Chapter 21

A few minutes later, the previous thread sank, and a new one shot to the top of the forum,
[The Queen Has Arrived!!! Make Way for Her!!!, ]
The first post included a photo of Zheng Yu prostrating himself on the ground while Chu Yin looked down at him with icy indifference.
In the photo, the girl’s profile was cold and detached, from her full forehead to her delicate nose and down to her lips, the lines exceptionally beautiful. Enhanced by her aura, she resembled a meticulously carved ice sculpture.
This time, it wasn’t just the boys, even many girls were captivated.
Even though she was still wearing the outdated and loose Quiwen school uniform, with no eye-catching accessories, she inexplicably had a dazzling appeal.
The thread instantly exploded with replies:
1L: Not gonna lie, she’s really beautiful.
2L: After seeing this photo, I suddenly understand why Zheng Yu failed.
3L: Sis, I’m yours…!!!
4L: Zheng Yu is something else, he actually knelt just like that?!
5L: What’s even more impressive is how unfazed she was, saying, "I don’t accept you, you may rise." Talk about a slap in the face.
10L: Sis, I’m yours…!!!!
The thread’s OP, Song Zhaolin, looked at the replies with satisfaction. After deleting a few sarcastic comments, the rest were all praising Chu Yin.
As the first person to witness Chu Yin’s true appearance, Song Zhaolin felt an inexplicable sense of pride seeing more people recognize her stunning beauty.
The day’s farce ultimately ended with Zheng Yu’s friends rushing over once again to carry him away.
Zheng Yu’s expression was utterly devastated, a pitiful sight, as he drifted in a daze, completely questioning his life. For a long time afterward, he developed a psychological aversion to pursuing girls.
Chu Yin breathed a sigh of relief, finally, she could focus on studying .
...
The competition was the following week. Juggling competition preparation with her regular studies, Chu Yin felt a rare sense of urgency.
Chu Shi found out about her competition and planned to invite Gu Qiuzhe to their home over the weekend to help her practice. After all, the academic prodigy had won numerous awards in various competitions and had extensive experience.
On Sunday morning, the Chu family hadn’t yet woken up, and the servants were preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
Chu Yin went downstairs to the living room and stood by the window to practice her script.
A servant brought over a glass of warm water and flatteringly praised, "You’re so diligent, Miss."
The Chu family had two young ladies who bore a slight resemblance to each other and were the same age, yet they were never referred to as twins. Though the servants had no right to comment on the inner workings of wealthy families, they certainly had plenty of speculations in private.
Seeing that the young lady brought back from the countryside had achieved the top rank in her grade, earning the satisfaction of the Chu family’s elders, and that the eldest son seemed to be leaning in Chu Yin’s favor, the servants naturally followed the trend, not daring to slight her in the slightest.
Chu Yin was well aware of their thoughts. She accepted the cup and thanked them calmly.
The impromptu speech segment of this competition was particularly challenging, so the English teacher had prepared numerous topics and materials for her. The safest approach was to memorize all of them, but as Chu Yin stared at the thick stack of densely printed A4 papers, she couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.
Beep, Daily learning task for today: Memorize three speech materials within thirty minutes. Upon completion, you will receive the [Edit a Single Word] permission!
Chu Yin: "..."
"You’ve learned how to play games now, haven’t you? Even adding a time limit?!"
The Study System’s cheeky voice chimed in: "The difficulty of tasks increases as the host’s abilities improve. When you feel the tasks becoming more challenging, congratulations! The system has determined that your learning ability and intellectual level have also improved! Countdown begins now: 29:59, "
Chu Yin: "...Alright, alright, I get it."
Chu Yin had always been somewhat intimidated by memorization tasks because she had never considered herself particularly gifted in memory. In her past life, being forced to memorize texts had been nothing short of a nightmare. However, with the foundation she had built so far, no matter how difficult the task, she could handle it now.
With the time limit pressing down on her, her concentration intensified. Rushing against the clock, she managed to memorize all three passages within the allotted time. The system beeped, and the permission was granted.
Since she wasn’t going out today, Chu Yin casually opened the script.
[...To prepare for the speech competition, Chu Yin had been memorizing materials and practicing her expressions. Although her memory wasn’t great, she worked extremely hard, and her speech skills continued to improve...]
