Backstage.
Anne's pupils constricted.
For several long seconds, her mind went completely blank.
The performance she'd just witnessed kept replaying in her head, every lyric, every note, every expression Henry had made on stage refusing to leave her thoughts.
When did he write a song like this?
How?
Why didn't anyone in the company know about it?
And... what did he mean by all those lyrics?Question after question battered her mind until she felt as though it might explode.
She wanted nothing more than to rush onto the stage, grab Henry by the shoulders, and demand answers.Instead, she could only stand there in silence.
Almost mechanically, Anne turned her head toward Peter, who sat across the lounge with his usual composed posture.
Liam was still sitting beside her, frozen stiff.She barely acknowledged his existence.
Only then did she notice the faint tremble of the hand resting on her shoulder.
Even Liam...
...was shaken.
Across the room, Peter appeared remarkably calm.
He sat leisurely with one leg crossed over the other, wearing the same indifferent expression he always had, as though Henry's performance had been nothing more than a mildly entertaining audition.
Only Peter himself knew the truth.
Behind that calm exterior...
...his entire world had frozen.
Fear.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Those emotions crashed into him one after another.
Originally, he'd only come to support Jessica's judging debut...
...and perhaps scout a few beautiful contestants, promising them abundant company resources if they were willing to climb into his—
Ahem.
—if they were willing to demonstrate their outstanding talent.
Yet now, those thoughts had long since vanished.
Impossible...
Impossible!
His mind roared.When did he write a song like this?
How come I never knew it existed?
The songs Henry had submitted before were complete garbage.
Even a dog would've spat them out after hearing the first verse.
But this...
This was different.
This wasn't merely a good song.
This was a classic.
Peter admittedly knew next to nothing about music.
But even someone as clueless as him could see the terrifying commercial potential radiating from every line.
Which made the situation even more horrifying.
He...
The great Peter.
The man who ruled RockMedia's artist division with an iron fist.
Had personally terminated Henry's contract.
"..."
His face twitched ever so slightly before he forcibly suppressed it.
Calm down.
It's only one song.
A one-hit wonder.
That's all it is.
There was no way Henry could produce another masterpiece.
No way.
The thought steadied him.
His pride simply refused to admit he had made a mistake.
Peter slowly leaned back into his chair, adopting an expression of complete confidence before casually giving Jessica a reassuring nod.
The meaning was obvious.
Don't worry.
Little tyrant has everything under control.
Jessica caught the look and unconsciously relaxed.
Peter had always been confident.
If he wasn't worried...
...perhaps she was overthinking things.
Still...
An uncomfortable feeling lingered in her heart.
Originally, Henry had only been a stepping stone.
A useful admirer she could rely on whenever she needed encouragement or favors before casually discarding him.
Yet after dumping him, he had suddenly exploded with talent like the protagonist of a novel awakening some heaven-defying cheat.
How could that not make her uneasy?
For the first time...
Jessica wondered if she'd made a mistake.
Then she quickly dismissed the thought.
Regret?
Why would I regret it?
Henry had always been hopelessly devoted to her.
Otherwise...
Why would he pour his heart into writing a song like that?
"Never gonna give you up..."
Her lips curved into a faint smile.
See?
He's still my simp.
...
Jessica continued with a complicated look on her face.
"Oh, right. You just said that you're an independent musician now?"
The moment those words left her mouth, it was as if someone had snapped their fingers.
The audience finally woke from the emotional daze Henry's performance had left them in.
Only now did they realize what Jessica had just implied.
Independent musician?
Didn't that mean...
Henry smiled faintly. The tension that had been squeezing his heart before stepping onto the stage had completely vanished. The deafening applause, the countless emotional faces in the crowd, and the judges' genuine praise had washed away every trace of stage fright. For the first time since arriving in this world, he felt what it was like to truly stand under a spotlight.
"Yes."
"My contract was terminated yesterday."
"So today..."
"I'm standing on this stage as an independent musician."
The venue instantly erupted.
"What? He was terminated?"
"Am I hearing things?"
"Which genius management team terminated his contract?"
"Are they blind?"
"I think everyone in that company has no vision! They actually terminated the contract of such a talented singer?"
The livestream chat exploded even harder.
Many viewers had originally assumed Henry was simply playing the sympathy card to gain attention.
But now...
This was the second time he had calmly confirmed it.
The doubts disappeared almost instantly.
"There must be something seriously wrong with that company!"
"They actually fired him?"
"This is a god-level singer! Superstar-level!"
"Hahaha! I already have a premonition."
"Someone in that company is about to lose their job!"
"Whoever signed off on this decision deserves an award for Worst Management of the Year!"
Countless pairs of eyes looked toward Henry.
The young man standing alone beneath the spotlight seemed almost radiant.
Levinson slowly leaned toward his microphone and took a deep breath.
"I'm... surprised."
His tone was completely sincere.
"I honestly don't understand why any company would choose to give up a singer like you... and a song like the one you just performed."
