Chapter 145 Chapter 146 Ji Ma is a Master of Deception
Ji Ma is short on money, and Enlai Ke is lacking love; the two are a perfect match—ah no, it’s not that; they’re just a win-win situation, meeting each other’s needs.
As long as she doesn’t have to go on stage and face the stinky male scent of lust, forget helping Enlai Ke win, she would even endure to help a pig win if it came to that.
The two arrived at the backstage registration area, which was a room where a well-dressed, rotund gentleman wearing round glasses sat behind a desk. He had very little hair on his head, which he was trying hard to cover, and his fat belly filled his white shirt.
Enlai Ke clumsily stepped in high heels, landing behind Ji Ma, his face turning a shy shade of red.
It was his first time participating in a beauty pageant.
Ji Ma stepped forward and asked, “Is this the registration area?”
“Yes,” the rotund gentleman’s eyes behind the glasses lit up, “Are you here to register? You can go directly to the second round.”
“Second round?”
“Yes,” the rotund gentleman smiled, “Generally, beautiful ladies go directly to the second round. The first round is just for common folks to have some fun.”
“It’s not me registering,” Ji Ma pulled Klein from behind and said, “It’s him. Say hello.”
Klein’s little face blushed as he said, “Um… hello, I’m here to register.”
The rotund gentleman immediately frowned and said, “Mr. Klein, beauty pageants are for women; there have never been men participating. Are you trying to bring shame to your family?”
“Ah… I—”
Ji Ma interrupted, “He is sacrificing for love; people may not understand at first, but they will eventually be moved by his dedication to love. Right, Miss Klein?”
Klein could only nod and say, “Yes, that’s right.”
“This is not advice, but a notice,” the rotund gentleman tapped the desk, “Do not joke about a serious beauty pageant; we do not allow men to participate.”
Ji Ma immediately used her extraordinary lying skills and said:
“I’ve read the rules, and it doesn’t state that men cannot participate.”
“Really?” The rotund gentleman pulled out a thick rulebook and flipped through it, saying, “Do you see this clause? This event aims to select a beautiful woman…”
Ji Ma quickly retorted, “That’s false advertising; look at your flyer—it doesn’t say that only women can participate.”
Ji Ma slapped the flyer on the desk; indeed, there was no—due to space limitations, it couldn’t be that detailed.
“You organizers are deceiving Mr. Klein. He has already embarrassed himself by wearing women’s clothing, and now you go back on your word and won’t let him participate? This could lead to a lawsuit.”
The rotund gentleman actually found Ji Ma’s argument somewhat reasonable.
“But the rules—”
“It doesn’t state, ‘Men are not allowed to participate.’ A man with a beautiful appearance is no different from a beautiful woman. This is a beauty pageant, not a slave auction at the Shalin city; the audience is just there for the visual feast. No one is going to buy the flower of Marlin City to take to their bedroom.”
As she spoke, Ji Ma leaned on the desk, her demeanor aggressive, saying, “So in the context of this event, there’s no difference between a beautiful boy and a beautiful girl.”
The rotund gentleman was confused and could not argue back, mumbling:
“But… but this is a commercial promotional event; people will not accept a man participating in a beauty contest.”
“The most important thing in business is visibility; isn’t holding a beauty pageant for promotion? What news could attract more attention than a boy more beautiful than girls participating in a beauty contest?”
“Uh…”
“Isn’t that right?”
“Very reasonable,” the rotund gentleman had a moment of realization.
“Well, see, we’ve reached a consensus, haven’t we?” Ji Ma crossed her arms and said, “Register him.”
“Impressive,” Enlai Ke gave Ji Ma a thumbs up.
He wrote his full name by hand and dipped his thumb in red mud, stamping it on his name; that was how he successfully registered.
“Enlai Ke—should I say Miss?” the rotund gentleman politely smiled at Enlai Ke, “Please do your best; if you win, we will surely make a name for ourselves in this city.”
Clearly, he had accepted Ji Ma’s twisted reasoning.
Enlai Ke said, “Thank you.”
“Since you want Enlai Ke to win,” Ji Ma said, “Could you offer some help? For example, tell me what the competition entails.”
The rotund gentleman’s mouth opened slightly. He thought Ji Ma had some understanding and said, “In the second round, it’s a competition of appearance and etiquette. After that, it goes to the finals, where they compete in costumes, accessories, and even bands.”
“Bands?”
“The finals require a talent performance,” the rotund gentleman looked at Enlai Ke and said, “But I see it’ll be difficult for Miss Enlai Ke to reach the finals; although he has a good appearance, he can’t even walk properly in high heels. I suggest you find a teacher. I can recommend one; he has mentored six students, five of whom have won the title of Flower of Marlin City, earning him the nickname ‘Five Crown King.’ It’s best to act fast; many have heard of his reputation and are eager to hire him.”
“Please give me an address, thank you.”
“Sure.”
The rotund gentleman pulled off a sheet of light yellow paper and quickly wrote an address on it.
Ji Ma took the paper and walked out with Enlai Ke, stopping at the door.
Enlai Ke extended his hand to Ji Ma and asked:
“May I know your name?”
