The next day, at the crack of dawn, Xiao Gengwu got up and called Yao Tongjia: "Go and wake your mother up, I'll go make you breakfast."
Yao Tongjia rubbed her eyes and sat up. Once she was more awake, she immediately got dressed and washed up. By the time all six of them had finished, it was already seven o'clock!
He Jiayin came out to cheer them on: "Go, Aunt Yao!"
Yao Yanxin smiled shyly: "I will try my best!"
Upon arriving at the hotel, the competition was to be held in a very large auditorium, which Yao Tongjia believed could accommodate over a thousand people. Most of the chairs and benches inside had been removed.
Less than 200 chairs were left, with easels placed on them. Yao Tongjia roughly counted and found that there were 100 easels, indicating that there were quite a few participants.
To be able to participate in this competition, one must at least receive an excellence award in the preliminary round. Each position had a name written on it, and following the instructions, Yao Tongjia quickly found the easel that belonged to Yao Yanxin.
Finding her place, Yao Tongjia breathed a sigh of relief: "It's really hard to move an inch if you don't know English, but luckily you two both know English."
No more than four people can enter the arena at a time. Considering that Ah Xue does not understand English, Qin Sang was substituted in this time.
Yao Tongjia is a model and also an assistant. Xiao Gengwu also came along to do odd jobs and deal with emergencies. To be honest, neither Tongjia nor Xiao Gengwu felt at ease with Yao Yanxin.
This mother looks like a little white rabbit, as if she could be snatched away at any moment.
The competition was scheduled to start at 8 o'clock. At 7:40, several elderly men appeared on the stage. They all looked very refined and were probably the judges.
Soon someone came to distribute drawing paper and paintbrushes. Paper was not allowed to be brought into the competition this time. Personal belongings were checked when we came in to ensure that no paper was brought in.
Then there was a lot of chattering above, and Yao Tongjia gestured to her mother that she could clip the manuscript paper onto the easel.
She and Xiao Gengwu quickly started helping to sharpen the pen leads. This time, they were given quite a few colors of pens. As soon as they finished sharpening, Yao Tongjia gestured to her mother to test the feel of the lead on a piece of scrap paper.
Before the pencil lead was even sharpened, a whistle started blowing, signaling that the competition could begin and the designer could start drawing!
As soon as Yao Yanxin heard the whistle, she started drawing. She didn't sit down, but just stood there and drew, while Yao Tongjia and Xiao Gengwu continued to help her sharpen her pencil.
The old men on top weren't standing there; they were there to supervise everyone and ensure no one cheated, so that the painting and clothing making could proceed on the spot without anyone faking it.
Each of them was in charge of a group, and they walked down step by step. One of the old men quickly walked up to Yao Yanxin and looked at the three or four people who were obviously of Asian appearance with surprise.
After watching for a while, he asked, "Are you from China?"
Yao Tongjia nodded: "Yes, we are from China!"
He still seemed unconvinced: "You come from that ancient country? The country that makes porcelain?"
This time, Xiao Gengwu nodded: "Yes, we come from a country that produces porcelain!"
He seemed very interested, standing and watching Yao Yanxin paint. After watching for a while, he asked, "Is this lady painting a cheongsam?"
Yao Tongjia was surprised: "You know about cheongsams?"
He nodded: "My name is Smith. We have many Chinese friends here. I've seen several ladies wearing similar clothes, and they look very beautiful!"
Smith watched Yao Yanxin paint with burning eyes, lingering for about ten minutes. After that, he seemed somewhat reluctant to leave.
His pause of more than ten minutes attracted a lot of people to look in his direction. These people included not only the invigilators, but also the contestants and their assistants.
Those who participated in the competition didn't even have time to draw; they just peeked over here, their eyes filled with envy.
Seeing this, Yao Tongjia said worriedly, "Who is this old man? Why are so many people looking this way? Did you see that? If looks could kill, we would already be nothing but bones!"
"They're probably quite famous people. Qin Sang, be careful. Those people don't seem like they'll get away so easily!" Where there are people, there's a world of intrigue. I've heard this competition is very famous!
For fame, people can fight tooth and nail. The drawing requirement is to finish within two hours. If you can't finish, you're out of the competition. It's really easy to do something behind the scenes!
Qin Sang saw it too, and she crossed her arms: "I'll be watching!"
The situation remained calm until the last half hour. Designers in the venue were not allowed to move around, but their assistants were free to move around.
Yao Yanxin was already coloring, while Yao Tongjia was intently dipping her mother in paint. Xiao Gengwu was adding paint, mainly because the paint dish was too small.
The paint was only enough to fill the brush once when Qin Sang suddenly kicked it, and a scream broke the silence of the competition.
Yao Tongjia gestured for Xiao Gengwu to handle it: "Mom asked Brother Xiao to handle it, you continue drawing!"
Yao Yanxin was also a little nervous, afraid that she wouldn't be able to finish applying the colors. After listening to Yao Tongjia's words, the two mother and daughter ignored everything else and kept going!
A person walked over and asked, "What exactly is going on?"
The people on the ground wailed, "They attacked me for no reason!"
Qin Sang pointed to the paint spilled on the person: "She was about to spill paint on our painting, that's why I kicked her!"
This is a painting that's about to be destroyed! The person in charge of handling this matter narrowed his eyes and said, "You dare to ruin someone's painting? Whose assistant are you? You and your designer can leave now!"
In previous competitions, some people saw that others' paintings were more beautiful than their own and instructed their assistants to destroy those paintings in order to improve their own ranking.
Later, it was stipulated that no matter whose assistant it was, if the designer was found to have intended to damage someone else's painting, the assistant would be disqualified from the competition!
The person in charge shouted from the sidelines, "Whose assistant is this? You can pack your things and go home!"
A man exclaimed incredulously, "Evan, what are you doing there? Didn't you say you were going to the toilet?"
This man had no idea where his assistant was or what he was doing. But the person in charge wouldn't listen to explanations and said to the people around him, "Check whose number this assistant has. Have security take him away!"
The designer walked over, her face ashen: "I didn't let her come here to cause trouble. It's not my fault. I can't withdraw from the competition!"
The person in charge shook his head: "I won't listen to any explanations. The rules were clearly written in the letter we sent you before. Even if it wasn't your instruction, it means you trusted the wrong person. You can leave now!"
The designer, who also appeared to be of East Asian descent, clearly didn't want to leave. He tried to go over and talk to Yao Yanxin, but Xiao Gengwu blocked his way: "Nobody here has anything to say to you. Just leave!"
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