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The photographer's intention was to sound vulgar.

After Lu Qing applied her makeup, she appeared even more refined with her slender frame and alluring, ample bosom. Among the contestants, she was the most striking beauty.

The photographer was a local from Hong Kong and had always looked down on outsiders, especially those from rural mainland China.

There were plenty of Hong Kong girls to choose from as beauty pageant contestants. Why would they ever resort to selecting a northerner?

"I'm on my way," Lu Qing said. She had heard such remarks too often since joining TVB. As an unpopular actress with a low status, she was willing to swallow her pride for her future. Instead of arguing back, she quickly returned to her position.

Seeing Lu Qing's obedient demeanor, the photographer felt pleased and taunted, "That's more like it! Being rustic isn't a country girl's fault, but stupidity is. Assistant, bring out the balloons!"

The assistant promptly fetched the tied-up balloons and distributed them to the contestants, one per person.

When the assistant handed a balloon to Lu Qing, she politely thanked them in Cantonese with a delicate tone.

The assistant blushed at Lu Qing's charming face, even surprised. After distributing the balloons, Lu Qing was the first beauty to express her gratitude.

The others treated him like a mere errand boy.

"It's no big deal," the assistant said, glancing cautiously at the photographer behind him and whispering, "Don't space out later. Hurry up and cooperate with Brother Jian for the shoot. He really has a short temper."

"Alright," Lu Qing nodded obediently.

Zhu Weijian, growing impatient with the delay, grabbed his camera and widened his eyes. "What are you doing! You took forever to hand out the balloons, should I stand here with you for half a day too? How do we calculate the lost time?"

"I won't shoot, let you shoot instead if that's okay!"

Hearing the shout, the assistant turned with a smile, gesturing near his temple, "Sorry, Brother Jian. The balloons have been distributed. We can start shooting now."

"Get lost if you're ready to shoot," Zhu Weijian opened the camera lens cover, cursing under his breath, "You don't know how to check the camera angle when learning photography? All you know is to block the lens, damn foolish."

The assistant exchanged a look with Lu Qing and sighed.

Amidst the endless stream of curses ringing in his ears, he and Lu Qing were no strangers to similar predicaments.

Lu Qing wrapped up her work amidst intermittent insults, the dressing room bustling with activity. She draped a towel around herself and made her way to the open-air bar on the yacht, settling down at a counter overlooking the sea. Two consecutive days of shooting had left her exhausted.

Before long,

the sound of Zhu Weijian's ranting echoed from the second-floor lounge, "I took you under my wing to teach you how to navigate life. Why are you sucking up to some country girl? Can't you tell who's worth your time?"

Ah Yang defended himself, "I wasn't sucking up to her. Even if I was, it's something Big Brother Jian taught me. Lu Qing has such great popularity; it's evident from how quickly her promotional posters sold out. The gossip news predicts that she'll at least secure a top three spot."

"She'll definitely have good resources in the future."

Lu Qing couldn't help but clench her palm, unaware that so many people appreciated her. Hearing that her posters had sold out, a secret smile played on her lips.

Being liked by others could bring such joy.

The click of a lighter sounded from upstairs.

Zhu Weijian took a drag of his cigarette, sneering, "Top three? She dares to dream. Let me tell you, those spots have long been reserved for Luo Yinghong. There's no place for country girls in this game."

The top three positions refer to the champion, runner-up, and third place.

Luo Yinghong holds shares in TVB and is a high-ranking executive. The winners for the top three spots have long been predetermined. Historically, all the beauty pageant winners have gone on to achieve great fame.

For someone like Lu Qing, who has neither fame nor influence, to aspire to third place?

It's a pipe dream.

Upon hearing that Lu Qing had no chance, Ah Yang, perhaps unable to bear seeing such a hardworking girl pushed aside by backstage dealings, tried to argue, "I have insider information too. Rumor has it that Miss Xu once made a request to the higher-ups not to make things difficult for Lu Qing, who comes from humble beginnings."

"You yourself said it was just so they wouldn't make things difficult," Zhu Weijian sneered, revealing his yellowed teeth. "That doesn't mean they'll actively help her. If Miss Xu wanted to support her, she would have already secured a spot for her."

"Give up, country girl. It's already a miracle that she made it to the finals. To expect more is impossible."

"She's just a pawn, brought out to see the world only to be cast back down to hell."

Ah Yang, disheartened by the reality of the situation and recalling the kind-hearted young lady he had just met, fell into despair.

They both understood.

Should Lu Qing fail to secure a top three position, she would have no chance of making a name for herself in Hong Kong's entertainment circle.

There were simply too many beautiful girls.

After a while.

The sound of fabric rustling echoed from the second floor, followed by the fading footsteps of leather shoes on the deck as they moved further away.

Silence returned to the surroundings.

The sea gently lapped against the yacht, again and again, while the wind howled like a mournful ghost through the rocks. As night fell, the temperature dropped steadily.

Lu Qing had fallen from paradise to hell.

She trembled uncontrollably.

Hugging her towel tightly, she tried to fend off the biting cold. The sparkle in her beautiful eyes dimmed like a flickering candle extinguished by the wind.

Her mind seemed to have crashed.

After an eternity.

Through quivering teeth, her voice trembled with sobs.

"Of course. Without connections or support, how could I be foolish enough to believe I was guaranteed a spot as Miss Hong Kong?"

Glistening tears fell, splattering onto her clasped hands.

A surge of bitterness rose within her in an instant.

Zhu Weijian was right; she was just a naive country girl, brought out to be a mere participant in the race.

How pathetic.

The beautiful dreams and aspirations she had nurtured were shattered in an instant.

How could someone like her ever deserve a place as Miss Hong Kong?

It was unclear how long had passed.

"Lucy?"

A few more beauties had joined the yacht, and they approached Lu Qing on purpose. One of them put her arm around Lu Qing's shoulder, having overheard Zhu Wei Jian's words.

"Are you alright?"