“You can call me Xiao Qiao,” Ji Ma replied, “The competition starts next week; you must work hard to pursue your love.”
“Absolutely.”
When it came to love, Enlai Ke’s usually soft eyes sparkled with a determined fire.
Ji Ma was very pleased with this.
“Let’s go, now we need to find you an etiquette teacher.”
Enlai Ke’s family was well-to-do locally and had a carriage.
His personal maid, a girl with braided hair, had been waiting by the carriage.
“This is my new kind-hearted friend,” Enlai Ke introduced, “Her name is Xiao Qiao.”
The braided maid smiled brightly:
“Did the young master change his mind? Oh, I’m sorry for being abrupt, Miss Xiao Qiao.”
“Change his mind about what?”
“My young master heard from someone that to pursue Miss Tisnali, he must first defeat her.” The braided maid was quite close to Enlai Ke, “Miss Tisnali is indeed quite arrogant. My young master has been pursuing her without any results, but her advice is ridiculous, claiming that to defeat her, he must dress as a woman and participate in a beauty pageant.”
That was indeed nonsense that I had said back then.
Enlai Ke’s voice turned stern: “Don’t say such things.”
“You don’t know how angry your father was when he heard about it. He was the most handsome man in the city back then, with countless young ladies chasing after him, but his son wore women’s clothes to go on stage for a woman.” The braided maid said, “He scolded you thoroughly; it’s fortunate you gave this up.”
Ji Ma understood that the braided maid had misunderstood, thinking that Enlai Ke was pursuing her.
She said, “We are not in a pursuit relationship.”
The braided maid smiled and said, “I understand.”
It seemed she took Ji Ma’s words as her shy demeanor.
“I’m just a passerby who suggested nonsense to him.”
“Ah?”
“Exactly.” Ji Ma said, “Mr. Enlai Ke’s sincerity moved me, and I want to help him win the beauty pageant.”
“Ah?! Miss Xiao Qiao, you’re so beautiful, why not participate yourself?”
“I haven’t seen such a beautiful love story in a long time,” Ji Ma said, “So I voluntarily withdrew.”
Hearing that, Enlai Ke felt as if he were floating, even more determined to sacrifice his dignity for love.
The braided maid sighed deeply, saying, “Now this is troublesome; your father will surely be very angry.”
“I will get through this.” Enlai Ke climbed into the carriage, with Ji Ma sitting across from him.
Ji Ma asked, “Will your father cut off your allowance?”
“Yes, yes,” the braided maid said, “Young master, your father will definitely not give you a single penny when he gets angry.”
Ji Ma stared at Enlai Ke. If he wanted her to pay for him, then Ji Ma decided to advise Enlai Ke to be a filial daughter—ah no, son.
“I have some savings,” Enlai Ke said, “I also invested in a trading team and reaped quite a profit. I still own three shops and a workshop.”
The braided maid sighed, “Almost forgot; young master, you have a talent for business.”
Soon, you will realize, your master is even more talented at dressing as a woman.
After telling the carriage driver the address, in less than twenty minutes, the three stopped on a street in the city’s garden district. The entire street was lined with standalone houses featuring gardens, and the foundations seemed high, with white marble steps leading up to wooden doors.
Ji Ma got out of the carriage and looked at the house number to find the address.
She saw an elderly man with graying hair on the white marble steps talking to a well-dressed noble lady. The noble lady, along with her maid, walked back to the carriage, and after a sound crack of the whip, the fine horses pulled the carriage away.
The elderly man with graying hair looked over; his eyes were very spirited, and upon seeing the three who had just stepped out of the carriage, even though he had reached the front of the door, he came down the steps, politely addressing the three:
“You are the ladies participating in the beauty pageant, right?”
“She is,” Ji Ma pointed to Enlai Ke, who was slightly shifting backward, “Are you the ‘Five Crown King’ everyone talks about?”
“Yes,” the Five Crown King said, “I’m afraid I’m retired and will no longer accept any lady’s invitation to be her teacher.”
“Please, you must teach me,” Enlai Ke said weakly, “I will definitely offer you a satisfactory price.”
The Five Crown King was evidently annoyed after being harassed multiple times today; he crossed his arms and said impatiently, “I said, I won’t accept any lady’s invitation. After so many years, I’m tired of teaching women merely for my vanity. I’m retired; goodbye.”
“Please wait…”
The Five Crown King ignored Enlai Ke’s request and turned to leave.
Ji Ma said, “Listen to me for two sentences, and you will surely change your mind.”
The Five Crown King paused, looked Ji Ma up and down, and said:
“Why don’t you participate in the competition yourself? You have a beautiful voice. Your movements are coordinated, with a sense of beauty, and you must be good at dancing. Most importantly, you exude a captivating charm from within. If I don’t intervene, you are sure to win the championship. Now let an old man rest in peace.”
Ji Ma didn’t respond, but pointed at Enlai Ke and said, “He’s a boy.”
The Five Crown King’s eyes widened as he quickly examined Enlai Ke. Enlai Ke lowered his head, shyly shrinking back.
Ji Ma smiled and said, “You must have never tried teaching a boy to win the championship in a week.”
The Five Crown King’s eyes lit up.
Ji Ma knew there was a chance.
