Chapter 178
Nate clenched his jaw, ready to shut the livestream down.
But whether it was rage or sheer disbelief at Sharon’s talent, his hand wouldn’t stop shaking. His finger hovered over the button, trembling-yet it wouldn’t press.
He sucked in a few deep breaths, trying to steady himself. Finally, his nerves settled just enough to jab at the “End Stream”
button.
And right then, his phone froze again.
The tidal wave of comments, the nonstop gift animations, the swarm of viewers pouring in to catch a glimpse of the girl onstage
it overwhelmed everything. Not just Nate’s phone. Even the platform’s servers started to lag.
Nate lost it. “Damn it! Damn it! Shut it off! Shut it off!”
He slammed his finger against the button over and over until finally, the app crashed-and the stream went black.
When Kelly finished her piece, the audience had been present enough to remember to clap.
But when Sharon finished, no one moved. Nearly a full minute passed in complete silence.
Then, from somewhere in the crowd, a single clap broke through.
It broke the spell-and a thunderous wave of applause followed, far louder than before.
If not for the formality of the venue, people would’ve been on their feet, cheering, whistling, screaming their praise.
What they’d just witnessed wasn’t merely a performance. It was an experience-intoxicating to every sense.
Even without the music, the visual alone-her poise, her stillness, the way she commanded the stage-was breathtaking.
They could laugh at Sharon’s background, mock her lack of pedigree. But they couldn’t deny her beauty. Even if, in their world, beauty wasn’t worth much.
In that moment, though, she radiated. She glowed. She was stunning in a way that made it hard to breathe.
The judges, jolted back to the moment, sat shaking with emotion. Their faces flushed, their hands unsteady as they lifted their scorecards-unanimously.
All tens. No debate. No hesitation. No need for words.
“My God. I’ve never heard anything like that in my life.”
“Kelly didn’t even come close. Not a tenth of this.”
“No exaggeration-this was the most moving performance I’ve ever seen. Hands down.”
“Now I finally get what ‘lingering notes that stay for days’ actually means.”
One sharp-eyed judge added, “Did anyone else catch Matty’s solo in there? I almost missed it—it flowed so seamlessly.”
“There wasn’t a single flaw. Not one.”
“Even Theo’s duet earlier didn’t feature a Theo solo!”
In truth, more than two-thirds of that group’s piece had been Kelly soloing. Only a third was duet.
1/2
so why
Which made sense, Kids had limited time to practice. Pulling off even a son win wind Small mistakes were expected. Forgivalde
But Sharon and Matty’s duet? There was nothing to forgive. No errors to overlook to A
Not because Matty was some prodigy-but because Sharon’s arrangement and timing were as they
she made him shine,
His solo didn’t drag her down. It it her up. It became one of the standout moments of the pers
Their performance wasn’t just good.
It was the best. Without question.
Wendy glanced around at the room full of flushed, excited faces and enthusiastic preise. Her om express did’thug surprise. No awe, just calm certainty.
“This was Sharon’s signature piece-White Moonlight. It’s already one of the top ten classics at Pell University Conatyrory of Music. Beating Kelly? That’s no challenge for her,”
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Chapter Tru
