Chapter 603: Why Can She Be the Chief Judge

Grace's entrance was met with an icy reception. Not only did no one applaud, but some students even whispered among themselves, clearly not taking Grace seriously or respecting Sun's reputation.

In an instant, the previously lively atmosphere plummeted to freezing point.

The cold atmosphere made Asher, the host, feel awkward, his expression slightly stiff.

Flora and Miguel both wore the same expression—faces full of indifference and mockery.

Jerry looked at Grace with concern, noticing her pale face, tightly bitten red lips, and clenched fists hanging by her sides.

She was human, after all, and of course, she cared about others' opinions.

Especially when it came to public humiliation like this, it was impossible for her not to care!

She thought to herself that she had indeed been absent from the art scene for a long time.

And the last time she publicly painted that "ink wash painting," it was indeed terrible, to the point of being unbearable to look at.

She secretly took a deep breath, encouraging herself, "Don't let it affect your mindset. It'll be fine soon."

She gradually stopped caring about the cold scene and the mocking gazes directed at her.

Just when she thought the awkward silence was about to end, a male student participating in the competition suddenly stood up, pointed directly at Grace, and questioned, "President Brown, if I remember correctly, this Sun left the art scene because she couldn't produce work of her previous standard, right? And I've seen that infamous 'ink wash painting' of hers that everyone in Silverlight City knows about. I don't understand, how can someone like her be a judge for this competition? And the head judge, no less?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the audience erupted, with many students also questioning, "He's right, what qualifies her to be our head judge?"

Voices of doubt rose one after another, with students questioning why Grace was the head judge for this competition.

The people standing on stage with Grace all showed disdainful expressions, and no one was willing to speak up for her at this moment.

Flora, on the other hand, held her head high, a superior attitude evident, with a deepening smile at the corners of her red lips.

Instantly, various hostile gazes turned towards Grace, filled with indifference and mockery, waiting to see her make a fool of herself.

Even Grace hadn't expected to face such a scene. Her petite body was enveloped in malice, becoming uncontrollably stiff.

Asher, the host, hadn't anticipated such a reception for Grace either, but fortunately, he had plenty of hosting experience and reacted quickly.

He picked up the microphone, organized his thoughts, and seriously addressed the student's question.

"Sir, hello, let me answer your question. As the president of the Art Association, I chose Sun as the head judge for this competition for a reason. If Sun were really that bad, why would I invite her to be the head judge? Wouldn't that ruin my own reputation?"

He paused and continued, "Moreover, she isn't skilled in ink wash painting, and that was during her worst state. Everyone has bad days, and I think it's understandable."

Hearing Asher's words, the male student who had questioned earlier retorted, "If that was her worst state, what about now? Has she recovered?"

Asher immediately nodded, showing great confidence in Grace, and replied, "Of course, I've seen her recent paintings, and they're much better than before. There's a segment where judges will paint live later, so you can see her work then!"

Asher's response was flawless, leaving the questioning student with nothing to criticize.

He pursed his lips and glanced subconsciously in Miguel's direction.

Miguel, taking advantage of the crowd's inattention, raised an eyebrow at the student.

The student got the hint and raised another question, "President Brown, are you really that confident in her? What if she messes up later?"

Asher smiled and replied, "That's simple. If she doesn't paint well, I'll revoke her judging qualifications on the spot, and you can pick someone you admire to be the head judge. Sound fair?"

The student glanced at Miguel again, but Miguel, staring straight ahead, gave no indication.

The student nodded, "Alright, we'll wait and see."

He sat down, and the other students who had joined in the commotion followed suit.

Although Asher had managed to salvage the situation, the atmosphere remained somewhat cold.

Many onlookers were closely watching Grace's reaction, eager to see her fail.

At this moment, Grace's hands, hanging by her sides, were tightly clenched, her palms sweaty despite her outward calm.

Facing Miguel and the other Art Association members' mockery didn't bother her at all.

But the student's questioning made her incredibly nervous, and she didn't know why. She just felt very anxious, even wanting to avoid the mocking gazes.

As she stood there, at a loss, a clear child's voice rang out, "Go, Mom! We believe you can paint better than them!"

Grace was momentarily stunned, then her eyes lit up as she quickly looked towards the source of the voice.

She immediately saw a fiery red figure running from the audience entrance. Bianca, in a red dress with two pigtails, was waddling towards her.

Grace focused and realized it was her precious daughter, Bianca!

She quickly looked towards the entrance again and saw three more figures.

The tall figure was Charles, dressed in a sharp suit, his handsome face wearing a faint smile.

Beside him were Jasper, in a black suit with a red bow tie, and Yosef, being carried by Charles.

Amusingly, Yosef was also dressed in a toddler-sized black suit, with a red bow tie around his neck.

As soon as Yosef saw Grace on stage, he reached out his little arms, babbling, "Mommy, Mommy!"

The previously cold scene became extremely quiet, with everyone, both on stage and off, looking towards the back.

Grace was stunned. Why were they here? Shouldn't they be at school or work?

Bianca had already reached the front of the stage, her little chubby hands clenched into fists, raised high, shouting, "Go, Mom!"

Grace was amused by Bianca's cuteness, her previous tension melting away as she smiled and nodded.

She responded with a smile, "Okay, Mom will do her best."

Charles, carrying the other two children, walked over. He said nothing, just looked at her with a loving smile.

He playfully pinched Yosef's cheek, who then raised his little hand towards Grace, "Mommy, Mommy!"

Yosef's adorable voice and cute face instantly won the hearts of many in the audience.

Grace nodded, "Okay, Mom knows. I'll do my best."

Seeing that Grace understood, Yosef happily waved his little arms.

Jasper, standing beside Charles, looked at Grace with determined eyes, "Mom, you have to do your best. We'll be here with you, and we always believe in you!"

Jasper's serious demeanor was incredibly handsome, his voice filled with determination.

Grace nodded, "Okay."

With the three children cheering her on, Charles led them to the front row, where three empty seats awaited them.

Grace smiled, guessing that Charles had arranged everything in advance. Otherwise, how could there be exactly three empty seats?

Grace and Charles exchanged a knowing smile, then she turned to Asher, "President Brown, let's not waste any more time. Let's start."

She was ready to use her skills to humiliate these people! She couldn't wait!