Neither here nor there, that's what you'd call Qiu Xi and the others.
After the second round, Qiu Xi and Yu Xin Xin were the ones who advanced.
Whether it was due to region or some other factor, the two coincidentally ended up in the same group.
Looking at the person walking ahead, Yu Xin Xin felt a hint of relief.
Good thing... they were in the same group...
When her name was called, she was still worried, but that worry vanished when she heard the grouping.
It wasn't scary to be called together; it was scary to *not* be grouped together!
"Countdown begins!"
As the voice fell, the five people gathered together.
With time limited, they skipped self-introductions and only used their codenames.
After all, when their names were projected, the codenames would be displayed alongside their names, so anyone paying attention could remember.
Qiu Xi was number 21, Yu Xin Xin was number 23, and the remaining three teammates were numbers 25, 27, and 28.
Qiu Xi had seen this situation many times. Seeing that no one was speaking, she took the lead.
"We don't have much time, so for the division of tasks, let's go by everyone's strengths."
"Tell us what you're good at: writing, speaking, or listening."
"And if possible, let's also mention our debating and logical thinking abilities."
"Go ahead, you all speak first, and I'll take notes."
Saying this, without waiting for the others, Qiu Xi picked up a nearby piece of paper and started writing down everyone's codenames.
As Qiu Xi wrote, the other four exchanged glances.
Finally, Yu Xin Xin spoke first. She was familiar with Qiu Xi, so it was best for her to go first.
"I'd say my speaking is quite good, and my writing is decent, but my listening skills are a bit weaker. As for debating, I really haven't had any exposure to it."
She had come for the speech, and the most crucial parts of a speech were speaking and writing.
Of course, logical thinking was also essential, but that was precisely where she fell short, especially when combined with listening; she couldn't quite handle it.
As Yu Xin Xin finished, Qiu Xi's pen also paused, and she looked at the remaining three.
"Next, it's my turn. My speaking is okay, writing is also fine, and listening is passable, like being able to understand conversations..."
Perhaps feeling a little embarrassed, number 25 said this, her voice lowering slightly.
"Also, my logical thinking isn't great. If I listen to them, I might not be able to point out anything specific."
As expected, they were all from speech backgrounds; they could speak well, but they weren't very good at finding fault.
Number 27 was similar to number 25, but her listening skills were better. It was just that her impromptu writing wasn't great.
Finally, there was number 28. She looked at everyone and said, "Actually, I'm quite capable in all areas. Speaking, writing, and listening are all okay. In school, I specialized in debating, so my logical thinking abilities are also quite good."
It was a pleasant surprise. As soon as number 28 finished speaking, the eyes of the other three who had just spoken lit up.
They felt... the light of hope.
Lastly, it was Qiu Xi's turn. She tidied the papers and said, "My speaking is my priority, my writing and listening are good. Like number 28, I've participated in debates, so my logical thinking ability is also decent."
Her words were very formal and official, making Qiu Xi feel a bit awkward, but it was the truth.
She had started practicing speaking first, and now, for her, the other skills were progressing together. If she had to rank them, speaking was indeed better. After all, she had specifically trained for competitions.
"See, this is what I've written down." Qiu Xi handed the paper to them.
"My suggestion is for 23 and 25 to write the script, 27 will do the speech, and finally, 28 and 21 will handle the final Q&A."
Although she didn't know how the final scoring would be done, for the sake of winning, they could only arrange it according to everyone's strengths.
In this way, while writing might seem at a disadvantage on the surface, it wasn't necessarily so.
Although it might seem a bit flashy, the competition was still fundamentally a speech competition. What mattered was the content and the outcome, so logically, the ones who would be at a disadvantage would be the last two, the questioners.
However, everything has two sides. If they were to be analyzed separately, it was pretty much the same; it all depended on individual skill.
After Qiu Xi finished, the four looked at the papers on the table and finally nodded.
"Okay, we have no problem with that."
Time was tight, and the task was heavy; getting started quickly was the priority.
With that, everyone looked at their topic: Step Out of Your Comfort Zone!
"......"
It was truly... exceptionally novel.
For a moment, all five fell silent.
Although 23 and 25 were tasked with writing, they could still offer some input on the direction.
"This is really a bit... abstract!"
Wasn't it!
Such a topic was indeed difficult to write about, but as long as they didn't deviate from the core, it would be considered successful.
Speaking logically and with sound reasoning was sufficient.
Life is limited; doing meaningful things is success.
After much deliberation, the five of them decided to focus on life and living.
It was a very simple topic, the key being empathy.
Once the general direction was set, the other three stopped bothering the two who were writing. Qiu Xi and the other two sat to the side.
At first, they were a bit at a loss, and the three of them didn't speak.
Qiu Xi lowered her head, even considering what kind of stories their opponents might write.
The types of questions for the Century Cup were usually similar from year to year, but this year's was rare.
However, precisely because it was rare, everyone's ideas might have a slight similarity.
After all, themes like this often tended to be idealistic; one had to articulate it well to resonate, right?
In the end, it was all about chicken soup for the soul; it depended on what ingredients you added, how you brewed it... and if the final result was satisfying to drink.
"How about... we discuss... how I should present it later." Number 27 looked around and made a small suggestion to the other two.
After all, by the time the two of them finished writing, it would only be about 10 minutes, and she would need to prepare to go on stage. She was already a bit nervous.
"Sure." Number 28 nodded.
Qiu Xi also snapped back to attention. The three of them began to practice without scripts.
It was better than nothing; doing it this way helped to ease their nerves.
As the three chatted, the scripts being written by the other two were gradually taking shape.
Shortly after, the writers finally put down their pens.
For convenience, they wrote half and transcribed half, so the resulting scripts were exceptionally neat and aesthetically pleasing.
Indeed, at this point, having beautiful handwriting was very important.
"We're done writing, take a look."
After tidying up, the two immediately brought their scripts over, not pausing for even a moment.
"What do you think? What do you think?"
Rubbing their wrists, the two looked on with a hint of nervousness.
The two of them were the opening act; it was impossible not to be nervous, even if only their teammates were watching.
After the three finished reading, they nodded.
The core idea was one they had discussed together, and to be able to write it out in such a short time was already quite good.
The two breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good then."
Next, the four of them looked at number 27, who was preparing to speak. "You should take another look. There's still some time to get familiar with it."
"Okay!"
Without further ado, number 27 began to read the script.
Muttering, speaking aloud, correcting...
In a short span of time, one person was silently working hard.
In the last bit of time, she even pulled the four of them to be her audience and did a brief recitation.
Everyone offered a few small suggestions, not many, just to avoid adding pressure and making her more nervous.
"Alright, good luck!"
The host had already started speaking...
"Okay!" Number 27 nodded, adjusted her clothes, took a deep breath, and walked onto the stage.