122. A little trickery, and you win easily!
Updated: 2013-06-22 19:04:12 Word Count: 5531
"Alright, compensation, how much do you want?" The purple-clad man's voice swelled with a hint of amusement. The First Talent Competition was always a bloodless battleground for fame and fortune. The women who came here, though claiming to be talented, were actually quite cunning and ambitious. He deliberately offered this alluring compensation to see if the woman who had entered through this 'threat competition' was truly as naive as she appeared. However, Luo Zhiheng's answer made the man somewhat expectant.
"How much do you want?" This stumped Luo Zhiheng. She was used to poking any spot that felt comfortable when she was thinking, and right now her index finger, adorned with a dazzling ruby ring, was poking the soft flesh of her chin.
The man in purple narrowed his eyes: "Ten thousand taels?"
"Huh?" Luo Zhiheng was taken aback, then quickly realized what was going on. She immediately shook her hand with five fingers, saying, "No..."
The man in purple slightly opened his eyes: "Five thousand taels?"
"Uh!" Luo Zhiheng choked. She hadn't even said anything yet!
However, without her saying anything, the man in purple had already made his decision: five thousand taels! The compensation was settled. Based on the compensation given for Luo Zhiheng's slap, five thousand taels of silver notes were counted on the spot. Not only were others stunned, but even Luo Zhiheng herself was dumbfounded. How did he suddenly get five thousand taels? Was he dreaming?
The purple-clad man's nonchalant attitude towards money shocked the spectators, making them even more wary of the family behind the competition. As the saying goes, money makes the world go round; this family was so wealthy they could practically make the millstone turn a ghost.
In the end, because Luo Zhiheng was in the right, the competition organizers spoke up again, and no one could stop her from entering the Royal Hunting Grounds. Everyone was unwilling to give up, but they also waited for Luo Zhiheng to fall from her horse and leave in a humiliating manner.
Li Xian'er walked behind, sneering to herself: This Luo Zhiheng is indeed no match for her. When the time comes, won't she be able to manipulate Luo Zhiheng however she wants? As for that Luo Ningshuang, she is an obstacle on her way to the championship. How can she eliminate her without leaving a trace?
Luo Ningshuang was thinking that Luo Zhiheng was really lucky; she hadn't been hurt at all. She wondered if she would be so lucky in the future. Luo Ningshuang glanced to the side. Although that stupid man had been taken away by the competition participants, he wasn't one of her people, so she didn't need to worry. She gave her people a look, and then someone made a move.
Luo Zhiheng, aren't you Loge's darling and lucky star? Well, today she, the jinx Loge calls her, will go head-to-head with you, the lucky star, and see what everyone will say when you fall to the bottom in the preliminary rounds while she rises all the way up.
The Royal Hunting Grounds are vast, and in the very center of the open space stands a huge square arena. Beside it is the iconic building of the Royal Hunting Grounds, a castle-like watchtower, said to be as tall as twenty meters. Placing the arena next to this historic watchtower instantly imbues the entire competition with a solemn and imposing atmosphere.
In both the preliminary rounds and the official competition, the first step is to draw lots to determine your opponent. In the official competition, you will draw lots again to choose your event. However, in the preliminary rounds, you don't need to choose an event; it's a free competition where you can choose whatever you're good at. There are no restrictions on the events.
The contestants were selected based on age, with the oldest being twenty years old. These were pampered daughters of powerful noble families—girls from such families were considered extremely precious and valuable in the Mu Dynasty, traditionally marrying late. The youngest were twelve or thirteen years old. For example, Luo Ningshuang was only eight or nine when she participated in the competition and even won a prize, a feat extremely rare throughout the entire world. Therefore, Luo Ningshuang maintained this legendary status.
Luo Ningshuang is a favorite in the competition. If she wins the championship again, she will undoubtedly be the most talented and virtuous woman in the world. With that title, she could become the mother of a country!
Luo Ningshuang was equally confident. She firmly believed that she, who held the future in her hands and knew the winning event of this competition, would definitely retain her title. At that time, Luo Zhiheng would have even less right to compete with her.
But Luo Ningshuang didn't know that the biggest variable this time was Luo Zhiheng! What difference did it make if Luo Ningshuang knew the future? Because of Luo Ningshuang's scheming, Luo Zhiheng's time travel caused a huge change in everything. Luo Zhiheng was that unknown; the formal competition between the two sisters began with this grand contest!
As the champion, Luo Ningshuang had the right to draw her opponent first. She drew a young girl and then gracefully stepped onto the stage amidst cheers and attention. She was still wearing a veil, and then a moving song ignited the passion of the entire audience. She gracefully left the stage amidst thunderous applause.
