Chapter 23: A Heavenly Voice (Third Update)

Upon hearing this, Li Sishi glanced at Wan Jiamei's anxious expression and thought to herself, "So she really has arrived."

During the beauty pageant training, where everyone is a competitor, some people desperately improve all their standards to stand out, while others use methods that target and suppress others to lower their opponents and elevate themselves.

The same thing happened last time. Yu Xiaobao, number 9, secretly memorized several poses that Wan Jiamei had carefully prepared during the previous rehearsal.

Then, in the first round of individual photo shoots on the second day, taking advantage of having a number earlier, Yu Xiaobao, number 9, took the lead and struck these poses. As a result, when Wan Jiamei, who was behind her, went up to take photos, her movements were stiff and outdated due to her mindset. Not only did she suffer from the photographer's dislike, but it also affected the subsequent photo sales, which were not ideal.

These photos will be sold at Xunhe Plaza. Firstly, it will allow everyone to see what the contestant corresponding to each number looks like, marking the first round of exposure. Secondly, it will leverage the traffic of a super shopping mall like Xunhe Plaza to promote themselves. Furthermore, Xunhe will use the weekly photo sales statistics to compare and summarize the most popular contestants among the citizens of Hong Kong in the first round, judging their popularity and public support.

Based on this data, the TV station will arrange for the subsequent training period of each contestant to be exposed, and will make certain adjustments to the selection of those who are about to enter the finals and those who will enter the finals.

If you lose a section right from the start, problems may follow – that's why Wan Jiamei is so anxious.

Although she is a model, she only started doing this job after graduating from Form 5, which means she has only been doing it for about half a year. Her shooting experience is only slightly more than that of people who don't take photos often. Moreover, she is good-looking and has a good figure, so she doesn't need to practice her skills to meet the shooting requirements of those second- or third-rate tabloids. So, she is currently one of those young people who rely on a few tricks to make a living.

Now, all the poses she's most skilled at have been taken by others, like her eating utensils have been snatched away. How is she supposed to eat now?!

Li Sishi had also thought of this, so she looked at the anxious Wan Jiamei with even more helplessness: Speaking of which, after spending this time together, she had also discovered that Wan Jiamei only seemed mature, aloof, and rational, but inside she was actually a naive and trusting person who easily believed people. If you were to use a popular but not very flattering adjective, she would be "big-brained and lacking in common sense"...

I had secretly told her before that she should keep some of her skills to herself and not show them all in front of others—but Wan Jiamei...

On the surface, she readily agreed, but during training, a few kind words from others made her show off all her poses, and she even acted like no one had a better figure than her.

Moreover, in Li Sishi's opinion, Wan Jiamei's poses that accentuate her figure are actually somewhat vulgar: true high-class sexiness is charm from the inside out, it is ambiguous half-concealed, it is the temptation that can still stir people's hearts even if nothing is revealed.

Instead of doing this, she desperately tilts her head back, pouts, and puffs out her chest to look sexy, as if afraid others won't see the headlights that are more surging than usual...

Li Sishi herself wasn't a kind person, but based on her later memories, she disliked Number 9 even less than Wan Jiamei in front of her. In addition, it was indeed Number 9 who was framing others and causing trouble in secret. So she whispered to Wan Jiamei, who was preparing to go up for the photo shoot with a bitter face, "I'll pose down here, you follow my pose."

Upon hearing this, Wan Jiamei couldn't help but recall the poses Li Sishi had witnessed her in the room, and the one she had demonstrated on the spot to express her disapproval—a pose that looked every bit like that of a respectable woman…

Someone like her, who's always been praised for her great figure and should show it off more, how could she possibly pose like a demure housewife!

This is like cutting off both of your own arms!

"Number 11!" The photographer had adjusted the settings but still hadn't seen anyone, so he called out to the audience.

Upon hearing the photographer's slightly impatient shout, Wan Jiamei immediately snapped to attention: "Coming!"

Well, in this desperate situation, we might as well try anything!

Wan Jiamei quickly jumped onto the small filming platform, and her eyes immediately locked onto Li Sishi not far below.

Seeing that Li Sishi quickly struck a pose similar to Xi Shi holding her heart, combined with her ethereal face, she truly did possess a captivating beauty...

