Chapter 117 Have a safe road ahead
“The winners of the Excellence Award in this competition: Lin Luo and Cui Xian! Please come to the stage to receive the award, and ask our special guests to present the award to them!”
A man in his thirties trotted onto the stage. His pitted face smiled like a flower. He stretched out his hands and waved violently to the audience. He might be saying hello to his family or friends. He desperately wanted to share his joy with the people in the audience.
However, Lin Luo sat silently in her seat and saw the man smiling brightly. Not only did she not share the joy, she only felt that he was an eyesore.
The person next to me reminded: "Lin Luo! Come on stage to receive the award? I'm calling you!"
"Haha, are you so excited? Everyone is confused."
Lin Luo stood up slowly amid the pushing, his expression was in a trance, as if he had just woken up from a dream, and he was unable to move.
Lin Feng looked at him with no expression on his face.
Among the people celebrating Lin Luo, only Lin Feng knew that he was not happy, but disappointed.
Sometimes the people who know you best are often your enemies.
Ye Lan asked: "Why are there two people?"
Zuo Ziliang said: "Because this award is not the first prize, this 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, choosing the top five among hundreds of manuscripts is pretty cool. Not bad. ”
Ye Lan said: “Oh, that’s ‘keep up the good work’”
Zuo Ziliang said: “…and. A bonus of 10,000 yuan."
Ye Lan's eyes lit up: "That's quite generous! But it's not much, right? Our family Wang Zixu can earn 10,000 yuan just by writing scripts."
Zuo Ziliang pointed at the stage: "But these ten thousand were handed over to you by Yanzishan himself. Think about it, what an honor this is?"
"Ten thousand is ten thousand, whether it is given by the user or Yanzishan, it is still ten thousand yuan, neither more nor less. In addition, who is Yanzishan?"
"As if I didn't Said. ”
“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 transparent life.
Lin Luo slowly moved towards the stage, but the distance of only a few dozen meters was extremely long. The lights on the stage are very dazzling. If you stare at it for two seconds, the world will turn white, and everything will look like it is made of silver.
Under the light, the smiling man looked at him gently, his eyes seeming 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 hated this person, no, he hated this person.
Why are you laughing? Why are you so happy? Why encourage him with your eyes? Who does he think he is?
Lin Luo thought the smile on this man’s face was disgusting. His hands were shaking, and he wanted to rush to the stage, punch his disgusting smile, dent his fleshy face, and tear his fat lips apart.
Why? How come this big head who appeared out of nowhere can receive the same award as himself? Is he worthy? Doesn't he feel ashamed of himself? Doesn't he think that he has lowered the level of this stage and affected his reputation as Lin Luo?
For this day, he, Lin Luo, spent money, invited guests, and won the full support of many judges. This man who didn’t even know which way to open the door of the literary association, stood on the same podium as himself, and was still here having fun. Why did he?
Then another strong sense of despair struck 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 with him.
In other words, money was spent, guests were invited, Shen Qingfeng also used his favor, but in the end he only got a consolation prize. Lin Luo didn't know how to face him next.
After all the effort, Lin Luo finally stepped onto the stage, reluctantly standing side by side with the man named Cui Xian, facing the tidal wave of audience in front of him. Lin Luo suddenly felt like an ordinary commodity in a window or display cabinet.
Xu Shichao asked: "Which unit are these two from?"
Zhang Cangnian said: "Lin Luo is from the media, Cui Xian doesn't know Tao, maybe he is a folk master."
Xu Shichao smiled and said: "Look at the two of them, one is smiling like a flower, and the other is grimacing."
Song Yinglian asked: "Which one is Lin Luo? Which one is Cui Xian?"
"That flower is Cui Xian, and the one who is suffering is Lin Luo."
"Why is he so sad?"
< br>“I don’t know.”
The lights on the stage are very bright, bright enough to show everyone’s expressions, but no one wants to delve into the hearts of the people on the stage. Whether Lin Luo is happy or sad, it has nothing to do with the audience. As long as you don't act like a guy who ruins people's taste, ranking fourth or fifth is still very popular.