When the girl came up, her face had already turned pale. She played a piece that went off-key several times. This was definitely due to the immense pressure from Luo Ningshuang, the champion. This poor girl met Luo Ningshuang as soon as she stepped onto the stage, and unsurprisingly, she was eliminated.
It's worth mentioning that Luo Ningshuang actually went up to the girl and walked down hand in hand, gently comforting her with eyes full of guilt and helplessness. She played the role of a saint to the extreme, winning unanimous praise and being among the first to qualify for the official competition, while also earning a reputation for kindness and compassion.
Let Luo Ningshuang play the good guys. Then let Luo Zhiheng play the bad guys.
Luo Zhiheng pouted, and then one after another, people went up. There were more than a hundred girls. The preliminary selection was divided into three arenas. However, because Luo Zhiheng was coerced into entering and Li Xian'er entered through the back door, the selection was at the end. They could pray that God would choose them so that they could compete earlier.
However, Luo Zhiheng's bad luck was no joke. Even Li Xian'er, who got in through connections, was selected for the competition and won with a painting of a lady, successfully passing the preliminary round. Luo Zhiheng, on the other hand, just sat there, watching the show as an audience member. Perhaps it was her good attitude, though, that allowed her to see it as an opportunity to learn and study the characteristics of each person.
In the preliminary rounds of the competition, no one showed off their best skills, all hoping to surprise everyone with a final display of talent. But Luo Zhiheng thought no one could outshine her, no one could overturn her! With this confidence, she continued to arrogantly roll her eyes at everyone, driving the girls waiting for their turn to compete to their wits' end. They kept glaring at her and wouldn't let her eat the fruits and pastries prepared for the competition.
As the sun set, Luo Zhiheng, who had been dressed like a fool in a glittering, festive red outfit with a flamboyant red veil, was finally chosen, becoming the true finale.
Today's preliminary selection was strange; almost no one left. Even though it had been almost a whole day, they all seemed to be waiting, waiting for Luo Zhiheng, that infatuated idiot, to be defeated and slink away in disgrace. Finally, it was Luo Zhiheng's turn, and almost everyone perked up and became completely focused.
In both her lives combined, Luo Zhiheng had never received so much attention. So, she naturally showed her timidity. As she watched the girl who was competing against her go on stage, she immediately raised her hand and spoke, her words earnest yet pessimistic: "I... can I go on stage with her to compete?"
The competition judge asked expressionlessly, "Why?"
"Because I'm scared. Besides, wouldn't it save time if we went together? We can go home earlier and eat earlier, I'm hungry," Luo Zhiheng said, sounding both justified and aggrieved.
The judges nearly rolled their eyes. She was hungry? And what was that bunch of fruit she was holding? Actually, they didn't like Luo Zhiheng; they thought her presence was a waste of time and lowered the competition's standard. But what could they do? The person above had agreed.
"Let's go together." The voice was weak.
Luo Zhiheng's opponent was the girl who had just rolled her eyes at her and tormented her stomach; she was sixteen or seventeen years old and very pretty. Seeing Luo Zhiheng go on stage, the girl became uneasy. She was worried that her reputation would be damaged because of Luo Zhiheng, but her good upbringing allowed her to suppress her disgust and politely say, "My name is Liu..."
"No need!" Luo Zhiheng was no longer the timid girl she had been the moment she stepped onto the stage. With a confident gesture, she interrupted the girl, arrogantly declaring under the girl's puzzled gaze, "I don't need to know your name, because I don't need to know the name of someone who is about to become my defeated opponent. Losers have no right to mention their names in front of victors!"
She stood on the ring like a victorious general, dressed in fiery red, exuding arrogance and speaking with wild and arrogant words!
Where does she get such confidence? How dare she be so arrogant? Isn't she afraid of being too ashamed to show her face when she suffers a crushing defeat?
The girl retorted with a face full of anger, "Then let's talk after you win. Once I defeat you, you won't be qualified to know my name either."
Luo Zhiheng asked the judges very seriously, "The preliminary selection said there were no restrictions on the competition items, and we could just use whatever we were good at, is that right?"
The judges were puzzled, but they nodded nonetheless.
Luo Zhiheng asked more seriously, "Since it's a competition, if we're both standing on this stage, does winning mean simply knocking the opponent off the stage?"
"That's true in theory, but you can't hit your opponent, nor can you force them to admit defeat," the judge said seriously.
Luo Zhiheng nodded in understanding and then signaled that the competition could begin. The girl was clearly going to paint, as she set up a table to one side, while Luo Zhiheng hadn't prepared anything. Everyone watched intently, eager to see what Luo Zhiheng was good at.
