ABT Chapter 0037 The Rhine Flows Southeast
"It's been a pleasure to spend this week with outstanding design teams from around the world. Over these seven days, there has been an explosion of boundless imagination here, filling us with endless anticipation for the future. Your outstanding performances make me feel the fresh blood pulsating in the automotive industry. Just two days ago, we selected thirty shining works, and today, it's time to unveil the final mystery."
Yannick held the microphone, calmly addressing the crowd below.
A week ago, he announced the start of the competition from this stage, and today, he would hammer the final nail and reveal the eleven awards.
"Before announcing the awards, there's one thing I need to address. We received a report from the judging panel that the work 'Dream Pursuit I8' from Huacheng Industrial University was accused of plagiarism. After two days of comparison and analysis of technical concepts, we officially clarify that this work is not plagiarized. However, since the preliminary works have been finalized, we regret to inform that this work cannot be included in the running for the awards. But I hope to see the presence of 'Dream Pursuit I8' in the next competition, because it is truly outstanding!"
The journalists below erupted in astonishment. If a work could earn such high praise from Yannick, would it have been a contender for an award today if it hadn't been accused?
The five exchanged glances, smiling with relief. Since the competition cleared their name, whether they could participate was no longer important. They were innocent, and receiving such sincere praise and affirmation from the competition was another form of reward.
After Yannick discussed environmental concepts and future eco-friendly cars for a few moments, he invited several guests from the Mercedes-Benz headquarters to announce the award winners.
At this moment, the entire venue quieted down, all eyes focused on the stage.
Li Fanyu, in the audience, looked at the convergence of light on the stage, feeling nervous. Over the past week, he had expended tremendous energy and made efforts he had never made before. Whether he could win an award, whether he could fulfill Xapp's mission, would be revealed in the next moment.
His heart felt like a big drum, being pounded heavily by a muscular wrestler.
Thump! Thump!
In his heart, he hoped Smart could outshine the other teams and achieve success. But in his ears, he recalled Zhang Fei's words from yesterday.
"A bunch of ignorant kids!"
"Want to win an award? A toad wants to eat swan meat..."
"Take a good look in the mirror..."
"You want to win an award? Only if the Rhine flows backward!"
The silence in the venue made Li Fanyu feel like his ears no longer belonged to him. He felt like a ball thrown into space, looking at the dazzling stars but feeling the ancient silence pressing down on him.
Only the sound of his own heartbeat continued to beat loudly.
On stage, the guests picked up a card, smiling mischievously, keeping the audience's suspense.
"Next, I announce that the winner of the Best Exterior Design Award is — Royal College of Art, UK! Work, Gtm!"
The crowd erupted in cheers.
"The winner of the Best Interior Design Award is — Umeå University, Sweden! Work, C&B!"
The crowd erupted in cheers again.
"The winner of the Best Luxury Concept Award is — Art Center College of Design, USA! Work, T1!"
The crowd erupted once more.
"The winner of the Best Lifestyle Design Award is — Huacheng Industrial University, China! Work, Smart!"
Li Fanyu's mind went blank for a moment, and then came Xapp's notification: Congratulations, you have completed the preliminary task. Your user level will be upgraded to level 3 next time you enter the space!
But he didn't have the mind to think about the space anymore. The excited screams of Cheng Ke and the three academic champions rang in his ears, almost deafening him. But Li Fanyu couldn't care less about the ringing in his ears because he was screaming his heart out too!
As if he wanted to release all the pressure and excitement pent up inside him.
But it wasn't over yet; the announcement continued on stage: "The winner of the Best Ecological Solution Award is — Huacheng Industrial University, China! Work, Smart!"
The first award made the five ecstatic, but the subsequent wins left them at a loss. Hearing their team's name called again, Cheng Ke couldn't believe it, her mouth agape, tears instantly streaming down her face.
Everything—from the skepticism of classmates and even the school, to the doubts from other teams, to the accusations of plagiarism against their hard work, and Zhang Fei's ruthless assertions—turned into tears flowing freely on their faces.
After being reminded by those around them, they wiped away their tears and went up on stage. The next awards no longer concerned them, but the five were already content, truly content.
In the end, the Art Center College of Design (ACCD) from the United States became the ultimate winner of the competition, winning the Best Luxury Concept Award, Best Digitalized Exterior Design Award, and Green Earth Award. John Wayne announced in his speech that they would immediately work on perfecting the technology and gather investors to put T1 into production, providing a more efficient way for sustainable energy and reducing global reliance on fossil fuels.
Similarly, Mu Bai University, like Huacheng Industrial University, won two awards: the Best Mass Production Model Award and the Best Innovative Design Award. As a member of the Toyota family, any award-winning model in the competition would inevitably be put into mass production on their own production line. She didn't need to advertise her product with venture capital like Wayne did.
Li Fanyu's heart still hadn't calmed down. Holding the microphone, his mind was blank. After thinking for a long time, he had to hand it over to Cheng Ke because he felt that winning two major awards and mispronouncing a word would be too embarrassing...
With a slightly red face, Cheng Ke hesitated for a moment before fluently speaking in English, "Winning these two awards is truly exciting. Here, I want to thank my professors and my teammates. This week in Munich will be a wonderful memory in my life. I believe that today's fallen leaves on the Rhine will drift southeast..."
Both on and off stage, everyone was stunned. Wasn't the Rhine supposed to flow from southeast to northwest? Why did it reverse flow?
Only Zhang Fei on the periphery of the crowd, hammered his head despondently, his face a mix of green and white...
...
Not receiving the Green Earth Award meant losing the prize of five hundred thousand euros. Although Li Fanyu was happy to win an award, he couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed. He had been counting on the prize money to buy those smuggled cars and make a fortune! However, just now on stage, when he carefully examined the work of ACCD University, he was shocked at first glance.
The clay model named T1 looked like a Tesla Model! Could this bizarre electric sports car be unveiled before his eyes?
It was no wonder that Tesla's first experimental model was also named with the code T - T-Zero!
If he was up against this freaky product, losing wouldn't be unjust.
But not getting the prize money really bothered him.
After the awards ceremony, the organizers held a small reception, inviting the winning teams to attend.
At the reception, Toyota Chihiro came over again to apologize for the plagiarism incident and expressed that Toyota Corporation welcomed people like them to join.
Li Fanyu naturally wouldn't go. Ever since he obtained Xapp's black technology, his goal had been to surpass America and Japan and revitalize the Chinese automobile industry. Working for Toyota would be a joke.
Chihiro didn't show any displeasure at being refused. On the contrary, she solemnly expressed that this competition was a draw between the two teams. She hoped for another opportunity to compete on fair ground and determine the winner.
Li Fanyu chuckled inwardly. Were all Japanese people so juvenile, regardless of gender? Turning a proper competition into something like the World's No. 1 Martial Arts Tournament...
But Chihiro's words were sincere. She didn't feel threatened by Wayne because his ideas were too advanced, and he was even somewhat out of touch with the civilian automobile industry. In the short term, he wouldn't pose a threat to herself or Toyota.
But it was this team from China that had designed two award-winning works in just four hours, which raised a heavy sense of crisis in her.
She keenly sensed that this carefree youth would be her future formidable opponent.
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