She was aware that this contest had been continuously and widely publicized across S City in the past few months.
It was jointly sponsored by Huanyu Global Media, JK Entertainment, and a few of the leading businesses in the city.
Apparently, the winner of this contest not only stood the chance of signing on with the two top entertainment agencies, Huanyu and JK, but was also potentially eligible to become the spokesperson for the businesses sponsoring this event.
That was why the contest had attracted many young women, celebrity wannabes, from across the country.
In fact, even starlets struggling to make a name for themselves in the entertainment industry had signed up, hoping to use the contest to promote themselves and enhance their popularity.
She really had no idea what that little rascal Xiao Yining was scheming.
Many people were already standing in line at Hall 2 of the TV station.
A preliminary round was really nothing more than a standard face-to-face interview.
The objective was to filter out some of the contestants before putting the selected group in a boot camp to train them in etiquette and how to walk the runway.
An Ziqi picked up her registration number and stood quietly in the corridor to wait for her turn.
Near her, a bunch of girls was touching up their makeup and chatting excitedly at the same time.
Touch-up completed, they wiped their hands with wet tissue and casually discarded the used tissue at An Ziqi's feet.
An Ziqi looked at the discarded used tissue on the ground and shrugged her shoulders.
She turned around and picked up a broom and dustpan from a corner of the corridor, intending to sweep the floor.
Suddenly, a foot stepped on the dustpan that she was holding, and a voice filled with sarcasm was heard.
"Oh my! I was wondering who that cleaning lady was. Indeed, it's none other than the belle of our school, the glamorous Miss An!"
Frowning slightly, An Ziqi raised her head and noticed Lin Kelan standing in front of her with arms crossed and face oozing with mockery.
Ever since their schooldays, this woman had been bullying her, always finding ways and means to give her a hard time.
At that time, An Ziqi had been too busy attending school and working part-time so she neither had the time nor the energy to deal with her, avoiding her whenever she could. She certainly had not expected to see her here.
She was here for the preliminary round and did not want any unnecessary trouble.
She tugged at the dustpan with all her might, only to have Lin Kelan step even harder on it, remarking at the top of her voice, "You were already poor and shabby then, but what now? Are you so poor that you can't even put food on the table? That you have to take up a cleaning job?"
Behind her, her lapdog Xia Xiaotong giggled and added, "Look at how shabby she is. What other jobs could she do if not as a cleaning lady?"
"An Ziqi, how about you clean the shoes of everyone here? Then perhaps I might consider giving you some work."
Lin Kelan sneered at her, laughing loudly.
Lips pursed, An Ziqi responded, "Lin Kelan, can you please move your feet? You are too big. My dustpan does not have that much space."
"I refuse to budge. What can you do to me? Try," Lin Kelan declared arrogantly.
Halfway through her statement, Lin Kelan noticed that the people around her were covering their mouths to hide their smiles. It was then that she realized that the darned An Ziqi had insinuated that she was trash.
Instantly, she turned red with rage, "An Ziqi, how dare you insult me?"
"I was just telling it as it is."
Brows raised, An Ziqi looked at her.
"Just wait till I've slapped you till your mouth swells up. Then let's see if you are still so glib-tongued. Xia Xiaotong, hold onto her and don't let her get away," Lin Kelan yelled, her face furrowed in anger.
Xia Xiaotong immediately walked over to hold onto An Ziqi's arms tightly. Lin Kelan raised her hand, intending to slap An Ziqi.
Everyone in the corridor knew perfectly well that Lin Kelan was being the bully, but no one had stepped forward to help. Instead, they just stood by the side to watch the show.
An Ziqi felt conflicted. The fact that she had opted not to stir trouble did not mean that she was scared of them.
Since Lin Kelan was insistent on a fight, she was not going to be a sitting duck waiting to be beaten up.
An Ziqi moved her head suddenly to the side, causing Lin Kelan's slap to land squarely on the cheek of Xia Xiaotong who had been standing behind An Ziqi, holding her still.
Xia Xiaotong went berserk but did not dare take out her rage on Lin Kelan. Instead, she screamed in fury and rushed at An Ziqi.
"What's the racket about? If you do not intend to enter the contest, just get lost now," a voice warned, its tone icy cold.
A tall and elegant man, his excellent physique accentuated by the simple white shirt that he was wearing, had just walked in.
A trace of impatience emanated from his handsome face, a composite of exquisitely sculpted features.
"Wow, it's Director Ye Wuge. Gosh, he's so cute! There had been talks that Director Ye would be one of the judges in this contest. Apparently, it's true."
"I heard that Director Ye is planning a new movie. Do you think that he may be selecting the female lead from this contest?"
"Even if it's not a leading role, just showing up in one of Director Ye's movies as a second, third, fourth lead would be great, too!"
Everyone in the small group of spectators spoke animatedly in muffled voices, their eyes shining brilliantly, reflecting their excitement.