The Unveiling of Secret Queen

Chapter 1114: Chapter 1114: Doing so is also equivalent to sacrificing the face of the department.

”...” The others didn’t express any objections, after all, this draw result was absolutely terrible!

Far beyond anyone’s expectations—terrible!

Even Ezra Hoffman hadn’t anticipated he’d be unlucky enough to draw number 6, just one slot ahead of Caryn Zachmann, who was representing the Clinical Medicine department.

His typically handsome face showed a rare trace of guilt. Pressing his fingers against the crease of his brow, he looked at Nathalie Quinlan and said, ”Tiffany Olsen is right. Our program was meant to feature a solo dance—maybe you shouldn’t go up. Dropping one person should be better than dropping one and embarrassing the group.”

His style in handling matters suggested a well-bred background. His speech was genteel and tactful in its delivery.

But the underlying meaning was clear: dropping one person to avoid embarrassment as a group is the better option.

”Yeah, Nathalie, you shouldn’t go.” Tiffany Olsen was secretly upset; after all, she was the one meant to perform the solo dance.

Nathalie not going = Tiffany having to face the ridicule of the crowd alone.

However, Tiffany showed no trace of her inner turmoil. At this moment, she tried her best to show an encouraging smile, giving it her all to convince Nathalie: ”It’s a solo dance, anyway—whether we use the CD or perform with live accompaniment shouldn’t make much difference. After practicing all week, I feel I dance fairly well. Maybe the actual effect on stage won’t be as bad as we imagine? You don’t need to go; let me handle talking to the teacher and tell them I’ll switch to using the CD.”

Saying this, she got up from her seat at the dressing table and prepared to find the backstage instructor.

As she passed by Nathalie, the girl suddenly reached out and grabbed her.

Tiffany turned back, puzzled, biting her lip: ”Nathalie, you...”

The girl was still in her usual Duckbill Cap attire. Her black eyes gleamed brightly and unwaveringly under the brim of the hat, observing her with clarity. With a touch of impatience, Nathalie released her grip, casually stating, ”The track was something we modified together, and your dance movements were adjusted quite a bit. If you perform using the original track, your movements will be off—you’ll miss the timing, especially in the reworked sections.”

As soon as Nathalie’s words landed, Tiffany’s eyes grew faintly red. Tears began pooling in her eyes, rolling around without spilling. Not wanting Nathalie to see her vulnerability, she turned her head away, stubbornly wiped her eyes, then looked back at Nathalie with red-rimmed eyes, forcing a smile: ”It’s fine!”

”I’ve trained in dance. Switching out for a slightly different track is no big deal; I can make adjustments on stage in the moment.”

Firm in her resolve, Tiffany bit her lip and said, ”If worse comes to worst, and I make mistakes, then so be it! I’m not a professional dancer anyway—so what if I mess up? It’s not like it’s going to stop me from graduating!”

Her words signified she was prepared to bear the brunt entirely on her own!

Initially, Ezra Hoffman had been indifferent to the group’s performance, only participating as a student of the department, tagging along with everyone else.

But now, after observing Tiffany, he cast her a deep glance. It was as if he was meeting this seemingly frail, doll-faced young girl for the first time. He crossed his arms in thought, then said after a brief silence, ”I’ll go find the CD.”

Tiffany turned back and gave him a grateful smile.

”The track’s ’Lighten Chaser’s Nirvana,’ right?”

Tiffany nodded: ”Yeah!”

It was true she’d taken years of dance lessons, and it was also true she could improvise onstage by slightly altering her movements. But she wasn’t a professional. To choreograph and rehearse an entirely new routine within half an hour was an absurd impossibility.

She knew she hadn’t yet reached that level.

Her only choice was to continue using ”Lighten Chaser’s Nirvana” and forge ahead regardless.

”Got it.” Ezra nodded, then turned to go search for the CD.

The remaining Chinese Medicine department members didn’t speak. Velnisa Irvin had been meaning to voice an opinion. She believed one person going up alone was undoubtedly better than having both go up—it would, at least, preserve Nathalie Quinlan’s dignity. However, Tiffany’s choice also meant sacrificing the department’s reputation.