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 principalâs face never faded, and as one of the judges, he also voted for Catherineâs 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.
âGood evening, ladies and gentlemen. It is my honor to stand on this stage and announce tonightâs champion. The champion tonight isâ¦â The principal deliberately paused momentarily before excitedly saying, âCatherineâs team! Congratulations!â
âWowâ¦â
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, âCongratulations!â Catherine glanced at him, and the smile deepened on her face. âThank you!â
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 Lianaâs expression was off, Nash tried to comfort her. âLiana, donât be like this. You are also excellent. One failure doesnât mean anything, right?â
Liana wanted to slap this stupid guy in the face. What he said was meaningless. However, Liana didnât throw a fit right away. After all, Nash was still helpful, and she couldnât abandon him for now. She covered her face and looked pitifully at him. âIâm sorry, Nash, but I need some time alone!â
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 audienceâs applause, Catherine and her teammates stepped onto the stage.
It wasnât 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, âAre you Catherine?â
Catherine nodded slowly, not overly enthusiastic. On the other hand, Bryan, standing beside her, was astonished. The old man praised Catherine voluntarily, âYou sing well. Do you plan to enter the entertainment industry in the future?â
Although Catherine found the old man a little annoying, considering his seniority, she politely responded, â Thank you, but I donât plan to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.â
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, âCongratulations!â
Just as Catherine received the trophyâ¦
âShameless! Catherineâs team doesnât deserve the award!â
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, âCatherine cheated! She doesnât deserve to be the champion. The principal is protecting a shameless cheater like her. The principal should step down!â
The principalâs 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, âHold on!â
The principalâs 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, âSo, youâre saying Catherine cheated? Why donât you tell us how she cheated? The voting for this competition was done by all the students here. I donât think cheating in front of so many people is easy!â
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 manâs words and asked the crowd, âRaise your hand if you voted for Catherineâs team!â
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. âIâm not talking about the voting being rigged. Iâm saying Catherine cheated.â
After saying that, he fixed his gaze on Catherine, his tone filled with accusation. âCatherine, you told everyone that this song is your creation, didnât you?â
Catherine snorted disdainfully, not even bothering to talk to him. âSo what if I did?â Although she hadnât publicly declared it, she had told Bryan and the others, and everyone in the class knew.
A cold smile appeared on the young manâs face. âYouâre lying. This is not your composition. Itâs a famous piece by the renowned music producer Sugar. You just plagiarized and adapted her work. You donât deserve to be the champion!â
After speaking, the young man. declared, âIf you donât believe me, you can go on Twitter. Someone has already posted a comparison, and I believe everyone can easily tell the difference.â
Many fans of the entertainment industry knew Sugar, and they knew she was a legendary musician. Although they hadnât seen her face, her legend pervaded the entire industry.
Many students took out their phones, and the media invited to the event naturally wouldnât 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?