Chapter 6: The Smile of the Night Prince 2
Time is like an arrow shot from a bow. Once it is shot, it can never come back.
Soon it was the day for the review and open challenge of new members of the Special Management Office.
The weather was very bad that day.
The rain was drizzling down and the sky was dark, as if the end of the world was coming.
Fortunately, this review and challenge competition was held indoors, and it was chosen in the room where I was previously tricked by the people sent by Xing Yeliu into doing a series of useless physical tests.
The room was quite large and had been tidied up with neatly arranged tables and chairs - seats for the 18 candidates; the most conspicuous seat in the front was a six-person judging panel consisting of three veteran members of the Special Management Office, representatives of the Student Union, representatives of outstanding societies, and representatives of college teachers. It was actually made up of a simple long table, six exquisite armchairs and a dark purple tablecloth.
I was also shocked when I saw such a "simple" venue.
However, Jing Fengyin explained the reason to me - after all, the Special Management Office is just a cover, and they don't have funding like other formal clubs and organizations. Besides, everyone has to be busy looking for early members of the West Point Club and screening information, so let's save as much as possible on this event.
But such a simple venue did not affect the enthusiasm of the contestants and spectators at all.
The audience seats were packed with cheering glow sticks, posters of Xingye Liu and others, various slogan boards, and a group of Night Star Fan Club members wearing star-shaped hair accessories and uniform yellow T-shirts.
I don't know why Xia Lei also qualified for the re-examination and was looking at me provocatively.
In addition to the Night Star Fan Club members, there was also a group of particularly eye-catching and unique girls in the audience——
Their clothes were not the same, but their skirts were all above the knee. They were all dressed very elegantly and delicately, and their sitting posture was also very graceful. They could be regarded as models of etiquette. Their style was completely different from the noisy members of the Night Star Fan Club next to them and the chattering roommates in our dormitory.
I heard that this group of people are members of the Ladies Club, the most popular club in Xinggong Academy, which is composed entirely of girls. They appeared in such an occasion because their president Ji Xiaotu was invited to be one of the judges of this event.
Ji Xiaotu was the beautiful girl sitting at the edge of the six-person table, wearing a straight apricot knitted skirt with excellent texture. She had a straight back and the curve of her mouth seemed to have been measured with a ruler. She had an oval face, long and delicate eyebrows, bright eyes, black hair cascading down behind her like a waterfall, and a delicate pearl hairpin behind her left ear. She looked like a daughter of a noble family.
I remember that she was the elegant girl who was bumped into by Xia Lei at the restaurant door last time, but Xia Lei did not dare to speak out and cause trouble.
It turns out that I am so beautiful! It is like a delicate and traditional dessert.
“Ding ding ding…”
A crisp bell rang out. Jing Fengyin sat in the middle and picked up a small metal hammer to hammer a golden bell.
The noisy audience suddenly became quiet, and I, along with the other 17 contestants, looked nervously ahead.
"The review and challenge competition for new members of the Special Management Office begins now! The first round is General Knowledge Questions! Within the specified time of 40 minutes, quickly complete 100 general knowledge questions related to Xinggong Academy. The top three with the highest accuracy rate can participate in the second round..."
Jing Fengyin briefly introduced the process and asked a student assistant to distribute the general knowledge test papers.
During this time, he never forgot to give me an encouraging smile.
Thinking of the various "special training" Jing Fengyin had given me during this period, I also smiled sweetly in response. Unexpectedly, two cold eyes were cast over me——
One of them was Xing Yeliu who was standing right in front of me. His ice-blue eyes were staring at me coldly with a very unhappy expression.
One was Xia Lei on my left. She stared at me with a smug and resentful look, as if she was about to make me pay.
I was startled and looked down at the answer sheet handed to me.
When my eyes fell on those questions, I was slightly stunned.
"Among all the Xinggong principals, the one with the best appearance is..."
"What is the most popular dish at Xinggong Sakura Garden Restaurant?"
"Which campus of Xinggong was the filming location for director Gong Nanami's new film "The City of Roses on the Clouds"..."
"The tallest student in the history of Xinggong Academy is..."
…
"What's going on? Why are all the questions so weird?"
"Why don't you ask about the honors that Xinggong Academy has won over the years? How many academicians are there from Xinggong..."
