Chapter 201 The Trophy and You, I Want Them Both
Qu He and Zhuang Bieyan spent the whole day at Wanhua Garden.
The next day at noon, she was lying on the sofa when she suddenly received a call from Teacher Qi Mo.
"teacher?"
"Qu He, congratulations."
On the other end of the phone, Qi Mo's four simple words made Qu He's hand tremble, and she almost dropped the phone onto the carpet.
Her tongue seemed to be tied in knots, and she couldn't utter a single complete sentence.
"Teacher, what...what did you say? Congratulations?"
She staggered as she picked up her phone, somewhat bewildered.
Qi Mo chuckled softly on the other end of the line, "Silly girl, don't get excited. I won't go into details, just remember to focus on your work submitted for the Basel exhibition in the coming days, and the results of the Qinglan Cup will be clear."
Those few words contained the answer she hadn't dared to hope for for months.
She had been dreaming of this day ever since she was shortlisted for the finals, but each time she felt that just being shortlisted was already an affirmation, and she dared not hope for an award.
The more she understood, the less she could believe that the Qinglan Cup award would really fall on her, a "washed-up" craftswoman who had left the ceramics circle for five years.
After saying a few words, Teacher Qi Mo hung up the phone.
Just then, the screen, which had just gone dark, suddenly lit up again, and an email from the organizers of the Qinglan Cup popped up.
Upon opening, a golden invitation appeared: "Dear Ms. Qu He, we cordially invite you to attend the Qinglan Cup winners' press conference tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM to join us in this grand event."
"Winners' press conference." Qu He finally felt it was real.
According to the rules of the Qinglan Cup, only the final gold, silver, and bronze medal winners will be invited to attend this press conference.
And then there was that pointed phone call from Teacher Qi Mo…
Qu He suddenly jumped up from the sofa, clutching her chest and bouncing around on the spot.
Zhuang Bieyan happened to come out of the study and immediately saw Qu He jumping and skipping in the living room. Sunlight danced on her body, and she was visibly happy.
He was caught up in the moment, and the corners of his lips unconsciously turned up. "What's wrong? Why are you so happy?"
Qu He turned around excitedly, holding her phone screen up to his face. "Email! It's an invitation from the winner of the Qinglan Cup, and Professor Qi Mo just called to congratulate me! Zhuang Bieyan, is it what I think?"
Her eyes shone with an astonishing light, filled with anticipation and disbelief.
Zhuang Bieyan read the email, then looked down at her flushed cheeks, a smile spreading across his eyes.
He ruffled her hair and said proudly, "It seems that the trophy shelf in the study of the great artist Qu is finally about to welcome its first protagonist."
"ah!"
Qu He couldn't help but gasp, her smile growing even brighter, but she still tried to restrain herself and patted her face.
"Calm down, calm down! The final results won't be announced until tomorrow! But even if it's just a bronze medal, I'll be very happy. After being away from the ceramics world for so many years, coming back like this, any award is the greatest recognition and encouragement for me."
"In my heart, you will always be the best and irreplaceable."
Zhuang Bieyan looked at her, his eyes filled with pride for her.
He took her hand and gently stroked it, teasingly saying, "Since our great artist Qu's career is about to reach its zenith, I wonder if the day when I, the man behind the scenes, can openly and legitimately enter your home is not far off?"
Qu He chuckled at his words, extended her index finger, playfully lifted his chin, and mimicked his usual aloof and domineering manner: "Don't worry, I want both the trophy and you."
"I'm really looking forward to it, Aho."
The next morning.
A large number of journalists and media had already gathered at the entrance of the Rosewood Hotel.
The Qinglan Cup final is undoubtedly a grand event in the art world.
Zhuang Bieyan drove Qu He here, but Qu He forced him to stop when they were still a block away from the hotel.
Qu He carefully adjusted her hat while looking out the car window.
Today she wore a black and white Chanel-style suit with camellia prints, which was formal yet playful. She took out her lipstick and started touching up her makeup in front of her phone.
Zhuang Bieyan looked at her, "Am I really that shameful?"
He is the rightful husband!
“There are too many reporters at the entrance. If you go over there, it won’t look good,” she explained, pursing her lips.
Qu He put away her lipstick, turned her head and saw his resentful look, and smiled to comfort him: "There is no celebration banquet arranged this time, the press conference should be over around noon."
"Then I'll come pick you up."
