The Trending Topic Herself: The Villainess is the Superstar!-Chapter 159: Photo Scoring

Maya returned to her original spot, and received many concerned looks.

Brian comforted her, "It’s normal to fail the first attempt. Remember the lesson from this time, and you’ll succeed next time."

"Hmm."

Brian looked away, though he felt Maya’s fall seemed a bit deliberate...

Deliberate?

Brian quickly dismissed the thought. That’s impossible! Which contestant wouldn’t want to win? Who would intentionally fall down?!

Miles, unsurprisingly, crossed the balance beam and completed the photo in record time, the fastest among all contestants.

When Miles came over, Maya tilted her head and asked him, "Are all dancers’ balancing skills this good?"

Miles didn’t expect her to suddenly talk to him, "I don’t know... why do you think that?"

He awkwardly shifted to another topic.

Maya smiled, "No other reason."

Standing nearby, James turned his head sharply, feeling he was insulted, deeply insulted!

"That was the last group for this game. So far, the first round has ended. Don’t be discouraged, everyone. With the experience accumulated, you all will surely perform excellently in the next round!"

"OK, our second round of the game officially begins!"

What followed was another long and tedious game.

Maya found a place to sit. The other contestants stood, only she sat.

After a while, it was Maya’s turn to participate in the second round of the game.

She lazily stood up and draped her jacket over the chair.

Perhaps due to change in luck, in the second round, all contestants crossed the balance beam and took their photos within the allotted time.

Though some were delayed too long crossing the beam and could only rush up the platform for a quick photo, resulting in less satisfactory shots.

But in some sense, all contestants completed the challenge.

Maya once again stood in front of the balance beam.

Since all the contestants passed the game, this time she couldn’t fall again. After all, she didn’t want to be last, or face the penalty for being last. Better to come second to last.

Miles wished her luck again.

Maya glanced at him, "Good luck."

Then shifted her gaze back to the balance beam.

Bella encouraged her before she started, "Hold your breath and don’t panic, you can definitely pass."

Maya nodded.

Brian raised the microphone, "Ready—go!"

Maya stepped onto the balance beam, her eyes on the time displayed on the big screen.

The final score depended on the photo, so how could she secure the second-to-last place? Though specifics seemed unreliable, if she paid a bit more attention while posing for photos, securing a lower place shouldn’t be hard.

With her decision made, Maya lifted her foot over an obstacle.

Her steps were leisurely, showing no urgency. It seemed more like she was strolling in a garden than crossing a balance beam.

She moved forward unhurried, stepping over or around obstacles, exuding a lazy vibe.

Her expression throughout was unflustered or panicked. Her feet seemed as stable as if weighed down by stones, and her body didn’t sway.

A minute and a half passed, and Miles had already started photographing on the platform, while Maya was stuck in the middle of the beam.

"Maya, go for it!"

"Hurry up, time is running out!"

"Yes, stay steady, just a bit faster would be perfect!"

...

Contestants kept shouting at Maya; this was the last group, and both teams had invested a lot of effort.

Maya heard them, but her pace didn’t change, remaining at the same leisurely speed, unhurried as ever.

Since she was facing away, no one could see her expression.

Alisa watched Maya’s slow progress. She felt something was off but couldn’t pinpoint what.

Alisa was quite pleased with her photo. After crossing the beam, she had time to find a good angle and pose. With her beauty, her photo was bound to score high, making her the round’s champion easily.

Thinking so, Alisa exhaled a breath.

No matter what, she couldn’t lose in the beauty category.

Brian suddenly signaled everyone to quiet down, "Everyone, don’t rush Maya. Seeing her steady pace, she likely has her own method. If she loses her rhythm, it might affect her performance. Let her proceed as she wants!"

Only Leo squinted slightly. If you looked closely, you’d notice Maya’s beam-crossing speed matched her usual walking speed perfectly.

Maya continued her habit of timing perfectly, passing the beam with just five seconds left before the alarm sounded. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Her steps didn’t falter, her expression neither one of relief nor panic at the time constraint.

Her face remained calm, exuding a hint of leisure.

With two seconds left, Maya stepped onto the platform.

Unlike other contestants who fussed over angles, she simply showed her face to the camera, neither concerned about angles nor hiding her face.

Her shot was completely straightforward, without a posed smile, only her brows slightly lifted, showing some indifference.

Meanwhile, the big screen displayed the time: 0.00

It was over.

Maya strolled back over, her face wearing the usual nonchalant expression, as if she’d just taken a casual stroll.

Leo smiled at her, looking somewhat proud, "You did great, Maya."

Bella also patted her shoulder, "In those last five seconds, you don’t know how anxious I was. With just that little time, I was really scared you wouldn’t finish. But thankfully..."

She breathed a sigh of relief, "Thankfully, the result was good, and you completed the photo task."

Maya gave her a glance and responded.

"The second round has ended, and the contestants’ performances truly captured attention. Surely, the result will not disappoint."

Brian raised the script and smiled to the audience, "So, what will the final photo results be? Which contestant scores the highest, and which team wins this round? I’m sure everyone is looking forward to it as much as I am! Now, let’s welcome our panel of judges—please, a big round of applause for them!"

Then loud applause rang out, and Maya clapped along with them.