Chapter 144

Chapter 144:

Giana couldn’t accept that Madisyn was better than her at writing songs. Madisyn’s music was certainly good, but it lacked depth. It merely incorporated some popular elements at the time. She, on the other hand, wanted to create songs that showcased her own unique style, something that came from her heart instead of what was currently in vogue. But, sadly, no one seemed to understand her vision.

“Well, I sincerely hope this time my song resonates with everyone,” Giana said with a hopeful smile.

“Everyone, let’s get to work. We need to prepare,” Jenna chimed in.

The group quickly scattered to their tasks. Giana noticed Madisyn lingering at the back of the group, and for a moment, she had assumed Madisyn was here for her, but in the next instant, her gaze landed on Evie nearby. Giana pursed her lips.

Meanwhile, Jenna stepped forward, saying in a sharp tone, “Oh, Madisyn, how shameless can you be? Since when did you start dragging Evie along to copy everything Giana does? You’ve become quite the mimic.”

Jenna was still upset about what happened before. When she saw Madisyn, her anger bubbled to the surface, and she couldn’t keep it in.

“Remember you insisted on snatching my artist’s opportunity and got scolded by the public for it?” Madisyn asked with indifference.

Jenna retorted angrily, “That was then. This is different. Giana is a professional singer. And what about Evie? This is her first time in a singing competition. And not just any competition, a singer-songwriter contest. Does she even have what it takes? Everyone knows songwriting is the toughest challenge.”

“I remember Giana launched her career by entering a singer-songwriter competition, too,” Madisyn remarked as she looked at Giana.

For some reason, Giana avoided meeting Madisyn’s eyes. In the past, Madisyn had done everything she could to help Giana get into the singer-songwriter competition. She even wrote songs with Giana, and her performance impressed everyone when she sang in public for the first time.

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“Giana is talented. But what about Evie?” Jenna didn’t think highly of Evie at all. She folded her arms across her chest and let out a dismissive snort. “If you want to make fools of yourselves, I’m not going to stop you. Go ahead and see how far you get.”

With that, she walked away with Giana.

Evie was in the lounge, practicing her song while Madisyn checked the judges closely. The judges all seemed qualified this time. As long as Evie gave her best performance and avoided any pitfalls, she had a good chance of ranking well.

When the competition began, the singers took the stage one by one. Giana was performing in the middle slot. Her presence energized both the judges and the audience.

“Look, Giana’s up next.”

“I’m excited to see her perform. I didn’t expect her to be in this singer-songwriter competition. With her current standing, she could be competing in more prestigious events.”

“Don’t you know? Giana became famous in a singer-songwriter competition before. She only placed third in the final back then. This time, she’s here to fulfill her dream.”

“Oh, I see. I’m excited to see if Giana can win first place this time.”

Almost everyone believed Giana would outshine the other competitors.

The moment she began singing, her mature and steady voice instantly drew everyone’s attention. It was much more impressive than the voices of the previous singers.

The audience was captivated by her beautiful song. When she finished, the crowd erupted in applause.

“Fantastic! Giana is amazing.”

“Her voice is still so captivating.”

“But I find her song quite ordinary. It relies too much on her voice. And both the lyrics and the composition fail to resonate with people.”

“I couldn’t agree more. The song she performed for the first time was quite impressive.”

One of the judges commented, “Giana, your performance was as good as ever, and the song was well-written. However, I’d like to ask—when you participated in the singer-songwriter competition last time, did you write your first song yourself? The style seemed quite different back then.”

Giana tightened her grip on the microphone. She wondered why the judge would ask such a question.

After a brief pause, Giana smiled and replied politely, “Yes, I wrote them all.”

“I still remember your first song. It’s the most impressive one I’ve heard in years,” the judge said with a sigh.

Giana’s breathing slowed as she tried to process the judge’s words. What was he implying? Did he think her other songs weren’t good enough?

Another judge added, “It’s common for artists not to surpass their earlier achievements. But having one outstanding work is already a great accomplishment.”

Giana struggled to maintain her smile, but she managed to respond with a steady voice, “Perhaps it was because it was my first time performing in front of an audience. I had prepared for it for a long time, so I did well at that time.”

“I guess so. The songwriting was excellent too. I believe you should try to recapture the same energy you had at that time. Your performance today wasn’t bad, but you have the potential to be even better.”

Giana’s ears burned with embarrassment, but she still nodded in gratitude to the judges and made her way off the stage.

The moment she stepped down, she spotted Madisyn.

Their eyes met, and Giana felt even more uncomfortable.

“I didn’t realize when the song I wrote became yours,” Madisyn said softly.

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