After stepping off the stage, he hadn’t taken a few steps before turning back. He deftly opened his phone, connected it to the large screen at the center of the stage, and displayed the photo that Su Xingyu had just secretly taken of him from the audience. Although the enlarged phone photo’s pixels were slightly lacking, it did not detract from the striking contrast between light and dark and the detailed depiction of the figure. The nearly perfect composition and lighting techniques were astonishing. Leng Fei said, "This photo was candidly taken right in front of me by the photographer, Su Xingyu. You can judge for yourselves her level of candid photography—are you really accusing her of staging photos for such a small competition? Ha." After dropping two "ha’s" mocking the intelligence of the crowd, Leng Fei briskly left again, without looking back this time. The host’s smile was stiff—didn’t he know he was easily making enemies with such remarks? Turning to look at the photo Su Xingyu had taken on the big screen, indeed, the lighting and composition were flawless, with even the exposure level in the dark environment being meticulously handled. Had it not been for Leng Fei’s authoritative word, no one would have believed this photo was taken spontaneously with a phone. The crowd began to stir again: "Su Xingyu is amazing!" "She was just sitting next to Leng Fei and had the guts to secretly photograph him. Truly impressive!" "The angle and timing were perfect; her candid photography skills are practically godly! Thinking back, from the preliminaries to the semifinals, the finals, and now this live candid shot, her skill level has been very consistent. It doesn’t seem like someone lacking skills who would resort to cheating." "Exactly. On the contrary, Lin Luna did seem to perform extra well." "So Lin Luna was instructed by Su Xingqi to fake and stage photographs! There’s no doubt Su Xingyu’s photos are genuine." "Leng Fei already confirmed it’s real, so it’s real! With his current status and position, would he really lie for a small photography competition and ruin his reputation?" "Ha, lie? You’re giving Su Xingyu too much credit." someone teased in the online live chat. Many people laughed. Yes, who was Leng Fei, after all, the chief technical advisor of the most critical research division of Blade Group! Rumor had it that his annual salary was tens of millions, or maybe it had already surpassed a billion by now? Many beautiful women were crying and begging to marry him, and countless organizations were crying and begging to recruit him. Compared to such a prominent figure, Su Xingyu was like an insignificant speck of dust! How could he possibly lie to help Su Xingyu? Come on, don’t be ridiculous. Leng Fei’s appearance was authoritative. Although his lengthy on-site analysis and calculations had left most people feeling intellectually overwhelmed, it did not prevent the crowd from believing and admiring him! "Su Xingyu didn’t fake anything; only Lin Luna and Su Xingqi did!" the crowd agreed. "Su Xingqi was despicable, getting caught faking her photos and trying to drag Su Xingyu down with her! Shameless!" "Yeah, utterly shameless!" "Su Xingqi, get out!" "Su Xingqi, get out!" The online live chat room began flooding with comments, and at the venue, the booing grew louder and louder, forming a rhythmic chant: "Su Xingqi, get out! Su Xingqi, get out! Su Xingqi, get out!" Su Xingqi hadn’t anticipated the situation escalating to this point, her face was twisted with embarrassment and frustration. On stage, Su Xingyu stood at the top of the steps, looking down at her with pity: "Leave. Someone like you is not worthy of participating in the street photography competition. Photography is not to be desecrated." Her voice was clear and distant, carrying a mysterious power or a commanding force that pierced people’s hearts, indomitable, one word equaled faith. In the audience, emotions ran high: "Su Xingqi, get out! Get out!! Get out!!!" Su Xingqi, blocked by two security guards at the edge of the stage, wore a face full of irritation and reluctance. But what did it matter if she was unwilling? She had already lost miserably, so much so that even the fifty thousand she had promised was scorned and forgotten by the audience! Everyone was on the side of the elegantly-dressed Su Xingyu on the stage, treating Su Xingqi like a worn-out shoe! As if matching the atmosphere of the scene, a bright beam of light fell upon her. The big screen displayed a close-up of Su Xingqi’s face, her twisted and frustrated expression magnified without any escape. Instinctively wanting to cover her face, she quickly realized it would only make her look more pathetic and hurriedly turned to escape into the darkness, groping her way toward the exit of the finals venue. On stage, Su Xingyu watched quietly. It was finally over. She only wanted to participate in a competition peacefully, but such a farce intervened. Thankfully, it ended smoothly. The wicked met their retribution, and the obstacles blocking her path to victory were removed. Next, she would win the competition. Just thinking this, the crowd’s chant had already changed to—"Su Xingyu! Su Xingyu! Su Xingyu!" Countless audience members were in awe of her photographs, her sharp insight, and the brilliant speech from earlier. Compared to the scheming Su Xingqi, the beautiful and composed young woman before them was like a goddess. The cheers were almost enough to blow the roof off. The host repeatedly called for "quiet, please" several times, and finally, the crowd somewhat calmed down. The host smiled, raising the microphone: "So, regarding Miss Su Xingyu’s competition photo Martial, it has been confirmed as a candid shot with no cheating. Please, Miss Su, continue sharing the concept behind this photo. It looks amazing." The competition returned to its normal course. Su Xingyu smiled slightly and continued from where her explanation was interrupted by Su Xingqi earlier, explaining it to everyone. When she finished, applause thundered from the audience. This was the most enthusiastic applause in the finals so far, aimed not only at her work but also at her character, remaining neither arrogant nor timid when falsely accused of photo forgery and being justified and thorough when exposing others’ forgery. Her calmness in adversity and unwavering integrity won everyone’s respect. Even though the competition results were not yet announced, the name Su Xingyu was destined to shine tonight. Su Xingyu walked off the stage amidst the applause and returned to her seat. The man sitting next to her extended his hand: "Hello, Su Xingyu. My name is Situ Chenyu. I’m a freelance photographer. Nice to meet you." Su Xingyu shook his hand gracefully, and photographers and audience members sitting behind her also started approaching her, sparking a wave of excitement centered around her. This was the star effect. Although she was just beginning to shine brightly in this final, she had already become an idol and a person many wanted to connect with. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs novęlfire.net She glanced sideways at the empty seat on her right, silently thanking Leng Fei in her heart: Mr. Leng, thank you. Another person who deserved her gratitude was Lu Shifeng, who brought Leng Fei to help her.