It was Friday, and the weather was beautiful with clear skies and bright sunshine. The leaves on the trees by the Enhua University campus were slowly turning red, creating a stunning sight of fiery red everywhere.
Going to Qingmeng University for a speech was quite a grand occasion.
Enhua University sent a delegation consisting of a teacher in charge, a school bus driver, a class teacher named Yan Ruyu, and a participant named Su Xiaoqi, along with Su Xiaoqi's group of friends and three roommates.
The competition was scheduled to start at 7 p.m., conveniently leaving the afternoon free from classes.
The school bus arrived in the afternoon to pick them up.
The teacher in charge was a young male teacher, and Su Xiaoqi's class teacher, Yan Ruyu, was easygoing and had a camaraderie with the male teacher.
This was Su Xiaoqi's second visit to Qingmeng University, but this time she didn't contact Lin Min, although she sent him a message informing him of her arrival.
Lin Min had been quite busy recently. He was studying medicine and had a heavy workload. Moreover, he was the type of person who would spend extra time in the anatomy lab whenever he had the chance. He didn't consider himself a genius, nor did he think his brain was significantly better than others', so he needed to devote more time to studying.
In addition, he had started a business of selling used books and handling courier services, which kept him occupied. When it came to making money, as soon as there was a hint of opportunity or a trend, there would be a lot of people following suit. To survive, one had to be ahead of others and excel where others were lacking.
During the National Day holiday, he organized his business and tidied up his shop. He also used his connections with senior students at the university to spend two days experiencing work at a courier company.
He was willing to endure hardship and put in the effort, and he did a good job.
When he learned that Su Xiaoqi had broken a marathon record, he was quite surprised. However, he had already been amazed when she won the swimming championship before. It seemed that she had a natural talent for sports and was quite strong.
He admired her, but he didn't think much about the large sum of money she won.
He just felt that he should work even harder.
Originally, he had planned to attend Su Xiaoqi's speech tonight, but he didn't expect that his dormitory mates would also want to go.
"Goddess Tang Baolin is participating in the speech. I must go and support her."
"I don't care whether she's a goddess or not. I'm not judging based on looks. I just want to learn English, really."
"I'm going to cheer for our cute little Tang Yuan from our major. I heard that the male students all turned pale during their first anatomy class, but Tang Yuan remained calm."
"I'm just going to have a look at the goddess. English or no English, it doesn't matter."
The roommates chattered happily. They were surprised to learn that Lin Min, the workaholic in their dorm, was also going to attend the speech.
"Lin Min, could it be that you're also a fan of Baolin? But if you make a move, who knows what might happen."
Among their dormitory mates, Lin Min was the most attractive, tall and slim, a restrained and pure-looking guy. He had even been called the "grass" by the female students in their major and was voted as the most handsome freshman in the medical department.
Unfortunately, he was busy all day long, either attending classes or working, or else he would have gotten rid of his single status long ago.
Qingmeng University didn't prohibit romantic relationships as long as they didn't affect studying and passing exams. You could do whatever you wanted to do in love.
Lin Min's roommates admired him for his straightforwardness. Some people feel embarrassed about pretending to be someone they're not, especially when they don't have much money. But Lin Min is different; he is genuine and honest.
Tang Baolin?
Lin Min vaguely remembers her. She and her roommate bought books from his old bookstore stall before. Her roommate wanted to add him on WeChat, but he didn't accept the request.
Lin Min's roommates often talk about a few girls from the Chinese department who are exceptionally talented and beautiful. They have won numerous awards since they were young, and their looks are reminiscent of first loves. They have oval faces, big eyes, and impeccable temperament. They didn't pursue ballet but have an unbeatable swan-like grace.
They can be considered the newly rising flowers among their freshman class, although they haven't reached the level of being crowned the campus belle yet. Each year, there are exceptionally outstanding and attractive girls. Currently, the recognized campus belle is a senior student in her third year.
It is said that she is perfect in terms of family background, appearance, and academic performance. She ranks first in overall scores.
Tang Baolin's family background should be good as well. Otherwise, it would be difficult for an ordinary family to afford things like piano and ballet training. Even if they could afford it, it would be challenging to persist until achieving awards.
"No, it's my neighbor's sister who is participating in this competition. I'm going to cheer her on," Lin Min spoke up.
His roommates remembered. Lin Min had mentioned before that he knew the talented and beautiful girl who sings exceptionally well at Enhua University. However, his roommates were quite curious. Lin Min seemed to come from an ordinary family, so his neighbor couldn't be much better off. Yet, he managed to afford studying at Enhua University.
