《Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 ¡°How dare you run away? You rotten bastard Cant nin anymore, can you? I¡¯d to see how you¡¯re gonna bolt now N?velDrama.Org content. An infunating voice echoed in her ears. No, no, no! Was she still unable to escape¡± She¡¯d tried to kill herself already, why was she still not freel An immense pain pierced her heart, and then, she snapped her eyes open! Her eyes were bloodshot, staring straight at the man in front of her No time to think, Eileen Lopez grabbed a heavy ashtray by her side and smashed it towards the man¡¯s head! ¡°You bitch! How dare you resist me? Your fiance has almady sold you to me, you can¡¯t nun away tonight! Fiance Hubery Cooper? Wait no, hadn¡¯t she tried to preserve her innocence by ending her life in that live streaming factory filled with machines, props, and cameras? This is a hotel room? Eileen was shocked again. This man was not a ck market worker, he was director Han? Her memory quickly returned. This was a scene from five years ago. Back then, she had just entered the entertainment industry and offended an influential producer because she refused to ept sleeping with him. He spread many rumors about her and she was under heavy online attack. Feeling down, Hubery called tofort her and invited her to meet him at his TV drama shooting site. But that night, the director of the TV drama barged into her hotel room and attempted to sexually assault her. She resisted, began to feel unwell, and just when she thought she was done for, the hotel¡¯s fire rm suddenly rang. Han thought there was a fire and hurriedly fled She was framed and offended Han, which made her life in the entertainment industry unbearable. The online attacks on her increased, and once she was nearly sshed with sulfunc acid by a crazy fan when she went out But that was all in the past Why was Han now night in front of her? She didn¡¯t have time to think. She seized the ashtray and with all her strength, repeatedly smashed it towards Han¡¯s head! Forced to retreat, Han was still curcing ¡°How are you still so strong, didn¡¯t Hubery drug you? Do you know who I am?!¡± Eileen spotted a fruit knife on the coffee table. She quickly went over, picked it up, and thrust it hard into Han¡¯s shoulder ¡°You bea Sharp screams echoed in the room. Eileen felt her body weakening, she could barely muster any strength. She bit her tongue hard, her eyes determined. She tried to awaken her consciousness with pain After being pierced, Han also showed a fierce look his face distorted! Eileen clenched her teeth, the fruit knife in her hand pierced Han again! She shifted her position, the knife plunged straight into Han¡¯s thigh! ¡°Arghhhhh!¡± The spot where he was stabbed was very close to his private area. Han¡¯s face instantly turned pale He let go of Eileen, retreating several steps, finally copsing to the ground in agony ¡°No don¡¯t don¡¯te over Hans face was filled with fear. Blood was flowing from the wound on his thigh.. Eileen clutched the blood-stained knife, her body had surpassed its limits and she swayed and fell to the ground. Han looked at her state, knowing that the drug was starting to take effect, but he was covered in blood and couldn¡¯t do anything else. He left with a ¡°Just you wait, then clutched his wound and hastily fled The room door was opened, and outside was the bright red carpet of the corridor Eileen¡¯s vision was blurry, but she knew she couldn¡¯t faint here. if Han came back, she would have no chance of survival She gathered her strength and staggered outside. As she reached the door, she saw a maning out of the room next door She couldn¡¯t see who it was, only a dark blurry figure. Holding the bloody fruit knife, she suddenly copsed in front of him. The man seemed to be taken aback and instinctively caught her. Eileen grabbed the man¡¯s cor, leaned in close, then shook her head, trying hard to see his face¡­ it wasn¡¯t Hubery That was Eileen¡¯sst conscious thought As long as.. It wasn¡¯t Hubery She leaned her head against the man¡¯s sturdy chest with relief, whispering. Please help me¡­ call an ambnce¡­¡± With that, she passed outpletely ¡°Egbert, wait for me! That reality show just now was pretty interesting. You¡¯re free anyway, juste with me for fun¡­ oh my God! When Egbert Reed¡¯s agent Gilbert Tumer rushed out of the room, he saw his star actor standing in the corndor, holding a girl with closed eyes and an open cor Chapter 2 Chapter 2 ¡°What the hell happened? I just left for 5 minutes what¡¯s going on? Where did this girle from? She¡¯s got a knife in her hand, and theres blood on the knife, are you hurt? Gilbert let out a scream, scared out of his wits ¡°It¡¯s not mine¡± The man in the ck coat, looking aloof, frowned, nced at the girl in his arms, then turned his head to look at the next room, the door still wide open ¡°She came from there¡± Gilbert bolted for the next room to check, only to find it entirely empty, aplete mess, with bloodstains on the floor He took another look at the girl¡¯s face. Suddenly, Gilbert remembered her, saying, ¡°Fileen The man looked at him, ¡°What?¡± Gilbert waved his hand dismissively. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know this girl, shes a newbie in the entertainment industry, seems to have pissed off some people, she¡¯s been having a tough time these past few months, getting a lot of k online¡± As someone in the industry, Gilbert could tell that Eileen had been set up. Egbert spoke slowly. Should we call an ambnce?¡± ¡°No way! That would attract a crowd!¡± Gilbert said as he pulled out his phone, I¡¯m guessing she was drugged, someone tried to assault her Can¡¯t believe this sort of thing is happening near Cinema City people in the industry are getting more and more out of line. Let¡¯s get her into my room first, I¡¯ll go find a doctor Also, I need to get the surveince footage from the hotel manager, the part where you¡¯re carrying her, that needs to be deleted hey, what are you doing?¡± Gilbert locked up to see Egbert already carrying the girl into his own room. In response to his manager¡¯s questioning, Egbert simply said, ¡°Your room is downstairs, too far ¡°But you can¡¯t just put her in your room! Gilbert was fuming, ¡°Do you know who you are, and who she is? ¡°You¡¯re suggesting we leave her at the door?¡± Gilbert was left speechless In the end, all he could say was, ¡°Just lock the door then, I¡¯ll go check things out nearby. So much happening every day. I¡¯ve got schedules to keep¡± Hisining voice faded away as the door closed Egbertid the girl on the couch, trying to take the knife from her hand but he finally failed. ¡°Hmm?¡± Her resistance took him by surprise She had already passed out, yet she was still gripping the weapon so tightly? Egbert looked at the girl who, even in unconsciousness, kept a tight frown on her face. The blood on the knife, still so bright red under the light. He stood up, deciding not to try and take the knife again When Eileen woke up again, she smelled disinfectant She realized she was in a hospital, which brought her somefort But as she started to remember, she fell into deep thought. She remembered, she was dead. She had ended her own life Her mother, Sarah, sold her to an online streaming tform for three million dors tforms like these purchase female artists who have interesting stones and then livestream their sexual lives online. Viewers can tip the performers in the live rooms, and vanous props are used to add drama, In just one night, these tforms can make a considerable profit. It was even on her birthday. Her fianc¨¦ Hubery called her toe home, telling her the whole family was ready to celebrate her birthday. It was the first time her family had alle together to celebrate her birthday, she thought they were finally ready to ept her. She thought she could finally belong But when she drank a ss of waterced with a tasteless, colorless drug, she woke up in a cage, unable to resist. She was covered in wounds, resisting every day. She tried to resist the drugs being frequently injected into her body, until she could barely move.. The live streaming factory staff, fearing she might die and they would lose their cash cow, let her see the sales records of the live stream. So, Eileen saw a video.. In the video, her sister Hedy was tearfully saying, ¡°Mom, you can¡¯t sell Elleen, she¡¯s my sister! Hubery, Eileen is your fianc¨¦e¡­ how could you do this to her?¡± Hedy could barely hide the malice in her eyes, but she pretended to remain sorrow ¡°Mom, il dad¡¯spany really can¡¯t make it, and you need a daughter to make this money, I¡¯m willing to go, I¡¯m willing to exchange myself for Elleer, I¡¯m willing to sacrifice.¡± ¡°Shut up! You¡¯re just like your sister! This was Sarah¡¯s angry rebuke, ¡°All men care about is looks, your sister¡¯s looks aren¡¯t good enough, so it¡¯s only natural she got picked by a buyer, but you¡¯re different Hubery, take Hedy upstairs¡± But Hubery didn¡¯t move Yes, Hubery wouldn¡¯t do this to her, Hubery loved her Sarah coldly asked Hubery, ¡°What, you¡¯re going to plead for Eileen too?¡± Hubery coldly said, ¡°I was just thinking, three million dors, it¡¯s probably not enough Hearing these words, Eileen felt a pain in her heart so intense she couldn¡¯t breathel Three million dors, is that the price for selling Eileen? Hedy sobbed. Is she only worth three million dors? But she¡¯s so pretty, even though I don¡¯t want her to be sold, I think Eileen¡¯s looks should be worth at least ten million dors Eileen¡¯s head was still filled with the noise, her temples burning like fire Eileen could even still recall, being dragged into that room filled with props, feeling utterly hopeless. She was injected with drugs again. Her body was already incr So, in the end with thest her strength, she grabbed a gun from the waistband of one of the thugs in the factory ¡°Hang The gunshot rang out and she ended her own life When she ended hurt so much She remembered that pain. She told herself. ¡°Eileen in your next life, you must not live such a tragic life!¡± Hut when the opened her eyes again She took a deep breath Eileen s mind was still a mess In other words she bounced he came back to the scene five years ago where Han nearly forced himself on her She stabbed Han, bolted nged into a good man. This kind soul called an ambnce just before she cked out When the lo-over¡± popped into her head. Eileen¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of her skull!Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Did this that only nis in movies, senously happen to her? Did she die and f Did she zap back to five Hack to before she was dragged in the abyss by She suddenly felt a fire in her This was her second chance from the God¡¯ Sarahi Hedy! Hubery! She wanted to seek revenge on all those who harmed her, insulted her and oppressed her in her past Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Her joy after rebirth quickly faded Then, a thought hit Eileen. Han said Hubery sold her to him? In her previous life. Han never admitted to this. In this life, it was probably because she stabbed Han with a fruit knife that he spilled the beans out of anger After leaving the hospital, Eileen went to a hotel Just as the elevator doors opened, she sped up her pace. ¡°Hold on¡± The man in the elevator pressed the open button Eileen rushed over, subconsciously saying. ¡°Thank She hadn¡¯t finished speaking when she saw a cold man in a ck coat. She was taken aback Egbert, the first man in the world to receive nine gold award nominations, was a legend in the entertainment industry, dubbed by foreign media as a miracle of performing arts Eileen disguised her surprise and stood to the side of the elevator In her previous life, Eileen only saw Egbert on TV. She didn¡¯t expect to meet him in person so soon after her rebirth. As the elevator slowly ascended, Eileen looked straight ahead. Suddenly, she saw the man next to her looking at her through the metallic elevator doors. Eileen immed ately looked back at him. Their eyes met. The man slightly raised his eyebrows, while the girl¡¯s eyes were full of caution What are you looking at Eileen said coldly The man was surprised for a moment before casually shifting his gaze away What a shameless man! The elevator doors opened, and Eileen practically bolted out, running all the way to her room. She opened the door with her code, and just as she was about to enter she saw Egbert walking towards her She immediately closed the door Egbert stunned in the corridor. The room was still a mess. As Eileen passed a full-length mirror she turned her head and saw her refection. Her sexy skin, beautiful hair and eyes cherry red lips, and tall figure. She knew from a young age that her appearance attracted some greedy people This was indeed the case. In her previous life, this was true for her live-stream audience, and for Han This might happen again in the future Thinking about how Egbert suddenly looked at her¡­ Eileen¡¯s face was cold, Men, they¡¯re all no good!¡± After her rebirth, she became stronger and no longer believed in any man! Except for the kind guy who helped her call an ambnce and paid her medical bills Who knows if she¡¯ll meet him again! Eileen quickly packed up and returned to the Capital. The CapitalEchoWave Building. Her manager, Ophelia, looked at Eileen on the couch ying with her phone, then at her suitcase, You¡¯re just in time, I have a vy show for you to participate in Sign here¡± Eileen looked up, I need to see what kind of vy show it is. If it¡¯s a low quality show, I won¡¯t sign.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to sign? Hearing this, Ophelia sneered, ¡°Do you think you have the night to refuse? Do you know how much PR costs are needed to deal with your previous negative news? If you weren¡¯t a bit popr, you wouldn¡¯t even have a job, let alone any choice¡± Eileen was still firm, ¡°I won¡¯t take on poor quality work¡± Opheka, somewhat annoyed, threw a contract at her, ¡°This is an online vanely show I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll think its good, but you have to take it¡± ¡°Twon¡¯t take it¡± Eileen nced at the project name on the contract and immediately rejected it Ophelia pped the table. When I¡¯m talking to you seriously, you¡¯d better listen, Eileen if you want to fight me, things will only get worse for your Eileen looked up and said, ¡®Even if I agreed to participate in this variety show it wouldn¡¯t matter It¡¯s likely to be canceled.¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. ¡°How would you know?¡± Opheba scoffed Eileen knew because she knew what would happen in the future Eileen pointed to two guest names on the contract, ¡°These two am having an affair¡± Ophelia paused and looked at the contract. The male was a moognized ¡°good husband¡± middle-aged artist, while the female was a newly debuted actress ¡°Where did you get this information? Ophelia was skeptical have my sources. The man¡¯s wife is hiring a detective to gather evidence if this news breaks during the airing of the v show it won¡¯t be a exined in history, this was what happened Because these two peoples affair was publicly exposed on Twitter, the recorded variety show was directly banned Ophelia still doubled this and made a call to confum. After a while, she hung up the phone, her gaze towards Eileen changing. After a while, Opheba said, ¡°Alight, there¡¯s another new variety show, you can try it. I¡¯ll give you the contractter¡± By evening Eileen returne the single apartment arranged by thepany with some daily necessities She only had eight dors left in her bank ount Luckdy, Ophelia¡¯s assistant som came to food her. He brought a new variety show contract Eileen was a bit surprised when she saw the quest name on the contract. Hubery? The assistant in a mich, urged ¡°You just need to sign at the end of the contract¡± He then added This is a favel variety show with five quints time of them is the main person in charge, responsible for taking care of the living needs of the five Quests. Any issues the quests have, they will go to him. This position was originally arranged for Colin, he¡¯s strong, and could use this opportunity to increase his poprity as he¡¯s only debated for a year Hut he didnt want to go after seeing Hubery¡¯s name¡± He didn¡¯t want to go after seeing Huliery¡¯s naine?¡± Eileen locked up The assistant nodded, ¡°Hubery and Colin started theirers at the same time, but Hubery¡¯s got the connections. He¡¯s now nailing the role as the second lead in Hart¡¯s TV series, while Colin is still a small fry in the industry. He didn¡¯t want to y servant to Hubery, so now he¡¯s hiding. We can¡¯t find him¡± I get it Eilen quickly cobbled her signature on the contract, People generally don¡¯t dig Hubery¡± The assistant looked at her quizzically, I thought you were a fan of Habery? Isn¡¯t he on your wallpaper?¡± Eileen casually held up her phone. ¡°You mean this?¡± The assistant bent down to take a look. On the screen, Hubery¡¯s face was doodled with a giant nose, freckles all over, and a bloodcurdling grin. The assistant, ¡°Oh tums out you¡¯re a hater¡± Eileen gave a faint smile and handed the signed contract to the assistant, Rest assured, I¡¯ll do my best to take care of our five quests, especially Hubery¡± The assistant took the contract somewhat puzzled and prepared to leave. Before leaving, he suddenly remembered. The show is live recording, can you handle it?¡± 1 can totally handle it Live reconting? Eileen smirked, this is going to be funt Chapter 4 Chapter 4 The next day at the hotel where the Seahaven crew was stayind Penniless Eileen night after the staff left immediately grabbed her room card and went downstairs to enjoy the free food and drinks During work the registration of the room card and the cost et food and all covered by the crew! She happily stepped into the elevator which stopped at a middle floor and two people came in Eileen was looking down at her phone and didn¡¯t notion them. Sudden she felt a sudden gaze cast on he She looked up abruptivy and was immediately taken aback Egbert? rim again! Egbert just gave her a nce. There was also a gus standing next to him, probably his assistant. Elleen quiety The elevator stopped at the res ant floor. When Eileen sat down to order she noticed Egbert had also come to the restaurant, but he went into a pinvate room As she was about to head back to her room after eating she suddenly heard someone shouting outside the elevator ¡°Wait, hold on?¡± Eileen instinctiveh pressed the elevator door button, and then saw Egberts assistant, who was helping a very pale Egbert,e in Thanks The assistant said to Eileen then quickly looked at his boss Mi Reed, are you okay? The man closed his eves and shook his head one hand on his towhead The assistant was almost in tears its all my fault didnt check carefully, I aiant notice the hospital? Gilbert said you¡¯re allergic to alcohol it¡¯s fine The man said in a deep voice, interrupting the assistant, but his voice was a bit boarse had such a high alcohol content. Mr. Reed, should we go to Ellen who was standing behind was a bit surprised. So it was because Egbert was allergic to alcohol Judging from his varon. D been seve Suddenly a loud noise camel The elevator suddenly went dar and began ¡°AN M: Reed The assistant shouted Eileen who was standing in theer was ! olently Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. trying to figure out what was happening, when suddenly a shadow rushed at her She didn¡¯t have time to react, so she could only support that person¡¯s body She smelled a int smell of alcohol and realized d was Egbert She was about to push him away, but the elevator shock again and Eileen had no choice but to hold on to him. After a while the elevator stopped shaking, and the lights came back on, but the elevator door didn¡¯t open, it was still in mid-ar ¡°Give me a hand here¡±¡± Eileen struggled to say The assistant quickly came over to help his boss, but found that his boss had closed his eyes and was unconso Mr Reed The assistant shouted Eileen, who was initially a bit impatient, looked at Egbert and her face suddenly changed. Lay him down ¡° The assistant was taken aback What? Lay him down on the floor Eileen raised her voice The assistant hesitated for a moment but quicklyid the man down. Eileen knelt next to the unconscious man and began to unbutton his jacket The assistant was stunned, ¡°Wh what what are you doing?¡± ¡°Shut up and help¡± naction must have Eilen quickly took off the man¡¯s jacket and shirt, revealing his smooth and well-defined muscr body. Without hesitation, she crossed her hands and her arms, beginning to perform CPR on his chest After a few attempts at CPR, she bent down and put her ear to the man¡¯s chest to listen. After a moment the lifted his head and opened his lips. The assistant watched in horror. ¡°You you you¡¯re not going to.¡± The next second, the woman lowered her head and her pink lips aimed at the man¡¯s slightly warm thin lips The lips touched After a full three minutes of artificial respiration and CPR finally, the man on the ground coughed once and a look of pain crossed his face. Seeing him about to wake up. Eileen quickly moved away from him, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and stemly pointed at the assistant waming him, ¡°Don¡¯t let a word of this get out, or you know the consequences?¡± The assistant was too scared to say anything Egbert had woken up, but the elevator was still not working Eileen, as if nothing had happened walked past the man on the floor went over to the door and checked 1 The elevator buns were all off, even the emergency bell couldn¡¯t be activated The man coughed again ¡°Mr. Reed, are you okay? You scared me to death! The assistant helped Egbert sit up, patting his back while saying, ¡°If anything happened to you, I wouldn¡¯t be able to live! The man didn¡¯t answer, just rubbed his forehead. His lips were still warm from their kiss. He looked up at the girl by the door. Eileen turned around, crossed her arms, and said haughtily, ¡°The elevator ispletely broken now, and we can¡¯t even contact the security room¡± The assistant panicked, ¡°What do we do? He quickly took out his phone, but found there was no signal. We need to get Mr. Reed to the hospital ASAP! Eileen nced at Egbert, who was still looking at her. She subconsciously wiped her mouth and said a bit awkwardly. He should be fine now, he¡¯s no longer in danger, it¡¯s okay if we cant get him to the hospital right away¡± Since the assistant didn¡¯t know Eileen, he cautiously asked ¡°Are you a doctor? ¡°Yes¡± Eileen admitted without hesitation The assistant immediately thanked her, ¡°Could you please check Mr. Reed again? I¡¯m sorry in trouble you¡± Eileen sighed impatiently, but knelt down and suddenly grabbed Egbert¡¯s right hand. Seeing her taking his pulse, the assistant was startled, ¡°You you know Eastern medical treatment?¡± ¡°What is there a problem with that? Eileen red at him, warning him again, If you say another word you¡¯re on your own.¡± The assistant quickly covered his mouth ¡°Don¡¯t scare him¡± The weak man leaned against the elevator wall, lowered his head, and said tiredly Eileen snorted disdainfully, then rudely let go of his hand, stood up and said, ¡°He¡¯s fine¡± The assistant was a bit scared of Eileen and didn¡¯t dare to ask any more questions The elevator fell silent. After a few minutes, the light on the elevator button finally turned on, and voices from the security room came from outside. ¡°Is anyone in there? Five minutester, the elevator door finally opened. Eileen was the first to walk out, turned and entered the next elevator, and went up to her own floor The next morning, at half past five the rm clock began to ring Eileen rolled out of bed did a quick wash up then checked her luggage. Apart from a 4-dor baby lotion she got from the supermarket, there were no other cosmetics in her luggage. After leaving the Lopez family, all she had to her name was this suitcase and the ? dors left in her bank ount. After applying the lotion, the changed clothes and sat quietly in her room. At six oclock the door to the room was gently turned Eileen paused slightly, looking at the door Momentster, the cameraman outside the door holding the camera, met the eyes of Eileen who was already fully prepared inside The atmosphere was a bit tense You you¡¯re already up¡± The crew, who had hoped to capture a morning shot of the actress without makeup, now felt a bit awkward Eileen blinked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it starts at six?¡± The crew didn¡¯t know what to say. Although they did say that, they didn¡¯t expect anyone to actually wake up at six in the morning Since you¡¯re already up, let¡¯s start with you in order, well draw lots to decide the order, then wake up the other guests in turn. The car leaves at seven, and anyone who doesn¡¯t make it will have to find their own way to the first stop Eileen responded nonchntly, then stepped forward to draw lots. The first lot was drawn by a female star named Phyllis Sankner Seeing the room number on the back of the lot, Eileen headed straight for the elevator In the elevator, Eileen asked the cameraman, ¡°Has the live broadcast started?¡± ¡°Yes, it has.¡± Eileen nced at the camera, not saying much The elevator quickly arved at the designated floor When they reached the door of Phyllis¡¯ room, the cameraman aimed the camera at Eileen, hoping to capture her cautious expression. But Eileen was expressionless, directly cing the room card on the sensor. The door opened, she went in, tumed on the light, and said to the person on the bed. ¡°Wake up!¡± Her voice was very stem, and her tone was arrogant The cameraman was so started that the camera in his hand shook. He first looked at Eileen in surprise, and then slowly aimed the camera at the woman in the bed ¡°Ah, how did you guys get in!¡± Phyllis, realizing something was wrong, screamed, shrinking into the nket, covering her face with her hands, ¡°Stop shooting¡± Eileen, arms crossed impatiently. ¡°We¡¯re leaving at seven. If you can¡¯t get up, find your own way. I¡¯ve already told you this, I¡¯m leaving With that, she left the room with the crew Next was to draw the second lot. It was Hubery¡¯s turn. Well, what a coincidence! Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Eileen took a quick nce at the room number, confirming she was on the right foor She turned around and suddenly decided to go back to Phyllis mom ¡°Ah Phyllis, who was onginally getting ready to get out of bed, suddenly dove back under the covers, hugging her head as if being scared, wrapping herself like a cocooned butterfly, refusing to let anyone see her hair. Eileen walked into the bathroom, filling up a basin with water. The cameraman asked with a hint of surprise, ¡°What are you up to?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Eileen walked outside with the basin and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not an impulsive person, and we¡¯re still live on air. I wouldn¡¯t dare to ssh water randomly, would ? The cameraman rxed a bit, figuring she was just trying to spook the guest. However, two minutester, Eileen stormed into Hubery¡¯s room. The room was still dark, and she just hurled a basin of water onto the cozy, warm bed. Everyone on the crew was dumbfounded ¡°Who Hubery was startled awake. Only then did Eileenzily flip on the light. Seeing the sudden appearance of Eileen, Hubery was shocked. Ever since the incident with Han, no matter how he tried, he couldn¡¯t get in touch with Eilean. Hed called the Lopez family, but they also said Eileen hadn¡¯t been back. ¡°You¡­¡± Hubery wanted to say something but noticing the crew filming, he suddenly understood, bing even more shocked Had the organizers of this variety show also invited Eileen? ¡°Time to get up, Eileen said, holding the basin in one hand and leaning on the bed with the other, grinning at him, Meet up downstairs at half past seven. If you¡¯rete you¡¯ll miss the bus.¡± Having said that, she left with the crew The dour closed again, and Hubery stared at his soaked bed and himself, frowning The next person to be drawn was the third, and the cameraman finally realized something, asking. ¡°Did you get it wrong just now? Did you say meet downstairs at hall past seven?* ¡°I just said seven o¡¯clock,¡± Eileen said, holding the third draw, expressionless as she headed to the next room. ¡°Can¡¯t you remember the meeting time?¡± ¡°I think I also heard you say half past seven?¡± another crew member murmured. ¡®Did I mishear?¡± Eileen let out a chuckle, retorting. ¡°You guys got up too early still drowsy, huh? Maybe you should go wash your face and wake up a bit?¡± The crew didn¡¯t speak again Eileen sounded so confident. They must have misheard, since they did get up very early today. Next, the other two quests were also woken up, leaving only one person Eileen looked at the name on the draw and found it was a famous veteran actor¡¯s name. After swiping the card to enter the room, the person inside was indeed still asleep. Eileen turned on the light, saying, ¡°Kaleb, time to get up, the filming is about to start¡± The person under the quilt moved, then stretched out an arm. He rolled over covering his eyes with the back of his hand. Once he removed his hand, he looked displeased at the door Eileen froze for a moment. She nced at the sign in her hand; this was indeed Kalebs room But why was Egbert on this bed? Simultaneously, in the official live broadcast room with only a few people, sporadients appeared on the screen. [Egbert? Am I seeing things?] [Wow, Egbert, he¡¯s actually on this show¡¯ There was no news about him before, and the official didn¡¯t promote him. If I knew Egbert was here, I would¡¯ve invited hundreds of friends from my WhatsApp group chat to watch!) Did you guys get a screenshot of Egbert¡¯s exclusive morning photo?!] I don¡¯t get it, why is Eileen here? Wasn¡¯t she shunned by everyone?] In the hotel room. A stem-faced man threw off the covers and got out of bed. Dressed in dark pajamas, with icy eyes, he looked at the people around, ¡°Don¡¯t you know how to knock?¡± Eileen noticed his lips were pale and he looked unwell, possibly still having symptoms fromst night¡¯s drinking? She quickly reined in her thoughts, saying senously, ¡°Be downstairs by seven. Laters will have to get themselves to the first filming location.¡± The man¡¯s frown deepened Just seeing Egbert satisfies me! Darling, look at mell [Why is Eileen on this show? I really want to leave the live stream with her hore but I want to see Egbert too. I feel so to.. In the hotel room, Eileen said stemly. ¡°I have delivered the message, you have half an hout gel moving¡± All five guests had been woken up. The crew instructed Eileen to grab her luggage and wait downstairs to see who came down first Eileen went downstairs, and as expected, Phyllis was the first one down, already with her makeup on. Phyllis nced at Eileen, having heard about her negative news. She didn¡¯t expect the crew to dare invite her But for a show aiming for high ratings, it always needs a viin or two. The crow might have invited her specifically to y the viin. After all, being criticized is also a way to boost show poprity Thinking this, Phyllis went to find a ce to sit ¡°What are you doing? Eileen, sitting on the sofa, asked when she saw Phyllis about to sit across from her. Eileen had been on variety shows before, knowing that trying to present a gracious, smart image to please the audience when you¡¯re already hated by the public is both demeaning and futile if people are determined to attack someone, no matter how hard they try to maintain their image, it¡¯s all in vain. Phyllis hesitated, not yet seated, asking nkly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± So, when the second guest came down, they saw Phyllis standing weirdly. The second down was a second tier artist named Bblythe She walked over to Phyllis, confused, and whispered, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Immediately, Phyllis muttered. ¡®Bblythe, L.¡± Eileen was on the sofa, engrossed in her phone, when she suddenly coughed without locking up Phyllis jumped in surprise. She didn¡¯t dare to chat further and whispered. ¡°There seem to be some issues with the contract, and there are also problems with the production team. The Travel Concierge has a very tough attitude. Let¡¯s not talk about it anymore. Come over and put down your luggage. We need to maintain a military posture. If your standing posture is not good, you might need to squat ¡°Wait, what? Isn¡¯t this supposed to be a travel show?¡± Bblythe asked, puzzled. Just then, Eileen on the sofa lifted her head, a cold nce sweeping over them. Blythe quickly shut up Phyllis, ¡®Oh no, she¡¯s looking at us! Bblythe, stand straight, quick!¡± So, when the third quest came, he saw the first two female quests standing at attention in their high heels? The third guest was a man, a middleaged actor named Josiah Morgan. Josiah was a seasoned pro in the industry having been in it for over 20 years. With a smile, he walked over and asked, ¡°What are you guys up to? Looks like fun¡± Three minutester, after a brief exnation, Josiah stood next to Bblythe Having often yed roles in war dramas, he nailed the military stancol The fourth guest was Egbert. Seeing Egbert on the quest list was a shocker for the first three quests, and they were about to say something. But then, the ¡°boss¡± up ahead stood up, checked her phone and said, ¡°It¡¯s seven sharp, everyone¡¯s here, let¡¯s hit the road¡± Egbert looked a bit under the weather, his ck coat cor up, partially hiding his jawline, and his eyes were a bit red, clearly he hadn¡¯t had a good night¡¯s sleep. He stood outside the sofa, staring at Eileen. Eileen didn¡¯t meet his gaze, but simply waved her hand, signaling the crew to lead the guests to the vehicle Phyllis then said, ¡°Arent there five of us? We¡¯re still missing one quest, night?¡± Eileen, holding her suitcase, stopped in front of Phyllis, ¡°I said we leave at seven, so that¡¯s when we leave. Who¡¯s not here? Or would you mther stay here and wait for him?¡± Phyllis quickly shook her head. ¡°So, shall we go? Or do I need to carry your suitcase for you?¡± Phyllis immediately picked up her suitcase and headed out. Bblythe and Josiah quickly followed. They had not expected the show¡¯s arrangement to be so ingenious. They thought they would have a caring Travel Concierge to look after them, but ended up with a Travel Concierge as strict as a female coach They thought it would be a rxing travel show, but it turned out to be They didn¡¯t know that the production team was also in an emergency meeting. ¡°What¡¯s up with Elleen?¡± ¡°Does she misunderstand the term Travel Concierge?¡± ¡°Did anyone tell her what a Travel Concierge¡¯s job is?¡± ¡°Do we need to pause the live broadcast to talk to her?¡± ¡°Find a chance to tell her subtly, but don¡¯t stop the live broadcast¡± ¡°And what about Hubery? He hasnie down yet.¡± ¡°I said we gather at seven. We¡¯ll send someone to fetch himter and have him go to the airport by himself. I don¡¯t know why he broke the rules. Are you sure you told him to meet at seven?* ¡°Yes, Eleen personally informed him¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s his problem. This guy isn¡¯t high-profile, but boy does he have a temper Even Egbert wasn¡¯t late, who does he think he is?¡± So, when Hubery showed up at 7:15, the hall was dead quiet, not a soul in sight. He asked his cameraman and crew, ¡°Haven¡¯t they amved yet?¡± One of the crew members answered emotionlessly. ¡°They¡¯ve already left, Hubery. You¡¯ll have to figure out a way to get them yourself. If you can make it to airport before eight, you¡¯ll still be able to catch the flight.¡± Hubery was taken aback, ¡°Didn¡¯t they say we gather at 7:307¡± ¡°It¡¯s seven. Who said 7:30? You must remembered wrong.¡± Hubery was speechless He was certain Eileen had said 7:30, there¡¯s no way he could¡¯ve gotten it wrong. This must be one of Eileen¡¯s tricks! Just as he thought, she was still mad at Han and wasn¡¯t taking his calls, not listening to his exnation. Hubery¡¯s expression hardened. First Eileen sshed water on him, and now she intentionally gave him the wrong gathering time. This woman was clearly picking a fight! Fine, he wouldn¡¯t let her do whatever she wants! Chapter 6 Chapter 6 On the bus, Eileen sat at the front, resting Behind her Phyllis and Blythe sat together, while Josiah upied a single seat Egbert sat in theer of thest row, looking rather isted from the gasup Suddenly, the bus took a jolt, catching everyone¡¯s attention Eileen nced over her shoulder initially just to make sure all the quests were okay, but when she caught sight of Egbert looking sick she was a little womed. Despite his health check yesterday, why did he still look so weak? He was like a ss figurine, ready to shatter at the slightest touch. Frowning. Eileen abruptly told the diver. Pull over somewhere¡± The crew asked in confusion. What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I need a bathroom break¡± Eileen replied calmly. The crew had no choice but to let the driver pull over. After all, bathroom breaks were a basic human need Eileen hopped off the bus and when she came back, she was clutching a brown, transparent cup that looked like coffee Seeing this, Phyllis blurted. I want coffee tool¡± Eileen shot her a dirty lock, silencing Phyllis immediately. Eileen got back on the bus and headed straight for the back seat Just as she did, the dover took off, causing her to stumble and end up practically in Egbertsp She quickly moved over, handing him the dunk. ¡°This should make you feel better ¡± Egbert looked at her his face already beaded with sweat, and took the hot drink from her slightly warm hand ¡°Drink it she urged him when he didn¡¯t drink. Egbert asked coldly. Are you a certified doctor?¡± ¡°Sure am. If something goes wrong, I¡¯ll take responsibility, she replied impatiently, rudely grabbing his hand to check his pulse. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Her fingers were warm, in contrast to his icy cold hand Egbert momentanly craved the warmth of her hand even curling his fingers slightly But then she let go of his hand. It¡¯s not too serious, just a slight fever Drink this and get some sleep, you¡¯ll be fine once we arrive It was a herbal concoction she picked up from a pharmacy when she got off the bus Egbert merely looked at her silently Eileen got annoyed. Do I have to spoon feed you?¡± If you don¡¯t mind, I won¡¯t refuse he suddenly replied Eileen just stared at him, ¡°You still have the energy to joke around? Hurry up and drink your medicine. Traveling with a sick person is a hassle With that, she got up and went back to her own seat. Only then did the other guests realize Egbert was sick. No wonder he seemed so aloof. They quickly got up to check on him Eileen, now at the front, suddenly yelled, ¡°Sit down and buckle up! In case of an ident, its people like you who don¡¯t follow safety rules that end up dead¡± The quests nced at each other and, fearing Eileen¡¯s authenty, obediently sat back down and buckled their seat belts. The crew members avoided the live camera and went to the back to check on Egbert. If anything happened to Egbert, they wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the responsibility After hearing Egbert say he was fine and seeing him drink the medicine Eileen gave him, they were relieved. They assumed it was a cold medicine and didn¡¯t worry too much They said they would arrange for him to be sent to the hospital as soon as the nended. When the bus arrived at the airport, to everyone¡¯s surprise, Hubery was already there. Hubery spotted Eileen in the crowd and a cold glint shed across his handsome face. He had realized that Eileen had reced Colin as the show¡¯s Travel Concierge Although the title ¡°Travel Concierge sounded nice, in reality, they were still doing the work of a servant. He thought to himself. How dare she, a mere servant, y pranks on him in the morning? He would make her pay for offending him While seething. Hubery suddenly noticed Egbert among the crew! Egbert¡¯s name was well known in the entertainment industry Hubery was taken aback for a moment, then rushed over, ¡°Why are you guys only arriving now? I thought you would have left already. Oh, isn¡¯t this Mr. Reed? I can¡¯t believe you re here tool I¡¯m so excited. I never thought I¡¯d be on the same show as Mr. Reed. I¡¯m a huge fan, I¡¯ve seen all your films at least ten times. Could you sign an autograph for me? I really admire you!¡± As he rambled on, he started looking for a pen and paper Egbert frowned slightly, his usually cold face locking even frostier Eileen, who had been standing to the side, suddenly stepped in front of Egbert, blocking Hubery¡¯s path Egbert blinked, his gaze falling on the petite woman with long hair who only reached his chest. ¡°Do you still want his autograph even though he¡¯s not feeling well? Eileen looked at Hubery with a mocking smile, ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask him to do a somersault for you while hes here?¡± Hubery was taken aback, the pen and paper in his hand suddenly seeming incredibly awkward. He quickly apologized to Egbert Tm sorry, I didn¡¯t know you! not feeling well¡¯ Then he turned to Eileen, ¡°But, you didn¡¯t have to talk to me like that did you? By the way. I heard from the crew that the call time was at why did you tell me it was seven thirty? You didn¡¯t do it on purpose, did you?¡± even this morning, but Dier o When Hubery asked this, he fully expected Eileen to be flustered. After all, if her schema was exposed on the show she would be caught off guard Instead, he heard Eileenugh. You¡¯re saying i targeted you¡±¡± The girt looked at him with deep eves, not holding ba ¡°Why would I target you? You re not some important figure. Do i really need to target you? Don¡¯t be so selt absorbed okay¡± Huber was left speechless He never expected that Eileen would dare to mock him in front of the crew and the live camera! Was the of her mind? Hubery s mouth fell open is it now¡± Eileen shot back. ¡°Can¡¯t you talk like a normal person? You¡¯re always stumbling ove your words Just so you know from a medical point of vie speech is linked to the development of your left brain. With your lousynguage ski have you ever considered that there might be something off with your ¡°Eleen¡± Hubery lost his cool and yelled out loud hat¡¯s up? Eileen responded in aid back one Don¡¯t you need your boarding pass?¡± Eileen didn¡¯t want to argue with him. She nced at the airport lobby clock. ¡°The flight is at eight sharp. If you aren¡¯t taking the pass, were not waiting for you¡± Chapter 7 Chapter 7 The live chat was buzzing withments. Is there something wrong with Eileen?| She actually swears on the show, why didn¡¯t the crew intervene? This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Does this show not have a rey feature? Did she really ask Hubery to meet at seven thirty? If so, isn¡¯t she publicly getting back at him? What¡¯s the beef between her and Hubery¡±] Our Hubery doesn¡¯t even know that annoying Eileen, okay? I suspect she¡¯s into Hubery, and out of a failed love, hate is born!] No matter what. Eileen should quit the entertainment industry, look at her dark past, fights, brawls, chaotic life, there¡¯s something wrong with her] camete, didn¡¯t see what happened earlier, but as long as there¡¯s Egbert, I¡¯m following him | The chat was heating up. But those on the scene couldn¡¯t see these, so they weren¡¯t affected. In the end, it was Josiah who noticed something was off and took Huber awaY Hubery looked temble but in front of his senior Josiah, he dared not be too arogant, and could only say in an aggrieved tone, ¡°I don¡¯t know why she¡¯s treating me like this, she even sshed water on me this morning. I heard she¡¯s never done this to anyone else.¡± Josiah whispered. The recording has started, all her actions are arranged by the crew¡± Hubery was stunned. You mean.¡± Josiah, not very familiar with Hubery, could onlyfort him, ¡°Let¡¯s see, its a live show, whether intentional or not, the audience¡¯s eyes are sharp¡± Upon hearing this. Hubery finally realized that this was a live show. Eileen was obviously targeting him for no reason, such behavior was very bad His fans and the audience would definitely dislike her, and feel more sympathy for him. Thinking of this Hubery had an epiphany Could it be that Eileen, in her desperate love for him, chose to tamish herself in this way, to help him win pty to increase his fame? The more he thought about it, the more it seemed to be the case. Hubery suddenly saw the light. He knew that the Lopez family had never given Eileena shred of warmth Only he, in her darkest hour, had given her unique warmth. How could she resist that? This silly woman must have fallen head over heels in love with him. When she sshed water on him and told him the wrong time, she might have been very upset for him. With these thoughts in mind, Hubery immediately returned to his normal state, bing the handsome, gentle man in front of the camera again After a while everyone gathered, and Eileen saw Hubery smiling at her? What¡¯s going on? He¡¯s being scolded and he¡¯s still so happy? Is he nuts? Time to board The first stop was France On the ne. Hubery wanted to find a chance to talk to Eileen alone, but because of the crowd, he had to give up. Egbert fell asleep as soon as he got on the ne. because Eileen had put a sleeping pill in his drink, so he seemed a bit sleepy. Everyone else also took the opportunity to rest. Twelve hourster, they arrived in France. Before getting off the ne, a staff member called Eileen over, ¡°Can you Eileen walked over The main director immediately asked, ¡°You¡¯re a temporary recement to participate in our show, did your agent make it clear to you? You¡¯re here as Travel Concierge, not to manage the five guests. In fact, you¡¯re their server, you need to take care of them first.¡± Eileen leaned against the cabin wall, half-closed her eyes,zily said. ¡°Didn¡¯t take care of them? Didn¡¯t I buy Egbert¡¯s medicine?¡± The main director hesitated, ¡°But you¡¯re too strict with them.¡± Eileen replied. ¡°Whether it¡¯s strict or not is your subjective opinion, I think I¡¯ve been very gentle.¡± The main director said senously, ¡°I dont have time to argue with you about these, in general, you need to remember your role, be gentle and polite to them, they¡¯re all very important people, especially Egbert. If he¡¯s an antique, then you¡¯re a y jar. You need to listen to them, got it?¡± ¡°Oh Eileen answered casually, ¡°Alright¡± The nended everyone got off. Outside the airport, the crew officially announced the rules of this trip, in short, they only had one hundred euros, five guests and one Travel Concierge, the living expenses for the next three days are all here, amodation and food are all up to them, and their task is to go to at least five local tourist spots, the fare to the tourist spots is also included in this hundred euros Everyone was very surprised when they heard this. Hubery asked gently. ¡°Can we use our own money?¡± ¡°Of course not¡± A crew member immediately came forward, took their wallets and phones, and gave them local usable phones. Six people, in the blink of an eye, had nothing During this process, Egbert was standing in the most remute location, fazily rubbing his temples. Eileen took a nce at him, seeing his face was normal, he looked no different from a normal person, so she looked away Bblythe suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s find a hotel first, does anyone know a cheap hotel nearby?¡± Hubery smiled. ¡°I was herest year, I remember theres a rtively cheap hotel near the airport, shall we go there first?¡± No one else objected. Phyllis nced at Eileen and deliberately asked, ¡°Eileen, you¡¯re our Travel Concierge, why don¡¯t you talk after getting off the ne, weren¡¯t you very strict back in our country? Shouldn¡¯t you take control in such an uncertain situation? Could it be¡­¡± Phyllis blinked, ¡°Could it be you¡¯re scared?¡± Eileen dragged her suitcase to her and said, ¡°I hope you can remember. Even in front of me, I hope you won¡¯t be so unreasonable. Secondly, before getting off the ne, the crew reminded me to listen to you guys. They said you guys are antiques and I¡¯m a y jar, so I¡¯ve decided, whatever you say, I¡¯ll do.¡± Phyllis red at her, ¡°But¡­¡± pier/ Bblythe tned to defuse the situation, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Hubery will lead the way¡± Hubery gave Eileen a silent nce, then took the lead Eileen followed behind, with Egbert quietly beside her. To be honest, Egbert being on this show was quite a surprise, After half an hour of walking, Phyllis and Bblythe, in their high heels, were almost dying from foot pain. They finally arrived at the so-called budget hotel. When they asked the price, a room was 25 Euros. ¡°We only have 100 Euros in total. Even if we squeeze in, two rooms for guys and girls cost 50 Euros. That¡¯s 150 Euros for three nights, not even including food and transportation Hubery looked a bit embarrassed, ¡°This is the cheapest hotel around.¡± Bblythe hesitated, ¡°Let¡¯s stay a night and look for cheaper options tomorrow.¡± In the end, they had no choice but to book two rooms, draining half of their budget. The standard room was super cramped. Phyllis was pretty picky, Bblythe didn¡¯t say much, and Eileen was expressionless throughout. They felt hungry after settling their luggage, but after looking at the hotel menu, they decided to look for food outside. When they met up. Egbert was nowhere to be seen. Bblythe asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Mr. Reed?¡± Just as Josiah was about to answer, Hubery chimed in, ¡°The crew said he went to the hospital¡± Let¡¯s get him some food then.¡± They set out together, with Eileen maintaining her aloof attitude ¡°Let¡¯s eat here¡± Having been to Paris before, Hubery naturally became the leader. He chose a popr restaurant, making others worry about the cost. Huberyughed, ¡°This is our first meal, we can start saving after this. With his endorsement, everyone agreed. As Eileen entered, she nced at the restaurant¡¯s signature dish, scallops cooked in white wine. It was her favorite. Just then, a look from afar caught her attention. She looked up to meet Hubery¡¯s gaze. There seemed to be something hidden in his eyes, and he even gave her a smile Eileen thought, this guy is really a dumb pig. Everyone was reluctant to order too much, but as there were too many people, they ended up spending 25 Euros. This tiny bit of money really isn¡¯t enough¡± Phyllisined When they got back, Egbert was already there. Josiah watched as Hubery eagerly handed his food to Egbert, frowning in response. ¡°Forget it¡± Bblythe gave Josiah a pat on the shoulder and whispered, ¡°Young people are like this.¡± They¡¯ll do anything to please someone in a higher position. Egbert didn¡¯t touch the food Hubery brought, simply saying. Tve already eaten¡± Hubery looked disappointed. He muttered to himself, ¡°I really like Egbert.¡± Josiah was taken aback. When Egbert was present, Hubery would do anything to please him. But once he left, Hubery would act pitiful in front of the live camera, implying that Egbert was ungrateful and had hurt his feelings. Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Eileen turned face away No a servant doesn¡¯t have a night to have a sol Phyllis immediately stood up ¡°Tell us what your solution is This time Eleen not only shook her head, she also mumbled. Tm a servant¡± The live chatroom was buzzing Hahaha I¡¯m dying ofughter] Ellen¡¯s real acting, the ultimate in being sarcastic] Who said Eileen is a servant, look how pissed she is. But does the really have a solution? To be honest I don¡¯t believe Eileen has a solution Clearly there¡¯s not enough money Yesterday Hubery spent Mke razy, today he¡¯s MIA Impressive] Whoever said that what¡¯s wrong with our Hubery? The hotel and restaurant yesterday, weren¡¯t this discussed with everyone? They all agreed to spend the money. night Hessick now from researching the routes. There are six people, why me him¡±] If it¡¯s not possible, don¡¯t step up in the first ce Nobodyined about the expensive hotel or restaurant yesterday, right? He insisted, everyone felt bad to disagree, so they agreed how he¡¯s shirkung his responsibilites what a jokel He¡¯s not shirkung responsibilitiest He¡¯s sick) Such a convenientness in Egbertack, too? What about Hubery? The rooms are just a few steps apart can¡¯t he get up¡± (Agree, not a fan of Hubery Didn¡¯t forget about him being sarcastic to Egbert on camera yesterday | The chatroom gradually focused on Hubery. In the hotel room, Bblythe was still trying to coax Eileen, ¡°Just tell us, what¡¯s your solution?¡± Eileen answered with a rebellious andzy look, ¡°What right do I have?¡± ¡°Eileen, can you stop being difficult? Phyllis was getting irritated, looking like she wanted to hit someone. Eileen immediately stood up, bowed deeply in an overly respectful manner, Yes, Ms. Sankner, you are right, I was wrong. Do you want me to kneel and apologize to you?¡± ¡°Eileen!!¡± Phyllis lost her temper ¡°You, you¡¯re such a¡­¡± Phyllis stood up, hands on her hips and spinning around in ce. ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± Off to the side, Egbert turned his face away, but couldn¡¯t help the smirk that appeared at the corner of his mouth. Phyllis, fuming at Eileen, pointed at the production crew and demanded, ¡°Who¡¯s the one whobeled her as a servant and a pretty face! You guys tell me, what are we gonna do now!¡± Eileen sat aloofly on the sofa, seemingly lost in her own world. The production team couldn¡¯t help but show their concerns, ¡°That¡¯s not what we meant, stop bringing up the servant thing¡­¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t I a servant then? You guys said it yourselves. You wanted me to take care of them as if they were my own family, didn¡¯t I do just that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re our Travel Concierge, you¡¯re supposed to help them solve the problem.¡± ¡°Oh, so you want me toe up with solutions? Well, my solution is, you guys figure it out, I¡¯m just following your lead¡± This person is senously stubborn! Bblythe could tell Eileen was a woman with ideas. She spoke in a soothing tone, ¡°Eileen, let¡¯s chill for a second, remember the responsibility of Travel Concierge is to manage us well. You¡¯re our Travel Concierge, you should be leading us, why do you keep saying you¡¯re a servant and a pretty face?¡± Eileen nced at Bblythe but said nothing. Josiah also chimed in, ¡°Yeah, Eileen, why don¡¯t you get back to your old self? Whatever you say, we¡¯ll follow.¡± Eileen gave Josiah a look, then turned her eyes to Phyllis Bblythe tugged gently at Phyllis¡¯s sleeve. Phyllis finally grumbled, ¡°Then you gotta make sure we have a ce to stay and food to eat. If you can guarantee that, then I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± Eileen shot a nce at her, obviously thinking Phyllis doesn¡¯t mean it. She finally turned to Egbert N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Egbert looked back at her, his deep eyes still filled with lingering amusement. I¡¯ve always followed your lead.¡± Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Eileen looked puzzled by his words, and the other three turned their heads towards Egbert. But Egbert had already averted his gaze from everyone else, his expression normal, as if his question was just a casual remark Phyllis asked next, ¡°Should we let Hubery know? Josiah stood up and said. Til go tell him, and get the rest of the money from him.¡± Josiah was gone for a bit and soon returned with Hubery trailing behind. Hubery, who was previously too sick to get out of bed, was now up and well. He took out the remaining twenty five euros and put it on the coffee table, shifting his gaze to Eileen, I heard you¡¯ve got a way to help usplete our mission Eileen shot him a nce, a sudden smirk crossed her face. ¡°Not only can I help youplete the mission, I can also ensure you have a ce to stay and food to eat. By the way weren¡¯t you sick? I¡¯ve got money for your meds too. And if you¡¯re dead, I¡¯ve got extra money to buy flowers for you. Excited?¡± What the hell, dead Hubery¡¯s face instantly changed color. But thinking that Eileen was intentionally being self-deprecating to boost his poprity, he suppressed his anger and forced a smile, ¡°You sure have a sense of humor The onlinements, however, were all in favor of Eileen. [That¡¯s so cool!] [Weird, Hubery didn¡¯t really do anything, but why do I hate him so much? Is it because he seems so fake and pretentious?) Eileen is so pretty and smart. I wasn¡¯t really into her, but now I¡¯m hooked] ¡°So what¡¯s your n?¡± Phyllis asked cautiously again, ¡°Can twenty five euros reallyst us two days? How are we supposed to go sightseeing today?¡± Eileen reached out and casually picked up a hotel brochure from the coffee table. Someone noticed that Eileen had been reading this brochurest night when they were discussing today¡¯s travel ns. Eileen pointed to one line in the brachute. Everyone else gathered around. It was written in French, which no one could understand. Only Egbert nced at it and read, ¡°The hotel offers free shuttle service.¡± Eileen promptly pocketed the twenty-five euros Lol, this is hnous] So, the hotel offers free rides.] [Did anyone else notice, Eileen can read French? Finally, Eileen headed downstairs, with everyone following her At the front desk, Eileen conversed fluently in French with the receptionist, who kept smiling. After a while, the receptionist had Eileen sign something and handed her a set of car keys ¡°Is this for real?¡± Hubery frowned, he sarcastically said, ¡®In France, you need a French driver¡¯s license to drive. Do any of you have one?¡± Eileen shot him a nce, ¡°I have an international driving license, anything else?¡± Hubery¡¯s face soured. Bblythe suddenly said, ¡°Eileen, I¡¯m hungry¡± Phyllis chimed in right away, ¡°Eileen, I¡¯m hungry too.¡± Josiah grinned, ¡°Eileen, can we eat now?¡± Eileen turned around to find everyone looking at her, including Egbert, his deep eyes focused on her. Eileen said, ¡°We¡¯ll have to make do with breakfast, but I¡¯ll take you to a nice ce for lunch¡± She then went back to her room and brought out a big bag of biscuits. You said there wasn¡¯t any!¡± Phyllis rushed over immediately, tearing open a packet and started cating Everyone set off together, with Eileen driving. Eileen nced at Egbert, who was sitting in the passenger seat, and drove in silence. The car had a navigation system, but it was all in French, including the voice prompts. But Eileen understood it and smoothly arrived at the first sightseeing spot. Upon arrival, they took pictures for souvenirs before heading inside. When it was almost lunchtime, Hubery deliberately asked, ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to take us to a good ce to eat?¡± Eileen looked at him impatiently. ¡°Where do you think we are heading? Or do you want me to spoon feed you? I could, that¡¯s how I feed stray dogs¡± Heaning this, Hubery was clearly upset. Phyllis breathed a sigh of relief, d she didn¡¯t say anything extra to Eileen, or she would have been the one ruthlessly retorted The restaurant they went to was a famous local buffet, quiterge. Hubery sarcastically said, ¡°I¡¯ve been here before. It¡¯s a buffet, average consumption is thirty euros per person. Are you sure you want to eat here?¡± ¡°Anyone who doesn¡¯t want to eat can leave Eileen responded mercilessly Hubery scoffed, ¡°Tm just worried you can¡¯t afford the bill and we all get stuck here¡± Eileen had already gone in. Bblythe and the others looked at each other, and finally, they all followed. Everyone was a bit nervous, only Eileen and Egbert seemed unaffected. Phyllis whispered, ¡°Mr. Reed, aren¡¯t you worried we can¡¯t afford the bill and get stuck here?¡± Egbert said, ¡°She said it won¡¯t happen¡± That she was naturally referring to Eileen N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Finally, after finishing their meal, Phyllis cautiously asked, ¡°Should we settle the bil?¡¯ Everyone¡¯s faces changed drastically, only Egbert was still calmly sipping his water. Hubery snickered, ¡°So, you have no money, you¡¯re expecting the crew to foot the bill? You can try, let¡¯s see if they will.¡± Before anyone could ask, a director following them immediately came out and said, ¡°No¡±¡± Phyllis became anxious, ¡°What should we do?¡± Bblythe coughed looking at Eileen, ¡°Eileen?¡± Eileen put down her napkin, raised her hand, and called the waiter. They conversed in French for a while, and Eileen took out two unknown things from her pocket and gave them to the waiter Egbert understood what they were saying and couldn¡¯t help butugh. He put down his water ss and shook his head. This girl, she¡¯s really¡­ ¡°What? What did they say?¡± Phyllis asked anxiously At this moment, the waiter returned, said something to Eileen with a smile, and then left. Eileen stood up. Let¡¯s hit the road. We¡¯ve got other ces to check out this afternoon.¡± Just like that? Phyllis was taken aback And just like that, they all left the restaurant Hubery was dumbfounded, What did you just do?¡± Eileen frowned, she didn¡¯t want to talk to Hubery, but seeing the cunous looks from the others, she continued. ¡°The hotel we¡¯re staying at has a partnership with this restaurant if we show them the discount coupon from the hotel brochure and our hotel room key, we can have aplimentary funch here, excluding expensive items. Our rooms are two triple rooms, so we can avail free lunch for six. We need to hurry to the next attraction because we have to check out. It¡¯s €50 per night, and we don¡¯t have extra money for a second night Everyone stumbled after Eileen to the next spot Coming back in the afternoon Phyllis asked womedly. ¡°Where are we gonna crash after we check out?¡± Hubery replied nonchntly. After we check out, no more free lunch and wheels. I think I picked a pretty good hotel with all these perks¡± Eileen scoffed. ¡°You don¡¯t think all these freebies are thanks to you, do you?¡± Egbert, sitting in the passenger seat leaned on the car door and chuckled lightly Hubery felt a twinge of difort, but he didn¡¯t let it show. Phyllis nced around, feeling the atmosphere in the car getting weirder. Soon, they were back at the hotel Eileen checked everyone out and they were all left homeless with their luggage. ¡°No more car, where are we going now? Phyllis asked shivering in the cold wind ¡°Follow me ¡°Fileen led them to the subway station and bought tickets for everyone. It was rush hour, the camage was packed Josiah said, ¡°Guys, let¡¯s look after the girls, don¡¯t let them get squished¡± There were no seats left in the camage, so everyone had to stand Josiah was the first to move to Bblythe¡¯s side, Bblythe held onto Phyllis, and with Josiah blocking people couldn¡¯t squeeze them Eileen stood in aer on the opposite side, looking at the route map above, when she suddenly smelled a refreshing cool scent. She turned and saw Egbert, who had somehow ended up standing behind her. He was holding onto the subway door handle, eyes slightly lowered, his arm at an angle to his body, as if he had her surrounded Eileen instinctively wanted to keep some distance, but she was already cornered She said lowly, ¡°Can you back off a little?¡± The camage was noisy, and the man seemed not to hear clearly, he looked down at her Eileen frowned and said. ¡°I think you should.¡± Before she could finish her sentence, the man suddenly leaned forward, his cold demeanor suddenly became more pronounced. ¡°What did you say?¡± he asked. Chapter 10 Chapter 10 The distance between them suddenly closed, and Eileen felt a cold sweat trickle down her back. It was an ufortable feeling ¡°Hey, are you deaf or something?¡± Eileen suddenly shouted into Egberts ear The man frowned, straightened up, louched his ear with his other hand and said, ¡°I thought men were supposed to take care ofdien?¡± 1 don¡¯t need your care, Eileen replied. ¡°Can you back off a bit? You¡¯re too close¡± Egbert sighed, looking a bit helpless, and finally backed off a bit Just then. Hubery finally managed to squeeze through the crowd. He saw Eileen and was about to speak when he noticed Egbert in front of her. He closed his mouth, then noticed the distance between Egbert and Eileen. They were standing too close. Given that Eileen was his fianc¨¦e, Hubery was not pleased. He didn¡¯t think Egbert was intentionally getting close to Extern, instead, he felt Eileen was taking advantage of the crowded situation to get close to Egbert. He was pissed and seeing no cameramen nearby, he called out to Eileen, ¡°Come here.¡± Eileen locked at Hubery, seemingly surprised, then she pointed at her nose and asked. ¡°Me?¡± Hubery scowled ¡°Who else,e here!¡± Egbert suddenly turned his head, his eyes shing coldly as he looked at Hubery. Hubery continued to shout at Eileen. ¡°Are youing or not? Eileen raised her head to look at Egbert, ¡°Is it me who¡¯s dreaming, or him?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Hubery was confused Eileen looked sad, ¡°He¡¯s lost it. He actually thinks id listen to him. Just thinking about spending the next few days with this dumbass, I feel so screwed. Egbert, do you think we should inform the production team and ask them for a new guest?¡± ¡°Eileen!¡± Egbert suddenlyughed. ¡°We could give it a shot. Hubery was stunned, he looked at Egbert, visibly surprised Eileen paused as well, she was just talking off the cuff and didn¡¯t expect Egbert to agree with her She turned to Hubery, Stop hovering around me. I really can¡¯t stand you Fine! You¡¯re so great. Eileen, good job¡± Hubery huffed and stormed off Eileen watched his retreating figure, then turned back to Egbert. Why was he helping her? After a while, the crowd in the camage stared to thin out. Eventually, they got off and once outside the station. Phyllis shivered in the cold. Looking at the deserted streets, she asked cautiously, ¡°Are you sure there¡¯s a hotel here?¡± Eileen led the way, pulling her suitcase, not turning back. They walked for about ten minutes before stopping in front of a shabby-looking guesthouse The guesthouse sign creaked ominously, and Phyllis looked scared, Are we really staying here?¡± The door creaked open and an elderly woman with white hair came out. She looked frail but had a warm smile, she asked in perfect French, ¡®Ms. Lopez?* ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± Eileen stepped forward to speak to her Soon, a man came out from the guesthouse to help them with their luggage Despite its exterior, the guesthouse was very clean on the inside. The hosts had prepared dinner for them, and seeing the food, Phyllis¡¯s stomach growled. After everyone had settled their fuggage, they gathered around the dining table. The guesthouse was nun by the old woman and her son, who only talked to Eileen Once the old woman left, blythe asked nervously. ¡°Eileen, we won¡¯t be charged extra for this meat, will we?* Eileen picked up her cutlery and replied calmly. ¡°Eat up, the lodging fee includes three meals.¡± ¡°How much is the lodging fee?¡± ¡°It¡¯s free.¡± ¡°Free again?¡± Phyllis cut into her steak in surprise, ¡°How do you manage to get free amodation everywhere? | remember giving you twenty five euros this moming and until now, we¡¯ve only spent four euros¡± Eileen just nced at her Phyllis continued, ¡°We¡¯ve only spent four euro today, we¡¯re a group of six, andst nights dinner alone cost twenty-five. She stopped abruptly and sneaked a nce at HubHiry Hubery looked ufortable but he knew among them, Phyllis was the only one who still bore him goodwill. He forced a smile, ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s my fault for not managing the budget well. Last night¡¯s dinner was indeed a bit pricey. But, Ms. Lopez, why is this guesthouse free? The production team made it clear that we couldn¡¯t take advantage of locals. If found out, we¡¯d have topensate double the amodation fee and our travel budget for the next episode would be deducted¡± Everyone immediately turned to look at Eileen nervously Only Egbert continued to eat leisurely, not worned like everyone else. Eileen popped a piece of steak into her mouth, chewed, and swallowed before looking at everyone, her face expressionless, ¡°Someone died here.¡± Everyone fell silent As if to punctuate the moment, there was a sudden ¡°pop¡± and the room went dark. ¡°Ahhh!¡± Phyllis screamed. ¡°Quiet!¡± Eileen was annoyed by the noise. After a while, the lights came back on, the old womaris son came out to apologize, saying that the curuil had topped. Eileen said it was fine. Once the woman¡¯s son left she continued, ¡°This guesthouse, in the past ten years, has had five deaths, all suicides due to the remote location Because of this, business has been declining, plus the poor conditions often result in power and water outages. Therefore, this guesthouse has very low ratings on travel apps and a poor reputation Phyllis was near tears, Why would you bring us here then?¡± ¡°Cause it¡¯s fr¡± Eileen answered casually. ¡°The B&B itself isn¡¯t expensive, only five euros a night. I called the owner to see if we could get a discount, and the olddy said the ce was closing down in a few days. If we didn¡¯t mind, we could stay for free¡± ¡°Closing down Phyllis sounded disappointed hearing this news She then turned to Eileen. ¡°Five euros a night, including meals, and you still bargained? And how could you not pay her anything? She works so hard, and you can¡¯t even spare five euros. Have you no conscience?¡± Eileen put down her cutlery and responded calmly, ¡°One room is five euros, two rooms are ten. We¡¯re staying two nights, that¡¯s twenty euros. We only have twenty one euros in total. If we pay, we¡¯ll only have one euro left. How will we get around for the next two days? By bus or subway? Or do you n to walk to all the attractions?¡± Phyllis was left speechless, not daring to respond. At this point, Egbert picked up his ss, looking at Eileen while holding the ss with his clean, slender fingers, ¡°Let the owner know, she doesn¡¯t need to close the B&B Eileen nced at him, nodded, and went back to eating. Josiah and Bblythe exchanged a look and bothughed. Only Phyllis was confused, ¡°What does that mean? Why doesn¡¯t she need to close?¡± Bblythe gently tapped her head, ¡°Silly.¡± They were live streaming their stay at the B&B essentially giving it free advertising Among them, Egbert had the most influence if their viewers saw that the 888 wasn¡¯t as bad as its reputation, they might choose to stay here on their next trip to Paris, bringing in more business and saving it from closure. Bblythe locked at Eileen. She must have thought of this too, which was why she epted the free amodation. Thinking about it this way, they didn¡¯t take advantage of the situation; instead, they gave the questhouse owner a generous gift After dinner, everyone retreated to their rooms That night, Phyllis suddenly proposed, ¡°There¡¯s a projector here. How about we watch a horror movie together? I¡¯ve always wanted to watch one, but I¡¯m too scared to do it alone Eileen, who was tidying up her things, paused. Bblythe grinned, ¡°I¡¯m down. Watching a movie together will bring us closer. What about you, Eileen?¡± Eileen swallowed, paused, and managed to mumble, ¡°Sure, whatever ¡°Great, I¡¯ll go get the guys!¡± Phyllis excitedly went to fetch the others. Once everyone had gathered, Phyllis selected a Japanese horror film and turned off the lights. ¡°It¡¯s starting, it¡¯s starting¡± They all squeezed onto therge couch. The three girls sat on therge sofa, Hubery and Josiah on the smaller one, and Egbert on the only single seater in the room. As the movie started, a chilling sound effect filled the room. Eileen, sitting on the edge of the couch, had Egbert on the single seater next to her. She clutched a pillow tightly. At first, she managed to watch, but when a ghost covered in blood appeared on screen, she couldn t take it anymore. She buried her face in the pillow, gripping the armrest tightly This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Egbert turned to nce at her, noticing the veins on her hand, and raised an eyebrow. Phyllis, sitting in the middle, was also frightened and clung to Eblythe, whoforted her before asking Eileen, ¡°Eileen, are you okay?¡± Eileen quickly put down her pillow, trying to keep her expression normal, ¡°Yeah, the plot is kinda boring I¡¯m almost falling asleep.¡± Ament popped up Haha, falling asleep? I dare you to say that while looking at the screen.] Eileen put on a brave face, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to look at the screen again. Even if she didn¡¯t look, the creepy sound effects were inescapable. As she was considering whether to bury her face in the pillow again, Egbert suddenly stood up. Any small movement could startle Eileen at this point. She looked anxiously at Egbert, who nced down at her and exined, Tm going to the bathroom¡± Right, the bathroom! Eileen immediately stood up too. The others watched them, confused, Tm also going to the bathroom¡± Eileen said. Egbert looked at her retreating figure and followed her out Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Once Eileen left the room, she felt a bit relieved. There were no cameras in the corridor, so she leaned against the wall, catching her breath. That¡¯s when Egbert strolled out of the room, casually asking as he passed by. ¡°You are afraid of ghosts?¡± Eileen looked up, immediately retorting, ¡°Me, scared of ghosts? Ghosts should be scared of me.¡± Egbert paused, hands in his pockets, turning back to look at her Edeen held her head high, meeting his gaze. What do you want?¡± Egbert studied her face, slowly approaching her. Eileen stood still, not moving. Egbert stopped a step away, raising his right hand, his long fingers slightly bent, he lightly touched her face with the back of his index finger Eileen recoiled half a step instinctively Egbert didn¡¯t move just showed her the drop of moisture on his finger. ¡°And you¡¯re sweating in winter?¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Eileen was taken aback, then defensively shot back, ¡°Why can¡¯t I sweat in winter it¡¯s warm here, okay?¡± Egbert chuckled, wiping the bead of sweat off his finger, saying, ¡°Whatever With that, he headed towards the restroom at the end of thedor. Eileen touched her face, where his cool touch still lingered. She wiped her face, ning in the direction of the restroom In the end, Eileen didn¡¯t return until the movie was almost over. After the movie, everyone dispersed, but Eileen found herself wide awake that night. Scenes from the horror movie kept shing in her mind. Atst, she opened her eyes finding the darkness of the room even more terrifying, so she got up and went out. The lights were still on in the hall, so she stayed there in her pajamas. After a while, the hall suddenly dimmed. Eileen gasped sharply. She thought about how the power sometimes tripped due to unstable voltage, but it waste at night now and she couldn¡¯t possibly ask the owner to flip the breaker for her. She figured it¡¯d be better to just stay in her room She reached out to walk back to her mom, but as she turned the corner, her hand touched something warm. In an instant, Eileen froze, cold sweat pounng down her forehead She was terrified, her feet rooted to the spot. Various images shed in her mind, when suddenly a warm hand enclosed hers ¡°Eileen?¡± a cool male voice echoed in the darkness. Eileen came back to her senses, hesitating ¡°Egbert?¡± ¡°Mm¡± Egbert¡¯s voice was low, his hand gripping her wrist tightly, not letting go ¡°The power topped again?¡± She confirmed it was Egbert, a human, not a ghost, and finally let out a breath, ¡°Seems like it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go check.¡± He said letting go of her walking past her Eileen immediately grabbed his arm The man stopped, silent for a moment, then asked, ¡°Scared?¡± Eileen gritted her teeth, resolutely responding ¡°Of course not!¡± The man chuckled softly, his other hand covering her icy hand, prying her hand from his arm and held it instead Eileen was momentarily stunned. Egbert said ¡°Let¡¯s pretend I¡¯m the scared one,e with me¡± Their palms pressed together tightly, Eileen could clearly feel her hand beingpletely enveloped by his ¡°Hmm?¡± Egbert let out a slightly drowsy grunt, as if urging her on Finally, Eileen said, ¡°Since you asked, I suppose I can apany you In the end, Eileen was led by the hand by Egbert, all the way to the breaker room. ¡°Click¡± The moment he flipped the breaker, the sensor lights came on The lights were dim, but at least there was light. Eileen nced down at their hands holding together, immediately withdrew her hand, cing them behind her Egbert said nothing, closing the breaker box, dusting off his hands, then walked out. Eileen followed him, asking, ¡°How did you know where the breaker room was?¡± The man casually replied, ¡°European-style houses, they all have simryouts¡± Egbert went to wash his hands, when he came back, he saw Eileen was still there, raising an eyebrow, ¡°Are you not going back to your room?¡± ¡°I have insomnia¡± Eileen said defiantly. Egbert chuckled, ¡°Is it because of the horror movie?¡± Eileen leaned against the wall, an indifferent expression on her face, ¡°Why does everything have to tie back to the horror movie? I¡¯m just having trouble adjusting to a new ce, what¡¯s the big deal?¡± ¡°Suit yourself.¡± He said, walking past her back to his room. Halfway there, he paused, turning back to ask, ¡°The potion earlier, you made it?¡± Eileen looked at him, ¡°Yeah, what about it?¡± ¡°It works well.¡± The man said before stepping into his room, closing the door behind him. Eileen stood in the hallway, silent for a moment, then remembered, what was he doing out of his room? He didn¡¯t go to the restroom, he just came out to help her flip the breaker? In the end, Eileen spent the whole night in the hall. Due tock of sleep, she woke everyone up at 5:30 the next morning. Everyone, tired and groggy managed to get washed up, then trudged to the dining room for breakfast Eileen, full of energy, informed every one of the day¡¯s ns, then looked around, ¡°Any objections?¡± Everyone just nodded in a daze The next two days went smoothly under Eileen¡¯s leadership, tasks werepleted sessfully, and they even ended up with fifteen euros left over The group voted on whether to spend the remaining money, except for Egbert who was outside on a call and didn¡¯t participate, everyone agreed to spend it only Eileen disagreed. ¡°Four votes to one¡± Eileen drawled, enunciating each word, ¡°Four agree to spend the money, and I disagree, so, only my vote counts, the four votes are void. In the end, we¡¯re going by my decision. We¡¯re not spending the fifteen euros. Any objections?¡± Everyone else was speechless Chapter 12 Chapter 12 On the retum fight, Phyllis was always badmouthing Eileen to Bblythe whenever she had the chance ¡°She¡¯s bossy like a dictator¡± Eblythe didn¡¯t really buy into it. asionally consoling Phyllis Saving fifteen euros for next time sounds pretty cool, we wont be so stressed then ¡°But I didn¡¯t buy a single souvenir Our trip to Pans was a waste¡± Phyllisined We can buy next time After bluffing for a bit. Bblythe suddenly nced at Egbert sitting diagonally in front, whispering Egbert might not be joining us next time¡± Phyllis was taken aback. ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°Actually, thest guest wasn¡¯t supposed to be him, but Kaleb But Kalco fell sick, so Egbert was asked to fill in for an episode¡± 1 see¡± Phyllis said. ¡°I was wondering how our team could afford a top-notch star like Egbert. But it shows how influential Kaleb is if he could pull in Egbert¡± ¡°Actually, Egberts first role was with Kaleb They know each other privately, they re good friends Phyllis nodded satisfied feel lucky to work with Egbert He¡¯s the type of person anyone would look up to Then, Phyllis started to gossip out of the blue Blythe, what kind of woman do you think someone like Egbert would marry? I can¡¯t imagine¡± Blythe thought for a while and said Probably someone gentle understanding with great temperament and good looks?¡± Phyllis nodded as she listened. ¡°Only such a woman would be worthy of him.¡± ¡°Hey your leg¡± Before Phyllis could finish a familiar impolite female voice rang out from the front They both looked over only to see it was Eileen sitting next to Egbert Eileen, probably needing to use the restroom, got up from her seat stood next to Egbert, and impatiently nudged Egberts knee with hers, seemingly annoyed that his long legs were in her way This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . This action woke up Egbert, who was taking a nap. Phyllis and Blythe were a bit homfied by this sight. They thought Egbert would get mad But the next second Egbert just moved his legs to let Eileen pass without a word Then they saw Eileen, like a mafia boss, hands in her pockets, swaggering her way to the restroom Phyllis and Blythe were left in a daze Finally, Bblythe swallowed and whispered. No matter what type of woman he likes definitely not like this¡± Phyllis nodded in agreement. No man would like such a woman. less he¡¯s stUE The first episode of the show ended in this joyful atmosphere Everyone went their separate ways after getting off the ne Eileen was the first to leave She took a taxi straight back to her small apartment with her luggage. The moment she got home, she copsed on the bed After a twelve-hour fight, she was utterly exhausted She took out her phone from her bag All this time she had been using the phone provided by the show crew and her own phone was dead. She plugged it in to charge and went to take a bath When she came out the phone was half charged so she unplugged it and tumed it on She had missed five or six calls and had a dozen unread messages She nced at the caller ID. Ableson Lopez s house had called twice Sarah once, Hedy once, and there were two other calls, e from thepany and one from Ophelia Eileen chose to ignore everything rted to Ableson¡¯s house and called back Ophelia, while checking WhatsApp Ophelia picked up quickly She had been watching the live broadcast these days. As soon as the call connected, she started scolding Elleen. ¡°Do you really understand your responsibilities as Travel Concierge? How could you openly act like that towards Hubery Your words were infunating What the hell¡± Eileen responded nonchntly. ¡°I thought I was doing fine¡± ¡°Eileen Ophelia shouted angnly. Talk back to me one more time, see what happens¡± Eleen replied straightforwardly. ¡°Even the show crew has no objections. Anything else you want to say. Ophelia¡¯ Ophelia was sent for a moment, then said after a while. ¡°Come to thepany tomorrow After hanging up Eileen saw the dozen or so messages from Sarah on WhatsApp, didn¡¯t even bother reading them, just deleted them all and blocked Sarah Then she went through her contacts and blocked all numbers rted to Ableson¡¯s house then went to sleep The next day due to jetg. Eileen couldn¡¯t get up in the moming By the time she got to thepany, everyone was about to get off work. Seeing her Ophelia was angry. If you are gonna be thiste, you¡¯d bettere tomorrow Eileen had just walked in the door and upon hearing this, turned to leave. ¡°Okay thene tomorrow¡± ¡°Get back here Ophelia shouted ad mood At the entrance to Ophelia¡¯s office an assistant made a throat-shing gesture to Eileen indicating that Ophelia Eileen didn¡¯t care After following Ophelia into the office, she found another person inside. A guy she didn¡¯t know The guy was tall, and his eyes it up when he saw Eileen. He stood up and extended his hand towards her. Ms. Lopez, nice to meet you, I¡¯m Coln.¡± Eileen recalled that this Colin must be the onginally intended Travel Concierge. But since he knew he had to take care of Hubery, he vanished. Eileen shook his hand, puzzled Colin is a big nigged guy. Super strong He told Eileen, Ms. Lopez, I watched that scene where you sshed water on Hubery Watched it thirty might times I have mad respect for you¡± He sounded sa sincere Eileenughed. ¡°Cool if you don¡¯t like Hubery either, we¡¯re friends!¡± Colin saluted her. Salute to you!¡± Eileen replied ¡°No problem ¡°Can you two stop it Ophelia was about to lose her mind on the side, ¡°Are you guys putting on a show?¡± Colin, scared of Ophelia, zipped it Eileen sat on the sofa, crossed her legs and asked, ¡°Did you call me here to pay me? Honestly, I¡¯m broke Can¡¯t even afford the bus nde home¡± Ophelia scoffed. ¡°Pay? After eight hundredints from the production team, you still want to be paid Eileen scratched her head. ¡°Comints? Why didn¡¯t they say it to my face?¡± ¡°Who would dare Ophelia banged the table, ¡°And be scolded by you? Who are you mocking now!¡± Eileen pped all of a sudden, ¡°Ophelia you look awesome today¡± Then she raised her eyebrows at Colin Colin immediately joined in the apuse, ¡°Ophelia does look very pretty!¡± ¡°Eileen!¡± Eileen didn¡¯t respond, but suddenly looked sad and sighed, ¡°Who would do all these works for a living if it wasn¡¯t for survival. I¡¯m all alone, show me some Sympathy.. Cphelia grabbed a water bottle and threw it at her. Eileen didn¡¯t even blink, caught it with one hand and smirked. ¡®Nice throw¡± Ophelia clutched her chest, finally feeling a chest pain. She took three heart pills before she felt a bit better. When she locked up, she saw the damn Eileen and Colin huddled together, staring at her curiously. Ophelia mmed the pill bottle on the table. What are you locking at!¡± Eileen sat across from her and reached for the pill bottle ¡°Pull your hand back!¡± Ophelia moved the bottle to the other side Eileen stood up, insisted on getting it. She managed to grab the pill bottle, but before she could read two lines, Ophelia snatched it back and scolded her, ¡°Sit down!¡± Colin blurted out, Ophelia, do you really have a heart condition?¡± Ophelia was annoyed. ¡°You two are driving me mad!¡± Eileen nced at Ophelia, then at the pill bottle, and fell back in her chair, not saying a word. At this time, Ophelia took out a stack of things from the drawer and handed them to Colin, This is your curriculum for the next month. You neede to thepany at seven every moming and you can¡¯t leave until all the sses are over.¡± Colin looked at it and panicked. All these sses? Who can keep up with this?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll keep up even if you can¡¯t! Ophelia said angrily, ¡°Next month, SterView Television is having a talent show. One hundred traineespeting for five debut spots, Ive signed you up. Colin was stunned, Tm an actor Why would I need to go to a talent show? I can¡¯t sing or dance¡± ¡°You¡¯ll learn if you can¡¯t. Don¡¯t you want to go? You want to live like this forever?¡± Colin rubbed his face in annoyance, ¡°I¡¯d rather be an extra on a set ¡°People have to want to use you for you to be an extra After Ophelia finished speaking, she looked at Eileen and handed her something. ¡°Your next job¡± Eileen took a look and then said to Colin, ¡°The small role you want is right here¡± Colin leaned over to look, a small role in a production he had never heard of Basically, just an ordinary extra Colin couldnt believe it, Tunt this a good situation? Your Traveller 5+1 has been well received after it aired, right? Your poprity is high, only 99% of people are criticizing you instead of 100 Plus with Egbert backing you, you must have a lot of other work offers, night? ¡°Really?¡± Eileen stroked her chin, thinking Colin took her seriously, then looked at Ophelia. He thought he would soon hear Eileen arguing with Ophelia about the job. But after warling for a while, all he heard was Eileen mumbling. ¡°So my show is called Traveller 5+1* Colin was taken aback. ¡°You ve been filming for a few days and you don¡¯t even know the name of your show?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t pay much attention Eileen said casually Ophelia said impatiently ¡°Ainight, stop arguing, give me some peace¡± She handed Edeen a stack of scripts, ¡°These are all the scripts, read them carefully. Colin is right, the attention on you is high now, I don¡¯t usually care about a small supporting role. But this script is indeed good. There¡¯s an open audition tomorrow, you should go audition for the lead actress.¡± Eileen raised an eyebrow. The lead, me?¡± Ophelia frowned. What You don¡¯t have confidence? Take the contract for the supporting role and audition for the main role. If you pass the audition, you won¡¯t need to y the supporting role. If you don¡¯t pass, go y that small rolet Eileen smiled and looked at Ophelia She got it Ophelia was a motivator Rather than overprotecting her artists, she preletted to put them in tough situations to grow There¡¯s nothing wrong with that People only understand the hardships of the road when they ve gone through them themselves, and that¡¯s when they can go higher and farther Eileen said slowh. Let¡¯s give it a try¡± She remembered getting this script in her previous life. But she didn¡¯t end up shooting it because the supporting female role was cut And this drama had some issues in the and The anginal leading actress was suddenly exposed for drug use, what could the crew do? They had to re-edit the plot, remove all the scenes with the leading actress. This led to the final diama being completely different from the original, the characters rtionships were a total mess. The drama was a total failum no doubt about that. But Eileen, who had read the whole script, knew it was actually pretty good. If she could nail it, she might just steal the spotlight among the multitude of actors Since theres an open audition, there¡¯s no harm in giving it a shot In her previous life. Ophelia never let her audition for the lead role. She didn¡¯t even know there was such a thing as an open audition. Seeing her agree Ophelia added. Tomorrow moming at 10. I¡¯ll send you the address. Dont bete Eileen just nodded and lifted her head towards Ophelia, her hand extended ¡°What?¡± ¡°My paycheck. Ophelia snorted. The finance department won¡¯t be able to transfer the funds until the end of the month at the earliest. What¡¯s your rugh?¡± Eileen pouted. Tim in a humy because I¡¯m really broke. The property management guy came knocking this morning, and I was too scared to open the door. I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll ask me to pay the property fee a whole thirty bucks! Where am I supposed to get that kind of money?¡± Colin was beside himself withughter Ophelia frowned. Til transfer you 300 bucks for now, stop ying poor in front of me Before long. Eileen received Ophelia¡¯s transfer, and she was over the moon, finally stopped comining. Ophelia felt annoyed watching them. Alnight if you guys have nothing else, please leave. Stop buzzing around me¡± Colin grabbed his course schedule and dashed out, Eileen also picked up the script, but stopped at the door. She turned to Ophelia and said. ¡°Ophelia, don¡¯t just take pills.¡± Ophelia raised an eyebrow ncing at her medicine battle. ¡°You mean these? They¡¯re prescribed by a doctor¡± Eileen shook her head. This medication affects estrogen levels. In severe cases it could potentially affect fertility¡± Ophelia was taken aback, then looked at Eileen with suspicion, ¡°You know about this stuff?¡± Tknow a bit Eileen shrugged. These side effects are too senous With that she waved and lett Ophelia sat alone in the office, deep in thought. Eileen took a cab back to her small apartment and immediately started reading the script as she sunk into her couch Although she read the script in her previous life, it had been a long time. As Eileen read it again, she took notes on the characters And like that the day was over. She went to bed early and woke up the next moming got dressed, and went straight to the audition venue following the address Ophelia sent This series, although not directed by a very famous director and not adapted from an onginal novel, lacked the support of fans of the original work, there were still more than thirty actresses at the audition Most of them were rtively unknown. Eileen, as one of them, stood out. ¡°Thats Eileen someone whispered in awe Eileen lifted her head, straightened her chest, and for a moment, felt pretty amazing Chapter 13 Chapter 13 After a while, one after another, actresses went in to audition. Suddenly, someone took a seat next to Eileen Eileen didn¡¯t pay much attention, but then she heard the girl next to her say, ¡°Hi, Eileen, I¡¯m your fan. Can I have your autograph?¡± Eileen was taken aback, immediately looking up at the girl with a surprised expression. Seeing Eileen¡¯s stern look, the girl became frightened, ¡°No, no, its okay if you don¡¯t want to sign. I¡¯m sorry for bothering you¡­¡± With that, she was about to leave. ¡°Hold on.¡± Eileen stopped her asking with some confusion, ¡°Autograph?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The girl quickly presented a notebook, carefully handing it to her Eileen was still somewhat puzzled. She signed her name on it with a mix of belief and skepticism, ncing at the girl several times, then carefully handed the notebook back to her Both of them seemed cautious. The girl epted the notebook, breaking into a happy smile. Thank you!¡± Eileen looked even more surprised When the girl left, Eileen gave her chest a light pat, murmuring. She really wanted my autograph, scared me to death.¡± In the past, she was criticized online. Twitter was full of negativements. She had never experienced having fans, nor had anyone asked for her autograph or a photo with her And now she had fans without doing anything special? She even suspected it was a trap just now! Just as she was thinking about all this, a staff member called her name, ¡°Eileen.¡± Eileen stood up, about to walk over, when she saw the girl across from her suddenly stand up, making an encouraging gesture, ¡®Eileen, you got this!¡± Eileen was speechless. Eileen walked into the audition room, where there were three people seated in this small room. In the middle was the director, the producer on the left, and the screenwriter on the night. Eileen bowed to them, then heard the director in the middle say. ¡°Eileen, arent you auditioning for the role of Dorothy?¡± The original supporting female character was named Dorothy, the mother of the male lead. basically only appearing in the male lead¡¯s memories. Eileen nodded, ¡°I prefer the role of the female lead, Prima, I want to give it a shot The director was a man in his thirties, wearing sses, with a full head of hair, looking like he hadn¡¯t been in the industry for long, and hadn¡¯t experienced themon hair loss problem of veteran directors. He leaned back in his chair nced at the script, and said nonchntly. Then try the second scene.¡± Twenty minutester, Eileen came out of the audition room Everyone outside turned to look at her Eileen didn¡¯t care. As soon as she stepped out of the elevator Ophelia called, as if she knew exactly when Eileen¡¯s audition ended ¡°How did it go?¡± Ophelia asked directly Eileen replied, ¡°Not sure, they told me to wait for a call.¡± There was silence on the other end of the phone, then Ophelia asked again, ¡°How do you feel about it?¡± Eileen responded nonchntly, ¡°I think I did really well if they don¡¯t choose me, that just means they are not capable¡± ¡°¡±Ophelia took a deep breath, then hung up the phone. Eileen put away her phone and stood on the sidewalk waiting for a ride, when her phone rang again. She thought it was still Ophelia, so she answered the phone and asked, ¡°What now?* ¡°Eileen, you have the nerve to ask me what¡¯s up? Why don¡¯t you answer when I call you so many times, where are you now?¡± On the other end of the phone, it turned out to be Sarah¡¯s voice. Eileen looked at the caller ID, which disyed the name ¡°Linda¡±. Linda was the old maid of the Ableson family. Eileen had been with the Ableson family for many years, and the other servants were not very nice to her Only Linda, who always took care of her She had blocked everyone else¡¯s phone numbers from the Ableson family, except for Linda As it turned out, Sarah was calling her using Linda¡¯s phone After a moment of silence, Eileen asked into the phone, seeming indifferent, ¡°Can I help you?¡± ¡°Come back home now! Sarah said angrily. Eileen chuckled, ¡°I cane back, but if you call me back, you better not regret it.¡± With that, she hung up the phone. Eileen continued to wait for a nde on the sidewalk, but after a while no cars passed by She let out a sound of discontent then used an app on her phone to call a cab A driver epted the order, but it was a bit far so she would have to wai ten minutes. Eileen decided to check Twitter on her phone She hadnt logged into Twitter since she was robom. Yesterday Colin said that 99%, ofizens were enticizing her and she didn¡¯t feel anything Hut today while auditioning, someone cheered her on Eileen started to wonder had her reputation really improved But her Twitter DMs were still full of all kinds of nasty messages Eileen didn¡¯t want to read them. So she cleared all of them with one click then scrolled down to herst tweet. That tweet was posted ten days ago, no pictures, just an inspirational quote about how hard work leads to sess It was posted by her former self Under that tweet there were thirty thousand retweets sixty thousandments Eileen was a bit surprised, she had turned off Twitter notifications because of all the criticism Without clicking in, she had no idea how manyments them Had she really be popr? Thinking this, she clicked open thements, and saw the topment reads Eleen still alive today?¡± Elleen didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry The bad bit was that her reputation hadnt improved. The good hit was. Eileen stared at thement for a while, then gave it a like. Not just a like she also replied ¨C If you¡¯ve got something to say say more. What¡¯s up with my mom? Keep going, are you scared?¡± After posting she scrolled down, most of thements were criticizing her But Eileen seemed quite happy, she liked all thements that mentioned ¡°mam¡±, Netizenmented, Eileen, your mom¡¯s ashes are with me if you dont retire. I¡¯m going to scatter your mom¡¯s ashes Eileen liked andmented ¡®Good, do it now you¡¯re not human if you don¡¯t!¡± Netizenmented Eileen, your mom is a dog! Eileen gave a thumbs up andmented ¡°My mem really is a dog How did you know that?¡± Netizen said Eileen, your mom got hit by a car and even stuck to the pan during cremation¡± Eileen gave a thumbs up andmented, ¡°Your words are so sweet. Why don¡¯t you wnte a book? Your way better than any encyclopedia but I¡¯m done reading ¡°Honk honk¡± Eileen was responding when the hom of a car suddenly red. Looking up, a clean ck car was stopped in front of her Must be the tax she called. Eileen pocketed her phone. The car was parked right in front of her so she couldn¡¯t see the license te or logo. She just walked over opened the back door, and got in The atmosphere in the car immediately turned awkward Eileen then saw that there were other people in the back seat. Tuming her head, she saw a cold but handsome man next to her she asked in surprise Egbert, what are you doing here?¡± Egben found her question amusing. He chuckled and elegantly leaned back in the ck leather seat. ¡°Ms. Lopez, this is my car Eileen tumed her head and saw two more men, both looking at her in the driver and passenger seats The driver was Egbert¡¯s assistant She had seen him in the elevator But the man in the passenger seat was weaning sses, Eileen didn¡¯t recognize him. Tm sorry, I think I got in the wrong car¡± She said and pushed the door open to get out But she heard the man behind herzily say. Where to? Can I drop you off?¡± ¡°Egbert The man in sses in the front seat said discontentedly Eileen waved her hand. No need. I¡¯ve already called a cab After saying that she got out and shut the car door behind he Just then, the cab the called arrived. After Eileen got in, the car quickly drove off Gibert, sitting in the passenger seat, red at the driving assistant discontentedly. ¡°Why did you honk the hom randomly!¡± The assistant shrunk his neck, ¡°I saw a familiar face and wanted to say hi. Thanks to Ms. Lopezst time in the elevator, Mr Road * Egbert in the back seat suddenly coughed his expression indifferent The assistant immediately shut up. The elevator, what elevator?¡± Gilbert looked at the assistant, then at Egbert, his face serious ¡°Are you guys hiding something from mer The assistant didn¡¯t say anything, just shrunk his neck. Egbert sighed impatiently, ¡°Just drive¡± As the car drove off. Egbert casually looked out the window at the streets. On a building not far away, it read ¡°Pixely Media House¡±. Was she there for an audition? N?velDrama.Org content. Eileen got out of the car and went straight in through the door The door was opened by Linda Linda was very happy to see Eileen back, but her face immediately turned to worry. She quietly warned her, Thedy is still mad, Miss Eileen, you should apologize to herter.¡± Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Eileen shed a smile at Linda, hands tucked in her pockets, and sauntered in without a word Sarah was on the couch, looking angry. ¡°You¡¯re finally back Eileen sat on the single seater opposite Sarah, nonchntly retorting. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who asked me toe back?¡± Sarah stood up, snapping. ¡°What¡¯s with that attitude! Did I ask you to sit down? Get on your knees!¡± Eileen just scratched her ear smirking at the haughty woman across from her, not budging an inch. ¡°Well, you are getting more and more unruly¡± Sarah strode over hand raised, aiming a stap at Eileen¡¯s face With a steely look, Eileen swiftly caught Sarah¡¯s arm. ¡°Eileen, how dare you fight back when I hit you?¡± Sarah shouted in disbelief. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . ¡°Fight back?¡± Eileen sneered, shrugged off Sarah¡¯s hand, stood up from the couch, and, with a swift movement,nded a p acmss Sarah¡¯s face The whole hall went deathly quiet. ¡°That was not fighting back this was.¡± ¡°You you¡¯re crazy Sarah, face flushed with fury and hand raised to strike Eileen again. Eileen kicked her to the stomach, sending her flying ¡°Oh my God, madam, madam¡± The servants rushed over to help ¡°You you¡± Sarah sat on the floor, shocked beyond belief. Eileen put her hands back in her pockets, her eyes filled with hatred. Could a kick and a p ever make up for the suffering she had endured in her previous life? A mother who would sell her own daughter to an underground organization. What kind of mother was that? Worse than a beact! ¡°You you. Sarah¡¯s face was red from the p, her: stomach ached like hell, she waved away the servants. ¡°What are you doing just standing there, call the master tell him toe back now!¡± One of the servants immediately went to make the call Just then, a cheerful female voice came from the second floor, ¡°Sister, you¡¯re back!¡± Eileen locked up and, sure enough, it was Hedy Hedy, in avish long dress, happily ran down the stairs. Eileen stood still, not moving Hedy, apparently oblivious of Sarah, ran excitedly up to Eileen, eximing. ¡°Sister you¡¯re back at the perfect time it¡¯s my friend¡¯s birthday today, I¡¯m going to her party. Do you think I can wear this dress? It¡¯s custom-made by a famous designer, a gift from dadst week. Just thebor cost over a hundred thousand, the whole dress cost three hundred thousand. Do you like it?¡± As she spoke, she turned around in a circle. Eileen locked at Hedy Yes, it had always been like this in previous lives. Hedy loved to show off her expensive purchases to her That was Hedy¡¯s pleasure She reveled in the unfair treatment between the two daughters in this family Eileen was wearing cheap clothes that even the servants would turn their noses up at However, Hedy could wear expensive dresses custom-made by famous designers. If Eileen came home from school even a minutete, she would be denied dinner and even punished and scolded. But for Hedy, no matter howte she came back, the doors of the Ableson household were always open for her. They were like two extremes living under the same roof. Hedy was the sky, Eileen was the earth. ¡°Sister, why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Do you want to touch the dress? But be careful, your hands are so rough, don¡¯t ruin the dress. I don¡¯t really care, but dad will be angry. You don¡¯t want dad to be angry, do you? He¡¯ll hit you again if he¡¯s angry.¡± Hedy said this with feigned concern, then grabbed Fileen¡¯s hand to let her touch her dress Eileen chuckled coldly, quickly pulling her hand back, saying harshly. ¡°Can you not touch me? Every time you touch me, I feel like I¡¯ve touched shit. I have to wash my hands repeatedly with disinfectant. It¡¯s too much trouble! Hedy froze, looking at her in disbelief She always took it on the chin Eileen never fought back when she was hit or insulted, what was she saying now? ¡°Mom, sister ¡°Hedy turned her head and saw the handprint on Sarah¡¯s face, she eximed, ¡°Mom, what happened to your face>¡± Sarah grabbed Hedy, shielding her behind her, and angrily said to Eileen, ¡°You think you can do whatever you want just because you have a bit of power? You don¡¯t answer calls, don¡¯te home, Hubery said you went to his film crew and offended their director! Now youe back, without saying a word, and dare to hit me! Good, very good! If I don¡¯t teach you a lesson today. I¡¯m not your mother! Get me a iron rod!¡± With that a servant went to the storage room to get a long iron rod Eileen looked at the iron rod, memories being awakened Hedy chimed in, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t hit sister with the iron rod, it could break her bones. Don¡¯t you remember when sister identally broke my fingernail when little, dad beat her with ten stroken, and her back was almost broken. She was beandden for a full ten days.¡± Sarah snorted. ¡°If she dares to behave improperly, I¡¯ll break her arrogance.¡± ¡°Sister, how could you hit mom? Are you sick? You should apologize to mom quickly. If mom softens up, she might hit you less.¡± Hedy tried to hide the gleam in her eyes, but couldn¡¯t help grinning at the thought of the impending domestic violence Sarah swung the rod directly at Eileen Eileen didn¡¯t move, catching the rod firmly in her hand ¡°Eleen, let go Sarah yelled Eileen scoffed, grabbed the rod, and swung it back at Sarah¡¯s shoulder ¡°Ah¡± Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Eileen! Have you lost your marbles? Hedy shrieked, rushing over to support Sarah In a sh, Eileen swung the stick in her hand. The next hitnded squarely on Hody¡¯s back. Hedy stumbled into Sarah and both of them copsed ¡°Mom, she¡¯s cozy, she¡¯s really crazy!¡± Hedy howled Eileen, how dare you hit Hedy! What the heck are you guys waiting for, grabs her Sarah yelled at the servants. The servants rushed at Eileen, but she snorted, waving her stick and sending them scurrying off in fear Useless Sarah bellowed. ¡°Thud¡± Eileen mmed her iron stick to the ground, mocking. They¡¯re just following your lead. If they¡¯re useless, then what does that make you?¡± Sarah red at Eileen. You dare hit me today, you¡¯ll pay for it tomorrow! Just you wait!¡± ¡°Tomorrow?¡± Eileen rolled her eyes and took a few steps forward. ¡°That¡¯s a long way off With that, she delivered a swift kick to Sarah¡¯s head Sarah flew across the room like a deted ball, crashing into a shelf. ¡°Madam! ¡°Mom¡± The shelf wobbled, objects tumbling down. Sarahy on the floor as bottles and jars crashed onto her ¡°Ah-¡°¡± She screamed, her face, arms, and hands immediately covered in bloody wounds ¡°Mom!¡± Hedy ran over, trembling. She stated at Eileen, tears in her eyes. You¡¯re not Eileen, Eileen wouldn¡¯t do this, who are you, who are you really?!¡± ¡°Me Eileen dropped the iron stick. She stepped up to Hedy, bent down, and yanked her hair. ¡°Alv¡± Hedy cried out in pain. ¡°Me¡± Eileen murmured in Hedy¡¯s ear. I¡¯m your¡­ nightmare¡± With that, she mmed Hedy¡¯s head onto the floor The next second, Hedy¡¯s forehead was all blood Looking at the two women lying on the floor, half-dead, Eileen finally straightened up, wiping the blood off her face. I told you, you¡¯d regret it if I came back.¡± When Ableson got the call from a servant and tushed home, he found a scene of utter chaos. The family doctor was tending to his wife and daughter ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± ¡°Dad!¡± Hedy sprang up from the sofa and threw herself into Ableson¡¯s arms, sobbing ¡°It was Eileen, she¡¯s gone mad, she came back and beat up not just mom but me too,¡± Ableson frowned. ¡°Are you saying all of this was done by Eileen?¡± Sarah also got up, crying inconsbly. I just scolded her for noting home recently, and she started hitting people. Look at my face, and my hands.¡± Ableson¡¯s face turned grim. ¡°She dared to do this?¡± ¡°Yes, dad, you have to help me. Look at my head, the doctor said it might scar Dad, I don¡¯t want scars, I don¡¯t want scars!¡± ¡°Alright, good girl Ableson looked at his daughter¡¯s bandaged head with worry, his face dark ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here III sort this out. I¡¯ll make Eileen pay!¡± Totally unaware of her impending trouble, Eileen was having lunch. That¡¯s when Ophelia called. ¡°Eileen, have you lost your mind?!¡± Ophelia shouted angrily from the ether end. Eileen asked in a daze. ¡°What did I do wrong?* What did you post on Twitter! Do you think I¡¯m too idle? if it weren¡¯t for thepany executives, I wouldn¡¯t even know what you¡¯ve been stirring up. And you¡¯re liking andmenting on posts, do you know you¡¯re trending?!¡± So, Ophelia didnt know about her beating people up yet Eileen breathed a sigh of relief, lowered her head, and continued eating. Only after finishing did she say, ¡°Im trending? That¡¯s a good thing, isn¡¯t it? Am I about to be famous¡±¡± ¡°Famous? What good cane out of trending? You¡¯re bickering withizens online, they¡¯re calling you shameless. They say you¡¯re insane, and want thepany to send you to a mental hospital!¡± Eileen took a sip of her drink and chuckled, ¡°Are you guys going to send me then? Just so you know, you pay for the treatment.¡± Ellen Finally, after Ophelia had railed at her for a good ten minutes, leaving her practically speechless, Eileen yawnedzily and said, ¡°Okay, I get it, I won¡¯t do it again. Ophelia. I¡¯m full and feeling sleepy, I¡¯m gonna hit the hay, no, I mean, I need to do some soul-searching.. ¡°You¡¯re really driving me crazy!¡± Ophelia yelled. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. In the end, Ophelia hung up the phone Elfeen set her phone aside, flopped down on her bed without a care in the world, and fell asleep When she woke up, it was to the sound of her phone ringing It was an unknown number. She picked up the phone with her eyes still closed. ¡°Hello¡± On the other end of the line, a polite female voice said, ¡°is this Eileen? Your audition for the lead role in ¡®Fancy Ind was sessful. Please tell your agent to g in touch with us as soon as possible to sign the contract.¡± After hanging up, Eileen crawled out of bed and called Ophelia. Ophelia was still irritated with her, but her mood lifted a bit upon hearing about the sessful audition. ¡°Alright, I got it. I¡¯ll talk to them, you just wait for further instructions¡± Eileen asked. ¡°Ophelia, how much is the lead role¡¯s pay?¡± Ophelia snorted. ¡°Is money all you think about? It¡¯s a small production, how much budget do you think they have for the cast? Tens of thousands at most.¡± Eileen frowned, ¡°How much do I get after the split?¡± Thepany¡¯s contract system was a fifty fifty split, minus taxes, Ophelia answered. ¡°A couple of thousands, probably That¡¯s not enough for her to spend Eileen scratched her head, losing interest ¡°Okay, got it¡± After hanging up. Eileen flopped back onto her bed, staring at the ceiling, but her mind was on the situation at Ableson¡¯s home. After her rebirth, of course she wouldn¡¯t be content with simply fighting with Sarah and bickering with Hedy. She wanted to take on the whole Ableson family, and with such little funds, it¡¯s clear she¡¯s way out of her league. Even if she¡¯s t broke, she had no reason to be scared of a loser like Ableson. What really freaked her out is the Prosperity Consortium backing Ableson Ableson was yed a minor role in the Lopez family, what she didn¡¯t want to mess with is the head of the Lopez family If only the head of the Lopez family could turn a blind eye to Ableson¡¯s fate¡± She muttered, but she knew, the chances of that happening were slim to none. The Lopez family, they re notonous for having each other¡¯s backs Chapter 16 Chapter 16 It¡¯s about to roll the cameras for the second episode of ¡°Travel 5+1. All the guests were set to gather at the second stop, which was none other than the airport in New York, USA Eileen was holding her ticket, ready to board, when her phone buzzed. ¡°You¡¯re at the airport, right? We have a surprise guest this time, can you pick him up? He¡¯s on your flight.¡± Eileen asked. ¡°Who¡¯s he?¡± The crew member replied. ¡°Kenly¡± Eileen nodded, asked again, ¡°And who is he?¡¯ The question seemed to throw the crew member for a loop, and they simply repeated, ¡°Kenley¡± Eileen rified, ¡°I mean, who is Kenley?¡± The crew member on the other side of the line went silent. After hanging up. Eileen, armed with a picture sent by the show team, managed to find a young man signing autographs for a group of female fans in the waiting area. He was dressed in trendy brand clothes Eileen stood off to the side and waited. Before long, security came and shooed away the fans. Kenley, finally able to breathe a sigh of relief, approached Eileen with a broad smile, ¡°God, that was a hassle How¡¯d they manage to get into the waiting area? Ms. Lopez. Im sorry to keep you waiting¡± Eileen locked up at him, expressionless, We¡¯re about to board. Lets go.¡± She tumed and grabbed her suitcase. Just as she began to walk away, she felt a touch on the back of her hand. Eileen immediately pulled her hand back, turning to face Kenley Seeing her reaction, Kenley chuckled, ¡°I just identally touched your hand. Don¡¯t freak out. I was just trying to help you with your luggage. It¡¯s too heavy for ady like you identally touched? He had clearly stroked her hand Eileen said coldly. ¡°Walk yourself if you keep getting handsy. I¡¯m not going to be happy¡± Kenleyughed, ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really fierce, huh?¡± Eileen scowled and walked away without looking back Kenley stood behind her, a challenging spark in his eyes. They boarded the ne and settled in economy ss. Unfortunately, they ended up seated next to each other Standing in the aisle, Kenley turned to Eileen with a smile, ¡°Do you prefer the window or aisle seat? I¡¯m good with either.¡± Ignoring him, Eileen turned to a young man on the other side of the aisle. ¡°Excuse me, can we swap seats? Mine¡¯s just next to yours, it won¡¯t be much trouble¡­ The young man turned his face, and both of them froze ¡°Ms. Lopez¡± Egbert¡¯s assistant stood up, a youthful face filled withughter. ¡°What a coincidence, you¡¯re on this flight too!¡± Eileen looked at him with a puzzled expression. ¡°You¡¯re also going to New York?¡± The assistant replied, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m apanying Mr. Reed. Last time I couldn¡¯t go with him to Paris, and Egbert fell sick with no one to care for him. This time Gilbert told me I have to stick with Mr. Reed all the time. Ch, and Mr. Reed is also on this flight. He¡¯s in the first ss¡± N?velDrama.Org content. Eileen blinked. ¡°Is Egbert also attending this time?¡± The assistant immediately answered, ¡°Of course he will attend, why wouldn¡¯t he?¡± Eileen vaguely remembered someone mentioning that Egbert was just temporarily recing the sick Kaleb. So, is he also participating this time? ¡°Ms Lopez, do you want to swap seats? Here, you can take mine.¡± The assistant quickly offered his seat and then asked amicably, ¡°Do you want to go to first ss to greet Mr. Reed? He¡¯ll be very pleased to see you.¡± ¡°Why would he be pleased?¡± Eileen frowned, taking the assistant¡¯s seat, and said indifferently. ¡°He¡¯s not a king, why should I go and greet him?¡± The assistant was taken aback by Eileen¡¯s words and seeing her stern expression, he didn¡¯t dare to say anything more. Kenley, on the other hand, found this amusing, ¡°So, you¡¯re Egbert¡¯s assistant? Come, sit here¡­¡± On ne. Eileen had her airne meal and started to feel drowsy. She covered herself with a nket and fell asleep. When she woke up, she stumbled towards thevatory After washing her face and about to leave the restroom, she bumped into someone. The person was a man, taller than her Still feeling a bit drowsy, she didn¡¯t notice who it was and simply muttered an apology before moving on Suddenly, the ne hit turbulence and shook violently Eileen stumbled and almost fell Just in time, the man beside her steadied her by her hand, ¡°Careful.¡± A familiar deep voice echoed in her ears. The turbulence was bnel, and the ne quickly returned to normal Edeen looked up in surprise to see the man beside her was indeed Egbert ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she asked, taken aback. Egbert, having steadied her, withdrew his hand and replied. ¡°The restroom in the first ss is upied¡± He seemed to have leamed from his assistant that Eileen was also on this flight, so he didn¡¯t seem surprised to see her. He came to use the restroom? Eileen didn¡¯t say anything else and stepped aside to let him in. Egbert entered the restroom and the door closed gently Most people were asleep and the cabin was dim. Eileen returned to her seat, just in time to see Egberting out of the restroom at the end of the cabin. Looks like he just went to wash his hands? Eileen pulled the nket over herself and continued to sleep. When the nended in New York, it was already noon. In the airport hall, Phyllis, Bblythe, and Josiah had already arrived Seeing Eileene out Bblythe waved at her with a smile. As Eileen approached them, they noticed Kenley trailing behind her. ¡°Wow, Kenley!¡± Phyllis jumped up from her chair, ran over excitedly, and linked arms with Kenley. ¡°The crew said there¡¯d be a special guest this time. Is it you?¡± Kenley, all smiles, casually slung an arm around Phyllis, messing her hair a bit. ¡°Who else could it be? You guys don¡¯t you wee me?¡± ¡°Of course we wee you!¡± Phyllis was clearly affected by the excitement, introducing Kenley to Bblythe and Josiah In just three short minutes, all three of them rallied to Kenley¡¯s side. Eileen, however, stood alone. At this point, the show went live. Finally, the show¡¯s starting.] (Ah, it¡¯s Kenley. Go Kenley!] [With Kenley on board, this episode is gonna be lit Comments flooded in like a tidal wave, it seemed everyone was a fan of Kenley. Chapter 17 Chapter 17 ¡°Are we still waiting for Hubery and Kaleb Bblythe asked at this point. The production team said, ¡°Hubery¡¯s flight won¡¯t amive until tonight, and as for thest quest, he he¡¯s already here¡± They pointed, and everyone looked over, very surprised to see Egbert, who had juste through security ¡°Wow, it¡¯s Mr Reed Thements were also very excited. Kenleys here, and so is Egbert, double good news!| Kenley is a fan of Mr. Reed. He¡¯s meeting his idol came for Egbert someone said he wont be in this episode who spread that rumor] To the person above its probably not a rumor. They said that Kaleb hasn¡¯t fully recovered since leaving the hospital and wasn¡¯t fit enough to be in the program, so Egbert will probably be appeanng for another episode or two ] Cving Egbert look at mel Egbert walked over with his suitcase and Josiah and Bblythe hugged him. Egbert hugged almost all members. When he saw Kenley extending his hands, he ignored Kenley and asked Josiah, ¡®Am Ite?¡± Kenley was taken aback, but no one else noticed this small incident, since Phyllis and Eileen didn¡¯t hug each other either ¡°No it¡¯s just starting now¡± Josiah said. At this point, the production team began toy out the rules for the second episode. Again, it was 100 travel funds, stay for three days, visit five attractions Phyllis immediately said. ¡°But there are seven of us this time, why is the budget even less?¡± There is a difference in exchange rate between 100 dors and 100 euros. If you really calcte it, the budget for this time is indeed much less The production team calmly said, ¡°These are the rules, or do you want to kick out the guests?¡± You guys are too bad After Phyllisined, she looked at Eileen. Everyone else also looked at Eileen Eileen nced at them, smiled coldly. ¡°Now you remember me?¡± Bblythe couldn¡¯t helpughing patted Eileen¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Kenley is a new friend, we naturally are a bit enthusiastic, are you jealous?¡± ¡°Bullshit¡± Eileen walked up to the crew without expression to get the money The crew gave her the money, Eileen pulled her suitcase and walked straight outside. Everyone else followed obediently Kenley and Phyllis werest, Kenley asked, ¡°I thought Travel Concierge¡¯s job was to take care of our daily life, didn¡¯t expect him to be the team leader¡± Phyllis immediately lowered her voice vigntly, seeing that Eileen in front didn¡¯t seem to hear, she rxed, ¡°You should never say this in front of her, or she will get angry Kenley raised his eyebrows. ¡°I heard she¡¯s pretty fierce?* This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . ¡°She¡¯s not just fierce, she¡¯s a tyrant! She¡¯s the kind that hurts people at the drop of a hat!¡± Phyllis exaggerated, then wamed, ¡°No matter what, you must not provoke her Once you upset her you¡¯ll be in endless trouble, didn¡¯t you watch thest episode?¡± Kenley shook his head with a smile, Tve been on the mad a lottely¡± Phyllis nodded, 1 understand. You¡¯ve been very poprtely, anyway, you must not provoke her. She¡¯s very petty and will take revenge on you.¡± Kenley chuckled, obviously he didn¡¯t take this to heart. Him being retaliated against in the live room? He didn¡¯t believe Eileen had the courage. They were led to a bus stop Soon, they got on a bus Switching buses, and switching again, Phyllis felt dizzy. ¡°How many more times do we have to switch?¡± Eileen calmly said ¡°Just follow along, don¡¯t ask too many questions Kenley raised his eyebrows, didn¡¯t expect Eileen to be so rude to Phyllis in front of the live camera. As the rumors said, she¡¯s a spicy one Kenley didn¡¯t know much about Eileen, he just heard from his manager before he came that Eileen was very beautiful, but had a lot of bad rumors. The rumors said she was a loose woman But Kenley didn¡¯t care about that, he¡¯s been very busytely, working hard every day, he hasn¡¯t rxed in a long time. This time he came to this travel variety show as a guest, Kenley considered it a vacation. Since it¡¯s a vacation, having sex with a beautiful woman is also wxing. Kenley didn¡¯t believe he couldn¡¯t chase Eileen. She was just a small star with a lot of bad rumors, and he was a rising top star, many women wanted to be with him. If it weren¡¯t for his manager being strict, he wouldn¡¯t have in endure so much Thinking about this, Kenley asionally nced at Eileen, who was sitting in front of him looking at her phone, and sometimes a smile appeared at theer his mouth But what he didn¡¯t notice was that behind him, a pair of eyes were also looking at him, giving him a cold look They sat on the bus for an hour and a half, and finally arrived at a somewhat inconspicuous and remote small inn The Inn was cheap They rented two room, a total of theen dors. The small inn was quite clean, one room for the guys, one for the girls. It was still early, after they put down their luggage, Eileen directly said, ¡°We¡¯ll go to one of the attractions this afternoon.¡± Although everyone was a bit tired, no one objected. Eileen had been checking the route on her phone on the bus, and she had already nned the itinerary for the next three days. Before setting off, everyone gathered, but Kenley was still not down, Eileen was getting impatient, I¡¯ll go check.¡± Egbert was sitting on the sofa in the lobby on the first floor, hearing this, he frowned, watched Eileen walk towards the elevator, and got up from the sofa. ¡°Mr. Reed, where are you going? Josiah asked 1 forgot my phone.¡± Egbert said, walking towards the elevator, but saw that the elevator Eileen was in had already gone up. Eileen stopped at the door of the boys¡¯ room, knocking on the door. The door was quickly opened, and Kenley, who was only wearing a pair of underwear, was the one who opened it. The live cam was downstairs, they didn¡¯t have one up here. Eileen was frowning at Kenley¡¯s antics, her face quickly turning frosty ¡°We¡¯re ready to go, what the hell are you doing?¡± Kenley was fit, with quite the six-pack. He smirked a little, checking to make sure no one was behind him before grabbing Eileen¡¯s arm and pulling her into the room. When Egbert stepped out of the elevator, the hallway was deserted He squinted, moving to the boy¡¯s room and knocking gently But there was no sound from the other side. Egbert frowned, unsure if Eileen was in there Kenley ignored the knocking at the door, effortlessly pinning Eileen against the door with one arm, trapping her in his manly embrace. His other hand was making an attempt to touch her chin. Eileen jerked her head away, looking at him coldly. ¡°Are you looking for trouble?¡± A full-blown smirk crossed Kenley¡¯s face, a hint of rakishness in his eyes. ¡°Stop ying coy, I think you¡¯re pretty. How about we have a little fun?¡± ¡°Fun?¡± Eileen looked at Kenley, a slight smile ying on her lips. ¡°What kind of fun? Are you thinking of ying some touchy-feely games that only adults y?¡± Touchy-feely¡­ Kenley couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing. Seeing Eileen¡¯s cooperation, his voice grew even deeper and more enticing. ¡°Yes, I want to¡­ touchy-feely with you.¡± get Eileen¡¯s eyes curved slightly. ¡°Alright¡± Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Egbert was knocking on the door for over a minute, but there was no response from inside Just as he was about to call Josiah to check if they had already left, the door suddenly swung open Eileen emerged locking rather disheveled Her appearance was a far cry from how she looked earlier when she was downstairs, back then, she had on a coat over a loose white long sleeved shirt and jeans Now she had taken off her coat which was hanging off her arm. Two buttons on her while shirt were undone revealing her cotione Furthermore, her usuallyposed face was slightly flushed She was clearly not in her normal state Egbert¡¯s face instantly darkened, and his gaze shifted towards the interior of the room. But Eileen blocked his view, muttered vaguely. ¡°Kenley isn¡¯t feeling well, he cante along Lets get going With that she started to close the door Egbert held the door open, looking at her coldly Eileen swallowed hard, appearing somewhat flustered, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Seeing her reaction, Egbert¡¯s expression became even more stem. His eyes locked on her unbuttoned shirt cor from his angle, he could even see a glimpse of her chest. He asked coldly. ¡°Do you even know what work is?¡± Eileen was puzzled, ¡®What?¡± ¡°Dunng work hours, you should know how to differentiate between work and personal life is this how you¡¯ve always been conducting yourself at work?¡± His rebuke was so straightforward that Eileen bit her p in embarrassment it was the first time she had been scalded during a show She pressed her lips together, warling to calm the situation. She didn¡¯t care about apologizing anymom, muttered sulkuly. Fine, I was wrong, okay? Let¡¯s just go¡± ¡°What about him? Egbert refused to let go of the door His megant fingers were still pressing against the door, clearly not intending to let her off the hook just yet. Eleen was getting annoyed, 1 told you he¡¯s not ferling well. What do you want? Egbert scoffed, his handsome face appearing indifferent, Let me ask him what exactly is wrong¡± With that, he pushed past Eileen and opened the door wide The room was in a state of chaos. The atmosphere seemed to freeze instantly N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Egbert stood at the door, eyes coldly taking in the sight of the man lying on the floor covered in injuries and still bleeding from his head. Kenley had passed out, his breathing shallow His hands were twisted in an unnatural position. Realizing that the jig was up. Eileen turned to run But she was caught by the cor Egbert pulled her out and looked at her with aplicated expression, ¡°What the hell happened? Caught red-handed, Eileen seemed unfazed and defended herself. What what He started it first, said he wanted to y adult games, so I used my professional fighting skills and yed a little adult smashing game with him. It¡¯s not my fault he couldn¡¯t take it. He bumped his head trying to dodge me i didn¡¯t hit his head. His bleeding has nothing to do with me I just dislocated his hands¡± Just dislocated his hands¡­ Eileen tried to make it sound justified but she faltered under Egberts piercing gaze, finally mumbling. ¡°Okay, okay, and his legs too¡± Egbert was speechless ¡°I can fix him up Eileen dered, walking back into the room and grabbing the unconscious Kenley¡¯s hand. Kenley who fainted, was suddenly awakened by the pain ¡°Slop moving around. ¡°Eileen looked at the terrified Kenley writhing around and stepped on his chest pinning him down. After a few movements, she didnt know if she had fixed Kanley¡¯s limbs, but he had passed out again from the pain. Egbert went silent After putting his limbs back in ce, Eileen stood up. Because it was too hot, she pped her open cor to cool down, and looked at Egbert ¡°Happy now?¡± Egben was totally speechless Egbert rubbed his face and said to Eileen with his eyes closed. ¡°You go down first¡± Eileen asked cautiously, ¡°What about you?¡± Egben nced at her Eileen bolted, ¡°Til wait for you downstairs¡± As soon as she finished speaking. Eileen disappeared. Egbert sighed in the room. He walked over to the unconscious Kenley and gave him a couple of kicks Kenley woke up groggily, only to see Egbert standing over him. He was in a lot of pain, his face sticky When he reached up to touch his face, his hand came away covered in blood, and his head was throbbing He finally remembered what had happened. His eyes filled with anger as he looked around, ¡°Where¡¯s that bitch?!¡± Egbert remained expressionless, pulling up a chair to sit next to him Eileen had gone upstairs alone, but not only had she failed to bring Kenley down, she had also lost Egbert. Everyone was asking her what had happened. Eileen was unusually flustered, evading their questions. ¡°They¡¯ll be down soon¡± Josiah was confused, ¡°Did something happen? Should we go upstairs to check?¡± ¡°No need, no need, Eileen quickly replied. They ll be down in a bit Everyone thought her behavior was a bit strange After waiting for a while only Egbert came down Phyllis immediately asked. ¡°Egbert, where¡¯s Kenley?¡± Egbert casually replied. ¡°He said he¡¯s not feeling well and wants to rest¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t he just fine?¡± Eileen quickly interjected. It might be jetg When I went up just now, he said he wasn¡¯t feeling well. Let¡¯s just get going, the production team will take care of him.¡± With that he led the others out Everyone always gave in to Eileen Seeing her leave although they were still quite womed about Kenley, they followed her out in the end. They were taking a bus to the sightseeing spot. On the bus, Eileen liked to sit by herself and never enjoyed sharing a seat with anyone else. But this time, she unusually chose to sit next to Egbert She asked softly. ¡°How is he?¡± Egbert nced at her and replied. ¡°He¡¯s fine¡± Eileen¡¯s eyes bugged out. ¡°So you¡¯re saying there¡¯s no problem with this? Did I not hit hard enough?¡± Egbert looked at her and asked. ¡°Were you hoping to hurt him?¡± Eileen immediately shook her head Egbert sighed, feeling a headacheing on again Eileen muttered next to him, ¡°Seems like I need to brush up on my fighting skills, look for another chance to spar with him, see what I¡¯m made of.¡± Egbert was speechless. Chapter 19 Chapter 19 By the time they got back from the tourist spot, it was alreadyte at night. Eileen simply offered everyone some cheap burgers for dinner before shooing them off When they returned to their ce, Kenley was lying in bed with bandages wrapped around his head, looking pale as a ghost Phyllis got a shock when she saw him and immediately asked, ¡°Kenley, what happened to you?¡± Kenley¡¯s gaze shifted from Eileen, who was standing in the back of the crowd, to Egbert, reminding him of what Egbert had said earlier Biting down hard to endure the pain, he said, ¡°I took a tumble in the bathroom¡± ¡°You re so clumsy¡± Phyllis reached out to touch Kenley¡¯s head, her face showing her worry With Kenley injured, the once lively atmosphere of the show immediately became heavy, and most of the audience¡¯sments were about their sympathy for Kenley Later that night, Hubery came to join the group Hubery knew Kenley and wanted to get close to him, but seeing Kenley in such a bad state, he decided to drop the idea. Just then. Hubery saw Eileen walking down the hallway, reminding him of the phone call from Hedy a few days ago about Eileen hitting her and her mother Hubery immediately stood up, nning to chase after Eileen for a good chat. However, when he went out, he found that Elleen was with Bblythe. Seeing others were around, Hubery thought it wasn¡¯t appropriate to approach, so he went back to his room. Back in his room, just as Hubery was about to pack his belongings, he heard Kenley, who wasnt exactly friendly to him, suddenly call out to him, ¡°Hubery, was that Travel Concierge¡¯s sister outside?