"Are you curious why there are so many people?" Yang Yue asked, seeing the surprised look on Qiu Xi's face.
Qiu Xi didn't speak, but nodded.
"Actually, besides you contestants, we also invited some real audience members today."
"Of course, there might be some reporters among them..."
"Alright, time is almost up, we should go in."
With that, the two of them pushed through the crowd.
"Xiao Xi, the competition will last for an hour. After you finish, you can watch for a bit longer. We're not in a hurry," Yang Yue was still reminding Qiu Xi as they neared the stage.
Qiu Xi could only nod repeatedly from the side.
"...Teacher Yang, I will."
"Mm, of course the teacher believes in you. You'll definitely be fine..."
"Where did they even come from, talking big without thinking!"
A string of Japanese words made Qiu Xi's mind wander.
But she didn't pay much attention and continued listening to Teacher Yang's nagging.
"Still saying you'll definitely be fine. That's really laughable."
"???"
Qiu Xi began to suspect at this moment, weren't they talking about her and Teacher Yang?
Glancing around, she saw that indeed, there were two people speaking Japanese behind and to their left... The clothes they were wearing, judging by the look alone, must be Japanese.
As for whether they were talking about them, the next second, seeing their contemptuous gaze, Qiu Xi was certain.
They were talking about her and Teacher Yang!
"Teacher, there are two smelly secretions behind us. Let's move away a bit."
Even without getting close, she could smell the stench.
Although Yang Yue didn't specialize in Japanese, she understood a little and was a bit annoyed at this moment.
"Hmph, a bunch of things not worth looking at."
After speaking, seeing the flushed faces of the two behind them, Qiu Xi followed her teacher and smilingly moved to another spot.
Before leaving, she even gave a symbolic wave to the air, as if encountering something incredibly foul.
"I'm so angry!"
"Yamada! Stay calm!"
"Teacher, those two..." They were so angry they couldn't even finish their sentence.
"Later, when you go up, show them what a defeated opponent looks like."
"Yes! I'll listen to you, Teacher."
Today, Tanaka Yamazhi would show them what true skill was!
Those two were utterly disgraceful!
Qiu Xi, who had already walked far away, didn't know what the two behind them were thinking.
But if she did, she probably wouldn't have cared.
After all, who would pay attention to trash?
Qiu Xi was currently planning what to eat with Hua Linglong and the others after the event ended.
"Contestants, the competition is about to begin. Please proceed to the venue to wait."
As the time neared, the host's voice echoed through the stadium.
As for this venue, it was specially set up for today's first round.
Uniquely situated in the middle of the stadium, several meters away from the surroundings, it created a distance from the onlookers.
Qiu Xi walked towards the venue after hearing the announcement.
Looking around, Qiu Xi suddenly understood why there was such a round.
On the surface, it seemed flashy and meaningless, but on the other hand, in such an environment, with people on all sides, separated by only a small distance, it was actually quite difficult to calm down and write properly.
However, for contestants who had reached this stage, they were mostly immune.
After Qiu Xi found a seat, she discovered that directly in front and one row away sat that very smelly piece of trash.
"..."
How unlucky!
Extremely unlucky!
To be so close even here!
After a glance, Qiu Xi quickly averted her gaze, sat upright, and waited for the competition to begin.
Just for this, she would leave immediately after finishing her writing!
It wasn't that she was arrogant or being overly sensitive, but she had the ability to do so!
Sometimes humility is indeed a virtue, but we can also be a little proud appropriately!
Who asked us to have the capital to be proud of!
"The competition is about to start, and now we will be distributing..."
After all the talk, what the contestants actually received were just a few sheets of paper specifically for the International Speech Competition, along with extra draft paper.
Although the contestants only received a few sheets, the theme for the writing task was displayed on stage.
Man and Nature!
This was the theme, and the rest was up to them to decide their own titles. They just needed to complete their drafts within an hour and submit them.
Flipping the pen in her hand, Qiu Xi looked at the four large characters on the stage.
It seemed quite interesting, but the scope was a bit too broad.
According to her and Master, Teacher Ding, and their research, this type of topic was not common in international speech competitions, perhaps not encountered once in several years.
In previous years, it was always inspirational pieces that took center stage.
However, this was not an unfamiliar topic for her.
She had followed her master's current affairs quite closely, so she had a lot of exposure to related issues.
After watching the stage for a while, Qiu Xi spread out the draft paper in her hand and began writing an outline.
After finishing the outline, writing the draft was smooth sailing.
It took Qiu Xi about 10 minutes to write the outline, and less than 30 minutes to write the draft.
In the allocated hour, Qiu Xi only used about half the time before preparing to submit her work and leave.
"Alright, you can leave after placing your work here."
"Okay."
After the staff confirmed, Qiu Xi walked out.
Of course, Qiu Xi wasn't the only one leaving early; one or two others followed behind.
"These contestants are leaving the venue so quickly. Are they very confident?"
"Perhaps..."
"I'm not so sure. Maybe they're those who don't know how to write and left early..."
Watching the few people who had hurriedly left, some onlookers outside began to whisper.
"What if they just found it too simple?"
"We'll know the specifics tomorrow, won't we?"
"Indeed..."
After a brief period of chatter, the venue became quiet again.
Outside-
"Xiao Xi, you're out so soon. Are you confident?" Yang Yue asked habitually.
"Of course. Otherwise, I wouldn't have submitted it."
It was a good habit cultivated since childhood: when faced with exams or competitions, if she didn't know the answer, she wouldn't leave until the time was up.
But now that she could leave early, she must have been confident.
"Mm."
"Let's go out for a stroll, and then we can head back directly."
"If you want to see an exhibition of other contestants' drafts, you can come back in the afternoon."
The morning was too late for that anyway.
If she didn't want to see them, she could come back tomorrow morning to find out the results.
Qiu Xi nodded, "Mm, okay."
"Teacher Yang, let's come back in the afternoon then."
Since it concerned the competition, she had to watch. After all, these were written by her competitors.
As the saying goes, "Know yourself and your enemy, and you can win a hundred battles." Understanding the skill level of tomorrow's opponents would be quite useful for her.
"Alright, then let's go back first. We can have lunch, rest, and then come back."
"Okay."
With that, Qiu Xi followed Teacher Yang Yue back to the hotel.