Chapter 22 Rhodes Entertainment's high-profile talent show was drawing massive attention from all sides. During the first live taping , the stream's viewership kept climbing steadily-and it was only picking up steam. At the moment, it was Erin's group on stage. With fan - favorite Lisa, who had built a strong following overseas, in her lineup, the moment they stepped into the spotlight, viewer numbers skyrocketed-surpassing half 300 thousand dollars in just minutes. Under the dazzling lights, the eight girls radiated star power. Their performance was polished, energetic, and perfectly in syne. Cheers flooded the livestream chat like waves. [OMG, Erin's stage outfit is stunning!] [Lisa is unreal -her stage presence, her rhythm, that face?] Erin fans, let's go! She has to take the top spot!] Excuse me. Lisa's the real #1 here. Case closed.] Soon, the two fanbases were locked in a full-on comment war. But oddly enough, the more heated the argument got, the more the stream's popularity surged. Then a single comment appeared that instantly united the two opposing camps. Y'all need to move over-Chloe is the real queen here.] And just like that, Erin and Lisa's fans found common ground: mutual outrage. [LMAO, who even is Chloe?] [Some no-name nobody trying to compete with Erin and Lisa? Please.] [Her profile says she's in her 70s. For real? What's this grandma doing on a talent show-auditioning with her pension check? ) The insults came flooding in. Upstairs, Tristan's face went from red to thunderous. "Block them. Block them all! Every last one of those little trolls!" Michael pinched the bridge of his nose. "Grandpa, seriously . Just enjoy the show, alright? Can you please not go picking fights in the Tristan muttered, slightly sheepish, "Well, everyone else has fans cheering them on. I just thought… maybe I could be your great- grandma's fan too." Back onstage, Erin's group wrapped up their performance amid the frenzy. The judges were clearly impressed and gave the group a glowing score-97 points. Next up: Group Six. The lights dimmed, then flared back to life. Eight girls stood under the spotlight. "Wait are they not wearing makeup!" "They're going on live like that? Barefaced? That's bold." "Isn't that Chloe in the center? I mean, she looks okay , but probably only appeals to grandpas." " Abarefaced performance on a national stage? That's kind of disrespectful." "Anyone who doesn't respect the stage doesn't deserve to debut" Tristan's expression darkened. "Michael, what's going on? Why isn't your great-grandma's group wearing makeup?" Michael frowned. "Give me a minute-I'll find out? There were no dramatic hairstyles, no glitter, no heavy makeup . Just eight girls dressed simply, their voices clear and natural as they Chapter 22 sang a youthful pop ballad straight from the heart. As the chorus hit, each of them pulled away the heavy outer layers of their stage costumes-ornate outfits that normally required full glam to balance out. Underneath, they wore clean, knee-length white dresses. Then, in perfect unison, they kicked off their ill-fitting heels and danced barefoot-light, confident, and free. They moved like woodland sprites, radiating energy and grace. The livestream chat was stunned. The bare face with the white dresses? That's youth . That's real.] [So much fresher than all that heavy makeup. This feels authentic.] [Okay, stop trying to make 'barefaced' happen. They look rough, and it's not edgy, it's just sad. Erin wouldn't be caught dead like this.) JOh please. Is Erin some galactic-level diva now? Sh She's not above the show. At the judges' table, all four mentors-who hadn't expected much from this group-were visibly caught off guard. Their expressions said it all: this performance was far from what they'd imagined. Whitney Sexton, the legendary pop star who had once taken Flido by storm two decades ago, nodded thoughtfully. "That was a bold performance-raw and heartfelt. Young people really do have the guts to take risks" Veteran singer and mentor Suzanne Tapia added. Their energy and spirit perfectly captured the essence of this show. No amount of makeup or styling could recreate that kind of authenticity. I'm giving this group a 98. Any objections from the panel?" "I do," said mentor Efren Blair, pushing up his glasses with à frown. "Out of the eight girls, two had voices that were too deep, three were too shrill-there were some pitch issues." Whitney chuckled. "Well, Erin's group had pitch problems too. For rookies, that's normal. If everyone was flawless, what would they need us for?" Efren had no response. The performance ended, and the scores lit up: 98 points, The livestream chat immediately exploded. [What the hell? How did they get that high a score?] [Erin and Lisa's dream team only got 97-what's going on here?] [The judges are totally biased!] [Ugh, why is it so hard for some people to admit someone else did a good job?] Backstage, the moment they stepped off the stage, the other seven girls hoisted Chloe into the air. She'd been the one who insisted on performing without makeup, Five of them had opposed the idea, but when no one could come up with a better plan, they'd reluctantly gone along with it-fully expecting disaster- Who would've thought the "nothing left to lose strategy would turn out to be the performance of the night? There were still a few teams left to go, but it was unlikely any would top that score. The group huddled around Chloe, cheering and laughing. Meanwhile, Erin stood off to the side, her face dark with frustration. She could live with being outshined by Lisa . That made seILSE. But to be edged out by Chloe, even by a single point , felt like being crushed under a mountain . Her composure started to crack. She didn't think Chloe's performance was anything special. So she wondered, "Why have the judges rated it so highly The first public performance round wrapped up quickly. When ame time to announce the rankings, the livestream was cut-leaving the audience in suspense. 103PM P P Chapter 22 All contestants gathered in a large hall, waiting for the host to reveal the results. As expected, Chloe's group took the top spot in the team rankings. Each member received a 100-point bonus, Erin's group came in second, earning 90 bonus points per member. Then came the individual popularity scores. Across the platform, 1,000 loyal viewers were selected to vote-three votes each. The host began reading the results. "In first place : Erin, with 830 popularity votes . Total score: 920" "Second place : Lisa, 795 votes. Total score: 885" "Seventy- third place : Chloe , 51 popularity votes. Total score: 151′′ Although the livestream had ended, Tristan still had access to the internal broadcast. He slammed his palm on the table, scowling. "What's going on? Why is your great-grandma's popularity score so low? What's not to like about her?" Michael quietly sipped his coffee. He thought. Because you, Grandfather, stirs up both fanbases in the livestream chat… Erin and Lisa's fans were so irritated, they deliberately tanked Chloe's votes out of spite. If Chloe's team hadn't placed first in the group round, her overall ranking would've been near dead last. Just as Michael was about to speak, his assistant messaged him. "Mr. Rhodes, I looked into the makeup situation Chloe's team was assigned a makeup artist. But the director said Melanie's makeup came undone in the control room, so they pulled the artist away to fix it. That's why her group went on barefaced," Michael's fingers froze on the keyboard.