Tong Liang was an experienced public speaker. She had given more speeches than she could count when she was posted at the United Nations. In fact, she'd won her post as the vice secretary due to her public speaking skills. Giving speeches was second nature to her. Furthermore, the Tong family had hired a professional team to help her during the campaign.
Therefore, Tong Liang performed brilliantly for her first speech; she managed to fire up quite a sizeable crowd. The other candidates gave spirited speech as well, but it was clear they were not as good as Tong Liang.
Xinghe's speech was nothing interesting, but she did pose an interesting presence. The serenity that she exuded with her every move was incomparable. That combined with her beauty and her past managed to smooth over the fact that her speech was not all that interesting.
The preliminary disqualified some people. Tong Liang and Xinghe naturally moved on to the next round.
"Miss Xia, congratulations." After the result was announced, Tong Liang personally walked over to congratulate Xinghe.
Xinghe accepted her extended hand and replied with a thin smile, "Miss Tong, congratulations to you too."
"No, the congratulations are all yours. You dared to enter the running even at your young age. That fearlessness is admirable," Tong Liang said with a hint of sarcasm.
Xinghe smiled calmly like she did not pick up the hidden jab. "Compared to Miss Tong, I am still learning. After all, you have spent your whole life in politics and that is truly impressive."
"You flatter me, but that is where my passion lies, so I am happy being part of it. On the other hand, Miss Xia has suddenly learned how to care for the country at her young age, and that brought shame to my face. Even as your senior, I feel like I should still learn from you, so please take care of me in the future," Tong Liang said snidely. She was hinting at Xinghe's impure intention for suddenly showing such intense care for the country.
"No, I should ask for Senior Tong's advice. Regardless, I am sure I will be able to learn many things from Miss Tong during this campaign," Xinghe replied with a smile. Her words were airtight; she did not reveal any information to Tong Liang.
Tong Liang gave a fading smile. "Miss Xia is too humble. You have so much, so you should feel proud about your accomplishments. It is necessary to show confidence."
Tong Liang even patted Xinghe lightly on her shoulder like a caring sister and gave an encouraging look before leaving. Xinghe also left with a smile on her face, and their conversation was heard by the whole world.
Even though they were competitors, everyone felt they both held their own because they were immensely humble in their speech. As a country of morals, Hwa Xia appreciated humility.
Tong Liang had planned to trip Xinghe with her speech but had failed. Even Ali had seen through Tong Liang's ploy.
"This woman is too much, even during a conversation, she is busy plying her tricks." Ali huffed with indignation. For someone as straight-forward as her, the people she hated the most were the kind of white lotus like this Tong Liang.
Ee Chen laughed. "But that is politics. There will be traps everywhere, so none of the candidates are simple characters."
"I hear you. Thankfully, our Xinghe is probably the most complex of them all," Ali said with pride.
Regardless, Xinghe did not dare to let her guard down. The Shen family had given her everything to help her during the campaign. Even Madam President had given her private coaching from her personal experience. The Tong family might have a professional team, but the team behind Xinghe was not lacking in comparison.
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