"Is it Su Xiaoqi? I also like her. She has a unique charm. She's different from Baolin, who has the aura of a first love. Is her English also excellent?" Roommate Chen Youkuang had watched videos of Xiaoqi singing on Enhua's official account and was quite impressed.
"Hey, Lin Min, is she really your sister? Do you mind having one more brother-in-law?" another roommate teased.
Lin Min: ...
"I do mind. Lao San, your socks haven't been washed for a week."
Xiaoqi, her teacher, and roommates came to Qingmeng University. Compared to the small scenery of the leaves turning red on Enhua's campus, Qingmeng University was like a sea of red. The teaching buildings and dormitories were hidden amidst this sea, making it even more breathtaking.
Wei Cheng thought everything about Qingmeng University was exceptionally good.
She couldn't help but exclaim, "It's so nice."
Mier, who was usually chatty, was relatively quiet today, probably due to her reverence and longing for a prestigious university.
On the other hand, Yunshu calmly enjoyed the scenery.
This was Xiaoqi's second visit, and she was deeply moved. Enhua University's students always seemed to be in a hurry, coming and going. But at Qingmeng University, the majority of students were carrying books. They leisurely strolled around the campus, and book-reading students could be seen everywhere, giving it a high school atmosphere at first glance.
Although some female students here had dyed or permed hair and wore makeup, when they sat on the campus benches and earnestly read their books, the scene was beautiful. Their hair dye and perm didn't make them appear any less studious.
On the other hand, Enhua's students were not allowed to dye or perm their hair, but that didn't mean they were all excellent students.
Enhua was a vibrant university, while Qingmeng was a serene and introverted one.
Under the guidance of their teacher, she arrived at the registration point for the English speech competition. They drew lots to determine the order, and Xiaosi drew the 14th place, a middle position among the twenty participants.
Qingmeng University considerately provided navigation to the cafeteria for everyone. The cafeteria at Qingmeng University was quite good, considered one of the better ones among several famous universities in terms of delicious food.
Xiaosi and her group, consisting of four students and two teachers, went to the cafeteria and ordered some stir-fried dishes.
Their homeroom teacher casually mentioned that they could get reimbursed for the expenses, so there was no need to worry about money.
In reality, the stir-fried dishes at the school were not too expensive. The six of them ate for around a hundred yuan, and the taste was indeed quite good.
After finishing their meal, it was already around 6:30 p.m., so they headed to the gathering point for registration.
The evening speech contest took place in a small auditorium at Qingmeng University.
Although it was called a small auditorium, it was not really small and could accommodate a considerable number of students.
Xiaosi didn't feel an urgent need to use the restroom today, but she made sure to locate it in advance. From the small auditorium, she would turn right and make a small half-circle to reach the restroom.
Students kept arriving one after another, and Xiaosi felt that there were many more students compared to the speech contest she attended at Enhua University. At that time, it seemed like many students were there with their families and friends.
Moreover, the scale was quite impressive. She even saw cameras.
A banner hung at the entrance, indicating that it was the finals of the Jingnan Province Freshman Speech Contest.
Would there be a national final afterwards?
Although there weren't as many electronic screens as at Enhua University, only banners and flags here, it felt like there was a greater sense of enthusiasm, with a lot of students present.
The small auditorium was arranged in a relatively simple and formal manner. There was a large red backdrop, a table in the middle, and the contestants would come up on stage and stand behind the table. There was a microphone and bottled water on the table.
At 7 o'clock, it started punctually.
The atmosphere suddenly quieted down, and a host appeared. They asked everyone to silence their phones, repeating the instructions in both Chinese and English. The host was said to be a sophomore student at Qingmeng University, giving a very competent and scholarly impression.
The first contestant to go on stage was a male student, and he was very impressive. Xiaosi read from the introduction that he was a student from Qingmeng University, majoring in Materials Engineering. He had a voice suitable for broadcasting and hosting, and it wasn't just reciting an essay. He discussed a topic on how contemporary university students should seize their youth.
He was passionate and eloquent, not only excelling in English but also in delivery and presence. It was clear that there was a gap between him and the students who participated in the speech contests at Enhua University. Even with so many speech contestants from Enhua University, it was doubtful that any of them could match his strength. Surprisingly, his introduction didn't mention any awards or achievements, keeping it quite simple.
If the first contestant was this strong, what about the rest?
Especially Tang Baolin, who had half a page dedicated to her introduction. Xiaosi had a deep impression of her.
Sitting in the front row, in the waiting area for the contestants, Xiaosi spotted Tang Baolin. Even without comparing her to the introduction, she was very beautiful. Her posture was elegant, with a fair and slender neck. During the breaks between contestants, she would turn her head and talk to the person next to her, with a faint smile on her lips, exuding grace and charm.
