After that, all five contestants that passed the preliminary round performed a simple encore before they went backstage to prepare for their next song.
The next elimination round would begin in the afternoon. Therefore, everybody returned to their rooms to prepare for the competition in the afternoon. Only three people would be left after the advancement round in the afternoon. Hence, they were anxiously practicing and memorizing their songs.
Janet did not return to her room. Instead, she was kidnapped by Mason to go out for lunch.
“Janet, that song of yours was so lovely. What is the title of the song?” Henry asked, trying to butter up to her.
She lowered her head to play on her phone. She didn’t seem to care and faintly replied, “It’s ‘Untitled’.”
“Right, right, right.” He stared straight at her, seeming to have ulterior motives.
Mason held Janet’s cold hands. At the same time, he unkindly rolled his eyes at Henry.
At that moment, Janet suddenly received a message from Walter. ‘The color palette and tonal contrasting are ready. Shall I send it to you now?’
Her eyes gleamed, and the corners of her mouth lifted. ‘Sure.’
Walter asked again, ‘Now?’
Glancing at the time, she replied, ‘It’s lunchtime right now. Nobody will be looking at their phones. Let’s wait until the elimination round in the afternoon!’
Walter: ‘You are still you. You haven’t changed at all.’
When she read the message, she couldn’t help raising her eyebrows in response. ‘I’ll just take that as a compliment. Thank you. Also, please tell Gordon that I’m thankful for his hard work!’
Despite waiting for some time, Walter did not reply. Thus, Janet naturally turned the chat off.
At the same time, Megan and Brian initially went to Janet’s room to talk to her. However, she was not around. So, they went to Emily’s room instead.
When Emily saw Megan, she felt extremely aggrieved. “Mommy, it was so dangerous today. I nearly—”
Brian pursed his lips and pushed his glasses up his nose. “Emily, you did a good job! Relax!”
“That’s right. Janet didn’t do that on purpose either. Don’t take those words to heart.” Megan fell silent for several minutes before continuing, “Besides, you didn’t plagiarize this time, right?” I’ve warned Emily before that there will be no next time. Those words are still in effect!
Looking into Megan’s serious eyes, Emily instantly felt a surge of remorse. She shifted her gaze away, her small hands clutching at her skirt. “Of course, I won’t plagiarize again, Mommy. I still remember what you said to me back then.”
Brian smiled. “Of course, we believe you. Besides, Mr. Hilbert is so skillful. I’m sure you learned a lot from him.”
“That’s right.” Megan smiled as well. “Still, Janet really surprised me this time.” I never imagined Janet’s piano skills to be so good. Even Brian and I were mesmerized by the sound of her piano.
Emily’s expression turned ugly immediately. She nervously picked at her nails. “Mommy, Daddy, do you think I still have a chance at winning the competition?” I did not expect Megan and Brian to change their opinions of Janet so quickly! This is definitely not a good thing!
“Well…” Megan and Brian exchanged a glance with each other. Megan seemed a bit embarrassed as she explained, “Emily, it doesn’t matter to us whether you or Janet wins this competition. After all, you are both our daughters. Even if you don’t win first place, I will not deprive you of anything. I will always support you in whatever you want to learn.”
What does she mean by those words?! Does she think that Janet is better than me?! Impossible! Janet’s achievements came from plagiarism! Why does she receive their praises and affirmation?! Why can’t I get everybody’s acceptance when all I did was ‘borrow’ a little bit of inspiration?!
