Chapter 759 - 757: The Competition Begins
"Yes, yes, okay."
With Chen Tianlong’s encouragement, Shen Yan stepped onto the stage brimming with confidence. On the right side of the stage, there was already a podium set up, and Shen Yan stood to the left of it. She smiled gently and said, "City leaders, esteemed guests, school leaders, colleagues, and all students, good morning."
"Clap clap clap..."
Amidst the enthusiastic applause, many of Shen Yan’s fans were shouting things like "I love you, Teacher Shen," and "Teacher, you’re so beautiful." However, the school had instructed everyone beforehand not to shout loudly during the competition.
So, they only called out in their usual voices a few times.
At that moment, people from all walks of life and city leaders looked at the young and vibrant host on stage, feeling a sense of pleasure, and applauded as well.
Some of the female teachers in the audience felt a touch of envy, others were jealous.
But none of this mattered to Shen Yan. She didn’t care what others thought of her. The person she cared about most was behind her, cheering her on, and that was enough.
"On behalf of South Sea High School, I hereby announce that the first World High School Martial Arts Touring Competition of South Sea No.1 Middle School, 2015, is officially beginning!"
Shen Yan finally said the critical words, but no one knew how nervous she was before she said them.
The courage Chen Tianlong gave her was mostly used up in her initial speech, and amidst the applause, she struggled countless times before finally overcoming everything to say those words.
She suddenly realized that it was all so simple, that her past anxiety was just her own fear of saying the wrong thing under pressure. Now, Shen Yan felt incredibly relieved; she was no longer afraid to face the gaze of thousands.
Originally, Chen Tianlong was also nervous. He knew well that Shen Yan was a very shy and somewhat timid girl, blushing several times whenever they were together.
So it showed that she would definitely be nervous facing the crowd, but after she said those two sentences, Chen Tianlong felt relieved.
"Woah woah woah..."
The crowd erupted, mixed with applause.
"Goddess, Goddess..."
The next moment, someone said it from somewhere, and almost everyone started chanting along. It was obvious how many people found Shen Yan’s beauty flawless.
Shen Yan turned beet red when everyone called her a goddess.
But this shy expression made her even more endearing because it was not something that could be faked.
This natural shyness added infinite beauty to Shen Yan, and in an instant, she became the darling of the school, the goddess among students.
Even in the eyes of people from all walks of life and the city government, she was a beautiful teacher. No doubt, she would become the headline of all kinds of news in South Sea City the next day.
"Thank you!" Shen Yan bowed deeply, causing the audience to become a bit unruly, continuously shouting "Goddess."
The principal, Situ Feng, furrowed his brows, somewhat worried, but at that moment, Shen Yan spoke up, "Students, leaders, colleagues, please settle down. I’ve felt your enthusiasm. Please give me a moment to announce the next set of competition rules, okay?"
As soon as Shen Yan finished speaking, the audience immediately quieted down, as if controlled by a button, stopping in unison at the press of a button.
This kind of crowd control ability is not something an ordinary person possesses, yet this naturally beautiful and talented girl could accomplish it.
Seeing the crowd quiet down, Shen Yan felt a sigh of relief, then smiled slightly and said, "Now, here are the rules for this martial arts competition. Please, all participants, as well as challengers, judges, etc., pay attention and listen carefully. Any violations or actions against the rules will result in disqualification."
Taking a breath, Shen Yan continued, "Our competition format is that South Sea high school students who have signed up can freely draw lots to challenge anyone. Losers are directly eliminated. If the third-place contestant is defeated, the winner rests for ten minutes before continuing to battle the second-place individual, and so on. The ultimate victor will be the champion. Okay, I’m done, thank you all."
"Clap clap clap..."
Another round of enthusiastic applause ensued, lasting for a full minute. Then Shen Yan, somewhat reluctant, said, "Alright, my hosting ends here. Next, let’s welcome the referee who will also serve as the halftime host. See you at the end of the competition!"
"Don’t go, Goddess!"
"Goddess, Goddess..."
The enthusiasm made the atmosphere much more harmonious, but as Shen Yan was leaving, the audience indeed felt a bit reluctant. However, the competition had to progress, and they couldn’t have Shen Yan just staying to chat forever.
After Shen Yan left, Chen Tianlong was waiting at the exit watching her; when they met, they nodded deeply, and Chen Tianlong smiled slightly and said, "Teacher, you were amazing!"
"Thank you!"
Shen Yan had never felt such a sense of honor and superiority before, particularly after such a compliment from Chen Tianlong, hence while blushing, she retreated behind the contestants, sat down on a chair, and took a sip of water to rest.
In fact, Shen Yan could have stayed at the stage to watch, but she was really too nervous when she came on stage earlier, and now still felt a lingering fear.
Shen Yan didn’t quite understand what she was feeling earlier, just that she had been tense the whole time.
But now thinking it over, it didn’t seem so frightening, realizing she could do just as well, recalling so many people calling her a goddess, she realized just how popular she was.
Little did she know, some of her female colleagues in the audience were already turning purple with jealousy.
Furthermore, two others were stunned: Lao Guoqiang and Hao Ren. They had teased Shen Yan that morning, only to realize now how awesome she really was, causing them a bit of frustration.
Luckily, Shen Yan didn’t cause trouble for them, or else they might have been dragged to the academic office for harassing a teacher.
At the very least, that would have been a serious demerit.
After Shen Yan stepped down, a referee took the stage. This referee was not just anyone but sent by the city government, designated by the National Justice Department to officiate the competition fairly.
This person’s authority was not something anyone could interfere with.
Therefore, this competition was destined to be very fair, and Chen Tianlong need not worry about the three foreigners bribing the referee with so many top city government leaders present, as well as the clear-eyed public.
If he acted as biased referee, it would definitely cause public outrage, and if the government leaders saw it on the spot, no matter how powerful you are, can you be more powerful than national law?
"Good morning, everyone. I am the referee and halftime host for this competition." Referee Zhang Jie said solemnly to the audience.
"Clap clap clap..."
The audience erupted in applause, but it seemed it couldn’t surpass Shen Yan’s earlier popularity. Zhang Jie realized this as well, but as a referee, such things weren’t that important.