Chapter 9 Revealing the Secrets

Russell also saw the news online and knew that most people who went to concerts were there for the drama.

Zoey wouldn't miss such an exciting occasion.

He chuckled lightly and said, "Stay put and wait for her."

"Yes, Mr. Russell."

After hanging up the phone, Russell thought for a moment and sent a message to Zoey: "Brent is waiting for you at the same place. When the concert is over, text me."

At that moment, Zoey was walking towards the backstage, but the loud music prevented her from hearing the notification sound.

The moment Ariana saw Zoey, her gloomy face instantly brightened up, "Zoey, you're here!"

Zoey looked at Ariana, who was wearing a shiny performance costume, and smirked, "Since I promised you, of course I will come."

Ariana handed the earpiece and headphones to Zoey and held her hand, "Zoey, thank you. I'm sorry, I will make it up to you in the future."

Zoey nodded, "Okay!"

“Then I’m going on stage now.”

"Okay."

As Ariana stepped onto the stage, Zoey tightly gripped the microphone, her gaze icy and cold.

The shocking music sounded, and the elevator slowly ascended.

Ariana turned around and looked at Zoey, while Zoey had a strange smile playing at the corner of her lips.

Ariana's heart skipped a beat, and as she looked again, Zoey was waving at her with no sign of anything unusual. The smile she had just seen seemed like a figment of her imagination.

The lift reached the top, and Zoey's smile faded.

She stood in the center of the stage, coldly watching the live footage of the concert being broadcasted on the four LCD screens in front of her.

All she had to do was be a vocal substitute for Ariana and help her sing.

Ariana was skilled in dancing, but her voice lacked distinctiveness. On the other hand, Zoey had a clean and pure voice with great recognizability.

By chance, Ariana stumbled upon a demo of her singing and promptly took it to the company, claiming it as her own creation.

That demo was noticed by Born Beauty Entertainment, who was ready to fully develop Ariana into a triple-threat star in film, television, and music.

Knowing she’d eventually be exposed, Ariana tearfully admitted her actions to Zoey, begging her to be her voice.

Zoey cherished this sisterhood, so she forgave Ariana and agreed to be her voice substitute.

After all, she had plenty of talents and didn’t mind sharing a couple.

Thus, Zoey spent the next year and a half as her voice double, bringing Ariana fame, popularity, and a slew of awards.

And Zoey, she was just an unknown voice behind the scenes, but she had no complaints.

With this in mind, Zoey sneered, "Ariana, enjoy the glory that your last song on stage brought you."

The luxurious stage was filled with a sense of modernity and technology, and the colorful lights flickered with the music, dazzling the eyes.

Ariana and a group of dancers danced passionately to the rhythmic music.

Although the engagement was disappointing for many of Ariana's fans, with only three million fans remaining out of ten millions, her loyal supporters still stand by her.

Bang, bang, bang, fireworks burst in the night sky.

After Ariana's opening dance, a music extravaganza began.

She held the microphone in her hand and said, "Good evening, everyone!"

The lights of the 50,000-seat stadium shone brightly, reflecting off the glow sticks in the hands of the fans.

The cheering and booing sounds resounded simultaneously over the stadium.

Ariana choked up, "I know that some bad things have happened in the past few days, and it has been widely talked about online. Today, I want to clarify things. The fake photos and videos from the engagement party were actually planned and released by me and Nelson."

As soon as the words fell, the entire stadium erupted.

Ariana sniffed, "There is actually a reason why we did this. Nelson and I truly have feelings for each other, but we have never done anything inappropriate. Zoey didn't impulsively get engaged to Nelson's uncle, she thought it through. We can't go against the engagement arranged by the older generation, so we came up with this idea to fulfill Zoey's wishes. Even if my reputation is ruined, I accept it. Regardless, the most important thing is that Zoey gets the happiness she wants. In any case, thank you all for supporting me and coming to my concert!"

Zoey listened behind the scenes as Ariana spoke vaguely. On one hand, she clarified herself to be innocent and maintained her pure and virtuous image.

On the other hand, it is implied that Zoey and Russell had a deep connection before, as Zoey's engagement to Russell was a well-considered decision.

