Liu Yi kicked a chair aside, grabbed Jiang Xiaojiang by the collar, and lifted her up, raising a fist to swing at her face.
Shen Qi saw this was bad and quickly rushed over to grab Liu Yi's arm. "Liu Yi, calm down, calm down! If you throw a punch here, you'll fall right into their trap. You'll be disqualified!"
Jiang Xiaojiang, who had been scared half to death by Liu Yi, perked up at Shen Qi's words and taunted, "Yeah, go ahead and hit me if you've got the guts! Let's see how tough you really are! There are plenty of people watching here."
The fury in Liu Yi's eyes burned even brighter, but as she raised her hand, she felt Shen Qi's soft, warm fingers pressing firmly against her arm. Afraid of accidentally hurting Shen Qi, she could only shove Jiang Xiaojiang away hard and grit out, "Fine, you win. We'll see about this."
Jiang Xiaojiang scrambled up from the ground, stumbling back two steps, and blustered with false bravado, "Who's afraid of who? I didn't say anything wrong!"
Cui Yuelan shot Shen Qi a mocking glance but said nothing, just flicked her wrist.
Shen Qi recognized at once that the watch on Cui Yuelan's wrist was a men's Vacheron Constantin that He Yining used to wear. Because Shen Qi had to coordinate He Yining's outfits, she knew every accessory he owned. This particular Vacheron Constantin was a custom piece, engraved with He Yining's English initials. Shen Qi couldn't be mistaken.
So, he'd given away a watch with his own mark to Cui Yuelan. She'd been slapped in the face again.
Seeing Shen Qi's face turn pale, Cui Yuelan smiled with satisfaction and said to Jiang Xiaojiang, "Alright, talking to people like this really lowers your standards. Let's go." With that, she turned and left triumphantly, Jiang Xiaojiang following after giving Shen Qi a vicious glare.
Liu Yi's face was practically livid. "Why did you stop me? Even if it meant being disqualified, I'd have taught that shameless woman a lesson!" she fumed.
Shen Qi's lashes fluttered rapidly as she forced back the tears, saying with infinite desolation, "It's not necessary. They're clearly trying to provoke us. If we take the bait, we've really lost. I can't lose this competition to Cui Yuelan!"
"Well said! I've got your back all the way!" Liu Yi declared indignantly. "Even if I lose this competition, I'll help you win!"
The two girls exchanged a smile, and a bond of friendship quietly took root.
The preliminary results came out quickly, with a staggering elimination rate. As expected, many people only remembered the general designs but not the specific measurements. Only those who had carefully studied the brand designs recalled the exact dimensions. The eliminated contestants all checked out, leaving the team with lingering regrets. Out of several hundred people, fewer than a hundred remained. The same was true at the other hotel venues.
After the preliminaries, the remaining contestants were all gathered at Shen Qi's hotel. She estimated that only about five hundred people were left for the semifinals. From the open auditions to the preliminaries, it had taken just one day. But from the preliminaries to the semifinals, several days would be needed.
After the contestants rechecked into the hotel, the semifinal challenge was announced. It would be a team competition. If a team lost in the semifinals, unless an individual's talent was truly exceptional enough to warrant reconsideration, the entire team would be eliminated. So teamwork was crucial in the semifinals. These contestants from all over needed enough time to mesh, so the semifinals were set for a week later.
That week was for everyone to live and work together, to build chemistry. How well they meshed would directly determine the team's success or failure, so everyone was cautious. The organizing committee prepared a box with colored balls marked with numbers. Drawing a number assigned you to that group. Familiar faces could easily be split up into different teams. One moment you were partners, the next you might be enemies. The competition tested not just skill but also character—whether victory or friendship mattered more.
Hearing this division method, Shen Qi nervously gripped Liu Yi's fingers. Liu Yi was tense too. If she and Shen Qi were separated, she couldn't guarantee she'd always be there to protect Shen Qi. Cui Yuelan was eyeing her like a hawk and might cause trouble in the semifinals.
People ahead began lining up to draw their number balls. Those who got numbers stood in their respective team lines. Watching them leave one by one, Shen Qi's palms started sweating. She really didn't want to be separated from Liu Yi... but that was the competition; she couldn't be willful.
