She thought it was her talent, but I knew the truth. It was my songs that were the real winners.
Kelly excitedly accepted the show's invitation, and the next day, she headed to the venue with her team.
On the way, she scrolled through the news on her phone, pleased with the trending topics her team had bought for her.
Those bought-and-paid-for fans were showering her with praise.
Netizen 1: [Wow, Kelly finally has a chance to prove herself.]
Netizen 2: [Yeah, this is the stage our superstar deserves.]
Netizen 3: [The show finally invited the right person. Kelly is about to become a global icon, a star in her own league.]
Kelly's smile was so wide it practically stretched off her face, but I knew soon she'd be unable to smile at all.
During the rehearsal, Kelly was dismissive.
"Do I really need to rehearse? With all these years of performance experience, Director, I think I'll skip it."
The production team obviously didn't agree, but they carefully explained.
"Ms. Edwards, this is a global live broadcast. There's no room for mistakes, and you'll only have one chance to sing. If you don't rehearse and something goes wrong...
"And Rachel here has been rehearsing seriously."
Kelly cut him off, annoyed.
"You think I'll mess up? That's ridiculous. You've heard me sing before.
"With my talent, I'll blow those foreign singers out of the water. I don't need to rehearse."
The staff member wanted to persuade her further, but I quickly ushered them out.
I couldn't let them convince Kelly to rehearse. If she did, the production team might even replace her at the last minute, and that would ruin everything.
Kelly continued to scroll through her phone, lost in the false adoration of those fake fans.
Ha!
While she was distracted, I sneaked into the studio to watch the other singers rehearse.
Each one was more focused than the last, even the 50-year-old veteran diva.
I remembered how, in my past life, after the show aired, everyone praised her, calling her the guardian of Meriodland's music industry, the last bastion of dignity for Meriodland's music scene.
She single-handedly held her own against several foreign competitors.
I had to admit, I respected her for that. She worked incredibly hard.
But this time, I was here to help her.
Kelly's manager also came to watch the other singers rehearse. Her face turned grim, and she immediately went to Kelly's dressing room.