¡± Hubery¡¯s heart skipped a beat, afraid that he might be found out for going after Fileen, so he quickly exined, ¡°Yes, but I thought it was Josiah. I wanted to borrow his razor, I must have got it wrong¡± Kenley raised an eyebrow, eyeing Hubery thoughtfully. Kenley believed he was much smarter than Hubery. He had been in the business much longer than Hubery. Did Eileen and Hubery have some special rtionship? Kenley began lo ponder He wasn¡¯t going to let this injury of his slide like that. In the evening, Eileen went to the front desk to ask about the bus schedule for the next day. On her way back, she bumped into Phyllis Phyllis was holding a remote control and said, ¡°I think it¡¯s broken¡± Eileen took a nce and said. ¡°It was fine just now¡± Phyllis said, It¡¯s not ours. It¡¯s from the boys¡¯ room, I found it when I was getting water for Kenley. Can youe with me to tell the staff?¡± Eileen didn¡¯t want to deal with her and walked away, saying, ¡°You go by yourself¡± Phyllis stamped her foot and said, ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be our Travel Concierge.¡± Eileen ignored her and went straight back to her room. Phyllis ended up going downstairs alone, with the cameraman following her When Phyllis reached the first floor, she smiled politely at the front desk staff but was a little at a loss for words. ¨CEileen is so mean] ¨C[There are actually fans of Eileen in thements? I¡¯m bbergasted Have you guys forgotten about Eileen¡¯s scandals? You guys are supporting a girl with such a character, it shows what kind of people you are in real life. Birds of a feather flock together] ¨C[So we¡¯re attacking people now?] ¨C[Actually, I didn¡¯t particrly like Eileen at first. I just thought she was efficient, but now, I mally like her] [Go Eileen Beat these people!] Thements were a cacophony of debates. Having arranged her stuff for tomorrow¡¯s trip. Eileen was about to ask Phyllis where a ck bag was. Then she looked up and realized that half an hour had passed, and Phyllis hadn¡¯te back She asked Bblythe, ¡°Where¡¯s Phyllis?¡± Ablythe had juste out of the shower, drying her face as she said, ¡°Haven¡¯t seen her, maybe she¡¯s taking care of Kenley?¡± Eileen frowned and got up to go out. The door to the boys¡¯ room was closed, so she knocked. The door was opened by Hubery, who brightened up at the sight of Eileen outside. In a voice that only the two of them could hear, he quietly asked, ¡°Did youe to see me?¡± Eileen really didn¡¯t want to exchange words with him. She bypassed Hubery, asking Josiah inside. ¡°Josiah, have you seen Phyllis?¡± This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Josiah was folding clothes and looked up to say, ¡°She left with a new remote¡± Eileen frowned, looked ground the room, and saw Egbert standing on the balcony making a call. Seeing her looking over, he leaned half his body against the railing of the balcony and looked back of her. Eileen averted her gaze, and looked around again but didn¡¯t see Kenley. ¡°Okay, got it,¡± she said and turned to leave. The cameraman in thedor had been filming her. Eileen, recalling that it was this cameraman who had been following Phyllis earlier asked him, Didn¡¯t you s Phyllis?¡± The cameraman shook his head. Phyllis had asked him not to follow, so he didn¡¯t. Anthough it was a meality show, they still had to respect the quests wishes. If a quest explicitly said not to film, the cameraman would not force it. Thinking that Phyllis, as an adult, couldn¡¯t possibly have gotten lost, Eileen went back to her room. Another hour passed, and Bblythe was already asleep, but Phyllis hadn¡¯te back. It was past one in the morning when the door finally opened, and Phyllis came in with a big grin on her face Eileen was sitting on the bed watching her Seeing Eileen still awake, Phyllis rolled her eyes and went straight into the bathroom. When Phyllis came out. Eileen casually asked. Where have you been?¡± Phyllis shot her a re. None of your business¡± Eileen let out a sarcasticugh andid down on her bed, ignoring her The next day. Kenley was well enough to hang out with everyone. He wore a hat, covering his bandaged forehead slightly When Eileen came downstairs, she happened to see Phyllis and Kenley together. Kenley was sitting on the couch, chatting away with Phyllis, who wasughing heartily, leaning mley every now and then -What¡¯s up She¡¯s like a spineless jellyfish] -Can she stop leaning on Kenley is she nuts¡±] -[They arent siblings can she keep her distance?] total skank] a big deal. He¡¯s got a ton of fans, and suddenly the whole chat room was filled with people trashing Phyllis. Eleen walked over She handed Egbert a mask ready to take everyone on the bus Just then. Phyllis suddenly said ¡°Give Kenley a mask too.¡± Eileen nced at Kenley, who was looking at Phyllis with a tender gaze. She snorted. Does he need one?¡± lost it night then and there ¡°Do you know how popr he is night now! You wouldn¡¯t understand. You¡¯ve never having been famous or ever know how annoying it is! be recognized by random people on the street!¡± Phyllis spoke so fast and abruptly. Everyone around went quiet all of a sudden. Chapter 20 Chapter 20 || really like Phyllis Finally, someone¡¯s standing up to Eileen. I¡¯ve been itching to jump into the screen and give her a piece of my mind. What¡¯s with her arrogance and nudeness] Why didn¡¯t they give Kenley a mask? Do you know how many fans Kenley has overseas? So nanow minded] Phyllis was just trying to defend her friend. She didn¡¯t mean to provoke Kenley. Okay, for the sake of you standing up for Kenley, we, Kenley¡¯s fans, will let you off the hook for now ] ¡°Stop talking nonsense Phyllis Bblythe chided stemly. She knew Phyllis had been holding grudges against Eileen. But this was the first time Phyllis publicly confronted Eileen. Not for herself, but for Kenley Bblythe frowned, ncing over at Kenley, who was sitting on the couch with a helpless, bitter smile on his face. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that Kenleys attitude was a bit off today. Josiah quickly intervened to defuse the situation Eileen¡¯s cold eyes scanned over Phyllis. After a while, she pulled out a mask and handed it over. ¡°You could¡¯ve given it to me earlier Phyllis rushed over to take it But Eileen swiftly withdrew her hand. Phyllis, who had run over for nothing, snapped, ¡°Are you messing with me?¡± Eileen turned to Kenley. ¡°What did you break your legs or arms? Can¡¯t youe and get it yourself?¡± Kenley looked at Eileen with an innocent and aggrieved expression. [Eileen is really sick) Im so annoyed by Eileen now] [Why does Kenley have to put up with this from Eileen? Can¡¯t the production team kick her out!) Phyllis sentiments echoed thements exactly. She shouted, ¡°I just like helping Kenley with things, why are you so nosy! Are you giving me the mask or not!¡± Eileen gave Phyllis an annoyed nce. In the end, she threw the mask at her Phyllis caught the mask and humed back to Kenley with an eager expression ¡°Thank you,¡± said Kenley gently. Phyllis face turned red instantly. Before long, they all got on the bus Eileen initially sat alone in thest row of the bus, but Egbert strode on and sat next to her after he boarded. As the bus started moving, the others chatted leisurely Egbert suddenly started, ¡°Do you know where Phyllis wentst night? Eileen was taken aback and looked at him. ¡°She was led to the back stairs by him, Egbert said. The ¡°him¡± referring to Kenley Eileen frowned Women in love have no brains Egbert chuckled softly. ¡°What are youughing at?¡± Eileen asked ¡°I just don¡¯t think that¡¯s love¡± Egbert replied. Eileen thought of Kenley¡¯s flippant behavior the day before She stared at the back of Phyllis¡¯ head for a long time, then snorted and looked away. ¡®Not my problem¡± Egbert nced at her and said nothing. Everyone enjoyed the day, except for Phyllis who kept asking Eileen for money. However when they returned to their amodation that night, Phyllis suddenly announced, ¡°I want to be the team leader tomorrow.¡± Eileen, who was calcting their remaining budget, looked up. Bblythe also turned her head. ¡°Phyllis, stop joking¡± Im not joking. Why does she always have to be the leader? I can respect her, but why does she have to be the leader? We can¡¯t even cat what we like, and we can only eat what she thinks is cheap. What¡¯s the fun in traveling like this? Especially when Kenley is feeling unwell because of a head injury, she insists that we take the bus We get motion sickness from switching buses. How much money does that save? She made Kenley feel unwell! I don¡¯t care, I want to be the leader tomorrow. If you won¡¯t let me, refund me and Kenley our money. We¡¯ll go our own way, we won¡¯t go with you.¡± Bblythes expression grew more senous. ¡°Phyllis, this is not a joke. Even if you two go alone¡­¡± ¡°Bblythe, why are you always on her side! We¡¯re supposed to be close, yet you always defend Eileen. Do you care about me!¡± Bblythe stood up ¡°It¡¯s because I care about you that I¡¯m reminding you¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t need your reminder I came to travel, not to be trained. I don¡¯t need a coach telling me what I should and shouldn¡¯t do. If you can¡¯t ept me, let the production team rece me, and bring someone else!¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°Phyllis Bblythe was angry Eileen stood up, blocking blythe, and looked at Phyllis. ¡°You want to be the leader?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Phyllis looked defiantly at Eileen, chin up ¡°Fine.¡± Eileen handed her the money she was holding ¡°Eileen, dont stoop to her level.¡± Bblythe tried to intervene But Phyllis snatched the money, counted the amount, and dered, ¡°Everyone can sleep in until ten tomorrow. We¡¯ll start our activities in the atomoon. I won¡¯t everyone up so early like her. We¡¯re here to enjoy ourselves, and I respect everyone¡¯s sleep.¡± Eileen chuckled, noddingzily. ¡°Suit yourself.¡± Phyllis, holding the money, ran off to the guys¡¯ mom to share the good news. Once Phyllis left, Bblythe pulled Eileen aside, looking bitter. ¡°She¡¯s just a little girl. Don¡¯t be mad¡± The more Bblythe spent time with Eileen, the more she realized how strong Eileen¡¯s organizing and coordinating abilities were. Among them, only Eileen could control the situation. Seven people travelled together, each with their own personalities and temperaments, but Eileen could manage everyone, ensuring the show went smoothly Being able to do that was a great merit in itself. Bblythe had no clue what was going on with Phyllis, all she knew was not to piss off Eileen. Tm not mad, if she wants to kick up a fuss, let her. I don¡¯t give a toss¡± Eileen said, grabbing her towel and toothbrush, and heading straight into the bathroom to freshen up She seemedpletely indifferent to the whole thing. Bblythe stood outside the closed bathroom door, sighing deeply ¨C I kinda wanna give Eileen a piece of my mind. But then I remember what happened with Hubery on the first day] ¨C [Phyllis wouldn¡¯t just burn money for no reason, would she? She saw what happened to Hubery] ¨C [I¡¯m on Phyllis¡¯ side. Kenley¡¯s taken enough today, and he¡¯s just a temporary guest, a visitor. But look at him, after a day out, he¡¯s been run ragged. It¡¯s enough to make me wanna cry] I feel for Kenley too. He¡¯s injured. You guys should be kinder to him. Isn¡¯t that just basic decency? Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Eileen came out of the shower to find the room empty. She didn¡¯t think much of it and went straight to blow¨Cdry her hair and hit the hay Not long after, Phyllis and Bblythe came back. Bblythe, seeing Eileen asleep, lowered her voice. To her surprise, Phyllis made quite a ruckus, especially when she closed the door Bblythe whispered, ¡°Eileen is asleep¡± Phyllis retorted. ¡°Everyone¡¯s at a meeting next door, and she¡¯s sulking and sleeping here all by herself. She doesn¡¯t respect me Why should I respect her?¡± Bblythe disagreed. ¡°She was in the shower and probably didn¡¯t hear you call her. I suggested calling her before we came back, but you didn¡¯t agree.¡± ¡°I was in a meeting, and Bblythe you left as well. None of those guys would listen to me.¡± ¡°Enough already¡± Bblythe had a headache. ¡°Keep it down and go to sleep.¡± Eileen was actually awake at this time, just lying in bed. After a while, the room lights turned off, and Eileen heard Bblythe, who was sleeping in the bed next to hers,y down. Then, the room¡¯s door suddenly opened. Eileen opened her eyes and turned her head to see. Sure enough, Phyllis¡® bed was empty, and she was the one who had left the room. Phyllis was only gone for a few minutes, but when she came back, her mood was obviously better. The next day, when Eileen got up at seven o¡¯clock, she saw that the people next to her were still asleep. She got out of bed to wash up and then left the room. As soon as she stepped out, she saw Egbert, wearing a ck coat,ing out of the boys¡® room next door. The cameraman in the corridor followed them with his camera equipment. Egbert, with his hands in his coat pockets, looked at Eileen and asked, ¡°Breakfast?¡± Eileen nodded slightly. You too?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± The man replied, heading towards the elevator, and pressing the down button. Eileen stood next to him, waiting for the elevator with him. The elevator came down quickly, and they went to the restaurant on the first floor, where free sandwiches were provided in the morning. They got their sandwiches and two cups of free coffee and sat by the window to eat. The cameraman was filming next to them. The two sitting by the window were exceptionally good¨C looking, and the aroma of coffee filled the air, creating a warm atmosphere that seemed in yet beautiful amidst the bustling city. Outside the floor¨Cto¨Cceiling ss window, a few pedestrians hurried by on the street. The bustling metropolis was just waking up. After breakfast, seeing that there was still plenty of time, Eileen didn¡¯t go back upstairs but left the hotel. After walking a few steps, she felt something was amiss behind her. She turned around and, sure enough, saw that Egbert had followed her out. Eileen didn¡¯t say anything, and the two of them strolled around in silence. Before long, they came across a watch shop nearby. The watch shop had just opened for the day, and the shop owner, a somewhat bald middle¨Caged man in an apron, greeted them warmly. Eileen responded with a smile. The watch shop had all kinds of clocks, from ordinary ones to ssical luxury and cute fashion ones. Eileen stood in front of the window, looking at a pyramid¨Cstyle clock inside. The owner enthusiastically introduced it to her. This clock was a bit pricey, costing three hundred dors. Hearing the price, Eileen gave a wry smile and shook her head. Even if the show allowed her to use her personal funds, she couldn¡¯t afford it. She only had the three hundred bucks that Ophelia lent her. Even if she sold herself, she couldn¡¯t afford it. ¡°Do you like it?¡± Egbert suddenly asked next to her. Eileen¡¯s gaze was still on the clock, but she shook her head and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay¡± Egbert began to scrutinize her. They strolled around the hotel and passed by the watch shop again on their way back. Eileen looked at the window and found the pyramid clock was gone. ¡°It sold out so quickly?¡± Eileen said with a bit of regret. ¡°Business is good.¡± Egbert looked at her and said, ¡°If you like it, why didn¡¯t you reserve it earlier?¡± ¡°Reserve it with what?¡± ¡°Reserve it and buy it after the show is over.¡± Eileen looked at Egbert as if he was a rich fool, and after a while, she sighed deeply and said, ¡°You don¡¯t understand anything.¡± At eleven o¡¯clock, the others gradually woke up. Once Phyllis had finished her makeup, she ran next door to check on Kenley Kenley was having his wound dressed by the show¡¯s doctor. Because the wound was bleeding, the cameraman didn¡¯t film the wound, only his handsome face with his eyes shut in pain. There were a lot of sympatheticments that instantly came through. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Phyllis was also feeling sympathetic and to show it, she ordered a luxurious breakfast at the hotel. This time, she spent thirty dors straight away. ¡°We¡¯re going to rent a car and go sightseeing this afternoon.¡± Phyllis suddenly announced at lunch. Chapter 22 Chapter 22 ¡°Rent a car?¡± Everyone turned to look at Phylls. Bblythe voiced his disagreement, ¡°Renting a car is too expensive¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°It¡¯s not that pricey, actually. The hotel arranged it for us. We¡¯re guests, so they gave us a discount.¡± It was clear that Phyllis had picked up this money¨Csaving tip from Eileen, to rent cars directly through the hotel. It¡¯s only twelve bucks, including pick¨Cup and drop¨Coff¡± Was twelve dors not expensive? After dinner, Bblythe whispered to Eileen, ¡°How much would it cost if we took a bus instead?¡± Eileen replied, ¡°Two dors¡± Bblythe was even more heartbroken. But since they had already agreed to let Phyllis be the leader, there was no going back. The next day was generally harmonious, except for the fact that Phyllis gave extra attention to Kenley, which made the others a bit ufortable. However, considering that Kenley was indeed injured, no one said anything. Back at the hotel in the evening, they had to pay for the next day¡¯s room. Bblythe apanied Phyllis to make the payment. When they got to the front desk, Phyllis went through her pockets, but couldn¡¯t find any money. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Bblythe asked. Phyllis looked upset. ¡°I might have left it in the room, Bblythe, could you wait here for a bit?¡± She then dashed off upstairs. After taking a shower, Eileen came out to find Phyllis turning the room upside down. She asked with a stern face, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Phyllis replied anxiously. ¡°I can¡¯t find my wallet, have you seen it?¡± Eileen frowned. ¡°Didn¡¯t you put it in that ck backpack?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve checked, it¡¯s not there.¡± Phyllis¡® face turned red as she bit her lip. ¡°Could you help me look for it? I can¡¯t find it.¡± Eileen pursed her lips but eventually bent down to help her search. After waiting for nearly twenty minutes without any news from Phyllis, Bblythe went upstairs to see what was happening. Upon reaching the top, she saw everyone huddled at the girls¡® room door, all looking for something ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Josiah said with a grim face, ¡°Phyllis can¡¯t find her wallet.¡± ¡°She lost her money?¡± Bblythe asked. This question seemed to touch a nerve, and the room fell into a brief silence. Phyllis, who was sitting on the floor rummaging through her suitcase. suddenly burst into tears. Bblythe hurried over andforted her. With tears streaming down her face, Phyllis sobbed. ¡°I don¡¯t know where I put it. I clearly remember putting it in my bag. How could it be gone¡­. ¡°I remember, Hubery suddenly said. ¡°When Kenley said he was thirsty, and you went to buy him a drink, I think you might¡¯ve left your wallet on the counter?¡± Phyllis immediately stood up and dashed out. ¡°Phyllis, where are you going at this hour!¡± Bblythe chased after her. Josiah, worried about their safety, followed suit. In the room, the few remaining people stayed silent for a moment. Hubery got up from the floor and returned to his room, followed by Kenley Egbert didn¡¯t leave, hezily leaned against the balcony door, squinting at Eileen who was sitting on the bed, and asked, ¡°If the wallet is lost, what would you do?¡± Eileen nced at him and replied, ¡°She¡¯s the team leader, if she lost her wallet, it¡¯s her problem. What does it have to do with me?¡± Thements online were bustling. -Eileen is so selfish] ¨C[Is this what you call selfish? Can you be reasonable? Phyllis lost her wallet, and everyone has to suffer, and you have the nerve to call Eileen selfish? -I don¡¯t understand why there was a problem with Eileen being the team leader. Why did they have to change? When she was the leader, everyone was doing just fine Now they switch leaders, and within a day, there¡¯s already a problem.] ¨C[I wanted to say something this morning when Phyllis ordered a luxurious breakfast for Kenley Is she trying to imitate Hubery? A meal doesn¡¯t make you posh¡®] -They changed the leader because Kenley got injured and Eileen didn¡¯t take care of him. Now we have Phyllis, and it¡¯s unbearable. I¡¯m here to watch a travel show, not a drama! Now the money is gone, they have to check out tomorrow morning, abd they don¡¯t even have a ce to stay!] ¡°Are you really not nning to help her?¡± Egbert asked calmly while looking at Eileen. ¡°Can you really let it go?¡± Eileen retorted, ¡°Am I her mother? Why should I care about her?¡± Egbert said indifferently. Well, you do whatever you want.¡± After more than an hour, Phyllis and the other two returned, and as expected, they were unable to find the wallet. Phyllis¡® eyes were red from crying. A whileter, Phyllis¡® phone rang. She picked up the call, and after crying and speaking for a bit, she turned to Bblythe and said, ¡°Bblythe, I need to step out for a while.¡± ¡°Is that a call from the show¡¯s crew?¡± Bblythe asked. Everyone thought it was a call from the crew. With such a big incident, the crew would definitely intervene. They might even provide somepensation for the lost money as it was an ident. Phyllis vaguely replied, ¡°Hmm¡± and then she left. Bblythe felt a little relieved and headed to the bathroom for a shower. Eileen tossed and turned on the bed for a while, then finally got up and walked out. With Phyllis¡® negotiation skills, the likelihood of a sessful negotiation with the crew was slim. Eileen, with a stern face, headed straight for the elevator. However, when she got to the fire escape stairwell, she suddenly heard a woman¡¯s gasp from inside. She paused, looking at the door. ¡°Kenley, stop it¡­ let go of me¡­ ¡°Baby, don¡¯t be afraid. There¡¯s no one here.¡± ¡°Kenley Kenley¡­ don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t¡­¡± Eileen¡¯s eyes hardened, and she immediately reached out to push the door. But her wrist was grabbed mid¨Cair. Eileen turned to see that Egbert had somehowe out of the boys¡® room. The door was open, and light seeped out from inside. The moment Phyllis¡® cry started inside, it was as if someone had mped a hand over her mouth, turning all her screams into whimpers. Eileen red at Egbert. ¡°Let me go.¡± Egbert shot back, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wouldn¡¯t interfere?¡± Eileen¡¯s expression suddenly shifted. ¡°So, you¡¯re hoping I¡¯d stay out of this. Have you been up to the same shenanigans as Kenley?¡± Ignoring the sudden pallor on Egbert¡¯s face, she lifted her foot and kicked straight at the stairwell door! Chapter 23 Chapter 23 A loud bang echoed from outside the boys¡® room. Josiah and Hubery exchanged puzzled looks, having also heard the noise. ¡°What¡¯s going on out there?¡± Let¡¯s check it out¡± Stepping outside, they spotted Egbert standing by the emergency staircase across the hall, his brows furrowed as he peered into the stairwell. Curious, Josiah approached. But before he could get there, a figure flew out of the stairwell andnded at his feet! ¡°What the hell¡± Josiah swiftly took a step back. Before Josiah could identify the man sprawled at his feet, a fierce¨Clooking Eileen stormed out of the stairwell. She yanked the man up,nded a punch on his face, and sent blood spurting from his nose. Josiah was bbergasted at the scene, and Hubery was simrly frozen in shock from afar. The cameraman, who had been cking off, hastily ran over with his camera. Upon recognizing the parties involved in the brawl, the cameraman cried. out, ¡°Kenley! What in the world happened?!¡± It was midnight overseas, but for most domestic viewers, it was prime time for eating lunch and watching variety shows. The live stream was bustling with activity. So, the staggering 1.5 billion viewers tuning in were all witnesses to the bloody spectacle of Eileen brutally attacking Kenley. The staff were so taken aback that they didn¡¯t even have time to exin the situation Eileennded another punch, causing Kenley¡¯s eye to swell up instantly. ¡°Eileen! Stop it, Eileen!¡± Josiah, being a tough guy, was the first to intervene. Kenley, lying on the floor, was on the verge of passing out. Coughing repeatedly, hey sprawled on the carpet, half his face covered in blood. The director was alerted and rushed over. The shock nearly knocked him off his feet. ¡°What the hell happened!¡± he bellowed Someone suggested, ¡°Should we stop the live stream, director?¡± Immediately, a barrage ofments flooded in, pleading, ¡°Don¡¯t stop. Don¡¯t stop!¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Seemingly hearing the audience¡¯s pleas, the director grimly replied, ¡°It¡¯s toote to stop the livestream now. Let¡¯s keep it going so we have evidence.¡± He then turned to Eileen, who was being held back by Josiah, and demanded, ¡°Have you lost your mind!¡± Eileen sneered and took off her coat. She then retreated back into the stairwell. Shortly after, she emerged with a disheveled Phyllis, who was sobbing and gasping for breath. Phyllis¡® torn pants and shredded clothes hanging from her waist like rags were immediately visible beneath the coat. The world fell silent, and so did the live stream. Seeing the camera, Phyllis immediately threw herself into Eileen¡¯s arms, and her body was shaking with sobs. Eileen shot the cameraman a re, prompting him to swiftly move the camera away. She then took Phyllis back to their room. The sound of the girls¡® room door closing seemed to snap everyone out of their shock. The director nced at Kenley on the floor and fell silent for a moment, apparently trying to process what had just happened. Bblythe was thest to hear about the incident. As soon as she learned what had transpired, she activated the camera in the girls¡® room. Although there were cameras in both rooms, it was up to the guests whether they wanted them turned on. After all, these cameras were inside their rooms, and any slip¨Cups could result in unwanted footage being captured Bblythe decided to turn on the camera in the girls¡® room because the viewers were undoubtedly curious about what had happened. If they didn¡¯t broadcast it, it would only raise more questions. Some viewers always assumed the worst when it came to a girl¡¯s reputation. Eileen¡¯s involvement in the incident wasn¡¯t helping either. Already on the inte¡¯s cklist, she had now assaulted rising star Kenley. If they didn¡¯t clear up the situation, Eileen could face a barrage of attacks from Kenley¡¯s fans the next morning. The moment the live stream switched to the girls¡® room, countless viewers flocked to the stream. The number ofments skyrocketed. It wasn¡¯t until Bblythe started speaking that the viewers quieted down slightly. ¡°Tell us what he did to you¡± Wrapped in a nket, Phyllis was entirely hidden from view. Her face streaked with tears, Phyllis choked out, ¡°Kenley said he had something to tell me¡­. went to see him. Heforted me at first, and said he¡¯d apany me to see the crew to make up for the lost money. Then, he hugged me and tried to take off my pants.. I begged him to stop, but he just covered my mouth¡­¡± ¡°Okay, okay, you don¡¯t have to say anymore.¡± Bblythe wanted to tell the viewers that Phyllis was a victim and needed rest. But Phyllis continued, ¡°Thankfully, Eileen arrived.¡± Her voice trailed off as she nced at Eileen. After going through such a traumatic experience, Phyllis understood that she had to rify the situation immediately. The number ofments on the livestream shot up again. This is shocking news.] ¨C can¡¯t believe it. Kenley isn¡¯t like this] -I can¡¯t believe it either. Kenley could get any girl he wants, why would he do this to Phyllis?] -Phyllis used to be part of PrismPulse Entertainment. Since Kenley joined, all the resources have been given to him. We have reason to suspect that Phyllis is unsatisfied with her treatment and wants to get back at Kenley] -No wonder Phyllis was so nice to Kenley before. She was just trying to lower his guard so she could nder him. Phyllis, you¡¯re ruthless] The majority ofments were from Kenley¡¯s fans, hurling insults at Phyllis. Every now and then, a few viewers would throw out question marks, but they couldn¡¯t stop the flood ofments attacking Phyllis Bblythe frowned over at Eileen. ¡°I heard you punched Kenley till he spat out blood?¡± ¨C[Eileen, you bitch, how dare you hit Kenley!] The fans in the live chat quickly turned their attacks on Eileen. Eileen coolly sat on the couch and replied, ¡°I only broke his nose. He didn¡¯t spit out blood. It was a nosebleed¡± Bblythe said seriously, ¡°You¡¯re too impulsive.¡± *I agree, I was too impulsive.¡± Eileen nodded in agreement. ¡°Given the urgency, my first reaction was to punch his face. If I had aimed for his stomach, he might have spat out blood. What a pity¡± At this point, Eileen nced at Phyllis again and said, ¡°Can you stop crying?¡± Phyllis looked at her sadly. Eileen frowned ¡°If you cry again, I¡¯ll have to mute you.¡± Phyllis immediately covered her mouth, looking at her in horror. Eileen rubbed her temples and red at Phyllis. ¡°I don¡¯t get it, why do you like Kenley? How can you believe what he says?¡± Phyllis said pitifully, ¡°He¡¯s good¨Clooking_ ¡°He¡¯s good¨Clooking?¡± Eileenughed. ¡°His face is a stic surgery masterpiece, can¡¯t you really tell? There¡¯s even a scar under his cheekbone! If his face is handsome, then Egbert¡¯s face must be drop¨C dead gorgeous! If you like someone like Kenley, you might as well give all this adoration to Egbert. He is definitely worth your affection¡± Chapter 24 Chapter 24 No doubt. Egbert is the best ¨C[Of course, Egbert is the top dog! Eileen¡¯s got a point and I can¡¯t argue with that | ¨C isn¡¯t Egbert awesome enough¡°] ¨C[How could Kenley everpete with Egbert? Ten Kenleys don¡¯t even hold a candle to one Egbert, right?] Eileen noticed Phyllis and Bblythe staring at her dumbfounded She raised her eyebrows Did I say anything wrong? Bblythe, you don¡¯t think that ugly duckling Kenley is hot, do you?¡± ¡°Ugly duckling Bblythe was utterly taken aback. She opened her mouth to say something, but words failed her Eileen then stood up and asked Phyllis, ¡°Are you gonna call the cops?¡± Phyllis turned pale as a ghost Eileen nced at the camera ¡°Kenley is a bigger deal than you Right now, I bet thore viewers are hurling insults at you than sympathizing with you. They would probably say that you asked for it by dressing scantily. They wouldn¡¯t side with the victim. Theseizens only spout nonsense I¡¯ve been there and experienced their onlinements I can recite them blindfolded I don¡¯t give a damn. But if you don¡¯t want to be their punching bag, I suggest you call your manager now and discuss whether to get the police involved¡± ¨C[Eileen¡¯s words are hrious. She¡¯s so proud of being theizens target and even predicts what they re gonna say] ¨C[Netizens Hahaha we¡¯re gonna trash Eileen all day. Check out our new disses, we¡¯ll definitely scare Eileen this time. Eileen: Cool, I¡¯m studying how you guys roast people] ¨C [Hahaha Eileen is a riot! This woman has sessfully caught my attention!] ¨C [Calling the police is the best solution, but the manager might not agree. PrismPulse Entertainment is probably busy doing crisis management for Kenley, and they would definitely choose to protect him] After Eileen spoke, the room fell into an awkward silence. Phyllis kept her head down and didn¡¯t utter a word. After a long silence, Bblythe finally said, ¡°We can¡¯t count on thepany for this.¡± She clearly knew how PrismPulse Entertainment operated. Bblythe hugged Phyllis and turned to Eileen ¡°How about we let her rest for the night and deal with it tomorrow?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be toote by tomorrow¡± Eileen red at Phyllis Looking at Phyllis pitiful state, Eileen coldly said, ¡°The golden hour for crisis management is within the first hour after the incident. If you insist on dragging it out, fine. But when you¡¯re being trashed by netizens, don¡¯te crying to me. I¡¯ve been there, taken the heat, and I sure as hell can¡¯t save you from the same fate¡± After finishing her monologue, she went back to her bed, refusing to get involved further. Phyllis and Bblythe looked at Eileen, but they both remained silent. Phyllis didn¡¯t sleep a wink that night. The next day. Phyllis got a call. As she listened to the person on the other end, her face changed dramatically. The production team held an emergency meeting, and Kenley had been rushed to the hospital overnight. Hubery askedzily, ¡°Are we still filming the show?¡± ¡°The show goes on. The production team replied. ¡°Kenley won¡¯t be participating anymore. Whether Phyllis continues or not is up to her¡± All eyes turned to Phyllis in the corner. Everyone assumed she would quit, given what had happened. However, Phyllis announced resolutely, ¡°I will continue with the show!¡± Everyone was taken aback. ¡°Phyllis, are you sure about this?¡± Bblythe asked incredulously Phyllis grabbed Bblythe¡¯s hand and gave a bitter smile. ¡°Bblythe, I don¡¯t have a choice. I¡¯ll exinter¡± Egbert looked at Phyllis, seeming to have an inkling of her decision. He nced at Phyllis, then at Eileen. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Eileen was also looking at Phyllis, but when she noticed Egbert¡¯s gaze, she quickly turned to him. Egbert coldly looked away. Josiah suddenly asked, ¡°So what do we do now? Will the production teampensate us for the lost money?¡± The production team replied, ¡°Absolutely not. The money was given to you. Whether you spent it or lost it, it¡¯s your problem.¡± Phyllis felt a deep sorrow and looked apologetically at everyone The production team then reminded them. ¡°You have 10 minutes left before check¨Cout¡± Ten minutester, the six of them went downstairs with their luggage The elevator was filled with silence. Phyllis hung her head low, apologizing repeatedly Tim sorry, it¡¯s all my fault Given what had happened, no one med her Josiah sighed. ¡°It¡¯s okay, we¡¯ll figure something out¡± But Josiah¡¯s words couldn¡¯tfort anyone ¨C [Phyllis should just quit the show. At least she won¡¯t have to take the me for losing the money] [The production team really isn¡¯t going to help them? What will they do?] [Do you think Eileen has a solution?] -Knowing Eileen, she might.) ¨C[I don¡¯t know why, but I have a lot of confidence in her] ¨C ¨C [What?? You guys trust Eileen?) ¨C [Theseizens are already smitten by Eileen, but they¡¯re too embarrassed to admit they like her. This is theirst stand] ¨C [Hahaha, Im not afraid to say, I like you, Eileen!] Even the viewers could see the obvious, so the other members of the show must have figured it out too. Right after Phyllis apologized with tears in her eyes, almost everyone immediately turned to look at Eileen. The cameraman also slowly aimed the camera at Eileen. It was pretty clear that the entire world was waiting for her to make a decision. The elevator reached the ground floor, and Eileen was the first to step out, pushing her suitcase. The whole group closely followed her. Eileen stood at the hotel entrance with a calm look on her face and asked Phyllis, ¡°So, where are we headed now, boss?¡± Tears suddenly welled up in Phyllis¡® eyes as she choked out. ¡°Eileen¡­¡± ¡°Stop¡± Eileen rubbed her arm. ¡°I¡¯m getting goosebumps. Can you speak normally?¡± ¡°Eileen¡­¡± Phyllis stepped forward, grabbing the hem of Eileen¡¯s clothes. ¡°Please, I need your help.¡± Eileen pulled her clothes back. ¡°How about you do me a favor first and shut your mouth?¡± Phyllis lowered her head, looking guilty as hell, then suddenly lifted her face and said, ¡°You helped me last night. You even hugged me.¡± Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Eileen said with a stone face, Zip it, I¡¯m already regretting this. I¡¯ve showered three times this morning, yet I still feel filthy. What more do you want from me?¡± Phyllis turned around, clinging onto Bblythe, and started to sob. Although Bblythe felt helpless, she was also somewhat relieved. Looking at Phyllis now, it seemed like she had forgotten aboutst night¡¯s incident. But Bblythe knew that wasn¡¯t the case. Phyllis was just bearing it all alone. Earlier, while packing their bags, Phyllis had filled her in. PrismPulse Entertainment had released a statement, issued proof of Kenley¡¯s injuries, and hired a bunch of well¨Cknown bloggers. ording to the statement, PrismPulse Entertainment imed that Kenley did not assault Phyllis. Instead, Phyllis was stuck in love and thus framed Kenley And Eileen and Egbert were just pawns being used by Phyllis to attack Kenley. After the statement was released, manyizens didn¡¯t believe it, but what could they do? After all, Phyllis didn¡¯t call the policest night. PrismPulse Entertainment even twisted the facts, fabricating negative news about Phyllis such as she had an abortion in high school, was obsessed with a guy, and when he rejected her, she set his house on fire, forcing him to drop out of school and relocate to avoid her. They painted Phyllis as a crazy woman Now the inte was blowing up. Many people saw Phyllis¡® miserable statest night and were angrily using Kenley of being heartless. But at the same time, a lot of people were misled into believing that this was all drama created by Phyllis herself. There were numerous so¨Ccalled ¡°high school ssmates¡± and ¡°primary school ssmates¡± of Phyllis online, who without any evidence, started to smear her. In less than seven hours, there were already tons ofments online sympathizing with Kenley for being harassed by a crazy woman¡± At first, it was just Kenley¡¯s fans defending him, but gradually, people who didn¡¯t care about this matter also joined in. Their viewpoint was, ¡°If only one person says Phyllis is a bad person, I wouldn¡¯t believe it. But when so many people say it, I really need to reconsider¡± Those who were not following the matter were being misled. This morning, PrismPulse Entertainment called Phyllis to threaten her. If she continued to criticize Kenley, her future would be ruined. Phyllis firmly responded to PrismPulse Entertainment, saying she would rather leave the entertainment industry than do this. Because of this, she didn¡¯t quit the show recording today. As she said, she had to finish recording. After this episode was over, shepletely broke up with PrismPulse Entertainment and Kenley. She was not sure if she could win this battle, but by then, as someone who still had a ten¨Cyear contract with the company, she was destined to fade into obscurity in the entertainment industry. Phyllis felt very unwilling and regretful. She should have listened to Eileenst night and called the police. Now it was toote, just like Eileen said, the best time to manage a PR crisis was within an hour of the incident. They were already seven hours behind PrismPulse Entertainment, which was enough to ruin Phyllis¡® future in showbiz. Phyllis cried heartbreakingly, her pretend crying had turned into real sobbing. N?velDrama.Org content rights. Bblythe felt terrible. ¡°Let¡¯s find a ce to sit down. We can¡¯t just stand in front of the hotel.¡± They all walked on silently. Egbert was thest one. One hand in his coat pocket, the other pushing a suitcase, his expression had been cold since morning Eileen turned her head to sneak a peek at Egbert. This was the sixth time she had looked at him today, but he still ignored her. So she stopped and waited for him toe over. When he walked past her, Eileen immediately moved closer to him. His face was still expressionless, his eyes full of indifference. ¡°Mr. Reed, Eileen called him softly. She usually didn¡¯t address Egbert this way, but now, she was very respectful. Egbert still ignored her. ¡°Please don¡¯t be mad,¡± Eileen said cautiously. Egbert moved to the other side to get away from her. Eileen quickly moved closer to him again. ¡°I was wrong yesterday. The situation was too urgent. I just blurted out those words without thinking. I apologize.¡± Finally, his indifferent gaze turned to her. ¡°You were wrong? I think you were very serious.¡± ¡°How can that be?¡± Eileen quickly responded. ¡°I was just talking nonsense yesterday. How could you be like Kenley? You¡¯re noble, but he¡¯s despicable He¡¯s not even worthparing to you¡± Egbert didn¡¯t reply again. Eileen continued, ¡°In that situation, you were still pulling me, so I was just being impulsive¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to exin,¡± Egbert suddenly cut her off. Eileen looked at him. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you think¡± After saying that, he walked away Eileen followed him, sighing deeply. This guy was really hard to please. She really didn¡¯t mean to say those things. In the end, they all sat in a row on the public seats at the bus station. Everyone was silent until Eileen suddenly said, ¡°Let¡¯s rest for three minutes, then keep going¡± Everyone looked at her. Was she implying that she was going to take over as team leader again? [Want to know what Egbert and Eileen talked about in the back] ¨C [Their conversation didn¡¯t seem very pleasant| ¨C [Could Eileen stop clinging to Egbert all the time?] ¨C [Can some people shut up? They¡¯re just having a normal conversation. How can you guys make it sound so dreadful?] -I think Egbert and Eileen have a pretty decent rtionship. Just yesterday morning they were having breakfast together and strolling around town. They¡¯re just regr teammates, no need to be so touchy about it.] ¨C[Look, Eileen is going to be the team leader again! I¡¯m rooting for her!] ¨C [But they¡¯re broke, how can she take the lead again? What about their amodation issues?] ¨C [Is she going to find another B&B on the brink of closure to stay at again? She¡¯s got her phone out, could it really be happening?] ¨C [Nah, there can¡¯t be that many B&Bs about to go under in this country. Even if there were, it¡¯s not like they¡¯d let you stay for free] Three minutester, Eileen hung up the phone and told everyone, ¡°Let¡¯s roll¡± Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Everyone hopped to their feet following Eileen¡¯s lead. Just then, a bus rolled up Eileen was the first to get on. Everyone was taken aback. They hadn¡¯t paid any fare, could they just hop on like that? ¡°Hop on, you guys, Eileen called out with a frown. Confused, the rest got on the bus. Eileen didn¡¯t pay anything; she just showed the driver her ticket. The driver didn¡¯t object and just watched them get on Once they were all seated, Bblythe asked cautiously. ¡°Why didn¡¯t we have to pay?¡± She spoke so softly as if she was afraid the driver would find out that they haven¡¯t paid. Eileen replied nonchntly. ¡°We bought tickets the first day we arrived¡± Everyone else asked in surprise, ¡°The first day?¡± Eileen lifted her head and exined, ¡°Buses abroad allow you to buy tickets in advance, so you don¡¯t have to buy a ticket every time. I thought we would be taking the bus a lot, so Ipared the prices between renting a car and taking the bus, even factoring in the discount coupons we got on the ne and some special offers. I bought three¨Cday bus tickets as soon as we got off the ne. I still have some left in my bag, enough for us to use until tomorrow¡± ¨C [Eileen is hrious. I didn¡¯t know we could do this.] ¨C [Eileen reminds me of my mom, always stocking up on things when they¡¯re on discount since we¡¯ll definitely need them.] ¨C [So now that transportation is sorted, what about amodation and food?] ¨C [Phyllis, how dare you nder Kenley. I hope you get hit by a car when you go out!] ¨C [Did another patient escape from the mental hospital?] ¨C [Admin, look at this guy, he¡¯s spouting nonsense] ¨C [Exactly, we don¡¯t care about Kenley and Phyllis quarrel, we just want to enjoy Eileen¡¯s performance in peace] ¨C [Eileen just hit Kenley without even knowing what happened. She¡¯s such a thug!] ¨C [As a fan of Eileen, it seems someone is challenging us? Alright, bring it on] The chat room was buzzing with heated discussions again. The admin had too many people to ban, theirputer was almost freezing up. But the crew recording the show didn¡¯t know any of this. Eileen, leading the five others, kept changing buses. Of course, no additional fare was required for changing buses, as it was free within an hour. After an hour, the six of them finally arrived at a¡­ vi. A vi? Everyone looked at Eileen in surprise. She didn¡¯t exin anything, just walked up and rang the doorbell Soon, a young couple came out from inside and had a long chat with Eileen. Phyllis could only whisper from behind, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Bblythe turned to ask Egbert on the side, ¡°Egbert, did you understand?¡± Egbert replied indifferently, ¡°She¡¯s asking this couple if we can stay here.¡± ¡°For free?¡± Josiah asked in surprise. ¡°Can we do that?¡± Could they do that? Would the production team allow it? After a while, the friendly vi owners led Eileen and her team into their home. Upon entering, they noticed that the homeowners must¡¯ve been really passionate about traveling. Their photo wall was filled with photos of them traveling in different ces, along with photos of them with different people N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. on different sofas. The cameraman focused on those photos. ¨C[I don¡¯t get it, is Eileen askmg to stay at her friend¡¯s ce? Is that allowed?] ¨C [Are they friends? But the owners don¡¯t seem to know her very well?] ¨C [As an experienced traveler, I can¡¯t help butugh¡®] ¨C [Also, as a traveler, I¡¯m really impressed. I didn¡¯t expect Eileen toe up with this idea. When did she join this group? I¡¯m dying ofughter!] -It want to know, what¡¯s going on?] The viewers were all wondering what was happening At the scene, Eileen was exining to the others, ¡°They¡¯re couch surfers.¡± Couch surfing was a unique culture that was really popr among travelers. As the name suggested, couch surfing basically meant ¡®sleeping on someone else¡¯s couch. The idea was, we were all travel lovers. If someone came to your country and stayed at your ce, slept on your couch, and you showed them around your local food, sights, and culture, next time you visited their country, they would invite you to stay at their ce, let you sleep on their couch, and would show you the sights, food, and culture of their country. Online, this was known as ¡°couch surfing¡°. ¡°Couch surfing¡± was a way for travelers to connect. Most people would not understand, but a quick search online would give you the gist. Josiah looked at Elleen, feeling utterly confused. ¡°You know about this?¡± This obscure culture was not something people would know about unless they were travel enthusiasts Eileen casually said, ¡°Thest time I went to France, I thought about needing a ce to stay, so I applied for a couch surfing membership. I¡¯ve been keeping in touch with them since then¡± Josiah couldn¡¯t help but praise Eileen. Phyllis and Bblythe behind him also chimed in with their compliments Eileen didn¡¯t pay them any mind, she continued chatting with the travel- loving young couple about their travel experiences. Most of the time, it was the couple doing the talking, not Eileen. They were seasoned travelers, and each photo could lead to an hour¨Clong story about their experiences in different countries. After the photos, they watched videos of them bungee jumping and skydiving. Eileen seemed genuinely interested and was having a great time with them. She made them feel happy, so they prepared a hearty lunch for them With tears in her eyes, Phyllis said, ¡°Elleen seems like she¡¯s trying to please them, just so we can have something to eat,¡± Bblytheughed, lightly patting her. ¡°If she hears you say that she¡¯ll beat you up!¡± The icy atmosphere hung around for a whole day and night, but it seemed to thaw a bit after the strangers provided lunch. The scent of flowers filled the backyard in the afternoon. Eileen finally managed to sneak a few minutes of alone time from the overly enthusiastic young couple. She was wandering around in the garden when she heard a noise right beside her. Turning around, she saw a tall man in a white shirt, one hand holding a phone, the other stuck in his trouser pocket, standing there, staring at her. He was only wearing a thin shirt, probably because there was heating inside, he didn¡¯t bother with a jacket when he came out to make a call. The winter wind suddenly blew through Elleen shivered, and then turned to Egbert. ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold?¡± Egbert didn¡¯t answer, just walked past her. Just as Egbert was passing by, Eileen reached out and grabbed his arm.. The cold wind was still blowing mercilessly. Egbert stood still, his towering figure made him have to lower his head to look at her who only reached his chest. His head slightly tilted down. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± As expected, he was still pissed off. Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Eileen sighed, slowly dropping her hand, and saying helplessly. ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡± The man took his eyes off her, gave a coldugh, and walked away without another word. It was only after he had entered the room and closed the back door that Eileen began to regret it. In fact, after spending some time together, she no longer found Egbert as off¨Cputting as she initially did. On the contrary, when everyone else was against her, only Egbert stood by her side, albeit coldly. Eileen didn¡¯t know what kind of person he really was, but in her eyes, this aloof movie king was surprisingly easy to be around. The only problem was, when he got angry, just like his ¡°movie king¡± status, no amount of sweet¨Ctalking could appease him. She admitted what she saidst night was totally out of line. But Egbert didn¡¯t have to hold a grudge for so long, did he? ¡°He really has a bad temper, she grumbled. The cold wind was making her feel chilly, and Eileen was in no mood to stroll around any longer, so she turned around and ran back. Just as she opened the back door, she bumped into someone. ¡°Watch it, why are you always so jittery? Like a kid.¡± the personughed. Eileen locked up sharply, her eyes cold as she regarded Hubery, who was inside the door. Hubery, with a mocking smile on his handsome face, said, ¡°Eileen, I¡¯ve missed you¡± Eileen scoffed, ¡°Are you sick or something?¡± ¡°You¡¯re still pretending to hate me, huh? I¡¯ve checked, there are no cameras here, no one around, you don¡¯t have to pretend to hate me. Eileen, can we talk privately?¡± Eileen gave a nonchntugh, ncing at Hubery¡¯s face. ¡°Sure, what do you want to talk about?¡± Hubery looked around before lowering his voice. ¡°Let¡¯s talk outside.¡± Saying this, he ushered Eileen out the door. The back door closed again, and two secondster, Egbert came out of the kitchen next door, holding a cup of hot coffee. He was about to enter the living room when he suddenly paused, turned his head, and looked at the closed back door. ¡°Now you can talk. What exactly do you want to talk about?¡± In the garden, Eileen asked coldly, her body shivering from the cold. Hubery also felt cold, but outside was the only ce where they wouldn¡¯t be heard. He smiled and said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about us. I¡¯ve called you so many times, why won¡¯t you pick up?¡± Eileen was taken aback. ¡°You called me, and I didn¡¯t pick up? What was the notification?¡± Hubery said. ¡°Your call cannot be connected at the moment.¡± Eileen nodded. ¡°Seems like I need to switch my carrier. Do you know any that would tell the person outright that they¡¯ve been blocked?¡± Hubery¡¯s face changed. ¡°You blocked me?¡± Eileenughed. ¡°What else?¡± Hubery frowned. ¡°Is it because of Han? Eileen, let me exin, I really didn¡¯t know anything. I was shooting a film then, and heardter that Han was taken to the hospital. He seemed to be injured, but I didn¡¯t know what exactly had happened. I went to your hotel and saw blood in your room, it was only after Han called me that I found out. I tried to call you to exin, but I couldn¡¯t get through¡­¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying Han was lying?¡± Eileen countered. Hubery replied calmly. ¡°Of course he was lying, how could I possibly sell you to him? You are my fianc¨¦e, and we are engaged. How could I do such a thing?¡± Eileenughed coldly ¡°Then, if you didn¡¯t set this up, how would Han know which hotel I was staying at? How could he have the audacity to barge in? He¡¯s a renowned director, and wouldn¡¯t randomly assault an actress. Plus, I remember feeling extremely weak that day, and thest thing I had was the juice you gave me¡± ¡°I really didn¡¯t know about any of this, it must have been Han¡¯s doing. He has had ill intentions towards you for some time. The juice was from the set, he must have drugged it! Eileen, you need to believe me, didn¡¯t you always trust me no matter what happened?¡± Yes, she trusted him, that¡¯s why she paid with her life. She had to pay with her life to see his true colors. Thinking about what had happened, Eileen clenched her fists, but said, ¡°Hubery, so I really misunderstood you?¡± Hearing this, Hubery quickly replied, ¡°Of course,¡± Eileen walked to the edge of the garden fountain, her face filled with sorrow. ¡°Then will you me me for treating you so badly recently?¡± Hubery followed Eileen to the fountain, saying sincerely, ¡°How could I me you? As long as you believe me, that¡¯s enough Eileen, we had agreed that you¡¯ll wait for me. When the time is right, we¡¯ll get married. You¡¯re my fianc¨¦e, how could I me you?¡± ¡°Hubery, will you really marry me? Eileen looked up at him expectantly. Hubery¡¯s face broke into a confident smile. ¡°Of course, why would I lie to you¡± ¡°Egbert?¡± When Josiah came to the kitchen for water, he saw Egbert standing at the back door of the vi with a cup of coffee. Egbert seemed to be about to go out, his hand was on the doorknob, but he didn¡¯t open the door. ¡°I was just wondering where you went, you¡­ Josiah yelped, not for any reason, but because Egbert suddenly turned around, and his eyes looked very cold. Josiah backed away worriedly. ¡°Did I offend you?¡± Egbert put the untouched cup of coffee on the countertop next to him with a rough movement, causing some of the coffee to ssh out. He retracted his hand, preparing to go back to the living room. The next second, a scream pierced the air. Egbert stopped Josiah also heard it, and he looked towards the back door in confusion. The sound came from the garden. Egbert squinted his eyes and turned back around, heading to the door, and pushing it open. As soon as he stepped out, he heard a shrill male voice, ¡°Eileen, are you crazy?¡± Josiah dashed out, only to see Hubery, shivering and standing in the garden¡¯s fountain. The sight of this in the freezing winter sent a bone¨Cchilling cold down Josiah¡¯s spine. The icy look on Egbert¡¯s face gradually softened as he looked forward. Eileen stood by the fountain, hands in her pockets, coldly saying, ¡°Hubery, didn¡¯t you say you love water? I¡¯m just trying to cater to your interest here. Why are you getting all worked up?¡± Hubery, who hadn¡¯t noticed Egbert and Josiah on the side, roared, ¡°Who said I love water?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you? Then why did you drag me over here to the fountain?¡± ¡°Eileen¡® What¡¯s up, did you catch a cold?¡± Eileen chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll arrange your cremation for you Look how responsive I am, the moment you cough, I¡¯m on the phone with the crematorium. Still keen on marrying me?¡± ¡°Eileen! You¡¯re insane!¡± Hubery, shivering from anger and cold, tried to climb out. Just as Hubery made it to the edge of the fountain, Eileen gave him a swift kick sending him back in, his head plunging straight into the water, gulping down mouthfuls of icy water. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. ¡°Hold your horses, Hubery.¡± Eileen said with a grin. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say there¡¯s no one around, no cameras? It¡¯s not often we get to have a good chat. I¡¯m just getting started.¡± Chapter 28 Chapter 28 After lunch, Phyllis was taken aside for a chat by the director¡¯s team. When she came back rubbing her eyes, she found only Bblythe left in the living room. ¡°Where did everyone go?¡± Phyllis asked. Bblythe shrugged. Tm not sure, maybe they went to get water?¡± Phyllis looked around, ncing towards the kitchen. The kitchen¡¯s this way, right? I¡¯ll go check ¡°Should be ¡± Suddenly, a shrill scream, muffled and terrified, rang through their ears. Phyllis froze, whipping her head towards Bblythe. Bblythe also stood up from the couch in shock. That sounded like Hubery. Let¡¯s go check it out!¡± They headed towards the back door, the cameraman hot on their heels. As soon as Phyllis pushed open the back door, she stopped in her tracks, spun around, and instinctively shoved the cameraman back out. The cameraman stumbled, nearly falling, looking confused. Phyllis quickly shut the back door, blocking the cameraman¡¯s path. They¡¯re not outside,¡± she quickly exined. Bblythe, still pale from the horrifying scene she¡¯d glimpsed, hurriedly added, ¡°Yeah, yeah, they¡¯re not in there.¡± The cameraman looked puzzled. ¡°But we heard noises from outside.¡± ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Before he could finish, another familiar scream echoed from outside the door. ¡°Move! What the hell is happening out there?¡± the cameraman tried to push past. Bblythe and Phyllis held onto the door handle, refusing to let the cameraman through. In frustration, the cameraman decided to go find the director Meanwhile, outside, Josiah was yanked back for the sixth time by Egbert as he tried to intervene. Even though it was winter, Josiah was sweating from the urgency. ¡°Mr. Reed, let me go! If I don¡¯t stop them now, someone¡¯s going to get hurt!¡± The sound of water sshing signaled Eileen dunking Hubery¡¯s head underwater by his hair. Eileen seemed to be having a st, dunking Hubery underwater for a minute, pulling him out for a scream and a gasp, then dunking him back again. After six rounds, she showed no signs of tiring and continued the game. Themotion outside grew louder, not only Bblythe and Phyllis¡® voices but the director and cameraman¡¯s as well. Josiah tried to pull free from Egbert¡¯s grip ¡°If you don¡¯t let me go, someone¡¯s really going to get hurt!¡± Egbert remained calm. ¡°She knows when to stop¡± She knew? Hubery was about to drown! Just as he finished speaking, Eileen pulled Hubery out of the fountain. Hubery,pletely drained, was trembling as he gasped for air on the side, unable to even call for help. After a few gasps, Eileen grabbed his hair and dunked him back in. ¡°You see,¡± Egbert said with a mild expression. ¡°She knows when to pull him out.¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening out there? Move, you two move!¡± The director¡¯s angry voice echoed from outside. Josiah quickly told Egbert, ¡°If the cameraman catches her, she¡¯s done for!¡± Egbert thought about it and seemed to agree. Finally, with a hint of reluctance, he let go of Josiah. Josiah immediately rushed over, pulling Eileen¡¯s hands off Hubery, and saving him. Hubery¡¯s eyes were bloodshot from the cold water, and his entire body was soaked. Looking at Hubery¡¯s near¨Cfainting state, Josiah red at Eileen. ¡°You¡± Eileen looked up at him, her wet hand dripping water onto the ground. Josiah. ¡°Maybe you should take a break?¡± Eileen ignored him and nced at Hubery on the floor, sneering. ¡°See you around, Hubery¡± Hubery shivered and hid behind Josiah¡¯s legs. Josiah couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. He thought Eileen was turning into a bully. Eileen tried to leave through the back door. As she passed Egbert, he suddenly grabbed her wrist. She froze, then looked up at Egbert. Egbert nced at her wet hand and said, ¡°This way.¡± With that, he led her away. ¡°Wait When the director and cameraman finally broke through the blockade and stormed into the garden, they found Josiah dragging a soaked Hubery out. : Everyone was stunned. Phyllis and Bblythe exchanged a look, both realizing that Egbert and Eileen were missing What happened!¡± the director shouted. Josiah exined. ¡°Hubery identally fell into the fountain.¡± The director looked skeptically at Josiah, then at Phyllis and Bbilythe. If it was just a fall, why did they block them? But since the live feed was still running.¡± the director didn¡¯t ask and instead ordered someone to take care of Hubery. Because of Hubery¡¯s ident, the production team was busy drying clothes and handing out towels. In a corner, Bblythe asked Josiah, What really happened?¡± Josiah sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t know, when I got there, Eileen was already kicking Hubery into the water.¡± ¡°Kicking?¡± Phyllis blinked. 1 saw her pulling Hubery¡¯s hair and dunking his head in the water¡± Josiah nodded. ¡°That was after, she kicked him first, then dunked him. It was a whole process.¡± Bblythe was speechless. ¡°She can do that? Where¡¯s Eileen now?¡± ¡°She was taken away by Egbert, I don¡¯t know where they. Before the words even died away, the doorbell of the vi suddenly rang. The servant went to open the front door and they all turned their gaze towards the entrance, where Egbert and Eileen, one after the other, walked in. ¡°How¡¯d they end uping in from outside? Josiah was utterly baffled. Before they could make heads or tails of what was going on, Egbert¡¯s next move left them utterly gobsmacked. When heid his eyes on the chaos in front of him, he first furrowed his brows, then feigned deep thought, and finally asked in a low voice, ¡°What on earth happened here?¡± With his innocent look, and clueless demeanor, it was as if he had absolutely no idea what had transpired. Eileen, who was following him, had an expression that wasn¡¯t exactly the same as his, but one could say it was very simr. But Eileen¡¯s performance was even more over the top than his. First, she widened her eyes in surprise, then covered her mouth with her hand, and finally eximed, ¡°What on earth happened? Why is Hubery all wet?¡± Given the right circumstances, Phyllis, Blythe, and Josiah would have given them a round of apuse for their acting chops. Chapter 29 Chapter 29 When Hubery heard Eileen¡¯s voice, he couldn¡¯t help but frown, his face full of anger. His gaze was full of hatred, focusing sharply on Eileen Eileen calmly met his gaze, seemingly unaffected by his hostile stare. She seemed to have anticipated his casual look, and he dared not say anything. Yes, Hubery dared not say anything even though he deeply detested Eileen in his heart and wanted everyone to know her wrongdoings. He couldn¡¯t utter a single word If he did, people would ask why Eileen treated him so. Was he going to admit that he sacrificed his fianc¨¦e for his career. Whether it was about the director or his fianc¨¦e, he couldn¡¯t disclose it publicly. He could only bear all the pain himself. Hubery felt incredibly resentful and angry. However, no matter how angry he was, he couldn¡¯t change the situation. When the owner of the vi returned and heard about this, they immediately arranged a guest room and clean clothes for Hubery Hubery took a bath, still raging with anger. When he came out, he saw his assistant sneaking in. ¡°Hubery, this is your phone.¡± The assistant handed him a phone. The production crew took away the guests¡® personal phones, but many guests had assistants with them. So, if there was something important, people outside would contact the assistant, who would then ry the message to the quest. Hubery frowned. The incident of him falling into the water had been broadcast live, so he guessed the call must¡¯ve been from his manager He took the phone from his assistant with an annoyed look, and just said, ¡°Hello¡°¡­ On the other side of the phone, a heavy male voice came. ¡°Hubery¡± Hubery was immediately taken aback. ¡°Mr. Lopez?* In the end, Hubery¡¯s issue was chalked up to his personal negligence. The production crew didn¡¯t delve into it, and it seemed Hubery himself had no intention of pursuing it But there were already a lot of negativements online. For example,izens suspected that Phyllis and Bblythe prevented the crew from going to the garden because they saw Josiah bullying Hubery and were trying to cover up for Josiah. After all, only Josiah and Hubery were in the garden at the time The production crew asked Hubery in front of the camera if this was true. Hubery put on a friendly face andughed. ¡°Of course not. I was too embarrassed when I fell into the water. Phyllis and Bblythe probably didn¡¯t want to see my embarrassing state, so they stopped them. As for Josiah, how could he bully me? If it wasn¡¯t for him, I might have frozen to death in the pool. I should be thanking him.¡± Hubery sounded very sincere. But Josiah, Bblythe, and Phyllis all looked somewhat embarrassed. After all, they weren¡¯t actually trying to help Hubery at the time, but Eileen Eileen watched Hubery¡¯s performance with a calm expression, but her brows furrowed. Hubery was clearly very angry before taking a bath, but his attitude changed to be more gentle after the bath. Why was that? She didn¡¯t believe that Hubery was no longer angry about the previous incident, and she certainly didn¡¯t believe that the narrow¨Cminded Hubery would thank Josiah and the others. His behavior was very abnormal. Did he have another n? That afternoon, Eileen took everyone to visit two more tourist spots. And the mission of visiting five tourist spot waspleted. As long as everyone spent the night in the vi, they could finish recording the next morning and then return home. Eileen thought Hubery was resentful towards her and would create some conflict when visiting the two spots in the afternoon. But Hubery was very cooperative and even actively helped the girls carry things. He was like an ordinary person, seeming to havepletely forgotten what happened at noon. But this was absolutely not his character! ¡°What is he nning?¡± Eileen whispered. ¡°Do you like him that much?¡± On the bus back, Eileen, who was observing Hubery, suddenly heard a cold male voice next to her. She paused, turning around After what happened at noon, Eileen felt that Egbert had forgiven her for her rude words from yesterday. So, on the way back, she insisted on sitting next. to Egbert. She wanted to get closer to him. They didn¡¯tmunicate until now when Egbert finally spoke. Eileen quickly looked at him and asked, ¡°What did you just say?¡± Egbert frowned, using his eyes to hint at Eileen to look at Hubery ¡°Hubery¡± Wait, you said I like him?¡± Eileen became very angry. She looked at Egbert. ¡°Mr. Reed, even if you¡¯re still mad at me, you can¡¯t insult me with such cruel words, right?¡± Egbert nced at her. ¡°You¡¯ve been staring at him.¡± Tim not staring at him. I¡¯m observing him,¡± Eileen exined. ¡°Didn¡¯t your teacher teach you this in school? The teacher would ce a piece of animal waste in a petri dish and let the students observe how it ferments and turns into organic fertilizer. Did you take that ss?¡± Egben.¡± No. Elleen pointed forward at Hubery. ¡°Well, you can make up for that lesson now¡± Her insult¡¯s were truly unique. No one else had heard them before. Egbert rubbed his brow. ¡°Why did you hit him?¡± There was definitely a private feud between the two, but Egbert didn¡¯t understand what kind of grudge would make Eileen target Hubery so tantly on the show. ¡°No reason.¡± Eileen saidzily. When I hit Hubery. I feel happy. If I keep hitting Hubery, I¡¯ll keep feeling happy You can try it too when you have time, it¡¯s a great stress¨Crelieving exercise¡± Seeing she had no intention of exining, Egbert didn¡¯t ask further. In the evening, even though they were just couch surfers, the host couple still kindly arranged guest rooms for them. Still, boys in one room, girls in another Considering it wasn¡¯t exactly a hotel standard room and there weren¡¯t that many beds in the guest rooms, they decided to have three girls in one bed, and three boys, with Hubery on the bed, Josiah on the floor, and Egbert on the sofa Hubery was being a gentleman, insisting not to take the bed, but he had spent a long time in the fountain during the day, and by nightfall, he was running a mild fever. Josiah wanted to take care of him, so he suggested letting him have the bed, and Egbert didn¡¯t object. In the girls room, after Eileen had taken a bath, she saw two people on either side of the two¨Cmeter¨C wide bed, but the middle was empty. She stood by the bed, looking at Bblythe and Phyllis, who were smiling at her. Phyllis shyly patted the middle of the bed, saying, ¡°Eileen,e¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me like that,¡± Eileen replied coldly, then walked to the sofa on the other side. ¡°You guys take the bed. I¡¯ll take the sofa¡± ¡°The sofa is too narrow!¡± Phyllis sat up, ¡°Just sleep in the bed, we can all sleep together.¡± Eileen sat on the sofa andy down straight away. ¡°Eileen¡­¡± Eileen closed her eyes and warned coldly. ¡°If you keep calling me like that, you¡¯ll be the next one in the fountain!¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. Phyllis felt very wronged. Eileen had already started to get ready for bed. Suddenly, sobbing sounds filled the room. Eileen frowned and opened her eyes, seeing Bblytheforting Phyllis on the bed, who was now crying her eyes out. Eileen sat up, looking very displeased at Phyllis Phyllis looked at Eileen and suddenly started crying even harder. This situation continued for a full five minutes, and in the end, Eileen went over to the bed. Bblythe smiled and pulled back the covers. ¡°Come on, if you don¡¯t, she¡¯s going to soak the quilt with her tears¡± Eventually, Eileenid down between the two of them. As soon as Eileeny down, she closed her eyes, but she could still feel Phyllis watching her. Eileen felt ufortable all over, at this moment, Bblythe sighed next to her. ¡°Phyllis probably won¡¯t be coming to the show next time.¡± Chapter 30 Chapter 30 Elleen was caught off guard for a moment before she slowly opened her eyes. She stared at the ceiling, thinking, and asked, ¡°Why isn¡¯t she recording the show anymore?¡± Phyllis¡® voice came from the other side. Im going to sue Kenley and thepany I¡¯m swamped with things to do, so I might pause my showbiz activities.¡± Phyllis¡® words were simple, but whether it was against a top star like Kenley or against a management company with a contract in hand, she, a not¨Cso¨Cfamous female artist, was undoubtedly challenging a powerful opponent. The room fell into a long silence. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s hit the sack ¡°Bblythe didn¡¯t want the atmosphere to get too serious. Eileen then spoke. ¡°When you get back, send me your email address.¡± Bblythe and Phyllis both turned their heads to look at her. ¡°Why?¡± Phyllis asked. Eileen had closed her eyes. ¡°I have something to send you. You¡¯ll know when the timees.¡± The next morning, after bidding farewell to the host couple, the group finally wrapped up the second shoot and started their journey home. The production team returned their personal items. Eileen stood at the front door of the vi. As she unlocked her phone, she saw that others had already started making calls. Everyone seemed busy, whether it was work, friends, or family. If they were to disappear for a day or two, the whole world would look for them. Eileen unlocked her phone. She found no missed calls. She checked WhatsApp but she didn¡¯t have many friends, and no one had messaged her. She felt a pang of jealousy watching others on their phones, then sourly opened Twitter. It wasn¡¯t until she opened Twitter that she received a lot of new messages. Thousands of messages cursing her, tens of thousands of maliciousments. Eileen was teary¨Ceyed when looking at thesements. Since thest time she responded to some fans who didn¡¯t like her, her Twitter had gained a lot more haters, who cursed her daily in various ways. Eileen scrolled through her home page to find that thements on her tweet had reached a hundred thousand and was almost unable to amodate newments. She quickly tweeted a new post, providing a newment section for those who didn¡¯t like her. Eileen. ¡°Hello there.¡± Seemingly meaningless words, but within less than a minute after posting, over a hundred haters started toment on her tweet, leaving messages. -Eileen, you whore -Eileen, get out of our sight. ¡ªYou still dare to tweet, how dare you? Just as the live streaming was about to end, the cameraman panned over the guests, finally resting on Eileen, who wasughing very happily, looking at her phone with a gentle face. The cameraman Eileen generously showed her phone screen to everyone, letting the cameraman capture it.. The cameraman took a shot, and his face immediately turned. The live chatroomments also suddenly stopped at that moment. The screen was filled with rude words, insults, and personal attacks, making it dizzying to read. [This is totally hate speech, isn¡¯t it? And the wayizens curse is really hard to hear] [Eileen is really cunning] -What does it mean?] ¡ª[She¡¯s reading hatements in front of the camera, isn¡¯t she just trying to cry about how badly she¡¯s being cursed in front of the camera, then gain sympathy By the way, does this make more fans feel sorry for her?] ¡ª[Is that really the case?] Just whenizens thought they had seen through the truth and were about to witness a splendid performance across the screen, they saw Eileen gently touching the hatements on the screen, saying contentedly, ¡°Whenever I feel lonely, seeing theirments fills my heart with warmth. Because know that no matter how down and out, or lonely I am, there is always this group of people. Even though they don¡¯t know me, they still pay attention to my every move. They carefully critique my every action, and they also send their regards to my friends and family many times. Even though everyone might abandon me, only they, are always there for me¡± After Eileen finished speaking, she was happily liking thements from those who cursed her in front of the camera. Just as she was liking, her Twitter ount suddenly logged out. She was taken aback and then tried to refresh the page. After refreshing, the screen on her phone immediately became the login page. She confirmed that there was no problem with herwork, but no matter how many times she entered the password, she couldn¡¯t log into her Twitter anymore. Her face changed drastically, and she asked the cameraman in horror, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is my phone broken?¡± The cameraman replied, ¡°Your ount has been logged into by someone else.¡± Eileen was puzzled. ¡°Logged in by someone else?¡± The cameraman said, ¡°It looks like your Twitter password has been changed too. Elleen was furious. ¡°My ount was hacked! How can these criminals do this¡­¡± Before she could finish her sentence, her phone rang. It was a call from Ophelia. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Eileen answered the call On the other end of the phone, Ophelia¡¯s shrill voice came ¡°I¡¯m the one who logged into your Twitter ount! From now on, if you dare to tweet without thepany of a staff member, I¡¯ll kill you!¡± The call came quickly and ended quickly Eileen looked at the call that had been hung up, deep in thought.. The cameraman next to her immediately pointed the camera at Elleen¡¯s face. The barrage was surrounded by [Hahahaha] ¡ª[Hahahaha, Eileen is stunned] ¡ªHahahaha, you were too proud, you got scolded, let¡¯s see if you dare to do that again!] ¨C[Hahahaha, the person who called Eileen is really amazing, she actually dares to scold Eileen like that, I really admire this person!] On the other side, after Egbert hung up the phone, he saw Eileen at the front door, looking downcast under the camera¡¯s filming, and even kicking the pebbles on the ground with a mncholic face. She looked really pitiful, Egbert frowned and walked over. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The cameraman immediately focused the lens on Egbert. The number ofments in the live broadcast roorn immediately increased, all praising Egbert Eileen saw Egberting over, gave him a pretentious mncholic look, and suddenly asked, ¡°Have you checked Twitter?¡± Egbert was stunned. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Eileen said, ¡°Can you check Twitter now?¡± Thinking something had happened, Egbert logged into Twitter and checked the trending topics but didn¡¯t find anything special. Eileen, standing on tiptoes, said, ¡°Check thements.¡± ¡°On my ount? Egbert looked at Eileen in confusion, but still opened hisst tweet. That tweet was posted a month ago, a sponsored advertisement tweet, and it wasn¡¯t even his own post, it was posted by his assistant. There were over 700,000ments under that tweet. Eileen¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Over 700,000ments, statistically speaking, there should be around 100,000 dissing you, right?¡± Egbert frowned. ¡°Dissing me?¡± Egbert opened thements, and after reading many, he found they were all praising him. No one was criticizing him. He looked at Eileen, not really understanding. ¡°What exactly happened?¡± Eileen had already turned her head away with a look of disgust. She nced at him with a very disdainful and contemptuous look, and said leisurely, ¡°No one criticize you, your life is too boring. My life is more interesting. You can only silently envy me.¡± Egbert frowned. ¡°What?¡± Chapter 31 Chapter 31 [Oh my God, Eileen has totally lost her marbles] -ILOL I¡¯m dying Egbert is like the inte¡¯s darling, adored worldwide! Why on earth would he be jealous of you?] ¨C [Am I the only one wondering if Eileen has actually fallen for those online trolls? I¡¯m rolling on the floor!] -I can¡¯t take it anymore. I don¡¯t care what the haters say I¡¯m dering myself a fan of this wicked woman¡®] The live stream was cut off abruptly as everyone was about to set off. The crew sent everyone to the airport, and on the ne, Eileen conked out. When the nended, while everyone else was still dilly¨Cdallying, she was already bright¨Ceyed and bushy¨Ctailed. Back home, it was already two in the morning N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. The airport was hushed, but the cars that picked up people were already there. No one came for Eileen. She grabbed her luggage only to find everyone else had already left. Donning a face mask, she went to wait for a cab. A minuteter, with no taxi in sight, a sleek ck BMW pulled up in front of her. Eileen was dumbfounded, staring at the BMW. The back window slid down, and Egbert, cool as a cucumber, appeared in her line of sight. ¡°Get in.¡± Eileen nced at Egbert in the car and politely waved him off. ¡°No need, I can hall a cab.¡± Egbert furrowed his brows, ¡°I need to talk to you¡± ¡°You need to talk to me?¡± Eileen was puzzled, what could they possibly have to discuss in private? Egbert was serious. ¡°Get in.¡± Eileen finally got in Egbert¡¯s car, but she had no idea what Egbert¡¯s ¡°talk¡± was about Holding a beautifully wrapped square gift box in her hand, she opened the lid and was stunned by the pyramid¨Cshaped clock inside. ¡°This clock¡­¡± Before Eileen could finish her sentence, the assistant in the driver¡¯s seat proudly said, ¡°Ms. Lopez, Mr. Reed saw that you liked this and immediately texted me to buy it. Do you like it?¡± Egbert shot a nce at the assistant, and mildly rebuked, ¡°Hold your tongue.¡± The assistant immediately mmed up. Eileen, holding the clock, turned to look at Egbert. His good¨Clooking eyes were particrly bright in the dim car. He was casually leaning against the leather seat, his expression indifferent, looking at Eileen as if waiting for her response. Eileen finally said. ¡°I¡¯ll pay you back¡± As she spoke, she began to rummage through her wallet. The man frowned. ¡°No need.¡± ¡°I need to pay you¡± Eileen opened her wallet. ¡°This clock is 300 dors, right? Let me check my bnce¡­¡± When she saw that she only had 50 dors left in her wallet, Eileen was instantly startled. After a while, she looked up, cautiously asking, ¡°Can I pay in installments?¡± Egbert looked at her silently, his face slightly displeased. ¡°I don¡¯t need your money.¡± ¡°How can I not pay you? I must pay you back, I¡¯m not the kind of person who takes advantage of others. How about this, I¡¯ll pay you in three installments, no, six, no, twelve installments, and give you the money back. I¡¯ll give you the first installment, here is 25 dors.¡± Eileen insisted on paying back. Egbert watched her thoughtfully for a while, then suddenly took out his phone. Eileen asked, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Egbert lowered his head and opened his WhatsApp. Eileen quickly said, ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± Egbert casually said, ¡°I need to save your contact. It will be easier to get in touch with you if I need anything.¡± After thinking it through, Eileen agreed that it made sense, as she still had to pay him back. Actually, when Eileen said she would pay in twelve installments, she didn¡¯t really mean to pay him back over a year. It was just that she only had so much money at the moment She nned to pay him the rest in one go once she got her sry Since she had to meet him again to pay him back, Eileen didn¡¯t think too much about it and just gave Egbert her contact information. After giving Egbert 25 dors, Egbert looked up at Eileen, who was on the verge of tears. He frowned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong now?¡± Eileen looked at the little money left in her wallet, tears of bitterness rolling down her cheeks. She was too poor. The money Ophelia gave her was hardly enough An hourter, the assistant drove to the entrance of Eileen¡¯smunity The assistant couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Ms. Lopez, you live here too? Mr. Reed also has a house in this community. What a coincidence¡± Of course, Mr. Reed¡¯s house was on the other side, not where Eileen lived. Her side of town had a mixed poption and was on the lower end. He didn¡¯t mention this part. After all, they were in the samemunity, and they could be considered as neighbors Elleen was surprised, she looked at Egbert. ¡°You live here too?¡± The assistant said again, ¡°No, no, Mr. Reed just has a house here. He doesn¡¯t live here.¡± Eileen responded indifferently. Egbert spoke up at this moment, 1 asionally stay here.¡± The assistant was stunned. He had been Mr. Reed¡¯s assistant for nearly three years, and he had never seen him stay here. He knew Mr. Reed had a house here because once, Mr. Reed lent the house to Gilbert¡¯s rtives for a few days. But the assistant didn¡¯t say anything more, and just took Eileen¡¯s luggage out of the trunk. Eileen, holding the gift box in one hand and dragging her suitcase in the other, said her goodbyes and walked towards the entrance. It wasn¡¯t until she stepped inside themunity that she heard the engine start behind her. She looked back only to see the ck BMW leaving. ¡°He¡¯s quite a gentleman¡± Eileen didn¡¯t say anything else. The ck BMW had long been on its way. After replying to a WhatsApp message, Egbert exited the chat and found Eileen¡¯s Facebook ount. He stared at Eileen¡¯s profile picture, a photo of an owl clock. He fell silent for a moment before asking his assistant in the front seat, ¡°Does Eileen have a thing for wall clocks, or is she into pyramids?¡± The assistant blinked, stumped. ¡°I¡¯d guess pyramids?¡± After all, it wasn¡¯t often you¡¯d find a youngdy particrly fond of clocks. Nice watches, sure, but clocks? Not so much. Egbert frowned in thought, then saved the photo of the owl clock and sent it to his assistant, ¡°See if you can find this clock on sale¡± The assistant nced at the photo and nodded. ¡°Sure thing, I¡¯ll look it up.¡± As for Egbert wanting to gift Eileen something she liked, the assistant didn¡¯t find it odd Egbert had nearly met his end in an elevator due to identally drinking alcohol, if it weren¡¯t for Eileen saving him. In the assistant¡¯s eyes, that incident made it perfectly reasonable for Egbert to give her a gift. Plus, Egbert had been exceptionally nice to Eileen during the livestream, likely out of gratitude. So, giving her a ride home after theynded seemed like the least he could do. Wasn¡¯t that the least one could do for their lifesaver? Chapter 32 Chapter 32 The moment Eileen got home, she whipped out a pyramid clock worth 300 bucks. She plonked it on her bedside table Staring at the clock in awe, she snapped a photo and fired it off to Ophelia in the wee hours of the morning Ophelia was in deep sleep when the sound of a Whatsapp notification jolted her awake. It was a common trait among agents ¨C they were hyper¨Csensitive to the sound of phone calls, texts, and social media notifications. No matter how sleepy, they instantly woke up to those sounds Just as Ophelia was thinking there might be an issue with one of her artists, she realized the flurry of messages were all from Eileen Ophelia snapped awake She might not freak out over anyone else¡¯s messages, but if it was Eileen¡¯s Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Ophelia felt a jolt of anxiety, cautiously opened up Whatsapp, and a minuteter, she was staring at seventeen clock photos and the final message from Eileen saying. [Pretty, isn¡¯t it? My whole room lights up with this clock!] Ophelia was left in deep thought. After a full three minutes of silence, Ophelia tentatively replied with a question mark, followed by. [Did you send it to the wrong person? The reply came quickly. [No, Ophelia, it¡¯s for you. Do you like it?] Ophelia nced at the time in the top right corner of her phone screen, 3:30 am Confused, Ophelia asked. [Do you know what time it is?] Eileen replied. [Of course, it¡¯s half past three in the morning. But I justnded, I¡¯m not adjusted to the timezone, not sleepy] Ophelia protested, [But I¡¯m sleepy¡®] Eileen changed the subject. [Ophelia, you haven¡¯t answered my question. Do you like it?] Inhaling deeply. Ophelia didn¡¯t reply, she simply blocked Eileen and went back to sleep. With no reply from Ophelia, Eileen sent another message, [Ophelia, are you there?] After sending it, she waited for quite a while, but there was no response. Eileen sighed deeply, put down her phone, looked at the beautiful new clock on her bedside table, and murmured, ¡°Sweetie, it¡¯s not your fault they can¡¯t appreciate your beauty. It¡¯s okay, as long as I get it. I love you¡± Eileen had a thing for clocks, an interest not of her own, but a legacy of her childhood Back then, her father was still around. So were her grandparents. Before she came to live with the Lopez family at the age of ten after Sarah remarried, she once had a happy childhood. ¡°Each clock has a unique sound. Listen carefully to them, Eileen Which one do you like?¡± Her father asked. ¡°Dad, if I like it, can I take it? Won¡¯t you miss it?¡± Eileen asked. ¡°No, you¡¯re my daughter. How could I ever miss it?¡± Her father said. ¡°Dad, I like that clock Eileen said. The handsome man in her memory looked at thergest owl clock on the shelf, a smile of admiration showing on his face, and said, ¡°You have good taste. I like that one too, so I can¡¯t give it to you.¡± ¡°Dad, didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d be willing to give it to me?¡± Eileen asked. Gazing at the pyramid clock in front of her, Eileen wiped away her tears and buried those memories deep inside her heart. She had to stop thinking about those who would make her sad and weak. The following day, Eileen was off to the office bright and early. As Ophelia walked into the office, she heard her assistantmenting, ¡°I queued for twenty minutes for this breakfast, you said you¡¯d only have a bite! I was gone for a minute and you¡¯ve almost finished it!¡± ¡°You queued for twenty minutes? Worth it. Eileen said. ¡°Stop eating!¡± The assistantined. ¡°Last bite, I promise.¡± Eileen said With that familiar voice, who else could it be but Eileen! Ophelia walked over with a stern face. Seeing the boss arriving, the assistant cried out in tears, ¡°Ophelia!¡± Eileen, who was about to devour the assistant¡¯s entire breakfast, stopped at the sight of Ophelia¡¯s angry face and greeted politely. ¡°Ophelia.¡± ¡°Get in my office!¡± Ophelia said angrily. Eileen followed Ophelia into the office. As soon as Ophelia sat down on her office chair, she pulled out a packet of herbal soup, stuck a straw in it, and started drinking The taste of the soup was unbearably bitter. Ophelia had been having it for four days and she was about to lose her mind. ¡°it¡¯s all expensive ingredients. Eileen sniffed the aromatic scent of the soup in the air. Without looking at the prescription, she knew what was in it. Ophelia nced at her, ¡°I don¡¯t believe you know anything about it¡± Edeen didn¡¯t bother to exin. She §±opped onto the couch, clutching a pillow, and said, ¡°Ophelia, I¡¯m broke again.¡± Armoyed, Ophelia yelled, ¡°Am I an ATM? You run out of money ande to me!¡± Eileen gave a pitiful response, ¡°I¡¯m out of money and I¡¯m joining the crew the day after tomorrow. I¡¯m starving and the other actors will look down on me Ophelia was getting a headache, she took a big gulp of the medicine, not caring about the bitter taste in her mouth anymore, and said seriously, ¡°I¡¯ll give you some more money, but stop embarrassing yourself¡± Eileen happily took the money and said earnestly, ¡°Got it!¡± She then headed out. Ophelia asked loudly. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Eileen replied nonchntly, ¡°I got the money, no need to stay here anymore. Bye, Ophelia¡± And just like that, she vanished. She really did treat her like an ATM! Ophelia shook her head in resignation, ¡°She¡¯s going to drive me crazy one of these days!¡± After leaving Ophelia, Eileen headed to a nearby inte cafe. She stayed there all day, masked up, and it wasn¡¯t until the evening that she sent a file to Phyllis¡¯s email and thenzily left The next two days were a whirlwind in the entertainment industry. People working in media were run off their feet, andizens were just as busy. If they weren¡¯t keeping tabs on old news, they were digging up new ones. It was a total madhouse. However, all these shenanigans had nothing to do with Eileen. She had been engrossed in her script for the past two days, totally offline. Two dayster, Eileen officially joined the crew of Fancy Ind. The first day was the opening ceremony, and boy, it was as basic as it got. It was downright bare¨C bones! The crew found a corner, set up a table, and pped on some cheap snacks they could find bread, oranges, grapes and whatnot. Eileen casually nced over and spotted her half¨Cdrunk c. She had no idea who put it there. She just knew someone had nicked her c! She hadn¡¯t even finished it yet! Chapter 33 Chapter 33 There were barely any reporters at the opening ceremony, with just one showing up. He snapped a few pictures, tossed out a few questions to the crew and then took off in less than five minutes Fancy Ind was directed by a guy named Lenwood. He was in his thirties, prime of his life. Though he was pretty average looking, he did have a great head of hair. Before they started shooting, Lenwood had a chat with some of the lead actors to get everyone acquainted. The lead actress for this movie was Eileen. The male lead was a handsome fe named Bartley. No matter how hard she tried, Eileen couldn¡¯t remember ever having crossed paths with him before. Bartley was ridiculously good¨Clooking, not a single w on his face. He was even better looking than Hubery and Kenley, who were no slouches themselves. Oddly enough, he hadn¡¯t been in the limelight before. After Lenwood introduced him, Bartley turned around. His handsome face was hard to ignore. He extended his hand towards Eileen, his voice crisp and clear, ¡°Hello, Miss Lopez.¡± Eileen was taken aback for a moment before responding with a smile, ¡°Hello, Mr. Bartley¡± Bartley paused, unsure of what to say next. Lenwood nced at the two of them, script in hand, and said, ¡°The overall tone for this film is light¨C hearted and fun. You two have to portray a very close and intimate rtionship, so I¡¯d suggest you get to know each other better off the set to make things look more natural,¡± Eileen nodded and turned to look at Bartley. Bartley also looked at her, a smile on his face as he said, ¡°I might be asking you a lot of questions. This is my first time acting and there¡¯s a lot I don¡¯t understand.¡± Eileen shrugged. ¡°No problem, it¡¯s my first time too. Let¡¯s figure it out together.¡± Of course, it wasn¡¯t Eileen¡¯s first time acting. She¡¯d been in many films in her past life and was once even nominated for a prestigious international award for her outstanding performance. But in the end, she didn¡¯t know whether she¡¯d actually won the award because by then, she was already dead in a room in the underground broadcasting factory For the first couple of days, there were no scenes for Eileen and Bartley. The other actors were the focus. Bartley spent his free time on set, learning from the others¡® performances. Lenwood was impressed with him. Even though Bartley was cast by the investors, he was really putting in the effort. Then he asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Eileen?¡± Bartley replied with a smile, ¡°Miss Lopez? I think she¡¯s still catching some Zs¡± Lenwood checked his watch. 3:30 in the afternoon, and still sleeping? Eileen was indeed still sleeping. It wasn¡¯t until Lenwood inquired around that he found out Eileen hadn¡¯t shown up on set since they started filming. Apparently, she slept in every day until the afternoon and wouldn¡¯t get out of bed until 4 o¡¯clock. Lenwood started to worry, Was Eileen cking off now that she was gaining some poprity? With that worry, on the third day, Lenwood finally caught sight of her. Eileen arrived right on time. Her hair was a mess. Lenwood looked displeased and said sternly. ¡°Go get your makeup done.¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. They didn¡¯t have a dedicated makeup room. Eileen had to sit on a stool in the corner while a makeup artist did her makeup from a portable makeup case. The conditions were tough. After makeup, she had to change into her costume. A makeshift changing room was set up with a ragged curtain. People wereing and going, and the costume designer led Eileen to the neighboring set¡¯s resting room. Eileen asked, ¡°Where are we?¡± The designer replied. This is the resting room of the lead actor from the neighboring set. They¡¯re reshooting some scenes. The lead actor is busy with other work and hasn¡¯t had time toe over, so the room has been vacant. You can change here.¡± Eileen was a bit uneasy, Is it okay for me to change here? After all, this is someone else¡¯s space.¡± The designer casually exined, ¡°No one¡¯s using it anyway, so we¡¯re just borrowing it. If you don¡¯t change here, you¡¯ll have to change in the public changing room, Eileen thought about the distance from the public changing room to the shooting location and the walk back and forth, and she felt somewhat helpless, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll change here. You can go first, and I¡¯lle overter.¡± The designer nodded, ¡°Okay, be quick¡± After the designer left, Eileen went into the changing room. She was down to her underwear when she realized that the tie on the back of the dress was knotted. Eileen had to squat down to slowly untie it but despite several attempts, she couldn¡¯t undo the knot on the dress. She was getting impatient. Just as she was debating whether to go outside and find a pair of scissors to cut the knot off, there were footsteps outside the changing room. Eileen froze. She immediately stopped what she was doing and listened carefully. After the footsteps, she heard the sound of a door closing. Then, a strange man¡¯s voice came from outside, ¡°You¡¯re really busy, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯ve been waiting for you for a while. I was about to give up.¡± Elleen was stunned. Didn¡¯t the designer just say that the lead actor from the neighboring set was always busy? How did he show up all of a sudden? What were the odds that the first time she sneaked into the changing room, something like this would happen? Could they give her a chance to correct her mistake? Not caring about the knot on her dress anymore, Eileen quickly put on a random piece of clothing. The changing room was so small that she identally kicked the stool behind her when she turned around. Suddenly, everything quieted down Eileen didn¡¯t dare move, as she listened nervously to the sounds outside. The man¡¯s voice she had just heard was gone, and the sounds outside had suddenly stopped. Eileen couldn¡¯t hear clearly, so she leaned closer to the door to listen more carefully. Just then, she heard the sound of a lock. Looking down, Eileen saw that the door to the changing room, which she had clearly locked, had been unlocked from the outside. She instinctively reached out to grab the doorknob, but the person outside beat her to it. The next moment, the door was flung open. Eileen, disheveled and with a look of pure terror on her face, stared at the stern man outside. ¡°Egbert, who¡¯s out there?¡± The previous man called out again. Eileen didn¡¯t have time to think. She immediately reached out, yanked the man outside into the changing room, and quickly locked the door. Chapter 34 Chapter 34 In a cramped space, the two bodies were pressed close together. ¡°Egbert?¡± A man¡¯s voice drifted in from outside the door, sounding a bit muf fled. Eileen¡¯s heart was racing. She looked up at the man in front of her, catching him staring at her chest. Looking down, she realized her bra was showing ¡°Stop staring!¡± Eileen retorted, pulling her cor up and shooting him a re. Egbert fell silent for a moment, then looked up at her ¡°I know you¡¯ve got a ton of questions. Eileen said. Til exinter, but for now I need your help¡± Although her tone was pleading, her actions were quite the opposite. Egbert nced down at his cor, which was being gripped by Eileen. One of her hands was clutching her own cor while the other was tightly holding onto his. Her forceful demeanor was more threatening than begging. Egbert raised his hand, wanting to loosen her grip, but her hand held on tightly. ¡°You let go first¡± Egbert said. Eileen refused, ¡°Promise me first! Help me out, and then I ll let go!¡± Egbert frowned, letting go of her hand and calmly replied, ¡®Guess we¡¯ll just wait it out then¡± ¡°You¡± Eileen said. Just then, there was a knock at the door. ¡°Egbert?¡± It was still the man¡¯s voice. Eileen, feeling frustrated, reluctantly released Egbert Egbert didn¡¯t move. He just nced at his cumpled cor, then looked back at Eileen. Eileen could only helplessly reach out and straighten his cor for him, ¡°There, happy now?¡± Egbert chuckled. Eileen red at him, not saying a word. ¡°Hold on.¡± He threw a piece of clothing over Eileen¡¯s head. Before Eileen could react, the door swung open. She immediately froze ¡°Egbert, what are you doing in there? And what is this?¡± The guy asked. The door shut. After waiting a moment, Eileen carefully removed the clothing from her head. The changing room was now empty Without much thought, she quickly changed, while voices from outside seeped in. After a while, Egberts voice came from outside. You cane out N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. now.¡± Eileen, clutching her original clothing, cautiously stepped out. The room was empty except for Egbert. Eileen saw Egbert sitting coldly on the sofa, watching her with a calm expression, The heater was on in the room, and Egbert seemed to be feeling hot. His ck coat was thrown next to the sofa, and he was only wearing a thin white shirt with a badly crumpled cor. Looking at the wrinkles on his cor, Eileen felt a bit awkward, ¡°About what just happened, thank you¡± Egbert just gave her a once-over and stayed silent. Her hairdo, the heavy makeup on her face, the exquisite dress she was wearing, all gave her a charming air, ¡°Are you filming a drama?¡± He asked. ¡°Yes, just next door, Eileen replied Egbert didn¡¯t say anything else. In fact, this was the first time he saw Eileen so carefully dressed. Usually, she appeared rather slovenly. But now, she was all dolled up, shining brightly, so elegant it was hard to look away. But he didnt like it. He frowned, ¡°Too shy.¡± Eileen was puzzled, ¡°What do you mean, too shy?¡± Egbert didn¡¯t say anything else, his gaze falling on her ample chest. Few girls could wear such a loose dress so well. Her figure was excellent, or one could even say too perfect. He had seen that earlier. ¡°Mr. Reed, what did you just say?¡¯ Elleen pressed him. Egbert turned away. ¡°Nothing¡± Elleen frowned, but didn¡¯t press further. She gave Egbert a brief exnation about what happened and apologized, ¡°Anyway, I really appreciate your help 1qday I owe you one. I¡¯ll treat you to a meal next time.¡± And with that, she made to leave. Hold on¡± But the man stopped her. Eileen¡¯s hand was already on the doorknob. She paused and turned back to look at Egbert, asking somewhat fearfully, ¡°We¡¯re acquainted now, Mr. Reed. You¡¯re not going to hold this against me, are you?¡± 12:29 Egbert asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you have a changing room over there?¡± Eileen pouted and nodded, ¡°We don¡¯t have a proper changing room, just an old curtain, and its co-ed, so the line is always long¡± ¡°Then you can change here from now on,¡± He interrupted her. Eileen was stunned, ¡°What?¡± ¡°From now on, you can change here.¡± Egbert repeated tly 1 can change here from now on?¡± Eileen¡¯s face lit up with delight. She was over the moon, But she still politely said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that inappropriate? This is your room. It¡¯s not right for me to always borrow it.¡± Egbert just looked at her expressionlessly. Eileen couldn¡¯t handle his gaze on her, she could barely suppress her grin. She quickly said, ¡°Alright, alright. Since you insist, Mr. Reed, and I¡¯m not one to be ungrateful. Thank you.¡± Egbert shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the spare key on the table, ¡®From now on, the rest room will be locked. You¡¯ll need the key to get in.¡± Eileen promptly picked up the key, saying cheerfully. ¡°Thank you!¡± Egbert just waved her off, indicating she could leave Eileen happily returned to the studio next door. When the staff saw here back, they immediately shouted, ¡°Eileen, where did you go? The director¡¯s calling for you¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m on my way Eileen said. When Eileen went to find Lenwood, he was discussing the plot with Bartley using the script. Seeing Eileen approach, Lenwood gave her a once-over, his/ eyes shing with surprise. He had to admit, Eileen¡¯s current look nailed the lively elegant, swanlike character of Prima described in the script. Added to that, she was breathtakingly beautiful ¡°Your look is on point.¡± Lenwood said, flipping to a certain page in the script, ¡°The next scene we¡¯re shooting is scene six. Let me exin the plot to you. Where¡¯s your script?¡± Eileen pulled out her script from her backpack and stood next to Bartley Both Eileen and Bartley opened their scripts. Lenwood couldn¡¯t help but peek. Bartley¡¯s script was filled with colorful annotations, a clear sign of the effort he put into his character. Eileens script, however, looked brand-new, as if it had never been touched before A sense of foreboding settled in Lenwood¡¯s heart. He had a hunch they were going to be workingte into the night After exining the plot for over ten minutes, Lenwood looked anxiously at Eileen, who was eyeing the food in the crew¡¯s hands. Fighting back his irritation, he asked, ¡°Did you get all that?¡± ¡°What? I got it.¡± Eileen quickly responded. Lenwood knew deep down she hadn¡¯t been listening at all. Lenwood waved it off, ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s just shoot one scene and see how it goes¡± Chapter 35 Chapter 35 With the director¡¯s ¡°Action¡±¡± Suddenly, Eileen, who had been very casual, became serious and began interacting with Bartley Five minutester, Lenwood called the first ¡°Cut¡±. All the staff on the scene instantly turned their attention to the pair. After a while, Lenwood said in a somewhat heavy tone, ¡°Bartley,e over here.¡± Bartley got off the stage with an ugly expression on his face. Lenwood pointed at the image on the monitor, patiently exined to him, and Bartley quickly understood his poor performance, lie nodded humbly and epted the advice. After a while, Lenwood picked up a megaphone and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do it again¡± Then he said to Eileen, ¡°Eileen, you were in the right state just now Please try to maintain it. If you can¡¯t, it¡¯s okay to make some mistakes. We can edit your performance.¡± Eileen nodded, understanding the roughness of such low-cost web drama production, which also had lower requirements for actors. Then they started the second take, but the result was still unsatisfactory, and Bartley was the one who made the mistake again. Bartley was diligent, hardworking, and tried his best. But as a neer, hisck of experience caused him to be easily nervous in front of the camera, creating many problems. Due to Bartley¡¯s mistakes, this shot had to be cut six times. Lenwood didnt expect that such a simple scene between the male and female leads would be dyed for so long. After the seventh take was finally sessful, Lenwood himself breathed a sigh of relief. He was reviewing the previous video when he suddenly felt something was off. Upon closer comparison, he realized that Eileen had maintained the highest standards throughout the previous six takes. This surprised Lenwood. Both were neers, but while Bartley disrupted the shooting several times, Eileen disyed such strong stability and emotional control. However, this was just a simple scene between the male and female leads, so being stable wasn¡¯t considered difficult, ¡°Alright, next scene.¡± Lenwood said. The next scene was in the same setting, but with Eileen performing with a middle-aged actor Finally, the first scene ended, and Bartley came down from the stage looking pale. He was good looking and had been interacting with the crew and staff for the past two days. A few of the assistants liked him and seeing his despondent state, two of the makeup artists quickly rushed over with drinks to comfort him. Bartley smiled bitterly, ¡°Sorry for holding everyone back.¡± One of the makeup artists quickly reassured him, ¡°Not at all, Bartley. You¡¯re doing great. It¡¯s normal to struggle when it¡¯s your first time acting.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Bartley shook his head, ¡°Eileen is also new to acting, but her performance was good¡± The two makeup artists fell silent. They had initially thought that Eileen would be the one causing issues due to her seemingck of focus, but her performance turned out to be consistent and professional, Bartley, despite his hard work, was the one who kept making mistakes, possibly due to nerves. ¡°Good, cut.¡± The director¡¯s voice rang out again. The makeup artists found an excuse tofort him, ¡°See, Eileen messed up too.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s use that.¡± As soon as Lenwood confirmed the take, the atmosphere among the three became tense. Upon looking at the stage, they saw Eileen touching up her makeup while the actor who had just performed with her was speaking to her in a friendly manner. The second scene waspleted in just a few minutes, while the previous scene with Eileen and Bartley took a full hour. This scene, with Eileen and an experienced senior actor, waspleted in one take, taking only eight minutes. It couldn¡¯t possibly be due to Eileen. It must be because the senior actor who filmed the scene with her did an excellent job, making the scene go smoothly. Theyforted themselves with this thought. However, throughout the morning, no matter who Eileen was acting with, each scene waspleted in one take. The crew gradually fell silent. Bartley¡¯s face grew paler, and he recited his lines with even more effort Before lunch, all six scenes involving Eileen werepleted. Lenwood sat in front of the monitor, looking at the videos of the previous six scenes, growing more confused as he watched, ¡®Did I set the bar too low for or her?¡± The scriptwriterughed, ¡°Eileen¡¯s performance was really good.¡± Lenwood nodded, ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem like a neer The scriptwriter thought for a moment, then added, ¡°Actually, in the fifth scene, there was a part where her emotions exploded, but for some reason, she reigned them in halfway. If she hadn¡¯t, the other actor might not have been able to match her emotional intensity at the end.¡± Lenwood had also noticed this and decided to talk to Eileen. When Lenwood found her, she was intently watching the woman preparing lunch, making her feel quite ufortable. The woman in charge of serving lunch said helplessly. ¡°What¡¯s the point of staring at me? Your director hasn¡¯t said you can eat yet, so I can¡¯t give you any.¡± Eleen didnt answer, but continued to stare at the lunchbox in the woman¡¯s hand The woman was about to be driven mad by Eileen¡¯s stare. When she saw Lenwood approaching, she quickly said, ¡°Herees the director. Ask him yourself!¡¯ Elleen turned to Lenwood, excitedly asking, ¡°Lenwood! Can I eat now? Can 17¡± Lenwood looked at her, then said to the woman, ¡°Give her a box. Let her eat first.¡± The woman handed Eileen a lunchbox. Eileen immediately said, 1 don¡¯t want this one. I want that one! She pointed to another lunchbox ¡°Eh? Aren¡¯t all these meals the same? Lenwood asked, frowning Eileen scoffed, ¡°How can they be the same? The meat in that one is a fifth more than this one. A whole fifth¡± Lenwood didn¡¯t know what to say. In his mind, he thought, ¡°She sure has an eye for detail, why didn¡¯t I see her being this thorough when reading the script? All Lenwood could do was wave his hand and instruct, ¡°Give her that one! Eileen, getting the bento with more meat as she wished, sat on a small stool, ready to answer Lenwood¡¯s questions. ¡°Emotional outburst? Eileen, satisfied after gulping down a big piece of meat, looked up and said. ¡°Yes, I intentionally toned it down, because I saw the other party almost couldn¡¯t handle my emotions. I was afraid of messing up the scene, so I pulled back¡± Chapter 36 Chapter 36 After hearing her exnation, Lenwood looked a bit miffed, ¡°So you¡¯re saying you let the other actor take the spotlight, not because you couldn¡¯t deliver?¡± Eileen swallowed another mouthful of food, then answered nonchntly, ¡°How could I not deliver? I didn¡¯t even give it my all¡± She didn¡¯t even give it her all? What was the deal here? Lenwood kept quiet for a moment, then let out a helpless sigh, ¡°You sure know how to y humble.¡± Eileen didn¡¯t respond to his gripe, instead she turned around and handed her lunch box to thedy who was serving her food, ¡®Can I have some more, please?¡± Thedy, having been nagged by Eileen all day, grudgingly scooped up some for her Eileen thanked her with several nods of satisfaction and continued eating. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. By two in the afternoon, all of today¡¯s filming tasks werepleted. Lenwood sat in front of the monitor, watching Eileen on the screen, deep in thought. The screenwriter beside him knew what he was thinking and whispered, ¡°She¡¯s actually really talented. ¡°I know, that¡¯s why it¡¯s such a shame.¡± Lenwood sighed, standing up from his chaw, I¡¯m going to make a call¡± When Lenwood returned from his call, he announced that they would be adding more scenes. Even though they finished early, they couldn¡¯t clock out early because the studio rental was charged by the day. Thrifty Lenwood wouldn¡¯t waste that, so he decided on the spot to add ten more scenes. Out of these ten, seven were for Eileen, considering her stable performance and fewer NG takes. As the sets were already in ce, these ten scenes were shot out of sequence, which meant a huge leap in the storyline Upon receiving the notice, Eileen nced through her seven scenes and almost flipped out. Her character was going through a massive transformation, from a young girl to a woman, and even a pregnant woman in one scene. The emotional transition required would be extremelyplex, especially since she had to shoot it all in one afternoon. Wasn¡¯t this a bit too much? But the director had already decided, so she had no choice nor to protest. So, Eileen had to rush to memorize her lines for the next scenes, looking as harried as if she were being chased by a rabid dog. Her frantic demeanor was a stark contrast to her calm and collected self in the morning. Lenwood chuckled. ¡°She¡¯s finally taking it seriously¡± The screenwriter was speechless, ¡®You don¡¯t need to take such delight in her distress.¡± Lenwood just smiled, ¡°It¡¯s okay if we cant finish. These are just extra scenes anyway¡± But to their surprise, by nine in the evening, all the scenes were actuallypleted. Lenwood couldn¡¯t help but praise, I feel like she still hasn¡¯t reached her full potential.¡± The screenwriter was dumbfounded and finally snapped, ¡°She¡¯s still young. Don¡¯t be so hard on her!¡± After a full day of shooting, Eileen, drained and numb, lined up to change her clothes. At this point, almost all the actors were changing, and with the crowding and going, Eileen, seeing no movement in the line. She finally couldn¡¯t wait any longer and wandered off like a lost soul. Bartley saw her retreating figure and called out, ¡°Ms. Lopez, where are you going?¡± Eileen didn¡¯t hear him and walked out. Bartley went to the door and saw that the direction Eileen was heading was not towards the public changing rooms, he frowned, did she get lost? ¡°Ms. Lopez?¡± Bartley asked After going around in circles, Eileen finally arrived next door. She stopped at Egbert¡¯s dressing room door, took out her key, inserted it, and turned the kn ob to open the door. Inside the dressing room, Loule was chatting with knock?¡± Egbert. Hearing the noise, he was surprised and asked, ¡°is your assistant here? Why didn¡¯t they Before Egbert could answer, the door swung open. Standing there was a girl dressed in costume, holding a stic bag in one hand and keeping the door open with the other. Loule didn¡¯t know what to say, and Eileen remained silent. Egbert sighed and stood up, ¡°You go change first¡± ¡°Ms. Lopez¡± Outside, a clear male voice suddenly rang out. Egbert was taken aback, then he saw a young man wearing the same style of costume, quickly following her. He seemed to know Eileen well, grabbing her wrist and saying to her, ¡°This isnt our set. I¡¯ll take you to the public changing rooms.¡± He then tried to lead Eileen away. A dangerous gleam shed in Egbert¡¯s eyes, and he suddenly said, ¡°Stop¡± Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Bartley was surprised to find there were other people in the room. His eyes changed a bit when he saw it was Egbert. And when he noticed Loule on the sofa, his face showed an even more noticeable change. Louie suddenly stood up and pointed at Bartley, ¡°You¡­¡± Bartley quickly responded, apologizing. I¡¯m sorry for interrupting. She got lost, and we¡¯ll leave right away¡± ¡°Hold it right there! Louie stood up and walked over, grabbing Bartley by the shoulder. Bartley struggled immediately Eileen, who was initially confused, was now wide awake. She watched the two men in surprise. Suddenly, her wrist was grabbed. Looking down, she saw it was Egbert, who led her into the lounge and closed the door. All noise from outside was cut off by the door. Eileen looked at the closed door, and asked in surprise. ¡°What just happened?¡± Egbert asked sharply. ¡®Do you know him?¡± Eileen answered, ¡°You mean Bartley? He¡¯s our lead actor.¡± ¡°Bartley?¡± Egbert squinted, letting go of Eileen¡¯s hand, ¡°Go change your clothes.¡± Eileen nced at the door, ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re family. It¡¯s fine.¡± Egbert said. Family? Eileen felt slightly relieved. From what she saw just now, they did seem to know each other, After changing quickly. Eileen came out to find the door open and Bartley gone. The man who had grabbed Bartley was sitting on the sofa, panting and angrily yelling. ¡°He¡¯s been gone for over a month, I thought something happened to him. Turns out he sneaked off to act! And he told me not to tell his parents, that if they find out, they¡¯ll break his legs! Listening to his ranting. Eileen finally realized, it was Louie Eileen knew him, but that was from her past life. Seeing Eileen dressed, Egbert turned to her, ¡°You should go Eileen nodded, about to leave. Louie suddenly stopped her, ¡°Are you acting with that rascal?¡± Eileen hesitated, looked at Louie, and nodded gently, ¡°Yes.¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. Louie sneered, ¡°His acting must be terrible, right?¡± Eileen, feeling awkward, thought for a moment and humbly replied, ¡°I¡¯m not that great either.¡± Loule snorted, ¡°If the kid could act, his parents wouldn¡¯t be so against it. He¡¯s good for nothing, just dreams of being a star. He¡¯s got a pretty face, but his actingcks soul. Does he really think he can make it in showbiz with just a handsome face? Does he think hes Egbert?¡± Eileen couldnt help but nce at Egbert on the sofa. Egbert looked a bit helpless, ¡°What does that have to do with me? ¡°What do you mean, what does it have to do with you?¡¯ Louie yelled angrily, ¡°You didn¡¯t even try to stop him just now. Don¡¯t forget, after you marry his aunt, he¡¯s your nephew!¡± The room fell silent. Eileen looked at Egbert on the sofa in surprise. He got married in her previous life? She didn¡¯t seem to know, she badn¡¯t heard any rumors about this superstar¡¯s love life, even up until her death, ¡°If you want to cause a scene, please do it outside Egbert suddenly said coldly Louie finally realized, and awkwardly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that.¡± Egbert¡¯s somewhat gloomy eyes suddenly turned to Eileen, ¡°Aren¡¯t you leaving?¡± Eileen was taken aback, not understanding why his attitude towards her was suddenly so cold. She chose to stay silent and quickly walked towards the door. As she was leaving, she heard Loule say, ¡°I¡¯m not spreading rumors, you two have already set a date, right?¡± Eileen closed the door, turned around and headed towards her crew. ¡°Ms. Lopez!¡± Eileen was on her way out of Cinema City with her bag when someone called her from behind. She turned around, it was Bartley Bartley, wearing a grey coat, jogged to catch up. ¡°Ms. Lopez, let¡¯s walk together.¡± Eileen put her hands in her coat pockets, hunched her shoulders, didn¡¯t object, and continued walking. After a couple of steps, Bartley suddenly asked, ¡°Eileen, are you and Egbert close?¡± Figen gave him a look, ¡°You¡¯ve got guts, messing with your ¡± Bartley¡¯s face changed. ¡°You know?¡± Elleen smiled, ¡°I didn¡¯t realize, you have such a strong family background. Loule is your rtive, Egbert is your uncle, so half of the big stars in the fi industry are your family. Please remember to look out for me in the future.¡± ¡°Eileen, stop making fun of me. Bartley said in a low, frustrated voice, ¡°How they live their lives is their business, and it has nothing to do with me. 17 my own path!* Eileen looked at him, shrugged, and didn¡¯t respond. Seeing her expression, Bartley was a bit upset, ¡°You think I cant do it too?¡± Eileen shook her head, That¡¯s none of my business.¡± Bartley closed his lips tight, then asked, ¡°Eileen, you didn¡¯t answer me, are you and Egbert close?¡± ¡°Just acquittance Eileen answered casually. ¡°Is that so?¡± Bartley looked skeptical, ¡®He even lent you his dressing room, you guys must be more than just that.¡± Eileen suddenly stopped, looking at Bartley Bartley was taken aback and also stopped. ¡°What are you trying to get at?¡± Eileen asked with a smile, ¡°Are you investigating your uncle¡¯s rtionships?* ¡°Eileen, I¡¯m not.¡± Bartley said. ¡°Chill¡± Eileen cut him off, saying, ¡°Egbert and I, we¡¯re not what you think. Yeah, we know each other, but only because we were on a variety show together, so we¡¯re kinda tight. He just lent me his dressing room out of kindness, nothing more. No need to sweat it, and your aunt doesn¡¯t need to either.¡± Bartley awkwardly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it ¡± Eileen just shrugged it off with augh and kept walking forward. Bartley hurried after her, ¡°About my aunt, actually she¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested in your aunt either.¡± Eileen cut him off. Bartley gave a bitter smile and said, ¡°You might not know Egbert is a bit of a yer.¡± Eileen paused for a moment. ¡°Seriously, he¡¯s not only a yer, but also quite the heartbreaker¡± Bartley grumbled, ¡°He¡¯s too close with other women, and this is not the first time. Ms. Lopez, if you¡¯re not into him, I suggest you stop going to his dressing room. Don¡¯t let people get the wrong idea How about this, next time you need to change clothes, if you hate queuing, I can queue for you. I really hope you can keep some distance from him.¡±/ By this time, Eileen had reached the entrance of Cinema City. She sighed and said, ¡°If your family really minds, then fine, I¡¯ll try to avoid.¡± Bartley continued to exin, ¡°Ms. Lopez, it¡¯s not about you, but he and my aunt are engaged. Although my aunt is not in the country right now, their engagement has been arranged since my great- grandfather¡¯s generation. As soon as my auntes back, they will get married immediately.¡± ¡®Bartley, I really don¡¯t care about your family¡¯s affairs.¡± Elleen said, and then waved her hand, ¡°I have to go, I need to run some errands, won¡¯t go back to the hotel. See you. After that, she quickly crossed the road. Bartley stood on the other side of the road, watching Eileen checking the bus stop. He thought for a while, then made a call. The call was quickly answered by azy male voice, ¡°Brat, didn¡¯t you run away from home? Can¡¯t stand it after just over a month?¡± ¡°Uh, there¡¯s trouble¡± Bartley blurted out, ¡°I was found by Louie today, and I saw Uncle Egbert, he was being really nice to a girl.¡± The voice on the other end of the phone suddenly stopped, ¡°What do you mean by ¡®really nice¡¯?¡± ¡°He lent his dressing room to that girl¡± Bartley said ¡°He always keeps his distance from girls¡± The voice suddenly turned cold on the other end of the phone, ¡°I knew it, he would betray our aunt sooner or Bartley sighed, ¡°Actually, you can¡¯t me him entirely, because Ms. Lopez is really beautiful.¡± ¡°Simon Lopez, what are you talking about! Wait, did you say that girl¡¯sst name is also¡­?¡± The guy said. Chapter 38 Chapter 38 ¡°Yep, that¡¯s right¡± Simon Lopez, aka Bartley, nodded, ¡°But bear in mind, there are a lot of folks using that surname, she¡¯s definitely not one of us. She¡¯s so gorgeous, I would ve remembered if I had seen her There was silence on the other end of the phone. ¡°Are you in the Capital now? I seem to recall we have a rtive there, what was their name again?¡± ¡°Ableson¡± Simon had obviously done his homework beforeing to the Capital, ¡°They have a daughter too, but her name is Hedy, and she¡¯s not the same age as Ms Lopez, so they can¡¯t be the same person.¡± ¡°Uh-huh¡± The voice on the phone said. ¡°Regardless of who she is, no one has a right topete with our aunt for a man!¡± Simon was in full agreement, Absolutely, even though she¡¯s been missing for neen years, our grandparents never gave up looking for her. Neither did our family. We¡¯ve got some leads in recent years, and once we find her, whether Egbert likes it or not, he must marry her! Our darling daughter of the Lopez family deserves nothing but the best!¡± Let¡¯s not talk about this now¡± The voice on the phone said, I¡¯ve already booked my ticket, and I¡¯ll be there shortly Simon asked again, ¡°So, bro, should we let our parents know?¡± ¡°No need to rush I¡¯ll take a look when I get there. The guy said. After a few more exchanges, Simon hung up the phone. He looked up to see that Eileen had already disappeared from the other side of the street. When Eileen arrived at the barbecue restaurant, Phyllis and her brother were already waiting for her in the private room. Seeing her arrive, they both stood up. Eileen smiled and said, ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m a bitte¡± ¡°No problem, we¡¯re the ones intruding, Ms. Lopez Phyllis¡¯s brother said politely. At this point, Phyllis walked over to Eileen and took her hand, Eileen, my brother has seen all the documents you gave me. He¡¯s awyer, and he says if we can confirm the authenticity of the documents, we can proceed with thewsuit!¡± Eileen looked at Phyllis¡¯s brother, who handed her a business card. She took it, and saw the words, Senior Lawyer, Lennon Sankner. ¡°Nice to meet you, Mr. Sankner Eileen shook hands with Lennon, Once they were seated, Lennon ordered a variety of meats and vegetables Eileen hadn¡¯t eaten dinner yet, so she immediately started grilling the beef in front of her. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Lennon made small talk with a chuckle, ¡°Ive also watched your variety show. My sister is still young. Thank you for taking care of her.¡± Eileen nced at Phyllis She blushed, obviously recalling the numerous asions when she had shed with Eileen on the show. ¡°No worries, she¡¯s young and a bit headstrong, but she¡¯s got a good heart. I can handle her level of naivety.¡± Eileen popped the grilled beef into her mouth. Lennon was taken aback, not expecting Ms. Lopez to eat like that in front of him. ¡®Ms. Lopez you are indeed straightforward.¡± Lennon praised before getting down to business, ¡°About that document¡­¡± They chatted while eating, and by the time they finished, they had discussed most of the key issues. The main reason why the Sankner siblings wanted to meet with Eileen was because she had sent Phyllis some negative information about PrismPulse Entertainment a couple of days ago. The content of the information was so shocking that Lennon and Phyllis couldnt easily believe it. So they specifically asked Eileen out to confirm it face-to-face. In fact, Eileen didn¡¯t unearth those negative pieces of information. She read about them before. PrismPulse Entertainment had always been gued by negative news and had a bad reputation in the industry Even before Phyllis¡¯s incident happened in her previous life, PrismPulse Entertainment was sued for offending people and the truth was revealed a few yearster What Eileen was doing now was justpiling some known issues and giving them to the Sankner siblings in advance. As for how to handle them, it was up to them The three of them left the barbecue restaurant, and Lennon, who had driven, offered to drive Eileen home Of course, Eileen didn¡¯t refuse, it was always nice to have a ride. The car pulled up to the hotel entrance, and since Phyllis could be easily recognized, she didn¡¯t get out of the car Instead, Lennon personally walked Eileen a short distance Eileen could tell from Lennon¡¯s demeanor that he had something to say, so she waited patiently. Sure enough, Lennon pulled out a cheque from his wallet. Edeen nced at the amount, eighty thousand dors Lennon gave a wry smile, it¡¯s not much, but it¡¯s a token of gratitude¡± Eileen looked at Lennon, Mr. Sankner, as awyer, you should know that epting this kind of money is considered egal.¡± Lennon chuckled, ¡°Ms Lopez, you have a strong sense ofw But this money is from me personally, to thank you for what you¡¯ve done. It has nothing to do with my status as awyer¡± ¡°Saying it¡¯s okay doesn¡¯t necessarily make it okay Edeen said indifferently. Besides, you guys are going to fight PrismPulse Entertainment, might not have enough money just to deal with public opinion. If you really want to thank me, I ept your money once everything le settled it¡¯s not necessary¡± Eileen pushed the money back. Lennon¡¯s gaze on Eileen deepened, ¡°Ms. Lopez, you truly have my respect.¡± Eileen nodded, ¡°I respect myself too. That was eighty grand, man. For her, who was t broke now, it was a real fortune. With a heavy heart, Eileen touched her forehead, saying. ¡°I gotta go.¡± Lennon saw Eileen off at the hotel. When he turned to go back to his car, he suddenly felt like someone was watching him. He looked around, puzzled, but didn¡¯t see anyone. Was it just his imagination? Lennon didn¡¯t think much about it, hopped into the car, and drove off. It wasn¡¯t until the car was out of sight, that Egbert in the back of a ck BMW, withdrew his indifferent gaze. ¡°Yep, okay, gotcha.¡± After hanging up the phone, the assistant in the driver¡¯s seat turned around to the boss, saying, ¡°Mr. Reed, Gilbert says he¡¯s made it to the hotel and has already ordered our meals. We can just head back to the hotel, no need for us to eat out.¡± Egbert didn¡¯t respond directly, just gave a nomittal grunt. The car started As they drove past that shabby, bare-bones two-star motel, Egbert couldn¡¯t help but take another look. But this time, Eileen was no longer at the entrance of the motel. The one who was also dissatisfied with the motel was Sawyer Lopez, who had rushed over from Seahaven. With a grimace, Sawyer walked into the motel, booked a room, and immediately called his younger brother Simon. Bartley was in the middle of learning his lines when he picked up the phone. Hearing that his brother had arrived, he hurried over. When he reached Sawyer¡¯s room, before Bartley could open his mouth, he saw his brother engrossed in the tablet in his hand. Eileen¡¯s voice wasing from the tablet. Bartley was speechless. ¡°Holy cow, this woman¡¯s got game!¡± Sawyer, looking at the rey of ¡®Traveller 5+1¡¯ on the tablet, broke into a smile, ¡°This Eileen, she¡¯s got some talent. I kinda like her now.¡± Chapter 39 Chapter 39 ¡°Sawyer, do you even know what you¡¯re talking about?¡± Bartley mmed the door behind him and grabbed the tablet out of Sawyer¡¯s hands ¡°Hey, I wasn¡¯t done with that¡± Sawyer grumbled, noticing Bartley¡¯s scowl, he added, ¡°I need to know your enemy before I can understand this woman¡¯s background¡± ¡°The problem isn¡¯t her Bartley murmured, ¡°It¡¯s Mr. Reed¡± Sawyer eyed his overly serious younger brother and snorted, ¡°You¡¯re really going all out to protect her.¡± Bartley frowned, ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that Ms. Lopez is very professional Sawyer scoffed, I¡¯lle to the set with you tomorrow. I want to meet her myself.¡± Bartley responded, ¡°Our set is not open to outsiders.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll find a way¡± Sawyer said, then leaned in close and squinted at Bartley. ¡°You¡¯re not falling for this Eileen, are you?¡± ¡°No way!¡± Bartley¡¯s cheeks flushed, quickly adding, ¡°I just admire her professional skills. We¡¯re both newbies, but her acting is way better than mine. I¡¯m more nervous acting with her than with those seasoned actors¡± Sawyer gave a coldugh, clearly not taking it seriously, ¡°We¡¯ll see about that tomorrow.¡± The next day, as soon as Eileen arrived on set, she noticed the atmosphere was off. Lenwood spotted her and called out, ¡°Eileen,e here¡± Eileen rushed over and saw a man standing next to Lenwood. The man was in his twenties, handsome with a well-tailored suit, but his eyes had a hint of rebellious charm. This is Mr. Saul, He¡¯s decided to invest half a million in our project. Lenwood said, grinning from ear to ear, then pointing at Eileen, he introduced her to the new investor, This is the leadingdy of our show, Eileen ¡°Nice to meet you¡± Mr. Saul smiled, extending his hand for a brief handshake. After the handshake, Mr. Saul said, ¡®Lenwood, Id like to take a look around the set, is that okay?¡± ¡°Of course, right this way.¡± Lenwood said. Once they left, Eileen went to her makeup artist. Halfway through her makeup, Bartley came over and started chatting with her, ¡°Ms. Lopez, have you had breakfast?¡± ¡°Yeah, I did¡± Eileen replied casually Bartley looked behind him, ¡®Seems like we ve got a new investor I didn¡¯t expect that, since we already started shooting. With this money. I wonder if the director will rent a dressing room and makeup room. It¡¯s really inconvenient to do makeup in the corner, and without a dressing room, it¡¯s not convenient for the cast to change.¡± Eileen just smiled and didn¡¯t respond. Seeing she wasn¡¯t interested in chatting, Bartley stopped talking. Soon, shooting began but Eileen noticed the new investor was still on set, even sitting in the director¡¯s chair. Was he trying to interfere with the production? Luckily, once shooting started, the investor didn¡¯t interfere too much. After the first round of shooting. Bartley had two NGs, while everyone else nailed it on the first try During lunch break, Lenwood announced some good news. They had rented arge house nearby to serve as their costume and makeup room, which also included separate dressing rooms for men and women. Everyone was thrilled. Bartley walked up to Eileen and hinted, ¡°Now it¡¯ll be more convenient for us to change clothes, we don¡¯t have to borrow dressing rooms from other sets¡± Eileen nced at him, then at Saul, who had simr features to Bartley, and scoffed, ¡°Mr. Saul, you¡¯ve really gone to great lengths.