"Why should I feel guilty?" Meng Dandan said coldly, "Did we sign a contract? Even if we did, I'll pay the penalty for breach of contract. What can you do to me?"
"Besides, do you even take me, a reigning Little Heavenly Queen, seriously?"
"If that's the case, you could have refused during the fitting," Su Yingxue said, her face full of anger. She couldn't believe the renowned Little Heavenly Queen was such a person. "Disappearing at the last minute before going on stage and preventing me from competing is utterly despicable."
"You dare call me despicable?" Meng Dandan sneered, "Aren't you the same? Inviting a celebrity like me to this competition is simply using connections to win the grand prize, isn't it? You wish the organizers would just hand the grand prize to you!"
"Don't get your hopes up. The judges have all been taken care of by my side. You're destined to get nothing and become a joke!"
Su Yingxue was both shocked and furious, truly angered by Meng Dandan's shamelessness.
However, they were still on stage, and any excessive actions were naturally inconvenient.
She couldn't help but feel a sense of worry.
Not winning the grand prize would be disappointing but acceptable. But being deliberately suppressed and manipulated was undoubtedly chilling.
As the two exchanged sharp words on stage, the judges' table below was also rife with tension.
"Let me remind you all, you should know what the consequences will be if you go against Young Master Tang's wishes!"
The assistant to that Young Master Tang had taken a seat behind the judges and spoke in a casual, warning tone.
After all, not every judge could be bribed. Out of the thirty judges, there were always a few who didn't want to ruin their reputation and hadn't voiced their agreement.
"There's nothing to discuss. Don't let Su Yingxue win. Unanimously award the seventeenth work the prize!"
"Let's do that!"
"I have no objections!"
As the audience began to stir, the bribed judges expressed their agreement.
"I will award the grand prize to work number ninety-eight!"
Suddenly, a voice rang out. An elder in his sixties slammed his hand on the table, rose, and surveyed the other judges. He said coldly, "My eyes are not blind, nor is my heart black. Since I'm here as a judge, I must uphold my professional integrity. I can't control others, but my vote goes to number ninety-eight!"
"Elder Wang, have you thought this through..."
The secretary's expression changed slightly, and he attempted to threaten.
"One must have principles. Stop with the nonsense. Those who agree with number ninety-eight, please raise your hands." Elder Wang cast a cold glance at the secretary. "Could your Young Master Tang blacklist me from the entire industry?"
The expressions of many judges turned awkward.
Then, a few more people raised their hands.
The total number was around seven or eight.
The secretary, exasperated, said, "Do you know what you're doing? You'll regret offending Young Master Tang!"
It was better that he didn't say anything, but his words caused three or four more judges to frown and raise their hands.
The votes were nearly half.
And it wasn't over yet. Four or five judges, seeing their colleagues raising their hands, slowly also signaled their agreement.
"Some people won't even give them the scraps, so why are we here as judges?" someone said sarcastically.
The assistant was dumbfounded. Hearing this, he realized he had gone a bit too far.
Manipulating the results was not impossible, but going too far could be counterproductive.
After all, this was a legitimate competition with so many spectators. Manipulating the competition so openly would be a significant blow to their reputation.
Furthermore, the judges were all established figures in the industry. Threatening them like this – did they have no regard for their dignity?
"Good!"
Elder Wang's expression softened slightly. "In that case, the Best Design Grand Prize goes to work number ninety-eight!"
"Now, it's the Best Model Award. I also believe it should go to number ninety-eight. Let's vote now!"
There were no further objections this time. The majority of the judges raised their hands in agreement.
The remaining four consolation prizes for Excellent Design were inconsequential, and Meng Dandan would surely take one of them.
Elder Wang, as the chairman of the judging panel, took the microphone and stood up.
The spotlight shone upon him.
"Now, on behalf of the judging panel, I announce the results of the competition!"
The noisy crowd fell silent.
Even Meng Dandan's fans stopped their cheers.
"The recipient of the Era Designer Grand Award is work number ninety-eight, Su Yingxue's 'Glistening Flowing Melody'."
Upon hearing this, the entire venue erupted in an uproar.
Although the fans were amazed by Su Yingxue's work, they found it difficult to accept this outcome.
"The recipient of the Best Model Award for this fashion design competition is model number ninety-eight, Su Yingxue!"
"The recipients of the Excellent Design Award are work number seventeen, Liang Xiaotong's 'Colorful Radiant Dance', work number eight, Bai Xiaohua's..."
After all the awards were announced, waves of sound washed over the hall.
Most of Meng Dandan's fans were extremely dissatisfied. With their fan bias, though they found Su Yingxue's work beautiful and excellent, they believed it should have been ranked below Meng Dandan's.
However, the results were not what they had expected.
In the front row of the audience, Chen Fan looked surprised.
He had expected the results to be manipulated, but he hadn't anticipated that fairness would ultimately prevail.
Had he been overthinking it?
But if that were the case, the judges shouldn't have been discussing for so long.
"Congratulations to number ninety-eight, congratulations to Su Yingxue!"
The host on stage quickly tried to regain control, shouting, "This result is truly well-deserved! Now, please welcome our presenters to the stage to award the prizes. Mr. Jiang Tiansheng, President of Huancai Apparel, and Mr. Yu Fu, Editor-in-Chief of Fashion Pioneer..."
Chen Fan glanced at Jiang Tiansheng, surprised that he was also a presenter.
As the chairman of Shenshi, he certainly had the qualifications.
Jiang Tiansheng smiled apologetically at Chen Fan and said, "Mr. Chen, I'm going up now!"
Chen Fan nodded.
Jiang Tiansheng strode onto the stage.
The staff brought out the trophies and certificates, exuding festivity and solemnity.
Of course, this was if one ignored the disgruntled murmurs from Meng Dandan's fans.
The models who did not win awards descended from the stage. Meng Dandan stood frozen, her face ashen, and glared fiercely at Tang Ruolin backstage.
She had thought that by aligning herself with the influential Young Master Tang, the Best Model Award was hers. But something she considered a sure thing had changed?
This award wasn't particularly prestigious, and she had won countless such awards when she was a model.
But this time was different. As a celebrated Little Heavenly Queen participating in such a show, not winning an award would be a disgrace.
Moreover, she had just boasted to Su Yingxue that the grand prize was hers, only to be slapped in the face.
Her face burned with shame, and her eyes seemed to shoot fire.
Su Yingxue didn't gloat, but the excitement and joy in her heart were undeniable.
All her efforts and hard work had yielded an excellent reward.
In the backstage waiting area, Tang Ruolin's face was contorted with fury and disbelief.
Those damned judges actually dared to defy him?
He had made promises to Meng Dandan, and now he was being publicly embarrassed.
Looking at Meng Dandan's icy gaze, his own face felt hot.
Furthermore, he hadn't even "gotten his hands" on this Little Heavenly Queen yet. If this all fell apart, how would the great Young Master Tang maintain his standing in the future?
Seeing the presenters begin to take the stage, he frantically sought a way to salvage the situation.
The clamor and dissatisfaction of the fans served as a reminder. He grabbed the bodyguard behind him and said, "You go to the audience immediately and start heckling, questioning the foul play, creating chaos, and disrupt the award ceremony for me!"
A cold glint flashed in his eyes.
If they wouldn't play by his rules, he, Young Master Tang, would simply flip the table!