A Literary Life Starting from the First Year of High School

The awards ceremony was scheduled for the morning of November 2nd in the auditorium of the High School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University.

The auditorium is located at the very back of the High School Affiliated to the Normal University. It is an old gray-white building with four marble pillars at the entrance, carved with patterns, and looks quite old. The auditorium is very large, seating four or five hundred people. Above the stage hangs a red banner with the words "National Middle School Students' Innovative Writing Competition Final Award Ceremony" in large, formal gold regular script.

The seating was already arranged. The contestants sat in the first three rows, while the teachers in charge sat in the back. Each chair had a number tag attached, corresponding to each person's admission ticket number. Lin Shubai found his seat—the second row, near the middle, a good spot where he didn't have to crane his neck to see the stage or worry about his view being blocked by the people in front of him.

Chen Xiaobei sat to his left, and Lin Wanqing sat to his right. As soon as Chen Xiaobei sat down, he started looking around, like a hamster that had just been put into a new cage.

Chen Xiaobei's outfit today could be described as "formal." He wore a dark blue suit jacket over a white crew-neck T-shirt, black casual pants, and polished leather shoes. The combination wasn't exactly ugly, but it wasn't exactly harmonious either.

"Where did you get these clothes?" Lin Shubai couldn't help but ask.

"It's my dad's. He said, 'I'll borrow it for a day, so I don't get it dirty.'" Chen Xiaobei tugged at the cuff; the sleeve was clearly too long.

"Look over there," Chen Xiaobei pointed to the left side of the stage, "that's the judges' panel, right? There are several people sitting there, and they all look quite knowledgeable. That old man with completely white hair, he looks like a professor. And that woman with glasses, she has a very good demeanor, she must be a top-level teacher."

Lin Wanqing followed his gaze and looked over. "You know them?"

"I don't know him. But I can guess from his demeanor. That's called social observation."

"You just called it observation skills, and now you've added 'social skills' to it."

"There are many kinds of observation skills. There's natural observation, social observation, and interpersonal relationship observation. I have all of them."

All you have is too much talk.

Chen Xiaobei pretended not to hear.

After a while, the stage lights came on. A man in a suit walked onto the stage, holding a microphone, stood in the center of the stage, and glanced at the audience. His gaze was very professional, sweeping across the entire venue before finally settling on the camera in the very center.

Good morning, teachers and students!

The applause rang out, not enthusiastic, but very orderly.

"Welcome to the National Middle School Students' Innovative Writing Competition Finals Award Ceremony. I am your host today, Zhang Yuan from the organizing committee."

Chen Xiaobei leaned closer and whispered, "Zhang Yuan, that's a pretty common name. Our neighborhood security guard is also named Zhang Yuan."

"Be quiet."

"I'm just sharing information."

The host began introducing the background, scale, and significance of the competition. From "to promote the improvement of middle school students' writing skills" to "to discover and cultivate new literary talents," from "more than thirty competition areas across the country" to "nearly a thousand schools participating," it was a standard opening, delivered smoothly but lacking in information. Chen Xiaobei quietly translated from the side: "He said so much, but to sum it up in one sentence—this competition is very important."

Lin Shubai couldn't help but chuckle.

After the host introduced the competition, he began to introduce the judges. The first one was Qian Xueshen, a professor in the Chinese Department of Peking University. He had white hair and received applause from the entire audience when he stood up.

After the judges' introductions, we finally got to the main event—the awards ceremony.

"First, let's announce the winners of the Excellence Award. There are ten winners in total. Students whose names are called, please come up to the stage to receive your awards in turn."

The host began reading the list. One name after another popped up from the microphone, and each time a name was read, applause erupted from the audience. Some cheered, some stood up and waved, and some ran onto the stage.

Chen Xiaobei sat in his seat with his hands on his knees, his fingers tapping incessantly. Lin Shubai noticed that his lips were trembling slightly, as if he were silently reciting something.

Are you nervous?

"I'm not nervous. I'm practicing my stage presence. Look, walk like this—" He gestured with his hand, "left foot first, then right foot, then stand in the middle of the stage, turn slightly to the side, and smile at the camera. I practiced in front of the mirror twenty times last night."

Why are you practicing this?

"What if I call your name? I need to be prepared."

The award winners have all been read out, but Chen Xiaobei wasn't among them.

Next up are the third prizes. There are six third prizes in total.

