Chapter 34: The Champion's Choice
"Good evening, Your Excellencies, and good evening, everyone." Li Sishi greeted everyone first as she approached the microphone.
"Hello, Miss Li Sishi, tonight is the last performance. Are you feeling a little nervous?" Cen Yinjian, dressed as the Prime Minister Wu, asked.
"A little bit, but I'll try my best to overcome it," Li Sishi replied with a smile.
"Okay, don't worry, it's just a very simple question." Jiang Zhiwei, dressed as Prime Minister Wen, smiled, then pulled over a small blackboard and let Li Sishi choose a topic. "These are the three sets of words you chose: fishermen and seafood, airplanes and subways, television and advertisements... Please combine them and tell a story containing six words within three minutes."
This Q&A section really tests your quick thinking; you can encounter all sorts of strange questions. These kinds of questions, like forming sentences and creating stories, are only of medium difficulty.
Li Sishi paused for two seconds, then began to fabricate a story: "Once upon a time, there was a fisherman whose village produced a particularly delicious seafood product. Unfortunately, the location was too remote, so they couldn't sell it for a good price. To increase their income, the villagers started to come up with a solution..."
"Initially, they naturally wanted to find better transportation channels, such as air freight—but it was too expensive; so they then thought of the subway, but the port city's subway is notoriously crowded, even more so than a sardine can, making it impossible to transport goods..."
This overly vivid metaphor immediately drew laughter from many audience members.
"In the end, the fishing village finally thought of the television they watched every day, and television commercials were a great way to promote their products. So the fishing village pooled their money to place advertisements on TBL television station. In the end, not only did it increase the sales of seafood products, but it also attracted a lot of tourists... It was truly a win-win situation."
"More than that, it's a win-win-win situation—you've got such a sweet tongue, quite a few people in the audience must have laughed out loud." Jiang Zhiwei saw many familiar high-level executives in the audience beaming with joy, and immediately added a comment to her.
"Thank you." Li Sishi bowed slightly to the audience below the stage and the viewers in front of the camera to express her gratitude, and then walked back.
After Li Sishi and the other six people finished answering the questions, the six of them reappeared wearing veils and performed a short, simple dance to conclude the Q&A session.
After the second group of six people finished answering questions and performing, the stage story entered a new chapter.
This time
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The story goes that the Queen of Dunhuang bestowed a giant "peach" upon the princesses as a token of her gratitude to the immortals for teaching them singing and dancing, which sparked a dance battle among the immortals to win the prize.
Although it is called "dance battle", it also includes "martial arts battle". Under the design of the dragon and tiger martial arts masters, each immortal is either wielding a sword, a gun, a bow, or a hammer, and the tension is about to break out.
The beauties who cooperated in the performance also danced with the swords, spears, bows and arrows in their hands. When the camera was on full set, their dance was fierce and unstoppable, while in close-up shots, their delicate hands were light and tender.
The final battle between Hou Yi and Lei Zhenzi, played by two Heavenly Kings, Shang Hanyou and Huo Gucheng, was so earth-shattering that it prompted the appearance of Guanyin, played by the previous Miss Hong Kong winner, to quell the conflict.
The performance concluded with a group of deities, persuaded by Guanyin Bodhisattva, transforming malevolence into peace and harmony to celebrate the successful completion of the election that night, singing in unison as a final act of celebration.
After changing into various outfits, including an antique-style wide-sleeved robe, a Dunhuang flying apsara dance costume, a rose-red swimsuit, a bright red martial arts short outfit, and a white top and black skirt dance battle outfit, her final look was the classic long cheongsam worn by contestants in the Miss Hong Kong pageant.
Before announcing the final five, a "Miss International Goodwill" will be selected to work with the future champion, runner-up, and third-place winners to oversee goodwill activities for the coming year.