Zhuang Bieyan immediately seized the opportunity, his eyes filled with anticipation, "Shall we go back to Baiyu Bay together tonight?"
He was always thinking about the important matter of getting a permanent position.
Qu He was amused by him and gently tapped his chest with her finger: "Mr. Zhuang, are you in such a hurry?"
"yes,"
Zhuang Bieyan readily admitted, "I can't wait."
As he spoke, he put his arm around her shoulder, pulled her towards him, and lowered his head to kiss her alluring red lips.
Qu He smiled and turned her head away, pressing her finger against his lips: "No! My lipstick is freshly applied, it can't be smudged!"
She took the opportunity to push him away and open the car door.
She stepped one foot out of the car, then turned back and blew him a kiss, saying, "Wait for me to bring you home with the trophy!"
Zhuang Bieyan smiled indulgently and said, "Okay."
Inside the venue.
Guided by staff, Qu He took her seat in the designated area in the first row.
There was an empty seat on each of her left and right, with name tags reading Yan Shu and Qing Lan respectively.
These three names will be revealed here to determine the final winner of this year's Qinglan Cup.
Qinglan is a senior in college this year.
What excited her even more than making it to the finals of the Qinglan Cup was being able to share the stage with her long-admired idol.
Ever since she found out that her seat was right next to Qu He, she was so excited that she couldn't sleep all night, rehearsing countless times in her mind what she would say when she saw Qu He.
However, when Qinglan actually saw Qu He, her mind went blank, and all she could think of was, "The goddess is so beautiful."
She suppressed the urge to scream, tried her best to remain calm, nodded and smiled at Qu He, and then quickly lowered her head.
Her fingers flew across the phone screen, flooding the dormitory group chat with "Ahhhhhh".
Looking at the energetic young woman beside her, Qu He couldn't help but feel a sense of pride, thinking, "The younger generation surpasses the older."
Just then, Yan Shu arrived.
She wore a purple traditional Chinese style dress, still with that gentle and intellectual demeanor.
But the fatigue in her face and eyes betrayed that she was not in good condition.
Qu He's gaze swept over her, noticing that she was still wearing that familiar mutton-fat jade pendant around her neck.
She sneered inwardly. It seemed that Yan Shu intended to carry this misunderstanding through to the end, deliberately wearing it every time she appeared, simply to confirm those rumors.
Yan Shu noticed Qu He's gaze, looked down at the jade clasp on her chest, and a mocking smile appeared on her lips.
She had recently heard that Zhuang Bieyan and Qu He seemed to be getting a divorce, and the fact that Qu He came alone to such an important occasion today made her even more certain that their relationship had broken down.
Thinking of that incompetent Qiao Mian, Yan Shu felt a surge of anger. Not only had she failed to get rid of Qu He as planned, but she had also caused her recent career setbacks, with several important partners withdrawing their investments.
Fortunately, she had some savings from those years in England, which allowed her to barely make ends meet.
If she can win the gold medal at this Qinglan Cup, she can turn her life around and regain everything!
At 10:00 AM sharp, the press conference for the Qinglan Cup finals was launched simultaneously online and offline.
Tan Cong paced back and forth outside the president's office of the Zhuang Group.
The meeting, originally scheduled to start at 9:30, was delayed by half an hour by President Zhuang early in the morning.
However, it was already past ten o'clock, but President Zhuang still showed no sign of coming out to start the meeting.
This has never happened before.
Several secretaries kept giving Tan Cong meaningful glances, signaling him to go in and check the situation.
Tan Cong, carrying the expectations of everyone, knocked on the door.
"Enter."
Tan Cong pushed open the door and entered.
I thought Zhuang Bieyan was delayed by something, but when I came in, I found that he was not working at his desk as usual.
Or were they watching TV?
He leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed intently on the tablet screen, a hint of pride even playing on his lips.
Tan Cong took a few steps closer and heard the voice coming from the tablet.
"...Next, we will announce the final winners of the gold, silver, and bronze awards for this year's Qinglan Cup. First, the work that won the gold award for this year's Qinglan Cup is 'Three Spring Sunshine'! Congratulations to the winner, Qu He!"
Tan Cong instantly understood: President Zhuang was watching the live broadcast of the Qinglan Cup!
It was for the sake of the lady!
On the screen, enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted.
The camera precisely captured the figure in the black and white suit in the first row.
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