Just moments before, Su He was thrilled to have made it to the finals, but now she was filled with anxiety again. She nervously stared at Liu Guangya as he announced the results. Unlike before, when she had been hoping to hear her and Chen Yang's names called, now Su He was praying that they wouldn't be called, because that would mean at least a bronze award.
Seeing Su He's expression, Chen Yang couldn't help but find it amusing. He was very confident that unless the judges were out of their minds or there was some kind of shady deal, these two works wouldn't just receive an excellence award. Moreover, with Master Bai Yan personally overseeing the proceedings, Chen Yang was even more certain; he believed his teacher's discerning eye would not overlook those two works.
Sure enough, until Liu Guangya finished reading the list of winners, Chen Yang and Su He's names were still not called. This meant that both works had made it into the top ten, at least securing a bronze award.
"Yay!" Su He clenched her fist and gave a soft cheer, her face beaming with joy.
The expression on Director Lü Qiushi's face in the front row softened slightly. Southeast Normal University had just had three students' works selected as Excellence Awards, while Rongcheng University only had two: Chen Yang and Su He, and Shen Tu Fan's work also made it into the top ten.
This meant that Southeast Normal University and Rongcheng University each held three spots in the top ten, a fairly even split. The fact that Southeast Normal University lost one Excellence Award wasn't a big deal; that award was relatively minor. Now it depended on which side achieved a higher level of recognition in the upcoming judging. Especially the Gold Award, which could only be awarded to one student; the school that won the Gold Award would undoubtedly be the most prestigious, even if they received fewer other awards.
Meanwhile, Hu Lizhong, the dean of the Art College of Southeast Normal University, sat next to him, remaining calm and composed. He wasn't discouraged by the fact that this round essentially eliminated three people, because his favorite works, especially Yan Huiming's ink landscape painting which had a strong chance of winning the gold medal, had all made it into the top ten. Hu Lizhong was confident that this year's gold medal would still belong to Southeast Normal University, and that Yan Huiming would most likely win. Thinking about his chance to defeat his old rival, Rongcheng University, for the third consecutive year, Hu Lizhong's eyes lit up with anticipation.
Yan Huiming, who had also made it into the top fifteen, wasn't focused on the competition. He was looking at his phone; Deputy Director Zeng of the Rongcheng University Police Station had just sent him some information about Chen Yang via text message. The information showed that Chen Yang's household registration had been transferred from Nanpu County in northern Fujian to Zhonglou District in Rongcheng for school enrollment. His family background was also very simple: his father had passed away, and his mother, Han Xuehua, was a vegetable farmer in the suburbs of the county town—that was all.
Yan Huiming's face immediately darkened. He had almost been fooled; it turned out this kid really was just a poor loser!
Although Yan Huiming had witnessed Xiaowen's attitude towards Chen Yang, he was now convinced that Chen Yang's acquaintance with Leng Junfei was merely a matter of chance. Given his family background and power, it was impossible for President Leng to have a deep relationship with him!
Suddenly, Yan Huiming's previous worries vanished, replaced by a growing resentment.
Yan Huiming wasn't stupid; he could see that Chen Yang's relationship with Su He wasn't simple.
Moreover, he had just lost his composure and humbly apologized to Chen Yang, losing face in front of Su He. Yan Huiming naturally held Chen Yang responsible for this.
Therefore, even though the competition wasn't over yet, Yan Huiming was already thinking about how to teach Chen Yang a lesson he would never forget after the event.
Yan Huiming, outwardly a polite and refined gentleman, was far more complex in private. Leveraging his uncle's position as the police chief, he had cultivated connections with many influential figures in society, and he was ruthless in dealing with his enemies. Once, out of jealousy, Yan Huiming orchestrated the beating of a classmate and then used a pretext to have him detained for several days. Although the classmate was later proven innocent, the terrified Yan Huiming immediately applied to withdraw from school and return to his hometown upon his release.
Regardless of Yan Huiming's inner thoughts, the selection process continued.
The winners of the Excellence Award had been announced, but the awards ceremony was held for the last fifty entries. Therefore, after announcing the results, the expert panel immediately began evaluating the gold, silver, and bronze awards.
At this point, the experts were much more cautious, as the remaining ten works were the best of the best. Since there was no absolute first place in literature, truly distinguishing the best from these ten works would be a true test of the experts' discernment. Because this was a live broadcast, countless eyes were watching. While the audience might not be as knowledgeable as the experts, everyone has their own standards for judging quality. If the results were too outrageous, the experts would be damaging their reputations.
During this phase, debates among the experts increased, primarily focusing on several works that were universally recognized as high-standard. These debates were simultaneously amplified through the microphones in front of the experts, reaching both the audience at the venue and those watching on television.
"I think this 'Seven-Character Quatrain: The Long March' is excellent. Although it imitates Chairman Mao's style, its strength lies in its magnificent momentum, giving the reader a sense of unbridled joy!"
"Old Xu, I don't quite agree with your opinion. This calligraphy is too contrived and doesn't deserve a high standard. I think this 'To the Tune of 'Dian Jiang Chun' is of very high quality. The handwriting is delicate and refined. Judging from the calligraphy, one can tell at a glance that the writer must be a gentle and intelligent young woman. Moreover, this calligraphy has a touch of Cai Wenji's style, which is quite rare!"
