Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Upon seeing the situation, Jade was the first one to start heckling. “Get off the stage if you can’t do it. Don’t waste our time!”

When she yelled out loud, the other contestants who were eager to see her getting embarrassed shouted along as well, “Yeah! Can you do it? If you can’t, you should just come down from there!”

Walter turned to Samantha and asked, “Can you do it, Samantha?”

Samantha looked at Walter and replied, “Yes!”

“Pfft. Still trying to keep forcing her way through it eh!” Jade sneered.

Samantha treated Jade’s words as if it was nothing more than a breeze brushing past her. Her expression changed dramatically and an extremely serious look appeared on her face. She then opened her mouth and delivered her report in a thumping manner.

Following her report, the scene somehow turned quiet. Everyone’s derisive smiles disappeared gradually, only to be replaced by surprise and disbelief…

“This concludes the breaking news. Thank you for watching.”

As Samantha said her closing statement, the entire room went silent a few seconds before erupting in raucous applause.

All three judges applauded her.

The contestants exchanged glances at each other because none of them expected Samantha to present the entire report smoothly. She had done a stellar job delivering all the key moments without any hiccups whatsoever.

When the embarrassment that Jade had been expecting from Samantha did not come to fruition, she gritted her teeth in anger and snorted coldly while having a disdainful look. “It’s nothing special.”

Samantha happened to hear Jade’s words after returning to her seat, so she curled her lips and turned her head abruptly to look at Jade.

Rather than being angry, Samantha smiled and said, “I look forward to hearing your extraordinary and out-of-this-world performance.”

Jade did not seem the least bit embarrassed and raised her chin arrogantly. How could someone like her, who had previously won awards as a newbie anchor, lose to a little-known newcomer like Samantha?

Walter then said, “Contestant number two, Harmony Johnson.”

Harmony stood up proudly and took graceful steps onstage. She sat down, faced the camera, and smiled faintly.

She opened her lips and greeted everyone first. “Hello everyone, hello judges. I’m Harmony Johnson, contestant number two. I will now begin to give my report on the breaking news…”

Her reporting was very firm and confident, just as everyone expected. She spoke clearly, smiled decently, and was able to capture the elements from the news with pinpoint accuracy. The vocabulary she used was very professional and she concisely delivered the news.

It was impossible to find any flaws in her report.

Everyone applauded heartily when her report ended.

Walter then said, “May I now invite contestant number three, Jade Plunkett, to come on stage please.”

Jade tossed her hair back and taunted Samantha when walking past. She then stepped onto the stage and sat down.

Once the camera was aimed at her, she straightened her posture and spoke with a smile.

Her news report was quite smooth, and apart from a few small pauses, there were little to no major problems. Unfortunately, the script she prepared was too long-winded and contained a lot of unnecessary information. She failed to accurately convey the main content of the news, which made those who listened confused as to what her priorities actually were.

As a result, the three judges’ expressions seemed more disappointed than pleased.

After all, Jade was supposed to be the most promising contestant among the 15, but her performance turned out to be less than subpar.

Jade’s face sank when she saw the judges’ expressions. By the time she returned to her seat, her face was so strained that it looked as if the whole world had offended her.

The contestants were all competitive individuals, so naturally there were those who could not stand Jade. They remarked disdainfully, “She was mocking Samantha so enthusiastically earlier that I thought she really had talent! But she couldn’t even compare to them in the end, and her performance even fell really short of them! Now that’s funny!”

“Yeah! I wouldn’t have been able to face anyone if I was in her shoes. Might as well dig a hole and bury yourself in it!”

Jade glared viciously at them when she heard their conversation.

Samantha curled her lips and was not at all surprised by the result. Knowing thyself and knowing thy enemy was the first step in achieving success. She had done ample research on the background information of all the contestants in advance.

The sole exception was Harmony, who did not have any professional expertise or work experience. Most of the others have already gained some relevant experience, and Jade was the one who stood out in particular.

Samantha had watched the news reports Jade presented over the past few years. She made an emphatic debut and had personally covered a particular news that made her stand out. That was the same news that she received an award for, but her inability to keep herself grounded amidst the fame probably caused her to think too highly of herself. As time went by, her performance gradually became more and more substandard compared to her debut. In addition, her desire to win was just too strong and she began straying off the path because she was too preoccupied with being competitive.

Jade caught sight of Samantha’s little smirk and felt that it was directed at her. Anger began coursing throughout her entire body and a fierce glow appeared in her eyes.

It was all Samantha’s fault, according to Jade. She believed that she would have made sufficient preparations and eliminated those little mistakes if it were not for Samantha’s cryptic taunts. With a new score to settle even before she could get even for the first one, Jade vowed to add that to the tally and get back at Samantha one day!

The contestants subsequently reported one after another on the stage. Some made mistakes due to nervousness, some had mediocre performances due to a lack of preparation, while some were just average.

The contestants were all done after an hour.

Walter walked up to them and said, “The first round is now over. The judges will now calculate your scores, and the results of whether or not you make it to the next round will be announced in half an hour. You may take a break and have a drink at the cafe in the station. I’ll see you all in another half an hour!”

The contestants walked out of the room in small groups.

Jade was the first to approach Harmony. She held Harmony’s arm as if she was Harmony’s close friend and said with a smile, “I think you’ll get first in this round, Harmony. Your performance was the best!”

The contestant who exchanged lots with Harmony earlier leaned in and nodded in agreement. “Your performance just now was just amazing, Harmony! I’m in awe! You don’t sound like you’re new to this at all, and I’m confident you’ll get first place!”

The contestant from earlier who did not take too kindly to Jade deliberately said the opposite, “Harmony did well, but I prefer Samantha’s style. She could identify the points that everyone else overlooked and her language was not too rigid either. I think Samantha would get first!”

“This is a news report, not a singing performance! How could anyone compare to Harmony’s expertly chosen language?” Jade retorted loudly. Although she was speaking to the contestant, her gaze was staring right at Samantha. “I just hope she doesn’t fall short of her over-the-top ambitions!”

Samantha could not care less about bickering with someone who took cheap shots, but with provocation after provocation, she did not want to portray herself as a pushover that anyone could step on.

She looked up and smiled as she stared Jade in the eye. “Would you like to make a bet then?”

Jade snickered and said confidently, “Sure! If you get the first place, I’ll bark three times like a dog at Lychee TV’s entrance.. If you don’t, then you’re the one who has to start barking!”