest.

When Director Xia first heard this idea, his eyes lit up. After thinking about it carefully, he found it increasingly interesting.

Imagine the worst possible outcome, and then do the thing. The worst outcome is just that, so you can go all out and do it boldly, trying your best to "not mess it up too much".

The worst outcome has already been determined, and every step we take will only make the outcome better, so there's no need to be nervous or afraid of a bad result.

If students all have this mindset, their resilience will increase and mental health problems will decrease.

The more Director Xia thought about it, the brighter his eyes became, and the more admiring his gaze was towards She Ning.

The scene was noisy and bustling with people, and Chen Xiaomin looked around.

"Ah Ning, Lin Hongwei really ran away. Even the award certificate was collected by someone else on his behalf." She said after looking around the room.