Catherine was confused. She gave Branden a searching look.Branden's handsome face revealed a hint of a smile. His lips could not help but lift a bit."I heard you are participating in the celebration gala selection.""Yes," Catherine answered briefly."Can I watch it?" Branden looked earnestly at Catherine.It was one of the few times Branden used an interrogative sentence. He was used to ordering people. His interrogative sentences were only for Catherine.Catherine was okay with it. All teams would perform in public. Anyone could be in the audience, and so could Branden."It's the early stage now. I'll let you know when I make it to the final."The teams would audition during the qualifying match, and there might not be many qualified performances. Catherine thought it unnecessary for Branden to watch her show at this stage, so she wanted him to be there after she was in the final.Branden gazed at her with a mischievous smile in his bright eyes.Catherine caught it and wa
The auditions for the celebration gala started in the afternoon. Other teams were all out to hog a suitable practice room.Many teams signed up for the audition, but there were not enough practice rooms to go around. They needed to hurry up to occupy a space.George noticed that Catherine and her teammates did not move and felt puzzled.He had no guts to talk to Catherine, so he turned to Bryan, who was relatively friendly and on Catherine's team."Bryan, why don't you go to the practice room to rehearse? The practice rooms are almost jammed. You will probably not get a space if you don't move now."Bryan looked up at George with a frown as if he had heard something ridiculous."Boss said we don't need to rehearse."George admired Bryan's attitude.Bryan had always been so confident.George understood what Bryan meant, but he was still somewhat uneasy.Catherine's team had never rehearsed since the announcement of the celebration gala, while others all rehearsed their perform
At noon, the final bell rang. It was like Catherine's alarm clock. When the bell stopped ringing, Catherine awoke.When Ronin saw her wake up, he reacted immediately and handed her the coffee he prepared."Boss. Coffee."Catherine reached out to take it. Gulping down a big mouthful, she felt refreshed."Ronin, you're even more thoughtful now."The temperature of the coffee was neither too hot nor too cold. Catherine was satisfied.Bryan was jealous. He disdained Ronin's licking Catherine's boots. Meanwhile, he was jealous of Ronin.Ronin knew Catherine's preferences way better than Bryan did.Bryan could not accept that.He decided to pay more attention to everything about Catherine and marked down what she liked and did not.After she downed the coffee, Catherine was wide awake. She stood up.Ronin followed her and suggested, "Boss, let's grab lunch."The three did not go to the school cafeteria. Instead, they went to a restaurant near the school.Catherine loved spicy fo
Bryan had practiced a lot and showed Catherine, and he also witnessed Ronin practice occasionally.However, Catherine had never sung in front of them.Bryan was perplexed, but he had unreciprocated trust toward Catherine, so he asked Catherine nothing.They were finally about to rehearse together, and Bryan wanted to see Catherine's prowess.But Catherine let him down.After getting on the stage, Catherine only asked Bryan to rehearse with Ronin while she was busy with her laptop.Bryan wanted to ask, but he did not dare. He could only do as Catherine commanded.Several times of rehearsals later, he and Ronin lined up the rhythms.Ronin was experienced. He even drummed harder at some point to cover Bryan's weakness."Take a break."Hearing Catherine's words, Bryan and Ronin stopped."Boss, I'll get some water."Bryan saw the bottled water in the front of the truck, so he jumped down from the stage to get some.The moment he left, Ronin leaned closer to Catherine."Boss, h
Ronin did not fear Bryan. They were like implacable enemies and argued with each other all the time."What? Do you think you can stop me with your eyes?"Ronin turned to Catherine and told her what happened to Bryan."Boss, don't blame him. He's a booby that has never seen the world. He must be shocked by your incredible voice and forgot what he needed to do."Bryan was embarrassed and ashamed because what Ronin said was true. He dared not look at Catherine.He could only pounce at Ronin, trying to beat him."Brat, you don't know how to mind your words, do you? Let me give you a lesson. You'll see what I can do."Seeing them wrestle with one another, Catherine said nothing.She stood still and observed quietly. Bryan's actions were prompt, thanks to his training.Ronin's moves were tricky, which he learned from the street gangs.The two were nip and tuck. Catherine let them blow off steam and did not interfere with them.Later, their moves slowed out of tiredness. Catherine
Catherine had been waiting behind the stage with Bryan and Ronin. The last team had just got on the stage. When they were done performing, it would be Catherine and her team's turn.The backstage area was packed with people. Some of them were born with stage fright. They had looked ghastly pale before they got on the stage, praying nervously.On the contrary, Catherine's team was surprisingly calm.Wearing an earphone, Catherine was sitting aside with her eyes closed. Her palm-size face was seamlessly covered by the black cap. Evidently, her face was really tiny.As for Ronin, who was sitting next to her, he was dressed more or less like her.The two of them sat leisurely aside. Ronin was also wearing an earphone.The only difference between them was that Catherine was resting while he was playing with his phone.And he was even playing an online game with Bryan.This team didn't look like they were there for a competition. Instead, they seemed to make up the numbers here.Fin
Rather than making an instant decision, Ronin settled his gaze on Catherine, waiting for her to decide.Catherine knew what Ronin meant. She turned on the clip mic and said coldly, "No need. Let's get started!"Everyone was shocked.Previously, the audio equipment was broken, and they had no other choice but to use the clip mics. However, it had been repaired. Why did Catherine still insist on using the clip mics?How could she win then?Not only the audience but also the judges looked at Catherine in astonishment.Faced with others' confusion, Nash picked up the microphone and said to Catherine, "The equipment has been fixed. If you insist on using the self-prepared audio equipment, we'll still judge you with the fairest standard. Are you sure you still wanna continue?"It was quite savvy of him to say so. Clearly, what he meant was that even if Catherine and her team used the clip mic, their performance would be judged with the standard of professional audio equipment.While
Elena looked at everyone with a serious expression and then shifted her gaze to Catherine sinisterly. She said coldly, "You did sing well, but I think you're too bad-mannered. You show no respect for the judges or audience. So, personally, I don't suggest you advance to the next round."As soon as she finished speaking, someone immediately chimed in with her.People were all selfish. Catherine's team was so competent. If they advanced to the next round of the contest, they would be a tough opponent. The skeptical voice was getting more intense. The complacent smile on Elena's face also became bigger.Just now, she received Liana's hint. Liana suggested that she and Nash would cast an opposing vote for them. Coupled with the audience's objections, she didn't believe that Catherine's team could qualify for the next round.Hearing Elena's sarcastic words, Bryan and Ronin both looked enraged.The two of them looked at Catherine simultaneously, waiting for her response. Catherine l