The main exhibition area was the basketball stadium. A few of the more famous universities in the province had their booths gathered here.
There were also some exhibition areas outside. Objectively speaking, the quality of the flowers in the exhibition area was relatively poor, so the evaluation of the judges was very fast. Everyone knew that the highlight was the few booths in the basketball stadium.
"Mr. Xia, this Mo Lan …" Xia Cheng came over and said.
Xia Ruofei looked at the pot of Mo Lan, which was still covered by the black plastic sheet, and said with a smile, "Don't worry, the judges aren't here yet, are they?"
After saying that, Xia Ruofei looked at the opposite booth with a faint smile.
Over there, Chen Song was standing next to Meng Zhou, the president of the Agricultural University Horticultural Society. He glanced over from time to time and whispered something to Meng Zhou. Meng Zhou also looked over from time to time with a look of disapproval.
Xia Cheng also noticed Chen Song and Meng Zhou. He saw that the pot of Yang's Su Lotus in Agricultural University was not covered, so he did not say anything.
After a while, a group of people surrounded a white-haired old man and walked over.
There were more than ten people in the group. About ten of them had blue passes, which was the symbol of the judges. The few accompanying them were the leaders of the Agricultural University.
Now that the influence of the flower exhibition was increasing day by day, the Agricultural University Horticultural Society also attached great importance to it. All kinds of resources were given to it, and the huge stadium was directly cleared to be used as a venue for the exhibition. The leaders of the university also personally accompanied the experts of the judges.
"Brother Xia, that person is the president of the Southeast Flower Association, Chen Dongbai." Jiang Yue whispered to Xia Ruofei, "The others are more famous teachers in the flower field of the province."
Xia Ruofei looked over. The person Jiang Yue was talking about was the silver-haired old man. This President Chen was wearing a navy blue Tang suit. He had a faint smile on his face as he spoke to the people beside him. He seemed to have an otherworldly demeanor.
After looking at the booth of the Southeast Normal University, the group went straight to the booth of the Agricultural University Horticultural Society.
Meng Zhou, the president of the Agricultural University Horticultural Society, immediately greeted them with a smile and very politely invited the judges to enter the booth to evaluate.
Chen Song, who was next to Meng Zhou, immediately lifted the plastic sheet covering the pot of Yang's Lotus.
This pot of Yang's Su Lotus, which had been praised to the skies by Chen Song, finally revealed its true colors.
The students of the Tri-Mountain University Horticultural Club couldn't help but look at the Yang's Lotus. The performance of this flower was related to whether or not Tri-Mountain University could win this time. Moreover, Xia Ruofei had just made a bet with Chen Song. Although the bet had nothing to do with them, if they lost, the Tri-Mountain University Horticultural Club would lose face!
Even Xia Ruofei couldn't help but turn to look.
He saw that the leaves of the Yang's Lotus were thick, the shape of the leaves were curved like a bow; the short and round calyx was covered with white moss and emerald green veins. The clamshell shaped pair of hands had a pure white round tongue; it was indeed too beautiful to behold.
However, everyone only caught a glimpse of it because very quickly, the Yang's Lotus was surrounded by judges, completely blocking their line of sight.
Listening to the praises of the judges from time to time, Xia Cheng's face became very ugly. Lu You and Jiang Yue also showed a trace of worry. The other students of the Horticultural Club were also worried and couldn't help but look at Xia Ruofei.
Xia Ruofei, on the other hand, had a relaxed expression on his face. He stood up and said, "Since it's impossible for the other side to change their display, then it's time for us to let our pot out for some fresh air …"
After saying that, Xia Ruofei casually pulled down the black plastic sheet covering the pot of Mo Lan.
Xia Cheng and the others were stunned. It turned out that Xia Ruofei had been unwilling to remove the cover of the Mo Lan, not because he was pretending to be mysterious, but because he was worried that the other side would change the exhibition flower at the last minute! Could it be that he was that confident?
Of course, this thought was fleeting because everyone subconsciously focused their attention on the pot of Mo Lan that they had just seen three days ago.
The booth of Tri-Mountain University fell silent in an instant.
Xia Cheng, Lu You, Jiang Yue, and all the students of the Horticultural Club at the booth opened their mouths in surprise. They stared straight at the pot of Jade Lion Mo Lan, their eyes full of shock.
Compared to three days ago, this pot of Mo Lan had changed too much.
