Chapter 164

No doubt, Alaricka was way ahead again, taking first place with no suspense. After that, she took five days off, which just matched the five days of the Meintosh Piano Competition. The Mcintosh Piano Competition was divided into the preliminary, semi-final, and final rounds. Half of the people were eliminated in the first round, half were eliminated in the second round, and the rest competed for the top three. The Mcintosh Piano Competition was held downtown, in a six-star hotel. This time, the organizers were really generous. Every contestant had a nice big bed to sleep in and didn’t have to pay anything. All the contestants were a bit surprised, because the organizers in the previous years were nowhere near as generous as this year.

This time, there were not only six-star hotels, but also fancy snacks and fruit, and really attentive service. Actually, when Alarieka saw Kieran come to the hotel with Roschelle, she wasn’t surprised or thought it was weird. After all, Kieran really was considerate toward Roschelle, and when it came to things like competitions, Kieran definitely would have made time to be with Roschelle. She watched Kieran and Roschelle walk into a room together, quickly looked away, and went back to her own room. Alarieka just sat on the edge of the bed, and her eyes unconsciously fell on all the stuff on the nightstand. She picked up the tissue and looked at the label on the package. A moment later she chuckled. So that’s how it was. No wonder the organizers were so generous this time, it was because of Kieran and Roschelle. The logo on the tissue package was clearly the Argent Group’s logo. The Argent Group’s logo and the Mcintosh Piano Competition’s logo were put together, which clearly meant that the Argent Group sponsored the Mcintosh Piano Competition. Why did Kieran sponsor? Of course, it was because Roschelle took part in this year’s Mcintosh Piano Competition. How bossy the Argent Group was, everyone saw it. So the treatment for this season’s contestants went up, and they even got to stay in a six-star hotel. Alarieka didn’t think about it anymore. After she threw the tissue away, she lay down on the bed. The competition started on the second day after the contestants moved into the hotel.

Chapter

The rule for the preliminary round was that the contestants picked piano pieces to play themselves. They could use their own or someone else’s. The most important rule was that the work had to be created by the contestant themselves, and it had to be original, with no plagiarism. If it was plagiarism, just announce the plagiarism penalty and disqualify them from the competition. Alaricka just walked into the waiting room, and a sharp, low gaze looked over at her. Alaricka looked over. Kieran was sitting with Roschelle in the waiting room. His face had sharp, smooth lines, his brow bone was deep and striking, and his dark eyes were deep and calm. Under the pale lights of the waiting room, he looked unbelievably handsome. After two lifetimes, Alarieka still couldn’t figure out what the emotion in Kieran’s eyes was. Kieran just glanced at her and looked away. Roschelle just chuckled and nodded at her, Alarieka ignored her too and found her seat to sit down. Maybe Kieran did it on purpose; her seat was the farthest and most isolated from Roschelle’s. But just as well, she didn’t want to be bothered by anyone. She sat in her seat, listening to some people around her.

“It’s Roschelle, isn’t this game over? How could we possibly beat her?”

“What were you afraid of, look at that one over there.”

“Who?”

“Alarieka, it was her first time joining a piano competition. With her at the bottom, what were you afraid of?”

“Is the guy next to Roschelle her boyfriend? He’s so handsome.”

“It was Kieran. Kieran was the sponsor of this piano competition. We got to stay in a six-star hotel thanks to him.”

Alarieka listened to those sounds, and her expression didn’t change at all.

“Are you Alarieka?”

A flippant but pleasant voice sounded in Alarieka’s ear. Alarieka opened her eyes and saw a man with a face as pretty as a woman’s, standing in front of her in a light blue suit, with a gentle and flirtatious smile on his lips. Anyone who saw him thought he was easy to get along with. But Alarieka saw that the smile in his eyes was just on the surface, and there was more coldness. Alarieka looked away and said in a flat voice, “You gotta introduce yourself before you ask me anything.” The man let out a muffled laugh, sat down on her left, crossed his arms and legs: “Patrick Schultz.” When she heard this name, Alarieka paused for a moment.

Chapter 165