At least in the eyes of the onlookers, the smiling Cui Xian looks much more approachable than Lin Luo.
Guo Ranran said worriedly: "The fourth and fifth places are gone, can Xiao Diao win?"
Song Yinglian said: "Of course, Xiao Diao must be in the top three."
Diao Yiwen whispered: "Don't say it, I don't care about you. "Believe."
"You still have to have confidence," Guo Ranran said, "Guarantee the top three!"
Song Yinglian said: "Maybe Xiao Diao will be next."
Diao Yiwen bit her lips and looked away. So she doesn't like Song Yinglian. Although he licks very carefully, sometimes he does not have much emotional intelligence. Since you have already started licking, why not say she is number one? If she really takes third place, her father will scold her to death.
Yan Zishan said she wanted to take second place.
… The prize for the Excellence Award is a certificate of one party, which is enclosed in a hard shell cover and fixed with a red ribbon. The certificate was placed on the tray, and the etiquette lady brought it up respectfully, and then handed it to Yan Zishan respectfully.
Yan Zishan picked up the certificate, opened it, glanced at it, and asked, "Cui Xian?" Then, he handed the remaining copy to Lin Luo without even asking his name.
The etiquette lady next to her whispered: "Smile, it's easy to take pictures."
Lin Luo laughed even harder. Yan Zishan stood beside him, still expressionless. His position prevented him from smiling.
This way the awards are over. There was a symbolic burst of applause from the audience, which did not last long.
Lin Luo stood on the stage, and the man beside him was still waving happily to the audience. He began to feel confused again, holding the certificate under his arm, not knowing whether to step down or continue to stand on the stage.
Fortunately, the etiquette lady came to the rescue. She asked the two of them to step aside to make room for those who would come to the stage to receive the award.
In the audience, Zhao Peilin pulled Wang Zixu's arm twice and whispered: "Very good, now you are guaranteed to be in the top three."
Xie Cong heard this, and turned around and asked, "Why are you guaranteed to be in the top three? The awards are given to fourth and fifth, right? What's the logical relationship here?"
Zhao Peilin patted Wang Zixu on the back: "Now that the fourth and fifth ones are out, doesn't he have to be in the top three?"
Zhao Peilin wanted to say, how could it be possible that a manuscript that could support Xihe Shuangbi at the same time was not even in the top five? But he realized that it was not easy to say this to outsiders, so he swallowed it.
Xie Cong glanced at Wang Zixu and said, "Old classmate, do you have the confidence to take the top three?"
Wang Zixu ignored him.
Most of his thoughts are now on Chen Qingluo, and a small part of his thoughts are on the award ranking. Only a very small amount of thought is devoted to understanding the conversations of the people around him, and there is no extra brain area allocated to replying.
In fact, his psychological positioning is fifth. As I said to Ye Lan before, being able to finish fifth will give everyone an explanation.
Hearing that the fourth and fifth names did not have his name, he seemed to have missed the mark. He was very uncomfortable, and he was very eager for the good wishes that Zhao Peilin said to come true.
Xie Cong waited for a long time, but did not wait for Wang Zixu to reply, and felt a little guilty in his heart.
On the stage, four or five Lin Luo and Cui Xian stood aside as if they had completed the auction. The host then announced:
"The third prize in this essay competition is "Sun Movement", written by Lin Feng."
"Okay!" A group of people from the Literary and Art Association took the lead in applauding. Lin Feng is quite popular in the Literary and Art Association, and his applause is warmer than that of Lin Luo. Lin Feng stood up in the crowd sheepishly and said with a smile that he was wearing the right suit today.
Hearing Lin Feng’s name, Wang Zixu breathed a sigh of relief, and then felt a little empty. He raised his hand and applauded Lin Feng.
Lin Feng deservedly won the third place and got what he wanted. He was sincerely happy for this good old man. But at the same time, he couldn't help but worry about his future -
If he really wasn't in the top five, how would he 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 only felt a little regretful that he could not get a higher ranking, but he was 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 time and was thinking of a way to attack him.
“Look, this person falsely claims to be the vice-president of the Literary and Art Association, but he is only one rank higher than me, and he can only win the third prize!”
