Chapter 42
Elizabeth noticed everyone staring at her, wide-eyed.
She laughed. "Why's everyone looking at me like that?"
Raymond leaned in. "You can play all these instruments?"
Elizabeth nodded. "Yep, learned them all."
She'd picked up the violin from Wayne and, during her travels through various small worlds, had mastered almost every instrument. She was no stranger to any of them and could play quite well.
Raymond's eyes lit up. "Wow, our Elizabeth is something else."
Elizabeth smiled. "Thanks for the compliment!"
Terry, initially surprised, grinned and waved her over.
"Come here, girl. I'll give you some sheet music, and you can try these instruments."
Elizabeth nodded. "Sure thing!"
Terry pulled out several books of sheet music from a cabinet, opened one, pointed to a page, and said, "Play this piece on the violin."
Elizabeth scanned the sheet music, then took the violin handed to her by the old man and began to play.
Soon, a lively violin tune filled the room.
Terry smiled, satisfied. "Your violin skills are excellent." He then had her try the drums, piano, and guitar.
Elizabeth, confident and composed, played each piece according to the sheet music Terry provided.
After she finished, Terry's smile grew even wider. "Very good. You can handle the accompaniment; no need to find anyone else."
Elizabeth smiled. "Alright, I'll do the accompaniment."
Arthur chuckled. "Elizabeth has made things easier for our production team."
Nancy and Ronald couldn't help but admire her.
Even though they didn't play these instruments, they could tell how well she performed.
Nancy asked curiously, "Elizabeth, besides these instruments, do you play any others?"
Elizabeth replied, "A few more."
Nancy continued, "Like what? "
Elizabeth listed off, "Cello, piano, violin, guitar, saxophone, bass, and a few others."
Everyone fell silent, thinking, 'Is there anything she can't do?'
Raymond's eyes sparkled with amusement. "You can play the guitar too? How about a duet when we get back?"
Elizabeth nodded. "Sure!"
Nancy pointed to the cello on the shelf. "Elizabeth, I'd love to hear the cello. Can you play something for us now?"
Elizabeth, who had a deep love for the cello and had practiced it extensively, smiled. "Of course!"
She asked Terry if she could use the cello.
Terry not only agreed but personally took it down and handed it to her. "I'd like to hear you play the cello too."
The more they saw of Elizabeth, the more they liked her.
[Elizabeth knows so many instruments; that can't be real.]
[I think there must be a script. Elizabeth is just following it. Otherwise, how could she know so much?]
[The pieces she played just now must have been practiced in advance.]
[The production team is so fake. This is clearly rehearsed to show us.]
[The production team dares to claim it's real. I'm going to report them.]
[Isn't the production team too biased towards Elizabeth? They let her do everything.]
[I heard Elizabeth got the spot on the show because she saved Arthur's wife.]
[Think about it, with that kind of relationship, could there be no private deals?]
[Speechless, this is Arthur deliberately promoting Elizabeth, designing a script for her to perform and fooling us.]
Suddenly, the comment section was flooded with complaints and doubts.
The initial comments were from netizens specially hired by Richard.
The sibling bond, Brenda's persona, and the comparison with Elizabeth that he had arranged earlier had all failed to materialize.
In contrast to Elizabeth, Brenda's image had not only failed to gain the expected popularity but had also plummeted in reputation.
Richard, frustrated by the failure of his plan, couldn't stand it any longer. He hired netizens to slander Elizabeth and the production team, accusing them of favoritism and inside dealings. His goal was to suppress Elizabeth and salvage Brenda's image.
The narrative spread that the production team was deliberately promoting Elizabeth while sidelining Kevin and his sister. Kevin's and Eugene's fans quickly joined in the criticism and skepticism. Elizabeth's fans tried to defend her, but they were overwhelmed by the sheer number of hired netizens and the other fan bases.
Seeing the sudden influx of negative comments, Arthur knew someone had hired netizens to smear Elizabeth and the production team. He frowned, realizing it wouldn't be good to let such accusations continue. If they had a script, he might have accepted the criticism. But they didn't, and he couldn't let them be wronged.
