Chapter 197: Chapter 197: Sorting
The mentors were all a bit drained, and James Landon was spotted resting his head in his hand, catching a quick nap.
Of the group, Jackie Qualls was the only one who seemed energetic.
Firstly, he had grown accustomed to pulling all-nighters on set, where filming time often turned day into night. Secondly, Hannah Winter’s performance was coming up soon.
Recalling the girl who had been deceived by him in the past yet always maintained a sincere and bashful smile, a thin layer of frost seemed to spread across Jackie Qualls’ warm countenance, adding a slight chill to his overall peaceful demeanor.
The tragedy he had once caused would not be repeated this time, he vowed to himself.
Jackie Qualls had made up his mind, but he was taken aback when he saw Hannah’s information sheet.
He frowned, his eyes filled with confusion. "Why is it like this..."
Backstage.
The stage hands had come to alert Tiffany Lynch and Hannah Winter that it was almost time for them to go on.
Compared to their professionalism toward Hannah, the staff was far more friendly toward Tiffany Lynch.
They even asked Tiffany, "Miss Lynch, do you want to perform first or second?"
The tone was somewhat flattering, completely ignoring Hannah who was standing beside her.
Tiffany Lynch responded with a light smile, her voice soft, "I’ll go first."
After she spoke, she looked towards Hannah and asked, "You don’t mind, do you?"
Hannah simply shrugged, "Whatever, I’m going to get changed."
With that, she walked off.
Tiffany stood still, watching Hannah leave, deep in thought.
Since the show’s producers had arranged for the two of them to perform together, it could only mean that they were considered to operate in the same genre.
But, if not the violin, what else could it be?
Hannah didn’t seem to have any special talents. Even her acting skills were mediocre at best.
Tiffany smirked scornfully.
Staff member Joan King came forward to introduce herself, "Miss Lynch, Mr.River has already briefed me beforehand. If you have any questions during the show, you can ask me. Just for the record, my name is Joan King."
A woman in her thirties, Joan held a decent position on the show’s staff, able to call some shots since her job was the essential task of coordinating the mentors and the trainees. Since she had a bit of a temper, everyone else was rather wary of her.
Of course, there were also those who tried to curry favor with Joan.
Knowing that she was one of George River’s people, Tiffany nodded, asking, "Do you know what’s on Hannah Winter’s performance schedule?"
"Hannah Winter?" Joan had somewhat of an impression of her. She thought for a moment, "Originally, she was set to play the violin, but she later approached production, saying she wanted to change her act so she changed it to... the pipa?"
There was uncertainty in Joan’s eyes, she pondered a bit longer before she nodded again, "Yes, it’s definitely the pipa."
Just as Tiffany was about to press for more information, she noticed someone approaching, so she quickly stepped away from Joan.
Joan sensed the movement too, and promptly left.
Tiffany Lynch still hadn’t returned from changing her costume when it was time for her to go on stage.
She took a deep breath, adjusted her poise and attitude, and walked onto the stage. In an instant, the spotlight was trained on her.
Holding her head high, like a noble swan, she spotted Jackie Qualls seated dead center in the audience and lifted the corners of her mouth into a restrained smile.
Jackie Qualls saw her but didn’t react very obviously. He picked up the microphone in his hand and said, "Begin when you’re ready."
His words were cold and distant.
Tiffany felt a pang of discomfort in her heart, but didn’t let it bother her too much. She closed her eyes and gently raised her hand.