But Luo Zhiheng simply stood to the side, watching the girl begin to paint. The competition was supposed to last for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, and Luo Zhiheng's leisurely pace was truly puzzling. However, a moment later, everyone noticed her move. Almost everyone instinctively tensed up. Luo Zhiheng wasn't a good person; given her question just now, could she be planning something terrible?
Everyone stood up nervously, as if they wanted to catch Luo Zhiheng red-handed. If she dared to do anything to hurt others, they would immediately rush up and beat her up.
However, Luo Zhiheng simply stood in front of the girl, seemingly focused on watching her paint. The girl was quite bold, as she wasn't bothered by Luo Zhiheng.
The competition judges tensed up. What was Luo Zhiheng up to? They were furious with the two managers who had agreed to let Luo Zhiheng participate. Even if they wanted Luo Ningshuang to participate, there was no need to sacrifice the competition's reputation by bringing in a notorious and morally bankrupt person like Luo Zhiheng! Judging from the choices, this Luo Zhiheng would not only fail to bring a good reputation to the competition, but would also significantly lower the standing of their Mu Dynasty region's competition compared to the rest of the world's competitions.
This Luo Zhiheng is a jinx, a scourge!
The man in purple looked at Luo Zhiheng, who was pretending to be mysterious, with great interest. He wondered what talent she would show.
At this moment, others could no longer hold back, and someone sneered, "Luo Zhiheng, you should get out of here! You know you have no talent at all, so what are you pretending for? If you know what's good for you, get out of here, or you won't even have the courage to live when the results are announced."
The crowd joined in the laughter, and the serious scene instantly turned into a place to belittle Luo Zhiheng, with extremely slanderous words flowing freely. However, gradually, another voice emerged, praising Luo Ningshuang. Twin sisters, one living in heaven and the other in hell at home, receiving the same treatment outside, yet their fates were completely reversed.
Luo Zhiheng, however, seemed completely unconcerned, merely glancing casually at the incense stick that had burned down to less than a third of its original size.
Someone shouted, "Time's almost up, Luo Zhiheng is doomed to lose."
Luo Ningshuang stood nervously to the side, but the corners of her mouth beneath her veil were still turned up in a smile. "Luo Zhiheng, look at yourself, how can you compare to me?"
"Your sister is quite the actor. If she had admitted defeat, I might have given her a second glance. But right now, tsk tsk, she's an arrogant brat. She deserves to be embarrassed." Li Xian'er whispered maliciously.
Just as her opponent's painting was nearing completion and the incense stick was burning low, Luo Zhiheng finally made her move. She suddenly moved closer to the girl and whispered suggestively and seductively in her ear, "Do you know... I actually like women! The first time I saw you, I fell deeply in love with you. I... I'm willing to give up the preliminary round for you, as long as you agree to let me touch you. Baby, will you?" (The last sentence appears to be an unrelated, possibly erroneous, addition.)
*Thud!* The woman's brush fell instantly onto the rice paper, turning the nearly finished painting into a scrap of paper, the ink spreading and ruining it. The woman's face turned ashen, her hair stood on end, and she hastily retreated. But Luo Zhiheng followed unhurriedly. The woman was too frightened to speak, her eyes filled with terror as she continued to back away, almost reaching the edge of the arena…
Everyone suddenly stood up, even the judges and Luo Ningshuang looked at this scene in bewilderment.
As the two retreated and advanced, just as the girl was about to fall off the stage with one more step back, Luo Zhiheng suddenly became a saint, shouting earnestly, "Don't retreat! You'll fall if you retreat any further! I'm willing to withdraw from the competition. You can do whatever you want, I don't want you to get hurt!"
The girl's face turned deathly pale, and she burst into tears. She stumbled backward, then suddenly screamed and fell backward.
Luo Zhiheng lunged forward swiftly, grabbing the girl's hand and calling out in a voice filled with unspoken affection, "Watch out! Hold on tight!" 15426696
"Ah! Let go, let me go!" The girl was grabbed by Luo Zhiheng. She screamed in terror and pushed her away with all her might. Her body was hanging in mid-air, but her attitude was resolute.
Luo Zhiheng was stunned and looked at her heartbrokenly, asking loudly, "Do you really want me to let go? If I let go, you won't have a chance to participate in the preliminary selection."
The girl screamed resolutely, "Let me go! Let me go! I don't want to participate in this competition anymore!"
The scene was eerily quiet; even the wind had stopped. No voice this summer was more pitiful and panicked than the girl's, nor more sorrowful and desolate than Luo Zhiheng's: "Since that's the case, then... I'll let you go!"
