Chapter 159 Eliminated?
The entire venue fell silent for three seconds, then erupted completely.
The live stream comments flooded in so densely they caused lag.
[One million votes! Is this data even real?]
[This is crazy! Second place only has 400,000, first place broke a million! Leading by over 600,000 votes?]
[Isadora looked so proud just now, she must be so embarrassed right now, right?]
[What's the point of Isadora's second place? Isadora and Amelia aren't even in the same league, so awkward!]
Isadora's smile froze on her face.
The color drained rapidly from her face, turning a frightening shade of pale.
"No, impossible."
She stared fixedly at that number, her body beginning to tremble uncontrollably.
Isadora couldn't understand it.
She'd played the victim, told her story, shaped herself into a tragic hero, and stirred up the audience's sympathy.
When it came to vote-getting, she thought she'd done everything possible.
But that woman called Amelia, from start to finish, besides a cold face and a few emotionless statements, had done nothing!
What gave her the right?
Just because of her face and the buzz from her connection with Stefan?
Isadora clenched her fists tightly, forcing herself to place all her remaining hope on the professional judges' scores that hadn't been announced yet.
Right, there were still the judges' scores!
Those were what really mattered.
The audience were all amateurs, easily fooled by gimmicks. Only professional judges could see through to the essence of design. Amelia's attention-grabbing stuff had no real technical substance.
As long as she could get the judges' scores, Isadora still had a chance to win!
The host's voice came at just the right moment, moving the process to the next segment.
"Thank you to our audience! One million votes not only breaks our show's voting record, but also proves that an excellent work can cross professional barriers and create the deepest connection with the public!"
The host summarized passionately, then shifted gears.
"Of course, a top-tier design competition can't do without professional judgment! Next, let's reveal the final scores given by our panel of five world-class designers!"
"To ensure absolute fairness, all works were anonymous when the judges scored them. They judged based solely on the work itself! Now, the final scores have been tallied. Let's announce them starting from third place!"
The atmosphere on stage tensed up again.
Everyone knew that audience votes and judges' scores each counted for fifty percent. If the judges' preferences differed greatly from the audience's, the rankings could completely flip!
Isadora stared at the big screen without blinking.
Light and shadow flickered, and a beautiful design appeared—it was her "Heartbreak."
"Professional judges' score, third place—Contestant 23, Isadora! Overall score 88.5 points! Congratulations!"
Isadora's tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and she let out a long breath.
Third place!
Though not first, getting this ranking from five top masters was enough to prove her professional ability!
Isadora immediately lifted her head, searching through the crowd, her gaze landing precisely on Cecilia's expressionless face, her eyes full of provocation.
Just wait, Amelia.
The votes you got from popularity are just bubbles.
Next, the second-place work appeared on screen.
"Professional judges' score, second place—Contestant 77, Kismet! Overall score 91 points!"
The venue erupted in gasps—this contestant was the biggest dark horse of the competition.
Isadora's lips were already curling up uncontrollably.
Good, second place wasn't Amelia either.
Now, only first place remained. She, Isadora, wanted to see who could get a score higher than 91 from the judges.
The screen switched again.
"Professional judges' score, first place! Contestant 95, Quentin! Overall score 93.8 points! Let's congratulate him!"
Thunderous applause.
Isadora couldn't hear any sound anymore. Her brain was flooded with overwhelming joy.
Not Amelia!
The top three in judges' scores didn't include Amelia at all!
"Alright, now both scores are in!"
The host's voice rang out again, pulling everyone's attention back to the stage.
"This round is the second elimination round. Of the fifty contestants, thirty will advance! Now, the final combined rankings of the top thirty advancing contestants will be displayed directly on the big screen!"
As soon as the words fell, the giant electronic screen flashed, and a clear ranking list instantly filled everyone's view.
The list started from thirtieth place and worked its way up to first place.
Each name corresponded to an advancement spot.
The entire venue instantly went quiet. Everyone held their breath, their eyes rapidly scanning up from the bottom of the list.
Isadora's heart jumped to her throat as her eyes frantically searched through those thirty names.
Twentieth place, not her.
Tenth place, not her.
Fifth place, still not there!
First place...
At the very top of the list, that name wasn't there either!
From beginning to end, all thirty advancement spots were announced.
But there was no Amelia.
After a brief silence, both the venue and the live stream erupted simultaneously.
[Fuck?]
[The list is done! Thirty people! No Amelia?]
[So what place is she? Not in the top thirty means she's eliminated? She had a million audience votes and got eliminated?]
[Rigged! Absolutely rigged! Not publishing the specific judges' scores, just putting out a list and calling it done? Are they treating us like idiots!]
Isadora stared blankly at that final advancement list, checking countless times—the name "Amelia" really wasn't there.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, an unprecedented wave of enormous joy crashed through all of Isadora's rationality.
She won!
Who cares if this damn competition was rigged—Amelia was eliminated! That was the result!
Isadora couldn't care about decorum anymore. In her high heels, she quickly walked up to Cecilia.
"Ms. Martinez, this is truly such a shame."
Isadora's voice couldn't hide her amusement, though her face put on a very regretful expression.
"I thought you could make it to the end. Looks like just having popularity doesn't work in professional fields."
"But you don't need to feel too bad," she looked Cecilia up and down, her contempt undisguised, "after all, not everyone is qualified to stand on this stage. Making it this far is already lucky for you."
These words were harsh and grating.
People around couldn't stand it, but didn't dare speak up.
Cecilia finally lifted her eyelids and glanced at her.
Cecilia's gaze was calm—no anger, no unwillingness, not even a hint of disappointment about being eliminated.
This complete calmness made Isadora's heart skip a beat for no reason.
"Done talking?" Cecilia said flatly.
Isadora was taken aback.
"Then move."
Cecilia's gaze went past her, looking toward the other side of the stage where the show's director and judges were talking in low voices.
"You!" Isadora was so angry at her nonchalant attitude that her chest tightened. "You've been eliminated and you're still acting high and mighty? Losing is losing! You..."
"Who said I lost?"
Cecilia cut her off, her eyes showing a certainty that saw through everything.
Isadora inexplicably panicked.
At that moment, the screen was still scrolling through all the competition entries, including those after thirtieth place—the eliminated contestants.
Cecilia's gaze lingered on the screen for a moment.
Then, her brow furrowed slightly.