"Oh my God! I've never been this nervous! Look at my heart rate monitor. It's already 160! The match hasn't even started yet!""Don't worry. If it breaks 200, I'll call an ambulance for you.""Can't you hope that I'll get better? I hope the team I support will play well. Don't let me end up in the ICU!"Scattered voices from the back row were cute and funny.Rebecca wasn't that nervous.After watching the last game, she became much calmer.Anyone could see that the last game was the real level of the players on both sides.It didn't mean that Flashfocus played poorly.After an actor-like player on CalX's side left, the players showed their true abilities. The game became much better to watch.The audience always looked forward to a showdown between two strong teams.Rebecca had a peaceful attitude toward the subsequent competition. She thought both teams deserved the victory if they maintained this level. That was why she wasn't nervous.There were people on both teams that
Yet, it didn't go as expected.Drew took an outdated version of the hero to fight the current version. If he wanted to win, he could only hope for a miracle. Or he could hope that his opponents were of a lower level.There weren't many miracles in this world.If a miracle happened and he won, CalX's efforts would be useless.They also studied new playing styles, worked hard to train new lineups, and changed themselves to adapt to another version.It was cruel. When everyone was working hard, hard work wasn't worth mentioning.In this round, Flashfocus lost. It was 5:0.Drew lost the advantage the team gained in the second round.The old hero, who had been with him for many years, couldn't keep up.CalX's players were excited, while Drew was sad.He lowered his head as if he didn't want the camera to capture his sadness. Then, he walked off the stage quickly.CalX's players also noticed his state. Thinking of their state in the first two rounds, they didn't know whether they
The final round kicked off when Philip and the escape team from Flashfocus took the stage.The cheers in the arena reached a new peak when the players from both sides appeared.Rebecca listened to the excited voices around her and the high-pitched tone of the game narrators. Due to the atmosphere, she felt a little nervous."Would you like to make a bet?"While staring straight at the arena screen, she heard a familiar voice.She turned slightly in confusion and met Daniel's eyes. "What's the bet?"He raised his chin slightly. "Guess who will be the winner."He didn't know much about this game. But after watching it twice, he knew the rules.The captor of team A went to catch the escapees of team B. Then, they switched sides. In the end, the overall score would reveal the champion.It was a cooperative and also a solo game.The game narrators reminded the audience about the scores.The two sides were in a draw when judging from the big score.Flashfocus won the first two ro
Throughout his years in the competition, even when faced with stronger teammates, he never dared to break away from his own style of play.He did try to assert himself before, but due to poor handling, what could have been a tied game ended up being manipulated by the opponents. This resulted in a loss that left his teammates to cover for him.This time, he won! He really won with a 5 to 0. This score didn't come from shaving his head, but from achieving a complete victory on his own.The young man raised his hands in the arena. He looked like a joyful bird spreading its wings amidst the cheers of the audience.The people on stage couldn't help but cheer at his enthusiasm. Perhaps that was what being young was about: unabashedly expressing one's emotions for the success or failure of the competition. And all the genuine emotions were truly touching. Rebecca looked at the young man's departing figure with a smile. However, as her gaze shifted to the other team still sitting in
She touched her forehead as she thought about the previous two victories. Those victories had made her feel as if she could fight against Alex.When she really thought about it, the characters they chose for the games were all tackled well by their opponents.If it weren't for Simon's performance issues, she probably wouldn't have been able to lead her team to the fifth round at all.It seemed like they still had a gap between them, and the two years of practice were not enough for her to catch up yet.SUN was lost in her own thoughts, but she didn't show her emotions.However, compared with the sadness she experienced just now, she felt much better now.She looked at Drew and smiled. "This is the last game and yet I'm still giving you pressure. No matter what, I'm sorry. For the next game, just play like how you used to."No matter what the result was, she figured they could accept it. It was not like they had never lost before. They had great sportsmanship to handle losses."
