August 7th, New York City Stadium, the Star Song Festival officially begins.
However, this time the director of the Star Song Festival, Ren Chao, is quite worried because a song by Cic has been dominating the hot searches, causing their festival's traffic to pale in comparison to previous years. Nevertheless, the annual Star Song Festival cannot be postponed just because of one person. Ren Chao can only grit his teeth and start this year's festival.
Unfortunately, they couldn't reach Cic. If only they could have him as a mentor for the festival, the traffic would explode. Ren Chao had sent several private messages to Cic's account, but they were all ignored. Fortunately, Cic hadn't released any new works during this period, so the influence of his last piece had diminished significantly. Besides his videos, the Star Song Festival now had the highest traffic online.
At this moment, Louis had no idea about any of this. He was currently with Cicc, queuing up to enter the stadium.
Yes! After having lunch at noon, he secretly came to New York City without Anna's knowledge! If he was going to support her, he had to do it in person!
Cicc was also excited in Louis's arms. She had flown here today! And she couldn't wait to see her mom!
The atmosphere at the venue was lively. Louis looked around and noticed that almost everyone was holding cheering sticks, and some were waving the support cards of their favorite singers, cheering loudly.
Louis was an exception. He looked like a thief, quietly holding Cicc in his arms as he searched for his seat in the arena. Louis was lucky; his seat was relatively close to the front!
The official start time of the Star Song Festival was 8 p.m., which allowed people who had finished work to watch and vote through live broadcast at home.
At this moment, the live broadcast room of the Star Song Festival had already opened. The competition had not yet begun, and various advertisements from sponsors and profiles of contestants were being played.
The barrage in the live broadcast room was also timely, with viewers expressing their opinions.
Louis glanced at it briefly and noticed that there seemed to be no one supporting Anna in the barrage. There were four popular contestants for the championship: Bia, Ada, lydia, and Diana.
Louis only knew one of them, Ada, the woman who dared to approach Cicc. He hadn't heard of the other three, so he didn't pay much attention.
The competition was about to begin, but backstage was very unsettled at the moment.
"Anna! What are you doing here?" Ada's face turned pale with disbelief as she saw Anna backstage.
"If you can be here, why can't our Anna be here?" Freya retorted with a roll of her eyes, her disdainful expression making Ada even more furious.
Ada's eyes flickered uncertainly. She never expected to see Anna here, especially with Freya and Thalia by her side.
This feeling reminded her of the old Anna who had always overshadowed her. It seemed like the old Anna had returned!
Especially Anna's outfit today made Ada's face even uglier.
She felt like a clown in front of Anna! She was inferior to her in every aspect!
Feeling apprehensive before the battle had even begun, Ada's heart sank.
Anna was wearing a sky-blue dress with delicate clover embellishments along the hem. Her hair was tied up into a cute bun, and her lightly powdered youthful face exuded charm.
Just one glance at Anna made Ada feel pressured.
Thalia quickly pulled Ada aside, looking at the glances from other contestants around them, and whispered in her ear.
"Ada, this is backstage. Don't make a fool of yourself. It's just Anna, and she's nothing now. It's not worth lowering yourself."
After hearing her agent's words, Ada's face improved a lot.
Yeah! The Anna now is not the same as the former popular star! What does she have to compete with me now? Besides, I have the songs of the music god, Wu Fan! I have no reason to be afraid!
Thinking like this, Ada regained her composure, casting a disdainful glance at Anna.
What's the use of singing well? What's the use of being good-looking? As a married woman, what good song can you produce?
The backstage events were naturally unknown to the program team. On the stage outside, the host had already appeared with a microphone. She briefly spoke a few words before inviting the four judges to take their seats.
With thunderous applause from the audience, four spotlights shone down from the ceiling, and several veteran mentors who had been in the music industry for years entered one after another. They waved to the audience and took their seats on the mentor stand.
The four mentors took their seats, and the competition officially began.
The rules of the Star Song Festival were quite imposing. The photos of sixteen contestants scrolled on the big screen, and the audience shouted to stop, determining the contestant's number.
1 vs. 2, and so on, for eight matches, eliminating the possibility of cheating in advance because no one knew when the audience would shout to stop.
This phase was the audience's favorite, as they selected the PK candidates themselves. The unknown outcome made them even more excited.
Soon, the eight pairs of opponents were successfully selected.
Looking at the duel list on the big screen, Louis smiled.
At this moment, the host's voice echoed throughout the venue.
"Let's welcome the two contestants of the first match to the stage. One is Anna from Ocean Entertainment, and the other is Ada from Tianmei Entertainment!"
Two spotlights appeared again, and backstage, Anna and Ada slowly walked onto the stage along with the lights.
It could be seen that Anna was somewhat nervous. For someone who hadn't been on stage for years, stepping onto it for the first time made her somewhat apprehensive.
Ada, on the other hand, remained composed. She never expected the first match to be so dramatic, with her facing Anna in a PK battle.
The audience below exclaimed in surprise. Many of them didn't know Anna. How come they hadn't heard of such a beautiful woman? They began asking the people around them.
Louis also noticed Anna's nervousness. Whenever she was nervous, her eyelashes would flutter lightly.
So he raised Cicc high and waved.
At this moment, Cicc transformed into a cheer sign.
With her round little face, big eyes curved into two crescents, she kept cheering for her mom.
Onstage, Anna suddenly saw this familiar figure. She covered her mouth in disbelief, looking at the spot below the stage.
The two lively figures instantly dispelled her nervousness.
The next moment, an unprecedented radiance bloomed in her eyes. Then her eyes suddenly curved, forming the same crescent shape as Cicc's.
The tenderness displayed in that moment melted the hearts of the audience.
"Daddy! Daddy! Mommy saw us!"
Cicc's eyes met Anna's, and her little hand waved even faster.
Louis also looked at Anna, his face full of gentle smiles.
"Yeah! Mommy saw Cicc!"
"The first match, Anna vs. Ada! Anna will be the first to sing! Let's give the stage to her!"
The host's voice echoed throughout the venue again, and then she walked backstage with Ada.
The lights gradually dimmed, and on the stage, only one spotlight shone on Anna.
The background music started, and Louis held Cicc in his arms, closing his eyes to listen slowly.
For some reason, Anna's pure smile just now kept lingering in his mind, unable to be dispelled.
Suddenly, Louis thought of a line of lyrics.
"Now that I've traveled through this world, wandering through myriad sights, and unexpectedly, I stumble upon your smile!"