Sure enough, this page was filled with simple, uneventful scenes featuring only her. It wasn’t particularly interesting.
Just as Chu Yin was about to close the script, a sudden idea flashed through her mind,
Couldn’t she edit her own script?
Even though she existed beyond the logic of the plot, couldn’t she modify the objective descriptions within the storyline?
The Study System watched her, lost in thought.
It felt as though the host had just opened the door to a whole new world.
Chu Yin attempted to move the light pen, crossing out the character for "good" in [memory wasn’t great] and changing it to "wrong", though it felt a tad shameless, who could blame her when she had a cheat tool like this?
After making the change, she waited for three seconds. There was no reaction, nor any sensation.
Uncertain, Chu Yin tapped the system and asked, "Did it not work?"
"Please experience it for yourself, Host," said the Study System.
Chu Yin lowered her gaze and picked up a new page of her speech script.
After reading through the entire page, she lifted her head and closed her eyes.
She could remember 80% of it!!!
Chu Yin was instantly exhilarated,
It worked! She had given herself a memory buff!!!
What was this called? Playing with herself!!
If she had known earlier, she should have earned another word permission and directly changed it to "astonishing memory"! From now on, her study load would be cut in half, this was the ultimate blessing for a humanities student!!
Chu Yin was as happy as if she had chugged a bottle of Brain Elixir.
After unlocking this new gameplay, her mind opened up, with the script in hand, wasn’t she the master of her own life, free to do as she pleased? In the future, she could buy a lottery ticket and hit the jackpot, or buy a stock and watch it soar, how amazing would that be?
Study System: The host is gradually becoming abnormal.jpg
...
When Chu Qiuqiu came downstairs and saw Chu Yin standing in the living room with a smile on her face, she immediately found it irritating.
Lately, she had been seeing a psychologist, trying to figure out if her body acting against her mind was due to some mental issue.
After the humiliation of dancing last time, she hadn’t dared to show her face for a long time. Yet Chu Yin was being pursued so glamorously at school, why?
And now this speech competition. Chu Qiuqiu had never signed up for it over the years because she knew she’d only be a supporting act for Liang Yueqi. How did Chu Yin have the courage to participate?
Seeing the thick stack of papers in Chu Yin’s hand, Chu Qiuqiu couldn’t resist saying, "Sis, you can’t beat Liang Yueqi. Just give up."
Chu Yin glanced back at her.
She was in a good mood and had no desire to engage with Chu Qiuqiu’s helpless rage.
Somehow, this sister from the countryside seemed to have completely gained the upper hand. Chu Qiuqiu had repeatedly failed to get the better of her in front of her.
Today was no different. Chu Qiuqiu felt as if she had punched cotton, frustrated and unsatisfied. Pretending to be concerned, she continued, "Your foundation is weak; your spoken English definitely can’t compare to hers. And let me tell you secretly, Liang Yueqi borrowed a foreign tutor from Lu Zhen. Her foundation was already good, and now she has extra help. There’s no way you can win against her."
Chu Yin raised an eyebrow slightly. She also knew Lu Zhen’s foreign tutor, a kind old American man who had been employed by the Lu family for many years. In her past life, although the old man couldn’t do much about her situation, he always tried to cheer her up whenever he came to teach her.
Chu Qiuqiu observed her expression and finally felt a bit better. "Sis, I’m saying this for your own good. After all, you’ve never had the chance to participate in competitions before. I’m afraid you’ll get your hopes up only to be disappointed in the end."
As soon as she finished speaking, the Chu family’s front door opened, and Chu Shi walked in with Gu Qiuzhe.
Chu Qiuqiu’s eyes lit up with surprise at first, but her mood plummeted with her brother’s next sentence.
Chu Shi slung an arm over Gu Qiuzhe’s shoulder. "Xiao Yin, I’ve brought you some backup."
Gu Qiuzhe smiled warmly and waved at the two sisters in the living room.
Chu Qiuqiu’s words had just been contradicted, and her face instantly turned sour. After sulking for a while, she ran back to her room, but no one present cared about her feelings.
After having breakfast together, Gu Qiuzhe sat in the living room and reviewed Chu Yin’s script, then asked her to do a live practice run.
