The fact that Pei Mingyuan couldn't be reached during such an important award ceremony really annoyed Chairman Pei. But the event couldn't be postponed just because someone was absent. Frowning, he said:
"Let Deputy General Manager Lei take his place. We'll finish the ceremony first."
The administrative manager replied, "Okay, I'll make the arrangements right away."
The contestants who won the third - prize looked at each other on stage. Just when everyone thought there might be something wrong with the winning list, the host took the stage again and announced:
"Let's give a warm round of applause to Mr. Lei Ke, the deputy general manager of Pei Group, to present the third - prize to the contestants!"
The music started again, and the spotlight shone on the entrance of the aisle. The door was pushed open, and a middle - aged man with a receding hairline and a bald patch in the middle, dressed in a suit, walked out. He waved to the audience while walking towards the center of the stage.
The awarding process was very simple. The guest presented the trophy and certificate, which represented honor, to the winner, took a photo with them, and then could leave. The whole process took less than five minutes.
Soon, it was time for the second - prize.
The female host announced, "The winning works for the second - prize in this competition are 'Coral Jungle' and 'Growth of All Things'."
Zhou Yaru excitedly stood up from her seat and hugged Xu Zixi beside her. "I won the second - prize! Yuan Xi, I'm so happy!"
The creator of "Coral Jungle" was the female contestant who had spoken up for Xu Zixi before. Her name was Su Lan. She sincerely congratulated Xu Zixi, "Yuan Xi, congratulations in advance on winning the first - prize. Use your strength to really put those who are waiting to see your joke in their place."
Xu Zixi's score was far higher than those of the two second - prize works, which made Su Lan admit defeat whole - heartedly. Xu Zixi nodded at her with a smile:
"Congratulations to you too."
Zhou Yaru and Su Lan went up on stage to receive their awards together. The guest presenter for the second - prize was the chairman of Pei Group, Pei Mingyuan's father. This chairman of Pei Group was in his sixties. His appearance combined the features of Pei Mingyuan and Pei Weiwei. It was obvious at a glance that they were a family.
However, perhaps because of the remarks Pei Weiwei had made when her act of plagiarism was exposed, the applause was not very enthusiastic when he took the stage. There were even some booing sounds.
Pei Jun was one of the heavy - weight guests behind the scenes. After presenting the awards and taking photos on stage, there was also a speech session. He first praised the competition for being wonderful, then complimented the Pei Group for having many talented people. He was especially surprised that all the second - prize winners were female contestants. With just a few words, he dispelled the dissatisfaction of the employees below because of Pei Weiwei. When he left the stage, the applause became enthusiastic again.
Next, it was time for the first - prize.
Miss Xu was a well - known figure in her past life. She had attended numerous award ceremonies and had also been a guest presenter many times. She thought she could remain calm, but when the host stood on the stage and the words "City of Hope" flashed on the screen, her palms started to sweat unconsciously, and her heart rate accelerated.
The guest presenter for the second - prize was the chairman of Pei Group.
Then who would present the first - prize?
- It was the investor of the project, "Mr. Yan" from the Yan family, the uncle of Yan Zhen.
The inspiring music filled the entire venue, and the audience whole - heartedly applauded for Xu Zixi. Xu Zixi closed her eyes, took a deep breath, high - fived Zhou Yaru who had just returned from receiving the award, and stepped onto the brightly - lit stage in the spotlight!
In the center of the stage, Xu Zixi was dressed in a solemn professional suit from brand L. The fabric of the clothes had tiny glints of light. The light shone down on her. She raised her eyes, slightly curved her lips, and showed a faint smile. The self - confidence radiating from within made her look so dazzling and incredibly beautiful. At this moment, the audience below was deeply impressed by her.
The host's voice echoed throughout the venue.
"Now, let's welcome the guest to present the first - prize. He is the investor of the Bay Reconstruction Project, Mr. Yan Yincheng from the Yan family in Fengcheng!"
Thunderous applause and cheers erupted again from the audience, but Xu Zixi was stunned.
The last two characters of this person's name from the Yan family sounded so similar to Brother Cheng's name. Yan Yincheng, Yan Yincheng, Yincheng...
Her heart suddenly tightened, and her gaze involuntarily turned to the closed door on the right.
The door was pushed open from the inside, and a beam of light immediately shone down. A familiar figure slowly walked out under the guidance of the etiquette lady.
The moment he appeared, the lights in the whole venue seemed to pale in comparison. Xu Zixi could clearly hear the exclamations from the audience below.
"Oh my god, this guy is so handsome!"
"Ahhh, is he Mr. Yan? Help! I didn't expect him to be this handsome!"
"I thought Mr. Yan would be an old man. I didn't expect this Mr. Yan to be so young. It's really a surprise!"
"What's that in his hand?"
"It's a blind cane. He seems to be blind. He can't see."
"It's such a pity. He's so handsome, but he's blind?"
Under the spotlight, he was dressed in a well - tailored suit. He had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. Every button on his suit was neatly fastened. Even though he held a blind cane in his hand, his abstinent and cold aura made people go crazy for him.
When he took steps towards the stage, Xu Zixi couldn't help but think that at this moment, he seemed like a groom heading to his wedding.
However, the smile on her lips gradually faded, and the temperature of her palms gradually turned cold.
Yincheng, Yincheng. It turned out that his surname wasn't Yin but Yan.
He was the uncle of Yan Zhen who had been abroad for treatment all year round and had a physical disability.
He had lied to her.
Under the guidance of the etiquette, Yan Yincheng stepped onto the stage. He took the trophy for the first - place winner and walked towards the center of the stage. In the noisy and chaotic environment of the venue, a familiar fragrance suddenly wafted into his nose. He stopped in his tracks and "looked" in the direction where the fragrance was coming from, as if sensing something. His heart started to beat violently.
He stood there, stunned, his mind blank. He kept repeating to himself, No, no. She can't be here, and she definitely didn't participate in the competition and win this award.
It must be his sense of smell playing tricks on him.
However, his legs felt like they were filled with lead, and he couldn't move forward at all.
The etiquette lady sensed something was wrong. She turned around and whispered, "Mr. Yan, the first - prize contestant is waiting for you."
Seeing that he stopped walking, it was obvious that he had sensed something. Xu Zixi remembered that although his eyes were blind, his sense of smell was very sensitive. He could even smell the trace of blood on her body.
So, he had noticed her too.
Xu Zixi had lived two lives and considered herself a calm and rational person. She rarely lost control of her emotions and could always cheer herself up and face difficulties with a smile.
She also knew that this wasn't the right time to settle scores with him.
However, she found that she couldn't control herself anymore. The anger of being deceived gradually rose from the bottom of her heart until it turned into a raging fire, devouring her rationality.
At this moment, she didn't care about anything. She just wanted to tear off his mask and expose his disguise, making him a clown in front of everyone.
So, she opened her lips and said with a smile,
"What, Mr. Yin doesn't dare to take another step? Oh, I shouldn't call you Mr. Yin anymore. I should call you - Mr. Yan."