At that moment, Elizabeth, holding the cello, asked, "What piece would you like to hear?"
Everyone was momentarily stunned. They rarely listened to cello music and didn't know what to request.
Nancy suggested, "Why don't you pick a piece yourself?"
Arthur looked up, seeing Elizabeth's confident demeanor as she invited everyone to request a piece. This indicated she knew many cello pieces. He glanced at the still-critical comments and thought quickly.
"Why don't we ask the live audience what they want to hear?" Arthur suggested. Such interaction could liven up the atmosphere and showcase Elizabeth's proficiency with the cello. More importantly, letting the audience choose would dispel the doubts in the comments, as it would be random and couldn't have been rehearsed.
Elizabeth smiled. "Sure! Let the audience request a piece. If I know it, I'll play it."
The live chat exploded with suggestions, and Arthur picked one at random. "How about 'The Swan' by Saint-Saëns?"
Elizabeth nodded, positioned the cello, and began to play. The room filled with the beautiful, haunting melody, and the live chat fell silent, captivated by her performance.
As the last note lingered in the air, the room erupted in applause. Even the critical comments in the chat were replaced with admiration and praise.
Arthur smiled, satisfied. "Well, I think that settles it. Elizabeth, you're amazing."
Elizabeth blushed slightly but smiled. "Thank you. I'm glad you all enjoyed it."
The tide had turned, and the accusations lost their momentum. Elizabeth's talent had spoken for itself, and no amount of hired criticism could overshadow it.
[Wow, how can Elizabeth be so amazing?]
[Oh my, Elizabeth knows so many instruments.]
[Elizabeth is so considerate of us. Did you hear that? She'll play whatever we want to hear.]
[Those who said Elizabeth had a script and only played what the production team arranged, why don't you request a piece?]
[Yes, if Elizabeth can play it, it proves there's no script.]
[I believe Elizabeth knows many instruments. Those comments are clearly from people hired to slander her.]
[It's possible that certain people hired netizens to falsely accuse Elizabeth.]
Arthur, seeing the current comments, smiled with satisfaction. His strategy was working. Of course, it depended on Elizabeth's actual skill to play the requested pieces. He believed in her. So he said, "I've read the comments, and I can guarantee our production team has no script. I also guarantee we didn't have Elizabeth rehearse anything in advance. So, those who doubted Elizabeth and the production team, request a piece now. If Elizabeth knows it, she'll play it for you."
Hearing this, Raymond and the others understood. Someone was trying to stir up trouble in the live stream to discredit Elizabeth, which was going too far.
Elizabeth wasn't surprised to be criticized. She could guess who was behind it. It must be Richard. Richard had a strong desire for control and couldn't tolerate anything that deviated from his plans. Clearly, her performance on the show had displeased him. Accusing her of following a script and rehearsing in advance would indeed make the audience suspicious.
So she smiled slightly and said, "I didn't expect anyone to think I was following a script. I can assure you I wasn't. Please don't slander the production team just to criticize me. I'm confident I can play any piece you request."
She added with a commanding tone, "Request anything you like."
Such confidence.
The live chat buzzed with excitement and curiosity. Requests started pouring in:
[Can you play 'Clair de Lune' by Debussy?]
[How about 'Canon in D' by Pachelbel?]
[Play 'Hallelujah' by Leonard Cohen!]
Elizabeth scanned the requests and nodded. "Alright, let's start with 'Clair de Lune.'"
She positioned the cello and began to play. The room filled with the soft, ethereal notes of Debussy's masterpiece. The live chat fell silent, mesmerized by her performance.
As she finished, the room erupted in applause once again. The chat was flooded with praise:
[Unbelievable! She nailed it!]
[Elizabeth is a musical genius!]
[No way this was scripted. She's the real deal.]
Arthur grinned, turning to the camera. "I think that settles it. Elizabeth, you're incredible."
Elizabeth blushed slightly but smiled. "Thank you. I'm glad you all enjoyed it."
The tide had turned, and the accusations lost their momentum. Elizabeth's talent had spoken for itself, and no amount of hired criticism could overshadow it.
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