Chu Yin felt a rare flicker of nervousness. She stood up, clasped her hands in front of her abdomen, her bunny slippers instinctively shifting into a T-stance.
The young girl was still wearing her loungewear, giving her a very soft appearance. Gu Qiuzhe smiled and said, "Don't be nervous. Just think of me and your brother as big radishes."
Chu Yin nodded, cleared her throat, and then recited her draft from start to finish, doing her best to deliver it with emotion and expression.
After she finished, the two audience members immediately applauded.
Gu Qiuzhe was genuinely surprised. He had initially been worried that Chu Yin, having studied in a rural middle school, might have poor pronunciation. To his astonishment, as soon as she opened her mouth, she spoke with fluent American English.
Moreover, for some reason, Chu Yin's pronunciation felt strangely familiar to him, as if he had heard it somewhere before.
Chu Shi hadn't expected his sister's spoken English to be so good either and lavished praise on her: "You're definitely going to win the championship!"
Gu Qiuzhe also said, "It's really great, but, to win the championship, there's one thing you need to adjust."
Chu Yin asked somewhat sheepishly, "What is it?"
Gu Qiuzhe looked at her and smiled slightly. "Your expressions."
Chu Shi eagerly pulled Chu Yin and Gu Qiuzhe onto the same sofa, making them sit facing each other. Chu Yin felt a bit awkward, but for the sake of improvement, she didn't say anything in the end, only quietly moved a little farther away.
"Your expressions should match the content of your draft. For example, in the middle section where you talk about encountering a strange person when you go out, you can use your expressions to convey surprise and panic, stirring the audience's emotions."
After saying this, Gu Qiuzhe looked at Chu Yin's calm little face and said, "Show me a surprised expression."
Chu Yin raised her eyebrows, widened her dark, round eyes, and slightly parted her lips as she looked at him.
Gu Qiuzhe couldn't hold back and laughed outright.
Chu Yin felt a bit embarrassed. "Not surprised enough?"
The two doting older brothers smiled without saying a word.
But gradually, Chu Yin began to get the hang of it. Adding expressions to her speech indeed made the rhythm much clearer. Under Gu Qiuzhe's guidance, she also designed a few gestures, making her delivery look more professional. Chu Yin gained a lot of inspiration and thanked him sincerely.
In her past life, Gu Qiuzhe had also been such a noble and upright person, accustomed to thinking things through carefully, the complete opposite of the cold and obsessive Lu Zhen.
Although she had never developed feelings for Gu Qiuzhe in her past life, if it weren't for Lu Zhen, she might have learned to accept Gu Qiuzhe and tried dating him. But in the end, her short life had never allowed her to experience normal love.
Now, Gu Qiuzhe still only saw her as a little sister, and Chu Yin didn't want to hold him back again. So, she needed to maintain a certain distance to ensure neither of them repeated the mistakes of the past.
Gu Qiuzhe stayed at the Chu family's home all morning but had something to attend to at noon and didn't stay for lunch.
"Yin Yin, go see your brother Qiuzhe off," Chu Shi said.
Chu Yin glanced at him and nodded, "Alright."
Pushing open the gate, the girl in her loungewear followed him out. Gu Qiuzhe turned around and smiled at her, "Don’t be too nervous. If nothing goes wrong, winning the championship shouldn’t be a problem."
Chu Yin nodded, "Okay."
"And," Gu Qiuzhe reached out and ruffled her hair, "you don’t need to be so formal with me."
Chu Yin replied, "Mm, got it."
Their neighborhood was the city’s affluent district, and the Gu family lived nearby as well. The further into the villa area, the higher the elevation and the more expensive the properties. After Gu Qiuzhe left, Chu Yin turned and went back inside.
In the distance, from the highest "crown jewel" villa, Lu Zhen leaned against the second-floor balcony, his gaze fixed on the young man and woman. Only after a long while did he coldly withdraw his eyes.
He was shrouded in gloom, turning to head downstairs at the butler’s call.
His grandfather was sitting in the living room, sipping tea. There were guests at home today.
Lu Zhen’s uncle, Lu Linyuan, had always been a somewhat sensitive topic in wealthy circles.
Old Master Lu had a fling in his younger years, resulting in this illegitimate son who was originally kept out of sight. Unexpectedly, after Lu Zhen’s father died in a car accident, Lu Linyuan became the old man’s only remaining son.
