Chapter 27: Soldiers Crossing the River
These charity events at the orphanage attract not only kind-hearted couples who meet the adoption criteria and are willing to adopt orphans, but also prominent figures from the business and political circles who come to observe. They then make donations on the spot based on the orphanage's current state, or record plans for funding that require assistance.
Therefore, among people in high positions who have easier access to knowledge, many know that the classic symphonic theme song of the Miss Hong Kong pageant is actually adapted from an old French folk song.
The original lyrics of this song mainly describe the loss of childhood innocence and the pursuit of dreams by those who follow them.
The adapted symphonic version is playful and dreamy, while the original folk version is melodious and gentle, like a hazy and beautiful memory. Combined with the big smile of the child who clearly has difficulty walking, it is exactly what touches the softest string in the hearts of the audience.
When the final performance ended, enthusiastic applause immediately erupted in the audience.
The orphanage director, a kind-faced old nun, was filled with joy at the sight: this charity event was so successful that she thought there would be more donations this year, which would allow the children to have a better life.
Therefore, the elderly nun praised the high quality of this year's candidates in front of the reporters who came to interview her. Along with the praise from celebrities and some kind-hearted couples, the staff in charge of this event were all all smiles.
On the other side, Shan Shan, dressed in an incredibly stylish Miss Hong Kong outfit, was immediately surrounded by a group of amazed fans as soon as she stepped off the stage. The envious and amazed gazes around her were mixed with the proud and happy smiles of the girls, making it impossible not to smile from the bottom of one's heart.
“Go on, Shanshan only asked me to make this outfit for you.” Li Sishi pushed Yongzai, who was huddled in the corner.
"Thank you, sister." Yongzai thanked Li Sishi softly, and then, before the reporters came over, he awkwardly walked towards Shanshan.
"Ms. Li Sishi, why did you design this outfit for your co-star?" A reporter who had surrounded her asked bluntly with a smile that seemed to thrive on chaos, "Is it because you think that winning the Miss Hong Kong title this year is as easy as taking it from your pocket?"
"I heard your nominee is Chang Baoning, the 1987 Miss Hong Kong winner, and that this year 'Happiness Jewelry' even sponsored a real gold and diamond crown worth over HK$3 million for the Miss Hong Kong competition. Do you have something going on...?"
…Insider information?
Accompanied by those particularly interesting questions, the microphone was almost shoved directly into Li Sishi's mouth.
Looking at the faces before her, each displaying a complex mix of emotions, Li Sishi gently shook her head and smiled, "No, you've all misunderstood—this Miss Hong Kong champion outfit was specially requested by my partner, Shanshan..."
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Her current age is a double-edged sword; if used well, it can often put her in an invincible position.
It's perfectly normal for a young and beautiful girl to have a little temper and a little pride; as long as it's not too excessive, people will see it as "personality."
After briefly explaining the story of Shan Shan and her brother, and then clarifying that she knew Chang Baoning because she was a spokesperson for a certain style of Happiness Jewelry, Li Sishi added, "Moreover, the Miss Hong Kong pageant is a dream that every girl in Hong Kong has had since childhood..."
"It is because of it that we can see the beauty and wisdom of women in the new era, and see how beautiful the world is at the age when we are just beginning to understand the word 'beauty'..."
Seeing the hope and anticipation on Li Sishi's overly young face, and knowing that her answers contained no loopholes, the reporters relaxed somewhat, and their aggressive questions lessened.
People always bully the weak and fear the strong. If someone is young and impetuous and talks nonsense, they can make a big deal out of it. But if someone seems to be at their age but is actually quite experienced and knows no bounds, they will become more friendly. This is because it implies that the woman must have done her "homework" beforehand.
Whether this stems from the elite education she received as a young lady of high society or from the mysterious figures behind the scenes who wanted to promote her, it proves that Li Sishi, the candidate, is not as simple as she appears on the surface, nor is she someone they can write about casually.
Making a mental note of this, the group of reporters, who were very bullying and cowardly, continued to ask a few more trivial questions. Then, under the watchful gaze of Li Sishi's sweet smile, they gradually dispersed to look for other candidates as their new "prey."
After saying goodbye to Shanshan and her siblings and the children at the orphanage, Li Sishi boarded the familiar bus and returned to the villa for training.
Two months is neither a long nor a short time, but it's a long time to train 20 contestants with varying levels of talent to sing, dance, walk the runway, and perform duets.
The "temporary performers" in the joint performance, whether on the side of the competition organizers or the contestants, have to spend a lot of effort.
