A smile bloomed across Cecil's plump, pink lips. For the first time in her life, Cecil didn't smile after seeing anyone else, reading something or finding something amusing.
She was smiling for something she achieved on her own.
Cecil panted, her face pale and the blood sliding down her arm from the ugly gash, along with the cut on her cheek. Yet, the smile on her face was beatific and blinding.
She lifted her uninjured arm into the air, clenching it as she shook it a little.
The applause from the audience grew louder.
Linqin, who was on the floor, her disheveled hair reflecting the state of her mind.
She lost, fair and square.
Linqin slowly recovered, releasing a frustrated sigh, standing up as she trudged over to Cecil. She raised her arm, asking for a handshake from Cecil.
"Congratulations, you won and I lost."
Cecil was taken aback by Linqin's sudden change in attitude.