¡± Bartley wanted to say something, but Eileen had already turned around and walked away with an expressionless face Eileen was indeed upset. Who wouldn¡¯t be if they were wrongfully used of meddling in someone¡¯s rtionship? In the afternoon¡¯s shooting, Bartley got a taste of Eileen¡¯s wrath in the morning, Eileen had been cooperating with him, even altering the plot on the fly to cover up his inadequacies But in the afternoon, all that special treatment was gone Eileen even upped the ante, her pace and emotions were so fast that Bartley couldn¡¯t keep up. One scene took an hour to shool, which made Lenwood fuming. The new investor was watching, they couldn¡¯t afford to mess up ¡°Bartley,e here Lenwood called Bartley over and sternly exined the scene to him. Sawyer watched from the side, feeling extremely ufortable as he saw his own younger brother being criticized as useless right in front of him. He then nced at Eileen Sawyer was convinced that this girl was deliberately causing trouble The pressure in the afternoon was as intense as the smooth sailing they had in the morning By their progress the day before, they were supposed to shoot five scenes in the afternoon. But until nine o¡¯clock at night, they ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Lenwood had no choice but to call it a day The moment they wrapped, Edeen rushed to the changing room. When she came out, ¡°Eileen.¡± Bartley called her the moment he saw her. Without a pause, Eileen walked right past him. This young man needed a lesson va dejected Bartley walking in. finished three After finishing a scene, Egbert told Louie he was heading back to the dressing room with the script. When he opened the door, the room was brightly lit Egbert saw Eileen on the couch ying with her phone. He entered, closed the door and casually asked. ¡°Are you here to change?¡± ¡°No ¡°Eileen put away her phone, stood up, took a key out of her pocket and handed it to Egbert. Egbert looked at the spare key, asking. What¡¯s this for?¡± Seeing that he didn¡¯t take it, Eileen just plunked the key on the coffee table and said, ¡°We¡¯ve rented a bigger dressing room, so we won¡¯t be needing to borrow yours anymore¡± Egbert furrowed his brows. Eileen, hands in her pockets, casually said. ¡°1 waited for you to get back so I could tell you this face-to- face, return your key, and thank kindness I gotta leave See you you for your With that, she started to walk past Egbert. Suddenly, he grabbed her arm tightly. Eileen paused, turning to look at him, ¡°What¡¯s up, Mr. Reed? Anything else?¡± Egbert stared deeply at her then after a moment said, ¡°There¡¯s a trip to Tokyo the day after tomorrow. Wanna tag along?¡± The day after tomorrow was the third recording for Traveller 5+1, with Tokyo being the destination. Eileen asked in confusion, Why should I go with you?¡± Egbert hesitated a bit, then made up an excuse, We could go together and keep each other apany?¡± Eileen chuckled, pushed his hand away and shook her head, ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t want to ¡± With that, she walked past him and out of the lounge As the lounge door closed again, Egbert stood there, looking pretty sour Chapter 40 Chapter 40 In the hotel room at night Sawyer, holding a script that he couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of, was listening with a helpless expression as Simon, across the room, read the lines with passion. Simon¡¯s reading was full of emotion, but Sawyer was so tired that he could barely keep his eyes open ¡°Sawyer, it¡¯s your turn to read the lines Simon said. ¡°Uh, where?¡± Sawyer squinted at the script, finally found his lines, and then read them in a cold tone with frequent pauses ¡°You¡¯repletely wrong¡± Simon frowned, ¡°You need more emotion. Didn¡¯t you see the word ¡®innocent¡¯ in front of this line? It means you should read it with a naive tone¡± Sawyer tossed the script into Simon¡¯sp. Then I won¡¯t read it.¡± ¡°Sawyer Simon yelled. ¡°No matter how much you shout, I won¡¯t do it. Go find someone else.¡± Sawyer said. If I could find someone else, I wouldn¡¯t be looking for you. This scene is going to be filmed tomorrow. If I don¡¯t practice well today, I¡¯ll hold everyone back tomorrow. Everyone¡¯s already not too pleased with me.¡± Simon said. Sawyer impatiently said, ¡°You¡¯re the leading man, you should practice with the leadingdy Why isn¡¯t she practicing with you with all the money invested?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it because I pissed her off? Simon nced at Sawyer, ¡°Also, Ms. Lopez was angry today, and it seemed like it had something to do with you! Sawyer sat up from the bed, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say if we rented a dressing room for her, she wouldn¡¯t have a reason to cling to Mr. Reed?¡± ¡°But she¡¯s angry¡± Simon said ¡°So what? Should we coddle her? Who does she think she is?¡± Sawyer said Simon threw the script back into Sawyer¡¯sp. Tm not asking you to caddle her, but since she won¡¯t practice lines with me, you have to do it. Read the next line.¡± Sawyer didn¡¯t want to talk. Of course, Sawyer didn¡¯t want his little brother to keep bothering him, so he went to see Eileen the next day. Sawyers thinking was simple. She was just a not so famous actress. She was pretty, but it didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t be reced. He went in the morning and saw from a distance that Eileen was having breakfast. The hotel¡¯s breakfast was buffet-style. Eileen took some breakfast items and found an empty seat. Suddenly, someone sat down across from her Eileen didn¡¯t pay much attention at first, but when she looked up, her expression instantly cooled, ¡°I don¡¯t share tables. Leave.¡± She said bluntly. The person across from her was Sawyer, and he seemed taken aback, ¡°Are you talking to me?¡± Eileen frowned, ¡®Is there anyone else here?¡± Sawyer couldn¡¯t believe it. A small actress actually dared to talk to an investor like this. He said coldly, ¡®Ms. Lopez, you really have a temper¡± Eileen didn¡¯t bother with him and got up directly with her te and went to another table But as soon as she sat down, the investor followed her again. Eileen leaned back in her chair, looking emotionlessly at the young man across from her with a mischievous expression, ¡°Mr. Saul, do you enjoy sticking to people who ignore you?¡± Sawyer sneered, ¡°Ms. Lopez, do you always offend people you can¡¯t afford to offend?¡± ¡°Cant afford to offend?¡± Eileen picked up a fried egg, took a bite, spit it out and said, ¡°Yes, I dare not offend you. Even the delicious fried egg tastes bad because of you Your influence is so great. How could I possibly offend you?¡± Sawyer¡¯s face darkened, ¡°Ms Lopez, has anyone ever told you that your way of speaking is very off- putting?¡± Eileen retorted, ¡°Mr. Saul, has anyone ever told you that your appearance is very repulsive?¡± ¡°Eileen¡±¡± Sawyer shouted. ¡°Do I know you? Why are you calling my name? My nameing out of your mouth sounds terrible. Can¡¯t you have a little self-awareness? Eileen said. ¡°Your¡± Sawyer stood up angrily, causing quite amotion and drawing the attention of other guests. Eileen looked up at Sawyer with obvious impatience, ¡°I don¡¯t care what you and Bartley are thinking or nning to do. I¡¯m warning you now, don¡¯t bother me. If I have to take action, I won¡¯t show mercy just because you¡¯re an idiot.¡± ¡°Fine, you¡¯re really something¡± Sawyer kicked the chair away and stormed off People around were still looking this way Eileen pointed to her head and said to the people around, ¡°Sorry, he has some problems in here. The doctor said it can¡¯t be cured. Sorry for disturbing your meal People around turned their heads away, no longer discussing The filming that day was not smooth. The cause of the problems was still Bartley. Bartley, or Simon Lopez, was looking so awful it was indescribable. He was well prepared yesterday, but because Eileen was deliberately targeting him, no matter how he filmed today, there were problems. He couldn¡¯t remember how many times he messed up his performance. The only thing he remembered was that the crew members and asdistants, who were once friendly to him, werepletely ignoring him now. Simon, sighed and said to Sawyer, ¡°This issue must be resolved¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. I¡¯ve thought of a solution.¡± Sawyer said ominously, 7 need to teach her a lesson.¡± That night, Eileen received a call from Ophelia. ¡°Change the leadingdy?¡± Eileen had just finished taking a shower and was drying her hair. She put her phone on speaker and tossed it on the bed. asking calmly. Did Lenwood say this?¡± Ophelia said discontentedly, it wasn¡¯t the director who said it directly, but the assistant director conveying the investor¡¯s opinion. The investor said you¡¯re not being a team yer on the set, you¡¯re emotional, and bullying other actors. But he also said, if you can correct your behavior, he won¡¯t rece you. Tell me Eileen, what did you do again?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything¡± Eileen saidzily Ophelia didnt believe it, ¡°If you didn¡¯t do anything, why would theye to me? No matter what you did, now, you must go apologize to the investor immediately* ¡°Apologize?¡± Eileen frowned and looked at the clock on the wall, ¡°It¡¯s already midnight¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t make it, find someone to go with you We have to sort this mess out today. I¡¯m telling you, Eileen, if you get reced, you¡¯ll be stuck as a nobody for the rest of your life¡± Ophelia said. Eileen suddenly burst intoughter, ¡®Guess I have no other choice then.¡± ¡°Right, you dont. You better go apologize now! Ophelia insisted After hanging up the phone. Fileen put a towel around her neck, rubbed her wet hair, and, still in her slippers and pajamas, left the room. Bartley¡¯s room was next door Fileen knocked on his door. Bartley, who was still memorizing his lines, was taken aback when he saw Eileen, ¡°Miss Lopez?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Saul¡¯s room?¡± Eileen asked straightforwardly Bartley looked puzzled. ¡°Uh?¡± I¡¯m asking you where his room is!¡± Eileen said. ¡°Downstairs, Room 0309 Miss Lopez is something wrong?¡± Bartley asked. Eileen said, ¡°Lead the way¡± ¡°Now?¡± Bartley looked surprised. Eileen impatiently said, ¡°Well, are you going or not?¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡±A confused Bartley led Eileen to Sawyer¡¯s room and knocked on the door. Inside the room, someone quickly came to open the door. Sawyer, in his casual clothes, looked at Eileen and Bartley standing at his door. He wasn¡¯t surprised, but simply smirked and casually leaned against the door frame, ¡°What brings you here thiste at night, Miss Lopez?¡± Eileen stared at him coldly. ¡°Didn¡¯t I warn you not to fool around in front of me?¡± ¡°Oh, still got that temper, huh?¡± Sawyer chuckled, ¡°Looks like you really want to be reced.¡± ¡°Bang!¡± A loud noise echoed, and the air seemed to freeze for a moment. Bartley was stiff, staring wide-eyed at Eileen¡¯s fist lodged into the door frame next to Sawyer¡¯s face, leaving an indentation. Bartley swallowed hard, feeling like he was in a dream. Sawyer was also frightened. His words stuck in his throat as he too looked at the indentation next to his face. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. ¡°Do you know why I didn¡¯t hit your face?¡± Eileen moved closer and looked into Sawyer¡¯s eyes. Sawyer¡¯s lips were pale and dry, he weakly shook his head. Eileen smirked, ¡°Because you and Bartley are peers, Egbert is his uncle, and I¡¯m the same generation as Egbert. If I hit you in the face first, wouldn¡¯t that make me look like an adult bullying a child?¡± With that, shended her second punch right in Sawyers stomach before he could react. Sawyer groaned in pain. ¡°Ah!¡± Bartley rushed over to help him. Eileen retracted her hand, shook it a few times, and said casually. Tm a bit tired today, but I¡¯ll still teach you two naughty kids a lesson on behalf of your elders. You need to know your limits! Mr. Bartley, do you think my apology is sincere enough now? Do you still n to rece the leadingdy?¡± Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Sawyer was doubled over in pain, leaning heavily on his little brother He looked up at the stern faced girl in front of him Eileen locked eyes with him, her gaze filled with defiance and coldness. Obviously, Sawyer had managed to lick her off even more this time Seeing Sawyer¡¯s silence, Eileen turned to Bartley and said, ¡°You seem a bit smarter than him. Take good care of him. Even if I¡¯m broke, I won¡¯t let anyone trample on my dignity¡± With that, she turned and left The elevator doors closed behind her. Bartley turned to his brother and said in a low voice. ¡°Forget it, she said she would avoid Mr. Reed. She doesn¡¯t seem interested in getting involved in someone else¡¯s mess. We should ¡°Enough!¡± Sawyer suddenly snapped. Bartley lowered his head, ¡°I know you¡¯re mad, but we¡¯re guys, there¡¯s no need to¡­¡± I¡¯m going to pursue her Sawyer said Bartley was speechless. He thought he had misheard, hesitated and asked, ¡°You mean, you¡¯re going to run after her and beat her up?¡± ¡°No, I mean, I¡¯m going to pursue her Sawyer repeated. He straightened up, rubbed his stomach, and said excitedly. ¡°I really like her!¡± Bartley touched his brother¡¯s forehead, ¡°Are you sick or something?¡± Sawyer swatted his hand away and asked, ¡°How old is she?¡± Bartley thought for a moment, ¡°Officially, she¡¯s neen, same age as me.¡± Sawyer smacked his lips. ¡°A bit young¡± He was already twenty, ¡°But that¡¯s fine, we¡¯re a decent match. Haven¡¯t you noticed, she kind of looks like me. Maybe this is what they call ¡®couple face?¡± Bartley still thought his silly brother had been hit on the head, he kindly suggested. ¡°Do you want to take some medicine?¡± Eileen returned to her room, still seething with anger. At that moment, her phone on the bed beeped. Eileen picked it up to see it was a group chat notification. She frowned and opened it, just in time to see a message go by. Phyllis Hey, Lileen¡¯s here? Who added her? I want to add her to my WhatsApp contacts: Bblythe [Hmm? How did I get into this group? What kind of group is this?| Josiah: [Phyllis set it up, said since we won¡¯t be together for the next recording, she created a group to keep in touch] Phyllis: [Yes, I made it, everyone are weed to invite other people. I was about to call to add Eileen and she showed up, did Josiah add her?] Josiah: [Not me, I don¡¯t have her ount | Bblythe: [Eileen, can I add you to my contact list?] Egbert: I added her] Phyllis: [Ha ha Egbert finally speaks ughing emoji!! Eileen silently watched the group chat history. She sat down on the bed and exited the group chat screen. She epted their requests and then typed into the group: [You can save my contact information.] Phyllis: Eileen, I really like you Eileen: [Buzz off Phyllis [I¡¯m wounded] Josiah [Can I save yours?] Eileen, Phyllis, Bblythe and Egbert: [Try me Josiah: [Sorry] Phyllis: Egbert has learned to copy and paste, How interesting] Egbert didn¡¯t respond to this. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Phyllis: [By the way, I¡¯m leaving now, so you guys should have a new teammate next term, right? Do you know who it is?] Josiah I don¡¯t know] Bblythe [Hopefully someone who won¡¯t give us any trouble] Phyllis: I hope it¡¯s a handsome guy, because I¡¯m still going to watch this show, I want to see handsome guys!] Bblythe. [You forgot what Eileen said, who can be more handsome than Egbert? Isn¡¯t Egbert awesome?] Egbert, who was about to close the group chat, suddenly saw this message and was stunned. Egbert [What? Phyllis [@Egbert, Eileen said it. I thought other men were handsome, Eileen criticized me, her exact words were ¡°Can hepare to Egbert? Isn¡¯t Egbert enough?] After sending this message, Phyllis didn¡¯t see Egbert say anything else, but she didn¡¯t mind and continued chatting with Bblythe and Josiah 12:12 Eileen just went to get a towel, when she came back her phone was full of messages. They chatted so much? She scrolled through the chat history and saw Phyllis and Bblythe rmending beauty products to each other, and Josiah asionally posting pictures of the lovely breakfast his wife prepared It seemed like idle chatter, Eileen exited the chat and was about to go to sleep early when she saw Egbert¡¯s name at the top of her chat screen, with a message notification next to it. Egbert had sent her a private message? Eileen frowned, clicked open the chat. In the chat screen, a simple line of text stood out. Egbert (Shall we leave together tomorrow? Tomorrow was the day to go to Tokyo. Eileeny on her bed, quickly replied: [I¡¯ve said it before. Our paths are different. Can¡¯t you understand?] After sending the message, there was a moment of silence on the other end, then the prompt Typing ¡°appeared. Eileen held her phone and waited. But she waited for one minute, two minutes. In the end, the prompt disappeared, and no new messages appeared in the chat box. Eileen chuckled, put her phone down, turned off the light, pulled up the nket and prepared to sleep. ¡± The next day, when Eileen arrived at the airport, it was only eight in the morning. She picked up her ticket, found a breakfast joint and ate something. Boarding started at half past eight. Eileen boarded the ne, only then did she start to check her seat number on the ticket. Upon looking, she was taken aback, was this a first-ss seat? All the ne rides she took before, arranged by the show team, were in economy ss. Eileen was filled with delight, it looked like the show team had struck gold, they even started dishing out first ss tickets. This was her first time in first ss in her entire life. With a heart full of joy, Eileen headed towards first ss, the flight attendant enthusiastically helped her find her seat. Just as she sat down, the person for the seat next to her came in She casually took a nce, but then she was stunned. The person sitting next to her was none other than Egbert The man didn¡¯t seem to have noticed her, as his gaze never left his phone. As he sat down, his brow furrowed. It seemed that the contents of his phone were bothering him. Then, he opened a chat and sent a voice message to the other side, ¡°Follow the previous n.¡± Eileen stopped looking when she saw this, first ss was a single room for each person. Eileen pressed a button and, suddenly, dividers rose from both sides,pletely isting her space. ¡°Wow!¡± Eileen couldn¡¯t help eximing as she took in all the new and exciting things around her. Chapter 42 Chapter 42 As her seat was raised, a footrest popped out from below Eileen excitedly put her feet up. Spotting a nket and pillow nearby, she immediately unfolded them, thinking to herself, First ss really is something else!¡± The ne took off in no time, with the in-flight announcement reminding everyone about safety measures, but there wasn¡¯t a word about using cell phones. Eileen was a stickler for rules and obediently turned off her phone. Not long after takeoff, the flight attendants began asking each passenger what they would like to eat and drink. There was no way Eileen was going to pass up on free food and drinks, especially since the meals in first ss were so much tastier and varied than those in business ss. She regretted having eaten breakfast too early, but still ordered some packaged snacks and cake. Even if she didn¡¯t eat them now, she could take them with her when she got off the ne. When the flight attendant delivered her food, the partition to the next cabin was opened momentarily. In that brief moment, Eileen noticed that her neighbor, Egbert, was still on his phone. She pointed at him and immediately reported, ¡°He didn¡¯t turn off his phone!¡± The flight attendant was taken aback, and the man across her turned his head at the sound of her voice. He didn¡¯t seem surprised to see her, as if he already knew she was next to him. Eileen held a challenging gaze with Egbert, who merely nced at her before turning his attention back to his call. ¡°Hey, this guy has no sense of safety!¡± Eileen red at the flight attendant, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to scold him?¡± The flight attendant awkwardly exined, ¡°Miss, our airline provides in-flight inte. All our first-ss passengers can use their phones in airne mode to connect to the inte 20 minutes after takeoff. There¡¯s no need to turn off the phone¡± Eileen was stunned Afraid that she might feel embarrassed, the flight attendant quickly added. ¡®Enjoy your meal¡± She hastily push her cart away. Eileen¡¯s face flushed with heat. First-ss passengers even got to surf the web on the Was this what being rich felt like? Eileen was a little dazed. Egbert hung up his call and looked over at her, his eyes intense, ¡°Is there a problem? Eileen didn¡¯t want to deal with him. She pressed the button to raise the partition, secretly turned on her phone, and tried to connect to the wifi. To her surprise, it worked. ¡°Wow!¡± She eximed again. This was seriously high ss! The nended in Tokyo from the Capital Eileen walked out of her first-ss cabin begrudgingly. As soon as she opened the partition, she saw Egbert rising from his seat. Although the aisle was wide. Egbert paused to let her pass. Eileen shot the man a nce, feeling in no way that he was being gentlemanly. She walked ahead of him with determined strides. Egbert watched her resolute figure and chuckled lightly. As soon as Eileen walked out of the boarding tunnel, she saw the crew members. They led her to the meeting point, where she found that she and Egbert were the first to arrive-no one else was there yet. ¡°Please take a break. Ms. Bblythe and Mr. Morgan¡¯s ne will arrive in about an hour.¡± A crew member politely informed them. Eileen sat down in a corner with the snacks and drinks she got from first ss. Egbert sat on the other side and immediately started checking his phone. He seemed very busy today. Perhaps he was always busy Eileen recalled that during their travels, Egbert often made calls on the balcony at night and sometimes early in the morning while others were having breakfast. Did an actor really have to be this busy? Even if he was, shouldn¡¯t his manager be the one dealing with things? ¡°Ms Lopez¡± Eileen was deep in thought when someone suddenly called out to her She turned to see Egbert¡¯s assistant, who was holding tworge boxes filled with drinks and was distributing them to the crew, ¡°Ms. Lopez, what would you like to drink? We havettes, cappinos, and Americanos.¡± Naturally, Eileen wouldn¡¯t miss out on free drinks, so she got up immediately and casually picked a latte. After letting everyone make their choice, the assistant handed a ck coffee to Egbert. He took the coffee but didn¡¯t drink it right away. He was still looking at his phone. Ten minutester, Hubery arrived. He seemed very pleased, and asked his assistant to buy coffee for everyone. As his assistant was about to leave, the director waved his cup and said, ¡°No need, Hubery. Mr. Reed already treated us.¡± Hubery turned to look at Egbert and said disappointedly, ¡°Oh, I¡¯mte.¡± Eileen, gnawing at her coffee cup in the corner and listening to the conversation, couldn¡¯t help but want tough. Hubery was so fake that his presence was nauseating. If he really wanted to treat everyone to coffee, he should have just asked his assistant to go buy it instead of pretending to be generous here. His affectation ruined Eileen¡¯s good mood this morning Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Since the others hadn¡¯t arrived yet, Hubery spent the rest of the time while schmoozing with the directors. The more Eileen heard Hubery¡¯s raucous voice, the more annoyed she became, until she finally couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Aren¡¯t you a bit loud?¡± Everyone turned to look at her. Even Egbert nced over. Eileen looked at Hubery and said, ¡°I¡¯m talking about you. You¡¯re making so much noise. With so many people here, we can only hear you. It¡¯s giving me a headache. Can¡¯t you keep it down?¡± Hubery¡¯s face changed instantly, and he stood up and asked, ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°I said you¡¯re too loud. Cant you understand? Are you deaf?¡± Eileen asked. ¡°Eileen, don¡¯t go too far!¡± Hubery nced at the crew and feigned injury, ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything to you.¡± ¡°Your mere existence is unsettling.¡± Eileen said. That was definitely a provocation. ¡°You¡¯re going too far!¡± Hubery said indignantly, his face full of grievance. Sure enough, once he put on his pitiful act, some crew members came to his defense, ¡°Hubery didn¡¯t do anything¡± ¡°He was just chatting.¡± ¡°Hubery s actually a nice guy¡± Eileen gave a cold snort, fixing those workers with a stare, ¡°Just by having a chat and he¡¯s considered a good guy? So, should all those talk show hosts be getting the Nobel Peace Prize or what?¡± The workers instantly shut their traps, knowing full well they couldn¡¯t out-argue Eileen, the Roasting Queen, L Then Eileen cast a nce at Hubery, noticing him squinting at her, she cocked her chin, ¡°What, got a problem? Wanna throw down?¡± Hubery promptly shifted his gaze, clearly recalling the time Eileen pinned his head and dunked him in the water. At this moment, Egbert drew back his gaze, quietly chuckling to himself. Chapter 43 Chapter 43 The scene suddenly quieted down, with Hubery not uttering another word. After a while, Eileen finished her coffee and prepared to get up to throw away her cup Egbert¡¯s assistant came over nervously and offered his hand to Eileen, ¡°Let me do it for you¡± Eileen nced at Egbert on the other side, who was still engrossed in his phone, oblivious to the interaction. She handed the cup to the assistant An hourter, Bblythe and Josiah finally arrived. By then, all six regr guests of the show had gathered. The crew also turned on the live broadcast cameras, Once the live broadcast started, a flood ofments filled the official live chat room. -[Wow, the title says they¡¯re in Japan? This trip to Japan sounds like it¡¯s gonna be interesting -[Oh my days, I even changed my sleeping schedule to keep up with the show. I watch the show at night and catch up on sleep during the day My mum says it¡¯s killing me] [Wait, is Phyllis really not on this episode?] -[if Phyllis isn¡¯t there, will there be a new quest? I¡¯m not a huge fan of Phyllis, she¡¯s too shy] ¨C [I actually quite like Phyllis, she¡¯s always full of energy, never a dull moment with her around] -[As a fan, I want to thank everyone for their love for Phyllis. Phyllis has confirmed that she will not participate in the rest of the filming for Traveller 5+1, she¡¯s currently in a legal battle with PrismPulse Entertainment and Kenley. Let¡¯s all wish her the best -So, whos the new guest?] While thements were questioning who the new guest was, Bblythe was also asking the same question in real life The crew members, with a mysterious look on their faces, mumbled into their walkie-talkies. After a while, a stylish and elegant woman walked in. Upon seeing the woman, Eileen paused for a moment, her gaze quickly shifting to Egbert on the other side. Not just her, everyone else in the room also turned their attention to Egbert. Egbert was calmly looking at the woman She seemed a bit shy, sticking out her tongue, walked over to Egbert in her high heels. She extended her hand and said with a smile, ¡°Mr. Reed, long time no see.¡± She seemed natural standing next to Egbert, they looked quite the pair, like ideal partners. By now, there were already loads ofments. ¨C [Aurora Bell -[Fans of the Spring Couple are going wild! -[Honestly, out of all of Egbert¡¯s films, The Alley is my absolute favorite. The most beautiful love story, in my opinion, is between their characters Mandy and Jeffery!] ¨C [I cant believe it¡¯s Aurora Aurora and Egbert are sharing screen agam! Well done to the production team] -It can¡¯t believe my eyes. Mandy and Jeffery are reunited! I need to rewatch The Alley. But the ending of the film is so sad. I can¡¯t bear to watch it.] Egbert had been in the spotlight since he was thirteen, for twelve years now. In these twelve years, he had climbed thedder of sess without any hindrance, Behind his sess and glory were the iconic characters he had portrayed, which had propelled him to the pinnacle of the entertainment industry. Egbert¡¯s status and identity had undoubtedly reached a peak, with countless fans worldwide. Most actresses wouldn¡¯t even get a chance to interact with him, but Egbert¡¯s fans could only ept the appearance of one woman¡¯s name by Egbert¡¯s side. That woman was Aurora When Egbert was neen, he co-starred with Aurora in a film considered a timeless ssic in the history of domestic cinema-The Alley. The Alley catapulted Egbert and Aurora onto the Oscar stage for the first time as domestic actors. Egbert was the Best Actor that year. Even though Aurora didn¡¯t win Best Actress, she was nominated. That year, these two created a miracle. The media coverage was intense, and the fans went wild. Although Aurora didn¡¯t win, she was nominated, earning her the title of the only woman who could match Egbert. Even Egbert¡¯s critical fans couldn¡¯t find fault with Aurora. The legacy of The Alley made Aurora a special person in Egberts life. Some even joked that Aurora hadn¡¯t dated anyone because she was waiting for Egbert, and fans were hopeful that Egbert and Aurora would develop genuine feelings for each other. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Five years had passed, and Egbert and Aurora had each gone their separate ways. Both continued to make films, but they never worked together again. This year Aurora was nominated for the Goldie Award for Best Actress. While it was just a nomination, and the Goldie Award wasn¡¯t as prestigious as the Oscars, if Aurora wins, she would ascend from an A-list actress to a superstar. Recently, Aurora had been promoting her new film due to her Goldie Award nomination, but no one could have anticipated her appearance on this reality show, sharing the screen with Egbert again. The live chat room was exploding withments. However, the atmosphere in real life was far from as lively as thements. Egbert nced at Aurora¡¯s extended hand, his expression slightly sinking. His hands remained in his trouser pockets, with no intention of shaking her hand. Aurora¡¯s smile, which she had been struggling to maintain, almost copsed. Seeing this, Hubery quickly stepped forward, greeted Aurora with a smile and helped her out of the awkward situation, ¡°Aurora, I didn¡¯t expect it to be you. No one told me.¡± Aurora¡¯s fingertips turned pale, she managed a weak smile and looked in the direction of the crew, ¡°They asked me to keep it a secret.¡± The incident was over in just a few seconds. A lot of people didnt notice that it was Egbert who didn¡¯t want to shake hands. They just thought Hubery had rushed over to block Egbert. But Eileen caught on. She was curious. Suddenly, Eileen heard a quiet hum from Bblythe next to her. She turned her head and saw Bblythe¡¯s cold face as she was staring at Aurora, seemingly not very fond of her. On the other hand, Josiah greeted Aurora quite politely. After shaking hands with Josiah, Aurora had regained herposure. She shifted her gaze and saw Bblythe. She greeted with a smile, ¡°Bblythe, long time no see.¡± Bblythe was six years older than Aurora. Years ago, Bblythe had yed a supporting role to Aurora in a film, and everyone knew about their rtionship. Bblythe gave a perfunctory nod to Aurora, but didn¡¯t ¡®approach her. Aurora then looked at Eileen and said with a smile, ¡°Hello.¡± Eileen responded calmly, ¡°Hello¡± After the brief exchange, the crew began to work. Then Bblythe whispered to Eileen, ¡°I really envy you, you just say it straight out when you don¡¯t like someone.¡± Eileen asked, ¡°You don¡¯t like Aurora?¡± Bblythe let out a coldugh and uttered a curse word Eileen had never heard her use before, ¡°She¡¯s such a bitch.¡± Eileen was shocked. She had really never expected that Bblythe, who was usually gentle, courteous, caring, and always friendly to others, would use such sharp words to describe a person. Chapter 44 Chapter 44 Aurora was undoubtedly a shining star in the entertainment field, and her rtionship with Egbert always attracted attention, so it was pretty clear that the show wanted to capitalize on them. The mission, as announced, was suddenly altered Usually, the mission is to check in at five spots, but this time it¡¯s increased to ten. The locations are set, but so is the budget, it¡¯s doubled. However, the time for the mission remains the same¡± The crew said. Hearing this, everyone started to whisper among themselves A staff member from the show pped their hands to get everyone¡¯s attention and said, ¡°Since we have more tasks this time, we suggest you split into teams. Six people can divide into two or three teams.¡± Aurora pouted, ¡°Why is it that as soon as Ie, the mission gets so hard?¡¯ She then turned to the others, saying softly, ¡°I don¡¯t know much about this game, I¡¯ll follow your lead.¡± Everyone was silent, and all eyes were on Eileen. Aurora hadn¡¯t seen the previous two episodes because she was too busy to watch any variety shows. However, she understood the concept of the show. The meaning of Traveller 5+1 seemed to be that there were five regr guests and one Travel Concierge, whose job was to take care of their daily needs, basically like an assistant Knowing that Eileen was the Travel Concierge, Aurora suddenly said when she saw everyone staring at Eileen, ¡°Hey, that¡¯s not fair. Are you nning to have her run around taking care of everyone after we split into teams? She¡¯s a girl too¡± Aurora thought she made a valid point, showing her calmness and understanding. But after she spoke, she found everyone looking at her. She asked in confusion, ¡°What¡¯s up? Did I say something wrong? Did you make Stewart do everything in the previous two episodes? Carrying luggage, doing chores, running errands? That¡¯s just too much!¡± As she spoke, Aurora started tough, clearly taking her words as a joke. Considering the live cameras were on her, she certainly didn¡¯t believe the previous guests would make a girl do everything. They would definitely be criticized by the audience. ¡°Aurora, I¡¯ll exinter Hubery whispered to Aurora. ¡°Exin what?¡± Aurora asked in confusion. Hubery shook his head, indicating now was not the time to ask. Eileen shifted her gaze from Aurora and asked the others coldly. ¡°Do you want to split into teams?¡± ¡°We can split Bblythe answered directly. The task is heavy, there are many spots to hit, and we need to check in at specific locations. If we split up, we can use our time more efficiently¡± also suggest we split into teams. Hubery interjected. He actually knew Aurora wasing, his manager told him yesterday. His manager also told him that this episode might involve team splitting, whether into three or two teams wasn¡¯t clear. But if they split into two teams, it would be him, Aurora, and Egbert. If three, it would be Aurora and Egbert All of this was pre-arranged by the show. The show nned to use the reunion of Aurora and Egbert to attract viewers. His manager told him that if he had a chance to work with a top star like Aurora, he should seize the opportunity and show off. That was why Hubery seemed so happy this morning. With a big star like Aurora around, as long as he stayed close to her, he was certain to get screen time Ignoring Hubery, Eileen asked Bblythe, ¡°How should we split, two teams or three?¡± Bblythe frowned. ¡°Let¡¯s split into two teams. Eileen nodded and immediately started splitting, ¡°Me, Bblythe, Josiah in one team, Mr. Reed, Ms. Aurora, Hubery in the other, any objections?¡± She asked, looking at the other three. Auroraughed at this, nced at Egbert, and said gently, ¡°I have no objections: Hubery also said, ¡°Neither do I.¡± ¡°That settles it then. Eileen interrupted Hubery. ¡°Now let¡¯s start splitting¡± ¡°I have an objection. Suddenly, Egbert, who had been silent, spoke up. Everyone instantly turned to Egbert. Aurora¡¯s expression changed slightly, but quickly regained its calm. Egbert nced at the show¡¯s staff and said nonchntly, ¡°I suggest we split into three teams.¡± Splitting into three teams meant two people per team. Eileen looked at Egbert and then at Aurora next to him, smiling, ¡®Alright, if we split into three teams, it would be more efficient. Who do you want to team with? Ms. Aurora? Or Hubery?¡± Eileen kept her eyes on Aurora as she spoke. However, a cold male voice suddenly sounded, ¡°You¡± Everyone went silent Aurora squinted her eyes, giving Eileen a cold look. But as soon as the camera turned to her, her face switched back to its previous softness. Ellen frowned, asking Egbert directly, ¡°Why me?¡± ¡°No reason.¡± Egbert said. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t want to be in a team with you. Eileen said. Egbert didn¡¯t respond, just quietly stared at her. Eileen turned to Bblythe, ¡°If we split into three teams, Bblythe, we¡¯ll be a team.¡± Bblythe was about to agree when she noticed Egbert¡¯s cold gaze. She shivered. Hesitating, Bblythe said, ¡°I¡¯d rather be with Josiah, His wife even messaged me before we left, asking me to take care of him and remind him to take his medication.¡± Eileen was taken aback, ¡°Josiah is sick?¡± Josiah chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s just vitamins. My wife is a nutritionist.¡± Eileen said, ¡°Well then¡­¡± Bblythe quickly said, ¡°You either pair up with Ms. Aurora, Hubery, or Mr. Reed. Josiah and I have already decided to be in a team. Right, Josiah?¡± Josiah, catching Bblythe¡¯s hint, nodded and said, ¡°Yeah.¡± Eileen¡¯s face turned sour, and she shifted her gaze to the other three people in the room. Aurora was out of the question. She had just noticed that this woman was eyeballing her. Hubery? No way. She was afraid she won¡¯t be able to resist punching him every minute, until he passed out. As for Egbert, out of all the options, the only one left was Egbert. Eileen looked at Egbert. He seemed calm, and he was also looking back at her. Eileen, feeling irritated, said, ¡°Whatever!¡¯ After that, she took out the show¡¯s budget she had received earlier, twenty thousand yen. She divided it into three parts, and distributed it to the three teams. When Aurora took the money, her movements were exaggerated, almost as if she was snatching it from Eileen¡¯s hand. Eileen squinted her eyes, thinking to herself, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this woman?¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. She hadn¡¯t told Egbert not to choose Aurora. If Aurora wanted to be in a team with Egbert, wouldn¡¯t she just say it herself? Worried about ruining her public image, yet hoping others could see through her and expecting everyone to cater to her every whim, did she think she was the center of the world and everyone should revolve around her? Eileen decided she also had a bone to pick with Aurora! Chapter 45 Chapter 45 Once the teams were decided, the ten attractions were fairly divided, and the three teams were ready to roll. When Eileen was heading out with her luggage, she spotted Egbert following her with an indifferent look. The more Eileen looked at him, the more annoyed she got As they left the airport, Bblythe suddenly dashed over. Eileen gave Bblythe the cold shoulder, but Bblythe sauntered over and gently bumped Eileen¡¯s shoulder. Bblythe smiled and asked, ¡°How about our teams join forces?¡± Eileen nced at Bblythe. Although she was originally on a team with Egbert, if she could team up with Bblythe and Josiah, they would still be together and could avoid the hassle of dealing with Hubery and Aurora. She was a tad relieved. Bblythe turned to Egbert, ¡°Mr. Reed, you don¡¯t mind, do you?¡± Egbert didn¡¯t respond, and just gave her a cold stare. Josiah chimed in, ¡°Well, if no one opposes, let¡¯s stick together. Eileen, shall we find a ce to stay first?¡± Egbert gave Josiah an icy nce, then took a mask out of his pocket and put it on his face, without saying another word. After the guests had all gone their own ways, the production team started their meeting. ¡°The live room has been divided into three different live rooms. But since Eileen¡¯s team and Ablythe¡¯s team are working together, their live content oveps. But Director, weren¡¯t we nning to hype up the romance between Aurora and Egbert?¡± The director frowned, ¡°We¡¯ll deal with that next episode.¡± The staff were somewhat surprised, ¡°Next episode?¡± The director said, ¡°Anyway, Aurora is a new regr guest, she will be here next episode. Didn¡¯t you see? Egbert is upset. We didn¡¯t tell him in advance that Aurora wasing, and he must have figured out our intention. Under such circumstances, we shouldn¡¯t push him too hard, otherwise, we might offend him.¡± The staff asked, ¡°What about Aurora? We promised to put her in the same group with Egbert as much as possible. Her PR team even has a hot topic prepared¡± ¡°As much as possible is not definitely, the director said casually. If we upset Aurora, that¡¯s eptable. But we can¡¯t afford to upset Egbert. Have someone tell Aurora that we¡¯ll make arrangements for her in the next episode. She¡¯s smart. She must have noticed that Egbert dislikes her After the show, she should have her management team negotiate with Egbert¡¯s team separately¡± Regardless of the internal discussions of the production team, the team divisions were finalized. After the live room was divided into three, the poprity data of the three live rooms could bepared immediately. Egbert¡¯s live room had the highest poprity, Aurora¡¯s was second, and Bblythe¡¯s was third Since Eileen knew they were going to Tokyo, she had prepared in advance. As soon as they left the airport, she led everyone straight to the hotel. The rooms were shared, Eileen and Bblythe in one, Egbert and Josiah in the other. This way, they saved half of the amodation costs After settling in, Eileen suggested they visit an attraction in the afternoon. After the ten attractions were divided, each team was responsible for three, but Josiah, being generous, volunteered to take on an extra attraction. So now, the four of them were responsible for seven attractions. After a quick lunch, Eileen led the team to the nearest attraction ¨C Nihon Nature Reserve. However, when they arrived and were about to take photos, they were told by the staff, ¡°This attraction doesn¡¯t count.¡± Josiah asked in confusion, ¡°Why?¡± The staff replied, ¡°Hubery¡¯s team has already checked in here this morning¡± Josiah frowned, ¡°Weren¡¯t their three attractions the Osaka Museum, a temple, and an observation deck? Why would theye to the Nihon Nature Reserve?¡± Bblythe said coldly. ¡°There are ten attractions in total, and each team has designated ces to visit. Why would anyone try to steal from others?¡± Josiah¡¯s face darkened, he made a call but no one picked up. ¡°Hubery isn¡¯t answering, I¡¯ll try Ms. Aurora¡± However, when he called Aurora, no one answered either. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Josiah¡¯s face turned even grimmer: ¡°Even if they wanted to change attractions, they should have communicated with us. What do we do now?¡± Eileen frowned, put down her camera, and suggested coldly, ¡°Blossom Bridge Park is not far from here. Let¡¯s go there.¡± The staff then said, ¡°They¡¯ve checked in at Blossom Bridge Park as well¡± ¡°They can¡¯t just¡­¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Eileen interrupted, ¡°How could they have checked in at two attractions so quickly?¡± Bblythe suddenly realized, ¡°Did they just check in and leave?¡± The staff gave a bitter smile and nodded. Josiah fumed, ¡°What on earth are they trying to do?¡± The essence of this program was travel, check-ins were not just for the sake of it, but to show the viewers the content of the attractions. If they just passed by, took photos and left, they could rent a car and visit all of Tokyo in a few hours, why would they need to stay here for several days? Could thus even be considered traveling? This was more like a walk in the park. Eileen was somewhat agitated, and she asked the staff, ¡°What¡¯s going on? We can¡¯t reach them, and they merely checked in at the first two attractions without actually visiting, what¡¯s this supposed to mean?¡± The staff exined, ¡°Actually, you six are on the same team, dividing into three small teams is just your internal arrangement. So if you don¡¯tplete the travel task of checking in at ten attractions within three days, your task will be deemed a failure. Now Aurora and Hubery only checked in, but they didn¡¯t actually visit, so these two attractions are essentially semi-invalid. But if they make up for the visits later, or if you do it for them, these two attractions will be consideredplete.¡± Josiah frowned, ¡°We¡¯ve got to pick up their ck? We still have no clue what¡¯s going on over there. If we¡¯re swapping sightseeing spots, we need tomunicate, but we can¡¯t reach them right now.¡± Meanwhile, thements started flooding in. ¨C [Aurora and Hubery¡¯s phones were stolen right after they left the airport.] ¨C [Hey, it¡¯s not like they want to be out of touch with you guys. They¡¯re practically living like hobos right now.] -[They didn¡¯t purposely go to Nihon Nature Reserve and Blossom Bridge Park. They encountered an unexpected situation, and the production team didn¡¯t provide any assistance. They had toplete a task first then figure out where to crash] Josiah was usually a very gentle person, but now he had suddenly be very irritable. Eileen, on the other hand, regained her cool, fell silent for a while, then said, ¡°Let¡¯s just go inside.¡± Bblythe rubbed his forehead, ¡°We have no choice but to cover for them, what else can we do.¡± The four of them bought tickets, three with grim faces, one expressionless, and then went in for the tour. That night, they still couldn¡¯t get in touch with Hubery and Aurora. Bblythe suddenly suggested they split up tomorrow. Eileen didn¡¯t respond. Egbert just came out of the bathroom and saw Elleen and Bblythe in the boys¡¯ room. He walked past Eileen in his robe. Eileen¡¯s view was blocked for a second, and she caught a whiff of faint shower gel. She looked up to see Egbert sitting on the bed across from her, drying his hair. ¡°We must split up,¡± Bblythe said seriously. The attractions are quite far apart. We wasted an entire afternoon today. Now we don¡¯t know what else will ur with those two, and it¡¯s just a waste of time to stick together.¡± Eileen understood the logic. She stared at her notebook, drew two lines, and said, ¡°You guys go to these spots. They are rtively close to each other.¡± Bblythe nced at it, ¡°Okay. My Japanese is pretty good, I studied abroad in Japan before so I¡¯m familiar with Tokyo. I can lead Josiah on our own.¡± Eileen nodded, stood up and said, ¡°Alright then.¡± ¡°Okay¡± Bblythe also got up and told Josiah and Egbert, ¡°You guys should get some rest early, we¡¯re heading back too.¡± After the two left, Egbert put down his towel and suddenly asked, ¡°What were they here for?¡± Josiah was taken aback, ¡°Huh?¡±- Egbert said lightly. ¡°They made the decision. Do we have a say in it?¡± Josiah suddenlyughed, ¡°Mr. Reed, I didn¡¯t know you had a sense of humor. But it¡¯s the same in my house. My wife calls the shots and I just follow through.¡± Egbert nced at Josiah, ¡°You feel honored about that?¡± Josiah shrugged, ¡°What can I do? I love her and I have to marry her. Mr. Reed, do you have someone you like?¡± Egbert paused for a moment, a beautiful woman shed in his mind. He lowered his head and said, ¡°No.¡± Chapter 46 Chapter 46 The next day, Bblythe and Josiah split really early Eileen waited for Egbert for half an hour. When Egbert finally showed up, he¡¯d got absolutely zilch on him, not even a jacket. She asked in confusion, ¡°Aren¡¯t you ready yet?¡± Rolling up his shirt sleeves, revealing smooth arms, he exined, ¡°The faucet¡¯s busted in the bathroom. I¡¯ve gotta hit up the front desk¡± Frowning, Eileen asked, ¡°Howe Josiah didn¡¯t have any issues when he used it?¡± Egbert responded, ¡°He used cold water¡± Hands on her hips, Eileen snapped, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me the faucet issue you¡¯re talking about is that there¡¯s no hot water.¡± Looking at her nonchntly, Egbert said, ¡°Yep¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying ¡®yep¡¯?¡± Eileen was pissed now. She stormed into the bathroom, turned on the faucet, felt the water, and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this? Can¡¯t you wash with cold water?¡± Egbert stood at the bathroom door, silently looking at her, not moving an inch. ¡°Are you kidding me? Eileen eximed angrily ¡°We¡¯re running against the clock here. Who knows how long we¡¯ll have to wait for the front desk,¡± Egbert frowned, finally and reluctantly moving towards the sink. Eileen moved aside, giving him space, only to see Egbert dip his hand under the cold stream of water, then immediately pulled back. Eileen was speechless ¨C [Hahaha, so funny. Egbert won¡¯t wash his face with cold water] -[Actually, Eileen is the real tough guy here ¡®Deep_in_thought smoking jpg¡±] -[Eileen, you¡¯re so careless! Egbert is very particr, you can¡¯t talk about him like that!] -[Guys, stop arguing. I also like to wash my face with hot water, especially in winter. Let¡¯s not fight] By the time Egbert was ready another twenty minutes had passed. Eileen nced at her watch and said impatiently, ¡°You¡¯re such a dawdler¡± Egbert simply put his mask on and followed her As they passed the front desk, Eileen told them in Japanese that there was no hot water in their room. The front desk politely assured her they will fix it. They left the hotel and walked for a bit until they reached the bus stop. Their budget hotel didn¡¯t include breakfast. While waiting for the bus, Eileen noticed Egbert eyeing a little boy munching on a baked bun nearby She nudged him lightly with her elbow. Egbert turned to look at her. She pulled out a small packet of cookies from her bag and handed it to him. He took it and saw ¡°International Airlines¡± written on the package. It seemed she got it on the ne yesterday. Well, in these circumstances, they¡¯d have to make do. Egbert opened the cookie packet, took a bite, and it didn¡¯t taste good. The boy¡¯s baked bun seemed much more appetizing. He looked back at the boy¡¯s -Buy him a bun.] 5 bun. -Stop feeding him theseplimentary cookies, Eileen. Please, buy him a bun.] -[Look at how hungry Egbert is, Eileen, you¡¯re so heartless ] Not long after, the bus arrived. There was one empty seat Eileen hesitated, then said to Egbert, ¡°You go sit,¡± Egbert looked at her and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t need to¡± Eileen gave him a nudge and said, ¡°Go sit, there are people getting on¡± Finally, Egbert sat down. Just as he did, a huge backpack mmed onto his knees. He looked up to see Eileen dumping all her stuff on him, a challenging look appeared on her face, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? If you¡¯ve got a seat, why can¡¯t you hold the bags?¡± Egbert paused, then quietly put the bag away. -[Stop bullying Egbert] -I didn¡¯t notice it when there were other people around, but now it¡¯s just the two of them. I¡¯veughed to tears three times in less than half an hour] -I almost forgot how dominant Eileen is. It is like a stepmother treating her stepson] -Just came from Bblythe¡¯s live stream. They went to a breakfast ce and even got seats on the bus. So hrious, I¡¯m gonnaugh so hard again] Soon, they arrive at their first destination. After checking in, Eileen went to buy tickets. When it was her turn. Egbert suddenly came over and tapped her on the shoulder. Eileen turned and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Without answering, Egbert walked past her and asked the ticket seller in Japanese, ¡°Do couples get a 20% discount?¡± Only then did Eileen notice a promotional poster. Today was the 100th anniversary of the Osaka Museums prized artifact, the Pendant of Lovebirds. To celebrate this ancient lover¡¯s token, couples visiting the Osaka Museum today got a 20% discount on tickets, and a small souvenir upon leaving. The ticket seller nodded and confirmed the discount for couples. Without missing a beat, Egbert said, ¡°We¡¯re a couple¡± -[What!!] ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. -[Did I hear that right???] -[Oh my god¡± Eileen also wanted the discount, but it was only a few bucks off in USD. It was not worth the sacrifice She whispered, ¡°We¡¯re still live streaming¡± Egbert looked at her and said seriously. ¡°Save a bit, and we can have a baked bun for breakfast tomorrow.¡± Eileen thought Just a bun, and you remember so clearly? What¡¯s wrong with theplimentary cookies. The ticket seller asked again in Japanese Sir, madam, is it one couple¡¯s ticket?¡± Just as Edeen was about to say no. Egbert jumped in first, ¡°Yes¡± The ticket seller immediately printed the tickets and said, ¡°1300 yen¡± That was roughly 9 bucks in USD. Egbert looked at Eileen Under the double scrutiny of the ticket seller and Egbert, Eileen had no choice but to pull out her wallet and pay. Once inside the Osaka Museum, becaus they had a couple¡¯s ticket, the staff handed them a pair of strangely designed gloves. Eileen looked at the gloves and asked. Why are they connected?¡± The staff member said with a smile. ¡°These gloves are designed to mimic the way couples hold hands Each of you wear one and you¡¯ll naturally start holding hands. Once the tour guide sees this, they¡¯ll know you are on a couple¡¯s ticket For couples, the tour guide service is free today.¡± ¡°Thanks¡±Egbert said, taking the glove nd heading. side Eileen quickly walked in, hands shoved deep into her coat pockets, obviously with no intention of wearing the odd gloves. Egbert didn¡¯t wear them either. He just held them in his hand. The Osaka Museum was huge, with four floors in total. They started their visit from the first floor. As they entered the exhibition hall disying artifacts from another era of Japan, a tour guide approached them, asking if they needed a tour, For the sake of the show they should have epted the tour After all, it was a travel variety show, and it was necessary to thoroughly introduce the cultural attractions But the extra tour guide fee was 150 yen. 150 yen was about one US dor With each exhibition hall costing one dor, and with several exhibition halls across the four floors of the museum, the cost of listening to all the tours felt like going broke. Eileen didn¡¯t hesitate to refuse. Just as the tour guide was about to leave, he noticed the gloves in Egberts hand. Heughed and said, ¡°If you guys put on the gloves, the tour guide service will be free.¡± Chapter 47 Chapter 47 After the guide finished speaking, he noticed that they didn¡¯t understand, so he gestured while exining it again. Eileen looked at the peculiar gloves and asked bluntly. ¡°We bought couple tickets to get in here. Can we get the free tour without wearing these gloves?¡± The guide looked puzzled. ¡°You¡¯re a couple, why dont you want to wear the gloves? ording to the rules, only by wearing the Osaka Museum¡¯s couple gloves can you get a free tour¡± Well, if that was the case, there was no point in arquing. Eileen waved it off ¡°Forget it..¡± Just as she finished speaking, her wrist was suddenly grabbed. She looked up to find Egbert already wearing the glove, telling her, ¡°Put it on.¡± Eileen nced at the cameraman nearby. Because they were in a public ce, the cameraman was using a small camera, about the size of a regr phone. No matter how small the camera was, it couldn¡¯t deny the fact that it was a live streaming camera. At this moment, millions of viewers were watching them. ¡°Are you nuts?¡± Eileen said frankly Egbert nced at the camera indifferently ¡°Everybody knows this is fake.¡± That¡¯s not the point¡­¡± 1 remember you are an actress, right? Egbert suddenly said. Eileen blinked in surprise, frowning ¡°So what?¡± 4 ¡°In the future, when you¡¯re filming, you¡¯ll have to hold hands, embrace, even kissAs he mentioned kissing. Egbert¡¯s gaze unconsciously drifted to Eileen¡¯s cherry red lips, and then quickly looked away. ¡°These are things you can¡¯t avoid, you¡¯ll have to get used to it eventually¡± She knew that, but¡­ Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Seeing her still hesitating, Egbert simply grabbed her hand and forced it into the other glove. Eileen struggled. Egbert frowned at her. ¡°We need to get on with it¡± His tone suggested that she was the one wasting time. Eileen didn¡¯t want to say it in front of the camera, but the reason she was avoiding too much contact with Egbert was because she had promised Bartley and Saul to avoid any suspicion Since they were so vignt and spent a lot of money to monitor her, looking at her as if she were some vixen, wasn¡¯t holding hands with Egbert just giving them an excuse to cause trouble? And since Egbert¡¯s fiancee was so bothered by him having too much contact with other women, it was only right for her to keep her distance. I won¡¯t wear it.¡± She said firmly Egbert looked at her silently, then said seriously, ¡°Yourck of professionalism surprises me ¡°What did you just say. He actually started a personal attack. Eileen was a bit angry She was doing this for his own good, not wanting to cause him any trouble at home. ¡°Fine, you want professionalism, you said it, don¡¯t regret itter.¡± With that, she forcefully put on the glove. Once the glove was on, their fingers naturally intertwined Eileen red at him, then lowered her gaze to their linked hands. She was pretty peeved at the moment¡­.. Egbert suddenly chuckled, apologizing to the guide in fluent Japanese. ¡°She¡¯s mad at me, sorry.¡± The guide smiled, thinking he was being clever. 1 knew you twa were a couple having a spat. Come, follow me this way.¡± What followed was the guide continuously talking up front, with Egbert and Eileen following behind. Their hands remained linked the whole time Even though both their hands were gloved. Eileen could still feel the warmth of Egbert¡¯s hand inside the glove. She was a little irritable, so she was pretty distracted during the tour As soon as they left the first exhibition room, Eileen immediately tried to pull her hand away, but Egbert didn¡¯t let her go, holding her hand tightly and calmly saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the next exhibition room¡± Eileen was dragged into the next exhibition room. Seeing them holding hands with gloves on, the guide didn¡¯t mention any fees and just started the tour. After several exhibition rooms, Eileen had grown numb. But honesty, during the tour, they did receive a lot of preferential treatment because they were wearing the gloves. Three hourster, they had finally finished the whole tour By then, it was already noon. When they reached the exit, Eileen saw some staff handing out stuff. Her face lit up as she dragged Egbert to line up. When it was their turn, she naturally lifted their intertwined hands that had been linked the whole morning, showing the staff. The staff smiled and handed them a teddy bear, then said, ¡°Here¡¯s a raffle box. All couples today get a chance to draw. The first prize is a set ofmemorative jade, the second prize is on antique-style vase, the third prize is a piece of finely crafted Japanese souvenir, and a participation prize is a sandwich made by our venue¡¯s restaurant for each person. Even though the prizes were all modern crafts and not very valuable, the sandwich was practical. It even saved lunch money. Eileen Immediately asked Egbert, ¡°How¡¯s your luck?¡± Egbert could tell what she was getting at. He said calmly. ¡°Averago¡± Eileen said. Then you draw. My luck is too good, I¡¯m afraid III draw the first prize. You draw, aim for the sandwich.¡± Egbert said, ¡°The one with good luck should draw. That way, the prize will be what you want.¡± Eileen was convinced ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do it¡± She said, reaching into the raffle box. The staff checked and said, ¡°Sorry, no prize.¡± Egbert chuckled lightly, holding Eileen¡¯s hand as they walked out. Not until they had left the Osaka Museum did Eileen look at the ¡°sad face¡± on her ticket, her face full of disbelief. That¡¯s impossible.¡± Her luck was so good that she could even get reincarnated, how could she not even draw a sandwich? This was illogical Egbertughed and asked, ¡°What do you want for lunch?¡¯ ¡°We don¡¯t even have a sandwich, what else is there to eat?¡¯ Eileen grumbled, pulling out a bag of cookies from her backpack. Upon seeing the cookies, Egbert¡¯s expression changed. Eileen was about to open the cookies when she realized she only had one free hand, the other was still held by Egbert. She immediately pulled her hand away, opening the cookies, Egbert watched her quietly, waiting for her to move her hand away before slowly pulling his own hard out, neatly folding the glove and putting it in his coat pocket. Eileen cracked open a pack of cookies, munching away and passing another pack to Egbert. Egbert took the pack, and frozen in ce. Eileen chuckled. ¡°We¡¯re t broke, dude. You gotta learn to save some.¡± Egbert shot her a look, his only option left was to start unwrapping the cookies. Just as he was about to open it, Eileen stopped him.. ¡°1 was just joking, you¡¯re really dense¡± Their fingers briefly intertwined before swiftly pulling away Eileen took back the cookies, stashing them into her backpack, and chomped on her own cookies. After finishing, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s bounce. Even if we¡¯re strapped for cash, we can still keep you fed¡± Chapter 48 Chapter 48 There was this decently priced Japanese ramen shop near the Osaka Museum. They had lunch there. After finishing their ramen, they were heading to the bus station when Egbert¡¯s phone suddenly rang. Eileen, who was walking ahead, turned around upon hearing the sound. Egbert pulled out his phone and saw that the call was from an unknown number. It was a phone provided by the TV crew, which only had a few guests¡¯ numbers saved. Any calls from other people didn¡¯t show names. Egbert pressed the answer key and put the phone to his ear. ¡°Hello, who¡¯s this? A gentle female voice came from the other end, Is this Mr. Reed? This is Aurora.¡± Upon hearing the name, Egbert frowned slightly. Standing across from him, Eileen curiously asked, ¡°Who is it? Aurora?¡± Egbert didn¡¯t answer, but asked the woman on the phone, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Aurora on the other end of the line sounded a bit upset, Well, Hubery and I had our phones stolen yesterday, and we reported it to the police. Today, the police contacted us, saying they¡¯ve caught the thief, but neither Hubery nor I speak Japanese well, and we¡¯re having troublemunicating with them. The program crew said it was our problem and didn¡¯t provide a trantor for us. So I thought of you, Mr. Reed. I remember you speak Japanese well, could youe and help us? Please! Hearing this, Egben¡¯s face became even grimmer Eileen was standing across from him, her hands sped together, still pressing. Is it Aurora?¡± Egbert put down his phone and said. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s her.¡± Eileen was taken aback for a moment, then turned and said. Then you guys chat¡± After that, she was about to head for the bus station. But her wrist was suddenly grabbed by Egbert. She turned around only to find a phone thrust into her hand, and Egbert moved in front of her, saying, ¡°You take it. ¡°For me?¡± Eileen looked dumbfounded holding the phone. Hesitantly, she put the phone to her ear: ¡°Hello?¡± There was silence on the other end of the line for a while. After a while, a woman¡¯s voice came again, ¡°Is this Ms. Lopez? This is Aurora, where is Mr. Reed?¡± Eileen frowned at Egbert, ¡°She¡¯s looking for you, why did you give me the phone?¡± Egbert said expressionlessly, This is our business. You handle it! Even though she knew what he meant, that it was their team¡¯s issue and she should take charge, it still sounded weird. Eileen put the phone back to her ear and asked Aurora, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± There was another silence on the other end. After a while, Aurora¡¯s voice came again. Although it had a hint of coldness, it was rtively calm. She repeated what she had said earlier. The police station, huh,¡± Eileen looked at her watch, ¡°We have a scenic spot to visit this afternoon and don¡¯t have time to go to the police station. ording to our schedule. You could borrow someone else¡¯s phone, download a trantion app, and use the app to trante in real-time. It¡¯s atmon practice when traveling abroad and facingnguage barriers.¡± Eileen thought she had offered a very effective solution However, Aurora on the other end of the line seemed a bit impatient, asking, ¡®Can I speak with Mr. Reed?¡± Eileen frowned and handed the phone back to Egbert, ¡°Take it.¡± Egbert took the phone, gave her a nce, and then hung up the call. Eileen looked surprised at the phone that had returned to the home screen. Egbert put the phone in his pocket and headed for the bus station. Eileen caught up and looked sideways at his expression, asking in confusion, ¡°You just hung up like that?¡± Egbert said calmly, ¡°Your approach was good. I couldn¡¯t think of anything better.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Eileen scratched her face, ¡°She obviously wanted you to go there¡± Egbert didn¡¯t answer Seeing Egbert like this, Eileen couldn¡¯t help but scoff. He was now worried again that his rtionship with the actress would cause misunderstandings. ¨CHe knew it would be hard to exin at home, so why did he have her wear gloves in the first ce? He was so conflicted. Afterwards, the phone didn¡¯t ring again. In the afternoon, they went to another scenic spot and returned to the hotel around six in the evening. Bblythe and Josiah weren¡¯t back yet. Eileen called Bblythe, asking if she coulde back for dinner, but Bblythe said she and Josiah had eaten outside the scenic spot and told them to sort out dinner themselves After hanging up, Elleen knocked on Egbert¡¯s door, ¡°Wanna grab dinner together?¡± Egbert stood inside the room, staring at her with confusion. Elleen smiled, ¡°I won¡¯t let you eat those free cookies again. When we just got back, I saw a food street nearby. It¡¯s reasonably priced, wanna go?¡± apter Egbert went back to his room to pick up his jacket, then came out. The food street was crowded and every item looked tempting.. Egbert stopped several times on the food street, but Eileen never did, seemingly not satisfied with any of the stands, so Egbert just followed her. In the end, after checking out the entire food street, Eileen turned to Egbert and said, ¡°Nothing here seems to be good, shall we just go back for cookies?¡± Egbert frowned at her, pointed randomly at a nearby stand, and said, ¡°This one¡¯s alright.¡± Eileen took a serious look and said, ¡°No, it¡¯s not hygienic.¡± Egbert nced at the stand¡¯s price list, I¡¯ll choose the cheapest one.¡± Eileen still shook her head, ¡°The cheapest one is still 500. The 500 referred to yen, approximately 4 dors. Eileen sighed, looking regretful, I didn¡¯t expect the food street to be not that cheap. Let¡¯s go back. I promise III buy you food next time. Is this woman a devil?] ¨C[Poor him¡­] ¨C[Feed him! Feed him! Please feed him!] [My mom¡¯s the same, always saying ¡®next time, but there was never a next time!) Eileen managed to drag Egbert away from the food street. On their way back, Eileen suddenly spotted a sushi shop by the street. There was a challenge sign hanging at the entrance of the shop. It basically read if anyone could beat the owner in a knife skill contest, they¡¯d win a luxurious sushi set. Eileen¡¯s eyes lit up immediately. ¡°We¡¯ve found our dinner. Let¡¯s do this¡± she said to Egbert Egbert frowned, giving the challenge sign a long, hard stare before silently stepping into the shop From the outside, the sushi shop was ridiculously unassuming, but it was surprisingly bustling inside. -[Wow, this is Sakura Sushi. It s pretty famous in Japan. This is the main branch, and they are a bunch of others in different cities] -[I cant believe this challenge is still going on. I saw it when I was travelling in Japan] Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. -[As a student who studies in Japan, I can tell you it¡¯s been going on for over a year now. And so far, no one¡¯s managed to win] -The owner of Sakura Sushi is a world sushipetition champion. Is she really nning to challenge him? Has she got nothing better to do?] -[This is a knife skill challenge, not a sushi making one. This sign is just a gimmick to boost the shop¡¯s reputation. Surely, no one is foolish enough to take it on. She¡¯s not that overconfident, is she?] -[Hahaha, this is hrious. Does Eileen really think she stands a chance? She¡¯s quite young, but boy, is she full of herself.] Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Eileen strolled into the sushi bar, directly telling the front desk staff that she was there to take on a challenge. The receptionist burst outughing Realising his unprofessional behaviour, he quicklyposed himself and said, ¡°No problem¡± He then pointed to the highest stage and exined, ¡°That¡¯s where the challenge will take ce. Our owner isn¡¯t here, but we¡¯ll y a video of him filleting a salmon. The winner will be decided byparing who can handle a fish of the same size and weight the fastest. Eileen raised an eyebrow, ¡°That doesnt seem quite fair. The recorded video could have been edited, or maybe he recorded it many times and chose the shortest one. That¡¯s a bit unfair to the challenger, isn¡¯t it?¡± The receptionist reassured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that video is from when our owner was in a global sushi competition. Absolutely no edits. If you¡¯re skeptical, you can find the full video online¡± In reality, this so-called challenge was just a small game to attract customers. Winning didn¡¯te with any special rewards, just a free sushi meal. The receptionist gently exined this to Eileen, clearly not taking this ¡°challenge¡± very seriously Can an average person challenge a world-ss sushi chef¡¯s knife skills? It was just a garme Seeing the receptionist¡¯s certainty, Elleen said, ¡°Alright, I trust you¡± She then asked, ¡°If I win, do I really get the most expensive deluxe meal?¡± The receptionist¡¯s eyes sparkled with mirth, ¡°Of course,¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get the show on the road,¡± Eileen said, taking off her backpack and handing it to Egbert. Egbert hesitated before epting it, then asked with some unease. Do you know how to prepare salmon?¡± Eileen replied confidently. ¡°Of course not, I don¡¯t like raw food¡± Guided by the staff, Eileen stepped onto the challenge stage, drawing the attention of the dining customers. The manager of the sushi bar, acting as the host, announced over the microphone that someone was challenging their owner, and the customers immediately apuded for her. Eileen rolled up her sleeves with a smile. The host had someone y their owner¡¯s video on arge screen nearby. After the two-minute video was over, he asked Eileen with a smile, ¡°Got it?¡± Eileen nodded, ¡°Got it, I can handle the fish just like him. The hostughed and shook his head, signaling for a fish to be brought up He reyed the owner¡¯s video, then hit the timer button and said, ¡°Go¡± At the same time, both the person in the video and Eileen began to prepare the fish. The moment Eileen heard the word ¡°Gol¡±, her previously casual expression instantly became serious. She held the fish with her left hand, took the knife with her right, and cut the fish straight down the middle. She gently slid her thumb, cutting a thin line on the fish, then scored a thin slit on the fish slice. A secondter, a translucent fish slice appeared on the back of her knife. With a flick of her wrist, the fish slice fell into the te next to her. Then she started cutting the second slice of fish. There were two screens on the challenge stage. One was ying the video of the sushi master¡¯spetition, and the other was showing Eileen¡¯s hand movements as she cut the fish. The customers, who were initially just casually watching, gradually lost their smiles Soon, many started taking out their phones to film both screens. The cameraman from Traveller 5+1 was already itching to rush up and film Elleen¡¯s handwork from a 365-degree angle. Egbert stood below the stage, one hand in his coat pocket, the other holding Eileen¡¯s backpack. As he watched the girl on stage with a calm face and smooth movements, handling the knife as if it were a toy, his gaze grew more intense One minute and forty-five secondster, Eileen put down her knife, picking up the te of prepared fish slices with a smile. The stunned host immediately stopped the stopwatch, and the numbers on the screen were projected onto the big screen. On the other screen, the sushi master was finishing his final steps, and fifteen secondster, he was done too. The video ended there, and the sushi bar fell silent. The regr customers were aware of the history of the shop and knew that the owner was an award- winning top-level sushi master. But now, this girl who just popped up out of nowhere, was faster than the sushi master? She only took one minute and forty-five seconds, beating the sushi master by a full fifteen seconds. Not one or two seconds, but fifteen. After a brief silence, thunderous apuse erupted from the audience. The customers began discussing amongst themselves. -[I¡¯m shocked!] I cant believe my eyes!!! -She¡¯s amazing!] I can¡¯t believe it -[Those who doubted Eileen before,e out and apologize now] In the live broadcast room,ments were popping up like mushrooms after a rain, making it hard to see the screen. Eileen, holding her te of fish slices, looked at the host and asked with a grin, ¡°Did I win?¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. The host stared at her in shock, and after a long silence, he forced a smile, ¡°Of course, please follow me to the private room.¡± Eileen put down the fish slices, excitedly ran down, and stood in front of Egbert. Egbert looked at her radiant smile, as if she was seeking his praise. He told her with a smile. You¡¯re amazing.¡± Eileen dropped her smile, and opened her hand, ¡°I mean, give me my bag back.¡± Egbert tossed the bag into her arms. Eileen, holding her bag, followed the staff to the private room, and didn¡¯t forget to call out to Egbert, ¡°Keep up, there¡¯s a free meal if you follow me.¡± The private room was quiet, with a few staff members milling around the entrance, whispering to each other. Not long after, the appetizers starteding in. Eileen couldn¡¯t hide her smile, and she said loudly to Egbert, ¡°Go ahead and eat, eat however you like. All the bills today are on me.¡± Egbert quietly watched her, picked up his utensils and picked a slice of salmon. This te of salmon was the one she had just cut. Eileen then told the cameraman, ¡°Come join us. We can¡¯t finish all this.¡± The cameraman shook his head, saying he couldn¡¯t eat during work hours. Eileen carelessly said, ¡°Then we will take it back for you to eat it slowly.¡± 4 Saying that, Eileen took out her phone and called Bblythe. She had just gotten back to the hotel when they were called out again by a call from Eileen. By the time they arrived, they saw a table full of sushi, a veritable feast. A table for twelve was barely enough to hold all the food. After understanding the whole situation, Bblythe immediately sat down next to Eileen, cupping her face and asked, ¡°How¡¯d you get so sharp?¡± Eileen was looking mighty pleased with herself, as if her tail was about to wag right up to the sky. She whispered, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such boneheads. They¡¯re practically giving away avish meal for such a piece-of-cake contest. They¡¯re bound to go belly up¡± Chapter 50 Chapter 50 [What on earth is this woman talking about! No one has seeded in thispetition for over a year, alright] [What¡¯s the deal with Eileen? Howe she knows everything? Didn¡¯t you guys see her knife skills? They¡¯re freakin¡¯ amazing! (She¡¯s even 15 seconds faster than the world¡¯s top sushi master! She could totally smash a Guinness record!] -[Damn, our boss is not a good guy, making us monitor Eileen and criticize her all the time. Why doesn¡¯t he do it himself? Can¡¯t he see her stunning performance?] [I hope that ipetent PR team of Eileen¡¯s agency can step up and do some promotion. Eileen is being criticized online every day, Don¡¯t you guys have the money to hire some people topliment her and change her image?] Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. [Eileen, please leave thatpany!] Wait for a goodpany to see her talent and scoop her up!! Watching the live stream, Ophelia was shocked So much sushi, even four people couldn¡¯t finish it all. They ended up packing several portions, and Eileen happily dered, ¡°We¡¯ve got breakfast, lunch, and dinner for tomorrow sorted¡± Bblythe chuckled and tapped her forehead. You¡¯re such a cheapskate As they were about to leave the sushi shop the manager suddenly walked in with a gloomy-looking middle-aged man Eileen recognized the man as the sushi shop owner from the video. Seeing his unhappy expression, she also frowned. What was going on? Was he trying to weasel out of admitting defeat? The camera then turned to the owner [Hahaha, the sushi shop owner has shown up himself Egbert, who was standing at the back, stepped forward, cing himself protectively in front of Eileen. Josiah also stepped up standing on Eileenis other side. The owner didn¡¯t approach, he just stood a little distance away staring at Eileen, and angrily asked, Which sushi shop from? Eileen was confused. What are you implying?¡± The owner scoffed. ¡°Arent you from another sushi shop? Your knife skills are good, I¡¯ll give you that, but your technique is not professional I know how business works, there¡¯s always someone jealous, but I won¡¯t tolerate you disrupting my business.¡± Wasn¡¯t this theirpetition? How did a sessful challenge be disrupting business? Eileen felt like the owner was talking nonsense. She asked in confusion, Who told you I¡¯m from another sushi shop?¡± The owner sneered, ¡°I¡¯m not ite saying youre not?¡± The owner was taken aback. ¡°You¡¯re not mentor then? As far as I know, hone your provocative behavior? Then he raised his eyebrows, ¡®Oh, so you¡¯re not a professional sushi chef, but an apprentice? Who¡¯s your ulled culinary mentor I know have taken on new apprentices recently. And does your mentor know about ¡°I don¡¯t have a mentor Eileen straightened up, getting angry. If you guys are trying to avoid giving me the gourmet set. I¡¯ll tell you now, I¡¯m not paying And I don¡¯t have money¡± Egbert sighed heavily at this point, rubbing his forehead, and he told the sushi master, We¡¯re just tourists¡± The owner froze in ce, looking at Egbert with astonishment. Egbert had just finished eating and was not wearing a mask. It was only now that the owner noticed his face and immediately eximed. You arent you Egbert frowned and put his mask back on But the owner had already recognized him, and upon looking at the others, he was dumbstruck Eventually, the cameraman from the TV crew exined the situation to the owner. After hearing the exnation, the owner¡¯s face turned red. He apologized profusely to Eileen, saying that after watching the video, he thought her knife skills must ve been trained by a sushi master from another shop, and that she was apetitor trying to cause trouble. That was why he rushed over It was all a misunderstanding. (Hahaha. I¡¯m dying ofughter -[The owner thought apetitor was trying to sabotage him, but Eileen was just trying to save on a meal] -If the TV crew gave a bigger budget, Eileen wouldn¡¯t have to resort to street performances to scrounge for food.] In the end, the owner apologized for his rudeness and personally saw them out. He also gave them four meal coupons. They could use these coupons at any Sakura Sushi around the world within a year and get a free meal What a generous apology Eileen stopped being angry immediately and even had a nice chat with the owner Back at the hotel, the four of them chatted for a while before going to bed. But it was only 9 pm, the time when most people were online Ophelia went through a lot of trouble to call up herpany¡¯s directors, saying all sorts of good things about Eileen Finally, she got a grudging approval and a sum of money that she could use at her discretion. Holding the money, Ophelia urgently wanted to buy some trending topics As soon as she opened the social media, she saw that the topic ¡°Eileen¡¯s Knife Skills¡± was already the top trending topic. Ophelia was very puzzied. wondering if thepany had already purchased the trending topics? But the finance department didn¡¯t mention it just now. Ophelia clicked into the trending topic and immediately saw the top post with 10,000ments and 10,000 shares, posted 30 minutes ago. Ophelia continued to scroll down and saw countless posts with the hashtag #Eileen¡¯s KnifeSkills, one after another. Clicking in to see thements, -[Eileen is a treasure!] -I¡¯ve watched the two-minute video like fifty times.] -[It¡¯s the top trending topic now, Eileen, I support you, I¡¯ll vote for you and praise you, do you want to be a celebrity? -[Eileen, when will you be famous?] This post had just been posted under a fan¡¯s tweet and had already received over fortyments. -[Eileen is beautiful, talented, and multi-talented. Everyone loves her! @¡±Queen Eileen¡±] Ophelia waspletely baffled Real fans? Could it be that Eileen, this dummy, was¡­ really¡­ bing famous? Ophelia started to doubt life. But wait, what was this ¡°Queen Eileen? Ophelia quickly clicked on the @ ount and found out that it was actually Eileenis main ount. She changed Eileen¡¯s password, didn¡¯t she? How on earth could she log into her ount? And she even had the nerve to change the username? When the heck did she do that? Chapter 51 Chapter 51 ¡°Knife skills? What, what the hell is that?¡± Aurora stood outside the hotel corridor, holding a personal cell phone that should have been confiscated, making a call to someone The person on the other end exined it to her. Aurora impatiently said, ¡°All this shady stuff, and you¡¯re fussing over it? It¡¯s just a trending topic, surely someones pulling the strings. Alright, I know what to do.¡± After hanging up, Aurora stood in ce for a while before turning around with a smile and heading back to her room. Inside the room, there was another girl who seemed a bit nervous to see Aurorae in. Aurora handed her phone to the girl, gently saying, ¡°Thank you so much. I had a family emergency and had to make a call¡± The girl was a staff member of the production team, and she blushed when she was thanked. She quickly said, ¡°No problem, no problem, everyone has special circumstances. Could I get an autograph though? I¡¯m a big fan of yours, I really like you¡± ¡°Of course, darling.¡± Aurora replied gently The staff member immediately took out a notebook and flipped to a page. Aurora saw that the page already had Egbert¡¯s signature. Aurora raised an eyebrow The staff member shyly said, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m a fan of the Spring Couple. Your movie The Alley¡¯ with Egbert, I¡¯ve seen it at least ten times. Like all fans of Jeffery and Mandy, I¡¯ve been hoping you two could star together again¡± ¡°Thanks for your support.¡± Aurora smiled and signed her name next to Egbert¡¯s In the end, she even drew a heart between the two names ¡°Wow!¡± the staff member was thrilled. Aurora returned the pen and notebook, saying with a smile. ¡®Us working together again isn¡¯t out of the question, you know.¡± The staff member was so excited she was almost jumping, ¡°Really? Will you guys make another movie together?¡± Aurora softly said, ¡°Who knows what the future holds?¡± The next morning. Bblythe took out yesterday¡¯s sushi from the hotel¡¯s Doreen box. Upon seeing Eileene out of the bathroom, she said. ¡°Lileen, go next door and call the boys over for breakfast.¡± Eileen, with a towel around her neck, casually agreed and went to knock on the door of the room next door -Waking up to see energetic Eileen] -[Energetic Eileen is so cute] -[Eileen, walk properly, we¡¯re not letting you butt-bump the door [What¡¯s up with thements when I woke up?] -[Eileen made the trending topics yesterday, her knife skills challenge video attracted a lot of new fans] -Eileen has fallen to being called ¡°cute¡±, you guys sober up, this woman doesnt deserve such a soft name, she¡¯s a tough cookie] -[You¡¯re not allowed to badmouth her.] [Oh no, Eileen¡¯s image has changed] After knocking for a while, the door finally opened. Inside. Egbert was wearing a thin sweater, holding the doorknob, and watching her. Eileenzily said while wiping her face with a corner of the towel, ¡®Come eat breakfast¡± Then she shouted at Josiah who was folding clothes in the room, ¡°Josiah, breakfast time.¡± ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll be there in a bit Josiah looked up and responded. Eileen nced at Egbert again, grabbed her towel, and wobbled back to the next room. Not long after, Egbert and Josiah came over. eblythe reheated the sushi, so when everyone was eating, it was warm and still tasted decent. Of course, it wasn¡¯t as tasty as yesterday, but definitely better than theplimentary cookies on the ne. After breakfast, the four of them went downstairs together Just about to split up, they heard someone calling them. Turning their heads, they saw Aurora and Hubery not far away, wearing masks, waving at them with smiles on their faces as they slowly walked over. Seeing Hubery, Eileen¡¯s good mood immediately halved. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Just as she was getting annoyed, she heard Bblythe mutter, ¡°Herees trouble.¡± Eileen looked at Bblythe Eileen nodded, then curiously asked in a low voice. ¡°But I never asked you, why do you dislike her so much?¡± Bblythe sneered, ¡°She pretends to be a good person on the surface, but steals other people¡¯s boyfriends behind their backs, how can she not be annoying¡±¡± Eileen immediately thought of Hedy. She said solemnly. ¡°She is indeed annoying, but I dont just dislike the woman, I dislike both the man and the woman¡± With that, her gaze drifted to Hubery in front Egbert, who was standing on the other side of Eileen, turned to look at her after hearing her words, and then followed her gaze to Hubery. Last time, when Eileen pushed Hubery into the pool, he heard their conversation. Eileen and Hubery had a past Thinking about this, Egbert¡¯s eyes instantly turned cold. He grabbed Fileen by the cor and pulled her to the side. Eileen was suddenly pulled, retreating while yelling, ¡®Hey, what are you doing?¡± Egbert let go of her and said with a gloomy face. ¡°Arent we in a hurry? Aren¡¯t we going?¡± Eileen touched her neck, ¡°You didn¡¯t have to be sa ¡°Mr. Reed!¡± Just then, Aurora¡¯s voice sounded. Aurora jogged over, her cheeks a little pale from running. She looked at Egbert and said with shyness, ¡°We¡¯vepleted our task. We heard you guys were at this hotel, so we came to find you! Egbert gave her a cold look, not saying a word ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re done? Bblythe suddenly snorted in derision. Aurora looked at Bblythe, her face innocent, ¡°Of course.¡± Bblythe scoffed, ¡°Including the tasks at Nihon Nature Reserve and Blossom Bridge Park?¡± ¡°Well, Bblythe, I apologize. That was my fault! Hubery also came over at this point He exined, ¡°Because Aurora and I got our phones nicked, we were in a hurry to report it to the cops. On the way, we passed by the Nihon Nature Reserve and Blossom Bridge Park and decided to check in. We thought we¡¯d get some tasks done first since we didn¡¯t know how long the police report would take. We wanted to borrow a phone from the production team to give you guys a ring, but they wouldn¡¯t lend us one¡­ Aurora looked at Egbert with a troubled expression. ¡°We didn¡¯t have a phone and didn¡¯t know your numbers. In the end, we spent 5,000 yen just to find your number. Mr. Reed, when I called you yesterday, I had just gotten your number¡­¡± Egbert remained silent. Bblythe chimed in. ¡°Even if you changed the location on the fly without telling us, you actually didn¡¯t complete the check-in task. Don¡¯t you know that? You didn¡¯t go in, just took a picture at the entrance. That doesn¡¯t count aspleting the task.¡± ¡°What?¡± Aurora looked surprised. turning to Hubery Hubery was equally shocked. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it count? I¡¯m sorry. I really didn¡¯t know. So Aurora, do we need to go back and redo it?¡± Josiah said grumpily, ¡°We¡¯ve already done it for you.¡± Aurora breathed a sigh of relief and said to Josiah with a smile, ¡°Thanks a lot, guys. We really had no clue. Nobody from the crew told us Josiah was originally quite pissed, but seeing Aurora¡¯s polite and gentle demeanor, he felt there was no need to hold a grudge. He softened his tone. saying. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Bblythe immediately shot him a stern look. Noticing Bblythe¡¯s re, Josiah quietly stepped back. Aurora didn¡¯t get discouraged because Egbert was ignoring her. She continued to look at Egbert with an eager and expectant expression and said eagerly, ¡°Mr. Roed, haven¡¯t you guys finished your tasks yet? Where are you headed next? Can wee with you?¡± ¡°No need.¡± Egbert coldly rejected her, then turned to Eileen. ¡°Aren¡¯t we going?¡± Eileen nced at them, snickered, and walked past them towards the bus stop Chapter 52 Chapter 52 While waiting for the bus, Eileen had her hands in her pockets, with a nonchnt and gloomy Egbert standing beside her. She nced at the timid-looking Aurora and Hubery on her other side. She said to Egbert, ¡°You dont have anything to say?¡± Egbert lowered his head to look at her and replied softly, What do you want to hear?¡± Eileen took a step back, giving room to Aurora and Hubery. ¡°It¡¯s not about what I want to hear, it¡¯s what they want.¡± Egbert frowned. Just then, Aurora happened to look over Ignoring Aurora, Egbert nced at the road across and coldly said to Eileen, The bus is here.¡± The bus stopped in front of them. Eileen got on first, followed by Egbert Right behind them, Aurora and Hubery also boarded. There were plenty of empty seats on the bus. Eileen found a single seat. As she sat down, she noticed Egbert standing beside her, grabbing the overhead rail. Eileen was puzzled, ¡°There are seats at the back! Egbert lowered his head to look at her and said, ¡°I feel like standing for a bit¡± Eileen then ignored him. However, Aurora also came over and stood next to Egbert Seeing this, Hubery also followed suit. Eileen was speechless. Beside Eileen¡¯s single seat, there were now three tall people standing. One was a famous Eileen crossed her legs and looked at them, feeling surrounded. actor, another a top actress, and the third a newbie idol. ¡°Mr. Reed,¡± Aurora stood beside Egbert, looking down at the tip of her shoe, and said in a sulky tone, ¡°It¡¯s my first time on this show, and I didn¡¯t know the rules. I didn¡¯t mean to notplete the task. Please don¡¯t be mad¡± Seeing Egbert didn¡¯t react, she boldly reached out and grabbed the hem of his clothes, giving it a little shake. Eileen saw this and was taken aback. -Then, Egbert¡¯s cold voice suddenly rang out, ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡± Aurora was startled and let go, looking upsel ¡°Aurora, stand here,¡± Hubery suggested, trying to break the awkwardness by swapping ces with Aurora. Aurora knew that Egbert clearly was not fond of her. Getting closer to him would only make her more embarrassed. She reluctantly swapped ces, only to see Egbert¡¯s gaze fixed on Eileen, who was sitting down. Aurora frowned and also looked at Eileen. She remembered what her agent had said the day before. ¡°That Eileen, not well-liked online and not famous, but Egbert, who¡¯s usually cold towards women, treats her especially well. They often chat alone during the live broadcasts. You should keep an eye on her. By the way, and she just topped the trending list¡­¡± Aurora hadn¡¯t taken these words to heart, but now seeing the way Egbert looked at Eileen, she felt uneasy Could this rtive nobody actually be a threat to her? With this thought, Aurora¡¯s gaze towards Eileen turned icy. Feeling an unfriendly gaze, Eileen initially thought it was Hubery, but to her surprise, it was Aurora, Aurora was frowning, her eyes full of hostility Eileen was momentarily at a loss for words. There really was something wrong with Aurora. The bus soon arrived at their destination. Eileen was the first to get off. Egbert followed behind her. Behind them, Aurora and Hubery also got off. After theirst stop in the afternoon, their tasks for the day would beplete Theirst stop was at a grand theater, with a sea of people at the ticket booth Eileen and Egbert went to line up for tickets. When it was their turn, Elleen bought only two tickets. Aurora saw this and immediately nudged Hubery. Hubery quickly squeezed in, indicating to the ticket seller that he wanted two more tickets. Eileen turned to him, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Hubery replied, ¡°Buying tickets¡± Eileen raised her eyebrows, ¡°Can¡¯t you line up and buy your own tickets?¡± Hubery was taken aback, ¡°Arent we together?¡± Eileen scoffed, ¡°Do I look like I know you?¡± Then, Eileen addressed the people in line behind her in Japanese, This guy wants to cut in line.¡± Suddenly, the tourists who understood Japanese started pointing at Hubery A security guard nearby heard themotion and came to inquire. When he heard that someone was trying to cut in line, he gestured sternly at Hubery, ¡°Sir, please go to the back of the line.¡± While Hubery didn¡¯t understand Japanese, he could understand the gesture. He tried to exin, ¡°I¡¯m with her.¡± The security guard saw Hubery pointing at Eileen and also looked at her. Eileen said to the security guard in Japanese, ¡®He said he won¡¯t queue, what can you do to him? Call the police¡± Believing her, the security guard red at Hubery and spoke into his walkie-talkie. Hubery didn¡¯t understand what the security guard said into the walkie-talkie, but judging by his expression, Hubery felt that things weren¡¯t looking good. He kept exining, ¡°I¡¯m really with her.¡± ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. The people in line behind them were losing patience. Some started berating him, even yelling, ¡®Go to the back of the line.¡± Hubery turned pale. Aurora came over and tugged at his sleeve. In the face of public anger, Hubery had no choice but to go to the back of the line, looking disgruntled. As Aurora followed Hubery to the back, she gave Eileen a deep look. With tickets in hand, Eileen yfully bumped Egbert with her shoulder Egbert turned to look at her. Eileen grinned, ¡®I helped you shake off the troubles. Aren¡¯t you going to thank me? Egbert stared at the soft, loose strands of hair falling across her forehead, reaching out to steady the girl by her back. He gave her a gentle nudge forward, ¡°Go on in.¡± Eileen moved forward with his push, took a few steps, then turned back to Egbert, furrowing her brow, You didn¡¯t even thank me, I won¡¯t help you next time.¡± They were worried that Aurora and Hubery would catch up, so as soon as they entered the theater, they started to walk quickly. The theater was really huge, they wandered around and by the time they left, Aurora and Hubery were nowhere in sight. Consider their mission aplished. At least, Eileen and Egbert¡¯s task of checking off three sights was done Eileen made another call to Bblythe, asking about the progress of their tasks. Bblythe said they still had one ce to go in the afternoon, so they wouldn¡¯t be done until the evening. After hanging up, Eileen started calcting the remaining funds in her bag. She still had five thousand yen left, and she gave Egbert half of it. Egbert looked at the money handed to him, then back at Eileen. Eileen waved her hand, ¡°Take it, this is the task money for each of us after the team split. We have five thousand left, this two thousand five hundred is yours, keep it Egbert kept both hands in his coat pockets, not taking the money, and he just said, ¡°I¡¯ve told you before, you¡¯re in charge of the money¡± Eileen rified. This isn¡¯t our team¡¯s money, it¡¯s yours personally.¡± Egbert responded casually, ¡®Fine, I want you to handle my money.¡± Chapter 53 Chapter 53 After hearing this, Eileen remained silent for a while A momentter, she nced at Egbert, then at the 2,500 yen in her hands, and finally put the money back into her bag, saying, ¡®Let¡¯s save this for another time.¡± Egbert didn¡¯t object. ¡°Shall we go?¡± Eileen asked. ¡°Sure¡± Egbert replied indifferently. The bus stop was close by. There was a small cart selling Japanese pancakes nearby. As they walked past the cart, Eileen suddenly felt the person next to her stop. She turned her head and saw Egbert standing next to the cart, watching the vendor make the pancakes. ¡°We re about to go back and eat sushi. There¡¯s still a lot left from yesterday Eileen said. Egbert nced at her hand holding his, then looked into her eyes and hesitated before asking, ¡°Can you give me some pocket money?¡± Eileen was at a loss for words. In the end, Eileen bought Egbert a pancake, 150 yen each. Egbert took the warm pancake, tore off a small piece and put it in his mouth. After chewing it, he handed the pancake to Eileen. Eileen shook her head, saying, ¡°No, thanks¡± And walked onto the tform. The bus waste. Five minutester, Eileen was eating the pancake and nodded. ¡®It tastes pretty good. She then tore off another piece and put it into her mouth. Egbert didn¡¯t eat any more. He held the remaining pancake, asionally offering it to Eileen to make it easier for her to eat. After getting on the bus, they found seats next to each other. Eventually, the pancake ended up in Eileen¡¯s hands. After she finished eating, she handed the empty bag back to Egbert. Egbert took the bag and nced at her. When they returned to the hotel, they were surprised to find that Aurora and Hubery had arrived before them. When Aurora saw them, she stood up from the sofa on the first floor and walked towards them with a smile. Eileen nced at Egbert, chuckled mockingly, and then walked straight to the elevator. Unexpectedly, Aurora wasn¡¯t approaching Egbert, but blocked her, ¡°Since the task ispleted. Ms. Lopez, our small team should also return to the main team, right? I heard that the boys and girls used to share rooms separately Hubery and I have already checked out of our hotel, we should also follow this rule, Ms. Lopez, tonight I will share a room with you and Bblythe.¡± Eileen was speechless. When Bblythe came back in the evening and saw Aurora in the room, she was almost furious. She threw her handbag at the couch and stormed into the bathroom, mming the door behind her and ring at Eileen who was brushing her teeth. Eileen was forced to stop brushing, innocently saying, ¡°I didn¡¯t want her to move in either.¡± Bblythe asked angrily, ¡°So what are we going to do now?¡± Eileen spat out the foam in her mouth, III share a bed with you tonight. Actually, even if we don¡¯t live together now, the next episode should¡­¡± Tm noting next episode¡± Bblythe cut her off. Eileen was stunned and looked at her. Bblythe coldly said. ¡°I can¡¯t get along with her. If she¡¯s a regr on the show, I can only quit. I can afford the penalty for breaking the contract.¡± Eileen frowned. Bblythe closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, saying, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t make it hard for you, after all, you don¡¯t have any conflict with her. Never mind, I have some money left, I go book another room. Saying this, Bblythe walked out, picked up her handbag from the couch, and left the room without a nce at Aurora. After Eileen finished brushing her teeth, she came out with a towel, wiping her mouth while ncing at Aurora, who was sitting on Bblythe¡¯s bed, reading a magazine When Aurora saw Eileene out, she gave her a triumphant smile. Eileen didn¡¯t understand what she felt so proud of, and she also turned and left the room. Blythe went to the first floor to book a room. They still had 1,000 yen left in their travel fund, but it was not enough to book a room. She was discussing with the staff to get back her personal wallet. Eileen, in her pajamas and with a towel around her neck, casually appeared behind Bblythe, bumped into her, and handed a room card in front of her eyes Bblythe was stunned, looked at the room card, then at Eileen, ¡°What¡­¡± Eileen smiled, ¡°I don¡¯t like her either, I¡¯ll move out with you¡± Bblythe looked at Eileen in shock, then hugged her tightly, saying, ¡°Eileen, you¡¯re so considerate.¡± Five minutester, Aurora, who was sitting on Bblythe¡¯s bed smugly, saw Bblythe and Eileen return. She put down the magazine in her hand, smiled politely, and asked softly. ¡°There are only two beds, how shall we sleep tonight? I don¡¯t like sharing a bed, I want to sleep alone.¡± Bblythe ignored her, pulled her suitcase out from under the bed, dumped all her makeup into the suitcase, stood up and asked Eileen, ¡°Are you good to go?¡± Eileen didn¡¯t have much luggage, she picked up her bag and said, ¡°Yeah.¡± Neither of them looked at Aurora directly from beginning to end. They picked up their luggage and walked out without looking back. After they had left, Aurora realized that they had moved out to avoid her! ¡°Humph!¡± Aurora clenched her fists, feeling wronged. She got up from the bed and decided to go to the boys¡¯ room next door toin about her troubles. She wanted the boys to know that she was isted. But as soon as she left the room, she saw a hotel employee approaching her. The employee said a lot to her with a smile, asionally pointing to the door of the room she had just left. Aurora didn¡¯t understand a word. The employee kept talking. Aurora gestured to him to wait and quickly said, ¡°Hold on a second¡± Then she quickly knocked on the door of the room next door. The door was quickly opened, and the person who opened it was Hubery. He looked very surprised when he saw Aurora and said, ¡°Aurora?¡± Aurora waved at him, noticing Egbert in the room, she said, ¡°Mr. Reed, this staff here seems to be trying to tell me something, but I¡¯m not getting it. Could you trante for me?¡± Egbert was drying his hair. He gave a frosty nce at the two by the door, then redirected his gaze onto the staff member. The guy repeated what he just said, Egbert, after hearing it, paused for a second, then lowered his head and let out a quiet chuckle. Aurora asked in confusion, ¡°Mr. Reed?¡± Egbert nonchntly said. ¡°He wants you to leave room ASAP cause it¡¯s been checked out. If you¡¯re still there in ten minutes, they¡¯re gonna call the police.¡±Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Chapter 54 Chapter 54 In the new room downstairs, Bblythe hung up the phone, looking clueless at Eileen who was engrossed in a TV show next to her. She asked in surprise, ¡°Did you check out the room upstairs?¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. Eileen, without looking away from the TV replied casually. ¡°Well duh, how else would I have the money to book this room?¡± Bblythe was dumbstruck. Eileen nced over at Bblythe for a moment and sat up. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you thought I was going to use my own money to book another room? Have I gone mad? Do I look like an idiot?¡± Bblythe suddenly stood up, walked over to Eileen and looked down at her from above. Then she reached out, grabbing Eileen¡¯s face. Eileen lifted her head, forced to look up at Blythe. Blythe leaned in and suddenly kissed Eileen on the face. Eileen¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, she pushed Bblythe¡¯s hand away, wiped her face with the back of her hand and asked, ¡°Bblythe, what are you doing?¡± Bblythe sat down next to Eileen, holding her tight, and said passionately, ¡°I really like you.¡± Eileen chuckled, ¡°I like myself too Blythe held onto Eileen like this, hugging her for a long time without moving. Feeling something was off, Eileen turned her head to find Bblythe crying Tears were quietly streaming down her face without making a sound. Eileen softly called out, ¡°Bblythe?¡± Bblythe sniffed, let go of her, wiped her eyes and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just thinking about the past. It¡¯s all over now¡± Eileen didn¡¯t say anything more. kle man. It wasn¡¯t hard to guess what had happened, something about a two-faced woman and a fickle Eileen only found out about how things were handled on Aurora¡¯s end the next day from Josiah. Aurora supposedly had nowhere to stayst night since their team had run out of money. After failing to get help from the production crew, she ended up staying in one of the crew members¡¯ rooms. Eileen mused after hearing this, ¡®So you can stay in a crew member¡¯s room?¡± Josiah knew what she was up to and quickly said, ¡°Apparently, one of the crew members is a hardcore fan of hers and was willing to risk getting fired to take her in.¡± Eileen shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t have fans.¡± Thements popped up. [You have fans.] [I¡¯m your fan, don¡¯t ignore mel [Eileen, I love you!] [To be able to stay in a crew member¡¯s room, Aurora sure is treated differently] [I don¡¯t really like Aurora, don¡¯t understand why so many people like her. Apart from The Alley, does she have any other representative works? The poprity of The Alley is due to Egbert¡¯s superb acting, I don¡¯t think Aurora¡¯s acting is anything special] [If Aurora¡¯s acting was good, she wouldn¡¯t have gone so many years without winning a single Best Actress award.] [I originally had a good impression of Aurora, but she really crossed the line this time] [It¡¯s clear that she¡¯s using the variety show and Egbert¡¯s influence to prepare for winning the Goldie Award. From Egbert¡¯s reaction, it¡¯s obvious that he was not informed in advance. In other words, Aurora shamelessly linked Egbert with her promotion without informing him beforehand, using reminiscing the past as an excuse. It¡¯s no wonder Egbert has repeatedly ignored her] [When she appeared the day before yesterday, I knew there was a problem when I saw Egbert¡¯s expression. The production team even wanted Egbert and Aurora to be in the same group, pah, thankfully he ended up in the same group as Eileen] In this live broadcast, most were fans of Egbert and Elleen, Aurora¡¯s fans were few in number, so they were all criticizing Aurora, and not a single one of Aurora¡¯s fans came out to refute. The trip to Japan, although with some twists and turns, was overall smooth. After returning to the country, Elleen received a call from Ophelia the moment she got off the ne At that time, Eileen was standing at the airport exit in a mask, dragging her suitcase, and waiting for a taxi, ¡°Ophelia, what¡¯s up?¡± Ophelia¡¯s voice was cold over the phone, Look to your right.¡± Eileen was taken aback, then turned to her right. On the right side of the roadway, there was a white small car parked, and the window rolled down, revealing Ophelia¡¯s face. Eileen chuckled and quickly walked over, stopping by the car, and bent down to look at Ophe. ¡°You came to pick me up?¡± Ophelia grumpily said, ¡°Get in.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Eileen put her suitcase in the trunk with a big grin, went around to the other side, and got into the passenger seat. The car quickly drove off Not far away, in a ck BMW, Egbert sat in the back seat, watching the white private car gradually disappear, he said in a deep voice to the assistant in the front. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The assistant in the front seat started the engine, feeling a bit disappointed, ¡°We waited almost ten minutes for Ms. Lopez toe out, Mr. Reed, why didn¡¯t we just tell Ms. Lopez we could take her home? Then we could have left with her.¡± Egbert lifted his cold gaze, and said coldly. ¡°Unnecessary.¡± The assistant, sensing his boss¡¯s irritation, stuck out his tongue and didn¡¯t dare to say anything else. Inside the white car, Eileen was fiddling with the glovepartment, the tissue box, and within three minutes, she was scolded by Ophelia, ¡°Can you sit still? Stop moving like you have ADHD.¡± Eileen looked at Ophelia, ¡®Ophelia, why did youe to pick me up? You never used to do that before.¡± Ophelia was silent for a moment, as if she had thought of something, and her tone softened, ¡®Eileen, do you ever feel that I am too strict with you?¡± Eileen was confused. Eileen stared quietly at Ophelia for a while, then asked seriously, ¡°Are you sick?¡± The car swerved to the side, Ophelia almost overturned it, and she cursed, ¡°I knew I shouldn¡¯t be nice to you? Eileen nervously gripped the safety handle, ying the innocent, ¡°Ophelia, watch your driving¡± Ophelia was about to lose her mind, ¡°You have the nerve to say that! Did you change the username on your Twitter?¡± Eileen immediately yed dumb, turning her head to look out the window,ughing it off, ¡°What? I havent been on Twitter in ages.¡± Ophelia took one look at Eileen¡¯s expression and knew that she was definitely cornered. She asked sarcastically, ¡°How did you log in? Who told you the password?¡± Eileen didn¡¯t say a word. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you.¡± Eileen still didn¡¯t say a word. Ophelia sighed. ¡°I won¡¯t me you, just spill it.¡± -Eileen tentatively nced at her, realizing Ophelia didn¡¯t seem to really mind, only then she pouted, ¡°Your password is too easy, I cracked it in thirty seconds.¡± Ophelia was speechless. Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Ophelia shot Eileen a frown. ¡°You know stuff aboutputers?¡± Eileen shrugged modestly replying, ¡°Just a little. Tiny bit, really¡± Without someputer skills, she wouldn¡¯t be able to nabi Prism Pulse Entertainment¡¯s dirtyundry before it was aired, then hand it over to Phyllis Ophelia stared at Eileen for a moment, then advised, ¡°Regardless how you got the passwords, I suggest you knock it off. We¡¯re gonna have someone else manage your Twitter from now on.¡± Eileen blinked at her. ¡°Manage?¡± The implication was subtle. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Ophelia coughed and grumbled, ¡°A few things have happened. Basically, thepany sees potential in you and they we made a new development n for you.¡± Eileen locked lost 1 don¡¯t get it.¡± Ophelia responded somewhat iritably ¡°It means, thepany will be focusing more resources on you.¡± Ophelia was being delicate. She didn¡¯t want to tell Eileen straight up that her video went viral, got the company¡¯s top dogs¡¯ attention, and now, with her online reputation boosted, they had decided to make her their main act next year She was worried Eileen might let it all go to her head. After spilling the beans. Ophelia sneaked a peek at Eileen¡¯s reaction Eileen was just staring back her face full of fear and humiliation. Ophelia felt uneasy. What¡¯s with that look?¡± ww Eileen lowered her head, covered her mouth, and said helplessly, ¡®Ophelia just tell me. Is there someone from the higher ups who wants to pull something shady on me? Showbiz is such a filthy ce¡± Rubbish! Ophelia was so mad she almost missed a turn. What the hell do you take ourpany for?¡± Eileen blinked at Ophelia Ophelia was so mad that her stomach hurt. In the end, she just red and told Eileen about her video going viral Eileen burst intoughter after hearing it Ophelia knew all too well that this person couldn¡¯t be praised even a bit, as shed be concerted at the slightestpliment. Ophelia yelled, ¡°Stopughing!¡± HAHAHAHAHA¡± Eileen couldn¡¯t stopughing. Ophelia¡¯s face darkened even more. Just then, her phone rang. Ophelia put on her Bluetooth headset and barked into it, ¡°What?¡± A minuteter, Ophelia hung up, her expression looking terrible She had no mood to argue with Eileen anymore, and told her. ¡®Til drop you somewhere, then you can grab a cab back to Cinema City¡± Eileen looked at her and asked, ¡°What happened?¡± Ophelia said. There¡¯s some issue with Colin, I need to head over¡± Colin? Eileen thought of Colin, who shared her dislike for Hubery, and said. ¡°Isn¡¯t he supposed to be joining that talent show. He¡¯s been taking sses at thepany recently, hasn¡¯t he?¡± Ophelia said. ¡°The show has started, he went for recording yesterday¡± Eileen raised an eyebrow. ¡°His recording didn¡¯t go well?¡± Ophelia shook her head. There are a hundred trainees, performing their first solo acts over three days. His was a duet dance. His partner had an emergency and is now in the hospital, which might cause him big trouble¡± Eileen was stunned Ophelia had already found a spot to park the car, and said, ¡°Get off here.¡± Eileen didn¡¯t move, and she just said, T¡¯ll go with you.¡± Ophelia looked at her Eileen said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, I don¡¯t have any scenes scheduled today¡± Hearing this, Ophelia didn¡¯t waste time and drove off towards the Capital TV station. When they arrived at Capital TV, they exined the situation to the receptionist. She made a phone call and soon Colin appeared Colin was in his stage costume. Seeing Eileen there was a surprise, but he didn¡¯t have time for pleasantries. He quickly asked Ophelia, ¡°Ophelia, what do we do now?¡± Ophelia tried to calm him down. Tve asked Doreen to step in, she should be here soon.¡± Colintocked worried. ¡°Can Doreen do it? She¡¯s a ballet dancer, she hasn¡¯t done street dance before? Ophelia said, ¡°I sent her the practice video of you and Fiona. She can watch it on the way here and do some freestyle on stage. It¡¯s better than nothing.¡± Colin wiped his face, looking frantic. Ophelia patted his shoulder ¡°Fiona has acute appendicitis, she¡¯s in so much pain she almost fainted. She really couldn¡¯t make it, don¡¯t me her.¡± Colin gave a bitter smile. I dont me her. I just feel like maybe it¡¯s fate. I¡¯m not really cut out for singing and dancing. Back in school, I only scored in drama, not dance¡± Ophelia said to him, ¡°Joining a singing and dancing show doesn¡¯t mean you have to be good at singing and dancing. What you need is exposure,¡± Colin understood that He took a deep breath, looked up, and finally greeted Eileen. ¡°Hi.¡± Eileen thought for a moment, then asked, ¡°Do you have a video of you dancing?¡± Colin was taken aback. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Let me see¡± Colin was dumbfounded. Ophelia looked surprised too. You can dance? Street dance?¡± ¡°A little bit ¡°Eileen didn¡¯t exin further, and she just waved her hand. ¡°The video.¡± Colin hurriedly took out his phone and showed her the video. The dancested five minutes. Since Colin had no dance background and Fiona did, the choreographer highlighted Fiona to make up for Colin Eileen watched it twice, then asked Colin. ¡®Do we have time to rehearse?¡± Colin checked the clock on the wall We have about half an hour till my turn, should be enough. But can you really dance street dance?¡± I dunno, give it a shot, Eileen said, ¡°Lead the way¡± Colin looked at Ophelia again Ophelia was also at her wit¡¯s end. She gave Eileen a hard look, scratched her head, then finally gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Alright, go. If it really doesn¡¯t work out, Doreen will have to step in Colin quickly led Eileen towards the dance room Twenty minutester, Doreen arrived, huffing and puffing. As soon as Ophelia saw her, she hurriedly dialed Colin¡¯s number. It took several attempts before the call finally went through. Colin¡¯s voice was full of excitement, ¡®Ophelia, Eileen¡¯s doing great. Gotta go, we¡¯re about to go on stage.¡± And with that, the call ended. Ophelia stared at her disconnected phone, thought for a moment, then pulled Doreen along to the broadcast hall. They had just reached the door of the hall when they saw the host on stage with a microphone, ¡°Next up, we have Colin from EchoWave Media Group. Colin, twenty years old, will be performing the Morico dance. And joining him on stage is his dance partner¡­¡± The host hesitated noticeably at this point. Then, with widened eyes, he checked his cue cards for quite some time before he continued hesitantly, ¡°Eileen. Let¡¯s give them a warm wee¡± Chapter 56 Chapter 56 Meanwhile, when Sawyer rushed to Capital TV, he spotted a flustered person standing at the entrance of the television station. Upon seeing Sawyer, the man eximed, ¡°Thank God, you¡¯re finally here, Chad Lopez has been waiting for you for ages.¡± Sawyer nced inside and asked, ¡®Where¡¯s Chad?¡± ¡°The stations management is giving him a tour. Let¡¯s go in quickly¡­ they¡¯reing out Following the man¡¯s pointing finger, Sawyer saw Chad being escorted out by the station¡¯s directors. Though Sawyer often acted cocky in front of outsiders, he didn¡¯t dare to be so in front of his uncles, He instantly put on a fawning smile and went up to greet Chad. Chad looked at him with a nk expression and sneered, ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t even show up.¡± ¡°Chad, don¡¯t mock me. I rushed over as soon as I received Bernie¡¯s call Sawyer carefully took Chad¡¯s arm and led him aside, then said. ¡°Chad, don¡¯t tell my dad Im at the Capital, if he finds out, he¡¯ll beat me again. Chad pulled his arm back and said coldly. ¡°Are you still scared that he¡¯ll beat you?¡± Sawyer was almost in tears, ¡°Chad.¡± Chad said, ¡°I arrange a job for you in thepany, and you¡¯re always cking. This time is even worse, you ran away in the middle of a project meeting. causing the whole department to stop working because of you¡± ¡°What?¡± Sawyer scratched his head, Didn¡¯t I tell them to handle it themselves? I had important things to attend to¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°What important things?¡± Chad¡¯s face darkened. Sawyer quickly said, ¡°Isn¡¯t my aunt¡¯s matter important?¡± ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Chad was taken aback, his deep gazes immediatelynded on him, ¡°What do you mean? Sawyer quickly exined what happened But he added. ¡°Actually, you cant me the girl entirely, I think there could be a misunderstanding¡± Chad¡¯s face was full of gloom, it was so thick that it seemed to overflow. Sawyer was a bit scared. His aunt had been missing for many years, but his family had never given up looking for her Now Mr. Reed was getting too close with another gul Sawyer regretted speaking out, he actually liked Eileen, so he quickly exined, ¡°It¡¯s really not her fault, and I have an indirect way, Chad, do you think, if t pursun Eileen first, Mr. Reed wont have a chance¡± Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Chad¡¯s icy gaze Sawyer was startled and immediately shut up. ¡°Elleen?¡± At this moment, one of the stations directors eximed, ¡°The temporary dance partner brought by EchoWave Media Group? Eileen is going to dance on our show? She¡¯s already preparing? With her reputation, she¡¯s going to be on our show? Before Sawyer could react, Chad beside him had already walked past him and strode towards the people of the television station. Sawyer pped his forehead, thinking that things were going to turn bad The host on stage was having a hard time introducing Eileen stood in the waiting area, looking at the restless Colin next to her and asked curiously, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Colin couldnt calm down and kept moving on the spot, ¡®I¡¯m nervous¡± Eileen nced at the audience below the stage, the three judges, six senior artists, and half of the studio audience ¡°It¡¯s just a few people, what are you nervous about? Colin widened lys eyes, ¡°Just a few people? There are at least over two hundred¡± As soon as his words were out, the host in front called, ¡°Let¡¯s wee them¡± Eileen, dressed in a ck midriff-baring stage costume and a pair of matching sequin hot pants, walked out naturally. Colin followed two steps behind her and quickly caught up As soon as they stepped onto the stage, the lights in the venue dimmed. In the dark environment, Colin¡¯s lense mood eased a bit. Then, the music started Ophelia sat in thest row of the audience in the studio, her mouth wide open in surprise, staring at the man and woman performing passionately on stage Especially Eileen. The screams of the audience below the stage came wave after wave, pushing the atmosphere of the venue to a climax. Doreen excitedly patted Ophelia¡¯s arm, ¡°Ophelia, do you see it, do you see it?¡± Ophelia¡¯s hand hurt from the patting, she pulled it back and said, ¡°I see¡± ¡°Eileen is really amazing!¡± Just as she finished speaking, Colin on stage began to sing. His voice was average, and this song was a live performance. He was singing and dancing at the same time, and his breath was already somewhat unstable Ophelia frowned as she heard the audience¡¯s screams significantly weakened, and she was very worried. At this moment, Eileen on stage suddenly walked over to Colin and put one hand on his shoulder. Their movements changed from individual actions to duo actions. Colins dance basics were not good, but Eileen¡¯s dance movements were beautiful and smooth. The exmations from the audience resounded once again. This time, Ophelia was truly stunned. Doreen was also stunned, ¡°This part, it seems it wasn¡¯t prepared in advance, I didn¡¯t see this part in the video¡± ¡°Indeed there wasn¡¯t.¡± Ophelia said in a low voice, and she had also watched the video before. Doreen muttered, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t, then it means they improvised it?¡± Two people who were not professional dancers managed to improvise such a high difficulty series of movements in less than twenty minutes? Although in this series of movements, Eileen¡¯s dance part ounted for 80 percent while Colin only ounted for 20 percent. But the visual effect was really good. As the excitement of the audience almost reached the breaking point. Ophelia felt both angry and happy. In the end, she said, ¡°How much more is Eileen hiding from me? Is this what she calls knowing a little bit¡¯?¡± Doreen said, ¡®She¡¯s really good at dancing¡± At the back door of the studio. Sawyer was caught between being attracted by the beautiful girl on stage who had the whole audience screaming and cautiously looking at the man beside him who had a furrowed brow and a cold expression from start to end. When the dance ended and the lights in the studio came back on Sawyer just heard Chad whisper, ¡®So she¡¯s Eileen?¡± Chapter 57 Chapter 57 ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s Eileen Sawyer said with caution Chad didn¡¯t respond. His gaze was cold and sharp, filled with a hint of doubt, staring at the girl on stage for a good while. Then the girl suddenly turned and left ¡°Where¡¯s she off to?¡± He asked immediately Sawyer exined. ¡°Seems like she¡¯s just a dance partner. After the dance, she went off stage. The dude she was dancing with is thepetitor, and he needs to stay on stage for the judges¡¯ remarks¡± Chad furrowed his eyebrows. Sawyer tentatively said, ¡®So about her¡­¡± ¡°Where¡¯s backstage?¡± Sawyer was taken aback, ¡°What?¡± When Eileen walked off the stage, she went to change her outfit. When she reappeared, she saw Colin was still receivingments from the TV broadcasting nearby Elleen didn¡¯t continue watching, she zipped up her thick coat, turned around and left the dressing room. As she walked out, she ran into someone right at the door. It was a man, looked to be in his 30s, with deep-set eyebrows and handsome features. His gaze was icy cold and stern. Eileen raised an eyebrow, not recognizing him, so she tried to leave. But the man suddenly grabbed her arm. Eileen quickly stepped back, pulling her arm away, giving him a cold look. Chad was also taken aback, looked at his own hard hanging in the air, frowned, dropped his hand, then looked at the girl in front of him, ¡°Eileen?¡± Eileen coldly responded, ¡°Yes, what do you want?¡± Chad was speechless. This girl, she was a bit fierce, wasn¡¯t she? Eileen scoffed. She was familiar with men who were outwardly polite, good looking, but filthy inside. He didn¡¯t even know her and he just touched her, This kind of man, obviously not a good guy. After saying that, seeing him frowning, staring at her silently, she added, if you have nothing else, get out of the way. Don¡¯t you know you¡¯re not good-looking?¡± Chad¡¯s frown deepened However, Eileen just walked past him and left. It wasn¡¯t until Eileenpletely disappeared that Sawyer cautiously emerged from the side, standing next to Chad, ¡°Chad?¡± Chad looked at him with a gloomy face, ¡°You said she¡¯s filming with Hartley now?¡± Sawyer hesitated and nodded. ¡°Yes¡± Chad looked in the direction where Eileen disappeared. ¡°Don¡¯t you think she looks.. familiar?¡± Sawyer immediately responded, ¡°Yes, don¡¯t you think she looks like my future wife?¡± Chad was speechless. Sawyer mumbled, ¡°If I gift her a Ferran, do you think she would date me?¡± Chad smacked him on the back of his head, ¡°Are you asking for a beating?¡± When Eileen reached the entrance of the TV station, she saw that Ophelia and another girl were already waiting for her. She walked over, but found that the way they were looking at her was a bit odd. Eileen touched her face, Whats up?¡± Ophelia was quiet for a moment before saying. ¡°Get in the car¡± The three got into the car, with Doreen sitting in the passenger seat. Eileenfortably sat in the backseat, with her legs crossed. From the tearview mirror, Ophelia saw her self-satisfied expression and couldn¡¯t help but feel annoyed. She asked, ¡°When did you start learning street ¡°dance? It¡¯s not in your talent file at thepany¡± Eileen casually swung her leg and said, 1 didn¡¯t know before¡± ¡°So when did you start learning?¡± Eileen thought for a moment, ¡®Probably half an hour ago?¡± Ophelia was a bit angry, ¡°Can you please be serious?¡± Eileen responded innocently, ¡°It really was half an hour ago. Didn¡¯t you see me constantly watching the tutorial videos? I watched it several times, and studied it very seriously.¡± Ophilia frowned, ¡°Fine, if you don¡¯t want to say it, don¡¯t say it. Anyway, thanks to you, Colin advanced, and with an A rating, it¡¯s a good start¡± Hearing this, Eileen immediately leaned forward, and tentatively asking. ¡°Since it¡¯s thanks to me, do I get a bonus?¡± Doreen in the passenger seat couldn¡¯t help butugh. Ophelia said irritably, ¡°All you think about is money. It¡¯s the end of the month. Your sry is about to be paid¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Eileen leaned back in her seat disappointedly. ¡°The sry is so low. My base wage is only two hundred dors¡± Ophelia nced at her, ¡°You¡¯ll also get paid for Traveller 5+1; that should be around two to three thousand dors.¡± Eileen immediately sat up straight, ¡°Two to three thousand dors?¡± Ophelia answered. ¡°You¡¯ve filmed three episodes, each episode pays two thousand dors. So in total, you have six thousand dors. After thepany takes its cut and taxes, you should still get over two thousand dors.¡± Eileen said with satisfaction, That¡¯s good then.¡± Doreen in the front couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°An issue only pays two thousand dors? I heard that other guests are paid several hundred thousand dors per episode, Egbert even higher, several million dors.¡± Ophelia exined, ¡°Shes a Travel Concierge, basically a gopher, plus she was filling in for Colin, so the price was discounted¡± ¡°But Eileen is famous now, right?¡± Everyone in thepany knew that Eileen made it in the hot topic in Traveller 5+1 because of her knife skills challenge video Ophelia responded, ¡°So starting from next episode, the price will go up. The PR department is already negotiating with the Traveller 5+1 crew. After dropping Eileen back to the set, as soon as Ophelia returned to thepany, the manager immediately went to her. ¡°What, they want to rece her?¡± The manager also looked unhappy, ¡°We don¡¯t understand it either, but the Traveller 5+1 crew insisted on recing her, Eileen won¡¯t be needed for the next issue.¡± Ophelia angrily said, ¡°On what grounds?¡± The manager didn¡¯t say anything. Ophelia looked at her, ¡°Do you know why? Is it because the price increase was too much?¡± The price is definitely not too high.¡± The manager looked at Ophelia and sighed, ¡®Apparently it¡¯s because of Aurora. ¡°Aurora?¡± ¡°You might have noticed, Aurora¡¯s been making the rounds for the Goldie Award nomination. Her romantic partnership with Egbert started a long time ago. On thest recording, lots of folks were betting on them meeting up, but Egbert ended up teaming with Eileen. The very second that episode wrapped up, Aurora¡¯s manager started pressuring the show to dump Eileen. If Eileen appears on Traveller 5+1 again, Aurora¡¯s gonna bail.¡± ¡°She can bloody well bail!¡± Ophelia snapped, ¡°Who does this woman think she is? Her word isw now?¡± The manager just shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s they of thend right now. The show picked Aurora and sacrificed Eileen. You need to find a time to break it to her.¡± By the time Eileen found out she was getting axed from Traveller 5+1, it was already nighttime. After hanging up on Ophelia, shey on her hotel bed, pondering for a bit before pulling out her phone to open their group chat. Thest message in the chat was from the night they made the group. Eileen hesitated for a second before finally dropping a message in the chat. Eileen: (I got axed] Chapter 58 Chapter 58 After the news was sent out, two minutes passed before someone responded. Phyllis: ¡°What?¡± Eileen: ¡°I won¡¯t be on the next issue.¡± Bblythe: ¡°No way!¡± Josiah: ¡°WTF?¡± Bblythe: ¡°Was it that bitch¡¯s doing?¡± Phyllis: ¡°Wow, Bblythe¡¯s swearing now?!¡± Eileen: ¡°@Bblythe, The production team didn¡¯t say why. I guess maybe they didn¡¯t want to give me a raise, so they reced me.¡± Josiah: ¡°Yeah, Eileen¡¯s poprity has increased, she should get a raise. By how much? Usually, it¡¯s around 30%.¡± Eileen: ¡°Maybe they thought my raise was too high, so they didn¡¯t want to.¡± Josiah: ¡°How much were you asking for?¡± Eileen: ¡°My agent said at least five times more.¡± Josiah, Bblythe, and Phyllis were all a bit speechless. Josiah: ¡°Half a million dors? Yeah, that¡¯s a bit steep¡­¡± Eileen: ¡°It¡¯s ten thousand dors.¡± Josiah: ¡°What?¡± Bblythe: ¡°You are joking, right?¡± Phyllis: ¡°Really?¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Eileen: ¡°My previous sry was two thousand dors per episode, now I want to episode, and the production team disagreed.¡± Bblythe: ¡°How the hell did you ept two thousand dors before?¡± Eileen: ¡°I was short of money at that time.¡± increase it to ten thousand dors per Bblythe: ¡°Even if you were desperate, you shouldn¡¯t have epted that price¡­ But I won¡¯t be on the next episode either, my agent is discussing the termination of the contract.¡± Bblythe: ¡°@Josiah, only you and Egbert are left. Good luck.¡± At the other end of the city, in a luxurious, spacious apartment, Egbert, bare-chested with a towel wrapped around his waist. He had juste out of the bathroom when he heard his phone ringing on the bed. He walked over, picked up the phone, and nced at the group chat. As he read, his expression gradually turned cold. After a while, he made a call. Eileen wasn¡¯t upset about not being able to participate in the variety show. If the production team thought she wasn¡¯t worth ten thousand dors and wanted to rece her, there was nothing she could do. She mentioned it in the group chat because they had all been getting along very well, like friends. Since she wasn¡¯t going to be on the next issue, she thought she should let her friends know. After notifying everyone in the group chat, Eileen put the matter aside. Several days of shooting had passed, and Eileen had also forgotten about this matter until Lenwood suddenly asked her about it, ¡°Eileen, aren¡¯t you supposed to be recording the variety show tomorrow?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going anymore.¡± Eileen was sitting on a small stool reading a script, she looked up and said, ¡°I won¡¯t be on the show starting from this episode.¡± Lenwood was surprised: ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going? I saw your show, it¡¯s quite popr.¡± Eileen shrugged: ¡°The contract renewal didn¡¯t go well, so I¡¯m not going.¡± Lenwood didn¡¯t know the specifics and said, ¡°Then if you¡¯re not going, shall I schedule you for filming tomorrow?¡± Eileen gave an ¡°ok¡± hand gesture. Bartley was sitting next to her. After hearing this, he hesitated for a moment, then took out his phone and sent a message to his brother. This was Sawyer¡¯s request. He wanted Bartley to immediately inform him about any news regarding Eileen. Even though Bartley didn¡¯t think Sawyer had a chance with Eileen, but after all, he was his brother, so he temporarily agreed to his request. The next day, Eileen¡¯s scenes were scheduled for noon. She slept inte. When she got up, it was already past ten in the morning, and she went downstairs for breakfast. The buffet restaurant was empty at this hour. She got some milk and sandwiches and found a quiet spot to sit down. Not long after she sat down, a man and a woman sat behind her. Eileen was initially indifferent, but suddenly heard the man angrily say, ¡°What¡¯s going on, why isn¡¯t Eileen here?!¡± Eileen was startled and looked back. The man and woman were looking at their phones and didn¡¯t notice her. The woman also frowned and said, ¡°Why isn¡¯t Eileen here? And why isn¡¯t Bblythe here either? Oh my god, even Egbert isn¡¯t here?!¡± Eileen was stunned. She knew that Bblythe wasn¡¯t there, but Egbert wasn¡¯t there either? The seats weren¡¯t far away. Eileen could hear the sound of the director¡¯s muffled voice from the couple¡¯s phone: ¡°Wee back, Kaleb¡­¡± ¡°So it¡¯s true. Someone said before that Egbert was only filling in for Kaleb who was hospitalized. I didn¡¯t believe it, but it turns out it¡¯s true. Now that Kaleb is better, Egbert probably won¡¯t appear anymore.