Chapter 86 - 87: Overall First Place
The venue was utterly silent!
It was as if everyone was afraid that the slightest sound would disturb the person on stage.
Sophie Wexler lightly brushed the strings, releasing a clear, soothing melody. The tune was gentle and slow, and soon, the piece concluded.
Sophie Wexler suppressed the turbulent emotions in her heart, slowly curled her lips into a smile, stood up, and gave a slight bow to the audience. "My performance is over. Thank you, everyone."
’I’ve never performed this song before. I was worried it wouldn’t have the effect I wanted, but it seems to have turned out pretty well.’
Pretty well? It was absolutely stunning!
The people in the livestream chat only snapped back to their senses after she spoke. Instantly, countless bullet comments flooded the screen.
[HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT!!! That was incredible!]
[If anyone dares to question her again, I’ll fight them to the death!]
[Guitar, piano, Ancient Zither... Sophie Wexler, just how many surprises do you have in store?!]
[I knew it! She definitely wasn’t lip-syncing! There must have been a misunderstanding before. I don’t know the "old Sophie Wexler," but I know our Sue, and she would never let us down.]
[Where are all the people who were just calling our Sue a lip-syncer? Use your ears and listen properly! This is what you call a heavenly voice!]
[I’m already getting goosebumps just listening from the livestream. I can’t imagine how exciting it must be to be there in person!]
[Dude, the people at the venue have lost their minds.]
Sure enough, as the bullet comments flew by, the live camera cut to the audience members, who were all ecstatic.
Compared to the livestream, the shock and awe felt by the live audience was even more intense.
The sound of the zither and her voice blended together perfectly, leaving everyone breathless.
Her voice, transmitted through the microphone to everyone’s ears, was at times cheerful, at times melodious, at times rapid, at times slow, plucking at the listeners’ heartstrings.
But that wasn’t even the most important part. The most important part was the Spiritual Sea!
Under the influence of Sophie Wexler’s voice, their Spiritual Seas became incredibly active, yet without a single trace of chaotic energy!
The livestream viewers already knew Sue Shiver could soothe the Spiritual Sea, but the effect was even more profound in person. This was definitive proof that Sophie Wexler hadn’t used a vocal double.
Moreover, the change in their Spiritual Seas after hearing her sing live was what was truly staggering.
The moment Sophie Wexler’s voice faded, the venue erupted in thunderous, incomparably enthusiastic applause.
Everyone was shouting her name, the sound deafening!
"Sophie Wexler! Sophie Wexler! Sophie Wexler!!"
A single song had completely stirred everyone’s emotions. They waved their arms, and the atmosphere was incredibly fervent.
Seeing this, Karina’s face darkened.
Compared to Sue Shiver, her own song-and-dance routine now seemed like child’s play, and she was being completely ignored.
"Didn’t they say she couldn’t sing, that her livestreams were lip-synced? What the hell is going on?!"
"I don’t know! All the previous videos on StarNet proved she was completely tone-deaf. Who knew..."
This was something they had never expected.
Onstage, Sophie Wexler finished her performance, bent down to pick up the Ancient Zither, and walked offstage.
The show continued with other performances, but after an act like Sophie Wexler’s, everything that followed seemed dull and uninspired.
When all the performances had concluded, the host came on stage. "After watching all the wonderful acts from our platform’s streamers, I’m sure you all have a favorite performance in mind."
"We do!" the crowd roared in response.
"StarNet’s official platform has now opened the polls! Please cast your votes now and choose your favorite ’him or her’!"
As soon as the host finished speaking, the names of all the performers appeared on the giant virtual screen behind him, along with their real-time vote counts.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, one person’s vote count was increasing at a terrifying rate, leaving the second-place contestant hundreds of millions of votes behind and securing the top spot with an absolute advantage.
"Voting countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2... 1!"
"Voting is now closed!" As the host’s voice fell, the vote counts on the virtual screen instantly froze, displaying the final data clearly for all to see.
"Let us congratulate the winner of first place—" The host paused, his smile widening as he announced forcefully, "From the Stellara Cultural and Entertainment District—Sue Shiver!"
[AHHHHHH, I knew it, I knew it! Sue, you’re the best!]
[Even with that little hiccup in the middle, nothing could stop you from being amazing.]
[I’d like to see anyone dare to doubt you now.]
Next, the host announced the second-place winner, Aaron Shaw from the Stellara Gaming District, and the third-place winner, who was also from the Stellara Military District.
Stellara had swept the top three spots in the general category.
Aside from the top three, there were several other awards, which the host announced one by one. After all, an event this big couldn’t have only three prizes; it was just that the general category awards were the most prestigious.
After the announcements, the award ceremony began, with the prizes given out in ascending order of rank.
The less important awards were given out first, with the general category prizes saved for last.
"And now, please welcome the first-place winner of our general category—Sue Shiver! Come on up to receive your award."
The moment he finished speaking, the camera immediately focused on Sophie Wexler.
Onscreen, Sophie Wexler slowly rose to her feet. Without the mask to hide it, her beautiful face was revealed completely to everyone.
She lowered her gaze slightly, her thick eyelashes casting a soft shadow. Under the lights, her cool, pale skin seemed as flawless as porcelain. Her lips were naturally crimson, looking tender and luscious, while a small, red beauty mark near the corner of her eye added a touch of enchanting allure.
As the camera panned over her, countless gasps of amazement filled the venue.
[My god, that’s some next-level beauty!]
[Seriously, back when everyone was saying she wore a mask because she was ugly, I never bought it.]
[Me neither. Could you guys really not feel it? Even with the mask on, you could sense this subtle, indistinct beauty. It’s hard to explain, just a certain vibe.]
[A ton of people were hating on her looks, but I said it back then: Sue Shiver couldn’t possibly be unattractive.]
[LMAO, "Sophie Wexler" hasn’t just looked like this since yesterday. How come none of you were praising her before?]
The netizens: "..."
Come to think of it, that was true. When people brought up Sophie Wexler, it was usually about her self-destructive behavior, terrible personality, and awful singing. No one ever called her beautiful.
But now, it seemed completely different. It was a beauty that radiated from the inside out, one that made people unable to look away, leaving them in awe.
Even just standing there silently on the stage, Sophie Wexler could capture everyone’s attention.
It was as if wherever she stood, that was the center of attention!
Onstage, the host read a long string of praises before presenting Sophie Wexler with her award.
"I’m sure everyone knows that every year, the first-place winner of the general category receives an additional prize." After handing over the award, the host spoke, deliberately building suspense.
This piqued everyone’s curiosity.
Sophie Wexler blinked. Her supervisor had mentioned this to her before she came, and she was quite curious herself.
The host saw everyone’s eager expressions and, with a smile, slowly began to speak. "This year’s additional prize for first place is—"
"A trip to the Capital Planet!"
Sophie Wexler: "???"
Sophie Wexler: "!!!"