Chapter 33: The Night of the Finals
Upon opening the door, Huang Qianyan saw a somewhat familiar young girl in Miss Zhuang's office. She subconsciously took a closer look and remembered who she was: a hot favorite in this year's Miss Hong Kong pageant, a seventeen-year-old with ten A's and the halo of a champion. Since the preliminary selection, many people have been speculating whether she could break the rules and win the championship.
I've been so busy and stressed lately that I haven't been paying much attention to the Miss Hong Kong pageant. But since I've been seen in Ms. Chong's office, it probably means that the TV station is interested in signing me.
However, none of this concerns me.
Thinking this to herself, Huang Qianyan nodded slightly as a greeting, then stepped aside to let Li Sishi go out first.
Li Sishi returned a smile that seemed sincere and radiant but was actually incredibly complex. She took a light step and passed by this senior from her past life, someone who had caused her endless resentment.
It must be said that Huang Qianyan is truly "spoiled and arrogant," daring to enter Miss Zhuang's office without knocking...
A thought that couldn't help but pop up in her mind was quietly suppressed by Li Sishi—sure enough, even though she said she should be carefree, have an open mind, and be in the right place, when she actually met a real person, the unavoidable human nature of envy, jealousy, and hatred still suddenly emerged.
Standing in the corridor outside the door, looking at the tightly closed door, Li Sishi's smile gradually faded, and then her eyes darkened: It's okay, it's inevitable that it's hard to overcome those troubled feelings for a while, but I am not the same person I was yesterday. Rather than indulging in negative emotions, I should continue to work hard towards the goal I have already set.
In particular, her performance partners in the finals were a dance king and a dance queen, and their dance moves were more intense and difficult than those of the other contestants.
It's okay, believe in yourself, you can do it!
She gave herself a silent encouragement, took a deep breath, glanced at the office one last time, and then walked towards the lounge.
After meeting up with Wan Jiamei and taking the bus back to the villa, Li Sishi packed her things and said a few words to her, saying that she thought the contract terms were acceptable and signed it without hesitation.
Unsurprisingly, after announcing the news, Wan Jiamei first offered her blessings. Then, Wan Jiamei also explained her situation, saying that the TV station believed the Miss Hong Kong pageant finals were more important, so they would postpone dealing with her photo issue until after the finals.
"No wonder you seemed much more relaxed after you came back, so that's why..."
Once the contract is signed, there's no need to worry about the future.
Wan Jiamei added.
"Easier than before?" Li Sishi was slightly taken aback.
“Yes, you usually seem pretty carefree, but sometimes when I look at you, you seem to have a lot of worries.” Wan Jiamei nodded. “But I used to be like that too, everything bothered me, let alone your current situation…”
"I guess it's because I sometimes worry that coming to this training camp for so long will affect my studies when I go back," Li Sishi came up with an excuse.
"Wow, this must be really tough on you." Wan Jiamei frowned immediately upon hearing about the academic issues, then patted Li Sishi's shoulder forcefully and encouraged her loudly, "Keep going, persevere, you can do it!"
"At least our issues can be resolved," Li Sishi smiled and concluded.
Wan Jiamei nodded in agreement, then looked a little disappointed and helpless: "It's a pity, I was assigned to work with Yu Xiaobao this time. We have to put up with each other's tempers and cooperate every day, it's really..."
"Now I'm the first one to go on stage too, so the pressure is no less than yours," Li Sishi said with a smile, trying to comfort her.
The Miss Hong Kong pageant always features contestants in numerical order. After contestant number 1 failed to make it to the top 12, she, number 2, naturally became the new "number 1". Although the number remained the same, her order of appearance had become absolutely first.
"That's true... You're partnered with contestant number 6 this time, aren't you scared? Because of Zheng Liaoying's legendary gang affiliation, Wan Jiamei has rarely gossiped about her, afraid of knowing too much and getting herself into trouble..."
"She's alright. She has a good personality and works very hard in rehearsals." Li Sishi thought for a moment and gave a simple reply.
A woman like Zheng Liaoying, who remained composed despite widespread rumors of being the "sister-in-law" in the early stages, and who later openly and honestly helped a wealthy man with his business so well that even the wealthy man's first wife tacitly accepted her existence as the "second sister-in-law," is truly a rare and extraordinary person.
Although the port city has practiced monogamy for many years, many people still hold the outdated idea that the wealthy can have multiple wives, referring to those who have unmarried but public lovers as "second, third, fourth, or fifth wives"...
In this Miss Hong Kong pageant, Cheng Liaoying was hampered by gossip, and even though her photos ranked second in sales on Xunhe, she was only considered a semi-contestant. Within the group, Cheng Liaoying is seen as someone who doesn't usually stand out, but has always been quite steady and reliable.
A type of "stable stock" that offers a solid foundation.
