Bern, almost spitting blood in anger, never imagined his sincere apology would turn into a joke among the audience.

Many couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Even Zach wanted to laugh, but he was trying to maintain his dignified demeanor.

He struggled to suppress his laughter, causing more people to laugh uncontrollably.

After apologizing, Bern straightened up and turned to Rivata, "Rivata, apologize to Nancy."

Rivata was stunned.

In her eyes, Bern was an unassailable mountain, tall and proud. And now he had apologized publicly to what she considered a nobody?

Seeing her frozen in place, Bern frowned deeply and pressed down on her shoulders, urging her to bow.

"I... I... I..."

Before she could articulate her thoughts, Bern sternly interrupted, "This was your doing, wasn’t it? Without your provocation, would I be in such an embarrassing situation?"

"No, Teacher!"

Rivata pushed away Bern's hand, anger rising in her voice, "This competition is rigged!"

Pointing at Charlie, she accused, "Him! He's a fan of Nancy's. Smith even invited him for dinner. He was quite intimate with Nancy. He must have used some despicable means to ensure Nancy won!"

The rumor about Nancy relying on a man to succeed had been circulating in the training camp. Now, with Rivata’s accusation, the crowd began to whisper among themselves.

"I heard about this before. Lucy, you were there too, weren’t you? Speak up for Rivata."

Lucy, harboring jealousy towards Nancy and unhappy with her winning, was about to speak when her teacher grabbed her hand and gave her a stern look.

Lucy looked at her teacher, surprised, and she saw her teacher glared at her.

Zach was obviously supporting Nancy, and speaking out against her at this moment was akin to courting disaster.

It could ruin the hard-earned reputation they had built.

Lucy, about to speak, swallowed her words as her teacher glared at her, sitting back down silently.

Vivian, seated further away and watching Rivata’s meltdown, had no intention of intervening.

Zach, furious upon hearing Rivata's accusation, looked at Charlie and scoffed, "Mr. Firth may be wealthy, but he is a principled man. The idea of him being involved in any conspiracy is beneath him!"

Continuing, his gaze turned even colder, "Nancy Swinton earned her first place through her own skills! Rivata, don’t be sore about losing. You can ask any pianist present here if Nancy truly deserves her victory."

"Indeed!"

Someone immediately agreed, "Nancy Swinton's piano skills have reached an international level. Among all the performances we heard today, only her music had soul."

"I concur!"

Another pianist added, "From a fair standpoint, Nancy truly deserves her win. Her music has reached a level of depth and spirit that none of the young pianists here today possess."