“Everyone, we’ve kept you waiting!!!”
“The results of tonight’s event are in my hands. Now, I will announce the top three winners in order.”
The audience in the seats all craned their necks in anticipation.
Especially the students from the Music, Sports, Construction, and Management colleges.
In the past, the Management college wasn’t part of this lineup.
But tonight, they felt that Fang Tian’s song could compete with the rest of them.
What if they somehow snagged third place?
Backstage, Cheng Yi and the rest of the staff were no longer concerned about this.
For them, simply finishing the event successfully was good enough.
After all, they wouldn't be in last place.
As for whether they could win the top three, they hadn’t even thought about it.
The host began to announce the results:
“First, we have the third-place winner of the evening.”
“Third place goes to the Sports College with their performance ‘Youth in Motion’! A total of 3973 people participated in the vote, with the Sports College receiving 1254 votes!”
“Roar! —!!!”
A cheer erupted from the audience.
It wasn’t coming from the Sports College, but from the Construction College.
Every year, it had always been the Music College taking the top spot, with Construction and Sports vying for second.
“Next up is the second-place winner, the Music College with ‘Enjoyment in All Directions,’ receiving 1652 votes!”
The host didn’t give the audience a chance to breathe before announcing the second-place winner.
But it wasn’t the Construction College, it was the Music College.
Both colleges were stunned!
The Construction College thought, “Could we have won first? That’s impossible!”
The Music College thought, “Could we have not won first? That’s impossible!”
Only a small group of people from the Management College reacted.
Could we be first?
That was absolutely impossible!
So, a bizarre scene unfolded on the stage, everyone exchanging puzzled glances, completely silent.
The host took a deep breath and announced in a loud voice:
“And finally, the champion of the evening, receiving a total of 2975 votes!”
A wave of discussion instantly swept across the stage.
In the Sports College’s section:
“Holy crap, almost 3,000 votes? Could it be the Construction College? No way!”
“Who did you vote for?”
“Our college, and Management. I thought Fang Tian’s performance was really good.”
In the Music College’s section:
“Who did you guys vote for?”
“Our college, and Management.”
“This…”
The host on stage shouted:
“First place goes to Management College’s Senior Fang Tian with his performance, ‘The Wind Rises’!”
“Roar! —!!!”
The Management College’s students went wild, their sense of collective honor reaching a fever pitch.
“Management! Management!!!”
“Fang Tian! Fang Tian!!!”
They chanted, their voices echoing through the night. They hadn’t felt this good in years!
Chen Da Hai excitedly rubbed his hands together: “Oh look at that, oh my, first place, oh my.”
The dean, Li Hong Yuan, was calm and collected: “Unexpected, yet predictable, hahaha.”
Backstage.
Cheng Yi heard the news of the Management College’s victory and shouted:
“What? We’re first? I… ”
Zhang Ruo Nan’s eyes widened in astonishment, her gaze fixed on Fang Tian, as if she could see through his face.
In truth, the Management College winning first place was the result of a confluence of factors.
First, Fang Tian was the last performer.
Both the song and the MV left a deep impression on the audience.
Second, the other colleges thought the Management College’s performance was good, but they didn’t expect them to win first place.
So, when voting, they didn’t guard against the Management College.
This resulted in the Management College receiving almost 3,000 votes.
Amidst the cheers, the host announced:
“Please invite the leaders of our champion college to come up on stage and address the audience.”
This was an old tradition.
Li Hong Yuan straightened his collar.
He stepped onto the stage, under the gaze of the other deans, some envious, some impressed.
The host politely handed him the microphone.
“Ahem.”
Li Hong Yuan beamed, clearing his throat with a cough.
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