Chapter 176
Come on, what was she doing? Who embroiders like that? Her hands were flying back and forth, as if she were merely threading a needle rather than creating a pattern.
"The morning session ends here. We\'ll resume at 2:30 PM," the host announced. The 15 contestants stopped their work.
One difference between this final and the regional competition was that there were no judges present at the venue.
"Zhengzheng!" Shen Yin jogged over to where Xu Xiuhe was.
Xu Yunzheng, standing on the ground, also ran towards Shen Yin, hugging her legs.
Shen Yin bent down and gently rubbed Zhengzheng\'s chubby, collagen-filled cheeks.
Perhaps the meaning of mutual attraction is that both parties find happiness in each other.
Both the little one and the adult\'s faces were beaming with joyful smiles.
Qi Yan walked by, deliberately stomping her high heels to make her presence known.
Shen Yin chose to ignore her, pretending not to notice, but the little one didn\'t have such a strong heart to disregard the big bad person nearby.
"Mommy, bad person, scary, hug," he said.
Shen Yin quickly picked up the little one, holding him protectively in her arms.
Xu Yunzheng rested his head on Shen Yin\'s shoulder, not lifting it up.
Xu Xiuhe came over and took the little one from Shen Yin\'s arms.
"Zhengzheng is already two years and four months old, weighing 26 pounds now. He\'s getting heavy, and Mommy can\'t carry him easily. From now on, ask Daddy to carry you less often, okay?"
"Okay. Daddy hungry," the child responded.
Xu Xiuhe playfully said, "Daddy\'s not hungry."
"If Daddy\'s not hungry, Daddy no eat. Zhengzheng hungry, Mommy Zhengzheng hungry hungry."
Qi Yan linked her arm with Qi Shengwen\'s.
"Auntie, how did it go? Was the morning session smooth?"
"It went quite well. I feel like I performed to the best of my ability."
"Wow, Auntie, you\'ll definitely be the champion this time. During the competition, that Shen Yin didn\'t look like she was embroidering at all. She\'s no match for you, especially considering how much money we\'ve spent."
"Yes, I believe I\'ll win the championship this time," Qi Shengwen agreed.
Qi Yan\'s words made sense. They had spent so much money, and her embroidery skills were excellent. Winning the championship should be a piece of cake.
"Auntie, if you win the national embroidery competition, you\'ll become famous. You\'ll be on national news and give interviews. After lunch, I\'ll definitely help you touch up your makeup. You\'ll look stunning for the interview tonight."
Qi Shengwen gently tapped Qi Yan\'s nose, smiling, "You little sweet talker."
"It\'s true! Auntie is naturally talented. After you win the award, my studio will also benefit. We might even surpass Shen Yin\'s clothing studio."
"Of course, our Yan Yan has always been exceptional. I wonder which lucky guy will end up with you. Don\'t think about that Xu Xiuhe anymore. What\'s so good about a married man anyway?"
"Auntie, I just can\'t accept it. Why should I stop liking him just because he says he doesn\'t like me? I\'m so outstanding, why would he marry another woman? Their relationship can\'t be real. I investigated, and found out it was an arranged marriage. Xu Xiuhe only married that woman for his company\'s interests. They\'re not truly in love. Even if I can\'t have him, I won\'t let them be happy. I\'ll keep annoying them whenever I can."
Qi Shengwen shook her head, not quite agreeing with her niece\'s perspective. There were plenty of men out there, why fixate on just one? If she remembered correctly, it was her niece who proposed the breakup in the first place.
Seeing her niece so obsessed now, she didn\'t feel it was right to advise against it. Let her be happy, she thought. If she said something and Yan Yan became upset, what then?
Her brother\'s political career was going so well, about to be promoted again. If he became the top leader in the future, she, as his sister, would enjoy countless benefits.
In the restaurant, Xu Xiuhe was serving food to Shen Yin. Zhengzheng hugged an ear of corn, nibbling on it like a little squirrel.
"You worked hard this morning," Xu Xiuhe said.
"It was okay, just felt a bit pressed for time," Shen Yin replied.
"What happened? Was the embroidery too difficult?"
"Sort of, but not really. The embroidery itself isn\'t hard, it just takes time."
"Did Zhengzheng and I distract you this morning?"
"No, I caught up later. If I speed up a bit more in the afternoon and make some progress, I should be able to finish."
"Alright, I\'ve booked a room nearby. After lunch, let\'s rest for a while so you\'ll have energy for the afternoon competition."
"Sounds good."
Shen Yin didn\'t feel tired at all now. This man always seemed to arrange everything whenever they went out together, never letting her worry about anything.
"Even if you don\'t win the championship, it\'s okay. The extraordinary distant future always entices us with fantasies, but when we let go of our obsessions and learn to enjoy the ordinary, life is full of surprises everywhere. You don\'t need to be so tired. You have Zhengzheng, and you have me. We\'ll always stand behind you."
"Mommy, Zhengzheng will always stand behind you!" the child chimed in.
"Wow, why so emotional all of a sudden? Don\'t you trust me? Believe in me, Mommy will definitely be the champion," Shen Yin said, pinching Zhengzheng\'s little cheeks.
"Have you heard this saying? If one day we\'re lost in the sea of humanity, living an ordinary life, it must be because we haven\'t tried hard enough to live abundantly. Life is a process of constantly moving towards new stages. We can\'t stagnate; we always need to look forward and strive to enrich ourselves. I believe I can do it, but if I lose and don\'t win the championship, I won\'t be discouraged."
"The Creator\'s arrangements are all reasonable. This includes all the setbacks we encounter and the various obstacles we face. They all have their rationality, just like how I met you. If I can\'t win the championship, it\'s okay. I still have the next competition."
Shen Yin shared a long reflection on life.
After listening, Xu Xiuhe also found it very reasonable. Isn\'t living about having one goal after another? Shen Yin\'s thoughts were clear, and her values were positive. Perhaps it was this aspect that attracted him to her.
When the afternoon competition began, six judges had arrived. Upon seeing these judges, Qi Yan felt reassured. Out of the six judges, she had spent money to establish connections with four of them.
Four judges—what did that mean? It was a clear majority. She had pulled many strings and spent a considerable amount of money to secure these connections. What did she have to fear? This afternoon, she was eager to witness that woman\'s crestfallen expression and the look of defeat on her face.
What was so impressive about being the regional champion? In the finals, that title would mean nothing when it came to winning the grand prize.