Lu Linyuan managed the parts of the Lu family’s business that couldn’t be openly discussed. He and Lu Zhen were like two sides of the Lu family’s vast empire, Lu Zhen stood in the light, destined to inherit power openly and honorably, while Lu Linyuan stood in the shadows, serving as the family’s hidden blade.
Seeing Lu Zhen come downstairs, Lu Linyuan smiled, "Lu Zhen, you’re here?"
Though in a foul mood, Lu Zhen nodded, "Uncle."
Lu Linyuan was only a little over a decade older than Lu Zhen, more like an elder brother. He had always treated Lu Zhen well since childhood.
Seated beside him was another person. Liang Yueqi was dressed formally and, to maintain a good impression in front of Old Master Lu, she didn’t even dare to sit fully in her chair.
As Old Master Lu aged, his temperament had mellowed compared to his younger years. He smiled warmly at Liang Yueqi, "How is your grandfather’s health?"
Liang Yueqi replied obediently, "He’s doing well. Grandpa often says he’d like to play golf with you."
Old Master Lu chuckled, "This old bones just can’t stay still."
Lu Linyuan’s gaze shifted between Liang Yueqi and Lu Zhen, and he remarked with a smile, "You two were born in the same year, and now you’re even in the same class. What a coincidence."
Old Master Lu liked hearing this and nodded with a smile, "Zhen, you should treat Qiqi well at school. You two even had a childhood betrothal."
Liang Yueqi immediately blushed.
But Lu Zhen simply leaned back on the sofa, his gaze distant, lost in thought.
Old Master Lu couldn’t sit for long and soon had someone help him back to his room.
Liang Yueqi looked at Lu Zhen expectantly, "I have a competition next week, Lu Zhen. Will you come watch?"
Lu Zhen’s dark eyes were deep, and he remained silent for a long while. Just as Liang Yueqi thought he wouldn’t answer, his cold voice cut through the air, "I’ll go."
Even though she preferred someone like Gu Qiuzhe.
He still wanted to chase after her. Call him pathetic.
Liang Yueqi hadn’t expected him to agree and was instantly overjoyed.
When Lu Linyuan and the others took their leave, Lu Zhen saw his uncle out. Lu Linyuan glanced back at the delighted young girl and asked in a low voice, "Do you actually like her or not?"
Lu Zhen replied indifferently, "I don’t."
Lu Linyuan's brow lifted almost imperceptibly before he continued, "Then what type do you like? I can help you find one."
Lu Zhen waved a hand dismissively. "Forget it."
Lu Linyuan chuckled, his gaze meaningful, but he didn’t press further. He left with Liang Yueqi in tow.
…
Finally, the day of the competition arrived.
Thanks to the enhanced memory buff, Chu Yin had internalized every piece of material, fully prepared down to the last detail.
She truly wasn’t afraid of Liang Yueqi anymore, she was here for the championship, and nothing was going to stand in her way.
The competition was held at No.1 High School, with students from various schools across the city participating.
Chu Yin arrived early. As soon as she stepped out of her family’s car, numerous eyes turned toward her.
Her school uniform made it easy for others to identify her.
"Quiwen’s?"
"She’s so gorgeous, oh my god!!"
"She makes that plain uniform look ethereal, wow."
"With looks like that, she must be Quiwen’s school belle, how come I’ve never heard her name?"
Chu Yin remained calm and quickly walked out of everyone’s line of sight. Just then, another luxury car pulled up at the school gate, and another Quiwen student stepped out.
"I know her, last year’s champion."
"Honestly, she’s pretty too, and her style totally outshines the previous one."
"But her face isn’t quite on the same level…"
"Still, she’s got that chic vibe, and for an English competition, that’s exactly what you need!"
Liang Yueqi confidently removed her sunglasses and strode into First High’s campus, heading straight for the competition building with practiced ease.
Participants first checked in at the registration desk to receive their manuals and sign in, then drew lots for their speaking order. Chu Yin drew number 13, a middle position, neither good nor bad.
Once inside the competition venue, First High students guided participants to their seats in the order of their draw.
Jiang Yan slipped in through the back door, hurried over to Chu Yin, and handed her a can of soda.