Shen Qi slowly moved to a large box. Just as she reached in to grab a ball, the staff member holding the box whispered, "Miss Shen, someone wants to see you at the rooftop garden at eight tonight."
Shen Qi was startled. Before she could respond, the staffer quickly lowered their head, pretending not to know her. Shen Qi bit her lip, wondering who wanted to meet her at the rooftop garden. Cui Yuelan had just flaunted herself there—was she going to get slapped in the face again? How tiresome.
Shen Qi lowered her eyes, said nothing, and drew her ball. Black, number five. Was that lucky or unlucky? Black Friday?
She stood in the fifth team's spot, where people were already greeting her. She smiled and nodded back. Over the next week, they'd be working together. No one wanted a difficult teammate—it was the biggest risk to the team's survival.
Liu Yi came to draw her ball soon after. Shen Qi was so tense she felt stiff, her eyes fixed on Liu Yi's hand, desperately hoping she'd also get number five. But with so many balls, could she?
Liu Yi's heart was pounding too. She wanted to be on Shen Qi's team, but the box was opaque, and she couldn't tell the numbers by feel. She glanced at Shen Qi, whose hopeful gaze added to the pressure. Liu Yi ran her hand through the box, then steeled herself, closed her eyes, grabbed a ball, and held it up.
"Red number five, team five!" someone read out.
Shen Qi nearly cried with joy at the result. Liu Yi kept her eyes shut, afraid she'd drawn something else and missed being with Shen Qi. When she heard she was on team five, she was ecstatic.
Shen Qi opened her arms to Liu Yi. Liu Yi turned and ran to her, scooping her up and spinning her around several times, ignoring the crowd's stares. Shen Qi gasped and hugged Liu Yi's neck. "Hey, stop it! So many people!"
Liu Yi laughed heartily and set her down. They exchanged a smile, overjoyed.
Cui Yuelan watched this scene and snorted, "How shameless!"
It wasn't just Cui Yuelan who was provoked; He Yining was too. He'd been calm seeing the photo of Liu Yi pinching Shen Qi's cheek, but when he saw Liu Yi lifting Shen Qi and spinning her, with Shen Qi actively hugging back, he finally lost his cool. His face darkened like a storm cloud.
Beside him, Wen Yibo fanned the flames. "Oh, this young man's pretty good! He lifted Xiaoqi with one hand! Yining, can you do that with one hand? Too bad we can't see his face—we could compare your looks."
He Yining's face grew even darker. What a joke! He couldn't lift her with one hand? What was he even doing? Hmph, that guy dared to compare looks with him? Asking for trouble!
Fan Sheng and Fan Li were laughing so hard they could barely breathe. "Wow, never thought Yining would finally have a rival! This young man looks decent too! The key is, Xiaoqi likes him!"
Like hell she did! How could she like a guy like that? He Yining's anger flared even more.
Wen Yibo added with relish, "I heard the semifinals are a team competition. The whole team lives together for a week. Wonder what interesting things might happen between Xiaoqi and this young man?"
He Yining couldn't sit still anymore. Interesting things? Let those interesting things go to hell! He called over Xiao Chun with a dark look. "Investigate this man for me."
Xiao Chun replied calmly, "President, didn't you promise the madam you wouldn't interfere with this competition?"
"Did I say I wouldn't interfere? Did I say others couldn't?" He Yining glared at Xiao Chun, then pointed at Wen Yibo. "You're doing this on Wen Yibo's orders, got it?"
Xiao Chun's eyes held a hint of a smile. "Yes, I understand. I'm acting on Young Master Wen's orders to investigate that person's background!"
Wen Yibo and the Fan brothers collapsed onto the sofa, laughing. What a cover-up!
"Young Master Wen, I'll get on it right away," Xiao Chun said, deliberately serious.
"Good, good, go ahead!" Wen Yibo laughed until tears nearly spilled.
He Yining felt like he was about to burst. If Wen Yibo hadn't held him back from confronting Shen Qi directly, he'd have lost it and spilled everything long ago.
"Calm down, calm down!" Wen Yibo patted He Yining's shoulder. "Xiaoqi has too many prejudices against you right now. She won't believe anything you say. You have to take it slow."
He Yining felt that if he took it any slower, his territory would be stolen away.