The Strong Female Lead Versus The Most Miserable Male Lead - Chapter 268

Chapter 268: Chapter 266: Poetry Contest 2

“Master! Master!”

The calls from the stands, incessant and nearly deafening, boomed throughout for “Master.”

Many people who didn’t quite recognize this Li Xian, especially fans from Little River Live, began to ask around.

Oh… it turns out he’s a fairly handsome poet known for his immense talent and has even been admitted to Interstellar University.

He’s a celebrity poet who possesses both idol and real talent.

People from Little River Live looked down at the contestant dressed in a white suit, indeed handsome; this must be his real appearance.

Until now, the poets on stage had chosen to reveal their real faces, as they already had significant recognition in the interstellar community and didn’t feel the need to conceal their identities.

However, many were even more excited for Earth Bar.

This group included fans of Little River Live, Alone Brave, and Text Mover.

Fans from all three groups gathered together simply because their revered figures had recommended Earth Bar.

Out of twenty people, the crowd kept watching until the end — this time for sure, it was Earth Bar’s turn.

The host addressed the microphone, “Today’s final contestant, Earth Bar. Let’s welcome him!”

“yeah—–”

“Earth Bar——”

His introduction elicited shouts no less enthusiastic than those for Li Xian earlier.

Everyone’s gaze now converged on the other side of the red carpet.

Even the nineteen contestants already standing were watching the opposite end of the carpet.

This Earth Bar must be phenomenal.

They all wanted to see: what did such a person look like?

At the end of the red carpet, a figure appeared.

Tall, sturdy; a man.

When Nian Shutong walked down the red carpet, all voices fell silent.

Who is this?

He must have taken the wrong path, right?

The figure on the carpet, about 1.9 meters tall with broad shoulders and a muscular build, had long hair tied back and a beard that obscured half of his face.

Is this Earth Bar? A poet that looks like this?

It felt as though he should be wielding a sword rather than writing poetry.

At this moment, Nian Shutong had reached the host and was ready to sign her name.

The host felt compelled to ask, lest many couldn’t sleep at night.

“Earth Bar, may I ask you a question?”

“Ask,” Nian Shutong paused with her pen in mid-air, turning her head to wait.

“May I ask if this is your true appearance?”

“No, this one is pricey,” Nian Shutong first lowered her arm and said into the microphone, “To honor the poetry competition, I purposely bought this appearance from a prop shop.”

This was true; she originally wanted to choose a ‘flatter’ person, but worried about resembling someone in the audience, she had specifically chosen one of the least popular appearances at the prop shop.

The host was nearly caught off-guard by the style of Earth Bar’s response.

“It’s clear how seriously you’re taking this. Can I ask on behalf of everyone why you choose not to reveal your real face?”

By this time, Nian Shutong had already written her name, the three characters for Earth Bar.

Her signature was flamboyant and unique.

Against the backdrop of many standard calligraphy skills, her name stood out, seemingly ready to leap off the page.

“Does the competition require showing our faces?”

Her retort made the host quickly deny, “No.”

“Then, is there another question, whether the poetry is good or not, does how one looks matter?”

With that retort, Nian Shutong stepped aside without waiting for a response.

But she didn’t realize her sincere inquiry had indeed stung some nerves, like Li Xian.

Many online commented that his face was better than his poetry.

Pressing down his displeasure, Li Xian was thoroughly prepared this time, determined to prove true to his reputation.

When all twenty contestants had arrived, the host invited Mr. Yu, the head of the Poetry Club.

Mr. Yu made a brief speech, handed over the competition to others, and seated himself at the judges’ table.

One person stepped forward to invite all twenty contestants to step onto the platform.

Each contestant ascended the platform in turn.

While others used the stairs, Nian Shutong was different; she hopped up.

Only after getting on stage did Nian Shutong realize there were stairs at the back; she hadn’t seen them when she came from the front.

However, to others, it seemed like Earth Bar was deeply strategic; a livestream where every contestant’s screen time was limited, but Earth Bar had surely earned extra coverage.

Once the twenty had taken their places, the official leading the competition stood in the middle and announced the rules.

“Each contestant starts with three basic points, each is both defender and challenger.”

“Challenge others by prompting poetry, judged by the public, the winner gains a point while the loser loses a point.”

“Anyone reduced to zero points is eliminated.”

“First to reach ten points advances.”

After the rules were read, everyone had a clear idea; you could choose not to attack, only defend, as someone would certainly challenge you. With strong self-confidence, successful defense could also lead to advancement, but it would be slow.

So it seemed better to take the offensive.

After a two-minute break, the referee announced, “The defense competition begins.”

Once the competition began, the twenty contestants saw a screen unfold before each of them.

Displayed were each contestant’s number; Nian Shutong’s Earth Bar was number twenty.

Simultaneously, a central screen rose on the field, showing who challenged whom. The poetry they generated would also be displayed for judging.

That meant all challenges could occur simultaneously.

No need for one-on-one duels.

Nian Shutong nodded repeatedly, pleased with the efficiency.

She had thought it would take all night!

Soon after, on the central big screen, challenges began.

Number seven versus number eleven.

Number nine versus number two.

Number seventeen versus number five.

…

The results came quickly; number seven won, number two won, number seventeen won.

Nian Shutong was in no hurry; she didn’t challenge anyone and no one had yet challenged her.

It wasn’t that other poets weren’t interested in challenging Earth Bar; rather, they were more familiar with the other contestants, knowledgeable about their strengths, but Earth Bar remained a mystery.

No one knew him, so for now, he was quite safe.

As time passed, people started getting eliminated. Three points could be lost quickly.

Number nine was left with just one point, his eyes now fixed on Earth Bar who had maintained three points.

Not taking action, was it overconfidence or…?

Number nine made a move, challenging number twenty, Earth Bar.

The audience, having awaited a challenge to Earth Bar, wasn’t particularly fond of him, but his uniqueness was too intriguing.

Everyone wanted to delve into the unknown.

Number nine versus number twenty, number nine prompted — plum blossom.