Chapter 76: As Expected by All
Looking at the history of the Miss Hong Kong pageant, the year with the top beauties may be controversial due to individual aesthetics, but considering the overall level of the contestants, this year's pageant is definitely one with a relatively high overall quality, and a relatively large number of those who have stayed in the entertainment industry and made it big.
Although Li Sishi's cohort also produced film actress Wan Jiamei and TBL's future leading ladies Huo Chuying and Zheng Liaoying, compared to that cohort, this year's 22nd cohort has produced future "classic Huo Xiang" Lü Yutong, TBL TV Queen Zhang Chuer, top MC Cheng Zhiying, "go-to beauty" Fang Xia, and Wang Xiying, who was hailed as a "replica of Yin Jiali" upon her debut, thus contributing a great deal of talent to TBL TV's future golden age.
After the Son of the Sun descends and the Wolf and the Queen of a Thousand Years finish their battle, it's Li Sishi's time to shine: the awakened Moon Goddess leads a group of candidates in a singing and dancing performance. After the performance, she leaves behind her blessings for the beauties and a secret scroll containing clues to the final five candidates who will inherit the island's title. Then, under the cover of the swordsman Don Juan, played by Luo Jiasheng, she hurriedly goes to avoid the rivalry between the Son of the Sun and the Wolf Knight.
This kind of drama, where people fight over a beautiful woman but ultimately no one benefits, is what viewers in front of their televisions most enjoy watching in this era.
A few years ago, Huang Qianyan also performed with Shang Hanyou and Hou Beihua on the Miss Hong Kong stage—yes, it was in this performance that the soulful singer Huang Qianyan left Shang Hanyou with severe PTSD as "Miss Zhuang's favorite"...
Upon hearing Li Sishi bring up this matter, Shang Hanyou, who was usually very talkative, immediately fell silent: "I don't really want to talk right now."
After wiping his face, Ling Chen looked at the smiling Li Sishi and the silent Shang Hanyou with a strange expression. This situation was so abnormal that when he walked over, he even subconsciously raised his hand to rub his eyes in disbelief...
"He's the one bullying me, and he even said he'd give me a live performance of 'The Mad Dog Eats the Moon'!" Ignoring Shang Hanyou's subconscious remark, "It's not a mad dog, it's a vicious wolf," Li Sishi said this with absolute righteousness.
Seeing Li Sishi walk over easily to rehearse with the other contestants, Ling Chen asked with a puzzled look, "What exactly happened to you guys without my knowledge?"
"Sigh, don't even mention it, it's a long story." Shang Hanyou sighed, "But fortunately, my partner for this performance is Ah May."
After saying that, Shang Hanyou, in a dramatic mood, glanced at Ling Chen and said, "Why are you sitting here? We're rivals in love now!"
Hearing this
Even at dawn, one has to admire his dedication to his role: if he didn't know that few people would want to sit with him, would he have bothered to come all this way?
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend. In the end, we all lost to that swordsman.” Ling Chen continued along with his topic, and immediately received a look of sudden realization from Shang Hanyou.
“That’s right!” Shang Hanyou nodded, threw the apple core into the trash can not far away, and continued to practice singing quietly.
Even excluding rehearsals and just practicing during breaks, he sang these songs at least dozens of times today.
Even the best songs and vocals become unbearable under endless repetition in a short period of time.
Seeing this, Lingchen almost wanted to slap herself: What kind of paradise is this? I'd rather not take the road...
Li Sishi was unaware of the two Heavenly Kings' comical behavior. After singing and dancing with a group of beauties and reciting their lines, she was escorted by the swordsman Don Juan and chased by the Son of the Sun and the Wolf Knight, running off the stage along the designed route. Thus, today's rehearsal mission was successfully completed.
Back in the break room, after changing back into her regular clothes, Li Sishi made a phone call to greet her mentor, Le Yun, and then went to the factory next door to check on Cheng Erjian.
