Chapter 29: That Blink
If an inexperienced newcomer were to encounter such a somewhat "awkward" question, they would probably have their mind go blank and be stunned for a while before they could answer; however, Li Sishi was somewhat prepared to be asked such a question.
This is the perspective that "chess player thinking" can give her—a problem that ordinary people in this era might feel is being deliberately targeted, but in reality, it is an opportunity intentionally given by the tournament organizers.
Firstly, it can clarify some rumors that still circulated despite prior intervention; secondly, it also tests the contestant's thinking and response abilities.
Because this is a type of "scandalous question" that is likely to be encountered frequently in this industry, the way a contestant handles and responds to such questions can foreshadow whether she can cope with such situations in the future.
After asking her question, Li Sishi immediately widened her eyes in surprise: "No, it was just a misunderstanding. Because my attire during the mission in Italy blended so well into the local environment, that architecture student mistook me for a life-sized art sculpture and wanted to lift me up so he could pick up the design drawings that had been blown to my feet and then stepped on by me..."
Perhaps it was because the girl on stage spoke so vividly that when she said "I want to lift me up completely," the audience burst into laughter.
First, establish the tone by declaring it a misunderstanding. Then, subtly praise the props team's costumes, which appear comical but actually fit the theme. Next, reveal that the "molester" is a high-achieving student of this era, evoking a natural liking for such a high-caliber individual and thus reducing any malice. Finally, transform the entire "molestation incident" into a "humorous misunderstanding" in a few words, eliciting laughter from the audience. Whether people believe it or not, this relatively rare anecdote in the entertainment industry is undoubtedly more memorable than the commonplace molestation incident.
“Wow, then we’ll have to tell our props team not to work so hard in the future. Otherwise, if we encounter another clueless guy like that who doesn’t know how to cherish women, won’t we just lose a valuable student?” Jiang Zhiwei chimed in at the right moment, adding a concluding remark, “Alright, thanks for your explanation. Please return to the queue.”
After Jiang Zhiwei announced that contestant number 2 had finished his inspection, Li Sishi stepped down, allowing contestant number 3, the next "contestant number 3," to take her place.
After returning to the queue, Li Sishi stood in the positions and postures pre-arranged in the rehearsal, quietly rejoining the group.
He, as a human backdrop, watched as one contestant after another stepped forward to be "inspected."
It's obvious that each question was tailored to the contestant's individual situation. Contestants whose names sound delicate were asked about their physical condition. Contestants criticized by the media for being "vain" were asked what else they could do besides dressing up. Huo Chuying was even asked about her previous scandal: "I heard that Lu Shi'an is particularly good to you, is that true?"
In contrast, Huo Chuying wasn't as prepared as Li Sishi to be asked this question in public. She answered, "Actually, Anzai isn't particularly nice to me, we just get along well." Immediately, Jiang Zhiwei interrupted her, "Wow, he calls him Anzai? We've known him for so long, we usually just call him Anshi!"
A series of sharp retorts shifted the audience's focus from the nickname "Anzai" to the humorous nickname "Anshi," which sounds similar to "shit," eliciting continuous laughter from the audience. Jiang Zhiwei then continued to smooth things over, saying, "Don't believe him so much, go back."
Realizing she had misspoke, Huo Chuying forced a dry laugh and said "Thank you, sir," before quickly turning back to the queue.
After addressing the two hot topics, Li Sishi and Huo Chuying, the subsequent questions seemed unremarkable—nothing particularly noteworthy, or perhaps too sensational to ask. They were essentially just casual, seemingly "no problem" questions.
For example, contestant number 6, Zheng Liaoying, has consistently been reported by the media to have ties to triads.
She was only asked about her past experience as a runner-up in a modeling competition; for example, contestant number 9, Yu Xiaobao, who was rumored to be dating a certain young man, was only asked to say a few words in French because she claimed to be studying accounting in France.
As for Wan Jiamei, who is also a 17-year-old contestant but has been overshadowed by Li Sishi, who has generated even more buzz, so for the time being, apart from being praised for her figure, she hasn't made much of a splash. When asked to name her shortcomings, she honestly answered that she was "too trusting of others"...
Now it seems like there's no problem, but once her unburied dark history is exposed, this seemingly ordinary answer will become another point for newspapers and magazines to criticize her harshly.
Even though she had narrowly and cleverly avoided this round, seeing this scene, Li Sishi couldn't help but sigh inwardly: "In this circle, indeed, everyone is..."
trap.
After all 20 contestants had introduced themselves and answered questions, the stage was left to the three hosts to crack jokes and announce the names of the top five contestants with the highest photo sales at Xunhe Plaza.
During this short period of time, they would all rush to the backstage dressing room to take off their space base student uniforms and change into space science fiction themed swimsuits.
This is a strapless one-piece swimsuit with a lemon yellow main color, paired with two small black trims at the chest, black panels on both sides of the waist, and a long diamond-shaped cutout in the center of the chest. The overall style has a feel of a sci-fi movie character from this era.
However, the prop team did make sure that the small black trim on both sides of the swimsuit was paired with supportive transparent shoulder straps, and the long diamond-shaped cutout in the center of the chest that extended all the way to above the navel was also covered with a transparent film. Although there wasn't much fabric, it didn't seem to affect movement too much, which was worrying. This kind of strapless swimsuit is prone to accidental exposure if you move around too much.
The Miss Hong Kong pageant's tradition of wearing swimsuits and answering questions is a classic, but this time they added a new twist and a bit of game-like elements – a game called "Devil Angel" where you draw a question and have to answer it twice, as both the affirmative and negative side.
This time, Li Sishi's question wasn't about persuading someone to make Category III films or not to make them, but it seemed more difficult than before: this time she drew the question of persuading her mother to get a divorce or not to get one...