First of all, the most intuitive thing was that this Mo Lan seemed to have grown a lot. This was also the most obvious change. Whether it was the width of the leaves, the length of the whole pot of flowers, they all seemed to have grown bigger.
Three days was a very short time for the growth of flowers. How could there be such an obvious change? Could it be that Xia Ruofei had added stimulants to this pot of flowers?
Of course, everyone quickly rejected their ridiculous thoughts. How could there be stimulants that could promote growth? Even if there was, it couldn't have such an immediate effect.
Could it be that Xia Ruofei knew magic?
In addition, after everyone took a closer look, they discovered that in addition to the sudden growth of a large circle, this pot of orchids seemed to have an even more refined and noble temperament. Whether it was the refreshing green leaves or the extremely unique flowers of the jade lion, they all had a kind of moving beauty.
Almost everyone's mind was thinking of the poem, "Where does your fragrance come from? The four walls are empty valleys." The faint fragrance came from time to time. Although they were in this noisy gymnasium, everyone had the illusion that they were in an empty valley admiring orchids.
The booth was quiet, and only the sound of everyone's heavy breathing could be heard.
After a while, Jiang Yue asked, "Big Brother Xia … is … is this really our pot of Mo Lan?"
"Yes … Xia Ruofei, you didn't buy another pot, did you?" Lu You couldn't help but ask.
Xia Cheng and the other students of the Horticultural Club were also in disbelief.
Xia Ruofei didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Is it that exaggerated? This is your pot of Mo Lan! "
Lu You looked carefully at some of the details of the Mo Lan and finally said with certainty, "Yes, it's really the original pot …"
In fact, everyone knew in their hearts that this pot of Mo Lan was definitely not Xia Ruofei's. Although it had changed a lot, its basic form was still there. It wouldn't be so exaggerated to say that it had become a completely different pot.
It was just that this pot of orchid had undergone a rebirth, which made everyone subconsciously have an illusion.
"Big Brother Xia! You're really amazing! "Jiang Yue said excitedly.
Her face was full of admiration, and little stars were about to appear in her eyes.
Peng Hui and You Jun, who were on the side, had complicated expressions, especially You Jun. The fire of jealousy was burning fiercely, and the roots of his teeth were about to be broken by him.
Xia Cheng also said in admiration, "Mr. Xia, your methods are really amazing! After your nourishment, this Jade Lion's grade has immediately increased by several levels … "
Xia Ruofei smiled and asked, "Now, everyone should be more confident about winning the gold medal, right?"
Xia Cheng nodded and said, "It's reasonable to say that this pot of Mo Lan would definitely be the gold medal in the previous years! But it's not easy to say now … I don't know how the Yang Su He from Agricultural University is doing. It seems that the judges' evaluation is quite high! "
Although Mo Lan's performance surprised Xia Cheng, the Yang Su He on the opposite side also gave him a lot of pressure.
The better Mo Lan's performance was, the more Xia Cheng was worried about his gains and losses.
Xia Ruofei smiled faintly and said, "We've done everything we can. If we still can't win the gold medal, then it's just bad luck. We can't blame others …"
"Yes!" Xia Cheng nodded and said. Then he looked at the Jade Lion Mo Lan and said, "But if it loses to Agricultural University, this Jade Lion …"
Xia Cheng thought of the bet between Xia Ruofei and Chen Song. If the Yang Su He on the opposite side won the gold medal, this Jade Lion would be lost to Chen Song.
Now that the Jade Lion had shown such good quality, if it lost to Chen Song, even if he wasn't the owner of this pot of orchid, he would still feel very distressed.
After all, this pot of Mo Lan would be placed in their horticultural society.
Lu You said indifferently, "If we lose, we lose. It's just a pot of flowers …"
Xia Ruofei looked at them and couldn't help but praise Lu You in his heart. In this regard, she was much more generous than Xia Cheng, the president of the horticultural society.
In contrast, Xia Cheng was really overcautious and worried about his gains and losses.
Xia Ruofei laughed and changed the topic. "By the way, I heard that teachers from several universities are on the judging panel. Is there a teacher from Tri-Mountain University?"
"Brother Xia, there are teachers from several key universities who are on the judging panel," Jiang Yue said. "But I don't think I see Teacher Hu from our university … What's going on?"
At this time, Lu You said, "Oh … I heard that Teacher Hu had a stomachache yesterday and can't come today!"