When Li Sishi and Zheng Liaoying were rehearsing together, one could feel their high emotional intelligence. Their interactions were not like those of rivals, but rather harmonious and pleasant, like the gentle breeze between gentlemen.
After several busy and intense days of rehearsals, on the night of the finals, everyone felt both incredibly eager anticipation and an indescribable sense of dread.
But whether it was years of waiting or months of perseverance, they... finally got to this day.
The theme of the final stage is Dunhuang flying apsaras style. In accordance with the theme, their first appearance tonight is an ancient style wide-sleeved robe. The outermost layer is somewhat like a curved-hem robe, but the skirt has a high slit at the front, which vaguely reveals the brightly colored dance dress skirt underneath.
This time, the stage story is about the election of the queen's successor in the ancient kingdom of Dunhuang: Legend has it that three thousand years ago, humans and gods were one family, and between the human world and the celestial realm, there was a place called the ancient kingdom of Dunhuang.
Tonight, a group of musical geniuses will descend upon this place to teach twelve princesses songs and dances and perform together, allowing the Queen and her civil and military prime ministers to choose the final winner and crown her with the champion's laurel.
The judges and the host remained largely unchanged this time, except that the host changed from the previous space base commander's outfit to an ancient-style Dunhuang queen and civil and military prime ministers.
At the very beginning, the roles of questioner and interviewer were reversed, with the twelve contestants asking questions of Prime Minister Wen, played by Jiang Zhiwei.
It's basically a riddle-like question designed to make the audience laugh in the first round.
As for the first round of scores, they will be announced by another host who remains in the top position. The host will explain to the viewers that the scores are based on the number of votes cast by citizens at the Miss Hong Kong polling stations, and will account for 20% of the final score in tonight's overall evaluation.
After the scene rehearsed the changes of position, the seven immortals, played by singers from the music industry, began to appear one after another, leading the beauties they had chosen to perform.
After Ye Shanyun, who played the Fairy of Yaochi, began to prepare to sing, Li Sishi and Zheng Liaoying, who had already changed into their bright green and orange dance costumes backstage, came to her side from the left and right, and danced to the accompaniment of her elegant and graceful singing.
The grand finale always features more performing guests than the semi-finalists, so the contestants naturally get fewer close-up shots. After Li Sishi caught the camera with a smile, she didn't try to steal the spotlight from the "Queen of Elegance" this time; she simply smiled quickly and subtly.
He followed the rhythm of the song haphazardly and then left the stage to the left, leaving time for the next performance.
After the song and dance performances by the seven "celestial beings" and twelve beauties concluded, the swimsuit Q&A session of the finals officially began.
"Please welcome the first princess—"
As the host finished speaking, the lights shone on the person who had appeared, and the slender figure hidden in the darkness seemed to be awakened by this beam of light, revealing a long-dormant aura.
The swimsuit design for this year's finals is one of the more memorable ones in Li Sishi's personal memory—a classic one-piece style with a high-gloss rose red main color, paired with beaded shoulder straps and a delicate beaded band around the chest that flows like water to the round heart-shaped brooch decoration on the chest. Under the stage lights and spotlights, it shimmered and sparkled with colorful brilliance.
The swimsuit is made of a material that has a silky sheen, giving it a smooth and warm feel. But it is paired with a large, light peach-pink scarf. Once the clear and bright rose red is completely absorbed into the fresh and warm light peach-pink, it is like a captivating story with unexpected twists and turns, gently singing out a beautiful opening.
The close-up shot zooms in, concealing her fair skin and bright, vibrant pink veil, which dissipates like light smoke and mist from a sweet dream. Her beautiful face, with her head slightly bowed, receives the light, and her light brown eyes, like the rising sun over a high mountain cliff, convey a timeless and unwavering affection in their every glance.
With just one glance, the entire scene seemed to be elevated to a level akin to a classic film.
Just in time, the background music for this swimsuit Q&A session started playing in the room. It was Pei Yansang's classic song "It Seems Like Meeting an Old Friend," one of the judges in the audience.
This is a folk tune adapted from the rhythms of Cantonese opera in the Guangzhou region and incorporating traditional classical music elements.
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The clear and lingering melody, with its neat and symmetrical rhythm, not only relaxes the listener's mood but also makes one unable to resist combining the scene before their eyes with the state of mind in their heart with such a lingering and melodious tune, creating a unique and slightly melancholic feeling of reflection at night.
It's like... you can say you've just met the person in front of you, but you feel like they're an old friend.
With her well-trained catwalk, Li Sishi slowly walked from the back of the stage to the front of the semi-circle. She twirled in the middle of the semi-circle, gently tossing aside the scarf draped over her arms, and then gracefully and elegantly stepped onto the small circular stage for the Q&A session, facing the countless audience members and the lights before her—she was back on the stage for the finals!
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