Both of them, the senior and junior, had good luck this year, as they were both selected for the anniversary drama. However, Cheng Erjian's role was a bit smaller, as he was listed as the male lead alongside Yan Yingyi's boyfriend, Zhang Zhichen. Of course, later, Cheng Zhaoqiu, the male lead of "Looking Back in Anger," had a lot of scenes cut due to filming in two different locations, so Cheng Erjian was able to get more scenes to become the male lead.
After telling Cheng Erjian that Le Yun had told them they wouldn't be having class that night because of a social engagement, Li Sishi didn't stay long before turning around and going back to the lounge to pack up and go home.
Unexpectedly, there was now one more person in the small lounge.
Seeing Li Sishi push the door open and enter, Zhang Chu was somewhat surprised, as he was massaging the red and swollen area on his heel. However, he quickly regained his composure and greeted her, "You haven't left yet?"
Li Sishi is too young and has a high status. It doesn't matter if the older and more experienced seniors call her Ah May or MayMay. But it's a bit troublesome for those who are older than her but less experienced in the industry to call her that.
Those a year or two older than her could still shamelessly call her "Sister May"; but someone several years older, even without any intention of flattery or ingratiation, but simply following the unspoken rule in the industry that status supersedes age, should still be addressed as "Sister"... it inevitably feels like...
Intentionally flattering.
Therefore, the reason why Li Sishi's "beautiful flower name" was able to spread was largely due to this contradictory relationship: "The meaning of the flower name 'beautiful' is inherently complimentary, but it is not as 'class-specific' as Ah May or Sister May."
Besides, people always like to hear nice things.
"You haven't left yet, Maggie?" Li Sishi replied with a smile.
It's quite a coincidence that both the film actress with exceptional acting talent and the television actress with exceptional acting talent share the same English name: Maggie.
However, Zhang Chu'er is probably more famous for being someone who "seems to get along with no one" and "the queen of tardiness"—of course, this happened after she signed with the TV station. Now, Zhang Chu'er is seen by gossip tabloids as a "reheated leftover"...
The term "翻煲" means to cook something again, but it is also followed by the phrase "回锅肉" (twice-cooked pork), so it has to be said that the Hong Kong media's sharp tongue is really funny and accurate: Zhang Chuer, who is 25 years old and participates in the Miss Hong Kong pageant at the age limit, was discovered by a talent scout when she was already 19 years old.
After acting in several movies as supporting roles, she got bored and left the entertainment industry to go back to school. While studying, she also got bored and formed a girl group band, briefly entering the industry. However, the company she signed with didn't provide enough resources, so she left the band to return to her studies and work...
This time, she is trying to enter the industry for the third time because of the suggestion from her first boyfriend.
Undoubtedly, the media was quite interested in this "third-time beauty pageant contestant," but most speculated that she was a "twice-cooked pork"—a type of contestant who is most taboo in beauty pageants.
With his abilities, he could only reach the top five at most.
Although Yin Jiali and Li Sishi broke the unspoken rules of beauty pageants one after another, "re-entering the pageant three times" is even more disappointing than Yin Jiali's excessive brilliance and Li Sishi's young age.
Of course, it certainly generated a lot of buzz.
Li Sishi snapped out of her daze and remembered that she had done the same thing back in the Miss Hong Kong training camp. She turned around and called Zuo Lili over, took out a tube of ointment she carried with her and handed it to her: "Apply this, it works quite well."
"Thank you." Zhang Chu'er accepted the ointment.
"Actually, Mr. Jiang is used to doing variety shows, so he sometimes speaks quite directly." Thinking of how Zhang Chu was criticized by Jiang Zhiwei for wearing slippers during the rehearsal, Li Sishi carefully offered her words of comfort.
It's hard to say which side was wrong: that part of the rehearsal required all the contestants to wear high heels and be fully dressed.
During the rehearsal, Zhang Chu was wearing slippers, which was pointed out by the sharp-eyed Jiang Zhiwei in a joking tone, who said, "Everyone wore high heels during the rehearsal, but you were the only one wearing slippers."
“I understand, but sometimes I just feel that if I’m supposed to wear high heels on stage, I definitely will. Since this isn’t a formal rehearsal, we can be more flexible…”
Zhang Chu explained in a low voice.
