68: The only one in the competition

The next morning, Jinling Olympic Sports Center.

As a province-wide composition competition, the award ceremony was held to a very high standard.

The massive venue was packed, with representative teams from thirteen prefecture-level cities across the province seated in orderly rows.

On the stage, flowers were clustered, and a red carpet was laid out.

The promotional video for the "Jieyou Cup" was scrolling on the giant LED screen.

Jiangcheng No. 1 High School's seats were in the middle-back section.

Shen Qingqiu had specifically worn a light cyan professional suit today, looking both capable and intellectual.

However, the knuckles of her hand, tightly gripping her handbag, revealed her inner nervousness.

"Teacher Shen, stop shaking."

Lin Que, sitting next to her, peeled a mint candy and popped it into his mouth.

"Those who don't know might think you're the one going on stage to receive an award."

"Shut up."

Shen Qingqiu glared at him and lowered her voice.

"You still have the mood to eat candy? Do you know how important this competition is to the school?"

"I just ran into Liu Yi from the Experimental Middle School, and he was so arrogant, his nose was almost in the sky."

Speak of the devil.

In the adjacent section, Liu Yi was leading the students from the Experimental Middle School to their seats.

Seeing Shen Qingqiu, he stood across the aisle and put on that uncomfortable, fake smile.

"Teacher Shen, did you sleep well last night?"

Liu Yi asked loudly, drawing the attention of teachers from several surrounding schools.

"I heard from the teachers at the nearby Teachers College Affiliated High School that the grading committee was arguing fiercely last night. Apparently, it was because a certain composition was extremely controversial and was graded zero!"

Shen Qingqiu's heart skipped a beat.

Zero points? Controversy?

Her gaze subconsciously turned toward Lin Que.

This kid's style really likes to take unconventional paths.

Could it be...

"Teacher Liu, you are quite well-informed."

Shen Qingqiu forced herself to remain calm and responded coldly.

"Is the business of the grading committee something you can just ask about?"

"Hey, Teacher Shen, there's no need to ask about this."

Liu Yi adjusted his glasses, putting on the posture of a senior.

"Many teachers in Jinling are talking about it, saying that when they were grading, they found a composition that was too unconventional, with a theme that was too dark, and it was given a zero score on the spot by the impartial Yan Zheng."

"Tsk, young people these days, always wanting to do something shocking, thinking that's profound. And the result? Too clever by half. What a waste of talent."

While he said it was a pity, his eyes flicked toward Lin Que.

The surrounding chatter instantly erupted.

"Zero points? Someone actually got a zero in a competition of this level?"

"You don't know? That Yan Zheng is famously ruthless. If you fall into his hands, you'll be lucky to get away with just a scratch."

"Probably tried to imitate the depth of Jian Shen, but ended up failing to paint a tiger and getting a dog instead..."

Zhao Zichen and Zhang Ya's faces turned a bit pale.

Although they didn't know exactly what Lin Que had written, given his usual style, it was indeed very likely he hit a nerve.

"Lin Que..."

Zhang Ya pulled Lin Que's sleeve with some concern.

"You didn't really write anything forbidden, did you?"

Lin Que chewed up the candy in his mouth, looking indifferent: "Who knows? Maybe that Yan Zheng prefers watching the 'News Broadcast'."

Shen Qingqiu took a deep breath and turned her head, ignoring Liu Yi.

But her palms were already covered in cold sweat.

If Lin Que really got a zero, it wouldn't just be a joke for Jiangcheng No. 1 High School, but a devastating blow to the child's talent.

Just then, impassioned music began to play.

A host wearing formal attire walked onto the stage, holding a microphone, their voice resonant.

"Respected leaders, distinguished guests, dear teachers and students, good morning! Welcome to the award ceremony of the first 'Jieyou Cup' Provincial Middle School Live Composition Competition!"

Applause thundered.

After the long-winded speeches from the leaders, the most exciting moment finally arrived.

"Next, we will begin presenting the awards for this competition."

The host took out a cue card: "First, we will present the third prizes. A total of thirty third prizes have been selected for this competition. Students whose names are called, please come to the stage to receive your awards..."

A string of names was read out. Zhang Ya from Jiangcheng No. 1 High School was among them.

"Holy cow!"

Zhang Ya was so excited she almost jumped up. "I won! I won!"

Shen Qingqiu breathed a sigh of relief, finally showing a smile on her face: "Go quickly, don't trip."

Next was the second prize. Twenty-three spots.

"Sucheng No. 1 High School, Liang Fei."

"Gangcheng No. 4 High School, Shen Jiahang."

...

There was no Zhao Zichen, nor was there Lin Que.

Shen Qingqiu's fingers tightened.

