Chapter 30: Award Distribution

"I didn't watch the rehearsal before. Is this move in the dance choreography for number 2?" Lu Guwen asked Pei Yansang quietly, turning his head to the side.

“I didn’t see it either, but… it probably wasn’t there. She just realized the camera was going to tweet about her, so she made this little gesture.” Pei Yansang thought for a moment and replied.

"Oh... well, her blinking is so captivating, I can't even blink!" Lu Guwen laughed.

Upon hearing this, Pei Yansang smiled and said, "It's rare to hear you give such a high evaluation to a newcomer. But this girl is indeed very talented."

Those in the industry know that Lü Guwen claims he has his own set of standards for judging beautiful women—if it's an ordinary pretty woman, he'll glance at her a few times and that's it; if it's a so-called "pretty woman," he'll close his eyes immediately after one look; and only when he considers a stunningly beautiful woman to be absolutely gorgeous will he say he "can't bear to blink"...

As a box office bomb in the 1980s, Lu Guwen, who can direct, write, and act, has basically seen and worked with the top female artists in the industry. However, he was still amazed by Li Sishi's "spirit" at this moment. It is conceivable how tempting this girl will be for some people in the industry in the future.

It's often said that beauties are easy to find in this circle, but a truly exceptional beauty is an extremely rare treasure, no matter where she is. If she also has some talent in another area, then she becomes the object of everyone's desire.

Clearly, this contestant number 2, Li Sishi, has an innate "camera presence".

This is a level that many veterans who have been in the industry for years can hardly reach, but Li Sishi is just a young girl who has just turned 17. Her family has no "family lineage" in the entertainment industry, so the fact that the door can immediately sense and react the moment the camera pushes in is simply amazing and shows her talent.

No wonder there are rumors that Ms. Chong has been quite interested in the Miss Hong Kong pageant lately. If I'm not mistaken, it's probably because Huang Qianyan has been "too disobedient" lately, so Ms. Chong is planning to sign another newcomer.

Whether it's promoting a newcomer or using her to suppress Huang Qianyan, it will be extremely easy to do.

Unaware of the complex thoughts swirling around the judges' panel, Li Sishi, after confirming that her little trick had successfully "smuggled" her way in, obediently returned to her original position and resumed serving as a human backdrop.

When she transferred to the acting training class, her teacher said that she

With only average talent, her two strengths are her learning ability and her tenacity. As long as she continues to learn and work hard, she can gradually accumulate experience and become a seasoned actress with a captivating presence, not much worse than those who are both talented and hardworking—after all, she also has a naturally beautiful face that saves her some points...

Although licorice is often just an ingredient, it can eventually be cooked into a main dish if you put in the effort.

The problem is that in her previous life, she relaxed after honing her acting skills to the level of a supporting actress in order to redeem herself: since no one was criticizing her for acting badly, her acting skills were good enough, so why bother to work so hard and keep going?

Wouldn't it be even more eye-catching to apply more face masks and take good care of this beautiful face that everyone praises? — Yes, that's how superficial I was when I was 19.

Adding to this, while blinded by love, she discovered she was Miss Zhuang's "backup plan," so she simply started to give up. Before she was even 20, she was coaxed and tricked by a scumbag into leaving the entertainment industry, determined to achieve the position of a wealthy socialite, thinking that it would definitely be more comfortable than toiling away day and night in the entertainment industry to finally get a supporting role. After being pampered for more than ten years, she fell to the bottom and finally returned to the spotlight through a beauty pageant, only to be forced to work non-stop day and night filming. She was truly "afraid."

At that time, the 20-year-old young woman was full of enthusiasm and thought she would return to a wealthy family to enjoy a life of luxury. She thought she had said goodbye to the three years of hardship in the entertainment industry. Little did she know that she would be facing an even more terrible six years.

She died at the young age of 26, which would be equivalent to just graduating from university two or three years ago in the future—but her mindset at that time was as aged as if she were already 36 or even 46.

The most terrifying thing in this world is not never being able to possess something, but losing it after you have it.

The twenty years she spent confined to her alma mater were, in fact, the most peaceful period of her life, even though she couldn't eat, drink, or sleep.

However, there will be no more endless work announcements, nor will there be any more veiled malice or fierce competition.

