Chapter 276 The Truth Behind the Substitute Dance
"Oh?" the host asked curiously, "How do you want to express it?"
Jessica turned her gaze to the other side of the host, looking at Trinity, who was also sizing her up, and smiled. "No competition. I'll dance for you."
The audience was shocked, thinking they had misheard.
Everyone's expressions varied, from disdain to curiosity, but mostly disbelief.
Was she crazy? Had Jessica gone mad wanting to be famous?
The live stream channel was already filled with curses.
[No way? Red Stallion is my favorite, can the plagiarist not taint our Red Stallion?]
[What right does she have to dance for Trinity?]
[Jessica is unbelievable. I almost became a fan after watching her as Katrina, but the plagiarism scandal is a lifetime stain!]
[Is she nuts? Dancing for Trinity? Where does she get the confidence?]
However, at this moment, Jessica's sleeves suddenly flicked as if unintentionally, and the long water sleeves fluttered out. The host was stunned for a moment, and Trinity, who was holding the microphone tightly, initially wanted to stop her from dancing, but Jessica's sleeves had already been thrown out. If she spoke now, it would make her seem overly nervous.
"Do we have the music for Red Stallion?" Jessica asked, seemingly oblivious to the audience's stares, looking directly at the host.
The host quickly nodded. "Yes, yes! Sound engineer. Please!"
Music soon filled the venue.
Jessica handed the microphone to the host, and with a light flick of her water sleeves, she began to dance gracefully on the stage.
The outfit looked too plain at first, but when the water sleeves spread out, it had an unexpectedly stunning effect.
The dance looked very similar.
It was almost identical to the one from the movie five years ago.
The audience found it strange.
The live stream chat, which was filled with curses, now had everyone typing "copycat."
The audience also started to curse, "What right does a plagiarist have to dance for someone else! Get off the stage!"
The scene gradually became uncontrollable, with curses echoing from below.
Jessica seemed not to hear, fully immersed in the music she hadn't heard in five years, her movements unaffected, smooth, and graceful.
The water sleeves flew and twisted as if she were the protagonist from "Red Stallion" five years ago, who won the king's favor with a stunning dance and successfully stole enemy secrets.
Despite the curses, a few voices began to mix in, "But don't you think she's dancing really well? Better than the original."
The live stream viewers continued to curse, but another voice gradually emerged.
[No wonder she's so confident. She really dances well.]
[At this level, she's surpassed the original.]
[No matter how well she dances, it doesn't change the fact that she's copying. Doesn't this prove she did plagiarize the dance back then?]
The music stopped.
Jessica slowly retracted her water sleeves, lifted her eyes, and looked directly at the camera. That look was clear, determined, and carried a calm, confident smile.
What kind of look was that?
As if she were the one who truly deserved to stand at the pinnacle, but had been overlooked, and now that she was finally revealed, just standing there quietly was enough to shine brilliantly.
The host stepped forward, handed her the microphone, and asked, "That was amazing, but I'm curious, with Trinity right here on stage, what made you suddenly decide to dance for her? Do you have a special connection to this dance, or is there a story you'd like to share?"
Jessica took the microphone, calmly and clearly said, "No special connection, just that since I did it once five years ago, today is merely the second time."
The venue fell into an eerie silence.
Everyone's faces seemed to instantly write what she meant.
The live stream channel was flooded with question marks, and sharp media reporters and marketing accounts immediately focused on Jessica's words.
Trinity, also on stage, suddenly clutched her chest and swayed.
Trinity's assistant and bodyguard quickly rushed over to support her, saying, "Sorry, Trinity hasn't been feeling well these past few days. We'll take her to the backstage lounge to rest."
The host, caught off guard by the sudden change, almost forgot how to control the scene and quickly said, "Okay, okay, please go ahead."
After saying that, he turned to Jessica, waiting for her to continue, clearly not intending to stop because of Trinity's exit.
After all, her words had many implications. She had danced exactly the same as before, and now she dared to say this in front of Trinity and so many people. Could there really be something fishy?
Jessica, however, also put away the microphone at this moment, turned around, and asked with concern, "What's wrong with Trinity? Not feeling well. I'll go check on her."
With that, she left the audience and live stream viewers full of confusion and went backstage.
Backstage, the staff were all watching her as she came down. Mackenzie quickly approached, about to ask what she planned to do next, but Jessica said nothing and went straight to Trinity's lounge.
