Chapter 180

180 Acting Again
On the stage, the host said, “Next, Mr. Bai Yun, please present the award to Miss Gu Rou, the champion of the Han City division.”
The moment the suited Bai Yun appeared, it caused another commotion, especially the voices of girls.
After the scene quietened down a little, Bai Yun picked up the microphone and said, “Hello, everyone. I am Bai Yun. Today, I represent the sponsors to thank all the guests and congratulate Miss Gu Rou. I hope that Miss Gu Rou can represent Han City in the national finals and get a better ranking.”
Bai Yun took the trophy from the concierge and handed it to Gu Rou. He said loudly, “Miss Gu Rou, congratulations! All the best for the next stop!”
Gu Rou knew that this was just a polite greeting, but she was still so excited that her ears burned.
This was the first time she had been so close to Young Master Bai. She had never had such an opportunity in the past. In Gu Rou’s heart, the Bai family was a family that she could not reach. They rarely interacted, but at this moment, she felt that she saw hope.
She forced a perfect smile, her gaze gentle and shy. She looked at Bai Yun and said, “Thank you, Young Master Bai.”
Bai Yun only took a quick glance and said politely, “You’re welcome.”
Gu Rou took the trophy and gave a standard speech of thanks. “Thank you for your kindness, and I’m especially grateful to the sponsors. At the same time, I’m also grateful to my family and teachers for their support. Thank you, everyone.”
At the mention of sponsors, Gu Rou took the opportunity to look at Bai Yun, but Bai Yun’s eyes were fixed straight ahead.
When the third place and second place were awarded, Bai Yun heaved a sigh of relief and quickly walked off the stage. Gu Rou was about to ask if she could take a photo with Bai Yun when she saw that Bai Yun had already walked into the crowd.
Gu Rou sensed Bai Yun’s alienation from her. She was unwilling, but there was nothing she could do. However, no emotions could be seen on her face.
Following Bai Yun, Gu Rou saw Gu Man. At this moment, Bai Yun stopped beside Gu Man and said something happily, as if he was very familiar with Gu Man.
Gu Rou felt a wave of hatred in her heart. Why was Gu Man able to gain Bai Yun’s favor?
Next was the photo shoot. First, she took a photo with her family. Gu Yuan, Qu Bei, and the others stood on the stage. Gu Rou had a plan. She took the microphone and said, “Gu Man, please go on stage too. Can our family take a photo as a memento?”
Everyone looked around, wanting to know who Gu Man was.
When Gu Man heard this, she cursed in her heart. Who’s your family?!
Bai Yun said in a low voice, “If you don’t want to go up and take a photo, pretend to be uncomfortable. Let Bai Ling bring you out. I’ll help you explain later.”
“No need,” Gu Man said calmly.
She did not feel that she needed to pretend to be sick to avoid Gu Rou’s pretense.
Gu Rou was still smiling as she asked, “Gu Man, what’s wrong? Your sister won the championship. Shouldn’t you congratulate me?”
Seeing that no one had walked out and most of the people present did not know Gu Man, everyone looked at each other and started to discuss in low voices.
“Wow, is Gu Rou’s sister jealous of her sister? Gu Rou has already said so much, yet she’s still not going up to take a photo. Isn’t she too insensible?”
“Look at the Gu family. They don’t look good. If it were me, I would be angry too. It’s too embarrassing.”
Gu Rou saw that the people below were whispering and many people looked disdainful. She was secretly proud, but she said, “Gu Man, if I did something wrong, please forgive me. But at such an important moment, I really hope to receive your blessings.”
Everyone saw that Gu Rou was looking at a certain place and looked over. They saw a few young people there. Some of them recognized Zhou Ying and Bai Ling. After some consideration, they basically confirmed Gu Man’s identity.
Gu Rou saw that everyone’s gaze had already locked onto Gu Man, but Gu Man did not even look up and was still playing with the cup in her hand.
Gu Rou pretended to be disappointed and said, “If you’re unwilling, we can take photos together the next time I have the chance to win the national championship.”
Someone in the crowd raised his voice. “Guzheng Princess, she’s just jealous of you. Don’t be so kind.”
Gu Rou looked at the person who spoke and saw the infatuated look in his bean-sized eyes. Gu Rou felt disgusted, but there was a hint of disappointment on her face. She lowered her voice and said, “Gu Man is not such a person. In order not to delay the time, let’s take a picture first.”
When Gu Man saw Gu Rou’s actions, she wanted to shout, You really know how to act.