Chapter 350: Chapter 350

One less issue is better than one more, especially when something might blow up; who knows where public opinion will lean?

The man noticed Quinn Lockwood did not pursue the matter further and looked at her gratefully, saluted once more, and left in a hurry.

The stylist glanced at the man and then at Quinn, his rather delicate face showing a hint of awkwardness, but he said nothing.

Once her styling was complete, Quinn went backstage to prepare for her performance.

This dance competition, Quinn chose her strongest skill: classical dance.

The Tang Dynasty Era Feathered Dress Dance.

Lyrics and dance display, all created by Quinn Lockwood herself.

As the host finished announcing, Quinn appeared on stage center in a lake-blue double-embroidered satin gown.

The spotlight immediately focused on Quinn, whose peony-embroidered skirt brought out her naturally fair and elegant features, conveying a fragile charm. Her hair contained just a single silver hairpin—simple and elegant.

As the powerful, complex rhythm started playing, Quinn’s crimson lips gently parted as she recited poetry while her fingers twirled.

"In the past, I served Emperor Xian at Yuanhe, once attending an inner feast at Zhaoyang." On stage, Quinn waved gauze, either spinning or bending over, and her dance movements matched the music rhythm—sometimes gentle, sometimes intense.

The audience below seemed momentarily stunned, as if they were truly transported back to the Tang Dynasty court, savoring the mesmerizing dance of the palace beauties.

As the dance gauze quickened, Quinn’s lips curled into a smile, her apricot eyes glimmered with laughter, subtle yet vividly enchanting.

The white gauze rose and fell, ethereal and elusive, turning the stage into a fairyland, and Quinn into a graceful, ethereal fairy.

When the music’s pace gradually slowed, Quinn slowly retracted her hands, smiled, and bowed.

Quinn maintained her bowing posture for a while until applause suddenly erupted from the audience below.

"The celestial music lingers, dancing the Feathered Dress Dance." Such a splendid Feathered Dress Dance.

The audience and judges became suddenly animated, rising one after another to clap and cheer for Quinn.

"Remove the mask, remove the mask!" The audience chanted in unison, the atmosphere reaching this evening’s peak.

Although wearing a mask, Quinn’s lips were visible, and the audience could see her mouth movements. Official source ıs NoveI(F)ire.net

"Thank you, thank you all for your support," Quinn unlocked the microphone, smiling, addressing the audience below.

Her gaze glanced around the present judges and audience, Quinn suddenly noticed the man who previously harassed her in the dressing room was indeed an experienced judge.

The man now acted as if nothing had happened, rising enthusiastically with others to clap and cheer for Quinn.

At this moment, the host came onto the stage, following the procedure to have the professional judges and on-site public judges vote for Quinn to determine if she can advance successfully.

After the votes concluded, the host held the counted votes, sneaked a glance downwards and a hint of surprise crossed his face.

"Before the vote count is announced, let’s first have Professor Doyle comment on this dancer’s performance?" The host gracefully smiled and gestured invitingly to a judge seated in the center.

"Moreover, it’s a court dance, typically requiring multiple dancers to display, otherwise it would be a poor imitation."

"But this dancer on stage was different; she alone conveyed the splendor and grandeur of a multiple dancer performance masterfully."

"I can declare, this was an almost perfect performance and is the best piece of the night."

Professor Doyle nodded repeatedly, his gaze on Quinn filled with admiration.

The other judges also nodded in agreement with Professor Doyle’s remarks, none raised an issue or dissent.

Finally, the host declared the votes Quinn received.

There were 384 audience members plus 6 professional judges, totaling 390.

Quinn achieved exactly 390 votes.

A unanimous approval.

The scene erupted once more.

This was the first contestant to receive unanimous approval since the show’s launch.

Tonight, Savannah Lowell’s Feathered Dress Dance undoubtedly became the web’s focal topic again.

Even though she won the competition, Quinn’s mood was not entirely good.

It seemed that her whole day goes not so smoothly.

First the alarm set to send Elias Sinclair off to the airport didn’t ring, then it was the show’s temporary alteration of the performance order, causing her rushed arrival.

She thought she could compete peacefully, yet an unsettling event occurred right before going onstage.

Now, recalling the man’s look when he eyed her, along with his distasteful utterances, Quinn felt stifled and troubled.

Quinn stood alone at the end of the corridor, in a bit of a trance.

From her pocket, she took out her phone, pulled up Elias Sinclair’s name, but her fingertip lingered over his name for ages without pressing.

At this time, he should’ve landed by now, right?

Quinn’s eyes flickered slightly, sighed softly, and pocketed the phone again.

Walking with somewhat heavy steps, Quinn slowly took a few steps in the lengthy corridor, then pulled her phone out again after a while.

Biting her lip with some force, Quinn unlocked the screen, dialed Elias Sinclair’s number, and pressed call.

The action was fluid, a single coherent process.

As the dial tone came from the other side, Quinn quickened her pace back to her room, closing the door hastily.

"Finished so quickly?"

"I intended to call, but knowing you had a show notice today, I thought about calling tonight instead."

"Didn’t expect you to call first." Elias Sinclair was currently in Italica’s branch office, standing facing the floor-to-ceiling window, with a gentle smile gracing his lips.

Listening to Elias talking so much and his tone soothingly gentle, Quinn momentarily didn’t adjust, standing behind the door in a daze.

"What’s wrong?" With no reply from Quinn, a clear male voice tinged with curiosity came through the call.

"Ah... I, my competition time was moved ahead today, so I came back a bit early." Quinn pressed her lips, leaned against the door with her back, her head slightly bowed, seeming somewhat nervous.

"So you’re already at the branch office, are things okay over there?" Quinn swallowed a bit, asked with some concern.

"Yeah, arrived around evening, everything’s fine here." The man’s voice was very soft, carrying a hint of inexplicable, deep sensuality.