With that, she released her grip, and the girl fell straight to the grass with a thud. The girl scrambled to her feet, ignoring the shocked stares of the onlookers, and fled the scene in a trembling daze. Just thinking about Luo Zhiheng's words and her usual audacity made her believe that Luo Zhiheng must have been deeply attracted to her, with her hairless appearance. The thought of Luo Zhiheng's voice made her feel nauseous. How could someone like women? How disgusting! She cursed Luo Zhiheng so that she would never find a woman who liked her!
On the arena, only Luo Zhiheng's flamboyant and melancholic figure remained, bathed in the fiery red glow of the setting sun.
But there is an ironic fact: Luo Zhiheng's flamboyant and dazzling red outfit, standing there, ruthlessly reminds everyone that there is only one person left on the stage, the last person after the entire competition. That person in fiery red is absolutely not someone who can enter the official competition and will be eliminated—the despicable Luo Zhiheng!
She won! She won so easily, so stylishly, so defied all logic!
Luo Zhiheng's words echoed clearly in everyone's minds.
Does knocking the opponent off the ring count as winning...?
The other person left, and it seemed that they had asked to leave. Luo Zhiheng pleaded with them to stay, but they left heartlessly. Luo Zhiheng let go. That scene was so eerie and sad for her grandfather!
What happened? How did they manage such a stunning comeback in the blink of an eye?
This scene was bizarre and mysterious. The entire audience was completely silent, incredulous, and dumbfounded!
Luo Ningshuang suddenly stood up, completely disbelieving that she could have won, and even more so that someone would voluntarily give up this opportunity. Something was fishy! There must be something wrong! She immediately gave a signal to the person in the shadows, instructing them to find a way to get the truth out of the girl who had run away. 12.
As Luo Zhiheng gazed at the setting sun, its bright yet melancholic light murmured in the silence from an unknown angle: "I won, won so... but I was powerless."
"Win my ass!" Instantly, a burst of curses erupted throughout the venue, with doubts and shouts of "your ass!" flying everywhere, a stark contrast to the enthusiastic reaction from the crowd when Luo Ningshuang had won the preliminary round!
Rumors are flying! She's number one in my heart, and no one can take her place!
Updated: 2013-06-23 11:39:24 Word Count: 7941
She cheated!
"Yes, she must have threatened that girl! How shameful!"
"Exactly! Still daring to stand there pretending to be a saint? Get the hell out of here and go home, you scumbag!"
Angry shouts rose and fell, but they were mostly roars from men. They simply couldn't accept that such a shameless scoundrel as Luo Zhiheng had won, and so easily at that—it was outrageous!
"Luo Zhiheng, what exactly did you do to that girl? Have you no shame? You didn't even show any talent. Even if you won, it was an unfair victory! We don't accept this!" someone suddenly shouted. His words were quite inflammatory and seemed very reasonable, instantly attracting countless echoes.
The First Talent Competition was always a fair and exciting event in every dynasty. However, Luo Zhiheng's appearance today has cast a huge controversy and cast an unjust shadow over the competition. It could be said that Luo Zhiheng has not only added a significant stain to the competition, but also made it a major disgrace!
Under these circumstances, Luo Zhiheng hasn't even showcased any of her talents. If the competition continues to let this woman, who is utterly talentless and morally bankrupt, continue competing, then the number of people disappointed will be far more than just a few. The competition will also face an unprecedented crisis of credibility because of this worthless woman, Luo Zhiheng!
The competition organizers responded immediately, with the judges sternly asking, "Luo Zhiheng, what else do you have to say?" 15461581
Luo Zhiheng was no longer sad. Instead, she seemed indifferent, strolling leisurely around the arena and waving her hands in all directions. It was as if the sounds coming from all around her were not insults but praises. This made the people around her look contemptuous and angry, but they all fell silent, because no one was willing to cooperate with Luo Zhiheng and let her continue to show off.
Luo Zhiheng shrugged and said, "There's nothing to say. I won, didn't I?"
"Outrageous!" The stern old female judge slammed her hand on the table. She had long disliked Luo Zhiheng. As a woman, Luo Zhiheng lacked any of the manners and virtues a woman should have. At this moment, she had no image left and was swindling like a street thug. How could she, as a senior judge of the competition, sit idly by?
"I hereby announce the disqualification of Luo Zhiheng from the competition, and her preliminary score for this round is zero. Luo Zhiheng is to be expelled from the competition immediately!" the chief judge roared.
"Oh! Get her out! Get her out!" A thunderous roar of support immediately erupted from the audience. If they weren't afraid of the people behind the competition, they would have loved to take off their shoes and throw them at Luo Zhiheng.