Chapter 151 Who Are You Trying to Humiliate?
Raymond finished talking and looked at Brenda.
"Sorry, I'm a straight shooter. Hope you don't mind?"
Elizabeth glanced at Raymond, surprised. Not only was he blunt, but also a bit hypocritical.
If he hadn't spoken up, Brenda might've downplayed her earlier mistakes. But Raymond beat her to it with his own brand of hypocrisy. Impressive!
Brenda was caught off guard. She had planned to blame her poor performance on a bad mood and apologize, hoping to seem humble and open to feedback. If Raymond kept criticizing, she'd look pitiful, and he'd seem like a bully.
But Raymond threw her a curveball. Wasn't he supposed to be harsh? Why didn't he continue?
Brenda felt uneasy.
Raymond added, "You're not talking. Are you mad? In the future, don't ask if I'm satisfied. If I'm too honest, you might get upset again."
Brenda wanted to punch him. She forced a smile. "No, I'm not mad. I was just thinking about my mistakes. I wasn't in a good mood today, which affected my performance. I'll do better next time."
She regretted suggesting this restaurant. Elizabeth's group must've come to mess with them.
Because Raymond spoke first, the audience didn't buy Brenda's excuse.
Arnold felt bad for Brenda and thought Raymond was too harsh. No gentlemanly behavior at all. He decided to step in. "I'll play the second piece."
Arnold, a conservatory grad with all the violin exams under his belt, played confidently, eyes closed, fully absorbed.
Elizabeth found his demeanor amusing.
After finishing, Arnold looked at Elizabeth and Raymond. "Satisfied now?" He ignored Gilbert, thinking he wasn't worth asking.
Elizabeth disliked Arnold's arrogance. She'd heard both his and Gilbert's original songs and covers. Gilbert was far better in every aspect. She didn't get why Arnold thought he was superior.
Elizabeth asked Raymond and Gilbert, "What do you think?"
Raymond was blunt. "His playing is basic and he is full of himself."
Gilbert nodded. "Agreed."
Arnold's earlier attitude had disgusted him. So young and already so pretentious.
Elizabeth laughed. "You said exactly what I was thinking."
Their comments made everyone present and the live stream audience see Arnold's actions as a showoff.
Arnold didn't expect such harsh feedback. Calling him full of himself? When would they stop being such critics?
He looked at Raymond. "I'm just basic? What level are you at?"
Raymond replied, "I'm just an amateur. I said that earlier!"
[Raymond's violin skills are indeed quite amateurish. He only won first prize in an international violin competition when he was young.]
[Yeah, his skill never varified by those exam, so I guess you can say so.]
[So, Raymond is indeed not as professional as Arnold.]
[Raymond once collaborated with an international top violin master, but the win wasn't because of him.]
[Raymond's skills are not good!]
Raymond's fans always had a sarcastic way of speaking, different from others.
Raymond's words left Arnold with no comeback. Raymond had already admitted he was an amateur. What else could Arnold say?
Arnold didn't want to deal with them anymore. "We've finished playing. Can we leave now?"
Elizabeth pulled out a hundred Veridiania currency and handed it to Arnold. "Here's your tip. You earned it."
Raymond laughed and asked Elizabeth for another hundred, which he handed to Brenda. "Here's your tip. No need to thank me!"
Gilbert stayed quiet, too embarrassed to ask for money like Raymond.
Arnold was furious. "Elizabeth, don't go too far."
Elizabeth looked innocent. "Your performance made me happy, so I gave you a tip. What's wrong with that?"
Arnold sneered, "Keep your tip." He stormed off, unable to bear the humiliation.
Brenda felt humiliated too. Her eyes reddened. "I don't need the tip."
Raymond saw she didn't want it and put the money back in Elizabeth's hand. "If they don't want it, we save two hundred Veridiania currency."
Elizabeth smiled and put the money back in her bag. "Alright, we saved some money."
The dishes started arriving. Elizabeth said to Brenda, "We're going to eat now," implying she should leave.
Brenda resisted the urge to slap Elizabeth. She gave her a long look, took her violin, and left, hating Elizabeth even more.
[Elizabeth has picked up some of Raymond's traits, and I love it.]
[Elizabeth is awesome!]
[They make a perfect pair.]
[Raymond asking Elizabeth for money felt so natural, like my husband asking me.]
[Gilbert didn't dare ask, but Raymond's ease made me smile.]
[Not everyone can ask Elizabeth for money.]
Elizabeth's and Raymond's fans teased happily, while Brenda's and Arnold's fans cursed them, only to be cursed back.
[They played like that and still asked if Elizabeth's group was satisfied. What? Couldn't Raymond speak the truth?]
[Elizabeth and Raymond politely gave tips despite the poor performance.]
[Brenda and Arnold were too proud to accept. Is that a problem?]
[Did Raymond do anything wrong by giving a tip?]
Brenda's and Arnold's fans were left speechless.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
