Nancy frowned in dissatisfaction. "I have a hand injury, not a foot injury. You don't need to support me!"

But then, her curiosity piqued. "Hm? Aren't there four judges? That means there are four direct pass cards. So, besides me, only one other person received one?"

Girls gathered together often indulge in gossip.

Especially when it's directly related to them.

At this moment, the judges were just selecting their team members from the hundred finalists, so Patrick and Andrew Lesser weren't present.

Without Patrick around, Linda couldn't help but blurt out, "Exactly! Those old foxes are very cunning! Unless someone can impress them within a minute, they would never casually give away their direct pass cards. Each one is trickier than the last."

If Patrick had been there, he would have definitely scolded her for speaking so casually about those esteemed piano world figures.

Nancy, hearing Linda's words, instinctively looked around, fearing someone would overhear and report to the judges.

Her glance around the room revealed that most people were staring at them.

She immediately shushed Linda, "Too many eyes and ears here. Haven't you heard that trouble often comes from careless talk?"

Linda stuck out her tongue and looked around. Sure enough, many were looking their way.

But she soon realized they were staring because of her odd gesture of supporting Nancy's arm.

Soon, they entered a large 200-square-meter room with no chairs but wooden steps like stairs for seating.

"Nan, let's sit over there," Linda suggested.

After spending these days together, they had become good friends, so Linda used a more familiar term for Nancy.

The two sat in a corner, not to be low-key but to freely gossip without much attention.

"Nan, I really hope we're in the same group. Then we can train together. My teacher said your master is unique, and I want to learn from him too."

Sharing a good relationship also meant sharing resources from teachers!

Nancy felt the same. In this place, apart from Vivian, Linda was the only one she knew. Being in the same group would make many things easier.

Just then, Vivian entered. Her usual arrogance and pride were gone, replaced by a calm demeanor.

She glanced coldly at Linda and Nancy before sitting at the farthest spot from them.

Linda scoffed.

"Look at her disdainful attitude. I don't want to sit with her anyway."

Nancy felt a bit sorry for Vivian. Most participants came in groups or pairs, either knowing each other beforehand or coming from the same country or region.

Vivian, however, was alone, appearing quite lonely.

"Are you the girl that Hamya and David fought over?"

Suddenly, an untimely voice interrupted their conversation...