Chapter 117: A Safe Road Ahead
Chapter 117: A Safe Road Ahead
"The winners of this competition's Excellence Award are: Lin Luo and Cui Xian! Please invite the winners to the stage to receive their awards, and our special guests will present the awards to them!"
A man in his thirties trotted onto the stage, his bumpy face smiling like a flower. He stretched out his hands and waved vigorously to the audience. He might be greeting his family or friends. He tried desperately to share his joy with the people below the stage.
However, Lin Luo sat in his seat woodenly. Seeing the man smiling brightly, he not only did not share in the joy, but he felt that he was an eyesore.
The person next to him reminded: "Lin Luo! Go up on stage to receive the award? They're calling you!"
"Haha, you're so excited, right? I'm totally confused."
Lin Luo slowly stood up amid the shoving and pushing, his expression dazed, as if he had just woken up from a dream, and he was unable to take a step.
Lin Feng looked at him with an expressionless face.
Among the people celebrating for Lin Luo, only Lin Feng knew that he was not happy, but disappointed.
Sometimes the person who knows you best is often your enemy.
Ye Lan asked: "Why are there two people?"
Zuo Ziliang said: "Because this award is not the first prize, it is the fourth and fifth place."
Ye Lan said: "Oh, it's like a consolation prize, right?"
Zuo Ziliang said: "Not really. Think about it, picking the top five out of hundreds of manuscripts is pretty good."
Ye Lan said: "Oh, that means 'keep up the good work'."
Zuo Ziliang said: "...there is also a bonus of 10,000 yuan."
Ye Lan's eyes lit up: "Very generous! But this is not much, right? Our Wang Zixu just wrote a script and earned 10,000 in a few days."
Zuo Ziliang pointed to the stage and said, "But this ten thousand was given to you by Yan Zishan himself. Just think about it, what a great honor this is."
"Ten thousand is ten thousand. Whether it is given by the user or by Yan Zishan, it is ten thousand yuan, no more and no less. Besides, who is Yan Zishan?"
"forget it."
"Oh, is he a famous writer? Tsk, can you please stop being so arrogant? I don't understand!"
Zuo Ziliang looked up at the sky. But he couldn't say that he didn't envy Ye Lan for living a clear life.
Lin Luo slowly moved towards the stage. The short distance of a few dozen meters seemed extremely long. The lights on the stage were very dazzling. After staring at it for two seconds, the world became white and everything seemed to be made of silver.
Under the lights, the smiling man looked at him gently, his eyes seemed to encourage him to come on stage quickly. Lin Luo didn't know him. From the host's introduction, his name seemed to be Cui Xian. Lin Luo suddenly disliked this person. No, he hated this person.
Why was he laughing? Why was he so happy? Why was he encouraging him with his eyes? Who did he think he was?
Lin Luo thought the smile on this man's face was disgusting. His hands were shaking, and he wanted to rush to the stage and punch his disgusting smile, making his fleshy face dent and tearing his fat lips.
Why? Why could this big-headed garlic who came out of nowhere receive the same award as himself? Does he deserve it? Doesn't he feel ashamed of himself? Doesn't he think he has lowered the level of this stage and affected his reputation?
For this day, Lin Luo spent money, treated guests, and obtained the strong support of many judges. But this man, who didn't even know which way to open the door of the Literary Association, stood on the same podium with him and was still grinning foolishly. What gave him the right?
Then, a strong sense of despair attacked his heart. Because he saw Shen Qingfeng's eyes. Shen Qingfeng looked at him for a moment, then looked away, seeming to be very disappointed in him.
In other words, Shen Qingfeng spent money, invited guests, and used his personal connections, but in the end he only got a consolation prize. Lin Luo didn't know how to face him next.
After much hesitation, Lin Luo finally walked onto the stage, very reluctantly standing side by side with the man named Cui Xian, facing the surging audience in front of him. Lin Luo suddenly felt like an ordinary commodity in a window or display case.
Xu Shichao asked: "Which unit are these two from?"
Zhang Cangnian said: "Lin Luo is from the media convergence industry. Cui Xian doesn't know that he might be a folk expert."
Xu Shichao smiled and said, "Look at the two of them, one is smiling like a flower, and the other has a bitter face."
Song Yinglian asked: "Which one is Lin Luo? Which one is Cui Xian?"
"The flower is Cui Xian, and the bitter one is Lin Luo."
