Theo looked at the woman in front of him, who seemed carefree and relaxed. He glanced at her with his eyes slanted, holding his chin up arrogantly as he said, "Just because you're old Mr. Edwards' granddaughter doesn't mean the judges will go easy on you. Don't waste our time; we need to move on to the next round quickly."
His disrespectful words were met with support from viewers commenting live.
"Truly an artist! Not only talented but also stylish! You're right; she shouldn't have the privilege of being advanced just because of her connections."
"If that's the case, isn't Nora also old Mr. Edwards' granddaughter?"
"It's not the same thing! My goddess has real talent; what is Cheyenne compared to her?"
Nora's painting slowly appeared before viewers: half a meter tall and 40 centimeters wide - quite a large masterpiece indeed.
It depicted a golden field against a blue sky with faint snow-capped mountains in the distance - pure and serene.
There were dozens of people in it as well.
It was a scene from when farmers harvested their crops, with the main character being an older woman standing at the forefront whose face was sunburned red from years of labor. She held a bundle of barley while tears welled up in her eyes.
On another side of the field stood a five or six-year-old boy holding onto a book while looking forward to his future full of hope and aspiration.
"This is so beautiful! Nora really deserves to be our campus belle - both intelligent and beautiful!"
"She must be number one for sure!"
"Cheyenne went too far by requiring Nora's brother kneel down and apologize. We should forgive others when possible; doesn't she understand that?"
"I hope Cheyenne loses this competition!"
"Let's wait and see; it'll definitely happen!"
Despite Theo's mockery and everyone else's disdainful looks around her, Cheyenne remained calm as she gazed back at them through watery eyes.
"Don't conflate my grandfather and me," she retorted calmly. "Besides, I signed up for oil painting while he is a judge of traditional painting group... Are you afraid that you're not professional enough or don't have enough qualifications to comment on my work? Is that why you brought him up?"
As soon as she finished speaking, there was silence before someone exclaimed, "Holy crap! Who does this young woman think she is? So arrogant!"
She had only spent half an hour creating such garbage. Could it even be called art? At best it was just doodling!
"This trash actually dares to say that Mr. Roberts is not qualified to comment on her work. Who gave her the courage?"
For the first time in his 60 years of life, someone dared to speak so boldly in front of Theo.
His gaze became sinister, reminiscent of a vulture in the dark night - sharp and terrifying. "Miss, you should respect the elders."
Cheyenne didn't hesitate to retort with sarcasm, "You don't even show respect to me? What makes you demand my respect? Are you proud of taking advantage of your seniority?"
"You!"
"I signed up based on my abilities and naturally prepared to be selected based on my skills. Don't bring up my grandfather."
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