"It is my great pleasure to welcome all our distinguished guests and audience members."
Standing in the center of the hall, a beautiful woman in a magnificent gown, holding a microphone, was none other than Wu Manman.
She had astonishingly taken on the role of host and announcer. Her alluring figure and graceful demeanor immediately captured everyone's attention.
"Your sister is quite something..."
Wang Yu said to Wu Lingling with a helpless sigh.
How to describe her?
Wu Manman gave off a very ostentatious vibe. While some might appreciate that dazzling and radiant style, Wang Yu himself was rather unimpressed.
"She's always been like this since she was little, liking and enjoying standing in the spotlight, being the center of attention," Wu Lingling replied with a similar look of helplessness. "According to her childhood aspirations, her dream was to become a big star."
"Tsk, tsk, what a grand ambition," Wang Yu quipped. "Compared to that, doesn't my childhood dream of becoming an inventor seem rather low-tier?"
"Not necessarily. You're now a factory director and are involved in researching and designing various advanced products. You can be considered to have a connection to being an inventor," Wu Lingling shrugged. "It's much better than me. My dream was to become a chef..."
"That's truly unfortunate, your culinary skills have betrayed your dream."
As Wang Yu and Wu Lingling chatted, they were guided by staff to tables on either side. These were the designated seats for the competing parties.
On another table opposite them sat the expert doctors.
Leading them was Dr. Dojo Torikawa, who met Wang Yu's gaze, offered a slight smile, and nodded in acknowledgment.
Although he disliked him intensely, for no specific reason, Wang Yu politely returned the smile.
He wouldn't return a smile with a frown, and regardless of whether the other party wished him dead, at least outwardly he was polite. Wang Yu felt he couldn't abandon proper etiquette.
However, aside from Torikawa, the other expert doctors were not so courteous, each exuding an air of stubborn defiance and unwavering resolve.
Wang Yu simply responded with a knowing chuckle.
Between their respective seating areas, a long table was set up where three elders were seated.
They appeared to be highly respected figures, and among them was Elder Zhou, whom Wang Yu recognized from before.
Huh? Elder Zhou was here too?
Seeing Elder Zhou offer him a friendly smile, Wang Yu quickly returned the gesture.
"...These three gentlemen are our specially invited judges and arbiters, who will witness this competition!
The technical proposals from both sides will be reviewed and discussed by the judges, and the results will be announced to the public!"
Wu Manman's voice rang out at the opportune moment, and the spotlight shifted to the three elders.
"Mr. Bach, Senior Engineer at the 'Stellar' level from Hans National."
"Local Expert Professor, Elder Zhou Lihua."
"Mr. Mu Yuntao, Vice President of the East Bridge Federation."
Wu Manman introduced their backgrounds one by one.
Elder Zhou, seated in the middle, was straightforward. He was essentially an insider; after all, the Qinglu Group was making a bold move, so they naturally needed a respected local elder to lend credibility.
The white-haired elder on the far left, with a round face and a dense beard, was a 'Stellar' level Senior Engineer from Hans National.
Hans National's industrial technology was second to none worldwide. They classified their technical talent into low, medium, and high-level engineers. Among high-level engineers, there were further divisions into Meteor, Planetary, and Stellar levels.
A 'Stellar' level Senior Engineer was the highest achievement and honor, with only 12 individuals in the entire Hans National. Globally, they were considered super-experts.
As for the Vice President of the East Bridge Federation, Wang Yu noticed his surname – Mu!
It seemed this was a member of the Mu family, the very individuals Wu Lingling had mentioned as the instigators of this competition.
They had used the excuse that Qinglu Group's candy packaging production line required 100% zero error, leading to the termination of the agreement and causing Qinglu Group significant losses.
This ultimately led Qinglu Group to offer a reward of 10 million to resolve the issue, which was then conveniently used to create difficulties for Wang Yu and save face.
It could be said they were the ultimate instigators of all these events!
Therefore, their presence here as judges was understandable, as the matter concerned their own interests.
After introducing the judges, Wu Manman shifted her focus to the audience members.
Besides local and overseas media personnel, there were also various upper-class individuals from high society.
They were either presidents of some association or CEOs of some company. Wang Yu wondered where they had found so many celebrities from all walks of life.
These so-called upper-class individuals seemed to have an abundance of free time to attend such a dull ceremony.
Wang Yu swept a disdainful glance at them. There were locals and also overseas individuals with distinctly different appearances, all carrying themselves with an air of arrogance and superiority.
"They're just a bunch of opportunists; don't mind them," Wu Lingling murmured, her gaze clearly showing her disdain.
"People like them are everywhere, deliberately flocking to these so-called high-class events just to network and build connections. They fail to realize that their own strength is the greatest resource. Otherwise, what's the point of knowing people if it's just a fleeting acquaintance?"
"Heh, perhaps they're what you'd call professional hype men?" Wang Yu suddenly recalled the crowds of hired actors in his previous life who would frantically buy properties during real estate developer launches. This situation seemed similar.
"You could say that. However, these individuals are self-starters; they actively seek out these events and don't need to be paid," Wu Lingling replied with a slight smile.
As Wang Yu and Wu Lingling were talking, Wu Manman, the host, had moved on to introducing the competing parties.
First, she introduced the team of expert doctors from Qinglu Group. There were four of them, and each was individually presented with their biographical information, educational background, technical achievements, and various prestigious awards.
In simple terms, it was to inform all the audience members and media about how brilliant these experts were and how remarkable Qinglu Group was.
This pre-event hype was proving very effective. After each expert was introduced, they were met with enthusiastic applause and cheers, along with a frenzy of camera flashes and video recordings from the journalists.
Finally, it was Wang Yu's turn. Wu Manman's tone shifted.
"And over here, we have our challengers today. Well, please forgive me for describing their actions as overestimating their abilities."
Wu Manman's teasing words elicited a wave of laughter from the crowd.
Then, the spotlight fell on Wang Yu, who stood up to acknowledge the attention.
"This is our overconfident challenger, the factory director of Jiangyang County Automobile Factory – Wang Yu!"
As Wu Manman finished speaking, unlike the warm applause and welcome received by the Qinglu Group's experts, the crowd erupted in loud, boisterous boos and jeers directed at Wang Yu.