As Ai left the stage, the whole Summit fell into deep silence. Her story was shorter than Guiying's yet strangely, everybody felt as if they had been shaken hard.
The characters were nameless, the plot was abstract, yet everybody had tears in their eyes. At one glance, it would seem like such a story would hold no water. But they couldn't put a finger upon the emotion they felt.
The protagonist didn't have a name. It wasn't mentioned in detail how she was betrayed. But they strongly guessed that it was an affair between her best friend and boyfriend.
There was melancholy and contemplation shining in everybody's expressions.
"They surely cheated, right?"
"Though it could be two separate betrayals. Maybe her best friend cheated her in some way and her boyfriend in another way?"
"That's also possible…"
"Though my instinct says that they had an affair!"
"And what about her falling into despair?" One of the perceptive ones in the crowd pointed out. "You know…She said she was reborn. But like, did she actually die and was reborn? Or she didn't physically die but was reborn as a new person?"
The people surrounding her gasped in wonder as it struck them.
"Oh gosh…that's so deep! It could be totally possible either way. I thought she never died, but the betrayal made her become a new, strong person. But what if the cheating couple actually plotted against her and killed her!?"
That set a new wave of eager discussion. Everybody got hyper, wondering and telling their own views on the story.
One of the writers wiped her eyes and sniffled. "I just loved the part of the male protagonist."
"He is totally cute, right!?"
"Yeah, he sounds like a cold person but is actually very caring!"
"I can see why she fell for him!"
"She confessed to him but what was his answer? I so wanna know!"
"Of course it's a yes! Didn't you hear that part? He spouts poison towards other people but only for her, he speaks warmly and takes care of her!"
"So much that he even killed a thief!"
One was trembling with excitement. "Do you think that the male protagonist could be someone from the dark Underworld?"
"Yeah, otherwise how could he be daring to kill a thief?" ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ Novᴇl_Fire(.)net
"Maybe it was just defense-"
"Oh shut up! You don't have a romantic heart at all!"
"What if he is a policeman?"
One of them grimaced. "Well…not that he couldn't be, but I want him to be someone from the Underworld. That would be so cool!"
"Plus aren't the dark world's people possessive?"
"Aaaaahhh my heart is squealing!"
"A dark possessive man who asks for ice-cream like a child when he is sick!"
"And he even let her in his home when she was homeless!"
"That melted my heart."
"They are so perfect for each other. He also went through the same pain as her so he definitely understands the most!"
"But I still wanna know the answer!"
It simply felt like it was a story that made its point without explicitly stating what exactly happened in the protagonist's life. Even more than actually knowing what happened, there was a sense of mystery to guess how the events unfolded in the story.
How did the betrayal happen? What did they do to betray her? Did she actually die or not? How did the two protagonists meet?
And the main question…
What was the male protagonist's answer to her confession?
Even though people could guess that it would definitely be a yes, there was an innate urge to actually know the answer.
There was a lot of open-ended questions in the story. It evoked sadness, frustration and also a lot of heartwarming moments that melted them. The part about not naming the character resonated even more.
It felt like any woman could be the protagonist. Leaving the character nameless brought a personal touch for many people who imagined as if they were the character in the story.
The emcee finally came to the stage, who was crying himself until this moment. "Please give a round of applause for MissImperfectlyFine! That was…simply marvellous!"
Everybody suddenly realized that they forgot to clap. A series of coughs echoed followed by loud cheers and clapping that threatened to burst everybody's eardrums.
Xing Bi watched the joy on their faces that were filled with disdain and mocking until an hour ago. Her heart was filled with pride and her eyes with tears.
Hah! I told you all! My Ai will leave you speechless! Behold and sing her praises now!
When Ai came back to her table, she quickly said before Xing Bi could even hug her. "I-I will be back…"
Her pupils darted left and right in nervousness, her cheeks and ears were tinted with crimson and her body was trembling.
Ai bowed and ran away from the Summit to outside.
Xing Bi was speechless.
It is your moment to shine! Where are you running away?
The emcee announced. "Now that both entries are heard, it's time for the judgment. There will be a short break after which I will have the results from the judges. So stay tuned!"
"I cannot wait!" One of them giggled.
"Who do you think will win? CherryBlossom or MissImperfectlyFine?"
"Well I must say that both stories were fantastic."
"Guiying handled her story very well despite it being risky to become muddled and longer."
"The twist she put was well thought of too."
"I loved the message in her story."
"But MissImperfectlyFine's take and execution was different and good different!"
"Yeah, how many stories have we read where the characters are mentioned as simply pronouns?"
"To be honest, she took a risk too which she handled flawlessly!"
"I loved the part about how she left double meaning open questions! Like about the betrayal and her rebirth! It was crafty and too good!"
"So true! There was not much information about what actually happened? But I also felt that I didn't need to know!"
"In fact, the guessing part made it even more thrilling!"
There were a lot of mixed reviews and discussions. Some favored CherryBlossom while some MissImperfectlyFine. But then it would feel like the wave of agreement was tilting towards Ai.
Guiying slightly trembled, her gaze turning unfocused and her breathing uneven.