Chapter 2677: Chapter 2678: Pre-Match Conflict
Yan Ciâs face turned red because of Lin Yi.
After all, she could only showcase her driving skills in secluded places.
In public, she remained a shy girl.
âYouâll be the death of me, keep your voice down, donât let anyone hear,â Yan Ci pinched Lin Yi, âLetâs go in first, the recording is about to start, we shouldnât waste time.â
âLetâs go.â
The two walked side by side into the broadcasting studio, where the staff were busy bustling about, most moving at a run.
Backstage at studio number three, all the contestants were gathered here.
Two people sat in the rest area.
One of them was bald, named Wang Zhanwen, wearing a gray long robe. Judging by his attire, he seemed to be from Shaolin.
The other wore a black T-shirt, named Li Qingshan, who sat with eyes closed, appearing like a sage, his abilities not immediately apparent.
Besides them, there were over a dozen others gathered, waiting for something.
However, these peopleâs expressions werenât as calm as Wang Zhanwen and Li Qingshanâs.
Because for tonightâs international competition, there were three spots, two of which were already secured.
The remaining dozen had to rely on audience votes to decide who could advance to the next round.
Soon, Zhou Jing came over, holding a folder, and stood in front of everyone.
Seeing Zhou Jing, the dozen waiting contestants looked hesitant, faces full of expectation.
âI wonder whoâll advance in the end.â
âIsnât it obvious? Itâs definitely that monk named Miao Chunge.â
Miao Chunge was Wang Zhanwenâs junior brother; both hailed from Shaolin.
Although Miao Chunge was strong, he was slightly inferior to Wang Zhanwen, hence ended up in the waiting group.
And these waiting contestants knew that Miao Chunge was the strongest among them.
âThe last spot is determined by voting, itâs not necessarily about whoâs the strongest, and it might not be him.â
âYou think the TV station people are fools? Theyâll definitely pick the strongest to compete, so the votingâs just a gimmick, the last spotâs definitely his.â
âTrue, since itâs an international competition, they want the strongest, otherwise itâd be embarrassing.â
Hearing everyoneâs discussions, Miao Chunge felt elated, confident in victory.
âThank you all for waiting, the results are out.â
Zhou Jing spoke, and the murmuring subsided, the dozen waiting contestants fixated on her.
Zhou Jing, looking official, said while holding the folder:
âThrough audience votes, the last person advancing is Lin Yi. Thank you all for your patience, and hard work.â
With a slight bow to express gratitude, Zhou Jing prepared to leave.
âDirector, hold on!â
Someone stopped Zhou Jing, preventing her from leaving.
âHmm? Who is this person? I donât have any impression,â a short man said.
âThisâŠâ
A hint of trouble flashed on Zhou Jingâs face, but she concealed it well.
âHe participated in several rounds before, but you werenât present, so you didnât see him.â
âThatâs unlikely,â the short man said:
âIâve been to every prior recording, I remember everyone, but Iâve never heard of the person youâre mentioning.â
âWe donât have an impression either.â
Others chimed in, âI can pretty much name everyone here, but the person you mentioned isnât among us.â
âHeâll be here soon.â
âWhatâs going on, the personâs not even here?â the short man said:
âI think this is a setup by you, bringing in your own person this way?â
Exposed, Zhou Jing felt a sense of regret; people were getting harder to fool.
âItâs not what you think, he earned the audienceâs recognition through his own skill,â Zhou Jing calmly said.
âDonât try to fool us, this is rigged!â
âRigged!â
âRigged!â
âRigged!â
Led by the short man, others joined in the chant, throwing the backstage into chaos.
âIf thereâs no explanation for this, weâll withdraw!â
âYes, no explanation, weâll withdraw!â
Zhou Jingâs face turned cold. She had been in the industry for many years; such scenes didnât faze her.
âSince the program started, weâve always followed rules. If youâre dissatisfied with the arrangements and want to withdraw, thereâs nothing I can do.â
For Zhou Jing, these people in front of her were now irrelevant.
After all, the contestants had already been chosen. Whether they participated or not didnât matter anymore.
Hearing Zhou Jingâs words, the contestants were momentarily stunned.
They had thought they could pressure Zhou Jing this way, but didnât expect her to be unfazed.
âYouâre being too much, isnât there any fairness left!â
The speaker was Miao Chunge, with no expression on his face, clearly suppressing anger.
Among the waiting group, he was the strongest.
But due to bad luck in the semifinals, he faced the Wing Chun ambassador Li Qingshan and ended up in the waiting group.
Even so, he was confident of revival due to his evident strength, knowing the program wouldnât omit him.
But unexpectedly, there was rigging in this segment!
This was unacceptable to him.
âItâs a fair and just result. I canât joke with national honor for such an important competition.â
âHaâŠâ
Miao Chunge sarcastically laughed, âAll you people care about is profit. Youâll overlook national honor for money!â
âIâm done speaking with you!â
Zhou Jing was also furious, âIf youâre dissatisfied with the arrangements, you can leave now.â
âDirector Zhou, if this is your stance, then Iâm leaving too.â
The speaker was Wang Zhanwen, Miao Chungeâs senior.
As a main contestant, his position was different from the others.
âWhat do you mean?â
âI also think your arrangements arenât reasonable, not transparent at all. Such a competition isnât worth joining.â
Wang Zhanwen spoke bluntly, with his own confidence.
As a main contestant, Zhou Jing didnât dare let him leave, especially with teasers already aired.
If he left, thereâd be no one to compete.
And this was something Zhou Jing hadnât considered.
If Wang Zhanwen left, the upcoming competition couldnât proceed.
âYouâre a selected contestant, isnât saying youâll leave too much!â Zhou Jing said with a cold face.
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