Volume 2 Chapter 51: A Familiar Face at the Competition Venue
Even after reaching the entrance of the competition room, Gao Liang was still tightly holding onto the girl’s sleeve.
Uh… what?
Lin Lin tried to gently pull her sleeve back, but then she realized something…
With how shy she felt right now, the tiny bit of strength she could use wasn’t even enough to pull free. She couldn’t get it back at all!
Ugh—
What is this guy even doing?
Feeling speechless, Lin Lin turned her head and looked around as they walked into the competition room. Most of the students inside were organizing their tools, standing neatly and properly.
And then there was her…
Th-this…
They looked just like a kid being sent in by a parent!
This guy…
The girl puffed up her cheeks in annoyance and finally spoke in a low voice, “Hey, hey, let go already! We’re already inside the competition room. It’s not crowded anymore, why are you still holding on?”
“Ah…”
Hearing her complaint, Gao Liang looked a bit embarrassed. Reluctantly, he let go of her sleeve and said, “Cough… I-I guess I just got used to it…”
This guy, seriously…
“By the way, Lin Lin, the way you hide your hand inside your sleeve is kind of cute~” Gao Liang suddenly joked with a smile.
Lin Lin froze for a second, then her face turned red. “I’m not cute at all!”
Even though denying being cute felt a bit strange, praise from her rival was the last thing she wanted!
She turned her head away with a pout and looked around the competition room. The environment was pretty good, rows of drawing boards were neatly lined up. But…
Right in front of the boards were three seats. They were probably for the judges.
By the way, since there were many participants in this competition, it used a preliminary round system. Every competition room had the same topic. When time was up, the three teachers in the room would grade the works and give scores. The average score would be used.
Only the top three students from each room would advance. In the afternoon, the dozens of students who passed would enter the final round. There would be no topic limits, everyone could draw freely. The final works would then be sent to the city for unified judging.
Hmm… That sounded pretty stressful.
If she got eliminated in the morning, she wouldn’t even have a chance to win any prize. Then she’d really end up streaming with stick figures forever!
Still, at least she only had to compete for the top three spots in this one room.
But because of that, everyone here was now her opponent.
She lifted her head and quickly looked around at the roughly twenty other contestants. About a ten percent chance to advance… whew.
The girl started to feel nervous. She carefully observed the others around her.
Somehow, they all looked stronger than her!
Everyone looked fully prepared, with serious expressions and sharp eyes, staring at their drawing boards.
Compared to them…She looked sleepy, unfocused, and completely unmotivated…
This is bad—
Feeling discouraged, Lin Lin lowered her spirits. Gao Liang noticed her tension. He gently patted her shoulder and gave her a thumbs-up.
“Lin Lin, do your best! I believe in you!”
“Uh…”
She didn’t expect her rival to encourage her like that. For a moment, she felt a little shy, though she had been shy the whole time anyway.
Just as the two of them were feeling awkward over this strange encouragement…
Suddenly—
A new contestant walked into the competition room from outside.
Her hair was a faded blond, and at the roots, clear black strands had already grown out. It made her almost hard to recognize.
But still…
Lin Lin noticed her at once. Her heart jumped in fear, and she looked at the newcomer with unease.
Even though she really wanted to avoid her gaze, Lin Lin’s position was too noticeable. Anyone walking in from outside could see her immediately.
The moment Han Kui’s eyes landed on Lin Lin, she froze for a second, then gave a cold smile.
But when she turned her head and looked beside Lin Lin, seeing Gao Liang standing next to her, his hand still resting on Lin Lin, the two looking very close—
Her mood instantly turned worse.
Clenching her teeth and frowning, she said nothing. She silently went to her own seat and put down her things.
Lin Lin watched her nervously, sighing at how bad her luck was. She didn’t dare look for long, quickly turning her head away after a few glances and letting out a helpless sigh.
Gao Liang gave Han Kui a calm, cold look, then turned back to Lin Lin and spoke softly, “Don’t be scared. She’s not doing anything right now. She probably won’t come over. Relax, I’m here.”
“Ugh… so unlucky, running into her of all people.”
“Based on past years, students who sign up together often end up in the same room,” Gao Liang said. “After all, this is an art contest, not a regular written exam.”
He gently patted her head and continued, “Just don’t let her affect your performance. You’re sitting pretty far apart. After the competition, I’ll come find you.”
“Mm…”
Lin Lin nodded. His words reminded her of something, her rival would be leaving soon.
Sigh… She even felt a little reluctant now.
If only this guy could compete together with her. Having him in the competition room, even though it would feel awkward, at least she’d feel more at ease.
She should’ve dragged him into joining the competition back then.
“……”
Wait, no—
She had seen his drawing skills before. If that were the case… wouldn’t her rival definitely take one of the advancing spots? What if he pushed her out?
After thinking for a moment, the look Lin Lin gave Gao Liang completely changed. Her eyes were full of resentment, like she was saying, “You’re not secretly joining the contest through some special way, right? Hurry up and leave!”
Gao Liang didn’t understand the meaning behind her stare. But it really was time for him to go.
“The competition is about to start. I need to report to the volunteer area. Lin Lin, good luck!”
“Mm-hmm, go on, go on!” She nodded quickly.
Gao Liang then walked out of the competition room at a fast pace, leaving Lin Lin standing there alone as she began organizing her tools.
However…
Someone else had their own plans.
Taking advantage of the little time left, and seeing that Gao Liang had already left, Han Kui smiled. Without making a sound, she walked over to Lin Lin and looked at her with a cold, mocking smile.
Being stared at like that was scary. Lin Lin was focused on her tools when she suddenly looked up and saw Han Kui’s mocking face right in front of her. She was startled.
She quickly stood up and stepped back two steps, as if facing an enemy. Frowning, Lin Lin spoke firmly, “Y-you… what are you doing? The competition is about to start!”
“Tsk, good luck, Lin Lin…”
Han Kui showed no anger at all. Instead, she smiled in a mocking, confident way.
So confident, huh?
Lin Lin watched in confusion as Han Kui calmly walked back to her seat.
The competition began…