Henry looked at him before giving a slight nod.
"Thank you for your affirmation."
"And thank you for liking my song."
The predecessor really was trash...
How bad do you have to be to let people throw you away without even fighting back?
Well... that's none of my business anymore.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
I've pretended long enough.
Peter... didn't you think you could cover the sky with one hand?
Then today...
I'll give you a gift you'll never forget.
Ordinarily, Henry wouldn't be this reckless.
He preferred planning.
Waiting.
Striking only when victory was certain.
But today...
He simply didn't care anymore.
If he died...
Then he died.
After all, he had already died once.
What was there to fear?
His gaze became calm again.
"However..."
"As far as I know..."
"The company terminated my contract in order to promote someone else."
Henry lowered his eyes slightly as he spoke.
There wasn't anger in his voice.
Only disappointment.
His lonely figure standing beneath the blinding lights made him seem even more pitiful, like someone who had silently accepted injustice for far too long before finally finding the courage to speak.
The audience fell silent.
Then...
Another explosion.
Jessica's smile stiffened.
The color slowly drained from her face.
She instinctively glanced backstage before quickly looking back at Henry, disbelief flashing through her eyes.
Peter, watching from backstage, felt his heart skip a beat.
His expression darkened immediately.
His fists clenched so tightly that the veins on the back of his hands bulged.
He suddenly had a terrible feeling.
As expected...
The audience exploded once again.
"Promote someone? Who?"
"Wait... so he was sacrificed?"
"I already thought this song was enough to become a hit, and they still abandoned him?"
"Who is this person?"
"Could they possibly be even better than Henry?"
"Hahaha! Whatever the answer is, this is about to become one hell of a show!"
Everyone discussed it excitedly.
Even Levinson couldn't suppress his curiosity anymore.
He leaned forward.
"Who..."
"...is that person?"
Henry smiled gently.
"The person's name..."
"...is Anne."
"From RockMedia."
Then he looked toward the audience one final time.
"Now..."
"I've finished singing my song."
"My stage has come to an end."
"Next..."
"Please enjoy Anne and her performance."
Silence.
A strange silence.
Then, like countless puzzle pieces suddenly locking into place...
Everything clicked.
"Wait..."
"RockMedia?"
"Wasn't he from RockMedia too?"
"So that's why he was terminated!"
"They dumped him to debut Anne?"
"So that's the whole story!"
"My God..."
"No wonder..."
Gasps spread throughout the venue one after another.
Henry had answered every question without saying very much at all.
He bowed deeply toward the audience.
Then, with the elegance of a gentleman leaving the ballroom after the final dance, he turned and calmly walked off the stage beneath thousands of stunned gazes.
No hesitation.
No regret.
Only Henry himself knew...
He had already buried enough landmines beneath today's stage.
Whether it was Jessica...
Or RockMedia...
The explosions had only just begun.
At the same time—
The host hurriedly forced a smile.
"Now..."
"Please welcome our next contestant..."
"Anne!"
---
Backstage.
Anne's face had already turned deathly pale.
Her legs trembled so violently that she nearly lost her balance.
Cold sweat soaked her palms.
Her heartbeat pounded so loudly she could barely hear the host's introduction.
Henry had completely blown up the atmosphere.
Then...
He had personally pushed her onto the stage.
How was she supposed to sing now?
Even if the God of Singing himself possessed her body...
What difference would it make?
The audience had already subconsciously sided with Henry.
In their eyes...
She wasn't simply the next contestant anymore.
She was the person who had supposedly taken away Henry's opportunity.
The villain.
How ridiculous.
She had dreamed of using today's stage to make her official debut.
Instead...
She was about to make her official embarrassment.
Anne bit her lip until it almost bled.
She could already feel the countless hostile stares waiting beyond the curtains.
Her face darkened.
"He's..."
"...too cruel."
She turned toward Peter, her voice trembling.
"Peter..."
"I think we should prepare our PR team after my performance."
Peter slowly nodded.
His eyes remained fixed on Henry's disappearing figure.
His expression was incredibly complicated.
"...That punk's words alone are enough to destroy her."
"The audience will eat her alive."
---
At the same time—
Inside the top floor office of RockMedia's parent company, RockGroup.
Bang!
Mr. McCain slammed the porcelain cup in his hand onto the floor.
The expensive cup shattered into countless pieces.
His face turned red with rage.
The violent movement immediately triggered a fit of coughing.
"Cough... cough... cough!"
He bent over slightly, struggling to catch his breath.
An assistant hurried over in panic and handed him a glass of water.
Only after taking two large gulps did his breathing finally stabilize.
He stared at the live broadcast of "ROC" on the enormous screen.
The veins on his forehead bulged violently.
Then he roared through the office like an injured beast.
"What the hell did I do..."
"...to give birth to such a useless son?"
"How could a singer of this caliber be terminated?"
"Are you all insane?"
"Are you insane?!"