Chapter 175: One-Sided Love

The Nightingale Opera Troupe responded in an equally straightforward and blunt manner—they simply added an extra line to their flyers, printing it in bold, darkened text:

[We have the best Olivia!]

Beneath this line, they included a blurry silhouette photo of Janna standing under the stage lights. It was a simple counterattack, yet unexpectedly effective.

Even if everything the other opera troupes claimed was true, the moment the Nightingale Opera Troupe played the "Janna Roland" card, all criticism seemed to fall silent.

Many people believed that Song of the Ocean was merely capitalizing on Janna’s current explosive popularity to make a quick profit. But there were still plenty willing to buy in—after all, this was Janna’s first lead female role in every sense of the word.

Just this point alone was enough to win over the opera fans who were wildly devoted to Janna’s portrayal of [Natasha].

Of course, a "fan-targeted production" carried significant risks. If the production quality was lacking, the box office would only bloom briefly on opening day before fading away.

Once word-of-mouth began to spread, it could result in an irreversible loss of those potential viewers still on the fence.

At the same time, it would severely damage the reputation of "Janna Roland" as a leading performer.

Thanks to the VIP entry lane, Vivian only queued for a short while before following the crowd into the venue.

Upon entering the theater, she noticed that aside from path indicators on the floor, everything else was shrouded in darkness.

If not for the glowing stickers on the seat numbers, Vivian might have needed to rely on the witchcraft of [Mental Perception] just to find her seat.

"What’s all this secrecy for? It’s not like I haven’t seen this play before."

It wasn’t until Vivian took her seat that she realized why the line outside hadn’t been moving.

The dim lighting inside slowed down the pace of incoming audience members, causing everyone to wait outside for no apparent reason.

"Whatever. I’m here to see Janna anyway, so it doesn’t matter."

As one of the first audiences to see Song of the Ocean, Vivian didn’t hold high expectations for the Nightingale Opera Troupe’s advertised "new version of the plot."

It wasn’t that the plot wasn’t entertaining—but compared to [Olivia] in Song of the Ocean, who was wholly absorbed in love, Vivian preferred [Natasha] from Bloodshadow Rose, the steely rose who held firmly to ideals of protecting her homeland, refusing to be caged.

At the same time, Richard Eva, Soro Flare, Bell Moonshadow, Lo Silverfox, and Hugh Stone also entered the venue using VIP tickets gifted by David Berg.

Coincidentally, they ended up seated in the same row as Vivian, and their seats were very close to hers.

"Bell? You’re here too? Do you like opera that much?"

Seeing Bell Moonshadow walking toward her, Vivian couldn’t help but furrow her brow.

"Miss Vivian, long time no see."

As Bell Moonshadow remained silent, Richard Eva stepped in and greeted Vivian first.

"Long time no see, Senior Richard."

While replying courteously, Vivian quickly glanced at the people behind Richard Eva.

Besides Bell Moonshadow, she recognized Richard Eva and Soro Flare from a previous meal together.

As for the other two, she only vaguely remembered seeing them once during the Three-School Joint Examination in the Marsh Secret Realm—barely enough to call it an acquaintance.

"Senior Richard, what brings all of you to the opera today?"

"We came especially to support Janna."

Upon hearing this, Vivian’s expression stiffened. She then asked, feigning indifference:

"What a coincidence, I also came just to see Janna. Were your tickets from Janna too?"

"Of course not. Our tickets were given by the director of this play, David Berg—Janna usually doesn’t give us anything."

"Haha, I see."

After hearing Richard Eva’s explanation, the stiffness vanished from Vivian’s face. Her attitude toward them warmed noticeably.

"Janna really is stingy. When she gave me this ticket, I was totally shocked—"

Due to the high demand for New Year’s tickets, the Nightingale Opera Troupe didn’t allow actors to give out tickets freely—at most, they had priority purchasing rights.

Just like how David Berg’s VIP tickets for Richard Eva and the others were ones he bought out-of-pocket in advance.

"Miss Vivian, you arrived quite early."

As Vivian was chatting excitedly with Richard Eva, she turned at the familiar voice nearby.

"I just got here myself, Mr. Maro."

Since both Vivian and Maro Heigel had received their tickets from Janna, their seats were next to each other.

"And this is—Senior Richard? And Senior Soro?"

Because both were well-known among lower-year students, Maro Heigel recognized them as soon as he sat down.

"Hello, Maro."

Due to family background, Richard Eva and Soro Flare were also familiar with this "celebrity" from the Heigel family.

"Hello, Senior Richard—what a coincidence today—"

"They’re here for the same reason as us—to support Janna."

Hearing Vivian’s quiet explanation beside him, Maro Heigel nodded and thoughtfully glanced over at the string of "familiar faces."

"Looks like Miss Janna is a lot more well-liked than I imagined."

"Haha, then you really underestimated Janna. Besides us, there are tons more people here just to see her."

Hearing this from Richard Eva, the group all turned their heads. But due to the dim lighting, they couldn’t see much.

However, thanks to his night vision from the [Lava Dragon Lizard] bloodline, Soro Flare could see everything clearly.

Just as Richard Eva had said, among those lucky enough to snag tickets for the opening day of Song of the Ocean, nearly all—aside from genuine opera enthusiasts—were there solely for "Janna Roland."

Just like Richard Eva. Just like himself.

"Sigh—"

With a silent sigh, Soro Flare, who had barely spoken since entering the theater, was actually not feeling great.

He couldn’t quite pinpoint why—perhaps internal turmoil, or perhaps the quiet agony of unrequited love—

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