¡± The woman said with a disappointed face. ¡°No Egbert, no Eileen, and neither Phyllis nor Bblythe areing. What¡¯s interesting about this boring show? I¡¯m not watching it anymore.¡± The man turned off his phone in frustration and actually stopped watching. Eileen turned back around and continued eating her breakfast. After a while, the man and woman behind her left. Eileen thought for a moment, took out her phone, and opened Twitter. Twitter stayed on the login screen for a long time, finally indicating that the password was wrong. Sure enough, her password had been changed again. Eileen cracked the password in twenty seconds. After logging in, she was about to search for the official ount of the production team, but saw the trending topic #Traveller 5+1 Major Changes #, ranking first in real-time trends. She clicked in and saw that the top post, posted ten minutes ago, was from a variety show news ount saying that from this episode onwards, the fixed guest lineup of Traveller 5+1 had undergone major changes. Kaleb returned, Egbert, Bblythe, and Eileen all exited at the same time. Eileen clicked to view thements. The topment was ¨C ¡°I¡¯m not watching this show anymore.¡± Thisment had received over twenty thousand likes. Eileen kept scrolling down and thements were basically all like, ¡°I¡¯m ditching this show, man.¡± Someone even posted thetest stats saying that when the previous three episodes of Traveller 5+1 were aired, the minimum live audience was still a whopping fourteen million. Today, as soon as the show started, the viewer count did skyrocket to thirty million alright. But then, the moment they announced the guest change, the audience just bailed. Right now, the live viewer count had hit an all-time low, only five million left and it was still dropping. After browsing for a bit and getting the general gist, Eileen logged off Twitter. She clicked back into the group chat and saw a message Phyllis had sent five minutes ago: ¡°@Egbert, you¡¯re ditching the show too?¡± It took Egbert a while to reply: ¡°Yep.¡± Phyllis: ¡°LOL, I¡¯m watching the live now, I swear Josiah looks like he¡¯s about to cry.¡± Bblythe sent a few pictures. Eileen clicked on the images Bblythe had sent, all screenshots from the live stream. In them, Aurora¡¯s face darkened instantly when she heard Egbert wasn¡¯ting on this episode. Bblythe: ¡°LOL, this is just too funny.¡± Looking at the photo of Aurora¡¯s sour face, Eileen couldn¡¯t help but startughing too. Chapter 59 Chapter 59 Eileen was in a great mood, humming a tune as she headed downstairs after breakfast, ready to hit the shooting site. However, as she stepped out of the hotel, a red Ferrari pulled up before her eyes. Eileen instinctively tried to go around it. Then the car door opened, and out came Sawyer, trying to look cool. He took off his sunsses, ced his hands on the roof of the car, and looked at Eileen across the car. He asked with a smile, ¡°Where are you off to? The shooting site? I can give you a ride.¡± Eileen frowned. She hadn¡¯t seen this guy in a few days and thought he had left. But here he was again. She didn¡¯t want to deal with him and turned to leave. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t rush off. I came to apologize,¡± Sawyer said, looking at her with a smug smile. Eileen raised an eyebrow. ¡°Apologize?¡± ¡°For what happenedst time,¡± Sawyer said, handing her the car keys. ¡°This is my apology gift.¡± Eileen looked at the keys, noticing the Ferrari logo on the key ring. Sawyer stepped closer, a mischievous grin on his face. He leaned in and said in a low voice, ¡°Tonight, let¡¯s go for a drive.¡± Eileen grabbed him with one hand and tossed him aside like a rag doll. She looked down at him and said, ¡°Because you¡¯re family with Bartley, I¡¯ll let you off this time.¡± Sawyer rubbed his sore butt, got up, and said angrily. ¡°We were just going for a drive, I didn¡¯t mean anything else by it. I even gave you the car.¡± Eileen scoffed, ¡°Did I ept your car?¡± Sawyer quickly extended his hand, ¡°Then take it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want it,¡± Eileen said, walking past him. Sawyer followed her, ¡°Eileen, you must see that I¡¯m chasing after you.¡± Eileen walked briskly. Sawyer followed suit, ¡°Wait for me.¡± Eileen entered Cinema City, thinking Saul wouldn¡¯t be able to get in, but to her surprise, he came in with an employee pass. Eileen was annoyed. She ran back to the shooting site and saw Bartley reading the script. She walked up to him and took the script from his knee. Bartley looked up, puzzled. ¡°Ms. Lopez?¡± Eileen pointed at the door with a grim face, ¡°Your brother¡¯s gone nuts. Take him to the hospital.¡± Bartley turned around in surprise to see his brother, indeeding in. Not justing in, his brother was even whining to Ms. Lopez, ¡°Do you know how much I¡¯ve gone through to see you? My uncle had found out so I was tortured at thepany for a week. I barely managed to escape and came to find you right away. Please look at me.¡± -Bartley was shocked. So this was Sawyer¡¯s way of pursuing a girl? ¡®Don¡¯t do this. You¡¯re making Ms. Lopez ufortable,¡± Bartley quickly advised. Sawyer red at Bartley, ¡°Are you even my brother? Instead of helping me, you¡¯re adding to the mess?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not adding to the mess.¡± Elleen had had enough of their nonsense. She threw the script back to Bartley and warned them, ¡°Don¡¯t bother me again. Is that clear?¡± Eileen stormed off to change. As she came out of the dressing room, her phone rang. It was a call from Ophelia. She answered the call in the corridor, ¡°Hello.¡± ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. On the other end of the line, Ophelia wanted to discuss work. Fancy Ind was a 20-episode web drama that could finish shooting in just over a month if everything went smoothly. They had already been shooting for half a month. Ophelia called to tell Eileen she had found a new variety show for her, scheduled right after Fancy Ind wrapped up. ¡°What show?¡± Eileen asked. Ophelia answered, ¡°Survival,¡± Eileen paused, trying to recall if such a show existed in her past life. Maybe there was, but it wasn¡¯t well-known, so it was forgotten. As expected, Ophelia quickly exined, ¡°It¡¯s a web show. It might not get much attention when it airs, but they¡¯re offering you a nice pay. You¡¯re a fixed guest, and they¡¯ll give you $20,000 per episode.¡± For a web show, $20,000 per episode was a hefty sum. Eileen was immediately attracted by the figure. But she was puzzled, ¡°Are they really willing to pay me that much? Why? Even Traveller 5+1 wasn¡¯t willing to pay me $10,000.¡± ¡°Traveller 5+1 didn¡¯t because. Anyway, forget about that awful show. The director of Survival invited you because he saw your knife skills video. They¡¯re sincere, and the price is right. Plus, you need to stay visible to the audience after Fancy Ind. There¡¯s no harm in being on the show. Consider it a fun experience.¡± Eileen was already captivated by the $20,000. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. But what exactly will I be doing on the show?¡± she asked. Ophelia answered, ¡°You¡¯ll mainly be learning some camping skills in the wilderness, like making fire with sticks, fishing, etc. It¡¯s a bit of a survival guide, probably simr to thoseid-back shows like Slow Life.¡± -Eileen readily agreed, ¡°Okay, I¡¯m in. Do I need to sign a contract? I¡¯ll take a day off toe back!¡± Ophelia replied, ¡°No need. I¡¯ll have someone bring the contract tomorrow for you to sign. You just focus on your shooting.¡± After hanging up, Eileen was thrilled. When she looked up, her smile vanished. That pesky Saul wasing after her again! Eileen turned tail and ran, ncing back as she did. She wasn¡¯t watching where she was going and bumped into a person. Because of inertia, her body tilted backward. Just when she was about to hit the deck, a strong hand suddenly wrapped around her waist, pulling her forward. Her forehead hit something warm, the guy¡¯s chest. She sniffed the familiar scent in the air. She was a bit taken aback, looked up, and saw a handsome face. It was Egbert. Beside him was another man looking totally gobsmacked, Louie. ¡°Watch your step.¡± Egbert¡¯s gentle voice came from above her head. Eileen quickly took two steps back, breaking away from Egbert¡¯s hold. She had just steadied herself when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around, and sure enough, it was Sawyer. Eileen¡¯s face changed instantly. She told Egbert, ¡°Your nephew is off his rocker.¡± Then she turned to Louie, ¡°Your family¡¯s nuts. Take him to a doctor before it¡¯s toote!¡± With that said, she bolted like a bat out of hell. Sawyer huffed and puffed to catch up. He had just turned the corner when he saw the two men he didn¡¯t want to mess with. He reacted quickly, turning to run, but his shoulder was grabbed. Louie¡¯s ominous voice came from behind, ¡°Sawyer, what are you doing here?¡± Sawyer turned around, trembling, and cried out in fear, ¡°Louie, Mr. Reed.¡± When Egbert turned around again, Eileen was already out of sight. He frowned at Sawyer, ¡°Do you know her?¡± Sawyer knew who ¡°her¡± referred to. He was torn between telling the truth or a lie. In the end, he decided to man up. He puffed out his chest and admitted loudly. ¡°Yes, I know her, I like her, I even want to woo her. Ah!¡± Sawyer clutched his head, looking fearfully at the stern and imposing Mr. Reed, and carefully said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I won¡¯t do it again. I know I messed up. Chapter 60 Chapter 60 For the next couple of days, Eileen was all-in, busting her chops on the filming of Fancy Ind. The shoot was jam-packed. Eileen waspletely engrossed in her work, Saul¡¯s glum figure only asionally visible when she lifted her head during breaks. But a few dayster, he was nowhere to be seen. Eileen didn¡¯t mind. In fact, she thought that was for the best, saving her the trouble of having to dodge him. But, thanks to Saul¡¯s frequent appearances, coupled with Eileen¡¯s loud reprimand that day, the whole crew now knew that Bartley and Saul were brothers. Bartley¡¯s status on set shot up instantly. Before, some of the staff didn¡¯t care too much for him because he often struggled to get the shots right. But now, no one dared toin. Bartley¡¯s attitude towards others remained as it was before, and he didn¡¯t act all high and mighty. But asionally, Eileen noticed a sh of coldness in his eyes when someone tried to suck up to him. Before she could catch a second glimpse, he was back to being the polite, diligent young man again. A month of shooting flew by. Eileen had been shuttling between the hotel and the set every day, having little contact with the outside world. Until one day, she bumped into Egbert at the entrance of Cinema City. Egbert had just stepped out of his car. He was wearing a dark coat, a white turtleneck sweater underneath, and a face mask. He was carrying a little girl in a white wool dress. The little girl was only two or three years old, her features indistinct. They entered through the back door. Eileen didn¡¯t pay much mind, but she ran into them again in the elevator. Eileen stood at the elevator door, debating whether or not to get in. Just as the doors were about to close, Egbert¡¯s slender finger pressed the open door button. ¡°Aren¡¯t you getting in?¡± His voice was as cold as eyer. Eileen pursed her lips and finally stepped in. The elevator doors closed. When Eileen was about to press her floor, she noticed that Egbert had already pressed it. She withdrew her hand and stuffed them both into her pockets. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you aroundtely.¡± Wanting to break the awkward silence in the elevator, Eileen initiated a conversation. Egbert nced at her. ¡°I wrapped up my work a while ago.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve wrapped up?!¡± Eileen had beenpletely out of the loop with the other film crew¡¯s progress. She scratched her face, ¡°So congrats?¡± Egbert: ¡°Congrats for what?¡± Eileen ¡°Never mind¡± The atmosphere turned even more awkward. Eileen simply looked up at the floor indicator. At that moment, she felt a light tug at her pants When she looked down, she saw it was the little girl that Egbert had brought along who was pulling at her. The little girl was very pretty, with delicate skin and exquisite features, like a little doll. Eileen had no idea what she wanted and asked, puzzled, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Then, Egbert called out to the little girl, ¡°Isabel.¡± The little girl, Isabel, nced at Mr. Reed, then at Eileen next to him, and suddenly asked, ¡°Are you my aunt?¡± Eileen was taken aback. Egbert was also taken aback. Eileen looked at Egbert, confused. Egbert bent down to pick up Isabel, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡± Isabel was reprimanded, and she pouted, looking down, but she still couldn¡¯t help but sneak a nce at Eileen. At that moment, the elevator reached their floor. Eileen was the first to step out. The Fancy Ind crew was supposed to go right. She took a couple of steps, then looked back and saw Egbert walking down the left corridor with the little girl. Eileen didn¡¯t think much of it. The morning shoot went smoothly, and at half past twelve, Lenwood called everyone for lunch. Eileen was now quite familiar with the woman in charge of meals. Every mealtime, she would happily take the woman¡¯s arm, signaling her. The woman was thoroughly annoyed by her, and with a helpless eye roll, she pulled out a box of her own private stash of food from underneath and shoved it into Eileen¡¯s arms, ¡°Here, take it and go.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Eileen hugged the lunch box, and like a smuggler, she sneaked into the back staircase. She opened the lunch box, and there were two big drumsticks and a few wings, clearly specially prepared by the woman! Just as she was about to happily dig in, she suddenly felt someone watching her. She turned around immediately, only to see a child¡¯s face peeking at her from around the corner of the stairs. It was the little girl that Egbert had brought in the morning, Isabel, right? Eileen found a clean newspaper, spread it on the stairs, and sat down. When she looked up again, she saw the little girl crouching at the edge of the wall, timidly looking at her. Eileen smiled and waved at her. The little girl looked surprised, looked behind her to make sure there was no one else, then cautiously pointed at her nose and asked softly, ¡°Are you calling me?¡± Eileen nodded, ¡°Come here.¡± The little girl ran over in tiny steps and obediently stood in front of Eileen. Eileen asked, ¡°Why are you running around alone? Where¡¯s the man who brought you here this morning?¡± The little girl obediently answered, ¡°Mr. Reed went out and hasn¡¯te back. Isabel was scared alone in the room.¡± Eileen guessed that the room she was talking about was probably the lounge. ¡°Even if you¡¯re scared, you can¡¯t just run around. What if you get lost?¡± Eileen lectured her. The little girl bit her lip, looking pitiful as she epted the scolding. Seeing her like that, Eileen found her adorable and patted her hair, ¡°Don¡¯t do that again next time.¡± The little girl seemed to not really care about what Eileen said. Seeing that Eileen didn¡¯t seem angry anymore, she approached a little closer, gently tugged at Eileen¡¯s clothes, and cautiously asked, ¡°Are you my aunt?¡± She had asked the same question in the morning. Eileenughed and answered, ¡°I¡¯m not your aunt, I don¡¯t have any siblings.¡± The little girl furrowed her brows and suddenly leaned in close, her big eyes just inches from Eileen¡¯s. Eileen couldn¡¯t help but step back. But the little girl followed with her short fingers gently touching Eileen¡¯s face. Eileen froze for a second. The little girl¡¯s fingers were very soft, and she could smell a faint fragrance from her. First, the little girl touched her cheek, then slowly moved upwards to touch her nose and eyes. Eileen had to lower the little girl¡¯s hand and warned her again, ¡°You can¡¯t just go around touching strangers. It¡¯s not good behavior, got it?¡± The little girl dropped her hand, blinked her big eyes, and said, ¡°Your eyes.¡± ¡°Is there something wrong with my eyes?¡± The little girl whispered, ¡°They¡¯re like my grandma¡¯s.¡± Eileen was a bit confused, ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Your nose is like hers, too. And your mouth.¡± Eileen couldn¡¯t help butugh, ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± The little girl suddenly jumped into Eileen¡¯s arms, clinging onto her roughly. ¡°You¡¯re my aunt.¡± Eileen had to put down the lunchbox in her hand, looking helplessly at the mischievous little girl in her arms, ¡°I¡¯m really not your aunt. You¡¯ve got the wrong person.¡± ¡°You¡¯re my aunt.¡± The little girl lifted her head, her small mouth puckered up, ¡°You¡¯re just like the aunt in my picture. Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Eileen was a bit exasperated. She stood up from the steps, finally saying in defeat, ¡°I¡¯ll take you to Egbert first. How do you just recognize anyone as a family?¡± With that, she extended her hand, ¡°Hold my hand¡± The little girl obediently took her hand. Eileen held the girl¡¯s in one hand and a food box in the other. They left through the backdoor and headed toward Egbert¡¯s lounge. Upon opening the lounge door, Eileen found it empty. Unwilling to leave the girl alone, Eileen decided to stay. She sat on the sofa and asked, ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± The girl shook her head. Eileen frowned, ¡°What¡¯s up with Egbert?¡± Sighing, she opened her food box, ¡°Shall we share this? You can¡¯t eat much, right?¡± The little girl immediately perked up, ¡°I don¡¯t eat much. Just a little.¡± Eileenughed at her response and used a disposable fork to scoop some food, feeding it to the girl, The girl opened her mouth wide and took a big bite. She ate with serious effort, her cheeks puffed out on both sides. Eileen also took a bite and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you know what your aunt looks like?¡± The girl replied with a mouth full of food, I¡¯ve never seen my aunt¡± Eileen raised an eyebrow, ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°My aunt¡¯s not home,¡± the girl said, swallowing her food and opening her mouth for another bite. Eileen chuckled, scooping up more food for her. The girl obediently took another bite. By the time they finished the food box, ten minutes had passed, and Egbert still hadn¡¯t returned. Having eaten her fill, Eileen felt sleepy and slumped onto the sofa. Seeing this, the girl, who had been sitting prim and proper, imitated her by lying back on the couch. Eileen nced at her and burst outughing. ¡°You¡¯re such a dork,¡± Embarrassed, the girl quickly sat up straight again, her face flushed. Finding her positionfortable, Eileen even propped her legs on the low table. Seeing this, the girl didn¡¯t imitate her. Instead, she crawled over and hugged Eileen¡¯s waist. Eileen absentmindedly hugged her back, saying, ¡°You need to stop randomly recognizing people as family. You¡¯ll get scammed one day.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not randomly recognizing people,¡± the girl rested her chin on Eileen¡¯s chest, Insisting, ¡°You¡¯re my aunt. I¡¯ve found my aunt. I¡¯m the best!¡± Eileen tapped her forehead, ¡°What a little dummy.¡± The girl pouted, looking unhappy. Eileen coaxed her, ¡°Alright, you¡¯re not a dummy.¡± The girl looked at her and said, ¡°Will youe home with me?¡± Eileen sighed, ¡®Silly girl, how many times do I have to tell you. I¡¯m not your aunt.¡± The girl stubbornly furrowed her brows, ¡°You¡¯re my aunt. My grandmother can vouch for me if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Quickly, the girl grabbed her smartwatch phone and dialed a number. The call was connected before Eileen could stop her. On the other end, a gentle female voice asked, ¡°Isabel?¡± Immediately, the girl replied, ¡°Sonia Lopez, this is Isabel.¡± The woman on the line asked, amused, ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you to call your grandmother? She¡¯s at the hospital and can¡¯t take calls right now. If you need something, you can tell me, okay?¡± Excited, the girl said, ¡°Sonia, I found my aunt!¡± The woman on the other end was taken aback. Facepalming, Eileen couldn¡¯t stand to listen anymore and said to the woman, ¡°This kid is talking nonsense.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking nonsense! She looked exactly like the woman in the photo! She looked exactly like my grandma, especially her eyes!¡± the girl retorted. The woman on the phone sounded rmed, ¡°Miss, who are you?¡± Only then did Eileen realize that she was a stranger who was with the girl. She quickly exined the situation. After hearing the exnation, the woman sighed in relief, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s what happened. Thank you so much.¡¯ She then addressed the girl, ¡°Isabel.¡± Isabel responded, ¡°Sonia¡± ¡°Isabel, stay put, sweetheart. I¡¯ll call Mr. Reed to pick you up right.¡± ¡°Isabel?¡± Before the woman could finish, a stern man suddenly appeared at the lounge door Seeing Egbert¡¯s return, Eileen quickly lifted Isabel and walked over. She handed the girl to him, saying, ¡°Here¡¯s your kid, I¡¯m leaving.¡± Egbert furrowed his brow, asking, ¡°What happened?¡± Eileen waved it off, ¡°You left her alone here, and she wandered off. I brought her back. Now that you¡¯re back, I¡¯m leaving. Bye, Isabel.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re my aunt!¡± Isabel insisted seriously Eileen just shook her head, saying to Egbert, ¡°This kid might have some cognitive issue. You should take her to a doctor.¡± With that, she turned to leave. ¡°Auntie. Mr. Reed. Auntie left.¡± The girl struggled in Egbert¡¯s arms. Egbert held Isabel tightly, turning to see that Eileen had already left his line of sight. Closing the door, he looked at Isabel and asked, ¡®You ran out?¡± Isabel immediately fell silent, sticking out her tongue nervously. She then raised her hand, attempting to change the subject, ¡°Mr. Reed, Sonia¡¯s call¡± Egbert looked at Isabel for a moment, waiting until she was about to cry before answering the phone, ¡°Sonia Lopez?¡± Sonia hadn¡¯t hung up yet. She sighed. ¡°Egbert, I¡¯m really sorry. Something came up at home, and I had to leave Isabel with you. Don¡¯t worry. Bernie wille pick her up soon.¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. Egbert ced Isabel on the sofa, saying, ¡°No worries.¡± Sonia asked, ¡°Who was that girl just now?¡± ¡°A friend of mine.¡± ¡°Isabel seemed to call her aunt?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Egbert looked at Isabel¡¯s disappointed face, patting her hair, ¡°She got it wrong¡± Sonia expressed her frustration, ¡®My mother-inw¡¯s getting on in years, and her health¡¯s been going downhill thesest couple of years. She can¡¯t get her younger daughter out of her mind. Isabel¡¯s probably heard too much from her granny and keeps asking to see her aunt. I hope she didn¡¯t give your friend a hassle.¡± ¡°No biggie,¡± Egbert replied nonchntly. At this point, Isabel, who had initially mmed up because she knew she had messed up, piped up softly, ¡°She is my aunt¡± Egbert nced at the pitiful-looking Isabel, then exchanged a few more words with Sonia. After hanging up, he instructed Isabel to look at him. He looked her in the eye and asked, ¡°Do you really think that woman is your aunt?¡± Isabel nodded firmly, ¡°She is my aunt!¡± Egbert¡¯s expression turned serious. After a moment, he furrowed his brows and stated, ¡°All right, I¡¯ll look into it.¡± Chapter 62 Chapter 62 The show. Survival, had almost no promotion or hype before it started No frills or gimmicks. The day after Fancy Ind finished filming, Eileen got a call from Ophelia right after she had left the set. Ophelia asked her to join the filming of Survival immediately ¡°Is it that urgent?¡± Eileen was surprised. Tm not sure,¡± Ophelia responded, ¡°The production team said the rainy season mighte early this year, so they want to start filming sooner.¡± ¡°They even differentiate between the rainy and dry seasons, Eileen remarked casually, ¡°They seem pretty professional. Alright, give me their contact info, and I¡¯ll get in touch with them.¡° Meanwhile, over at the Lopez family home in the Capital, Sarah was frantically getting her servants to pack. She nced at Hedy, who was leisurely munching on grapes on the couch. ¡°Why on earth are you going on that reality show? Just by the name, it sounds dangerous. If you really want to break into the entertainment industry, your father can invest in a TV show for you to star in.¡± Hedy swallowed her grape, grinning. ¡°Mom, the show isn¡¯t dangerous. It¡¯s just a camping trip. Besides, Hubery is going with me. If you don¡¯t trust me, don¡¯t you trust Hubery?¡± Sarah frowned, ¡°Trust him? And who is he?¡± Hedy was taken aback, looking at her mother. Sarah continued, ¡°The Cooper family has fallen. Hubery used to be their heir and now he¡¯s trying to pay off his debts by bing a little star. How pathetic! He¡¯s not worthy of you. Why are you still associating with him?¡± ¡°Mom,¡± Hedy protested, ¡®Don¡¯t look down on Hubery. I believe he will seed. What if he bes as sessful as Egbert and stands at the peak of the entertainment industry? Isn¡¯t that a kind of sess, too?¡± ¡°How could that be possible?¡± Sarah scoffed. Hedy took Sarah¡¯s arm and coaxed her for a while. Sarah was both helpless and soft hearted. Seeing that the servants had already brought down the luggage, she said, ¡°You all apany Hedy to the airport and follow her. Make sure to take care of her on the way. If she gets hurt even a little bit, I¡¯ll hold you responsible!* The location for the first episode of Survival was set in Brazil. Eileen found it amusing when she received her ne ticket from the production team. She had never heard of a reality show being filmed abroad before. How could she have missed such a huge project in her previous life? As soon as she got on the ne, Eileen fell asleep. Meanwhile, at the Lopez Group headquarters in the USA, Sawyer was busy at work when he received a phone call. A woman¡¯s voice on the other end asked, ¡°Is Mr. Reed seeing another woman?¡± Sawyer looked at the caller ID and paused for a moment before saying. ¡°ine Lopez, don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡± ine¡¯s voice was full of malicious intent. ¡®You know whether I¡¯m talking nonsense or not. Are you blinded by her beauty? Her name is Eileen, right? She¡¯s going to be on a reality show called Survival, isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°ine, what are you trying to do? Don¡¯t do anything stupid!¡± Sawyer started to panic. ine said, ¡°I¡¯m not going to do anything stupid, but I want her lo suffer. It¡¯s quite a coincidence that I¡¯m also participating in that show.¡± ¡°What? You, a soldier, why would you participate in a reality show?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just any reality show, and it¡¯s a jungle adventure show. It was originally a military project organized by the government, nned to be a documentary. But, due to the high budget and severe losses, it was changed into a reality show. To make it a reality show, they needed stars to join. In fact, we, the soldiers, are the real protagonists of the show. The stars are just there to attract sponsors and advertisers!¡± ine continued, ¡®Since it¡¯s such a coincidence that we¡¯ll be in the same ce, I¡¯ll cherish this opportunity. I¡¯ll meet Eileen in person when the timees.¡± ¡°ine, I¡¯m warning you, you better not.¡± ine had already hung up. Sawyer threw his phone down, running his hands through his hair in frustration! Aller thinking for a moment, he dialed another number. The call was quickly picked up, and a gruff male voice came through, ¡°Saul, what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Burton Lopez, are you still on duty?¡± ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Burton paused before answering, ¡°No, I just finished myst assignment. I¡¯m on break now, why?¡± ¡°Your sister is about to cause trouble.¡± ¡°My sister? ine? What did she do?¡± Sawyer quickly exined the situation. After hearing everything, Burton yelled out in anger, ¡°What? Someone is trying to steal our aunt¡¯s man?¡± ¡°Who told you that? She¡¯s not trying to steal our aunt¡¯s man, and it¡¯s ine! That crazy woman is looking for trouble with her!¡± ¡°Okay, I get it. I submit a report immediately and go with her to the show. But Saul, are you sure this woman doesn¡¯t have anything going on with Mr. Reed?¡± Sawyer wasn¡¯t sure. The day he confessed his feelings for Eileen, Mr. Reed punched him. But. ¡°No matter what, she can¡¯t get into trouble!¡± He ended the call quickly, feeling quilty Back in his army dorm, Burton looked at the disconnected call, feeling increasingly uneasy. Finally, he gritted his teeth and dialed Egbert¡¯s number. He was going to ask Mr. Reed face-to-face! When Eileen got out of the airport, she saw the show¡¯s crew member waiting for her. He was holding a big sign with ¡°Eileen¡± written on it Eileen walked over to him, but he just looked at her and continued holding up the sign. Wasn¡¯t he there to pick her up? She asked uncertainly, ¡°Is this the Survival show team?¡± The staff seemed surprised, saying awkwardly. ¡°Are you Ms. Lopez?¡± Eileen nodded sadly, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me.¡± Didn¡¯t the show crew say they admired her, and after seeing her knife skills video, they particrly wanted to invite her? Now that she¡¯s standing here, can the staff still not recognize her? The staff immediately replied, ¡®The car¡¯s waiting outside. Lets go to the gathering point first.¡± Eileen followed the other party out of the airport with some displeasure and then saw a slightly dirty small off-road vehicle parked outside. As soon as Eileen got in the car, she felt something was off. The car didn¡¯t look special from the outside, but the interior was all military grade. There was even a military walkie-talkie next to the driver¡¯s seat. Eileen frowned at the walkie-talkie The staff got into the driver¡¯s seat, noticed Eileen¡¯s gaze, casually put the walkie-talkie into the box in the back seat, and then started the car An hourter, they arrived at their destination, a temporary camp in the middle of nowhere. Eileen looked at the soldiersing and going in their military uniforms with a puzzled face. The staff led Eileen into a tent. There were already six or seven people inside. Eileen looked at everyone, all minor celebrities from the entertainment industry whose names she couldn¡¯t even remember. No wonder she¡¯d never heard of this show in her previous life. ¡°One, two, three, four.¡± The staff member who brought Eileen in counted the people, then said, ¡°There are ten celebrity guests in total. Three haven¡¯t arrived yet. When everyone¡¯s here, someone will tell you what to do next. Chill out for now.¡± With that, he left. Eileen stood at the tent entrance, looking outside, then inside, and finally at the people in the tent, all eyeing each other. Chapter 63 Chapter 63 In the end, Eileen walked into the tent and found a random spot to sit down. Just as she settled down, a male celeb next to her suddenly asked. ¡°Your phone still working?¡± Eileen took out her phone from her pocket and found that there was no signal. Seeing this, the male star sighed disappointedly. ¡°None of us can contact the outside world. We have no idea what¡¯s going on.¡± A female star asked fearfully. ¡°We haven¡¯t been kidnapped, have we?¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°They are regr soldiers.¡± ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re all in military uniforms. ¡°My family has members in the military. I recognize our country¡¯s army uniform.¡± Everyone was engaged in a heated discussion. After a while, the curtain of the tent was lifted again. Everyone turned to look outside. This time, two people came in. Eileens expression changed instantly when she saw their faces Hedy? Hubery? Hubery¡¯s expression also changed immediately when he saw Eileen. Hedy, standing next to him, was equally surprised, with her mouth wide open. A staff member at the entrance said, ¡°Now we have nine people, just one more. You two go in first. I¡¯ll call you when everyone¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Hedy immediately turned her head and asked, ¡°Where are my servants?¡± The staff member snorted. ¡°There are no servants here. Get in!¡± After saying that, he put down the curtain. Hedy was stunned. She turned around and saw Eileen staring at her emotionlessly Hedy was very scared. She remembered that Eileen had pped her and her mother before. Now her protectors and the servants were not here. She quickly hid behind Hubery. Hubery hadn¡¯t expected to meet Eileen again after Traveller 5+1. He looked unhappy and immediately took out his phone, intending to text his team to question what was going on. But he found no signal. He asked Hedy. ¡°Hedy, is your phone working?¡± ¡®Forget it. None of them work.¡¯ Someone said. Hedy took out her phone, and indeed, there was no signal. She timidly asked, ¡°Hubery, what¡¯s happened?¡± Hubery, of course, had no idea. He could only shake his head. The tent felt into silence again. Eileen was looking at Hedy across from her, then turned her gaze to Hubery. Suddenly, she couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud. Everyone instantly looked at her Covering her mouth, Eileen giggled and said, ¡®Sorry, I just thought of something funny.¡± Everyone else was silent Hubery and Hedy, who was a bit scared by her staring, were speechless. For the rest of the time, Eileen kept stealing nces at Hubery and Hedy. The more Hedy shrank back in fear, the more Eileenughed. The more Eileenughed, the more frightened Hedy became. It was a vicious cycle About half an hourter, the curtain of the tent was opened again, but no guests came in this time. A soldier in military uniform sternly told them, ¡°Everyone gets out,¡± The celebs looked at each other, none daring to be the first to go out. Eileen stood up first, calmly dragging her suitcase out. With someone taking the lead, others followed carefully. Outside, there were two military-looking instructors waiting for them. One of the instructors said, ¡°Put down your luggage!¡± Everyone put down their suitcases. Then, a few people came over and took all their luggage away Everyone was angry but dared not speak. Then, each of them was given a set of camouge uniforms. ¡°Change into the uniform, gather in five minutes. Girls to the left tent, boys to the right. Begin.¡± Upon hearing themand, the celebrities looked at each other, no one daring to move. Eileen didn¡¯t pay any attention to the others. She walked straight into the left tent. After she entered, people gradually followed and started changing clothes Eileen changed into the uniform in just one minute. Looking up, the other four girls were still hesitating, especially Hedy, who was standing in theer, holding the uniform with two fingers, sniffing it again and again, seemingly disgusted by the smell of the uniform and unwilling to put it on. Eileen snorted and left the tent. The soldier outside was a bit surprised to see her already changed and standing at attention. He looked at her a little longer. Five minutester, the instructor blew the whistle Two disheveled male celebs finally ran out of the tent. As for the girls¡¯ tent, except for Eileen, no one else hade out. The instructor, with a stern face, told the two men and Eileen, ¡°You, follow him.¡± So, Eileen and the two guys were rushed onto a jeep. The jeep was bumping along, driving for over an hour. When the car stopped again, it was in an open area. ¡°You.¡± The driver spoke to Eileen, ¡°Get off here.¡± Eileen was stunned, ¡°Just me?¡± ¡°Yes, get off ¡± Eileen frowned but opened the car door and got off As soon as she got off, the jeep drove away. Eileen stood there, alone. Looking up, she saw a drone flying overhead She quickly noticed the camera on the drone Eileen looked serious as she surveyed her surroundings. Behind her was the road they had traveled for an hour. In front of her was the direction the jeep had left. To her left was a forest, and to her right, a cliff. Eileen touched her face, then headed for the forest. Not until she entered did Eileen realize that this was not just a forest. It was a rainforest. The humid air permeated everywhere. Insects were crawling rapidly on the moist tree trunks and soil. The nts around her were tall, obviously untouched by humans. Amazon Rainforest. The term shed through Eileen¡¯s mind! Brazil, wasn¡¯t it the country that upies 60% of the Amazon Rainforest? After moving forward for a while. Eileen suddenly heard some noise. She turned around, and before she could react, a fist was flying towards her. Almost reflexively, Eileen dodged the punch. Her opponent seemed surprised that she managed to dodge but immediately switched tactics and attacked her lower body. Eileen narrowed her eyes, and on the third attack, she suddenly kicked out with her knee, breaking the opponents attack, and with a twist of her elbow, she directly hit the opponent¡¯s chest The opponent staggered back after taking the hit to the chest! Eileen seized this opportunity to turn the tables, pressing on relentlessly, forcing her opponent to switch from offense to defensel Eileen amped up the pace, not giving her opponent any chance to catch a breath! After more than fifty attacks, her adversary¡¯s movements began to slow Eileen seized an opportunity, kicked her over, bent over to press down on her back. As her opponent tried to roll over to avoid her, shended a punch on her belly! All she heard was a muffled grunt! Eileen¡¯s expression turned serious, and she twisted both of her opponent¡¯s hands. With two crisp sounds, both of her hands were dislocated ¡°Ahh.¡± The woman finally let out a sharp scream. It was a female voice! Eileen was not surprised, and she had figured out her opponent was female during their fight. Now that her opponent¡¯s hands were injured and she couldn¡¯t attack, Eileen finally stood up. She dusted off the dirt on her clothes, looking at the girl on the ground wearing the same camouge outfit, her face filled with disbelief and anger. She chuckled, ¡°I thought you were good. I also practice Conch¡¯s Tactical Martial Arts. I¡¯m already at level eight, how about you?¡± iney on the damp ground, covered in mud. She first looked at her immobile hands, then at the beautiful and intimidating girl standing in front of her. She was so shocked that she couldn¡¯t utter a word. Chapter 64 Chapter 64 Domestic time, ten o¡¯clock in the evening. On the government¡¯s official video website, a banner window quietly popped up,beled ¡°Survival of the Fittest.¡± If one clicked on it, they would find a big live room with nine sub-rooms on the side. Some were still nk, while others were already broadcasting. But who the hell would visit this governmental video sile? In this digital age, there were all sorts of video websites popping up everywhere, with a ton of TV shows, variety shows, you name it. Under these circumstances, the interface of this governmental video site was almost primitive, like it was thrown together at thest minute. Against the backdrop of other diverse video websites, it¡¯s barely noticeable. But this governmental video site did have its perks. It¡¯s the only ce people can find some old-school TV dramas or political shows that weren¡¯t avable anywhere else. But did that really matter? Who¡¯s going to watch old-fashioned state TV dramas and dead-serious political shows in this day and age? Survival was a live show, but since it wasn¡¯t advertised, it only had a hundred viewers ten minutes after it started broadcasting. -¡°Is anyone here?¡± -¡°Wait, there¡¯s a live show here?¡± -¡°What show is this? Can anyone exin?¡± A few randomments popped up. Suddenly, a stunningly beautiful girl appears on the screen. She stepped out of a car and stood alone, surrounded by primitive nts and cliffs She¡¯s in a camouge outfit like she¡¯s been abandoned in the wilderness. -¡°Am I seeing things? Is that Eileen?¡± -¡°Wow, I was just going to watch some old drama before bed, happened to click on this live room, and suddenly saw my favourite actress.¡± Confusedments appeared just as the girl decided to venture into the jungle. Suddenly, a person appeared out of nowhere and attacked her. -¡®Watch out¡± She dodged quickly retaliated On-screen, two girls in matching camouge outfits started fight fiercely in the damp jungle. They fought very hard, which was shocking. -¡°What on earth is this show?¡± -¡°Oh my God! Eileen looks so badass!¡± -¡°Wow!¡± -¡°Did you see that kick, that dodge? Did you hear that crack? Did she just break that person¡¯s wrist?¡± -¡°I just did a search, Survival, there¡¯s no info about this show. The description says it¡¯s a military adventure show in coboration with celebrities?¡± -¡°Only 200 viewers?¡± -¡°Eileen is here, and there are only 200 viewers? I don¡¯t believe it! I¡¯ve just recorded that fight and posted it on Twitter!¡± The people in the living room had no idea what¡¯s happening far away in the Brazil rainforest. Eileen beat ine, looking down at the panting girl on the ground, who¡¯s staring back at her. She squatted down, picked up a branch from the ground, poked the other girl¡¯s face, and said, ¡°Hey.¡± ine tumed her face away, frowning and looking very angry Eileen chuckled, ¡°Your fighting skills are just so-so, but you have quite a temper.¡± ¡°Who are you calling ¡®so-so?¡¯ ine struggled to get up. But her hands hurt so much she yelled in pain and had to lie down again. Eileen used the stick to scratch her neck, asking. ¡°Are you part of the crew? Howe I didn¡¯t see you before?¡± ine, frowning, reluctantly said. ¡°I¡¯m your teammate!¡± *Teammate?¡± Eileen scoffed, ¡°You attacked me as soon as we started, and you¡¯re my teammate?¡± ine¡¯s cheeks turned red. She clenched her lips and remained silent. Eileen looked at her for a moment, then squatted down and lifted up her right hand. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Before she can finish, she felt a sharp pain in her arm, and ine instantly broke out in sweat. Eileen picked up a thick branch from the ground, shook off the mud, stuck it in ine¡¯s mouth, and said, ¡°Bite this, don¡¯t yell.¡± ine¡¯s eyes widened. She tried to spit out the stick, but the next second, her arm was twisted again, and she can¡¯t help but nearly bite the stick in two. Three minutester, ine is soaked wet with sweat and spits out the pulverized stick! She weakly looked at Eileen, stayed silent for a while, then said, ¡°Thank you.¡± Even though it was Eileen who hurt her hand, at least she helped her reset it. Eileen stood up, still holding the thin branch, and casually asked ine, ¡°Are you a soldier?¡± ine wasn¡¯t surprised that Eileen guessed it. After all, she did give off a soldier vibe. Then she heard Eileen say, ¡°Your fighting skills are so poor. You¡¯re not from abat unit, are you? Are you in the band?¡± ine lifted her head angrily, feeling insulted, ¡°Who are you calling a band member?¡± Eileen raised on eyebrow, ¡°So, you look down on the band?¡± ine was, taken aback, quickly said, ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant ¡°So, what did you mean?¡± ine didn¡¯t know what to say. She opened her mouth but ended up telling the truth, ¡°I¡¯m. a recruit.¡± Eileen snorted, ¡®No wonder you¡¯re so reckless. Get taught a lesson by a veteran a few times, and you¡¯ll learn to behave. ine kept her mouth shut, but something about Eileen¡¯s tone felt off It¡¯s like she¡¯s the veteran. ¡°Why did you attack me?¡± Eileen asks again. ine felt awkward. She wanted to say, because I wanted to teach you a lesson, you know since you¡¯re fighting over a guy with my aunt! But now that she¡¯s been taught a lesson by Eileen instead, she definitely can¡¯t tell the truth, ine wasn¡¯t good at lying. She thought for a bit, carefully looked at Eileen, and countered ¡°Why do you think I attacked you? Eileen raised an eyebrow, ¡°Were you testing my skills?¡± ine¡¯s eyes lit up, and she quickly went along with it, ¡°You got it!¡± Eileen was speechless. How can this girl be so naive? Eileen looked at ine carefully for a while, then extended her hand and said, ¡°Get up.¡± ine nced at her hand, hesitated for a moment, but eventually took the hand offered to her. With a little help, she got up and introduced herself, ¡°Ill be your partner for the next two weeks. Call me ine.¡± Eileen withdrew her hand and stuck it in her pocket, ¡®Name¡¯s Eileen,¡± she responded. ine studied her for a moment before heading towards a tree and started to climb it. Her hands weren¡¯t exactly nimble, but she managed to mber up and fetched a military backpack from its branches. The backpack hit the ground with a thud. Elleen eyed it but made no move to pick it up. When ine got back down, she hoisted the backpack onto her shoulders and exined, ¡®This is our supply pack, it¡¯s heavy, I got it. I go first. You trail behind. The boss told us to look out for you celebs.¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Eileen raised an eyebrow, ¡°What¡¯s this show about anyway?¡± Elpine realized that many of the stars might not have the full picture, so she gave a brief rundown. Afterward, Eileen scratched her face with a twig and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t know it was this kind of gig when I signed up. I don¡¯t mind, but if the other guests find out, they might get a little peeved.¡± ine chose to remain silent, knowing that the production team would handle any issues with the guests. ¡°So, what are we supposed to do now?¡¯ Eileen asked. ¡°We need to find a map, ine replied. ¡°In two weeks, we have to locate the map and follow the route marked on it to get out of this rainforest. That¡¯s how weplete the mission.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s in it for us if weplete the mission?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a cash prize. The amount depends on how well we do.¡± Just as she finished, ine noticed that Eileen had stopped moving. Chapter 65 Chapter 65 ine frowned, asking in confusion, ¡°How did you?¡± ¡°Prize money¡±¡± The girl opposite her suddenly rushed over, grabbing ine¡¯s shoulder with a force that was somewhat terrifying. ¡°There¡¯s prize money? How much? How much? Tell me, how much is it?¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. ine was shaken until she felt dizzy, stammering out. First ce,one hundred thousand dors.¡± The shaking suddenly stopped ine, dizzy managed to stand up straight. When she lifted her eyes, she saw Eileen look at her with fierce anticipation. ¡°We have toe first! If you mess me up and cost me the prize money. I¡¯ll throw you to the wolves Eileen warned her ine was left totally clueless by the outburst. She angrily pushed Eileen¡¯s hand away, heading straight forward. ¡°I won¡¯t mess you up. just don¡¯t mess with me! I¡¯m also aiming for first ce. If I can¡¯t get first, then I might as well best. What are you doing?¡± ine was suddenly pulled back Turning to look, it was Eileen who had grabbed her backpack. Eileen quickly snatched ine¡¯s backpack, slinging it over her own shoulders Tll carry the bag. Ill scout ahead, you just follow behind and don¡¯tg For a hundred grand, I¡¯m all in!¡± ine was stunned and wanted to reach for her bag, but a thin branch smacked her hand back. Her hand turned red instantly. Eileen turned to her with a fierce look, ¡°Touch my stuff again, and I¡¯ll smack you!¡± ine was speechless. The stuff in the bag belonged to both of them. And as a soldier, she would definitely prioritize a civilian¡¯s needs. Was she worried ine would take the stuff for herself? ine¡¯s face darkened, wondering what Mr. Reed saw in this girl. But as Eileen had already assumed the role of leader, ine decided not to argue and quietly followed behind. It was almost noon The sun above them felt like it was baking them alive. They had walked for a while, and the heat was getting worse. ine had already taken off her coat, revealing the camouge tank top underneath. Seeing Eileen still didn¡¯t intend to stop, she couldn¡¯t help but suggest, ¡°Let¡¯s take a break.¡± The girl in front turned around to give her a disdainful look. ine hesitated, then exined, ¡°I¡¯m not trying to ck off. It¡¯s February now, and we¡¯re in the southem hemisphere, in Brazil. It¡¯s summer here, and the temperature in the rainforest can vary greatly between day and night. Right now, it¡¯s the hottest point of the day. almost 40 degrees Celsius. If we keep going, we¡¯ll get dehydrated.¡± Eileen saw that ine was indeed sweating a lot and said irritably, ¡°Why are you so weak?¡± ine retorted, ¡°I¡¯m not weak¡± She hadn¡¯t finished speaking when she saw Eileen¡¯s sweat-free forehead and shut up. She was surprised. This girl had incredible stamina and physical strength Eileen finally stopped to amodate ine She opened the backpack to check their supplies. Aside from some necessary ropes, a lighter, a shlight, and othermon tools, there were only two bottles of water, two packs ofpressed biscuits, and two sleeping bags in the backpack Eileen was surprised. ¡°Is that all?¡± ine wanted to grab a biscuit, but her hand was pped away just as it touched the food. ine withdrew her hand,ining. ¡°Why did you hit me?¡± Eileen frowned, zipping up the backpack. ¡°We can¡¯t eat these. We have to save them!¡± ine frowned, ¡°The biscuits and water are our food for the day We can set traps to hunt at night. There are wild chickens and other animals in the forest. We can get food by tomorrow morning¡± ¡°What if there¡¯s no food? Eileen looked around, finally pointing to arge tree not far away. ¡°We can eat that¡± ine looked over, ¡°Do you know what that is? The flora and fauna in the rainforest can be very dangerous. If you eat something ¡°That¡¯s an Ink Berry. It tastes sour, and the skin and seeds can be used as medicine. It¡¯s amon herb, and edible, not poisonous,¡± Eileen cut her off ine was taken aback, looking at Eileen in confusion, ¡°You can recognize herbs?¡± ¡°I know a few¡± Eileen finished, slung the backpack over her shoulder, and started climbing the tree She climbed so nimbly that ine felt like she had blinked, and Eileen was already up the tree, shaking the branches. Soon a bunch of bernes fell from the tree A few minutester, Eileen decided she had enough and jumped down from the tree, which was three meters high ine¡¯s eyes widened She could jump from such a height without needing to buffer the fall. Eileen picked up a whole fruit, wiped it with her sleeve, took a bite, and nodded, ¡°Pretty good. It doesn¡¯t taste sour¡± ine picked up a fruit, bit into it, and found it a little bitter and astringent It tasted awful ine didn¡¯t really want to eat it, but when she looked up, she saw Eileen had already finished one and was picking up others. ine hesitated, then took another bite. Eileen collected all the Ink Bernes in her hat, found a big tree to sit under and started eating Eileen had eaten over a dozen and was almost full. Seeing ine hadn¡¯t finished even one, she asked, ¡°Do you feel a little numb in your mouth? ine immediately nodded, ¡°I noticed it earlier!¡± Eileen said, That¡¯s right, Ink Berries have a numbing effect.¡± ine stiffened, looking at the remaining fruit in her hand, almost ready to cry. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier?¡± Eileen casually picked some small leaves from a nt by the road, bit off the tenderest part, and put it in her mouth. ine asked, ¡°What are you eating now?¡± ¡°Lemon Bar,¡± Eileen said, ¡°It tastes sour, and the stem can be used as medicine. These leaves can relieve numbness and refresh your mind. Eat some, and your mouth will stop feeling numb.¡± She generously handed ine the leaves in her hand ine tentatively ate a piece, put it in her mouth, and after a while, she found that her mouth wasn¡¯t as numb anymore. She eximed happily. ¡°It really works!¡± Eileen shot her a nce, ¡°What a dumbass.¡± ine was speechless. She didn¡¯t know about medicine or these nts. What¡¯s so weird about it? She turned her head, ignoring Eileen. But she got the point ¨C Eileen wouldn¡¯t let her eat thosepressed biscuits anymore. She reluctantly munched on the fruits and grass tps it felt kind of numb, then the numbness disappeared. She felt like she was eating poison and antidote back to back without knowing why When she no longer felt hungry, ine straightened her clothes, ready to tell Eileen to hit the road. But she saw Eileen climbing the tree again ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m picking more fruits, so that we can eat themter, Eileen replied from the tree branch. She started shaking the branch, ¡°Catch.¡± ine stood under the tree in disbelief What? Did she have to eat this for dinner too? I saw this show on Twitter is there really an Eileen?] [Poor ine! It reminded me of Egberts Nightmare biscuits and the four free sushi meals in Traveller 5+1] [Eileen. As long as it¡¯s free, I can keep eating Spend money on food? Use up supplies? Over my dead body.) [So annoying, I¡¯m trying to sleep here. Seeing this reality show, are they trying to keep me up all night? Keep it up, Eileen, for the prize money¡¯] [Thest live streaming room on the side just opened. Guess who I saw inside?) [I just came back from that live streaming room. You guys go check it out and tell me, was I hallucinating? Why did I see Egbert???] Chapter 66 Chapter 66 After packing up their fruits, Eileen and ine continued on their journey. Eileen, up ahead, was going at a pretty fast pace. The temperature in the forest was quite high. ine had no choice but to pick up her pace. All of a sudden, ine felt a sharp pain in her call! ¡°Ah!¡± she let out a shriek. Eileen turned around and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ine bent down to search through the thick bushes, ¡°Something bit me.¡± Eileen walked back and saw blood on ine¡¯s calf. She frowned and said, ¡°Sit down somewhere.¡± They found a rock to sit on. Eileen squatted down and rolled up ine¡¯s trouser leg. Two ck bite marks were bleeding. The sight of the ck bite marks made ine¡¯s face turn pale, ¡®Is it poisonous?¡± Eileen ced ine¡¯s leg on her knee and exerted pressure on the wound. Eileen was quite strong so ine grimaced in pain! ¡°It¡¯s a venomous snake,¡± Eileen said seriously. Her expression was stern. She used all her strength. Even though ine¡¯s skin was bruised from the pressure, she didn¡¯t stop until the blood that came out was red. She then breathed and said, ¡°Wait here.¡± After saying that, she put ine¡¯s leg down and looked around. ine looked at her own leg and bit her lip. Her eyes were a bit red. After all, she was still a young girl, and she was a bit scared. Eileen picked some grass, crushed it, wrapped it in a big leaf, then grabbed ine¡¯s leg and pped it down! ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Bear with it.¡± Eileen said calmly, ¡®You¡¯re a soldier. You should have endurance.¡± ine took a deep breath and asked softly. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It can reduce inmmation and detoxify.¡± Eileen took out a rope from her backpack, cut a piece off with a rock, and then tied up ine¡¯s leg After tying a bow, she stood up, dusted off her hands, and said, ¡°Your life is not in danger, but you need immediate treatment How can we contact the outside?¡± ¡°No! I won¡¯t quit!¡± ine said excitedly. Eileen ignored her, looked up at the drone in the sky, and waved at it. The drone flew down. After taking a close look at ine¡¯s wound, a voice from the drone¡¯s speaker Immediately asked, ¡°ine, do you choose to temporarily quit the adventure?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Temporarily?¡± Eileen, like a mafia boss, covered ine¡¯s mouth with one hand and asked the drone, ¡°How do you define temporarily¡±?¡± The speaker answered, ¡°In the team, any member who encounters danger can choose to quit the adventure actively or passively. If another team member finds a revival card, the member who quit can be revived.¡± ¡°There¡¯s also a revival card.¡± Eileen muttered, ¡°This game has many rules¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The speaker answered, ¡°The prize money is calcted based on the total team members. For example, in the first ce, one person gets a hundred thousand dors. But if only one member remains in a two-person team, the prize money will be halved, only fifty thousand dors.¡± Eileen was silent. She patted ine¡¯s shoulder and said seriously, ¡®Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll find a way to bring you back as soon as possible! You go and get treated now. As soon as I find a way, I¡¯ll save you!¡± ine struggled to push Eileen¡¯s hand away and stubbornly said, ¡°I won¡¯t leave! I can¡¯t let you face all this alone. What if you encounter danger?¡± ¡®The one who¡¯s in danger now is you!¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. 11:17 ine suddenly choked up, tears welling up in her eyes, ¡°My wound is getting better. I can hang on!¡± Eileen looked at her leg. ¡°There are only these few types of herbal medicines nearby, the effect isn¡¯t very good, you need professional medication, this is snake venom, this isn¡¯t a joke. If there are any complications, you won¡¯t be able to be a soldier anymore.¡± ine bit her lip and lowered her head, seemingly frightened by her words. Eileen didn¡¯t have time to argue with her anymore. She promised, ¡®I really will find a way to bring you back.¡± ine tightly grabbed Eileen¡¯s clothes, looked up at her, and said dependently. ¡°Then you must remember, okay?¡± Eileen nodded, ¡°A hundred thousand dors prize money, how could I forget?¡± ine was speechless. That¡¯s not what she meant. In the end, Eileen unterally decided that ine would temporarily withdraw. The program group arranged for a medical team to go directly into the rainforest to take ine away. After more than half an hour, Eileen could only continue on her own. It had to be said that going solo was much faster than going as a pair. In the blink of an eye, it was already afternoon. Seeing the sky starting to darken, Eileen decided to call it a day and find a ce to stay for the night. The rainforest at night was much more dangerous than during the day, and the temperature difference between day and night was huge, with temperatures reaching 40¡ãC in the afternoon but possibly dropping below freezing at night. Moving at night was a big challenge to one¡¯s stamina After making the decision, Eileen found a high ground, and while it wasn¡¯tpletely dark yet, she started to smash a tree bit by bit. She could only use a rock to smash it, she didn¡¯t have an are or a the only thing in her backpack was a folding knife, which was useless, so she had to make do with what she had. a saw, After chopping down four or five tree trunks, she used rocks and trunks to build a temporary hut by a large rock and then covered it withrge leaves to shield it from the rain. Finally, she started to dig a hole inside the hut. She wasn¡¯t digging a pit, but a slope, to ensure that if it along the slope. ained, the water wouldn¡¯t flow into where she was sleeping but would flow out It took her more than an hour to set up her temporary dwelling Then, she found some rtively dry branches and made a simple bonfire.. By this time, it was almostpletely dark. Eileen sat by the bonfire, skewering the Ink Berrie the fire. The roasted fruit tasted better than when eaten raw. with a branch and roasting them over Eileen ate half a pack of Ink Berries, felt full enough, picked a few grass tips to chew on, and then went back to the hut and crawled into her sleeping bag. [Wow, Eileen really knows how to do everything. If you tell me she¡¯s not a man, I wouldn¡¯t believe it!] [Powerful Eileen, who dares to challenge her!] [As a camping enthusiast, I have to say, even though her actions seem easy and her living conditions are pretty bare-bones, the physical effort required is ginormous. Has this woman been popping some sort of super pills?] (I couldn¡¯t care less about the rest. All I care about is that she¡¯s finally hitting the hay. Awesome, I can catch some z¡¯s too.] (I couldn¡¯t help but pull an all-nighter watching. Man, my eye bags are seriously bad.] After a long day, Eileen decided to hit the sack early. But just as shey down, the tranquility of the rainforest night was shattered by the sound of a fierce fight and a woman¡¯s scream. Elleen sat up in her sleeping bag, gazing toward the southwest. The sound came from that direction. Chapter 67 Chapter 67 Three ferocious and tawny maned wolves stood tall, and their teeth bared as they faced off their enemies with alertness. They were lean and muscr. From a distance, they looked like a cross between wolves and foxes, but they were nothing like the wolves most people know. Their terrifying howls echoed through the silent night, a clear warning to their foes. ¡°What should I do? What should I do now?¡± Hedy panicked, clutching onto the man in front of her. Her sharp and long nails nearly scratched his arm. The man, dressed in camouge and standing tall, furrowed his brows. As a soldier, he knew he shouldn¡¯t be rude to a woman, but the woman behind him was simply too annoying. He was on the verge of pushing her away. ¡°Cool it and stay behind me,¡± he said coldly. Then, he turned to another man, ¡°Mr. Reed, you too. You¡¯ve lost your team. Let me handle this.¡± Egbert, with his icy gaze and calm demeanor, was staring at the trio of towering wolves. He didn¡¯t even lift his head as he said, ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± ¡°Stop being so stubborn, get over here. Watch out!¡± Before he could finish his sentence, the tallest wolf from the group suddenly lunged at Egbert. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. The soldier was taken aback and was about to rush forward to help, but he found himself immobilized Hedy was clinging onto his waist, yelling, ¡°You can¡¯t leave. You have to protect me! You can¡¯t abandon me!¡± ¡°Let go, he¡¯s in danger!¡± The soldier struggled to free himself from Hedy¡¯s grip, only to find her suddenly kneeling down and clinging to his leg instead. ¡°Do you know who I am? If I get hurt, my father won¡¯t let you off!¡± The soldier was truly angered now. He grabbed Hedy¡¯s clothes, ready to push her away. Just then, the other two wolves lunged at him. His legs were restricted, and he couldn¡¯t dodge. His right arm and left leg were instantly seized by the wolves! ¡°Ah!¡± He cried out in pain. Seeing this, Hedy turned pale with fear and immediately let him go. Finally free, but it was toote. The wolves had already torn the flesh on his arm and leg. They were even trying to reach for his neck, aiming to bite through his throat. Just when the soldier thought he was going to die right there, two thuds were heard. The wolves attacking him suddenly went limp and backed away Covered in blood, he looked up to see two folding knives embedded in the hind legs of the wolves. The knives had gone deep, the wolves were seriously injured and bleeding Looking towards a nearby tree, he saw Egbert bncing on a tree trunk, his gaze sharp, his body leaning forward in a military offensive posture. Clearly, one of the knives was thrown by him. But the other one? Just then, he heard a noise from behind. Turning around, he saw a petite figure in a camouge suit swiftly blocking him. The girl¡¯s face was a little dirty, but it didn¡¯t hide her stunning beauty. Her expression was cold, and in her hand was a hemp rope. She was staring intently at the three injured wolves. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Her voice carried with it the moistness of the rainforest night. The soldier stared at the not-so-tall but extremely brave figure in front of him. His cheeks flushed, and he stuttered, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± came a response from the man on the tree. ¡°That¡¯s good. Stay there, and don¡¯te down. Don¡¯t distract me.¡± The soldier was instantly embarrassed. It turned out she was talking to Mr. Reed, but what did she mean by that? Before he could figure it out, the girl in front of him suddenly moved. She threw the hemp rope, which danced in the air like a whip. When itnded, it powerfully split the three wolves apart! Her movements were swift and her actions decisive. With a cold expression, sheunched a fierce attack on the three wolves! The scene that followed left the soldier bbergasted! Egbert was propping himself against the tree trunk, one hand on a branch beneath him. His gaze was deep andplex, following the girl¡¯s every move. He was waiting for any sign of her struggling, ready to jump down and assist her. If he helped her too early, she would be unhappy. The fight between human and beast ended quickly, within three minutes. The wolves let out mournful cries and ran into the forest. The air was still thick with the smell of blood. Egbert made a leap,nding effortlessly from the four meter high tree. He quickly approached the girl and grabbed her arm. There was a tear on the girl¡¯s sleeve caused by a wolf¡¯s w. Fortunately, her skin was unscathed. Egbert sighed in relief. Eileen was a bit taken aback by Egbert¡¯s action. She looked at the tear on her sleeve andughed. ¡°They couldn¡¯t get close to me,¡± she said nonchntly, pulling her hand back. She wiped the wolf¡¯s blood off her face with the back of her hand, then raised her other hand, in which she was holding two bloody folding knives. Egbert looked at the knives and fell silent. He suddenly thought of a possibility and asked uncertainly, ¡®Did you know you could have used a long-range attack to avoid closebat and distract them?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Eileen cleaned the blood off the knives with her sleeve, ¡°I could have climbed a tree.¡± Egbert frowned. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you?¡± Eileen looked up at Egbert, ¡°But if they ran away, how would I get my knives back? These are my supplies!¡± Egbert fell silent. Just as he thought, Eileen then turned around to put the knives away. She handed one of the knives to the soldier, who was still sitting on the ground and praised him, ¡°Good job, young man. You responded well. Even though your arm and leg were bitten, you managed to stab a wolf in the midst of chaos. You picked a good spot, the hamstring, effectively reducing their mobility¡± The soldier was taken aback. He looked at Egbert and exined, ¡°Actually, it wasn¡¯t me.¡± ¡°Are you guys okay?¡± A frail female voice came from behind a big tree. The three paused and looked up to see Hedy, her face pale with fear, appearing from behind the tree. She looked terrified, standing there timidly, clutching the corners of her clothes. Was she feeling wronged? Eileen chuckled softly and walked towards Hedy Hedy was startled as Eileen approached. She bit her lip anxiously and asked, ¡°What are you going to do?¡± A loud smack suddenly echoed in the silent rainforest at midnight. Hedy, covering her face in shock, couldn¡¯t believe what she saw She yelled at Eileen, ¡°You dare to p me!* Eileen pped her again, proving that, yes, she did dare. ¡°Ah!¡± Hedy screamed, covering the other side of her face, and quickly retreated. Her face turned pale, and suddenly, a bloody tooth was spat out. ¡°Eileen, I won¡¯t let you go!¡± Hedy roared, shaking. Eileen smiled and said: ¡°Funny, I won¡¯t let you go either.¡± With that, she lifted her foot and kicked Hedy away. Hedy fell heavily on the muddy gravel road. The pain made Hedy unable to move. Eileen put tier hands in her pockets, looking down at the girl on the ground, and slowly said: ¡°The first p was for thatd. He¡¯s a soldier and can¡¯ty his hands on you, so I vented for him.¡± ¡°The second p was for Egbert. He isn¡¯t a soldier and is such a delicate flower. He needs hot water to wash his face and has to eat three meals a day. He can¡¯t defend himself at all. If he couldn¡¯t climb trees, he could be dead by now. You blocked the rescue, so you deserve to be punished!¡± Egbert, who was present, was puzzled. Thest kick was for me, Eileen said with a grin: ¡°Because you ruined my clothes.¡± Chapter 68 Chapter 68 ¨C ¨C [What a hit! I was so bloody pissed off before!] [Who¡¯s that chick? I don¡¯t know her, and I thought all the folksing were celebs. Where did this normal persone from?] ¨C [Eileen is the absolute best!] [Eileen is really something. She dared to go hand-to-hand with that wolf and took on three at once! She¡¯s incredible!] [I had to go back and watch it again. If I¡¯m not mistaken, it was Egbert¡¯s thrown knife that hit the wolves¡¯ hind legs at the same time as Eileen¡¯s. Did I see that right?] ¨C [You¡¯re not wrong. It was Egbert¡¯s throw. I really didn¡¯t expect him to be that good.] ¨C [What the hell is Eileen talking about?] ¨C [I went back to look at how Egbert climbed the tree. He got up a four-meter tree in two seconds. That speed is not human!] [I tell you, that speed is special forces level.] [Special forces?] ¨C [Could it be that rumor is true? When Egbert first entered the entertainment industry, there was a rumor that his father was a high-ranking military officer and that he grew up in the army, but then all the news was cleared.] ¨C [Huh? The gossip I heard was that Egbert¡¯s family was in business and they were rich.] ¨C [There are too many rumors, don¡¯t believe everything. Just watch the show.] The rugged and winding mountain road at night was quite a challenge for an injured man and two helpless ordinary people. Eileen deliberately didn¡¯t walk fast, and she led the way Egbert was helping the wounded soldier, walking behind her. At the very back, following them was Hedy, whose cheeks were swollen like bread. Soon, a fire appeared ahead. Eileen walked quickly for a few steps, returned to her makeshift camp, took off her backpack, and threw it into the small house. Then she sit on the ground and told the two men behind her, ¡°Sit wherever you want.¡± Egbert nced at her makeshift house and raised an eyebrow The soldier also noticed and couldn¡¯t help butment, ¡®Impressive! The house looks simple, but it¡¯s insect-proof, disaster-proof, and rain-proof, and it¡¯s soplete. But how did you chop down those tree trunks? They¡¯re so big, you need an axe, right? There¡¯s no big tools in the supply pack, is there?¡± Eileen nced at him and said, ¡°Yourpliments are useless. I won¡¯t let you stay.¡± The soldier hurriedly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it.¡± ¡°You need to go to the hospital. A cool man¡¯s voice suddenly sounded. The soldier was stunned, looked at Egbert, and lowered his head to look at his wounded leg in the firelight. There was arge bloodstain and a bite wound. His face was pale, but he said. ¡®No, I can hold on.¡± Eileen poked at the dying fire with a stick, adding some firewood, and said disdainfully. ¡°Are all you rookies like this, putting on a brave face? Don¡¯t care about your body?¡± The soldier was stunned, looking at Eileen, and said defiantly. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a rookie too?¡± There were ten rookies and ten celebrities in this show. Although this female soldier was very powerful, she couldn¡¯t possibly be a ¨C veteran. ¡°I know who you are.¡± The soldier said softly, ¡°You¡¯re ine from Military Base No.5, right? I heard you¡¯re the rookie king of this ss, and you¡¯ve won abat championship. But even though you¡¯re good, I¡¯m not bad elther¡± ¡°ine is the rookie king?¡± Eileen leaned back on the rock behind her, crossing her legs, and suddenly chuckled, ¡°She won abat championship with her childish and ridiculous moves?¡± The soldier looked at her confusedly. ¡°Aren¡¯t you ine?¡± Eileen scratched her neck with a stick, smiling, ¡°Who told you I¡¯m ine?¡± The soldier said uncertainly, ¡°You¡¯re beautiful, and you can fight amongst the female soldiers, besides ine from Military Base No.5. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. ¡°Who told you I¡¯m a female soldier?¡± Eileen tilted her head. The soldier waspletely stunned, ¡°So you¡¯re a male soldier?¡± Eileen was speechless.. ¨C [Hahaha, she¡¯s a male soldier¡¯] ¨C [She¡¯s a man! I can confirm!] ¨C ¨C [There are still people who think Eileen is a woman? Are there really such people?] After the soldier finished speaking, he realized his mistake and asked awkwardly. ¡°You¡¯re not a celebrity, are you?¡± Eileen snorted unhappily, ¡°I knew it. No one recognizes me. I stood next to the airport staff yesterday for half a day, and he didn¡¯t recognize me.¡± The soldierughed awkwardly. But damn, were all the celebrities brought by the show this powerful? There¡¯s Egbert with his special forces-level skills and thisdy who fought three wolves barehanded. But that¡¯s not right, his teammate, that idiot named Hedy, why was she like a useless toad, only capable of making a racket? ¡°ine is my teammate Eileen said at this moment, ¡°But she was bitten by a snake this afternoon and has temporarily withdrawn for treatment.¡± The soldier was dumbfounded. ¡°She¡¯s out?¡± ¡®Sort of, but if I find a resurrection card, I can bring her back. You too, you can temporarily withdraw, treat your wounds properly, let your teammate,¡± As she spoke, she looked at Egbert. Then let him find the resurrection card Egbert noticed her gaze, looked at her, and calmly corrected, ¡°He and I are not on the same team.¡± Eileen was taken aback. ¡°Then where¡¯s your teammate?¡± Egbert said in a low voice, ¡°We got separated.¡± Eileen looked at the soldier again and pointed to Hedy in the corner, ¡°So, this guy is your teammate?¡± The soldier showed a bitter expression and nodded in pain. Hedy, who was hiding in theer, was both angry and dared not speak. Eileen sincerely sympathized with him, ¡°You¡¯re really unlucky, dealing with such a troublesome situation.¡± The soldier was originally very depressed, but when he heard her say this, he wanted tough. He smiled and said, ¡°Anyway, I have to thank you for saving my life just now¡± Eileen casually waved her hand and said, ¡°Although it¡¯s a shame to withdraw from the game, health is the most important thing Your wound needs stitches, It¡¯s best to go to the hospital for treatment. Otherwise, it might get infected, and the consequences would be serious.¡± The soldier frowned, staring at his hand and leg, not saying a word. This was his decision, after all, and Eileen didn¡¯t say anything more. She asked Egbert again, ¡°How did you get separated from your teammate?¡± Egbert hesitated for a while, seeming a bit unsure. Finally, he said, ¡°He climbed a tree to get bananas and ended up poking a wasp nest. Got chased by the wasps until he was out of sight.¡± Eileen was a bit surprised, then couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud, ¡°Hahaha, is he a bit of a numbskull?¡± Watching herugh, Egbert¡¯s stern face softened, ¡°Yes, he¡¯s a bit of a numbskull.¡¯ In the end, the soldier decided to drop out of thepetition, valuing his life more. He summoned the drone above his head and volunteered to quit the game. In less than ten minutes, a military helicopter flew overhead. Descending from the ropedder were several medics. Just then, Hedy suddenly ran out from a corner, shouting, ¡°I want to quit tool¡± She really couldn¡¯t stand this dangerous ce, and she really didn¡¯t want to y for a minute longer! The medic nced at her and said coldly. ¡°You¡¯re not injured. You don¡¯t meet the conditions to quit the game early.¡± They then boarded the helicopter Hedy shouted from below, but the helicopter had already flown away. Hedy was furious. How could she possibly survive in the jungle without anyone protecting her? And besides, Eileen was still here! Hedy pondered for a while, and then suddenly, she had an idea. She slowly walked over to Egbert, squatted down, looked pitifully at his handsome profile, and cooed, ¡®Mr. Reed, I¡¯m really scared.¡± Chapter 69 Chapter 69 ¨C ¡°I¡¯m lost.¡± -¡°What is she babbled about?¡± -¡°If you¡¯re scared, then don¡¯te!¡± ¡°What¡¯s this woman¡¯s name again? So annoying! I want to curse her but can¡¯t find out her name!¡± Hedy thought her n was bulletproof. This guy was a well-known actor, and surely he must be a gentleman. All she needed to do was to act a little weak and pitiful. Even though she had made mistakes, she just needed to act cute, which she was damn good at. She reckoned Egbert would take pity on her and want to protect her in the future. After all, which strong man wouldn¡¯t want a woman to rely on him? Hedy was brimming with confidence, but the look in this man¡¯s eyes was like a dagger. It cut right into her soul. It felt like being marked by the Grim Reaper! His voice was as cold as an ice shard in winter. ¡°Beat it.¡± Hedy was bbergasted. Was Egbert telling her to beat it? She couldn¡¯t believe her ears. ¡°How could you be so rude to a girl you just met? You¡¯re a famous actor!* -¡®Is she trying to ckmail him?¡± ¨C ¡°Her IQ is seriously questionable.¡± ¨C ¡°I really want to storm in there and cut her down!¡± Egbert¡¯s impatience was bing palpable. At that moment, Eileenmented casually. ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t talk to a girl you just met like that.¡± As soon as Eileen said this, both Egbert and Hedy turned to her. Hedy was ted, thinking Eileen was on her side. If she got hurt in the jungle, her parents would definitely make this jerk pay. Hedy smirked arrogantly, but then Eileen added, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t talk to her at all. You¡¯re in my house. Who said you could talk to people like that?¡± Egbert stared at Eileen, a hint of amusement in his eyes. After a moment, he said gently. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, I was wrong.¡± Eileen replied coldly, ¡°As long as you know¡± then stood up and told Hedy, ¡°You, get out of my house. The further away, the better. Leave, now.¡± Hedy¡¯s face fell. She ignored Eileen¡¯s insult and retorted, ¡°What do you mean, ¡®your house? Is this jungle yours?¡± Eileenughed. ¡°You dare to talk back?¡± Hedy clenched her teeth. She couldn¡¯t leave. Who knew if there would be wolves out there? She insisted, ¡®I¡¯m not leaving!¡± Eileen suddenly said, ¡°Fine, you can stay. Before Hedy could feel relieved, she saw Eileen pick up a burning branch and walk towards her. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Eileen¡¯s eyes sparkled with mischief. She grabbed Hedy¡¯s cor with one hand and set Hedy¡¯s clothes on fire with the buming branch. Suddenly, Hedy¡¯s clothes were aze. She screamed. Eileen quickly let go of her. Hedy frantically beat at her clothes, trying to put out the mes, but to no avail. She ran wildly, eventually falling to the ground and -rolling around until the fire was finally out. Hedy was covered in dirt, her clothes half burned off. She stared at Elleen in disbelief, shouting, ¡°You¡¯re insane!¡± Eileen stood aloof, hands in her pockets, saying leisurely, ¡°I said you could stay, but I didn¡¯t say whether it¡¯d be you or your ashes. I just saved you some trouble by cremating you in advance. Are you satisfied?¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Hedy was so angry she was on the verge of spitting blood. Eileen¡¯s gaze turned frosty. ¡°Aren¡¯t you leaving yet?¡± Hedy cursed, tears streaming down her face, ¡°You bitch! I won¡¯t let you get away with this! I won¡¯t.¡± Eileen moved towards her again. Hedy, terrified, scrambled to her feet and ran off. She soon vanished from sight. Eileen scoffed, then turned to look at Egbert. He watched her calmly, then asked in a soft voice, ¡°Do I need to leave your house too?¡± Eileen scratched her head and replied, ¡°You? How could you be like her? How would you survive without me?¡± Then she asked, ¡°Have you had dinner?¡± Egbert shook his head with a smile, ¡°No.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten, and you¡¯re stillughing?¡± Eileen turned and went into the hut, rummaged around for a while, and finally brought out some fruit for him. ¡°Eat these. They¡¯re not the best, but they¡¯ll fill you up.¡± Egbert looked at the fruit and froze. Eileen noticed his reaction and said displeasedly. ¡°Are you grossed out? So picky. Just peel it and eat the flesh.¡± Egbert didn¡¯t respond, and he just epted the fruit. He was about to take a bite when Eileen suddenly snatched it back. She squatted down, found a stick, skewered it, and said, ¡°Wait until it¡¯s cooked before eating. Once it¡¯s cooked, the skin will peel off easily. No need to bite it hard.¡± Egbert looked down at her, a clear amusement in his eyes. Even though she seemed impatient, she was still roasting the fruit carefully. In the jungle at night, the calls of insects and creatures resonated. Soon, the fruit was cooked. Eileen handed the fruit to Egbert. He took it, but it was too hot, and he didn¡¯t know how to eat it. Seeing his clumsy attempts, Eileen snatched the fruit back and peeled it for him Then she held the fruit to his mouth and said, ¡®Try it.¡± Egbert hesitated, then took the fruit and bit into it.. A bitter taste spread on his tongue He swallowed silently Just as he was about to take a second bite, Eileen suddenly pulled her hand back. Egbert looked at her. Eileen tossed the leftover fruit into the fire. Then she turned around, took her backpack from the hut, and from it, she pulled out a packet of compressed biscuits and a bottle of water and handed them to Egbert Egbert looked at the unopened packet of biscuits and the bottled water, stunned. ¨C ¡°What?¡± ¨C ¡°I don¡¯t get it. What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the deal?¡± -¡®Eileen is acting weird all of a sudden.¡± -¡°She¡¯s been eating wild fruits and drinking dew all day, and now she¡¯s giving him herpressed biscuits and drinking water?¡± -¡°ine nearly had her hand broken for trying to touch the biscuits, and now she¡¯s giving these precious biscuits and water to Egbert?¡± [So, she just had a simple meal and then gave all the stuff to a guy?] [That¡¯s such a bummer, Eileen, those were your resources!) Chapter 70 Chapter 70 Egbert Reed grabbed the biscuits and water, starting to munch in silence. His appetite wasn¡¯t much; he only had three biscuits and a small sip of water. Seeing that the food consumption wasn¡¯t much, Eileen Lopez rxed a bit. She put the remaining food back into her bag, then asked him, ¡°Got a sleeping bag?¡± Egbert replied, ¡°Nope.¡± Eileen looked at him, all empty-handed and all, a bit disdainful, but she still dug out ine Lopez¡¯s sleeping bag from her backpack and threw it at him, saying, ¡°You¡¯ll sleep in here,¡± and referring to the twig tent. Egbert took the sleeping bag and looked at her. Seeing him standing there, not moving, Eileen frowned, ¡°Sleep when I tell you to sleep! What if you get sick again? Don¡¯t you know you¡¯re weak? How long were you illst time? Have you forgotten? A whole twelve hours! Wasn¡¯t it me taking care of you?¡± Egbert thought back to that time and said helplessly, ¡°That was an ident¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if it was an ident; go in and sleep!¡± Eileen ordered. Egbert just grinned and went into the twig tent with the sleeping bag. Eileen took out her own sleeping bag, crawled in, and sat near the fire. She asked while warming herself, ¡°What¡¯s your n for tomorrow?¡± Egbert paused, then said, ¡°Since we¡¯re both team-less, why don¡¯t we stick together?¡± Eileen looked at the sky and snorted, ¡°You want me to protect you?¡± Egbert couldn¡¯t help butugh, then said softly, ¡°If you say so.¡± Eileen turned her head to him suddenly and said, ¡°Then say something nice to make me feel good.¡± Egbert was startled, then said in a coquettish manner, ¡°You¡¯re the best. Please promise to protect me.¡± Eileenughed, ¡°Alright, since you said so, I¡¯ll do you this favor.¡± She then crawled into her sleeping bag,id down, and said, ¡°It¡¯s bedtime now.¡± Egbert sat in the twig tent, watching the lonely girl by the fire. The smile in his eyes never faded. The next day, dawn was breaking. The sound of footsteps woke Eileen up. She sat up and saw Egberting towards her with a bunch of wild berries in his leafy hands. Eileen frowned. She didn¡¯t have a watch, so she had no idea what time it was. Egbert sat next to her, ced the fruits and his water bag on the ground, and said, ¡°Time to get up.¡± In the bag, besides two bottles of drinking water for each team, there were also two empty water bags. Eileen looked at the water bag and asked, ¡°Did you touch my bag?¡± Egbert answered nonchntly, ¡°Just the water bag.¡± Eileen frowned, took her bag, and checked it. Indeed, only one water bag was missing. She said unhappily, ¡°Don¡¯t touch my stuff in the future.¡± giano notic ked it sh As she picked up the water bag, she noticed it was heavy, ¡°There¡¯s water in it?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± the man replied. Eileen suspiciously opened the cap and sniffed it. The water had a fishy smell; she asked, ¡°What kind of water is this?¡± ¡°Sap from a tree.¡± Eileen was surprised. She didn¡¯t expect Egbert, who had always lived in a privileged environment, to have such broad knowledge, even knowing about a tree that produces sap. The sap tree is a type of tree that can store water. If you puncture the trunk of this tree, water will flow out. The Amazon rainforest also has its own unique water storage trees. Eileen didn¡¯t immediately drink the water. She stood up and asked, ¡°Where did you see that tree?¡± Egbert realized she was skeptical and pointed in a direction. Eileen walked over, and from a distance, she saw a tree. After confirming that the tree was indeed non-toxic, she finally took a big gulp of water, feeling instantly refreshed! She also washed her face and brushed her teeth there. When she returned, she saw Egbert eating berries. That was not the Ink Berry from the previous day, but something he had found somewhere. Seeing her return, Egbert patted the ground next to him, indicating for her to sit. So, Eileen did. Egbert handed her a cleaned fruit. Eileen had a look; it was a mutated fruit, non-toxic, and shaped a bit like a pear. She took a bite. It was very sweet, much tastier than the Ink Berry. Sugary foods can replenish the sugar in the body. Athletes consume arge amount of sugar before exercising because sugar, when broken down in the body, forms water and carbon dioxide, which are excellent sources of energy during exercise. Now that they were living in the wild, having sugary food was a great supplement for their bodies. Eileen ate three fruits, looked at Egbert contentedly, and said, ¡°You¡¯re really good at finding stuff, being able to find that tree and these fruits.¡± Egbert didn¡¯t respond. After eating two fruits, he felt a bit thirsty and casually picked up the water bag next to Eileen, opened it, and took a sip. Eileen watched him drink and paused. She had drunk from that water bag before. Although he didn¡¯t know she had drunk from it, she indeed had. Eileen touched her face and silently took out another empty water bag from the supply bag, nning to fetch waterter. That water bag would be for Egbert to use. After resting for a bit, Eileen casually stuck a branch into the ground, determined the time by the direction of the light, and said, ¡°It¡¯s past nine. Let¡¯s get moving.¡± Egbert had no objections. He got up, put out the fire to make sure there were no safety hazards, and set off with Eileen. They headed northwest. Eileen led the way with her backpack, and Egbert followed behind. After a while, she remembered ine¡¯s condition from the previous day. ine was not physically strong, needing a break after an hour¡¯s walk. If ine needed to rest after more than an hour of walking, wouldn¡¯t Egbert, who had lived in a privileged environment since childhood, needed to rest every half hour? So, Eileen calcted the time, and half an hourter, she turned to Egbert and asked, ¡°Need a break?¡± Egbert stood tall and rxed, hands jammed in his pockets, not a drop of sweat on his forehead. He looked at her, asking, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Eileen seemed puzzled. ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired?¡± Egbert looked at her, softly saying, ¡°If you¡¯re tired, take a break.¡± Eileen frowned, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She nced at Egbert again and said, ¡°Let¡¯s keep going.¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Egbert had no objections. They walked non-stop for three hours and finally found a small stream. ¡°Wow!¡± Eileen rushed to the stream, squatted down, and sshed her face with the cool water, instantly feeling refreshed. Egbert stood next to her, his eyes scanning the edges of the creek and the clear stream bed. ces like that usually crawled with alligators. Luckily, there were no alligators near that stream. Suddenly, Eileen looked up and asked, ¡°Fancy some fish?¡± As Egbert looked down, he could see the faint outline of her chest under her wet clothing. He frowned, shot a cool nce at the drone in the sky, then took off his jacket and wrapped it around the girl, covering her chest. He said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ll catch the fish.¡± Chapter 71 Chapter 71 Eileen was oblivious to the fact that Egbert was taking off his shirt to cover her chest. Nevertheless, she quietly held his clothes and asked, ¡°Can you fish? Or should I do it?¡± ¡°No need.¡± The man took off his shoes and socks, rolled up his trouser legs, and stepped into the water. Eileen was a bit worried, as he seemed quite weak. She frowned and reminded him, ¡°Be careful.¡± Egbert nced at her, saw her hugging his clothes tightly. With a slight smile, he walked into the river. The water wasn¡¯t deep, and Egbert bent over, his eyes intently focused on the fish swimming in the river. After a while, he suddenly lunged. Eileen stood on the riverbank, tiptoeing to get a better look.. Seeing that Egbert hadn¡¯t moved, she asked, ¡°Did the fish get away?¡± He didn¡¯t reply. Eileen was about to tell him it was okay, that failure was the mother of sess, when suddenly he reached down and scooped a fish out of the water with one hand, throwing it towards her. Eileen instinctively caught the fish, her eyes sparkling with excitement. ¡°You¡¯re amazing!¡± she eximed. Egbert smiled briefly. Then he caught fish after fish with precision. Ten minutester, he had caught five fish. Though five fish seemed like a lot, they weren¡¯t particrly heavy. Together, they were just enough for two people. Eileen did a quick calction and said, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s go back to the shore.¡± Egbert, dripping wet, made his way back to the shore. Eileen was busy starting a fire. She nced at Egbert and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a bath while you¡¯re at it? I¡¯ll call you when the fish is ready.¡± Egbert paused, looking at her. Eileen pointed in one direction, saying, ¡°Over there, in the direction we came from. There are some big trees for cover. I checked; it¡¯s safe. And the water is clean. Go take a bath.¡± Egbert looked in the direction she pointed and said, ¡°Okay.¡± Egbert headed in that direction and started taking off his clothes by the riverbank. At that moment, the drone in the sky flew away. The live chat showed the followingments: [????] [Can I pay to see?) [Let me see! Let me see! Let me see! Let me see!] The phrase ¡°Let me see¡± was repeatedly popping up in the live chat. By the time Eileen was almost done grilling the fish, Egbert had finally returned from his bath. The midday heat was unbearable. Egbert was wearing half-dried camouge pants and carrying his freshly washed vest and jacket in his hand. His upper body was bare, showing off his evenly toned muscles and a well-defined six-pack. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Eileen was sitting on the ground, and when she heard footsteps, she instinctively looked up. She was stunned! The sight before her was nothing short of a visual shock! The man¡¯s footsteps grew closer, and soon, his cool body naturally settled down next to her. Eileen quickly moved a bit away! Egbert looked at her, asking, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Eileen frowned, turned her head to look at Egbert, and asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you wearing any clothes?¡± Egbert calmly unfurled his clothes and ced them on the fire rack as he said, ¡°They¡¯re not dry yet.¡± Eileen pursed her lips and stopped talking, continuing to grill the fish in her hands. The fish was soon ready. Eileen stood up, picked a few flowers by the riverbank, casually washed them, and then came back, smeared the juice from the flower stems on the fish, and handed it to Egbert, saying, ¡°Here, eat.¡± Egbert tasted it and said, ¡°It¡¯s delicious.¡± Eileen proudly said, ¡°Of course, anything I grill is bound to be delicious.¡± Egbert chuckled. Soon, the other fish were also ready, and the two of them ate with relish. The five fish were quickly finished. The temperature was quite high at that moment. Eileen checked Egbert¡¯s clothes that were hanging on the rack, touched them, and said, ¡°They¡¯re dry now.¡± She took down the clothes and threw them to the bare-chested Egbert, saying, ¡°Put them on.¡± Egbert took the clothes but didn¡¯t put them on. Instead, he looked at Eileen and suddenly asked, ¡°Do you want to take a bath too?¡± Eileen looked down at her own clothes, which were indeed as dirty as a hobo¡¯s. She said, ¡°I don¡¯t have a change of clothes.¡± Egbert threw his jacket to her, saying, ¡°Wear this.¡± Eileen held the still-warm jacket, paused for a moment, then stood up and said, ¡°Okay.¡± With that, she took Egbert¡¯s jacket and headed upstream. The drone wisely turned away, not sneaking a peek. Eileen took off her clothes but didn¡¯t immediately bathe. Instead, she first washed her pants and then hung them on a nearby tree to dry. By the time she finished bathing, her pants were half-dry. Eileen dried her body with the vest, then put on her half-dry pants and Egbert¡¯s jacket. Carrying her other clothes, she returned. Egbert¡¯s jacket was quite big for her. When Eileen put it on, not only were the sleeves too long, but the hem of the jacket also reached her thighs. She returned barefoot because her feet were wet. So she didn¡¯t put on her shoes but carried them instead. Egbert was resting in the shade of a tree. At the sound, he opened his eyes and saw Eileen. His jacket was too big for her, so much so that not only was the hem too long, but the neckline as well. When she wore it, the neckline that was appropriate for him exposed a sizable portion of her chest. Egbert squinted, looking at the drone with dissatisfaction. Eileen came over and, like Egbert had done earlier, ced the vest on the fire rack. Then she hung her wet sports bra on the rack as well. Egbert just sat there without saying anything. After hanging up her clothes, Eileen went over and sat next to Egbert in the shade of the tree. She turned her head and found Egbert looking at her with aplex expression. Eileen asked in confusion, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Egbert didn¡¯t answer, but his gaze shifted slightly downward,nding on her heaving chest. At that moment, he clearly knew that this woman was wearing his jacket, and underneath that jacket, she was wearing nothing at all. Egbert pressed his lips together, and despite his attempt at resisting, a smile eventually surfaced in his dark eyes. They rested there for an hour. When Eileen¡¯s clothes were dry, she changed into them, rearranged her hair, and then she and Egbert set off again. They¡¯d been following the river upstream for nearly two hours when, suddenly, they heard rapid footstepsing from the mountain path ahead. Back at the temporary camp set up on the edge of the rainforest, the officer in charge of the show¡¯s proceedings finished his satellite phone call. He turned to the director of the show and said, ¡°There¡¯s been a change of ns. We might need to pause the filming.¡± The director was taken aback, ¡°Why?¡± The officer said with a stern face, ¡°I just got a call from the military. They said there are four international fugitives hiding in the rainforest with hostages.¡± ¡°What?!¡± The director jumped up, ¡°So¡­¡± The officer waved his hand and said, ¡°We need to get everyone out. Safety first.¡± Even though the director didn¡¯t look too pleased, he knew that safety was paramount. He was about to pick up the walkie-talkie to give orders. Then suddenly, a soldier who had been monitoring ten drones said, ¡°It¡¯s toote.¡± The officer and the director turned to him at the same time. Pointing at one of the monitors, the soldier said, ¡°Eileen from Team 01 and Egbert from Team 10 have run into the fugitives.¡± Chapter 72 Chapter 72 The menacing ck barrel of a gun was aiming at a man and woman right before it. Among the three people of different races, holding guns, one Asian man, speaking Japanese with some difficulty, coldly said to Eileen and Egbert, ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± Eileen and Egbert nced at each other, raised their hands, and didn¡¯t resist. The criminals started conversing in the localnguage. ¡°Which country¡¯s military uniform are they wearing?¡± ¡°Are they here to capture us? But they don¡¯t seem like it; they¡¯re not carrying any weapons.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the interpreter; why don¡¯t you ask them?¡± The Asian man asked, ¡°Are you in the military?¡± Out of the corner of her eye, Eileen noticed that the drone in the sky had flown further away, hiding behind the trees. She squinted her eyes, then said, ¡°We¡¯re from the International Wildlife Rescue Association. We received a signal that a juvenile jaguar, which had been imnted with a tracking chip, was in danger in the northwest of the jungle. Its vital signs are weak, and we¡¯re here to rescue it.¡± The Asian man furrowed his brow and ryed that exnation to hispanions. Eileen carefully listened to their conversation. Theirnguage skills varied, indicating that they were not from the same country. What brought them together? As Eileen was mulling over this, a brown-skinned man with a submachine gun walked over, using the barrel of his gun to flick off Egbert¡¯s hat. Eileen was on alert, ready to take action at any moment. Egbert suddenly grabbed her wrist and gave her a look, signaling her not to act rashly. The brown-skinned man furrowed his brow, sizing up Egbert¡¯s face. Then he said to hispanions, ¡°Doesn¡¯t he look familiar?¡± ¡°All foreigners look the same.¡± ¡°Monkey, take a look.¡± The man they referred to as Monkey was the only Asian among them. He also looked at Egbert and said, with some confusion, ¡°He does look a bit like¡­¡± ¡°Egbert!¡± A woman with short hair and a gray-blue vest at the back suddenly blurted out this name in a less than pleasantnguage. Then she walked over with her gun, pointing the barrel at Egbert¡¯s neck. She turned back and excitedly told herpanions in a tongue-twisternguage, ¡°He¡¯s the lead actor in a famous movie!¡± The brown-skinned man and the Asian man both frowned. Apparently, they were not familiar with movies and were living a life full of hardships. The woman with short hair had deep features, and her eye sockets were somewhat dark. She greedily traced Egbert¡¯s face with her gun, oozing seduction. Finally, she said contentedly, ¡°I really like him.¡± A dangerous light shed in Eileen¡¯s eyes. Egbert sensed that she was about to take action again, frowned, and tightened his grip on her wrist. Eileen red at Egbert and finally gritted her teeth, deciding not to act. The Asian man stepped forward, forcibly pulled away the loose woman, and amid the woman¡¯s dissatisfied protests, he said to the brown-skinned man, ¡°It¡¯s simpler to kill them.¡± ¡°We¡¯re definitely taking them with us.¡± The dark-skinned man came over, suddenly grabbing Eileen¡¯s chin. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. Egbert¡¯s eyes grew cold, and he suddenly made a move. Eileen blinked; this time she grabbed his wrist, stopping him in his tracks. At the same time, she looked at him. Eileen asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say to stay calm? What are you doing?¡± Egbert squinted his eyes; his expression was gloomy. ¡°You¡¯re quite a looker.¡± The dark-skinned man grinned, ¡°Let¡¯s take her back. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve had some fun.¡± The Asian man seemed unsatisfied but didn¡¯t say more. He walked over, pressed on Eileen and Egbert¡¯s backs, and roughly pushed them forward. The three of them seemed to havee out to fetch water. After they got the water, they took the two with them. They took a roundabout path and headed deeper into the rainforest. From the sky, a drone flew in from afar, following them. Outside the camp, the director anxiously asked, ¡°Should we stop the live broadcast first? And the others, should we rescue them first?¡± The officer furrowed his brow in thought. Then, after a while, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll make a call.¡± He walked off to make a call, and when he came back, he asked the soldier operating the drone, ¡°Where¡¯s Burton Lopez?¡± The soldier switched to another camera, and the disheveled, shirtless Burton appeared in the frame. The officer was taken aback, ¡°How did he end up like this?¡± The soldier said, ¡°He was stung by a wasp, then ran into a crocodile, and then a python. He slept in a treest night and woke up to find several pustules from mosquito bites. He¡¯s currently looking for a water source to clean his wounds. He lost his shirt and supply bag while trying to escape from these dangers.¡± The officer silently watched the muscr young man in the frame, carefully squatting by the river and vigntly-observing his surroundings. Then he asionally scooped up some water and poured it on his arm wound. He looked somewhat pitiful. The officer sighed and said, ¡°Inform Burton. There¡¯s a temporary mission ¨C hostage rescue.¡± The director opposed, ¡°No, it¡¯s too dangerous.¡± The officer waved his hand and said, ¡°He¡¯s different. Although he¡¯s a rookie too, he has been on special missions. He¡¯s a top-notch special forces soldier. And¡­¡± The officer¡¯s gaze swept over to Egbert, who was being held hostage on another monitor, ¡°He will have help.¡± The director was taken aback, ¡°Who will help him?¡± It was not a secret; the officer massaged his temple with a headache and said, ¡°The superior has ordered during the call just now that the live broadcast will continue, and the drone will keep observing covertly. Egbert will lead the attack, Burton will assist, and they will take down this nest of wanted criminals. After the arrest, the foreign affairs department will have a good ¡®discussion¡¯ with the local foreign affairs at the international conference using this incident.¡± ¡°Discussion¡± meant that they were nning to elevate this unintentional act of assistance to a national act. ¡°Egbert will lead the attack?¡± The officer nced at the director and said, ¡°You¡¯ve been in the military too. You should have heard of the first leader of Moonlight Raptors Team 1.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard of it, but¡­¡± The director¡¯s voice trailed off, and the temporary camp suddenly fell silent. The director looked at the officer in shock, then turned to look at Egbert on the monitor, who had a serious expression on his face. He asked incredulously, ¡°Are you saying¡­ he, he is¡­¡± ¡°He is.¡± The officer stated seriously, ¡°Does he think he can just waltz into a military project? He even reced another star guest who was all ready to go. That poor guy made it all the way to the airport, only to be called back. Now, the finance department has to cough up the penalty fee.¡± The director was almost unable to digest that, ¡°So, he is? Then, why is he now¡­¡± ¡°Why is he now acting?¡± The officer exined tersely, ¡°He¡¯s retired. His granny¡¯s a national treasure in acting. He started acting when he was a kid, then decided to be a soldier. But a few years ago, he did a film for an undercover mission and ended up winning the Best Actor award. That¡¯s never happened in our country before. When the big wigs found out, they decided he should hang up his uniform and devote his full attention to the movie business. His job now is to put our country¡¯s cinema on the global map.¡± That answer left the director momentarily confused and speechless. Chapter 73 Chapter 73 In the live stream,ments from the audience were popping up like popcorn. [What the heck just happened?] [What¡¯s going on? What¡¯s going on?]. [A gun????] [Is this scripted? Is this scripted?) [Can the officials give us some exnation? What the hell is going on? Who are these people that just appeared?] Meanwhile, social media was buzzing about the situation. More and more viewers were drawn in, joining the live stream. Eileen and Egbert were quickly taken to a makeshift shelter. There was also a white guy there, waiting outside a tent. Seeing hisrades return, he stood up, and seeing Eileen and Egbert, he asked in broken English, ¡°What happened?¡± The tanned man exined it to him. After listening, the white guy came over, looked at Egbert and Eileen, and mumbled, ¡°An organization for protecting wildlife?¡± He was about to throw a punch in Egbert¡¯s stomach. Egbert clenched his lips, trying to control himself from fighting back, and stopped Eileen from retaliating. ¡°Hey!¡± The punch didn¡¯tnd, and his fist stopped a centimeter away from Egbert¡¯s stomach. The short-haired woman came over, pushed the white man¡¯s hand away, and stood in front of Egbert, ¡°I¡¯m taking this one. If you break him, can you afford to pay for it?¡± The white man grinned ambiguously, ¡°You don¡¯t fancy me, but you fancy him?¡± There was a hint of mockery in the white man¡¯s eyes, then his gaze shifted to Eileen, ¡°Since you found a new target, I can¡¯t return empty-handed.¡± With that, he reached out to grab Eileen. ¡°Enough!¡± the tanned man suddenly shouted. ¡°Tie them up first, put them with the other hostages, and thene for the meeting.¡± The short-haired woman and the white man looked disappointed, but they still tied Egbert and Eileen up and threw them into the tent. where the white man was waiting. There was also a man tied up in the tent. He looked very gentle; his hands were tied behind him, and his mouth was covered with ck duct tape. He looked frightened when the tent was opened, and he shrank back. The tent was soon closed. They could faintly hear the kidnappers whispering outside, but they couldn¡¯t hear what they were saying. Eileen and Egbert both looked at the man. Seeing their camouge outfits, the man¡¯s eyes lit up, but with his mouth taped, he couldn¡¯t speak and could only make ¡°umm umm umm¡± sounds. Eileen frowned, I can¡¯t understand what he¡¯s saying.¡± Then, in the next second, her hands suddenly broke free from the ropes that were tying her. She instantly ripped the tape off the man¡¯s mouth. The man hissed in pain! He immediately covered his mouth, looking surprised at the girl, ¡°Weren¡¯t you tied up?¡± Eileen ignored him, turned to Egbert, and said, ¡°I¡¯m not untying you. They¡¯ll be here soon.¡± Egbert, who had already untied the ropes and was about to stretch his hand out. He contemted for a moment but eventually, tied the ropes back onto his hands. Eileen asked the Asian man, ¡°Who are you?¡± The man looked at their clothes and asked uncertainly, ¡°Are you here on a mission to rescue me?¡± 11-18 Eileen shook her head, feeling that exining other things was too much of a hassle; she just said, ¡°We¡¯re from the International Wildlife Rescue Organization. We came to save the jaguars, and they caught us on the way.¡± People who work in the forest often wear camouge, even if they¡¯re not soldiers. After all, the color of the camouge is close to the jungle, which has a certain confusing effect on both humans and animals. The Asian man looked disappointed, then said, ¡°I¡¯m a scientist.¡± Eileen was taken aback and started to take a closer look at him.. At that moment, Egbert suddenly said, ¡°Are you from the Field family?¡± The Asian man was dumbfounded, ¡°You¡­¡± Eileen asked Egbert, ¡°Do you know him?¡± Egbert shook his head, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I know him, but I¡¯ve met his grandfather once.¡± Moonlight Raptors Team 1 once epted a protection mission to safeguard the head of the space headquarters. At that time, Egbert was the team leader, and, they were ambushed three times during the protection. Egbert didn¡¯t know the man in front of him, but he had seen a family photo on the old man¡¯s phone. ¡°This man should be Keh Field¡¯s grandson,¡± he thought. Just as expected, the man said, ¡°My name is Christy Field.¡± Egbert nodded, then looked at Eileen and said, ¡°I want to save him.¡± Eileen looked at Egbert and touched her head, ¡°Since he¡¯s your friend, let¡¯s save him.¡± Christy gave a bitter smile, ¡°You guys are not soldiers; don¡¯t take risks. If you can escape, you should¡­¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Eileen suddenly made a sound. Christy immediately closed his mouth. There were footsteps outside the tent. Eileen put the duct tape back on Christy¡¯s mouth, then pretended to have her hands tied and sat in the corner. Almost the next second, the tent was opened, and the short-haired woman came in. She squatted by the tent with a smile on her face, grabbed Egbert¡¯s clothes, and dragged him outside. Egbert¡¯s eyes were icy. At that moment, the white man also came over, teasing, ¡°In such a hurry?¡± The short-haired woman turned around and cursed, ¡°None of your business.¡± The white man¡¯s face changed; he snorted and suddenly grabbed Eileen, dragging her outside as well. Outside the tent, the tanned man was nowhere to be seen. Only the Asian man named Monkey was sitting by the fire., Seeing theme out, Monkeyzily reminded them, ¡°Hurry up, finish before the bosses back.¡± The white man chuckled, ¡°Do you want to join?¡± Monkey didn¡¯t even lift his head; he just threw a log into the fire. The white man thought he was boring, grabbed Eileen, and went to another tent nearby. The short-haired woman also dragged Egbert to another tent. Eileen and Egbert exchanged a nce in the air. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. The next second, Eileen moved her toe and kicked a small stone on the ground. The stone bounced up and hit the white man¡¯s forehead, The white man painfully let go of Eileen¡¯s hand. Seizing the moment, Eileen wiggled her hands free from the rope behind her. She quickly swiped the handgun from the man¡¯s waist, flicked off the safety, and shot him in the right hand with the silencer- equipped gun. At the same time, another guy by the bonfire grabbed an assault rifle. But before he could even aim at Eileen, a bullet whizzed from behind and hit his shoulder. He hollered in pain, dropping the heavy rifle. Eileen quickly rolled forward, stopped right in front of him, and kicked him square in the face. After he tumbled to the ground, Eileen scooped up the fallen rifle. In one hand, she held the rifle and in the other, she held the handgun, aiming at Monkey and the white man. She lifted her head, her eyes locked onto Egbert. By then, Egbert had already untied the ropes around him and was holding a short-haired woman at gunpoint. The bullet that hit the guy¡¯s shoulder from behind was his doing. Eileen frowned, sizing up Egbert with a critical eye. Chapter 74 Chapter 74 Egbert squinted at Eileen, giving her a small smirk, and exined, Tve acted in crime dramas before, so I¡¯ve had some training. Can you swallow that?¡± Eileen pursed her lips in response, choosing not toment. The unidentified individual and the white man on the ground didn¡¯t move. Eileen approached the unidentified individual. She swiftly kicked him! He groaned in pain, breaking out in sweat. He then shot her a nasty re Making sure he couldn¡¯t reach his gun, Eileen moved to the white man next, delivering the same swift kick! Finally, she approached the short haired woman! The woman looked back in surprise and asked, ¡°Who the hell are you guys? Eileen replied in fluent localnguage. We¡¯re from the Wildlife Rescue Association¡± The woman was taken aback that Eileen knew the localnguage, but before she could respond, her arms were incapacitated by Eileen¡¯s quick kick After tossing the gun on the ground, Eileen nced at Egbert and then bent down to pick up some ropes and duct tape by the bonfire, using them to the up and gag the three of the Christy, who was in the tent, heard noisins but had no idea what was happening Just as he was starting to worry the tent p swung open Eileen from the Wildlife Rescue Association¡± came in Christy tried to protect, but Eileen quickly removed the tape from his mouth and untied him ¡°What happened Christy asked amerously ¡°No biggie Eileen dismissed casually Seeing the broken sses in theet she asked, ¡°Are these yours?¡± Christy nodded taking the sses and awkwardly putting them on ¡°Lets go.¡± Eileen said ¡°Go? Christy was confused Eileen had already started walking out Despite her confusion, Christy cautiously followed As soon as he stepped outside and saw the situation, he waspletely dumbfounded The three kidnappers were tied up and tossed in aer and a handsome young man in camouge clothing was sitting by the bonfire with all the firearms collected Christy stuttered in shock, ¡°What What What just happened? Eileen walked over to Egbert, took a look at the firearms, and whistled appreciatively ¡°Well, these are some high-value weapons.¡± She picked up a sniper rifle and remarked, ¡°This is a modified shoulder fired cannon. Worth no less than 10,000 dors.¡± Eileen caressed the sniper rifle, almost drooling at the thought of the money it could bring Egbert took the gun back, cing it with the others, and said tly. ¡°All these have to be handed in.¡± Eileen paused for a moment, then sat next to Egbert, nudging him with her shoulder, and whispered. ¡°No one else is here. As for Christy. we can just beat him up, he won¡¯t squeal. Why don¡¯t we keep these guns for ourselves, sell them, and split the money fifty-fifty?¡± Egbert turned to look at her coldly. ¡°Selling arms illegally is a serious crime. And besides.¡± He nced up at the drone in the sky Only then did Eileen realize they were being filmed She looked up and saw the drone hovering above her, keeping a watchful eye on her every move Eileen chuckled awkwardly and exined, ¡°I was just kidding. I¡¯m not the kind of person who¡¯s blinded by money. This is all a misunderstanding, aplete misunderstanding!¡± The drone flew from her left to her right, scanning her thoroughly Eileen quickly bent down to help Egbert gather the firearms. While sorting them out, she counted them. Finally, she held out her hands and stated, ¡°Seven. There are only seven. See, I didn¡¯t hide any Absolutely nonel Egbert couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at her performance. Christy finally gathered his courage to approach them. He nced at Egbert and Eileen, then at the drone in the sky, and asked, ¡°Who are you guys, really?¡± Eileen looked amused and pointed at Egbert, ¡°You may not recognize me, but do you really not recognize him?¡± Christy stared at Egbert for a while, then said in confusion, ¡°He looks familiar.¡± Eileen teased Egbert, ¡°You¡¯re a movie star, but nobody recognizes you.¡± Egbert remained silent. ¡°I remember now!¡± Christy eximed suddenly, ¡°Egbert! You¡¯re Egbert! Your face is so dirty that I didn¡¯t recognize you!¡± Egbert was confused. Eileen looked at Egbert¡¯s face in surprise and asked, ¡°Is his face dirty? We just took a bath this afternoon!¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. Christy apologized awkwardly, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way¡­ It¡¯s just that Egbert is always so clean and tidy. I didn¡¯t expect him to¡­¡± Christy then turned to Eileen and asked curiously, ¡°And you are¡­?¡± ¡°Guess?¡± Eileen puffed out her chest. If Christy could recognize Egbert as a star, he should be able to guess that Eileen was too. Christy looked at Eileen intently for a while, then asked, ¡°You¡¯re Egbert¡¯s girlfriend, right?¡± Eileen was visibly confused. Christy seemed to have figured out their rtionship. He said, ¡°You¡¯re a member of the International Wildlife Rescue Association, and you¡¯re his girlfriend. He joined the rescue association because of you, right?¡± Eileen grew even more confused. ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Christy sincerely wished them well, ¡°I hope you two will always be together.¡± Eileen at that point was at the peak of her confusion. Egbert couldn¡¯t help butugh. Eileen immediately turned to re at him. Egbert chuckled and thanked Christy, ¡°Thanks for your blessing.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Eileen protested, ¡°You¡¯re taking this joke too far!¡± And then it was Christy¡¯s turn to be confused, ¡°Joke? What do you mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense,¡± Eileen stood up, her brow furrowed, ¡°We still have a thug who hasn¡¯t returned. What should we do now? Stay and wait for him, or¡­¡± Her voice trailed off. Egbert also looked serious; his eyes focused on the direction in front of them. Christy asked, puzzled, ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Hush. Eileen motioned for silence and then suddenly leaped towards the bushes to her right. Behind the bushes, a shirtless, buff guy managed to dodge her fierce attack. Eileen swiftly changed her direction of attack, trying to hit the guy¡¯s throat with her elbow. He was quick, stepping back to avoid her and then attempting to grab her shoulder. But Eileen was quicker. She ducked down and kneed him in the back. He didn¡¯t seem to expect her to be that strong, wincing from her hit. It was then that sheunched another attack, aiming for his head. He knew that if this kicknded, he was going to be seriously injured, so he quickly stepped back. However, a sudden strike to his stomach made him grit his teeth. By then, her long leg was already whizzing past his ear. Chapter 75 Chapter 75 The man couldn¡¯t find a hiding ce, so he tightly closed his eyes and waited for what could be a deadly blow. But just then, he felt the wind beneath his feet suddenly stop, and the breeze swept over his head. Three secondster, the man heard a girl¡¯s indifferent voice, ¡°Are you one of those Survival Show folks wearing camouge pants?¡± Burton immediately opened his eyes. He saw a stern and haughty girl shifting her long legs, sizing him up carefully. Burton breathed a sigh of relief, noticing that the girl was also dressed in a camouge vest and pants. He asked in amazement, ¡°Are you¡­¡± Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly saw a familiar figure walking behind the girl, cold and straight-backed. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. ¡°Mr. Reed!¡± Burton eximed. Eileen hesitated for a moment, ncing at the man and then at the approaching Egbert. She asked in surprise, ¡°Is he insulting you for getting old? Should I beat him up?¡± With that, she threw a punch at the man¡¯s chest. Her fist was like a hurricane, but just as it was about to hit the man¡¯s chest, it was intercepted by a warm,rge hand. Egbert¡¯s hand was broad, and he held Eileen¡¯s delicate hand in his palm, looking at her fiercely determined face. He softly reassured her, ¡°Stay calm.¡± Egbert gently moved Eileen¡¯s hand away and turned to look at Burton across from them, asking, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you wearing clothes?¡± Burton immediatelyined, ¡°It¡¯s because of those hos!¡± Upon hearing the word ¡°hos,¡± Eileen remembered and asked Egbert, ¡°Is he your teammate?¡± Egbert nodded. Eileen said disdainfully, ¡°With his skills, how can he protect you?¡± Egbert chuckled and agreed, ¡°You¡¯re right. Only you can protect me.¡± Eileen proudly stated, ¡°Of course!¡± Listening to their conversation, Burton, still puzzled, asked, ¡°Mr. Reed, is she¡­¡± Egbert gave him a nce and said, ¡°Eileen.¡± ¡°She¡¯s¡­¡± Burton began to say, but suddenly stopped. This must be the girl Saul had mentioned, the one who was close to Mr. Reed¡­. Burton thought of how easily he had been defeated by her just now and felt a bit disheartened. He might not be able to avenge his aunt; she was too strong, and he probably couldn¡¯t defeat her. However, Burton was also curious. He asked simply, ¡°The martial art you just used, is it Israeli military combat?¡± Eileen nodded. Burton gave her a thumbs-up, impressed. ¡°It packs quite a punch.¡± Eileen looked at him, somewhat arrogantly, ¡°You can do it too.¡± When they entered the rainforest, Eileen and ine Lopez sparred using seashell martial arts. Eileen had deliberately controlled her strength, knowing that ine was part of the show¡¯s crew. So, those more than fifty moves they exchanged were all just for fun. But when she used Israeli militarybat just now, she had gone all out. She was concerned that the opponent might be an enemy, so she had unleashed her full power. Under those circumstances, if this young man had been hit by her a few times, he would have been in serious trouble. Since they were acquaintances, Eileen didn¡¯t dwell on it. She turned and walked back to the campfire, where she saw Christy clutching submachine gun, trembling in a corner. a Eileen approached, took the submachine gun from him, and handed him a pistol, saying, ¡°The submachine gun has too much recoil; you won¡¯t be able to handle it. Take this.¡± Christy held the pistol nervously, saying, ¡°I don¡¯t know how to use this either.¡± Eileen replied, ¡°It¡¯s better to have it than not. There¡¯s still an enemy out there we haven¡¯t caught. This will at least give you some protection.¡± Christy could only hold the pistol cautiously, afraid of identally firing it. At this moment, Egbert and Burton approached. ?? ??? ? Elleen handed Egbert a pistol as well. He epted it with one hand, looking at her. Eileen then picked up an expensive sniper rifle, slung it over her shoulder, and said to Burton, ¡°You stay here and protect them. I¡¯m going out.¡± Egbert frowned and asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡± Eileen replied, ¡°There are eight other teams in the jungle. We don¡¯t know where they are at the moment, and the enemy hasn¡¯t returned. If he encounters those eight teams who don¡¯t have weapons but only folding knives, they could be in danger.¡± Egbert pointed to the sky, where a drone was visible, and said, ¡°There¡¯s someone monitoring; they¡¯ll warn them to go around. It should be fine.¡± Eileen sneered, ¡°We¡¯re also within the monitoring range, so why didn¡¯t anyone warn us to go around?¡± Egbert didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon. Don¡¯t worry, everything will be fine.¡± Egbert replied calmly, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Burton quickly said, ¡°Yes, let Mr. Reed apany you. I¡¯ll stay here and protect this gentleman.¡± Eileen immediately scolded Burton, ¡°He¡¯s not physically fit and can¡¯t handle gun. He only knows some basic self-defense and shooting. How can you let hime along? What are you thinking?¡± Burton was somewhat confused. ¡°Enough talk.¡± Eileen ignored their protests, grabbed Burton¡¯s cor, and ordered, ¡°Take care of them. If anything happens, it¡¯s on you. Do you understand?¡± With that, she turned and walked away. Egbert watched her back until she disappeared from sight before slowly walking away himself. Burton grabbed him and said, ¡°Mr. Reed, she¡¯s really strong, not any less skilled than you. If there¡¯s just one enemy, she can definitely handle it.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Egbert said in a serious tone, ¡°but you don¡¯t understand.¡± Burton didn¡¯t understand. ¡°What?¡± Egbert sighed and looked somewhat troubled. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that if I don¡¯t go with her, she¡¯ll kill the enemy if she encounters them.¡± Burton said, ¡°You¡­¡± Egbert nced at Burton. ¡°She nearly killed you just now. If she hadn¡¯t pulled back that kick, you wouldn¡¯t be able to have children by now.¡± Burton said nothing. Burton quickly waved his hand. ¡°Then you¡¯d better go quickly. When the timees, you must stop her. These criminals also have families, and if theymit a crime, it should be dealt with by thew, not vignte justice!¡± The Lopez Group headquarters in New York. ¡°Survival in the Wilderness? How boring.¡± Derek Lopez, the head of the Lopez family, who was in his sixties but still sharp and energetic, sat in a luxurious chair in his top-floor office. After signing a document handed to him by his eldest son, he looked up and asked, ¡°ine and Burton, have they gone?¡±, Seated across from him was his eldest son, ke Lopez. ke leaned back in hisfortable leather chair, wearing a somewhat resigned smile. He said, ¡°These two kids are just like their parents.¡± Derek shook his head, clearly thinking that the kids were being reckless. But then he thought of them as his own grandchildren, so he asked, ¡°There won¡¯t be any danger in that show, will there?¡± ke picked up a tablet from the side, tapped it a few times, and disyed a screen with an image. He handed it to his father and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem too dangerous.¡± Derek took the tablet and looked at it, but he didn¡¯t see Burton or ine on the screen. There was only a young girl in a camouge vest, a piece of grass in her mouth, and a sniper rifle slung over her shoulder as she casually strolled through the jungle. ¡°It should be safe,¡± ke also nced at it briefly, knowing that the show was about crossing the rainforest, so the danger should be minimal. He added, ¡°Since Burton and ine want to join the military, participating in this show for some training shouldn¡¯t hurt¡­ Dad?¡± ke suddenly paused because he saw his father¡¯s brows furrowing as he stared at the screen with a serious expression. ke stood up, concerned. ¡°Dad, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Derek turned the screen and focused his gaze onto ke, asking seriously, ¡°Do you think this girl looks like¡­¡± ke, puzzled, looked at the screen. After a few seconds, he froze Chapter 76 Chapter 76 She stood there, squinting at a line of obvious footprints on the ground. She spit out the weed in her mouth, squatted down, and touched the moisture of the prints. Judging by the force at which the leaves were pushed into the mud and the residual moisture in the footprints, these were the tracks of an adult male over 1.8 meters tall and weighing about 170 pounds. And he must have just left. Likely, it was that tanned dude. Eileen lifted her head again. The sniper rifle on her shoulder felt a bit heavy, she shifted it to the other shoulder and darted forward. As she passed through the jungle, she asionally saw some monkeys. This area must be their habitat. Ten minutester, Eileen caught up to the creek and spotted a tanned man. The faint scent of blood wafted into her nostrils. The man was washing his blood¨Cstained hands in the creek, a rifle slung over his back. Eileen shifted her gaze and saw two tightly bound, bleeding monkeys at the man¡¯s feet. After washing his hands, the man stood up. He hoisted the two monkeys with his rifle, mumbling, ¡°These two monkeys should feed me a couple of days.¡± Looks like he left alone to find food. Eileen quietly set up her sniper rifle. ¡°Someone¡¯s here!¡± The man shouted in rm. Eileen squinted and immediately pulled the trigger. With a ¡°whoosh¡°, the man¡¯s right leg gave way, a spray of blood erupted from his thigh, and he went down on his knees. Realizing he was ambushed, the man quickly rolled to one side and hid behind arge tree. Eileen remained motionless. A drone overhead recorded her every move, projecting it onto a screen in a camp outside the jungle and into the official live room of the centralwork. The officer¡¯s eyes were filled with shock. With his hands behind his back, hemented, ¡°Her aim is pretty damn good.¡± After a while, he said again, ¡°Get someone to look into her background, see if she¡¯s had any military experience. A regr civilian shouldn¡¯t have had any chance to handle firearms.¡± Live room. ¨C[What the hell is going on?] ¨C[Did she really just fire a gun?] ¨C[So this isn¡¯t scripted? Twitter¡¯s all over her now!] -I saw someone dig up the identities of these guys. They seem to be international criminals.] ¨C[Who¡¯s the guy with the blurred face? The one who¡¯s with Egbert¡¯s teammate right now.] ¨C[No idea about that one. His face is blurred, who can tell who he is?] ¨C[So, Eileen and Egbert really ran into terrorists, got kidnapped, and then killed them?] ¨C[I¡¯m seriously shook. I thought it was a script crafted by the producers, especially since the broadcast didn¡¯t stop¡­] ¨C[Why is the production team so calm after such a major event?] ¨C[Are variety shows always this hardcore? Abo of ten celebs and ten rookies, is this really a militarized variety show?] ¨C[I¡¯m an intern at the station, and I heard that this was indeed a militarized project. They originally nned to make it a documentary, but due to financial issues, it became a variety show. But the station had no experience with live variety shows, and they even struggled with marketing after the show started, almost leading to a flop.] ¨C[Wow, that¡¯s incredible! I¡¯m gonna keep watching!] Ah! Egbert ising over!!] Hearing faint footsteps behind her, Eileen immediately turned around, aiming her rifle at Egbert. Egbert stood there, calmly looking at her, Eileen frowned, turned back around, and continued to keep an eye on the man hiding behind the tree. Egbert walked up and squatted beside her. ¡°Why are you here?¡® Eileen asked, a bit annoyed. Egbert also looked at the tree on the other side. He could see a figure behind the tree, but he couldn¡¯t make out what he looked like. He said, ¡°Because I was worried about you.¡± Eileen pursed her lips and said nothing more. At this moment, the man behind the tree seemed to rx, possibly because he didn¡¯t hear any movement. He cautiously peeked his head out, gun in hand. ¡°Whoosh!¡± The sniper rifle fired again. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Hmm.¡± The man was quick to dodge, but his shoulder was still hit! He clutched his wounded shoulder in pain and shouted in his nativenguage, ¡°Who are you?¡± Eileen snickered and shouted back, ¡°Your daddy.¡± The tanned man cursed, ¡°Damn it!¡± Perhaps out of anger, he leaned out from behind the tree. ¡°Whoosh!¡± Eileen fired another shot. A bullet grazed the man¡¯s back, leaving a trail of blood. He instantly moved back behind the tree, not daring to move recklessly, while feeling astounded. He didn¡¯t expect the other party¡¯s aiming to be so precise. He made such a small mistake, and it was seized by the opponent! He knew he couldn¡¯t go on like this. The tanned man raised his gun and started firing wildly. Egbert squinted, about to cover Eileen¡¯s head, but she had already pushed his head down first, forcing him to duck, while she also ducked. Egbert was speechless. After a while, the gunfire stopped. Eileen raised her head and saw the tanned man limping into the deeper parts of the jungle. Eileen immediately stood up, about to give chase, but when she passed the two bloodied and dying monkeys, she paused. (Those poor monkeys are going to die.] [Animal lovers strongly condemn this!] I can¡¯t watch this, please move the camera, I don¡¯t want to see small animals dying in front of me.] Egbert walked over and saw Eileen looking at the two white monkeys. He was silent for a moment, then he suddenly raised his hand to cover her eyes. Eileen was surprised and turned to ask, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Egbert calmly/said, ¡°Don¡¯t look.¡± Eileen was puzzled, ¡°Why not?¡± Egbert soothed, ¡°Birth, old age, sickness, and death, these are all parts of life.¡± Eileen firmly said, ¡°No, they won¡¯t die.¡± With that, she put down her gun, and untied the ropes around the two white monkeys. Then she checked their wounds and said to Egbert, ¡°There are some Ink Berries over there, go pick some. I gotta do a little surgery on these guys ASAP, can¡¯t let them kick the bucket.¡± After saying that, she pulled a folding knife from her pants pocket, gave it a casual wipe, and began to shave the hair around the monkey¡¯s wound with the de. Egbert watched her skilled movements, spaced out for a moment, before asking, ¡°You know¡­how to do surgery?¡± Eileen answered calmly, ¡°Yep,¡± as she focused on shaving the monkey, she added, ¡°I can do surgery.¡± Chapter 77 Chapter 77 The bullet wasn¡¯t lodged too deep. After scraping off the monkey¡¯s fur, the wound was all exposed. Eileen fetched some water from the creek and gave the wound a quick clean. Meanwhile, Egbert brought over the Ink Berry. Eileen crushed one of the berries and squeezed the juice around the wounds of the two monkeys. The monkeys seemed to be in pain, but they were too weak to struggle. They justy there, motionless, looking at Eileen with droopy eyes. While waiting for the medicine to take effect, Eileen took the time to clean the folding knife. When she returned, the paralyzing effects of the Ink Berry were almost in full swing, so she made an incision in their skin. Ink Berry isn¡¯t as effective as synthetic anesthetic, so the monkeys started whimpering in pain. Eileen frowned and told Egbert, ¡°Hold down their hands and feet.