The last round of the competition began.Both sides were in their best condition for the game.On the stage, Drew stood ready with a serious expression. While waiting for the opponents to choose their heroic characters, he continuously wiped his palms with a tissue. He probably wanted to prevent excessive sweat from affecting his gameplay. To further address this concern, he applied a layer of powder to his palms.If there was another round, when Philip switched sides, he would likely have seen a layer of white powder on the seats.On the other side, the atmosphere was slightly better. It was perhaps a bit more subdued compared to the cheerful banter of the first two rounds. After all, it was the last game of the finals, and a certain level of seriousness was warranted; there was no room for complacency.However, due to the lack of pressure, everyone was more relaxed. In a situation where teammates had created a significant advantage, there was no need to compete with bated breath
"Alex …" Drew couldn't believe that the person who stopped him was Alex! He stood there, stunned, and even forgot about his own sadness.He thought, "It's Alex! Alex is talking to me! Mom, I've made it! Alex even said that he'll see me in the next season!"Alex chuckled when he saw Draw's stunned look. Looking past the top of his head, he stared at the tunnel that led to the competition venue.Drew's teammates were all there. There stood a girl who looked pretty, and she was as good as anyone who competed in the championship.Alex retracted his gaze and lowered down his arms. "Your teammates are waiting for you. I hope to see you at the next competition. You are really good! Keep up!"Drew looked at him as his eyes turned teary. He didn't care that his former idol was standing in front of him and just bid farewell to Alex before running back to his teammates.With his towering six-foot height, the sight of him nestling in his coach’s arms brought about a moment of amusement.
Rebecca hesitated.What Daniel said was right. Even if she were to hang up the phone, David wouldn't blame her for that.After all, she had done such things quite a few times.However, she couldn't always comply with her own desires. She thought it was essential to consider the feelings of people around her.She decided to keep things simple with David and let him know that they could postpone the meeting if there was anything important.However, he had already lost his patience. Amid the noise of the venue, the ringtone fell silent.Rebecca lowered her head as she gazed at the missed call notifications on her phone screen with pursed lips.It seemed fate had decided for her and spared her from indecision.She thought missing the call might be for the best because answering the phone in this noisy environment wouldn't be good.Although David didn't call again, he sent a message.Due to their previous disagreement before leaving Fairport, she would feel awkward if she were to
Penny didn't have much free time over the past three years.As she had envisioned, during the first year, she honed her acting skills amidst criticism while also working as a translator.Later on, she felt that acting didn't hold much appeal anymore. Moreover, realizing that there weren't any roles left for her, she gradually gave up and moved toward working behind the scenes.She had some work during this period.It seemed that a daring reality show, not caring about potential risks, decided to capitalize on her controversial popularity and invited her to participate in one of their programs.The reason Penny agreed to participate was because the show's first season had a good reputation, and the payment offered was reasonable.Continuously doing translations could be quite tiring. After discussing with Cecilia and weighing the pros and cons, she eventually signed up for this TV show.Unfortunately, she had underestimated the darker side of human nature.The show's production
"Really?" Zane blurted out, staring incredulously at Sam, who nodded calmly. His unruly and carefree demeanor was restrained, and his composed attitude showed that he wasn't joking.Zane fell silent again, furrowing his brow as he intently observed Sam.It was as if he thought everything through in an instant, giving up without hesitation. He didn't even remind Zane of the request from years ago to take care of Penny. Instead, he said this would be the last time he would help out.Logically speaking, this should be a satisfactory outcome for Zane. After all, from any perspective, the Lowe family's scion would only be a burden to Sam.Looking again at Sam's attitude, it seemed he didn't want Penny to know he was the one quietly spending money to handle things behind the scenes.Since there was no plan to meet her, he didn't need to worry about anything after that. If that was the case, it would be better to just end it early.That way, if Sam saw Penny falling in love, getting mar
All those old scoundrels from the Lowe family undoubtedly ranked the highest. Then there was Jessica, the entertainment industry's national goddess, who also played a significant role.Besides them, there were a few minor celebrities who didn't really make the cut.However, as Sam's partner and someone who watched him grow up, Zane privately hoped Sam could find a better girl.So, he advised, "There are plenty of socialites in Riverwood, and Amdale has no shortage of beautiful young ladies, either, and Rookfort isn't much different."You and the Lowe family's daughter haven't even officially met…""Who said I haven't met her?" Sam interrupted him without a second thought.He had even seen her twice. How could Zane say they hadn't even met yet?The first time, she gave him all the money she had. The second time, he spoke up to help her get that role.After these interactions, they could be considered acquaintances.Zane choked up and couldn't find the words to refute.He was s
