"It's incredibly unfortunate! The audience in this competition is terrible! They have no idea how to appreciate Xin's music at all!"
Manager Ciel complained and slumped down. She was truly hopeless and still refusing to face reality.
Alan shook his head, thinking that perhaps Xin's inflated ego, despite his lack of talent, could be attributed to his manager.
"If I were his manager, I would have stopped him from singing a long time ago. That would be less embarrassing, at least!"
Alan remarked to Manager Ciel.
Manager Ciel's expression suddenly changed.
"You, an outsider, have no understanding of what true music is and you fail to grasp what constitutes a genuinely good singer!"
Alan replied, "What else would you call a guy who only received 29,000 votes? I believe even that number is generous, and without Meilin, I doubt it would have surpassed 5,000 votes. Yet, you refuse to admit that your star is incompetent. How shameless can you be? Just wake up to reality!"
Manager Ciel's face turned red with anger. She wanted to retort, but no words came out of her mouth.
"Humph! What do you know? He was just nervous because it's his first competition. If he weren't, he would have performed much better."
Manager Ciel muttered before turning away from Alan.
Alan sighed. Observing how incompetent Xin's manager was, he almost felt sorry for him. Even if it were Cecilia, if she were not good, Alan would have said so.
He cared for her, and that's why he needed to point out her shortcomings. Otherwise, she would end up making a fool of herself like Xin. Giving a reality check is part of a manager's job. Idols shouldn't go around thinking they're the best and capable of everything. Someone needs to wake them up from such delusions.
While they were talking, the next participant took the stage and performed.
They received over a hundred thousand votes.
That was considered a significant achievement compared to the other two participants.
Another participant followed, managing to secure 80,000 votes. They were also good, but their performance lacked the sparkle of the group before them.
Xin's vote count, on the other hand, firmly held the last position.
Finally, more groups of participants finished their performance and only two groups were left.
The host stood there and announced the next performer.
"Alright, I believe many of you here today are eagerly waiting for this person and her song!"
"She was also one of the most popular contenders last year. Although she didn't secure the first position, she managed to capture the hearts of many audiences."
"Please welcome Mina!"
"Now, let's give a round of applause to the next performer, Mina, accompanied by Jun from the same company, Dreamwave Entertainment!"
The host's voice was passionate and filled with excitement, not attempting to hide the enthusiasm in his words.
Mina was one of the less popular idols who the contest director invited last year to fill the numbers, but she easily became one of the most memorable participants. It could be said that she might have even won last year if not for her relatively low popularity.
At that time, she was just a C-list idol with fewer fans compared to those who secured the top positions. However, when it came to singing ability and the quality of her song, she was undoubtedly one of the best.
Now she was back in the competition and had risen to the position of a B-list, one of the highest ranks in the contest. Many expected her to win, and even the hosts were excited by her presence.
Alan heard the cheers from numerous fans.
"Finally, the wait is over!"
"Last year, she was robbed of the trophy, but this year she's back for revenge!"
"I only came here for her! No matter what, she deserves our votes."
"Mina! Mina! Mina!"
The excitement in the auditorium reached its peak. It was evident that a popular and well-known artist was about to perform. Although there were other participants with a good number of fans, their reception paled in comparison to Mina's.
Even Alan was astonished by the level of enthusiasm from the audience. It seemed that Mina was genuinely a favorite candidate in this competition.
(No wonder the composer was confident!),
Alan thought.
Composer Jules must have had a strong basis to believe they would win. That confidence stemmed from Mina's popularity in this competition. Unlike Xin, who had confidence without substance, Jules seemed to have a reasonable foundation for his optimism.
Alan also noticed that when the host made the announcement, the barrage of comments on the big screen instantly became overwhelming. Countless live viewers flooded the screen with their comments.
"Her popularity is off the charts! This is what first-class idols experience before their performance? It's on a whole different level."
Mia expressed her surprise at the stark difference in the audience's cheers. The atmosphere felt completely different, as if they were in a different auditorium altogether.
"That's for sure!"
Mina's manager proudly declared.
"This is the power of our Mina! No one deserves this kind of treatment except her."
Mina's manager was overjoyed witnessing the audience's reaction.
"Haha... This competition is as good as won. With Jun's talent, it's a piece of cake. Don't regret it when you get eliminated," Jun's manager chimed in, exuding arrogance despite Jun not being the one receiving the audience's cheers.
She felt that, regardless, they were on the same team. She also didn't miss the opportunity to flaunt in front of Alan, whom Jun and Composer Jules disliked.
Jun's manager glanced at Alan, who seemed unfazed and uninterested in her words.
Alan regarded Jun's manager as another overconfident individual. While Mina was undoubtedly popular, he hadn't heard a single person cheering for Jun.
If she wanted to boast, she should at least have some basis in her star's abilities. However, she was flaunting herself based on someone else's popularity.
Alan sat calmly, showing no signs of panic. Being ignored only fueled Jun's manager's anger, but she couldn't do anything about it. She snorted at Alan, expressing her disdain.
( Just you wait! )
She thought, relishing the idea of watching him get kicked out of the company.