The award was ultimately given to Liu Feifei, contestant number 20. She is a "stable" candidate, much like Zheng Liaoying. She is well-liked among the other candidates and aspires to become a diplomat. Winning this award is quite fitting for her.
After the Miss Goodwill International awards are presented, the final five will be announced.
The camera panned across the faces of the twelve contestants standing in a row, each of them maintaining their most graceful and appropriate smiles—
"Number 2 Li Sishi; Number 6 Zheng Liaoying; Number 13 Huo Chuying; Number 14 Luo Heyin... and the last one, Number 9 Yu Xiaobao!"
Taking advantage of the camera's distance from her, Li Sishi glanced out of the corner of her eye at Wan Jiamei, whose expression remained calm, as she looked past the other contestants.
I wonder what she looked like when she wasn't among the top five contestants, but there were rumors that the TV station changed contestants at the last minute because of her photo scandal. Even reviewing the videotape of that final round, you can see that the fifth nameplate at the end of the top five selection first showed "No. 11 Wan Jiamei" before quickly changing to "No. 9 Yu Xiaobao".
...
Many newspapers and magazines used this as "concrete evidence" to vividly depict her failure to make the top five due to the scandal.
But now that I'm part of the butterfly group, the top five nominations this time should be somewhat different.
After bidding farewell to Wan Jiamei with her eyes, Li Sishi followed the staff's instructions and led the last five members of her team to the other side of the quiz arena.
This time, most of the questions were general knowledge about life in Gangcheng. Li Sishi had been studying these kinds of questions in Liaojie for more than two years, and they could even be considered her forte. In addition, she always represented the school in quiz competitions. Even though Luo Heyin, number 14, was a high-achieving student who spoke multiple languages, Li Sishi was still able to suppress Luo Heyin's speed and accuracy when she pressed the buzzer. Just like her ability to grab the center position, she was impeccable and unmatched...
After most of the questions were revealed, and a large picture made up of small squares was vaguely visible—a lantern, a dragon, and an ancient-style gate—Li Sishi immediately rang the bell to answer the last question, a picture-based idiom question: "Ascending the (lantern) Dragon Gate!"
"That's right, add ten more points to number 2!" the host immediately shouted.
When the scores for this quiz round were tallied, Li Sishi was clearly far ahead of the other four.
The thought that this round's score would ultimately be counted as a percentage in the total score made everyone in the room, including the other four candidates, looked at her with a gaze that had gone from "top favorite" to "ultimate top favorite."
The question is whether Li Sishi, the "top ten scorer," can force a concession on the unspoken rule of age restrictions—the Miss Hong Kong winner is traditionally required to participate in the Miss Universe pageant, which has an age requirement of 18-27...
Because of this, many young beauties have failed to win the final championship and ended up in the runner-up or third place.
However, there have never been exceptions in the history of the Miss Hong Kong pageant.
When all strength reaches a certain level, those meaningless rules and unspoken rules must give way to such powerful strength!
Finally, a new mutual voting segment was added.
Just like in her previous life, Li Sishi was the first to go up and filled in her number in the column next to the champion's prediction. Then she wrote number 13, Huo Chuying, as the runner-up, and number 6, Zheng Liaoying, as the third place.
This is her personal ranking of this year's cohort.
Following closely behind was Zheng Liaoying, number 6. In the champion prediction column, she wrote number 2 and number 9. Yu Xiaobao was the runner-up, and she herself, number 6, was the third place.
The others came up one by one.
In the previous book, apart from Li Sishi who stubbornly wrote her number in the champion column, everyone else filled in their numbers as runner-up or third place.
However, following Zheng Liaoying (number 6), Yu Xiaobao (number 9) also wrote number 2 in the champion column and then wrote her own number 9 in the runner-up column.
Meanwhile, Huo Chuying (number 13) and Luo Heyin (number 14) wrote each other's numbers as champions.
After all the numbers were filled in, the three brightly lit 2s stirred the emotions of everyone present, both at the venue and watching on television: would they witness a peaceful and stable ending tonight, or... the birth of a new legend?
