Chapter 19
I didn’t look back as I walked into the elevator,shutting out Charles’s voice.
I knew Charles was determined to make me lose.
The stage design.sound effects,and backup dancers were all from internationally renowned teams,and they had bought off the program’s director and judges.
“Charlotte Edwards,here’s your stage.”
Familiar director David led me to the old,unused studio.
“Since you didn’t communicate with us about the stage design,we didn’t arrange anything.”
“Oh,the sound equipment seems to be malfunctioning, and we don’t have any spare units at the station. Would you mind making do with it,Charlotte Edwards?”
I looked at David’s smug expression and smiled lightly. “Finally, after five years of being a simp for Olivia,you got a taste of success. Feeling proud?”
Director David’s face changed instantly. “You,what are you talking about—”
“Cherish your last day on the job,” I shoved him aside and went straight to the rooftop.
According to the schedule, Olivia was supposed to perform first,and I would follow.
But I refused to wait for this program full of rotten people.
I pushed open the iron door to the rooftop and took out the mini speaker I’d prepared,setting up my phone to start
the live stream.
“Hello,everyone, I’m Charlotte Edwards.”
“I’m sorry to meet you in this way.”
“But as a dancer,I want to tell everyone that the most breathtaking dance doesn’t need any extravagant decoration.”
“The real name of this dance is ‘Unbroken Rain Rose.“”
I took off my coat,revealing my torn red dress and the white bandage tied around my ankle.
“Rose blooming in the rain,
Who can force your beauty to wither?”
I stood on my tiptoes and leaped into the rain.
On the magnificent stage,an oblivious Olivia danced confidently in her white battle skirt.
08:52
Dancing into the Heart of Mr. Ced
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Chapter 19
In the backstage monitoring room,Charles stared at another live stream.
The fiery red figure on the screen didn’t need any lighting or stage effects. Her presence alone brought the beauty of
dance to life.
The official program live stream saw a massive drop in viewers.
Just like Charles, the audience flocked to the other private stream.
The comments flooded the screen,almost obscuring the red figure.
“Damn.I have no words.just amazed.”
“Amazing,after watching Charlotte Edwards’s dance,I think Olivia is a clumsy imitation.”
“I was wondering why Olivia suddenly accused Charlotte Edwards of forcing her to admit plagiarism. Turns out she’s the one who’s guilty.”
“Did you notice? Charlotte Edwards is putting all her strength on one leg,as if she’s really injured.”
“If it’s fake,then she managed to perform even better than a real injury. Impressive. If it’s real,the fact she can do such difficult moves on one leg is simply amazing!”
“Whether she’s really injured or not,I just want to say,Charlotte Edwards has been underestimated.”
The program judges hesitated before asking the grim–faced Charles. “President Carter,what should we do about the
scores in this situation?”
Charles reluctantly moved his gaze. “Stick to the original plan.”
“But the audience’s reaction-”
“You’re the experts,” Charles’s mood was foul, “So who’s in charge of the judging,if not you?”
When the dance ended,I exhaled the pent–up frustration and went to the changing room to change into fresh clothes.
By the time I was ready to watch the live stream again,I saw the bribed judges trying hard to praise Olivia while belittling me.
“Olivia’s dance is the real dance,both in technique and emotional expression… Charlotte Edwards is just trying to grab attention with old tricks…”
I couldn’t help but curl the corners of my mouth. Their negative comments didn’t upset me at all.
These “artists” who thought they were above everyone else,deceiving the public.
But as I said,even if someone doesn’t understand dance,they can still appreciate beauty.
08:52
Dancing into the Heart of Mr. Cald
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Chapter 19
It’s clear who plagiarized and who didn’t between me and Olivia.
1
When I opened the comments,everyone’s feelings were just as I expected everyone was criticizing the programe team for their poor conduct.
“So did Dancer plan for Olivia to win from the beginning? Thinking about it gives me chills/
“Such a grand stage,such a top–notch team, and they still lost to Charlotte Edwards who only had a tiny speaker. Honestly,I feel embarrassed for Olivia.”
“I really want to ask these judges,don’t they feel embarrassed?”
As the audience’s emotions reached a peak due to the judges‘ nonsensical comments,I posted two updates on Twitter,
The first was a video of me practicing moves in the rehearsal room,carefully refining my actions.
The second was an audio recording of my communications with Director David.
This time,the public was furious.
Amidst the uproar, the program team was forced to cut the live broadcast and urgently released a statement,promising to thoroughly investigate the matter and asking the audience to be patient for the results.
After witnessing this spectacle,I finally came out from the hidden changing room.
