Chapter 221 The Champion
The celebration gala came to an end. Many of the judges were celebrities in the industry. These big shots made the celebration gala a media frenzy, creating a new trending topic for today.
The smile on the principal’s face never faded, and as one of the judges, he also voted for Catherine’s team. This was not only because they were famous but also because their performance was truly outstanding, giving him a sense of excitement in his old age.
After going around with Nash, Liana returned to the auditorium. The selection began, and the principal stood on the stage with the award results in hand.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. It is my honor to stand on this stage and announce tonight’s champion. The champion tonight is…” The principal deliberately paused momentarily before excitedly saying, “Catherine’s team! Congratulations!”
“Wow…”
Cheers and screams filled the entire venue. Compared to the enthusiasm and cheers from the crowd, Catherine remained calm. She sat quietly in her seat, her gaze calm. There was only a faint smile on her face.
Branden reached out and held her hand. His initially icy eyes were now filled with tenderness as he softly said, “Congratulations!” Catherine glanced at him, and the smile deepened on her face. “Thank you!”
Just as Liana returned, she happened to witness this scene. She had already prepared herself for the admiration and congratulations from everyone. But she never expected that Catherine would win the championship.
How was this possible?
Seeing that Liana’s expression was off, Nash tried to comfort her. “Liana, don’t be like this. You are also excellent. One failure doesn’t mean anything, right?”
Liana wanted to slap this stupid guy in the face. What he said was meaningless. However, Liana didn’t throw a fit right away. After all, Nash was still helpful, and she couldn’t abandon him for now. She covered her face and looked pitifully at him. “I’m sorry, Nash, but I need some time alone!”
After saying that, Liana turned and ran away. As soon as she returned to the dressing room, she dialed a mysterious number. At the same time, a hint of ruthlessness appeared in her eyes.
This championship was hers, and she would not let Catherine easily take it away, no matter what. Amidst the audience’s applause, Catherine and her teammates stepped onto the stage.
It wasn’t the principal who presented them with the award but an elderly gentleman. Despite his advanced age, he looked energetic in his well-tailored suit, his sharp eyes exuding vitality.
Seeing the respectful demeanor of the principal in front of him, everybody present could tell that the old man held significant influence. The old man approached Catherine with the trophy in hand. Smiling, he asked, “Are you Catherine?”
Catherine nodded slowly, not overly enthusiastic. On the other hand, Bryan, standing beside her, was astonished. The old man praised Catherine voluntarily, “You sing well. Do you plan to enter the entertainment industry in the future?”
Although Catherine found the old man a little annoying, considering his seniority, she politely responded, ” Thank you, but I don’t plan to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.”
She had plenty of other things to keep her busy. The entertainment industry was not included, though. The old man nodded satisfactorily and handed the trophy to Catherine, saying, “Congratulations!”
Just as Catherine received the trophy…
“Shameless! Catherine’s team doesn’t deserve the award!”
A jarring voice rang out, surprising everyone. As they turned their heads, they saw a young man standing on a chair in the audience, holding a microphone, loudly shouting at Catherine.
The man had an average appearance, wore glasses with black frames, and looked somewhat sleazy and disgusting.
Seeing that the situation was about to spiral out of control, the principal immediately signaled for two security guards to take the young man away.
However, the young man went even more berserk, yelling, “Catherine cheated! She doesn’t deserve to be the champion. The principal is protecting a shameless cheater like her. The principal should step down!”
The principal’s face turned dark. He trembled with anger. On such a grand occasion, someone was causing trouble, which was absolutely unacceptable.
Besides the principal, Ronin and Bryan were also furious. How dare this brat defame their boss? Was this guy courting death?
Catherine raised her hand gently, stopping Ronin and Bryan from taking action. Her cold gaze fell on the young man, showing a hint of disdain. It seemed as if she was completely unaffected by his words, not even bothering to argue with him.
As the young man struggled desperately, the elderly gentleman who had just presented Catherine with the award suddenly spoke up, “Hold on!”
The principal’s face froze, and the two security guards halted their movements. The gentleman stared at the young man, his sharp eyes filled with curiosity as he asked him, “So, you’re saying Catherine cheated? Why don’t you tell us how she cheated? The voting for this competition was done by all the students here. I don’t think cheating in front of so many people is easy!”
The difference in votes between the first and second place was significant, with the first place winning by an overwhelming majority. In fact, if only a few students had voted for Catherine, there would have been a commotion among them.
The principal followed the old man’s words and asked the crowd, “Raise your hand if you voted for Catherine’s team!”
A sea of hands went up, and there was no need to count. It was clear at a glance that more than half of the students had raised their hands.
The young man, however, remained resolute. “I’m not talking about the voting being rigged. I’m saying Catherine cheated.”
After saying that, he fixed his gaze on Catherine, his tone filled with accusation. “Catherine, you told everyone that this song is your creation, didn’t you?”
Catherine snorted disdainfully, not even bothering to talk to him. “So what if I did?” Although she hadn’t publicly declared it, she had told Bryan and the others, and everyone in the class knew.
A cold smile appeared on the young man’s face. “You’re lying. This is not your composition. It’s a famous piece by the renowned music producer Sugar. You just plagiarized and adapted her work. You don’t deserve to be the champion!”
After speaking, the young man. declared, “If you don’t believe me, you can go on Twitter. Someone has already posted a comparison, and I believe everyone can easily tell the difference.”
Many fans of the entertainment industry knew Sugar, and they knew she was a legendary musician. Although they hadn’t seen her face, her legend pervaded the entire industry.
Many students took out their phones, and the media invited to the event naturally wouldn’t miss this opportunity for breaking news.
Before long, everyone saw the anonymous post and read its contents. The two songs had an 80 percent similarity! How could this be?
