Brick by Brick (Bxb)

Chapter 33: Foreboding

The auditorium was filling up fast. Throngs of people have started to gather, including foreign ambassadors, sponsors, branch managers and more. All of them have come to witness the opening event for this year's Regional Start-up and Entrepreneurship Festival.

Unlike the previous years, the upper echelons of Freiheit have decided to give this event an official media coverage. That would explain the television crew rushing to set up various recording equipment all around the theatre.

Ming Kai sat nervously in the waiting room together with Terry and Chen Yu Lin. Even though they all appeared calm on the surface, the fact that none of them spoke a word indicated their current level of anxiety.

From the screen, the group could make out Chen Xiu Ren standing behind the podium, making his opening address.

"Anytime now..." Ming Kai mumbled.

The audience applauded, and the door behind them opened at the exact same moment.

"You're up. Go, go!" the backstage personnel hissed urgently.

The trio exited the room, turning left to the side entrance, where they were asked to wait for the signal. A moment later, all eyes were upon them as they strolled to the centre of the stage to their allocated seats. The sound of applause was deafening, and the spotlights shone with such intensity that Ming Kai truly wondered if it was even possible to keep his eyes open throughout the whole interview.

In the centre lay ten seats, arranged in a semi-circular fashion and intentionally separated into groups of three. Six of them have already been filled with members from the other two teams, and the TV host sat in the middle of it all.

The audience eventually quieten down as the last of them took their seat.

"Welcome, one and all, to this year's RSE Festival. I'm your host for this evening, Fang Xuewen." The lady spoke in charming voice.

"This is the first time we're getting a media coverage for this event, meaning that we'll be able to see the progress of each team from start to end."

"But before we begin, I'm sure our audience here; as well as those behind the screen, would like to know more about our participants..."

With that, she directed the conversation to the team on the furthest corner. Ming Kai scouted out the members from the opposing team. All of them seem to carry themselves with a type of confidence that was hard to find in most people. Then again, they wouldn't have been selected for this competition if they didn't at least possess the necessary qualities and skill.

"...and on to our final team, a team comprising only of interns! Now that is surprising."

"So tell me, do you guys think that you're at a disadvantage in this competition?" Fang Xuewen directed the question to Chen Yu Lin.

"I don't believe so. We are all starting on the same foot here, and what matters most in the RSE is the level of innovation." Chen Yu Lin appeared to be completely in control of the situation. Her voice carried little to no trace of nervousness.

Seeing her like this made Ming Kai feel more at ease with the situation. He glanced over at Terry, who was currently stiff like a board. His hands were clenched tightly into a ball, and it was clear that he was experiencing a bad case of stage fright.

"...and all three of you come from the same university. Do you think of that as a boon?" This time, the question was directed at Ming Kai.

"I'm not too sure, but it certainly helps that we knew each other beforehand." Even as he spoke, Ming Kai stealthily shifted his hand beneath seat, slowly inching his way forward until he came into contact with Terry's hands.

It felt clammy to the touch. Terry visibly jumped a little when their hands touched.

"And what's your opinion?" The host finally reached the last of the interviewees. Terry immediately froze up.

Sighing hopelessly, Ming Kai reached out and pinched down HARD.

"Aaaiii!...I...completely agree! It helps to have someone who knows you well. In fact, they are the only ones who can help you in a pinch."

Or with a pinch!

Terry glared at Ming Kai, who was obviously enjoying himself watching him go through all that. But he had to admit that it helped. A little.

After the interview session, Fang Xuewen went on to explaining the details of the festival. At the end of the entire talk show, the teams were dismissed and went to their respective meeting rooms for a quick discussion on what they should do next.

"Are they gonna keep following us around like that?" Terry asked, gesturing to a television crew pair and their cameras.

"Most likely. Though it would only be during office hours. They are making a reality series, after all." Chen Yu Lin explained.

"Let's just do what we normally do."

"The theme this year focuses on promoting local attractions. Any idea how we should go about doing this?" She asked.

Ming Kai and Terry both thought for a moment, then suddenly turned to face each other, their eyes sparkling with a stroke of inspiration.

"What about food?" Both of them exclaimed in unison.

"Food? That's nothing new, isn't it?" Chen Yu Lin was confused. Taiwan has many night markets that serve as tourist attractions. How in the world are they going to compete with establishments like that?

"But the problem with that lies with their location, and immobility. Do you get it?" Ming Kai hinted.

Chen Yu Lin looked like she was about to catch on to something.

"You mean...instead of making people travel to the attractions..." She mused.

"...we can bring the attractions to them!" Terry completed the sentence for her.

Chen Yu Lin's eyes shone with understanding. In fact, she had never even considered this as a legitimate idea. The main point of night markets was to promote the variety of local specialties to both tourists and locals alike. Some people even like the rustic feel of the overcrowded alleyways and roadside stalls.

The point is, people must travel to the local attractions. But if they brought the attractions to them...

"I like where this idea is going!" She smiled.

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A day's worth of filming was really taxing for both body and mind. Ming Kai wanted nothing more than to head home and flop on his bed. Besides, it is a weekend tomorrow. However, there was something important he had to do.

After bidding goodbye to Terry for the night, Ming Kai and Chen Yu Lin headed toward the metro.

"Do you think you can make it back alone tonight?" He asked.

Chen Yu Lin nodded her head in understanding and smiled.

"Sure. You must be tired from everything that happened today. I'll be fine."

Ming Kai paused for a bit, looking as though he was preparing to say something important.

"Before you go...can we meet at the park tomorrow?"

If it was only a date, Chen Yu Lin wondered why he was having so much difficulty bringing that up.

"Sure...I'll be there."

"Alright. Text me when you're safely back home." With that, Ming Kai turned and left, leaving Chen Yu Lin alone with an uneasy foreboding.

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End of Chapter

A/N: My new novel is out! It's called Two Centuries and 90 Days (bxb), and I hope you guys would consider taking a look. Cheers!