The Foreign Languages College teaching building, conference room.
Just two days after the start of the semester, Qiu Xi and the others were called to the office building by Old Yan for a meeting.
Qiu Xi guessed this matter must be quite significant, otherwise, Old Yan wouldn't have been so anxious.
"Old Yan, we're all here, you can tell us what's going on."
It wasn't right for them to just sit there, so they should resolve it quickly and go back to prepare for their previews.
Their elective classes for this semester started tomorrow, and coincidentally, French was in the morning and Japanese in the afternoon, which suited Qiu Xi's wishes perfectly.
Since she could handle it, she might as well spend more time learning.
"Mm, this is quite a big deal, which is why I called you few here at this time."
"?"
After hearing Old Yan's闷沉 (mènchén -闷沉: dull, heavy, depressed) opening, the few of them were a bit confused.
"Old Yan, hurry up and get to the point!"
Zhang Shu, whose mood was fluctuating, was impatient. Before Yan Baitao could finish speaking, she urged him to get to the main point.
"..."
Yan Baitao was so annoyed, he thought his students were specifically there to anger him!
He usually maintained a proper demeanor, so why were these few so unreliable?
"Alright, alright! I'll talk!"
"It's about this competition. The organizing committee has set a limit on the number of participating groups. It's been reduced from unlimited entries last year to only two teams per school being allowed to participate in the preliminary rounds this year."
Although the organizing committee changing rules was a common occurrence, and they had been changing them year after year in previous years, this significant change this year had indeed exceeded their teaching research group's expectations. Thus, after receiving the news just before the semester began, they discussed it among themselves.
In the end, they decided to ask these few talented sophomores who had won the championship last year.
The juniors and seniors were either doing internships or preparing their graduation theses, and after being asked, they all said they weren't planning to sign up.
In fact, they had participated every year for the past two years, and each time it was in vain. Since the rules had been changed this year, they decided to focus more on other things.
"What do the teachers think then?"
Since Old Yan was calling them for a meeting now, Qiu Xi guessed that the teachers had some ideas.
Yan Baitao nodded, "Mm."
The teachers did indeed have some thoughts.
Some wanted to form a new team, while others wanted to play it safe and let the original lineup compete.
In short, everyone had their own opinions. However, in the end, he managed to squeeze out some time and decided to talk to these students first.
After all, whether to participate or not still required the students' agreement, and they also needed to have the ability.
"The teachers do have some ideas, but I've suppressed them all. I decided to ask you few kids first."
"Old Yan..."
"Teacher Yan, coincidentally, I also have something to say."
Qiu Xi was about to say that she might not participate anymore. After all, she had already won the championship once, and she was quite busy this semester.
She personally had no problem with it, as her previous accumulation wasn't useless, not to mention her eidetic memory.
However, this was something that required teamwork, and it would definitely necessitate frequent practice together.
Before she could even say anything, someone else cut her off.
"Li Du, what do you have to say, just say it directly."
Yan Baitao was a bit confused by Li Du suddenly saying he had something to say.
"I've decided to register for the upcoming speech competition. Since this debate competition has this rule, I'll give the opportunity to the junior students. I can also prepare well for this speech competition."
When he registered earlier, he thought he could juggle both. Now, he realized it wasn't feasible.
"The 'Foreign Languages Cup'?"
This was the only competition happening recently.
Li Du nodded, "Yes."
"Why the sudden change in decision?"
This was unexpected for him; he hadn't even considered it.
"Mm... I want to use it as a warm-up for the 'Century Cup' in the latter half of the year."
Li Du scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Although it was difficult, he still wanted to give it a try.
"Is it the 'Century Cup', which has been designated as the selection competition for the International Speech Competition?"
Qiu Xi was a bit taken aback when she heard this and immediately asked.
"Mm."
Upon hearing this answer, Qiu Xi immediately confirmed it.
The teacher had told her before that her experience since enrolling was quite good, but it lacked a "gilding."
She had talked about it with her then, and later she had specifically looked into it.
However, she hadn't heard any mention of it at school and had intended to ask the teacher about it upon her return.
Unexpectedly, she heard about it first from Li Du.
"You're quite ambitious."
Yan Baitao sighed with a touch of admiration upon hearing this.
The school did have recommendation slots for this competition, but they generally prioritized third-year students.
It was held only once a year, and considering the students who had just enrolled and hadn't yet accumulated enough experience, the school had made a comprehensive decision and set this rule.
"Originally, I was going to tell you about this at the end of this semester, but since it's been brought up, there's no harm in telling you a few things now..."
As he spoke, Yan Baitao briefly explained the competition to them.
"As expected, it's the battleground for selecting participants for the International Speech Competition!"
At that time, the teacher had told her that those who could participate in the International Speech Competition were usually selected from the 'Century Cup.'
She hadn't felt anything then, but now, hearing Old Yan explain it, it was indeed a little exciting.
"Alright, with your skill level, it shouldn't be a problem for you to secure a spot for the 'Century Cup'."
Yan Baitao was extremely confident in this student. It wasn't just about the certificates he had won in the past two years; his achievements were also quite outstanding.
Qiu Xi smiled sheepishly, "Heh heh~"
"However, although the school has slots, they still need to be selected. You still need to work hard!"
These slots couldn't be given away casually, so the school had specifically organized a selection competition for it.
"Understood!"
The few of them listened and nodded.
Giving a slot out of nowhere would likely cause discontent among everyone, so a fair competition was more practical.
"Alright, I've rambled on too much. Let's get back to the main topic."
Seeing that Qiu Xi and Li Du were already starting to envision their success, Yan Baitao felt a bit of a headache.
"Alright, Old Yan, you continue!"
Zhang Shu and Ning Feiyu didn't have many thoughts on this, as they didn't seem to have much talent in this area.
"If that's the case, then Li Du won't be participating. What about you three, what are your thoughts?"
"Old Yan, I..."
"You can't! I have ideas."
Seeing Qiu Xi about to refuse, Yan Baitao directly blocked her way.
"..."
Then why ask her...
Isn't that just asking for the sake of it...
"Old Yan, why don't you tell us your thoughts first?"
Looking at Old Yan, the other two became a little uneasy.
"Ahem!"
"This time, I plan to have Qiu Xi lead a team of freshmen. You two will be part of it too, how about it?"
After all, this was the last chance for these few. He still had a bit of personal intention.
"Old Yan! Can we do it?"
Zhang Shu was a little excited.
Although it was comfortable to win effortlessly by following Qiu Xi, she also wanted to train herself more.
So, when she heard the teacher's words, she was truly excited.
Even Ning Feiyu beside her felt the same.
"Of course, as long as you have the intention."
"We definitely do!"
"Qiu Xi, what about you?"
"I..."
I wanted to refuse...