"Why is he looking so sad?"
"do not know."
The lights on the stage were bright, bright enough to show everyone's expression, but no one wanted to delve into the hearts of the people on the stage. Whether Lin Luo was happy or sad, it had nothing to do with the audience. As long as he didn't spoil the fun, fourth or fifth place would be welcome.
At least in the eyes of the spectators, Cui Xian with a smile on his face looked much more approachable than Lin Luo.
Guo Ranran said worriedly: "The fourth and fifth place are gone, can Xiao Diao win the prize?"
Song Yinglian said: "Of course he can. Xiao Diao will definitely be in the top three."
Diao Yiwen whispered, "Stop talking. I'm not as confident as you guys."
"You still have to have confidence," Guo Ranran said, "I guarantee you'll be in the top three!"
Song Yinglian said: "Maybe the next one will be Xiao Diao."
Diao Yiwen bit her lip and looked away. That's why she didn't like Song Yinglian. Although he licked very attentively, sometimes he really didn't have much emotional intelligence. Since he had already started licking, why didn't he say she was first? If she really got third, her father would scold her to death.
Yan Zishan said she wanted to get second place.
……
The prize for the Excellence Award was a certificate, which was placed in a hard cover and fixed with a red ribbon. The certificate was placed on a tray, and the etiquette lady respectfully brought it up and handed it to Yan Zishan.
Yan Zishan picked up the certificate, flipped it open and took a look, then asked, "Cui Xian?"
The smiling man quickly raised his hand: "It's me!"
Yan Zishan handed him the certificate, and then handed the remaining one to Lin Luo without even asking his name.
The etiquette lady next to him whispered: "Smile so that you can take pictures."
Lin Luo laughed even harder. Yan Zishan stood beside him, still expressionless. His position meant he didn't have to laugh.
This was the end of the award ceremony. There was a symbolic round of applause from the audience, but it didn't last long.
Lin Luo stood on the stage, and the man next to him was still waving happily to the audience. He began to feel confused again, tucking the certificate under his arm, not knowing whether to leave the stage or continue standing on the stage.
Fortunately, the etiquette lady came over to help them out. She asked them to move aside to make room for the person who would go on stage to receive the award later.
Offstage, Zhao Peilin pulled Wang Zixu's arm twice and whispered, "Very good, now you are guaranteed to be in the top three."
Xie Cong was delighted when he heard this, and turned to ask, "Why are the top three guaranteed? The awards are for the fourth and fifth, right? What's the logical connection here?"
Zhao Peilin patted Wang Zixu on the back and said, "The fourth and fifth place are out, so he can only get the top three, right?"
Xie Cong raised his eyebrows: "So confident?"
"It's possible for... well, it's impossible for his manuscript to not even be in the top five."
Zhao Peilin wanted to say, how could a manuscript that could be supported by both of Xihe's two great writers not even be in the top five? But he realized that it was not easy to tell outsiders, so he swallowed it.
Xie Cong glanced at Wang Zixu and said, "Old classmate, are you confident that you can get into the top three?"
Wang Zixu ignored him.
Most of his thoughts were on Chen Qingluo, and a small part was on the prize ranking. He only had a small amount of thoughts to understand the conversations of the people around him, and no extra brain area was allocated to replying.
He actually positioned himself as fifth. Just as he had said to Ye Lan before, being fifth would be enough to give everyone an explanation.
When he heard that his name was not on the fourth or fifth list, he felt as if he had stepped on air and was very uncomfortable. At the same time, he longed for the good wishes that Zhao Peilin had mentioned to come true.
Xie Cong waited for a long time, but there was no reply from Wang Zixu, and he felt a little worried.
On the stage, Lin Luo and Cui Xian, who were ranked fourth and fifth, stood aside like commodities at an auction. The host then announced:
"The third prize winner of this essay contest is "The Movement of the Sun", written by Lin Feng."
"Good!" The group of people in the Literary Association took the lead in applauding. Lin Feng was quite popular in the Literary Association, and his applause was more enthusiastic than Lin Luo's. Lin Feng stood up in the crowd embarrassedly, and smiled and said that at least he didn't wear the wrong suit today.
Hearing Lin Feng's name, Wang Zixu felt relieved, but then he felt a little empty. He raised his hand and applauded Lin Feng.
