When this trending topic exploded, the voting for the fifth contestant had already ended, and the sixth contestant was preparing to go on stage. In Irene’s private dressing room, Serena finally waited for Vera Hansen’s move, and it was still the same news. She smiled and looked towards Jasper Ford. Jasper Ford had certainly seen it too, and he immediately typed—[It’s all because of that fake medical record from before.] Serena smiled, shook her head, and then sent a message in their group chat. [Currently, there’s only one direction, and that’s strength, absolute strength.] Jasper Ford also saw this and nodded; this was the consensus they had just reached through communication. Irene, a masked contestant, was virtually unknown before this show. So, the people who like Irene are naturally viewers of this show. Most of them are captivated by her stage performance. Since that’s the case, as long as there’s strength, without crossing any red lines, and she’s not an idol, what’s wrong with just making friends? Besides, the truth is there’s no romance. So there’s really no need to be afraid, neither admitting nor clarifying. "Received!" Bianca Lynch replied immediately. Bianca Lynch and Quinn were still in that neighborhood; if previously Justin Jennings had them mostly in another study room, now Justin allowed them to use the living room. Quinn, though a homebody, was extremely adept in this area. "Group 1, go to the relevant super topics and promote ’Strength vs Rumors’ with images and quirky emojis." "Group 2, create momentum and push all posts related to Irene’s strength to the top." "Group 3, come fish in muddy waters with me and disrupt the focus!" Bianca Lynch was responsible for coordination with various parties, then summarizing and discussing countermeasures against Vera Hansen’s team with Quinn. Everyone had their duties. On the other side, Connor Goldsmith’s team under Vera Hansen was also actively engaging. "Group 1, promote that Irene’s current performance is not purely based on strength; this is a music competition, and her flashy tricks aren’t entirely music, causing other contestants to suffer." "Group 2, market the underground relationship between contestant Irene and Jasper Ford, implying that Irene has moral flaws, and if necessary, fabricate a scandal about Irene’s chaotic private life." "Group 3, upon noticing the other team’s activity, follow me to snipe the rival team." It’s a chaotic battle. Online, it’s turned into a mess. But in the end, it’s still Irene’s strength that prevails. "What does it mean to not be considered strength? Is it blind falsehood? Five nations’ instruments, five singing styles, five languages, seamlessly connecting an entire song, all top-level composition and arrangement—what is this if not musical competition strength?" This comment received massive likes, firmly dominating the rankings. It won numerous people’s approval. Although netizens often might not know the truth due to information gaps, they still have eyes. Meanwhile, Connor Goldsmith’s side. "Boss, we can’t win; Irene’s stage is too strong, no matter what we say doesn’t work, especially since the other team’s not bad." An underling spoke, hesitantly asked, "Should we release that information we prepared about the miscarriage?" Connor Goldsmith didn’t dare act recklessly; he wanted to contact Vera Hansen first. But ever since earlier, he had been messaging Vera Hansen, who hadn’t replied. Connor was a bit anxious, seeing the sixth singer already finished singing and gathering votes, desperate, he sent another message to urge her. Why hadn’t Vera replied? Just as she hadn’t left the staff passage, someone was smiling at her. The person said, "Miss Vera Hansen, we have something I believe you’ll be very interested in." Vera Hansen wanted to ignore it, but the other party had already played a recording. It was the recording of Vera talking in the staff passage earlier, and Vera’s face changed instantly. "Miss Vera Hansen, think about it; we’ve been setting up equipment here since the first live broadcast of ’Heavenly Sound’, think about what you’ve said." "You actually recorded secretly!" Vera Hansen gritted her teeth in hatred, "Aren’t you afraid I’ll sue you?" The person continued smiling cheekily and said, "Do you think that we who’ve been doing this kind of work don’t have a backup plan?" "Moreover, is it more important for us to be sued or for your secrets to be exposed?" "Miss Vera Hansen, I’m only giving you three seconds to think. If you don’t agree, my colleague will take the same thing to Irene, and I think she’ll be very interested." "Moreover, I believe Serena would also be interested. Miss Vera Hansen, with a little money, you can firmly hold onto President Lawson; otherwise, if he learns your true nature, it wouldn’t be worth it." As they spoke, they began counting. Before three could be counted, Vera Hansen agreed to go with him. Meanwhile, in Irene’s personal dressing room. Serena found it strange that Vera hadn’t released any follow-up news. She exchanged a glance with Jasper Ford. Jasper Ford was also full of doubt. This didn’t seem like Vera’s style. At this point, the sixth singer had finished gathering votes, and now it was ad time along with some other programs. This was to allow the audience inside and outside to vote. Inside the venue it was alright; all were voting in an orderly manner, now the online voting was still fiercely competitive. Irene’s top position was indisputable; the main issue was the tight race among the others. Each contestant had their own fans, and online voting wasn’t limited to selecting just one contestant, allowing votes for many people with many tickets. When Vera Hansen came out from the dark room, her face was extremely unpleasant. The opponent took advantage of this moment to make outrageous demands for ten million. But where could she find ten million in such a short time? Moreover, it wasn’t worth it. "Miss Vera Hansen, you could first advance us 2 million, then go to Julian Lawson for the rest. I think, with Julian Lawson’s financial power, a mere ten million isn’t much." Vera Hansen could only transfer 2 million first, then leave. The people inside weren’t afraid she wouldn’t provide the rest, since the material was in their hands. More precisely, their eyes were gleaming. "Boss, you really are the best. You always said to wait a little longer, I was getting impatient. But now it proves that older ginger is indeed spicier! You seized the perfect timing, and she’s completely helpless hahaha." "Boss is indeed the boss, boss mighty!" The people inside were cheering, but they didn’t notice the cold killing intent in Vera Hansen’s eyes as she walked out. Buying them off has its drawbacks; it requires silencing them! Otherwise, these people will blackmail her again and again. Official source is novel·fiɾe·net She needed to become Mrs. Lawson in the future, ensuring nothing went wrong! Vera withdrew her gaze and continued walking outside. Taking out her phone, Vera saw Connor Goldsmith’s message and was about to reply when suddenly, a change occurred.