As planned in the rehearsal, Li Sishi and the other four people went to the position behind the champion's throne, waiting for the final result to be announced.
When the new year's top three were being awarded, the first thing to do was to invite the previous year's top three to the stage. So, at the invitation of the hosts, the previous year's third-place winner came out from backstage and came to the left side in front of the champion's throne, waiting to present the award to the new year's third-place winner.
"We are now announcing the third runner-up of the 21st Miss Hong Kong Pageant: —"
"Number 9, Yu Xiaobao!"
In the instant that Yu Xiaobao stepped forward to receive the award and passed by them, Li Sishi felt as if she could see that the smile on her face was so stiff that it could hardly be maintained.
But the situation at that moment left Li Sishi no time to think. After the third-place winner was awarded, the previous runner-up came out and came to the right side of the champion's throne, ready to award the new runner-up.
Looking at the former runner-up who presented her with the award in her previous life, Li Sishi subconsciously held her breath.
"Alright, I'll announce the runner-up for you right away..."
"The runner-up of the 21st Miss Hong Kong Pageant is—"
"Number 14, Luo Heyin!"
Li Sishi's breath hitched almost imperceptibly. If you were to give her a close-up shot at that moment, you might see that her pupils had begun to dilate involuntarily...
This is the last chance.
Either she will rewrite her destiny and become a legend, or she will fall into the abyss, consumed by grief and obsession.
However, what's agonizing is that the final award ceremony for the champion is often the most solemn, the slowest, and the most thrilling—
After Cen Yinjian finished praising the new runner-up and third-place winner, and thanked and congratulated the two award presenters, Jiang Zhiwei carefully opened the envelope in his hand: "Alright, now let's welcome our champion award presenter—the 20th..."
Miss Lu Shuyan, winner of this year's Miss Hong Kong pageant!
The stage went dark for a moment, then brightened again as a round spotlight shone on last year's winner, Lu Shuyan, illuminating her path: "Since being crowned Miss Hong Kong last year, I have taken on the mission of a goodwill ambassador, responsible for promoting Hong Kong around the world and attending international beauty pageants..."
"This year has been the most fruitful and unforgettable period of my life. Tonight, the 21st Miss Hong Kong will be crowned. I sincerely wish her all the best and hope that she can make the most of this year, fulfill every task of the Hong Kong Goodwill Ambassador, and become the 21st Miss Hong Kong who 'transcends limits and is no longer ordinary'..."
The promotional theme for this year's Miss Hong Kong pageant is "Beyond Limits, No Longer Ordinary – A Breakthrough in Pure Beauty," which aims to uphold the pageant's principle of "emphasizing both beauty and intelligence" and to select a new Miss Hong Kong who is both beautiful and intelligent for the new year.
The final stage of the Miss Hong Kong pageant is the resignation of the previous champion and the birth of the new champion. As is customary, the crown of the new champion is always bestowed upon her by the previous champion herself.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the 21st Miss Hong Kong Pageant is—"
"LadiesalemeMissHongKongis——"
"Number 2! Miss Li Sishi!"
As the host finished reading the winner's name in both languages, the entire venue erupted in enthusiastic applause, mixed with cheers, shouts, whistles, and screams.
The 17-year-old Miss Hong Kong winner will also be the youngest winner in the history of the Miss Hong Kong pageant!
Just like the "Most Beautiful Miss Hong Kong" a few years ago, she used her unparalleled beauty and achievements to sweep through the competition, shattering all the rules and unspoken rules of the beauty pageant. She truly deserved to be the champion, embodying the essence of "beauty pageant" while also meeting the requirements of "wisdom".
Looking at the beautiful face on the stage, whose eyes shifted from disbelief to mistiness after hearing the winner's name announced, yet maintained a dignified and graceful smile throughout, the incredibly rich emotional layers blended within her stunning makeup seemed to convey the complex feelings she was experiencing at that moment...