Because Penny declined his offer, Zane didn't insist. After a bit of small talk, he ended the call.He politely mentioned that if she needed any help, she could call this number again. If he could assist in any way, he certainly would.However, Zanw knew very well that, given Penny's temperament, she would rather give up what she had than actively seek help from a stranger.Yes, to Penny, Zane was just a stranger. He was a person she had met once but didn't really know.This time, Penny didn't respond as coldly as she did when she was 18. Instead, she exchanged a couple of polite pleasantries, mentioned that she would reach out if needed, and then hung up the phone.After that, she let out a long sigh of relief and lay on the lounge chair on the balcony, gazing at the view outside the window.There were fluffy white clouds in the azure sky and the greenery visible in the neighborhood. Sparrows were chirping persistently as they darted through the forest, and the cicadas loudly bu
Although the other person said only one word, Penny could still tell he didn't have any ill intentions.Because of that faint sense of familiarity, Penny didn't hang up the phone immediately. "Hello? May I ask what this is about?"The unfamiliar and distant tone probably made the man on the other end of the phone pause for a moment. It was only after a brief silence that he responded."Young lady, don't you remember me? It's Zane Moran."His voice carried a laugh, with a hint of teasing.Only then did Penny remember who he was, but she wasn't happy at all.Zane meant no harm when that incident happened back then. But despite that, over the years that had passed, he became one of the people and things Penny would rather not recall.Whether it was the exam she missed, the incident where Spencer took her to the hotel against her will, or Zane, who gave her 30 dollars for a taxi ride.She just wanted to hide all of them deep in her memories.The recent events had particularly made
"I'm fine. You all don't have to look so worried. You're making it seem as if something bad is going to happen to me."Penny looked at the two people at the door who were showing a range of expressions, feeling speechless.Cecilia was provoked by her words, and her eyes turned red."We're worried about you. You have no idea what you look like right now. You're almost like one of those disheartened protagonists in novels who hated the world."Penny clicked her tongue twice and said, "Aren't you exaggerating?"She didn't believe it. She was just worried about money. It wasn't like she had become disillusioned with life.Besides, she didn't dislike this world at all. On the contrary, she really liked it.Whenever Penny came across posts online suggesting that all humans should just die, she always felt like rolling her eyes. If they wanted to die, they shouldn't drag others with them.When searching for her own role in movies, TV dramas, and novels, Penny particularly preferred re
Penny's way of clarifying things was to simply tell the truth.Sometimes, trying to cover things up would just lead to needing 100 more lies to continue the cover-up. That would often end up making things worse and more ridiculous.It was better to tell the truth about the situation.To answer the question of why she lashed out at the Lowe family, she briefly explained her experiences over the years.Why didn't she attend the final paper of the college entrance examinations? She personally reopened that old wound.As for that man in the hotel, Penny didn't have much of an impression of him anymore. She only remembered not taking his business card and accepting 30 dollars from him.Why did she show up at that man's hotel room? She wrote it down truthfully—it was her father who personally took her and left her at the hotel, wanting to trade her like a commodity.Every single word was carefully considered and written by Penny.She didn't share much of these things with Cecilia. Th
Once the official statements were released, Penny's career being ruined became a certainty.The only surprising thing was probably that after the film crew issued their statement, the largest investor also requested to withdraw.The film crew was completely shocked, but there was nothing they could do. The scion was willing to lose money just to withdraw his investment, so what could they do?The amount of money in the compensation was nothing compared to the amount that the scion planned to invest. The production team would incur a significant loss.With one less investor, the project's status was essentially downgraded. They had much less room to manipulate their gains now, too.One would understand why the scion was doing this if they used their brain a little.However, the protests from the audience couldn't be ignored, and compared to the investors, it was clearly more important to keep the show going.After all, they could always attract more sponsors, even if the amount o
In addition to the widespread backlash caused by the phone recording, Penny's academic credentials were also scrutinized and exposed.Before the college entrance exam, she had always been the top student in her school and had never ranked anything else.However, in the college entrance exam, she barely passed the minimum mark for key institutions, far below her usual performance.Some people speculated that she had been cheating during regular exams and that her actual abilities were much worse.However, the exam results could be checked online, and the fact that Penny scored zero on the last exam was surprising.It was even more shocking that she was admitted to a top-tier university despite missing an exam. It was truly exceptional.But few people paid attention to this information.After all, the achievements attained through hard work couldn't be faked. Even if the results weren't as expected, it was undeniable that she was stronger than many others.Regarding this topic, t