Chapter 41: Grandma, How Much Did You Pay for the Trophy?

After the female judge spoke, she suddenly realized her words might have been misleading. Worried that the audience might take them the wrong way once the show aired, she quickly looked at Chen Zhonglun and tried to clarify, “I didn’t mean anything else. I was just stating a fact—that the clown on stage is you!”

“…”

Why did it feel like the more she explained, the worse the misunderstanding got?

The female judge admitted to herself that she really wasn’t good at expressing things. She smiled awkwardly and continued explaining, “Anyway, I didn’t mean it like that…”

But Chen Zhonglun could already sense that the moment she said she didn’t mean it, she had already labeled him a clown in her heart.

This was outrageous—damn old hag!

Chen Zhonglun was already looking forward to their next encounter. He was determined to get his revenge!

After a few seconds of mental adjustment, he forcibly suppressed his anger, raised his hand to tidy his suit jacket, and put on an air of nonchalance as he said, “It’s fine, I understand. But do you know why I played the clown on stage?”

The female judge asked curiously, “Why?”

Chen Zhonglun replied, “Actually, I volunteered to be the clown. I didn’t want to steal the spotlight. I wanted everyone to focus on the old lady instead. After all, at her age, dancing like that is no easy feat. If I had gone up there and danced with her, wouldn’t all eyes have been on me instead?”

The male judge nodded and truthfully said, “Chen Zhonglun is young and handsome, with a lot of fans and strong ability. If he didn’t wear that costume, it’s very likely half the audience’s attention would’ve gone to him.”

The female judge couldn’t help but admire him, “That’s amazing!”

The male judge also looked at him with appreciation, “Bro, you’re incredible. We should learn from you!”

Instantly, Chen Zhonglun’s mood improved.

Wasn’t that old lady just trying to embarrass him? Too bad—he was too clever. Not only had he saved face, but he also gained even more recognition! Let’s see what the old hag can do to him now!

Two hours later, the competition results were announced. Lin Qingqing stood on stage holding the trophy, a joyful smile lighting up her face.

Chen Zhonglun sat below the stage clapping, his expression almost identical to Lin Qingqing’s.

But he wasn’t celebrating her win—he was happy that the contestant he brought had won. Now he could add another honor to his personal profile on the official website.

The host looked at the elderly woman—only eighty years old but looking like a woman in her fifties—and politely said with a smile, “Grandma, please share your thoughts on winning the award.”

Afraid she might be hard of hearing, the host even bent down and yelled by her ear to be considerate.

Lin Qingqing shuddered from the shock.

She wasn’t deaf to begin with, but that shout almost made her lose the ability to hear the beautiful sounds of the world.

She smiled slightly and reminded him, “I’m not hard of hearing. Just speak at a normal volume.”

“Oh, of course! Sorry, Grandma.”

“It’s fine.” Lin Qingqing took the microphone, cleared her throat, and delivered her acceptance speech: “This dance performance was entirely choreographed by me. Thank you all for your recognition. I’d also like to thank Chen Zhonglun, this young man who worked hard playing the clown on stage to bring joy to everyone. Although his performance wasn’t particularly funny, I still appreciate his efforts. Thank you all for being tolerant of him.”

Chen Zhonglun: “!!!”

Right now, he really wanted to sew that old lady’s big mouth shut!

The three judges all turned their heads in unison to look at Chen Zhonglun, who had just claimed he sacrificed himself to help the old lady fulfill her dream.

Fraud—this was blatant fraud!

Not a word of truth! He had completely deceived their emotions and was full of nonsense!

When the three judges turned their heads back, they all gave mocking little scoffs.

Chen Zhonglun slumped in his chair, covering his face with his hand, utterly speechless. He even wished someone would blow up the whole place right now—then no one would know how humiliating this day had been for him!

On stage, after Lin Qingqing finished her speech, the host smiled and asked, “Grandma, can you share your secret to staying so youthful?”

Not only the host, but everyone present was curious—except for Chen Zhonglun.

He scoffed, thinking, Youthful? The host must need glasses. Sure, Lin Qingqing didn’t exactly look eighty, but you could still see the wrinkles and age spots on her face. How was that considered young?

Lin Qingqing’s face lit up with a confident smile. “Drink lots of water, exercise regularly, maintain a good routine, and most importantly—I’ve invested a little bit of money into my face.”

The host exclaimed, “Ah, so that’s the secret.”

Down in the audience, Chen Zhonglun thought, Hmph, cosmetic enhancements—how I hate those tech-assisted faces!

After Lin Qingqing’s speech, it became clear to everyone that her win had nothing to do with Chen Zhonglun. All that boasting he did? Total self-promotion.

The judges immediately lost all interest in dealing with Chen Zhonglun.

Which was fine—he felt embarrassed enough and didn’t want to speak anyway.

…

That evening, at the Qin family’s old mansion.

Lin Qingqing placed the street dance competition trophy on the dining table, her eyes full of cheerful pride.

Now her family would have to believe she had real skills, right?

However, Qin He picked up the trophy, examined it from every angle, then calmly said, “I’ve checked—it’s real. Grandma, how much did you pay for it?”

Qin Haishan frowned slightly, “Mom, you’ve been out early and back late these past few days—was it all for this trophy? If you told us earlier, Butler Ding could’ve made one phone call to take care of it. Why go through all that trouble?”

Lin Qingqing held her head high, a hint of smugness and a clear desire for praise on her face. She said proudly, “I didn’t buy it!”

Qin He guessed, “Did someone lend it to you? Or give it to you?”

Lin Qingqing: “I won it with my own skills!”

“…”

Silence. The whole family fell silent again.

If it were a test of psychological and physical endurance like bungee jumping, maybe the old lady could’ve pulled it off.

But a street dance competition? That was a real contest against young people!

How could an eighty-year-old woman win?

Qin He couldn’t help but chuckle, “Grandma, with your osteoporosis and fragile limbs, don’t joke like that.”

Lin Qingqing: “I’m not joking.”

Qin He placed the trophy back beside her and said, “Then it must be the young contestants feeling sorry for an old lady and letting you win on purpose.”

Lin Qingqing clicked her tongue, “It wasn’t handed to me. It was a legitimate competition result, completely fair! If you don’t believe me, just wait for the show to air!”

Seeing their continued disbelief, Lin Qingqing had no choice but to put down her chopsticks, slide back her chair, and start stretching her arms and legs.

Qin He looked puzzled, “Grandma, what are you doing?”