In the lounge, Trinity was surrounded by her manager and bodyguards, all concerned about her well-being, asking if she was really unwell.
Jessica knocked and walked in. Trinity heard Jessica's voice and suddenly looked up to see her.
Trinity's bodyguard immediately frowned and tried to push Jessica out. "There isn't just one lounge here. There's another one next door. Please leave."
Jessica glanced at Trinity, who was surrounded by her entourage and chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not here to take your lounge. I heard you wasn't feeling well, so I came to check on you. Are you okay?"
Trinity stared in Jessica's direction, unable to fathom what Jessica's game plan was.
"I'm fine," Trinity replied calmly, her expression returning to normal.
Trinity, 'Did she really think that just by standing there and saying a few words, everyone would believe her?'
But Jessica's confident and determined look earlier still made Trinity uneasy.
After a moment of thought, Trinity suddenly said, "You all go out. I want to talk to Jessica."
Her manager and assistant looked at her in surprise, and the bodyguard also looked at her in confusion.
Trinity averted her gaze and said, "I'm fine. I just want to talk to her for a bit. It's hard to speak freely with so many people around."
After a moment of silence, they all left. The manager gave Trinity a worried look before closing the door, seeing that she didn't seem genuinely unwell.
The break room fell into silence.
Trinity sat on the sofa, the previous frail demeanor gone, now looking coldly at Jessica.
Jessica stood by the door, casually glancing around the lounge. There were only two sofas, a coffee table, and some spare blankets. It was a temporary lounge in a mall, so there wasn't much, but it was indeed quiet, with no one else able to enter.
"Jessica, what do you mean?" Trinity tried hard to control her emotions.
Jessica didn't speak, just smiled at her, gesturing with her eyes to the sofa opposite, asking if she could sit.
She was merely being polite, not waiting for Trinity's nod before sitting down.
Seeing Jessica's somewhat arrogant attitude, Trinity became even more furious, lowering her voice, saying, "Do you think that even if you reveal the truth, how many people will believe you? It's been five years. Instead of making baseless claims, you should think about how to explain the plagiarism scandal!"
"Did I plagiarize?" Jessica showed no sign of being provoked, smiling lightly. "That entire dance was my hard work, my original choreography, every highlight arranged by me. Even after five years, if I ask the host to question you on stage about the fifth move in the song, which dance style it belongs to, can you tell it even if you don't dance but only say it with your mouth?"
Jessica maintained a faint smile. "But you're right. No matter how I hint on stage, I have no evidence to prove that I danced for you five years ago. But what can I do? I have to find a way to clear my name. Should I let you ruin me for another five years?"
"No one will believe you." Trinity suddenly stood up, her face filled with anxious anger.
She was certain that no one was in the break room and that Jessica had been searched before entering the mall and going on stage.
Neither of them had phones or recording devices. Jessica couldn't possibly have a chance to record.
Trinity sneered, "Don't think you can threaten me with the dance substitution. Do you know how many investors I've worked with? Do you know today's sponsors have many ties with me? No matter the truth, if they find out anything that could harm our interests, they'll suppress it! Don't be naive! Even if you swear on camera, no one will believe you, no one will want to believe you!"
"Oh," Jessica asked softly, "Do you think that as long as you have investors protecting you, you can do whatever you want? I've thought about it, too. You've called me sister for so many years, and now revealing the truth about the dance substitution might seem heartless. But if you're so comfortable being the actress, why do you want me gone so badly? The car accident on the bridge was your doing, and those two people with acid were also your arrangement. One thing after another, you can't deny it. You've never been at ease; you're terrified I'll tear off your mask one day."
Trinity scoffed, not bothering to deny, "You have no evidence. Say what you want, but you have a tough life, surviving even after falling into the river with the car."
Before she could finish, the lounge door was suddenly pushed open.
Both of them turned to see Trinity's assistant and bodyguard with strange expressions and her manager standing at the door, looking ashen.
Trinity's expression froze. "What's going on?"
WHen she saw the backstage staff gathered at the door with curious looks, her spine stiffened, and she quickly turned to Jessica.
Jessica pulled out the microphone she had taken off stage from her sleeve, not even looking up, her tone filled with cold indifference and innocence, "Oops, I seem to have forgotten to turn off the mic."