¡± Egbert held down the limbs of the two monkeys as Eileen extracted the bullets from their wounds. Eileen used the remaining Ink Berry to numb their wounds and lessen their pain. The whole process took about ten minutes. Once everything was done, Eileen told Egbert to watch the monkeys, ¡°Don¡¯t let them touch their wounds,¡± she instructed, before quickly darting off into the brush on the other side of the creek. When she returned, she had some medicinal nts in her hand. She chewed up the nts and applied the paste to the monkeys¡® wounds. She found somerge leaves to act as bandages and used vines to secure them. After doing all this, Eileen checked the monkeys¡® vital signs. Once she confirmed they were both still alive and stable, she finally let out a sigh of relief. She then said, ¡°Their wounds need stitches, but we don¡¯t have a medical kit here. The herbs and Ink Berry have anesthetic and hemostatic effects, but they are wild nts without any refinement, so their effects are limited. Although we¡¯ve managed to save their lives for now, if they get an infectionter, things can still get worse.¡± Looking up at the two drones in the sky, one was following her and the other was brought by Egbert. She said, ¡°Send me a set of veterinary surgical tools and antibiotics as soon as possible. If not, contact the local wildlife rescue and ask them to send experts. These monkeys, also known as ¡®Roloway monkeys, are endangered species under international protection; we must do everything we can to save them.¡± Due to the effects of the medication and dehydration, the two monkeys gradually fell asleep. Eileen then stood up, ncing at the direction where the tanned man had fled. Speaking to one of the drones she said, ¡°You stay here and watch over these monkeys, don¡¯t let other monkeys approach them. If any other monkeyse, scare them off.¡± Pointing at Egbert she added, ¡°Youe with me, I¡¯m notfortable leaving you here.¡± With that, she picked up her sniper rifle and chased after the fleeing tanned man. Egbert followed her with a grin on his face. Following this, the text contains variousments from people watching: [Wow, I don¡¯t know how to describe my feelings!] [My god! Eileen is a vet!] [I can¡¯t resist crying after seeing the two monkeys being saved. I just can¡¯t resist cute animals!] [I told my friends about Eileen, and they allughed at me. They asked how I could like an artist like her. But I love her, I love Eileen for life!] -[I once rmended Eileen to my sister, but sheughed at me. After that, I stopped rmending her to others. They all say I¡¯m mad, but they are the ones who are mad. They criticize her without understanding her. Eileen deserves everyone¡¯s love! She¡¯s the best!] I was originally a fan of Egbert, but now I¡¯ve fallen for Eileen. I¡¯m sorry Egbert, but Eileen is the one for me now.] Eileen followed the trail of blood, stepping on the inteced branches, moving forward step by step. She held the sniper rifle in one hand, and swished a vine around in the other, making a ¡°swish swish¡± sound! The tanned man was hiding in the dense bushes, his lips pale from blood loss. 11.05 He heard the footsteps getting closer and closer, he carefully controlled his breathing, daring not to make a sound. Eileen smiled softly and walked slowly, knowing that the tanned man was nearby because there were no more signs of trampled grass ahead. She looked at the trees on both sides, and suddenly began to speak in the man¡¯snguage. ¡°Where are you? Are you hiding well?¡± Egbert nced at Eileen, hearing her soft voice, he felt something was off. Eileen continued, ¡°Do you like to y hide and seek? I do too, let¡¯s y.¡± The tanned man suddenly felt a chill down his spine. He shrunk back even more cautiously. ¡°Can you hear my footsteps? I think I can hear your breathing, are you breathing?¡± The tanned man immediately covered his mouth, trying not to let his breathing reveal his location. ¡°Oh, I can see your hair.¡± The tanned man was stunned, and immediately reached up to cover his head. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. ¡°And I can see your shadow.¡± The tanned man curled up even tighter. ¡°I¡¯m already behind you, why haven¡¯t you seen me yet?¡± The tanned man was so scared his heart almost stopped. He looked back in horror, but there was nothing behind him. He was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when a shadow suddenly loomed over him! He looked up in panic, and a smiling girl¡¯s face suddenly appeared before his eyes. Then, the cold muzzle of a sniper rifle was pressed against his forehead! The girl opened her mouth and said softly, ¡°Ah, found you.¡± The tanned man was frightened. Egbert was speechless. The text then contains variousments from people watching the situation unfold: ¨C[I really wish I didn¡¯t understand them.] ¨C[Oh my god, it¡¯s 3 in the morning! You scared me to death!] ¨C[Oh my god! Is this a horror movie? I¡¯m so scared, I need Eileen to keep mepany to sleep!] Back at the camp. The officer rubbed his goosebumps¨Ccovered arm, coughed and said, ¡°This girl, she¡¯s a sly one.¡± The director shivered, saying, ¡°She¡¯s shaping up to y a cunning criminal.¡± ¡°Captain, I¡¯ve got her information.¡± At that moment, a soldier fan in, holding a document, saying, ¡°Eileen used to be in the military.¡± Meanwhile, far away in New York, Derek was also looking at a document. After reading, he got up, turned to his eldest son, ke, and said, ¡°Book flight tickets, we¡¯re heading back home.¡± Chapter 78 Chapter 78 Fists filled with fury kept pounding on the tanned man. Not until the man spat blood, his face covered in wounds, kneeling on the ground, unable to open his eyes, did Egbert speak up. He stepped in, blocking Eileen¡¯s hand that was about to swing again. Eileen looked at him, obviously not done beating him up. Egbert said, ¡°You¡¯re gonna beat him to death, you know.¡± Eileen retorted, ¡°No way! I didn¡¯t aim for any vital points. He¡¯s not gonna die. These are just flesh wounds.¡± Egbert nced at the man covered in wounds, in unbearable pain. Silent for a moment, he finally let go of his hand, softly saying, ¡°Alright, keep at it a bit more then.¡± Both the live¨Cstream audience and the people in the camp were taken aback. The soldier controlling the drone almost hit a tree out of surprise. Ten minutester, Eileen finally had her fill of beating the man. She took the rope the man had used to bind the monkeys, tied his hands, and started dragging him back. Egbert noticed she used a military binding method, which surprised him a bit. They walked for a few minutes, returning to the creek from before. Eileen squatted down to check on the monkeys. They were still unconscious, their wounds the same as before. Eileen handed the rope to Egbert, carefully lifting one monkey in each hand, cautious not to touch their wounds. The tanned man, seeing the rope in Egbert¡¯s hands, squinted his eyes and suddenly lunged at Eileen, intending to knock her over and escape. But just as he took half a step, a sudden sharp pain hit his stomach, and he staggered, throwing up blood. Eileen turned around and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Egbert, hand behind his back, unclenched his fist, smiled and said, ¡°Nothing.¡± Eileen nced at the tanned man, frowning, ¡°Why¡¯s he puking blood again?¡± Egbert shrugged, ¡°No idea.¡± The man, not understanding theirnguage, didn¡¯t know what they were saying, but looked Compared to Eileen¡¯s fierce punches, Egbert¡¯s punches seemed even more powerful! The tanned man began to tremble. He was terrified. Who exactly had he messed with! By the time they returned to the camp, the man didn¡¯t attempt to escape anymore. Hearing themotion, Burton immediately grabbed his rifle. Seeing them return, he lowered his gun and quickly came over. at Egbert ¡°Mr. Reed! What happened to Eileen¡­¡± He didn¡¯t finish his sentence when he saw the wild monkeys in Eileen¡¯s arms, his face filled with confusion, ¡°What happened?¡± Egbert didn¡¯t exin, just handed him the rope, saying, ¡°Tie him up with the others.¡± Taking the rope, Burton finally noticed the man¡¯s injuries, asking in surprise, ¡°How¡¯d he end up like this?¡± Eileen looked up, annoyed, ¡°I did it. Got a problem with that?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Burton immediately shook his head, as if it were about to fall off. He said, ¡°No, absolutely not.¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Eileen snapped, ¡°Well, what are you waiting for? Go tie him up!¡± Burton immediately went to do as told. When Burton came back, he saw Eileen sitting by the fire, two monkeys on the ground, checking their wounds. At that moment, a small helicopter flew over. Itnded, carrying a medical surgery box. 11:36 The loudspeaker on the ne rang out, ¡°Due to time constraints, we could only find this spare surgery box. We¡¯ve contacted local animal rescue, but they said they won¡¯t be able toe until tomorrow morning at the earliest.¡± Tomorrow? Eileen frowned. She had Burton bring down the surgery box, and then asked, ¡°What about the criminals and this hostage?¡± Hearing his name, Christy immediately looked up. The pilot responded, ¡°That¡¯s a bitplicated. There are some procedures still in progress. If all goes well, we¡¯ll get local government approval tomorrow. They¡¯ll apany us when we take them away.¡± Tomorrow, huh? Seems like both monkeys and humans would have to wait ti!! then. Eileen nodded, slightly annoyed. Seeing her mood, the pilot hurriedly spoke in a very formal and passionate tone, ¡°Thank you for your significant contribution in capturing international criminals! On behalf of all the victims¡® families harmed by these criminals, I express my gratitude!¡± Hearing this, Eileen felt a bit better. She said, ¡°Save your thanks. Just give me the reward.¡± The pilot thought, ¡°What?¡± Egbert rubbed his forehead. Burton and Christy both looked at Eileen. Did they hear that right? The pilot fell silent for a long time before finally saying, ¡°¡­We can customize a special award for you.¡± Eileen asked, ¡°Does ite with a cash prize?¡± The pilot replied, ¡°¡­No.¡± Eileen continued, ¡°Then what¡¯s the point of your bbering?¡± The pilot was speechless. The pilot flew off in the helicopter, awkwardly. With surgical tools at hand, Eileen began operating on the monkeys, using the remaining one and a half bottles of clean water to wash their wounds. During this, one of the monkeys woke up, blinking weakly. Eileen patted its head, then she gave it an anesthetic! In less than five seconds, the monkey passed out again. As Eileen stitched up the monkey, Christy obediently helped hand her things. At that moment, Burton pulled Egbert aside. He whispered to him, ¡°Mr. Reed, while you were gone, HQ sent me orders and told me some things about Eileen.¡± After Eileen stitched up the monkey, applied medicine, and bandaged it, she turned around to see Egbert and Burton whispering to each other. She shouted, ¡°Hey!¡± Egbert raised his hand, signaling Burton to stop talking. He looked at Eileen, ¡°Hmm?¡± Eileen said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t calling you. I was calling him.¡± After saying this, she pointed at Burton. Burton pointed at himself in surprise, ¡°Me?¡± Eileen nodded, ¡°Yeah,e over here.¡± Burton, a little uneasy, approached with caution. Eileen handed over the two monkeys to Christy to look after, and then went inside a tent. She pulled out a suitcase, rummaged for some clothes, tossed it to Burton, and said, ¡°It¡¯s gonna be super chilly tonight, put this on.¡± Burton took the clothing, feeling genuinely warmed inside and said, somewhat touched, ¡°Thank you.¡± Eileen shot him a look instantly, ¡°Why do you put on such an expression? This ain¡¯t a gift, I¡¯m Xst lending it to you.¡± Chapter 79 Chapter 79 Burton was taken aback, ¡°What?¡± Eileen frowned, ¡°Of course, this is my stuff.¡± Burton looked at the suitcase on the ground in confusion, ¡°But isn¡¯t this the robbers¡±¡­¡± Eileen suddenly stood up, confidently stepping on the suitcase and shouted, ¡°I found this suitcase and it¡¯s mine now! There¡¯s no name on it, how do you know whose it is?¡± Burton, ¡°Huh?¡± Egbert approached, patting Burton¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s hers.¡± Burton, ¡°What???¡± He thought, ¡°are you guys robbers?¡± Anyway, Burton finally got some clothes to wear. Just as he was about to sit down and rest, he heard Eileen say, ¡°Go find some food.¡± Burton looked around, then pointed to his nose, ¡°Me?¡± Eileen was, not satisfied, ¡°Of course. I lent you my clothes and you should pay me back, right?¡±. Burton was shocked. Christy felt awkward, ¡°I¡¯ll go with him.¡± Eileen nced at him, indifferent, ¡°Alright, be safe.¡± Egbert also said, ¡°I¡¯ll go too.¡± Eileen immediately turned to Egbert, ¡°What are you going for?¡± Egbert smiled, ¡°To apany them?¡± Eileen frowned, ¡°Why do you always like to make a fuss? You¡¯re so sensitive and not helpful, just wait here for dinner.¡± Burton, ¡°You¡­?¡± What¡¯s up with Mr. Reed? Wait, Christy is not stronger than Mr. Reed, why does he have to work but Mr. Reed can chill? Burton felt it was very unfair. Just as he was about to say something, the girl across yelled at him, ¡°Not going? It¡¯s getting dark! Are you blind?¡± Burton jumped. He swallowed hisints, feeling wronged, and went to find food with Christy. He didn¡¯t mind working, but he wasn¡¯t good at foraging. What if he identally picked a poisonous mushroom? Mr. Reed was a soldier of special forces, with over half a year of jungle tracking experience. His survival skills were much better! Only Eileen and Egbert were left in the camp. The two white monkeys were still under anesthesia, sleeping in the tent. Egbert stood by the fire, watching Eileen like a busy hamster, taking out the robbers¡¯ suitcases and stuffing the contents into her own backpack. The backpack was too small to fit all this stuff. Egbert said, ¡°Just take the useful things.¡± ¡°No!¡± Eileen insisted, shouting, ¡°These are mine, all mine, I want to take them all!¡± Egbert was speechless. Eileen struggled for a while, realizing she couldn¡¯t fit all the stuff. She stood there in silence. After a while, she suddenly said, ¡°We need more backpacks. If we had two more, three in total, we could fit everything. Then, I¡¯d carry one, and Burton would carry two.¡± Egbertughed, ¡°Where¡¯d you find more backpacks?¡± Each team only had one backpack. He and Burton had lost theirs, so now they only had Eileen¡¯s one left. Eileen suddenly looked at Egbert, ¡°Hedy has a backpack.¡± Egbert went silent. Eileen squinted, ¡°Hubery Cooper has one too.¡± Egbert took a deep breath, ¡°Where are they?¡± Eileen looked up at the drone, ¡°We should ask this drone.¡± The drone that was filming them and recording their conversation clearly, ¡°¡­¡±. ¡°Come down.¡± Eileen waved at the drone. The drone sensed danger and flew higher! Eileen picked up a sniper rifle with the tip of her sho?, aimed at the sky, pulled the trigger, and squinted, ¡°I¡¯ll count to three, one, two¡­¡± The drone, the officers and staff monitoring the camp were all speechless. Egbert stopped her when she was about to count ¡°three,¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mess around.¡± Eileen angrily said, ¡°I¡¯m not messing around! Egbert soothed, ¡°The show has its rules.¡± Eileen pursed her lips, finally put down the gun, took out the stuff from the backpack again, and repacked it more carefully. When Burton and Christy returned with fruit, they saw Eileen, serious and tense, wrestling with arge amount of supplies. Burton was so scared that his steps and breath lightened. Christy quietly asked Egbert, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± Egbert calmly said, ¡°It¡¯s not convenient to carry the suitcases, she wants to stuff everything into the backpack.¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights. Christy nced at it, ¡°That¡¯s definitely not gonna fit¡­¡± Before he finished speaking, Eileen turned her head and stared at him coldly. Christy went silent. Burton quickly covered Christy¡¯s mouth, smiling at Eileen, ¡°He¡¯s joking, just joking.¡± That night, Eileen couldn¡¯t figure out how to fit everything into the backpack. When it was quiet at night, Burton and Christy had gone to sleep. Egbert sat by the fire, watching Eileen still pondering how to pack these things. He suddenly remembered what Burton had told him during the day. ¡°Eileen, female, 19 years old. Her father, Nathan Howard, codenamed Falcon, was the former commander of the 10th Military Region, Eaglehunt Covert Strike Team 1. He died in a cross-border drug trafficking case nine years ago¡­¡± Half a year after Nathan kicked the bucket, his dad, Robin Howard, who was a hotshot doc that once treated bigwigs and his mom, Camille Thomas, who was a brainiac scientist from the anti-missile project team at the Department of Defense, were picking up their granddaughter-Nathan¡¯s daughter- from school when they were caught in a car crash. The two old folks who had once done their bit for the country were sadly toast right there and then in the ident. After Major Robin¡¯s daughter was rescued and discharged from the hospital, she was sent back to the only direct rtive she had left, her biological mom Sarah Sarah¡¯s sessor tied the knot with the Lopez family. Eileen, when she turned eighteen, nailed the entrance exam to the Capital Military Academy, but didn¡¯t show up for the start of term. In the end, her admission was axed. When she was neen, she started her life in showbiz. After a few run-ins with people, she started living in the shadows online. ¡°The military folks couldn¡¯t figure out why she decided to give the Military Academy a pass,¡± said Burton. ¡°But word is, her family didn¡¯t want her signing up¡­¡± Egbert didn¡¯t respond to Burton at the time. But he knew that what Burton was saying was the real deal. The reason her family put the kibosh on her joining the Military Academy. In fact, when Isabel was dead set on Eileen being her aunt, Egbert also dug up Eileen¡¯s past through his own channels. In this process, he not only found Sarah, Ableson Lopez, Hedy, Hubery and others. He also found out about everything Eileen had been through over the years. He also found someone else. Someone he never sawing. Chapter 80 Chapter 80 Eileen was busy scheming 108 ways to pack her stuff when suddenly she felt a piercing gaze on her. She turned her head in confusion. It was Egbert. She frowned and asked, ¡°Why are you eyeballing me? Just so you know, even if I can¡¯t fit all this stuff, I¡¯m not sharing with you.¡± Egbert chuckled softly, stood up and walked over to her. He looked at the mess on the floor and asked, ¡°Ever heard of the military packing method?¡± Eileen was taken aback and looked up at him. Egbert squatted down, emptied Eileen¡¯s bag and started packing it anew. As he was doing this, he exined, ¡°When out on a mission, the logistics team ensures the supplies are packed to the brim and sorted out.¡± Eileen watched as he managed to fit therge items that she previously couldn¡¯t into the bag. Her eyes widened with surprise. A momentter, although many things still didn¡¯t fit, her bag could now carry a third more than before. king me And thanks to his systematic packing method, retrieving items was a breeze. Eileen was surprised, ¡°Didn¡¯t expect you to be so handy, did you learn this on a movie set?¡± Egbert looked at her, paused for a moment, and then said, ¡°I learned it at a military academy.¡± Eileen was stunned, ¡°You attended a military academy?¡± Egbert averted his gaze, ¡°Someone in my family did.¡± Eileen looked at him for a moment, then at her bulging bag, and nodded approvingly, ¡°Pretty good.¡± It was unclear whether she was praising his packing skills or the military academy. Egbert added, ¡°Go get some rest. I¡¯ll take first watch.¡± Eileen scoffed, ¡°No need, you go sleep. I¡¯ll wait for Burton to take overter.¡± Suddenly, Egbert stood up, took Eileen¡¯s hand and helped her up. Eileen, taken by surprise, swayed a little¡­ She asked unhappily, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Egbert, still holding her hand, led her to the tent and whispered, ¡°Get some rest since you¡¯ve had a long day.¡± Eileen frowned. Egbert coaxed her, ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll wake you up if anything happens.¡± It had been an eventful day and Eileen hesitated for a moment before finally stepping into the tent to rest. But, perhaps because of Egbert¡¯s mention of the military academy, Eileen had a dream that night. She dreamed of a time long, long ago. One afternoon, a 10-year-old girl in a red id dress sat in a room full of clocks. ¡°Eileen, it¡¯s time for dinner,¡± a sprightly old man called from the doorway. The little girl didn¡¯t move. She pouted, her back to the door, refusing to leave out of anger. After a while, her kind old grandmother came in, stroked her hair and soothed, ¡°Your dad got called away on some work and can¡¯t make it home for your birthday. How about grandma and grandpa apany Eileen for a big meal?¡± The little girl turned her head in disappointment, buried her face in her grandmother¡¯sp, and said, ¡°Daddy promised.¡± Her white-haired grandpaughed from the doorway, ¡°Oh dear, is our little Eileen going to cry?¡± The little girl quickly wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes with her tiny hands and replied loudly, ¡°No way, I¡¯m not crying!¡± Her grandpa and grandma bothughed heartily. As the orange light from the window flooded in, the phone in the living room suddenly rang. ¡°It¡¯s father!¡± The little girl jumped up excitedly and rushed to answer the phone, ¡°Father!¡± On the other end of the line, however, was not her father, but a stranger¡¯s voice, ¡°May I speak to the Howard family?¡± The little girl lowered her head in disappointment, but still politely replied, ¡°Yes, who are you looking for?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking for¡­ Mr. Howard.¡± The little girl carefully handed the phone to her grandpa who walked over. Grandpa took the phone with a smile, but within moments, his face turned pale. That night, the little girl didn¡¯t go to the restaurant to celebrate her birthday with her grandpa and grandma. Grandpa was rushed to the hospital, grandma cried uncontrobly, and the little girl sat at the entrance of the empty hospital corridor, lost and confused. Ten dayster, she learned the truth. Her father had died while on duty. On that day, it was raining heavily. She was taken by her grandparents to a cemetery. Many rtives came to the funeral, all dressed in military uniforms. Their eyes were full of pity when they looked at her. ¡°Is this Mr. Robin¡¯s daughter?¡± ¡°Little girl, your dad was a hero!¡± They all spoke to her, but she didn¡¯t respond, just staring at the unfamiliar cemetery and the neatly arranged tombstones. She heard that soldiers who died were buried here. In her tent, Eileen, asleep, had tears streaming down her cheeks. She turned in her sleep, took a deep breath, and buried her face in her arm. The dream shifted at this point. The cemetery disappeared, and so did her grandparents. In the dream, the little girl woke up from arge white bed. Her head was throbbing with pain, her entire body ached, she was hooked up to many IV tubes, and she had a mask on her face. She knew it was an oxygen mask. Her grandpa was a renowned doctor and he had taught her a lot about medical science and devices. But she didn¡¯t understand why she was wearing an oxygen mask. ¡°She¡¯s awake, she¡¯s finally awake.¡± ¡°Little girl, do you feel ufortable anywhere?¡± There were many doctors and nurse. ? They were all excited to see her awake. around. The little girl looked at them in confusion. She removed the oxygen mask from her face and weakly said, ¡°Grandpa¡­ Grandma¡­¡± The room suddenly fell silent. They looked at her sympathetically, changed the subject and didn¡¯t tell her where her grandparents had gone. A few dayster, some social welfare workers came to her ward. They talked to her, but behind her back, they discussed privately. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t this child speak? Is she unable to speak?¡± ¡°No, she can speak. She just can¡¯t ept the fact that her grandparents are dead.¡± ¡°She¡¯s very beautiful, so she should be adopted quickly in the orphanage. But she¡¯s a bit grown-up, it would be better if she were more lively. D They were discussing where to send her, possibly still in this city, or perhaps another city. The little girl sat on her hospital bed, she heard everything. But she was always tight-lipped. Only at night would she hide under her nkets, quietly shedding tears. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Eileen, no need to be scared. The police found your mom; she¡¯ll be here to take you home soon. You¡¯re not an orphan and you¡¯re not going to an orphanage.¡± The kindhearted medical staff showed special care for this little girl who had lost her family. They¡¯d offer her candy, try to make small talk. But this kid, she never smiled, never said a word, like she was unresponsive to everything. Until one day, a big crowd of people came to the hospital. ¡°This is Nathan¡¯s daughter.¡± A man in a military uniform, tall and upright, approached the little girl. He squatted down, trying to maintain eye contact with her, and gently asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± The girl, as always, didn¡¯t respond, just stared nkly at him. Someone whispered from behind, ¡°General, she¡¯s been like this for two weeks. It might be post- traumatic stress disorder. She hasn¡¯t spoken at all, but the doctors say there¡¯s nothing wrong with her vocal cords. It¡¯s probably psychological.¡± The man¡¯s face shed aplex expression, and he asked again, ¡°Your name¡¯s Eileen, right?¡± The girl didn¡¯t nod or shake her head. She was like a lifeless puppet, her dark eyes devoid of any light. ¡°I¡¯m Mr. Reed. I was a good friend of your dad¡¯s. Eileen, would you like toe home with me? There¡¯s a boy at my house, and I¡¯m sure he would love to meet you. Eileen, will youe home with me?¡± Chapter 81 Chapter 81 The little girl watched the man speak, trying hard to understand his words. Finally, she got it. Fearfully, she stood up from the chair, quickly hid under the bed, and crouched in the corner. ¡°Whoa, what just happened?¡± ¡°Eileen! Eileen, sweetie,e out!¡± Despite theforting words from outside, the little girl remained under the bed, refusing toe out. Eventually, they moved the bed. With nowhere to hide, the little girl cried for the first time in front of everyone. Her body shook, tears streamed down her face, soaking it entirely. ¡°Eileen, don¡¯t cry, Eileen don¡¯t cry.¡± The man hurriedly picked her up, wiping her tears. Seeing her trembling, he was more nervous than she was. The little girl clung tightly to the man¡¯s sleeve, her fingers turned pale. After a long silence, she let out a hoarse child¡¯s voice, ¡°¡­no.¡± ¡°No to what?¡± ¡°¡­no to going¡­¡± The man fell silent. Then someone behind him said, ¡°She might be waiting for her mom. The police have found her biological mother, who might being to pick her up soon.¡± ¡°She won¡¯te.¡± The man¡¯s voice suddenly turned cold. He seemed angry, but quickly regained hisposure and spoke tenderly to the little girl in his arms, ¡°I will take care of you like a dad. Or maybe, Eileen, would you like to see a picture of your new brother? I will show you, he¡¯s a cool guy.¡± The man took out his wallet from his pocket, in which he kept a family photo of three. In the photo, a stern man stood on the left, a beautiful woman on the right, and a handsome little boy in the middle. The man pointed to the people in the photo and introduced them to the little girl, ¡°This is your uncle, your aunt, your brother.¡± The little girl looked at the unfamiliar boy in the picture, her small lips tightly bitten, and tears streamed down her face. She remembered that her dad also had a picture like this, with her dad, her grandpa, her grandma, and herself in the middle. ¡°Oh, Eileen, sweetheart, my sweet girl.¡± The man seemed flustered, rushing tofort her. The little girl lowered her head, tears streaming down, and she stopped talking. At this moment, someone picked up a phone call and came over to say, ¡°Sir, Sarah has agreed to take the child back.¡± ¡°Why did she suddenly agree?¡± ¡°Not sure, perhaps the police¡¯s persuasion worked. But after all, this child has a mother who is the only guardian. From a legal perspective, if the biological mother does not give up her custody, you might not be able to adopt her.¡± ¡°I will talk to her mother myself.¡± The man¡¯s voice turned cold again. People behind him seemed troubled, ¡°Can¡¯t you ask the child what she wants?¡± The man was silent for a while. After some time, he finally asked softly, ¡°Eileen, do you want toe with me, or do you want to go with your mom?¡± The little girl looked down at her hands, and after a moment, she replied softly, ¡°I want to go with my mom.¡± The man sighed. Before leaving, the man stuffed a note into the little girl¡¯s hand, ¡°This is my phone number. If things are not good with your mom, call me, and I¡¯lle to get you.¡± The little girl quietly nodded, holding the note tightly. The next day, the little girl¡¯s mother came. The little girl had only seen her mother in pictures, and the mother in front of her was somewhat different from the one in the picture. The mother in the picture was smiling. The mother in front of her was not. The nurse introduced, ¡°Eileen, this is your mom.¡± The little girl looked at this strange woman in front of her, remembering what her dad used to say. ¡°How could your mom not like you? She left because she didn¡¯t like your dad, of course, she likes you, you¡¯re dad¡¯s treasure, and mom¡¯s too.¡± Grandma said, ¡°If your mom were here, she would surely love you very much. You¡¯re such a good girl, the best little treasure in the world. You¡¯re grandma¡¯s favorite granddaughter, right?¡± Grandpa said, ¡°Everyone has their own choices. If there was no opportunity to be together in the first ce, we wouldn¡¯t forcefully keep someone. But Eileen, you shouldn¡¯t let others¡¯ gossip deny your worth. You¡¯re great, you haven¡¯t done anything wrong. If your mom were to see you now, she would surely like you as well.¡± Your mom is not a bad person. She likes you, she didn¡¯t abandon you. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Now, your mom is here to pick you up. The little girl took an uneasy step forward. She approached the strange woman and said faintly, ¡°Hello¡­¡± ¡°Where do I sign.¡± The woman didn¡¯t answer her, only asked the medical staff in a cold tone. Someone handed her documents to sign, she did, and then she turned and walked away. After a few steps, she stopped, frowned, and looked back at the frail little girl, saying irritably, ¡°Aren¡¯t youing?¡± The little girl clutched the corner of her dress in horror and cautiously followed along. In the elevator, just the two of them, the woman looked at the little girl and said irritably, ¡°You don¡¯t look like me at all, I wonder who you take after, but you¡¯re certainly a beauty in the making. Maybe you¡¯ll be useful when you grow up. What¡¯s your name?¡± The little girl looked at her timidly and said softly, ¡°Eileen Howard¡­¡± ¡°Tomorrow I¡¯ll take you to change your ID information along with yourst name. From now on, you¡¯re Eileen, and when you see your stepfather, you call him dad.¡± The little girl was taken aback and immediately shook her head. At that moment, the elevator reached the first floor. The woman grabbed the little girl¡¯s cor harshly and dragged her out, saying, ¡°If not for not wanting to leave a bad impression on your stepfather, do you think I¡¯d care about you? Better get it straight, otherwise, you¡¯ll suffer. What¡¯s that in your hand?¡± The little girl tried to hide the note in her fist behind her back. But the strength of an adult prevailed, and the woman forcibly opened her hand, throwing away the crumpled paper she couldn¡¯t see clearly, saying, ¡°So dirty, nothing like Hedy. I don¡¯t know how your dad educated you. Why do you look like a vagrant? Let¡¯s go! The little girl was dragged forward by her, looked back in panic, only to see the note getting further and further away from her. The scene in the dream twisted again. Eight yearster, the cruel woman suddenly raised her hand and pped the beautiful young girl hard on the face The young girl¡¯s face was knocked sideways, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. ¡°Military school? How dare you secretly apply to military school behind my back! If it weren¡¯t for Hedy¡¯s discovery, I wouldn¡¯t have known that you had such guts! Eileen, do you think you¡¯re a grown up now and can do whatever you want? I¡¯m your mom, and you¡¯ll have to listen to me all your life!¡± ¡°What¡¯s with that look, you wanna hit me? Go ahead! I know you¡¯ve been secretly practicing boxing, so why not give it a shot? Hit me now, kill me, and you¡¯ll bepletely orphaned! You won¡¯t even have a single rtive left in this world!¡± The girl lowered her head, her fists clenched, but eventually, they slowly unclenched. The woman sneered, as if she had anticipated that the girl wouldn¡¯t dare to fight back. She raised her hand again, and p after pnded on the girl¡¯s face and body. Her eptance letter was torn into countless pieces. The woman casually swung her hand and the whole room was filled with scraps of paper. ¡°Take some time to reflect on yourself at home!¡± The woman left, and the door was locked from the outside. The girl stood in the room, looking at the mess on the floor. After a long time, she bent down and started to pick up the pieces little by little. There w¨¨re so many scraps of paper that it seemed like no matter how much she picked up, it would never end¡­ The scene before her eyes twisted again, bing terrifying. Time seemed to be infinitely prolonged. Many faces shed before her eyes. ¡°Eileen, it¡¯s your birthday today. I have never spent a proper birthday with you, I¡¯ve neglected you.¡± ¡°Sister, have some water.¡± ¡°Eileen, don¡¯t be mad, Hedy was young and didn¡¯t know better, that¡¯s why she upset you. Now that she¡¯s grown up, she¡¯s even gotten you water. Why not take a sip, okay?¡± In the end, under the persuasion of a handsome man, the girl picked up the ss of water on the table¡­ ¡°No, don¡¯t drink, don¡¯t drink¡­¡± ¡°Bang!¡± A loud noise suddenly sounded outside the tent. Eileen abruptly sat up from inside the tent. She sat there a bit dazed, and after a while, she remembered where she was. There was a foul smell of earth on her body. This was the Amazon rainforest. Something itched on her face. Eileen reached up and touched her face, finding traces of tears that hadn¡¯t dried yet. ¡°What the hell? Did I cry?¡± She murmured to herself, but no matter how she thought about it, she couldn¡¯t remember what she had dreamed about. Then, there was another noise from outside. ¡°Bang! Bang!¡± Eileen frowned, she casually wiped her face with her sleeve, crawled out of the tent, and asked impatiently, ¡°What¡¯s up now?¡± Chapter 82 Chapter 82 The sky was gloomy with hints of faint light. When Eileen stepped out of her tent, she saw Egberting out of the tent next to hers. Burton was standing by the fire, pointing in a direction, saying, ¡°The noise came from over there.¡± Eileen squinted towards that direction. Then she walked over to Burton and asked, ¡°How many times did it sound?¡± As Burton turned to look at her, ready to answer, he suddenly choked on his words. He stared at Eileen¡¯s face in shock, looking like he¡¯d been struck by lightning. The folks in thements section looked like they¡¯d been struck by lightning as well. Eileen looked at Burton, puzzled, ¡°What¡¯s with that face? You have seen a ghost?¡± Burton took several steps back, pointing at her face, asking in terror, ¡°Are¡­are you crying?¡± By this point, Egbert had joined them. He looked at Eileen¡¯s bloodshot eyes and froze. Eileen casually wiped her face and said, ¡°I slept in a weird position and squished my eye. I¡¯m not crying. Are you brainless?¡± Burton, being criticized, quickly apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I must have seen it wrong.¡± Egbert stayed silent, frowning. He looked at her stubborn little face, knowing full well she had been crying. But why? -[Can squishing your eye make it look like that?] -[She¡¯s definitely been crying, her nose is all red.] -[She does look like she¡¯s been crying, but here¡¯s a small question, why was she crying? Did my injuring two people today upset her?] -[Hmm¡­] -[So it seems, the only exnation is that she squished her eye.] ¡°Boom!¡± That loud noise sounded again. Eileen, Egbert, and Burton all looked in that direction. Egbert said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s a gunshot.¡± Eileen picked up a sniper rifle from the ground, ¡°I¡¯ll go check it out.¡± And without waiting for a response, she ran off. ¡°I¡¯ming too!¡± Burton was about to follow her with his light machine gun when he was suddenly stopped. Looking back, he saw Egbert with a serious face, grabbing the gun from his hands and following Eileen. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Burton called out, but all he could do was watch as they left. Eileen moved quickly. The morning jungle was filled with mist, making it hard for her to see the path ahead, but she could hear the birds and animals startled by the gunshots. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± The sound of something being smashed. Eileen finally reached the source of the noise. She carefully hid in some bushes, looking at the group of men and women who were only covered in animal skins. She was stunned. -[!!!] -[Oh my god!] [Am I dreaming? Cavemen?!] -[Indeed, there are many primitive tribes in the Amazon jungle, but they all live deep in the forest and rarely appear on the outskirts.] -[Meeting tribal natives in the morning, what a wake-up call! What are they doing? Chopping trees?] Yes, they were chopping trees. The ¡°bang, bang, bang¡± noise was the sound of chopping trees. ¡°Boom!¡± Another gunshot. One of the cavemen fired a crude long spear into the sky. It wasn¡¯t aimed at anything, more like a warning to scare off any animals nearby. Just then, Eileen heard footsteps behind her. She quickly turned around, her mouth immediately covered. A man¡¯s cold palm covered her warm mouth. ¡°Shh.¡± The man¡¯s gentle breath hit her ear. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Elleen frowned, pushing Egbert away, mouthing, ¡°Why are you here?¡± The man shook his head, not answering, just squatting next to her, looking ahead. Eileen pursed her lips, a little annoyed, but didn¡¯t say anything. The group of cavemen fired a shot every now and then. Their guns weren¡¯t normal guns, each shot required reloading. Soon, they chopped down a tree together. Eileen watched the tree fall, not really caring, until suddenly, she saw a green object floating out from the tree¡¯s crown. It looked like a card, a green card. One of the cavemen picked up the card, flipping it back and forth, apparently not knowing what it was. But Eileen saw that the card¡¯s cover read-Second Chance Card. The next second, Eileen grabbed Egbert¡¯s wrist, her grip leaving a red mark on his wrist. -[Oh my god! It¡¯s a Second Chance Card!] -[What a coincidence, a Second Chance Card hidden in a tree crown, and they chopped down that tree!] -[Are the cavemen arranged by the production team? This is too much of a coincidence.] ¡°Why that tree of all trees.¡± In the camp, an officer who had been woken up early in the morning looked at the sudden event on the monitor with a frown. He asked, ¡°And why are there cavemen?¡± The director of the show, yawning, came over and said, ¡°Let it go, we¡¯ll just discard this card. But didn¡¯t we survey this area and found no signs of native activity?¡± The officer didn¡¯t respond. After a while, he asked, ¡°Which device shot this footage? Did we leave any surveince equipment near the SecondChance Card?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not surveince equipment, Captain. This is footage from Team 01¡¯s drone.¡± The soldier operating the drone said. ¡°Isn¡¯t Team 01¡­¡± The officer paused, then his eyes widened, ¡°Eileen again?¡± The soldier nodded honestly, adjusting the drone¡¯s angle. In the camera, they could now see Eileen with her whole body shaking, her eyes glowing with excitement, looking ready to rush out but being held back by Egbert. The conversation between Egbert and Eileen now came through the audio equipment. Eileen, ¡°I have to go out there! Let go of me, let go!¡± Egbert, ¡°Calm down first.¡± Eileen excitedly said, ¡°One million! How can I calm down! If I get that card, I can revive ine, double the prize money! Double!¡± Egbert calmly said, ¡°There¡¯s bound to be more than one Second Chance Card.¡± ¡°But what if there¡¯s only one!¡± ¡°Hold your horses.¡± In the end, it was Egbert who halted Eileen. But given Eileen¡¯s ¡®l-could-murder-them¡¯ look towards these primitives, it seemed like Egbert wouldn¡¯t be able to hold her back for long. Just then, the group of primitives made their move. They split into two teams, one hauling the gigantic tree onto a cart and dragging it off, the other staying put to continue chopping. Among those heading back was the woman with the Second Chance Card. Eileen, without a moment to spare, grabbed Egbert and quickly followed in their tracks. After about a ten-minute trek, they finally stopped at a cramped campsite. Monitoring the small campsite, the officer made his evaluation, ¡°Looks like a tribe that just migrated from the deep woods. They¡¯ve just started building their homes, no wonder we didn¡¯t spot ¡¯em. If that¡¯s the case, we need to give a heads up to the other squads, tell ¡¯em to steer clear of this area and dodge unnecessary run-ins.¡± ¡°Cap, we might be toote for that, check this out.¡± Chapter 83 Chapter 83 The camera angle switched, and to everyone¡¯s surprise, a bunch of native kids had captured Hubery and Hedy from team 06 and 07, both covered in dirt, and were leading them towards their camp. The officer was shocked, ¡°They¡¯ve been nabbed? When did this happen?¡± The safety of the guests had him on edge instantly. The soldier exined, ¡°Hubery and Hedy have been together since they met yesterday afternoon. About half an hour ago, Hubery¡¯s teammates heard gunshots. When they went to check it out, they found these native kids had ambushed them and captured them at their resting spot.¡± The officer frowned, ¡°Why are you just telling me this now? This is serious!¡± The soldier was a bit embarrassed, he had just found out himself. After the gunshots, there were movements from Eileen¡¯s side, so he shifted his focus there. It was more interesting over there, wasn¡¯t it? The officer thought for a moment, and then said, ¡°Give Egbert the order to rescue Hubery and Hedy.¡± The soldier asked, ¡°Should I give the order now?¡± The officer frowned, thought again and said, ¡°Find the right time to give the order, keeping his identity a secret is the most important thing.¡± The soldier acknowledged, ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Meanwhile, Eileen and Egbert were hiding behind a rock slope not far from the native camp. Eileen anxiously asked Egbert, ¡°Can we go now? They¡¯ve let their guard down. I can sneak in, I won¡¯t confront them! I know that ording to humanitarian and primitive civilization protection principles, we¡¯re not supposed to interact with natives and interfere with their culture. But they took my Second Chance Card, I need to get it back, it¡¯s my Second Chance Card!¡±, -[LOL, how did it be yours all of a sudden?] -[You just saw it, it¡¯s not yours yet.] Egbert nodded,forting Eileen, whispering, ¡°I know it¡¯s yours, just wait a bit longer, okay?¡± -[Ugh, the current film emperor is losing his dignity just for a free meal.] Eileen reluctantly continued to wait. All of a sudden, the drone in the sky descended. Eileen, already in a bad mood, red at it irritably! The drone quickly dodged her and whispered to Egbert, ¡°Mr. Reed, can I have a word?¡± Eileen immediately questioned, ¡°Why do you need to step away to talk? Are you going to gossip about me?¡± The drone was silent for a moment, discreetly floated behind Egbert, not daring to stick its head out. Egbert said, ¡°Don¡¯t scare it.¡± Then he said, ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Eileen watched him step away sulkily. Egbert was only gone for a moment, he returned quickly. As soon as he came back, the drone flew back up. Eileen curiously asked, ¡°What did it say?¡± Egbert shook his head. Eileen huffed, ¡°Fine, don¡¯t tell me, I don¡¯t want to know anyway.¡± Egbert helplessly said, ¡°You¡¯ll know soon anyway.¡± And soon enough, Eileen found out. Because she saw Hubery and Hedy, being dragged along by a group of naked children, looking like dumplings. Eileen went silent. She looked at Egbert, then at the drone in the sky doing its best to stay hidden, then coldly asked, ¡°They¡¯re not going to¡­¡± She didn¡¯t finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear. They¡¯re not going to ask us to rescue Hubery and Hedy, are they?! Egbert nodded, ¡°Yes.¡± Eileen¡¯s mood plummeted. The drone, scared, flew even further away. Outside, a group of noisy children excitedly told their parents something, then pushed Hubery and Hedy towards them. Hubery and Hedy were terrified, screaming their heads off! They looked up and shouted, ¡°We quit. Come save us!¡± The drone was secretly filming, and the natives had no idea what they were looking at. Some found them annoying and just shoved a handful of dirt in their mouths. Hubery and Hedy¡¯s mouths were full of dirt. They were scared out of their minds and couldn¡¯t even spit it out. The natives, however, burst intoughter. Eileen finally let out a chuckle, she joined in theughter. Egbert helplessly reminded her, ¡°Keep it down.¡± Eileen covered her mouth, but she was stillughing heartily. The natives tied Hubery and Hedy up in a grass hut. Then a mischievous kid brought over a python and hung it from the hut¡¯s frame. The python¡¯s head was pointed directly at Hubery and Hedy¡¯s faces. Hedy screamed then passed out. Hubery didn¡¯t faint, but he was shaking all over. A kid seemed to smell something, so he pinched his nose and went over, pointed at Hubery¡¯s crotch and said something. Everyone else startedughing again. Eileen was now doubled over withughter, clutching her stomach, ¡°He must have pissed his pants!¡± Egbert, helpless, had to hold Eileen to keep her from falling over. There was a look of resignation in his eyes, but also a bit of indulgence. The native woman who took the Second Chance Card gave it to a kid to y with. The kid had no idea what it was, looked at it for a while then threw it aside. Normally, they would y with anything new for a long time, but today they had lots of new things. Like two scared ounders, and two supply bags. Everything in the supply bags was new to them, like sks, water bottles, and especially lighters, which could produce fire. It was simply magical! Soon, everything in Hubery and Hedy¡¯s supply bags were dumped out, the empty bags and the Second Chance Card were thrown into a corner. Eileen¡¯s eyes lit up at this sight, she immediately looked at Egbert, who finally nodded, ¡°Go, but be careful.¡± actic Once she got the green light, Eileen immediately sprang into action. She took a wide detour and carefully stole the Second Chance Card and two empty bags. Eileen came running back all hyped up, ready to pull Egbert away. Egbert hesitated a bit, his gaze drifting towards Hubery and Hedy in the grass hut. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Eileen gave him a curious stare, innocently asking, ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Egbert replied, ¡°They¡­¡± Eileen blinked, ¡°They? Who are they? Is there someone there?¡± Egbert was taken aback. Eileen deliberately looked at the grass hut for a while, then turned to Egbert with a pitying look, ¡°Poor thing, you¡¯re so young and already your eyesight¡¯s bad. There¡¯s no one there, can you look again?¡± Egbert suddenly broke into a smile. He reached out to pat Eileen¡¯s head, gently saying, ¡°Alright, there¡¯s no one.¡± Eileen also started chuckling. Egbert then looked up at the puzzled drone in the sky and casually said, ¡°Sorry, she¡¯s not into it, can¡¯t help you guys. After that, he grabbed Eileen¡¯s hand and led her towards the back of the hill. Chapter 84 Chapter 84 After a few hundred meters sprint, they finally stopped when they were sure no one was chasing after them. Eileen yanked her hand out of Egbert¡¯s and suddenly jumped up, wrapping her arms around Egbert¡¯s shoulders eximing, ¡°Man, you¡¯re a real pal! My efforts to protect you weren¡¯t wasted! You¡¯re a true friend! From now on, we¡¯re buddies!¡± Egbert turned and supported this girl by her slender waist. Looking at her bright and hearty smile, he said warmly, ¡°Stand steadily.¡± Once Eileen got her footing, she touched her nose and took out two supply bags and the Second Chance Card. Then she defiantly addressed the drone in the air, ¡°You want me to save those two useless peeps? I¡¯m already being merciful by not messing with them! What right do they have to be saved by me?¡± The drone silently hovered in the air, watching her. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Eileen shouted again, ¡°What are you staring at! You dared to ask Egbert to help you behind my back, do you think he¡¯s easy to bully? He¡¯s under my protection. Did you ask me before bullying him? Plus, we¡¯re all guests here, why should we save them! Did they pay me? Do I look like a fool to you?¡± Eileen¡¯s rant left the drone motionless. Eileen seemed to enjoy her rant. She held up her sniper rifle and said smugly to Egbert, ¡°Let¡¯s go home for dinner.¡± Egbert looked at her domineering demeanor, shook his head helplessly, and followed her. ¨C [So they¡¯re really not going to save Hubery and Hedy?]. ¨C [Since the production team has found them, they will definitely handle it. Eileen is right, why should they save them, they¡¯re all guests, not in debt to them.] ¨C [I have a question, is that the only thing you guys are focusing on?] ¨C [What else is there? In a word, I won¡¯t let you guys morally kidnap my Eileen!] ¨C [Did anyone notice, the interaction between Egbert and Eileen just now was a bit intimate?] -[So what if they were a bit intimate? They¡¯re good friends, it¡¯s normal for them to be close.] -[Yeah, it¡¯s normal for two guys to interact like this, did you female fans misunderstand Eileen¡¯s gender again?] ¨C [Oh oh oh, I almost forgot, Eileen is a guy, she looks too feminine, so I keep getting it wrong. There¡¯s nothing going on, let¡¯s continue watching.] When Eileen and Egbert returned to the camp, it was already bright. Burton and Christy breathed a sigh of relief when they saw them return safely. They immediately asked, ¡°What the heck happened?¡± Eileen gave a brief exnation. Burton was shocked after hearing it, ¡°There are still cavemen???¡± After a moment, he blushed and asked, ¡°Do cavemen¡­ really not wear any clothes?¡± Eileen nced at him, threw an empty supply bag at his head, and scolded, ¡°Get your dirty thoughts out of your head!¡± Burton, with a wronged expression, took out the supply bag and scratched his face shyly.¡± Eileen ordered, ¡°Pack the remaining supplies neatly into these two bags ording to military regtions, everything must be packed, nothing can be left out!¡± Upon receiving the order, Burton immediately squatted down to start packing the supplies. Eileen went into the tent and carried out the two unconscious monkeys. Then she said to Egbert, ¡°Bring the medical kit.¡± Egbert immediately helped her fetch the medical kit. Eileen had Egbert hold the two monkeys still while she changed their bandages. Perhaps because their wounds were painful, the two white monkeys seemed a bit listless and quietly curled up in Egbert¡¯s arms. Egbert picked them up and gave them two pieces of fruit to slowly eat. The monkeys ate very slowly, and they didn¡¯t seem to have much appetite. ¡°Actually, they shouldn¡¯t eat at this time. They should drink more fluids.¡± Eileen said, sitting next to Egbert, took one of the monkeys into her arms. Then she helped the little monkey peel the fruit and let it eat the flesh. Egbert, seeing this, also followed her lead, peeling the fruit for the little monkey in his arms and feeding it the flesh. The two little monkeys were very well-behaved, eating a bite each time they were fed, never grabbing for more. Christy looked up and saw this; she couldn¡¯t help butugh. Eileen wiped the little monkey¡¯s mouth with her sleeve, nced at Christy, and casually asked, ¡°What are youughing at?¡± Christy said, ¡°You two look like parents taking care of two children.¡± Eileen paused. Egbert calmly looked up and asked softly, ¡°Do we really?¡± Christy nodded, said, ¡°Yes.¡± At this point, Eileen suddenly said, ¡°Then I want to be the dad.¡± Eileen dered proudly, ¡°I¡¯ve been ying a dad before. I¡¯m full of fatherly love!¡± While she was saying this, she was also coaxing the little monkey in her arms to call her, ¡°Call me Daddy, dad¡­dy.¡± While Eileen was ying with the monkey, a drone flew down. The message came that the military personnel and relevant departments of Brazil were about to arrive, asking them to wait at the current location and not to leave. After about half an hour, a helicopter hovered above their heads. The helicopter lowered three people via adder, one was a military escort, and two were officials from Brazil. The subsequent negotiations didn¡¯t take long, but while Eileen was talking with the people from the animal association, she noticed that the military man had been talking to Egbert all the time. By rights, if there was anything the military personnel needed to inform, they should have found Burton. Why were they looking for Egbert? After a while, those who should have left finally did, including Christy. With all the tedious matters handled, Eileen felt much more rxed and told Egbert and Burton, ¡°Pack up, we¡¯re leaving.¡± The three of them packed up everything left. Ten minutester, Eileen, carrying arge supply bag. looked at Burton carrying two bags and Egbert with nothing in his hands, and dered satisfactorily, ¡®Let¡¯s get going!¡± Eileen took the lead, Egbert was in the middle, and Burton was at the back. Four hourster, the three stopped under a tall tree. Everyone looked up together, eyeing a red ribbon pping on the tree trunk, and below the ribbon, a monstrously huge wasp nest. Burton stared at the nest for a long while, then he began to back away, further and further. When he could back no more, he dered with resolve, ¡°I ain¡¯t going, I ain¡¯t ever going, nobody can make me!¡± Eileen stroked her chin and said, ¡°That red ribbon smells fishy, with words written on it too. It¡¯s gotta have something to do with the map, we need to grab it.¡± Burton knew he was at the bottom of the social status among the three of them. He shook his head firmly, ¡°I ain¡¯t going! I¡¯d rather drop dead!¡± Eileen pondered for a while. She suddenly pulled out her Second Chance Card from her backpack and hesitantly suggested, ¡°How about we bring ine back to life and let her do it? If she gets stung, we¡¯ll just pull her out and then find another Second Chance Card to bring her back? I think Egbert¡¯s onto something, there must be more than one Second Chance Card.¡± ine, who was nursing her wounds in the hospital while watching the live stream, was utterly gobsmacked. Chapter 85 Chapter 85 In Brazil, it was half past four in the afternoon. A casually dressed officer, apanied by his team, met with an elderly gentleman. Despite his age, the old man didn¡¯t appear old except for the gray hair on his head. He moved with grace, exuding an air of nobility, and had a deep gray coat draped over his arm, emitting the distinctive aura of a leader. Engaging in conversation with them was another gentleman by his side, a middle-aged man with elegance and charm. ¡°Are you Major Martin and Major Warner? Thank you both,¡± he greeted. ¡°Not at all, not at all!¡± Major Martin warmly shook hands with the man and then turned to introduce, ¡°This is Major Warner, in charge of all security matters for our production team. He will personally take care of you both and escort you to the base camp.¡± ke Lopez turned to Major Warner and extended his hand with a friendly gesture, ¡°Sorry to bother you, Major Warner.¡± Major Warner, who oversaw the control room, shook hands with ke and inquired, ¡°But may I ask why you¡¯reing to the base camp? If you had informed us in advance, we could have made preparations.¡± ke withdrew his hand and smiled graciously, ¡°I apologize, for our little daughter at home is a bit mischievous. She didn¡¯t inform us before joining this dangerous show and ended up getting injured. We were concerned and wanted toe in person.¡± Major Warner paused for a moment, pondering. He guessed, ¡°You¡¯re talking about the young recruit ine Lopez at Military Base No. 5, right?¡± ke nodded, ¡°You guessed it.¡± It turned out the grandparents were worried about their child. Major Warner understood now and waved, his hand, ¡°The car is right outside; please, both of you, hop in.¡± ine couldn¡¯t believe she was this important. After being bitten by a snake, her parents hadn¡¯t even made a phone call, but her grandfather and uncle were so worried they rushed to see her in person. Seeing the sudden appearance of her two elder rtives in the hospital room, ine felt a mix of embarrassment and gratitude. She struggled to get out of bed, too excited to find the right words, ¡°I¡¯m fine, really! Grandpa, look, I can walk without any issues. The doctor said they just need to observe me for another twenty-four hours, and then I can be discharged!¡± Derek sat on the sofa, leaning against its not-so-soft backrest. After observing for a while, he said to ke, ¡°Looks like she¡¯s doing well, huh?¡± ke nodded, ¡°Her movements seem fine.¡± ine, feeling shy, said, ¡°I¡¯ve always been strong since I was a child, not prone to injuries. You guys forgot when I fell out of a tree when I was little¡­¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s get you back to your team,¡± Derek interrupted her, suddenly. ine stammered, ¡°Huh?¡± Derek continued, ¡°You said you¡¯ve already recovered, right? Grandpa sees you¡¯re almost back to normal. Your teammate has found the Second Chance Card, so let Major Warner contact them and have your teammate revive you. You¡¯ll be back with your team immediately.¡± ine wasn¡¯t entirely sure and looked hesitantly at her two elder rtives. She couldn¡¯t believe it, ¡°I thought¡­ Grandpa and Uncle came to stop me from continuing.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t stop you,¡± ke said directly. ine hesitated for a moment, looking down at her still-bandaged leg. It was still somewhat painful. She carefully said, ¡°But my injury isn¡¯tpletely healed yet. Going back to the team right away might be a bit¡­¡± Derek frowned, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were already fine?¡± ¡°It seems fine, but it¡¯s not fully recovered¡­¡± ¡°ine, the stern old man suddenly said. ine looked at her grandfather carefully, ¡°Grandpa¡­¡± Derek shook his head, ¡°Grandpa is very disappointed in you.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s the deal,¡± ke stood up from the sofa at this point, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll go fetch the doctor for another check-up. If the doctor agrees, we¡¯ll revive you right away.¡± ine still hesitated, ¡°But I¡­¡± ¡°After revival, you¡¯ll have another task,¡± Derek suddenly added. On the other side¡­ Eileen Lopez received instructions from a drone after setting up her tent at night. ¡°Why revive ine immediately? What¡¯s the reason?¡± she asked. The drone replied, ¡°Don¡¯t you want an extra helper? Handling a small team on your own is exhausting.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not tired,¡± Eileen said. ¡°Bringing ine along is tiring; she¡¯s a burden, not very smart, and clumsy. I was nning to revive her when we¡¯re close to the finish line, just use her as a bargaining chip for the prize, that¡¯s all she¡¯s good for.¡± There was a brief silence on the drone¡¯s end. After a while, it said, ¡°ine can hear our conversation right now.¡± Eileen realized, ¡°You mean she¡¯s listening?¡± The drone saw that she was not willing to cooperate, and could only directly say, ¡°In fact, Second Chance Card has a time limit for use, and if it is not used for more than 12 hours, it will be invalid.¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Eileen was angry. ¡± made that rule?¡± ¡°Our superiors.¡± Eileen yelled, ¡°What a scoundrel!¡± The drone asked, ¡°Are you going to use Second Chance Card?¡± In the end, there was nothing Eileen could do. Eileen had to grudgingly agree to resurrect ine! An hourter, ine was brought in with a limp. ine got out of the helicopter and stood awkwardly, watching Eileen¡¯s expression carefully. Eileen sat by the fire in silence, staring at her unkindly. Egbert tried to ease the tension, asking ine, ¡°Have you had dinner?¡± ine was about to reply when Eileen cut in, ¡°You didn¡¯te here on an empty stomach, did you? You didn¡¯t, did you?¡± Fearing Eileen¡¯s anger, ine hurriedly exined, ¡°I ate, I ate beforeing here, I ate a lot. I can go until noon tomorrow without feeling hungry!¡± Eileen nced at her. Burton walked over, supporting his sister, and quietly asked her, ¡°Are your legs really okay?¡± ine nodded, ¡°I¡¯ve got bandages on, so I¡¯m a bit less agile, but I¡¯m mostly fine.¡± Burton said, ¡°Then sit down for now.¡± ine grabbed Burton¡¯s arm-and suddenly said, ¡°Grandpa and Uncle came, and they said¡­¡± ine whispered in Burton¡¯s ear for a while. Eileen, standing nearby, noticed, ¡°What are you two whispering about?¡± This voice made ine shudder. She quickly turned her head and said with an awkward smile, ¡°We weren¡¯t doing anything, really, nothing at all, Auntie¡­ Ahahaha, cough cough.¡± ine suddenly burst intoughter. Egbert narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze shifting toward ine. ¡°Hahaha,¡± ine scratched her head, looking embarrassed. ¡°I, I suddenly choked?¡± Eileen turned to Egbert directly, ¡°It¡¯s over; she¡¯s gone crazy. Not only am I stuck with a limping partner, but I also have a lunatic. There¡¯s no way we¡¯ll win first ce.¡± Chapter 86 Chapter 86 In Brazil, it was half past four in the afternoon. A casually dressed officer, apanied by his team, met with an elderly gentleman. Despite his age, the old man didn¡¯t appear old except for the gray hair on his head. He moved with grace, exuding an air of nobility, and had a deep gray coat draped over his arm, emitting the distinctive aura of a leader. Engaging in conversation with them was another gentleman by his side, a middle-aged man with elegance and charm. ¡°Are you Major Martin and Major Warner? Thank you both,¡± he greeted. ¡°Not at all, not at all!¡± Major Martin warmly shook hands with the man and then turned to introduce, ¡°This is Major Warner, in charge of all security matters for our production team. He will personally take care of you both and escort you to the base camp.¡± ke Lopez turned to Major Warner and extended his hand with a friendly gesture, ¡°Sorry to bother you, Major Warner.¡± Major Warner, who oversaw the control room, shook hands with ke and inquired, ¡°But may I ask why you¡¯reing to the base camp? If you had informed us in advance, we could have made preparations.¡± ke withdrew his hand and smiled graciously, ¡°I apologize, for our little daughter at home is a bit mischievous. She didn¡¯t inform us before joining this dangerous show and ended up getting injured. We were concerned and wanted toe in person.¡± Major Warner paused for a moment, pondering. He guessed, ¡°You¡¯re talking about the young recruit ine Lopez at Military Base No. 5, right?¡± ke nodded, ¡°You guessed it.¡± It turned out the grandparents were worried about their child. Major Warner understood now and waved, his hand, ¡°The car is right outside; please, both of you, hop in.¡± ine couldn¡¯t believe she was this important. After being bitten by a snake, her parents hadn¡¯t even made a phone call, but her grandfather and uncle were so worried they rushed to see her in person. Seeing the sudden appearance of her two elder rtives in the hospital room, ine felt a mix of embarrassment and gratitude. She struggled to get out of bed, too excited to find the right words, ¡°I¡¯m fine, really! Grandpa, look, I can walk without any issues. The doctor said they just need to observe me for another twenty-four hours, and then I can be discharged!¡± Derek sat on the sofa, leaning against its not-so-soft backrest. After observing for a while, he said to ke, ¡°Looks like she¡¯s doing well, huh?¡± ke nodded, ¡°Her movements seem fine.¡± ine, feeling shy, said, ¡°I¡¯ve always been strong since I was a child, not prone to injuries. You guys forgot when I fell out of a tree when I was little¡­¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s get you back to your team,¡± Derek interrupted her, suddenly. ine stammered, ¡°Huh?¡± Derek continued, ¡°You said you¡¯ve already recovered, right? Grandpa sees you¡¯re almost back to normal. Your teammate has found the Second Chance Card, so let Major Warner contact them and have your teammate revive you. You¡¯ll be back with your team immediately.¡± ine wasn¡¯t entirely sure and looked hesitantly at her two elder rtives. She couldn¡¯t believe it, ¡°I thought¡­ Grandpa and Uncle came to stop me from continuing.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t stop you,¡± ke said directly. ine hesitated for a moment, looking down at her still-bandaged leg. It was still somewhat painful. She carefully said, ¡°But my injury isn¡¯tpletely healed yet. Going back to the team right away might be a bit¡­¡± Derek frowned, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were already fine?¡± ¡°It seems fine, but it¡¯s not fully recovered¡­¡± ¡°ine, the stern old man suddenly said. ine looked at her grandfather carefully, ¡°Grandpa¡­¡± Derek shook his head, ¡°Grandpa is very disappointed in you.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s the deal,¡± ke stood up from the sofa at this point, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll go fetch the doctor for another check-up. If the doctor agrees, we¡¯ll revive you right away.¡± ine still hesitated, ¡°But I¡­¡± ¡°After revival, you¡¯ll have another task,¡± Derek suddenly added. On the other side¡­ Eileen Lopez received instructions from a drone after setting up her tent at night. ¡°Why revive ine immediately? What¡¯s the reason?¡± she asked. The drone replied, ¡°Don¡¯t you want an extra helper? Handling a small team on your own is exhausting.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not tired,¡± Eileen said. ¡°Bringing ine along is tiring; she¡¯s a burden, not very smart, and clumsy. I was nning to revive her when we¡¯re close to the finish line, just use her as a bargaining chip for the prize, that¡¯s all she¡¯s good for.¡± There was a brief silence on the drone¡¯s end. After a while, it said, ¡°ine can hear our conversation right now.¡± Eileen realized, ¡°You mean she¡¯s listening?¡± The drone saw that she was not willing to cooperate, and could only directly say, ¡°In fact, Second Chance Card has a time limit for use, and if it is not used for more than 12 hours, it will be invalid.¡± Eileen was angry. ¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. made that rule?¡± ¡°Our superiors.¡± Eileen yelled, ¡°What a scoundrel!¡± The drone asked, ¡°Are you going to use Second Chance Card?¡± In the end, there was nothing Eileen could do. Eileen had to grudgingly agree to resurrect ine! An hourter, ine was brought in with a limp. ine got out of the helicopter and stood awkwardly, watching Eileen¡¯s expression carefully. Eileen sat by the fire in silence, staring at her unkindly. Egbert tried to ease the tension, asking ine, ¡°Have you had dinner?¡± ine was about to reply when Eileen cut in, ¡°You didn¡¯te here on an empty stomach, did you? You didn¡¯t, did you?¡± Fearing Eileen¡¯s anger, ine hurriedly exined, ¡°I ate, I ate beforeing here, I ate a lot. I can go until noon tomorrow without feeling hungry!¡± Eileen nced at her. Burton walked over, supporting his sister, and quietly asked her, ¡°Are your legs really okay?¡± ine nodded, ¡°I¡¯ve got bandages on, so I¡¯m a bit less agile, but I¡¯m mostly fine.¡± Burton said, ¡°Then sit down for now.¡± ine grabbed Burton¡¯s arm-and suddenly said, ¡°Grandpa and Uncle came, and they said¡­¡± ine whispered in Burton¡¯s ear for a while. Eileen, standing nearby, noticed, ¡°What are you two whispering about?¡± This voice made ine shudder. She quickly turned her head and said with an awkward smile, ¡°We weren¡¯t doing anything, really, nothing at all, Auntie¡­ Ahahaha, cough cough.¡± ine suddenly burst intoughter. Egbert narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze shifting toward ine. ¡°Hahaha,¡± ine scratched her head, looking embarrassed. ¡°I, I suddenly choked?¡± Eileen turned to Egbert directly, ¡°It¡¯s over; she¡¯s gone crazy. Not only am I stuck with a limping partner, but I also have a lunatic. There¡¯s no way we¡¯ll win first ce.¡± Chapter 87 Chapter 87 Three in the morning. Around the bonfire. Burton was staring at his sister in a daze, obviously not fully grasping this pile of information. ine sat next to him, whispering, ¡°Did you really get it?¡± Burton nodded, ¡°I heard it, but why did our aunt grow up somewhere else instead ofing home?¡± ¡°You still don¡¯t get it!¡± ine thought her brother was a bit slow on the uptake. She exined again, ¡°Our aunt was originally a kid from the Howard family. She was taken away from our home for some reason and was adopted by the Howard family. She always thought that she was a Howard until her foster father died and her foster mother remarried. The man she married happened to be someone from our Lopez family. After moving with her foster mother, she changed herst name. You should get it now!¡± Scratching his head, Burton still didn¡¯t get it. He asked, ¡°So, have grandpa and uncle confirmed that she¡¯s our aunt now?¡± ¡°Notpletely.¡± ine lowered her voice to avoid being recorded by the drone. ¡°That¡¯s why I came back. I need to get our aunt¡¯s blood for a DNA test.¡± ¡°Are you gonna make her bleed?¡± Burton frowned, asking, ¡°How?¡± ine shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Burton looked at his sister, asking, ¡°Don¡¯t you have a n?¡± ine shook her head, ¡°No.¡± ine said, ¡°That¡¯s why I told you. Let¡¯s think about it together.¡± Burton was silent for a while, then delicately refused, ¡°Actually, this is yours mission, it has nothing to do with me. Your job, your responsibility¡­¡± ine suddenly reached out and tightly grabbed her brother¡¯s hand, her eyes wide, ¡°We¡¯re siblings!¡± Burton retuctantly withdrew his hand and said awkwardly, ¡°You know how good she is at fighting, right? If I make her bleed, she might beat me half to death, and then you won¡¯t have a brother!¡± ine was silent for a moment, then lowered her head and mumbled, ¡°I know, it could be dangerous, so¡­ let¡¯s think it through?¡± Burton stroked his chin, pondered for a moment and said, ¡°How about hair? Or saliva?¡± ine shook her head, ¡°The doctor said blood is the most urate.¡± After thinking for more than ten minutes, they still had no ideas. ine was really sleepy, and said through a yawn, ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day, I¡¯m going to sleep.¡± She stood up to leave. Burton grabbed her, ¡°Where are you going?¡± ine pointed to the tent behind her, ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep.¡± Burton shook his head, ¡°We can¡¯t sleep in the tent. We only prepared two tents, one for Mr. Reed and one for Eileen. We don¡¯t have any, we can only sleep in sleeping bags.¡± ine asked incredulously, ¡°Aren¡¯t there many tents? I saw itst night, even the monkeys could sleep in tents!¡± Burton exined, ¡°We took away the previous tents this morning. They were from the bandits, so it¡¯s a bit difficult to set up new tents tonight. We only set up two. They got one each, but we didn¡¯t get any.¡± ¡°I¡¯m injured!¡± ine said angrily. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Burton nodded, stood up and generously said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll give you my spot. There aren¡¯t many rocks here, but be careful not to roll into the fire when you turn over. It¡¯s okay if you get burned, but if your clothes catch fire, you don¡¯t have any to change into. Aunt won¡¯t give you any clothes. She always thinks that having you around is a burden.¡± In the end, ine had no choice but to sleep on the ground. Egbert was lying in the tent, listening to the faint sounds outside. He was a bit weary. He raised his hand and rubbed his forehead. It seemed that he needed to make a call. When Eileen woke up the next day, she saw ine sitting on the ground, carefully wiping the dew off the wild fruits with a clean cloth. Seeing here out, ine eagerly handed over a fruit and said tteringly, ¡°Breakfast?¡± Eileen walked over, took a fruit, sniffed it and asked, ¡°Did you wash it?¡± ine immediately nodded, ¡°I washed it with dew, not with the water from your bottle.¡± Eileen suspiciously looked ine up and down, took a bite of the fruit, and found that it tasted okay. ine hadn¡¯t poisoned it. She ate the fruit and asked indifferently, ¡°Is your leg okay?¡± ine hurriedly shook her head, ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯spletely healed now. I can move freely after removing the bandages.¡± Eileen squatted down, lifted her trouser leg and said, ¡°Eat breakfast. After you finish, I¡¯ll change your dressing.¡± ine was ttered and quickly said, ¡°I don¡¯t need to change the dressing. The doctor said I could remove it.¡± Eileen raised her eyebrows at her, ¡°Are we gonna listen to you or to`me?¡± ine hurriedly said, ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you. It¡¯s just one leg. However you want to change the dressing is fine.¡± Eileen got up and left ine. She thought ine was a bit off since she came back to life. When Eileen was going to wash up, she saw Egbert standing behind the bushes, talking to the drone. She shouted, ¡°Hey.¡± It took Egbert a while to turn his head and then he walked towards her, ¡°Why?¡± Seeing the drone quickly flying up to the sky behind him, Eileen¡¯s face changed immediately. She asked, ¡°Are they secretly tricking you into doing something shady again? Tell me, what are they asking you to do? I¡¯ll stand up for you!¡± Egbert pursed his lips,fortingly held her hand and led her to the other side. At the same time, he said, ¡°They didn¡¯t ask me to do anything.¡± Eileen didn¡¯t believe him, ¡°Then what were you talking about in private?¡± Egbert was silent for a moment, then shook his head, ¡°Nothing.¡± Seeing that he wouldn¡¯t say, it Eileen unhappily pulled her hand back and went to the other side. Egbert looked at her angry figure and his expression also became serious. In the morning, everyone was chowing down on some wild fruits. After the meal, Eileen started to change the dressing for ine. Burton, who was tidying up stuff, stopped in his tracks when he saw Eileen pull out a bottle of medicine from the medical box. He blurted out in surprise, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same stuff we used for that monkey¡¯s wounds yesterday?¡± ine was speechless. ine, a bit puzzled, asked Eileen, ¡°Auntie¡­ Is this medicine for animals?¡± Eileen calmly replied, ¡°No, it¡¯s for humans.¡± ine found it hard to believe and stared at her leg in horror. At this moment, Eileen looked up, a confused expression on her face, ¡°Did you just call me auntie?¡± ine didn¡¯t utter a word. Burton also remained silent, the awkwardness in the air was palpable. Meanwhile, back in the homnd. The door to the office of the Capital¡¯s First Military Region was knocked. Albert was going through some documents. Hearing the knock, he didn¡¯t look up and just said, ¡°Come in.¡± The door was pushed open and a subordinate walked in with a satellite phone in hand, ¡°Marshal, you have a call.¡± Chapter 88 Chapter 88 Egbert rang back, sensing something off about the camp vibe. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± he asked.. Eileen shot him a nce, but didn¡¯t answer. Burton and ine seemed to want to say something, but seeing Eileen¡¯s sour face, they swallowed their words and kept their heads down, packing their bags. Ten minutester, they started moving. Eileen was still leading the pack. They walked all morning. By noon, they found a creek to rest by. Eileen¡¯s anger towards Egbert from the morning had dissipated by lunchtime. While ine and Burton were busy preparing lunch, she walked over to Egbert with a de of grass in hand and sat down next to him, ¡°Hey.¡± Egbert nced at her. Eileen jerked her chin towards ine and Burton, ¡°You knew them before, didn¡¯t you?¡± Egbert nodded without hiding it, ¡°In terms of family rtions, I¡¯m their elder.¡± Eileen scratched her face, ¡°Why do they call me auntie then?¡± Egbert was taken aback, then looked at her. Eileen raised an eyebrow, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear? ine has identally called me auntie a few times.¡± Egbert furrowed his brows, kept quiet for a moment, then said, ¡°They might have made a mistake.¡± Eileen examined Egbert carefully. At that moment, ine finished preparing lunch and called out, ¡°Mr. Reed, Au¡­ Eileen,e eat.¡± Eileen said to Egbert, ¡°See, they did it again.¡± Egbert didn¡¯t respond. He stood up, extending a hand to help Eileen up. Eileen red at him, refusing his help, and stood up on her own, walking towards ine. Lunch was fruits and a soup made from leaves. Burton, at 18, was still growing. This little food could hardly fill his stomach. After eating, he fetched a pot of creek water to stave off -his hunger. Eileen wasn¡¯t full either. Ever since they entered the rainforest, she was constantly hungry. But she learned to cope. Back in the Lopez family, she often came homete from school to find no food, she got used to the hunger after enduring it so many times. ¡°Here¡¯s water.¡± ine handed Eileen some water. Eileen took the water bottle and had a sip. Looking at ine, she was still curious, ¡°Is it a custom where youe from? To call me auntie?¡± ine¡¯s eyes lit up. She was nervous all day because she couldn¡¯t answer Eileen¡¯s question that morning. She didn¡¯t expect Eileen toe up with this exnation after pondering on it all day! She quickly responded, ¡°Yes, yes, that¡¯s how we address older female rtives!¡± Eileen frowned, ¡°How strange.¡± ine awkwardly responded, ¡°It¡¯s just a custom.¡± Eileen stared at her for a moment, then suddenly stood up. ine thought that since she had a valid reason now, she grew bolder and asked aloud, ¡°Auntie, where are you going?¡± Egbert, resting under a tree, and Burton, fetching water by the creek, both looked over. Eileen, holding her pocket knife, didn¡¯t look back and said, ¡°Wait for me here.¡± When Eileen left, Burton immediately ran over and asked ine, ¡°What was that about just now¡­¡± ine exined what happened. After hearing it, Burton scratched his head and muttered, ¡°She seems a bit slow.¡± ine immediately red at her brother, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare speak ill of her!¡± Burton quickly shut up, then turned his head to look at Mr. Reed, who was still resting with his eyes closed. Burton quietly asked, ¡°Mr. Reed, do you know what we were saying?¡± ine also looked at Mr. Reed and shook her head, ¡°Mr. Reed¡¯s reaction is weird.¡± Eileen returned after ten minutes with a bag in her hand. ine and Burton were shocked to see what was in the bag, ¡°How¡­how can there be so many bugs?¡± Eileen opened a pack of bugs, threw them into the pot, then took the pot to the creek. She cleaned the bugs, then came back and poured some oil into another pan. The pan and oil were from the bandits. Although they had been using the pan these past few days, Eileen had always kept the oil to herself and never used it, this was the first time she took it out voluntarily. A few minutester, the bugs in the pan were fried to a plump perfection. After frying, Eileen picked up a bug herself and tasted it. Feeling that it was a bit nd, she sprinkled some precious salt on it. Then she handed it to Burton and ine, ¡°Eat up.¡± Burton and ine¡¯s eyes widened, their faces filled with horror! Eileen waved her hand, urging them, ¡°Eat up, I made this because you guys treat me as an elder, it¡¯s my duty to take care of you youngsters. These bugs are rich in protein, very nutritious, ine, you are injured, you need to eat more, and you, Burton, you are a big guy, you also need to eat more.¡± Burton and ine¡¯s faces were full of resistance. Seeing them refusing to eat, Eileen instantly became upset. With a grumpy face, she took the pan to Egbert, trying to get him to eat. ¡°It¡¯s really good.¡± Eileen said to Egbert earnestly, ¡°Look, I¡¯ll eat some for you to see.¡± She took another bite, then picked up a chubby bug with a fork, enthusiastically brought it to Egbert¡¯s mouth, and whispered, ¡°You try it.¡± Egbert didn¡¯t really want to try, but when he saw Eileen¡¯s pitiful face. He opened his mouth. Eileen immediately fed the bug into his mouth. Egbert reluctantly chewed it, but found it to be surprisingly good. He nodded at Eileen, ¡°It¡¯s good.¡± Eileen was happy now. She sat next to Egbert, even shot a triumphant nce at ine and Burton. Eileen and Egbert couldn¡¯t finish all the bugs, so Eileen packed up the leftovers forter, nning to snack on them on the road. When night fell and they picked a campsite, while others were busy starting fires and setting up tents, Eileen took off to dig for bugs again. The rainforest might be short on a lot of things, but bugs ain¡¯t one of them. She then fried up a big pot of them and went off with Egbert to munch away. Burton noticed that his aunt was totally ignoring them. He huddled with his sister and suggested, ¡°Maybe we should have some?¡± ine sighed heavily and gave a nod of agreement. ¡°Alright.¡± They needed to butter up their aunt. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. The duo slowly approached Eileen, who thought they were hungry and immediately started teasing them, ¡°You gave me the cold shoulder yesterday, and today you¡¯ll be begging for my attention!¡± Burton and ine squat down, looking all pitiful. Eileen finally took pity on them and gave them the green light to eat the bugs. With eyes closed and teeth gritted, Burton and ine swallowed the bugs. A few secondster, the aromatic aftertaste hit. Huh? Burton and ine instantly dropped their resistance and went for another. Wow! It was actually really tasty! The pot of bugs was quickly finished by the four of them. The next morning, as Eileen dragged herself out of bed, she was greeted by Burton and ine¡¯s beaming smiles. ¡°Mornin¡¯.¡± They chimed in unison. Yawning, Eileen responded, ¡°Mornin¡¯.¡± At that moment, Burton pulled out two big bags from behind him, all squirming with bugs. ine, blushing, handed the bugs over and shyly asked, ¡°Auntie, shall we fry them now?¡± Chapter 89 Chapter 89 The weather was scorching hot, and water was scarce. Newbie Lucas and celeb Eddie, were running on empty, having not had a drop of water for over fifteen hours. ¡°You okay?¡± Eddie grunted as he pulled out thest crumbly biscuit from his backpack and offered it to Lucas, ¡°take this.¡± Leaning heavily against a hefty tree, Lucas tried to keep his bnce. He looked at the biscuit, his voice raspy, ¡°No, you keep it.¡± Eddie insisted, ¡°No, eat it. It¡¯s been too long since you¡¯ve had anything.¡± Lucas didn¡¯t respond. Eddie felt bad, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s all my fault. If it wasn¡¯t for me, you wouldn¡¯t have hurt your leg. How¡¯s your leg now?¡± Lucas shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ve been through survival training before, this injury isn¡¯t gonna stop me.¡± They fell into a brief silence. After a while, Eddie split thest biscuit into two and said, ¡°We¡¯ll share.¡± This time, Lucas hesitated a moment before epting his half. They finished the biscuit. Eddie felt bitter. A single biscuit had to feed two people. The taste of the biscuit didn¡¯t even linger for three seconds before it was gone. The atmosphere between them grew heavy again. Suddenly, Lucas looked up, staring at the tree top, ¡°Is there something hanging up there?¡± Eddie squinted, ¡°Looks like a green ribbon? Can¡¯t really tell.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a ribbon!¡± Lucas started to gauge how high the ribbon was and eventually shook his head, ¡°I can¡¯t reach, it¡¯s too high.¡± The tree was massive, the ribbon was tied at the very top, nearly five stories high. No ordinary Joe could climb that high without safety gear, and if anything went south, the fall would be disastrous. Eddie sighed, ¡°If we miss this green ribbon, we¡¯ll lose another clue. Thest blue ribbon was tied to a freaking crocodile, that was nuts¡­¡± ¡°Crocodile? What kind of crocodile? Where¡¯d you see it?¡± Suddenly, a voice came from behind, scaring the bejesus out of Lucas and Eddie! They turned to see a camouged, pretty young girl perched on a tree not far away, swinging her legs, watching them. Eddie recognized the girl, he couldn¡¯t help but exim, ¡°Eileen?¡± Eileen turned her head, staring at the handsome man, thought for a moment before replying, ¡°Hey, Eddie.¡± On the first day of the show, Eileen was the first to get dressed and leave, then the other two male guests came out. They were the first to be dropped into the jungle. ¡°This guy,¡± she thought, ¡°was one of them.¡± ¡°Why are you alone?¡± Eddie asked. He knew Eileen wasn¡¯t well-liked, but she was still a girl. In this rainforest, survival was much harder for girls than boys. Eddie thought about the other teams they had met, he¡¯d heard some people had already been eliminated. He tried asking, ¡°Was your teammate eliminated?¡± Eileen nced at him, casually replied, ¡°Yeah, he was.¡± He hesitated before suggesting, ¡°If it¡¯s hard for you alone, why don¡¯t you join us?¡± He looked to Lucas, ¡°What do you think?¡± Lucas, being a soldier, knew adding a woman to the team would slow them down but still said, ¡°Sure.¡± Eddie told Eileen, ¡°Come over here.¡± Eileen was silent for a moment before leaping down from the tree and walking over. Eddie noticed her empty hands, asked casually, ¡°You run out of supplies? Have you lost your backpack? No worries, we can find water if /we push on.¡± With that, they were ready to move on. Eileen, hands in pockets, stayed put, ¡°You are not getting that clue?¡± Lucas turned back, chuckled bitterly, ¡°We can¡¯t reach that high, that clue is a lost cause.¡± Eileen nced at the height of the tree, ¡°It¡¯s not that high.¡± With that, she stretched her wrists and started climbing the tree. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t!¡± Eddie called out. Lucas also said, ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous, you¡­¡± He didn¡¯t finish his sentence! In just a few seconds, he watched as the athletic girl slithered up the tree like a snake, already reaching the first branch and skillfully continuing her climb. Lucas and Eddie were stunned. Five minutester, Eileen jumped down from the tree, a green ribbon clutched in her teeth. She dusted off her hands, read the words on the ribbon, then looked up to meet two pairs of wide, shocked eyes. Eileen frowned, ¡°What?¡± Lucas, full of excitement, couldn¡¯t hide his awe, ¡°You¡¯re so nimble.¡± Eileen scoffed, she stared at Lucas for a moment before asking, ¡°You guys got anything to drink?¡± Lucas subconsciously touched his lips, which were already cracked and bleeding. Eileen turned to Eddie, ¡°One hundred bucks for a bottle of water, deal?¡± Eddie, still in awe of Eileen¡¯s climbing skills, was stunned by her offer, ¡°You have water?¡± Eileen, ¡°I¡¯m just asking if you want it?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes, I don¡¯t have the money now, but I promise I¡¯ll pay you back!¡± Eileen¡¯s eyes curved into crescents, ¡°If you tried to break your promise, I have ways to get my money back. Wait, they should be here in three minutes.¡± Eddie asked, ¡°They?¡± Three minutester, Eddie knew what ¡®they¡¯ meant. ine with a backpack, Burton with two, and empty-handed Egbert, slowly approached. Eileen casually handed the green ribbon to Egbert. Then she took a bottle of creek water from Burton¡¯s backpack and tossed it to Eddie. Eddie caught it and quickly opened the cap, gulping do After drinking half of it, he handed the bottle to Lucas. the water. Lucas carefully sipped only a third of the water, then tightened the bottle cap, turning to Eileen and asked, ¡°So, you four made a team, huh?¡± Eileen replied, ¡°Yeah.¡± Lucas cast a nce at Burton and ine behind him. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. But Eddie had his eyes on Egbert. He hadn¡¯t seen Egbert in the forest before, it totally caught him off guard that Egbert was also part of this show. At that moment, Eileen whipped out a lunch box. Opening it, the aroma of deep-fried food wafted out. Lucas and Eddie were instantly hooked, their eyes lighting up at the sight. Eileen walked over, showed them the fried bugs in the box, and asked with a smile, ¡°Wanna give it a try?¡± Eddie was hesitant about eating bugs, but Lucas was all in. Eileen handed one to Lucas. He took a bite and found that it tasted better than anything he¡¯d ever eaten in his life! Seeing this, Eddie couldn¡¯t resist and asked for one as well. They had been starving for a long time, and at this point, anything would taste heavenly! Eddie couldn¡¯t help but want another. But Eileen shut the lunch box and said, ¡°Taste test over, one dor for a bug. Wanna buy some?¡± Eddie¡¯s eyes widened. Lucas was licking his lips. In the end, Eddie bit the bullet and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take ten. No, make it twenty!¡± Eileen counted out twenty for him. Eddie gave half to Lucas, and they both savored their meal. Then Eileen turned to Lucas and said, ¡°You¡¯ve hurt your leg, need some treatment? It¡¯s five hundred bucks for a diagnosis, a grand for the meds. Guaranteed to get you back on your feet.¡± Lucas was taken aback, ¡°Diagnosis? Meds?¡± Without a second thought, Eddie blurted out, ¡°We¡¯ll take it. I¡¯ll foot the bill, you treat him!¡± Eileen smiled and continued, ¡°You guys are all dirty. Need a bath? I can show you the nearest water source. A grand for the guide fee.¡± Eddie quickly nodded, ¡°Deal!¡± Then Eileen went on, ¡°Need a change of clothes? Five hundred bucks for a piece of clothing, a hundred for a towel.¡± Eddie, surprised, said, ¡°You actually have clothes and towels?¡± Eileenughed, ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve got more than that. I¡¯ve got tents. You guys must be having a tough time out here in the wind and sun, huh? Want a good night¡¯s sleep? My tents are top quality, sturdy and durable. As my first customer, I¡¯ll give you a discount. Only 9,900 bucks for a high-ss sleep in the jungle. What a steal! Interested?¡± Eddie was speechless. Chapter 90 Chapter 90 Thements popped up. [Only in tourist spots do you see these prices.] [Hahaha, you¡¯re not wrong, only in tourist spots would you find such inted prices!] [A tent for $9900, and it¡¯s second-hand, Eddie, you better not agree!] In the end, Eddie still refused to buy the tent. It was just too expensive. Eileen didn¡¯t give up, she asked Burton and ine to bring over the pack and started taking things out of it. ¡°Do you need clothes and towels?¡± Eddie hesitated at first, but thinking about needing to shower, he definitely needed to change clothes, so he said, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Do you need one or two?¡± Eddie firmly said, ¡°Two.¡± Lucas pulled him aside and whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t need any, as long as there¡¯s a water source, I can just wash up a bit, these clothes are too expensive.¡± Eddie shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s okay, an extra set of clothes wille in handyter, you can¡¯t go a month without a shower, right?¡± He then told Eileen, ¡°Two, please.¡± Eileen handed them two T-shirts and two towels. That¡¯s when Eddie realized there was a problem, he asked, ¡°What about pants?¡± Eileen looked up and said, ¡°Pants cost extra, do you need pants? Underwear is $100, pants are $500.¡± Eddie still said, word by word, ¡°I¡¯ll take them!¡± Eileen quickly brought him two pairs of pants and two pairs of underwear. Then she told Burton, ¡°Quickly take them to shower.¡± And to Eddie and-Lucas, she said, ¡°We offer free back scrubbing service here, Burton will scrub your back.¡± Burton stood up, without anyints, he said, ¡°Follow me.¡± Eddie doesn¡¯t like back scrubbing, he pointed to Lucas¡¯s leg and said, ¡°What about this¡­¡± Eileen patted the first aid kit next to her and said, ¡°You go shower first, ande applying medicine after you finish.¡± Eddie and Lucas followed Burton and left. They returned after more than half an hour. When they came back, Eddie saw from afar, Eileen and Egbert were together. They seemed to be discussing the information on the green ribbon, sitting very close. Eddie was a bit surprised. Didn¡¯t they say that Egbert always keeps a distance from women, never having overly intimate behavior with other female artists? But now these two, they were basically sticking to each other! Eileen looked up and saw them, she stopped her conversation with Egbert and waved at Lucas, ¡°Come and sit down.¡± Lucas walked over to Eileen, sat down, and rolled up his pant. Eileen looked at the wound, calmly said, ¡°The wound isn¡¯t deep, a couple of stitches will do, there¡¯s a bit of infection, need to clean it first, can you endure pain? We can use anesthesia, but it costs extra, $50 a shot.¡± Eddie said, ¡°Go for it¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Lucas immediately refused, and turned back to Eddie, ¡°Really, there¡¯s no need.¡± Eddie sat next to him, watching them treat the wound, saying, ¡°Okay, but if you feel any pain, let us know.¡± After Eileen treated Lucas¡¯s wound, and bandaged it, she handed them some medicine, ¡°Don¡¯t let the wound touch water in the next few days, change the dressing every twelve hours, here¡¯s enough medicine for three days, after three days, the wound should start to heal.¡± Lucas took the medicine. Eileen turned to Eddie, asked, ¡°Is that a mosquito bite on your neck?¡± Eddie subconsciously scratched his neck, said, ¡°Yes, there are too many mosquitoes in this forest.¡± Eileen took out a medicine pouch from her pocket, said, ¡°This can repel mosquitoes, wear it on you, it can prevent mosquito bites.¡± Eddie¡¯s eyes lit up, but he immediately became wary and cautiously asked, ¡°How much does this cost?¡± Eileenughed, tossed the medicine pouch to him, ¡°I won¡¯t be that harsh on you, as my first customer, consider this a freebie.¡± Eddie was very happy, he sniffed the pouch, ¡°Smells good.¡± Eileen continued, ¡°This medicine pouch sells for $50, your friend doesn¡¯t have one, seeing how close you two are, why not buy one for your friend too?¡± Eddie¡¯s smile faded. In the end, Eddie gritted his teeth, spent another $50, and bought a medicine pouch for Lucas. Lucas said he didn¡¯t need it, but Eddie ignored him, he tied the pouch to his wrist, ¡°I¡¯ve already spent so much, a little more won¡¯t matter.¡± After Eddie tied the pouch for Lucas, he turned to look at the others and found that none of them, including Egbert, were wearing the pouch. He asked confused, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you guys using it?¡± ine proudly said, ¡°We chose to use the spray-on repellent, because wearing the pouch is inconvenient when walking.¡± Eddie was a bit envious, cautiously asked, ¡°How much does the repellent spray cost?¡± Eileen, without raising her head, said, ¡°A hundred dors per milliliter.¡± A hundred dors per milliliter? Eileen said helplessly, ¡°Can¡¯t help it, low production, high prices, this is for personal use.¡± Hearing this, ine, Burton immediately puffed up their chests. Egbert nced at Eileen, then chuckled. Eddie grumbled, ¡°Then I¡¯ll just use the pouch.¡± At this time, Eileen reached out her hand to Egbert again. Egbert knew what she wanted, he handed over the green ribbon in his hand. Eileen waved the ribbon, asked Eddie, ¡°Do you want to see the info inside?¡± Eddie now understood her sales strategy, he directly asked, ¡°How much to see the info?¡± ¡°It¡¯s free.¡± Eileen said. Eddie was surprised, ¡°Free? Really?¡± Eileen smiled, ¡°You can see it, but there¡¯s one condition, you have to take us to the ce where you said you found the blue ribbon.¡± Just now Eileen and Egbert were discussing this issue, the information on this green ribbon is iplete, in other words, there¡¯s only half of the information on the green ribbon. They need to find the other half of the information to get theplete info. But the other half of the info might be on the blue ribbon, or it could be on other colored ribbons. Eileen guessed that snagging these ribbons seemed to be directly rted to howplete the info was. For instance, getting the red ribbon from the ho¡¯s nest was a real pain in the ass, but they got full directional info-southeast. But this green ribbon was way easier to get, so it only had half the info. The show¡¯s crew sure knew how to y. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. They had no idea how many ribbons there were in total, how long it would take them to gather all the clues, and find the map. ¡°We couldn¡¯t get the blue ribbon.¡± Before Eddie could even speak, Lucas said directly, ¡°The whole river is full of alligators. We went there to find water, but as soon as we got close, we were nearly bitten. Those alligators can evene ashore, and we almost lost our lives. In the end, we didn¡¯t even manage to get a drop of water.¡° -Eileen rubbed her chin, and asked Egbert, ¡°Looks like getting that blue ribbon is hard?¡± Egbert gave a nomittal ¡°Hmm¡±, and said casually, ¡°Might be a full clue.¡± Then they needed it even more. Eileen cut to the chase, ¡°Can you guys lead the way?¡± Chapter 91 Chapter 91 Lucas didn¡¯t really want them to take the risk, but they seemed determined on going. Finally, Lucas sighed, ¡°I can take you there, but we¡¯re not getting close.¡± Eileen responded, ¡°No problem.¡± Then she tossed them the green ribbon. Eddie and Lucas saw the writing on the ribbon: ¡®The First Crossroad¡­ The dots indicated that the sentence wasn¡¯t finished; it was just a half-spoken phrase. ¡°The hell does ¡®The First Crossroad¡¯ mean?¡± Eddie asked. Eileen just shrugged, ¡°Beats me.¡± Lucas pondered a bit and handed back the ribbon, ¡°Croc Cove Creek isn¡¯t far from here. If we hit the road now, we should get there in about two hours.¡± Eileen stood up, ¡°Then let¡¯s hit the road.¡± The six of them set off back. By dusk, they reached the ce known as Croc Cove Creek. Eileen stared at the half-visible crocodile eyes peeking out from the riverbed. Looking around, she asked Lucas and Eddie, ¡°Do you guys see the blue ribbon?¡± Eddie replied, ¡°The crocs move around. We¡¯ve seen a blue ribbon here before, but who knows where it¡¯s swum off to now?¡± ¡°So how are we supposed to find it, it¡¯s too hard.¡± ¡°Over there,¡± Egbert suddenly said. Eileen instantly turned to him, ¡°Where?¡± Egbert, with a slight frown and an expressionless face, said, ¡°The ribbon fell off, it¡¯s in the river.¡± Eileen turned and sure enough, there was a big croc,ying on a blue ribbon in the muddy riverbed. The ribbon didn¡¯t just fall off, it was pinned by a croc. Back at camp, the show director shook his head at Major Warner, ¡°Sly fox, I don¡¯t believe you didn¡¯t foresee this. What made you think to tie the ribbon to a croc¡¯s head? Now it¡¯s fallen off, with all these crocs in the river, I bet you never nned to give them the clue on the ribbon, huh?¡± Major Warner just shook his head with a smile, ¡°If it¡¯s Egbert, he can get it.¡± The director was surprised, then rubbed his chin, ¡°Really?¡± Major Warner said, ¡°It¡¯s a piece of cake for him.¡± The director frowned, ¡°Is he going to do it?¡± Major Warner shook his head, ¡°No.¡±¡± The director was surprised, ¡°Then¡­¡± Major Warner continued, ¡°But without Egbert, Burton could do it too. As long as Egbert tells him how; with Burton¡¯s strength and reflexes, although it¡¯s a bit tricky, he should be able to do it.¡± The director questioned, ¡°Isn¡¯t Burton a bit too young?¡± Major Warner/said, ¡°It¡¯s risky, but with Egbert there, he should¡­¡± His voice trailed off. The director was puzzled until he followed Major Warner¡¯s gaze to the screen. Then he was just as stunned. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. On the screen, Eileen was using a rope from their supply pack, one end tied to a tree, the other in her hand. She tiptoed, leapt into the river. Her body floated above the water like a swallow. Below, three or four crocs were already lunging, trying to bite her. Eileen suddenly kicked two of the crocs in the head with her boots, and the force was so strong that it sent the crocs flying! One of them was the croc lying on the ribbon. With the weight off it, the blue ribbon floated up a bit. Eileen seized the opportunity, using one croc¡¯s head as a pivot, flicked up the ribbon with her other boot, and flung it to the shore. The blue ribbonnded on the ground and Eileen was quick to retract her feet, avoiding the snapping jaws of the crocs below. Using the swing from the rope, shended safely on the shore. The whole process was smooth as silk. And it all took less than a minute! Every step, every pivot, even her anticipation of the crocs¡¯ movements, everything was pinpoint urate. It was clear she had nned this in advance. But how much time had passed since she spotted the ribbon to the moment she acted? Less than five minutes. Yet she had this whole n ready to go, and executed it wlessly on her first try! The director turned to Major Warner in disbelief, whose face was also full of shock. Swallowing hard, the director asked, ¡°You said earlier that if Egbert tried, he would have done it easily. How would he have done it?¡± Major Warner was quiet, his eyes fixed on the screen, on the smug face of the girl. After a moment, he said slowly, ¡°Just like that.¡± Yes, if Egbert had tried, he would have done it the same way. But while Egbert would have been confident about pulling it off, how could Eileen do it too?! The director was still in shock, rubbing his face, he suddenly remembered what Major Warner had said last time after the red ribbon was retrieved. The director swallowed hard, ¡°You said before that Eileen¡¯s smart, but a bit clumsy. Because she used the time-consuming slingshot method, she used rocks to knock down the red ribbon from a distance. Although the method worked, it wasn¡¯t the most efficient. You also said that if she knew how to throw knives, she could have just thrown a folding knife and urately cut off the ribbon, instead of slowly chipping it away with stones.¡± Major Warner blinked, ¡°I did say that.¡± The director spected, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s possible that she just didn¡¯t want to risk losing the knife, so she used rocks?¡± Major Warner looked at the director, stunned. Thements popped up. [Did you guys see that?] [Yes.] [I saw it.] [Oh my god.] [AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!] [Eileen, marry me!!!!!] [Well, I¡¯ll be damned, is Eileen an acrobat or what] [¡­I¡¯m so shocked, I can¡¯t even breathe!] After Eileennded safely, everything around her was quiet. She looked to the side and saw four pairs of wide eyes. Eileen nced at Lucas, Eddie, ine, and Burton, her brow furrowing slightly. She turned her head and saw Egbert picking up a blue ribbon from the ground. She then walked towards Egbert. Upon seeing her approach, Egbert asked, ¡°You okay?¡± Elleen responded with a puzzled, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Realizing what he was asking, she said, ¡°Oh, you mean the stunt just now? I¡¯m all good.¡± Egbert sighed, handing the ribbon to her. Eileen took the ribbon, finding a new clue on it, aplete one. ????? It seemed that thepleteness of the clues differed ording to the difficulty of obtaining them. Eileen read out the clue, ¡°Snake¡¯s Den.¡± Egbert suggested, ¡°The map might be hidden in some snake¡¯s den.¡± Eileen started to ponder. At this moment, the other four hurried over. Burton and ine forcibly sat Eileen down on arge rock, one massaging her shoulders, the other pounding her legs) Their service was very thorough. They even asked, ¡°Is the pressure okay?¡± Eileen, a bit puzzled, said casually, ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Across from them, Lucas and Eddie were showing Eileen utmost admiration. Eddie told Eileen, ¡°That move you pulled just now, it was freaking awesome!¡±. Eileen turned to Eddie and immediately said, ¡°Right? And even more impressive is this clue on the blue ribbon. Just for five grand, isn¡¯t that a total steal? Interested?¡± Eddie felt that while his money didn¡¯t grow on trees, it seemed to be getting blown away by the wind. Chapter 92 Chapter 92 Five grand for a piece of intel, that¡¯s a rip-off. Eddie was holding the blue ribbon in his hand, indecisive as hell. Lucas tried to convince him, ¡°We¡¯vee so far, it¡¯s okay if we don¡¯t have the intel, it¡¯s not necessary to fork out that much.¡± Eddie thought Lucas made a good point and was about to turn it down. Out of nowhere, Egbert, who had been quiet all along, chimed in, ¡°He¡¯s just trying to make you feel better. As a soldier, he knows damn well that without intel, things will be very tough.¡± Everyone, including Eileen, did a double-take at Egbert. Eddie was taken aback. He looked at Lucas. Seeing Lucas avoiding eye contact, he immediately asked Egbert, ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Egbert casually replied, ¡°To get out of this jungle, a map is indispensable. And to get the map, intel is the key. Without it, we¡¯re stuck. So, all things considered, five grand per piece of intel is actually a fair price.¡± Fair? Eileen looked at Egbert, then out of the blue, she burst intoughter. She chimed in, ¡°Exactly, to get the job done, intel is a must-have. Five grand per piece of intel isn¡¯t that steep. Of course, you can try and get other intel, but can you find it? And even if you do, can you get it? So my suggestion is, you should get it when it¡¯s guaranteed. Eddie got the point. But he grimaced, ¡°But five grand is too much!¡± Eileen nonchntly replied, ¡°Well, the sooner you get the intel, the sooner you get the map. The first three teams to get out of the jungle get a cash prize.¡± ¡°Cash prize!¡± Eddie¡¯s eyes brightened, ¡°How could I forget about that?¡± Eileen chuckled and said, ¡°Yeah, if you use the bonus to subsidize it, the money you spend isn¡¯t actually much, and it¡¯s a very cost-effective choice.¡± -Eddie seemed to be swayed. Just then, Lucas hesitated and said, ¡°Well, let¡¯s do it, deduct it from my prize.¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°It¡¯s fine, we¡¯ll split the cost.¡± Eddie responded, turning to Eileen, ¡°We¡¯ll take it!¡± Eileen immediately handed them the blue ribbon. Eddie and Lucas nced at the word ¡°snake¡¯s den¡± on the ribbon and began to ponder. If the map is in the snake¡¯s den, can they retrieve it? Eileen earn another five grand. Eileen turned her head, gave Egbert a big thumbs-up. Egbert gave a chuckle and said, ¡°It¡¯s getting dark, let¡¯s find a ce to camp.¡± Given the dangers of the jungle at night, their little squad always tried to rest early. Eileen found a good spot to camp, just as they set up the fire, Eddie and Lucas tiptoed over. Eileen, with a straw in her mouth, unceremoniously shoed them away, ¡°What are you guys doing? This is our turf, we got here first, you can¡¯t camp here, beat it.¡± Eddie scratched his head, ¡°We¡¯re all friends here, can we camp together?¡± Eileen bluntly replied, ¡°No.¡± Lucas suggested, ¡°It¡¯s safer if we stick together.¡± Eileen retorted, ¡°We¡¯re perfectly safe!¡± Eddie sighed, and resorted to hisst option, ¡°We can pay.¡± Elleen raised her eyebrows, chewing on her straw, considered for a moment, ¡°Five hundred bucks per person, then you can enter our camp, but we won¡¯t be responsible for anything else.¡± Eddie had no choice but to agree, ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Eileen immediately got up, warmly inviting, ¡°Gentlemen, wee!¡± Eddie and Lucas didn¡¯t have much luggage, theyid out their sleeping bags. Just then, it started to rain. In the jungle, it rains every day, but it usually stops after a while. Eddie and Lucas were about to pack up their sleeping bags to take cover from the rain, but then they saw arge rain shelter suddenly erected above their heads. It was ine and Burton, expertly spreading out a massive piece of tarpaulin, securing it to four trees. The shelter created a protectiveyer, keeping both the fire and people dry. Eddie was amazed. They actually had a rain shelter! Eileen, sitting by the fire roasting some wild mushrooms, said, ¡°Five hundred bucks per person, pretty good deal, eh?¡± Eddie nodded again and again, ¡°it is a good deal.¡± Eileen roasted a whole pot of mushrooms, skewered the mushrooms and fried bugs, then made some mushroom soup, and they began to eat. Eddie and Lucas were so hungry, their stomachs growling, drooling over the smell wafting over from the other side. In the end, Eddie couldn¡¯t take it anymore and asked, ¡°How much for a skewer?¡± Eileen, munching on a fried bug, answered, ¡°Five bucks a skewer.¡± Eddie gritted his teeth, ¡°Give me twenty.¡± Eileen got twenty skewers and had Burton deliver them. Eddie and Lucas devoured the skewers as soon as they got them. It was so good, they could almost cry. After finishing the skewers, they almost wanted to eat the leftover sticks as well. After finishing the skewers, Eddie asked again, ¡°How much for a bowl of mushroom soup?¡± Eileen answered, ¡°Three bucks.¡± ¡°Two bowls, please.¡± Eileen gave them two more bowls of soup.. After the main course, it¡¯s time for some fruit. Eileen took out another bag and took out the fruit inside. It was a sweet fruit, like a pear. Eileen took a bite, and it sounded juicy, Eddie couldn¡¯t resist and asked, ¡°How much for one of these fruits?¡± Eileen answered, ¡°Ten bucks.¡± Eddie was surprised, ¡°How can wild fruit be so expensive?¡± Eileen swallowed the fruit in her mouth and answered, ¡°We picked these in the forest earlier, once we passed that area, there were no more. Each one eaten is one less.¡± Eddie had no choice but to say, ¡°Just give me two then.¡± He originally wanted four. It wasn¡¯t until about nine o¡¯clock that they finished eating and cleaned up. The rain outside was still pouring down. Even though they had a rain shelter, the cold wind mixed with rain still blew in. At midnight, Eileen, Egbert, and ine had gone to bed in their tents, while Burton was on guard. This is the coldest time of day in the rainforest. Eddie and Lucas were huddled in their sleeping bags, still shivering despite being close to the campfire. On the other side, two massive tents looked so warm and secure at first nce. Eddie¡¯s lips were trembling as he asked Burton beside him, ¡°What¡¯s it like sleeping in a tent?¡± Burton replied casually, ¡°Well, it¡¯s definitely better than sleeping on the ground, and not as cold.¡± Eddie nced hesitantly at Lucas. Lucas let out a sigh, trying to dissuade him, ¡°It¡¯s really too pricey.¡± ¡°There¡¯s always the prize money,¡± Eddie reasoned, as if he had already pocketed the reward. He turned straight to Burton, ¡°We want a tent.¡± Before Burton could respond, Eileen, who should have been asleep, suddenly boomed, ¡°Alright, ine, bring out the tent.¡± Eddie and Lucas felt like they had fallen into some weird trap again. Chapter 93 Chapter 93 For the next three days, Lucas and Eddie had been with Eileen¡¯s crew. By day four, Eddie was used to this lifestyle. Whenever it¡¯s time for a meal, he¡¯d be right there with bowl in hand. At first, Lucas was a bit of a tough nut to crack. But, before he knew it, he¡¯d given up resisting and was just going with the flow. On the evening of the fourth day, Lucas did a quick tally of their spending. He looked at Eddie, who was picking his teeth, with a worried look, ¡°We¡¯ve burned through nearly fifty grand.¡± Eddie was taken aback, scratching his head looking at the figures on the ground, ¡°Did we really spend that much? I didn¡¯t notice.¡± Lucas was bummed, ¡°We gotta at least make it to third ce, or we¡¯re gonna be broke.¡± Eddie gave him a pat on the shoulder, ¡°No worries, I¡¯ve got this. Plus, the third-ce prize is thirty grand each. That¡¯s sixty grand for the two of us. So, we¡¯ve only spent less than fifty grand. We¡¯ve still got some left.¡± Lucas thought Eddie was just too extravagant. In thest few days, Eileen and her group had gathered a bunch of info, which they had also bought. The clues on the map were now allid out. These clues connect as follows: Head southeast, encounter a circr pond, turn left at the first corner, pass through a grove of banana trees, continue for half an hour, and you¡¯ll reach a snake-shaped cave where the map is located. But after two days of walking, they still hadn¡¯te across the circr pond, nor seen any other teams. Lucas started to think they might have taken a wrong turn. He took his doubts to Eileen¡¯s group for a chat. As he walked over, he saw Eileen and ine lying side by side in the tent. Eileen cracked an eyelid at the sound of his approach, nced outside the tent and asked in a raspy voice, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Lucas said, ¡°twanted to talk about our route.¡± Eileen waved him off, ¡°Talk to Egbert, he¡¯s got this. Not my department.¡± So, Lucas had no choice but to go to Egbert. After a half-hour chat with Egbert, he went back to his tent. Meanwhile, outside. A drone suddenly dropped from the sky. Burton had a chat with the drone, then went to find Eileen, ¡°The two monkeys that were injured are healed. They might be released.¡± Eileen heard him from inside the tent and said absent-mindedly, ¡°If they¡¯re gonna be released, then let them.¡± Burton said, ¡°We need to go get them.¡± Eileen checked the time, wiped her face with a wet wipe, revealing a fresh, clean face, ¡°Why should we?¡± The drone, seeing her annoyed expression, quickly hid behind Burton. ¡°The monkeys have be very scared since they were shot. The animal protection organization is worried they might be traumatized. They want you to help them limate to the forest.¡± Eileen frowned. -Egbert came out from another tent at this point. He heard the drone¡¯s message, walked over to Eileen, and gently patted her back, Eileen shot Egbert a look, then reluctantly said to the drone, ¡°Fine, but only Egbert justughed, ¡°Alright, bring ¡¯em here.¡± An hourter, the two monkeys were delivered. ¡°It¡¯s no biggie.¡± Decause Egbert says so!¡± Eddie and Lucas, clueless about what was happening, just saw a chopper drop off a big cage. Inside the cage were two monkeys, showing their fangs, trembling. ¡°Are these¡­ Proboscis Monkeys?!¡± Lucas immediately pulled Eddie back. Eddie was confused, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Eileen was just about to open the cage then. Lucas shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t touch it! These monkeys are vicious, they¡¯ll hurt you!¡± Everything went quiet. Eileen looked up at Lucas. Eddie was shocked, ¡°What did you say? They hurt people?¡± Lucas said seriously, ¡°These monkeys, they¡¯re dangerous to humans. They¡¯ll attack, just like tigers or lions. You get close, they¡¯ll hurt you, then¡­¡± Eddie was terrified, ¡°Why the hell would the crew drop off two dangerous monkeys?!¡± Lucas just shook his head, he didn¡¯t know either. But he kept Eddie behind him, watching the big cage warily. Eileen just shook her head, continuing to open the cage. ¡°Seriously, don¡¯t! It¡­¡± Eileen took the trembling little monkey out of the cage. Maybe it recognized Eileen¡¯s scent, it stopped showing its fangs and just clung onto her clothes. Eileen turned around, handed the little monkey to Egbert behind her, joking, ¡°Let your mommy hold you.¡± Egbert was about to reach out, but when he heard that, he immediately withdrew his hand, staring at Eileen. Eileen gave a dryugh, ¡°Christy said we look like its parents.¡± Egbert gave her a stern look. Eileen had to apologize, ¡°I was just kidding, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Egbert didn¡¯t show any expression, then he took the little monkey. The little monkey clung onto Egbert¡¯s clothes, still trembling. Egbert held it tight. Eileen carried the other little monkey out of the cage. This one was even more scared, when it got on Eileen, it buried its head in her chest, closing its eyes, refusing to show its face. Eileen stroked its head, sniffed its scent, it didn¡¯t stink, it must have had a bath at the hospital. She asked, ¡°Did you miss me?¡± The little monkey peeked at Eileen with one eye, then clung onto Eileen¡¯s shoulder even tighter. Eddie looked at Lucas, ¡°Will they really attack people?¡± Lucas didn¡¯t know what to say. N?velDrama.Org content rights. Burton then exined to Lucas and Eddie about the monkeys¡¯ background, and how Eileen had previously rescued them. After hearing that, Lucas was still on guard, and wouldn¡¯t let Eddie go near them. Eileen sat by the fire, cradling a baby monkey, offering it a piece of fruit. The little monkey took the fruit, looked at it, then at Eileen, and then handed it back to her. ine was almost melting at the sight, covering her face and eximing, ¡°Oh my gosh, it¡¯s too cute!¡± Eileen chuckled and softly said, ¡°You eat, I¡¯m not hungry.¡± The little monkey didn¡¯t seem to understand and shoved the fruit into Eileen¡¯s mouth. Eileen yed along, taking a bite, then the monkey took back the fruit and continued eating. Lucas exined from the side, ¡°It¡¯s a fear response. In the animal world, the weaker ones give food to the dominant ones to try and appease them, preventing themselves from getting attacked.¡± 1 Eileen raised an eyebrow at Lucas, ¡°Well, you seem to know a lot about this stuff.¡± Lucas replied, ¡°My grandad was a biology teacher.¡± Eileen didn¡¯t say anything more. Suddenly, Eileen felt something was off. There was a sudden foul smell in the air. Eileen scrunched up her face, slowly lifted the little monkey from herp. And there it was, the monkey had peed on her! Eileen jumped up immediately. She grabbed the little monkey by the scruff of its neck, her face ashen, and handed it over to Egbert, coldly and decisively saying, ¡°Forget it, we¡¯re getting ¨¤ divorce. I¡¯m not its dad anymore, it¡¯s all yours.¡± Then she went to change her clothes. Egbert looked at her helplessly. Chapter 94 Chapter 94 After changing her clothes, Eileen came out to see Egbert enjoying himself with two monkeys munching on some fruits. She remained expressionless and silent. ine tiptoed over, took the clothes Eileen had changed out of, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll wash these for you.¡± Eileen gave her a nce, handed over the dirty clothes, and then walked towards Egbert. Egbert looked at her and coldly said, ¡°We¡¯re divorced, aren¡¯t we? What do you want?¡± Eileen squatted down, gently tugged the monkey¡¯s tail, and said, ¡°Just a heads up, these little ones might pee anywhere, maybe you shouldn¡¯t hold them anymore.¡± Egbert didn¡¯t respond. Eileen then sat down next to Egbert, lightly bumped his shoulder with hers and startedughing, ¡°Just kidding, I promise, no more messing around.¡± Egbert nced at her but remained silent. From a distance, Eddie cautiously said, ¡°You¡¯re really bold, making such a joke. Aren¡¯t you afraid of offending Egbert¡¯s fans?¡± Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Eileen casually replied, ¡°If they¡¯re upset, then so be it. I¡¯ve pissed off so many people, I can¡¯t even remember who¡¯s who.¡± Eddie gave Eileen a thumbs up, ¡°You¡¯re really something.¡± However, Eileen then turned to the drone in the sky and formally said, ¡°Attention Egbert¡¯s fans who want to criticize me, please queue up orderly. Let the haters go first, then you guys can have your go. No pushing or shoving, let¡¯s all be civilized.¡± Thements in the live chat exploded like a volcano. Of course, the people in the rainforest had no idea what was happening online. Soon, everyone fell asleep as the night became darker. In the middle of the night, ine woke Eileen up with her movements. ine whispered, ¡°I¡¯m going for the night shift.¡± Eileen, fully awake by now, rubbed her temples and looked at ine, who was half-asleep, ¡°You keep sleeping, I¡¯ll take the shift tonight.¡± ine was stunned. Eileen had already changed into her clothes and went out. Burton, expecting ine, was surprised to see Eileen. He asked reflexively, ¡°Why are you here?¡± The wind outside was chilly. Eileen put her hands in her pockets, sat across him, and said, ¡°Go sleep.¡± Burton asked, ¡°Where¡¯s ine?¡± Eileen replied, ¡°She¡¯s sleeping.¡± Burton hesitated. Eileen nced at him and frowned, ¡°What, do you want me to carry you to bed?¡± Burton quickly stood up, scared. He hesitated, ¡°If you get tired, wake ine up.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Eileen casually agreed. Burton reluctantly went back to his tent. Eileen broke some dry branches and threw them into the fire. After a while, there was movement from the boys¡¯ tent. Eileen looked up to see that it was Egbert who came out. She was surprised and asked, ¡°Why are you awake?¡± Egbert nced at her, slowly sat next to her and said ndly, ¡°You go rest, I¡¯ll take the shift.¡± Eileen raised an eyebrow, ¡°No worries, you guys sleep. I¡¯m not sleepy tonight, I¡¯ll keep watch.¡± Egbert stirred the fire with a stick and said ndly, ¡°I¡¯m not sleepy either.¡± Eileen blinked, ¡°Then shall we do it together?¡± Egbert softly said, ¡°Okay.¡± The night wasn¡¯t as lonely with the two of them keeping watch, they could even chat. Eileen looked at Egbert and remembered a question she had been wanting to ask. ¡°Egbert, why did you agree to join this show?¡± Egbert paused and looked at her. Eileen scratched her chin, ¡°Given your status and reputation, you¡¯re not the type to be on such a variety show.¡± Egbert smirked and curiously asked, ¡°What¡¯s my status and reputation?¡± Eileen started counting on her fingers and listed, ¡°You¡¯re a movie star, a heartthrob in the entertainment industry, always number one on the Forbes Global Celebrity list, the dream lover of countless young men and women¡­¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Egbert looked into Eileen¡¯s bright eyes,ughed and asked, ¡°Did you search up a lot about me?¡± ¡°Do I need to? A simple search online and all I see arements praising you.¡± Egbert¡¯s smile deepened, ¡°So you did look me up?¡± Eileen paused, thought of something, and vaguely responded with a ¡°hm¡±. Egbert pressed, ¡°Why did you look me up?¡± Eileen looked at him deeply, without answering. Egbert, ¡°Hm?¡± Eileen seemed a bit impatient and said, ¡°Why are you so curious about everything? I just casually searched your name once, just once!¡± Egbert was a bit taken aback, not understanding why she suddenly seemed impatient. Eileen felt ufortable under Egbert¡¯s gaze, and finally, unable to bear it, she told the truth. ¡°¡­ It was during the first episode of Traveller 5+1, you were sick, right? I looked it up online, wanted to see if you were often unwell. We weren¡¯t familiar then, I thought if you were really in bad shape, then I¡¯d just ditch you¡­¡± Egbert was speechless. Chapter 95 Chapter 95 This night seemed to stretch on forever. Eileen was carefully tending to the campfire, stealing nces at Egbert from the corner of her eye. Ever since she had spilled her guts to him earlier, Egbert had been wearing a serious expression. Feeling on edge, Eileen attempted to distract him, ¡°Want some snacks?¡± Egbert didn¡¯t respond. Eileen went into the tent and fetched a food box filled with leftover roast mushrooms and bugs. She opened the lid, found the fattest bug and held it out to Egbert¡¯s mouth, ¡°Eat up.¡± Egbert nced at her and, in the end, opened his mouth to eat the bug. Seeing him willing to eat, Eileen let out a sigh of relief and quickly held out another one. Egbert only ate those two, then he closed the lid of the box. Eileen asked, ¡°Not hungry?¡± Egbert set the box aside and calmly said, ¡°I¡¯m saving some for you.¡± Eileen hurriedly said, ¡°You can eat as much as you want, it¡¯s not a big deal!¡± Egbert looked at her, ¡°Why?¡± Eileen replied, ¡°Because you¡¯re different.¡± Egbert scoffed, ¡°Why am I different? Is it because you¡¯re trying to ditch me and now you¡¯re trying to make it up to me?7 Eileen quickly denied, ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that. I¡¯m nice to you because¡­¡± She suddenly stopped. Egbert looked at her, ¡°Because what?¡± Eileen shook her head. Egbert frowned, ¡°Spill it.¡± Eileen carefully said, ¡°You have to promise not to get mad if I tell you.¡± Egbert suddenly didn¡¯t want to know. [Stop asking, really, I¡¯m a bit scared.] [Egbert, don¡¯t be curious, let¡¯s not ask, let¡¯s just pretend we know nothing and peacefully eat.] In the end, Egbert decided to trust Eileen again and calmly said, ¡°I won¡¯t get mad, tell me.¡± Hearing this, Eileen felt relieved. She blurted out, ¡°Because you¡¯re a minority, being nice to you might help me score some brownie points for my military academy reapplication next year.¡± Egbert was lost for words. [I told you to stop asking¡­Wait, did she mention military academy???] [Oh my god, Eileen attended the military academy?] Egbert held his forehead, feeling a sudden headache. Eileen immediately said, ¡°You promised you wouldn¡¯t get mad.¡± Egbert looked at her helplessly, ¡°I¡¯m not mad.¡± Eileen thought Egbert was pretty chill. She picked up the food box, opened the lid and kindly said, ¡°Then keep eating.¡± The next morning, Eddie got up to wash up and saw two figures sitting close together by the now extinguished fire. From the back, it looked like a man and a woman. He didn¡¯t think much of it, assuming it was Burton and ine. But when he got a closer look, he nearly jumped up. It was Eileen and Egbert! Eileen was sleeping with her head on Egbert¡¯s shoulder, while Egbert was wide awake, looking at Eddie. Eddie was so scared he almost screamed. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Egbert nced at Eddie, then at Eileen sleeping on his shoulder. He gestured for Eddie to keep quiet. Eileen woke up, sat up and rubbed her neck. Egbert looked at her, ¡°Are you good?¡± Eileen said, ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± She yawned and nced at Eddie, ¡°What¡¯s up with you?¡± Eddie wanted to speak, but was met with Egbert¡¯s cold gaze. He quickly shook his head and said, ¡°Nothing, nothing.¡± Eileen didn¡¯t pay it any mind. She turned to Egbert and asked, ¡°When did I fall asleep?¡± Egbert said, ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡± Eileen nodded, stood up and called out to the tent, ¡°Everyone, wake up.¡± Eddie watched them act like it was no big deal and couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he was overreacting. After everyone had breakfast, they set off again. Soon, they found the circr pool. Everyone was thrilled. ¡°We¡¯re almost there,¡± Burton sighed. He was a bit reluctant to leave, the survival trip was actually quite fun. At that moment, ine tugged at his clothes. Burton looked at her, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ine pulled him aside and whispered, ¡°We still haven¡¯t gotten Eileen¡¯s blood.¡± Burton was stunned, then remembered they still had that mission. He asked, ¡°What do we do now?¡± ine said, ¡°We¡¯ve done so much, climbed mountains, swam in rivers, but Eileen hasn¡¯t even had a single scratch. I¡¯m worried we might not be able toplete the mission¡­¡± ¡°What are you guys doing? Hurry up,¡± Eileen¡¯s voice suddenly came from ahead. ine and Burton had no choice but to catch up. They continued on their journey. ording to the information, they crossed a banana grove, walked a bit further and really found the snake¡¯s den. ¡°Hiss.¡± Before they could approach the snake¡¯s den, arge python roared from a tree. Burton and Lucas moved to the front, cautiously protecting everyone. Lucas said, ¡°This snake is poisonous¡­¡± Before he could finish, a figure jumped out. It was obviously Eileen Lucas shouted, ¡°That snake is poisonous!¡± But Eileen had already reached the tree and was facing the python. The python opened its mouth and attacked Eileen! Eileen dodged the snake¡¯s attack. As the python flew past her, she grabbed its midsection with one hand and quickly caught its head with the other. The white snake showed its sharp fangs. Eileen¡¯s hands quickly closed together. With a twist of her wrist, she easily secured the python to the tree, even tying it into a bow. Lucas was shocked. Everyone else was speechless too. After doing all that, Eileen dusted off her hands, walked to the front of the tree hole, peeked inside, then took out a map. She didn¡¯t bother to look at the map in detail and simply handed it to Egbert. Egbert took the map, first nced at Eileen¡¯s carefree expression, then started to examine the map. The markings on the map were super tricky. After a while, Egbert looked up and said, ¡°The exit is close by.¡± The exit is close by, which meant time was running out! ine didn¡¯t have time to think too much. If the python couldn¡¯t harm Eileen, then they had to resort to thest resort! ine gritted her teeth, took big strides forward, held a knife, and rushed towards Eileen. Burton was taken aback! Although if it was for a drop of blood, but they shouldn¡¯t hurt Eileen! ine rushed to Eileen, raised the knife high, and shouted, ¡°Eileen, are you willing to make a blood pact with me and share the future together? From now on, we¡¯ll share our joys and sorrows together! It¡¯s not about being born on the same day, but dying on the same day!¡± Burton was speechless. Eileen was also stunned, looking at ine in front of her. At this time, Egbert walked over, he stood in front of Eileen, and took the knife from ine¡¯s hand.. He said with annoyance, ¡°She¡¯s won¡¯t.¡± Chapter 96 Chapter 96 ine¡¯s words must¡¯ve been a hell of a shocker, ¡¯cause everyone around fell silent. Burton felt embarrassed, his face turning red. He quickly approached and pulled ine away. ine struggled all the way. Eileen stood still for a moment before gently patting Egbert¡¯s arm. He turned to look at her. Eileen looked puzzled and asked, ¡°What¡¯s her deal?¡± ¡°She wants to team up with you.¡± Before Egbert could speak, Eddie chimed in with augh. As soon as Eddie finished speaking, he seemed to get a bright idea. He threw his arm around Lucas¡¯ shoulder and said, ¡°Let¡¯s form an alliance too. We¡¯ve been through hell and back together.¡± Lucas shrugged off Eddie¡¯s arm and walked towards Egbert, saying, ¡°Mr. Reed, I want to take another look at the map.¡± Egbert put his pocketknife away. He nced back at Eileen, then he and Lucas went off to the side to discuss their route. After a while, Burton and ine returned. Eileen was lounging in the branches of arge tree! With her legs crossed and a de of grass in her mouth, she was sneakily watching the siblings below. Seeing her gaze, Burton called out, ¡°Auntie.¡± ine stood behind Burton, and she also seemed a bit shy now, sneakily watching Eileen and mumbling along, ¡°Auntie.¡± Eileenughed, ignored them, and beckoned two little white monkeys over. A few minutes passe. Egbert folded up the map and said, ¡°There are two paths, one short and one long.¡± Eddie was stumped, asking, ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± Lucas said, ¡°The longer way around might take three or four days to reach the exit. But the shorter route is much closer. If we go fast, we may reach the exit by tonight.¡± Eddie immediately said, ¡°Then we should take the short route.¡± Eileen, cradling a little monkey while lounging in the tree, casually asked, ¡°Is the short route difficult?¡± Egbert looked at her and said, ¡°There¡¯s a river. We need to cross it.¡± All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. Eileen raised an eyebrow, ¡°Is the river wide?¡± Egbert shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s not marked on the map.¡± Eileen let go of the little white monkey, jumped down from the tree, hands on hips, and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s take the short route. No matter how wide the river is, we can always swim across. That¡¯s better than walking a few more days.¡± Besides, if they kept walking for a few more days, they¡¯d lose too much time. If other teams got out first, they¡¯d lose the prize money. In the end, everyone agreed to take the short route. The short route was indeed shorter. They had been walking for less than an hour when they saw the bridgeless river, which seemed to be more than ten meters wide. Eddie sighed in relief, saying, ¡°That¡¯s manageable. We can swim across.¡± Eileen stood on the bank, observing the river, shaking her head and saying, ¡°We can¡¯t swim across.¡± Eddie was puzzled, ¡°Why not?¡± At that moment, Egbert picked up a stone from the other side and threw it into the river. Almost instantly, a crocodile with sharp teeth emerged from the water, snapped up the stone in its mouth, and slowly sank back to the bottom. Eddie was visibly frightened Egbert said calmly, ¡°This is also a dangerous river.¡± Eddie¡¯s legs went soft. He was trembling as he leaned on Lucas¡¯ shoulder,menting, ¡°The showrunners are really too much. Never mind, let¡¯s y it safe and take the safe route.¡± Neither Eileen nor Egbert said a word. Seeing their expressions, Eddie quickly warned, ¡°Don¡¯t act rashly. This river is not the same as the previous dangerous one. That one only required us to find items, but this one requires us to cross it. We can¡¯t just swing across, and even if we could, how would we do it? There are no trees here for us to use as a pivot.