The production manager''s face was flushed with excitement. "Our livestream is exploding! Sure, we paid for some promotion, but the results this time are beyond anything we imagined!"


    "Our channel is pushing a million viewers right now, and the numbers are still climbing!"


    Howard immediately nced over at the screen.


    What he saw left him speechless.


    In the short time he''d been talking to the manager, the viewership had already surpassed a million.


    A million people... How could numbers like that even be real?


    He''d been a producer for years, but nothing he''d ever made had blown up like this.


    Howard stood, stunned for a moment, before reality caught up with him. He was quick to sense opportunity-this, he knew, was his chance to finally step into the spotlight.


    He turned to his tech team, his tone urgent. "Do whatever it takes to keep the servers and stream stable. No crashes, nog—understood?"


    The team, all members of Howard''s crew, nodded, well aware how critical this stream was.


    The manager added, "Director Shaw, this contestant-Ste—she''s not only stunning, she''s incredibly talented. Even if she doesn''t win the whole thing, she''s bound to be the show''s fan favorite."


    Howard didn''t hesitate. "Keep a close eye on her. She might be our ace in the hole, the one who turns it all around for us. And when she goes up against Rachel Pearceter, push some promo her way too. Let''s see how many viewers Rachel can pull in."


    The manager understood-Howard was testing the contestants'' poprity for future resource allocation.


    Survival of the fittest, Howard thought. It''s not just about skill; poprity counts just as much.


    Meanwhile, the live chat scrolled so fast it was nearly unreadable.


    Howard scanned thements. Half the viewers were raving about Ste''s looks —many had clearly tuned in just for her. Another twenty percent debated her skill, with insider lingo marking them as fellow musicians. Another chunk seemed to be Ste''s longtime fans, hyping up both her talent and beauty. The rest? Well, every star had their share of critics.


    Howard asked the techs to pull up the backend analytics so he could monitor everything in real time.


    At that moment, Ste was on stage, facing the host''s questions.


    Each contestant got five minutes after their performance to win over the audience.


    The host asked, "That piece you just yed was absolutely


    captivating-but I''ve never heard it


    before. What''s it called? near ne


    Who


    He''d voiced the question on everyone''s mind. The audience


    leaned forward in anticipation


    even


    Mr. Walden, seated among the judges, unconsciously straightened up.  s?novel


    The quality of the piece was on par with the legendary Star-if not better.


    He hadn''t managed to find the mysterious Star, but if he could discover theposer of this piece, his trip to Novaris would be well worth it.


    Since Star''s emergence, the music world hadn''t seen a newposition reach the level of a true ssic.


    Mr. Walden was shrewd, an old hand at this; he''d known, almost instantly, that this piece was every bit as brilliant as "Moonlight."


    Ste''s voice came through the microphone, calm and clear.


    "It''s called ''Moonlight Bay.'' It''s one of my own originalpositions."


    The host blinked, surprised. "You wrote it yourself?"


    Ste smiled. "Yes."


    The host, a member of the Violinist Association himself and no stranger to technical mastery, recognized the piece''s remarkable quality.


    "My god," he breathed. "You''re aposer as well? This piece could stand shoulder to shoulder with works by the world''s great


    зло


    posers."


    The audience erupted.


    "She wrote it herself? That''s incredible!"


    "I just searched online-there''s no sheet music for ''Moonlight Bay'' anywhere. She


    really might be theposer!"