CHAPTER 254
Seeing the situation unfold, Jane was the first to start heckling. "If you can’t do it, just get off the stage! Stop wasting our time!"
Encouraged by her outburst, other contestants eager for Arianna to stumble joined in. "Yeah, can you even do it? If not, step down already!"
William turned to Arianna, his expression neutral. "Can you handle this, Arianna?"
Arianna met his gaze confidently and replied, "Yes."
Jane let out a mocking laugh. "Still pretending you can do it, huh?"
Arianna ignored Jane’s taunts, focusing entirely on the task at hand. Her demeanour shifted, and she adopted an intense, professional tone. She began delivering her report with precision, her voice steady and authoritative.
As her report progressed, the room grew silent. The smirks and jeers that had filled the air just moments ago were slowly replaced by looks of astonishment. No one had anticipated that Arianna would pull off such a flawless presentation.
"This concludes the breaking news. Thank you for watching," Arianna said, closing her report smoothly.
For a moment, there was complete silence. Then, the room erupted into applause, with even the judges clapping in appreciation.
The contestants exchanged stunned glances. Arianna had nailed the report, hitting all the critical points without a single misstep. What was expected to be a disaster had turned into an impressive display of skill.
Jane, however, was far from pleased. Her hopes of watching Arianna fail had been dashed. Gritting her teeth, she muttered under her breath,
"It wasn’t that impressive."
As Arianna returned to her seat, she overheard Jane's bitter remark. Smiling, she glanced over at her, then turned her head sharply, her eyes meeting Jane's with quiet confidence.
Instead of getting upset, Arianna smiled and said, "I can't wait to see your extraordinary, out-of-this-world performance."
Jane, unfazed, lifted her chin arrogantly. After all, she had won awards as a rising news anchor before. How could she possibly lose to someone as unknown as Arianna?
William then called, "Contestant number two, Harmony Jackson."
Harmony rose gracefully and walked confidently to the stage. She took her seat, faced the camera, and began with a composed smile.
“Hello, everyone, and hello, judges. I’m Harmony Jackson, contestant number two. I will now begin my report on today’s breaking news…”
Her delivery was poised and self-assured, exactly as everyone expected. Harmony articulated her points clearly, smiled appropriately, and highlighted the key aspects of the story with perfect precision. Her vocabulary was professional, and she concisely delivered the news without missing a beat.
When she finished, the room erupted in applause.
William then said, "Now, can I please have contestant number three, Jane Wilkins, step up?"
Jane flipped her hair and shot Arianna a smug look as she passed by. She confidently took the stage and sat down, her posture perfect as the camera zoomed in.
Her presentation started smoothly, with only a few minor pauses. However, her report was long-winded, filled with too much irrelevant information that muddled the key points. Instead of hitting the core of the news, she overcomplicated it, leaving the audience confused about what mattered.
The judges' faces reflected their disappointment, a stark contrast to the praise Harmony and Arianna had received.
Jane, who was seen as the top contender among the group, had underperformed.
Her expression darkened as she noticed their reactions. By the time she returned to her seat, her face was stiff with frustration, as though the world had conspired against her.
Some contestants, who had never liked Jane, couldn’t resist their comments.
"She was so busy mocking Arianna earlier that I thought she'd outshine everyone! But in the end, she couldn’t even keep up. It’s hilarious how short she fell!"
"Yeah! If I were her, I'd be too embarrassed to show my face. Might as well dig a hole and crawl into it!" one contestant mocked.
Jane shot a venomous glare in their direction, her frustration clear.
Arianna simply smiled, unfazed by the outcome. She had expected it. After all, the first step to success was knowing your competitors. She had thoroughly researched the backgrounds of each contestant long before the competition began.
Most of them had some relevant experience in the field, with Jane being one of the standout figures.
Arianna had watched several of Jane’s reports over the years. Jane had made a powerful debut, even covering a high-profile story that earned her an award. But fame had gone to her head, and her performance had steadily declined as her ego grew. Jane’s obsessive desire to win at any cost had thrown her off course, making her more focused on competition than the quality of her work.
When Jane noticed Arianna’s subtle smirk, she bristled with anger, convinced that Arianna was mocking her.
Fury flared in Jane’s eyes. In her mind, Arianna was to blame for her mistakes. If it hadn’t been for Arianna’s presence and her seemingly smug demeanour, Jane believed she would’ve been better prepared and flawless in her presentation.
With a growing sense of resentment, Jane silently vowed to settle the score with Arianna, adding this defeat to a list of grudges she intended to avenge one day.
One by one, the contestants took their turns on stage. Some faltered under the pressure, others gave forgettable performances due to lack of preparation, and a few were just plain average.
An hour later, everyone had finished.
William stepped forward and addressed the group, “That wraps up the first round. The judges will now calculate your scores, and we’ll announce who advances in half an hour. Feel free to grab a drink at the station’s café. I’ll see you all soon.”
As the contestants filed out in small groups, Jane wasted no time approaching Harmony.
Linking arms with her as though they were best friends, she smiled brightly.
“Harmony, I’m sure you’ll take first place. Your performance was flawless!”
The contestant, who had swapped numbers with Harmony, chimed in, nodding eagerly.
“Absolutely! You were incredible, Harmony! It didn’t feel like you were new to this at all. I’m certain you’ll be the top scorer!”
However, another contestant, who wasn’t too fond of Jane, piped up,
“Harmony did great, no doubt, but I preferred Arianna’s approach. She highlighted details everyone else missed, and his delivery felt more natural. I think he’s got a shot at first place.”
Jane scowled and retorted sharply, “This is a news report, not a performance! No one here can touch Harmony’s level of professionalism.”
Though her words were directed at the other contestant, her eyes were locked on Arianna.
“I just hope Arianna’s inflated confidence doesn’t crash and burn.”
Arianna had no desire to engage in petty back-and-forth, but Jane’s constant provocations were wearing thin. Not wanting to seem like an easy target, she decided to respond.
She met Jane’s gaze with a calm smile. “How about we make it interesting? Care to place a bet?”
Jane sneered, confident in her victory. “Sure. If you take first place, I’ll stand at the front of Starlight TV and bark like a dog three times. But if you don’t, you’ll be the one barking.”
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