193: The result of the lottery in Chapter 193 is...

The car drove through the old town of Suzhou, crossed a bridge, turned two streets, and finally stopped in front of a building.

The entrance wasn't very big, but several cars were already parked outside, and staff members could be vaguely seen going in and out.

Lu Li paid the fare, pushed the door open to get out, and stood at the entrance, looking up.

A wooden plaque hung above the entrance, with the characters "Suzhou Art Exchange Center" written on it.

Lu Li and Shen Qingxue walked inside side by side.

When they reached the entrance, the staff verified Shen Qingxue's identity information and then led them to a meeting room on the second floor.

The meeting room was not large, featuring a long conference table, several chairs, an ink painting hanging on the wall, and a potted green plant placed by the window.

Some people had already arrived first.

Two people were sitting by the window, a man and a woman.

Lu Li had some impression of the male student; he was one of the contestants who advanced to the final four last night, named Xu Hang.

Wearing a pair of silver-framed glasses and a dark blue shirt, he looked refined and cultured.

The girl sitting next to him was not very familiar to Lu Li; she had a high ponytail, wore a black hoodie, and was looking down at her phone.

Seeing Shen Qingxue walk in, Xu Hang was the first to stand up and took the initiative to greet her.

"Good morning, Teacher Shen."

Shen Qingxue nodded slightly, her tone polite yet carrying a natural sense of aloofness.

"Mhm, morning."

Xu Hang's gaze fell on Lu Li again, and he smiled.

"Teacher Lu, I heard that rap segment last night, it was very impressive."

Lu Li didn't expect him to initiate a conversation, was slightly stunned, and then politely replied.

"Thank you, you flatter me."

Xu Hang nodded, didn't say anything more, and sat back down.

Only then did the girl with the high ponytail raise her head, glance at Shen Qingxue, and then at Lu Li with no expression, before lowering her head to continue browsing her phone.

Lu Li didn't mind either, and sat down with Shen Qingxue on the other side of the conference table, with a distance of one seat between them.

The meeting room was quiet for a moment.

Soon, footsteps came from the door again, and the last advancing contestant also arrived—a short-haired girl named Lin Xiaolu.

She wore a loose striped shirt and carried a canvas bag, her face showing obvious tension when she walked in.

When she saw Shen Qingxue, her steps visibly paused, and then she quickly found a spot in the corner to sit down.

Shen Qingxue turned her head to look at her, but didn't say anything.

About two minutes later, a middle-aged man in a grey suit walked in, holding a laptop in his hand.

He walked to the head of the conference table and stood still, his gaze sweeping over the four people present.

"Good morning, teachers. I am the event coordinator of this competition, and my surname is Zhang. Gathering everyone here today is to announce the draw results for the Semifinals."

Without extra pleasantries, he went straight to the point.

"According to the rules, the appearance order for the Semifinals of the Top Four to Two is determined by a draw. Now, I will announce the results."

Coordinator Zhang lowered his head to look at the content on the computer, then raised his head and read it out clearly.

"The first contestant to appear is… Lin Xiaolu."

The short-haired girl in the corner clearly let out a sigh of relief, looking as though she had breathed a sigh of relief.

"The second contestant to appear is… Xu Hang."

Xu Hang pushed up his glasses, his expression unchanged.

"The third contestant to appear is… Chen Dan."

The girl with the high ponytail raised her head, nodded slightly, and then lowered her head to continue looking at her phone.

"The fourth contestant to appear is… Shen Qingxue."

Coordinator Zhang finished reading the last name, closed the computer, raised his head, and his gaze swept across everyone's faces.

"The above is the appearance order for this Semifinals. All teachers have ample time to prepare."

"Regarding the format of the Semifinals, I would like to remind everyone again that there are no thematic restrictions for the Semifinals, and each contestant has six minutes of performance time."

"After the performance, five judges will evaluate and score on the spot, and contestants will advance based on their average score ranking."

"In addition, the match time for the Semifinals is 7:00 PM this Sunday, and the location remains unchanged, right at the Sucheng Grand Theatre. Everyone has six days to adjust."

"If there is rehearsal time later, the staff will notify you separately."

After Coordinator Zhang finished speaking, his gaze swept over everyone again.

"Do teachers have any other questions?"

The meeting room was quiet for a few seconds.

Xu Hang spoke first, his tone polite.

"Excuse me, Teacher Zhang, do the Semifinals support live bands? If supported, should contestants prepare it themselves, or will it be uniformly arranged by the organizer?"

"If a live band is needed, you can submit an application to the organizer three days in advance."

"Okay, thank you."

Xu Hang nodded and didn't ask further.

Shen Qingxue leaned against the back of her chair, her expression unchanged, just listening quietly.

Lu Li turned his head to look at her, lowered his voice, and said in a volume that only the two of them could hear.

"The last to appear again, right in the usual spot."

Shen Qingxue glanced at him, smiled softly, and didn't pick up the conversation.

Seeing that no one else was asking questions, Coordinator Zhang confirmed once more.

"If there are no other questions, that's all for today. Teachers can go back and prepare first. If there are any subsequent changes, the staff will notify you in time."

After finishing, he nodded at everyone, and then walked out of the meeting room carrying the computer.

The footsteps gradually faded away, and the meeting room grew quiet again.

Xu Hang was the first to stand up, nodded politely to Shen Qingxue and Lu Li, and then turned and walked out.

The other two didn't stay long either, getting up and leaving.

Soon, only Lu Li and Shen Qingxue were left in the meeting room.

Lu Li leaned against the back of his chair, put his hands behind his head, turned his head, and glanced at Shen Qingxue.

"Being the last one to appear this time, is the pressure big?"

Shen Qingxue thought for a moment, then shook her head.

"It's fine, the order doesn't affect much, the song is what's important. But with you here, I'm not worried."

Lu Li nodded with a grin; he loved hearing this answer.

Then he stood up from the chair and stretched lazily.

"Alright, let's go back to the hotel first. We might end up staying here for a week this time; plans can never keep up with changes."

Shen Qingxue nodded, stood up along with him, and picked up the small bag placed on the table.

Then the two walked out of the meeting room side by side, heading out along the corridor.

When they reached the first-floor lobby, Lu Li's steps suddenly paused.

He turned his head to glance at the lounge area in the corner of the lobby, where someone was sitting.

Xu Hang.

He was sitting on the sofa holding a cup of coffee, with an open notebook spread out in front of him.

Seeing Lu Li and Shen Qingxue walking down, he raised his head, smiled at them, and took the initiative to speak.

"Teacher Shen, Teacher Lu, is it convenient to chat for a couple of minutes?"

Lu Li glanced at Shen Qingxue.

Shen Qingxue gave him a look, meaning you decide.

Lu Li didn't think too much either, turning his head back to look at Xu Hang.

"Please go ahead."

Xu Hang put down his coffee cup, leaned forward slightly, his tone carrying just the right amount of sincerity.

"The theme of the Semifinals is no rules, but personally, I feel that the more it is like this, the more it tests the contestants' judgment."

He paused, his gaze lingering on Shen Qingxue's face for a moment.

"So I'm very curious, what direction does Teacher Shen plan to sing for the Semifinals?"

Shen Qingxue didn't answer immediately.

After being silent for two seconds, she spoke, her tone still calm and indifferent.

"Not decided yet, I'll think about it when we get back."

Xu Hang smiled, as if he had anticipated this answer long ago, and did not pursue the question further.

"Then I wish Teacher Shen success in the Semifinals."

"Thank you, you too."

Xu Hang nodded, picked up his coffee cup again, and his gaze fell back onto the notebook in front of him.