The others who received the papers were talking about it.
It seems that their previous preparation materials were of no use.
"Each member of our judging panel came up with 100 questions, and then they were randomly selected this morning in a ratio of six to one. This assessment is absolutely fair and just!"
Jing Fengyin smiled slightly, and everyone fell silent.
"Huh, how could these questions stump me?"
A proud voice sounded from the left. I looked up and saw Xia Lei proudly picking up the pen. She looked at me provocatively and quickly started answering the questions.
Haha, that’s amazing?
These can’t bother me!
I curled my lips, took off the pen cap, and began to answer the questions fluently.
After 40 minutes, all contestants, regardless of whether they have finished answering or not, must submit their answer sheets on time.
After receiving the test papers, the six judges each took three test papers and began to grade them. In less than 20 minutes, the results of the first round of the test came out.
"Now let me announce the results of the first round of the assessment!"
Qian Yuefang was dressed particularly gorgeously today - in a British-style outfit. He also blew kisses enthusiastically and generously to the audience, causing a group of girls to cheer and shout, and even the ladies' club members who were sitting elegantly blushed slightly.
"The third place winner is Shen Enjing, a shy little beauty! Congratulations!"
The person who stood up was a petite girl with bangs. She gestured to everyone with a red face, and when Qian Yuefang teased her, she was so embarrassed that she wanted to crawl under the chair.
"Humph, you're such a coward, don't you even consider yourself a bit!"
Xia Lei glared at the girl in dissatisfaction.
I just want to give her a huge eye roll.
"Guess who's the second place? There's a surprise!" Qian Yuefang started to keep the suspense, blinked, and attracted another round of cheers and screams.
I couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
I answered the questions very smoothly just now, and it happened that I had seen all those obscure questions before - the information Jing Fengyin gave me was indeed very useful.
But there is always a mountain higher than the other. Who knows if there is anyone who can get a higher score?
What if I can’t even pass the first level, then won’t I lose the qualifications to become a member of the Special Management Office?
Wait, when did my attitude towards the Special Management Office change from avoiding it to being reluctant to leave it?
"The surprise for the second place is..." Qian Yuefang's magnetic voice brought me back to reality, "Vacant! Let us congratulate Xia Lei and Lin Weiya for tying for first place with 98 points!"
What?
I took first place? But I tied with Xia Lei?
I don't know whether to be happy or unhappy.
Xia Lei was also in a mixed mood. She said, "I'm tied for first place with her? It's such a shame for me!"
“Same here.”
I fought back without giving in. Xia Lei's eyes widened as she glared at me, and it seemed as if fire was coming out of her nose.
"In the next test, I will make you lose everything!"
When the other unsuccessful members left their seats, Xia Lei stood aside without moving and spoke harshly to me.
"Don't say anything too soon about who will win or lose, or you'll be laughed at!"
It was a tit-for-tat situation. My unwilling gaze met Xia Lei's resentful gaze.
The second assessment match is scheduled for 30 minutes later.
Xia Lei returned to her fan club and accepted their flattering compliments, while I said hello to my roommates and went to the bathroom.
“Hua La La—”
I let the cool water wash over my hands, then caught some and splashed it on my face.
The cold water calmed my anxiety a little.
The second test...
Although I had acted very confident in front of Xia Lei before, I actually didn’t have much confidence because this stage was an assessment of special talents.
I looked at the apple face in the mirror and suddenly fell into memories.
"Viya, Viya, I went to a ballet class yesterday! Mom said that it would be easier for me to become a class leader in the future because I have dance skills!"
"My name is Zhu Xiaoqi, and my specialty is Taekwondo! What can you do?"
"The monitor of Class 3 won a grand prize in the National Violin Competition. Do you think we should also take a music specialty class?"
"Oh, is this your son? Oh my god, couldn't he be the youngest painter in the news yesterday? That's amazing!"
…
Was your childhood surrounded by these?
Music competitions, painting awards, calligraphy classes, ballet lessons, piano lessons...
Every child is expected to succeed by adults and is cultivated as a genius. You have to adapt to this because everyone around you is working hard. The talented ones are sent to various special classes early, while the untalented ones rely on their acquired efforts to spur them on...
But what if the child has no special talents even after trying countless times?