- Lin Feng expected Lin Luo to say this at the time.
It’s a pity that Lin Luo lost without a doubt. He neither realized his long-cherished wish to take first place nor could he squeeze out Lin Feng. He and Shen Qingfeng made various plans, but in the end they all came to nothing. Naturally, someone will settle accounts with him in the future.
Lin Feng did not realize his long-cherished wish, but he was quite calm. Wang Zixu highly recommended Hemingway to him. He couldn't understand most of Hemingway's books. He only read some contents from "The Old Man and the Sea" -
A truly strong man should not pin his hopes on the failure of others. A strong person should first believe in himself.
Lin Luo tried every means to overwhelm him, wanted to use all kinds of tricks and tricks to make Lin Feng fail to highlight his superiority, and counted on various external forces but did not believe in himself from the bottom of his heart.
He is not a strong person.
Lin Feng has experienced many things and has some understanding of this muddy world, but he still believes in what Li Tingfang told him a long time ago:
“Maybe someone got second place through crooked ways, but only the strong can get first place.”
Lin Feng knows that he is not a strong person. It's just that he is a little stronger than his past self, and a little stronger than Lin Luo now.
A little stronger is enough.
The two of them are like two darts falling outside the red heart. Their landing points are not much different, but their moods are different. The state of mind caused the two people to have completely different moods.
“The second prize in this essay competition is "On the Road to the West". Author: Diao Yiwen."
There was a burst of cheers from the crowd, and people looked at the source of the cheers. Diao Yiwen stood up shyly. Beside her, Song Yinglian clapped hard, his palms red, and Guo Ranran shouted.
Gou Yingbiao clapped his hands gently, turned around and said angrily: "That's right, Xiao Diao!" He wanted to wave the flag and shout so that everyone around him knew that Xiao Diao was his subordinate.
Diao Yiwen nodded with a smile, walked towards the stage, but sighed secretly in her heart.
It is indeed the second place.
Yan Zishan said with certainty that she would get second place. In fact, she secretly thought in her heart, what if there is more than second place? That's Yanzi Mountain!
She also speculated whether Yan Zishan was proud of his status and did not want to talk too much, so he deliberately chose a second place, and also emphasized that there was something wrong with Diao Yiwen's framework, so that even if the ranking was not good afterwards, he would still be able to look good.
Diao Yiwen also thought that if she won the first place, she could hold the certificate and say to Yanzishan with a smile: My framework has indeed hindered your performance, but it has not hindered it too much. You have made mistakes sometimes!
But it turns out that Yanzi Mountain is indeed Yanzi Mountain, and he did not make a mistake. It's not because he's jealous of his reputation that he doesn't talk too much. His eyes were vicious to a certain extent. He said he would get second place, and sure enough he got second place.
This is the sensitivity he has cultivated through years of immersion in writing.
The four of them stood on the stage, each with their own thoughts.
Lin Luo was annoyed, Diao Yiwen was regretful, and Lin Feng was neither happy nor sad.
Cui Xian was the only one who was truly happy from the bottom of his heart.
Then the next step is to wait for the real and only winner of this game to appear.
Shen Jianqiu, who was sitting in the first row, stretched out his finger, pointed out the soldiers and generals, and counted the four people one by one, and then said:
"Sheng There are many faces, and some are familiar faces, half and half! ”
Next to him, Mei Rucheng came over and said, “Yes, the newcomers are the main force in this competition.”
Shen Jianqiu sighed: "The wheels of time are moving forward, and a new generation will always replace the old ones. However, I think the two most promising seed players this time have already moved up, so who will win the first place? ? "
Mei Rucheng said: "You mean Lin Feng and Lin Luo? Yes. It can't be said that they performed abnormally this time. It can only be said that there is more than one dark horse. "
Shen Jianqiu smiled: "Then let me see who the remaining dark horse is."
Mei Rucheng smiled: "I have a feeling it will definitely be Quite a surprise. ”
Ye Lan grabbed Zuo Ziliang’s collar and shook it: “I haven’t read Wang Zixu’s name yet!”
