Today there were five judges, and Xia Xiao Lan’s declaration had particularly resonated with Catherine and Ai Qun Zhan.
Why should women be weaker than men?
While there might be physical differences, should there be intellectual differences too?
Yes, architecture was a demanding field, but it wasn’t about physical strength—it relied more on an architect’s professional knowledge and creativity. Those who thought Xia Xiao Lan had no future in architecture and advised her to become an actress in Hong Kong were truly contemptible!
Must women only rely on their looks to make a living, rather than using their intellect to achieve something?
In the social climate of the 1980s, “gender equality” was championed even more vigorously than in later years. It wasn’t just a slogan—this was indeed the overall environment in China, where women could take on any position that men could.
Career women like Ai Qun Zhan and Hui E Guan were quite common; stay-at-home housewives were the minority.
Beyond the content of her speech, Xia Xiao Lan’s oral English skills were truly impressive!
When the topic was suddenly changed, only the first part—self-introduction—could have been prepared in advance. The other two sections couldn’t even be anticipated—this impromptu performance was genuinely spontaneous, as the topic was discussed between Professor Guo Zhang Xu and two other judges; nobody could have gotten the questions beforehand.
When the host called for scoring, Teacher Lin and others in the audience held their breath.
Teacher Lin felt Xia Xiao Lan had performed excellently. The sudden topic change for the second question must have been Professor Guo Zhang Xu and the judges’ way of preventing cheating!
Had Xia Xiao Lan’s performance successfully dispelled the judges’ doubts through pure ability?
“This child spoke wonderfully,” Grandmother Zhou whispered. “I think she did the best, don’t you agree?”
You’re the most biased, of course, you’d think Xia Xiao Lan did best. However, this time, the audience members sitting nearby didn’t disagree—whether she was the best or not, Xia Xiao Lan’s performance had certainly been eye-catching.
If not the best, she was definitely among the top performers among the 17 contestants who had appeared so far.
The host invited the judges to score, and the five judges began discussing in low voices. Catherine questioned Professor Guo Zhang Xu about the sudden topic change, and he briefly wrote down the reason on paper. Ai Qun Zhan felt indescribable “admiration”—sarcastically speaking—for Guang Ping Wang. How could a leader stoop to such despicable behavior?
And to do it while she was out paying the bill—no wonder Professor Xu’s attitude had changed when she returned; he must have thought she was Guang Ping Wang’s accomplice!
If they weren’t still recording, Ai Qun Zhan would have jumped up to curse Guang Ping Wang as despicable.
“So how should we score?”
Taking a deep breath, Ai Qun Zhan suppressed her fury.
Every competition had its issues, even those abroad. This was China’s internal matter, and Catherine wouldn’t comment on it.
“I’ll give her a high score—that’s what’s fair. I like this contestant; she’s excellent, isn’t she?”
The other judges weren’t as direct as the British lady. After some discussion, everyone wrote their scores on the cards.
“Judge Catherine: 98.9 points, Judge Ai Qun Zhan: 98.4 points, Judge Guo Zhang Xu: 98.1 points… After removing the highest score of 98.9 and the lowest score of 97.8, what is contestant number 17 Xia Xiao Lan’s final score?”
The audience members, being either university students or professors—those eliminated hadn’t performed well enough, but they were all top students—didn’t need the host’s dramatic pause. Someone called out:
“98.2 points!”
The average was indeed 98.2 points!
Even Grandmother Zhou, who didn’t understand English, knew this was the highest score so far!
If none of the remaining three contestants surpassed Xia Xiao Lan’s score, she would win the Special First Prize!
The host announced dramatically, “Yes, contestant number 17, Xia Xiao Lan from Huaqing University, has received a final score of 98.2 points. This is a very high score and currently the highest of all contestants.”
“Thank you, thank you everyone! Thank you, judges!”
Xia Xiao Lan hadn’t expected this.
She was number 17, and from the first contestant’s performance, she had waited a full four hours until her turn.
During those four hours, she knew the situation was extremely unfavorable to her, yet neither Teacher Lin nor Professor He had made any moves. She had to bear all the pressure alone. Then came the sudden topic change, and her answers weren’t conventional—only by taking an unconventional approach could she clear herself of suspicion of getting in through the back door.
She had succeeded!
And achieved even better results than expected.
Even if the remaining three contestants scored higher, Xia Xiao Lan would at least get a First Prize.
If the Ministry of Education were to select exchange students based on this, First Prize winners would be chosen.
“This is your ability. I like your ideas. May I hug you?”
Catherine stood up with open arms, and Xia Xiao Lan unhesitatingly embraced the British lady.
“Hey, girl! Remember, England has excellent architecture programs too. If you want to pursue further studies after graduating from Huaqing University, I’d be happy to write you a letter of recommendation!”
The audience’s applause grew even more enthusiastic.
This was a display of friendship between China and Britain—Catherine’s appreciation for Chinese students.
The audience was moved, and the program director was tearful with joy: what excellent program material! He could edit just this one contestant’s segment into an entire episode!
…
“She’ll get the Special Prize!” Teacher Lin excitedly stood up from her seat. Professor He wanted to tell her to stay calm and low-key, but couldn’t help smiling himself.
“Let’s just say the chances are very high,” Professor He said modestly.
Still, they hadn’t expected Xia Xiao Lan to perform so well impromptu.
If the judges hadn’t changed the topic suddenly, Xia Xiao Lan’s abilities might not have shown so brilliantly.
It truly embodied the Chinese saying “Blessings and misfortune are interdependent”!
Jiang Yuan Ji breathed a sigh of relief. Xia Xiao Lan was truly an exam-oriented contestant who could handle heavy pressure—the greater the pressure, the better she performed. An emotional breakdown was impossible; she grew stronger when facing challenges! After hugging Catherine and hearing the judges’ encouragement, Xia Xiao Lan waved to the audience and returned backstage.
“I told you, our Xiao Lan would be first.”
Grandmother Zhou’s fatigue from sitting through several hours vanished as soon as Xia Xiao Lan appeared, and now she couldn’t have been more proud.
Hui E Guan had to tug at the old lady’s sleeve:
“Don’t say that yet—we have to wait for the other contestants to finish.”
There were still three contestants to go; in case someone more impressive than Xia Xiao Lan appeared, Hui E Guan didn’t want to make premature claims. This time, however, the nearby audience members didn’t mind Grandmother Zhou’s loud voice and instead asked enviously:
“Contestant number 17 is from your family?”
Grandmother Zhou nodded emphatically, “Of course, she’s from our family. See? I said she’d get first place, wasn’t I right?”
“Your family’s daughter is exceptional, with great ambition. You’ll surely enjoy the blessings of her success!”
After all, the British judge had invited her to study in England. This Xia Xiao Lan had a bright future ahead. To raise such a daughter, their family must have good feng shui—they were destined for prosperity!