"The theme of this episode is 'Old Flames.' I've listened to eighteen songs, and only 'Plain Face' fits the theme best."
Celeste Monroe's first sentence made Amelia feel uneasy, but Celeste Monroe completely disregarded her feelings and continued her critique: "Old flames are cherished because they represent pure beauty, but people change, and old flames cannot be rekindled, nor can old acquaintances be retrieved. Cherish the past, forget the past, and move towards tomorrow."
"The artistic concept of this song surpasses many popular hits. The composition and lyrics are also excellent. Only the vocal performance needs strengthening; more practice is required." Celeste Monroe paused, then her red lips parted slightly: "80 points."
"Wow!"
The recording studio immediately erupted.
"The Diva Queen actually gave 80 points?!"
"Her highest score before was only 60!"
"If it were other mentors giving 80 points, I'd say keep up the good work, but this is 80 points from Diva Celeste, so I can only say... Oh my god!!"
"No wonder I was so engrossed just now! So Ms. Monroe also likes this song! Ms. Monroe and I are soulmates, wahahaha!"
"Getting 80 points from the Diva Queen, Frank Castle is already the best of the night!"
The contestant backstage was equally abuzz. The female contestants couldn't help but gasp in surprise, and the male singers all looked at Frank with envy.
"I'd trade 0 points from all other mentors for Ms. Monroe's 80 points!"
"Didn't you notice? This is the first time Ms. Monroe has said so much tonight!"
"Oh my god, Frank Castle has so much prestige!"
Alex Stone could no longer maintain his smile for the cameras. He knew clearly that even if all the other mentors gave him 90 points, it wouldn't compare to Celeste Monroe's single 80 points. Perhaps Frank's total score wouldn't surpass his, but just based on the 80 points from Celeste Monroe, Frank had outshone all other contestants tonight!
But why? Wasn't Celeste Monroe Amelia's aunt? Why would she help Frank? Alex Stone couldn't understand, and Amelia was even more bewildered.
Aunt Celeste, why?
Amelia looked at the expressionless Celeste Monroe, wanting to loudly question her immediately. We're family! Why aren't you helping me? Why are you humiliating me like this? Just now, she had only given Frank 70 points, and then Celeste Monroe immediately gave Frank 80 points. Wasn't that making her lose face? No wonder Uncle and Mom don't like Aunt Celeste. This person truly has no family affection!
Celeste Monroe paid no attention to the surrounding surprise and noise, simply looking calmly at Frank on the stage. And at this moment, Frank was also looking up at Celeste Monroe. His gaze was clear, his expression sincere, as he bowed deeply:
"Thank you, Ms. Monroe. Your teachings are etched in my heart!"
This was not only to thank Celeste Monroe for her critique just now but also to express gratitude for her guidance and help over the past month. Without Celeste Monroe's instruction, even if Frank had countless hit songs in his mind, he wouldn't have been able to sing to this level on stage.
Frank looked up and saw Celeste Monroe nod slightly, clearly in response to him. Singing well is the best way to thank me.Yes, Teacher. In the bustling recording studio, the two exchanged glances, understanding each other's meaning in that brief moment.
The mentor scoring ended, followed by the audience scoring. This segment almost drove many people to a mental breakdown. After all, they had previously clamored that they would absolutely not give Frank a single point. But now, even Celeste Monroe had given Frank such a high evaluation, how could they give zero points? Moreover, the quality of Frank's song absolutely deserved their single point. But Frank was a jerk! How could I give my precious point to this jerk?
Many people hesitated, their expressions pained, as if scoring was a painful process. Dana Peterson had to urge them: "Dear live audience, voting time is about to end, please hurry!" Other contestants finished in five or six minutes, but Frank had been on stage for almost twenty minutes. Were the remaining contestants going to perform or not?
Under the host's urging, the conflicted audience finally completed their scoring. Frank's final score appeared on the big screen:
Mentor Score: 410.
Audience Score: 395.
Total Score: 805.
Currently ranked fifth.
Frank smiled and bowed again: "Thank you all!" He had initially thought he'd be lucky to get 100 points from the audience. He didn't expect so many people to score him. These people had just been shouting for him to leave the entertainment industry, and now they were giving him points. They were quite adorable.
The audience, seeing that Frank had actually received 395 points from them, immediately angrily questioned their companions: "Didn't we agree to boycott that jerk? Why did you give him points?"
"I didn't! Was it someone else?"
"I've asked everyone around, and they all said they didn't give points. So, who gave them?"
The audience members all claimed they hadn't given Frank any points, acting righteously, as if the 395 points were given by ghosts.
And the culprit who caused the audience's mental breakdown had already returned to the contestant backstage area. Still as calm and composed as ever, serene as water. But the other singers' gazes at him were completely different from twenty minutes ago. Although Frank's total score ranked fifth, anyone who wasn't deaf could hear the quality of "Plain Face." Most crucially, he was the man who received 80 points from Diva Celeste!
Someone opened their mouth, wanting to greet Frank, but then worried about being dragged down by Frank's reputation. Their mouth opened, but no sound came out, like beached fish. Others were much the same, all looking conflicted.
"Mr. Castle, that song was really good! You're amazing!" In the quiet lounge, a clear and sweet voice rang out. Chloe Campbell clapped her hands vigorously, her adorable face alight with excitement, and her round, generous curves jiggled with her movements.
Frank smiled: "Thank you. You go for it too."
With Chloe Campbell's encouragement, others also offered congratulations:
"Mr. Castle sang well."
"As expected of a professional songwriter."
"Mr. Castle is impressive."
Alex Stone's eyes were shadowed, but he put on an effeminate smile: "Frank, congratulations! Good luck. You only scored 29 points lower than me. I guess that's your limit, huh?"
Everyone else fell silent, subtly stepping back two paces. Alex Stone's meaning was clear: his score was higher than Frank's. But anyone with eyes could see that Frank's total score wasn't high because Amelia deliberately gave him a low score, and his reputation was too bad, causing some audience members not to give points. Under normal circumstances, Frank's song would undoubtedly have been a solid first place! Alex Stone, as the top scorer, was actually somewhat undeserving of the title. A normal person should be modest at this point. His jumping out to mock Frank seemed rather ridiculous.
Frank smiled at Alex Stone, observing him for a moment, then shook his head and sighed:
"Is your skin so thick because your foundation is heavy enough?"
"What do you mean?" Alex Stone's face changed. He had a habit of wearing makeup, and today, for the show, he had specifically applied an extra layer of foundation. He didn't expect Frank to notice.
Frank shrugged: "Do you know why I could tell? Because besides you, I've seen another man who likes to wear a lot of makeup."
Alex Stone was enraged: "You dare to insult Liam?!"
Frank looked surprised: "Who's Liam?"
"You, you, you..." Alex Stone only then realized he had been tricked, pointing at Frank, unable to speak.
Everyone else looked at Alex Stone with sympathy. Frank could even insult people with his singing. If you argue with him, aren't you just asking for trouble?