Ring—
When the ringtone sounded, it happened to be during a brief pause in Ning Xiaofei's speech, and just as the video materials on the big screen switched. In that moment of silence, the mobile ringtone seemed particularly jarring and pronounced.
Instinctively, Ning Xiaofei looked in the direction of the sound—beneath the host podium in front of her, a cell phone was flashing and vibrating vigorously.
Whose phone was it?
How could there be a phone here?
...
In her mind, numerous questions surfaced; Ning Xiaofei was completely short-circuited for two seconds.
That instant felt like an eternity.
By the time she came to her senses, she was unable to re-enter her previous state, feeling like a dancer who had been interrupted mid-performance, off rhythm when trying to continue.
Meanwhile, the stubborn phone continued to ring, as if it had no intention to stop. Everyone noticed this unusual situation, some with looks of astonishment, others exchanging glances.