"Third prize, first place - Beijing Division, Wang Hao."

A boy stood up from the third row and quickly walked onto the stage.

"Second place - Guangdong Province Division, Li Sisi."

A girl stood up from the first row, her ponytail swinging high.

As the list was read out one by one, Chen Xiaobei's legs trembled faster and faster. Lin Shubai felt that if his knees kept shaking like that, he might bounce off his chair.

"Sixth place - Beijing Division, Zhou Xiaotong."

The second prize award ceremony began. The host picked up another card and cleared his throat.

"Next, we will announce the winners of the second prize. There are four second prize winners in total."

Chen Xiaobei's legs started shaking again, this time even more violently, causing the chair to tremble slightly. Lin Wanqing glanced at him expressionlessly from her left, her eyes conveying the message, "Could you please turn off the vibration mode?"

"Second prize, first place - Beijing Division, Liu Zixuan."

"Second place - Hubei Province Division, Wu Di."

"Third place - Shanghai Division, Chen Xiaobei."

Chen Xiaobei was jolted up from his seat as if he had been electrocuted.

"It's me! It's me! They've called my name!" His voice was so loud that it could be heard by the three rows in front and behind him.

Lin Shubai gave him a push: "Go up."

Chen Xiaobei then realized what was happening, squeezing out of his seat with large strides, his left foot stepping out first—just like he'd practiced the night before. But as he reached the aisle, his leather shoe slipped on the smooth floor, causing him to stumble forward and nearly fall. He frantically steadied himself, glanced back at Lin Shubai, and mouthed two words: "Embarrassing."

Lin Shubai suppressed a laugh and gave him a thumbs up.

The host watched his series of actions and his lips twitched slightly, but his professionalism kept him smiling.

Chen Xiaobei stood on the stage and accepted the certificate and trophy. The certificate was red, and the trophy was crystal; it wasn't large, but it seemed quite heavy. He held the trophy up and waved it at the audience, his face beaming like a sunflower in bloom.

Someone in the audience laughed. Flashbulbs popped, and Chen Xiaobei flashed the same smile at every camera—a wide grin with his eyes narrowed to slits.

The host handed me the microphone: "Say a few words."

Chen Xiaobei took the microphone and took a deep breath. Lin Shubai thought he was going to say something like "thank you, teachers, thank you, parents" as a standard line, but he said instead, "I practiced my stage posture twenty times in front of the mirror last night, but I didn't expect to be unsteady on the first try."

The audience burst into laughter.

"But I still made it up. I almost fell, but the trophy didn't." He lifted the trophy and shook it. "It's quite heavy, made of crystal, really."

The laughter grew even louder. Even some of the judges were laughing.

"Thank you to my Chinese teacher. Although he always says my essays are off-topic, he always corrects them carefully. Thank you to my mom. She ironed my suit three times, even though it was still wrinkled afterward. Thank you to my dad. He lent me his suit, even though the sleeves are so long—" He held up his sleeve to show everyone, only a few fingertips showing, like a child wearing an adult's clothes, "but it's okay, I can just roll them up."

He rolled up his sleeves as he spoke, tucking the microphone under his arm—a rather comical gesture.

"Finally, I'd like to thank my two fellow Shanghainese, Lin Shubai and Lin Wanqing. One was so calm and the other so serious, making me seem like a chatterbox. But I'm just talkative, I can't change that. Thank you everyone!"

He handed the microphone back, bowed deeply, and then walked off the stage with the trophy and certificate in his arms. He was much more composed going off the stage than going on, probably because the nervousness had subsided.

He returned to his seat, plopped down, and held the trophy up to Lin Shubai: "Look! Mine!"

Lin Shubai took the trophy and examined it. It was crystal, with the words "Second Prize, National Middle School Students' Innovative Writing Competition" engraved on it. He returned the trophy: "Congratulations."

"Your 'Congratulations' was too bland. Couldn't you have said it with a bit more emotion?"

"Congratulations!" Lin Shubai raised his voice, but his expression remained the same.

Chen Xiaobei shook his head and turned to look at Lin Wanqing. Lin Wanqing glanced at him and said one word: "Okay."

"Just one word?"

"That's enough."

Chen Xiaobei sighed, carefully put the trophy into his backpack, zipped it up, patted it to make sure it wouldn't fall out, then leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.

"Let me tell you, my legs were shaking when I went on stage just now. Did you see that?"