Lin Feng's third place was well deserved and he got what he wanted. He was happy for this good man. But at the same time, he couldn't help but worry about his future.
If I really am not among the top five, how should I face Ning Chunyan... and Chen Qingluo?
Lin Feng walked onto the stage calmly, stood beside Lin Luo calmly, faced the audience calmly, and then smiled.
He felt only slightly regretful for not being able to get a higher ranking, but not disappointed.
Lin Luo stood beside him, staring at him with some resentment. He knew that Lin Luo must be full of complaints at this moment, and was thinking of a way to attack him.
"Look, this person claims to be the vice president of the Cultural Association, but he is only one place higher than me, and he can only get third prize!"
——Lin Feng expected Lin Luo to say this. Unfortunately, Lin Luo lost without a doubt. He neither realized his long-cherished wish of taking first place nor was he able to squeeze Lin Feng out. He and Shen Qingfeng made all kinds of plans, but in the end, all of them fell through. Someone will naturally settle accounts with him in the future.
Lin Feng did not realize his long-cherished wish, but he was quite calm. Wang Zixu strongly recommended Hemingway to him. He could not understand most of Hemingway's books. He only read some content from "The Old Man and the Sea" -
A truly strong person should not rely on the failure of others. A strong person should first believe in himself.
Lin Luo tried every possible means to crush him. He wanted to use all kinds of tricks to make Lin Feng fail in order to highlight his own superiority. He counted on various external forces but did not believe in himself from the bottom of his heart.
He is not a strong man.
Lin Feng has experienced many things and has some understanding of this turbid world, but he still believes in what Li Tingfang told him a long time ago:
“Someone may have taken the second place through crooked means, but only the strong can take the first place.”
Lin Feng knew that he was not a strong man. He was just a little stronger than his past self, and a little stronger than Lin Luo now.
Just a little stronger is enough.
The two of them were like two darts that landed outside the bull's eye. The difference in their landing points was not that big, but their moods were different. Their moods led to completely different emotions.
"The second prize winner of this essay contest is "On the Road to the West." Author: Diao Yiwen."
There was a cheer from the crowd and people looked towards the source of the cheers. Diao Yiwen stood up shyly. Beside her, Song Yinglian clapped his hands hard, his palms turned red, while Guo Ranran was shouting loudly.
Gou Yingbiao clapped his hands lightly, turned around and said with full energy: "Good, Xiao Diao!" He was eager to wave flags and shout, so that everyone around him would know that Xiao Diao was his subordinate.
Diao Yiwen nodded with a half-smile, walked towards the stage, but sighed inwardly.
As expected, it is the second place.
Yan Zishan said with certainty that she would get second place. In fact, she secretly thought in her heart, what if she was more than second? That was Yan Zishan!
She also speculated whether Yan Zishan was proud of his status and didn't want to make too many promises, so he deliberately threw out a second place and emphasized that there was a problem with Diao Yiwen's framework, so that even if the ranking was not good afterwards, he could still save face.
Diao Yiwen also thought that if she won first place, she could hold the certificate and say to Yan Zishan with a smile: My framework did hinder your performance, but not by much. You also make mistakes sometimes!
But the facts proved that Yanzi Mountain was indeed Yanzi Mountain, and he was not wrong. He was not too proud of his reputation and did not speak too confidently. His vision was sharp to a certain extent. He said that he would get second place, and he really got second place.
This is the sensitivity he has developed from years of immersion in writing.
The four people stood on the stage, each with their own thoughts.
Lin Luo was annoyed, Diao Yiwen felt regretful, and Lin Feng felt neither happy nor sad.
In the end, the only one who was truly happy from the bottom of his heart was Cui Xian.
Then the next step is to wait for the real and only winner of this game to emerge.
Shen Jianqiu, who was sitting in the first row, stretched out his fingers, counted the four people one by one, and then said:
"There are a lot of new faces, but also some familiar faces, about half and half!"
Mei Rucheng next to him came over and said, "Yes, in this competition, newcomers are the main force."
Shen Jianqiu sighed, "Time is rolling forward, and the old will always be replaced by the new. However, I think the two most promising players have already gone up, so who will take first place?"
Mei Rucheng said: "You mean Lin Feng and Lin Luo? Yes. We can't say that they performed poorly this time. We can only say that there are dark horses this time, and more than one."
Shen Jianqiu smiled and said, "Then let me see who the remaining dark horse is."
