radicalducati Chapter 622: Performance Score
Chapter 622: Performance Score
The uproar grew louder. Even Bianca felt irritated by what was happening.
But now wasn’t the time to question it. Sophia had already stepped onto the center of the stage, ready to begin her performance.
Sophia’s performance was very different from the others. She walked with difficulty, her expression free of sorrow. Instead, her face showed determination.
She turned her back to the audience, her posture full of loneliness. Then, she suddenly turned around, a faint smile on her lips. “Don’t give up! Victory will be ours!”
Without warning, Sophia charged forward, clutching an imaginary explosive device. “Edenfield will achieve victory!” she shouted, before collapsing to the floor.
The venue fell silent for a moment, then burst into loud applause.
Sophia’s performance was breathtaking. Her portrayal of a soldier’s sacrifice for Edenfield’s victory was so vivid that it left a lasting mark. The mix of sorrow and joy at the end, and the courage to push through it all, struck a deep chord with the audience.
“She deserves every award she’s won. Even without props, she showed every emotion perfectly, which brought me to tears!”
“This is real joy! Sacrificing for your country is the greatest honor for any soldier. Brilliant! I never would have thought to present it like this!”
“Sophia’s talent is undeniable. She’s a true veteran, and this performance proves she’s the best.”
“It has to be ten! If anyone deserves it, it’s her!”
Online comments flooded in, and the audience buzzed with admiration. All eyes turned to the judges, waiting for the scores.
But there seemed to be a major disagreement among them, delaying the announcement.
At last, the host said, “Sophia’s score for this round is 8.4!”
“What? Is this a joke?” voices shouted in protest.
“That performance was worth at least a nine! What’s going on?”
The judges stayed quiet.
Bianca felt a knot in her stomach. “I have a bad feeling they’re targeting Reese and Sophia today.”
“Just what we expected.” Dave gave her hand a light squeeze. “You were ready for this. Why so nervous?”
“I can’t help it. Reese and Sophia were amazing, but their scores are getting cut.”
She knew Blake and Brenda wanted to stir things up. Even so, the open unfairness still threw her off.
The next rounds went much the same. Mylo and Rayan scored high for performances that were only average, while Reese and Sophia, despite shining on stage, were still undervalued.
Things got worse when Reese slipped slightly in the third round, earning the lowest score. In the fourth round, Sophia’s performance didn’t land as strongly, and her score ended up matching Rayan’s.
By then, online opinion had started to turn. Mylo and Rayan’s popularity kept climbing, while support for Sophia and Reese dropped sharply.
According to the rules, the champion would be decided by the total score from all four rounds, combined with online support ratings and Brenda’s final assessment.
When the final results were announced, the audience was left in shock.
“I can’t believe Mylo’s in the lead by just 0.2 points!”
“What’s even crazier is that Reese, Sophia, and Rayan are all tied for second with 37.1 points each!”
“This is unbelievable! The tension is off the charts now!”
Online discussions exploded. Twitter was trending with the news of Mylo in first place, and Reese, Sophia, and Rayan sharing second.
“This is so exciting! I can’t even guess who’ll win! The gap between the top four is tiny, and it’s so rare to see three people tied like this.”
“It all comes down to Brenda’s final decision. Her score will decide the winner.”
“Mylo’s in danger now. He could be overtaken at any moment.”
“Reese used to be so popular. I never thought she’d be behind Mylo now…”
But soon, other voices started to speak up online.
“I told you, don’t worry, the champion will be either Reese or Sophia!”
A photo was posted showing Bianca and Dave saying goodbye to Brenda at the entrance of Edenfield Hotel.
It immediately caused an uproar online.
“What’s going on? Did they make a secret deal behind the scenes?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Just wait until Brenda announces her score.”
The post quickly racked up millions of views and spread like wildfire. More people began reposting it, fueling speculation. Doubts about the competition grew, and even some audience members started to voice concern.
Dave found out quickly, having told Wyatt to keep an eye on public opinion online. Even as the controversy grew, he stayed calm.
Bianca’s phone hadn’t stopped ringing, with partner companies calling to express concern about the situation and how it might affect future collaborations. After a flood of calls, she finally switched it off.
“Do you think they’re taking too big a risk?” Bianca asked with a smile, glancing at Dave. “What do you think of how I’ve handled things?”
“Impressive,” Dave said, his eyes on Bianca. “You can read your opponents now. Even got Reese to back you up.”
“I learned the hard way,” Bianca replied.
Dave showed her a tweet on his phone, a picture from their dinner that day. “Someone snapped us. Looks like the dinner worked for both testing them and because they planned to use it against us.”
Bianca’s lips curved into a sly smile. “Too bad for them, I’ve changed. And more than that… I have you.” She squeezed his hand. “With you here, I’m not afraid of anything.”
After a short break, Brenda stepped onto the stage to announce the results. “Tonight’s performances were all stellar. I’ll now give my scores. First, Mylo. I gave him a 7. With my 10% scoring weight, that adds 0.7 points, bringing his total to 38. Next, Rayan. He gets an 8, which adds 0.8 points, making his total 37.9.”
The online audience seemed to accept the results, agreeing that Mylo’s more natural performance gave him a slight advantage over Rayan.
“As for the remaining two, I’ve struggled to decide,” Brenda said.
Confusion spread through the audience, while speculation erupted on Twitter.
“Here it comes, doesn’t it? Did they fail to make a deal at that dinner? Why the sudden hesitation?”
“Stop with the conspiracy talk. Just because they had dinner doesn’t mean there’s a hidden agenda. If there’s foul play, I’ll eat my words live, literally!”
“I’ve saved this, pal. Let’s see if you keep your promise.”
“Why cut to ads now? Just give the results already!”