When the competition started, Li Weijie, who was a judge for the first time, kept thinking about how to naturally and gracefully present himself later. The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't help but feel a slightly excited nervousness.
The other judges had a good impression of Li Weijie from yesterday, seeing him in this state, they couldn't help but think of their past and comforted him a few times. Experienced judge Luo Xuan even gave him some tips.
To be honest, Li Weijie's nervousness contained a great deal of excitement and excitement as if he had suddenly changed from a candidate to an invigilator, eager to experience what it feels like.
Unlike the lively atmosphere of TV talent shows, this competition was not an international top-level event, so it was relatively quiet.
Even now, in the preliminary round, there was not a single journalist attracted, and there were only dozens of people in the audience area.
Apart from some industry enthusiasts who came to visit and some salon owners looking for talent, the rest were friends who came to cheer and support the contestants.
(To avoid influencing the performance of the contestants who haven't performed yet, those who haven't taken their turn temporarily cannot participate in watching the competition.)
(Author's note: Everything about the hairdressing competition in this article is purely fictional. Informed readers, please do not compare it to reality.)
As a former contestant, Li Weijie didn't pay much attention to the audience before.
Now, as a more prominent judge, he realized that even a small number of audience members added pressure on him.
But his pressure and nervousness flew away as soon as the first group of contestants officially took the stage!
Seeing five confident contestants entering the competition area, Li Weijie suddenly became radiant, as if it was himself standing in the center as if he had re-entered the competition!
Although he was a newbie as a judge, he was an old hand as a contestant, who was already accustomed to calmly advancing against any judge.
Naturally, he had no stage fright.
Now that Li Weijie immersed himself in that state, he immediately became full of confidence and his mind became clear.
After all, he thought, being a judge was nothing more than that. His gaze began to scan over the five contestants and their respective models.
In this kind of competition, it was generally real models that were used to better showcase the hairstyling.
The organizers would also hire good professional hair models for the contestants to choose from.
Of course, for better performance, the preliminary round allowed contestants to collaborate with their familiar partners, but in the final round, models provided by the organizers must be used to demonstrate the contestants' ultimate abilities.
Li Weijie used to participate in various competitions, and one important reason was that he had the opportunity to work on real models' hair, as he didn't have any partners himself and no one was willing to be his model without charge.
Of course, he didn't have the money to hire models either.
Speaking of which, he now realized that he and his ex-girlfriend Xiao Lan were not suitable for each other in many ways, such as her unwillingness to support him or be his free model.
This was something he hadn't paid attention to before.
But now, objectively speaking, a girlfriend who doesn't support her boyfriend is not suitable.
Although according to the rules, the morning session was a three-hour competition, if you consider the starting and finishing time for various procedures, the actual competition time was only about two hours.
So, after the host finished introducing the judges, contestants, and competition rules, all the contestants immediately got down to business, not daring to waste any time.
For both judges and contestants, the introduction was relatively simple.
However, Li Weijie's first time as a judge for a domestic competition organized by the China Hairdressing Association attracted attention, mainly from industry professionals and enthusiasts among the audience.
For a professional hairstylist, two hours could be considered long or short, depending on the complexity of the hairstyle.
These contestants had a bit of tight competition as they had to showcase more complex hairstyles.
Of course, what they were presenting were their well-polished familiar works, so focusing a bit more would be sufficient to display their skills.
After entering the competition phase, it was quite dull.
Fortunately, most of the people in the venue were industry professionals, who were there for the techniques rather than for entertainment, so they didn't feel bored.
The hair enthusiasts who came to watch appreciated the skills of the contestants, while the contestants' friends and family naturally focused on their friends.
Among the seven judges, six were relaxed and leisurely, while Li Weijie meticulously observed every contestant and took note of everything they did.
It was not because it was his first time, but because he thought of his situation.
If it weren't for Rong giving him the opportunity, he wouldn't have grown so fast, and if it wasn't for Sister Rong's careful observation, she wouldn't have discovered him!
With this in mind, Li Weijie also carefully observed each contestant, and there might be some talented individuals among them with great potential.
Although he wasn't the boss and couldn't cultivate new talent, he could still scout for talent on behalf of the boss.
Besides, who could guarantee that he wouldn't become a boss in the future?
Developing a sharp eye requires practice!
Comparing Sister Rong's achievements with those of other judges, Li Weijie believed that her attentiveness was inseparable from her success and was something worth learning from.
After all the contestants completed their hairstyling work, the seven judges who witnessed the entire process left their seats and approached each model, carefully appreciating the contestants' work.
They couldn't overlook any details because they could contain the contestants' efforts.
They also couldn't neglect the overall picture because hairstyles were related to the overall image, which could also affect the competition results.
While Li Weijie and the other judges evaluated the works, several staff members used digital cameras to take pictures of the models from various angles, which would be used as reference materials for the judges.
Because the current scores were temporary, the final top three contestants would be determined after all the evaluations were completed.
To avoid affecting the subsequent contestants, the judges' comments on the works would be given to each contestant after the final. However, they would not be made public for now.
After the competition ended, the judges naturally felt relaxed again, waiting for the beauty competition judges and then having lunch arranged by the organizers.
When he walked out of the venue, Li Weijie felt a bit disappointed.
Among the five contestants, none of them made him feel energetic, not the kind that could win the championship, but the kind with potential. If he wasn't satisfied, then what about Sister Rong?
"Oh, Li Weijie!"
Suddenly, someone called out to him, a voice that sounded somewhat familiar.