“Some people think the rules can’t be changed, while others think flexibility is acceptable. Strictly speaking, you two just have different views.” Li Sishi smiled and then added, “However, in certain situations, following the rules a little might be better for your situation.”
After all, those who now hold the power of discourse are the ones who make and uphold the rules.
When faced with rules, some people would rather break than compromise and prefer quality over quantity, while others would make do and just get by. It's all just a matter of personal choice.
Unsure of the effect her simple words would have, Li Sishi felt she had done all she could, and the rest was up to Zhang Chu to decide.
In her past life, when she was sitting in the audience, she had personally witnessed Zhang Chuer's performance in the finals: judging solely from her appearance and physique, and considering all the other contestants, Zhang Chuer was definitely one of the top three.
However, the Miss Hong Kong pageant relies heavily on on-the-spot reactions. Whether it was because she didn't "put in enough effort" during rehearsals or was too nervous, Zhang Chu perfectly demonstrated the comment that "she is usually dazzling but becomes tongue-tied on the spot." Her performance was very poor, with many small movements and her speech was not fluent or confident enough.
Like her was Wang Xiying, who was dubbed the "replica of Yin Jiali." Her on-stage reaction was overly nervous and wooden. It can be said that if neither of them had won an award in the semi-finals, judging from their performance in the finals, they probably wouldn't have made it into the final five.
With this in mind, on the first day of rehearsal, Li Sishi, as a "senior," shared some competition experience with the other candidates, and also emphasized the importance of not being nervous and adjusting one's mood at any time.
It would be best if these candidates could listen to her advice; if they couldn't or couldn't change their ways, she had already done her best.
Another week has passed in the blink of an eye. After so many days of rehearsals, the successes and failures are all in the air. Tonight is the final word.
Li Sishi sat to the left of Sir Zhao, clapping her hands as she watched the new batch of contestants perform on stage.
It began with three hosts dressed as the pirate lord and deputy lord of Hook Island, introducing the story of the upcoming selection of the Hook Island heir that evening.
After introducing the 12 princesses, the Queen of the Millennium led a group of demons to launch a massive attack on Hook Island, attempting to take advantage of the relaxation of the leadership on the day of the succession selection to bring Hook Island under her control.
So the twelve princesses changed into European swordsman attire and went to the location of the swordsman Don Juan to learn swordsmanship from him to fight against the vanguard snake witch Medusa.
When confronting the snake demon Medusa, the 12 princesses changed into costumes in the style of Arabia. Together with the island lord, they used the principle of mirror reflection to reflect Medusa's petrifying gaze back at her, thus petrifying her and ending the first invasion.
Next came the Q&A session to test the princesses' wisdom. Li Sishi watched attentively and noticed that under her "tutelage," Zhang Chu'er, although still a little nervous, performed reasonably well and could be considered to have performed steadily.
The only regret is that Wang Xiying was clearly overly nervous; her eyes would occasionally go blank for a moment, and she would stammer and speak haltingly when answering questions.
This is understandable. Zhang Chu, at 25, has ample knowledge and experience, and can easily adjust if she wants to. Wang Xiying, at 19, loses out due to her age-limited knowledge and experience, and once she gets nervous, it's hard for her to adjust back to normal.
However, Wang Xiying had already won the "Miss Photogenic" award in the semi-finals, so she was basically guaranteed to be in the top five. Her ranking and award results were not too bad.
As Li Sishi watched, she mentally estimated the final scores of each of the contestants tonight.
Soon, the twelve princesses, having had their wisdom tested, set out to persuade the Son of the Sun to become the Sun God Sword. Their next task was to use the Sun God Sword to summon the Wolf Knights to fight against the approaching army of the Millennium Queen, and then to dispel the Moon Goddess who held the clues to the successor.
Seeing that Shang Hanyou, playing the wolf knight, had already raised the Sun God Sword, which was the incarnation of the Son of the Sun, and started to sing and dance with Tang Jingwen, playing the Queen of a Thousand Years, on stage, Li Sishi in the audience said goodbye to Zhao Jueshi and then quickly went backstage to change her costume and prepare to go on stage.