"Mrs. Lin, this is really inappropriate! Wei Ya has been in my dance class for almost half a year, but she hasn't made any progress at all..."
"Weiya is the most hardworking child I have ever seen, but also the least talented child. Painting is not suitable for her. Go home!"
"Lin Weiya, I told you that the movement was wrong! Why can't you do it well? You look well-behaved, but you are such a bad athlete..."
…
That’s right, I, Lin Weiya, actually don’t have any artistic talent in music, painting or anything like that, nor do I have any athletic talent. My IQ is also average. Even after persisting in calligraphy for three years, I was still regarded as a girl with no talent.
Compared to other people, I actually don't have any talents or specialties.
When I was once again persuaded to drop out of a music training class, I left my mother, ran to the park alone, sat on a chair and cried sadly.
"Wow, why am I such a failure as a child? Why can't I learn anything well?"
"Wow, wow, will I never be able to make friends if I don't have any special skills?"
At the time, I was filled with frustration and fear. I was afraid that I would be so incompetent that I would not have any friends in the future and that my existence would have no value at all.
At that time, a middle-aged man holding a Super Big Mac sat next to me while chewing on the hamburger.
"Are you crying over such a small thing? It doesn't matter if you can't play music, draw, or dance, just create a specialty for yourself!"
The uncle opened his mouth wide and ate the super-sized hamburger in a few bites, revealing a face full of stubble.
"Uncle, what do you know? You don't understand my sadness... Children without special talents will be laughed at and won't be able to make friends..."
“How could that be? I can’t play music, draw, play chess, dance, and my grades aren’t good either, but I have a lot of friends!” The uncle patted his chest like beating a drum.
"Uncle, your specialty is..." I wiped my wet eyes and asked.
The uncle opened his mouth as wide as a hippopotamus and said, "I'm a big eater! A big eater who loves food! I can eat a lot and I love to eat!"
"What's the point of being a big eater?" I couldn't help but say with contempt.
"Oh, you're still young, you don't understand! Being a glutton is the happiest talent in the world. People with this talent can eat a lot of delicacies that ordinary people can't even afford. Whether it's sadness or depression... when those bad emotions come, as long as there's delicious food, gluttons are fearless!"
In the setting sun, the unkempt uncle made a swallowing gesture and grinned brightly.
The ignorant and fragile little girl at that time also embarked on a strange path at that time.
After finishing her recollection, the apple-faced girl in the mirror raised the corners of her mouth with both hands and revealed a big smile.
"Big eater girl Lin Weiya, it's your turn to show your strength!"
I regained my confidence and strode out of the bathroom with my head held high. Unexpectedly, as soon as I walked outside, someone grabbed my arm forcefully and dragged me into a dark corner.
Enemy attack? Ambush?
"ah--"
My mouth was covered and I couldn't make any sound, but after smelling the unique dessert scent coming from that person, I was not so scared anymore.
"it's me."
The voice of the person coming was as cold and crisp as the Arctic wind blowing on an ice cave.
"Xingye Liu, what are you doing?"
I couldn't help but stare at him with my eyes wide open.
"Since you didn't reply for a long time, I thought you fell into the toilet."
Xing Yeliu let me go, her icy blue eyes calm.
"You fell into the toilet!" I pushed him away and walked out.
"Do the test according to your ability and don't force yourself." I walked a few steps away and heard someone behind me say.
Huh? Did he come here to remind me? Does he know what special skill I'm going to show?
"I won't force myself! But I will definitely not lose to Xia Lei." I turned my head and looked at Xing Yeliu. Suddenly I thought of something interesting and said with a smile, "Xing Yeliu, if I defeat Xia Lei and protect you from being harassed, how repay me?"
Like making desserts for me for free for a year.
"If you can win, I will make whatever you want to eat for you, just this once, unlimited."
"Okay! It's a deal!"
I raised my hand and high-fived him.
Xing Yeliu was quite straightforward this time, although it was far from my ideal.
However, there is no limit on the amount of desserts... Then I can ask him to make a lot of delicious food for me? Cherry mousse, Margarita cookies, lemon honey bean muffins, chocolate coconut balls...
Haha, my heart is flying to the sky when I think of the big iceberg respectfully following my instructions and making many desserts for me.
After separating from Xing Yeliu, I ran to the venue with full confidence.
Special talent assessment competition, here I come!
