Chapter 222 Plagiarism
The scene was in an uproar as the two songs were undeniably similar. After teachers of the music department analyzed them, they confirmed that they were both composed by the same person, or rather, the latter was a slightly modified version of the former.
Many people knew that Catherine claimed to be the creator of this song. Now, it was so similar to the music of a famous musician, which was clearly plagiarism.
The young man who exposed Catherine listened to the surrounding discussions and felt he had received reinforcements. He pointed at Catherine triumphantly, saying, “The reason she dares to plagiarize is because this song was posted by Sugar on a forum a long time ago. She ruined a great musician’s work. Do you think someone like her deserves to be the champion?”
Branden stood in the audience, accompanied by Triston. Seeing Branden’s cold expression, Triston quietly asked him, “Mr. Duncan, should I arrange for a couple of guys to drag this guy away and shut him up?”
“This four-eyed fool is courting death, “Triston cursed inwardly. “How dare he insult Catherine like that? Branden’s going to kick his ass!”
Branden spoke coldly, rejecting Triston’s suggestion. “No need!” From the calmness in Catherine’s eyes, he could tell she had everything under control. “Arrange for someone to investigate!”
Triston instantly realized something and a wicked smile appeared on his raised lips. “Alright!”
It seemed that there was someone behind this young man. It didn’t matter if Branden caught this young man. What was important was exposing the person behind him. Catherine stood on the stage calmly, enduring the disdainful gazes of the crowd.
In their opinion, although Catherine sang well, claiming to have composed a song that wasn’t her own was despicable. Her blatant attempt to elevate herself was truly contemptible!
The media on-site swarmed like they had discovered a treasure trove. After all, all the top figures of Loyalty Academy were present.
Catherine was famous as well. She was currently appearing on a popular variety show, and she had quite a number of fans. Moreover, she was not only the younger sister of the superstar Audrey Swann but also the publicly acknowledged special girl of the celebrity Terry Hanke. Any one of these connections was enough to create a new trending topic.
At the same time, this incident involved the top musician, Sugar. There had been cases of people plagiarizing Sugar’s work in the past, and the result was always the plagiarizer being doxxed by her fans.
Although Sugar didn’t actively promote herself on the Internet, her fans fiercely protected her reputation. Anyone who dared to taint Sugar’s work would meet one fate- destruction. The reporters thrust their microphones in front of Catherine, bombarding her with questions.
“Catherine, what do you have to say about the accusation of plagiarism?”
“Do you have anything to defend yourself?”
“You plagiarized the work of Sugar, but aren’t you worried about her fans finding out? Are you not concerned about your future in the entertainment industry or even your sister’s reputation in the entertainment industry?”
The more they spoke, the more outrageous their comments became. Ronin couldn’t stand it anymore and shouted, “What nonsense are you all spouting? Our boss composed this song. Plagiarism? You’re a bunch of idiots!”
Feeling embarrassed by Ronin’s outburst, the reporters shifted their target to the principal standing nearby.
“Sir, we now have evidence confirming that your student, Catherine Swann, plagiarized the work of Sugar. How do you plan to handle this? Will you still award her the title of the championship?”
Before the principal could respond, the crowd below began to voice their opinions loudly. “No, it’s absolutely unacceptable to let someone like her become the champion!”
“That’s right, absolutely not!”
“She’s not the Champion!”
People’s opposition made the principal extremely awkward. If it were a regular team, he could announce the decision, but this team included Bryan.
Even Karl had come personally, and the principal wouldn’t allow any haphazard handling of the situation. Soon, the principal found himself in a dilemma.
After hearing Ronin’s rebuttal, the young man who exposed Catherine yelled again, “Ronin, I don’t blame you for favoring Catherine since you have a good relationship with her. But you are still trying to defend her even in such an obvious situation? Are you trying to tell us that Catherine is Sugar?”
Ronin was indeed infuriated by this foolish young man. “You goddamn idiot!” he cursed inwardly. Catherine pulled Ronin aside and took a step forward. Standing before the young man, she crossed her arms and maintained a calm expression devoid of anger.
The moment the young man saw Catherine’s eyes, he instinctively stepped back. Those eyes were too sharp, and Catherine’s aura was incredibly strong. She looked so intimidating that even the thought of not taking a step back was impossible. After taking two steps back, the young man looked at Catherine in a panic.
“What do you want? If you dare to lay a finger on me in front of all these people, not only would it show your guilt, but it would also bring you severe consequences! Do you understand?”
“Huh!” Catherine sneered. “Good point, idiot. But what makes you think I don’t know?”
The young man was speechless, unable to respond fluently. “You… You’re…”
Catherine tilted her head, looking down at the insignificant person before her. This man had a pointed nose, hunched back, and rounded shoulders. It was clear he wasn’t a good person.
“So, if I am Sugar, what will you do?”
The young man seemed intimidated by Catherine’s powerful aura, unable to speak for a moment.
Liana, who had been watching the scene, furrowed her brows upon seeing this. She didn’t expect the young man to be easily frightened by Catherine’s few words. He couldn’t even say anything!
To destroy Catherine, Liana had to step forward. She approached Catherine, her voice not loud but clear enough for the surrounding reporters to hear.
“Catherine, why don’t you just admit it? If you keep behaving like this, it might get Audrey in trouble. You have such a good relationship with her, don’t you? She’s worked so hard in the entertainment industry. You can’t ruin her career.”
Hearing this, Catherine turned her head to look at Liana. Not daring to meet Catherine’s gaze, Liana lowered her head.
The reporters around them had heard what Liana said. They now knew that she was indeed Catherine’s younger sister.
They quickly handed the microphone to Liana. “You’re Catherine’s sister, right? Catherine plagiarized Sugar’s work and passed it off as her own. Now that you know about this, what are you going to do? Can you provide evidence of Catherine’s plagiarism?”