With the semi-finals, which would determine their fate in the first round, fast approaching, the bus became busier day by day, shuttling the contestants back and forth between the Qingshuitan TV City and the training camp villa.
The day before the semi-finals, the stage with its futuristic space theme was already set up. Therefore, the only task for the 20 contestants today was to rehearse and practice for the upcoming semi-final night.
At the beginning, of course, it was the simplest: wearing casual clothes and moving around according to their respective positions in the script, and then cooperating with the four celebrity guests responsible for the semi-final performance to rehearse the corresponding songs and dances. During this time, staff members would make further adjustments based on the stage situation and the performance.
The Miss Hong Kong pageant nights in the 1990s were more "localized" than those in the 1980s—each year still had a different theme, but the performance time of the celebrity guests in the 1990s was significantly longer than that in the 1980s.
This arrangement does seem to make the show more entertaining than before; however, it also undoubtedly reduces the time available for the contestants to showcase themselves.
Of course, it's hard to say whether this change is good or bad, because when celebrity guests perform songs and dances, they also arrange for the contestants to take turns to cooperate in the performance. Their choreography, presentation effects, and costumes are all handled by professionals. This is more suitable for amateurs with little stage performance experience than the previous situation where they had to handle everything themselves, such as evening gown segments, fashion segments, and self-designed costume segments.
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It is probably with this in mind that the TV station gradually adjusted its programming to be more entertaining and easier for behind-the-scenes operations.
In her previous life, Li Sishi could not have imagined this. Only now, having read many books and gained wisdom and insight, and possessing the mindset of someone in the industry due to her rebirth, is Li Sishi able to discover the secrets behind the evolution of these competitions from information that seems to have nothing to do with the competitions.
Simply put, she used to be a pawn that could be manipulated at will; but now she is a pawn that is beginning to grow and touch the mind of a chess player, and is preparing to cross the river.
In a game of chess, pawns that were originally of little value and could only move forward become valuable and have more room to maneuver after crossing the Chu River and Han border. Although they still cannot move backward, they can now move sideways.
This will give her a slight advantage in the semi-finals and finals, where luck is crucial—the Miss Hong Kong pageant doesn't have a revival round, and the scoring mechanism is based on live judging.
Scoring is based on performance, making it a competition that heavily relies on on-the-spot performance.
Looking at the videos of the semi-finals and finals, there are quite a few contestants who are usually popular but underperform on stage. This is a serious point deduction for the judges: they will think that the contestant's dazzling performance in normal times but sluggish performance on stage is a sign of being petty and unable to handle the big stage.
The Miss Hong Kong pageant is for elegant and poised ladies from prominent families, not timid and shy girls from modest backgrounds.
Of course, when the final five are announced, there will still be those "girls who didn't perform well on the final night" – this is mostly because these contestants won at least one award in the semi-finals, and according to the "unspoken rule" that award winners are guaranteed to be in the final five.
The performances and positioning for the semi-final and final nights were arranged well in advance and could not be changed at will. Therefore, the scoring point for these candidates lies in whether they can perform well in the Q&A session and gain the unanimous approval of the judges.
The closer you are to the judges' behind-the-scenes strategic thinking, the better your chances of achieving good results in the Q&A sessions.
This is also the only opportunity to shine in a performance-style event where most aspects are clearly arranged. If someone tries to stand out by doing something special in the earlier performances, it can easily affect the performances of everyone else and cause the rhythm of the entire event to collapse.
Even if they were to be saved, this person who "tried to stand out" would not be seen as unique by anyone, but rather as someone who had courted death.
This is the true meaning of our current era of both information isolation and openness: all the power of discourse is in the hands of the strongest party. If you obediently listen to their teachings, they will give you the opportunity to showcase yourself and provide you with a bridge to a brilliant future.
In this initial stage, anyone who dares to disobey will inevitably be driven to the bottom and never be able to rise again.
There are no reality show-style opportunities to highlight oneself, nor are there any unexpected reversals of fortune brought about by speaking freely in the internet age. Even if your thoughts reach a higher level, you are still limited by the current situation and can be manipulated at will as an "obedient" pawn.
When the final rehearsal, in full makeup and costume, which was practically the same as the official performance, ended, it was already late at night.
Sitting on the bus, feeling the cool night breeze and moonlight through the half-open window, Li Sishi quietly half-closed her eyes. She could vaguely see the river that would make her future more "valuable," already beckoning to her on the glittering stage.
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