"Speak up, let me hear what plans you old fellows have."
You've been so secretive for so long, and now you've come all the way over here early in the morning.
I wonder what this old man is up to.
"I inquired yesterday, and there's no problem with Xiao Xi participating in the preliminary round of the Century Cup."
"..."
Du Bin tilted his head, with a hint of the disdain of an elder, "Do I need you to inquire about that? My disciple and I already knew."
In reality, they only found out yesterday...
And he was the one who called to urge them.
Ding Yujing paused, "I'm not going to argue with you about this."
"We need to focus on preparing properly for the Century Cup."
He knew this little Du head well enough! It was best to ignore him.
Besides, compared to bickering, he was more concerned about how far this young girl could go under their tutelage.
Du Bin: "..."
So boring!
"You say it, you say it."
"Alright! Since Xiao Xi is here too, let's all listen together."
"Okay."
Qiu Xi, who had been quietly watching the scene unfold from the side, immediately sat up straighter and smoothed her clothes upon hearing her name.
"Let's start with the basics and introduce the Century Cup."
"The Century Cup usually begins in September, but this is just a preliminary selection, and the difficulty is generally moderate."
"Then, in November, the advancement rounds will commence simultaneously in the four major regions: East, South, West, and North."
"The finals will be held by next March, with rotating exhibitions in several key cities across the country, and a final comprehensive ranking based on scores."
"And while this competition offers some basic rewards, what people are most interested in is which participants secure their tickets to the international English speech competition through the Century Cup."
"As for the rumored exchange student programs and study tours, they do exist, but those are arrangements made by the individual schools that have quotas."
Having spoken so much in one go, Ding Yujing felt his throat dry and poured himself a glass of water.
.
While drinking, he glanced at Qiu Xi beside him, "Xiao Xi, have you understood all of this?"
Qiu Xi nodded, "Mmm, I understand."
She had already asked Old Yan about it before, along with Li Du, but she hadn't felt comfortable asking for too many details afterward.
However, now she understood everything.
"Alright, then I'll continue."
"Next, I'll discuss the basic content of this competition with you."
"Speech competitions generally follow a similar pattern, and the Century Cup is no exception. It's divided into two parts: prepared speeches and impromptu speeches."
"However, the difference here is that the depth of thought required is significantly broader than in other competitions."
"We've been researching it for a long time, and since its inception, the standards have never been lowered. The prepared speeches always align with positive social energy and ambition, which sets a high bar for many."
"Because if your thinking is limited to superficial empty words, then you are destined to be eliminated from the start."
"And even if you meet the entry requirements, if your expressive ability is lacking, it's still futile. So, everything is based on fundamentals, and you also need your own insights, and it must be a well-reasoned self-expression, not those so-called empty platitudes that sound eloquent but actually reveal no depth of thought."
"As for the impromptu portion, it's the complete opposite of the prepared speeches, but the requirements are only higher."
"If prepared speeches are about reality, then impromptu speeches are about ideals. The impromptu topics are very poetic and cover a wide range, requiring the speaker to articulate the topic based entirely on their own experiences, insights, and accumulated knowledge."
"Typically, the topics are famous quotes from renowned figures, ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, or well-known phrases from major literary works. Therefore, if your knowledge is insufficient and your exposure is limited, you might not even understand the intended meaning of the topic, let alone be able to elaborate on it."
"Although it's difficult, this is also where a contestant's wit is most tested, so you young lady needs to put in the effort."
"Having said so much, these are the more important aspects of this competition."
"Okay, Teacher Ding, let me digest this."
Qiu Xi was overwhelmed with so much information and needed time to take notes.
"It's alright, no rush. If you have any questions later, you can ask me or your master."
After all, he knew the content wasn't the key; the ability to execute it was.
So, this young girl still had a lot of practicing to do.
Qiu Xi nodded, "Okay."
She worried that her limited exposure would mean she'd be like what Teacher Ding described, knowing nothing when asked, rendering her good spoken English useless and embarrassing.
"Fine, I'll have your master give you last year's topics later, along with some alternative ones we've researched ourselves."
"There's quite a lot of content, but if you spend more time on it, it shouldn't be a problem."
"We're aiming for qualification from the start, so we're not dividing it by stages; we're directly aiming for the highest level. It's okay if it's difficult at first; just persevere."
Qiu Xi was touched, "Okay, thank you, Teacher Ding."
Ding Yujing's gaze swept over her, a little displeased that the young girl was still being so polite with him!
"No trouble at all. As long as you make me a few more delicious meals in return."
Qiu Xi instantly broke her composure and chuckled, "Pfft~"
She replied with a smile, "Sure! When I have time, I'll bring Grandma Ge along and cook for everyone."
Ding Yujing nodded with satisfaction, "There, that's more like it!"
"..."
Du Bin appeared to be watching calmly from the side, but his eyes were fixed on Old Ding.
That darn old man!
He just couldn't stop thinking about his own sweet little disciple!
Fortunately, he hadn't taken in a sullen boy like him back then, otherwise, how could he have met such a wonderful young girl!
"Old Du, are you listening to us?"
Ding Yujing saw the old fellow staring at him blankly and knew what he was thinking.
But he felt he had earned it all through his own merits and wasn't ashamed at all, secretly smiling inside!
He just hadn't expected this old fellow to still be able to take in such an intelligent young disciple at his age; it was truly enviable!
Could this be a case of fools having good fortune?
"I heard!"
"It's just that small matter of yours, you can give it to me later, I won't forget."
"Alright."
"It's fine if you forget, anyway, I'm planning to stay here with you for a while."
"..."
"No, what about Ge Jiaojie? Are you leaving your wife alone at home?"
Ding Yujing's old face broke into a beaming smile, "Oh! I forgot to mention, she's also come over. She's out chatting with Ming Lan right now."
"..."
You old trickster!
Du Bin was so angry he didn't know what to say, his mind suddenly filled with recent advancements in modern slang.
He was quite happy to complain!
But then he thought about the relationship between his own wife and her "Jiao Jie" (older sister/friend), and he immediately deflated.
This matter probably had no suspense...