While quickly changing her outfit with the help of the staff, Li Sishi couldn't help but recall the stage performance she had just seen: there is always a difference between rehearsals and the actual performance. But with a more insightful perspective than her previous life, this year's program design truly ranks among the best in the Miss Hong Kong finals stage records.
Especially during the singing and dancing battle between Shang Hanyou and Tang Jingwen, their extremely harmonious cooperation and the brimming tension made it worthy of being called a decent musical stage play—no wonder Shang Hanyou, who loves acting and singing, has been willing to clear a month or more of his schedule in recent years to do this.
Guest performers on the Miss Hong Kong pageant stage.
While not everyone can step onto the Miss Hong Kong stage, the time and effort invested are indeed somewhat disproportionate to the rewards.
Apart from the previous champion who is required to perform unless there are unforeseen circumstances, the other big-name performers are almost all there because of collaborations based on personal relationships or mutual benefits.
There are very few people like Shang Hanyou who both cherish old memories and love this type of performance.
After reminiscing about the Miss Hong Kong pageant stage performances on her final night as Miss Hong Kong, Lee Sze-sze changed into her costume and accessories with the help of staff.
Her stage costume this time was a light ice-blue evening gown paired with a sapphire jewelry set that Madam Li had given her. When the lights shone on it, the shimmering brilliance of the gems and the skirt adorned with diamonds complemented each other, making her seem as if she were truly floating in a smoky illusion created by dry ice.
The wolf knight who drove away the millennium queen and the sun son who has returned to human form are showing their camaraderie on stage when they suddenly hear that the moon goddess they have always secretly loved has awakened. As a result, one of them immediately starts an "internal strife" and is constantly jealous of the other.
To avoid further conflict, the Moon Goddess, who had only caught a glimpse of the scene, hurriedly handed the clues to the island lord and then quietly left the scene under the escort of the swordsman Don Juan, who had come after hearing the news.
Returning backstage to the applause and cheers of the audience, Li Sishi quickly changed into a new champagne-colored dress, paired with a diamond jewelry set given to her by Madam Li, and the Miss Hong Kong crown on her head.
As light and shadow shift, the pure, colorless diamonds refract infinite splendor, just like these young girls' journey from being clueless to enduring the hardships of training camp and finally stepping onto the glamorous stage.
That night, she will officially step down from her "duties" as Miss Hong Kong and hand over her blessings and responsibilities to the next Miss Hong Kong.
To her slight surprise, the champion this time was Zhang Chu'er, who performed steadily in the final.
As she walked slowly towards the podium, accompanied by her pre-recorded farewell speech, Li Sishi smiled at Zhang Chu, whose eyes were wet with emotion, and then, just like the champion from the previous year, she carefully placed the sash, cape, and laurel wreath on Zhang Chu's head.
After handing Zhang Chu the championship scepter and a bouquet of flowers, Li Sishi also accepted a bouquet of flowers from a staff member as a token of her gratitude and left amidst applause and cheers from the audience.
It can be said that Zhang Chuer is another Miss Hong Kong winner who broke the unspoken rules of beauty pageants through her own efforts, following in her footsteps.
As for the handover scene between the youngest Miss Hong Kong winner and the oldest Miss Hong Kong winner, it has become a classic scene that those who study the Miss Hong Kong pageant must check off. This is because it represents that after that, the Miss Hong Kong pageant gradually put aside those unfounded unspoken rules and focused on women's inner and outer beauty, as well as their hard work and struggle to overcome their shortcomings in order to achieve good results in the competition.
In the future, more highly educated and high-quality mature women will participate in the Miss Hong Kong pageant, and Zhang Chu's title of "oldest Miss Hong Kong champion" will only be temporary; however, it will be difficult to find another pageant legend like Li Sishi, who broke through all the rules to become the "youngest Miss Hong Kong champion" by staying within the minimum age limit for beauty pageants and with absolute strength and hard work.
Therefore, this memorable scene, a testament to fate, cannot be replicated; only those beautiful faces and smiles remain for future generations to admire and remember.
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