The entire competition venue was gilded and magnificent, with huge crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, making it exceptionally dazzling.
Perhaps to fit the speech competition, there was a large podium piled up to a meter high at the front, already carpeted. The host's seat was placed to the left of the stage.
The audience seats below were divided into left and right sections in a broad sense, with a reasonably wide aisle left in the middle.
To the left of the podium, there was a small space, which should be the waiting area for contestants.
"Teacher Yang, this is really... stylish..."
Yang Yue chuckled, "Your description is quite unique, but you get used to it after seeing it for a while."
She had been here a few times, from initial incomprehension and surprise to becoming accustomed to it now...
"Alright, let's look at the seating here first, and then we can go out to find the lounge."
Special lounge rooms were provided outside for the convenience of the contestants.
There weren't many lounge rooms, and when there were many people, several might have to share one.
Based on experience from previous years, they might not necessarily need them, but it was always good to check.
"After we finish looking at these, our tasks for today should be almost done."
Qiu Xi nodded, "Okay."
After seeing this venue, her heart was calm.
This place was really well-arranged. Competing and giving speeches here made it seem like representing a country on stage, which was quite prestigious...
She just wondered if everyone could handle such a grand occasion.
As Qiu Xi thought about this, she had already walked away with Teacher Yang.
"This is the lounge room they arranged."
"But we don't usually use them. I've brought teams here a few times before, but I've never used these arranged lounge rooms."
"Mm..."
Hearing this, Qiu Xi lost her curiosity. It was highly likely she wouldn't need them either.
"Alright, that's about it for the venue. The opening ceremony is tomorrow, so today is just for familiarization."
In keeping with the venue, the ceremony of the competition was also quite grand.
The competition was on the 28th, and on the 27th, an opening ceremony was specially held.
The time was set quite early; they had to head over as soon as they opened their eyes in the morning.
There weren't many activities, just speeches from the organizers and details about the competition arrangements. It was truly just for the ceremony.
"Let's go, let's check the route again, and then we can head back."
"Okay."
...
Chongxi City, Qiu Residence -
"Sister, what are your and Sister Zhang's thoughts?" Huang Xianyi sat looking at her sister.
"What else can I think? Since I'm already here, I'll proceed as we planned before."
She had asked her sister to come over with this plan in mind.
Now that she was here, it was for this matter. Due to family reasons, Zhang Xiu had stayed at the Jin Hai base camp. For the later publicity, they would still need to trouble her.
Moreover, with their elder brother there, it wouldn't be too busy.
"Oh, right!"
"Since you've been here, have you gained anything?"
Huang Xianyi nodded, "Yes, I have. I've already scouted several locations."
"If you have time, we can go take a look together."
Huang Li nodded, "That sounds good, we can go when we have time."
"What about that boy Xuan Ming, how has he been lately?"
She hadn't forgotten her nephew, who had come over early with her sister. She hadn't seen him since arriving here.
"Him? He's busy with the beta testing of some game with that boy Nan Hua. He hasn't been back for days."
"Oh? So their collaboration is quite busy?"
"That's for sure. When the elders in the family see him return, they immediately prepare delicious food."
"And that boy Nan Hua, he might not even know that you and brother-in-law are here. Otherwise, knowing his personality, he would have probably come to visit by now."
She also hadn't informed her son.
"Forget it, let the children be busy. This isn't a matter of great urgency for us. We can talk about it when they have time."
"Alright, then we'll find time to check out the venues first."
"Sure, we'll go in the next couple of days."
"We can also go shopping together. We're still short on a lot of fabric, let's go take a look together."
"Okay~ I've been so idle since I got here."
Huang Li looked at her sister, who appeared extremely idle, and chuckled, "Alright~ we'll go in the next couple of days."
"Great~"
...
May 28th.
The day of the Qiu Xi International Speech Competition began.
Qiu Xi had already gotten ready early in the morning and was currently having breakfast with Teacher Yang.
"Today is the first day, and it's relatively simple for you. Just go up and write diligently, no need to be nervous."
Yang Yue, drinking her milk, casually spoke to Qiu Xi about the first day of the competition.
The main events of this international speech competition were still to come, specifically tomorrow.
The second day was the actual competition, the speech contest.
The second day was easy, just a formality for everyone.
This year's international speech competition had about thirty-plus participants, not a large number, hence today's so-called opening round.
It was essentially a scriptwriting competition, taking only an hour. The written scripts would then have a one-day public display period.
You might say it wasn't very important, but it was still displayed, and the audience wasn't just the participants.
They were invited from outside, holding the competition's seal, and would stamp the ones they deemed worthy.
Participant information was hidden during the public display period, so it was considered somewhat fair.
Another point worth noting was that at the end of the public display on the second day, the bottom five contestants would be eliminated.
This was why, even knowing that today's competition time was short, everyone still took it seriously.
However, regarding Qiu Xi, Yang Yue was a hundred percent confident. She couldn't predict what would happen in tomorrow's speech, but for today's scriptwriting, she had faith in Qiu Xi.
After all, apart from the five who would be eliminated, there were no other bonus rewards.
Qiu Xi held the sandwich in her hand, showing no signs of nervousness.
"Teacher Yang, I'll do my best and treat it with seriousness."
As long as she wasn't eliminated today, she could handle it.
"Mm, the teacher believes in you."
"Eat slowly, and we'll get there on time."
After the opening ceremony concluded, the competition for these two days was thankfully free of any excessive embellishments, which was a point of joy for the contestants.
"Mm..."
After finishing breakfast at a leisurely pace, the two then headed to the competition venue.
It was the formal competition day, and upon arrival, it was indeed much livelier compared to the previous two days.
Outside the venue, Qiu Xi had found it quiet when she came to scout it the past few days. Even at yesterday's opening ceremony, there weren't this many people.
At present, outside the venue, besides the participating contestants, there were also many people who seemed to be visitors.
Although Qiu Xi didn't know what there was to see today... everyone seemed quite excited?