Female host Hu Junyi was temporarily assigned to play her "mommy," so this female artist, who is known for her loud laughter, immediately perked up: "What should I do, daughter, Mommy? I haven't worked since I married your father. I can't survive if we get a divorce..."
“Mommy, in this day and age, how can someone with hands and feet who is willing to work hard not survive? I will study hard to help support the family. You can rest assured and go find your true self. How many decades does one have in a lifetime? Rather than wasting your youth and continuing to suffer, it's better to have a short pain than a long one!” Li Sishi said with utmost sincerity and earnestness, and then turned to face Hu Junyi, who had walked to the other side.
"This is outrageous! Your deadbeat father is cheating on me! I'm divorcing him!" Hu Junyi got more and more into her performance.
"Mommy, that's not right."
Divorce now and you'll lose out big time—you'll have nothing to show for it. Why not wait a few years? After I finish my law studies, I'll help you gather evidence to take him down in one fell swoop. I guarantee you'll get at least half his assets, maybe even more. But I'm afraid by then, it'll be your father who takes the initiative.
"You filed for divorce, but you yourself are reluctant to go through with it..." Li Sishi smiled brightly as she said this, "The law is with you. In this day and age, such a useful 'lifelong partner' is hard to find..."
After successfully making the last sentence laugh at the whole audience, Li Sishi bowed slightly to express her gratitude and then gracefully left amidst Jiang Zhiwei's teasing remarks of "respectfully seeing off the future lawyer".
After this round of the "Devil Angel" game ended and the contestants finished answering the questions, they had to go backstage to change clothes and prepare for their performance. The host then went over to ask the judges what they thought of the contestants' answers.
In this round, Li Sishi's particularly witty reply undoubtedly received a lot of praise from the judges.
Among these
Lu Guwen, known as the "deadpan comedian," described it in detail: "Contestant No. 2's speech gave me the feeling of being 'an angel among devils and a devil among angels'—because when No. 2 advised her mother to divorce, she hoped that her mother could gain freedom and liberation, and when she advised her mother not to divorce, she was thinking about practical matters and making thorough preparations for her mother before letting her make the next decision..."
"I think Number 2 truly lives up to her reputation as a smart girl who knows how to read. No matter what her family is planning, she always puts them first and gives them the most useful advice and assurances at the moment..." Pei Yansang commented.
As for the other two judges, one said that Li Sishi has great potential in the short term and might be able to develop a career in the entertainment industry in the future; the other agreed with her view that "life has many decades" and said that women in the new era should think more about themselves rather than blindly following "traditional ideas"...
"Thank you for your comments, judges. Now, let's have our five contestants, numbers 1-5, join forces with our 'Iron Man Dragon' Tu Beiwei to bring you a dynamic and energetic dance!" After thanking the judges, the host proceeded to direct the next round of performances.
Singer Tu Beiwei, dressed as the male lead in the movie "RoboCop," appeared on stage with backup dancers dressed in RoboCop-style outfits, accompanied by a very rhythmic melody.
The so-called "RoboCop" is actually a popular science fiction movie from a few years ago. The plot is about a police officer who, after an accident, is transformed by scientists into a "RoboCop" who is a combination of human and machine.
Because the RoboCop image perfectly matched the space theme of the semi-finals, the organizers used it for the song and dance performance. Back in the days when Hong Kong was remote and difficult to track down, it had a history of skirting copyright laws, so this kind of sci-fi movie-style RoboCop performance was quite a possibility.
They even dare to exploit the copyright of classic characters like Superman, Mickey Mouse, and Mario the Plumber...
Singer Tu Beiwei, who also comes from a singing and dancing background, had previously flown to Italy with Li Sishi and four others to film outdoor scenes and song and dance segments arranged by the event. This collaboration can be considered a second time.
Of course, taking into account the difference in singing and dancing skills between Tu Beiwei and the contestants, the dance moves assigned to Li Sishi and others were not too difficult. Each person was only responsible for one segment, while Tu Beiwei would accompany them to dance the entire segment.
However, once all the movements are arranged, this dynamic and energetic dance will be put on invisible shackles.
The twenty years that Li Sishi spent trapped in the school gave her not only regret for the past but also a yearning for the future.
No one can accurately predict how the world will develop in the future, just as people today do not know that the entertainment industry, which is now said to be getting worse with each generation, will perform even worse in the future, so that those who are eager for quick success and instant benefits will rise directly to the surface.
However, it is undeniable that in the future, those operations that ignore business capabilities and only strive for temporary fame will be effective on the stage, as proven by countless successful cases.
This is a live broadcast, so there's no longer any behind-the-scenes editing. While the dance, though constrained, can't have any big moves to steal the show, some tiny details in the close-up shot might be the key to making a difference.
Three minutes on stage requires ten years of practice off stage.
This time, it was more than ten years of hard work. It was decades of accumulation and effort, along with a sudden epiphany gained from the demeanor of a superstar, all to seize this one second of opportunity.
Sensing that her close-up shot was about to begin, Li Sishi, with her long hair pulled up high and wearing a silver-gray studded vest paired with black tight leather pants, was also at the end of this short dance segment.
Turning around, snapping her fingers, tilting her head slightly to the left, and smiling... these are all dance moves that were planned in advance.
However, during the pre-set head-turning and smiling gesture, Li Sishi subtly winked her left eye at the camera in this extremely brief close-up shot—a gesture that later acquired a specific name: "wink".
In an instant, the girl on the stage, whose attire seemed no different from everyone else's...
That single blink distinguished between liveliness and dullness, between talent and ordinariness, making the entire dynamic dance, which seemed subtly crafted, serve as a backdrop and foundation for that one vibrant, spirited moment.
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