Zuo Ziliang said: "Isn't there still a first place that has not been announced?"
"Do you think it is possible for him to win the first place?"
"There is no need to live in the eyes of others. Standing on the stage, why not be stared at? It is enough to be bored and earn a few money by yourself, and live a small life with ample food and clothing."
Ye Lan said: "Then what you mean is that he can't win first place?"
"I never said that."
"You all Start making excuses in advance!"
Zuo Ziliang straightened his wrinkled collar and frowned: "I will say this even if I win the first place."
“Then can I get first place?”
“Why ask me? I’m not a god.”
...
Xie Cong said: "Old classmate, there is only one first prize left, what should I say?"
Wang Zixu still did not speak. He heard it, but he didn't know what to say.
Xie Cong sneered. His expression was like seeing a lobster trying to get into the hot pot and waving its tongs at him - old friend, can you still win first place?
He stared at Zhao Peilin and said in a frivolous tone: "Are we going to guarantee first place now?"
The fourth and fifth place finishers are guaranteed to be in the top three, and the third place finishers are guaranteed to be in the top two spots. Zhao Peilin is becoming more and more optimistic, but in Xie Cong's eyes, they have no retreat.
Zhao Peilin also looked at him and was silent for a long time. Although he is a familiar person, he seems a bit inarticulate in the world outside the school, especially when it comes to people like Xie Cong.
Zhong Junmin glanced at him sideways: "What, you don't dare to predict anymore?"
Zhao Peilin pursed his lips, turned sideways, and whispered to Wang Zixu:
< br>“Go on stage and pick up your trophy.”
Zhong Junmin smiled and was happy: “Yes, you should be tough to the end. Even if there are thousands of people, I will go!”
On the stage, Chen Qingluo finally couldn't sit still. She looked at Ning Chunyan from a distance and asked her whether there was Wang Zixu among the first five.
She was confident at first, but now she is starting to panic. In fact, she knew that Wang Zixu was in the audience, and she even knew the general location of his seat, but she didn't even look for his figure. She just waited for him to come on stage and then pretended to be surprised, as if she had just discovered him, making him feel proud.
As a result, Ning Chunyan made a "cross" sign with his two index fingers, and then mouthed something. Chen Qingluo's face instantly darkened.
It’s over, there’s no chance.
In a panic, Chen Qingluo looked for the figure with her eyes, but the stage was completely dark and she couldn't see anything.
The host looked down at the prompt card in his hand for a while and said:
"'The word dream is wonderful, but for some people Say, it is also a curse. ’
“This work is said to be the longest in this essay competition, but not a single sentence can be deleted, and it has won unanimous praise from almost all the judges and teachers.
“The first prize in this essay competition is “The Road Ahead Is Safe”. Author: Wang Zixu.”
For most people, this is a relatively unfamiliar name. For a few people, this name means a lot.
Lin Feng’s eyes widened, his neck stretched out, and his mouth opened wide.
Mei Rucheng showed her hands to Shen Jianqiu: "Look, what a surprise."
Ye Lan shook Zuo Ziliang violently and said in a suppressed voice: "Wow! 100,000 bonus!"
Zuo Zi Liang was shaken to pieces: "It's only half a month's income..."
"Let him treat me to dinner later!"
Guo Ranran looked around blankly: "Zixu? Didn't you say you were not shortlisted?"
Song Yinglian said: "The same name, right?"
Zhao Peilin raised his hands high, then clapped vigorously in the air, and turned his head to look with arrogance. Xie Cong, who was blushing, said: "My prediction is as stable as an old dog."
Chen Qingluo glared at Ning Chunyan fiercely, and Ning Chunyan whispered: "What I just said is No Problem! No Problem! "No problem!"
Miss etiquette walked to Chen Qingluo and whispered: "Teacher Chen, please give the award to the first place."
Chen Qingluo suddenly blushed and stood up in panic.
Her eyes finally turned to the audience. The strange thing was that she couldn't find him just now, but now she found him in an instant. She saw a figure who was also caught off guard and stood up blankly, that silly big man.
She and his eyes finally met.
(End of this chapter)