On the first day of school, the school beauty in black stockings took me to a hotel.

Finals day!

The main stage of the Shanghai International Arts Center was illuminated as if it were daytime.

The more than two thousand seats in the audience were completely full, with audience members holding up their phones, cameras, and glow sticks.

Some even held up homemade support signs.

The labels contained phrases like "I love you, XX" and "You are the champion, XX."

The National College Student Singer Competition, from the preliminary rounds to the semi-finals and tonight's final, has been going on for six days.

Forty-eight contestants from all over the country gathered in Shanghai. After rounds of fierce competition, elimination, and advancement, only six people remained to stand on this stage.

Six people.

Six people from all over the country stood side by side in the center of the stage, waiting for the host to announce the final rankings.

Su Wanqing sat in the middle of the third row below the stage, her palms sweaty.

Lin Xiaoyu sat next to her, also nervous, her fingers constantly tugging at the hem of her skirt.

"What place do you think your husband will get?" Lin Xiaoyu asked softly.

Su Wanqing stared intently at the stage, uttering two words: "First place."

"You're that confident?"

"Nonsense." Su Wanqing didn't even turn her head. "If my husband doesn't get first place, who will? That Chen Haonan? Does he deserve it? If he can get first place, I'll eat this whole table."

She patted the small table in front of her, making a "bang" sound.

Lin Xiaoyu was stunned by her imposing aura, opened her mouth, and then closed it again.

On the stage, six contestants stood side by side.

On stage, the host, Xiao Yang, walked up with a small card in hand.

The audience fell silent instantly.

That kind of quiet wasn't ordinary quiet; it was the kind of quiet that made you "hold your breath, widen your eyes, and feel like your heart was about to jump out of your throat."

Xiao Yang stood in the center of the stage, glanced at the audience below, looked at the card in his hand, and then smiled.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the exciting moment has arrived! After six days of fierce competition and careful evaluation by the judges, the final results of this competition are in my hands."

He held up the card and waved it.

Someone in the audience shouted, "Stop keeping us in suspense! Just read it!"

Xiao Yang smiled and shook his head: "No rush, no rush, let me thank the sponsors first."

A burst of good-natured laughter and boos rang out from the audience.

Xiao Yang slowly read out a long list of sponsors, from a certain bank to a certain mineral water company, from a certain car company to a certain cosmetics company, taking a full two minutes to read it out.

Su Wanqing felt her blood pressure soaring.

"Now, I announce that the sixth place winner of this competition is—"

He deliberately dragged out his words, his gaze sweeping over the six contestants.

"Zhao Yuxuan, Nanjing Division!"

A round of applause erupted from the audience.

Zhao Yuxuan wasn't surprised. He smiled, bowed to the audience, and then walked off the stage.

His expression was calm, without disappointment or resentment, just the kind of composure that said, "It's already great to have come this far."

"Fifth place – Wang Feier, Shanghai region!"

A louder round of applause erupted from the audience, but it was also mixed with some surprised whispers.

Faye Wong?

The person who ranked first in the preliminary round, fourth in the semi-finals, and was considered a favorite to win by many, actually only got fifth place?

Wang Feier remained quite calm, bowed to the audience, and then gracefully walked off the stage.

Su Wanqing frowned and whispered, "Fifth? She's only fifth? She sang really well, how come she's only fifth? I thought she could make it into the top three."

Lin Xiaoyu also shook her head: "Maybe the song selection today was too conservative."

"Fourth place – Zhang Wei, Guangzhou region!"

Zhang Wei paused for a moment, then smiled, revealing a set of white teeth, waved to the audience, and walked off the stage.

The applause from the audience grew even louder.

Su Wanqing clenched her fists even tighter.

There are now only three people left on stage.

Liu Yu. Chen Haonan. And another contestant from the Xi'an region named Zhou Jie.

It's not the Jay Chou who sang "Nunchucks," it's another Jay Chou, a folk singer with a very magnetic voice and quite handsome looks, though a bit dark-skinned.

Su Wanqing's heart was pounding like a drum, "thump thump thump thump," she could hear it herself.

"Now," Xiao Yang's voice rose an octave, "I announce that the third place winner of this competition is—"

He paused.

The entire audience held their breath.

"Zhou Jie, Xi'an Division!"

There was thunderous applause.

Zhou Jie smiled, bowed deeply to the audience, and then walked off the stage.

As he passed by Liu Yu, he patted Liu Yu on the shoulder and whispered something to him. Liu Yu nodded.

Only two people remained on the stage.

Liu Yu.

Chan Ho-nam.

Su Wanqing felt her heart leap into her throat as she stared intently at the stage.

Xiao Yang's voice rang out again, this time with obvious excitement: "The champion and runner-up will be decided between Liu Yu and Chen Haonan! Who will take the crown? Let's wait and see!"

The audience erupted in cheers.

"Liu Yu! Liu Yu! Liu Yu!" someone started shouting.

"Chan Ho-nam! Chan Ho-nam! Chan Ho-nam!" someone shouted.

The two groups seemed to be having a contest to see who could shout the loudest, their voices rising and falling like a folk song duel.

On the stage, Liu Yu stood there, his expression still calm.

His gaze swept across the audience, as if he were looking for someone.

Su Wanqing knew he was looking for her, so she quickly stood up and waved to him.

Liu Yu saw it, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly before he looked away and turned to the host.

Xiao Yang opened the card in his hand and glanced at it.

Then his expression changed.

The change was subtle; it wasn't a frown or a pout, but rather a kind of...

Su Wanqing noticed this change and her heart skipped a beat.

A bad feeling.

Xiao Yang took a deep breath and raised his voice eight octaves: "I hereby announce—the runner-up of this competition is—"

He paused for a second.

That one second felt like an eternity to Su Wanqing.

"Liu Yu, from the Beijing North Division!"

The audience was silent for a fraction of a second.

Then, applause and cheers rang out simultaneously, but not in the frenzied "Wow, champion!" manner, but rather in a polite enthusiasm of "Well, not bad either."

Su Wanqing was stunned.

runner up?

Liu Yu was the runner-up?

Who is the champion?

The answer is self-evident.

Xiao Yang's voice rang out again: "The champion is—Chen Haonan, from the Hong Kong region!"

The applause grew louder, but Su Wanqing couldn't hear it anymore.

She sat in her seat, completely motionless, as if struck by lightning.

runner up.

Liu Yu was the runner-up.

Chan Ho-nam is the champion.

The one who failed in the preliminary round, failed in the semi-final round, and sang "Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies" like a pig being slaughtered, Chen Haonan was the champion.

Su Wanqing felt her blood pressure had skyrocketed, and her vision was blurring.

Her hands were trembling, her lips were trembling, her whole body was trembling.

Lin Xiaoyu whispered from the side, "Wanqing, are you alright?"

Su Wanqing didn't speak.