"Nervous?" Jiang Yan asked.
Chu Yin smiled. "You look more nervous than I am."
Jiang Yan had originally come to learn from the experience, but as soon as she entered the venue, she suddenly grew tense. Fortunately, Chu Yin wasn’t like her, she looked completely unshakable.
Not long after, Liang Yueqi walked in confidently. Her gaze swept subtly over Chu Yin before she gracefully took her seat in position number 8.
Jiang Yan breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, "Thank goodness, her number is ahead of yours."
As the contestant area filled up, Jiang Yan couldn’t stay any longer. After giving Chu Yin a few more encouraging words, she returned to the audience section.
Chu Yin had people sitting in front, behind, and to her right, but the seat to her left remained empty. She’d heard that every year, some contestants dropped out at the last minute, so the person who was supposed to sit next to her probably wasn’t coming.
She was silently rehearsing her script when she suddenly heard someone calling her name in a low voice.
“Sister Yin!”
Chu Yin turned toward the sound and saw Song Zhaolin’s mischievously grinning face.
He made a big heart shape with his hands above his head, then followed it up with a few cheering gestures, making Chu Yin laugh. She thought to herself, This silly boy, at least I didn’t dote on him for nothing. He actually came to cheer me on.
When Liang Yueqi spotted Song Zhaolin, her eyes visibly lit up, and she began scanning the competition area, searching for something, or someone.
But even as the competition was about to begin, she still hadn’t found the person she wanted to see, and her gaze turned disappointed as she looked away.
The host took the stage, the judges settled into their seats, and after a brief introduction and opening remarks, the competition officially began.
The first round was the speech presentation, with contestants taking the stage in the order determined by the draw.
The first two contestants were probably too nervous, their voices trembled through the microphone, severely affecting their performance. They left the stage with their faces covered as soon as they finished.
Their nervousness seemed to spread, and the atmosphere in the contestants’ area grew noticeably tense.
Among the first seven contestants, only numbers five and six performed well; the rest were mediocre. When contestant number eight, Liang Yueqi, took the stage, applause broke out in the audience.
During her nearly ten-minute speech, Liang Yueqi indeed performed quite well. In the first half, she was fluent and smooth, with standard pronunciation and decent emotional engagement. However, midway through, she seemed to spot something in the audience and stumbled briefly. Still, her skills were solid enough that she quickly recovered, and her overall performance was impressive despite the minor flaw.
Before she even left the stage, Chu Yin received several messages on her phone.
Jiang Yan: [Liang Yueqi really is impressive. Her pronunciation is great, and her speech content is good too.]
Jiang Yan: [I heard from some students at the local high school that the judges already know her, so they might score her higher. What do we do?]
Chu Yin replied with a simple “Don’t worry,” and then a message from Song Zhaolin came through.
[Liang Yueqi hired a foreign tutor, Sister Yin. It’s totally understandable if you can’t beat her.]
[You’re number one in my heart!]
Chu Yin smiled and asked him: [What made you decide to come watch the competition?]
Song Zhaolin: [You’re all here, how could I not come?!]
Chu Yin chuckled and put her phone away.
To be honest, Liang Yueqi didn’t put much pressure on her. No matter how good her English was, it was still at the level of an ordinary 17-year-old high school student. In their entire grade, aside from someone like Lu Zhen, who had lived abroad as a child, no one else had better English than her.
Liang Yueqi stepped off the stage with a smile, but her gaze fixed directly on Chu Yin.
Chu Yin found it a bit strange when suddenly, the entire contestants’ area fell silent.
Then, a familiar, crisp scent drifted over from her left.
Someone had taken the seat at position number 12.
Chu Yin slowly turned her head to look at the person.
The seats in the contestants’ area were packed tightly, with only a palm’s width of space between them, close enough to hear each other’s breathing.
Noticing the shock in her eyes, Lu Zhen smiled faintly, the teardrop mole at the corner of his eye distinct, his dark eyes gleaming. “Hello there.”
Chu Yin: “…”
Only then did she understand who Song Zhaolin meant by “you all.”
Damn it.
I’m going to kill Lu Zhen.
After all her calculations, she never expected this damn guy to show up at the competition!! Was he here to steal the championship?? Of course, the male lead's halo was just another obstacle in her mission!!