The applause from the audience was continuous, and those on stage laughed through tears.
Only Li Sishi herself knew how long she had missed this moment, and how long she had longed for it, to the point that...
So many surging and intense emotions poured out in that instant, making it almost impossible for her to maintain the dignified demeanor expected of a champion.
However, she managed to steady her wildly beating heart and didn't do anything that would be recorded in the history of the event as an overly happy outburst. The only thing she did was deeply feel her eyes, feeling them completely shrouded by the rain and mist accumulated over two lifetimes, turning everything she saw into a magical dream with undercurrents.
But this wasn't some bizarre, fleeting magical dream; it was the real night of the finals!
As she slowly lifted her feet to walk forward, Zheng Liaoying and Huo Chuying, standing on either side of her, each gave her a hug with a smile of blessing.
I vaguely remember in my previous life, the champion was a huge upset, so Zheng Liaoying and Huo Chuying, who were left behind, stood firmly in place without making a statement. There was only sparse applause from the audience, and even boos and jeers that the background music couldn't drown out...
This time, she could confirm from the embrace and blessings from her competitors, as well as the enthusiastic applause and cheers from the audience, that she was the well-deserved Miss Hong Kong winner, recognized by the vast majority of people!
The obsession and lingering resentment of two lifetimes were finally soothed and melted away under the spotlight, accompanied by enthusiastic applause and cheers that broke through limits and rules, by the cold yet solid championship throne beneath him.
After taking her seat in the new champion's exclusive chair, the previous Miss Hong Kong winner, Lu Shuyan, crowned Li Sishi as the new champion amidst the host's introduction of the real gold and diamond crown, which was worth more than three million Hong Kong dollars.
The classic pink and white champion's sash, the champion's cape robe adorned with sparkling diamonds, the butterfly-shaped diamond buttons symbolizing the transformation into a butterfly, the champion's crown made of real gold and diamonds, and the crystal champion's scepter... every single detail is a sweet and anticipated "burden".
"Congratulations to tonight's three winners, first runner-up, and second runner-up. From today onwards, they will shoulder the responsibility of promoting Hong Kong and will represent the city in several upcoming international beauty pageants..."
"Alright, please let our newly crowned 21st Miss Hong Kong run around the stage to receive our congratulations!"
Accompanied by the classic symphonic theme song of the Miss Hong Kong pageant, Lee Sze-sze walked gracefully around the stage, finally returning to the champion's throne, where she joined the first and second runners-up standing on either side of the throne to welcome the final end of the competition.
"We would like to thank everyone for their support, which allowed us to conclude this match successfully tonight. Thank you to our judges, thank you to all the guests present, thank you to all the staff behind the scenes, and thank you to you watching on television..."
What Li Sishi likes most is that TBL TV always expresses gratitude to everyone who participated in the event at the end of each gala – this is a kind of human touch that can't be found anywhere else. Even though the main characters of the night are dazzling, they never forget everyone who participated or watched, even those small staff members who can't appear on stage but silently support the success of the event behind the scenes.
Of course, as the absolute protagonist of the night, he will also have the exclusive screen time that a protagonist deserves.
Li Sishi sat regally on the champion's throne.
The runner-up and third-place winner beside her would also bend down and give her a kiss on the cheek—whether it was out of genuine blessing or as a compromise at the end, the scene captured by the camera before the end credits finished would only be a harmonious, warm, prosperous and glorious one.
Finally, Li Sishi shook hands with the three hosts who came to thank them. After the hosts said "See you next year," Li Sishi slowly stood up again and waved goodbye to the camera with the runner-up and third runner-up.
The beautiful young woman's face, framed by a shimmering diamond-studded robe and a champion's crown, radiates dazzling brilliance. In the final moment of the still image, her gentle smile seems to hint at the rising star that will soon grace the entertainment industry.
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