After the two agreed, Li Du found an empty spot beside the stone table and stood ready to speak.
Perhaps because people kept walking by at the beginning, Li Du's delivery wasn't entirely smooth, but his pronunciation was clear.
Then, as time wore on, his speed also picked up. Qiu Xi listened, feeling an inexplicable sense of acceleration.
After listening for about eight to nine minutes, Li Du stopped.
"Xiao Xi, how was it?"
With a dry throat, Li Du asked without even taking a sip of water.
Qiu Xi didn't immediately point out the issues she had noticed. Instead, she asked, "Li Du, were you nervous?"
Li Du was taken aback for a moment before nodding.
He wasn't embarrassed about being seen through, but wasn't it natural to be nervous?
He was standing by the stone path. Although there weren't many people early in the morning, there were still some!
Moreover, those passers-by kept glancing at him, and some, out of interest, even stopped to look longer...
To say he wasn't nervous would be pure nonsense, pretending!
Qiu Xi let out a chuckle, "It's okay, I was just saying."
"Practice more. They are just your audience. Think of them as wildflowers by the roadside, or cabbages at home. When you stand there and speak, don't pay too much attention to them."
"That way, you'll be able to adjust your speed."
Li Du nodded blankly, "Mm."
Wildflowers, cabbages... he didn't know about that, but to achieve that wasn't as simple as Qiu Xi saying it.
He'd been out of school for over ten years, and he still hadn't learned how.
"Anything else?"
This was something he needed to spend more time on. He'd look at other aspects.
Qiu Xi nodded and directly mentioned the other points she had noticed.
One was his gaze, which was too rigid. The way he sought a so-called focus point and then pondered truly wasn't quite right.
It might be acceptable during daily activities, but for the Century Cup, speaking off the cuff like that made him appear rather lifeless.
Another point, which Qiu Xi was still scrutinizing herself, was his tone and the emotions in his words.
It was like when they were children and the teacher called them up to recite. Some spoke plainly, some stammered, essentially just reading machines.
But there were always some who, when they spoke, could resonate with people.
And their current speeches were similar. When people first started, everyone was the same, but over time, they had to figure it out and practice on their own.
"...Mm!"
After Qiu Xi finished speaking, Li Du kept nodding in understanding.
He hadn't realized he was lacking so much until no one was watching.
Indeed, one shouldn't work in isolation!
If he had gone on stage like this, he probably wouldn't have needed the teacher's video. Seeing other people's speeches live would have been enough to make him pack up and leave.
"Alright, if you've taken it all in, I'll begin, okay?"
Qiu Xi saw Li Du jotting down notes instead of speaking, so she reminded him.
"Okay!"
"Xiao Xi, you can start. I'm ready."
Li Du, who had been reflecting on himself, immediately put down his paper and pen after reacting, looking at Qiu Xi.
Compared to him, Qiu Xi was indeed much better.
At least she wasn't nervous!
This was only after Li Du had observed her for a while!
Because this girl showed no reaction to the passing crowds!
It wasn't that she had no reaction; rather, her reaction was that she looked at people and could even smile back...
And as time went on, the crowd wasn't the same as when he was practicing.
There were many more people now, and because of Qiu Xi's face, even more people were watching. Some even detoured to get a longer look...
Li Du truly admired the person standing there steadily.
He felt a bit uneasy just sitting there...
"Hoo~"
After about 10 minutes, as soon as Qiu Xi finished, she picked up her water cup and gulped it down.
Then, putting the cup down, she asked, "How was it?"
"Xiao Xi! I truly admire you!"
"Your psychological quality is absolutely top-notch!"
"Ah!"
Qiu Xi waved her hand, "It's all from practice!"
Li Du nodded, "Mm..."
It seemed he still hadn't practiced enough!
He had to find more time to put in more effort after going back!
Li Du finished his thoughts and snapped back to attention. "Xiao Xi, you're doing great. In any case, you're much better than me!"
"It's just that, as you said, the tone was intermittent. Pursuing rhythm too much might not be good either. It sounded a bit mechanical to me..."
Li Du didn't know how to describe it, but it was just too good, which somehow felt not so good...
Qiu Xi listened with some confusion and thought for a long time.
She didn't notice anyone until Song Daiyao arrived later.