The speaker was He Ping, the president of the Southeast Province Calligraphers Association. Both being scholars, they spoke without any restraint, completely disregarding the fact that they were on a live broadcast. He first criticized the calligraphy that Old Xu praised without reservation, and then greatly admired the 'To the Tune of 'Dian Jiang Chun' attributed to Su He, lavishing praise upon it.
However, He Ping's words, "Dian Jiang Chun," were indeed of a very high standard, immediately garnering support from several experts. Master Bai Yan, however, merely glanced at the calligraphy and remained silent.
Upon hearing the experts' comments, Su He couldn't help but smile, glancing at Chen Yang before leaning close to his lips and chuckling, "Little girl, the experts are praising your intelligence and wisdom! Hehe..."
"I call it a perfect imitation, okay? Think about it, if I can fool even the experts, it means my skill is far superior!" Chen Yang boasted shamelessly.
In fact, Chen Yang knew from Master Bai Yan's expression that the master had already discerned the calligraphy wasn't from a woman's hand. His teacher's eye was incredibly sharp; no matter how strong Chen Yang's imitation skills were, they couldn't escape his discerning eye.
While the experts debated fiercely, the audience listened with rapt attention. Especially the students whose works were among the top ten; whenever the experts mentioned their pieces, they felt both nervous and excited.
Gradually, the experts' opinions converged. This was mainly due to Master Bai Yan's crucial role in stabilizing the debate. He rarely spoke, but whenever someone was arguing over a particular piece, Master Bai Yan would offer insightful and incisive commentary.
Often, Master Bai Yan's commentary would immediately silence both sides of the argument. After all, the elderly man was highly respected, and his points were indeed spot-on and reasonable, leaving everyone convinced.
"Very well, thank you to the experts present for providing us with such a wonderful discussion, which is like giving us all a unique art lesson! So, who will win the gold medal in this competition? Which two works will win the silver medal? The judging panel will hold a ten-minute closed-door meeting. Let's give the experts a warm round of applause as they head to the meeting room to make their decision!" said the host, Bai Xue, as she took the stage.
The closed-door meeting wasn't broadcast live; this was a necessary measure to maintain an air of mystery. Although the live discussion had given everyone a general idea of which works would win which awards, no one could guarantee absolute accuracy until the final results were announced.
After the experts left, the host played interactive games with the audience. Chen Yang took out his iPhone C earphones, put one in, and casually handed the other to Su He. Su He hesitated for a moment, then took the earphone and put it in her right ear.
Chen Yang opened his music player, selected "You'll Be With Me All My Life" by Shui Mu Nian Hua, and pressed play. The melodious tune began to play softly. Chen Yang closed his eyes slightly, immersing himself in the song's atmosphere.
"How many people have admired your youthful beauty
But who can withstand the ravages of time..."
As the chorus began, Chen Yang and Su He unconsciously intertwined their fingers, their hearts overflowing with boundless tenderness...
While the two were cuddling, the atmosphere in the meeting room next door was tense. In fact, the experts had largely reached a consensus; they generally agreed on the winners of the bronze medal and one of the silver medals. The confirmed silver medal winner was Su He, the author of the calligraphy work "Dian Jiang Chun".
However, a major disagreement arose among the experts regarding the remaining two works: who should win the gold medal and who should win the silver medal? They formed two camps. One side insisted that Chen Yang's painting of a lady should win the gold medal, while Yan Huiming's ink landscape painting from Southeast Normal University should win the silver medal. The other side held the completely opposite opinion.
Master Bai Yan, unusually, simply listened quietly to the debate between the two sides, without immediately offering his own opinion.
Those supporting Chen Yang were mainly three or four experts, led by He Ping, while those supporting Yan Huiming also numbered three or four, led by Liu Guangya.
On one side was the president of the provincial calligraphy association, and on the other was the executive vice president of the provincial painting and calligraphy academy—their positions were practically equal. Moreover, with art, there are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people's eyes; everyone held their own opinion, and no one could convince the other. With ten minutes fast approaching and the experts still undecided, the assistant director from the provincial TV station, responsible for coordinating the schedule, was frantic, looking to Master Bai Yan for help. However, Master Bai Yan remained calmly seated in the center, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings, showing no intention of speaking.
Liu Guangya had also carefully examined Chen Yang's work. He admitted that Chen Yang's painting, compared to Yan Huiming's landscape, was superior in both brushwork and artistic conception. While Yan Huiming's work still showed traces of practice, Chen Yang's figure painting was a masterpiece, comparable to that of established calligraphers and painters.
However, Liu Guangya had to support Yan Huiming. The bloodstone seal left by the man after his visit the previous night was still kept in his study! He had made it very clear: he was aiming for the gold medal! Moreover, Yan Huiming's work was indeed quite impressive. If it weren't for Chen Yang's unexpected emergence as a dark horse, Yan Huiming would have been a shoo-in for the gold medal.
Liu Guangya could only force himself to examine Chen Yang's work more carefully, hoping to find flaws to support his argument and thus successfully promote Yan Huiming. Just then, a sudden inspiration struck Liu Guangya, and he grasped a point he had been overlooking. He became extremely excited and uttered a statement that astonished all the experts present.