Mei Rucheng smiled and said, "I have a feeling it will be quite a surprise."
Ye Lan grabbed Zuo Ziliang by the collar and shook him: "Wang Zixu's name hasn't been called yet! He's going to fail again!"
Zuo Ziliang said: "Isn't there still a first place that hasn't been announced yet?"
"Do you think he has a chance of taking first place?"
"There is no need for people to live under the gaze of others. Isn't it true that standing on the stage is also being stared at? It is enough for me to earn some money and live a comfortable life."
Ye Lan said: "So what you mean is that he can't get first place?"
"I didn't say that."
"You're already starting to make excuses in advance!"
Zuo Ziliang straightened his wrinkled collar and frowned, "Even if I won first place, I would still say this."
"So can we get first place?"
"Why are you asking me? I'm not a god."
……
Xie Cong said: "Old classmate, there is only one first prize left, what do you say?"
Wang Zixu still didn't speak. He heard it, but he didn't know what to say.
Xie Cong sneered. His expression was like seeing a lobster about to be put into the hot pot waving its claws at him - old friend, can you still take first place?
He stared at Zhao Peilin and said frivolously, "Is this going to guarantee first place?"
The 4th and 5th place winners will be guaranteed to be in the top three, and the 3rd place winner will be guaranteed to be in the top two. Zhao Peilin is becoming more and more optimistic, but in Xie Cong's eyes, they have no way out.
Zhao Peilin also looked at him and was silent for a long time. Although he was very outgoing, he seemed a little awkward in speaking outside the school, especially when facing people like Xie Cong.
Zhong Junmin glanced at him sideways: "Why, you don't dare to predict?"
Zhao Peilin pursed his lips, turned sideways, and whispered to Wang Zixu:
"Go up on stage and hold up the trophy that belongs to you."
Zhong Junmin smiled and said happily: "Yes, I should be stubborn to the end. I will go forward even if there are thousands of people against me!"
On the stage, Chen Qingluo finally couldn't sit still anymore. She looked at Ning Chunyan from a distance and asked her with her mouth whether Wang Zixu was among the top five.
She was full of confidence at the beginning, but now she was starting to panic. In fact, she knew Wang Zixu was in the audience, and she even knew the approximate location of his seat, but she didn't even look for him. She just waited for him to come on stage and then pretended to be surprised, as if she had just discovered him, so that he could feel a little proud.
As a result, Ning Chunyan made a "cross" with his two index fingers and then mouthed something. Chen Qingluo's face instantly darkened.
It's over. No hope.
In panic, Chen Qingluo used her eyes to look for the figure, but the audience was pitch black and she could not see anything.
The host lowered his head and looked at the prompt card in his hand for a while, then read out:
"'Dream is a beautiful word, but for some people, it is also a curse.'
“This work is said to be the longest piece in this essay competition, but not a single sentence could be deleted, and it received unanimous praise from almost all the judges.
"The first prize winner of this essay contest is "A Safe Road Ahead." Author: Wang Zixu."
For most people, this is a relatively unfamiliar name. But for a few people, this name is of great significance.
Lin Feng widened his eyes, stretched his neck, and opened his mouth.
Mei Rucheng spread his hands towards Shen Jianqiu: "Look, a surprise."
Ye Lan shook Zuo Ziliang violently and said in a suppressed voice: "Wow! 10 bonus!"
Zuo Ziliang was confused: "It's just half a month's income..."
"Let him treat you to a meal later!"
Guo Ranran looked around blankly: "Wang Zixu? Didn't they say he didn't make the finals?"
Song Yinglian asked, "Same name, right?"
Zhao Peilin raised his hands high, then clapped his hands vigorously in the air. He turned around and looked at Xie Cong, whose face was flushed, with a proud look: "My prediction is as stable as an old dog."
Chen Qingluo glared at Ning Chunyan fiercely, and Ning Chunyan whispered, "What I just said was No Problem! No Problem! No problem!"
The etiquette lady walked up to Chen Qingluo and whispered, "Please ask Teacher Chen to present the award to the first place."
Chen Qingluo's face flushed red unexpectedly, and she stood up in panic.
She finally turned her gaze to the audience. Strangely, she could not find it just now, but now she found it in an instant. She saw a figure who stood up stupidly in the same way, the big fool.
Her eyes finally met his.
(End of this chapter)