Chapter 58：Outrageous judges

Promise Chu Ling'er to stay at the Four Seas Hotel, Li Weijie did not resist mentally. 

Although there was an element of basking in her glory, she was a big star and much richer than himself. 

So what if he benefitted from her shine? 

Even if it was just a friend treating him.

The next morning, Li Weijie went alone to find the organizers of the hairdressing competition. After completing the simple registration procedures, he learned about the detailed schedule. 

Since it was hosted by the Chinese Association of Beauty and Hairdressing, the competition was divided into beauty and hairdressing. Li Weijie only needed to know about the hairdressing events.

The competition lasted for three days, with six hours of competition time each day, three hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon. 

All the participants had already gone through the selection process, so there were not many contestants, with a total of twenty finalists.

The first two days were the elimination rounds, with the twenty contestants divided into four groups. 

Each contestant had to complete a hairstyle within the specified time, and then the judges would score and discuss together to select the top three finalists for the final day.

Li Weijie declined the organizers' offer of accommodation during these days, but he didn't have the chance to leave and explore H City because his report wasn't considered early. 

There was also a judge meeting in the afternoon, allowing the judges to get to know each other and understand the scoring and regulations of the competition.

Unexpectedly, there was a meeting, but the formal competition would start tomorrow, and Li Weijie felt a bit nervous. 

He was even more nervous than when he participated in competitions himself. It would be good to get familiar with the other judges and understand the rules better.

At noon, the organizers arranged a lunch for the judges. There were separate tables for beauty and hairdressing, each forming a group. 

There were a total of seven hairdressing judges, and besides Li Weijie being a newcomer, the others had participated in other judging competitions before and had some reputation in the industry. Many of them knew each other.

Li Weijie thought to himself that as Xu Rong's identity, she should also be acquainted with them, right? Being invited by the Shijue Salon, meant she had some status in the industry. He couldn't lose face!

With this in mind, Li Weijie, facing this kind of occasion for the first time, put aside his nervousness and took the initiative to greet and introduce himself to the senior judges. (Before coming, his business card had already changed from an assistant to a hairstylist, and Xu Rong had prepared new business cards for him.)

Sure enough, Xu Rong and "Shijue," who frequently participated in industry events, were recognized or known by the other judges. 

It wasn't until Li Weijie took the initiative to talk to them and handed them his business card that they realized this stranger, who they thought was a staff member, was representing "Shijue."

Except for the two judges from the Chinese-American Association who were slightly older, in their forties, the other four judges were young, in their twenties and thirties, including one woman. 

But in China, people often boast in front of newcomers as a way of mentoring them. These judges were no exception. 

The addition of a new face in the panel gave them more to talk about and show off their experience.

Li Weijie did not feel annoyed by these seemingly boastful discussions; instead, he listened attentively. Because he truly was a newcomer, someone who had skills in hairstyling but lacked connections in the industry. 

Many things they talked about, he didn't know. 

From their conversations during the meal, he learned a lot about industry knowledge and anecdotes. His humility also left a good impression on the other judges.

After the meal, they returned to the hotel by the special bus arranged by the organizers. 

Li Weijie sat at the back, ready to continue listening to the judges' conversations in the beauty and hairdressing industry, and also observe their actual status in the industry.

At this moment, a judge from the Chinese-American Association sat next to him.

"Teacher Luo, hello," Li Weijie took the initiative to smile and greet him. Miss Rong had meticulously arranged this opportunity for him, and he couldn't waste it. He had to develop connections. 

Even if he didn't achieve great fame this time, at least he wanted to become known in the industry.

"Hmm, Li Weijie. Do you know me?" Luo Xuan nodded and asked Li Weijie with a smile.

Li Weijie was taken aback, not sure what he meant. He thought to himself, I didn't do anything disrespectful to him earlier, I even showed more respect compared to others.

"Haha," Luo Xuan patted his shoulder and laughed. "What I mean is, did you know me before today?"

Li Weijie nodded, honestly saying, "To be honest, you didn't know me, but I knew you. I've seen you twice before in competitions. You were a judge, and I was a contestant."

Luo Xuan nodded and smiled. "Exactly, I told you we've met before."

A flash of thought went through Li Weijie's mind. 

What did he mean by that? 

Reconnecting? 

Former judges and contestants didn't have direct communication, so what old connections were there to talk about? 

Did he want to say I'm not qualified to sit alongside him, not qualified to be a judge?

Just as Li Weijie was doubting, Luo Xuan lowered his voice. 

"Young man, you're quite good. When I saw you do a hairstyle for the first time, I saw great potential in you!"

"You flatter me." Li Weijie felt a bit embarrassed. He didn't expect it to be just catching up with old times.

Luo Xuan's voice was sincere and serious. 

"I remember that Miss Xu was also there that time, and we discussed you. Although you didn't get first place in the end, we all believed in your potential! Miss Xu even told me she had been paying attention to you for some time."

Li Weijie nodded. Before this, he had already attended a seminar where Xu Rong gave a lecture.

"After that, I also followed your progress and noticed that you participated in many competitions but never got first place. It's quite strange." Luo Xuan looked at Li Weijie.

Li Weijie hurriedly said, "Hehe, first place is only for the best contestants. My skills are not good enough, so naturally, I couldn't get first place."

"No, each time you made it to the finals. It's strange to say that your skills are not good enough when you consistently perform so well."

"Hehe, I participated in many competitions, so I got familiar with the competition routine." Li Weijie scratched his head.

Luo Xuan stared into his eyes, his gaze flickering for a few moments before he spoke in a low voice, "I don't know what Miss Xu thinks, but she brought you to Shijue and has been grooming you. She values your potential. Hmm... If I'm not mistaken, in the past when you participated in competitions, you intentionally held back, right? You didn't want to get first place!"