Alina still remembered her—still loved her.
As Paityn thought this, Josie continued, "My father is the best in the world. My brother is the best in the world. My sister is the best sister in the world."
As she spoke, Josie raised Hello Kitty and waved it toward a corner of the audience. She said proudly, "My home is the happiest home in the world. I love my home the most!"
Again, the audience erupted into enthusiastic applause, praising:
"No wonder the young girl’s eyes are so bright and full of life, and her voice is so healing. She is a child who grew up in love."
But Paityn felt a chill in her heart.
She followed Alina’s gaze and saw several people standing, waving at Alina.
Although they were wearing masks, Paityn recognized them as family members.
For a moment, her emotions were tangled, followed by deep resentment.
It was these people who had taken Alina from her.
If not for them, Paityn would have found Alina long ago, and there would not have been the misunderstandings—where they had met but did not recognize each other—and the repeated conflicts. Because of those misunderstandings, Paityn wondered if Alina would hold a grudge against her.
She told herself in her heart that she was Alina’s biological mother. Blood is thicker than water. Even though Hello Kitty was so worn out, Alina still could not bear to part with it. That meant Alina still remembered her. Alina would come back to her side.
On stage, the host also looked down at the audience.
"You’re so happy—is it because your beloved family is here?"
"Yes," Josie said happily. "Dad, Mom, my four brothers, and my two sisters are all here."
A small commotion arose in the audience.
"Wow, you’re amazing, having so many brothers and sisters."
The camera focused on the family members sitting below the stage.
Among the Carter family members was Zayn, who, of course, could not be recognized by the audience. He could only wear a mask, waving or bowing to the crowd.
The female host smiled and said,
"Josie, living in such a loving big family, you must be very happy. Even I’m feeling the warmth."
The male host turned to Josie and asked,
"With so much support from your family, do you feel confident about winning the championship?"
Given Josie’s voice and talent, it was entirely possible.
"I want to do my best to sing well. It would be even better if I could win the championship."
The audience responded with a ripple of good-natured laughter.
This showed that Josie had indeed thought about winning the championship.
The host was also very interested in Josie. However, there were still many more segments, so they could not take up too much time.
After encouraging Josie with a few more words, they sent her backstage and asked the judges to begin scoring.
The judges were divided into three groups:
1. One group consisted of live audience voting.
2. The second group was made up of media representatives.
3. The third group included five professional chief judges.
In each group, voting was decided by majority rule.
To advance, contestants only needed to secure votes from two of the three groups. If a contestant received votes from all three groups and the full votes of the five chief judges, they could directly enter the top ten.
Soon, the votes from all three groups were in.
All three groups had voted for Josie, and the five professional chief judges gave her full marks. Josie directly advanced to the top ten.
When the results were announced, the entire venue erupted in thunderous applause.
The camera switched to Paityn’s face.
Paityn’s eyes were filled with tears as she clapped alongside the other professional judges. Her gaze was both gentle and gratified.
Paityn’s expression and eyes deeply moved the audience.
"It seems like Josie’s voice has completely moved the Queen of Opera. The Queen of Opera is so touched that she’s crying."
"With such high standards, if she can move the Queen of Opera, she’ll probably win the championship."
"Not to mention Paityn, even I’m moved. Which famous singer can compare to her?"
The audience praised Josie’s singing inside and outside the venue, online and offline.
Watching the live broadcast, the faces of the Pittman family turned pale.
Lorelai threw a tantrum, angrily tossing pillows and toys to the ground, crying and yelling,
"Why is Josie in the competition, and why did she make it to the top ten?"
"I want Josie to withdraw from the competition! I want her to lose!"
"I want her to become a joke and never participate in any singing competition again!"
Saanvi slammed the table angrily as she comforted her.
"What is Paityn doing? When she saw Josie, she did not try to stop her from going on stage but even gave her a vote. Isn’t this going against us?"
Lorelai cried while shaking her arm.
"Grandma, quickly think of a way. We can’t let Josie make it to the finals!"
"I hate her! She doesn’t deserve to be on the same stage as me!"
"Don’t worry," Saanvi gently touched her face and said.
"Grandma didn’t know Josie was also participating in the finals. If I had known, I would have had the organizers remove her name long ago."
"Tomorrow, your father and I will personally go to Valemont City, treat the president of the television station to a meal, and make them find a reason to kick Josie out. This way, the finals will be your stage alone."
During this period, the Pittman family bought many press releases. They promoted and boasted that Lorelai was a once-in-a-decade musical genius. They also had articles published on foreign websites and media, which were then brought back to the country. The articles claimed that after watching Lorelai’s singing videos, foreigners were astonished and praised her as the pride of Osceiton and the pride of the East.