After the pink-robed announcer declared the start, everyone held their breath—this was the crucial final round, and today's topic was seriously wild!
Seeing this, Madam Blossom quickly twisted her sturdy body and adjusted her hair ornaments so they wouldn't get messed up. "Hehe, Madam Blossom is truly honored to make it to the end! You know, only those who work hard can succeed. For this contest, I didn't leave my house for two years and just practiced singing at home. Hehe, of course, I'm definitely taking first place today. It's the best reward for someone as hardworking as me!"
"Ahem." Yvonne Li frowned as she listened to Madam Blossom's endless speech.
Seeing this, the pink-robed announcer quickly scolded, "Enough! Are you here to compete or to give a speech? Stupid fat woman, how dare you make the Mistress frown—you're asking for trouble!"
"Oh, oh, starting now!" Madam Blossom hurriedly bent over and flashed a fawning smile—her expression was a world apart from how she'd just talked to Ivy Shen.
"Aiya, yi yi yi, oh oh oh, ah ah ah, mm mm mm, mna mna, ona ona..." As soon as Madam Blossom started, everyone broke out in a cold sweat. Was this even a song? This was pure shen-groaning—like some kind of snake moaning contest! Madam Blossom really had skills—she trotted out every trick she'd learned in over twenty years of serving men. If it were a young beauty, maybe it’d be passable, but with her being fat and ugly and groaning like that, she made the whole crowd want to puke.
"Enough." Yvonne Li, who had been silent, now looked genuinely disgusted by Madam Blossom’s shen-groaning.
"Uh..." Madam Blossom froze.
"Did you not understand the topic I gave? A song! A song, got it? Who told you to squeal like a pig up here? Get out!" As soon as she finished, a few strong men rushed over and tossed Madam Blossom off the stage.
"You, your turn." Yvonne Li pointed at Caleb Miles—the abacus guy.
Caleb Miles grinned. "Uh... alright, I'll sing." He took a deep breath, looked up, and, still pretending to be laid-back while fiddling with his abacus, belted out: "Man on top, woman below—oh my, oh my—switch it up and do it again! Woman below, man behind, push the cart, push the cart, huff and puff up the hill! Climbing the hill is exhausting, but everyone’s happy—why, why, oh yeah!"
"Pfft—" Ivy Shen was absolutely floored by his song. This guy was talented, way too talented!
The crowd went wild—people drinking spat out water, people eating choked on their food, and chaos reigned. But Yvonne Li just started laughing, looking genuinely delighted.
After a moment, Caleb Miles finished his song and walked over to Ivy Shen, flashing a toothy grin. "Your turn, thanks for yielding."
"If I'm willing to quit, will you give him to me?" Ivy Shen clung to her last shred of hope—this song was just too much!
Caleb Miles shrugged. "If it were up to me, I'd totally give him to you. But I promised my employer, and they specifically requested this prize."
Hearing that, Ivy Shen narrowed her eyes and said each word clearly: "Are you forcing me?"
"Sorry."
"Hey, are you going to sing or not?" the pink-robed announcer hurriedly asked.
Seeing this, Ivy Shen strode over and answered resolutely, "Sing." Screw it, she was going all in!
She turned, faced the audience, and, looking like she was marching toward death, belted out: "Whip-play kids, whip-play kids, seven little kids exploding chrysanthemums, dripping wax, whipping, no fear at all, even after bursting you can still pull—little brother big big, hole big big, whip-play kids, little brother big big, hole big big, la la la~~~"
When the song ended, all of Lark City fell silent...