Had to hide my strength, but couldn’t drop out of the spots for the finals. It really was kind of hard to grasp this standard.

Alarieka had been thinking about this problem lately, and was still thinking about it when she got to the waiting room before the competition. When Alarieka walked into the waiting room, only a few contestants were there, and the room was pretty empty. She sat in the corner on her own. The corner was quiet and comfortable.

As the semifinals got closer, the contestants all showed up one after another. The rankings for the semifinals were announced ten minutes before the competition. Alarieka was a bit surprised when she saw she was in first place. She was actually thinking about listening to the other players to figure out how much she should hold back. But since she went first, there was no way to use anyone as a reference.

When Alarieka heard the broadcast call her name, she let out a slow breath. Could only take it one step at a time, at least absolutely couldn’t get knocked out in the semifinals.

Alarieka walked down the aisle behind the last row of seats. The seats in the back didn’t have much light. At first, she kept her head down, looking at the floor, and then she looked up. Then her eyes paused.

Someone showed up late at the waiting room door, and the white light from outside fell behind the two of them. They already looked like a perfect couple, and now with that soft light, they seemed even more tender and matched, like they were made for each other. It was Kieran and Roschelle.

Ever since the two came in, a lot of people in the waiting room had their eyes on them, then quickly looked away, feeling awkward. Who didn’t know about Patrick flying into a rage for a girl last night? Everyone was really scared, and now they didn’t even dare to look at Roschelle. They just kept quiet.

Alarieka calmly looked away.

To get to the performance room, you had to go past the path where Kieran and Roschelle walked to their seats. So there was no way to avoid it, Alarieka brushed past the two of them. This time, none of the three looked up.

Alarieka walked past the two with a calm face, and she looked up at the door to the performance room. The door to the waiting room was right next to the door to the performance room, and when Alarieka looked up, she saw another lady walk in through the entrance. The lady’s steps seemed a bit hurried, and she spoke in a low voice: “Be careful, don’t walk so fast.”

Alarieka stopped walking and met eyes with the lady. That was Kieran’s mom, Marlene. She saw with her own eyes as Marlene’s gentle, troubled look suddenly turned sharp and gloomy, and those beautiful eyes looked her up and down like she was disgusted and contemptuous.

“Ms. Huston, long time no see.” Alarieka said calmly, “Long time no see.”

Marlene let out a cold laugh, crossed her arms, and looked at her with cold eyes. “Ms. Huston, I remember when you lived at the Argent’s villa, the cheapest clothes you wore cost at least a thousand dollars. So? Is life not so good after leaving the Argent family? The clothes you’re wearing now look like they’re from a street stall.”

On the day of the Mcintosh Piano Competition, the contestants always dressed up especially nicely. The men mostly wore dark suits, and the women all wore beautiful dresses, with perfect makeup and carefully styled hair. Only Alarieka, no matter what day it was, just wore a plain T–shirt and jeans, no makeup, and her black hair was simply tied in a high ponytail, nothing else. Alarieka stood among a group of polished contestants and really looked like an ugly duckling, totally out of place.

The waiting room felt kind of quiet and weird, and Marlene’s voice could be heard by everyone. Right away, quite a few people went to look at Alarieka, their eyes a bit strange. Even though Marlene made sense, everyone could tell Alarieka was wearing cheap stuff. If it were anyone else, they probably would’ve just blended in and seemed kind of poor.

But Alarieka had a cool and calm vibe, like a clear spring. Even dressed like that, the cheap T–shirt didn’t hide her aura. Plus, with that pretty face and bright eyes, she really stood out. She looked just like the pure, hardworking character from an idol drama–really pretty and classy. So, even when Alarieka, dressed simply, stood among the well–dressed contestants, she didn’t fall behind at all. In fact, it was just the opposite–because Alarieka was different, she stood out even more. All the contestants knew this very well.