But... this completely obscures her biggest "advantage"!

"Is this how you plan to shoot it?" Seeing Wan Jiamei staring blankly ahead like a tree, the photographer couldn't help but ask again.

Startled by the photographer again, Wan Jiamei regained her senses, gritted her teeth, and imitated Li Sishi's movements with a "Xi Shi holding her heart" pose, even mimicking the look in her eyes perfectly.

This surprised the initially impatient photographer: among the beauties in front, apart from the young and ethereal number 2 and the one who had won a modeling award...

Aside from the fact that contestant number 6 has some understanding of the art of photography, the others just like to strike poses that show off their figures, without even considering whether they actually have the looks to pull it off...

The only one with real assets, number 11, knows how to play coy and subtle, showcasing her figure—which is both an advantage and a disadvantage—just right.

It's truly a case of adding a touch more and it would be vulgar, while subtracting a touch would be a waste of talent.

Sensing the photographer's satisfaction, Wan Jiamei, though not quite understanding why such a pose could be appreciated, gave Li Sishi a heartfelt hug afterward to express her sincerest gratitude.

"Thank you so much. If it weren't for your help at the last minute, I might have really been... The thought of my first appearance being ruined by number 9 made Wan Jiamei grit her teeth in hatred."

So no matter how Li Sishi tried to persuade her, Wan Jiamei still wrote Yu Xiaobao, number 9, into her grudge notebook and openly expressed her dissatisfaction during training, almost to the point of actually taking action.

As for her roommate Li Sishi, she praised her highly. Even in an interview, she mentioned that she didn't know how to pose well during her first photo shoot, and it was Li Sishi who helped her give her some pointers, which enabled her to successfully take those highly praised photos and secure a top-three position in sales this week.

As for the top two sellers, they are undoubtedly Li Sishi (No. 2) and Zheng Liaoying (No. 6). Every photo of the former is full of story, like a movie still, while every photo of the latter looks like a fashion magazine cover.

But Hong Kong media didn't seem to appreciate this kind of mutual admiration. The next day's report was that contestant number 11, Wan Jiamei, directly accused contestant number 9, Yu Xiaobao, of being fake and pretentious, smiling at reporters and the public while being stern and hostile towards other contestants, making her a veritable successor to a new generation of Sichuan opera face-changing art...

Contestant number 9, Yu Xiaobao, was not to be outdone. She immediately retorted to contestant number 11, Wan Jiamei, that she had a bad temper, loved to offend people, and always relied on her good figure to make sarcastic remarks about others being inferior to her. She also claimed that Wan Jiamei had prejudices against many people.

Newspapers and magazines reporting on normal competitions and training are often far less popular than gossip reports that deliberately use scandals to attract attention. And media outlets that profit from scandals are springing up like mushrooms after rain, releasing more and more stories one after another.

The reason why contestant number 2, Li Sishi, can teach people how to pose is because her biological mother was abandoned by her rich husband, preventing her from becoming a wealthy heiress. Therefore, she can only rely on her past privileged background to earn money from her classmates' "makeover and beauty" programs.

The money cemented her reputation as a "fallen heiress"...

Then, it was number 6 again.

Contestant Zheng Liaoying is rumored to have an ambiguous relationship with a triad boss, and that she was deliberately groomed by him to participate in the competition to gain exposure so that she could later act and launder money...

As for the most talked-about "billion-dollar heiress" Huo Chuying, it's even easier to fabricate a story: she didn't want to inherit the family business, so she ran off to become an insurance broker. As a result, she achieved a million-dollar turnover in just one year, becoming a million-dollar insurance broker that many people struggle for years to achieve. How much of this was due to her pretty face and family connections?

And that so-and-so, that number so-and-so, some inside information has also been dug up...

There are too many to list in one go, but the rumors and gossip surrounding these contestants also confirm their popularity and the attention they receive.

Compared to those few who were harshly ridiculed by Hong Kong media as "who knows if they got into the top 20 based on their academic qualifications," Hong Kong media still have the highest hopes for the two favorites, Li Sishi and Huo Chuying, to win the crown. Therefore, there are the most rumors about them. They even went so far as to interview him in the early hours of the morning to ask him what he thought of someone he knew in this year's Miss Hong Kong pageant and what their relationship was.

