Soon, Shen Yin understood why she felt so tired. What she faced next were various media outlets and interviews.
After Shen Yin and Su Jin were photographed on the awards podium, various media began to capture images of the "Phoenix and Peony Embroidery" piece.
Close-ups, full shots, and videos were taken.
Those who were knowledgeable in the field certainly understood how much effort this work required.
Those who weren't experts were simply amazed. The phoenix was embroidered so vividly, with rich colors. They never imagined that someone could embroider so perfectly.
In no time, various media outlets rushed to report the news, which flew across the sky and occupied the front pages of major headlines.
When Shen Yin stood in front of the cameras, it caused more amazement among the crowd. Shen Yin was so young, just in her early twenties, yet she could create such a masterpiece. It had to be said that there were differences between people. Some people were born different - not only from good families and beautiful, but also successful in their careers, work, and love life.
Now, even in embroidery, she had achieved something unprecedented.
Seeing how young Shen Yin was, several judges fell silent. They didn't know how to describe this contestant and her work anymore.
After photographing the piece, reporters began to gather around Shen Yin. Xu Xiuhe, holding Zhengzheng, wanted to go to Shen Yin's side but was concerned that Zhengzheng might get squeezed in the crowd. So they stood quietly on the outer edge of the reporters.
"First of all, congratulations to Ms. Shen for winning the championship in this embroidery competition. Ms. Shen is also the youngest contestant in the history of this competition. May I ask, what has been your biggest setback on this journey?" a reporter asked.
This question truly stumped Shen Yin. It wasn't that she was being pretentious, but she really hadn't prepared for anything. If she had to say something, would the tiger-head shoes count?
"The biggest setback was not knowing what to embroider during today's competition, and worrying that I wouldn't finish in time due to the tight schedule. That's why I didn't stop working throughout the entire process," Shen Yin answered very seriously.
People around her, upon hearing this, started to watch the video replay of the competition scene. The video also gave a close-up of Shen Yin.
Shen Yin's movements were indeed fast. It wasn't just that she didn't stop; every stitch was precise. Her speed was so fast that they couldn't even see clearly how she was threading the needle. Many people even thought the video was playing at three times the normal speed.
The reporter who asked the question laughed awkwardly and said, "Ma'am, what I meant was, have you encountered any difficulties on your embroidery journey?"
Shen Yin smiled and shook her head.
There really wasn't anything, except for being scolded by her nanny for being lazy in the past. Other than that, there really wasn't anything.
This answer was unexpected by everyone present. The interview was being broadcast live.
"Ms. Shen, may I ask how long you've been learning embroidery?"
"Five years."
"What kind of opportunity led you down this path?"
Shen Yin thought for two seconds and said, "I guess it was out of interest. I found it interesting, so I learned it."
Shen Yin felt that she had answered this question very well. Interest is the best teacher, after all. She couldn't possibly say that she was forced into it, that as a daughter of a great family, she had to start learning various feminine skills from the age of ten.
"Yes, interest is the best teacher. Ms. Shen, you're so young yet possess such exquisite skills. What are your plans for the future?"
"To keep improving, I suppose. I don't know how to navigate the future path, so I'll just go with the flow and pass on these excellent skills."
The reporter fired one question after another, and Shen Yin truly understood what Su Jin's grandmother meant earlier about it getting more tiring. There were some questions she really didn't know how to answer appropriately, and her mind was racing.
For an entire day, Shen Yin hadn't stopped. During the day, it was physical labor; at night, it was mental labor.
The reporters also showed some tact, seeing that Shen Yin was tired, and didn't continue asking questions.
After it ended, Shen Yin went straight to Xu Xiuhe. The family of three left Times Square under everyone's gaze.
"Tired?"
"Mmm, a bit."
"Then let's go back, take a shower, and get to bed early."
After Shen Yin got into the car, it wasn't long before she fell asleep.
Zhengzheng wanted to say something, but Xu Xiuhe turned around and made a "shh" gesture.
Zhengzheng immediately closed her mouth, snuggled close to Shen Yin, and remained silent.
Qi Yan was in the restroom at Times Square. She had left her seat when Shen Yin went up to receive the award.
In the bathroom, Qi Yan pressed both hands on the sink, her eyes even redder than before.
Fortunately, she had kept some evidence of the judges accepting bribes.
The woman made a phone call, saying she wanted to release the bill records and videos of four judges accepting bribes. On one hand, the money could be recovered; on the other hand, if it was Shen Yin who had pulled strings and spent money, then tonight's interview would become a scandal tomorrow. At that time, she would be severely embarrassed.
After Shen Yin returned to the hotel, with Xu Xiuhe's help, she quickly took a shower and then lay down on the bed and fell asleep.
"Mommy sleep, Mommy sleep," Xu Yunzheng said, running barefoot to Xu Xiuhe.
"Yes, Mommy is tired and needs a good rest. How about Daddy gives Zhengzheng a bath tonight?"
"Okay!"
Xu Xiuhe carried Zhengzheng into the bathroom. Over this period of time, Xu Xiuhe had already leveled up to become a successful dad.
For instance, he was now skilled at giving Xu Yunzheng a bath.
Online, Shen Yin's work, along with Shen Yin herself, had become famous. The grand champion of the National Embroidery Competition finals was a 24-year-old young woman.
Shen Yin's halo suddenly became incredibly strong.
But Shen Yin and Xu Xiuhe knew nothing about this. The family of three had all fallen asleep until the next morning.
Xu Xiuhe was awakened by a phone call.
"Hello, CEO," Liu Bo's voice was urgent.
"What's wrong? Did something happen at the company that's so urgent?" Xu Xiuhe asked.
"It's not the company. There's a problem with yesterday's National Embroidery Competition."
Xu Xiuhe instantly became alert and sat up. Shen Yin was also awakened by Xu Xiuhe's movement.
Rubbing her eyes, she asked, "What's wrong? Isn't there nothing scheduled for today? Why are we up so early?"
Xu Xiuhe turned on the speakerphone.
Liu Bo's voice came through from the other end.
"There are now many media reports claiming that you bribed and bought off four judges, which is why your wife won the championship."
The couple was completely stunned upon hearing this. Xu Xiuhe had entertained such a thought during the regional competition, but Shen Yin had stopped him.
So how did this story about bribing the judges come about? Was it completely fabricated?
"Look into the details of this for me," Xu Xiuhe said.
Meanwhile, Shen Yin picked up her phone and opened Weibo.
[National Embroidery Competition judges suspected of accepting bribes, champion title is fake.]
The online comments were a mixed bag of reactions.