¡± Eileen pointed to a big tree across the river and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that a tree?¡± Eddie eximed in surprise, ¡°But it¡¯s on the other side. How will we tie it?¡± Eileen stared at the river for a while, then suddenly turned to Eddie and said, ¡°Give me ten grand, and I¡¯ll help you guys cross the river.¡± Eddie was so surprised that his eyes widened in astonishment. Eileen smirked and said, ¡°The prize money for third ce is almost gone. Thest bit of the money will just round it off. I won¡¯t ask for more, just put my bank ount info for the prize money. I¡¯ll take care of the taxes too. How¡¯s that? Am I generous or what?¡± Eddie waspletely stunned. Just as he was about to speak, Lucas pulled Eddie aside and asked Eileen, ¡°How are you going to help us cross the river?¡± Eileen said, ¡°I have my ways.¡± Lucas pondered for a moment, then nodded, ¡°If you can get us across the river, the money¡¯s yours.¡± Eileen smirked, and beckoned ine and Burton over, ¡°Over here.¡± The three of them huddled together, discussing something. Egbert didn¡¯t join them, just sitting off to the side. Lucas felt a little uneasy. He walked over to Egbert and asked, ¡°Mr. Reed, do you know what she¡¯s nning?¡± Egbert nced in Eileen¡¯s direction, and chuckled lightly, ¡°Jump across.¡± Eddie eximed, ¡°It¡¯s over ten meters wide, how can she jump across?¡± But Egbert didn¡¯t say anything more. Soon Eileen, ine, and Burton came back after their discussion. Eileen took all the supplies and ropes, then took off her jacket, leaving only a camouge tank top. She started to stretch and loosen her muscles. ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll make it?¡± Back at the camp, the show¡¯s director asked Major Warner. Major Warner looked serious. He was silent for a long time before he said, ¡°Egbert trusts her a lot.¡± The director nodded, ¡°Egbert is an experienced Special Forces soldier. At first, he might have been surprised by Eileen¡¯s abilities, but I think he¡¯s assessed her limits by now, so he¡¯s letting her take this dangerous challenge. But it¡¯s her first time¡­¡± Major Warner, ¡°It¡¯s not her first time.¡± The director was taken aback, ¡°Not her first time?¡± Major Warner squinted and said, ¡°I found it strange from the beginning how this girl could shoot so urately. Most people wouldn¡¯t have had the opportunity to handle firearms. Besides, even if she did prep for military academy exams, the shooting training only kicks in once you¡¯re enrolled. She never went to a military academy, how can she be like this?¡± The director furrowed his brow and said, ¡°Now that you mention it, I see it too. If you really look closely, thosebat moves she showed on the program, even the special climbing skills, they aren¡¯t something a regr Joe can pick up.¡± Major Warner said, ¡°What she learned, that¡¯s all special ops training.¡± The director said, ¡°But she can¡¯t possibly have been a special op.¡± Major Warner said, ¡°That¡¯s right, she couldn¡¯t have been. We can dig up her background, her dad was indeed a special op, but he passed away when she was only ten, so there¡¯s only one possibility¡­¡± The director asked anxiously, ¡°What¡¯s the possibility?¡± Major Warner said, ¡°Someone familiar with the military teaching system, has been secretly training her using special ops methods.¡± Chapter 97 Chapter 97 Down by the little river, Eileen was all set and ready to rock. With a rope tied to her back, she took off at full speed. Suddenly, she flung herself forward. Almost at the same time, a croc hidden beneath the river seized the opportunity, rearing its head and shing its razor-sharp teeth. But Eileen had already marked the croc¡¯s position. In fact, she had purposely headed straight for it. Just as the croc lifted its head, she used her foot to step on it. The moment shended on it, she used it to boost herself. Without any surprises, she The river was over ten meters wide, but she took nine steps, using the crocs almost like stepping stones. Finally, she safely reached the opposite bank. The whole process took less than ten seconds. On the other side, Egbert had a faint smile ying on his lips.. ine and Burton immediately started pping. Lucas and Eddie werepletely gobsmacked. After reaching the other side, Eileen didn¡¯t stop. She picked up a stone from the ground, untied the rope from her body, tied the stone to one end of the rope, and threw it to the other side. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. The stone, with the rope attached,nded on the river bank on the opposite side, where it was picked up by Burton. Eileen then climbed up a nearby tree, almost to the top, and tied the other end of the rope to a thick branch. ¡°Alright.¡± Standing on one foot on the tree, Eileen made an ¡°ok¡± gesture to the others. Burton on the other side returned the gesture, then climbed on arge rock. ine followed suit. Burton tied the rope around his waist, then hugged ine, saying to the three below, ¡°We¡¯ll show you how it¡¯s done.¡± With that, he hugged ine, took a running start on the rock, and the two of them swung across to the other side. They traced a winding arc in the air. A few secondster, they arrived safely on the other side. After letting go of ine, Burton found a higher point, and swung back. Lucas and Eddie were still in shock. Standing on the rock, Burton asked the two, ¡°Who¡¯s going first?¡± Eddie was so frightened that he quickly took two steps back. Lucas said, ¡°I¡¯ll go first.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Burton said. This time he was holding an adult man, so Burton struggled a bit, but he still managed to carry Lucas safely to the other side. Once on the ground, tucas looked up at Eileen, who was still on top of the tree, constantly checking if the rope was loose. Now Lucas waspletely in awe of this girl, admiring her from the bottom of his heart. She was truly amazing. Burton then brought the scared Eddie and the always calm Egbert over. After everything, including their luggage, was brought over, Burton came over himself. Only then did Eileen put away the rope and come down from the tree. As soon as she came down, Lucas immediately praised her, ¡°You¡¯re a pro.¡± At this point, Eddie was still pretty scared, patting his chest, and he blurted out, ¡°That was too close.¡± Burton gave Eddie¡¯s back a firm pat and said in a displeased tone, ¡°Why don¡¯t you trust me.¡± Eddie was on the verge of tears. He touched his painful back andined with teary eyes, ¡°This ce has no safety measures, I thought I was going to die here.¡± Back at the campsite. Major Warner smiled, gesturing, ¡°Let¡¯s go and get them.¡± The director and some crew members quickly grabbed their cameras and followed suit. As they were leaving the camp, Major Warner seemed to remember something, turning back to ask, ¡°Is Mr. Lopez going with us?¡± A soldier quickly went to inform him. After a while, the soldier came back and said, ¡°Mr. Lopez said he is not going.¡± Major Warner didn¡¯t mind and urged, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Everyone got into the off-road vehicle and zoomed off. Meanwhile, in the tent. Derek listened to his friend¡¯s voice on the phone, his expression calm, but finally agreed, ¡°Let¡¯s meet and talk, then.¡± After hanging up, his face was still very pale. ke asked, ¡°What did Mr. Reed say?¡± Derek said gravely, ¡°It¡¯s about Eileen. Egbert wants our two families to talk it out.¡± ke frowned, ¡°Egbert?¡± ¡°Yep, Derek said, ¡°He knew a long time ago, and he¡¯s done the DNA test too.¡± ke was taken aback, ¡°And the test results¡­¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t tell.¡± Derek chuckled coldly, ¡°He said he¡¯ll only tell us when we meet.¡± ke was silent. Derek got up from the simple cot, picked up the coat hanging nearby, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the airport.¡± As ke helped his father put on his coat, he asked, ¡°You really don¡¯t want to see her? You¡¯ve been waiting for so many days¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t bear it either.¡± Derek sighed, ¡°But Egbert is a sensible boy. Since he¡¯s made this request, and even called his dad and me, he must have a reason. I¡¯ll listen to him this time.¡± ke didn¡¯t say anything more, helping his father pull back the tent curtain. The jungle was brightly lit at dusk. From a distance, Eileen could see the light. First, she looked at Egbert and Burton next to her, then looked back at Eddie and Lucas who were almost exhausted. Better safe than sorry. She suddenly sped up, outstripping the other two teams, and rocketed towards the finish line like a bullet. ¡°Beep, Team 01, has reached the finish line. Current ranking. First.¡± With the sound of that announcement, Eileen finally rxed and leisurely observed the two teams behind them, Egbert nced at Eileen indifferently and calmly crossed the finish line. ¡°Beep, Team 10, has reached the finish line. Current ranking. Second.¡± Finally, Lucas, dragging an exhausted Eddie, struggled to the finish line. Now the top three had arrived. In the live broadcast room, waves of ¡°Congrattions¡±ments were popping up like crazy. On the way back, Eileen and Egbert shared a vehicle. Sitting in the back seat of the off-road vehicle, she looked at the camera almost about to hit her face and casually asked, ¡°When will the prize money be given out?¡± The cameraman couldn¡¯t speak and just shook his head in response to her. Eileen scowled, ¡°What¡¯s with the head shaking? You guys aren¡¯t nning to stiff me, are you?¡± The cameramen were at a loss for words. They were from the national public television station! Would a national public television station not pay their employees? Seeing that Eileen was about to scare the cameraman, Egbert quickly reassured her by gently patting her hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about this when we get back.¡± With Egbert present, Eileen managed to cool down a bit. Back at the camp, they were ushered to clean themselves up. Egbert also entered the tent assigned to him by the show crew. As soon as he lifted the curtain, he was greeted by two familiar faces. Egbert paused for a moment before walking in, calling out, ¡°Mr. Lopez, ke.¡± Derek looked at him coldly. But ke greeted him with a smile, ¡°Egbert, long time no see.¡± Egbert grunted in acknowledgment, and as he was about to say something, the tent curtain was suddenly thrown open from behind. Eileen, still wearing the same camouge outfit from before, walked in briskly and asked directly, ¡°Egbert, I¡¯m going to ask them about the prize money, youe with¡­¡± Before she could finish her sentence, Eileen suddenly realized there were others in Egbert¡¯s tent. Chapter 98 Chapter 98 The sudden silence in the tent seemed to freeze the air. Eileen was curiously eyeing two strange men. A shocked old man. And a middle-aged man who looked worked up. Eileen grabbed the tent curtain, turning to Egbert, ¡°You¡¯ve got stuff to do, so I¡¯ll just go ask them myself.¡± With that, she was about to leave. ¡°Hold on.¡± The middle-aged man suddenly blurted out. Eileen stopped and looked back at him. ¡°You¡­¡± Just then, Egbert stepped forward, grabbing ke¡¯s shoulder to stop him from speaking. ke looked at Egbert. Egbert turned his head and said to Eileen, ¡°Go on, I¡¯ll stay.¡± Eileen didn¡¯t understand what they were up to, she mumbled an ¡°Okay¡± and left the tent. The sound of the girl¡¯s footsteps gradually faded away. Only then did ke somewhat regain his senses. He closed his eyes, lightly rubbing his temples. ¡°Egbert.¡± Derek sat on an ufortable folding chair and said in a deep voice, ¡°I need an exnation.¡± Egbert nced at Derek, then patted ke on the shoulder, signaling him to sit down. ke sat down. Egbert also pulled over a chair to sit. 41 Jigh He ced his hands on his knees, fingers inteced, faced two stern gazes, then started speaking, ¡°Nathan rescued her from a drug dealer¡¯s den in Vietnam.¡± This was a story from a long time ago. Egbert had started investigating after Isabel insisted on calling Eileen auntie. He had investigated for a long time and most of the information was clear. Neen years ago in April, Nathan led a team that cracked a cross-border drug trafficking case. During the process of capture, a woman was identally injured and died while trying to escape, and she was holding a one-month-old baby girl. ¡°April.¡± ke immediately said, ¡°That fits. My sister was kidnapped in March.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Egbert continued, ¡°Nathan brought her back to his country at that time¡­¡± But when he got back, Nathan found that his wife Sarah had given birth prematurely. Sarah was seven months pregnant. Excessive sex during pregnancy led to injury, premature birth, and massive bleeding. Nathan was devastated when he heard the news. He had been abroad, so how could this happen to Sarah? Obviously, Sarah had betrayed him. Sarah had an affair with Ableson while Nathan was abroad, and while the two elder members of the Howard family were seeking medical treatment in the capital and conducting research at the National Science Institute, she even engaged in risky sexual activities during her pregnancy, which resulted in a premature birth and a life-threatening situation for the child. Sarah was lucky, she survived, but the baby, due to being born prematurely and with congenital deficiencies, was critically ill. By the time Nathan rushed to the hospital, Sarah had already run away. The baby was in the ICU; the doctors said she might not make it through a few days. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. The next day, the baby died at three in the morning. Nathan cried in pain, handling his daughter¡¯s funeral alone. He sent the little girl he found to a welfare institution. They told him that younger children were easier to adopt, but finding the child¡¯s biological parents might be difficult. A monthter, the elder Howards returned home from their work outside, but they didn¡¯t see Sarah who was about to give birth.. Nathan wanted to tell his parents the truth, but in the end, he didn¡¯t. Sarah¡¯s affair and the premature death of her granddaughter were blows that the two elders of the family couldn¡¯t bear. It was then that Nathan thought of the baby girl he had sent to the welfare institution. The baby girl¡¯s age was roughly the same as his daughter¡¯s. He went back to the institution and found out that the child hadn¡¯t been adopted yet. So he went through the procedures and formally adopted the little girl he had saved. Nathan named the child Eileen Howard. That was the name he had originally chosen for his biological daughter. The two elders of the Howard family didn¡¯t know that the child had been switched, and even Sarah probably didn¡¯t expect Nathan to rece the child she had given birth to with another one. The only person who knew the truth was a friend of Nathan¡¯s, arade who had fought with him. It took Egbert a lot of effort to find that retired soldier and get this information. After saying all of this, Egbert looked at Derek and ke across from him and calmly said, ¡°Nathan raised her as his own, she was pampered in that family, without a care in the world.¡± Derek¡¯s expression turned sour. ¡°As Eileen¡¯s biological father, I am grateful to him, but Eileen has the right to know the truth.¡± Derek said grimly. ke then asked, ¡°Did you do a DNA test? What are the results? Is it a match?¡± Egbert looked up, ¡°I did a kinship test, using her blood sample and Isabel¡¯s. It¡¯s not very urate but it¡¯s basically consistent.¡± ke said in a deep voice, ¡°Father is right, she has the right to know the truth, and we also need a formal paternity test. Only by telling her the truth can we get her blood sample. It¡¯s inevitable.¡± Egbert was silent for a moment, then said, ¡°I have her blood sample.¡± ke was taken aback, then said, ¡°Right, you just said you matched her blood sample with Isabel¡¯s. How did you get her blood sample?¡± Derek¡¯s expression and voice suddenly turned serious, ¡°Did you harm her?¡± ¡°No.¡± Egbert pursed his lips and finally said it. ¡°I arranged for a blood donation van to be parked at the entrance to her hotel. The promotion was, donate 200 milliliters of blood, get a $200 supermarket voucher. She donated 400 milliliters on the spot.¡± Derek was speechless for a moment. ke looked surprised. Egbert added, ¡®The blood samples are well preserved, there¡¯s a lot left. I¡¯ll send them to you when I get back to the country.¡± Derek and ke both fell silent. After a while, ke finally asked, ¡°So even if the DNA test results match, you don¡¯t want us to meet her, do you?¡± ¡°You can meet, but it would be best to take it slow. ¡°What does ¡®take it slow¡¯ mean?¡± Derek frowned. Egbert exined, ¡°First, let her get used to you guys. Don¡¯t scare her. She has a father that she loves very much. To her, you guys are just strangers.¡± Derek took a deep breath and lowered his head in thought. ke nced at his father, then at Egbert. With a hint of jealousy, ke said to Egbert, ¡°We have to take it slow, but you get to be with her every day?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Egbert responded bluntly, ¡°I¡¯m her family.¡± Egbert calmly stated, ¡°That¡¯s what she said.¡± Chapter 99 Chapter 99 Major Warner had had it with Eileen. He walked briskly, but Eileen trailed behind him like a shadow. Major Warner turned around and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already made the call for you, and I have also asked the financial department of the TV station. They said your prize money will be sent after the advertisers clear this round of business expenses. You stalking me won¡¯t speed things up.¡± Hands in her pockets, Eileen stubbornly retorted, ¡°They told me you¡¯re the big cheese. If not you, who should I badger?¡± Major Warner was irate, ¡°You nagging me won¡¯t do squat. I¡¯m not the one with the cash.¡± Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Eileen didn¡¯t reply, just kept tailing him. Finally Major Warner led Eileen to the show director, attempting to pass the buck, ¡°He¡¯s the director. Bug him.¡± Eileen¡¯s gaze immediately switched to the director. The director, already aware of the situation, hurriedly defended, ¡°What power does a director have? The one with the most power is certainly the person in charge. They¡¯re the ones who coordinate with all parties and allocate resources.¡± Eileen¡¯s gaze switched back to Major Warner. In the end, Major Warner had no other choice but to make another call back home to inquire about the quickest possible time for the prize money to be disbursed. After some calctions, the finance department conservatively estimated, ¡°At the soonest, three months.¡± Major Warner ryed the news to Eileen, who was taken aback, ¡°Three months at the earliest?¡± Major Warner replied, ¡°There¡¯s a process to prize money disbursement. Have you ever seen it handed out lickety-split?¡± Eileen was utterly frustrated. During her shower, she stewed in her anger, only finding some relief after using copious amounts of the show¡¯s shower gel. After her shower, Eileen saw Egbert sending off two unfamiliar men she had previously met in the camp. A towel hung around her neck. She held the ends of the towel, grumbling. ¡°They said the prize money won¡¯te in for three months. Just thought you should know, I¡¯m outta here.¡± Egbert watched her retreating figure, and only after a while did he let the curtain fall. Despite the champion being crowned, the show hadn¡¯t wrapped up. Many teams were still in the game. The next morning, as Egbert was on a call inside his tent, someone outside called for him. He hung up and stepped out. It was the show¡¯s staff, asking if those who had finished early would like to wait for the other teams or return home first. Egbert nced at Eileen¡¯s.tent not far away and asked, ¡°What did they say?¡± The staff replied, ¡°Still checking with the others.¡± Egbert headed straight for Eileen¡¯s tent. ¡°Hey, Mr. Reed, good morning. You nning on heading back or sticking around?¡± Eddie emerged from another tent, greeting Egbert with a smile. Egbert ignored him and arrived at Eileen¡¯s tent. At the entrance of Eileen¡¯s tent, a staff member had been calling for a while, ¡°Ms. Lopez, Ms. Lopez, are you awake?¡± Egbert frowned, ¡°She¡¯s not up yet?¡± The staff member replied, ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯s out of bed.¡± Egbert looked inside, knowing Eileen was a light sleeper and wouldn¡¯t sleep through all thismotion. His face turned serious instantly, and he yanked the curtain open, only to find the tent empty. Eileen was gone. In just a few short minutes, the entire campsite became aware that Eileen, the first-ce winner from yesterday, of Team 01, had gone missing. Egbert¡¯s face darkened. Upon hearing the news, Lucas, ine, and Burton rushed out anxiously to search. The director was alerted too, asking irritably, ¡°Who was thest one to see her?¡± A soldier said, ¡°I saw her on her way to wash up this morning.¡± Egbert turned to the soldier, ¡°And then?¡± The soldier shook his head, ¡°Then I didn¡¯t see her.¡± Burton was on the verge of panic, ¡°Where on earth did she go?¡± ine was even more frantic, ¡°This is bad. Grandpa told me to take good care of her before he left. She didn¡¯t get lost, did she?¡± ¡°No way!¡± Burton rebuked his sister. He then turned to Egbert, ¡°Mr. Reed, what should we do now?¡± Egbert kept his lips sealed, scanning the area. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, ¡°Is someone missing from the camp?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on? What happened?¡± Major Warner, alerted by themotion, stepped out of the surveince room. The director quickly filled him in on Eileen¡¯s disappearance. After a moment of silence, Major Warner looked around with aplex expression and said to the crowd, ¡°Follow me.¡± Egbert was puzzled. Everyone followed Major Warner into the surveince room. ¡°Switch to the internal channel.¡± Major Warner instructed the soldier operating the surveince system. Upon pressing a button, the image on the biggest screen in the surveince room flickered. On the screen, there was a line of defen?e soldiers, shirtless and wearing military pants, conducting a strenuous uphill run while carrying heavy loads as part of their morning exercise routine. Major Warner pointed at a tiny figure in clothes trailing behind the defense soldiers and ordered, ¡°Zoom in!¡± The soldier magnified the image. Then everyone saw it. A ponytailed Eileen, donning a camouge vest, was leisurely striding along behind the regr army. Major Warnerined, ¡°She insisted on training with the defense squad. They didn¡¯t want to take her, but she kept tagging along, just couldn¡¯t be shaken off.¡± As Major Warner finished, he looked around at everyone again and finally said to Egbert, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go get her? The defense squad¡¯s fed up with her. I noticed she seemed to listen to you back in the jungle.¡± Chapter 100 Chapter 100 Egbert tailed the jeep, and when they reached the training ground, he saw everyone resting. Over thirty guards were sitting on the ground, forming a circle, with two soldiers sparring in the middle. ¡°Nice! Good fight!¡± From a distance, Egbert heard Eileen¡¯s cheer. Upon a closer look, Eileen was standing between two hunky guys, chatting amicably with them, and cheering for the guys in the ring. Egbert¡¯s face immediately darkened. He calmly walked over. Eileen was having a great time. Seeing Egberting, she immediately waved and shouted, ¡°Egbert! Over here!¡± Egbert frowned. Eileen moved aside a bit and made a spot for Egbert, gesturing to the ground, ¡°Come sit here. This is the VIP section.¡± Egbert silently walked up to her, extended his hand and gestured, ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± Eileen giggled, held Egbert¡¯s hand, and tried to pull him down. Eh, why won¡¯t he move? Eileen looked in confusion at the tall andposed man in front of her. Egbert and Eileen locked eyes for a moment, and in the end, he sighed and sat down. Eileen tilted her head to look at him. Egbert pursed his lips and said, ¡°You left without saying a word. Do you know everyone was worried about you?¡± Eileen was taken aback, ¡°Right! I told Major Warner when I went out.¡± She couldn¡¯t just leave the base, she had to have permission from her superiors, so she had reported to Major Warner. Egbert didn¡¯t say anything. Eileenughed and said, ¡°You¡¯re really strong.¡± Egbert still didn¡¯t say anything. Then the match in the ring was decided, and everyone began to cheer. Eileen quickly joined in the cheer, ¡°Nice! Good fight! Well done!¡± The winning soldier wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at Eileen, his face turning red with shyness. Egbert¡¯s face darkened even more. He asked coldly, ¡°Do you know him?¡± Eileen whispered, ¡°Not really, but I want to fit in with them. If I don¡¯t do this, they won¡¯t take me to their night training.¡± In the end, Egbert put on a brave face and stayed with Eileen until the morning training of the other guards was over. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Eileen sat in the car, leaning against the window and looking longingly at the soldiers running outside, mumbling, ¡°I want to run too.¡± Egbert said lightly, ¡°No.¡± Eileen turned to look at him. Egbert frowned, ¡°Buckle up.¡± Eileen obediently sat down, buckled up, and then looked at Egbert. She didn¡¯t understand why Egbert was so upset. The car quickly reached the base. As soon as Eileen got in, she was surrounded by others. They pulled her and asked questions. Eileen looked back and saw that Egbert had also gotten out of the car, but he didn¡¯te over, instead he walked in a different direction. Everyone was relieved when they found Eileen. In the afternoon, the production team came to ask again, asking those who had finished, whether they wanted to go back to their country or stay. Eileen definitely wanted to stay. As she was about to answer, Egbert was the first to break the silence, ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± Eileen responded, don¡¯t want to go back¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re going back too.¡± Egbert interrupted her, saying it without hesitation. Eileen frowned, ¡°Why do I have to go back? I don¡¯t want to go back.¡± Egbert looked at her and suddenly asked, ¡°Where¡¯s your phone?¡± Eileen was stunned. Her phone was still in her suitcase. Their luggage had been confiscated before, and it was not returned by the production team until they left yesterday. But Eileen hadn¡¯t checked her phone because it had automatically turned off due to low battery, and she had no desire to charge it since she had no friends or family, and no one would be looking for her anyway. Egbert said, ¡°Go check it.¡± Still puzzled, Eileen went back to the tent to check her phone. Ten minutester, Eileen came out, looking dejected. Eddie happened to pass by and saw her. He asked her in confusion, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Feeling down?¡± Eileen said gloomily, ¡°Yeah.¡± Eddie quickly asked, ¡°What happened?¡± Eileen said in frustration, ¡°My agent called. He said six reality shows, eight TV dramas, and three movies want to work with me. They want me to go back and choose now. Sigh.¡± Eddie was speechless. If it weren¡¯t for Eddie¡¯s decency, he would have been disgusted with Eileen right then and there. He turned his head, decided to ignore Eileen, and just walked away. Eileen looked up and searched around the camp, but she couldn¡¯t find Egbert. She wanted to know how he knew someone had contacted her? In the end, Eileen, Egbert, and Eddie all took the same flight back to their home country. After the ne landed, when they got off, Egbert and Eddie headed for the VIP exit, while Eileen confidently walked towards the regr exit. Eddie called her, ¡°Hey, this way.¡± Eileen casually said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, no one knows me.¡± However, when she just got to the exit, she saw arge crowd outside, all holding signs with her name on them. As soon as she appeared, the crowd erupted in cheers. ¡°She¡¯s out, she¡¯s out!¡± ¡°Eileen!¡± ¡°Eileen! Eileen!¡± ¡°Ah, Eileen, Eileen!!!¡± Eileen was stunned, standing in ce. At this moment, Egbert came over. Because of his appearance, the fans waiting for pickup outside immediately went wild. ¡°Ah! Egbert! The award-winning actor!¡± Egbert frowned, he took Eileen, who was still in a daze, and led her towards the VIP exit on the other side. The cheers behind them got farther and farther away. Eileen was still in a daze listening to the fading cheers. ¡°Eileen.¡± Egbert¡¯s steady voice echoed in her ear. She came back to her senses, looked at Egbert with a dazed expression. Egbert noticed something was off about her and held her hand tighter, asking, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Eileen turned around, looking at the long narrow corridor behind her. After a moment, she asked with difficulty, ¡°Are they¡­ my fans?¡± Egbert replied, ¡°Of course.¡± Eileen pursed her lips, not saying anything more. She looked down at her hand. The back of her right hand was wless, with no trace of any surgery. In her past life, once when she got off a ne, there were a lot of people waiting for her. But they were not her fans. They had a bottle of acid and threw it at her. She blocked it with her luggage. But due to the close proximity, the back of her hand was burned. She had to undergo surgeries to fix it. Eileen shook off her daze, and then, she suddenly jumped up, excitedly hugging Egbert¡¯s shoulders and saying, ¡°I actually have real fans! I¡¯m awesome!¡± Egbert looked at the girl¡¯s bright smiling face with deep gazes, but his brow furrowed. Why was there a flicker of sadness in her eyes just now? It seemed like she was upset. ¡°Yep.¡± Egbert suddenly gripped Eileen¡¯s hand tighter, leading her forward and saying, ¡°You are really great, you have fans who truly love you, and in the future, even more people will love you. Chapter 101 Chapter 101 The moment Eileen stepped out of the airport, she turned around, her curiosity pushing her to look for her fans, to see if they had turned up yet. But before she could see anyone, Egbert had already pulled her into a ck business car. Eileen was stered against the car window, still looking back. The car started rolling. Watching the airport entrance get farther and farther away, Eileen sighed and turned her head in disappointment. The assistant driving the carughed and said, ¡°Eileen, you¡¯re so popr now. How could your agency let you go back alone instead of sending a car?¡± Eileen looked at the assistant curiously, then said, ¡°They probably didn¡¯t think anyone would pick me up.¡± Just then, her phone rang. It was a call from Ophelia. Eileen answered the phone, and Ophelia¡¯s voice came through immediately, ¡°Where are you? Whose car is that?¡± Eileen turned around in surprise. She saw a white sedan following them. And driving it was Ophelia. Eileen told Egbert, ¡°Can you pull over? My agent is here to pick me up.¡± Egbert was silent for a moment, then waved to the assistant to pull over, Eileen switched cars. Ophelia scanned the departing ck business car, then turned to Eileen, ¡°Was that Egbert¡¯s car?¡± Eileen buckled her seatbelt in the passenger seat and said, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Are you and Egbert on good terms?¡± ¡°Very good.¡± Ophelia frowned, started the car, and said, ¡°I saw your live stream. You¡¯ve attracted a lot of attention. You¡¯re famous now.¡± Eileen beamed at the news. She absentmindedly twirled a lock of hair and quipped, ¡°Am I famous now? But I do have fansing to pick me up. Maybe that means I¡¯m famous.¡± Ophelia nced at her, ¡°Don¡¯t get too cocky. How long can this kind of attentionst? Remember, just last year, so many neers rose to fame out of nowhere. But just after a year, they¡¯ve all faded into obscurity.¡± Eileen lowered her head, deted, ¡°Can¡¯t I be happy for a bit?¡± ¡°You can be happy, but don¡¯t getcent,¡± Ophelia said sternly. ¡°I¡¯ll drop you home today. Rest well, and we¡¯ll discuss work at thepany tomorrow. And I¡¯ve arranged an assistant named Janice for you. She¡¯s experienced. She¡¯ll pick you up tomorrow, and thepany¡¯s arranged a car for you. Janice will also double up as your driver.¡± Hearing the good news, Eileen perked up, ¡°A car to pick me up? I¡¯m ttered.¡± Ophelia retorted, ¡°Since when did you start feeling embarrassed?¡± Eileen immediately asked, ¡°Will thepany cover the gas expenses?¡± Ophelia drew a deep breath, ¡°You¡¯ll have to cover the gas yourself.¡± After saying that, Ophelia added, ¡°About your rtionship with Egbert, I need to remind you. I understand that your interactions on the show were part of the program. But in private, it¡¯s best to reduce contact.¡± Eileen turned to look at Ophelia. Ophelia said, ¡°Netizens are joking that you guys arerades and friends. Egbert¡¯s fans are also grateful to you for always protecting him. But after the show ends, things will change. If you continue to be close, fans might resent it.¡± Eileen fell into deep thought. Ophelia pressed, ¡°Did you hear what I said?¡± Eileen nodded, ¡°I heard. But I have something going on with him. It might be hard to keep my distance unless you can help me.¡± Ophelia paused, ¡°How can help?¡± Eileen said, ¡°I owe him money. Not a lot, about over a hundred dors. I¡¯ve paid back some, but still owe him a hundred and twenty.¡± As she said this Eileen pulled out her phone, opened Paypal, and ced the QR code for payment in front of Ophelia, saying, ¡°Thank you, Ophelia.¡± In the end, when Ophelia dropped Eileen home, she did transfer money to her. A grand total of ten thousand. Eileen was overjoyed when she received the money. She immediately transferred a hundred and twenty dors to Egbert. Egbert might have been busy and didn¡¯t ept the money. Eileen didn¡¯t mind. She invited Ophelia for dinner and made a sandwich with just eggs and veggies. One for her, and one for Ophelia. On seeing the sandwich, Ophelia rolled her eyes. Eileenughed, ¡°I¡¯ve been filming and on variety shows. I haven¡¯t been home for over two months. This is all I have.¡± Ophelia stayed at Eileen¡¯s for over an hour, talked about some work stuff, and was about to leave when Eileen¡¯s phone rang. It was the property management informing her of a delivery. ¡°What did you buy?¡± Ophelia asked casually. Eileen replied with confusion, ¡°I didn¡¯t buy anything. I was not even in the country. How could I have time to shop?¡± On hearing this, Ophelia immediately tensed up. Cases of malicious fans sending threatening packages were not umon. ¡°I¡¯ll help you get it.¡± Eileen also worried about what might happen. In the end, she and Ophelia went to get the parcel together. They opened the box right there in the property management office. After opening the box. Eileen saw the owl clock inside and froze. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°A clock?¡± Ophelia asked in confusion, ¡°Does this mean something?¡± Eileen pursed her lips. She reached out, gently tracing the clock¡¯s pattern. Although it wasn¡¯t the owl clock her father used to have, it was very simr, probably made by the same manufacturer.. Her father¡¯s old clock was an antique. Judging from the traces, this one was also an antique, but not as high quality as her father¡¯s. Eileen noticed a folded card in the box. She took out the card, flipped it open, and a cash register receipt flew out. The receipt was in German, reading: Sale price, thirty thousand euros.. Thirty thousand euros? Just then, Eileen¡¯s phone rang again. She took a look and saw that Egbert had epted the $120 she had transferred to him earlier, and he had sent her a message. Egbert: [While I was on my business trip, I saw a clock that you might like, so I brought it for you. Make sure to check it.] Eileen stared at the message, lost in silence. After a while, she handed her phone and the receipt to Ophelia. She asked tentatively, ¡°Ophelia, could you help me pay off this? Thirty thousand euros. Once it¡¯s paid, I¡¯ll cut off all contact with Egbert.¡± Ophelia remained silent. Meanwhile, on the other side. Reed Mansion. Egbert put down his phone, a smile ying on his lips. When he looked up, he saw his father on the phone in the living room. Egbert walked in. As soon as he walked in, he heard his father on the phone saying, ¡°Things sure do change in a heartbeat. Eil¨¦en turned out to be the missing kid from the Lopez family¡­ ¡°Yes, of course I know her. I even held her when she was a child. She was adorable. I met her at the hospital. When I was leaving, she held onto my sleeve, didn¡¯t want to let me go¡­ ¡°I have no reason to lie to you. I told her I was leaving and she cried. She clearly was very fond of me and couldn¡¯t bear to let me go¡­ Hello, hello? Ms. Lopez? Why did you hang up?¡± Chapter 102 Chapter 102 Early morning. Eileen showed up without makeup, phone in one hand, shopping bag in the other. As she made her way downstairs, she met her new assistant, Janice. ¡°You¡¯re Janice, right?¡± Janice, a short-haired girl, seemed nervous. She bowed respectfully. ¡°Yes, I am Janice. Great meeting you, Eileen.¡± ¡°Hi.¡± Eileen got into the back seat of the business car and casually said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Janice got into the driver¡¯s seat right away. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Having been an assistant to other artists before, Janice was aware that many of them could be quite picky. So she drove very carefully. ¡°Pull over at the corner.¡±¡± After a while, Eileen from the back seat instructed. ¡°Sure.¡± Janice promptly parked the car at the side of the road. Looking back, she asked, ¡°Eileen, do you need to buy anything?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Eileen opened the car door, and as she stepped out, she said, ¡°I¡¯m going to get groceries. This grocery store is having a promotion on fresh food today. Wait for me here.¡± Janice was taken aback. And while she was still in a daze, her new boss, just got out of the car so casually with the shopping bag in hand. ¡°Wait a moment, Eileen!¡± Eileen, now standing by the car, pulled out a mask from her pocket. After putting on the mask, she saw that Janice had got out of the car too. Frowning, she said, ¡°Stay in the car. We can¡¯t park here for too long. If you see a coping, drive off immediately. We can¡¯t afford a ticket.¡± Janice was dumbstruck, ¡°I¡­¡± At that moment, the traffic light changed. Eileen hurriedly walked across the pedestrian crosswalk and went to the other side. Janice stood in ce, spinning around anxiously. She wanted to follow Eileen, but was worried that leaving the car parked like that would indeed earn them a ticket. So Janice fretted and waited for a good half hour until Eileen finally appeared. She breathed a sigh of relief and noticed that Eileen was carrying arge bag full of things. She immediately went over to offer help in carrying it. Eileen stepped out of the way, saying, ¡°You won¡¯t be able to carry this.¡± Janice quickly reassured, ¡°I can. I¡¯m pretty strong, Eileen.¡± Eileen gave in and handed over the bag. But when Janice tried to lift it, she almost dropped it. Eileen quickly caught it, lifting the bag into the car with one hand, ¡°Told you, you couldn¡¯t carry it.¡± Janice was mortified, her face turning red. Once in the driver¡¯s seat, she couldn¡¯t resist asking, ¡°Eileen, what did you buy?¡± ¡°Vegetables.¡± Eileen checked the contents of the bag, making sure nothing was squashed. ¡°Let¡¯s head to the office. We¡¯re runningte.¡± EchoWave Building. ¡°Morning, Ophelia!¡± Eileen greeted obediently. Ophelia¡¯s temples were throbbing. ¡°We have a meeting in ten minutes to discuss your next assignment.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Eileen replied obediently. Ten minutester, the Business Department team arrived and everyone gathered in Ophelia¡¯s office for the meeting. One of the colleagues from the Business Departmentid out a heap of documents, saying with a smile, ¡°Eileen¡¯s poprity has really skyrocketed. recently. We need to be cautious about selecting our next project.¡± Eileen eyed the pile of documents on the table, leaning over slightly to delicately touch them with her fingertips. Ophelia was surprised, ¡°So many documents? There weren¡¯t this many before.¡± The colleague from the Business Departmentughed, ¡°Her poprity has been growing every day. Even this morning, we received several phone calls asking about her.¡± Ophelia nodded, seeing Eileen still touching the documents, she felt embarrassed. She went over to Eileen, pulling her hand away. Eileen ced her hands on her knees, her eyes still fixated on the pile of documents. The meetingsted over an hour. In the end, two magazine photoshoots and one interview were confirmed. As for her next specific work, two movies were currently confirmed. After the colleagues from the Business Department left, Ophelia held the two film scripts, asking, ¡°One is a leading role that you¡¯ve already confirmed, and the other is a supporting role that requires an audition. Do you have any thoughts?¡± Most of the scripts for TV dramas she was given were for period dramas or modern dramas, and the variety shows were all small-scale. Only the films were slightly more appealing, but most of them were clearly destined to be flops just by looking at the titles. The only ones worth considering, and that could potentially boost Eileen¡¯s career, were the two film scripts in Ophelia¡¯s hand. Ophelia said, ¡°Actually, this confirmed leading role is currently our best choice. It¡¯s amercial film with mostly male roles and a grand scale. The male actors in the same drama are all big stars. Although the romantic scenes are not very delicate, you will have plenty of scenes. The director is Louie. Basically, you can hone your acting skills in this film. After the film is released, your poprity can be directly elevated to the next level.¡± ¡°However¡­¡± Ophelia showed the script in her other hand that required an audition for a supporting role. ¡°This is a new film by Director Galen. Hisst film, The Alley, gave Egbert and Aurora a chance to be nominated for the Oscars.¡±¡± Eileen was a bit upset when she heard this. She corrected, ¡°Egbert actually won the award, Aurora was only nominated.¡± ¡°Being nominated is also a big deal.¡± Ophelia leaned over, pushing the three-page audition script for Galen¡¯s film towards Eileen, ¡°Do you have the confidence to give it a shot?¡± Eileen reached out and pressed down on the audition script, snorted, and said, ¡°Alright.¡± Chapter 103 Chapter 103 The audition was scheduled for a weekter. Ophelia was going all out in her support for Eileen, brushing off all the boring business stuff that got tossed her way. She just wanted Eileen to focus entirely on studying the script, making sure she was ready for the audition in a week. To keep Eileen from being distracted, Ophelia arranged for Janice to look after her, who cooked for her and cleaned up her ce. Basically, Ophelia wanted Eileen to steer clear of any trivial matters. She wanted all of Eileen¡¯s energy to be geared towards the audition. However. Eileen sent Janice packing on her second day there. Upon hearing this, Ophelia called Janice to inquire about what had happened. Janice was on the brink of tears. She said, ¡°I saw some cardboard boxes on Eileen¡¯s balcony and thought I¡¯d help her get rid of them. But then Eileen said they were delivery boxes she was saving up to sell. I threw them away, and now I owe her money.¡± The week flew by in a blink of an eye. The day before the audition, Ophelia apanied Eileen on a flight to Seahaven. The next day, Ophelia woke Eileen up early in the morning and personally took her to the audition site. This was an in-house audition. Upon entering the waiting room, Ophelia saw several people already there, alt top-tier neers in the industry. Some were chatting, others touching up their makeup. The room went quiet the moment they walked in. Ophelia, with her vast experience, wasn¡¯t going to let this faze her. She turned to check on Eileen, only to find she was gone. Looking around, she saw Eileen had found a spot to sit, hands in her pockets, one leg crossed over the other. She was swinging her leg and sizing up the people across from her. Eileen¡¯s direct gaze made the neers avert their eyes one by one. They continued to talk and touch up their makeup, and the atmosphere returned to the previous chatter. Ophelia walked over and sat down, lightly patting Eileen on her thigh. She said, ¡°Put your leg down.¡± Eileenplied, mumbling, ¡°All these people, just for a supporting female role?¡± Ophelia scoffed, ¡°Who do you think is directing this movie? Not anyone can just work with Galen.¡± The audition started promptly at ten. There were only seven auditionees, with Eileen being thest one. By the time it was Eileen¡¯s turn, it was already one in the afternoon, and she was starving. Ophelia reminded Eileen, ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous.¡± Eileen nodded, ¡°I¡¯m not nervous.¡± Seeing Eileen¡¯s nonchnt demeanor, Ophelia quickly corrected herself, ¡°Then you should be a little nervous. Get your emotions going,e on!¡± Eileen was speechless. Inside the audition room. Galen, in his forties, nced at the document in his hand and said with a frown, ¡°Eileen, the girl Lenwood rmended?¡± His assistant confirmed, ¡°Yes, Mr. Lenwood called earlier to ask if Eileen was on our audition list.¡± Galen chuckled. ¡°Mr. Lenwood¡¯s status is really high now. Even I can¡¯t get him.¡± The assistant replied, ¡°That¡¯s thanks to your great guidance. I¡¯ve seen some clips from Mr. Lenwood¡¯s Fancy Ind, it¡¯s really good. Didn¡¯t you always say you feel happier than us when we graduate?¡± Galen waved his hand, ¡°Let her in.¡± Suddenly, a staff member came in and said, ¡°Director, Mr. Reed is here.¡± Galen was taken aback, ¡°I thought Egbert said he wasn¡¯ting? Where is he now?¡± ¡°He¡¯s downstairs.¡± A few minutester, a man in a dark coat walked in through the back door. Galen and Egbert were old friends. He greeted, ¡°I thought you said you couldn¡¯t make it?¡± Egbert, handing his coat to a staff member, replied, ¡°I tried to make it. After all, it¡¯s my wife¡¯s casting.¡± Galen burst outughing, joking, ¡°Ha, you sure have a lot of wives.¡± He opened the file in his hand, ¡°Everyone else has left, only thest one remains. She¡¯s got some connection.¡± Egbert took a seat next to Galen and took the file. Looking at the first page with Eileen¡¯s ID photo, he smiled slightly and said, ¡°One wife is enough.¡± Finally, it was Eileen¡¯s turn to audition. She was starving. Walking into the audition room, the first thing Eileen spotted was Egbert sitting in the center. She blinked, a little stunned. ¡°Why are you still standing there? Come in.¡± Galen, unaware that Eileen knew Egbert, said casually while sipping his coffee. Eileen walked in, but her gaze was still fixed on Egbert. What was he doing here? Was he involved in the production of this film? She remembered clearly that this film did not involve him. Director Galen spent six years shooting Eyes on the Rendezvous, but in the end, its viewership and box office performance did not surpass The Alley. Although the film received good reviews and performed well at the box office, it was still far behind the sess of The Alley. In fact, up until Eileen¡¯s death in her past life, no film in the domestic industry had been able to surpass The Alley, which was Egbert¡¯s masterpiece. Eileen was pondering this when Egbert lifted his head and looked at her. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. His gaze remained calm as he looked at the document in his hand and at her, adopting a strictly professional demeanor. Galen then said, ¡°Let¡¯s start.¡± Eileen snapped back to reality. She stood in the center, leaving her thoughts behind and began her first prop-less performance. Galen was initially watching quite casually, but after a while, he suddenly found it a bit interesting, so he leaned forward slightly, a smirk ying at the corner of his mouth. As one act came to an end, Galen asked, ¡°How many acts have you prepared?¡± Eileen replied, ¡°I¡¯ve got three.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Galen said, ¡°Let¡¯s see a bit of the second one.¡± Eileen immediately switched gears and by the time she looked up again, her eyes were red and filled with unshed tears. This scene left Galen dumbstruck. He hadn¡¯t expected this girl to be so natural at crying scenes, with no preparation needed. By the second act, Galen¡¯s face grew more and more serious. He had Eileen also rehearse the third act. After all three acts were performed, Galen fell into deep thought. Suddenly, he said, ¡°Add another emotional scene.¡± He nced around and then asked Egbert, ¡°Can you help her act it out?¡± Egbert didn¡¯t object and obediently stood up, casually replying, ¡°Sure.¡± Egbert walked to the center of the stage, while Eileen stood still in her ce. Looking at the two of them, Galen stroked his chin and suddenly said, ¡°Start with a kiss for me to see.¡± Eileen: Huh? Chapter 104 Chapter 104 Eileen asked repeatedly, ¡°What?¡± She was so confused, suspecting she might have misheard. She looked at Galen, her eyes full of doubt. Seeing her gaze, Galen exined, ¡°We¡¯re just checking the proportions, doing a blocking exercise. No need to freak out.¡± Only then did Eileen rx. She thought to herself, how could there possibly be a kissing test for an audition? Since it was just blocking, Eileen didn¡¯t mind. She turned her head, looked at Egbert, and bluntly asked, ¡°How should I kiss you? What position should I take?¡± The way she said it made it seem as though she knew a lot of positions. Egbert walked up to her, his right hand gently held her chin, lifting her head. Eileen was forced to look up. She stared straight at the man close at hand and asked again, ¡°Do I need to close my eyes? Whatever you say, I¡¯ll do. I¡¯ll follow your lead.¡± Egbert spoke in a deep voice, ¡°Close them.¡± Then he added, ¡°And also, close your mouth.¡± Eileen nodded repeatedly, obediently closing her eyes and stopped talking. The man¡¯s fingers were slightly cold, pressing lightly on her lips. Eileen, with her eyes closed, couldn¡¯t see, and could only feel the man¡¯s breath getting closer to her. She knew this blocking method. It was often used in previous shoots. The man would press his thumb on the woman¡¯s lips. While kissing, it would look like he was kissing her lips when in fact he was kissing his own finger. Eileen waited for a bit, guessing he probably had already applied the ¡®kiss¡¯. She was very professional and remained still. After a while, she heard Galen¡¯s voice, ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Eileen opened her eyes and met Egbert¡¯s dark gaze. He hadn¡¯t yet moved away. He was very close to her, and his finger was still between them. Eileen felt Egbert¡¯s warmth and saw her own reflection in his dark eyes. Only then did he move away. He lowered his hand and calmly turned his gaze towards Galen, who was sitting. Galen thought for a while and then said, ¡°The proportions are good, the height and shape are a good match, and the kissing scene will look good.¡± Having said that, he signaled to the staff, ¡°Get them a chair.¡± Someone brought over a chair. Galen said, ¡°Let¡¯s do a read-through of scene twelve.¡± Hearing this, Egbert silently sat down. Eileen had no idea what the content of scene twelve was; she had only seen the three-page audition script. So Galen exined to her, ¡°The female lead, Hertha, is the secret love of the male lead Palmer for three years. Palmer originally nned to confess to Hertha before graduation, but he witnessed Hertha being hit by a car and dered dead on arrival. Ten yearster, you, as their ssmate, meet Palmer again at a reunion. You both are single, you actively pursued Palmer, and the next year, you two got married. However, during your pregnancy, you found out that Palmer might be having an affair, and later you found out that the woman is Hertha.¡± After finishing, Galen took a sip of water. Then he continued, ¡°That day, Palmeres home, and he seems very down. You need to ask him. Your only line is, ¡®What¡¯s wrong?¡±.¡± After finishing, Galen indicated that she could start. Eileen adjusted her mindset. She turned her head, surprised to find that Egbert had already started getting into character. He was sitting in the chair; leaning forward, his elbows on his knees and his hands sped together tightly. His slightly lowered face made it hard to see his expression; all she could see was his tense chin and tightly closed lips. She was pregnant, her husband might be cheating, and the woman he was cheating with was the woman who died ten years ago. All these things were known to Palmer¡¯s wife. So how should the wife treat her husband knowing all this? What kind of expression should she use, how should she portray her mindset? And what should her mindset be? That was what Galen wanted to see. There was only one chair in the room, so the wife couldn¡¯t stand by her husband like usual. However, the height difference between sitting and standing would inadvertently show a confrontational emotion. Eileen didn¡¯t want this confrontation. This wasn¡¯t a scene of confrontation; Galen wouldn¡¯t want to see confrontation either. Theck of a chair for her was like a setup.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. While thinking about these issues, Eileen walked in another direction, turned her back to her husband, and began to pretend to pick vegetables, She heard her husbande home and knew he had sat down on the sofa. She didn¡¯t respond to him, just kept cooking in the kitchen. She was thinking about the things she had found out today, sometimes she would stop what she was doing and look out the window. Soon, she turned back, her expression bing anxious, and she mmed the vegetables on the chopping board. But she kept picking vegetables and cooked a dish. She was conflicted, yet she still kept doing the housework. After the meal was ready, she served it to the dining table as usual. She busily served all the dishes and then stood by the table, looking at the man on the sofa, who seemed to be lost in his own world, frowning. She looked at him from the side of the table for a long time, her eyes cold. After a while, she smiled faintly, stroked her belly, and approached the man. First, she tilted her head to look at him, then gently stood next to him, one hand on his shoulder, one hand stroking his head, she lowered her head and asked him, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Her tone was teasing. At this time, the husband lifted his head, took her hand from his shoulder, brought it to his lips, and kissed it. Then he stood up, his face wearing an indulgent expression. He looked at her belly, took her hand, and walked towards the dining table. ¡°Cut.¡± Galen yelled ¡°Cut¡±, hisplicated gaze fixed on Eileen¡¯s face. She pulled her hand out of Egbert¡¯s. She stood in ce, waiting for Galen¡¯s evaluation. She seemed to still feel the warmth of Egbert¡¯s lips, so Eileen wiped her hand on her clothes. Egbert saw this action. He turned around coldly and walked straight back to the judges¡¯ table. Galen was silent for a while, before he finally spoke, ¡°We will let you know our decision.¡± That was his way of not giving a review. Eileen pursed her lips subtly, then gave a polite bow to everyone. Afterwards, she left with the assistance of a staff member. Once she was gone, Galen surprisingly pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He lit one, took a puff, then turned to Egbert and asked, ¡°What do you think?¡± Egbert, leaning back in his wooden chair, took his time and said, ¡°I have some thoughts.¡± ¡°Hmm, she¡¯s clever. Knowing she can¡¯t express a variety of emotions with limited lines, she took the initiative to add a scene of doing housework as a setup. And her understanding of the supporting female role is very interesting.¡± Egbert replied, ¡°Indeed.¡± Galen continued, ¡°I thought she would portray an impulsive wife, or a wife who swallows her anger, both rather monotonous. But she, unexpectedly, portrayed a scheming wife.¡± ¡°Definitely interesting,¡± Egbertmented. Galen chuckled, ¡°Yes, quite interesting. Let¡¯s have a meeting when we get back. If nothing unexpected comes up, let¡¯s pick her.¡± Chapter 105 Chapter 105 When Eileen got the call from the production crew of Eyes on the Rendezvous, it was a weekter. At the time, she was pestering Ophelia to treat her to some fresh juice. The call from the crew went straight to the office. After Ophelia hung up, her look towards Eileen, which was originally annoyed, immediately changed as if she had seen gold. After hanging up the phone, Ophelia mmed her hand on the table and yelled out. ¡°Go buy twenty cups of fresh grape juice for everyone in the office!¡± Seeing Ophelia¡¯s sudden lottery-winning-like behaviour, Eileen quickly raised two fingers, anxiously shouting, ¡°I want two cups!¡± Ophelia, in an unusually good mood, kindly replied, ¡°I¡¯ll get you two cups!¡± Eileen quickly raised another finger, ¡°Three cups!¡± When Ophelia red at her, Eileen awkwardly withdrew thest finger, whispering, ¡°Okay then, just two.¡± Half a monthter, Eileen joined the crew. After signing the contract, the crew sent all the scripts over. Eileen spent half a month at home memorising her lines, and only rushed to the filming location on the eve of the shoot. Eyes on the Rendezvous was being shot in a small town. When Eileen arrived, most of the other actors were already there. The amodation arranged by the crew was a small inn in the town; although a bit simple, it was still clean. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. As Janice was packing for Eileen, she suddenly said, ¡°Eileen, I just saw Teresa.¡± Teresa, the lead actress of the drama ¨C Hertha, was the so-called ¡°Best Actress¡± Teresa. She was older than Egbert. She was thirty this year, and Egbert was twenty-five. Eileen was the youngest at only neen. ¡°What happened?¡± Eileen asked casually. Janice whispered, ¡°She was yelling at her assistant. She said the room is not good and wanted to change rooms.¡± Eileen was puzzled, ¡°Hasn¡¯t she been here for a few days?¡± ¡°Yeah, she has been here for a few days and hasn¡¯tined before, but now she suddenly says there¡¯s a problem with the room and insists on moving to the room next to Egbert¡¯s.¡± Eileen raised her eyebrows, ¡°Who¡¯s in the room next to Egbert?¡± Janice said, ¡°It¡¯s ours.¡± Eileen was taken aback. Janice added, ¡°She didn¡¯t want to change before, but as soon as we moved in, she said she wanted to change rooms. Eileen, I think something is fishy.¡± Eileen furrowed her brows. At this moment, a few people suddenly came in from outside. Janice immediately stood behind Eileen and quietlyined, ¡°That¡¯s Teresa¡¯s assistant.¡± Eileen looked at the few people in front of her. Teresa¡¯s assistant, who was leading the group, seemed a bit cocky. He first scanned the room, then reluctantly nodded in approval, telling the staff, ¡°This room will do. You see, Teresa only sleeps in rooms with south-facing windows. She only stayed in the previous room for two days and immediately felt ufortable. I guess this room is barely suitable.¡± The staff felt awkward and bent down to negotiate with Eileen, ¡°Eileen, is it okay for you to switch rooms with Teresa? Teresa is allergic to rooms facing north.¡± Allergic? Eileen sat on the single sofa, crossed her legs, and spread her hands, ¡°Show me her medical records.¡± Teresa¡¯s assistant didn¡¯t expect her to say that. After a brief pause, he said, ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to move, especially since your neighbour is Egbert, but we¡¯re all part of the same crew, and we should be considerate of each other. Teresa really has a special condition. Allergies are unavoidable. As for the medical records, sorry, I don¡¯t have it with me right now. Regardless, we have to ask Ms. Lopez to move out immediately. Teresa needs to move in as soon as possible.¡± Eileen gently bit her lip, looking at his arrogant attitude, andughed, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t want to move, because I have allergies too.¡± Teresa¡¯s assistant¡¯s expression changed, ¡°What are you allergic to?¡± Eileen said, ¡°I¡¯m allergic to stupid people.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Teresa¡¯s assistant was so angry. Then he said to the staff, ¡°If anything happens to Teresa¡¯s health that affects the shooting, it will be the crew¡¯s loss.¡± Eileen couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud, pping for him on the spot, ¡°Wow, so impressive. The shooting hasn¡¯t even started yet, and you¡¯re already threatening the crew? Living in a room arranged by the crew will cause health problems, is this aint about the room, or do you have an issue with Galen? Oh my God, does Galen know that our lead actress dislikes him so much in private?¡± ¡°When did I say I disliked Galen?¡± Teresa¡¯s assistant shouted, ¡°Stop talking nonsense here!¡± Eileen crossed her arms, coldly watching him, ¡°Who¡¯s the one talking nonsense here? Isn¡¯t it you who likes to y the moral high ground?¡± Teresa¡¯s assistant was so angry he couldn¡¯t contain himself, ¡°You¡¯re really rude and impolite. You¡¯ll pay for offending Teresa.¡± After saying that, he stormed out in fury. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Eileen suddenly called him back. Eileen¡¯s expression had turned cold. She gently raised her eyebrows and slowly said, ¡°Actually, the room facing north is quite nice, cool and refreshing. Take two packs of cold medicine and sleep in there. There¡¯ll be absolutely no problem. I suggest you and Teresa both give it a try.¡± Teresa¡¯s assistant had already reached the door, and hearing her words, he almost couldn¡¯t believe it, stumbling almost to the point of falling. Eileen then said to Janice, ¡°Janice, he¡¯s already gone, why haven¡¯t you closed the door yet? Do you think I haven¡¯t had enough of him?¡± Janice was very pleased. She hurried over and mmed the door shut with a ¡°bang¡±. Teresa¡¯s assistant went back to Teresa andined. After hearing hisints, Teresa tantly cursed, ¡°Useless, get out!¡± Once the assistant left, Teresa took out her phone and dialed a number. After connecting the call, she said to the other end. ¡°Aurora, you¡¯re right. This woman is a tough nut to crack. But don¡¯t you worry, I said I¡¯d help you get back at her, and that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m gonna do. Just wait till we start filming, you¡¯ll see how I deal with her.¡± After listening to the staff¡¯s report, Galen took a puff of his cigarette, turned to Egbert and said, ¡°Teresa is a bit of a diva, but yourdy neighbor there, she¡¯s got a bit of a temper.¡± Egbert was reading a script. He circled a couple of lines with a pen, and turned to the next page, saying without looking up. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s got a fiery temper.¡± Galen said, ¡°I just found out you guys are pretty close, even did a couple of variety shows together. I¡¯ll find some time and watch those two variety shows of yours as well.¡± Egbert didn¡¯t say anything. Galen started to worry again, ¡°In this film, all your intimate scenes are with Eileen. I specifically arranged for you guys to have adjoining rooms for easymunication. But with her temper, can you handle it? Don¡¯t leave me in a bind.¡± Egbert suddenly stopped his pen, looked up at Galen and said, ¡°When ites to intimate scenes, everyone feels a bit awkward. It¡¯s par for the course. You need to be prepared for that.¡± Galen was surprised, ¡°What do you mean? Weren¡¯t you always one-take wonders in the past?¡± Egbert calmly replied, ¡°Previous scenes didn¡¯t have this much exposure, and they were usually staged. This time, didn¡¯t you say you wanted real kisses?¡± Galen was speechless. Indeed, he was the one who told Egbert not to stage the scenes this time. During the shooting of The Alley, if they hadn¡¯t staged the kissing scene, Aurora might have won an award. That had always been his regret. But Galen originally thought that Egbert wouldn¡¯t agree to his proposal. To his surprise, he actually epted. Galen hesitated and said, ¡°Try to rehearse with her as much as possible off-stage, and get used to scenes like sex scenes and kissing scenes in advance.¡± Upon hearing this; Egbert closed the script and suddenly stood up. Puffing on his cigarette, Galen asked, ¡°Where are you off to?¡± Egbert replied, ¡°To rehearse with her.¡± Chapter 106 Chapter 106 Eileen had a hunch that Egbert might being to see her. Having recently joined the film crew and just getting used to the new environment, she had already managed to get on the wrong side of the leading female actress. Egbert, being her senior and an acquaintance of hers, would most likelye in person and give a newbie like her some guidance. Eileen only left a crack in the door. She kept a wary eye on Egbert outside the door. If Egbert mentioned anything about Teresa, she¡¯d m the door shut in an instant. Egbert stood outside the door in a white thin sweater, script in hand. Seeing Eileen¡¯s one eye peeking through, he quirked an eyebrow and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to open the door?¡± Eileen snapped back with a gruff tone, ¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡± Egbert held up the script, ¡°I came to run lines with you.¡± Eileen was a bit puzzled, ¡°Just to run lines?¡± Egbert responded, ¡°What else would it be for?¡± Eileen thought he didn¡¯t seem to be lying. So she opened the door. Janice was also in the room and was utterly flustered at the sight of Egbert. Eileen plunked down on the couch, pulling out her own script from her bag. Looking up, she saw Janice shyly approaching Egbert with a notebook for an autograph. Eileen immediately felt a pang of jealousy. She grumbled, ¡°You¡¯ve been my assistant for half a month and you¡¯ve never asked me for an autograph, and I¡¯m the one paying your sry.¡± Janice was taken aback, unsure of how to respond. Egbert took Janice¡¯s notebook, signed it, then asked, ¡°You¡¯re her assistant?¡± Janice was thrilled that Egbert was actually talking to her. She nodded excitedly, blushing as she said, ¡°Yes, Mr. Reed, I¡¯m Eileen¡¯s assistant, and I¡¯m also a fan of yours. I¡¯ve seen all your movies.¡± Egbert smiled and gave the notebook back, ¡°Thank you.¡± Then he added, ¡°She¡¯s got a bit of a fiery temper, so please be patient with her in your interactions.¡± Janice was a bit taken aback. She knew about Eileen¡¯s fiery temper, but couldn¡¯t figure out why Egbert was advising her to be patient with Eileen. Eileen was taken by surprise that Egbert was talking smack about her in front of her. He just smiled, picked up the script, and sat down next to her. He opened a page and said, ¡°Let¡¯s start with this scene.¡± Eileen looked at the page he pointed out, flipped to it, and began her lines. ¡°Darling, you¡¯re back.¡± Egbert, expressionless, just leaned back on the couch and responded slowly, ¡°Mmm.¡± Janice, seeing them start to run lines, didn¡¯t want to interrupt and quietly slipped out of the room. Half an hourter, Egbert left. Later, Eileen needed to talk to him and finally found him in the director¡¯s room. Not just the director and Egbert were there, but also the scriptwriter and Teresa. It seemed like a meeting of the main creative team. Seeing Eileene in, the director felt a bit awkward. He said, ¡°Come in, we were just about to get you.¡± Eileen was oblivious to the director¡¯s awkwardness. She sat down across from Egbert, holding two bags of snacks and a small notebook in her hand. Teresa sat on the other side, suddenly asked sharply, ¡°Why did you call her here? We¡¯re having a meeting. What does she have to do with it?¡± Galen furrowed his brows, ¡°Just hold your tongue.¡± At this, Eileen turned to look at Teresa. Teresa sneered, ¡°What are you looking at me for? I¡¯m talking about you. We didn¡¯t even n to call you here. I don¡¯t know where you heard it from, but you ran over here in such a hurry, even brought your notebook and pen. Do you think you have such a big part? Do you really think your status is high enough to have a meeting with us?¡± ¡°Teresa!¡± Teresa¡¯s words were getting more and more outrageous, so Galen reprimanded her. Eileen just stared at Teresa, speechless for a moment. Teresa smirked, ¡°You were so talkative when you were scolding my assistant, why are you silent now?¡± Eileen shook her head, ¡°No matter how eloquent I am, I can¡¯tmunicate with a dog.¡± Teresa shot up, ¡°What did you say!¡± Eileen leaned back in her chair, speaking slowly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you understand what I said? Hmm, that¡¯s right. If animals could understand humannguage, Darwin would probably be excitedly waking up from his grave.¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Galen, did you hear that? She insulted me!¡± Eileen blinked, ¡°What did I insult you with? Don¡¯t falsely use me. I¡¯m a normal person. How could I argue with a dog?¡± ¡°You! You¡­!¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Galen raised his voice, ¡°Did wee here to have a meeting or to quarrel?¡± At this, Eileen let out a chuckle, stood up from the chair, and turned to leave. Watching her leave, Galen felt a splitting headacheing on. Teresa, however, was delighted, ¡°Finally, the annoying person is gone.¡± No sooner had she finished her sentence than Egbert also stood up from the couch. Galen quickly asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡± Egbert replied coldly, ¡°To find her, if she gets upset, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll do.¡± With that, he left. Chapter 107 Chapter 107 Eileen was caught up by Egbert at the elevator entrance. He was silent at first, but Eileen couldn¡¯t help turning around and asking Egbert, ¡°Is that woman nuts or what?¡± Egbert nodded patiently and said, ¡°Yep, she¡¯s a piece of work.¡± Eileen realized Egbert was on her side. Their friendship didn¡¯t break because of this woman, and she felt a bit relieved. The next day was the official shooting day. Eileen didn¡¯t have any scenes in the morning, but she still tagged along to the shooting location. The shooting location was in an old university in the city. Egbert yed a youthful role, sitting in thest row of the ssroom, reading a book. There were some extras portraying ssmates sitting around him, and they were discussing the tragic car ident that had imed the life of the school¡¯s prom queen, Hertha. Eileen had seen this movie before. She knew it was a crime film with many twists and turn. Hertha¡¯s fake death. and based on realistic themes. And all the tragedies began with Egbert was shooting under such simple conditions, so he probably wouldn¡¯t feel any pressure. After a while, there was a ¡°click¡± sound. Galen, with a megaphone, made an OK sign to Egbert in the ssroom, saying, ¡°OK, let¡¯s shoot the next scene!¡± The crew started busily changing the scene. The whole morning was almost all Egbert¡¯s personal scenes. Not until the afternoon did the role of the supporting female lead, Joyce, yed by Eileen, have a chance to appear. Eileen wore a id long skirt and white leather shoes, which young girls of that era loved to wear. When she came out of the dressing room, she heard Galen outside calling her, ¡°Eileen, you¡­¡± Halfway through, Galen¡¯s voice suddenly stopped. Then he chuckled, ¡°You changed your clothes. Now you look like a properdy.¡± Eileen walked towards Galen. Egbert, who was standing next to Galen, also lifted his head. He was wearing a white shirt, his hair naturally falling on his head. He looked at Eileen approaching, with a smile in his eyes. The makeup artist put on a youthful makeup for Eileen. ording to the character setting, the supporting female lead at this age was a bit in and extremely shy. Galen exined the plot of the next scene to them. At this time, Teresa, who had been on the side, slowly walked over. Teresa began by saying, ¡°Galen, you¡¯re talking too fast. She¡¯s a newbie. You need to consider if she can understand.¡± Eileen was a bit impatient with Teresa¡¯s attitude. She blurted out, ¡°Are you talking about me? Of course, I understand. Unlike some people who haven¡¯t received basic education. If you don¡¯t understand, let me know. I can teach you some basics when I have time.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Alright, you guys stop arguing!¡± Galen was feeling a bit of a headache, he waved his hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get ready to shoot.¡± Eileen turned and walked into the ssroom. Before the shooting, Teresa sat next to Galen angrily and said, ¡°Just watch, I don¡¯t know how many times we¡¯ll have to reshoot.¡± Five minutester. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. Galen waved his hand and shouted with a loudspeaker, ¡°Okay, get ready for the next shot.¡± In the following days, they were shooting the school scenes. It wasn¡¯t until a weekter that they started to shoot the plot ten yearster. Joyce met Palmer at a ss reunion. She heard people talking, saying Palmer was still single. The young heart throbs began to quietly emerge in her heart. Palmer had drunk a lot. After the party, Joyce was very worried about him. Seeing that he didn¡¯t take a taxi, she followed him all the way, until they reached a street corner. When Joyce caught up, she found Palmer waiting for her on the other side of the corner. Her beautiful face showed panic. The man under the street light stared at her with cold eyes, filled with displeasure and alertness. Joyce even began to stutter, ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m also¡­ on my way¡­¡± She tried to exin, but her palms were already sweating. Palmer nced at her lightly and turned to leave. At this moment, Joyce suddenly plucked up her courage, bit her lip, and asked, ¡°Do¡­ do you have a girlfriend¡­¡± The man turned his head, looking at her coldly. Joyce knew that if she didn¡¯t say it now, she might never have the chance to say it again. She clenched her fist, raised her head, and nervously asked, ¡°What¡­ what do you think of¡­ me?¡± ¡°Average. The man finished and left without looking back. Joyce gritted her teeth, took out a paper and pen from her backpack, and wrote down her phone number. She quickly ran up, sneaked the phone number into Palmer¡¯s coat pocket, and ran away without looking back. Three dayster, Joyce really received a call from Palmer. There were no lights in the room. The man pinned the woman against the door, one hand amund her waist, the other hand grabbing the back of her neck. In a near-rude way, he forced her to lift her head, kissing her soft, sweet lips over and over again. Joyce tasted the wine from Palmer¡¯s mouth. She knew he had been drinking again today. He called her out, maybe just a moment of impulse, but¡­ ¡°Cut.¡± Galen shouted at this moment. In the quiet space, Eileen heard the rapid heartbeat. She couldn¡¯t help but look up at Egbert¡¯s chest. The sound wasing from his chest. Elleen blinked and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. As she was about to speak, her head was suddenly pressed. It was Egbert who did it. He pressed her face into his chest, blocking the view of outsiders. They were closer now, which made Eileen hear Egbert¡¯s heartbeat more clearly. Eileen thought, gee, this guy was really useless. He was a well-known actor, but when they were performing these scenes, her heartbeat was even steadier than his. At this moment, Galen spoke, ¡°Egbert, your emotions are wrong. You need to act harder. Your feelings didn¡¯te out. I¡¯ve told you, in this stage of the plot, your attitude towards Eileen should be rude. Let¡¯s do it again, be a little ruthless.¡± Chapter 108 Chapter 108 In the second shoot, Eileen clearly felt Egbert upping his game. His kiss was filled with tension and urgency. His tongue gently prying open her lips. She could hear his panting. His breath was so fervent and wild. Eileen was led by his kiss, standing on her tiptoes. ¡°Cut!¡± Galen yelled again. The air around them was humid and hot. Egbert took a deep breath, then slowly backed away. After he left, Eileen wiped her mouth and looked at the director. Galen was clearly not satisfied, ¡°Palmer called Joyce out to vent his emotions, he¡¯s under mental stress, but he doesn¡¯t love this woman. Egbert, what were you doing? Holding her face, kissing her so seriously and passionately, what was that about?¡± Egbert kept his mouth shut, not answering. Galen continued, ¡°And you, Eileen, what are youughing at? Your state was off too!¡± Eileen was speechless seeing Egbert getting scolded. Galen started to reprimand Eileen, ¡°Both of you, Egbert couldn¡¯t let go, but you, Eileen, you let go too much. Your face didn¡¯t even turn red from shyness!¡± Their filming had been going smoothly these past few days, Galen hardly lost his temper. This was the first time Eileen saw Galen angry. Galen felt a headache, ¡°Did you guys rehearse this scene beforehand?¡± Egbert answered calmly, ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you rehearse beforehand?¡± Both of them couldn¡¯t answer. Finally, Galen said, ¡°That¡¯s enough for today: You two find some time to rehearse. Just don¡¯t mess up again tomorrow.¡± Galen was clearly upset, because he thought this was a very simple scene. Especially for Egbert, such mistakes shouldn¡¯t happen to him. As for Eileen, maybe it was because she was young, inexperienced in love, and unable to get into the right state for matters between men and women. She still needed Egbert to guide her on this. s After the shoot, Galen took Egbert aside to talk. Eileen, meanwhile, left to change clothes alone. When she came out after changing, she found Galen was already gone. Egbert was waiting for her outside the changing room. Eileen was holding a tissue, pressing it against her lips. Seeing Egbert, she removed the tissue, showed him her mouth, andined, ¡°You bit my mouth.¡±¡± Her pink lower lip had a small abrasion due to the intense friction earlier. Egbert reached out and held her chin, lifting her face to examine the wounded area closely. His gazes suddenly darkened. Eileen pped his hand away. Still pressing the tissue against her lips, she asked, ¡°What now?¡± Egbert put his hand back in his pocket and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go eat.¡± Eileen raised an eyebrow, ¡°Going to a restaurant?¡± Egbert nodded, ¡°Yeah, Galen wants us to bond.¡± Egbert wore a mask to avoid fans when going out alone, while Eileen didn¡¯t have such a problem. Egbert dressed simply, a grey sweater and ck pants. Eileen was even simpler, just jeans and a hoodie. The hoodie was obviously cheap, the kind that had been washed many times. Walking down the street, Eileen kept looking at the names of the restaurants. Then Egbert suddenly asked, ¡°Have you ever had a boyfriend?¡± Eileen was taken aback, turning to look at him. Egbert was serious, ¡°Let¡¯s understand each other better to help us get into character. You can ask me too.¡± Eileen¡¯s mood was dampened by his question, because she thought of Hubery. Feeling a bit nauseous, Eileen replied unhappily, ¡°Yes.¡± Egbert frowned. After a long silence, he scoffed, ¡°You don¡¯t look like someone who¡¯s had a boyfriend.¡± Eileen was confused, ¡°How so?¡± Egbert casually said, ¡°Your reaction. When I kissed you, you reacted awkwardly.¡± Eileen chuckled, retorting, ¡°You¡¯re talking like you¡¯re so experienced. You even bit my lips. Besides, I said I had a boyfriend, not that I had kissing experience. I never even held hands with that idiot.¡± Hubery¡¯s target in the past life had always been Hedy. He avoided Eileen in fear of Hedy misunderstanding. They indeed never held hands, let alone any other intimate actions. But even if she had no experience, she had seen others in love. Egbert looked at her nkly. Seeing her expression, it seemed she wasn¡¯t lying. ¡°Let¡¯s eat here.¡± Egbert stopped in front of a Chinese restaurant. Eileen nced at Egbert, frowned, and then followed him in. The restaurant was very clean. They ordered a private room and found they could see the whole city through the window. The city¡¯s buildings were all made of green bricks and brown tiles. At sunset, the beautiful scenery Improved Eileen¡¯s mood a bit. They ordered a few dishes, which arrived shortly- As she ate, Eileen asked Egbert across the table, ¡°Do we have to rehearse tonight? Do you know how to rehearse?¡±. Egbert¡¯s hand, holding a fork and knife, paused for a moment. Then he said, ¡°If not, we¡¯ll try a few more times.¡± Eileen took a sip of water, looking at him skeptically, ¡°Are you sure you can?¡± Egbert looked at her deeply, saying lightly, ¡°Why don¡¯t you teach me?¡± Eileen immediately beamed, saying cheerfully, ¡°In the end, you still need my help, right? Fine, I¡¯ll study it and teach you tonight.¡± They were supposed to be out for dinner to bond, but Egbert only saw Eileen gobbling up the food. When she couldn¡¯t eat anymore, she even packed the leftovers to bring back to the hotel forte-night snack. On the way back, she was carrying a bag of food. She even sang as she walked. Egbert couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. He took one of the food bags and then took her hand. Eileen looked at him puzzled, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Egbert said with a poker face, ¡°You know, for bonding.¡± Eileen, staring at their interlocked hands, blinked and said, ¡°We¡¯re already thick as thieves, do we really need to hold hands?¡± Back in the Osaka Museum, Eileen and Egbert were not quite chummy, and holding hands would have been a bit awkward. But recently, after going through a lot, living in the jungle with all its hardships, sharing meals and amodations, fighting together, they were past the point of being just ordinary friends. Nowadays, Eileen treated Egbert like a bosom buddy. So did holding hands even matter anymore?Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 109 Chapter 109 Regardless of whether Eileen found it meaningful or not, Egbert just wanted to hold hands. Eileen could only go along with his wishes. Teresa¡¯s assistant saw Eileen and Egbert walking back hand in hand and quickly reported it to her. Teresa immediately asked, ¡°Did you get a picture?¡± The assistant quickly replied, ¡°Yes, should we post it?¡± Teresa sneered, ¡°Post it and get some ounts to stir up the drama. I can¡¯t wait to see how Egbert¡¯s fans will rip that bitch apart.¡± Eileen gave both bags of food to Janice, asking her to help heat them upter. Then she went to Egbert¡¯s room empty-handed. Egbert was about to take a shower. Seeing here in, he put his clothes on the couch and asked, ¡°Is now a good time?¡± Eileen saw aptop on his desk and asked, ¡°Can I use it?¡± Egbert didn¡¯t say anything. He picked up theptop and put it in a file bag, then handed her another laptop, ¡°Use this one.¡± Eileen guessed that the previousptop might contain his private stuff. She didn¡¯t dwell on it, took the laptop and said, ¡°You go shower. I¡¯m going to look up some textbooks.¡± Egbert raised an eyebrow, ¡°Textbooks?¡±Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Eileen snorted, ¡°Aren¡¯t I supposed to tutor you? I need to prepare some lessons.¡± Seeing her serious research expression, Egbert chuckled, picked up his clothes, and went into the bathroom. A momentter, he came out. The bathroom door opened, and steam came billowing out. Egbert, wearing a bathrobe, heard a strange woman¡¯s voice as soon as he came out. He turned to look at Eileen. She was holding theptop, stroking her chin, and watching theputer screen intently. Theptop¡¯s speakers were ying strange sounds from both a man and a woman. Egbert walked over with a gloomy face and mmed theptop shut. ¡°Hey, I was watching that!¡± Eileenined. Egbert was still slightly damp. He held theptop with one hand and asked discontentedly, ¡°This is the textbook you found?¡± Eileen blinked and said, ¡°I searched for keywords like rough, brutal, forceful kiss, venting, and this video came up. Let me finish.¡± Egbert took a deep breath, threw theptop aside and said, ¡°Get the script.¡± Eileen gave him a nce. Feeling that he was getting angry, she obediently took out the script. Egbert flipped to the kissing scene and started analyzing the characters for her. Eileen listened to his exnation and nodded boredly, ¡°I know, I know all the things you said. I did character analysis and got into the mood of the character, but the director still wasn¡¯t satisfied.¡± Egbert leaned back on the couch and calmly watched her. Eileen thought for a moment and said, ¡°How about we go back to the textbook? The director said my problem is expressing emotions. I¡¯d like to see how others do it. Also, while looking for textbooks, I found some other stuff, about bondage and BDSM. Do you want to check that out? I think it might be helpful.¡± Egbert tossed the script aside with a gloomy face, stood up and said, ¡°No more watching, let¡¯s just start.¡± Eileen asked in surprise, ¡°Start now?¡± The man was already at the door. Eileen had no choice but to follow him. She stood behind the door. As soon as she steadied herself, Egbert suddenly pressed her shoulder and pushed her against the door. With a ¡°thud¡±, her body hit the door. Egbert moved one hand down and grabbed her waist as the script described. The other hand went to the back of her neck, controlling her movements. Eileen looked up at him. But the man didn¡¯t kiss her right away. He just quietly watched her. So Eileen just watched him. He was fresh out of the shower, smelling of body wash. It was a light, elegant scent that was neither strong nor cheap. With one sniff, Eileen knew the body wash must be expensive, definitely a luxury brand. ¡°Stop.¡± Egbert dropped his hand and asked quietly, ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Eileen opened her mouth in surprise, ¡°What?¡± Egbert frowned, ¡°A man has you trapped in his room, his eyes full of desire, and you¡¯re daydreaming?¡± Eileen moved her nose slightly, sniffed his scent again, and shook her head, ¡°No, no, your scent is too strong, it¡¯s easy to get distracted.¡± She took a deep breath and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll try to control myself. Start whenever you¡¯re ready.¡± ? ? ¡ª ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? Egbert didn¡¯t say anything else. He suddenly moved forward, controlling her as he had before but his other hand was now around her neck. Instead of grabbing the back of her neck as the script described, he changed it to wrapping his hand around her neck. Eileen instinctively resisted his aggressive move. ¡°Rx,¡± he soothed in her ear, his voice warm. Eileen tried to rx. The next moment, his dominant lips covered her soft ones. At first, he was gentle. Eileen also followed the storyline, showing surprise, confusion, and finally eptance and cooperation. Then he started to apply force. Eileen began to have difficulty breathing. She couldn¡¯t keep up with his pace. Whenever Egbert¡¯s lips left her, Eileen would seize the moment to catch her breath. Her breathing was a bit heavy. But the next second, he would cover her mouth again, taking over her oral space. Her hands instinctively grabbed Egbert¡¯s bathrobe tie. Her fingertips turned pale, her body was oxygen- deprived, and her eyes were getting hotter. After a while, she felt tears welling up. That was when Egbert stopped. Eileen was still a bit out of it. She leaned forward on tiptoe, touched his lips, and gave a light peck. The man didn¡¯t move, just looked down at her. Only then did Eileen open her eyes. She was taken aback before she came back to her senses. Egbert took a deep look at her, then turned to look at the full-length mirror on the other side. The mirror reflected their closely entwined bodies. Eileen also turned to look. She nced at herself in the mirror, her lips bright red, her eyes shining with emotion. That must be the emotional state Galen was after, huh? At this point, Egbert let go of Eileen, took a moment to catch his breath, and then moved towards the sofa. He grabbed a pen, opened the script, and after tweaking a few words, he muttered, ¡°Just a bit of tweaking here, I¡¯ll let Galen know tomorrow. If there are no other issues, we¡¯ll shoot it like this.¡± Eileen stood there for a while,posing herself. She wiped her mouth with her sleeve, walked over to check out his changes, and then nodded, asking, ¡°So this part is done then?¡± Egbert replied, ¡°Yep.¡± Eileen looked at Egbert again, suddenly giving his back a hard pat. She was so strong that Egbert winced from the smack, turning to look at her. Eileen yfully nudged Egbert¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Good job, kid. Which movie did you steal that from? We¡¯re buddies. You can¡¯t hog it all. Let me in on it, haha. Chapter 110 Chapter 110 The rehearsal was over, but Eileen wasn¡¯t ready to leave just yet. Her eyes darted around the room, lingering on theptop nearby. Egbert, with an icy expression, grabbed theptop and flipped it open. Eileen quickly walked over, excitedly saying, ¡°Let me have a look!¡± Egbert shot her a nce, made some changes on the code right in front of her, and then handed her theptop. ¡°Here you go.¡± Eileen held theptop close. The desktop was neat, and the video website isn¡¯t essible. She blinked, let out a smallugh, and feigned disappointment, ¡°Oh no, you¡¯ve deleted everything and I can¡¯t even open the website. What a shame. Can I borrow yourptop for the night? I don¡¯t have one/ I¡¯ll return it tomorrow.¡± Egbert frowned at her innocent act. Eileen eagerly asked, ¡°Can I? Can I?¡± In the end, Egbert agreed.. ¡°I¡¯ll be off then, bye.¡±Eileen finished and quickly left. A few minutester, Egbert started to feel suspicious. The twoputers were linked. He took out the otherptop and remotely checked its background operations. Suddenly, a video of a man and woman getting intimate popped up on the screen. In the room next door, a blushing Janice was dragged by Eileen to watch the video. Janice didn¡¯t really want to watch, but her curiosity got the better of her, ¡°Wow, how can she bend like that¡­¡± Eileen nodded in agreement, ¡°Impressive, right?¡± Suddenly, the screen went ck. Janice was shocked and shrieked, ¡°Oh no, are we going to get caught?!¡± Eileen reassured her, ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s just Egbert.¡± With that, she hacked into theptop¡¯s system. Two minutester, theptop was back up and running, and Eileen resumed watching the video. But less than a minuteter, the screen went ck again. Eileen was pissed, ¡°What a party pooper, Egbert!¡± Janice was scared now. She suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s just stop, Eileen.¡± With Egbert keeping an eye on them, they didn¡¯t have much of a choice. Eileen shut down theptop angrily, ¡°Fine, we won¡¯t watch then.¡± A few minutester, there was a knock on Egbert¡¯s door. He opened it. Unsurprisingly, Eileen was on the other side. She angrily handed him theptop, her face full of discontent. Egbert took theptop, his tone indifferent, ¡°You¡¯re quite good withputers.¡± All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. Eileen rolled her eyes, ¡°And you¡¯re quite interesting. Didn¡¯t expect you to be so talented.¡± Egbert calmly responded, ¡°Ms. Lopez, you¡¯re quite talented yourself.¡± Ignoring him, Eileen turned and walked away. Egbert closed the door and returned to his sofa. Hisptop still had a file on it. It was a file he had looked over before, Eileen¡¯s personal information. What Egbert was looking at now was thest line. ¡°Ms. Camille Thomas of the Howard family was amissioner of the national anti-missile research and development project before retirement. Every summer, Eileen Howard would spend her holidays with Ms. Camille in theb, sometimes even receiving help from seniorb technicians for her summer homework.¡± Egbert tapped his fingers on the table and chuckled. The next day, the shooting was scheduled for the morning. Eileen was a bit upset with Egbert for not letting her watch the porn the day before, but Egbert brought her breakfast. It wasn¡¯t the usual set breakfast provided by the crew, but a pricey muffin he bought himself. Eileen was no longer angry, and she started to warm up to him again. Today, Eileen and Egbert stood in the shooting scene. Upon the director¡¯s cue of ¡°Action,¡± the male lead¡¯s kiss fell. Eileen received it passively. She remembered the rehearsal fromst night. She controlled her breathing, reliving everything from yesterday, including the tears that welled up in her eyes due tock of oxygen. ¡°Cut!¡± Galen called for a halt. Eileen turned her head and looked at Galen. Galen shook his head, paused, and then said, ¡°It¡¯s eptable, but it¡¯s still early, and I see you guys are in good form today. Let¡¯s go again.¡± To go again meant that the shot was eptable, but they could try again, and maybe the next take would be better. The makeup artist came over to touch up their makeup. Eileen quietly said to Egbert, ¡°Galen is too strict.¡± Egbert looked at her rosy lips and whispered, ¡°That¡¯s just how he is.¡± After the touch-up, the second take began. Then the third, fourth, fifth. That morning, Eileen and Egbert shot five takes in total. In the end, Galen chose the fifth video. ¡°This shot is the best. Everything is on point.¡± Galen was delighted. Eileen was almost exhausted. She slumped in her chair, struggling to ask, ¡°Can we eat now?¡± Galen announced, ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s eat.¡± Finally, it was time to eat. Eileen, like a starving ghost, lined up for food. When it was her turn, she immediately told the staff who was serving the meal, ¡°You look really pretty today.¡± The staff shyly brushed her hair and gave Eileen a lunchbox with two chicken legs. Eileen almost hugged and kissed the staff; she quickly went to a corner to eat. Janice took a while to find Eileen. She finally found her eating at the back stairs. Janice hurriedly said, ¡°Eileen, there¡¯s trouble.¡± Eileen was gnawing on a chicken leg, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Janice handed her the phone, ¡°You and Egbert were caught on camera holding hands yesterday.¡± Eileen took a nce at the phone, it was on the trending topics page. The hashtag #EgbertEileenHolding Hands was trending tenth and steadily rising. Eileen blinked, paused, and then said, ¡°The director asked us to build some chemistry.¡± Janice was getting anxious, ¡°But theizens won¡¯t see it that way. Look at thements. So many people are livid¡­¡± Janice¡¯s words trailed off abruptly. Seeing the look of horror on Janice¡¯s face, Eileen couldn¡¯t help but scoff, ¡°That scared you, huh? Let me tell you, my cklist is chock-full of people who¡¯ve cussed me out. More than you¡¯ve ever seen.¡± Janice opened her mouth, paused for a moment, then stuttered, ¡°No, it¡¯s not that¡­ Eileen, this comment¡­ it might not be one we engineered, right?¡± ¡°Whatment?¡± Eileen asked, leaning in curiously. ¡°E&E?¡± Teresa, sitting in a shabby lounge, was utterly baffled as she looked at the trendingments from the whistleblower ount. ¡°What¡¯s this? A fan club?¡± Teresa¡¯s assistant answered awkwardly, ¡°It seems so. Egbert and Eileen have been on two reality shows together, and they even filmed a movie together. Rumor has it, some fans really dig their love- hate rtionship¡­¡± Teresa snapped, ¡°Is that what I asked to see? Where are the haters? Didn¡¯t we buy any? They should be tearing Eileen apart.¡± The assistant hurriedly replied, ¡°We did, but¡­¡± ¡°But what?¡± Teresa red. The assistant was sweating bullets, ¡°But¡­ our bought haters can¡¯tpete with Eileen¡¯s organic haters. They¡¯re saying we might just have to get a refund.¡± Chapter 111 Chapter 111 Teresa was totally clueless. ¡°What¡¯s an Eileen hater?¡± Her assistant exined. ¡°Basically, Eileen pissed off some folks, so they hired professional haters to rag on her. Now there are new haters in the mix, so the old haters are pissed off; they probably feel like their turf is being encroached on. So they started fighting with our haters, but our guys aren¡¯t part of this feud.¡± Teresa felt a massive headacheing on. She lowered her head to look at thements below. Thement section was filled with malice and negativity; it was an endless stream of insults. Teresa¡¯s eyes were hurting just from reading them. Just as she was about to refresh the page, the whole topic suddenly vanished. Teresa was stunned. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Just then, her assistant¡¯s phone rang. After reading the message, the assistant awkwardly said, ¡°The hater we hired said his ount got temporarily banned because thement section was loaded with personal attacks, insults, profanity, and obscene words. After being reported numerous times, the official system gged his ount as potentially risky.¡± Teresa fell silent. There was a sudden knock on the door outside the resting room. Teresa¡¯s eyes changed, and she paused before telling her assistant, ¡°Go open the door.¡± Meanwhile, Eileen was also browsing the same topic when it suddenly disappeared. ¡°What happened?¡± Janice checked and said, ¡°It¡¯s not my inte.¡± Eileen finished her chicken leg, wiped her hands, and stood up. ¡°Ignore them; Ophelia will take care of it.¡± Janice admired Eileen¡¯s nonchnce. ¡°Eileen, you¡¯re the toughest celeb I¡¯ve met. So many people are ragging on you, but you just don¡¯t care.¡± Eileen immediately showed her firm stance. ¡°What¡¯s there to care about? I¡¯m a nice person; I don¡¯t usually pick fights.¡± Janice nodded approvingly. ¡°So, if I eat the rest of your chicken leg, you won¡¯t fight me over it, right?¡± Eileen responded with a coldugh. ¡°Of course not; I won¡¯t just not fight you; I won¡¯t not harm you either, honestly.¡± Janice struggled to find a response. The afternoon shoot was scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. But when the time came, Galen was nowhere to be found. Eileen sat in her chair, looking at the two empty chairs on the other side; one belonged to Teresa, the other to Egbert. Neither of them had shown up. After waiting for another half hour, the assistant director arrived and said that they were going to stop work for the day. Stop work? The crew started to chatter. Eileen was also surprised. When she got back to her room for dinner, Eileen didn¡¯t see Galen or the two main actors. Janice, having heard some rumors, ran over to tell Eileen. ¡°Apparently, it¡¯s about a contract issue.¡± ¡°Contract?¡± Eileen was puzzled. ¡°We¡¯ve started filming already; what contract issue could there be?¡± Janice shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± Just then, there were some noises in the hallway. Eileen, in her pajamas, stood up. ¡°Egbert must be back; I¡¯ll go take a look.¡± As Eileen opened the door, she saw that it was indeed Egbert trying to unlock his door. Eileen walked towards him with her hands in her pockets. Egbert nced at her, opened the door, and walked in. Eileen followed him inside and closed the door. Egbert looked tired; he took off his coat, threw it onto the sofa, and went to pour himself some water. While sitting down on the sofa, Eileen asked directly. ¡°What happened?¡± After taking a sip of water, Egbert put down his cup. ¡°Teresa might be reced.¡± Eileen was surprised. ¡°What?¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Egbert sat down beside her. ¡°Teresa broke the confidentiality agreement by posting pictures of the film crew during the shoot. ording to the rules, she has to pay a penalty of five million. We¡¯ve been discussing this issue all afternoon.¡± Eileen thought about the picture of her and Egbert holding hands. ¡°You mean¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Egbert sat down, noticing Eileen¡¯s slightly wet hair. ¡°Did you just take a shower?¡± Eileen, still thinking about Teresa, answered. ¡°Yes.¡± Egbert looked away. ¡°You should get some rest early.¡± Eileen nced at him and stood up from the sofa. As she was leaving, she turned to look at him and asked. ¡°How did you guys know Teresa leaked the photos?¡± Egbert didn¡¯t answer, he just looked at her. Eileenughed lightly while shaking her head. ¡°Mr. Reed, you¡¯re such a jerk.¡± Then Eileen left the room and closed the door. Egbert lowered his head and chuckled. Eileen went back to her room, humming a song. When she got back, Janice told her, ¡°Eileen, Ophelia just called. She said thepany has managed to calm the public. The hand-holding photo has been exined as a work requirement. And the ount that suddenly couldn¡¯t post updates at noon might have been banned because it was reported too many times.¡± Eileen chuckled lightly. Janice was puzzled. ¡°Eileen, what¡¯s up?¡± Eileen shook her head. ¡°Nothing.¡±. Would an ount with a background get banned just because of some reports? It was just because someone didn¡¯t like it and took action. Eileen turned her head, looking in the direction of her neighboring room, thinking about the hacking skills Egbert demonstratedst night. For him, tracing the source of a photo was a piece of cake. The next day. The crew informed everyone in the morning that work was canceled for the day. Eileen was nning to sleep in, but Galen called her, telling her to attend a meeting. Reluctantly, Eileen got up and brought her script to the meeting. The meeting was in the writer¡¯s room, and as soon as Eileen walked in, she saw that Egbert was also there. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Galen took a sip from his thermos. He gestured for Eileen to sit down, then said. ¡°You already know about Teresa, right? Luckily, we haven¡¯t been filming for long, and her scenes can be re-shot.¡± Curiously, Eileen asked. ¡°Galen, are we really going to rece her?¡± Galen lifted his head, giving her a chilly look. ¡°Do you think I can let people on my film crew do whatever they want?¡± Eileen immediately zipped her lips. It suddenly dawned on her that Galen was always dead serious and strict about anything rted to filming. Galen started speaking again. ¡°Hertha¡¯s scenes will be postponed. For a while, it¡¯s mainly going to be you two.¡± Eileen didn¡¯t voice any objections. Neither did Egbert. Galen nced around at them. ¡°Both of your situations are still a bit shaky, so after discussing with the scriptwriter, we¡¯ve decided to focus on shooting your intimate scenes first. Tomorrow we¡¯ll start with scene 18, the bed scene.¡± Eileen immediately flipped through the script to find that scene. Egbert was lounging on the sofa, twiddling a pen. He suddenly said, ¡°Sounds like a tough gig.¡± Galen eyed him, frowning. ¡°As long as your emotions are in ce, there won¡¯t be any difficulties. Do you have any issues? Eileen, any issues on your end?* Eileen had found the scene. After ncing at the script, she looked up and said. ¡°I don¡¯t have any issues.¡± Galen shot Egbert a stern look. ¡°The girl doesn¡¯t have any issues, so what¡¯s a big guy like you all jittery about?¡± Then Eileen also turned to Egbert. She seriously told him. ¡°Mr. Reed, I hope you can be a bit more professional.¡± Egbert raised an eyebrow, gave her a long look, and then nodded. ¡°Alright, got it.¡± Chapter 112 Chapter 112 Elsewhere, in Teresa¡¯s room. With a loud smack, Teresa¡¯s palm harshly struck her assistant¡¯s face. The assistant covered her pped cheek, shivering with fright. Teresa shouted angrily. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you delete the photo?¡± The assistant cried as she exined. ¡°Teresa, I did delete it!¡± ¡°Deleted it? Then how did Egbert find it in your phone?¡± The assistant shook her head desperately. ¡°I don¡¯t know; I really don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°Ipetent!¡± Teresa screamed and pped her assistant again. The assistant didn¡¯t fight back; she only began sobbing quietly. Suddenly, the phone on the table rang. Teresa saw the caller ID and promptly answered. ¡°Aurora, you finally called. Tell me, how should we handle this now?¡± Teresa and Aurora talked for nearly ten minutes. After hanging up, Teresa¡¯s expression visibly improved. The assistant quickly asked. ¡°Teresa, what happened?¡± Teresa nced at her and snorted. ¡°You¡¯re lucky; Aurora went to beg Mr. Chad for help.¡± The assistant asked in surprise. ¡°Mr. Chad?¡± Teresaughed. ¡°Aurora really has her ways. Mr. Chad values Aurora a lot. To get her, Mr. Chad spent a whopping ten million on breach of contract and signing fees. Looks like we¡¯ll be weing a new bossdy soon.¡± The assistant sighed in relief. ¡°I heard Mr. Chad has been pursuing Aurora.¡± Teresa nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not surprising that Mr. Chad would like Aurora; she¡¯s the only one from our country who has been nominated for an Oscar.¡± Chad Lopez was having dinner with ke Lopez when he received a call from Aurora. He casually hung up, then turned to ke across the table. ¡°So, the DNA test results are in. Eileen is our sister, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ke ate a piece of fish and took a sip of water before replying. ¡°Gic simrity, 99.99%.¡± Chad pursed his lips. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve met her before.¡± ke was taken aback. Chad continued. ¡°I thought she looked familiar, so I wanted to do a DNA test, but Sawyer messed up my ns with his nonsense.¡± ke frowned. ¡°Sawyer met her too?¡± Chad snorted. ¡°More than that, he even fell for her and wants to pursue her.¡± ke was so shocked that he mmed his fork on the table. Chad, always one for a good show, added. ¡°Simon is even worse; he acted in a movie with her, ying her love interest.¡± ¡°Ridiculous!¡± ke was genuinely angry. He picked up his phone, ready to make a call. Chad stopped him, suggesting. ¡°No use scolding them now. Do it in person; you might as well give them a good beating too.¡± ke grumbled. ¡°They¡¯re all so spoiled!¡± Just then, Chad¡¯s phone rang again. It was still Aurora. Chad declined her call immediately. ke nced at him. ¡°Business?¡± Chad shook his head. ¡°Aurora. You remember her, right?¡± ke thought for a moment, indicating he had no recollection. ¡°Remember the actress who was nominated for an Oscar with Egbert? There were rumors that they were a perfect match and childhood sweethearts. I was afraid they¡¯d really get together, so I signed her to mypany and had someone keep an eye on her.¡± ke seemed to have no memory of this; he shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t care about other people¡¯s affairs, but you¡¯re the only one familiar with the entertainment industry in our family. You need to help in areas we can¡¯t cover. I asked Loule to offer Eileen a lead role in a movie, but she didn¡¯t take it and chose to y a supporting role instead. You need to think of a solution. ¡°Okay.¡± Chad replied after a moment of silence. ¡°I¡¯ll check which movie she¡¯s acting in.¡± ke continued. ¡°Resources are important, but what¡¯s more important is not to scare her. Egbert is right; we need to let her adjust slowly, we can¡¯t rush things or let her have a bad impression of us.¡± Chad nodded, ¡°I know what to do.¡± That night, after Chad found out, he video-called Egbert. Egbert and Chad chatted for a while when suddenly there was a knock at the door. Chad asked in surprise. ¡°Who¡¯s looking for you thiste?* Egbert didn¡¯t answer and got up to open the door. Outside the room, Eileen was in her pajamas with her script in hand. After seeing that the door was open, she walked straight in. Chad saw Eileen in the video and was very surprised. Eileen turned to talk to Egbert, saw that he was on his phone, and said kindly. ¡°Are you busy? Finish up; I¡¯ll wait for you in bed¡± Egbert and Chad were left speechless. Egbert tried to suppress hisughter. He paused for a moment, then looked at Chad, who appeared awkward in the video, and exined. ¡°It¡¯s not what you think.¡± A few minutester, Egbert hung up. He looked up to see Eileen, who had taken off her shoes and was sitting on his white double bed, waiting for him with her script still in her hand. Her damp hair was draped over her shoulders. ¡°Finished your call?¡± Eileen noticed Egbert had hung up and asked casually. ¡°Have you read this part of the script?¡± Egbert stood up and walked towards her, saying, ¡°Yes.¡± All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. Eileen put the script aside. ¡°Then let¡¯s start.¡± With that, she lifted the covers and crawled into his bed. This scene was after Joyce and Palmer¡¯s one-night stand. In the morning, Joyce was still asleep, but Palmer was awake. He no longer felt the effects of the alcohol from the night before, but impulsively, he moved closer to the woman beside him. After Eileen got into the covers, shey down, pretending to sleep. After a while, she heard a rustling sound, indicating Egbert was there. Momentster, she felt her cheek being gently stroked by a warm hand. ¡°Stop.¡± Eileen frowned. She opened her eyes to look at the man with deep eyes right in front of her. She said unhappily. ¡°Touching my face is a sign of sympathy; the script doesn¡¯t have this move; haven¡¯t you read the script?¡± Egbert didn¡¯t answer and just quietly withdrew his hand.. Eileen threw off the covers, patting her waist. ¡°Touch here.¡± Egbert¡¯s gaze then shifted downwards to her slender waist. ¡°Again.¡± Eileen closed her eyes once more. After a while, she felt her waist being held. Then she felt a warm body moving close to her. By now, Joyce should be awake. Therefore, Eileen slowly opened her eyes. She saw the man in front of her, who was looking at her with calm and clear eyes. She began to say her lines. ¡°Palmer¡­¡± Before she could finish, Egbert suddenly gripped her chin and fiercely kissed her lips. ¡°Stop!¡± Eileen yelled. She said with dissatisfaction. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to just lightly touch me. How can we make a good scene like this?¡± Egbert took a deep breath. He didn¡¯t say anything, lowered his head, and their lips met again. This contact was somewhat unbearable. Eileen finally understood why the director always said that Egbert was too slow to get into character. JF BI JI He really was too slow; he was basically dragging his feet. Luckily, this time he finally got into it. His breath was very passionate. Eileen¡¯s eyes opened a bit dazedly. Egbert held her firmly in his arms. Then his right hand began to stroke her hair. Chapter 113 Chapter 113 The whole scene took only a few minutes toplete. After it was over, Eileen felt pretty pleased with her performance. She looked at the man beside her, who was wearing a cool expression, and asked. ¡°I think the performance went well, don¡¯t you?¡± Egbert bit his lip; only his upper body was visible outside the nket. He replied casually. ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Our emotions were on point.¡± Eileen encouraged him, then lightly patted his shoulder, saying, ¡°Keep it up; I think we can nail it in one go tomorrow¡± Egbert remained silent and gave her a nce. Eileen got out of bed and slipped into her slippers. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll head back now.¡± Egbert didn¡¯t respond. With her slippers on, Eileen left the room. Once the door closed, Egbert let out a deep sigh, rubbed his aching forehead, and chuckled self-deprecatingly, ¡°I sure know how to get myself into trouble.¡± The next day began with that intimate scene in bed. Surprisingly, the filming process went smoothly. Galen was moved, saying, ¡°Finally, we¡¯ve found the right vibe.¡± There was no doubt; this time, they got it in one take. Eileen had several marks on her neck and corbone. As she wiped herself with a tissue, she proudly bumped Egbert¡¯s shoulder, saying, ¡°See, I told you.¡± Egbert paid her no mind. He got out of bed silently and walked towards the bathroom. Galen was smoking, watching Egbert¡¯s back, and chuckling. ¡°Mr. Reed is quite innocent¡± Eileen didn¡¯t quite catch that. She put on her clothes and walked quickly to Galen¡¯s side, feeling curious. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Galen gave her a sidelong nce. ¡°You think everyone¡¯s as caref as you?¡± Eileen felt unjustly scolded, and her face filled with confusio ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me? I contributed to the sess of that scene!¡± She pointed to the monitor disying the just-yed bed scene, pointing out her great acting. ¡°Look, my expression here is alluring, and here, I kissed him passionately. I bit down hard, and here, I acted really well, right?¡± Galen couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Can you not be so self-absorbed? You¡¯re way too invested in your own love scenes!¡± Eileen froze. ¡°I¡¯m analyzing, okay? Your directing style is weird. Didn¡¯t you ask me to find my groove? How can I find my groove if I don¡¯t remember these details?¡± Galen grabbed the thermos next to him and took three sips of water before saying, ¡°Just get out of my sight.¡± Eileen didn¡¯t budge. She shouted. ¡°What did I do wrong? Tell me! Tell me if you¡¯re such an expert!¡± Egbert came out of the bathroom and saw Eileen and Galen arguing. Eileen stood with her arms crossed, looking like she was ready to throw a punch. Egbert frowned and approached. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Ignoring Egbert, Galen mmed the table and began yelling at Eileen. ¡°Is your head filled with air? What I want is emotion. A performance thates from the heart, with story and atmosphere! I want acting that stems from within, do you understand?¡± Eileen immediately retorted. ¡°If you¡¯re belittling me like this, then why did you approve the scene?¡± ¡°Eileen, you¡­¡± Galen clutched his chest and slumped weakly in his chair, looking quite feeble. Egbert understood the reason behind all this now. Seeing that Eileen was about to infuriate Galen further, he took her hand and led her out of the room. Once outside, Eileen began toin. ¡°Galen¡¯s always like this. Even when I haven¡¯t done anything wrong, he finds a way to criticize me.¡± Egbert felt a headacheing on and said wearily, ¡°Acting requires technique, and you like mastering technique. There¡¯s nothing wrong with that. But some more emotionally driven directors don¡¯t want to hear about it. They want the actor to resonate with the character from within and then react.¡± Eileen furrowed her brow. ¡°I did resonate; otherwise, how could we have seeded?¡± ¡°Right.¡± Egbert said calmly, ¡°It seems like you resonated enough to fool Galen.¡± ¡°What do you mean by ¡®enough¡¯?¡± Eileen looked unhappy. She felt like her professional abilities were being questioned. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. Egbert looked at her and suddenly asked. ¡°Then who do you think I am?¡± ¡°You?¡± Eileen instinctively said, ¡°Egbert.¡± Egbert shook his head. Eileen tried again. ¡°Mr. Reed.¡± Egbert continued to shake his head. Eileen furrowed her brow. ¡°Egbert Reed?¡± Egbert still shook his head. Eileen fell silent. After a moment, she asked tentatively. ¡°A super handsome guy?¡±. Egbert hesitated and fell a little silent. Eileen pursed her lips and stopped guessing. ¡°Then who are you?¡± Egbert said coldly. ¡°I¡¯m your husband.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Eileen paused for a moment, then nodded repeatedly. ¡°Oh, right.¡± Egbert sighed. Egbert didn¡¯t want to talk to her anymore. He said helplessly, ¡°Go change your clothes and get ready for the next scene.¡± Filming went quite smoothly from the morning until it was over. During lunchtime, Eileen and Galen made up like nothing had happened. The reason was that the cafeteria staff, fearing Galen¡¯s authority, didn¡¯t dare give Eileen any special treatment. Eileen started to butter up Galen to get an extra serving of food. Galen fell for it, and she got two portions of grilled salmon. ¡°Wow!¡± Midway through their meal, someone suddenly eximed. Everyone turned to look at the person. It was a prop assistant who caused themotion. After noticing that all eyes were on him, he turned red and hastily apologized. ¡°Sorry, sorry. I was looking at my phone, and when I saw Eileen, I was just so surprised.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Eileen still had rice on her face as she looked up from her lunchbox and gazed at the crew member. ¡°Did I do something wrong again?¡± The assistant hurriedly said, ¡°No, no. It¡¯s because you danced so well. I was just so amazed.¡± ¡°Danced?¡± Eileen raised her lunchbox and stood up to check the assistant¡¯s phone. She saw the video of her dancing with Colin. Oh, that one. At this point, everyone else took out their phones, too, and they all started eximing after watching it. ¡°Eileen, you¡¯re such a great dancer! Did you study dance in elementary school?¡± Eileen took a bite of her food, swallowed, and said, ¡°I¡¯ve never studied dance.¡± Nobody seemed to believe her. She shrugged, not bothering to exin further. Her body coordination was excellent. In a historical drama she had filmed a few years ago, she learned traditional dance in just two hours. Egbert also took out his phone and opened a video. In the video, Eileen was wearing a revealing outfit and dancing intimately with a stranger. After watching for a few seconds, Egbert¡¯s face turned serious. He stopped the video and coldly said, ¡°Not attractive.¡± Eileen looked at him. Galen offered a fairment. ¡°She did dance quite well. There are over ten thousandments already, and many people are praising her.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Eileen hadn¡¯t cared much before, but hearing praise made her excited. She eagerly asked, ¡°Read some to me; what are they saying?¡± Galen opened thements and began to read aloud. ¡°Is this Eileen? Is it really her? She looks so delicate, unlike the Eileen I know.¡± The room suddenly went silent. Galen paused for a moment, trying to ease the awkwardness. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because the difference is too big. Let me see what the nextment says. This one is apliment; it says, ¡®Wow, is this Eileen? Has his gender reassignment surgery finally seeded?¡± Eileen grumbled; she was starting to get upset. At that moment, Egbert coldly remarked. ¡°I told you it¡¯s not attractive.¡± Eileen fumed. ¡°Is this how a husband should behave?¡± She moved to p him, but Egbert caught her wrist and pulled her onto hisp. ¡°I was just joking, dear,¡± Chapter 114 Chapter 114 Even though Egbert was speaking softly, the others still heard him, and some couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. Everyone knew that such endearing nicknames were just part of Egbert and Eileen¡¯s roles in the y. But hearing them still stirred up some ambiguous feelings. Galen couldn¡¯t help butugh as well. But Eileen was pissed. She got up from Egbert and shouted at him. ¡°Are you kidding me? You¡¯ve already said twice that I¡¯m not pretty! Am I a joke to you?¡± Now that Eileen was truly angry, everyone fell silent at once. They immediately put down their lunch boxes and came over to calm her down. Galen, rubbing his throbbing temple, said helplessly, ¡°We¡¯re all adults here; let¡¯s eat and get back to work.¡± Eileen looked at Galen discontentedly. ¡°You always take Egbert¡¯s side!¡± Galen had no choice but to say, ¡°Egbert, you messed up this time. You should apologize to Eileen.¡± Egbert calmly turned his gaze to Eileen and whispered. ¡°Sorry.¡± Eileen snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t ept your apology!¡± ¡®I¡¯ll treat you to dinner tonight.¡± Eileen dropped her hand. ¡°If I didn¡¯t ept, I¡¯d look petty. Okay, I forgive you. Where are we eating tonight?¡± The afternoon scenes were about Palmer and Joyce¡¯s lives after marriage. Even though there were intimate scenes, they didn¡¯t cross the line. While Joyce was cooking, Palmer hugged her from behind, and then Joyce turned her head and shared a few kisses with him. This was a very normal scene of affection between a married couple. But during the filming, some problems arose. ¡°You guys don¡¯t feel like a married couple.¡± After one scene, Galen called Egbert and Eileen over to watch the footage. In the clip, Eileen was wearing an apron with a light-colored house dress underneath and cutting vegetables. Egbert came up from behind, wrapped his arms around her waist, and rested his chin on her shoulder. Eileen¡¯s cheeks were slightly red, indicating that they were newly married. Eileen fed a slice of cucumber she had just cut to Egbert. As Egbert was eating, his lips touched her fingertips. She slightly retracted her fingers and bowed her head to continue cutting vegetables. At this moment, Egbert turned her face and kissed her lips with a softugh. They shared an intimate moment. Like every newlywed couple, they seized every opportunity to show affection. After a while, the water in the pot started to boil. Hearing the sound, Eileen pushed Egbert away and walked out of the frame. After watching the entire clip, Galen frowned and lit a cigarette, his brow never rxing. ¡°Too fake.¡± That was hisment. Neither Egbert nor Eileen spoke up. Galen started with Egbert. ¡°At this stage, you have feelings for her, but it¡¯s not love. You¡¯ve been tortured by Hertha for ten years, so you¡¯re always on edge. You¡¯ve killed people; you¡¯re a murderer; Hertha is your aplice, so both of you can¡¯t live in the light. Hertha pretended to be dead and hid for ten years, and those ten years were not easy for you. The police tracked you down for the first few years; things got slightly better in recent years, but you¡¯re not normal anymore. inoseten eisyou You want to leave the past behind and start anew. Marrying Joyce is your fresh start. You need a safe ce, a wife, someone to treat you gently and ept you, but you don¡¯t love Joyce. You¡¯re just coveting the pleasures of a normal life. Understand?¡± Galen exined the character¡¯s psychology to Egbert again. ¡°I know.¡± Egbert nodded. Galen took a puff of his cigarette. ¡°Good, but you¡¯re not showing the feelings I want.¡± Egbert didn¡¯t respond. Galen then turned to Eileen. ¡°Your problem is even worse, you¡¯re not Joyce.¡± Eileen frowned. ¡°I acted ording to the script.¡± ¡°But it doesn¡¯t feel right; it¡¯s Elieen ying Joyce, not the real Joyce. I want the real Joyce.¡± Eileen fell silent. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Galen took another puff of his cigarette, blew out the smoke, and suddenly asked, ¡°Have you ever liked someone?¡± Eileen was taken aback, thought about it, then nodded, ¡°Yes.¡± Egbert looked at her suddenly. Balen asked, ¡°Who?¡± Eileen answered, ¡°My dad.¡± Galen took a deep breath, ¡°Besides your dad?¡± Eileen answered, ¡°My family.¡± Galen¡¯s forehead veins were about to pop out. ¡°Besides your family?¡± Eileen thought about it, then fell silent. Galen was about to explode. ¡°You¡¯ve lived this long and you¡¯ve never liked a boy? You¡¯ve never had a crush?¡± Eileen looked at Galen fearfully and shook her head carefully. Galen pointed at Egbert in front of her. ¡°Him? He¡¯s handsome, famous, and rich. You don¡¯t like him?¡± Eileen looked at Egbert. Egbert was looking at her too. Eileen was shocked. ¡°Are you kidding? How could I like him? We¡¯re like brothers in arms. It would be like incest if I liked him!¡± Egbert was at a loss for words, while Galen felt a throbbing headacheing on. He extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray and said sternly, ¡°You have to like him even if you don¡¯t! Before this film is done, you have to like Egbert in the way Joyce likes Palmer and then incorporate that emotion into your performance!¡± Eileen was somewhat dissatisfied. ¡°Director, are you forcing me to fall in love?¡± Galen ignored her protest and turned to Egbert. ¡°Make her fall in love with you in the shortest time possible; it¡¯s not difficult, right?¡± Egbert looked deeply at Galen and answered realistically, ¡°Difficult.¡± Galen fell silent. Egbert added. ¡°Very difficult.¡± Eileen burst outughing. She put her hand on Egbert¡¯s shoulder andughed triumphantly. ¡°See, I told you it wouldn¡¯t work; he doesn¡¯t like me either.¡± ¡°Shut your trap!¡± Galen snapped at Eileen, then turned to Egbert, saying, ¡°She¡¯s your partner; getting into character is all on you. If all else fails, go for the dumb way.¡± Eileen, curious, asked. ¡°What¡¯s the dumb way?¡± Galen nced at her. ¡°Keep on living as a married couple after you¡¯re off the set. If there are no sparks, then make some. You¡¯re both young, and it¡¯s easy to stir up some romance. Bottom line, I need you to deliver what I want.¡± They wrapped up shooting other scenes in the afternoon since Egbert and Eileen were given the day off by Galen. They¡¯d continue filming tomorrow. After leaving the set, Eileen thought for a moment before saying to Egbert, ¡°Let¡¯s just go with Galen¡¯s advice then.¡± Egbert responded calmly. ¡°I¡¯ve got no issues with that.¡± ¡°Neither do I.¡± Eileen nodded, then added seriously. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to fall for you.¡± Chapter 115 Chapter 115 After wrapping up a supporting role scene, Galen got a call from Chad. They had met before but weren¡¯t that close, having only spoken at an after-party. Galen figured Chad was calling about Teresa. But it turned out that Chad wanted to introduce him to a screenwriter. ¡°I already have a screenwriter.¡± Galen said, confused. ¡°The screenwriter I¡¯m referring to is Fred.¡± Chad said calmly. Galen was taken aback. The script for Eyes on the Rendezvous was inspired by Galen¡¯s reading of renowned author Fred¡¯s work, Vanishing Riddle. In the early stages of the project, Galen had contacted Fred to co-write the script, but Fred had been too busy. Galen wasn¡¯t thrilled with the existing Eyes on the Rendezvous script. He often held meetings with the writer and creative team for revisions. If Fred really joined the crew¡­ He couldn¡¯t even fathom the endless possibilities. After weighing his options, Galen said to Chad, ¡°If you can really convince Fred, I¡¯ll let Teresa¡¯s actions slide.¡± Chad chuckled and said, ¡°We¡¯ll deal with Teresa by the book.¡± Galen was stunned. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t overthink this, Galen. I¡¯m just a regr viewer, hoping you¡¯ll outperform The Alley. Fred is on her way; she¡¯ll probably arrive tonight. Oh, and Fred is a woman; she¡¯s my wife.¡± Meanwhile. After hanging up with Chad, Egbert turned to find Eileen engrossed in a video game on the floor. Janice rmended the game, and Eileen was hooked. Egbert sat on the sofa behind her. After she cleared a level, Eileen leaned back against Egbert¡¯s legs, opened her mouth, and said, ¡°Ahhh.¡± Egbert fed her a fry. She happily ate it, then sat up and continued ying. After a while, she turned her head to him again, so he put the straw of her drink in her mouth. Eileen yed for half an hour, during which Egbert served as her snack dispenser. Finally, Egbert asked, ¡°Do you really think this is how a married couple interacts?¡± Eileen didn¡¯t take her eyes off the screen. ¡°Yeah, isn¡¯t feeding each other intimate?¡± Egbert sighed. ¡°Have you ever fed me?¡± ¡°Oh,e on, don¡¯t be so petty.¡± After clearing another level, Eileen set her controller down to feed Egbert, only to find that all the snacks were gone. She sheepishly said, ¡°I¡¯ll have Janice get more¡± As she was about to leave the room, Egbert pulled her onto hisp and held her tightly. Eileen instinctively tried to resist but remembered they were pretending to be married, so she decided to stay. Egbert hadn¡¯t expected her to finally get it. He was about to say something when Eileen said, ¡°It¡¯s almost six, and we haven¡¯t had dinner yet. Where should we eat tonight?¡± Egbert let go of her instantly. They ate seafood for dinner. Coastal city¡¯s seafood was famously delicious. The streets were empty by the time they finished and started their walk back. With his mask on, Egbert took a leisurely walk with Eileen. The dim streetlights and the soft breeze made for a peaceful stroll. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Egbert asked. ¡°I¡¯m wondering why you¡¯re so frugal since you¡¯re not willing to hail a cab.¡± Eileen replied. Egbert turned to look at her. ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to be building our rtionship?¡± Eileen sighed. ¡°Does building a rtionship require a walk? We¡¯re going to be hungry again after walking such a long way.¡± Egbert stopped and waited for a taxi. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Eileen asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want a taxi?¡± Egbert answered calmly. Eileen was speechless. ¡°We¡¯ve walked so far; why take a taxi now? We¡¯re almost there; why waste the money? Let¡¯s keep walking.¡± Egbert was dumbfounded. He now understood why people said that women change their minds faster than they flip a book. Back at the hotel, Eileen took a shower and then headed for Egbert¡¯s room. He had also showered. They nned to watch a romantic movie together. The movie was so romantic that they decided to watch it with the lights off. Ten minutes in.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Egbert turned his head to look at the sleeping girl beside him. He rubbed his tired eyes, turned down the voluine of the movie, and went to get a nket. Just as he sat down, the girl woke up.. Eileen sleepily opened her eyes and saw Eghert.. Egbert put the nket aside and said, ¡°Go back to sleep.¡± Elleen sat up and stretched, saying, ¡°I¡¯m fine; I¡¯m a pro!¡± hert didn¡¯t say anything. He opened the nket and covered her with it. wrapped in the nket, Eileen continued to watch the movie, trying to leam about love. ¨C deep again. Egbert sighed and adjusted the nket that had slipped off her. But this small movement woke her up again. Eileen sat on the couch, hugging her knees. She finally realized that she might not like romantic movies anymore. Chapter 116 Chapter 116 Finally, Egbert managed to herd Eileen off to bed. The next day. Eileen arrived on set to find that a new scriptwriter had joined the crew. Before starting work. Galen suggested a casual gathering to introduce the new scriptwriter to everyone. As Eileen approached, she heard a clear and efficient female voice from the slightly ajar rest room door. ¡°Hertha¡¯s screen time needs to be halved, and Joyce¡¯s screen time needs to be increased by two- thirds. The way the plot is handled also needs to change; ¡®Eyes on the Rendezvous¡¯ has too much of a ¡®Vanishing Riddle¡¯ vibe.¡± Vanishing Riddle¡¯ was a famous mystery drama. Eileen knew that after ¡®Eyes on the Rendezvous¡¯ aired, some mediamentary channels would probably say that the plot was very simr to ¡®Vanishing Riddle. But why reduce Hertha¡¯s screen time and increase Joyce¡¯s? Eileen knocked on the door. The voices inside paused, and then Galen¡¯s voice came out. ¡°Come in.¡± Eileen pushed the door open and walked in. Upon entering, she saw Galen, the scriptwriter, and a strikingly beautiful woman in conversation. This woman was seemingly in her thirties; she had long hair draped over her shoulders and a standout aura. The voice just now must have been hers. Galen asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Egbert?¡± Eileen, clutching her script, sat down on a folding chair and replied. ¡°He¡¯s in the restroom. He¡¯ll be here in a bit.¡± Galen didn¡¯t say anything else. He turned to the unfamiliar woman and introduced her. ¡°This is Eileen, the actress ying Joyce.¡± Then he said to Eileen, ¡°This is Fred, the new co-scriptwriter and art director.¡± Fred? The author of Vanishing Riddle? Fred is a woman? Eileen was somewhat surprised, but she didn¡¯t show it and politely nodded to the woman. ¡°Hello.¡± The woman put down her script, suddenly stood up, smiled at Eileen, and extended her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t be so formal; call me Flossie.¡± Eileen was taken aback; she didn¡¯t expect this big shot writer to be so friendly. She stood up and shook hands with her. ¡°Hello, Flossie.¡± Flossie¡¯s hand was soft, and when Eileen tried to pull her hand back, she found that she couldn¡¯t. She was a bit confused. She looked up and saw Flossie staring at her. Eileen tried to pull her hand back again and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Flossie seemed to snap back to reality, awkwardly releasing her hand and exining, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was just surprised. I didn¡¯t expect the actress Galen found to be so fitting for the role. Ms. Lopez. Your aura is very simr to Joyce¡¯s.¡± Galen immediately burst intoughter. ¡°She¡¯s like Joyce? Where? Honestly, I was fooled by her. During the audition, she was nothing like this!¡± Eileen was used to Galen¡¯s constant ribbing. She pouted and didn¡¯t bother to argue back. Flossie seemed a bit upset. She sat down, nced at Galen, and said, ¡°I think she¡¯s great. When I was reading the scriptst night, the image of Joyce that came to mind was Ms. Lopez. Galen should have more faith in his actors.¡± Galen was a bit surprised; he did not expect Flossie to argue with him over Eileen. After a while, Egbert arrived, and the meeting officially began. During the script discussion, the issues Flossie brought up mainly concerned the female lead and supporting roles. Galen was not willing to make major changes. He said, ¡°If we do that, the female lead bes Joyce.¡± Upon hearing this, Eileen looked up. Flossie leaned back on the single sofa and spoke in a somewhat assertive tone. ¡°Then change it. The final effect is what matters in a movie. As long as the effect is good, do we need to worry about less important things like whoever the lead is?¡± Galen frowned. ¡°Your ideas are really out of this world,¡± Flossie threw the script onto the table and quite bluntly confronted Galen. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect a director of your status to be a ve to capital after all. ¡°Ms. Flossie, making a movie is different from writing!