“Uh… Li Sishi is a girl with excellent grades. She was a last-minute replacement. I felt that her image matched my image of a fan, so I chose her to shoot this MV…” Ling Chen said in a serious tone, trying to sound like a 40 or 50-year-old when he was only in his twenties. He sounded like a kind elder who was very pleased to see his junior doing well in school.

Upon hearing and seeing this response, many fans who rushed to the scene were immediately reminded of the fear of being dominated by elders who would tell them in the early hours of the morning not to be too obsessed with chasing stars, but to study hard instead...

Okay, well, whether they're just going through the motions or covering up the truth, there's no hope here—so let's go interview the "billionaire heiress's" billionaire father.

Unexpectedly, her billionaire father here was even more short-tempered: "I told her long ago not to mess around outside, wouldn't it be better for her to come back and inherit the family business?"

As a result, she not only became an insurance broker, but also went on to participate in the Miss Hong Kong pageant and make public appearances...

After recording a long segment of their billionaire father's rage, the reporters returned to their lodgings satisfied and began writing the next round of gossip reports.

However, considering that the agent Lei Jun had taken care of things in the early morning and that the secretary of the billionaire father had also given some "writing fees," I'll write a little better this time.

The various disturbances from the outside world made it difficult for them to reach the villa where the Miss Hong Kong training camp was located, so they were diligently receiving training in singing, dancing, fitness, body shaping, and makeup.

Among the 20 candidates who took courses on styling, speech and conversation, the situation was relatively calm, except for the occasional minor incidents.

The peace was broken only by the arrival of several special guests on this day…

"Ah! It's Lester and Alan!" If Le Yun and Shang Hanyou had already drawn a lot of enthusiastic applause, then Rong Juezhang and Lun Yongnan, who came on stage later, elicited even more excited screams that seemed to pierce the sky.

This singing lesson will be made into a special "Music Lecture Hall" program and placed in the middle of "Happy Tonight" - which means that not only will big stars teach them to sing, but they will also make their official appearance on stage.

If they don't have much luck later on, then this period as a candidate is when they have the highest "status" and are closest to becoming a big star.

To facilitate management and arrangement, the 20 contestants were divided into four groups according to their numbers. The TV station also arranged them according to age, assigning Le Yun, Lun Yongnan, Rong Juezhang, and Shang Hanyou to each be responsible for teaching singing to five contestants in their respective groups.

Undoubtedly, being assigned to the middle two groups, Lun Yongnan and Rong Juezhang, was incredibly excited. Moreover, there were their respective fans in the middle, so Lun Yongnan and Rong Juezhang quickly put their arms around each other like good buddies, fearing that the contestants might disregard their image for their idols and start a verbal fight that escalated into a physical brawl—they each had quite a few books on their desks!

"How about you teach 'Jessica' and I'll teach 'Illusion'?" Since they were already being cheeky, Rong Juezhang proposed to Lun Yongnan that they exchange their teaching of their favorite songs.

"Forget it, I think you just feel that wearing a suit today makes it inconvenient to move around, so you don't want to teach singing and dancing..." Although they were both mischievous at heart, Lun Yongnan saw through the truth and still decisively waved his hand to refuse.

“Come on, your fans are on my side, and my fans are on your side…” Rong Juezhang practically nudged him with his shoulder.

"Stop dawdling. Look, Hanyou has already started teaching people to sing—oh, this contestant number 16 has a nice voice..." Lun Yongnan glanced at the group led by Shang Hanyou.

Rong Juezhang smiled, just as he was about to say that we might also have a good voice, when a clear and bright voice, which could magically bring out the charm of this adapted ancient song, directly surpassed the audition of No. 16.

Why are there so many twists and turns in the world's good relationships? Why do beautiful dreams always turn into bubbles? Why is the heaven of love always so lacking?

It is melodious and moving, seemingly unadorned yet full of charm, and it is no exaggeration to say that it lingers in one's ears for three days.

That was a modern Cantonese song with a classical style, adapted from the ancient melody "Butterfly Lovers"—"Hate for a Good Marriage".

The two instinctively looked over with surprise, only to see that the singing voice belonged to the youngest and most beautiful contestant, number two, who was singing a cappella under Le Yun's approving direction.