The scandal at the engagement banquet was explained as Zoey and Russell having long been deeply in love and not wanting to get engaged to Nelson. As Ariana, their sister, made a great sacrifice to cancel the engagement.

What a deeply touching sisterly bond it was!

As soon as Ariana finished speaking, the attitude of the fans in the audience changed.

"Ariana was so pitiful! How could she have such a sister!"

"Ariana was truly great! She carried such a reputation! How important a girl's honor is!"

"sob-sob, I'm going to cry to death, poor Ariana was so wronged!"

"I don't believe it at all. How can videos be faked! Are you fools still believing it?"

"Ariana's acting was awkward, but she was a master at lying!"

"The sound of a flute came from afar!"

***

Although there were still curses, it was clearly much quieter than at the beginning.

Ariana wiped her tears insincerely and said, "I hope everyone will continue to like me. Next, I will change into a new outfit and bring you some beautiful music!"

Ariana came to the backstage and quickly changed her clothes. She connected with Zoey, "Zoey, did you hear what I just said?"

Zoey smiled and said, "Of course."

"Zoey, were you angry?"

"How could it be? You were my own sister!"

Ariana smiled and said, "I knew you were the best to me. I will make you work hard in a while."

"Of course, I'll do my best."

"Okay," Ariana knew that Zoey would always follow her lead, after all, Ariana was the only one who could provide the family affection that Zoey longed for.

Ariana took the stage, and a somewhat sad song played.

[Late at night, you drew a picture of yourself in the palm of my hand. I thought it was our secret, but I realized I was only deceiving myself...]

The blue glow stick swayed gently, turning the entire stadium into a sea of blue.

All grievances ceased in the wonderful singing.

Suddenly, the singing changed and Opera took the stage.

Ariana stood frozen in place instantly, she was extremely panicked.

Her voice was trembling as she questioned Zoey, "Zoey, what were you doing?"

The opera was still singing, and Zoey did not respond to her.

The fans stood up one after another, feeling bewildered.

At that moment, someone realized that something was wrong and angrily exclaimed, "Ariana was lip-syncing!"

The accompaniment was still playing, and on the big screen, Ariana's mouth didn't move at all, but the singing came out, and it was even opera.

After a section of Opera, the original melody was resumed.

Ariana was still in shock and could only continue pretending.

After the song ended, Ariana was already sweating profusely with nervousness. She smiled and said, "That was a little interlude. I had learned ventriloquism before. Did you all like it?"

The fans only realized later that it was just a joke Ariana played on them.

Because there had been no previous concerts, fans found it quite novel and felt quite excited and thrilled.

Ariana gave a glance to her manager, Stephany Snyder, who immediately went down to the stage to find Zoey and told her not to play tricks.

Only Stephany knew Ariana has been lip-syncing this whole time.

Stephany appreciated Zoey's talent, but Zoey was willing to stay behind the scenes, and since Born Beauty had already made Ariana famous, she could only remain silent.

Ariana interacted with her fans on stage.

Stephany found Zoey sitting on a high stool.

"Zoey, were you intentional just now? Your actions will ruin Ariana!"

Zoey smirked and said, "I knew that! But I wasn't trying to ruin her, I was just reclaiming the glory that was rightfully mine!"

Stephany frowned. “You gave her that demo and agreed to be her voice. You can’t just back out halfway.”

Zoey raised an eyebrow. **“She stole that demo, and I only agreed to help her out of familial love. But clearly, she’s treated me like a fool, so I don’t owe her anything.”Stephany, when your best friend stole your boyfriend, how did you feel? It seems like you've forgotten."

Stephany's face looked unpleasant, but she still advised, "Best friends and sisters are different, you have a blood relationship."

Zoey smirked, "At the beginning, Ariana pointed the finger at me, is this what they call family? I'd rather not have it! Stephany, do you know who the anonymous person who sent you the video is?"

Stephany received an anonymous video in the past, in which her boyfriend and best friend were engaged in explicit scenes. Immediately, she cut off all support for her boyfriend in his personal life and studies, and started living a sober life.

This matter, only the parties involved would know.

"Is it you?" Stephany exclaimed.

Zoey smiled and said,“I just happened to be around and caught them there. I helped you once; now it’s your turn to help me.”