"Next, the first prizes! A total of eight first prizes have been selected for this competition!"

The music became impassioned.

"Jinling Teachers College Affiliated High School, Zhou Kai!"

The bespectacled boy stood up, smugly adjusted his suit, and as he passed the Jiangcheng No. 1 High School section, he deliberately cast a provocative look.

"Sucheng Middle School, Li Wan'er!"

"Xicheng Foreign Language Affiliated Middle School, Chen Mingrui"

...

"Jiangcheng No. 1 High School, Zhao Zichen!"

Zhao Zichen suddenly looked up, his whole body frozen in his seat.

"Old Zhao, why are you stunned? Go up."

Lin Que poked him with his elbow.

Zhao Zichen then snapped out of it, stood up abruptly, and because the movement was too sudden, his knee hit the back of the chair in front, making him wince in pain, but he didn't care about that and stumbled toward the stage.

Shen Qingqiu let out a long sigh of relief, finally showing a smile.

First prize! This was already the best result for Jiangcheng No. 1 High School in the last ten years!

Liu Yi's expression became somewhat ugly; the student he brought only got a third prize.

Applause thundered from the audience.

The eight first prize winners stood on stage, holding their certificates.

Zhao Zichen stood on the far edge, his back straighter than anyone else's.

He looked at Lin Que off-stage, his eyes full of gratitude.

If it weren't for that conversation on the balcony that night, he might still be carving flowers in that ivory tower.

The award ceremony ended, and the eight people left the stage.

At this point, Jiangcheng No. 1 High School had already won one first prize and one third prize; this result was already considered an extraordinary performance in the history of the competition.

Shen Qingqiu's face was radiant, and her back was much straighter.

Liu Yi watched from the side, a bit jealous, and said sourly: "Congratulations, Teacher Shen, two awards. But... that genius contestant, was he really eliminated this time?"

Shen Qingqiu's smile froze for a second.

Indeed, the awards had all been read, and Lin Que's name was still not among them.

According to common sense, what remained unannounced were the hundreds of excellence awards.

Shen Qingqiu's face turned somewhat pale.

She looked at Lin Que, who was still looking calm beside her, her heart filled with mixed feelings.

Could it really be...

"Lin Que."

Shen Qingqiu spoke softly, her voice a bit hoarse. "It's okay. One competition doesn't represent anything. Teacher knows your talent; you don't need awards to prove it."

She was truly comforting him, and also comforting herself.

Lin Que turned his head, looking at Shen Qingqiu's eyes filled with concern and regret, and felt a slight warmth in his heart.

This teacher is alright.

"Teacher, don't be anxious."

Lin Que blinked. "They haven't said it's over yet, have they?"

After saying that, he took his school uniform and covered himself up again.

"Not over yet?"

Liu Yi scoffed from the side. "The first prizes are all done; are they waiting to specifically create a 'zero prize' for you?"

Just then, the background music on stage suddenly stopped.

The host didn't read the list directly like before, but instead changed to a solemn expression.

"Everyone, according to tradition, the award ceremony should end here."

Liu Yi heard the host's voice, and his smile deepened.

"It's okay, we'll fight again next year. I'll take the kids back first, and then we will..."

His "see you at the meeting point" hadn't even been spoken before he was interrupted by the host's voice.

"But this year, after the unanimous decision of the grading committee and the expert judging panel, we have added a special award."

The whole venue was in an uproar.

Special award? What is that? It has never happened before.

The host paused slightly.

"This special award does not belong to the first, second, or third prizes."

"It caused great controversy in the grading committee. Some gave it a zero, believing it to be rebellious. Others gave it a full score, believing it struck the soul."

The whole venue began to stir.

Zero points and full points? What kind of move is this?

Liu Yi's smile froze on his face, vaguely feeling something was wrong.

Shen Qingqiu looked up abruptly, staring fixedly at the stage.

The host continued: "For this composition, the Provincial Writers Association specifically sought guidance from the special guest judge of this competition—Jian Shen. And Jian Shen only gave one comment; everyone, please look at the big screen!"

Following the host's gesture, the whole venue looked at the big screen.

The promotional video that had been scrolling suddenly went black.

While the whole venue was stunned, the giant screen lit up again.

No background, no music. Only a line of wild cursive script, every character like ink, piercing through the paper.

"The gods do not ferry the suffering of the common people, yet demons walk among the world."

The moment this line of text appeared, the noisy chatter in the venue eerily stopped.

The dead silence lasted for about three seconds.

The host took a deep breath, his impassioned voice penetrating the entire venue: "By the unanimous decision of the organizing committee, we award this work—the first 'Jieyou Cup' unique, first prize winner!"

"Its author is—"

"Jiangcheng No. 1 High School, Lin Que!"