Could it be that she stayed up too late helping me with my homework last night and didn't get enough rest? Frank Castle wondered. Yesterday, he had again sent his assignments to Celeste Monroe. Around 11 PM, Celeste Monroe replied, even asking Frank to practice again according to her requirements and send it back for her to check. It wasn't until past midnight that the teacher and student finished their discussion. Looking back now, it had been like this almost every night.
He was a free agent; sleeping late didn't matter much to him. But Celeste Monroe was different. She had at least three or four engagements on her busiest days, flying all over the country, and still had to practice singing. She had to split her time in half to make it work. Nighttime should have been her precious rest, but he had ended up delaying her.
Thinking this, Frank felt immense guilt and gratitude. Aunt Celeste is truly beyond words! But he had nothing right now. How could he repay Aunt Celeste?
"Contestants, please submit your song title, accompaniment track, required instruments, and MV." The associate director came over, routinely asking the contestants to submit their song details. However, unlike the first episode, this time each contestant, in addition to the accompaniment track and prepared instruments, could also submit a pre-recorded MV or accompaniment video. This was Director Scott's consideration that the "Classical Meaning" theme was indeed quite difficult, so he kindly allowed everyone to pre-record an MV. When performing on stage, the MV would play simultaneously on the large screen behind them, making the performance more atmospheric and easier for the audience to immerse themselves. This was also an indirect way of reducing the difficulty.
Contestants submitted their pre-recorded MVs one after another. Those signed to companies had exquisitely produced MVs. Those without companies also made their own. In any case, having one was better than none. Alex Stone's MV was meticulously crafted for him by Wind-Whisper Studio at Liam Reed's request. Alex Stone was confident that once he started singing and this MV played, it would resonate with the entire audience!
"Director Li, my MV is three minutes and fifty seconds."
"Director Li, mine is also an MV, three minutes and forty-seven seconds."
According to the show's requirements, contestants reported the duration when submitting their MVs, which made it convenient for the control room to coordinate. When it was Frank Castle's turn, he handed over two USB drives: "Director Li, this is the accompaniment track, and this is the background story. It's just a paragraph of text. Please help me fix it on the big screen later." He had no means to record an MV, nor did he need one. He just needed a paragraph to explain the song's background story.
Hearing his words, everyone around looked over, their expressions varied. This episode's theme was so difficult, and everyone had meticulously prepared MVs, yet he only submitted a simple background story. Was he too confident? Or had he given up?
Alex Stone couldn't help but scoff: "Anyway, you're not good at classical style, so there's really no need to make an MV. Giving up is a wise decision." Frank Castle ignored him and walked to a side to sit down. Alex Stone thought Frank Castle was feeling guilty and immediately grew more smug. Amelia, Liam, look! I won an argument against Frank Castle!
Chloe very kindly ran over and whispered to Frank: "Teacher Frank, it's okay. As long as you sing well, an MV isn't necessary. I have faith in you!"
Frank smiled: "Thank you. Let's do our best together!"
"Mmm!"
Alex Stone's eyes turned cold. Is Chloe an idiot? Frank Castle is clearly going to be eliminated this episode, yet she's trying to get close to him. A big-chested, brainless fool!
Next was the drawing of lots to determine the performance order. Frank Castle drew number 16, Alex Stone number 17, and Chloe number 20. This episode was the opposite of the first, with Frank Castle performing before Alex Stone. Alex Stone didn't care at all. At this moment, his only opponent was Chloe. As long as he beat Chloe, he would be first!
Soon, the contestant performances began. The first to go up was the fourth-place contestant from the previous episode, a very talented male singer. He came onto the stage in traditional attire and performed a cover of a very famous classical-style song. However, his final score was dismal, not even reaching 750 points. When he came off stage, the grown man openly wept.
He was unlucky. This episode, Amelia Quinn and Liam Reed had changed their scoring strategy, no longer daring to give wildly high scores. Otherwise, the huge difference with Celeste Monroe's eventual score would make them look bad. And although Cecilia Rhodes was cute and sweet, she was very serious about music, and her scoring was always objective. Only Arthur Zheng was an encouraging mentor, always giving 80 points or more, no matter how bad the performance. Celeste Monroe, needless to say, was terrifyingly strict; she had just given a mere 40 points, directly causing the male singer to completely break down. The man sobbed into his hands, and the surrounding contestants were as quiet as mice. Is this episode really that brutal?
The subsequent contestants were all trembling with nervousness, yet no one managed to get a high score. When the 15th contestant came down, there was finally someone who scored over 750 points tonight. However, the girl's hands and feet were trembling as she walked off stage, tears continuously welling up in her eyes. Her performance just now was beyond her usual level, and her meticulously produced MV was extremely moving, eliciting enthusiastic reactions from the entire audience. But Celeste Monroe had only given her 45 points. Her critique was also full of flaws.
Back in the contestants' lounge, the girl immediately hid in a corner to wipe away her tears. Everyone exchanged glances. Someone muttered blankly: "Who's the next unlucky person?"
Frank Castle, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, opened them and stood up. He stood tall and elegant, refined and composed. Although he wasn't wearing traditional attire, he exuded a natural classical charm, like a famous opera performer about to go on stage.
"Is Frank Castle going on stage?"
"Will he also come off crying?"
"The Untouchable Diva is impartial. If he sings poorly, he'll also be criticized, right?"
Amidst everyone's discussions, Frank Castle walked towards the door. As he passed Alex Stone, he suddenly stopped, looked down at the effeminate man, and said calmly:
"You're out of luck. You're performing after me."
With that, he walked straight out of the contestants' lounge.
Everyone fell silent. Alex Stone himself didn't even react.
"This scene seems a bit familiar?"
"I remember now! Last episode, Alex Stone performed before Frank Castle, and he said the exact same thing to Frank Castle!"
"So Frank Castle is returning the favor now?"
"An eye for an eye is pretty cool, but you have to have the skill for it. If Frank Castle comes back with a super low score, won't that be a slap in his own face?"
Almost no one favored Frank Castle. After all, so many talented contestants before him had returned disappointed. Frank Castle seemed to have never written classical-style music before. And everyone else had MVs, while he just had a paragraph of text. Wasn't this just pure self-sabotage? The harder he talked now, the worse the humiliation would be when he got slapped in the face!
Alex Stone sneered. This must be Frank Castle's last burst of madness, right? He now hoped that this scene would be edited into the show's post-production, to be broadcast alongside Frank Castle's inevitable failure and exit. He would definitely watch it repeatedly.
On stage, Frank Castle appeared. As always, the whole venue erupted in boos.