The entire competition venue erupted in chaos.
No one knew who this year's School Belle of Quiwen was, but everyone knew School Hunk of the past two years.
Lu Zhen, the heir of a chaebol family and an exceptionally handsome guy. The moment he appeared, the audience and contestants erupted in excitement.
Liang Yueqi noticed that after Lu Zhen sat down, he hadn't glanced at her even once. Her expression gradually darkened. Her gaze fell on Chu Yin beside her, revealing a hint of displeasure.
Chu Yin closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths.
If she used the script to make him withdraw from the competition, even if she won the championship, the system would deem the task a failure. She pursed her lips and thought, It's fine, I'm not afraid of him.
Lu Zhen didn't want to disturb her either.
This was the first time the two of them had sat so close.
Her knee was right next to his leg, the oversized sleeve of her school uniform unknowingly brushing against his forearm. Lu Zhen's breathing became light and shallow.
The faint fragrance emanating from Chu Yin enveloped the space around them, gently soothing all the restlessness and gloom Lu Zhen had felt over the past few days.
This was the magic of the little bookworm.
The chaos caused by Lu Zhen's presence quickly subsided, and the contestants took the stage one by one. Finally, it was contestant number 12's turn.
Before standing up, Lu Zhen suddenly leaned closer to Chu Yin and said, "Classmate, can you cheer for me?"
Chu Yin's face tightened, and she forced a fake smile. "Good luck." Like hell I will!
Lu Zhen smiled and thanked her, then casually walked onto the stage. The audience below widened their eyes in anticipation.
Lu Zhen's voice was deep, and when he spoke English, it was as fluent as a native speaker's.
Under the spotlight, the young man stood tall, his eyebrows sharp, his eye sockets slightly deep-set, his features strikingly defined. His dark hair was casually styled, and his skin was pale and cool-toned, making him so handsome it was almost blinding.
Lu Zhen speaking English was indeed captivating.
Chu Yin had experienced this firsthand during her years abroad. Blonde, blue-eyed beauties would often ask for his contact information, and after interacting with him, they'd become even more infatuated.
In just five minutes, Lu Zhen stepped off the stage, and the girls in the audience went wild.
"His pronunciation is so mesmerizing, oh my god!!!"
"Could you even focus on what he was saying? I was staring at his face the entire time!"
"The girls at Quiwen are so lucky, damn it. I'm so jealous."
Chu Yin, however, felt slightly reassured.
Although Lu Zhen's spoken English was excellent, his speech was too casual. She wasn't sure if it had passed the specialized review, and it didn't even address the topic properly. Moreover, his body language and expressions were too relaxed, just like when he spoke normally, lacking the atmosphere of a formal speech.
Chu Yin pursed her lips and, when her name was called, calmly walked onto the stage.
Liang Yueqi leaned back in her chair, a faint smirk of disdain curling at the corners of her lips.
Being in the same elite social circle, Liang Yueqi naturally knew about Chu Yin, the girl brought back from the countryside, and had also heard about her perfect score in the midterm English exam.
However, that didn’t mean she could win an award in the speech competition. Pronunciation, expressiveness, on-the-spot reactions, and accumulated knowledge, each of these was crucial, and none of them could have been trained properly in a rural town.
Though her courage to participate was commendable, it was best for people to know their limits.
The audience, having just experienced Lu Zhen’s performance, clearly showed little interest in the next contestant. Especially since the stage was far away, making it hard to see her face clearly, and her school uniform seemed plain and unimpressive, further dampening their enthusiasm.
Amid the buzzing chatter, Chu Yin stood steadily on the stage, looked at the audience, and gave a composed smile.
Then, she began her speech.
From the very first sentence, the venue fell silent.
After the first segment, Liang Yueqi’s expression changed.
Where did she learn that pronunciation?!
Why did it sound so much like Lu Zhen’s?!
No, it was even more polished and pure than his, as if she had been using it for a long time!
In the contestants’ area, Lu Zhen was also stunned for a few seconds before breaking into a smile.
Her pronunciation really resembled his, creating a subtle resonance that warmed his heart.
The audience was equally shocked: “Wow, is authentic American English that common now?”
“How can just anyone speak like that?!”
During her five-minute speech, Chu Yin made no mistakes, delivering it steadily, passionately, and excellently.