"What?" Xia Cheng was shocked. "Then we'll lose the support of the judging panel …"
Lu You said indifferently, "What's the matter? Originally, Teacher Hu would have to leave the judging panel because he's related to our flowers. There's no impact … "
Xia Cheng frowned and said, "But … Teacher Hu can give points to Agricultural University's flowers …"
The meaning of his words was self-evident.
Lu You pursed her lips and said, "Even if we want to win, we have to win fair and square. Even if Teacher Hu is here, he won't cheat!"
Xia Cheng sighed and said, "We won't cheat, but we can't stop others from doing so … Agricultural University has a teacher on the judging panel …"
Xia Ruofei sat in his chair with a relaxed expression and looked at Xia Cheng and the others with a smile. He didn't feel nervous at all.
As they spoke, the judging panel finished evaluating Agricultural University's booth and began to walk towards Tri-Mountain University's booth.
Xia Cheng quickly asked everyone to stand up, and he quickly walked out to welcome them.
"Hello, teachers. I'm Xia Cheng, the president of Tri-Mountain University's horticultural society," Xia Cheng said politely as he bowed to the judging panel.
Chen Dongbai, who took the lead, smiled and nodded. He said to the vice-principal of Agricultural University beside him, "Vice-principal Li, your Yang's Lotus really opened everyone's eyes! I heard that Tri-Mountain University's flowers this year are also very good. I just don't know how they compare to your Yang's Lotus … "
Vice-principal Li laughed and said, "Brother, there are many talented people in your school. I'm sure you can cultivate better flowers and plants!"
Although his words were humble, his expression was very confident. It was clear that he was just being polite, but he didn't think so in his heart.
Chen Dongbai laughed and said, "Let's go and take a look together …"
Xia Cheng quickly made an inviting gesture and said, "Teachers, please come in."
Chen Dongbai and the others walked into the booth. The space in the booth wasn't very spacious, so it was a bit crowded when ten to twenty people rushed in. Xia Ruofei, who didn't like to join in the fun, just let them go outside.
He felt a gaze on him, and when he turned his head, he saw Chen Song looking at him with a smug smile. That gaze was full of a show of force. Clearly, the judges had given their Yang's Su Lotus a very high evaluation, and he thought that victory was already in his hands.
Xia Ruofei smiled and turned his head away.
In the booth, Chen Dongbai led the judging panel to look at the pots of flowers. He was quite disappointed. The flowers sent by Tri-Mountain University's Horticultural Society this time, except for the Mo Lan, were of average quality. They were even worse than the flowers in the other small exhibition areas. It really didn't match Tri-Mountain University's reputation.
It wasn't until he saw the Jade Lion, Mo Lan, that Chen Dongbai's eyes suddenly lit up.
He quickly walked two steps, skipped over the remaining two pots of flowers, and went directly to the Jade Lion, Mo Lan. He carefully observed it for a while, then praised, "This Jade Lion is really good! It's undoubtedly the best of the orchids! "
Most of the judging panel were experts, and their evaluation of the Jade Lion was relatively high. They all nodded and praised it.
Xia Cheng was slightly relieved. The judging panel's performance meant that at least this Mo Lan would have no problem being shortlisted. As for the final result, it wasn't up to him to decide.
Chen Dongbai smiled and said to the Agricultural University leader next to him, "Vice-principal Li, your Yang's Lotus has met its match! This Jade Lion is quite good! "
Vice-principal Li smiled and said, "There's only improvement when there's competition! The better the flowers sent by the other universities, the better the standard of our exhibition this time! This is a good thing … "
Although he said that, Vice-principal Li's smile was obviously a lot more forced. He was no longer as confident as before.
Because it was only the preliminary selection, there were still many booths waiting to be evaluated, so the judging panel didn't look too carefully.
Chen Dongbai nodded slightly to a judge next to him. The judge immediately understood and recorded it in his notebook.
Xia Ruofei smiled. This Mo Lan should have been shortlisted.
Sure enough, the young judge said to Xia Cheng, "Congratulations, this Jade Lion has been shortlisted for the final selection. Please send someone to send it to the organizing committee's office now. We will conduct a second evaluation later to choose the gold, silver, and bronze awards."
"Okay, thank you, teacher!" Xia Cheng said excitedly.
The judging panel looked around and didn't see any other flowers that could catch their eyes, so they clustered around Chen Dongbai and walked to the next booth.