¡¯ Galen was furious. The tension in the room immediately escted. Eileen cautiously looked at Egbert. Egbert noticed her gaze and shook his head at her, signaling her not to intervene. In the end, the original scriptwriter stepped in to mediate. ¡°Actually, we can try to make some changes.¡± Galen immediately turned to look at him. The scriptwriter cleared his throat and said, ¡°Galen, don¡¯t be so quick to oppose. Actually, Ms. Flossie came to mest night. We talked a lot about the script. After all, she is a great author. After she told me what she wanted, I made a rough revision. Take a look. handed over the script. It was densely covered with words. od that Galen wouldn¡¯t understand, the scriptwriter exined everything to him. After about ten minutes, Galen¡¯s expression became serious. He stared at the script and fell silent. After a while, he took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. After finishing the cigarette, he finally said, ¡°Make aplete version first.¡± This meant he agreed. After saying this, Galen put down the script, turned to Eileen, and said, ¡°After the changes, you need to work harder. Upgrading your role may not be a good thing for you. You and Egbert need to get into character as soon as possible.¡± Eileen was still a bit dazed. She blinked her eyes and pointed to her nose. ¡°I¡¯m really the lead actress now?¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Galen frowned at Egbert. ¡°Take care of her. If she messes up, I¡¯ming for you.¡± Eileen quickly said, ¡°Wait, getting an upgraded role means a pay raise, right? And treatment! I get the treatment of a lead actress; there must be an upgrade, right?¡± The lead actress indeed had some special privileges. Back in the day, Teresa had requested a separate makeup room, dressing room, nanny car, and even additional assistants. Galen looked at Eileen and said, ¡°I¡¯ll handle the pay stuff with yourpany; as for the conditions, what are you after?¡± Eileen immediately responded. ¡°I want unlimited boxed lunches in the future, and I get to pick the ones with loads of meat!¡± Galen, feeling a bit helpless, rubbed his face but still agreed to Eileen¡¯s request. After the meeting, Galen pulled Egbert aside for a chat. Eileen was calcting how much she could bump up her sry with her fingers when Flossie suddenly walked over. Flossie no longer had the snobbish attitude she had when dealing with Galen. A smile appeared on her face, and she asked softly,¡± with you? My husband is a big fan of yours.¡± ¡°Ms. Lopez, can I get a picture Chapter 117 Chapter 117 Flossie was quite the lifesaver. Eileen took a bunch of photos with Flossie, all smiles and warmth. But after the photo shoot, Flossie got a bit too handsy. She helped Eileen fix her messy hair and even touched her face, saying. ¡°Your hair is so smooth, and your skin is really nice.¡± All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. Eileen was taken aback. She pulled her hair back and gently pushed Flossie¡¯s hand away. ¡°What do you like to eat and drink? Any hobbies? I feel like we¡¯ve got a real connection, don¡¯t you think¡­¡± Eileen started to feel uneasy. Wait, was Flossie¡­ into girls? Eileen instinctively took a step back. She bumped into something or rather, someone. It was Egbert. She quickly rushed over to him, grabbed his arm, and hid behind him. Flossie looked at them, confused. Egbert, holding Eileen¡¯s hand, asked Flossie, ¡°Anything else, Flossie?¡± Flossie opened her mouth to say something, but Egbert cut her off. ¡°If not, we¡¯ll be on our way.¡± After they left, Eileen was still feeling uneasy. She looked back and saw that Flossie wasn¡¯t following them. She turned to Egbert and said, ¡°That was freaking creepy! Did you see the way she was looking at me? Like she wanted to eat me up!¡± Egbert calmly replied, ¡°Yeah, that was a bit over the top.¡± Eileen stroked her chin. ¡°I think Flossie¡¯s into me. Never thought my charm would be so powerful that both guys and gals would be into me. Am I the drop-dead gorgeous babe people often talk about?¡± Egbert just stayed silent. Seeing Egbert¡¯s reaction, Eileen continued, ¡°You know, we used to have two beauties in ourpany. But since I started filming, there¡¯s only one left. Because one of me is worth two.¡± Again, Egbert didn¡¯t say anything. Eileen then said to Egbert, ¡°You must feel really lucky to have such an outstanding friend like me.¡± Egbert, finding her sudden self-praise strange, just went along with it. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m incredibly lucky.¡± Eileen giggled. ¡°Since you¡¯re feeling so lucky, here¡¯s your chance to treat me to dinner tonight.¡± Egbert was speechless. Oops, he got tricked into treating her to dinner. Again. Eileen was over the moon. They started shooting. The main storyline was still being tweaked, so they mainly filmed the supporting roles in the morning. In the afternoon, Eileen and Egbert had their scenes, which took ce indoors. Flossie, who was sitting in front of the camera, was watching the two of them cozy up on the prop sofa. She was stunned. The script just said, ¡°Palmer wants a child, so he¡¯s been clinging to Joyce a lot,¡± but how did it turn out like this? He was pressing against her,bing her sweaty hair with his fingers. One hand was stroking her head while the other was holding her neck. He forced her to look up at him. Their kiss was sticky and wet, and it never seemed to end. Flossie was dumbstruck, and then she heard the director say, ¡°Let¡¯s do it again.¡± ¡°Do it again?¡± Flossie was shocked. The makeup artist had already gone to touch up the actors¡¯ makeup. Both of their clothes were messy, and the kiss marks on their faces needed to be wiped away. Galen nced at Flossie and said, ¡°If you can¡¯t handle it, you should leave. This is a love scene.¡± Flossie didn¡¯t understand why they needed to shoot such explicit scenes. Galen frowned. ¡°This isn¡¯t explicit. There are even more explicit scenes. All of this is to build character.¡± Palmer¡¯s emotional changes are conveyed through physical contact with Joyce, so these intimate scenes were necessary. That was the drama. They had to redo the scene six times. When it was time for a break, Flossie brought Eileen some water and a towel to wipe her face. As soon as Eileen saw that it was Flossie who brought her the towel, she immediately walked over to Egbert. And Egbert naturally reached out his hand to her. Egbert got a tissue, and while holding Eileen¡¯s face with one hand, he wiped the sweat from her temples with the other. Flossie felt heartbroken. She just stood there, staring at them from a distance. The next scene was a continuation of the current one, but this time, it moved from the sofa to the bed. Flossie couldn¡¯t take it anymore and left. The scene took more than two hours to finish. When they were done, Eileen was lying in Egbert¡¯s arms, her face flushed. She was tired and didn¡¯t have the energy to move. The set was very quiet. Initially, Egbert didn¡¯t move either. But then he turned his head to look at Eileen, gently wiped her cheek with his finger, and moved a strand of hair from her lips. In the process, he touched her lips. Eileen let out a soft sigh. His movements became even gentler. He turned over and held her in his arms. He held her tightly, with one hand supporting the back of her head. After a while, Galen¡¯s voice came. ¡°That¡¯s it for today, everyone. Let¡¯s clean up and give them a break. Everyone, please leave.¡± One by one, the crew members left. Eileen closed her eyes and rested in Egbert¡¯s arms for a while, taking in his faint scent. After a while, she pushed him away. Egbert let go of her. Eileen sat up, turned her head, and asked Egbert with a pout, ¡°Are my lips swollen?¡± Egbert also sat up. He held up her face, looked at it carefully, and said, ¡°They¡¯re fine.¡± Eileen let out a sigh and weakly got off the bed, heading for the bathroom. When she came out, her face was wet. She was wiping her face with a tissue and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you getting up?¡± Egbert pulled the nket up to his waist and replied, ¡°You go ahead.¡± Eileen put on her coat and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m heading down then.¡± After Eileen left, Egbert went to the bathroom. The scene was shot in a real house rented by the crew, so the bathroom was functional and even had a shower head. Egbert took a cold shower. When he came out, he found that Eileen hade back again. She was rummaging through a pile of props for car keys. Hearing the door opening, she knew Egbert was out. Eileen casually asked, ¡°I noticed the prop team¡¯s car keys are missing, the staff are busy, so I offer to help them fetch it¡­¡± Before she could finish her sentence, she lifted her head. All of a sudden, she saw Egbert standing there, wrapped only in a dark towel. He was damp, with moisture lingering on his body. Eileen was dumbfounded. She blinked her eyes, her gaze sweeping over the man¡¯s firm and well- defined abs, and then she looked up at his face. ¡°Why¡­ are you taking a shower here?¡± Eileen was a bit bbergasted. Egbert didn¡¯t answer. He pursed his lips, walked past her, and went to get a towel from the couch. As he brushed past her, Eileen felt the chill from his body. ¡°A cold shower? What¡¯s up with you?¡± She was even more baffled. Egbert turned his head and wiped the water drops off his chest with the towel. He nced at her and countered, ¡°What do you think is up with me?¡± Chapter 118 Chapter 118 Eileen was gawking at Egbert. Egbert was a fussy dude, and even insisted on washing his face with hot water. If he could bring himself to shower in cold water¡­ Eileen bit her lip, casting another nce at the towel wrapped around Egbert¡¯s waist. ¡°Did you¡­¡± Eileen tread carefully with her words, then asked, ¡°Did you feel¡­something just now?¡± Egbert froze, staring at her in disbelief. He wasn¡¯t expecting her to be so bold. ¡°Really?¡± Eileen expressed surprise. ¡°Then you¡¯re pretty weak, dude. I mean, I feel nothing for you!¡± Egbert fell silent for a moment. He took a deep breath and asked coldly, ¡°Should I be happy about that?¡± Eileen sighed, waving her hand dismissively. ¡°You can¡¯t really say that. I just have better self-control than you. It¡¯s normal to feel aroused when you get intimate with someone; that¡¯s just your body pumping out dopamine. But you gotta separate your physical reactions from your feelings, okay?¡± Just then, Eileen¡¯s phone rang. It was the props department, saying they¡¯d found the car keys. After hanging up the phone, Eileen looked up to see Egbert watching her with a frosty gaze. He seemed a bit ticked off, so she didn¡¯t dare to provoke him further and headed for the door. A few minutester, Egbert appeared. His hair still damp. He walked straight to the elevator. Eileen followed him in. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. There were crew members waiting for them downstairs. Egbert got into the van, and just as Eileen was about to join him, he abruptly shut the door. Eileen was left standing outside, stunned. The van zoomed away. Eileen stood there, a cloud of exhaust fumes wafting over her. At that moment, Galen approached, pulling a flyer out of his pocket and handing it to Eileen. When Eileen took a look, she saw that it was an advertisement for fireworks show at the bay. a Galen said, ¡°It¡¯s a local festival today. At 8 p.m., there¡¯ll be a celebration at the bay observation deck with fireworks. I don¡¯t care what type of guys you¡¯re into, you gotta pretend to be into Egbert while we¡¯re filming. So invite him out tonight, and don¡¯t cause any drama!¡± Eileen looked at the flyer and finally nodded her head. ¡°There¡¯s no admission fee, good. I¡¯ll ask him.¡± Eileen pulled out her phone and sent Egbert a text, but Egbert didn¡¯t reply. When she got back to the hotel, she had no choice but to confront him in person. Egbert was talking to Flossie. When Eileen made her proposition, he tly refused, ¡°No.¡± Flossie quickly chimed in, ¡°I¡¯ll go! I love fireworks, Eileen. I¡¯ll go with you!¡± Eileen looked at Flossie. Flossie had been calling her Ms. Lopez just this morning, but now she was suddenly Eileen? Eileen dodged Flossie and ran off to find Galen. With no other options, Galen had to step in and mediate. He pulled Egbert aside for a chat. When he returned, he patted Egbert on the shoulder and said to Eileen, ¡°Wear a mask so you won¡¯t be recognized.¡± Flossie joked, ¡°It¡¯s gonn be so boring with just two people. Why don¡¯t the three of us go?¡± Galen sighed, ¡°This is just a small lovers¡¯ quarrel. Ms. Flossie, what¡¯s the point of you tagging along?¡± The fireworks disy was scheduled to start at 8 p.m. Eileen and Egbert left the hotel at 7, arriving around 7:30. There were lots of seafood stalls around the observation deck, and street performers were singing nostalgic songs. Seeing that Egbert was still ignoring her, Eileen moved closer to him and asked, ¡°Want something to eat?¡± Egbert nced at her and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t bring any money¡± Eileen immediately retorted, ¡°I invited you, why would I make you pay? Are you looking down on me?¡± With that, she whipped out her phone and texted Galen. [Pretending to like Egbert is part of my job. I should get a reimbursement, right? I¡¯m not asking for much, just send me 500 dors now. We can settle the restter.] ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? A few minutester, Galen transferred her 500 dors with the message, [Screw off]. Eileen pocketed the money and waved her phone at Egbert. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s grab something to eat.¡± By 7:55, the observation deck was packed with people. Considering their status as public figures, Eileen decided it would be best to find a more secluded spot. At 8 o¡¯clock sharp, the fireworks started. The sky instantly filled with brilliant colors. ¡°Wow!¡± Eileen got out her phone and started recording. She looked up at the sky, watching the fireworks burst into dazzling arrays of color before quickly fading away, a smile dancing in her eyes the entire time. After a while, she found the silence unnerving and turned to strike up a conversation with Egbert. But to her surprise, Egbert was already staring at her He had been watching her for quite some time. In his deep, dark eyes, there were no fireworks, only her reflection. Chapter 119 Chapter 119 After returning from the fireworks event, Eileen felt that Egbert didn¡¯t seem as angry anymore. She decided to seize the opportunity. She asked him, ¡°Do you feel like nurturing some feelings tonight? How about watching a romantic movie together?¡± Egbert unlocked the door with his keys, walked in, and quietly replied, ¡°No need, better get some rest.¡± He closed the door behind him.. The next day when Eileen arrived at the set, Galen called her over. Galen, smoking a cigarette, said, ¡°The actress ying Hertha ising this afternoon due to scheduling issues. We need to shoot her scenes first, so we¡¯ve adjusted the shooting schedule. Everyone will be focusing on Hertha¡¯s scenes for now.¡± Eileen blinked. ¡°So, does this mean Joyce¡¯s scenes will be postponed?¡± Galen nodded. ¡°Exactly. It¡¯ll give you and Egbert more time to adjust.¡± Eileen turned to look in the direction of Egbert, who was reading the script. ¡°Does Mr. Reed know about this?¡± Eileen asked. Galen replied, ¡°Yes, he¡¯s aware.¡± Eileen nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± The new character, Hertha, was yed by a secondary actress named Salome. Originally, for the role of Hertha, they could have cast a top-tier actress. But because Joyce¡¯s role had been elevated, Galen contacted several actresses who had auditioned previously. However, when they found out they would be paired with a neer, they all declined. In the end, Galen had to pull some strings to bring Salome on board. Salome, however, only had a two-month window and was set to join another production soon. So, Galen decided to shoot her scenes first. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. In the following days, Eileen had very few scenes, almost none at all. Yet, she still went to the set every day because Galen wanted her to stay in touch with Egbert to continue building their rtionship. However, Eileen found it nearly impossible to spend any time alone with Egbert. Salome was constantly by his side. Unlike Joyce, whose scenes were mostly indoors, Hertha¡¯s scenes were mostly outdoors. Setting up the scenes, arranging the props, and renting locations ¨C were both physical and time-consuming. After almost every scene, they had to move to a different ce. During the downtime, Egbert and Salome were mostly engrossed in the script. Eileen sometimes attempted to strike up a conversation with Egbert, only to be interrupted by Salome. In the end, Eileen had to sit quietly on the sidelines. Most of the time, Eileen either read the script, avoided Flossie, or helped distribute meals to the crew. Two weekster, they finished early for the day. Salome cheerfully suggested, ¡°We¡¯ve been together for so long, and I haven¡¯t treated everyone to a meal yet. How about dinner together tonight?¡± Eileen was helping the props team move things when she heard this and immediately looked over. Salome spotted her and waved to her enthusiastically, ¡°Eileen, join us!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Eileen smiled. They dined at a three-star hotel, which was considered upscale in this small town. The hotel¡¯s third floor had a karaoke lounge, so they could sing after dinner. During the meal, Eileen, Egbert, and Salome sat together. Salome poured drinks for everyone herself. When she poured a drink into Egbert¡¯s ss, she raised her own ss and said, ¡°Mr. Reed, I must toast to you personally. You¡¯ve been a great help.¡± Egbert didn¡¯t take the drink. Instead, he reached for a ss of juice and said, ¡°No need to be so formal.¡± Salome insisted, ¡°No, we should all have a drink.¡± Then, she turned to the others and said, ¡°We should all have a drink, right? At least one.¡± Everyone started cheering and requesting drinks. Egbert still held his ss of juice and casually said, ¡°I don¡¯t drink.¡± ¡°Mr. Reed,e on, that¡¯s no fun at all.¡± Salome pouted. Eileen stood up, took the drink in front of Egbert, and downed it in one go, saying casually, ¡°I¡¯ll help him out. Is that okay?¡± Salome was taken aback. The private room fell into a brief silence. Eileen put down the ss and looked at Egbert, winking at him. He put down his juice, still not saying anything. After a moment, when Eileen had eaten her fill and noticed that Egbert wasn¡¯t eating anymore, she leaned in close to him and whispered, ¡°Shall we leave?¡± Egbert replied, ¡°That would be impolite.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay; they¡¯re going to sing, and you don¡¯t drink,¡± she said, tugging at Egbert¡¯s sleeve, urging him to leave. Egbert stayed silent for a moment but eventually stood up and left with her. Eileen sent a message to Janice, telling her to let the others know that they were leaving early. Then she took Egbert outside the hotel. Once outside, Eileen said to Egbert, ¡°Look at me, being a good friend, drinking on your behalf. I remember you¡¯re allergic to alcohol.¡± Egbert nced at her but remained silent. Noticing that Egbert hadn¡¯t been talking to hertely, Eileen felt a bit disheartened and asked, ¡°Egbert, what¡¯s been going on with you? Have I done something wrong again?¡± Egbert was about to speak when he suddenly noticed that Eileen was looking across the street with an unusual expression. So, Egbert looked over and saw three cars parked on the other side of the street, one of them looking suspicious. ¡°Paparazzi.¡± Egbert said, frowning at Eileen. ¡°Let¡¯s get in the car.¡± But Eileen simply lifted her leg and started walking toward the opposite side. Egbert immediately grabbed her wrist. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Eileen smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going to fight them. Do I look like a violent person to you?¡± With that, she pushed past Egbert and crossed the street. Egbert, still concerned, followed her. Eileen stood by the peculiar car, whistled, and then leaned down to knock on the window. The window was tinted, so they could see outside, but the people inside couldn¡¯t see them. The upants of the car didn¡¯t respond. So, Eileen tapped her fingers and said, ¡°I¡¯ll count to three. One, two¡­¡± Finally, the window rolled down. Inside were two trembling journalists, their cameras hidden behind their backs. ¡°Eileen, we were just taking some casual shots. We didn¡¯t mean any harm.¡± Eileen chuckled and rested one hand on the car roof and the other on her waist. ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything, have I?¡± The two journalists remained silent, too scared to speak. Suddenly, Eileen swung open the back door of the car and climbed in. The two journalists screamed, ¡°Ah! Please don¡¯t hurt us!¡± Eileen sarcastically threatened. ¡°Drive us back! NOW!¡± As soon as she said this, she waved enthusiastically to Egbert outside. ¡°Come on up, it¡¯s a free ride, no charge! Hurry!¡± Chapter 120 Chapter 120 The car was cruising down the highway, two entertainment reporters up front being cautiously silent until a man¡¯s voice suddenly emanated from the backseat. ¡°Would you sit down?¡± he said. ncing through the rearview mirror, the entertainment reporters were startled to find Eileen rummaging through their luggage! The backseat had ess to the trunk. They quivered and stammered, ¡°Eileen, what are you doing?¡± Eileen produced two bottles of mineral water, handing one to Egbert while opening one for herself. She casually lifted her head. ¡°I¡¯m thirsty, is that okay?¡± Too intimidated to object, the two of them stayed silent. After a while, hushed voices came from the back again. They turned their heads once more. To their astonishment, Eileen had taken out all the remaining bottles of mineral water and even the chips next to them. Both of them were dumbfounded! After twenty minutes of driving, they finally arrived at the hotel¡¯s entrance. As Eileen got out of the car, she reached for her luggage, but Egbert had beaten her to it. Eileen thought he might struggle to carry it, but he handled it just fine. So, without saying a word, she exited the vehicle. She walked over to the driver¡¯s side and tapped the car window. The window slid down, and the two entertainment reporters stared at her pitifully. Eileen smiled and said, ¡°Next time, bring something else. I don¡¯t like mineral water; I prefer c. And I¡¯m not a fan of chips; I like bread and cake. It¡¯d be great if you could also bring some fruit. I love cherries, the expensive kind. Got it?¡± The two reporters stared in terror. Eileen waved warmly at them and said, ¡°See you next time.¡± The car reversed a bit and then swiftly turned, driving away. Egbert had already entered the hotel and was making a call to the staff as he arrived at his room¡¯s door. At the room¡¯s entrance, he handed the bag back to Eileen. Eileen nudged Egbert, urging him to open his room door. He hesitated for a moment but eventually opened it. Eileen immediately darted in and settled on the couch. Egbert ced the key on the table near the door and answered the question she asked before getting in the car. ¡°I wasn¡¯t angry,¡± he said. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. ¡°Then why have you been ignoring metely?¡± Eileen asked with a sulky tone. Egbert tightened his grip on the cup. He turned around to see Eileen staring at him, appearing pitiful. Egbert softened and replied gently, ¡°I¡¯ve been busytely.¡± ¡°Shooting on location is really hectic and tiring.¡± Eileen nodded, then perked up, ¡°We have some time today. Want to watch a movie together? Janice rmended. a movie to me; she said the plot is incredibly touching, and you¡¯ll cry from start to finish.¡± Egbert had intended to decline, but considering how he had been distanttely, he said, ¡°Sure.¡± The movie was a ssic, a tragic and romantic love story. Ten minutester. Egbert looked at the girl sitting straight up beside him but with her eyes tightly shut. At least this time, she was sitting. It was clear she was determined to make it through this time, at least mentally worthy of praise. Egbert sighed and finally massaged his temples, feeling a headacheing. Just then, a knocking on the door startled Eileen awake. She apuded enthusiastically. ¡°Fantastic, heart-wrenching, incredibly emotional!¡± Egbert stared at her, expressionless. Eileen met his gaze, eximing as if she genuinely understood the movie¡¯s plot. ¡°No wonder they call it a ssic! How did I miss this movie before? It¡¯s a real gem!* Egbert didn¡¯t want to engage with her and got up to answer the door. Outside stood hotel staff, inquiring if Egbert had been disturbed by paparazzi, Egbert reassured them. They further asked, ¡°What about Eileen? We knocked on her door earlier; she seemed to be absent. She wasn¡¯t frightened, was she?¡± ¡°No,¡± Egbert said, adding, ¡°After the robbery, she¡¯s been in high spirits.¡± The staff looked puzzled. Did it sound like they were robbed? They decided not to pry further, thinking it would be for the best. Egbert returned to the room, finding Eileen clutching the remote control, sitting on the couch, her head nodding, eyes half-closed. Egbert said helplessly, ¡°Get some rest.¡± Eileen immediately woke up and said, ¡°No need, this movie is too good. I want to finish it.¡± Egbert nced at her, wondering how long she could stay awake. Twenty minutester. Egbert calmly watched Eileen, who had nowpletely fallen asleep on the couch. He got up and lifted her horizontally.¡± Eileen was a light sleeper and woke up right away. Egbert looked at her, and she gazed back at him with a bewildered expression. In a gentle but helpless torre Egbert sald, ¡°Go to sleep. Elleen had full confidence in Egbert, and she fell asleep again. Egbert carried Eileen back to her room. Chapter 121 Chapter 121 After hanging around the filming location for a month and a half, Salome got up and left. The day Salome left, Galen pulled Eileen and Egbert aside and said, ¡°You guys are up next, any issues?¡± Eileen knew he was talking about the intimate scenes. She confidently said, ¡°No issues, I¡¯ve totally got this.¡± Galen then looked at Egbert, ¡°What about you?¡± Egbert calmly said, ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°Good!¡± Galen said, ¡°I¡¯ve given you enough time to prepare. If there are any problems, don¡¯t me me for getting mad.¡± All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. The day after they started filming, Galen was pleasantly surprised to find their performance had significantly improved. Although they couldn¡¯t nail it in one take, after a couple of tries, they definitely could. In one scene, Egbert had to lift Eileen onto a dining table and kiss her. Galen watched the scene through the lens and was very pleased. After they finished, he praised Eileen, ¡°You¡¯re really getting into it.¡± While wiping her mouth, Eileen said, ¡°Of course, we¡¯ve watched over 20 romance movies recently. Every single one helped me find my emotions.¡± Galen approvingly said, ¡°Although I can tell you¡¯re still using techniques, you don¡¯t have that cold feeling anymore. Clearly, having you and Egbert spend more time together was useful. You may not like him, but at least you can get used to him. Once you¡¯re used to him, you can feel close.¡± Eileen nodded, then asked, ¡°Can I have an extra meal at lunchtime?¡± ¡°All you think about is food.¡± Galen rolled his eyes. But he still took care of her, having the chef prepare two big chicken legs just for her at lunch. After they finished filming the hardest intimate scenes, the whole crew¡¯s rhythm got back on track. They then filmed non-stop for over two months, finally getting to the final stages. Eileen¡¯sst scene was filmed on an evening. Joyce, pregnant, was gripping the bedsheets, struggling fiercely against Palmer who didn¡¯t pay any mind to her resistance. Just as Joyce was about to reach her peak, Palmer¡¯s hand wrapped around her neck. At first, he was just lightly stroking her. But then, his grip slowly tightened. Joyce started to struggle to breathe. She opened her eyes, looking at the man in front of her, her fingers wing at the back of his hand. ¡°What are you doing, ah¡­¡± Palmer kept his eyes down. His grip got tighter and tighter. Slowly, veins popped out on Joyce¡¯s forehead. She started to struggle fiercely, her eyes filled with fear. Finally, after a long while, she opened her eyes wide, Palmer¡¯s figure reflected in her vacant pupils. She stopped breathing. Only then did Palmer let go of her neck. His expression was calm, his fingers softly stroking her hair, his thrusting still not stopping. ¡°Cut.¡± Galen called for a cut. Egbert got off of Eileen. A crew member came over, draping a jacket over him. At that moment, Eileen sat up from the bed, looking expectantly at Galen. Galen stroked his chin, staring at the screen for a long time. Everyone on set was waiting for his verdict, growing increasingly anxious. Finally, Galen loudly said, ¡°That¡¯s a wrap! Eileen¡¯s done!¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± Someone on set suddenly threw confetti and fireworks. In an instant, the whole set was filled with joy. Eileen¡¯s head was covered in colorful sparkles. Immediately after, Flossie pushed out a cake that said, ¡°Congrats on wrapping up,¡± and, ¡°May your future be bright¡±. Eileen was surrounded by everyone. Egbert watched their lively scene, tightened his own jacket, and walked to the other side.. Seeing hime over, Galen patted him on the shoulder and said, ¡°That was an amazing performance you just put on. I thought we¡¯d have to film that four or five times at least.¡± Egbert picked up a water bottle, took a sip, and said, ¡°The more we film, the more it¡¯ll affect the mood.¡± Galen lit a cigarette and chuckled. ¡°Is it the mood that¡¯ll be affected, or are you just worried about Eileen having to suffer more? That choking scene wasn¡¯t easy.¡± Egbert didn¡¯t respond. He screwed the lid back onto the water bottle and put it to the side. Galen then said, ¡°But she really is a capable actress. You gave a good performance, and her response was great too. She¡¯s truly a natural-born actress.¡± ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t satisfied with her.¡± Egbert raised an eyebrow. Galen chuckled. ¡°So should I go tell her to her face that I¡¯m satisfied with her? She¡¯ll get all cocky then. You know how she is.¡± Egbert chuckled. That was indeed how Eileen was. Galen then said, ¡°She¡¯s leaving the crew tomorrow. I¡¯ll give you half a day off, go send her off.¡± Egbert slowly said, ¡°Her manager wille pick her up.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter, afraid of meeting the parents?¡± Galen teased. Egbert paused for a moment, then chuckled.. The next day, Ophelia arrived early. Eileen was still, having breakfast when she arrived. Ophelia brought many gifts, instructing her assistant to hand them out to the crew, saying Eileen must¡¯ve caused them a lot of trouble over this period, and asked them not to mind. ¡°Is Mr. Reed here?¡± Ophelia asked. Eileen said, ¡°He went to get my breakfast Will be back in a bit.¡± Ophelia frowned. ¡°How are things between you two now?¡± ¡°Not bad,¡± Eileen replied indifferently. Ophelia was silent for a moment, then said, ¡°When hees back, give him a small gift.¡± Eileen said, ¡°I¡¯ll just take it to his room.¡± Ophelia was taken aback. ¡°Isn¡¯t he not here?¡± Eileen took a key out of her pocket and said, ¡°I have the key to his room.¡± Ophelia stared at the key for a while, her face turning an unnatural color. ¡°Why¡­ why do you have the key to his room?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? He has the key to my room too.¡± Eileen looked at Ophelia, blinking innocently. Ophelia was stunned! What did she just hear?! Chapter 122 Chapter 122 Ophelia cornered Janice, shaking her with a heated grip on her shoulders. ¡°What the hell is going on! Didn¡¯t I tell you to look after Eileen? Is this your definition of looking after? How did her room key end up in Egbert¡¯s hand?¡± Janice, dizzy from the shaking, stuttered out an exnation. After listening, Ophelia summed it up. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying Eileen goes to Egbert¡¯s room to watch movies every day. When Egbert¡¯s not there, she lets herself in. She falls asleep halfway through, and when Egbertes back, he carries her back to her own room. After carrying her multiple times, Egbert just gave her a key?¡± Janice nodded vigorously. ¡°Exactly, they have this open, above-board working rtionship.¡± Ophelia was speechless. What kind of working rtionship was this? Ophelia knew it was toote to get angry now. She held back her anger and went back to Eileen. Eileen was still eating breakfast, and her face almost buried in her te. Seeing Ophelia back, she asked enthusiastically, ¡°Want some?¡± Ophelia snorted, ¡°I¡¯m too pissed to eat!¡± Eileen put down her utensils, moved a bit closer with a smile on her face, and asked, ¡°Ophelia, you said I¡¯m rich now. Where¡¯s my money?¡± Ophelia irritably pulled out a bank card from her bag and threw it to her. ¡°The PIN is all zeros. Take it and scram!¡± Eileen quickly took the card and pulled out her phone. Ophelia leaned back in her chair, drumming her fingers on the table. Eileen was busy with her phone. ¡°Listen to what I¡¯m saying¡­¡± Before Ophelia could finish, her phone rang. It was a text message. At first, Ophelia didn¡¯t pay much attention, but then she received dozens of messages. She checked her phone and saw that the money in the bank ount she had opened for Eileen was being transferred out like a running stream. Not a one-time transfer, but small amounts being transferred out continuously, eventually flowing into over eighty different stock ounts. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ophelia looked at Eileen in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re transferring money to buy stocks? And divided it into dozens of ounts?¡± Eileen, having blown through neen thousand dors, put away her phone and started slurping her pasta again. Ophefia frowned. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you.¡± Eileen lifted her head, didn¡¯t say anything but asked expectantly, ¡°Ophelia, what¡¯s my next job? I want to start working as soon as possible.¡± Ophelia felt something was off about Eileen¡¯s state. She became serious. ¡°Eileen, I don¡¯t want to mess with your personal affairs, but our contract with thepany is for four more years. Unless something unexpected happens, we¡¯ll be colleagues for the next four years. Is there something you need to tell me?¡± Eileen just looked at Ophelia expectantly, without saying a word. Ophelia continued, ¡°At first, you really didn¡¯t have money. Butter, from the ie calction of Traveller 5+1, you had quite a decent ie every month. Even if you¡¯re poor, there¡¯s a limit. Why is your money never more than fifty dors? Where do you spend all your money?¡± Eileen closed her mouth, lowered her head, and started eating noodles again. ¡°Eileen!¡± Ophelia was starting to get angry. ¡°Can you tell me what you¡¯re doing?¡± Eileen finished her noodles, wiped her mouth, and then looked at Ophelia. She said slowly, ¡°I n to use multiple ounts, disguise as retail investors, and acquire some edge shares of apany. I¡¯ll consolidate the funds at the right time, exert financial pressure, and then use some methods to guide the market. If everything goes smoothly, with just one operation, I can use a million dors as principal, and in four months at the earliest or a year at thetest, I can bankrupt argepany with a market value of over six hundred and ny million.¡± Ophelia listened to her words,pletely not understanding. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Eileen said softly, ¡°See, you don¡¯t understand even if I tell you.¡± ¡°I understand!¡± Ophelia looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to them, then asked in a low voice, ¡°Who are you trying to bankrupt?¡± Eileen picked up some grilled meat from the table and said, ¡°Of course, my enemy.¡± All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What enemy?¡± Ophelia¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Ophelia.¡± Eileen offered a piece of grilled meat to Ophelia. Her eyes suddenly became deep, her expression serious. ¡°There are some things, Ophelia, that are better for you not to know.¡± About ten minutester, Egbert finally came back with a box of cake. Eileen rushed to find him. Ophelia watched themughing and talking, feeling very ufortable. She called Elleen, ¡°We should go now. Get in the car.¡± Then she said to Egbert, ¡°Egbert, thank you for taking care of Eileen. But we have to go now. We have a noon flight. If we don¡¯t go now, we¡¯ll bete.¡± Egbert nced at Ophelia, then at Eileen, he hesitated for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Hmm.¡± Five minutester. Ophelia sat in the back seat of the car, weakly watching Egbert and Eileen. She asked Janice beside her, ¡°Why does Egbert have so much time? He¡¯s even personally sending her to the airport. Isn¡¯t he the male lead? Isn¡¯t he busy?¡± Janice shrunk her neck, not daring to speak. She felt that no matter what she said, Ophelia would get angry. Egbert asked Eileen, ¡°What are your ns next?¡± Eileen shook her head. ¡°Ophelia hasn¡¯t said anything yet. We might need to go back for casting.¡± When they arrived at the airport, Eileen saw Ophelia waiting for her. She opened the car door and said to Egbert, ¡°Remember to check your pher.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Egbert looked puzzled. Eileen smiled faintly. ¡°Just remember to check. There¡¯s a surprise. I promise you¡¯ll love it!¡± Egbert chuckled and nodded. ¡°Stay safe¡± Eileen got out of the car and ran to meet Ophelia and Janice. The three of them walked into the airport together. It wasn¡¯t until they werepletely out of sight that Egbert turned the steering wheel, ready to bolt. Just then, his phone buzzed. He remembered what Eileen had just said. Egbert chuckled and pulled out his phone. He had received a transfer notification, apanied by a message from Eileen. [Here¡¯s your pyramid clock dough back. Even though I¡¯m strapped for cash, I gotta settle my debts first. Surprised? Like it? Ha, I bet you do. Who wouldn¡¯t like money, right?] Chapter 123 Chapter 123 On the third day after Eileen returned to the Capital, she got a call from Ophelia. Ophelia offered her a new opportunity for a variety show. When Eileen saw the screenshot of the project that was sent to her, she asked in surprise, ¡°A talent show?¡± Ophelia exined, ¡°Your recent performance as a backup dancer for Colin has caused quite a stir online, so several talent shows have sent you invitations. However, we don¡¯t intend for you to be a contestant. They want you to be a celebrity coach.¡± Eileen was confused. ¡°What¡¯s a celebrity coach?¡± Ophelia exined. ¡°In this show, in addition to four coaches and one hundred contestants, three celebrities will be invited as celebrity coaches. Each celebrity coach. will represent a team. During the show, eliminated contestants can have the chance to join the celebrity coach¡¯s team. During the stage performance, the rmended team will draw lots to challenge the advancing team. If they seed, the members of the rmended team can return to thepetition.¡± ¡°So, if someone gets eliminated, I can have her join my team, then help her challenge those who haven¡¯t been eliminated, and if she seeds, she can rejoin thepetition?¡± Eileen basically got it. Ophelia responded, ¡°That¡¯s pretty much it. The job isn¡¯tplicated, and you don¡¯t have to do much. The production team will arrange dance and singing teachers to train them. You just need to give them encouragement at the right time.¡± Eileen thought the job sounded pretty easy, so she asked, ¡°What¡¯s my pay per episode?¡± Ophelia chuckled. ¡°Knew you¡¯d ask that. You¡¯ll get eight grand per episode. Following thepany¡¯s and your distribution ratio, you¡¯ll probably earn around fifty thousand after twelve episodes.¡± ¡°Fifty thousand!¡± Eileen quickly agreed. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m in!¡± The talent show was called Shining Star. Eileen arrived at the recording site the day before the show was to be recorded. To maintain the mystery of the show, the production team didn¡¯t let the stars meet in advance but wanted to capture their reactions when they first meet each other on the second day of recording. Eileen asked with a smile, ¡°So, among the coaches or celebrity coaches, are there people I know?¡± The staff member nodded. ¡°Definitely people you know.¡± The next day, when Eileen entered the recording site, she found out that she knew one of the coaches ¨C Hubery. As Eileen walked past the coach seats, she saw Hubery looking at her in surprise. Obviously, he didn¡¯t expect her to be there. Eileen shook her head, she had guessed the show¡¯s gimmick. She originally thought that Hubery¡¯s appearance was enough to surprise her, but she didn¡¯t expect an even bigger surprise was yet to come. A few more coaches and celebrity coaches entered the scene one after another, but thest one to make an appearance was Aurora. Aurora walked up to the stage with a smile. Aurora¡¯s appearance in the show was unexpected for everyone. Both the coaches and the celebrity coaches were surprised. The cameramen quickly captured all of this. At the same time, one camera was specifically focused on Eileen. She and Aurora had both participated in the Traveller 5+1 show, but because of Egbert¡¯s choice, a subtle conflict arose between them. Eileen also joined two shows with Hubery. But in these two shows, Eileen never showed a friendly face to Hubery. Now, having Eileen, Aurora, and Hubery on the same screen was enough to create at least five hot topics for the show¡¯s premiere. Current talent shows were popping up like mushrooms after a rain. If they didn¡¯t do some promotion and marketing, they couldn¡¯t attract attention. When Eileen saw Aurora, she was speechless. But she didn¡¯t expect there to be an even bigger surprise waiting for her in the show. Later, the hundred contestants came on stage one after another, Eileen was surprised to see Hedy standing in the middle of the hundred people! Both Hedy and Hubery, didn¡¯t expect to see Eileen here. Hedy looked terrified. But Eileen just felt a bit helpless. Dealing with Hedy was like effortlessly squashing an ant, so Eileen was already bored with it. Once everyone was present, the show started with the contestants¡¯ debut performance. The hundred contestants seemed like a lot, but most of them were doing group dancers, so it didn¡¯t take too long to watch. Evaluating the debut performance had nothing to do with the celebrity coaches; it was mostly the coaches who were speaking. Eileen was just sitting on the side doing nothing until one contestant did a solo dance. That contestant was a short-haired girl, dressed quite in, looking cool. She danced very well, causing a few rounds of apuse from the audience. After the performance, Aurora was the first toment, ¡°Your name is Karin, right? You¡¯re very talented, I think your dancing skill is already at a professional level, and you¡¯re only sixteen, truly impressive.¡± Karin didn¡¯t respond or say, ¡°thank you¡±; she just stood there quietly. Aurora was a bit awkward, and looked towards Hubery. Hubery took over, ¡°Was the solo dance you just did self-choreographed? It¡¯s quite creative.¡± Karin picked up the microphone next to her, and said coldly, ¡°It¡¯s not my own. I learned it from Elleen¡¯s previous dance videos.¡± Eileen was suddenly mentioned, and all eyes on the scene immediately turned to her. She sat in her chair, nodding to Karin on stage, and smiled: ¡°I recognized it too. You did it very well.¡± A hint of blush suddenly crept onto the usually aloof face of Karin. She lowered her head, hiding the delight inside. Karin¡¯s final rating was a B. Of the four coaches, Aurora granted her a B, Hubery a C, and the other two, both As. After the scores were averaged out, Karinnded herself a B. Upon the ratings being revealed, the other two coaches turned their gaze towards Aurora and Hubery. Aurora gave them a mild smile, saying, ¡°I¡¯m not a professional dancer, so I don¡¯t feelfortable throwing around scores.¡± ¨C But didn¡¯t you say that her dancing was at a professional level? The two coaches had their own thoughts about this but kept their mouths shut. Hubery, on the other hand, didn¡¯t mince words. He told Karin, ¡°I don¡¯t think this dance suits you.¡± After he finished speaking, he called qut, ¡°Next.¡± After a while, it was Hedy¡¯s turn. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Hedy performed a group dance with four other girls, taking the lead. The routine was pretty simr to aerobics. When the performance ended, all four coaches gave her the highest rating. Without a doubt, she made it into the top-tier team. Eileen chuckled when she saw this. Wasn¡¯t this the so-called nobility of the talent selection industry? At the end of a full day of filming, it was already 9 o¡¯clock in the evening. As Eileen was getting ready to leave, Hubery suddenly stopped her. ¡°I need to have a word with you.¡± Hubery cornered Eileen backstage and got straight to the point. Eileen put her hands in her pockets, saying coldly, ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t want to talk to you.¡± Hubery¡¯s face darkened, and he suddenly asked, ¡°You¡¯re doing this on purpose, aren¡¯t you? You always show up whenever Hedy and I are present. You pretend to be indifferent to me, but in reality, you always find a way to be around me. Are you trying to get my attention? Are you that desperate to see me, Eileen?¡± Eileen looked at Hubery in front of her and remained silent for a long time. Finally, she asked curiously, ¡°Why would I want to see you? This industry is only so big. If anything happens to you, it will surely reach my ears. Whether I see you or not, I wouldn¡¯t be the one sending you flowers. Don¡¯t you know that?¡± Chapter 124 Chapter 124 ¡°You¡­¡± Hubery was so angry he couldn¡¯t speak. ¡°Stop making excuses! If you didn¡¯t want to see me, why are you on this show?¡± Eileen couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Did you get something twisted? Do you think you¡¯re some big shot? That I have to go around you every time I step out? You think your presence matters that much?¡± ¡°You¡­ you¡­ you¡­¡± Hubery was choked up by her words. Just then, a staff member came over. He cautiously said, ¡°Mr. Hubery¡­ Miss Eileen. Eileen looked at the staff member. She calmly said, ¡°Don¡¯t put my name together with his. It not only makes me sick, but I also fear he might go balistic and attack me at any moment.¡± The staff member was petrified by her words. Eileen turned to Hubery. ¡°We¡¯ve been filming all day, and I¡¯m exhausted. But let me remind you onest time, don¡¯t spew that shit again. If you need to take a dump, go find a ce to do it.¡± With that, she turned and walked away, leaving behind a stunned staff member and a furious Hubery. The filming continued the next day. Today was song selection and team formation Eileen sat quietly on the side. When filming ended, it was still early. The director came over to exin the next steps to the stars. The four coaches were free to leave and return a weekter for the first stage performance. However, the three celebrity coaches had to stay. The celebrity coaches were closer to the contestants, less authoritative and more like friends. The remaining celebrity coaches had to check the dance practice rooms daily to see how the contestants were doing. When Eileen went to check, she was apanied by the lead dance and music teachers. The first practice room they visited was Hedy¡¯s. Seeing Eileen, Hedy¡¯s face changed a bit, but she quicklyposed herself and continued dancing. Eileen noticed that Hedy¡¯s dancing seemed strained, which made herugh. The lead dance teacher then asked, ¡°Miss Lopez, you seem to know how to dance. Would you like to give them some pointers?¡± Eileen shook her head. ¡°No thanks, wouldn¡¯t that be helping them for free?¡± The dance teacher was speechless. They didn¡¯t stay long in this room and moved on to the second one. In the second room, Eileen saw Karin. Karin was not the core of this group. This group consisted of five B-level female contestants. Four were from the samepany, and only Karin was not. Karin was always marginalized. She stood in the corner but danced the best. Eileen¡¯s gaze was mostly on her. After a performance, the other four girls came over to Eileen and asked, ¡°Miss Lopez, what do you think of our dancing?¡± Eileen remembered the show¡¯s requirement, to encourage the contestants. But Eileen said, ¡°Your dancing is below par. It¡¯s not extremely terrible, but it¡¯s hard to watch.¡± The four girls were silent. The lead dance and music teachers were also silent. The four girls were somewhat disgruntled. One of them scoffed and said, ¡°We¡¯ve only been practicing for a day.¡± Eileen looked at her. ¡°This dance is as simple as one plus one. A day of practice should be more than enough. If you can¡¯t dance well, why can others?¡± The girl looked wronged and suddenly covered her mouth, starting to cry. The other three girls immediately went tofort her. They also started crying. They deliberately cried in front of the camera. Even though their performance was not good, they were the victims who needed sympathy because they had been criticized. Eileen was dumbfounded. She curiously asked the lead dance teacher, ¡°Is it starting already? I heard that on talent shows, it doesn¡¯t matter if you can¡¯t dance well, as long as you cry beautifully. But their crying is not pretty at all, no tears even came out. Should we get them some eye drops?¡± The lead dance and music teachers were speechless. After some discussion, Eileen was led away. Before leaving, Eileen nced at Karin again. She found that Karin was also looking at her. The short-haired girl¡¯s eyes were sparkling and her cheeks were tinged with shy blushes. Eileen found it intriguing. This girl looked cool but was surprisingly shy. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. A week passed quickly. During this time, Eileen visited the practice rooms daily. She now clearly knew who was likely to be eliminated and who had the potential and was diligent. In Hedy¡¯s team, except for Hedy, the other four girls had A-level skills. Unfortunately, no matter how much potential they had, they had to abide by the arrangements of the capital, including epting Hedy¡¯s ws. As for Karin¡¯s team, except for Karin, no one else stood out. And the other teams were a mixed bag. There were hypocrites and hardworking kids. On the day of the stage performance, five hundred audience members came. The four coaches were also present. The stage was beautifully decorated. Eileen sat in the celebrity coach¡¯s seat. The other two celebrity coaches asked her, ¡°Miss Lopez, who do you think will be eliminated?¡± Today, twenty people would be eliminated. Fifteen of them would be taken by the celebrity coaches to join the three teams led by them. Eileen looked at the profiles of over twenty dance groups in her hand. She casually pointed out a few. ¡°They had problems during practice.¡± The two celebrity coaches nodded. ¡°These two are not good at singing and often went off-key. They are likely to be in danger.¡± Today¡¯s performance would be broadcasted live, not dubbed over in post-production. This increased the difficulty of the contestants¡¯ performances. The stage performance started, featuring both passionate and cute dances. Some showed off their sexy charm, and some disyed their cute and lively side. By the time it was Hedy¡¯s team¡¯s turn to perform, Hedy had improved a bit from practice but was still underperforming. Especially when her teammates were all so talented, both in singing and dancing. With four A-level girls as her backdrop, little did she know, she was made to look like a resurrected zombie, stiffly dancing there. However, no matter how terrible Hedy¡¯s dance was, thements were always positive. All four coaches gave A-level evaluations. After the coaches finished their evaluations, the host, as usual, turned the topic to the celebrity coaches. The host kindly asked, ¡°Do the three celebrity coaches think there is anyone in this team that you might consider?¡± The microphone was first passed to Eileen. Eileen looked at the five people on stage and thought for a moment. ¡°The four girls who are not in the center position all dance well and sing pretty decently, they should not be eliminated. As for the one at the center, I hope she won¡¯t be eliminated either, because I really want to know how many more jokes she could potentially produce.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± The audience erupted in an instant. Chapter 125 Chapter 125 Everyone was gobsmacked. Had Eileen lost her marbles? Hedy was even more shocked. This was live TV, for god¡¯s sake! How could Eileen say something like that! All hell broke loose on set. The production team quickly stepped in to calm things down. Aurora then picked up the microphone and said diplomatically, ¡°Ms. Lopez, you sure set the bar high. But honestly, I think Hedy did pretty well considering she¡¯s not a professional dancer¡­¡± Eileen turned to Aurora, ¡°If she¡¯s not a professional dancer, why is she here on this show?¡± The audience erupted again. Eileen had actually challenged Aurora directly! Aurora was taken aback, and managed to reply, ¡°She has a dream to be a singer and dancer¡­¡± Eileen nodded. ¡°I also dream of bing the richest person in the world. Does that mean I can rob a bank?¡± Aurora¡¯s face fell. ¡°What does this have to do with robbing?¡± Eileen retorted coldly, ¡°She¡¯s hogging resources,cks talent and ability, yet insists on being the center of attention, pulling the whole team down. She turned a perfect performance into a mediocre one. Isn¡¯t that robbery? Doesn¡¯t her presence create a weak link in the team?¡± Aurora was annoyed by Eileen¡¯s relentless questioning. Worried that aeback would ruin her elegant image, she decided to drop the mic and said no more. Hubery then grabbed the mic and shot at Eileen, ¡°Ms. Lopez, if you¡¯re such a guru, why aren¡¯t you the one in the coach¡¯s seat?¡± Eileen looked at Hubery and suddenlyughed. ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that? You¡¯re a piece of trash, but you¡¯re not sitting in a dumpster, are you?¡±. The audience went wild again. Someone in the chaos yelled out, ¡°Eileen, you rock!¡± Eileen nced at the audience but couldn¡¯t tell who said it. Seeing the situation was getting out of control, the director had to step in. They wanted to spice up the show, but not this much. Eileen was off her rocker! With her razor-sharp tongue, she was about to turn their show into a bloodbath! With the director¡¯s intervention, the situation finally stabilized. The host, dripping with sweat, promptly called the next team to perform. The next team¡¯s performance was mediocre at best. They were out of sync, and someone even messed up the choreography. Eileen could tell that they were shaken by her previous outburst and it had affected their performance. Once the coach finished reviewing, Eileen spoke softly into the mic, ¡°You guys were good during rehearsals, but you didn¡¯t deliver on stage. It¡¯s a shame. If any of you get eliminated,e to me and I¡¯ll get you back in thepetition.¡± The girls were expecting a scolding. They never expected such encouraging words! Two of the girls who had messed up were already teary-eyed, and those words brought them to tears. The recording continued. Finally, in the afternoon, it was Karin¡¯s group¡¯s turn. Their act was a hot dance number Karin¡¯s solo part was minimal, mainly supporting the others. The other four girls all had solo parts, but she didn¡¯t. After the performance, the coaches were silent for a while. Aurora, in her gentle style, praised them and gave them an A grade. Hubery gave them a B, indicating there was room for improvement. The other two coaches gave them a straight C. This team of five didn¡¯t have any big names, so the coaches weren¡¯t afraid to be brutally honest. ¡°You four were put in the B group because you didn¡¯t meet the technical requirements, but your performance on stage was even worse than your initial performance. You all danced to your own beat, which I¡¯m sure is not how you were taught. You need to reflect on why this happened.¡± The four girls turned pale at the critique. Karin, however, was unfazed. Her deep eyes asionally darted at Eileen. Next, the mic was passed to the celebrity coach. Eileen held the mic and said coldly, ¡°I just want to say two things. One, I¡¯m d I didn¡¯t have high expectations for you, so I¡¯m not disappointed. Two, except for Karin, don¡¯te to me if you get eliminated. I don¡¯t want to see a bunch of Hedy clones. One Hedy is annoying enough.¡± After saying that, Eileen passed the mic to the next celebrity coach. The next celebrity coach held the mic, looking at the four girls crying on stage, not knowing what to say. The whole day of recording finally ended. It wasn¡¯t until 11 p.m. that all the contestants¡¯ performances were done. Next, they announced the rankings and scores. Teams with low scores were at risk of being eliminated. After the final elimination list was announced, three people from Karin¡¯s group were eliminated, including Karin herself. Eileen smiled when she saw Karin being eliminated. This was what she had expected.¡± (arin had shown her favor towards Eileen right from the get-go. So, there was no way coaches Aurora and Hubery would let her advance smoothly. The group Eileen had previously said she would wee into her team also lost two girls. After the twenty contestants were eliminated, the celebrity coaches began to pick their students. Eileen had clear targets and quickly filled her quota of five. After the three teams led by the celebrity coaches were formed, the remaining contestants started to choose their favorite coaches On average, each coach would bag around twenty contestants, who would represent their coach¡¯s team in the next stage performance, going head-to-head with other teams. And that was how the competition was going to roll from then on. As the recording of the day was about to wrap, the host announced another rule. ¡°Starting from the second stage performance, coaches and celebrity coaches can invite cheering guests to root for their teams.¡± In other words, from the next episode onwards, coaches, or celebrity coaches, could invite their star buddies to be guests on the show. They could also invite their celeb mates to help their teams garner votes during the stage performances. Eileen scratched her chin and suddenly raised her hand. The host was kind of scared of her. But he still asked, ¡°Ms. Lopez, is there something you wanna ask?¡± Eileen asked, ¡°If I invite cheering guests, will you guys pay their appearance fees? You¡¯re not gonna make me foot the bill, right? Tell me you¡¯re not.¡± The host, trying to hold back hisughter, said, ¡°The production team will pay the guest¡¯s appearance fee ording to market price.¡± Eileen was relieved. She nodded. I¡¯m good then.¡± After the recording ended, everyone left the set. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Eileen and her five contestants headed back to the training room. She let the mentor start training the contestants. Meanwhile, she whipped out her phone, opened WhatsApp, and got into the group chat previously created by Phyllis. Eileen. [@Bblythe@Josiah Morgan@Phyllis, buddies, are you guys free next Sunday? Can you help me out with a show recording? There¡¯s a reward. Please let me know ASAP. Don¡¯t make me beg.] Bblythe was the only one online in the group chat and replied. Bblythe. [What show?]¡¯ Just as Eileen was about to reply, she saw a system notification. [Egbert left the group chat] Eileen was a bit puzzled. She was about to ask Bblythe why Egbert left. Then she saw another notification. [Egbert joined the group chat] Maybe he hit the wrong button? Eileen didn¡¯t think much of it and continued to reply to Bblythe¡¯s message. Then¡­ For the next minute, Eileen watched as the system notifications refreshed constantly on her screen. [Egbert left the group chat.] [Egbert joined the group chat.] Finally, Eileen just shook her head in resignation. She deleted her reply to Bblythe and typed out a new message. Eileen. [@Egbert, Mr. Reed, are you free next Sunday?] Egbert. [Yes.] Chapter 126 Chapter 126 Eileen hadn¡¯t hit up Egbert before because she knew he was still busy filming Eyes on the Rendezvous. Even though she had wrapped up filming, Egbert hadn¡¯t yet. Eileen sent another message. [Do you really have time? Will the director let you leave?] Egbert replied. [Uh-huh.] Just as Eileen was about to say something else, another message came from Egbert¡¯s end. [Working on set. Chatter.] After that, Egbert disappeared. In the group chat, Phyllis suddenly blurted. [Which director? Not Galen, right?] Bblythe responded. [Your news is super outdated. Everyone in the circle knows, Egbert took the new flick by Galen, and Eileen starred in that movie too.] Phyllis. [Wow! That¡¯s incredible! Eileen, you starred in Galen¡¯s movie!] Eileen frowned, asked. [What have you been up to?] Phyllis. [Been in court. I¡¯m so out of the loop, I know nothing.] Eileen. [Short of evidence?] Phyllis. [Plenty of evidence, but it¡¯splex. With the scheduling, waiting for trial and all, lots of red tape, probably gonna drag on for half a year or so.] Before the case was closed, Phyllis couldn¡¯t join any events. PrismPulse Entertainment and Kenley were having a rough time too. Over thest few months, Kenley, onceuded as the rising super-star, was almost forgotten. PrismPulse Entertainment, due to the lawsuit, had many of its artists affected with resource issues. Seeing that Phyllis was rtively upbeat, Eileen decided not to say more. After chatting with Bblythe and Phyllis for a bit, Eileen put down her phone and went to check on the contestants. The first stage performance just ended today, so they wouldn¡¯t be actually training for anything. The dance and music teachers showed the eliminated contestants the dance video for the next stage performance, distributed the lyrics to them, and then everyone was dismissed to rest. Eileen left with them. The four girls were too shy to talk to Eileen. Karin walked over to Eileen, clutching her clothes, as if wanting to say something but too afraid to speak. Eileen noticed and turned to look at her. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Karin¡¯s cheeks instantly turned red. She lowered her head and whispered, ¡°Thank you for choosing me.¡± Eileen thought the kid was really shy. She reached out to tousle her short hair. ¡°You¡¯re amazing.¡± Karin¡¯s face turned even redder. Even her neck and ears turned red. Eileen touched her face again, suddenly worried. ¡°Your skin seems pretty thin, and your capiries dte too quickly. You blush so easily, is it a gic condition? Do your family members also have this? Have you seen a doctor?¡± Karin was speechless. The next day, Eileen headed to the training room early. She thought she was early. But, all five contestants were already there, stretching. Seeing here in, they stood up straight and respectfully greeted, ¡°Good morning, Ms. Lopez.¡± Eileen waved them off. ¡°Carry on.¡± A few minutester, the dance and music teachers arrived. After a quick greeting, they started training. The morning training ended without much progress. Except for Karin who had memorized the movements, the other four contestants were not proficient enough. They couldn¡¯t remember the movements and couldn¡¯t get the positions right. They only had a week to practice this song. They would perform it on-stage this Sunday, so even a minute wasted would feel anxious. At lunchtime, nobody had an appetite. At the table, there was only one person enjoying the meal. That was Eileen. After finishing her lunch, Eileen got a second serving. She had two servings of lunch all by herself. But the five eliminated contestants barely finished half a serving, Seeing this, Eileen warned them, ¡°Without a full stomach, how are you going to train in the afternoon?¡± Hearing this, Karin was the first to pick up the fork. She started eating heartily. Eileen nodded in approval. The other four contestants didn¡¯t want to eat, but since Eileen had spoken, they had to force themselves to finish. In the afternoon, Eileen continued to observe their training. Until the end of the night, the five of them stillcked team spirit. The training ended for the day. At night, Eileen returned to the hotel, but instead of sleeping she picked up a pen and paper and started scribbling in her notebook. The next day she was back in the training room. Before the training began, Eileen interrupted the dance teacher. ¡°I¡¯ll take over today.¡± The dance teacher was startled. ¡°Ms. Lopez, you¡¯re teaching them dance?¡± Eileen nodded, picked up the remote, and started the music. She told the eliminated contestants, ¡°Come, stand in position, let¡¯s go through it once.¡± When the coach and celebrity coach began leading the team, the job of patrolling the grounds fell to the host. The host was dressed casually today, and a cameraman followed him. Standing in front of the camera, he smiled at the camera. ¡°Ahead is the practice room for the three teams led by celebrity coaches. The fifteen contestants in the rmended team were all previously eliminated. This is Team Two. This is Team Three. And Team One, that¡¯s Eileen¡¯s team. Let¡¯s start from Team One.¡± The host walked to the practice room door and peeked through the ss window. He saw the five contestants rehearsing their dance inside. But the one holding the remote and speaking wasn¡¯t the dance teacher, but Eileen herself. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. The host looked a bit taken aback. ¡°Ms. Lopez is actually giving personal lessons. Let¡¯s hear what she has to say.¡± The door was cracked open just a smidge. As the male host was about to joyfully greet the people inside, he heard the indoor noise, originally blocked by the closed door, flooding out like a sudden storm, catching him off guard. ¡°Wendy, did you mix up your ass and your legs? I asked you to shake your hips, why are your legs trembling like you have polio? ¡°Lily, how many times have I said it, reach over your shoulder! Why can¡¯t you straighten your arm? Need me to saw it off for you? You seem prettyfortable with it being shorter anyway!¡± ¡°Carol, you¡¯re always turning left, always left. Can you not tell left from right? What¡¯s wrong with your brain? ¡°Carina, you stepped on someone¡¯s foot again! Why do you always do this? Were you a cobbler in your past life? ¡°And you, Karin, why are you dancing so fast? What are you trying to show off? Just because you¡¯re a good dancer, you can ignore your teammates? Who taught you to be such an individualist?¡± The host, standing at the door, was listening in fear. His hand was on the ssroom door, but he didn¡¯t dare to push it openpletely. At that moment, Eileen¡¯s irate voice came from inside. ¡°Who¡¯s that outside! Peeping in like some creepy ghost! Can¡¯t you see we¡¯re practicing? Scram!¡± The host quickly shut the door. He wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and, with a pale face, said to the camera. 1, we should¡­go check out¡­the other teams.¡± Chapter 127 Chapter 127 Just like that, a week of practice time flew by. The Sunday performance arrived on schedule. First thing Sunday morning, the 80 progressing students and 15 celebrity coach team members started getting their makeup done. Due to the limited space in the makeup room, the makeup artists brought their kits and went to each practice room to do the girls¡¯ makeup. Before the makeup artists arrived, Eileen asked her team members to rehearse once more. In the middle of their practice, a staff member with a notebook came up to ask, ¡°Ms. Lopez, is the cheering guest definitelying? Eileen walked to the door and answered, ¡°Yeah, he just messaged me. He¡¯s at the airport, he¡¯ll be here within an hour at thetest.¡± The staff member handed her the notebook and pen. ¡°Could you help sign here, write his name in this box, and his appearance fee at the back.¡± Eileen wrote down Egbert¡¯s name in the front box. But when it came to the appearance fee, she paused and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know how much his appearance fee is.¡± The staff member turned her head to look at the name she wrote. Upon seeing the name, the staff member froze! There was silence for a moment. Then, the staff member jokingly said in a helpless tone, ¡°Ms. Lopez, you can¡¯t just write anything you want.¡± Eileen was a bit confused. ¡°What did I write wrong?¡± The staff member said, ¡°Seriously, who did you invite? I have an eraser here, correct it. Eileen didn¡¯t take the eraser, she felt confused. ¡°I didn¡¯t write it wrong.¡± As she spoke, Eileen pulled out her phone from her pocket, dialed Egbert, and put it on speaker. The call was picked up quickly. ¡°Hello.¡± A deep male voice came through. Eileen asked, ¡°How much is your appearance fee?¡± The person on the other end seemed to pause before saying, not sure.¡± Eileen clicked her tongue. ¡°You don¡¯t know your own appearance fee? Ask your agent and text me later. They need it for their records here.¡± After she finished, she didn¡¯t wait for Egbert to say anything else and hung up. Then she put her phone back in her pocket, looked up at the staff member, and said, ¡°He¡¯ll get back to me, can Ie and registerter?¡± The news that Egbert wasing to their show as a cheering guest quickly spread. Upon hearing the news, the director almost tripped backstage. ¡°Egbert? Egbert, Mr. Reed? The Oscar winner? The real Egbert?¡± The staff member who was registering the names passed the notebook with a stunned face to the director. Looking at the clearly written name ¡°Egbert¡± on the notebook, the director nearly jumped with excitement, ¡°Egbert ising to our show! Wow!¡± The staff member came to his senses and reminded the director, ¡°Look at the back. The director was taken aback and then looked at the column for the appearance fee. It read ¡°$500,000¡±. ¡°Egbert ising?¡± Aurora looked puzzled at her assistant in the dressing room. Aurora asked her assistant incredulously, ¡°Where did you hear this news?¡± The assistant whispered, ¡°The news is spreading outside. They said Eileen invited him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± Aurora said disbelievingly. Aurora scoffed, ¡°Just to get attention, she dares to say anything. Wait until Egbert doesn¡¯t show up, and she¡¯ll make an excuse that she invited Egbert, but Egbert didn¡¯t have time. I know better than her about this kind of thing.¡± Aurora thought nobody was better than her at using ¡°Egbert¡± for hype Due to thepany¡¯s CEO, Mr. Chad, secretly having a crush on her, he prohibited her from having any contact with Egbert. However, over the years, even though Aurora hadn¡¯t seen Egbert, she often used his name to promote herself. The sess of The Alley greatly benefited Aurora. Moreover, Aurora was the only female artist that Egbert¡¯s fans didn¡¯t dislike. Over the years, Aurora had used his name countless times to promote herself. She was well aware of Eileen¡¯s current actions. Confidently, Aurora said, ¡°I understand Egbert¡¯s personality. He knows how to separate work and personal life. He will cooperate with you during work, but he won¡¯t consider you a friend in private. Furthermore, he always dislikes having too much contact with female artists. He won¡¯te.¡± Aurora suddenly added, ¡°In that case, during your live performanceter, capture that situation when Egbert didn¡¯t made it and spread it out.¡± The assistant understood Aurora¡¯s meaning and nodded quickly, saying, ¡°Alright, I know what to do.¡± Aurora continued, ¡°Last time, the hand-holding photo was exined by herpany as for work purposes, but this time it¡¯s a live broadcast. I don¡¯t believe she cane up with any excuses. Regardless, Egbert¡¯s fans will support him. Besides me, they won¡¯t ept any female stars using Egbert¡¯s name to promote themselves.¡± An hourter, the stage performance officially began. After cheering on her five contestants, Eileen took the stage. The host came on stage, made some opening remarks, and began introducing the guests. The first guest to be introduced was Aurora¡¯s celebrity friend Calvert. Calvert was a well-known actor who had won important domestic awards and had worked with Aurora before. The moment he appeared, the audience went wild. Although everyone knew Aurora was well- connected and had a high-profile Facebook page, no one expected her to invite a star like Calvert to such a small talent show. This was the influence of the number one actress in the entertainment industry. After a few words with the host, Calvert waved to Aurora and took his seat. He naturally sat in the middle, used to being in the center on such asions. Next, the celebrity friends of the other three coaches took the stage one after another. There were B-list celebrities, and there were idol stars. When it was time to introduce the special guests invited by the celebrity coaches, Aurora¡¯s assistant quietly started a live broadcast from the audience. She was using an ount known for its juicy gossip, with a follower count well into the hundreds of thousands. The moment the live broadcast started, hundreds of viewers trickled in, quickly bing thousands. Soon, the host finished introducing the star friends of the other two celebrity coaches. Only the star friend invited by Eileen was left. At this point, the host took a deep breath. Rather than announcing the guest¡¯s name, he turned to Eileen and asked, ¡°Ms. Lopez, I¡¯m really curious, why did you invite him to be your guest?¡± Eileen took the microphone handed to her by a staff member, thought for a moment, and said, ¡°I invited him because¡­ he insisted oning.¡± ¡°Whoo!¡± The host gasped in surprise. ¡°So you¡¯re saying you didn¡¯t initially n to invite him, but he asked toe?¡± Eileen nodded, frankly saying, ¡°I originally wanted to invite Bblythe.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± the host suddenly eximed. ¡°Then let¡¯s ask our guest if he really asked toe!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s give a warm wee to-Egbert Reed!¡± The moment the name ¡°Egbert¡± was spoken, there was a long, deep silence from the stage to the audience. That silence continued until the screen door opened. A man in a simple grey sweater, with a stern face and tall figure, walked step by step out of the light. The silence continued to spread. A few secondster, there was a sudden surge of screams. Like a tidal wave, it was continuous! Screams and shouts of ¡°Egbert¡± echoed from the audience, their voices strained to the limit. The coaches, celebrity coaches, and other star guests all froze. Especially Aurora, she was ck- jawed, pale-faced, and couldn¡¯t believe her own eyes. Egbert was here. Why did hee? No, it couldn¡¯t be¡­ it couldn¡¯t be¡­ All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. The host¡¯s face was flushed with excitement. He stood nervously beside Egbert, offering the microphone, and cautiously asked, ¡°Mr. Reed, did you hear what Ms. Lopez just said?¡± The noble and stern man reached out with his long finger to take the microphone. His dark eyes swept over a Eileen among the celebrity coaches. Bringing the microphone to his lips, he simply said, ¡°Mhm.¡± The host asked again, ¡°What would you say about that?¡± Egbert¡¯s gaze remained fixated on Eileen¡¯s beautiful, delicate face. After a moment, he softly said, ¡°I have nothing to say.¡± After a pause, he added, ¡°Whatever she says goes. I never contradict her.¡± Chapter 128 Chapter 128 ¡°Wow!¡± The audience was suddenly all hyped up! The host, trembling with excitement, asked, ¡°So, you never ever contradict her? Is that true?¡± Egbert chuckled lightly with his gaze still fixed on Eileen. The host, taking a deep breath, turned to Eileen. ¡°Ms. Lopez, if I may ask, what¡¯s your rtionship with Mr. Reed?¡± Eileen picked up the microphone and coolly replied, ¡°I¡¯m his boss.¡± Seeing everyone fall silent, Eileen continued, ¡°If anyone bullies him, I¡¯ll step in and protect him. I also take him to collect his winnings, so being his boss shouldn¡¯t be a problem, right?¡± Egbert calmly said, ¡°Let¡¯s move on to the next segment.¡± The host stammered, trying to guide Egbert to his seat. Suddenly, he received a notification from the director through his earpiece. ¡°Put Egbert in the judges¡¯ seat. We paid him 500,000 for his appearance. He should be on camera more!¡± The host felt awkward, turned off his microphone and whispered into his earpiece, ¡°Director, isn¡¯t that inappropriate? The four coach seats were specially made, we can¡¯t just add one.¡± The director said, ¡°We can add one to the celebrity coach seats. He was invited by Eileen, so they can sit together. Just keep them chatting. We¡¯re arranging the seating.¡± The host resigned himself to the situation, turned his microphone back on, and continued chatting with Egbert. Egbert seemed oblivious to the behind-the-scenes maneuvers, and amiably chit-chatted with the host. Five minutester, the seating was arranged. The host personally invited Egbert to sit next to Eileen at the judges¡¯ table. Aurora couldn¡¯t help herself and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t the guest seat over there?¡± The host quickly exined, ¡°Well, actually, Mr. Reed isn¡¯t just Ms. Lopez¡¯s guest today. He¡¯s also our honored judge and award presenter! That¡¯s why he¡¯s sitting here!¡± The titles of honored judge and award presenter were obviously made up on the spot. But hey, they paid him a whopping 500,000, right? That was a cool half-a-million bucks! He was here, so why not make the most of his star power? Otherwise, wasn¡¯t that money just going to get wasted? Did you know how hard the director had to work to get that appearance fee approved? He almost had to beg at the door of the station head office! As Egbert calmly took his seat, the host announced the start of the stage performance. Just like the first performance, after each group dance, the coaches, and the celebrity coaches gave their reviews. Once the coaches finished their reviews, the audience started voting. The coaches¡¯ scores and the audience¡¯s votes arebined for the group¡¯s final score. Most of the morning performances went well. Until Hubery¡¯s group hit a snag. During their dance, two contestants started stepping on each other in a bid for the center spot. After the performance, both contestants started crying. One used the other of stealing her spot. The other contestant retorted that she was supposed to be in the lead to begin with, having practiced for five days. But the night before, the coach switched her out after a talk with the other girl. She found it unfair. This sparked a public argument! The cameras all zoomed in on coach Hubery. Hubery, holding his microphone, coldly told the switched-out contestant, ¡°I didn¡¯t switch you out because of someone¡¯sint. I watched your performance and thought you had problems with your steps as the lead.¡± The contestant straightened up and asked, ¡°So, she has no problems? I practiced the lead¡¯s steps for five days. But she was made the lead at thest minute and couldn¡¯t keep up. We had to reduce our movements to match her steps. Is that fair to us? Did we waste the past five days for nothing?¡± Hubery suddenly stood up, angrily saying, ¡°If you can¡¯t ept my decision, why did you join my team? I made adjustments after discussing with the dance teacher to improve the overall performance. If you have any issues, you could have talked to me privately. Did you consider the feelings of the other members when you caused this scene?¡± The contestant was left speechless. She covered her mouth and sobbed uncontrobly. Hubery sat back down and told the host, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the next group.¡± The host, microphone in hand, was about to wrap up the incident. Eileen suddenly interjected, ¡°You¡¯re Cecilia, right?¡± The sobbing girl looked up at Eileen, tears streaming down her face. Eileen looked at the contestant¡¯s information in front of her, paused for a moment, and said, ¡°You¡¯re a provincial street dance champion, and a city-level tap dance champion. You¡¯ve been dancing for nine years, won 12 provincial awards, six city-level awards, andst year, you were admitted to the top dance school in the province as the top freshman. Great achievements. But do you know why you were switched out?¡± All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Cecilia stared nkly at her. Hubery sensed something was off, frowned, and looked at Aurora, whose face turned serious. Eileen casually said, ¡°You were switched out because you chose the wrong coach.¡± Eileen chuckled. ¡°The girl next to you, the one who reced you, her name is Tania. She¡¯s Aurora¡¯s niece. So, Cecilia, do you still think it¡¯s unjust that you were reced?¡± Chapter 129 Chapter 129 In these talent shows, there were always some folks who got a bit of extra TLC. Hedy was the public favorite of this show, like everyone knew she was getting a little extra sugar from the producers. But while Hedy was hogging the spotlight, there was another dark horse in the mix. She was flying under the radar, gradually rising, and then boom! She skyrocketed to the top, taking everyone by surprise. That girl was Tania. Eileen actually knew Tania from way back. She recognized her right at the start of the show. But Tania didn¡¯t make any noticeable mistakes, either early on or during public performancester on, so Eileen kept her mouth shut. Why on earth would a star like Aurorae to this little talent show to be a coach? Obviously, she had to pave the way for her niece, Tania. Eileen knew Tania because she used to y second fiddle to her. In a web series, Tania was the leadingdy, and she was the supporting actress. After Tania made her debut, she shot to fame and started acting. On set, everyone knew Tania was Aurora¡¯s niece, and Tanja was quite proud of it. But this fact never saw the light of day in the media. You thought in the entertainment industry, with paparazzi everywhere, nothing stayed hidden? Wrong. The paparazzi only exposed those stars with no connections. If you had power and influence, even if you unted your secrets in front of the paparazzi, they wouldn¡¯t dare expose them for fear of offending the big money behind the stars. At the end of the day, it was a dog-eat-dog world. Back in the day, the rumors about Aurora and Mr. Chad, the general manager of the entertainment company, were all over the ce. The paparazzi, not wanting to tick off the big guy, turned a blind eye to Aurora. Did you think someone like Aurora had no skeletons in her closet? After all, even sweet little Bblythe couldn¡¯t stand her. After Eileen spilled the beans, the room was buzzing. The audience was absolutely pumped. The production team was scared out of their wits! Howe every time they taped, Eileen had to drop a bombshell?! Could they even continue with the show?! The production team quickly intervened. Aurora looked like she¡¯d swallowed a lemon, and Hubery was sweating bullets. In the end, he grabbed the mic and demanded, ¡°Ms. Lopez, do you have any proof to back up what you¡¯re saying?¡± Eileen shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t have any proof.¡± Hubery breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he had the moral high ground. ¡°Then please don¡¯t make unfounded usations!¡± Eileen just smiled. ¡°I may not have proof, but I trust Ms. Aurora. Aurora, why don¡¯t you tell us, is Tania your niece or not? If you say she isn¡¯t, I¡¯ll believe you.¡± Aurora turned pale as a ghost. She red at Eileen with a look that could kill. Her hands clenched into fists beneath the table. Eileen lounged back, a slight smile on her face. ¡°Go on, say she¡¯s not. I trust you, Aurora. I would never question your integrity.¡± ¡°Aurora¡­¡± Hubery mumbled at her side. Aurora shot him a re. Hubery knew very well that Tania was her niece, so why didn¡¯t he just make Tania the center from the get-go? Why did he wait until thest minute to switch and cause all this fuss? Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Well, he hadn¡¯t seen iting. He was a coach, sure, but he was also shooting a TV series. He wasn¡¯t really focused on the trainees, except when they were performing on stage. He was usually on s on set. He wasn¡¯t the only one. All four coaches were pretty hands-off. They had dance and singing instructors to handle the details. The only ones who were there all the time were the celebrity coaches, who were just small-time stars and not too busy. Hubery only found out that Tania wasn¡¯t in the center when he video called the dance instructor a couple of days ago. He panicked and made the sudden switch. ¡°Aurora, I¡¯m still waiting, Eileen prodded her impatiently when she didn¡¯t answer. Aurora gritted her teeth, knowing she couldn¡¯t deny it. If she did, and it waster revealed that she did have a connection with Tania, it¡¯d be like shooting herself in the foot. In the end, Aurora picked up the mic and said coldly, ¡°Tania is my niece, but I can honestly say that I never nned to give her any special treatment. I told her before I came that I wouldn¡¯t be able to help her much. If she wants to debut, she¡¯ll have to rely on her own abilities. She said she understood. Tania¡¯s always been a kid with a lot of backbone!¡± Eileen nodded. ¡°I see. As long as you say so, I¡¯m reassured. It seems you really haven¡¯t thought about favoring your own niece. It seems that Hubery, as a colleague of yours at the samepany, also hasn¡¯t thought about giving your niece any special treatment.¡± Eileen continued, ¡°It seerns Tania really did earn her spot in the center because of her own abilities. It seems all those dozens of titles Cecilia won were all fake. It seems our show is indeed fair and impartial. I¡¯m truly proud to be a part of such an inspiring and selfless show.¡± Before Eileen could finish, Egbert, from the side, couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer and burst outughing. When Egbertughed, the audience also burst outughing. Aurora and Hubery¡¯s faces tumed even grimmer. Eileen turned to Egbert, dead serious. ¡°Mr. Reed, what¡¯s the matter? How can youugh at our coaches, Aurora and Hubery? They¡¯ve worked so hard. They¡¯ve made up so many things to help their family. Isn¡¯t this irresponsible spirit something we should admire?¡± Egbert looked at Elleen helplessly, holding back hisughter. ¡°My apologies.¡± Elleen spoke seriously, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t apologize to me but to those two. Don¡¯t they have the right to help their family? Is there anything wrong with them favoring their own kin? I don¡¯t believe it. They did nothing wrong. Since they weren¡¯t punished, they must be right!¡± ¡°Eileen, are you finished yet?¡± Aurora was always proud of her status and had never quarreled with Eileen. But now, she was on the verge of losing it. Eileen coolly looked at her and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m done. The floor is all yours. Say whatever you want.¡± Aurora didn¡¯t look at anyone else. She held the microphone and just looked at Egbert. Her eyes reddened as she said in a choked voice, ¡°Mr. Reed, are you just going to stand there and let her bully me?¡± Aurora, seemingly mistreated, turned to Egbert first forfort. Suddenly, someone from the crowd shouted, ¡°Long live the Spring Couple!¡± Spring Couple was the name they got after starring in The Alley. Hearing the crowd¡¯s cheer, Aurora couldn¡¯t hold back her tears. The camera timely zoomed in on her face. Aurora was crying beautifully. As a professional actor, she could cry on cue. Her eyes were even more pitiful as she looked at Egbert. At this point, he picked up the microphone. He looked at Aurora and said calmly, ¡°Ms. Aurora, you must understand that no matter what happens, I will always stand with Eileen.¡± Then he added, ¡°Besides, shouldn¡¯t injustices be spoken out loud? Her courage to speak the truth is one of the reasons I like her so much.¡± Chapter 130 Chapter 130 ¡°You¡­?¡± Aurora was utterly taken aback. She stared at Egbert in disbelief, her whole face almost twisted. ¡°You¡­like her?¡± In the performance hall filled with hundreds of people, it was so quiet as if no one was there. The production crew had stopped working. Many surprised and confused eyes were all fixed on Egbert. They were trying to remember what they had just heard. They were confirming if they had heard wrong. No, they hadn¡¯t misheard. Egbert had indeed said¡­ He liked Eileen. God, was it for real¡­ Eileen was speechless. She picked up her microphone, looked at Aurora, and t out said, ¡°Only heard half of what I said? Can¡¯t understand the main point?¡± Aurora was taken aback, staring at her wide-eyed. Eileen scoffed, ¡°What he meant was, unjust things need to be spoken up. I did. That proves I¡¯m a straight shooter, a reliable and excellent youth with outstanding character. He likes such a moral character about me. Didn¡¯t you get it?¡± Aurora was speechless. Audience.went silent. Egbert was also speechless. After mocking Aurora, Eileen turned to the production crew, ¡°Don¡¯t cut this part. Record it separately. When I apply for the military academy next year, I¡¯ll show it to the examiner to prove that I¡¯m a good person. I should get extra points for moral conduct.¡± The Production Crew was speechless. Eileen then turned back to Aurora, ¡°So, Ms. Aurora, is this what you wanted to say? Faced with my usations of your favoritism and nepotism, all you managed toe up with is that I¡¯m the bully? Do you have a misunderstanding of the term ¡®bully¡±?¡± Aurora gripped her microphone tightly, coldly saying, ¡°Ms. Lopez, you sure have a way with words. I admit I¡¯m no match for you. So, I won¡¯t bother. Anyway, justice, is in the heart of the people.¡± Eileen apuded her on the spot, ¡°Well said, ¡®justice is in the heart of the people¡¯. You know that the production crew will cut this part out, so you don¡¯t even want to try to exin yourself. This level of shamelessness is absolutely breathtaking.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Aurora couldn¡¯t help but be angry. At this moment, Eileen directly pulled out her ¡°challenge¡± card exclusive to the celebrity coach. Waving the card, Eileen smiled and said, ¡°Eileen¡¯s team challenges Hubery¡¯s team. Karin, challenge Tania.¡± Aurora clenched her fist in anger, then slowly let go. So what if they challenged? If strength could guarantee sess, would Karin have been eliminated? ¡°Karin?¡± Egbert murmured, his brows furrowing slowly. Eileen didn¡¯t notice Egbert¡¯s reaction. She looked at Aurora¡¯s smug expression, and directly told the host, ¡°This time, I want to check the voting situation.¡± The moment she said this, the whole audience fell silent. Aurora was shocked. So was Hubery. Even the production crew and the host were shocked! Usually, after the audience votes, the staff tally up all the data and finally give a total vote count. That¡¯s how the first stage performance vote went. But now, Eileen had made a stunning request. She wanted to publicly verify the vote count. This meant that if the vote count was verified, each audience member¡¯s votes would be disyed directly on the big screen. As the staff counted the votes, the audience in the venue would also see it. In other words, if the vote count was verified, there was no way to tamper with the votes. Because once there was tampering, the audience would immediately notice. For example, if a vote was cast for a certain team, but the screen showed no vote, or if a vote was not cast for a certain team, but the screen showed a vote for that team. The production crew started to panic. The host stood there, dumbfounded for a moment. Aurora and Hubery were extremely tense. But Eileen was still smiling. She slowly looked at Aurora and lightly smiled, ¡°Ms. Aurora, you¡¯re innocent, right? You wouldn¡¯t be afraid of a public vote count, would you?¡± Aurora looked at Eileen, her eyes filled with anger and sorrow! At this moment, a member of the audience suddenly shouted, ¡°Public vote count!¡± Once one person shouted, many more followed. ¡°Public vote count!¡± ¡°Public vote count!!¡± For a moment, the audience¡¯s shouts nearly shook the roof off the hall. Egbert then picked up his microphone and calmly said, ¡°Everyone, please calm down. We have to trust the fairness of the production crew.¡± Eileen nodded, ¡°Mr. Reed is right. What could the production crew possibly be up to? Surely they wouldn¡¯t tamper with the votes. They¡¯re not that kind of people.¡± Finally, the executive producer urgently contacted the station manager. After a full five to six minutes of intermission, the host received instructions. He stammered, ¡°Due to the urgent request of our audience friends, we will conduct a public vote count for the followingpetition.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The audience immediately cheered. Aurora, however, was so anxious that she was ready to leave her seat. Hubery quickly held her back, ¡°Aurora¡­¡± Aurora pushed him away, ¡°What the hell is the production crew doing? How can they agree to a public vote count! They promised me! This is a betrayal! Aren¡¯t they afraid of offending Mr. Chad!¡± Hubery quickly said, ¡°Aurora, as you said, you¡¯re Mr. Chad¡¯s person. How dare the production crew offend Mr. Chad. This is clearly a favor to Egbert. But what does it matter? Tania¡¯s voting is already over, and she¡¯s secured one of the top three scores. So, even if they allow Eileen¡¯s team to publicly verify the votes, they can¡¯t possibly seed.¡± Aurora frowned, ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m sure,¡± Hubery confidently said. ¡°When it came to song selection, the main dance teacher said that the hardest song was given to Eileen¡¯s team. The song has a fast rhythm and many dance moves. Anyone without a dance background couldn¡¯t possibly learn it in a week.¡± ¡°In Eileen¡¯s team, aside from Karin, no one else can pull off that dance. If they want to make the final performance lookplete and graceful, they¡¯ll definitely have to dumb down the moves. We can use this as an excuse to lowball their scoreter!¡± Hearing this, Aurora seemed to rx a bit, saying, ¡°Alright.¡±. Fifteen minutester, Karin¡¯s team wrapped up their performance. With a poker face, Aurora dished out a low score, then threw a re at Hubery. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Hubery quickly followed suit and gave a low score. The next two coaches also chimed in with low scores. Then, the audience started voting. Aurora watched as the live vote count on the big screen kept climbing, her face growing increasingly sullen. The rule of the game was, each coach had ten votes, and each audience member had one. The scores for the two teams were totaled up. Tania¡¯s team got forty points from the coaches and four hundred eleven from the audience, making for a total of four hundred fifty-one points. Karin¡¯s team, on the other hand, got seventeen points from the coaches and four hundred ny-four from the audience, totaling five hundred eleven points. At this point, Karin¡¯s team had the highest overall score among all the teams that had performed so far. Meanwhile, Karin¡¯s team sessfully challenged Tania¡¯s team, and all members got a free pass back into the game. Tania¡¯s team failed, and the entire team was eliminated, being put on the alternate rmendation list. Chapter 131 Chapter 131 hapter 132 Egbert and Eileen decided to hit up the hotel restaurant for ate-night snack. Egbert wasn¡¯t particrly hungry. He just scooped a couple of shrimps into his bowl and started peeling them with gloves on. There was a TV in the private dining room, airing some celebrity news, covering today¡¯s stage performance events. The news reported that before a certain talent show kicked off today, some audience members started a live stream online, and surprisingly, Egbert was seen as a guest on the show. The news also mentioned that even though the live stream endedter, ording to the audience, there was a heated argument among several guests, including Eileen, Aurora and Hubery Cooper. But since all these reports were based on iplete information and without any video evidence, the media didn¡¯t have the full picture. So, we might have to wait until the show airs to find out what really happened. However, someizens thought that both Egbert¡¯s appearance and the argument among the guests might be publicity stunts to attract attention. Eileen kept watching the news until the next story came on. While munching on some barbecued meat, she asked Egbert, ¡°What time is your flight tomorrow?¡± Egbert had just finished peeling one shrimp. He dipped it in some sauce and handed it to Eileen. ¡°Five o¡¯clock,¡± he replied. Eileen paused for a moment, gave him a look, and then quickly devoured the shrimp. A smile finally appeared on her face. ¡°And what time are you getting up?¡± she asked. ¡°Around three.¡± Eileen frowned, thought for a moment, and then rang the bell on the table to call in a waiter. She ordered two more desserts to go. After the waiter left, Egbert finished peeling the other shrimp. He handed the shrimp to Eileen and asked, ¡°Are you still hungry?¡± ¡°No,¡± Eileen ate the shrimp and then replied, ¡°This is for you. The hotel doesn¡¯t start serving breakfast untilter, so you can have these desserts instead.¡± Egbert was stunned for a moment, thenughed. ¡°Thanks.¡± Then Eileen suddenly started eating at a rapid pace! When the desserts arrived, Eileen¡¯s cheeks were already stuffed full. After paying the bill, Eileen dragged Egbert straight to the elevator. Egbert¡¯s room was on the same floor as Eileen¡¯s. Eileen escorted Egbert to his room and handed him the desserts. She nced at the time on her phone, ignoring the 18 missed calls from Ophelia, and said, ¡°It¡¯s already half past twelve. You can still get a couple of hours of sleep. Get some rest.¡± Egbert held the desserts in one hand and used his other hand to wipe off some sauce from the corner of her mouth. Eileen just stood there, watching him. Egbert stared at Eileen, his fingertips gently brushing her cheek. ¡°I won¡¯t see you until next time¡­¡± he murmured. Eileen nodded coolly. ¡°Yeah, see you next time. Bye!¡± Egbert retracted his hand, turned around, and quietly closed the door. The next day, when Eileen woke up, Egbert was already gone. When Eileen looked at her phone again, she was surprised to find 39 missed calls from Ophelia. Eileen went to freshen up. When she came out in a change of clothes, Janice walked in with breakfast. Janice looked exhausted, her dark eye circles even darker than a panda¡¯s. Eileen started unwrapping her breakfast and advised her, ¡°You¡¯re young, but you need to look after your health. Don¡¯t stay upte, okay? It¡¯s bad for your health.¡± Janice walked over and grabbed Eileen by the throat. Eileen looked up at her, puzzled. Janice was furious ¡°Why do you think I stayed upte? It¡¯s all because of you! Eileen, just answer Ophelia¡¯s calls, please. I can¡¯t take it anymore. She¡¯s been yelling at me all night. I can¡¯t stand it!¡± ¡°You know what you¡¯re saying,¡± Eileen patted Janice¡¯s hand and said in aforted manner, ¡°but if I answered the phone, I would be the one who get scolded, right?¡± ¡°But it wasn¡¯t me who insulted Aurora and Hubery on stage. It was you!¡± Janice was on the verge of a breakdown. Eileen took a bite of a hot Mexican roll, and as she was chewing, she said, ¡°You know, you need to adjust your mindset. So what if Ophelia yells at you? Are you afraid of her? What¡¯s there to be afraid of? Is she so great just because she¡¯s a top-notch agent? Does she be great just because she¡¯s our employer? Nu matter how great she is, she still needs us to keep a low profile outside, right? So, from this perspective, she¡¯s not that scary¡­¡± Janice could only look at Eileen helplessly. ¡°If you¡¯re not afraid of Ophelia, why don¡¯t you answer the phone?¡± Eileen shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s a different story. Actually, my phone is out of battery.¡± r Janice was speechless. After breakfast, Eileen went to the practice room. In the practice room, two teachers and five contestants had already started practicing. Seeing Eileene in, the five contestants stopped and respectfully greeted, ¡°Ms. Lopez.¡± Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Eileen walked straight to a chair at the back, hands in her pockets, and casually said, ¡°Carry on, don¡¯t mind me.¡± The dance teacher pped her hands and signaled the contestants to continue dancing. Eileen observed the practice all morning. After lunch, she started sketching. In the afternoon, Eileen began directly instructing the contestants to correct their movements. Halfway through the training, someone knocked on the door from outside. Without even checking who it was, Eileen yelled, ¡°Beat it!¡± The staff member outside quickly scampered off. The staff member ran to the front door and told Ophelia, who couldn¡¯t enter without a staff card, ¡°Ophelia, Ms. Lopez is instructing the students, and doesn¡¯t allow for any interruptions.¡± Ophelia nodded seriously.. She pulled out a hundred dor bill from her pocket, handed it to the staff, and said, ¡°See the string on this? When you slip the money under the door, the moment Eileen goes to pick it up, you pull the string. Keep pulling and pulling as she tries to grab it. Just keep it up until you lure her out.¡± Chapter 132 Chapter 132 Egbert and Eileen decided to hit up the hotel restaurant for ate-night snack. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Egbert wasn¡¯t particrly hungry. He just scooped a couple of shrimps into his bowl and started peeling them with gloves on. There was a TV in the private dining room, airing some celebrity news, covering today¡¯s stage performance events. The news reported that before a certain talent show kicked off today, some audience members started a live stream online, and surprisingly, Egbert was seen as a guest on the show. The news also mentioned that even though the live stream endedter, ording to the audience, there was a heated argument among several guests, including Eileen, Aurora and Hubery Cooper. But since all these reports were based on iplete information and without any video evidence, the media didn¡¯t have the full picture. So, we might have to wait until the show airs to find out what really happened. However, someizens thought that both Egbert¡¯s appearance and the argument among the guests might be publicity stunts to attract attention. Eileen kept watching the news until the next story came on. While munching on some barbecued meat, she asked Egbert, ¡°What time is your flight tomorrow?¡± Egbert had just finished peeling one shrimp. He dipped it in some sauce and handed it to Eileen. ¡°Five o¡¯clock,¡± he replied. Eileen paused for a moment, gave him a look, and then quickly devoured the shrimp. A smile finally appeared on her face. ¡°And what time are you getting up?¡± she asked. ¡°Around three.¡± Eileen frowned, thought for a moment, and then rang the bell on the table to call in a waiter. She ordered two more desserts to go. After the waiter left, Egbert finished peeling the other shrimp. He handed the shrimp to Eileen and asked, ¡°Are you still hungry?¡± ¡°No,¡± Eileen ate the shrimp and then replied, ¡°This is for you. The hotel doesn¡¯t start serving breakfast untilter, so you can have these desserts instead.¡± Egbert was stunned for a moment, thenughed. ¡°Thanks.¡± Then Eileen suddenly started eating at a rapid pace! When the desserts arrived, Eileen¡¯s cheeks were already stuffed full. After paying the bill, Eileen dragged Egbert straight to the elevator. Egbert¡¯s room was on the same floor as Eileen¡¯s. Eileen escorted Egbert to his room and handed him the desserts. She nced at the time on her phone, ignoring the 18 missed calls from Ophelia, and said, ¡°It¡¯s already half past twelve. You can still get a couple of hours of sleep. Get some rest.¡± Egbert held the desserts in one hand and used his other hand to wipe off some sauce from the corner of her mouth. Eileen just stood there, watching him. Egbert stared at Eileen, his fingertips gently brushing her cheek. ¡°I won¡¯t see you until next time¡­¡± he murmured. Eileen nodded coolly. ¡°Yeah, see you next time. Bye!¡± Egbert retracted his hand, turned around, and quietly closed the door. The next day, when Eileen woke up, Egbert was already gone. When Eileen looked at her phone again, she was surprised to find 39 missed calls from Ophelia. Eileen went to freshen up. When she came out in a change of clothes, Janice walked in with breakfast. Janice looked exhausted, her dark eye circles even darker than a panda¡¯s. Eileen started unwrapping her breakfast and advised her, ¡°You¡¯re young, but you need to look after your health. Don¡¯t stay upte, okay? It¡¯s bad for your health.¡± Janice walked over and grabbed Eileen by the throat. Eileen looked up at her, puzzled. Janice was furious ¡°Why do you think I stayed upte? It¡¯s all because of you! Eileen, just answer Ophelia¡¯s calls, please. I can¡¯t take it anymore. She¡¯s been yelling at me all night. I can¡¯t stand it!¡± ¡°You know what you¡¯re saying,¡± Eileen patted Janice¡¯s hand and said in aforted manner, ¡°but if I answered the phone, I would be the one who get scolded, right?¡± ¡°But it wasn¡¯t me who insulted Aurora and Hubery on stage. It was you!¡± Janice was on the verge of a breakdown. Eileen took a bite of a hot Mexican roll, and as she was chewing, she said, ¡°You know, you need to adjust your mindset. So what if Ophelia yells at you? Are you afraid of her? What¡¯s there to be afraid of? Is she so great just because she¡¯s a top-notch agent? Does she be great just because she¡¯s our employer? Nu matter how great she is, she still needs us to keep a low profile outside, right? So, from this perspective, she¡¯s not that scary¡­¡± Janice could only look at Eileen helplessly. ¡°If you¡¯re not afraid of Ophelia, why don¡¯t you answer the phone?¡± Eileen shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s a different story. Actually, my phone is out of battery.¡± r Janice was speechless. After breakfast, Eileen went to the practice room. In the practice room, two teachers and five contestants had already started practicing. Seeing Eileene in, the five contestants stopped and respectfully greeted, ¡°Ms. Lopez.¡± Eileen walked straight to a chair at the back, hands in her pockets, and casually said, ¡°Carry on, don¡¯t mind me.¡± The dance teacher pped her hands and signaled the contestants to continue dancing. Eileen observed the practice all morning. After lunch, she started sketching. In the afternoon, Eileen began directly instructing the contestants to correct their movements. Halfway through the training, someone knocked on the door from outside. Without even checking who it was, Eileen yelled, ¡°Beat it!¡± The staff member outside quickly scampered off. The staff member ran to the front door and told Ophelia, who couldn¡¯t enter without a staff card, ¡°Ophelia, Ms. Lopez is instructing the students, and doesn¡¯t allow for any interruptions.¡± Ophelia nodded seriously.. She pulled out a hundred dor bill from her pocket, handed it to the staff, and said, ¡°See the string on this? When you slip the money under the door, the moment Eileen goes to pick it up, you pull the string. Keep pulling and pulling as she tries to grab it. Just keep it up until you lure her out.¡± Chapter 133 Chapter 133 The staff was confused, what kind of trick was this? Would anyone really track down a potentially fake bill all the way from the fourth floor to the first? Ten minutester. The staff was looking nkly at Eileen in the first floor lobby. Eileen finally found the bill, she picked it up satisfyingly, folded it, and put it in her pocket. The staff was speechless. ¡°Eileen picked up the money, and was thrilled. Just as she was about to turn back to the training room, someone suddenly sprang from her right. She froze and instinctively got into a defensive stance. The next second, her ear was tugged. Ophelia¡¯s roaring voice echoed in her ear, ¡°Try ignoring my calls again!¡± When Eileen saw Ophelia, she was horrified and immediately shouted, ¡°It hurts!¡± ¡°You deserve it! You unlucky kid!¡± Ophelia grit her teeth. 1 Ophelia had personallye to apologize to the show¡¯s executive producer over yesterday¡¯s stage performance mishap. While Ophelia was apologizing, Eileen was standing in a corner as punishment. While speaking to Ophelia, the executive producer couldn¡¯t help but nce at Eileen, He was surprised to see Eileen behaving so well for the first time. It was like she was a changed person. The executive producer actually knew Ophelia. They moved in the same circles and were bound to have crossed paths before. Ophelia¡¯s apology was sincere, making the executive producer, feel a bit awkward. In fact, when they invited Eileen, Aurora, and Hubery to the show, their intentions weren¡¯tpletely pure. Now that things have blown up, they can¡¯t entirely me Eileen. After saying some forgiving words and shaking hands, the executive producer personally saw Ophelia off. After the executive producer left, Eileen tried to sneak out. Ophelia immediately shouted, ¡°Stop right there!¡± Eileen immediately stopped and turned around, tears welling up in her eyes. Ophelia was taken aback. Seeing Eileen crying, she was surprised, ¡°Why are you¡­¡± ¡°Ophelia, you¡¯re not going to dock my pay, are you?¡± Eileen was very upset. Ophelia held her head in her hands, her voice involuntarily softened, ¡°Luckily the show was understanding, but you really pissed off Aurora this time.¡±¡± Eileen mumbled, ¡°She started it.¡± Ophelia nodded, ¡°Her behavior was wrong, everyone knows that, but she¡¯s high up there, so try to avoid conflict with her in the future.¡± Eileen didn¡¯t say anything, but her eyes reddened even more. She asked again, ¡°So are you going to dock my pay?¡± Ophelia sighed, ¡°No, I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Eileen blinked and the tears in her eyes vanished instantly. She had been crying, but it was all an act. Ophelia was furious, she knew she shouldn¡¯t show this little girl any kindness! Ophelia said irritably, ¡°Forget it, you can go now, I need to leave too!¡± Eileen obediently waved goodbye, ¡°Bye, Ophelia.¡± Ophelia looked at Eileen again, remembering her picking up the money earlier. She remained silent for a while, then took out her phone and transferred Eileen $200. Eileen looked at the transaction on her phone and was stunned. Ophelia said sternly, ¡°Work hard, I hope you can help me buy a house in the future!¡± If the artist earns more, the manager gets a higher cut. So far, Eileen had earned over $20,000 for Ophelia. And in the entertainment industry, some very sessful artists¡¯ managers get a hefty cut too. For instance, Egbert had been managed by Gilbert since his debut. Over the years, as Egbert gained fame and fortune, Gilbert became a well-known rich man in the entertainment industry. Rumor had it, Gilbert¡¯s worth as a manager was over 60 milli So, Gilbert usually treated Egbert as carefully as a treasure. Ophelia looked at Eileen again who was staring at her phone bnce in surprise. Ophelia thought to herself, if she could amass a fortune of 60 million in the future, giving Eileen $200, or even $2 million, would be a drop in the bucket! The third stage performance was approaching, and Eileen was training the contestants rigorously every day. Then one day, she suddenly received a call from director Lenwood. Lenwood sounded excited, he told her that Fancy Ind was about to air online. Eileen was thrilled to hear this. Fancy Ind was the first TV show she filmed after hereback, and she was the lead. Although it was a web drama, she had a great time filming it. Lenwood was a responsible director, he was a student of Galen. Thanks to Lenwood¡¯s rmendation, Eileen got the chance to audition for Galen¡¯s movie. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Eileen asked enthusiastically, ¡°Do I need to do anything?¡± Lenwood said, ¡°No, we¡¯re a low-budget production and didn¡¯t set aside funds for promotion.¡± Eileen said, ¡°I can tweet about it to help with the promotion.¡± Lenwood got startled and quickly said, ¡°No, don¡¯t! Don¡¯t let anyone know you¡¯re in this show¡­ Eileen, I checked your Twitter before calling you¡­ you have way too many haters.¡± Lenwood advised, ¡°I just wanted to tell you that you really don¡¯t need to do anything. We can¡¯t afford paid posters to control the reviews. If your haterse to criticize the plot and give us bad reviews, we won¡¯t be able to survive! What do you think?¡± Eileen was disappointed and could only say softly, ¡°Then I won¡¯t tell anyone Fancy Ind is my show¡­¡­¡± Lenwood was pleased, ¡°That¡¯s the spirit, that¡¯s the biggest contribution you could make for our crew.¡±¡± The day ¡°Fancy Ind¡± premiered, eight episodes quietly dropped online. Eileen, thinking it was her own show, bit the bullet and paid for a subscription to the streaming site! Since the show had just premiered, there were hardly any After watching the first three episodes from start to finish, Eileen saw only threements. ¡°Here it is!¡± ¡°Here it is!¡± ¡°Here it is!¡± Thesements appeared at the beginning of each episode. Eileen had reason to suspect that these were all posted by the same person, probably Lenwood. Eileen felt sad. So, she also left ament at the beginning of each episode. ¡°So good!¡± ¡°So good!¡± ¡°So good!¡± After finishing the three episodes, Eileen checked the time. It was already veryte. Considering she had a dance ss to teach the next day, so she had to go to bed first. On the other side, at 3 AM. Egbert had just finished a night shoot and was sitting in the car on the way home, resting with his eyes closed, when he overheard the director in the front seat on the phone. ¡°It¡¯s already online? Alright, Lenwood, I¡¯ll leave ament in a bit. What¡¯s it called again¡­ Fancy Ind? Okay, got it.¡± At this point, the man in the back seat opened his eyes. Egbert took out his phone and started searching for ¡°Fancy Ind¡±. At 5:30 in the morning, Egbert¡¯s fans, either those who hadn¡¯t slept or those who were early risers, were surprised to see that their idol Egbert had updated his rarely-used Twitter. The tweet contained only one photo, not of Egbert, but of a woman in a traditional long dress. The woman in the photo looked smart and beautiful, dressed in a pale blue dress. She had clear blue decorations on her head, and she sat by a stream. As she turned her head, the golden sunlight filtered through the leaves and shone on her immacte cheek, like a butterfly dancing. The breeze blew, her hair fluttered, the sun shone brightly, she was extremely lively. She was as beautiful as a fairy who didn¡¯t eat the food of mortals, descended from heaven¡­. Minutester, the tweet had already received over 7,000ments. Topment: [It¡¯s Eileen!!!!!!] Second topment: [Oh my god!!! Eileen is so beautiful!] Third topment: [Egbert doesn¡¯t update his Twitter, and when he does, it¡¯s to post a photo of Eileen??] Fourth topment: [Long live E&E?] Chapter 134 Chapter 134 Eileen only found out what happened after she was woken up by Janice the next morning. Online, the trending topic ¡°E&E¡± had climbed to the top. Still groggy, Eileen clicked to see.. Egbert¡¯stest tweet, a still from her show, had already been retweeted 110,000 times and had 190,000 comments. Janice pointed out a fewments to Eileen, ¡°It¡¯s saying around here, ¡®E&E¡¯ is your cp name!¡± ¡°Actually, since ¡®E&E¡¯ appeared, there¡¯ve been more male fans. The music in your ship promo video is so bombastic!¡± ncing at the time, Janice closed her mouth and got up, ¡°I¡¯m grabbing breakfast.¡± As soon as Janice left, Eileen logged into her Twitter ount and retweeted Egbert¡¯s tweet. Queen Eileen: [#E&E# Bro, when your new movie premieres, I¡¯ll stand on my head and wash my hair to cheer you on!!!] After this retweet, Eileen¡¯sment section was quickly invaded by haters. -[First toment!] -[Darn it, I¡¯m second!] -[You changed your username back again, how long will itst this time? Five minutes?] [What¡¯s the big deal about retweeting others? Start a new thread so I can roast you, hurry up!] -[Only a hundredments in five minutes, you¡¯re too slow. Can¡¯t afford paid posters?) -[Eileen is trash, Eileen is trash, Eileen is trash!] [Man, she just tweeted, why are all these haters cursing her? Are other haters keyboard-less?] Eileen didn¡¯t respond to thements. After tweeting, she logged out of Twitter before Ophelia could hijack her ount. Opening WhatsApp, Eileen sent a thank you message to Egbert. Egbert was probably busy and didn¡¯t reply. Eileen didn¡¯t mind and clicked into the Fancy Ind streaming site while she still had time. The web drama that had only a few dozen views before she went to sleep yesterday had actually surpassed 40 million views. Eileen opened the first episode again, the beginning which only had twoments yesterday, now had a sea ofments. -[Twitter sightseeing group.] -[E&E sightseeing group.] -[Everyone,e and see, Eileen¡¯s cross-dressing!] -[Gosh, I came for Eileen, but who¡¯s this beauty at the beginning? Totally smitten!] -[Ah, so beautiful, so beautiful, so beautiful!!!] -Truth be told, Eileen¡¯s looks are fine, I don¡¯t understand why so many people attack her¡­] Eileen didn¡¯t want to read thesements anymore. She moved the progress bar to the end, wanting to see if there were anyments discussing the plot or characters. Sure enough, there werements discussing the leads. [The male lead is so handsome!] -[I love the male lead too much, he shouldn¡¯t be with the female lead, it¡¯s not worth it, the female lead is Eileen in disguise, but Eileen¡¯s a guy!] [The male lead¡¯s coughing up blood, feels like my heart¡¯s breaking too! Oh no, herees the female lead, I¡¯m always afraid her next line will be ¡®get up, you¡¯re so weak, is that all you¡¯ve got?¡¯] Eileen felt that Lenwood¡¯s worries weren¡¯t unfounded, she really did have a lot of haters. Once Janice came back, Eileen stopped reading thements. After eating breakfast, she went to the training room. Just as she got to the training room, her phone rang. It was from Egbert. Egbert: Just finished an early scene.] Eileen hummedly replied: [Thanks for promoting my new show, the views are about to explode!] Egbert¡¯s side showed ¡°typing¡­¡± But two minutes passed without a reply. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Another two minutester, he finally replied: [Your new show is good.] Chapter 135 Chapter 135 Eileen and Egbert didn¡¯t chat for long before they got to the training room to start teaching the contestants some dance moves. In two days, it would be the third stage performance. Word on the street was that the show was supposed to air right after the third performance. After a whole morning of practice, it was time for an afternoon break. Eileen then got a call from Lenwood. On the phone, Lenwood sounded super sweet. ¡°Eileen, our show is a hit!¡± Eileen was thrilled, ¡°I saw it! The views is over 40 million!¡± ¡°More than that, including this morning, it¡¯s already over a hundred million!¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Eileen was totally taken aback. She hadn¡¯t checked her phone all morning. Lenwood then brought up the interview. Eileen was stumped, ¡°What interview?¡± Lenwood exined, ¡°It¡¯s just a casual interview. You and Bartley are invited. No need for on-site interview, just a video call will do. It¡¯s mainly about funny stories during filming. Just chit-chat to hype up the show.¡± Eileen immediately cheered up, ¡°Huh, you said you didn¡¯t want anyone to know I directed the show.¡± Lenwood quicklyforted her, ¡°No no, things are different now. Who knew you had such a huge influence!¡± Even Egbert was affected! Lenwood then sweet-talked Eileen a bunch before settling on a time for the interview that night. At 5:30 in the evening, Simon was already seated in his study, ready for the video interview. However, when he looked up, the sofa opposite him was already filled with people. Simon was speechless, ¡°¡­Just watch, please stay quiet.¡± Simon and Sawyer¡¯s mother, Sonia was sitting there holding Isabel, feeding her ice cream. Sonia looked up at Simon, sounding annoyed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t make a sound Isabel, sitting in Sonia¡¯sp, raised her hand and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be ¨¤ good girl, I won¡¯t disturb Simon!¡± Simon gave his cousin Isabel a smile andplimented, ¡°You¡¯re the best.¡± At that moment, Chad Lopez handed Isabel a slice of peeled apple. Isabel reached out to take it, but Sonia stopped her. Sonia gave Chad a displeased look and told Isabel, ¡°I¡¯ll peel the apple for you.¡± Chad pulled back the apple seeing that Isabel didn¡¯t want it, nning to eat it himself. Suddenly, Sawyer came over, smiling, ¡°Chad, I want one.¡± ¡°You wish!¡± Chad kicked Sawyer away, then turned his head to check the clock, asking Simon, ¡°Why hasn¡¯t it started yet?¡± Simon replied, feeling dejected, ¡°Chad, the interview is scheduled to start at six.¡± Chad started munching on the apple and stopped talking. At that moment, ke Lopez came in from outside. ke had just been out for a smoke, still smelling of tobo. He put down his phone and said, ¡°I¡¯ve told dad, the video will be streamed to him, he can watch it from there.¡± Sawyer was astonished, ¡°Isn¡¯t it still early morning over there?¡± ke just gave Sawyer a deadpan look. Sawyer immediately shut up. Well, it made sense. Eileen was about to have a video chat with Simon, whether it was early morning orte night, Derek Lopez would be up to watch. Finally, it was six o¡¯clock. Under the watchful eyes of his family, Simon sessfully started the video chat. It was a group video chat. There would be three video frames on the screen, one for the host, one for Simon, and one for Eileen. Once the video chat started, Simon only saw his own frame and a stranger who was the host. Eileen¡¯s frame waspletely dark. Simon was somewhat puzzled, ¡°Eileen¡­ hasn¡¯t Ms. Lopez arrived yet?¡± The host, looking at the notes in his hand, replied, ¡°We¡¯ve made a call, Ms. Lopez said she would be here In a moment, oh¡­¡± The host suddenly stopped speaking. Simon was also frozen. Instead of Eileen, a middle-aged man with a scar on his face and a cigarette in his mouth appeared in thest lit video frame! His face was so big that the host and Simon could even see the nose hairs under his nostrils! Simon was at a loss for words. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. So was the host. The rest of the Lopez family and Derek, who was oversea, were all speechless. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s working now!¡± A few secondster, the middle-aged man in the video frame backed off. He took a puff of his cigarette and said to the young girl in a mask behind him, ¡°It¡¯s fine now, this camera works.¡± The girl in the mask checked it and nodded, ¡°Then it¡¯s your equipment that had a problem. It held me up for five minutes. The five minutes are on the house, okay?¡± The middle-aged man was taken aback, ¡°It was just five minutes¡­ The masked girl said, ¡°Just let me dy for five minutes, okay? I still have to apologize to my friend.¡± The middle-aged man seemed helpless and could only say, ¡°Alright, you young people are crafty.¡± After the middle-aged man left, Eileen took off her mask and sat in theputer chair. She looked at the camera and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for keeping you waiting. There was an issue with the camera, the network administrator helped me rece the device.¡± The host in the video chat was dumbfounded. He stammered, ¡°¡­ Are you at an inte cafe?¡± Eileen replied, ¡°Yes.¡± The host was very surprised. Simon was also confused, ¡°Eileen¡­ Ms. Lopez, why would you go to an inte cafe?¡± Eileen looked at Simon who seemed to be at home in the camera and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have aputer. My phone might overheat if I keep the video on too long, so I hired a private inte cafe booth. Let¡¯s start the interview, I only rented the booth for an hour. Once time¡¯s up, I have to leave. I won¡¯t pay for an extension for this spot!¡± Eileen was eager to get started. Although the host still found the situation very strange, he had to start the interview and ask questions. As Lenwood put it, the interview was all small potatoes. Eileen had a way with words when answering questions. Once the hour-long interview ended, Eileen left the video call right away. When her camera went off, the host and Simon were left staring at each other, speechless. Finally, the host cleared his throat and said, ¡°Mr. Bartley, I¡¯m gonna leave too, catch youter.¡± After the host left, Simon breathed a sigh of relief and exited the video call. Just as he exited, he saw ke and Derek on the phone. ke sounded confused, ¡°I¡¯m as lost as you are¡­ Why doesn¡¯t she have aputer? Her phone might be too old, video calls can cause it to overheat¡­ Dad, chill out, I¡¯ll figure out what¡¯s up¡­ ming me won¡¯t help, wasn¡¯t Egbert supposed to take care of this? How would I know that Egbert didn¡¯t get Eileen aputer!¡± Meanwhile, Chad was on the phone with his subordinate, ¡°Any excuse will do, just get Eileen the best computer out there, oh, and a phone, thetest model, it has to be thetest!¡± When Eileen got back to her hotel from the Inte caf¨¦, her phone suddenly blew up with a bunch of text messages. The texts said she¡¯d won a grand prize and all she had to do was fill in her address to receive a computer and a phone, delivered right to her doorstep. ¡°Pfft.¡± Eileen rolled her eyes, hit delete, and blocked the number. What era did they think this was, did these scammers really think they could still fool people with these outdated tricks? Did she look like some easy mark? Chapter 136 Chapter 136 Eileen got back to the hotel and found Janice in her room, clutching her phone and wiping her tears with tissue. Two boxes of food sat on the table. Eileen frowned and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up? Did someone mess with you?¡± Janice sniffled, raising her phone, ¡°No one¡¯s messing with me, Eileen. I was watching this show, Fancy Ind. It¡¯s just too heartbreaking, I feel so bad for the main guy.¡± Eileen forced a smile. She sat down next to Janice, opened up one of the food boxes, and said while eating, ¡°I think it¡¯s alright. I didn¡¯t feel it was particrly tragic when I was shooting.¡± 1 Janice pouted, ¡°But the guy¡¯s backstory is so sad. I hope the female lead can cure him soon. Do you know when they¡¯re gonna get together, Eileen?¡± After thinking for a moment, Eileen said, ¡°Probably at the end of the series.¡± Janice fell silent for a while. Then, Eileen¡¯s phone buzzed. She saw it was another prize-winning message, but from a different number this time. ¡°These scamming teams are getting bolder and bolder,¡± Eileen was a bit upset. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Janice asked curiously, ¡°What happened?¡± Eileen showed her the message, ¡°I got a text saying I won a phone and aputer. Problem is, I didn¡¯t enter any raffles. How could I possibly win?¡± Janice smirked, ¡°Just a phone and aputer? I got a scam message the other day saying I won a beachfront vi. They wanted me to enter my ID number to verify my identity and im the property.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t fill that out, did you?¡± Eileen asked. Janice replied, ¡°Of course not. Who would fall for these online scams nowadays?¡± Eileen nodded, blocked the number, and said, ¡°It¡¯s a ¡®prize trap¡¯. Best case, you leak some personal info. Worst case, they ask you to pay some fees or taxes to collect your prize. Once you¡¯ve transferred the money, they vanish.¡± Janice agreed, ¡°Yeah, and there are those fake fund and investment scams. They im high returns, ask you to register online. You see your ount bnce increasing every day, but you can¡¯t actually withdraw any of it. It¡¯s just numbers, tricking you into depositing more money.¡± Eileen nodded, ¡°There are many other online scamming tactics¡­¡± Most popr online scams exploit people¡¯s desire for a quick buck. Spending a certain amount at the supermarket gets you into a raffle. The little toys you win could even be used as keychains. But such sudden fortune is almost certainly fake. Only fools would believe it! Eileen and Janice chatted while eating. After finishing the food, Eileen went to clean up and rest early. Meanwhile, something else was happening elsewhere. Chad was smoking nonstop. He¡¯d already gone through three cigarettes. Finally, one of his subordinates called. He informed Chad that another number had been blocked. Chad furrowed his brows, ¡°How¡¯s that possible? I was giving Eileen aputer and a phone. How could she reject that?¡± ke, sitting on a sofa across the room, asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t we just send it to her hotel instead of using the prize message?¡± Chad looked at ke, ¡°And if she asks where the items came from, what do we say?¡± ke suggested, ¡°We say they¡¯re from the show¡¯s production team.¡± Chad shook his head, ¡°We need tomunicate with the production team first. Otherwise, if Eileen asks them, they¡¯ll expose our lie.¡± ke said, ¡°Then let¡¯s talk to the production team.¡± Chad lit another cigarette, worriedly said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you guys say we should keep a low profile? If we talk to them, others will know, and word will get to Eileen sooner orter.¡± ke sighed helplessly, ¡°So we can¡¯t do anything.¡± After a few puffs, Chad suddenly suggested, ¡°How about we ask Egbert?¡± ke didn¡¯t want to contact Egbert. He¡¯d just been scolded by his father Derek for Egbert¡¯s mistake. But Egbert was the one who knew Eileen the best. In the end, Chad called Egbert. Egbert was on set: He took the call during a break. ¡°You¡¯re asking how to give her something without raising suspicion and without her doubting where it came from, right?¡± Egbert asked calmly. Chad said, ¡°Yes, any good ideas?¡± Egbert paused, then suggested, ¡°Dump it in a trash can. She¡¯ll pick it up when she walks by.¡± Chad couldn¡¯t believe it, ¡°Seriously? She¡¯d pick up trash?¡± The next day, Chad waspletely dumbfounded when he received a call from his subordinate. The subordinate reported, ¡°The items were ced on top of a public trash can on the hotel¡¯s first floor. She circled it for ten minutes to make sure no one wasing to get it, then asked the front desk about it. They told her the items were broken and discarded by a guest. She then confidently took them.¡± Chad couldn¡¯t believe Eileen would pick up trash. He felt like crying. He sighed deeply and said wearily, ¡°It¡¯s fine. At least the items reached her. Let it be. The subordinate said, ¡°The items did reach her, but she sold them to a second-hand store after fixing them.¡± Chad took another deep breath, ¡°Well, picked-up items aren¡¯t hygienic. It¡¯s better she sold them. Did she get enough money for a newputer and phone?¡± The subordinate said, ¡°No, she just kept the money.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± the subordinate added. Chad quickly asked, ¡°What?¡± The subordinate said, ¡°But she¡¯s been hanging around that trash can whenever she has spare time. She even made a special trip back to the hotel after lunch today. and stood by the trash can for over half an hour before leaving.¡± Chad was beat, he rubbed his head, took a hot minute to get his bearings, then muttered, ¡°Book me a flight.¡± Today, Eileen made a pretty penny, she was over the moon. In the dance studio, Eileen was unusually all sweetness and light, it scared the bejesus out of the five people. Today was thest training before the third stage performance. By nightfall, they were gonna start the dress rehearsal. Before the dress rehearsal, Eileen bumped into Aurora backstage. Aurora was fixing Tania¡¯s hair. She nced at Eileen as she walked by. Eileen paid her no attention and headed off with her crew. ¡°Ms. Lopez.¡± Aurora suddenly stopped her. As soon as Aurora spoke, the noisy backstage went quiet, everyone turned their heads. Eileen stuffed her hands into her pockets, turned & raised an eyebrow at Aurora. Aurora had a smile on her face, ¡°I reckon there¡¯s some misunderstanding between us.¡± Eileen hummed nonchntly, ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Aurora chuckled again, ¡°I was hoping we could clear the air, but I guess there won¡¯t be a chance for that. Because, after tomorrow, you¡¯ll be out of the picture for good.¡± Chapter 137 Chapter 137 After Aurora said that, the atmosphere backstage immediately got tense. Karin just came out of the dressing room and heard that sentence. This usually introverted short-haired girl stood in the eerily quiet backstage and suddenly spoke up, ¡°Are you trying to get rid of Ms. Lopez?¡± All eyes turned to Karin. Aurora looked at Karin and sneered, ¡°I¡¯m not trying to get rid of her. It¡¯s our investors who are not happy with Ms. Lopez¡¯s behavior.¡± ¡°Investors?¡± Karin frowned. ¡°Karin,¡± Eileen called out softly, ¡°Go get ready for your rehearsal.¡± Karin was no longer a member of Eileen¡¯s team. After advancing, she returned to the four coaches. She was now a peaceful student of a coach who didn¡¯tpete for anything. Looking at Eileen, Karin said anxiously, ¡°Ms. Lopez, I¡­¡± ¡°Listen to me.¡± Eileen cut her off, then looked at Aurora with a sneer, ¡°Last time you used your connections to kick me out of Traveller 5+1, you want to do it again this time?¡± Aurora looked at Eileen arrogantly, ¡°You can say whatever you want.