The evening came, and as Qiu Xi was tidying up and preparing to read a bit longer, she received a call from her master.
“Master, why are you calling at this hour?” Qiu Xi asked, puzzled.
“Mm, it’s about your Century Cup finals. Old Ding told me about it.”
Qiu Xi thought for a moment. “Is it about the changes to the rules and schedule?”
“Mm, it’s about that.”
“We chatted this afternoon, so I’m calling to let you know.”
“Master, please go ahead.”
Hearing this, Qiu Xi was already very curious.
“Just a few words, it’s not a big deal for you,” Du Bin said, full of confidence in his young disciple’s abilities.
“Essentially, these changes won’t make much of a difference for you.”
“After all, your skills are already there, and they won’t improve overnight, so you don’t need to worry too much about it.”
“Besides, I’ve looked at the schedule. The second round is normal, and the third round can be prepared for in advance. Just relax.”
Du Bin’s call was honestly just to reassure Qiu Xi and tell her to compete normally.
After all, she had been preparing for several months and possessed the necessary skills; she just shouldn’t overthink it.
Moreover, if his guess was correct, the judges wouldn’t be too harsh and would focus on observation.
For instance, they could watch enough in the first round and then provide a conclusion in the third round; that would be that.
As for anything else, it wasn’t important.
“How is it? Did you understand?”
Although Qiu Xi found the information her master provided a bit strange when pieced together, she didn’t suspect anything else.
“Master, I understand.”
“I’m not nervous. I’ve already started preparing for the third round this afternoon, so don’t worry.”
Du Bin’s hearty laughter immediately came through, “Good! Then Master won’t say any more. We’ll tell you the specifics when you get back. Just do your best now!”
Qiu Xi didn’t think further. “Okay, Master, goodbye.”
“Mm, goodbye.”
Du Bin, feeling quite relieved, never imagined that one day he would have to compete with others for his own beloved disciple!
Meanwhile, in the hotel, after Qiu Xi hung up, she smiled, put her phone aside, and continued to review her materials.
Yu Xinxin, sitting beside her, looked at Qiu Xi several times before finally lowering her head.
The next day, the two teachers messaged them early in the morning, informing them that they would be going to the competition venue today and asking them to pack and get ready to leave.
“Teacher, how long will we be staying there?” Yu Xinxin asked, looking at the scenery flashing by outside the window. She was still a bit preoccupied with her unfinished manuscripts, feeling a bit down.
“Child, don’t be nervous. It won’t take long. You’re just going to get familiar with the place. We estimate you can be back at the hotel in the afternoon,” Teacher Zhang said, looking at his worried student with a very gentle tone, trying his best to soothe her emotions.
“Okay, thank you, Teacher.”
Receiving a definite answer, Yu Xinxin did feel a sense of relief.
Then she glanced at the silent Qiu Xi beside her and also quieted down.
As for Qiu Xi herself, she was feeling quite relaxed and pleased, completely treating herself as if she were sightseeing.
Quiet moments always pass quickly.
Upon arriving at the destination, Qiu Xi and the others discovered that the venue was truly crowded. One person would say something, another would chime in, and many more students were chattering behind them.
Honestly, the entire venue felt a bit like a marketplace for a moment.
As Qiu Xi walked in, she frowned.
It was too noisy!
Listening carefully, everyone was complaining about the new rules… It seemed they hadn’t complained enough yesterday, and now that they saw people, they started grumbling.
This indicated that the significant changes had indeed left everyone confused and full of complaints.
She could somewhat understand…
After all, these few people hadn’t been much better on the train yesterday; if no one had complained, they probably would have been grumbling the whole way.
After getting accustomed to the environment, Qiu Xi and Yu Xinxin, following the two teachers, walked around most of the area and finally found their designated “spot.”
This was the waiting area, small cubicles temporarily erected in a vast open space. At first glance, it looked a bit like exhibition booth setups, just much smaller.
The cubicles were about a meter apart from each other. While this might not seem like a lot outdoors, here, it did appear to create a certain distance.
She just wondered what this was for…
As they were casually observing, someone walked over from the side.