"Yeah! Brother Xia! We're shortlisted! "Jiang Yue said excitedly.
Xia Ruofei smiled and said, "It's just the preliminary selection, and you're already so happy. If we get the gold award later, won't you be so excited that you won't be able to speak?"
Jiang Yue smiled a little embarrassedly and said, "Brother Xia, I think we'll definitely win! Just now, Director Chen said that our Mo Lan is a strong opponent of the Yang's Lotus! "
Xia Ruofei nodded and said, "Yes! Isn't it a piece of cake to win? "
Lu You couldn't help glancing at Xia Ruofei and muttering, "You're so arrogant …"
Xia Ruofei's ears were so sharp! He immediately turned his head and asked, "Lu You, do you want us to lose?"
"Of course I want to win!" Lu You said, "But don't underestimate the Yang's Lotus of Agricultural University. What's more, they have the home advantage!"
Xia Ruofei nodded and said, "I don't know much about orchids, but I believe that the judges will make the most correct judgment."
Lu You couldn't help rolling her eyes. Xia Cheng and the others smiled bitterly. If you don't know much about orchids, then aren't we, the members of the Horticultural Arts Club, laymen?
At this time, Meng Zhou, who was on the opposite booth, had already walked to the entrance of the basketball stadium with the Yang's Lotus. The organizing committee's office was located in an office next to the basketball stadium.
Chen Song followed behind Meng Zhou, holding a pot of flowers in his hand. Obviously, Agricultural University had two pots of flowers nominated at the same time.
When they passed by the Sanshan University's booth, Meng Zhou and Chen Song looked at the flowers sent by the Sanshan University with some disdain, and then stepped out.
"Humph … What's there to be proud of?" A student of the Horticultural Arts Club couldn't help whispering, "It's not certain who will win the gold medal!"
Xia Cheng said, "Don't talk too much … We should send the Jade Lion over."
After that, he also walked to the pot of Ink Orchid. Obviously, he was going to send it over personally.
At this time, Xia Ruofei said, "President Xia, wait a minute …"
After that, Xia Ruofei took out a small spray bottle that had been prepared in advance from his bag and sprayed some water on the leaves and flowers of the Ink Orchid. The misty water adhered to the leaves and petals, forming small water droplets.
Xia Cheng raised his eyebrows and said, "Eh? After spraying some water, the Jade Lion's temperament seems to have become a little different … "
Everyone also gathered around and saw that the Ink Orchid seemed to have become much more energetic. Set off by the small water droplets, it looked quite slender and elegant.
"Mr. Xia, can you give me the spray bottle?" Xia Cheng hesitated and asked, "I'm afraid that the water droplets will be destroyed on the way. When we reach the organizing committee's office later, I'll spray it a little more …"
Xia Ruofei thought for a moment, nodded with a smile, and handed the spray bottle to Xia Cheng.
It was just the Space Spirit Pool water, not the flower petal solution, so Xia Ruofei wasn't worried about his secret being discovered.
Xia Cheng thanked Xia Ruofei, and then asked another student of the Horticultural Arts Club to hold the pot of flowers. He took the spray bottle, and the two of them walked out of the basketball stadium together.
The next step was to wait. The atmosphere in the booth was a little tense. Everyone felt that they were very close to the gold medal, but they weren't sure about the final result.
Jiang Yue was even more restless. The gold medal this time was related to the bet between Xia Ruofei and Chen Song. If they lost, Xia Ruofei would lose face, and Lu You would lose a pot of precious orchids.
One was her best friend, and the other was the man she secretly liked. Jiang Yue was so worried that she couldn't think straight.
The waiting time was quite long. The flower exhibition was officially opened at noon, so the whole morning was reserved for the preparation of the exhibition, the judging, and so on.
After the shortlisted flowers were sent to the organizing committee's office, the judges soon held a closed-door meeting.
The meeting lasted for almost two hours.
Xia Cheng was also muttering in his heart. In the past years, the process was similar, but the judges could judge all the gold, silver, and bronze medals in an hour at most.
This year, almost twice as long had passed, but the results were still not out.
Was the competition too fierce?
Xia Cheng faintly felt that the judges were indecisive and had a heated discussion. It was very likely that their Jade Lion Mo Lan and Agricultural University's Yang Suhe were the ones who made the judges hesitate.
Time ticked by.
Two and a half hours later, the staff finally came to inform everyone to gather at the entrance hall.
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