After Being Blackened All Over the Internet, I Ruled the Military Variety Shows
Chapter 273: Cat Goose War

Chapter 273: Chapter 273: Cat Goose War

"Yes."

Even after exiting the elevator, Mr. Shi could still feel those two words echoing in his ears.

He was so shocked and wanted to vent but had no idea who to turn to.

Lu Zhengzheng, on the other hand, felt much more at ease. She had confirmed the identity and realized she had directly delivered Sister Xixi’s work to the program’s special judge. Thus, while still in the elevator, she presented the painting with both hands, completing her mission.

After the elevator arrived, she didn’t exit, "Mr. Shi, Sister Xixi is still waiting for me, so I’ll head back first."

Mr. Shi raised his eyes and couldn’t help but glance again at the roll of rice paper already in his wife’s hands, then waved her off wearily, "Go ahead, be careful on the way."

The television station staff member who escorted Lu Zhengzheng upstairs didn’t expect that this little girl, who was just helping to deliver a submission, actually knew the famous Mr. Shi. After the dignitaries exited the elevator, she who had been standing silently in the corner, suddenly became much more enthusiastic when looking at Lu Zhengzheng and recalled her registration at the front desk, beaming as she spoke, "Miss Lu, you probably haven’t eaten yet, right? I was just about to head to the second-floor cafeteria for a meal, why don’t you join me for a quick bite?"

"No need," Lu Zhengzheng declined with a smile, "Thanks for the kind offer, but I’m in a hurry to get back."

Even though she was nervous earlier, she clearly saw that this person’s enthusiasm surged only after realizing her connection with Mr. Shi.

But she knew in her heart that Mr. Shi spoke kindly to her not because of her, Lu Zhengzheng, but out of respect for Sister Xixi.

"Alright then."

On the other side.

Returning to the room where the artwork was placed, Li Wanxuan looked at the unopened piece in her hands and frowned slightly.

The more people who register, the more talents there are in the calligraphy and painting world, which naturally pleased her.

But she was also worried that the owner of this piece before her had tasted the benefits from the previous Chess Chapter and was participating in this Calligraphy and Painting Chapter without considering the consequences.

If, just if, this work is unsatisfactory, with Mr. Shi right beside her, it could be rather awkward.

Compared to Li Wanxuan’s delicate considerations, Mr. Shi wasn’t thinking that far ahead.

Seeing his wife placing the painting on the table, he reached out to help unfold it.

As soon as he touched it, a familiar hand stopped him.

"Old Shi."

Recognizing the heaviness in his wife’s voice, he looked up to meet a somewhat grave face.

"What’s the matter?"

"I am not good at chess, but this Miss Jiang you invited into the Chess Association must have a decent level. Yet, she’s so young, and her main profession is acting. Mastering chess must already consume so much of her time, but she is also involved in calligraphy and painting. I’m afraid she’s only participating in this Painting Chapter because she reaped benefits from the previous episode."

Upon hearing his wife’s analysis, Mr. Shi didn’t hesitate to shake his head, "young friend Jiang isn’t that kind of person!"

Seeing his wife about to speak again, he quickly interjected, "Let’s view the work first, view the work first."

Unable to hold back, Li Wanxuan rolled her eyes at him, thinking if you’re not afraid of being disappointed after seeing it, then I’m even less so. She released her hand, allowing Mr. Shi to unfurl the painting.

With limited resources at the production team, Jiang Lingxi completed this painting using only black and vermilion ink.

As the not-so-large rice paper was gradually unfurled, what greeted their eyes was a black cat seemingly leaping off the paper and a big white goose with wings poised to charge.

The black cat was agile, with its front paw claws glistening; one could even see it was slightly bristled, eyes narrowed into a sharp line, vigilant yet ready to spring.

The white goose was fierce, leveraging its larger size, it stretched its neck to assume a fully offensive posture, with a touch of vermilion used only on its head, red as if dripping blood, perfecting the finishing touch.

Mr. Shi couldn’t help but hold his breath; he couldn’t offer the professional critique on techniques like his wife and the other two judges, but he could only wonder, "I really want to know whether the cat or the goose won in the end!"

Li Wanxuan couldn’t help but take a deep breath, tearing her gaze away from the blood-red, anger-conveying top, and flipped the rice paper over to see the artist’s name and the title of the work noted in marker in the corner. With a slight twitch of her mouth, she lifted her eyes to look at the other two judges who had also drawn near at some point, "This work should be selected, what’s your opinion?"

The two exchanged glances, somewhat at a loss.

They agreed with this opinion; sometimes, the simpler the painting, the more skill it reveals.

The piece before them, with just black and white spacing, used only a few strokes to vividly depict the fight between the two animals.

It would be hard to argue against its selection.

"But... if this is selected, we’d have no slots left, having used up all five available."

There were still over twenty digital versions yet to be reviewed.

"If we decide to keep this one, then should we remove one from the original four selected?"

Mr. Li only considers the quality of the painting, they remembered this from the morning when they had discreetly guarded the slots, intending to reserve one for one of the twenty digital versions, but who would have thought there would be unexpected results.

Looking at the two temporary colleagues in front of her, eager to please while waiting for her decision, Li Wanxuan contemplated briefly before decisively shaking her head, "The general director can break the rules and cast a star on the program, why can’t I give an extra slot?"

The pair: "..."

They simultaneously wiped the sweat off their foreheads and nodded in agreement, "Not excessive."

The key is, they didn’t dare say it was excessive!

Digital works, even with original camera shots, often lose some authenticity.

They simply couldn’t compare to those sent directly.

But some candidates were too far away, and rather than having their works still in transit post-deadline, sending digital versions was safer.

To counteract this disadvantage, some people became quite inventive, uploading not only images but also sped-up clips of their painting process, aiming to leave a stronger impression on the judges.

Li Wanxuan, watching nothing slip through her scrutiny, instructed her colleague with the remote, "Next."

The colleague pressed the page-turn button, and couldn’t help quietly reminding, "Just one left."

Could it be none of these twenty-odd entries would be selected?

Just as he finished warning, he immediately heard a different command, "Enlarge the image!"

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