After she bowed, the entire venue erupted into thunderous applause, with Jiang Yan and Song Zhaolin clapping so hard their hands hurt.
Ding! Host performed quite well. Current scoring data places you in first place, one step closer to success!
After hearing this, Chu Yin didn’t return to the contestants’ area. Instead, she went out and found an empty classroom to prepare for the second round of impromptu speeches.
This time, Liang Yueqi didn’t dare to be overconfident either. She hurriedly found a place to prepare for the second round as well.
After the first round concluded, the second round draw took place. This time, Liang Yueqi was number 11, and Chu Yin was number 12, placing them one after the other. However, Liang Yueqi suddenly lost the confidence she had earlier.
With Lu Zhen present, if she couldn’t win the championship...
Just before going on stage, she steadied her nerves and stepped up.
The judges below knew she was last year’s champion and showed no leniency, posing extremely challenging questions.
Liang Yueqi’s psychological pressure skyrocketed, her palms sweating profusely. In the end, she gave a weak response to one question, ending her answer in just three sentences.
Next, it was Chu Yin’s turn to take the stage.
The judges posed equally sharp questions to her.
But her ample material accumulation and excellent memory came into play. No matter how pointed the questions were, Chu Yin could cite two or three examples to support her views, speaking clearly and logically.
After three questions, the examiners collectively showed satisfied expressions.
The competition ended at 5 p.m., with scores submitted, tallied, and the results announced on the spot.
Meanwhile, Lu Zhen was invited to the office.
Everyone in the city knew about the Lu family. Hearing that the young master of the Lu family had participated, the organizers were extremely nervous.
Now that the scores were out, Young Master Lu wasn’t in first place. But since he had submitted his script late, it was clear he wanted this award.
The organizer smiled ingratiatingly, “Young Master Lu, don’t worry. With your level, winning this championship is unquestionable.”
Lu Zhen looked up at him and asked, “What’s my ranking?”
The organizer cautiously said, "There's this girl, the judges scored her too high, and we all felt it was a bit unreasonable. After adjustments, you're now in first place!"
Lu Zhen looked at him with a faint, ambiguous smile. "Who?"
The organizer, trying to gauge his expression, replied, "It's that girl named Chu Yin, the one in the school uniform, "
Before he could finish, he was abruptly and coldly interrupted.
"Wherever she belongs, let her be. If you pull any more tricks, you won't be hosting this next year."
"Yes, yes!"
The organizer nearly collapsed from fear.
...
The competition had ended, and Chu Yin, feeling relaxed, strolled off to use the restroom.
The day had gone fairly smoothly. Aside from that infuriating man who suddenly appeared, everything had gone just as she'd expected.
Humming a tune, Chu Yin turned a corner and suddenly collided with someone.
Caught off guard, she stumbled backward, only to be caught by the waist and held tightly against the person.
Their bodies pressed together briefly.
The familiar scent, the familiar warmth, Chu Yin instantly recognized it was Lu Zhen.
It had been a long time since they'd had any physical contact, and the sudden closeness triggered a flood of memories. Chu Yin shuddered involuntarily for a second before quickly pushing him away.
Ahhh! Damn script, ruining my innocence!!!
Lu Zhen stared at her, slightly dazed.
His hands, which had held her, still retained her warmth.
Where she had bumped into him felt as if something had suddenly filled the void.
Even his fingertips trembled.
Instinctively, Lu Zhen tried to mask his discomposure with conversation. He asked, "Do you... think you can win the championship?"
Chu Yin had just calmed down, but his words reignited her irritation.
Is this asshole challenging me???
If I can't win, then who can??
You??
Just then, the announcement echoed: "Please proceed to the awards podium: Chu Yin, Lu Zhen, Liang Yueqi..."
Judging by the order, she had won the championship!!
At the same moment, a system notification chimed in Chu Yin’s mind:
Ding, Speech competition championship mission completed! Congratulations, host, on obtaining the [Edit Single Sentence] permission! Special reward for this drop: [Deletion Card]!
Lu Zhen lowered his gaze and smiled faintly. "Congratulations."
Chu Yin smiled back. "Thank you."
Thank you, no need to be polite, you're welcome.
This permission, I’ve decided it’s for (killing) you!!