On the contrary, it allows her to carefully read all the books she didn't have the time or opportunity to read before, to gradually catch up on the lessons she missed due to her youthful ignorance, and to systematically review and update everything she has learned in this rapidly changing era. It allows her to understand the timeless truths that have been passed down through the ages, and to arm herself with knowledge, even if it's not a particularly clever mind...

Tonight, the person she appears to be with great "talent" in the eyes of others is the result of her ridiculous and heartbreaking past life, which she has accumulated bit by bit.

also

Only on the Miss Hong Kong stage could she make such small gestures to highlight her "uniqueness"—because on this stage, apart from the difficulty of post-production editing during the live broadcast, the performing guests are the "main focus," and the contestants are also the "main focus."

The two are not only equal in status, but it can even be said that the "level" of the candidate is higher. Therefore, her seemingly unintentional but actually scheming little actions, which do not affect the rhythm of the whole performance, will be leniently let go by the post-production staff.

Unlike her previous MV for "Summer Promise," which she filmed to promote the male lead, Ling Chen, she had to restrain herself and act accordingly, truly fulfilling her role as a supporting character.

Did you think she didn't want to find an opportunity to become an overnight sensation? She didn't dare—not to mention that if she dared to steal the spotlight, she would be attacked by the male lead's huge fan base, she wouldn't even pass the post-production editing stage.

The post-production team isn't stupid. They wouldn't let a promising new supporting character overshadow the main character. On the contrary, using their powerful editing skills to highlight the main character and weaken the supporting character is what justifies their salary.

In the entertainment industry, where seniority and status are paramount, even the most promising new supporting actors, if they dare to "steal the spotlight" and steal the spotlight from senior leading actors before they have a powerful backer, then their career is basically over.

Therefore, Li Sishi was quite satisfied with the fact that after the release of the "Summer Promise" MV, she gained some fame but not enough to overshadow her competitors; and this time on stage, she was even more "satisfied" to be able to use the scene-stealing techniques that had worked so well in later years to defeat her opponents.

This kind of eagerness to grab the spotlight may not become a classic moment that people will talk about in the future, but for a newcomer who is just starting out and needs to break through, it is a useful tactic to buy off the benefits that can be seen in the moment.

Moreover... there must be quite a few knowledgeable people in the audience.

Talented and beautiful women are rare. Even if her results in this beauty pageant are worse than in her previous life, those in the know who can see her "potential" will certainly not give up on a promising future leading lady so easily.

After the song and dance performance, the next segment consisted of performances and Q&A sessions by the other contestants.

It has to be said that the training intensity at TBL TV station has always been so high. Even newcomers who have only been training for two months still have to be suspended on wires with Kang Baoyi, who plays the female superhero; perform a lightsaber dance with Lei Fang, who plays the black warrior; and sing and dance with Lu Shi'an, who plays the futuristic warrior.

...

When the last heavyweight performer, "Space Cyclone Chen Zhiyong," appeared, Li Sishi and the other beauties changed into pure white halter dresses with silver corsets and began to dance along, each of them getting to perform two or three moves with him.

This was another good opportunity to widen the gap with others, but considering that Chen Zhiyong was a real 19-year-old baby-faced boy, Li Sishi deliberately toned down her radiant charm and instead made her eyes and expressions more like the innocent and sweet look that a 17-year-old girl should have.

Compared to the others' entrances where they desperately exuded charm, and Chen Zhiyong's appearance alongside her, who was constantly turning around to sing and dance with other contestants, was completely unrelated—like an older sister gracefully passing by while her younger brother continued singing—Li Sishi only slowed her pace by half a second, and successfully created a harmonious and perfect eye contact with Chen Zhiyong as he turned around.

In an instant, the door opened, and the seemingly unrelated scenes appeared as if they were connected by a subtle yet moving story.

Even Pei Yansang, who considered herself a decent actress, almost couldn't help but applaud the timing and quick wit of this moment: with just one glance, all the other beauties became mere background figures for contestant number 2.

The chance encounter between young men and women at a ball, a single glance that sparks a lifelong romance—these are moments that, whether seen or heard, evoke countless beautiful thoughts.

It's hard to say whether to look forward to it or feel sorry for her, but given that she's a stage prodigy with such incredible talent, barring any unforeseen circumstances, none of the other contestants from this batch will ever be able to match her achievements...

