Rewind With A Superstar System-Chapter 116: Is That Von?!

<🎧 Song Recommendation: Defying Gravity by Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande>

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The room went completely silent as all eyes turned to the back of the hall. Von didn’t expect such a moment to occur, but experiencing it now, it didn’t affect him.

He pushed off the wall and began walking down the center aisle.

His footsteps were the only sound left in the now hushed hall. In a sea of tailored tuxedos and expensive evening gowns, Von’s outfit stood out remarkably.

A few of the wealthy parents sneered, whispering to each other about how a hooligan had managed to get inside a private gala.

Edward glared as Von walked past his row. The real estate tycoon’s face was flushed red with anger and embarrassment.

He had been the absolute king of the room all night, bullying everyone else out of the bidding. Now, some random kid in streetwear had just humiliated him in front of his daughter and the entire school faculty.

The blonde girl crossed her arms, glaring daggers at Von’s back.

Von ignored them completely. His eyes were fixed entirely on the stage, specifically on Naomi.

Before he could reach the wooden steps leading up to the platform, a nervous event staff member intercepted him. The man was holding a portable payment terminal and looking at Von with clear suspicion.

"Sir, excuse me," the staff member whispered loudly. "We normally process extraordinarily large bids immediately to... ensure validity before the final presentation."

The staff member was sweating. He clearly thought Von was just a prankster who didn’t actually have the money to back up a fifteen-thousand-dollar call. But something about Von’s aura still made him scared to interrupt the young man.

Von didn’t say a word. He just reached into his pocket, pulled out his black card, and tapped it against the machine’s screen.

The money was sent through upon his authorization.

The staff member’s eyes bugged out as he looked at the instant confirmation on the screen. He quickly stepped aside, bowing his head. "Th-Thank you, sir. Right this way!"

Von walked up the short wooden stairs and stepped onto the brightly lit stage. He stopped right next to Naomi and the easel holding The Celestial Burden.

Naomi was still trembling slightly. She looked at the approaching figure in confusion. Every part of her was screaming it was Von, but he already let her know he couldn’t make it.

Emily didn’t recognize the outfit, and the black surgical mask obscured half of his face but that did little to fool her.

’It has to be him!’

"Thank you for your incredible generosity, young man," the auctioneer said, holding out a microphone. "We usually ask our top patrons to introduce themselves to the crowd. May we have your name?"

Von didn’t take the microphone. Instead, he turned to face his sister. He reached up, hooked his fingers under the loops of his face mask, and pulled it down. Then, he pushed the hood of his sweatshirt back.

"Hey, Nana."

Naomi gasped. Her hands flew to her mouth as her eyes went wide. "Von? What... how are you here?"

Before she could say anything else, the heavy silence in the room finally broke.

"Holy shit!" a guy in the student section yelled, pointing at the stage. "That’s Von!"

"Wait, what? Von? Like... King Von?!"

"The one who sang Masquerade! It’s him!"

The hushed, polite atmosphere of the gala vanished instantly. The freshman section erupted into total chaos.

Students were jumping out of their seats and pulling out their phones to record.

The wealthy parents and cooporate donors couldn’t recognize who Von was, but the way the Freshmen was acting made them know he was certainly a celebrity.

Von’s level of fame was really abnormal. He only had two tracks officially released, but it was already impossible for him to walk onto a university campus without getting mobbed.

That was because the demographic sitting in the back of the hall didn’t just listen to his music; they idolized his story.

To these art students, Von wasn’t just a singer. He was the mysterious guy who had been blatantly robbed on national television during Project: Star.

Everyone knew he had unfairly lost. But instead of fading into obscurity, he had gone to war against the established system.

He took on Rayan West and the massive corporate machine of World Wide Records, dropped an absolute fire single completely independently, and dominated the charts. He was a symbol of raw talent beating a rigged game. That narrative naturally generated a massive, cult-like hype around his name.

The auctioneer even recognized him. He looked like he was about to faint for some reason. He had just auctioned a freshman’s painting to one of the biggest rising stars in the modern music industry.

"M-Mr. Von!" the auctioneer stuttered, quickly adjusting his tie and wiping his forehead. "It is an absolute honor to have you here! Please, the photographer is ready for the commemorative picture."

A staff member rushed forward with a high-end camera. Von stepped closer to Naomi, wrapping a protective arm around her shoulder. She leaned into him, still in shock, but a massive smile broke across her face.

Flash. Flash. Flash.

The picture was taken. It featured Von, looking effortlessly cool, and Naomi, beaming with pride, standing next to her masterpiece.

Down in the front row, Edward was frozen in his seat. The smug arrogance from earlier had completely gone, replaced by a pale, sickly expression.

He was a wealthy man, sure, but he understood the power of modern celebrity. Von wasn’t just some random rich kid; he was a cultural phenomenon.

Edward suddenly realized how pathetic he must have looked, trying to flex a petty five-thousand-dollar bid against a kid.

His blonde daughter looked devastated. Her grand plan to humiliate Naomi had backfired in the worst possible way. Not only did Naomi’s painting sell for three times the amount of hers, but it was bought by her favorite artist.

Tomorrow, no one at school would be talking about her Vase of Profound Emptiness. The only thing anyone would care about was that Von saw something in Naomi Vera’s painting.

The auctioneer officially concluded the event into the microphone, but nobody was leaving. The crowd of students began surging toward the stage, trying to get closer to the singer. Security guards had to run out from the sides to form a hasty barricade.

"We need to leave," Von got worried the moment he saw the students converging.

"What about the painting?" Naomi asked, looking back at the canvas.

"I’ve paid already, so I’ll have my team coordinate with the school to ship it to Miami."

He led her off the side of the stage, slipping through the heavy curtains and into the backstage hallway with the help of a staff. They jogged through the concrete corridors until they reached a quiet exit door that opened out into the cool Los Angeles night air.

Once they were safely outside and away from the noise, Naomi finally stopped. She turned to him and punched him hard in the shoulder.

"Ow!" Von laughed, rubbing his arm.

"You idiot!" she yelled, though she was smiling from ear to ear. "Fifteen thousand dollars?! Are you completely out of your mind?"

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Author’s Note: Small Update, guys! Naomi did not register as a student with the last name, "Varley", it’s been edited to her maiden name, "Vera". Thank you!