"I didn't see it. I only saw you almost fall."

"That's not shaking, it's just that the stage is too slippery. The stages in the north are different from those in the south."

"Are stages divided into North and South?"

"Of course it's different. The north is dry, so the floor has less friction. The south is humid, so the friction is greater. It's physics, you wouldn't understand."

Lin Shubai decided not to argue with him about the coefficient of friction of the floor.

The host came on stage again. This time, his expression was more formal than before, and he was holding a new card.

"Next, we will announce the winners of the first prize. There are three first prize winners in the national finals."

The auditorium fell completely silent. Even Chen Xiaobei stopped playing with the trophy, hugged the crystal block to his chest, and quietly watched the stage.

"First place - Shanghai Division, Lin Shubai."

Chen Xiaobei let out a loud "howl," so loud it sounded like someone had stepped on his tail, and the whole auditorium could hear it. Several people in the front row turned to look at him, but he didn't care at all. He grabbed Lin Shubai's arm and shook it twice: "I knew it! I knew you could get it! I told you so!"

Lin Shubai stood up, pushed his chair back, and walked onto the stage. His heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained calm. As he walked onto the stage, he passed the judges' panel, where Qian Xueshen was looking at him.

"Second place - Shanghai Division, Lin Wanqing."

Lin Wanqing stood up, gently pushed the chair back, and then walked onto the stage. Her steps were steady, neither fast nor slow, and her expression remained unchanged, as if she were doing something very ordinary.

"Third place - Shandong Province Division, Chen Ming."

A boy wearing glasses stood up from the third row and walked briskly onto the stage, his steps steady and unhurried. He accepted the certificate and trophy, stood on the left side of the stage, and smiled, but his smile was restrained, as if he was trying hard not to appear too excited.

The host handed over the certificate and trophy, which Lin Shubai accepted. The certificate had a red cover with large gold lettering, and the trophy was made of crystal. It was different in shape from the second prize trophy, larger, and quite heavy in his hand.

The three first-prize winners stood side by side on the stage. Chen Mingyuan was on the left, Lin Wanqing in the middle, and Lin Shubai on the right. Flashbulbs popped, and people in the audience shouted, "Look this way!" and "Smile!"

After the photos were taken, the host handed over the microphone: "Three students, each of you, please say a few words in acceptance speech."

The first one was Chen Mingyuan. He took the microphone, cleared his throat, and said, "Thank you to the organizing committee, thank you to the judges, and thank you to my parents and teachers. I will continue to work hard." After saying that, he handed the microphone back and stood up straight.

Chen Xiaobei whispered from below the stage, "It's too formulaic, like reciting a text. It sounds just like the self-criticism I wrote."

The second was Lin Wanqing. She took the microphone, paused for a second, and then said, "Thank you." That was it. She handed the microphone back, her expression unchanged.

The third person was Lin Shubai. He took the microphone, thought for a moment, and then said, "Thank you to my Chinese teacher, Ms. Chen; thank you to my mom; thank you to my dad; and thank you to my classmate Liu Yang, who lent me a gold fountain pen. That pen was quite heavy, and the words it wrote seemed weighty. I also want to thank my classmate Su Wan, who always says, 'You can definitely do it,' and I've come to believe it myself." He paused, "Finally, thank you to Chen Xiaobei sitting in the audience. Although he's been talking since this morning, and my ears are practically calloused, he's the most enthusiastic person I've ever met. Enthusiasm is a talent; don't waste it."

The laughter from the audience grew even louder. Chen Xiaobei, holding up his phone with his mouth agape, yelled, "Lin Shubai, I love you!"

The entire audience burst into laughter. The host almost lost his composure and quickly covered his mouth with his hand.

Lin Shubai handed the microphone back, stood on the stage, and his ears turned slightly red.

After the awards ceremony, it was time for the judges' representative to speak. Qian Xueshen walked onto the stage, without a prepared speech, stood in front of the microphone, and glanced at the audience.

"I don't have much to say today," he began, his voice soft but clear. "I've spent my whole life studying and reading, and I thought I would never be moved by words again. But yesterday, while grading papers, I read an essay, and after reading it, I broke out in a sweat."

The audience fell silent. Chen Xiaobei put down his phone and listened attentively.

"That essay was written by one of the first-prize winners. I won't mention his name; you can read it yourselves."