The only saving grace is that contestant number 2 in this semi-final only has these two stage performance opportunities. Next, the four groups of contestants will each go to the location to film their singing and dancing performances. After the spaceship students are inspected, the storyline will be about going to Earth to find four energy bars to gain the opportunity to become "official members".

On the big screen, the audience watched as the four groups of contestants, each dressed in their local style costumes, battled with the guardian deities who led each group's singers, and ultimately succeeded in finding the four energy bars and returning to the space base. The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause.

"Alright, let all the 'trainees' change into their graduation gowns and come out. Let's see which twelve beauties will ultimately become official trainees of our space base!"

With the host's announcement, the contestants, who had rushed backstage to change into their final outfits for the evening while the outdoor scene was playing, then...

Finally, she appeared wearing a pure white military-style business suit.

Each contestant held a white military top cap. Once the group had formed a horizontal line, all the contestants raised their caps to the top of their heads in salute to the rhythm of the music.

"The first guest to present us with the 'Most Popular Award with the Media' is none other than film and television star Ms. Pei Yansang!"

"And the winner of the 'Most Popular with the Media Award' is none other than Ms. Huo Chuying, number 13!"

As Huo Chuying excitedly walked out of the queue to receive the award, the rest of the crowd felt a sense of surprise, yet also of course it made sense: although Huo Chuying's scandal had not truly subsided, it was undeniable that she had contributed a lot of space to many newspapers and magazines during this period, and those in the press would naturally vote for her.

As for Li Sishi, number 2... Xunhe's photo sales figures have already been released, and she rightfully holds the top spot. Moreover, due to the high quality of her photos and their ease of reference, she is known among the public as the "Queen of Pose".

It's hard to say whether some of Li Sishi's photo sales come from people who want to buy her photos to learn photography, but in any case, the sales figures that come back every week are real and genuine, without any fakery.

This year, the official "Miss Photogenic" award was not given, but Xunhe will have a "Most Beautiful Photogenic Award" - many people are saying that this year's "Miss Photogenic" is not an official selection but a popular one, and is truly recognized by all the citizens of Hong Kong as the "Miss Photogenic"!

After stopping Pei Yansang, who had just presented the first award, and saying that there was another award she needed to present, the host announced the name that everyone had already anticipated: "I believe everyone already knows from the newspapers and magazines. That's right, this year's winner of the 'Most Beautiful Photographed Person Award' is—Ms. Li Sishi, number 2!"

Li Sishi stepped forward in response, politely exchanged cheek kisses with Pei Yansang, and then stood firmly in place, allowing this pinnacle of female artists to drape a classic pink and white sash over her and hand her a crystal trophy that was at least forty or fifty centimeters long.

After returning to her original position with the trophy, the host introduced the second award presenter:

"Next up to present the 'Most Promising Performer Award' is Director Zhang Yuanling!"

"This year's 'Most Promising Performer Award' goes to—yes, it's you again! Come out here, congratulations again to Ms. Li Sishi, number 2!"

Looking at the two hottest

With the winners already secured awards and practically guaranteed a spot in the final 12, the remaining contestants, while tense, also breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The guaranteed prizes were distributed as expected based on the results, but there are still 10 spots in the finals for them to compete for!

"Alright, the final 12 contestants who have advanced to the grand final are—"

"The order of names is not important. Please step forward according to the names I call out—2, Li Sishi; 11, Wan Jiamei; 13, Huo Chuying; 6, Zheng Liaoying; 9, Yu Xiaobao..."

After the last person, number 14 Luo Heyin, was called out, the list of the top 12 finalists was finalized.

"Let's give a round of applause to these 12 contestants who will be participating in the grand finale in a week, and to all the contestants who are performing on stage tonight..."

As the host finished speaking, everyone threw their military uniform caps high behind them, just as arranged in the rehearsal, creating a white ripple.

Noticing that Li Sishi was holding two crystal trophies and couldn't get them off her hands, Wan Jiamei, after tossing her own military uniform hat, quite easily took Li Sishi's military uniform hat and tossed it behind her.

The congratulations and happy smile in his eyes were genuine and heartfelt.

So Li Sishi smiled too, and across the two trophies, she shared a difficult but heartwarming hug with this naive girl, a gesture of mutual encouragement and blessing.