¡± Eileen calmly said, ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll seed this time.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± Auroraughed, ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see then.¡± After the rehearsal that night, it was almost one in the morning. Eileen let the students go rest, and she also returned to the hotel.. In the hotel room, Janice had already heard about the backstage incident. She said to Eileen, ¡°I told Ophelia about this, and Ophelia told the chairman. The chairman personally called the TV station director. The director said Aurora did pressure them, but they haven¡¯t given her a clear response yet, because they haven¡¯t received a call from her sugar daddy.¡± Eileen pursed her lips slightly, ¡°Since Aurora dares to provoke me like this, it means that her sugar daddy¡¯s call wille sooner orter. Who is her sugar daddy?¡± Janice checked the memo on her phone and said, ¡°It¡¯s Mr. Chad, the CEO of Echelon Media Enterprises.¡± Eileen frowned, ¡°He¡¯s indeed a big shot.¡± Mr. Chad, Eileen had heard this name before. Hisst name was not clear, but his first name was very well-known. He was a top dog in the entertainment industry, even someone as powerful as Egbert Reed had to give him some respect. Janice was a bit worried, ¡°Eileen, are we really going to be driven away by this wicked Aurora?¡± ¡°Who said that?¡± Eileen sneered. Late at night, Eileen went to an inte cafe again. She stayed there for two hours. When she left, her face looked much more rxed. The next day was the third stage performance day. Early in the morning, Chad got a call from Bernie in the car. Chad was usually very busy and had handed over all the affairs of Echelon Media Enterprises to Bernie. On the other end of the phone, Bernie sounded very anxious, ¡°Mr. Chad, ourpany¡¯s server has been attacked. When the staff started working this morning, they found that all theputers had been infected by a virus. The virus message is a sentence, saying you should check your email.¡± Chad was startled, ¡°Email?¡± Bernie said, ¡°Yes, do you want to check your email now?¡± Chad squinted his eyes and exited the call screen. He opened the work email of Echelon Media Enterprises. Sure enough, there was an email in his inbox. After reading the email, Chad burst intoughter. Bernie asked in confusion, ¡°What¡¯s up, Mr. Chad?¡± Chad said, ¡°Aurora¡¯s opponent found a dozen scandals about her. They said that if Aurora doesn¡¯t quit the talent show today, they will expose all these scandals.¡± Bernie was shocked, ¡°What should we do¡­¡± Chad casually said, ¡°Let them expose it if they want. I thought it was a big deal. I remember that Aurora¡¯s contract with thepany is almost done. We don¡¯t n to renew it anyway. What does it matter to me what happens to her then?¡± Bernie understood and said, ¡°Yes, I know what to do.¡± After hanging up the phone, Chad was about to put the phone back when he got another call. It was from Aurora. After hanging up, Chad directly cklisted this number. After the contract expires, they won¡¯t even have an employment rtionship, so why should he keep Aurora¡¯s number? In the backstage lounge of the show, Aurora was getting her makeup done and asked her assistant, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Haven¡¯t you got through yet? Why is it taking so long?¡± The assistant was so anxious that he was sweating, ¡°It keeps saying the line is busy or out of service.¡± Aurora frowned, ¡°Might be he¡¯s on a ne.¡± Saying that, she turned to the show¡¯s director and said, ¡°He¡¯s too busy with work, often has to travel, and his phone is often unreachable.¡± The director looked embarrassed, ¡°Ms. Aurora, actually Ms. Lopez didn¡¯t do anything wrong¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention her.¡± Aurora¡¯s face suddenly turned serious, ¡°I said yesterday, either she leaves today or I do, you decide.¡± The director scratched his head, ¡°Maybe you should try contacting Mr. Chad again. We don¡¯t have the authority to deal with this. If Mr. Chad can intervene, it would be easier for us to negotiate with the station¡¯s director¡­¡± Aurora nced at her assistant. The assistant shook his head, indicating that he still hadn¡¯t got through. Aurora frowned, ¡°Don¡¯t you trust me? Do you know that if I say a word in front of Mr. Chad, your TV station will be in trouble¡­¡± ¡°Ms. Aurora!¡± Out of nowhere, another assistant of Aurora¡¯s dashed over. ¡°Ms. Aurora! Mr. Chad¡¯s here!¡± ¡°What?¡± Aurora sprung up from her chair, her face lit up with joy. ¡°Mr. Chad¡¯s here? Where?¡± ¡°Right outside!¡± Aurora hastily hiked up her skirt and hustled out. Eileen was busy adjusting the contestants¡¯ costumes in therge dressing room when she heard the excited shouts from outside. ¡°Mr. Chad is here¡­ Aurora¡¯s boyfriend¡­ He¡¯s so handsome, yeah, right outside.¡± Eileen paused, squinting her eyes. Looks like this Mr. Chad cared more for Aurora than she had thought, even taking the time to show up in person. Alright, they all want her out, huh? She could leave. But, if she left, Aurora wouldn¡¯t fare well either. Did they really think she wouldn¡¯t dare to spill the beans? She just didn¡¯t want to stir up more trouble while Ableson Lopez¡¯s case was still unresolved. After all, Echelon Media Enterprises was indeed a big shot. But if Aurora was so hell-bent on making her miserable, she didn¡¯t mind stepping on toes! With determination, Eileen continued adjusting the contestants¡¯ costumes with a stern expression. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. Suddenly, someone from the side shouted, ¡°Karin, where are you off to?¡± Eileen turned to see Karin in her performance outfit, strutting out in heels. Since Karin¡¯s team had won the second round, they would be the first to perform in the third round. The show was about to start, where was she going? Even though Karin was no longer Eileen¡¯s student, she still followed her out of concern. ¡°Karin?¡± Eileen called from behind. Karin stopped and turned to see Eileen. This usually meek girl suddenly dashed over, grabbing Eileen¡¯s hand. ¡°Ms. Lopez, perfect,e with me.¡± Confused, Eileen asked as she was dragged along, ¡°Where are we going? What¡¯s going on?¡± Without answering, Karin continued to pull Eileen along with a nk expression. Chad, under the guise of touring backstage, was looking for Eileen under the guidance of the prograrn¡¯s director. But he couldn¡¯t find her. Halfway through the tour, Aurora suddenly approached him. Chad¡¯s face darkened. But Aurora was all smiles. After greeting him, she went straight to Chad¡¯s side, gently tugging at his sleeve, she asked in a low voice, ¡°Why are you here in person?¡± Chad frowned, about to pull his hand away, when two people suddenly approached. Seeing them, Chad froze. Karin was pale, leading a visibly confused Eileen towards Chad and Aurora. Seeing Aurora holding onto Chad¡¯s sleeve, Karin¡¯s eyes welled up with tears. She shouted, ¡°Dad, what are you doing?!¡± The word ¡°Dad¡± stunned everyone present. The director was dumbstruck. The surrounding staff were dumbstruck. Eileen was dumbstruck. And Aurora¡­ Aurora was paralyzed. Chad nced at Eileen and began to exin to Karin, ¡°Karin, listen to me¡­¡± ¡°What is there to say!¡± Karin stamped her foot, pointing at Aurora. ¡°Do you know who this woman is? She bullied me, and she bullied your sister, she said she wanted to¡­¡± ¡°Karin!¡± Chad suddenly stepped forward, muffling his daughter¡¯s words. ¡°Hmm!¡± Karin struggled wildly. Chad coughed, cautiously eyeing Eileen. Eileen stood there, shocked. Chad tentatively greeted, ¡°Hello.¡± Eileen stared at Mr. Chad, then at Karin whose mouth was being forcefully covered by Mr. Chad. After a moment of shock, she finally responded, bowing respectfully and greeting, ¡°Hello, Mr. Chad. I¡¯m a friend of Karin¡¯s, my name is Eileen.¡± Chapter 138 Chapter 138 After greeting, Eileen retreated two steps nervously. Turns out Mr. Chad was Karin¡¯s dad. Oh man! She had just nted a virus in Echelon Media Enterprises¡¯puterst night! Eileen looked fearfully at Chad. Finally, Chad let go of Karin, he didn¡¯t correct Eileen¡¯s address and could only scold Karin, ¡°Your mom said you went back to the US, what are you doing here?¡± Karin said stubbornly, ¡°I came to find¡­¡± ¡°Karin!¡± Chad shouted, ¡°Did you lie to your mom?¡± Karin was taken aback and exined, ¡°No, mom also knows that I¡­¡± ¡°You dare to talk back,e here, there are many people here, I don¡¯t want you to be embarrassed, follow me in!¡± Chad said and suddenly took Karin into a room nearby under the watchful eyes of everyone. Once the people involved were gone, the remaining people in the hallway felt awkward. Many people sneaked nces at Aurora. Aurora has always imed to have a good rtionship with Mr. Chad, even trying to get the program team to fire Eileen in the name of Mr. Chad yesterday. Everyone thought that she and Mr. Chad were dating. But now it seems that Mr. Chad obviously has a family. So what¡¯s Aurora? The other woman? Aurora was now so angry that she was about to go crazy! She couldn¡¯t ept that Mr. Chad had been deceiving her! She nned to ask him personally when Chades out! She didn¡¯t want to be the other woman, if Chad really likes her, then he must divorce, and then date her! A few minutester, the door of the room next door opened. Karin came out with her head down. As she passed by Aurora, she gave Aurora a cold nce. Aurora felt even more wronged. Ignoring the presence of others, she went straight to Chad and asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me you have a daughter?¡± Chad, who had been focusing entirely on Karin Lopez and Eileen, was taken aback when he heard Aurora¡¯s words and looked at her, ¡°What?¡± Aurora repeated, ¡°I said, why didn¡¯t you tell me you have a daughter!¡± Chad frowned, ¡°Why should I tell you about my family?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Aurora seemed surprised by Chad¡¯s words, ¡°You pursued me, but you didn¡¯t tell me you have a wife and a daughter, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°You say I pursued you?¡± Chad was really angry this time, ¡°What makes you think that?¡± People nearby suddenlyughed. Aurora felt embarrassed, her eyes reddened, ¡°If you¡¯re not pursuing me, why did you spend so much money to sign me? Ten million, a full ten million!¡± Chad was puzzled, ¡°Is ten million a lot? Karin, how much was your Christmas giftst year?¡± Karin, suddenly named, thought for a moment and said, ¡°I don¡¯t quite remember, including the yacht, the vi, and other gifts, maybe more than 20 million, but I donated them all to the orphanage.¡± ¡°Wow¡± There was a sudden uproar around. Luxury yacht! Vi! Twenty million! All donated! Is this the style of a tycoon! Eileen, who had been quietly observing, suddenly rushed to Karin¡¯s side and started massaging her shoulders upon hearing this. Karin looked at Eileen in surprise. Eileen said excitedly, ¡°Is my massage technique okay? Actually, I¡¯m also an orphan, Karin..¡± On the other side, Aurora startedining loudly again, ¡°Okay, you¡¯re rich, and you don¡¯t care about money! But what about all the special treatment you gave me after I joined thepany? More than a dozen assistants, over twenty bodyguards, a single makeup team, stylish team, I¡¯m the only one in the company who gets this kind of treatment! If it¡¯s not because you like me, what could it be!¡± Chad frowned at Aurora. He just realized today that this woman might have a problem with her thinking. He arranged so many people just so that he can manage her properly, to prevent her from getting close to Egbert. Also, even if he did give her these special treatments, what does it prove? ¡®Aurora.¡± Chad¡¯s voice was cold to the extreme, but not too aggressive, ¡°One should know their ce.¡± In an instant, Aurora shivered. Chad¡¯s words were a clear indication that Aurora¡¯s thoughts were oundish and shecked self- awareness. The crowd immediately turned their eyes to Aurora. Aurora had never been humiliated like this since her debut. Her eyes reddened and she ran off crying¡­. The director hurriedly sent staff to chase after her, the stage performance was about to start, and Aurora was one of the coaches, they couldn¡¯t afford any idents! Chad didn¡¯t care about Aurora, he took a deep breath, turned his head and looked at Karin and Eileen again. His gaze lingered on Eileen for a while. Chad said to Karin, ¡°Go get ready, aren¡¯t you going to perform?¡± Karin nodded sullenly. Chad said to Eileen, ¡°Thanks for your hard work, Ms. Lopez, thank you for taking care of my daughter.¡± Eileen gave a dryugh. Thinking about the virus she put into theputer of Echelon Media Enterprises, she waved her hand awkwardly, ¡°No problem, no problem.¡± With that, Eileen pulled Karin and quickly left. Her hurried departure was even faster than the ¡°socially dead¡± Aurora! Hubery Cooper arrived a bitte today. When he got backstage, he heard everyone discussing Mr. Chad and Aurora¡¯s matter. After hearing the details, Hubery pondered for a moment, quickly stood up and headed towards Aurora¡¯s makeup room. There were many people outside Aurora¡¯s makeup room, Hubery went over and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The staff said, ¡°Ms. Aurora said she¡¯s not recording the show.¡± Hubery pursed his lips and said, ¡°Let me go in and talk to her.¡± The director knew that Hubery and Aurora had always been close, so he said, ¡°I¡¯ll trouble you.¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Once Hubery walked in, he saw Aurora sobbing while she was taking off her makeup in front of the mirror. She was crying her heart out, her eyes all red and puffy. You gotta admit, Aurora was a real looker, the kind of face that could make a guy¡¯s heart skip a beat. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it. I¡¯m not going to be part of the recording,¡± Aurora said through her tears, her back turned to Hubery. Hubery sat down on the stool next to Aurora and after a moment¡¯s thought, said, ¡°Aurora, do you know about Apex Synergy Group?¡± Aurora was taken aback and turned to Hubery, ¡°Of course, I know it¡¯s a real estatepany under the Lopez Group. What about it?¡± Hubery said, ¡°Although Mr. Chad has some clout in the entertainment industry,pared to the Lopez Group, he¡¯s just small potatoes. Even though Apex Synergy Group isn¡¯t the main business of the Lopez Group, its influence in the Capital is not to be shrugged off.¡± Aurora frowned, ¡°Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?¡± Hubery cracked a small smile, ¡°Aurora, if you¡¯re willing to do me a favor, and if it pans out, I¡¯ll introduce you to Chairman Ableson of Apex Synergy Group. Mr. Chad¡¯s no longer reliable. We need a new backer, or we¡¯re gonna be in deep water.¡± Aurora was stunned. She stared at Hubery for a while and finally asked, ¡°What do you want me to do for you?¡± Hubery lowered his voice and started whispering to Aurora. Meanwhile, on the other side. Egbert had just wrapped up the overseas shooting for Eyes on the Rendezvous. He and Galen were on a ne, chatting with each other. Galen said with a chuckle, ¡°Eileen, teaching dance? Well, I¡¯ll tag along, let¡¯s see what kind of dancers she can churn out.¡± Chapter 139 Chapter 139 The third stage performance was about to start, with 500 audiences filtering in. Eileen posted up on the celebrity coach seat, while the staff adjusted her audio device. A few other coaches also gradually made an appearance. When Eileen spotted Aurora, she showed up quietly. She thought Aurora would bail because she didn¡¯t want to record, but it looked like she caved. Once everyone was present, the host delivered the opening speech, hyped up the atmosphere, and the show started. First up was the team of Karin, the champion of the second stage performance. Their dance number was bang on, causing an explosion of excitement right off the bat. The audience was pumped. Next up was Hedy¡¯s team, but their performance as pretty average, as expected. After their performance, Eileen threw down the gauntlet. She was challenging Hedy¡¯s team. Hedy looked like she saw thising, although her expression changed, she didn¡¯t say anything. As anticipated, Eileen¡¯s team took the win in this challenge. Hedy¡¯s team waspletely knocked out. Surprisingly though, Hedy didn¡¯t look ticked off, even Aurora and Hubery seemed pretty chill. Eileen, sitting in the celebrity coach seat, sensed something fishy. She could understand Aurora being in a bad mood, keeping mum throughout the recording, but why was Hubery suddenly so quiet? What¡¯s the deal here? By the end of the day¡¯s recording, Eileen got back the five eliminated contestants. Just as she stepped out of backstage, a staff member she didn¡¯t recognize stopped her, ¡°Ms. Lopez, there¡¯s a dinner partyter, would you like to join in?¡± Eileen was taken aback, she looked at the staff member and after a pause, she said, ¡°Sure.¡± The staff member then said, ¡°It¡¯s at the Velvet Jazz Suite in Royal Mirage Bistro, you know how to get there? It¡¯s just across the street.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Eileen nodded. The staff member said, ¡°Can you head over there by yourself then? I still have to notify others.¡± Eileen chuckled, ¡°Alright.¡± The Royal Mirage Bistro as easy to find. When Eileen arrived, she saw Aurora getting out of a car. Uponying eyes on Eileen, Aurora¡¯s face changed, and she hurried inside. Eileen leisurely followed behind her. The Velvet Jazz Suite was just ahead, Aurora rushed in and closed the door behind her. Eileen didn¡¯t mind and walked over to open the door. However, the room was pitch ck. The next second, a few people suddenly jump out from the darkness, attacking Eileen¡­ Backstage of the stage performance. Karin couldn¡¯t find Eileen anywhere, and saw Chad chatting with the general director in the hallway, so she walked over. Chad saw Karin, casually ruffled her hair andplimented, ¡°You danced well.¡± Karin wanted to say something but held back seeing the general director nearby. The general director tactfully said, ¡°Mr. Chad, you carry on, I¡¯ll modify the listter. Starting next episode, Aurora will no longer participate, and Monica from yourpany will be the fourth coach, right?¡± Chad nodded. The general director then left. As soon as he was gone, Karin immediately asked Chad, ¡°Dad, have you seen Auntie Eileen?¡± Chad looked around and said, ¡°No, did she leave early?¡± Karin furrowed her brows, ¡°Unlikely, she usually checks on the contestants before she leaves, I just came from the contestant¡¯s room, they all said they haven¡¯t seen Auntie Eileen, and we can¡¯t reach her phone either.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t reach her?¡± Chad was taken aback. After a moment of silence, Chad called over a director from the show¡¯s crew. The director went around asking and came back after a while, ¡°One of the staff said they heard someone told Ms. Lopez about a dinner party tonight, so she went. But the weird thing is, our crew didn¡¯t n any dinner party today¡­¡± Chad¡¯s face changed, he asked sternly, ¡°Do you know the location of the dinner?¡± The director said, ¡°I think it¡¯s at Royal Mirage Bistro, the restaurant across the street. We order takeout from there sometimes¡­ oh, Mr. Chad¡­. Chad headed to the elevator, seeing it¡¯s still upstairs, he went straight for the stairs. Karin followed him, looking anxious, ¡°Dad, nothing¡¯s happened to Auntie Eileen, right?¡± Chad kept his lips sealed, not answering. He took out his phone, contacting the bodyguards outside the TV station. When Chad reached the ground floor, the seven bodyguards outside were already there. As Chad headed outside, he said, ¡°Royal Mirage Bistro is nearby, it¡¯s¡­¡± Halfway through his sentence, Chad suddenly stopped, staring at the two people getting out of a car on the roadside. ¡°Egbert?¡± He blurted out in surprise. In the Velvet Jazz Suite at Royal Mirage Bistro, Eileen sat on the couch, ying with a switchde in her hand. Her fingers glided skillfully over the de. ¡°Umm¡­¡± Muffled groanede from the darkness.. Eileen looked up to see Aurora, Hubery, and four burly men, all tied separately to chairs around the dining table and gagged. They red at her angrily. Eileen stood up and walked over, shaking her head, ¡°You can¡¯t me me for this. The ropes, the tape, and what¡¯s this, a candle, a small knife, a whip, you guys brought all this stuff.¡± In the middle of all this, Eileen put down her folding knife and pulled out a whip, which she cracked in the air with a loud ¡°snap¡±. After testing the feel, she raised her hand again. This time, the whipnded directly on Hubery¡¯s face! ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Hubery writhed in pain. But he couldn¡¯t scream! Eileen raised her hand again and whipped Hubery¡¯s other cheek! This time with more strength, Hubery¡¯s face instantly started bleeding, and the whip got stained with a fresh red bloodstain. ¡°Let¡¯s try the candle now.¡± Eileen put down the whip, lit a candle with a lighter, and walked towards Aurora. Aurora shook her head frantically, terrified. Eileenughed. ¡°It was your designer who invited me to the dinner party, wasn¡¯t it? You thought I wouldn¡¯t know? Sorry, I recognized him right away.¡± Eileen swayed the candle from side to side, droplets of wax falling from it. ¡°At the entrance of the restaurant, there was no one except a waiter on the first floor. Hey, where¡¯s the dinner party? Where¡¯s the entire production team? Where did hundreds of people go? Even if I arrived early, there shouldn¡¯t be nobody there. Why is it so quiet here? Ms. Aurora, your acting skills really suck.¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. By this time, the wax from the candle had almost all dripped off. Eileen licked her lips, gave her hand a shake, and a scorching droplet of wax fell onto Aurora¡¯s hand. Aurora screamed in pain. Eileen muttered, ¡°This thing is pretty interesting, but the elders at home always say, kids shouldn¡¯t y with fire, it¡¯s dangerous.¡± Chapter 140 Chapter 140 Eileen¡¯s eyes were sparkling with excitement. She looked at Aurora and asked sincerely, ¡°Tell me, if you snuff out a candle with your fingers, does it hurt?¡± Aurora nodded hurriedly, nodding like a madwoman. Eileen blinked and said, ¡°I don¡¯t believe it, I¡¯m going to try!¡± With that, she shoved the lit candle down¡­. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Two muffled moans sounded almost simultaneously. Aurora was so scared her heart nearly leapt out of her chest. But when she came to her senses, she realized she didn¡¯t feel the expected burn. Turning her head, she saw that Eileen¡¯s candle hadnded directly on Hubery. An immediate burn mark appeared on Hubery¡¯s hand. Aurora¡¯s eyes grew wide in shock. Eileen picked up the extinguished candle and tossed it aside, then began to look for other tools. A As she looked, she said, ¡°Miss Aurora, don¡¯t freak out. I treat you differently than him, I won¡¯t really hurt you. But, I¡¯m curious, why are you asking for trouble?¡± Aurora, with tear stains all over her face, shook her head at Eileen. Eileen nodded and said, ¡°Hmm, I know you want to say this has nothing to do with you, that it¡¯s all Hubery¡¯s doing. To be honest, I believe you. You¡¯re just a woman, a little bit of a drama queen, a bit shameless, but your actions are just small potatoes, just trying to scare people, talking about irrelevant things. I don¡¯t think you¡¯d really hurt anyone.¡± Aurora nodded hurriedly, crying and nodding. Eileen said, ¡°So, I didn¡¯t hurt you, right? I¡¯ve been pretty decent to you.¡± Aurora cried even harder, but with Eileen staring at her, she could only nod her agreement. At this moment, Eileen found a bottle of sulfuric acid. She raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°This is an old friend of mine.¡± -Then, she put on gloves and picked up the bottle of acid. Upon seeing the sulfuric acid, Hubery immediately forgot about his burn, his face filled with terror. Eileen turned to Aurora and said, ¡°Miss Aurora, do you know why Hubery wanted to drag you into this? He didn¡¯t need your help to attack me. He could have used any other excuse to lure me out, could have done it a long time ago. But why did he want you to be the one to do it? And why today?¡± Aurora didn¡¯t know, she just looked at Eileen in pain. Eileen said, ¡°Because he¡¯s clever. Your stylist invited me to dinner, we entered the private room together, it¡¯s all recorded on camera. If something happened to me, wouldn¡¯t you be the prime suspect?¡± Aurora was stunned, looking at Hubery in disbelief. Eileenughed, ¡°If we¡¯re talking about cunning and cruelty, who can beat Hubery? But Miss Aurora, you¡¯re partially responsible too.¡± Aurora looked at Eileen, full of confusion. ¡°Why did you fail? Didn¡¯t you say yesterday you were going to make me leave? But why didn¡¯t you seed? If I don¡¯t leave, Hedy might leave. Hedy was eliminated today. If I stay, Hedy will only choose to quit thepetition. Can Hubery ept that?¡± ¡°Hubery is head over heels for Hedy. If anyone dares to bully Hedy, to stop him from marrying the daughter of the Apex Synergy Group chairman, Hubery won¡¯t let it slide.¡± Only now did Aurora understand. She stared in shock at Hubery, who was beside her. She never expected this young man, who she had always taken care of and respected, to be such a person! Eileen opened the sulfuric acid bottle. With the bottle in hand, she walked over to Hubery and asked with a smile, ¡°Hubery, let¡¯s make a bet. If I ssh this sulfuric acid on your face, do you think you¡¯ll be disfigured? I don¡¯t think you will, what about you?¡± Hubery looked at Eileen in terror, shaking his head frantically. ¡°You also think it won¡¯t?¡± Eileen nodded and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s find out if you¡¯ll really stay pretty!¡± With that, she seemed about to ssh the acid¡­. ¡°Bam!¡± At that moment, there was a sudden knock at the door. Eileen was taken aback, looking towards the door, her eyes narrowed. ¡°Bam! Bam!¡± Two more knocks. The private room door was about to be smashed open. Eileen closed her mouth. She put the cap back on the sulfuric acid bottle and put it back on the table. She took off her gloves and picked up the folding knife from before. Without saying much, she plunged the knife into Hubery¡¯s thigh. ¡°Ugh¡­ugh¡­¡± Hubery screamed in pain. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. Eileen looked regretful and said, ¡°It¡¯s such a rare opportunity, can I stab you a few more times? Just a few!¡± Hubery stared at Eileen in shock. Eileen had already pulled the knife out and stabbed it back in. ¡°Ugh¡­ugh¡­ugh¡­¡± Hubery was in so much pain he was practically delirious! Eileen whispered, ¡°Shhh, keep it down. I didn¡¯t hit an artery, you¡¯re not going to die, don¡¯t be scared.¡± With that, she pulled the knife out again, this time stabbing it into Hubery¡¯s other leg. Hubery was already in so much pain he had passed out. Eileen said, ¡°Close your eyes, it won¡¯t hurt if you close your eyes. Just a few more stabs¡­¡± She said it was a few more stabs, but she stabbed him four or five more times. Eileen seemed to be enjoying herself. Hubery¡¯s pants were soaked in blood, the red carpet spotted with drops of blood. Aurora watched from the side, sweating nonstop, her entire body rigid, not daring to move a muscle. The four burly men next to her were also trembling, all of them fearing they might be next! ¡°Bam!¡± At that moment, the door was finally broken down. Eileen immediately stood up, tossed the knife on the floor and kicked it under the table. She straightened up and acted like she hadn¡¯t done anything. The person who broke down the door was Chad¡¯s bodyguard. As soon as the door opened, several men rushed in. Eileen was surrounded before she could react. Karin pulled her. Mr. Chad pulled her. Someone else also pulled her. Eileen was a bit dizzy. At that moment, a warm hand gripped her shoulder and a familiar deep male voice came from above her. ¡°Eileen?¡± Eileen blinked, a bit puzzled. She nced up at the man standing in front of her in disbelief, ¡°Egbert? What on earth are you doing here?¡± Egbert stayed silent, his lips pressed into a thin line as he checked Eileen¡¯s body. Eileen, being turned and twisted, was a bit dizzy and managed to say, ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± Egbert finally stopped and took a closer look at Eileen. Then, he shifted his gaze to the struggling group on the other side of the room. ¡°Eileen, are you okay?¡± Galen squeezed his way through. Eileen was shocked to see Gafen there too, ¡°Galen, why are you here too?¡± Galen pped Eileen¡¯s arm, shouting, ¡°I asked if you¡¯re okay!¡± ¡°Ouch!¡± Eileen yelp¨¦d, not expecting him to hit her, ¡°That hurts!¡± Galen was so pissed off it made his head buzz, ¡°You seem pretty energetic to me!¡± ? ? ¡ª ? ?? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ?? Eileen fell silent. At that moment, one of Chad¡¯s bodyguards said, ¡°Mr. Chad, he¡¯s Eileen looked over to see Hubery, who the guard was referring to. Hubery was covered in sweat from the waist up, and blood from the waist down. His head was drooped, unconscious, ¡°Ah-Karin screamed, apparently scared of blood. Chad checked Hubery¡¯s breathing, confirmed he was still alive, then turned back to Eileen. They¡­¡± Eileen immediately defended herself, ¡°I didn¡¯t do it! I don¡¯t know a thing! Don¡¯t call the cops on me!¡± Chad was speechless. Galen gave Eileen a suspicious look. Karin also looked at her in disbelief. Eileen thought this wasn¡¯t going to work, so she decided to y the victim, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m injured too!¡± Everyone immediately tensed up. ¡°Where?¡± Even Egbert coldly asked, ¡°where do you hurt?¡± Eileen held up her right hand, ¡°I broke a nail!¡± Egbert looked at Eileen for a moment, seeing the panic in her eyes. He paused, grabbed the hand she held up, gently stroked it and whispered, ¡°That¡¯s quite a severe injury, does it hurt?¡± Eileen looked at Egbert. He was so easy to fool. She nodded immediately, ¡°It hurts like hell!¡± Egbert nodded, then turned to the others, ¡°I¡¯ll take her to the hospital first, you guys handle things here.¡± With that, he left with Eileen. Chapter 141 Chapter 141 Stepping out of the restaurant, Eileen looked back to confirm no one was chasing after them. Breathing a sigh of relief, she patted Egbert on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re so smart!¡± Egbert just silently looked at her, not uttering a word. At this time, there were still quite a few people around. Egbert led her into a parked ck sedan. ¡°Drive.¡± The driver started the engine. Eileen turned to chat with Egbert, only to find him looking gloomy and cold, seemingly pissed off. Taken aback, Eileen kept silent. She wasn¡¯t sure what was going on, so she decided to keep her mouth shut. After a while, Eileen started to search in her pockets. Egbert¡¯s icy gaze moved to her. Seeing Egbert looking at her, Eileen quickly exined, ¡°I have blood on my hands, I want to clean them up¡­¡± After looking at Eileen for a while, Egbert finally let out a sigh of relief. He took two tissues from the box behind his seat, grabbed Eileen¡¯s hand, and helped her clean up. The blood on her hands had already dried, it needed water to wash off, so wiping it could only do so much. Eileen noticed Egbert was still in a bad mood, so she remained quiet and let him wipe her hands. After a while, Egbert broke the silence, ¡°were you scared?¡± Eileen instantly nodded. ¡°What scared you?¡± Egbert asked. ¡°I¡¯m scared you¡¯ll rub my skin raw. Could you get a fresh tissue? This one¡¯s torn already.¡± Egbert gave her a cold stare, let go of her hand and asked, ¡°Do you have any idea how dangerous today was? Why couldn¡¯t I reach you on your phone?¡± If something had really happened to Eileen, not being able to reach her would be understandable. But since she was fine, why couldn¡¯t he get hold of her? Eileen was taken aback. It just dawned on her that Egbert was mad at her. She took out her phone and saw over a dozen missed calls. Eileen gasped in surprise and hastily exined, ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t know¡­ The director asked us to mute our phones during filming. After I got out, I was tricked into going to Royal Mirage Bistro and forgot to unmute my phone¡­¡± Egbert frowned at Eileen, seemingly trying to gauge if she was lying. In a rush, Eileen added, ¡°Really, I totally forgot¡­ And I didn¡¯t expect to worry you by just stepping out for a bit. Usually, no one would care if something happened to me¡­¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Egbert¡¯s voice suddenly turned stern. Stunned, Eileen thought for a moment and said, ¡°Egbert, don¡¯t be mad, I¡¯ll remember to unmute my phone next time.¡± Egbert just quietly looked at Eileen. After a while, he grabbed her hand again and continued to wipe. In a small voice, Eileen said, ¡°Could you get a new tissue¡­¡± Egbert gave her a cold nce. Eileen quickly changed her tone, ¡°Just do whatever you want, as long as you¡¯re happy.¡± Egbert got a new tissue, then said, ¡°Don¡¯t let something like this happen again. Have you ever thought about what would have happened if the restaurant staff had walked in instead of us?¡± Eileen blinked., Egbert looked into her eyes and said, ¡°They would have called the police. Your actions could be deemed as intentional harm, and you could be sentenced to years in prison, do you understand?¡± Eileen pursed her lips, not daring to argue back loudly. She mumbled, ¡°It¡¯s not considered intentional harm, I was just defending myself.¡± Egbert lifted his gaze and said, ¡°Self-defense can be both reasonable and excessive. Excessive defense could be deemed as intentional harm. How would you exin the blood on Hubery?¡± ¡°Do you really want me to exin?¡± Eileen looked at Egbert. Egbert paused, then said, ¡°Yes.¡± Eileen said, ¡°Alright, but it might take a while.¡± ¡°Okay Egbert nodded. Eileen began to exin, ¡°Firstly, this was a targeted and nned malicious attack or attempted kidnapping. I was deceived and brought to the crime scene, which was the Velvet Jazz Suite of the Royal Mirage Bistro, without my knowledge. ¡°When I was talking to the person who pretended to be a staff member, which was Aurora¡¯s stylist, it happened in the backstage corridor of the show. It was crowded with people, and our conversation could have been overheard. ¡°Even if no one overheard, there were surveince cameras throughout the corridor. Even though the cameras can¡¯t record audio, as long as the angle is right, the police can have speech experts do lip reading. ¡°When I was talking to the stylist, I deliberately chose a position where my lip movements could be recorded. So just from this, it can prove that I was indeed deceived. The other party lied about the dinner party and deliberately deceived me intoing here. On this point, I am clearly the victim. ¡°Secondly, all the tools I used to subdue them were prepared by them, such as the small knife, rope, whip, sulfuric acid and other dangerous or controlled items, all with their fingerprints. My means of self- defence were improvised on the spot. This, under any circumstance, is a normal victim¡¯s normal resistance behavior. ¡°Whether I over-defended myself after subduing them depends on the actual situation. First, no one can determine whether I attacked before, after or during the time I subdued them. ¡°Secondly, Hubery himself was not in life-threatening danger. Even after he was injured, the multiple cuts on him were not fatal. His injuries cannot constitute serious injuries. Strictly speaking, he merely suffered superficial wounds. ¡°So, look at the whole process again. The truth is: I was deceived by a criminal gang to the crime scene. There were four burly men, scumbag Hubery, and dumb Aurora, five men and one woman. They outnumbered me andunched a sudden terror attack on me. ¡°They came prepared with all sorts of tools for mischief. During the sh, I took hold of a few things around me and managed to subdue them. They got a bit scratched up in the process. ¡°So, everything I did was strictly self-defence.¡± Egbert stared at Eileen in silence. After a while, he said in a cool tone, ¡°You seem to know your stuff.¡± Eileen sighed, lowering her head. ¡°Egbert, I went to military school. I know a thing or two about thew. Besides, I¡¯m a grown woman. I always think about the consequences before I act.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not scared, then why were you screaming earlier?¡± Egbert¡¯s voice was icy. Eileen looked up at him immediately, ¡°I had to scream! If I could avoid the police station, I definitely would! If Ophelia finds out, she¡¯d be pissed! She might even dock my pay. How am I supposed to live then?¡± Egbert took a deep breath and chose not to engage with Eileen anymore. Seeing that Egbert was ignoring her, Eileen didn¡¯t dare to speak. She took out a tissue, pouted unhappily, and started wiping her hands. Egbert and Eileen left. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Chad was left behind to deal with everything. After sending Hubery and the others to the hospital, Chad saw Karin still standing by. He told her, ¡°You should go home.¡± Karin nodded. As she was leaving, she decided to send a message to her mother, Flossie. At that moment, Flossie was at her home in the USA.. When she saw Karin¡¯s message, her face instantly turned serious. There were other people with Flossie. Rosalind Lopez was sipping her coffee. Seeing Flossie¡¯s expression, she couldn¡¯t help but worry, ¡°What happened?¡± Flossie finally got to the second half of the message. Thank goodness, it was a false rm. Eileen was fine. Flossie sighed in relief and shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± Seeing that Flossie seemed to be okay, Rosalind turned her attention elsewhere and put her coffee cup down, ¡°Actually, Egbert told me a while ago that he wanted to call off the engagement. He called me a few weeks back, apologizing personally. He said he met a girl he liked and hoped i would agree to call off the engagement. I have agreed now.¡± Chapter 142 Chapter 142 Across the sofa sat a ssy and elegantdy, none other than Egbert¡¯s mom, Mrs. Reed. Mrs. Reed heaved a sigh, expressing her predicament, ¡°Rosa, Egbert is just too¡­¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Rosalind shook her head, holding Mrs. Reed¡¯s hand gently, ¡°I know this situation is driving you nuts, Egbert is your son, your only son: Obviously, you hate to see his marriage hanging in the air like this, Josephine. I get it.¡± Mrs. Reed gave a bitter smile, shaking her head with disappointment, ¡°If only that girl was still here, that would be great¡­¡± Rosalind cast her eyes down, her downcast face showing the pallor of post-illness. She closed her eyes, ¡°Whether anyone else believes it or not, I believe my daughter is still alive.¡± Flossie, over there, opened her mouth at this point, ¡°Ma¡¯am, actually¡­¡± Rosalind turned to her. Flossie had her words on the tip of her tongue, but remembering her husband¡¯s previous instructions, she shook her head and quickly changed her mind, ¡°Never mind.¡± Then, Rosalind turned back to Mrs. Reed, ¡°This so-called engagement, in fact, it¡¯s just a casual remark from the elders. Since Egbert has told me himself that he has someone he likes, as an elder, I should bless him naturally. I¡¯ll make the decision to call off the engagement.¡± Mrs. Reed said, ¡°Rosa¡­¡± Rosalind shook her head, ¡°Don¡¯t say anymore, Josephine. We¡¯ve held him back for too long. I should have agreed to it months ago, but I was ill and bedridden. Now that I¡¯m out of the hospital, I immediately called you over. Josephine, let¡¯s just leave it at that. These two kids, in this lifetime, there¡¯s no chance¡­¡± Mrs. Reed closed her lips tightly. Rosalind then asked with a smile, ¡°Have you met Egbert¡¯s crush?¡± Mrs. Reed was stunned for a moment, gave a bitter smile and shook her head, ¡°I¡¯ve been doing business abroad and hardly see my husband and son even once a year. If you hadn¡¯t called me over today, I wouldn¡¯t have known that he has someone he likes. Rosa/how did Egbert tell you?¡± Rosalind thought for a moment, ¡°He didn¡¯t give much details. He just mentioned that he met her at work, a v¨¦ry interesting girl, and he wants to get to know her better.¡± At this point, Flossie suddenly spoke, ¡°Was it during the filming of Traveller 5+1?¡± Both Rosalind and Mrs. Reed turned to her. Mrs. Reed asked, ¡°Flossie, do you know anything about that?¡± Flossie immediately shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± But she was certain it was during that time. Because that was when Egbert first met Eileen. Thinking about it, Flossie couldn¡¯t help but feel how unpredictable life was. Actually, the Reed family had been wanting to call off the engagement for years. Their desire to do so was perfectly understandable. After all, as Egbert¡¯s parents, they couldn¡¯t just let their son wait for a lifetime for a woman they had never met, just because of a casual remark from the elders. Over the years, the Lopez family has also been discussing whether to call off the engagement. The men of the Lopez family were a bit cocky, seemingly thinking that agreeing to call off the engagement would be tantamount to conceding that their little sister couldn¡¯t be found. So they stubbornly refused to agree. But this was quite unfair to the Reed family. Especially unfair to Egbert. Flossie, as a daughter-inw of the Lopez family, had a more objective viewpoint on this matter. She had always felt that Egbert was innocent. He didn¡¯t even have the right to choose and was suddenly asked to be tied to a person whose appearance was unclear and whether she was still alive was not even certain. The Reed family and the Lopez family had a close rtionship, and Egbert had not proposed to cancel the engagement all these years, simply out of consideration for their long-standing friendship, not wanting to upset them. Before, he must have truly fallen in love with Eileen to call Rosalind and propose to cancel the engagement. However, unfortunately. Rosalind was seriously ill at the time and was hospitalized, with no chance to respond to him. Now that Rosalind was discharged from the hospital, she immediately invited Mrs. Reed over to settle this matter. Flossie didn¡¯t know what to say. Thinking that after today, Egbert and her sister¡¯s engagement would bepletely called off, she didn¡¯t know whether to congratte Egbert or sympathize with him. Poor Egbert, he¡¯s really unlucky. Mrs. Reed didn¡¯t stay long and left. After some hesitation, Flossie finally spoke, ¡°Ma¡¯am, actually¡­ Ma¡¯am, what¡¯s wrong with you!¡± Before Flossie could finish her words, she saw Rosalind suddenly clutch her chest. She copsed on the sofa, her face twisted in pain. Flossie knew that she was having a sudden attack and quickly called the family doctor. After emergency treatment by the family doctor, Rosalind finally came around and was sent to her room to rest. Flossie looked at her mother-inw who was drowsy on the bed and bit her lip, not daring to say anything more. Her mother-inw¡¯s current health condition really couldn¡¯t withstand any drastic emotional fluctuations. The matter about her little sister, she would have to wait until her health was more stable to talk about it. The next day, after breakfast, Eileen Lopez ran to the room across. She first knocked on Galen¡¯s door, then Egbert¡¯s door. When Egbert came to open the door, he was on the phone. Seeing her, he didn¡¯t say anything. But he walked into the room, saying to the other end of the phone, ¡°Mm, I¡¯ve eaten.¡± Eileen didn¡¯t follow him in, she just stood at the door waiting for him. In a while, she was going to take Galen to visit the TV station, since Galen said he wanted to see her teach dance. She just took this opportunity to ask Egbert if he wanted to go with them. Eileen is such a smooth operator! If Egbert tags along, she could probably coax him into treating them to lunch. ¡°Ms. Rosalind?¡± Egbert furrowed his brows as he listened to his mother on the other end of the phone line. He subconsciously nced at Eileen outside his door before saying to his mother, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about this later.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it now.¡± Mrs. Reed sounded quite pleased over the phone, ¡°Ms. Rosalind has already agreed. From now on, your engagement with the Lopez family¡¯s daughter is officially off the table. How do you feel about that, son? Are you happy?¡± Egbert was momentarily silent, thinking he must have heard wrong. He asked again, ¡°What?¡± Mrs. Reed chuckled, ¡°Isn¡¯t this the surprise you wanted? Didn¡¯t you ask Ms. Rosalind for this? She¡¯s been discharged from the hospital today and she reached out to me and told me about this. It¡¯s good news. You¡¯re free now. You and the Lopez family¡¯s daughter have no ties anymore. Congrattions, Egbert.¡± After hanging up, Egbert looked quite troubled and spacey. He remembered Eileen was still outside, so he stepped out. He saw Eileen was no longer outside his room. She was at the door of Galen¡¯s room next door, munching on the gran Galen had set aside forter. ¡°Stop eating!¡± Galen grabbed his bag of gran back. Seeing Egbert, he casually asked, ¡°Are youing with us to the TV station?¡± Egbert held his mouth tight, giving Eileen a deep look. But Eileen didn¡¯t look back at him. She was still licking her lips, eyes riveted on the bag of gran in Galen¡¯s hand. Egbert took a deep breath and finally replied softly, ¡°Sure.¡± And so, the three of them set off together. In the elevator. ? ? ? ?? ? ? ¡£ ?? ? ??? Galen, holding his water bottle, saw Egbert¡¯s gloomy face and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up? Didn¡¯t sleep wellst night?¡± Egbert didn¡¯t reply and just rubbed his temples, looking towards Eileen. Seeing this, Galen suddenly berated Eileen, ¡°Did you annoy him again? Can¡¯t you stop picking on Egbert?¡± Eileen was stunned. She gaped, looking incredulously at Galen and then at Egbert, before protesting loudly, ¡°How did I pick on him? Why do you always me me? Look at him! He looks like he¡¯s been dumped and doesn¡¯t want to live anymore! How is that my fault? I haven¡¯t even spoken a word to him today, ok?!¡± Chapter 143 Chapter 143 Eileen felt like she was being framed. She was pissed. After leaving the elevator, she stomped out on her own. Galen took a moment to observe, it didn¡¯t look like she had anything to do with the situation. He turned to Egbert, ¡°Was it really not because of her?¡± Egbert was in a pickle, he didn¡¯t know whether to say it was because of her or not. Finally, he sighed and shook his head. Now Galen was feeling a bit awkward. He asked perplexedly, ¡°So, what¡¯s up with you?¡± Egbert responded tiredly, ¡°Some family stuff.¡± Galen didn¡¯t ask further, it was getting too personal. He looked back at Eileen who was storming off, hesitated for a moment, then shouted, ¡°I¡¯ll grab breakfast for you, what do you want?¡± Eileen paused, then walked back.. She reached out to Galen, ¡°Just give me the money. I¡¯ll get it myself.¡± Galen paused, then took out his phone, asking, ¡°How much?¡± Eileen replied, ¡°Fifty.¡± Galen stared at her in shock, ¡°What the hell costs that much for breakfast?¡± Eileen quickly changed her answer, ¡°Twenty.¡± Galen begrudgingly transferred her twenty dors. Eileen took the money, and five minutester, she took Egbert and Galen to the TV station¡¯s cafeteria. Galen stared at the huge, dry piece of bread in his bowl with no jam or butter and fell into contemtion. Eileen looked at the twenty dors newly added to her ount on her phone, and grinned widely. After eating, Eileen took Galen and Egbert to tour the training room. She even arranged seats for them to watch the training in person. Galen was just here for the spectacle, he didn¡¯t think Eileen could actually teach anything. To his surprise, Eileen was actually really good. Whether it was demonstrating or correcting movements, she nailed it. Her dance moves were also impressive. Galen and Egbert whispered to each other, ¡°Who knew she¡­¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± Before he could finish, Eileen, who was busy working, suddenly shouted. Galen realized she was scolding him and shut his trap. At that moment, Egbert¡¯s phone rang. Egbert got up and went outside to answer the call. It was Gilbert Turner calling, they were discussing work matters. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. After hanging up, Egbert was about to go back in when the training room door opened. Eileen walked out. She needed to use the restroom. Seeing Egbert at the door, she waved at him. Egbert put down his phone, suddenly saying, ¡°I¡¯m heading out first.¡± Eileen was taken aback, she looked back at him, ¡°Aren¡¯t you joining us for lunch?¡± Egbert responded indifferently, ¡°My agent is here, I have some work to deal with.¡± Eileen was a bit disappointed, she wanted to have lunch with him. She mumbled, ¡°Can youe back when we eat?¡± Egbert could see what she was getting at. He sighed, asking, ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± Eileen¡¯s eyes instantly-lit up, she quickly said, ¡°Barbecue, roast beef! I haven¡¯t had barbecue in so long!¡± Egbert chuckled, ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up at noon!¡± Eileen was ted. She gave Egbert a hard pat on the shoulder, loudly saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t mooch off you, I¡¯ll give you a gift!¡± Egbert looked at her and smiled, his mood lightened up a bit. He asked gently, ¡°What gift?¡± Eileen replied, ¡°I¡¯ll give you Galen!¡± With a poker face, Egbert stepped into the elevator, not looking at Eileen again the entire time. Eileen went to the restroom. When she came out, she saw Karin in the hallway, on the phone. Thinking about how Karin also came to help yesterday, Eileen decided to wait and express her thanks after Karin was done with her call. Karin didn¡¯t notice Eileen. She was looking at the ground, anxiously saying into the phone, ¡°So how¡¯s grandma now? She¡¯s okay, right?¡± Someone on the other end said something. Karin bit her lips, ¡°So she¡¯s back in the hospital for treatment? I thought they said she could recover at home and doesn¡¯t need to stay in the hospital anymore?¡± The other end said something again. Kann fell silent for a moment, asking, ¡°Mom, do you think I should go home? Thepetition¡­ I can withdraw¡­¡± Hearing this, Eileen frowned. After a while, Karin finally hung up. Distracted by her worries, she didn¡¯t notice anyone else. At that moment, Eileen stepped forward and gently touched her hair. Karin was startled, only then did she notice Eileen, she opened her mouth, ¡°¡­Ms. Lopez.¡± Eileen asked gently, ¡°Did an elder in your family fall ill?¡± Karin looked deeply at Eileen, then nodded, ¡°It¡¯s my grandma, her health is very poor. She was discharged from the hospital, but her condition worsened yesterday. After emergency treatment, she was readmitted to the hospital.¡± Eileen frowned in thought for a moment, asking, ¡°What has she got?¡± Karin couldn¡¯t exin clearly, after thinking for a bit, she took out her phone. She found a picture and said, ¡°This was sent to the family group by Sonia Lopez, it¡¯s grandma¡¯s medical report.¡± Eileen took the phone, at the top of the report there was a name in brackets, Rosalind. Rosalind, a very elegant and noble name. Eileen zoomed in on the image and studied it for a while. After a while, she asked with a frown, ¡°Has your grandma¡¯s illness always been treated by the local hospital?¡± Karin was taken aback, then nodded, ¡°Yes, she¡¯s always been in the same hospital.¡± ¡°Have you ever tried international medical tearns?¡± Karin shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that, but my grandpa actually trusts our country¡¯s medical system more.¡± Eileen looked at the illness characteristics in the picture and pondered for a while, finally saying, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her in person, so I can¡¯t make any conclusions, but I think you can try an international treatment n. Domestic and foreign medical services each have their strengths, it¡¯s best to take the best of both. Prejudice is something best to avoid.¡± Karin paused for a moment, then said, ¡°Well¡­I¡¯ll talk to my dad about it, see if he can find a good medical team from abroad.¡± Eileen thought for a moment, ¡°Mr. Carl from the Capital¡¯s International Medical Association is quite renowned.¡± Karin nodded, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll tell my dad.¡± Eileen looked at Karin, who was still as obedient as ever. She sighed lightly, then said, ¡°If your grandma¡¯s condition is really severe, you should quit thepetition. Family is more important than anything else.¡± Karin¡¯s eyes reddened slightly. She looked at Eileen intently, then nodded firmly, ¡°Right! Family is more important than anything else!¡± Eileen smiled, ¡°Mr. Carl isn¡¯t easy to get hold of. If you have any issues, feel free to ask me for help.¡± After chatting with Karin for a while longer, Eileen left. About an hourter, Karin timidly knocked on the door of Team One¡¯s training room. Eileen was teaching a ss. She was about to get angry, but when she saw it was Karin, she signaled to the dance teacher to continue, and she stepped outside. Once outside, she realized Karin wasn¡¯t the only one in the hallway. Karin¡¯s father, Mr. Chad, was also there. Eileen remembered what happenedst night, how Mr. Chad had helped out, and that the issue with Hubery Cooper was also resolved by him. Eileen immediately expressed her gratitude to Mr. Chad. Mr. Chad seemed a bit stunned, but quickly asked, ¡°Ms. Lopez, Karin told me you could help her get in touch with Mr. Carl from the Capital?¡± Eileen replied, ¡°Yes.¡± Mr. Chad seemed a little anxious, ¡°As far as I know, Mr. Carl has already retired.¡± Eileen chuckled, ¡°It seems you are quite familiar with the medical circle in the Capital. Yes, Mr. Carl has retired, but only because he prefers the quiet. He still practices medicine. If necessary, I can help get in touch with him.¡± Mr. Chad¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°That would be great, thank you!¡± 15.57 Eileen smiled, ¡°No problem.¡± roblem.¡±¡­ With that, she pulled out her phone, found a number she hadn¡¯t called in a long tim After a while, the call went through. Eileen said to the person on the other end of the line, ¡°Malloy, it¡¯s me.¡± Chapter 144 Chapter 144 Eileen¡¯s grandpa, Mr. Robin Howard, was a big shot in the medical field with countless students under his belt. Yet in his entire life, he only took on three students. The oldest and the first to be his disciple was Malloy Carl. Nowadays, he¡¯s a big wig, loaded with honors from various associations and hospitals, and holds a super high social status. Eileen hadn¡¯t been in touch with Malloy for a while. Thest time she saw him was the year after her grandpa passed away. That year, she ran into her grandpa¡¯s three students when she was visiting his grave on the anniversary of her grandparents¡¯ death. Just then, from the other end of the phone, Malloy¡¯s surprised voice rang out, ¡°Eileen? Is that really you? Why the sudden call? Are you in town? Where are you? I¡¯ll send someone to pick you up.¡± Listening to Malloy¡¯s nonstop chatter, Eileen couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, saying, ¡°Malloy, the grandma of a friend of mine is sick, and I was hoping you could take a look.¡± Then, Eileen exined the situation and handed the phone over to Chad Lopez so he could fill Malloy in. After a while, Chad handed the phone back to Eileen. He said with aplex expression, ¡°Mr. Carl wants to speak to you.¡± Eileen took over the phone. From the other end, Malloy asked, ¡°Eileen, which med school are you in now? Can you take some time off? I could go see your friend¡¯s grandma. If you¡¯re free, you could tag along.¡±. Eileen said a little awkwardly, ¡°Malloy, I didn¡¯t study medicine.¡± There was silence on the other end. Malloy was bbergasted. After a while, he finally said, ¡°You didn¡¯t study medicine? How is that possible? Your talent¡­ Did you study science then? Like your grandma? Are you nning to be a programmer or a scientist?¡± Eileen bit her lip, ¡°I didn¡¯t study science either.¡± This time, Malloy was silent for even longer, ¡°Did you follow your dad and go to military school? Eileen, girls being military can get hurt easily¡­¡± ¡°Malloy¡­¡± Eileen cut off Malloy, saying somewhat gloomily, ¡°I became an actress.¡± Malloy thought he had heard wrong. It took him a moment to respond, ¡°What?¡± Eileen said quietly, ¡°Malloy, do you watch TV shows? I¡¯ve been in a show that¡¯s been airing online. It¡¯s been viewed over a billion times.¡±¡± Fifty-something, devoted to medical research, spending all day in ab, clueless about TV, movies, variety shows, and tech stuff like the inte,puters, and smartphones, Malloy was speechless. Finally, amidst Malloy¡¯s continuous sighs, Eileen hurriedly hung up. After ending the call, she told Chad, ¡°He said he could take a look at your mom¡¯s situation.¡± Chad nodded, looking deeply at Eileen, ¡°Thank you so much for today¡± Eileenughed softly, ¡°It¡¯s no problem.¡± Suddenly, Chad said, ¡°But it would be great if you coulde along to see my mom.¡± Eileen was taken aback, then smiled,forting him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Carl¡¯s medical skills are top- notch. With him in the picture, there¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± Eileen and Chad didn¡¯t say much else, and then she went back to work. Around noon, Eileen received a call from Egbert. Egbert said he was waiting for her downstairs. Eileen quickly dragged Galen downstairs. Galen, being older and slower,ined while being dragged along by Eileen, ¡°You¡¯re acting like you haven¡¯t eaten in ages!¡± All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Eileen didn¡¯t argue, just kept walking quickly. At the entrance to the TV station. Eileen spotted Egbert in the passenger seat of the car right away. She walked over excitedly, only to see another familiar face in the driver¡¯s seat. It was Egbert¡¯s agent, Gilbert. Eileen had met Gilbert a long time ago, so she recognized him. She waved at Gilbert with a smile. But Gilbert didn¡¯t react, just gave Eileen a cold nce. Just then, Galen also came over. They both got into the car and sat in the backseat. Gilbert was the driver. Upon seeing Galen, he wasn¡¯t as standoffish as he was with Eileen. While he drove following the route to the BBQ ce on the GPS, he asionally chatted with Galen. Galen and Gilbert knew each other, and they mostly talked about industry stuff. After a while, Gilbert changed the subject, ¡°I heard that in ¡®Eyes on the Rendezvous¡¯, Ms. Lopez and Egbert y a married couple.¡± Eileen was looking at the scenery outside, but when she heard this, she turned her attention to the front, saying, ¡°Yeah.¡± Gilbert snorted, ¡°Egbert didn¡¯t cause you any trouble, did he?¡± Galen felt something was off with Gilbert¡¯s tone and was about to rify. But then Eileen said, ¡°He did cause some trouble, but it¡¯s okay, I¡¯m not the type to nitpick.¡± Both Gilbert and Galen were speechless. Through the rear-view mirror, Egbert nced at Eileen in the backseat. Gilbert choked a bit, then said, ¡°Really? What kind of trouble? I should teach him a lesson.¡± Eileen looked at Gilbert curiously, ¡°Teach him what? Do you know anything about acting? He¡¯s a movie star, are you? Howe I¡¯ve never seen you on TV, do you work for the underworld TV station?¡± Only then did Gilbert fully understand why everyone said not to mess with Eileen. Her words were indeed sharp. Gilbert wanted to say something else. But then Egbert suddenly said, ¡°Don¡¯t think she won¡¯t hit you just because you¡¯re driving. If she decides to hit you, I won¡¯t stop her.¡± In the end, Gilbert didn¡¯t say anything. They arrived at the barbecue restaurant. The seats had been reserved in advance. Seeing that half of the seats didn¡¯t have any hot sauce, Eileen asked, ¡°Who can¡¯t handle spice?¡± Egbert and Galen stayed quiet. So Eileen turned to Gilbert. ¡°Mr. Gilbert, can¡¯t you handle spicy food?¡± Gilbert paused a bit, then said, ¡°I¡¯m not feeling it.¡± Eileen responded, ¡°You¡¯re such a weakling.¡± Gilbert didn¡¯t know what to say. Alright, he got it now. He had genuinely pissed this woman off. Gilbert was somewhat peeved at Eileen. Egbert had never been this close to a female artist before, and as his manager, Gilbert was always protective of him. He was always wary of any woman who gets too close to Egbert. Especially since Eileen had a bit of a bad rep, which was something Gilbert couldn¡¯t stand. Midway through the meal, Gilbert suddenly raised a ss to Eileen. ¡°Ms. Lopez, this drink is on me.¡± Eileen responded coldly, ¡°You¡¯re toasting me by drinking? What do I owe you?¡± Gilbert took a deep breath. ¡°I was rude earlier. I shouldn¡¯t have lost my cool at you. I apologize. We¡¯ve got some history together, so how about we bury the hatchet over this drink?¡± Eileen nced at him. ¡°History? Do I know you?¡± Gilbert curbed his irritation. ¡°Remember that time you ran out of a room brandishing a bloody knife, heading straight for Egbert? It was me who got a doctor for you!¡± Eileen was taken aback, and suddenly turned to look at him. Seeing Eileen¡¯s surprised expression, Gilbert continued. ¡°You don¡¯t remember? That time near Cinema City hotel, you were drugged, came out with a knife, asked Egbert to call an ambnce for you, and then Egbert carried you back to your room. I was the one who found the doctor, and we were the ones who took you to the hospital. The medical expenses were covered by Egbert¡­.¡± Chapter 145 Chapter 145 If someone asked Eileen, what¡¯s the most memorable day of her life? She would say straight away, it was the day she came back from the dead. She could still remember the moment a bullet went through her brain, and the burning smell seems to be lingering around till this day. She was dead, then alive again. When she woke up, the first thing she saw was the fat, ugly face of director Han. Hubery handed her over to Han. As the drug wore off, she used an ashtray and a fruit knife to scare Han away, then fled to seek help. In the hallway, she ran into someone. Her mind was totally nk at that moment. The drug made her eyes unfocused. She tried hard to recognize the other person¡¯s face. Finally, she was sure that the blurry face wasn¡¯t Hubery¡¯s, That was enough for her. Who it was, she couldn¡¯t remember at that moment. She copsed into his arms, herst words were to ask him to call an ambnce. Later, she woke up in the hospital. The nurse told her that her bills had been paid and she could leave at any time. The memory of that day is still fresh in her mind. Thinking of this, Eileen¡¯s gaze slowly turned to Egbert. The person who saved her that day, was it really Egbert? Egbert was looking at her too, his gaze was deep and heavy. Galen, who was clueless about the situation, frowned and asked, ¡°Drugged? What kind of drug?¡± Gilbert exined, ¡°The doctor said it was a hallucinogenic, colorless and odorless. Luckily, no other substances were added¡­¡± ¡°Gilbert.¡± Egbert interrupted him softly. Gilbert stopped talking. Such a thing was a bit offensive to a girl. Unexpectedly, Eileen didn¡¯t seem to mind and said, ¡°Someone gave me a bottle of water. I wasn¡¯t on guard. Shortly after I drank it, I passed out. When I woke up, someone was undressing me¡­¡± ¡°Stop!¡± Galen only asked, ¡°Who was it?¡± Eileen, ¡°Do you mean the person who gave me the water, or the person who was undressing me?¡± Egbert was taken aback and suddenly frowned. Galen mmed the table, ¡°Eileen!¡± Eileen then looked at Galen and said, ¡°The one who gave me the water was Hubery, and the one who was undressing me was Han.¡± Egbert¡¯s frown deepened. Galen thought for a while but couldn¡¯t remember who they were. He took out his phone and started searching, ¡°What were their names again?¡± Eileen repeated the names, and then said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they didn¡¯t get what they wanted, I ran away.¡± Galen finally found it, and when he saw the news about Han, he was stunned, ¡°This guy was arrested for drug use a few months ago.¡± Eileen was taken aback and quickly looked at Galen. Galen handed his phone to her and said, ¡°It says here, someone reported him and he was caught on the spot. He¡¯s still in jail now.¡± Eileen frowned. Gilbert also leaned over to look at the news. After reading it, Gilbert suddenly looked at Egbert, with an incredulous expression on his face. Egbert didn¡¯t say anything, he just lowered his head, thinking about something. Galen asked Eileen. Isn¡¯t this guy your enemy? Don¡¯t you even keep tabs on him?¡± Eileen shook her head gently, ¡°I will keep an eye on him, but not now¡­¡± Eileen has the memory of her past life, she knows that in half a year, Han will be arrested for drug trafficking, involvement in sales, using drugs himself, inducing others to use drugs, and finally being caught. At the scene of the arrest, he attempted to escape, taking hostages, and was finally shot dead by the police. Eileen looked at the drug news on the phone, her eyebrows knitted, ¡°Who called the police and ruined my n!¡± Egbert hesitated for a moment, looking at her and asking, ¡°Isn¡¯t it a good thing that he¡¯s in jail?¡± Eileen couldn¡¯t exin to Egbert, only saying, ¡°I hope he spends more money, hires a goodwyer, and gets out of jail soon.¡± She must not prevent him from being shot dead by the police in half a year! Eileen didn¡¯t want to continue this topic. She returned the phone to Galen, picked up the knife and fork on the table, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s start eating.¡± Galen looked at her, lost for words. During the meal, Galen quietly put the cut meat in front of Eileen. Eileen didn¡¯t eat with full concentration, she had never been so absent-minded. She would take a few bites, then look up at Egbert. Take a few bites, then look at Egbert again. After a few times, Egbert put down his fork and looked straight at her. Eileen also put down her fork, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and said to Egbert, ¡°Thank you.¡± Egbert didn¡¯t say anything.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Eileen lowered her head, ¡°I remember the day I came out of the hospital, I ran into you in the elevator, I got mad at you, you must have thought I was so ungrateful, right?¡± Egbert just said softly, ¡°No.¡± Eileen fiddled with the napkin in her hand, with a guilty face, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me directly? If I knew you were the one who saved me, when you were drunk in the elevator, I wouldn¡¯t have cursed you in my heart.¡± Egbert just looked at her. Eileen said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have thought of abandoning you in Traveller 5+1 because you were sick. I wouldn¡¯t have thought you were annoying, that you slowed down my progress and got in my way. And I wouldn¡¯t have been eager to hand you over to Aurora when Aurora Bell appeared, thinking I could finally get rid of you¡­¡± ¡°Enough.¡± Egbert suddenly interrupted Eileen, took a deep breath, and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to confess anymore.¡± Eileen looked at Egbert and sincerely asked, ¡°If I don¡¯t confess, would you understand my regret?¡± Egbert shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t think you regret anything.¡± Eileen was taken aback and tried to defend herself. Galen couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, ¡°Would you just shut up! Look, he¡¯s getting angry!¡± In the end, Eileen had no choice but to shut her mouth and keep chowing down on her meat. After dinner, she still had her eyes glued on Egbert. When it was time to hop in the car, Eileen let Galen take shotgun, while she and Egbert upied the backseat. Egbert just looked at her, his face as unreadable as a brick wall. As the car started to roll, Eileen suddenly said, ¡°Egbert, you saved my life, and I owe you one. I may not be rolling in dough, but I can repay you in other ways.¡± At the wheel, Gilbert looked taken aback. In the passenger¡¯s seat, Galen suddenly turned his head around. Egbert also turned to Eileen, raising an eyebrow, ¡°And what would that ¡®other way¡¯ be?¡± Eileen nodded, ¡°In a way that you¡¯ll need the most in your life. Once it¡¯s done, you¡¯ll feel happy and satisfied from head to toe.¡± Egbert¡¯s expression changed in a sh, ¡°You¡­¡± Eileen confidently said, ¡°I n to give you a full health care package! I¡¯ll be the one doing the acupuncture. Don¡¯t worry, I learned this top-notch technique from a skilled doctor. I can help you prevent middle-aged high blood pressure, hair loss, balding, hormonal imbnce, and even boost your immunity. After the acupuncture, I guarantee you¡¯ll feel totally rxed and have a healthy gut for a whole week.¡± Egbert was lost for words. Chapter 146 Chapter 146 About ten minutester, the car pulled up under the TV station building. Eileen hopped out of the car silently. She turned around and made her way back to the TV station, took the elevator up. Inside, she bumped into two of the staff. They greeted her and she responded in kind. After a while, they suddenly asked her, ¡°Ms. Lopez, you seem in a good mood.¡± Eileen was taken aback and looked at them. The two staff members chuckled, pointing to the elevator mirror, saying, ¡°You¡¯ve been grinning like a Cheshire cat since you got in here.¡± Eileen nced at her reflection. A smile was indeed ying around her lips, and she looked rxed. After thinking for a moment, Eileen said softly, ¡°Something happened earlier that made me really happy. I finally found someone who helped me a long time ago, someone I¡¯ve been searching for, for a long time.¡± The two staff members quickly said, ¡°Well, good for you!¡± Eileen sighed, ¡°But he doesn¡¯t want to ept my repayment.¡± The two staff members responded, ¡°For some people with high integrity, they help others not for the sake of money.¡± Eileen nodded, ¡°So I didn¡¯t give him money. What I gave him was my blessing.¡± The two staff members were speechless. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Eileen looked a bit worried, ¡°Can you guys help me brainstorm a bit? What can I do to repay him that he¡¯ll ept?¡± One of the staff members hesitated before saying. ¡°Maybe you could try giving him some money? Maybe this is a problem that money can solve?¡± Eileen shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t think that will work. Because usually, if money can solve the problem, I can¡¯t.¡± The two staff members were speechless again. Eileen continued, ¡°And like you said, he¡¯s a person of high integrity. If I give him money, isn¡¯t that an insult? I can¡¯t do that!¡± The two staff members remained silent. After stepping out of the elevator, Eileen was still worrying over this issue. At the end of the day¡¯s work. That night, she returned to the hotel, originally intending to have a chat with Egbert. But she heard that Galen and Egbert had already left. B They hade to see her on their way, and after meeting her, they had to go back to continue shooting Eyes on the Rendezvous. Eileen felt disappointed and sighed in her room. Janice, holding a tablet, asked her, ¡°Eileen, the first episode of Shining Star aired today, aren¡¯t you going to watch?¡± Eileen looked up, ¡°What¡¯s Shining Star?¡± Janice was speechless, ¡°It¡¯s the talent show you¡¯re currently filming!¡± With that, Eileen remembered. She made a couple of ¡°oh¡± sounds, slowly moved next to Janice, and rested her chin on Janice¡¯s shoulder, looking at the tablet in her hand. Janice was like a tablet stand, supporting Eileen as they watched together. Overall, the show was pretty good. The production team had a budget, they did sufficient promotion, as soon as it aired, the views shot up, and there were a lot of Eileen watched for a while and was surprised to see that the production team had intentionally protected and beautified her image. She told Janice, ¡°I actually swore here, but it was cut out. And here, here, and here, all cut¡­¡± After listening for a while, Janice couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and asked, ¡°Is there ever a time when you don¡¯t swear?¡± Then Karin made her appearance. Eileen said, ¡°I never swore at Karin.¡± During her first performance, Karin performed a dance simr to one Eileen had posted online before, immediately attracting a lot ofments, many of which mentioned Eileen. Karin¡¯s dance was really good, and after finishing, she confessed her admiration for Eileen on stage. Eileen said to Janice, ¡°Watch, in a moment Aurora will give Karin a low score, and Hubery will also give Karin a low score, but all of this will be edited out¡­¡± Before she could finish, she saw Aurora on the screen saying, ¡°I¡¯m not a professional, I don¡¯t dare to score casually.¡± After saying this, she gave Karin a B grade. Eileen was stunned. This clip that damaged Aurora¡¯s image, was not edited out? The audience clearly hadn¡¯t expected Aurora to say this and give such a rating, and for a moment the real-timements were all question marks. Then, an even bigger climax arrived. Hubery gave Karin a C grade, saying, ¡°I think this dance doesn¡¯t suit you.¡± This was like lighting a barrel of gunpowder. Real-timements started pouring in like crazy. ¨C [He¡¯s obviously targeting Karin, isn¡¯t he? Everyone knows he has beef with Eileen, but what did Karin do wrong?] ¨C [Karin has chosen the wrong side. Hubery and Aurora are coaches, Eileen is just a celebrity coach. Even if you do love Eileen, you should hold back, the coaches have the final say.] ¨C [I¡¯m speechless, is this a hidden jab at Eileen?] ¨C [The dance doesn¡¯t suit her? I think it suits her perfectly, she danced so well, it¡¯s a pity it wasn¡¯t performed at Hubery¡¯s mother¡¯s funeral.] All thements following were cursing Hubery. After watching the entire episode, Eileen was very confused, ¡°They really cut out all the parts where I was swearing, but kept all the parts where Aurora and Hubery were unfair. What¡¯s going on?¡± Janice replied, ¡°I heard that there¡¯s going to be a coach change for the fourth stage performance, both Hubery and Aurora will be reced.¡± Eileen frowned. The production team didn¡¯t inform her about this. Could it be because she injured Hubery and scared Aurora into hospital? Eileen kept silent for a moment, deciding she must keep her mouth shut to avoid the production team asking her forpensation for recing the coaches! The next day, while Eileen was having breakfast, Janice suddenly said, ¡°Something big happened.¡± Eileen was puzzled, ¡°What happened?¡± Janice said, ¡°The show that aired yesterday stirred up a huge controversy and got a lot of k, even trending.¡± Eileen, with a touch of schadenfreude, asked, ¡°They were dissing Hubery and Aurora, right?¡± Janice nced at her, remained silent for a moment, and then said, ¡°They were dissing you.¡± Eileen was taken aback, puzzled, ¡°Me? Why are they picking on me again, what did I do wrong? I watched the show yesterday. It was an hour and a half long, and I was only on for maybe ten seconds! I only said one sentence!¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Janice nodded, ¡°So your fans and the critics got all antsy. They¡¯ve been questioning the production team, asking why you didn¡¯t get more screen time. The team responded that you originally had 20 minutes, but the director decided to cut the part where you were arguing, and you only ended up with 10 seconds of footage.¡± Eileen fell into silence. Janice took a look at Eileen, ¡°You spent 19 minutes and 50 seconds of those 20 minutes arguing. Both your fans and haters think you¡¯re not ambitious enough. They¡¯ve been posting a lot of negative comments online, tens of thousands of them, even making it to the trending list.¡± Eileen was somewhat speechless. She opened Twitter and sure enough, it was just as described. But Eileen didn¡¯t care, she wasn¡¯t bothered. She took out a bagel, and while munching on it, she said, ¡°I can¡¯t help it, they just love to pick on me. But it¡¯s not a big deal, I¡¯m used to being criticized.¡± Janice said, ¡°The big deal I¡¯m talking about is not this, but the cost of quelling the negativements, which is $15,000. Ophelia has already notified you, this amount will be deducted from your payment. Hopefully, this will be a lesson learned.¡± Eileen froze, the bagel in her mouth dropping onto the floor. Eileen lifted her head, looking at Janice, incredulously asked, ¡°What did you say?!¡± Chapter 147 Chapter 147 At a private hospital in Harborview City. Ableson Lopez pushed open the door of the ward only to see Hubery lying in bed, face swollen, both legs bandaged up, receiving an IV drip. On seeing Ableson, Hubery tried to sit up immediately. ¡°Stay down,¡± said Ableson, his face impassive. Feeling awkward, Huberyy back down and called out, ¡°Mr. Lopez¡­¡± The private ward was very plush. Ableson looked around before moving up to the bed. Looking down at Hubery, he asked casually, ¡°What¡¯s with the recklessness?¡± Hubery awkwardly exined, ¡°Hedy didn¡¯t want to get eliminate¡­¡± Ableson frowned, ¡°Hedy is just a little girl, a little sweet talk would do. You forgot the big picture for a girl? Is that your range of vision?¡± Hubery choked up, unable to respond. He knew that if he wanted to change his fate amidst his family¡¯s decline, he had to marry Hedy. Over the years, he had been nothing but courteous to Hedy and even more respectful to Ableson. When Ableson reprimanded him, he didn¡¯t dare to retort. Seeing Hubery silent, Ableson became even angrier, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to wait until Eileen turns twenty, no matter what?¡± All Hubery could do was apologize, ¡°Sir, I was wrong this time. I was too impulsive, but Eileen was really too much¡­¡± ¡°You should have endured it!¡± Ableson said sternly. Hubery was taken aback and had to grit his teeth and say, ¡°Yes.¡± Previously, on the Traveller 5+1 show, Hubery was first kicked by Eileen, then pushed into a fountain. He was so mad he was about to blow his top, but while he was changing his clothes, he received a call from Ableson. On the phone, Ableson told him not to provoke Eileen. At the time, Hubery was puzzled because he knew that not long ago, Eileen had returned to the Lopez family and had hit Hedy and her mother. He thought Ableson wanted to teach Eileen a lesson himself. It was only after he returned to the country and met with Ableson that he found out that the elders of the Howard family had left an inheritance for Eileen. However, the will stipted that Eileen had to be twenty before she could inherit it. For that inheritance, Ableson had been tolerating Eileen¡¯s behavior. Hubery was also nning to endure her, but unexpectedly, the Shining Star show invited Eileen as a celebrity coach. Every day, Hedy would call him, saying she didn¡¯t want to be eliminated, didn¡¯t want to be targeted by Eileen. Hubery was at a loss. He originally wanted to use Aurora¡¯s power to deal with Eileen. But to his surprise, Mr. Chad didn¡¯t have a strong connection with Aurora, and Aurora¡¯s downfall was quick. In desperation, Hubery thought of taking out Eileen directly, as long as she was still around, he could still get the inheritanceter. He knew Eileen could fight, and even brought four street thugs, but he didn¡¯t expect that the five of them together were no match for Eileen. Where on earth did this woman learn to fight, she¡¯s so tough! Looking at Hubery¡¯s helpless look, Ableson felt even more displeased, but he said, ¡°Hubery, I have high expectations of you. Don¡¯t let me down.¡± Hubery immediately straightened up and solemnly promised, ¡°Yes, Mr. Lopez, I know what to do!¡± Ableson nodded, ¡°But Hedy is my daughter after all, and the trouble Eileen has caused us is a fact. I will contact the relevant people to have her removed from the show, so Hedy won¡¯t be upset when she sees her.¡± Hubery¡¯s face lit up with joy, and he quickly said, ¡°Hedy will definitely be very happy!¡± Ableson also smiled, ¡°As long as Hedy is happy.¡± That night, at the TV station. As Eileen came out of the practice room, she saw several female staff members eating snacks and chatting in the lounge across the way. The door wasn¡¯t fully closed, and their chatter was loud enough for Eileen to hear. ¡°Hahaha, some guy popped up saying he wants to sponsor us, on the condition that the director fires Eileen.¡± ¡°I know, I heard about it too. Do you know how much he¡¯s sponsoring? One hundred thousand dors, I almost diedughing!¡± 7 ¡°Karin¡¯s father casually invested three million, saying he didn¡¯t have any other intentions, just in a good mood, spending some money to be happy.¡± ¡°Exactly, Karin likes Eileen so much, if Eileen gets fired, Karin¡¯s dad will be mad for sure and that investment will be wasted. Our director would be an idiot to fire Eileen. He even had her swearing scenes cut out to protect her image!¡± ¡°Bang!¡± Suddenly, there was a loud noise. The girls, who were chatting happily, looked towards the door at the sound. Eileen stood there, hands on hips, ring at them. The girls all jumped. A makeup artist immediately stood up and stammered, ¡°Eileen, we weren¡¯t talking bad about you¡­¡± Eileen yelled, ¡°Where did your snackse from! Thedy in charge said the new snacks hadn¡¯t arrived yet!¡± The makeup artist was stunned, she hadn¡¯t expected that. She held her bag of chips and said in a small voice, ¡°This is all that¡¯s left¡­¡±Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Eileen ignored her. She rushed in, grabbed the two unopened bags of chips on the table, hid them behind her back and said, ¡°I¡¯m taking these!¡± The others watched her, feeling like they were being robbed. The makeup artist was very aggrieved, but could only say, ¡°You can have them, but don¡¯t tell anyone we¡¯re cking off, okay?¡± Eileen immediately said, ¡°Wow, you guys are cking off, huh!¡± She-extended a hand and gave it a shake indicating, ¡°I won¡¯t snitch, but it depends on whether you guys pay me enough.¡± The makeup artist seemed on the verge of tears and looked back at the others. Finally, a few of the female staff members pooled their resources and handed over all the snacks they had in their bags to Eileen ¨C bubble gum, lollipops, jelly beans, you name it. Eileen pocketed the goodies. And then, no longer looking so grumpy, she sat down and asked them kindly, ¡°What was that one hundred grand you were talking about?¡± The makeup artist replied, ¡°Someone wants you to leave the show. They said they¡¯re willing to invest a hundred grand for you to leave.¡± Eileen touched her chin and suddenly asked, ¡°If I leave voluntarily, will that hundred grand be mine?¡± The whole room fell in silence.. The makeup artist finally managed to say, ¡°Probably¡­ they won¡¯t give it to you.¡± Eileen seemed very disappointed andined, ¡°Humph, because of your show, I almost had a big problem yesterday and nearly lost a ton of money!¡± The makeup artist blinked, ¡°What do you mean, ¡®almost¡¯?¡± Eileen continued, ¡°I became a trending topic because of the audience, and mypany wanted to take off those topics using my money. I definitely didn¡¯t agree, so I called my manager. After some negotiation, she finally agreed to have the finance department cover it.¡± The makeup artist chuckled, ¡°Your manager seems pretty fair.¡± Eileen nodded, ¡°Yes, Ophelia is pretty decent. I told her if she deducted my money, I would go online and criticize thepany¡¯s chairman, shareholders, and general manager, and say she was behind it! She was immediately scared and promised not to deduct my money.¡± The makeup artist were silent again Eileen continued, ¡°She also said she must have done something terrible in her past life to have to deal with someone like me in this one. So she¡¯s actually quite good, always looking for fault within herself, knowing it¡¯s all her own fault. I do admire that about her.¡± The makeup artist just looked at her, speechless. Chapter 148 Chapter 148 Star. In his hotel room, Chad was handling work matters when he suddenly got a call from the executive director of Shining Star. ¡°A hundred grand?¡± Chad dropped his pen, took off his sses, leaned back in his chair and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s the other party?¡± The executive director was very enthusiastic and hurriedly answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know who they are, they didn¡¯t reveal their names, and the negotiations were through an assistant. But apparently, they¡¯re from Kyoto.¡± Chad fell into thought. they that our The executive director exined again seriously, ¡°We didn¡¯t agree to their terms. We told them clearly that our show is fair and square, and we won¡¯t do anything shady!¡± Chad gave a few random replies, and after hanging up, he called Bernie to have him look into the matter. After instructing Bernie, Chad was about to get back to work when he noticed a new message on his phone. Chad opened it and saw that it was from his father. The message was simple, Egbert and his sister¡¯s engagement was off. From today onwards, Egbert was no longer the future son-inw of the Lopez family. Chad was utterly confused. The rest of the Lopez family was also in the dark about reason. But his father didn¡¯t send any more messages and didn¡¯t give any exnations. Chad stared at his phone for a while, then took a screenshot of the message and sent it to Egbert. Egbert replied after about an hour: [I know.] Chad immediately replied: [Are you happy now?] Egbert: [?] Chad replied: [You always wanted to break off the engagement. Now that your wish came true, are you happy?] Egbert didn¡¯t reply anymore. Chad felt a bit gleeful, thinking that Egbert must be pissed. So, he sent another provocative message. Chad: [Why so quiet all of a sudden?] After sending this message, Chad waited for a long time for Egbert¡¯s reply, but it never came. Chad knew Egbert must have blocked him. After the first episode of Shining Star was aired, it drew a lot of attention. The team members were all very happy. Soon, they arrived at the venue for the fourth stage performance. Neither Aurora nor Hubery appeared in thispetition. After the host praised them, he announced the two new coaches. Both coaches were singers who had been famous in the industry for a long time. They were more than qualified to be coaches. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. At the fourth stage performance, Hedy was eliminated. Without the support of Aurora and Hubery, Hedy couldn¡¯t continue in thepetition with her own abilities alone. Her elimination was just a matter of time. After thepetition, Eileen saw a missed call on her phone while she was removing her makeup backstage. She called back, said a few words to the other party, and then hung up. After a while, Eileen changed into her casual clothes. At this moment, a staff member came in and announced loudly, ¡°We¡¯re having a dinner party tonight. Anyone who wants to join, please raise your hand. I need to count the number of people.¡± Eileen immediately raised her hand, excitedly saying, ¡°I¡¯m in!¡± The staff member saw her, pointed at her, and said, ¡°56¡­¡± Eileen quickly added, ¡°I¡¯m bringing someone else too!¡± The staff member replied, ¡°You¡¯re bringing Janice, right? Okay, 57¡­¡± Eileen added, ¡°Right, there¡¯s Janice too. So, I¡¯m bringing two people, I¡¯m bringing two people!¡± The staff member was speechless. In the end, Eileen alone ounted for three ces. After receiving the call, Janice rushed to the TV station. She saw Eileen waiting on the sidewalk downstairs. Janice hurriedly ran over, her face flushed, and took Eileen¡¯s arm, ¡°Eileen, thank you, I didn¡¯t expect you toe down to pick me up.¡± Eileen replied, ¡°I didn¡¯te down to pick you up.¡± Janice silently moved to one side. At this time, a group of contestants came out of the elevator. Karin was among them. She saw Eileen and quickly came over, gently pulling at Eileen¡¯s clothes. Eileen saw it was her, smiled, and asked, ¡°Are you guys going too?¡± Karin shyly nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s a party hosted by my dad, I¡¯ll be there.¡± Turns out it was hosted by Mr. Chad. They really are loaded. Just then, a white imported BMW pulled up at the entrance of the TV station. The car door opened, and out stepped Mr. Chad. Karin waved her hand and called out, ¡°Dad.¡± Chad saw them and walked over, smiling at Eileen, ¡°Ms. Lopez, we meet again.¡± Eileen politely nodded at Mr. Chad and said, ¡°Hello.¡± Seeing people starting toe out one after another, Chad then said, ¡°Shall we head over?¡± The dinner party was at a nearby seafood restaurant, not far from the TV station, just a few minutes¡¯ walk. Eileen replied, ¡°I¡¯m still waiting for someone, you guys go ahead.¡± Chad looked at her and asked, ¡°Who are you waiting for?¡± Eileen smiled and said, ¡°Someone very important to me¡­¡± Just at this moment, a ck business car drove up. Eileen recognized the car and quickly said, ¡°He¡¯s here!¡± With that, she immediately ran down and stood on the sidewalk, peering into the car. After the car came to a steady stop, the back door opened. Then, a tall man stepped out of the car. The man was dressed in a dark grey coat. His presence was very strong, and his handsome face wore a gentle smile. Chad was stunned. So were the others present. ¡°Egbert!¡± Someone shouted. Instantly, everyone crowded around, tightly surrounding Egbert and Eileen. Eileen quickly stepped in front of Egbert, trying to keep the peace. ¡°Back off, back off! You¡¯re spooking my lifesaver here! Give us some space, will ya?¡± Someone curiously asked, ¡°Eileen, howe Egbert¡¯s your lifesaver?¡± Eileen snapped back, ¡°None of your business!¡± That person was left speechless. Afterward, they all went to the restaurant together. On the way, Chad kept looking back at Egbert and Eileen, who were trailing behind and chatting about something. Chad frowned and deliberately slowed down to walk beside them. Egbert was in the middle of speaking when he saw Chad approach. He stopped talking and shot him a cold look. Chad, however, was all smiles. ¡°Mr. Reed, weren¡¯t you supposed to be on a movie set? What brings you here?¡± Egbert didn¡¯t bother to respond. Eileen spoke up for Egbert, ¡°He finished his movie and decided to drop by to see me.¡± ¡°Drop by?¡± Chad¡¯s tone was somewhat sarcastic. ¡°But this is an internal gathering. Is heing too?¡± Worried that Chad might charge Egbert, Eileen quickly said, ¡± He¡¯s my family! Family doesn¡¯t have to pay!¡± Chad was taken aback, his voice cracking, ¡°Family?!¡± Egbert just chuckled and coolly retorted, ¡°Can¡¯t I be her family?¡± Chad was choking with rage, ¡°How can he be considered your family?!¡± Egbert quickly tried to cover Eileen¡¯s mouth, but she beat him to it, ¡°Why can¡¯t he be my family? Look, he¡¯s got two eyes, a nose, and a mouth, just like me. What are the odds? He must have inherited my features, he¡¯s my son! Of course, he¡¯s my family!¡±, Chad was dumbfounded, and Egbert was speechless. After showing off in front of everyone, Eileen quietly sidled up to Egbert and quickly tried to smooth things over, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to use you, it¡¯s just that he wanted to charge you¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m your son, is that okay?¡± Egbert rubbed his temples, suddenly feeling a headacheing on. Chapter 149 Chapter 149 The crew gathered for a meal, almost two hundred of them. The private rooms couldn¡¯t amodate everyone so they were dining in the main hall. During dinner, Eileen and Egbert were seated together. Egbert seemed a bit down, not saying a word. Eileen, being the warm-hearted person she was, served him food and drinks. Chad, watching from the side, couldn¡¯t help but sneak in a chuckle when he turned his head. Egbert¡¯s face instantly darkened.. Eileen, seemingly frightened, started peeling shrimp for Egbert, carefully cing the peeled shrimp in his te, while whispering, ¡°Eat more¡­¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Egbert didn¡¯t respond and remained silent. Chad suddenly said, ¡°If you¡¯re not going to eat it, I will.¡± And with that, he went for the shrimp with his fork. fork Egbert moved his te aside, looked up, and red at Chad. Chad snickered. Eileen peeled another shrimp and gently put the shrimp in Egbert¡¯s te. Egbert nced at her and finally, he didn¡¯tsh out. He calmly said, ¡°Just enjoy your food.¡± Seeing Egbert no longer angry, Eileen immediately grabbed a huge crab, bigger than her face, cracked it open and started munching away. They kept eating until 1 am. On their way back, everyone walked. After a full meal, Eileen, hands in her pockets, turned to Egbert and asked, ¡°Are you leaving tomorrow?¡± Egbert replied, ¡°The day after tomorrow.¡± Eileen¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°So you¡¯re staying for one more day?¡± Egbert looked at her, ¡°Are you not weing me?¡± Eileen quickly replied, ¡°No, of course, I wee you.¡± She then started to probe, ¡°Are you free tonight?¡± Egbert looked at her, ¡°Tonight?¡± Eileen whispered, ¡°About that thing¡­ can youe to my room tonight? Seeing Egbert seemingly reluctant, Eileen quickly said, ¡°I cane to your room too!¡± Karin, walking behind, originally wanted to talk to Eileen. But as she approached, she overheard Eileen and Mr. Reed discussing whose room they should go to tonight. Karin was shocked and confused. As an innocent sixteen-year-old, she was immediately taken aback. Then she heard Eileen saying, ¡°I¡¯ve prepared the acupuncture tools, they¡¯re very expensive, cost me several US dors! Give it a try, Egbert. Trust me, Asian acupuncture is really effective. Look at your pale face, you must have some health issues. Don¡¯t worry, after I do the acupuncture, you¡¯ll feel better!¡± Egbert¡¯s head started to ache again, trying his best to suppress his anger. Karin didn¡¯t understand. Acupuncture? Eileen noticed the sneaky Karin behind her and turned to ask, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Karin quickly shook her head, took a few steps back and fled the scene.. In the end, Eileen failed to convince Egbert to try acupuncture. Eileen felt that Egbert was too conservative, afraid to try new things. She wouldn¡¯t harm him, it was clear he didn¡¯t trust her skills. But Egbert was her lifesaver after all, so Eileen couldn¡¯t really be angry at him. The next morning, Eileen had Janice deliver breakfast to Egbert. When Janice returned, she said, ¡°Eileen, Egbert isn¡¯t in his room.¡± Eileen was surprised, ¡°What?¡± Janice said, ¡°Others said he left very early, might be busy.¡± Eileen remembered Egbert mentioning he would stay an extra day, figured he must have something to deal with and didn¡¯t ask further. She ended up eating Egbert¡¯s breakfast herself. By koon, Eileen received a call from Egbert, asking if she could go out for lunch. Eileen readily agreed, ¡°Sure!¡± Egbert had his driver pick up Eileen. After a ten minute drive, they arrived at a private restaurant. The restaurant was a bit out of the way, located in a small alley further from the downtown pedestrian street. The alley was very quiet and rustic, surrounded by lots of greenery. Eileen, wearing a mask, walked in, finding the interior of the restaurant very exquisite with two floors. She told the waiter about the third private room. The waiter led her to the second floor. The third private room was at the end of the corridor on the second floor. When they passed by the second private room, the door was opened. Eileen didn¡¯t think much of it, she just took a casual nce. However, half a secondter, she stopped in her tracks. The waiter had reached the entrance of the third private room, looking back, she found Eileen still standing there. The waiter asked in confusion, ¡°Miss?¡± It felt as if Eileen¡¯s blood had frozen. Her usuallyzy and casual eyes suddenly turned icy cold. She took a step back and looked into the second private room again. Inside, a handsome man with an extraordinary air was on the phone. He quickly noticed the girl outside the door. He stared at Eileen from behind his gold-rimmed sses. If it were anyone else there, they might be frightened by his gaze. They should be total strangers, yet their eyes met at that moment. In the end, it was the man in the room who spoke first. His voice was low and cold, ¡°Can I help you?¡± That voice brought Eileen back to reality¡­ She opened her mouth slightly and murmured, ¡°Teacher¡­¡± But her voice was too small, no one heard it but her. The man in the room didn¡¯t hear it either. A hint of ruthlessness shed in his eyes. He looked away and put down his phone, then moved his hand towards his waist. Eileen instantly realized he was going for his gun. She quickly said, ¡°Sorry, are you a celebrity? You look handsome.¡± The man¡¯s hand paused at his waist. He looked at Eileen again and after a moment of silence, said, ¡°No.¡± Eileen hung her head and said, ¡°Sorry to bother you.¡±, With that, she made a quick exit. Inside VIP room number 3, Egbert was on the phone too. When he saw Eileen walk in, he said ¡°Alright¡± to the person on the other end of the line. Then he hung up, grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair, slung it over his arm, and said to Eileen, ¡°Let¡¯s bounce.¡± Eileen stared at him, dumbfounded. ¡°We¡¯re leaving now?¡± Egbert responded coldly, ¡°We¡¯re gonna grab a bite somewhere else.¡± With that, he took Eileen by the hand and led her out of the room. As they passed by VIP room number 2, its door was already shut. Eileen nced over at it instinctively. But what she didn¡¯t notice was that Egbert also shot a look at room number 2, his expression grim and stern. Their driver was waiting downstairs. They got in the car, and Egbert casually mentioned the name of a restaurant. When they arrived, Egbert¡¯s phone rang. He told Eileen, ¡°get in first.¡± Only when Eileen had left did he take the call in the car. On the other end was the stern voice of his father. ¡°Egbert, are you sure you didn¡¯t see wrong? The person you saw, was it really NightKing?¡± Egbert¡¯s face darkened, and he replied coldly, ¡°I shot him four times in the Cambodia 722 drug case. I wouldn¡¯t mistake him.¡± Albert Reed let out a long sigh. ¡°How could NightKing be in Crestonia? He¡¯s the top assassin globally, the king of underground mercenaries in Spain, the leader of Bloodbane Shadowsociety. If someone like him personallyes to Crestonia, something big must be going down.¡± Egbert stared out at the city¡¯s traffic and crowds and said calmly, ¡°I¡¯ve already notified the military district in Harborview City.¡± ¡°Alright Albert responded. Then he added sternly, ¡°Since he¡¯se to Crestonia, he¡¯s not going to get away!¡± Chapter 150 Chapter 150 While eating, Eileen noticed that Egbert seemed to be a bit distracted. She asked, puzzled, ¡°What¡¯s up? You don¡¯t like the food here?¡± Egbert nced at her, replying nonchntly, ¡°Nothing.¡± Seeing Eileen chomping away at her meat, Egbert put down his fork and said helplessly, ¡°Eat some veggies, will ya?¡± Eileen didn¡¯t respond, continuing her carnivorous feast. After finishing her meal, downing some soup, and devouring most of the fruit, Eileen finally felt full. She leaned back in her chair, patting her belly, suddenly asking Egbert, ¡°Why didn¡¯t we eat at that other joint? Nice vibe there.¡± Egbert paused, casually responding, ¡°We¡¯ll go next time.¡± Eileen scoffed, ¡°And when exactly is next time? You¡¯re leaving tomorrow. Egbert looked at her, ¡°You don¡¯t want me to leave?¡± Eileen blurted out, ¡°Of course I don¡¯t want you to leave! You¡¯re the best damn chef!¡± Egbert didn¡¯t respond. Eileen thought for a moment, then corrected herself, ¡°Hot chef?¡± Egbert was speechless. Still mulling over, Eileen continued, ¡°Chef¡­¡± ¡°Enough.¡± Egbert cut her off, sighed, stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here.¡± Seeing that Egbert was upset by herments, Eileen quickly got up and left with him. While they were in the car, Egbert¡¯s phone rang again. It was Gilbert Turner. In the cramped car, the ringtone was a bit loud. Gilbert¡¯s voice was high, and he immediately asked, ¡°Egbert, what happened? You said you¡¯d be in Harborview City for just a day, to meet with Eileen and visit an elder. Why the sudden change of ns?¡± Change of ns? Eileen blinked, looking at Egbert. Egbert put the phone to his ear, telling Gilbert, ¡°Something came up.¡± Gilbert probed, ¡°What?¡± Egbert didn¡¯t answer. After waiting a bit and not getting an answer, Gilbert sighed and asked, ¡°So`how long are you nning to dy? We¡¯ve got interviews and endorsements lined up.¡± Egbert paused, then threw out a timeframe, ¡°One week.¡± ¡°One week?!¡± Gilbert eximed, ¡°One week? No way, I can give you two days max¡­¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. ¡°I need one week.¡± Egbert cut him off coldly. Ignoring Gilbert¡¯s protests, he hung up. The car fell silent. Eileen cautiously looked at Egbert, asking incredulously, ¡°You¡¯re really going to stay here for a week?¡± Egbert nced at her, ¡°Didn¡¯t you not want me to leave?¡± Eileen shrugged, then asked, ¡°¡­ So, are you going to treat me to meals every day?¡± Egbert red at her, ¡°No way!¡± Eileen looked disappointed and didn¡¯t say anything more. But she wasn¡¯t actually mad. Egbert had to change his nsst minute, he must¡¯ve had something important to do, so it was normal for him to not have time to treat her to meals. They arrived at the TV station. After Eileen got off, she immediately went upstairs to continue working. ? ? ? ?? ? ??? After a day¡¯s work, she returned to her hotel room in the evening, took a shower, sat on the bed, thought for a long time, still feeling uneasy. She took out her phone and started browsing the local news. In the following time, there were no shootings or homicides in the area. Eileen frowned. She remembered that at this time in her past life, she hadn¡¯t met Nightking yet. She was unsure why NightKing woulde to Crestonia at this time. She continued browsing the news on her phone for a while, and when it started tog, Eileen immediately stopped. She skillfully rebooted her phone and cleared the memory. Her phone finally returned to normal. Eileen sighed, saying, ¡°Anyway, there¡¯s no chance we¡¯ll cross paths in this lifetime. I should stop sticking my nose in things.¡± Having seemingly convinced herself, she plugged in her phone to charge and went to sleep. The next day, Eileen got up on time. While getting ready to go to the TV station after breakfast, she bumped into Egbert in the hotel elevator. Eileen knew Egbert was staying a floor above her. She greeted him, ¡°What a coincidence.¡± Egbert looked at her and said, ¡°Your hair.¡± Eileen looked at herself in the elevator mirror and found her hair a bit messy. She casually fixed her hair and noticed that Egbert had pressed the button for the basement floor. The basement was the parking lot. Eileen was surprised and quickly asked Egbert, ¡°Where are you off to? Driving? Are you passing by the TV station? Maybe¡­¡± ¡°Give you a lift?¡± Egbert looked at her, then offered, Eileen immediately agreed, ¡°Okay, remember, you said it! No take-backs!! Egbert helplessly fixed Eileen¡¯s hair for her. After a while, Egbert said, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll give you a lift.¡± Eileen was pleased, and soon, the elevator arrived at the basement level. As soon as she stepped out, she started looking for Egbert¡¯s car. Just then, a gust of wind blew from behind. Eileen instinctively turned around. But the next second, her arm was grabbed. Then, she was pulled into a familiar embrace. It was Egbert who held her. * Before Eileen had time to think, she looked and saw a dagger where she had been standing. Eileen started cursing, furious. She broke free from Egbert¡¯s grip, pushed him behind her, then rushed at the dagger-wielding man, kicking at him. The man was quick and blocked with his arm. At the same time, he changed the direction of the dagger, aiming for Eileen¡¯s side! Eileen chopped at the man¡¯s neck with her hand! The man¡¯s body went numb, losing strength, Eileen grabbed his dagger, then punched him in the face! The dude obviously didn¡¯t see thating, her move was so quick and fierce. After copping a punch in the face, he quickly backed off. Eileen didn¡¯t give him a chance, she went straight for a jab to his shoulder. The guy winced in pain, and Eileen immediately yanked off his hood. Underneath was a in male face, a punch mark right on his nose bridge, his nose still bleeding, all because of Eileen¡¯s punch. Realizing that his face was exposed, the guy tried to turn tail and run. But Eileen wasn¡¯t about to let him off the hook. She delivered a side kick to the back of his head, then, while he was writhing in pain, elbowed him right in the temple. Two vital points hit in session, the guy spat out a mouthful of blood and dropped to his knees, staring at Eileen in terror. Eileen grabbed him by the cor, but identally caught sight of the tattoo on his chest. She froze, momentarily. Egbert, not far away, also saw the tattoo, and he was just as stunned. Eileen was livid, ¡°You gotta be kidding me, a member of the Bloodbane Shadowsociety!¡± As she spoke, Eileen grabbed the guy¡¯s hair andnded another punch on his head. She gave it everything she had, the guy couldn¡¯t utter a word, his vision blurred and he passed out. ¡°Bloodbane Shadowsociety¡± was an assassin organization set up by NightKing. Eileen never saw iting, that NightKing would actually send someone to take her out. Was it because she gave him an extra look outside the private room yesterday? But it was his fault! Being on the world¡¯s most wanted list, and yet not bother to change his appearance when he goes out! He strolls around in public and mes others for looking at him!. Anyone who saw his face would be marked for death, she was now on his hit list, she was livid! Eileen was shaking with rage. She turned around and saw Egbert¡¯s grim face. She froze. Instantly, she wasn¡¯t angry anymore, she cautiously approached Egbert. She gently reassured him, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, I know you¡¯re shocked, it¡¯s okay, I¡¯m here.¡± With that, she gently patted Egbert¡¯s shoulder, she didn¡¯t dare use too much force, afraid to startle him once more. Egbert was lost for words. Chapter 151 Chapter 151 They gotta deal with the guy who just passed out on the floor as fast as possible. Eileen immediately took out her phone, ready to ring up the cops. While she was at it, she figured she might as well report on seeing NightKing. The guy was not only a murderer, but he seemed to think killing was just a casual hobby. Did he think this was some sort ofwless yground? Well, he¡¯s in for a rude awakening! Eileen was already scheming up a revenge n in her head! She eagerly took out her phone, only to find it was on the fritz again. Quietly, she put her phone back into her pocket. Eileen had no choice but to ask Egbert, who was standing nearby, for help: ¡°I need to use your phone, I gotta call the cops¡­¡± Egbert just silently looked at her, and after a moment, he took out his phone and made a call. Eileen stretched out her hand, ¡°Let me do the talking.¡± She was worried that Egbert wouldn¡¯t be able to exin the situation urately to the police. After all, Egbert was clueless, he was just an innocent bystander. Egbert didn¡¯t call the police though, instead, he called the military district of Harborview City. An hourter, Eileen was sitting quietly in a hotel room, hugging a pillow. In front of her, stood several armed soldiers. Eileen looked fearfully at the soldiers, then at Egbert, who was having a conversation with the military leader. She opened her mouth, wanting to call out to Egbert. Egbert saw her. After he said a few words to the leader, he came over and sat next to Eileen. Eileen leaned towards Egbert, then gingerly said to the soldiers, ¡°I acted in self-defence, the guy isn¡¯t dead¡­ The military leader looked very stern. He was very tall, and had a scar on his face. He sat across from Eileen, trying his best to look approachable, but the sharpness in his eyes still made him intimidating. ¡°Do you know about Bloodbane Shadowsociety?¡± he asked. Eileen couldn¡¯t tell them she knew about the organization, and she certainly couldn¡¯t tell them about her kidnapping at twenty, her unexpected rescue by the leader of the Bloodbane Shadowsociety, how he became her mentor, taught her shooting, fighting, and how he tried to lure her into crime! But she resolutely refused! She was always a good,w-abiding citizen! After a long pause, Eileen knew she couldn¡¯t tell the truth. All she could tell them was, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of the Bloodbane Shadowsociety. Seems like they¡¯re a criminal organization operating between several Southeast Asian countries.¡± The leader looked at her seriously, then said with a stern tone, ¡°Seems like you do know quite a bit¡± Eileen didn¡¯t respond. The leader leaned forward a bit, elbows on his knees, looking into Eileen¡¯s eyes, ¡°What else do you know?¡± Eileen went on, ¡°I also know that while the Bloodbane Shadowsociety is known as an assassin organization, they mainly work as bounty hunters. They don¡¯t. typically kill without reason. Their targets are often domestic and international fugitives. They retrieve fugitives for the government and collect bounties. Sometimes they also take jobs from gangs, like helping a gang eliminate their enemies, or acting as mercenaries in war-torn countries, helping rebels or governments attack or break out of sieges. Who they help mainly depends on who offers more money.¡± Eileen concluded, ¡°They¡¯re extremely dangerous.¡± The leader¡¯s face had turned very grim by now. He looked at Egbert, then said sternly, ¡°She muste with us.¡± Egbert suddenly gripped Eileen¡¯s hand tightly. After a moment, he said nervously, ¡°Mr. Reed will be here shortly.¡± The leader¡¯s face changed. In all of Crestonia, there was only one marshal. Mr. Reed was going to handle this personally? Eileen looked at Egbert, her eyebrows furrowed slightly. Mr. Reed? The leader was silent for a moment, took a deep breath, and continued to stare at Eileen, ¡°Is that all you know about the Bloodbane Shadowsociety?¡± Eileen shook her head, and quickly spoke up. ¡°Of course not. I also know about the leader of Bloodbane Shadowsociety, who¡¯s known as NightKing. He¡¯s a dangerous assassin who started off as a mercenary, then founded the Bloodbane Shadowsociety. i hoard he was even recruited by the governments of some countries¡­¡± The leader immediately stood up, ¡°Egbert, you should understand the importance of this matter! Even if Mr. Reedes, she muste with us!¡± Egbert¡¯s brow furrowed, and he turned to look at Eileen. He had checked Eileen¡¯s entire past. There was no way she could have had contact with anyone from the Bloodbane Shadowsociety. Egbert looked into Eileen¡¯s eyes, and asked in a softer voice, ¡°How do you know all this?¡± Eileen gritted her teeth, ¡°I saw it on aw-rted TV show.¡± Egbert and the leader were both left speechless. Eileen looked up, carefully asked, ¡°You¡¯ve never seen it? That show¡¯s really popr. It mainly talks about foreign criminal organizations and famous criminals. There was one episode about the Bloodbane Shadowsociety.¡± As Eileen was speaking, she borrowed Egbert¡¯s phone again, fiddled with it for a bit, and finally found a video. The video was from an episode fromst year. The female host was educating viewers in a standard broadcasting voice aboutrge-scale criminal activities and the level of punishment in Crestonia. The hostess said, ¡°Rumor has it that the no.1 professional hitman on the global killer ranking, codenamed NightKing, is proficient in firearms and explosives. Here are some photos, all taken from crime scenes after the incidents.¡± ¡°Next, we have a real interview video with a criminal. He detailed the Bloodbane Shadowsociety that he has seen¡­¡± Then the scene shifted to a convict in a prison uniform. He sat in the visiting room, his face pixted, talking a lot to the journalist. And what he said was pretty much what Eileen had just mentioned. He even mentioned that members of the Bloodbane Shadowsociety all have a tattoo on their chest, which represented their spiritual totem¡­ The leader¡¯s face was now extremely gloomy. Eileen hung her head in silence, not daring to say more. She knew about the Bloodbane Shadowsociety not because she had watched this show. She had indeed watched this video, which was shown to her by NightKing in her previous life. At that time, NightKing was very proud to show her their corporate culture. Two hourster, when Albert arrived, the soldiers had already left. Egbert opened the door for his father, and outside the door, besides his father, were his father¡¯s two subordinates. Seeing that Egbert was fine, Albert let out a sigh of relief, ¡°You found him yesterday, he must have found you, too. You shot him four times in Cambodia, and he must want revenge. But I didn¡¯t expect that he only sent one person. Does he look down on you that much?¡± Egbert calmly responded, ¡°Maybe he thinks I¡¯ve retired.¡± Albert shook his head and asked again, ¡°How did Eileen find out about the Bloodbane Shadowsociety?¡± Egbert then exined to his father what had happened. After hearing this, Albert nodded and sincerely praised, ¡°She¡¯s really a good girl who loves to read, watch news, and pay attention to legal programs. Where is she?¡± Egbert replied, ¡°She¡¯s at the TV station.¡± Albert became even happier, ¡°She loves to work, too.¡± Egbert looked at his father and said, ¡°She¡¯s not there to work. It¡¯s almost noon. She¡¯s at the TV station cafeteria for lunch. She¡¯ll be back after she eats.¡± Albert was speechless. After a moment of silence, Albert sat down and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait for her toe back and see her.¡± Egbert frowned. Albert said, ¡®Don¡¯t worry, I know what to say and what not to say. I knew her before you guys, I just want to catch up with her.¡± All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. With that, Albert looked up at Egbert and asked, ¡°I knew her before you guys, I even held her in my arms, did I tell you that?¡± Yes, he did, probably about twenty times or so. Chapter 152 Chapter 152 When Eileen got back to Egbert¡¯s ce with lunch, she ran into Albert. At first, she didn¡¯t recognize him. After all, it had been a long time. However, Albert was the first to recognize her, and he said, ¡°You¡¯ve grown up.¡± Eileen looked at him confused. Albert, leaning on the single sofa, his serious face now showing a warm smile, ¡°Eileen, do you really not remember me? I have been waiting for your call.¡± Eileen suddenly understood. Like a dust-covered memory being opened, it slowly emerged. Her grandparents died in a car ident, and she woke up from aa. In the world, she had nothing. She suddenly became an orphan. Afterwards, many people came to the hospital to see her, one of whom was her father¡¯s friend, a very important person. That person wanted to adopt her, but she refused, saying she was waiting for her mother¡­ That person left her a note with a phone number on it, but the note was thrown away by Sarah¡­ ¡°Mr. Reed¡­¡± Eileen looked at the middle-aged man in front of her. Her lips opened and closed several times, and finally, she made an uncertain sound, ¡°¡­Mr. Reed?¡± Albert¡¯s smile deepened in his eyes, he asked quietly, ¡°Do you remember now?¡± Eileen couldn¡¯t speak. She turned to look at Egbert, then back at Albert. Egbert, Mr. Reed, Mr. Reed¡­ Eileen asked with a confused expression, ¡°You, you¡¯re Mr. Reed? You guys¡­¡± Albert interrupted, ¡°Egbert, give us some space, I want to talk to Eileen alone.¡± Egbert, sitting on the sofa, calmly looked at his father, and then leaned back, ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡± Albert shot him a ce. Eileen was still in shock. She thought for a while, then said to Egbert, ¡°I want to talk to him¡­ alone.¡± Egbert stood up from the sofa, gently touched Eileen¡¯s head, and said softly, ¡°Call me if you need anything.¡± With that, he left the room. Albert gave his son a weird look. In the room, only the two of them were left. Eileen looked at Albert, silent for a while, then asked, ¡°Is it really you?¡± Albert smiled. Eileen bit her lip lightly, lowered her head to think for a while, then asked, ¡°Have, have you eaten?¡± Albert shook his head, ¡°Not yet.¡± Eileen immediately stood up, took out the lunch she had brought for Egbert, and opened it, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind¡­¡± Albert¡¯s attitude was very friendly, ¡°In my youth, on the battlefield, I ate all kinds of things, I¡¯m not picky.¡± Eileen also smiled, her nervousness about seeing an elder rxed a bit. Albert sat on the sofa and started to eat without any hesitation. Eileen sat opposite him, her fingers twisting the corner of her clothes, then she asked again, ¡°You and Egbert¡­ ¡°We are father and son, Albert said, taking out his wallet from his pocket and handing it to her. Eileen immediately refused, ¡°I really can¡¯t ept this, it¡¯s not appropriate, we just met!¡± All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Albert reluctantly said, ¡°There¡¯s a photo inside.¡±, Eileen finally understood. She remembered, when she was young, Mr. Reed wanted to adopt her, and he showed her a photo of his entire family. Eileen was extremely embarrassed, it turns out Mr. Reed wasn¡¯t trying to give her money. She awkwardly took the wallet, opened it and saw an old family photo, exactly as she remembered it. When she first saw this photo, she was just a child, and she didn¡¯t feel anything. This time looking at the photo, she immediately noticed Egbert in the center. He was probably only in his teens at the time, his features were already refined,pared to his mature charm now, he was a little boy then. Eileen couldn¡¯t help butugh. So Egbert was this cute when he was young. Albert took a bite of the food, seeing herugh, he said, ¡°When I was young, I was quite handsome.¡± Eileen was speechless. ¡°That¡¯s true, you were very handsome when you were younger!¡± Eileen immediately looked at the adult man in the photo, she had only noticed Egbert before. The young Albert finally gave Eileen a sense of familiarity. So this man, really is the Mr. Reed she met when she was young. Eileen put the wallet back properly and handed it to Albert respectfully. Albert put the wallet in his pocket and looked at Eileen¡¯s shy and reserved look, and said, ¡°You¡¯ve always been this good since you were young.¡± Eileen quickly straightened her posture. Her back also became straighter. She tried to make herself look like a well-behaved child. After all, no matter how naughty she was outside, she needed to show her well-behaved side in front of adults. The more Albert looked at Eileen, the more satisfied he was. But the more satisfied he was, the more he felt it was a pity. He looked at Eileen, hesitating whether to speak, ¡°About the cancetion of the engagement, actually¡­¡± Cancetion of the engagement? Eileen was stunned for a moment, then looked at Albert: R Albert and Eileen looked at each other, he suddenly remembered, Eileen still didn¡¯t know her own background! He didn¡¯t say the rest of his words. Albert quickly waved his hand, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, nothing.¡± Eileen was very confused.. L # it Albert looked at her with a baffled look on her face, she looked so innocent, so he exined, ¡°It¡¯s not about you, it¡¯s Egbert, he and his ex-fianc¨¦e¡­¡± Speaking of ¡°fianc¨¦e¡±, Albert quickly nced at Eileen, then said, ¡°¡­cancelled their engagement.¡± Egbert and his fianc¨¦e cancelled their engagement? Eileen was immediately surprised and her eyes widened. Albert quickly changed the subject again, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about him, he¡¯s not worth mentioning.¡± Saying that, he quickly started eating again. Eileen and Albert had a chat in the room for about ten minutes or so. After Albert gobbled up his food, he got up and was ready to leave. He wiped his mouth with a napkin, and said, ¡°I¡¯ve got some stuff to deal with at the military base. If you need anything, just give Egbert a shout.¡± Eileen nodded obediently and personally showed Albert out. Outside, Egbert was on the phone. When he saw his old man stepping out, he hung up and strolled over. Albert gave Egbert¡¯s shoulder a gentle pat, didn¡¯t say much, and left with his two sidekicks. It wasn¡¯t until they were all out of sight that Eileen turned to Egbert, hesitating a bit before she started, ¡°Um¡­¡± Egbert looked at her, asking, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Eileen bit her lip and lowered her head, ¡°About the engagement¡­ your dad talked to me about it¡­¡± Egbert froze on the spot. He immediately looked towards the elevator, but his dad was long gone. Egbert¡¯s face turned pretty grim, he looked at Eileen, ¡°Did he tell you everything?¡± Eileen was twisting her dress, nodded, ¡°He told me everything, I thought I should let you know, so I came to tell you.¡± Egbert¡¯s brows furrowed, he started to exin, ¡°Eileen, actually¡­¡± ¡°I know, I know, I¡¯ve got the whole picture!¡± Eileen cut Egbert off, she looked at Egbert with a sorrowful face, sympathetically saying, ¡°You must be bummed out, being rejected, huh?¡± Egbert was confused. Eileen tried to cheer him up, ¡°Don¡¯t be sad! If that girl doesn¡¯t dig you, that¡¯s on her, not you! What¡¯s her name, you tell me, I¡¯ll give her a piece of my mind for you!¡± Chapter 153 Chapter 153 That day, Eileen never managed to find out the name of Egbert¡¯s fianc¨¦. Shining Star, ever since its debut, has been riding a wave of poprity. After airing three episodes, the filming of the show was nearing its end. On one particr Sunday, all the recording work for Shining Star was finished. After the crew disbanded, Eileen was removing her makeup when Karin unexpectedly walked over. ¡®Ms. Lopez,¡± Karin said, looking at Eileen a bit reluctantly, ¡°Christmas is the day after tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yeah, time flies,¡± Eileen responded while removing her makeup. ¡°Luckily, we finished all the recording before Christmas. You guys can go home and spend the holiday with your parents.¡± Pouting, Karin said, ¡°I¡¯m flying back to the US with my father tonight¡­¡± Eileen, remembering that Karin¡¯s family lives abroad, said, ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±. Karin looked at Eileen a bit unhappily. She held onto Eileen¡¯s sleeve and asked, ¡°Ms. Lopez, what about you? Will you be going home to spend Christmas with your family?¡± Eileen paused, then answered, ¡°Yes.¡± Karin seemed a bit unhappy. Eileen continued, ¡°But I can¡¯t spend Christmas Eve with them because the cemetery closes at six in the evening.¡± Karin was stunned and looked at her in disbelief. Eileen continued to remove her makeup, adding, ¡°My family is in the cemetery, my dad, my grandpa, my grandma, they¡¯re all there. But I can only visit them during the day, I can¡¯t stay with them for Christmas.¡± Karin was shocked and her mouth fell open. After a while, she tried to say something. ¡°Ms. Lopez!¡± a crew member suddenly called out. ¡°There¡¯s a dinner tonight, are youing?¡± Eileen immediately answered, ¡°Yeah, count me in!¡± The crew member then asked, ¡°Are you bringing Janice?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take her with me!¡± Eileen responded. After the crew member left, Eileen turned around and asked Karin, ¡°What were you saying?¡± Karin looked into her eyes, gave a bitter smile, and shook her head. Eileen didn¡¯t pay it any mind. After dinner that night, they headed back to the hotel. Janice started packing as they were leaving the next day. Suddenly, Janice¡¯s phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, she handed the phone to Eileen, who was reading a newspaper on the sofa, and said, ¡°Eileen, it¡¯s Ophelia.¡± Eileen set aside the free newspaper she picked up from the hotel lobby, answered the phone, and said, ¡°Hello.¡± On the other end of the line, Ophelia¡¯s angry voice came through, ¡°I gave you money to buy a new phone! Why can¡¯t I reach you?!¡± Eileen¡¯s old phone had finally died for good two days ago. When Ophelia found out, she checked Eileen¡¯s bank ount and found only a few dors left. So, she gave Janice a thousand bucks and told her to take Eileen to buy a new phone. But two days had passed, they had epted the money, but the new phone was yet to be bought! Casually flipping through the newspaper with one hand, Eileen said, ¡°Things in Harborview City are too expensive, I¡¯ll buy it when I go back to Kyoto.¡± Angrily, Ophelia said, ¡°It¡¯s not that expensive, phones from the same brand have the same price at any store!¡± Eileen said, ¡°I¡¯m not buying from a store, I n on buying a second-hand phone. I can¡¯t tell the quality of the phones online, so I¡¯ll wait until I get back to Kyoto, I¡¯m sure I can find a quality second-hand phone!¡± Ophelia was at her wit¡¯s end, ¡°You can¡¯t do that. Who gave you permission to use a second-hand phone? If people find out, they¡¯llugh at you! Buy a new phone!¡± Seeing Ophelia getting more and more angry, Eileen quickly changed the subject, ¡°Ophelia, did you call just to talk about this?¡± Finally remembering the main point, Ophelia quickly said, ¡°Your next job is confirmed, it¡¯s a variety show on the National television.¡± Eileen paused, ¡°National television?¡± Ophelia said, ¡°The new variety show by the director of Survival, a military-themed show called Defender¡¯s Honor. It¡¯s an educational reality show which invites eight celebrities to experience real military life and spread positive energy.¡± As soon as Eileen heard about joining the military, she immediately sat up straight and excitedly said, ¡°I want to go, I want to go, I want to be on this show!¡± Ophelia immediately said, ¡°I knew you wanted to go to the military, so I¡¯ve already signed you up. You¡¯ll be inducted after Christmas, enjoy your holiday. I¡¯ll let you know when the timees.¡± Eileen quickly agreed, ¡°Okay, thanks!¡± Before hanging up, Ophelia loudly said, ¡°Buy a phone! Did you hear that?!¡± Eileen said, ¡°I did¡±, but she still hadn¡¯t decided to buy a new phone. It was only after returning to Kyoto that Eileen hurriedly went to the second-hand market. But when she got there, she realized that the market was closed for Christmas. Now Eileen wanted to buy a phone, but she couldn¡¯t. She had to continue borrowing Janice¡¯s phone. After all, her friends knew Janice¡¯s number, they could reach her by calling Janice. On Christmas Eve, at the Reed family¡¯s ce. Albert, who didn¡¯t know Janice¡¯s number, had already called Eileen twelve times and still couldn¡¯t reach her. After Mrs. Reed returned from watering flowers on the balcony, she saw her husband holding his phone with a stern look on his face. She asked, ¡°Still can¡¯t get a hold of Eileen?¡± Albert frowned and shook his head. Mrs. Reed sighed, ¡°If we knew the kid was safe, we wouldn¡¯t have been so worried¡­ Anyway, try calling her again.¡± Albert dialed Eileen¡¯s number again but still couldn¡¯t reach her, Mrs. Reed was a bit bummed out, ¡°She must be working. That¡¯s how it goes being a star, you know. I often can¡¯t reach Egbert for days at a time. Just¡­ send her a text, wish her a Merry Christmas or something.¡± And that¡¯s all Albert could do, send her a text. Then Mrs. Reed pulled out a card from her pocket, a bank card that she had originally prepared for Eileen. It didn¡¯t have much money in it, just a measly hundred grand. She was afraid that if there was too much money, Eileen wouldn¡¯t ept it. Now that she couldn¡¯t see Eileen, Mrs. Reed could only regretfully pull out the bank card and put it aside. She asked again, ¡°Where¡¯s Egbert?¡± Albert replied, ¡°He¡¯s gone out, said he¡¯d be backter.¡± Meanwhile, at Eternal Rest Gardens. Eileen was squatting in front of two tombstones, cing fresh flowers in front of them. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. They were her grandparents¡¯ graves. Her father was a soldier, and after his death, he was buried in the martyrs¡¯ cemetery. Every holiday, Eileen would firste to Eternal Rest Gardens to pay her respects to her grandparents, and then go to the martyrs¡¯ cemetery to visit her father. After making her offerings to her grandparents, Eileen would sit in front of the tombstones and chat with her grandparents, talking about everyday stuff. After a while, Eileen suddenly heard footsteps. She didn¡¯t pay much attention to it, considering there were many people visiting the cemetery during Christmas. Eileen continued chatting with her grandparents, then suddenly, someone stopped next to her. She looked up, squinting against the light, and turned to look at the figure of the man. When she saw his face, she was stunned. ¡°Egbert?¡± Egbert was wearing a ck coat and a mask. He looked down at the woman in front of him, After a moment of silence, Egbert crouched down, gently wiped a tear from Eileen¡¯s eye with his warm finger, and said softly, ¡°Janice told me you were here.¡± Eileen stared nkly at Egbert. She took a deep breath, holding back her tears, and mumbled, ¡°It¡¯s not a tear, I just yawned.¡± Egbert nodded, and gently wiped the tear marks off her face with the back of his hand, whispering, ¡°I know you¡¯re not crying.¡± Chapter 154 Chapter 154 Eileen wiped her face with the back of her hand, then bent down to start packing up the stuff in front of the tombstone. Egbert looked at the gifts in front of the grave. The usually frugal girl had bought a lot of stuff today for her grandparents. Suddenly, Egbert grabbed her hand and whispered, ¡°Hold on.¡± Eileen looked at him, puzzled. Egbert bowed deeply in front of Eileen¡¯s grandparents¡¯ tombstone. Then he began to help Eileen pack up. When they left, they both wore masks. Eileen had originallye alone and nned to take the bus to the martyr¡¯s tomb. But now Egbert was here, and she could hitch a ride for free. Eileen was quite pleased On the car, Eileen asked Egbert, ¡°Did youe specifically to find me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Egbert answered, then asked, ¡°Why can¡¯t I reach your phone?¡± Eileen felt heartbroken when she mentioned this. She said painfully, ¡°My phone is broken, and it¡¯s the kind of broken that can¡¯t be fixed¡­¡± Egbert nced at her without saying a word, only sending a message at the traffic light. Soon, they arrived at the martyr¡¯s tomb.. Egbert bowed to Eileen¡¯s adoptive father in front of his tomb. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Eileen thought Egbert was a really good person. She introduced him to her father, ¡°Dad, his name is Egbert. He just got dumped by his fianc¨¦e. Bless him to find true love soon. Let him be with his loved one forever.¡± Egbert was about to leave the tombstone. Upon hearing this, he stood up straight and began to bow again. Eileenughed and joked, ¡°Are you that desperate to be with a woman?¡± Egbert didn¡¯t say anything, just nced at her. Eileen also started to bow, she said to the tombstone, ¡°Dad, bless me too, bless me to be a rich person, and to make lots of money every day!¡± Egbert watched her silently. When they left the martyr¡¯s tomb, it was already an hourter. When Eileen was at Eternal Rest Gardens before, she felt very sad when she saw her grandparents¡¯ tombstones alone. But now that she came to the martyr¡¯s tomb with Egbert, she didn¡¯t seem so sad. Eileen was very grateful to Egbert. When picking up the car, Eileen suddenly saw a person standing next to their car. It was Egbert¡¯s assistant. After getting in the car, Egbert¡¯s assistant drove, and Egbert and Eileen sat in the back Eileen curiously asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡± Egbert¡¯s assistant handed over an unopened phone box from the front seat and said, ¡°Mr. Reed asked me to buy a phone and deliver it over.¡± Eileen looked at the phone, and her eyes lit up. She tightly grabbed Egbert¡¯s sleeve and pleaded, ¡°Are you nning to change your phone? Do you still need your old one? If you don¡¯t need it, could you sell it to me with a discount? Please sell it to me!¡± Egbert was taken aback. He was silent for a while, looking at her pitiful appearance, pondered for a while, then said, ¡°Okay.¡± Mr. Reed¡¯s assistant in the front seat was stunned to hear this. Didn¡¯t Mr. Reed tell him that this new phone was bought for Eileen? How did it turn into selling her his old phone? Eileen was very happy! But at the same time, she asked cautiously, ¡°How much are you going to sell it for? I¡¯ve used your phone, it¡¯s not worth much, I can only give up to two hundred dors. no, a hundred dors!¡± Egbert looked at her and said, ¡°I can give it to you for free.¡± Eileen asked in shock, ¡°Really?¡± Egbert took out his own phone, then turned on the new phone. He changed the SIM card, then transferred all the data from the old phone into the new one with one click. He handed the old phone to Eileen. Eileen couldn¡¯t wait to hold the ck, almost brand new phone, she felt super happy! After she reset it to factory settings, she found that both the lock screen and wallpaper were pictures of Egbert. She wanted to change it, but she couldn¡¯t. She asked in confusion, ¡°Why is that?¡± The assistant in the front said, ¡°Eileen, this phone is a custom signed phone that the distributor gave to Mr. Reed, the only one in the world. Not only is the wallpaper locked with Mr. Reed¡¯s photo, but there¡¯s also Mr. Reed¡¯s signature on the back of the phone.¡± Eileen nced at it, and sure enough, there was a signature on the back. She didn¡¯t reall care, saying, ¡°Okay, let it be.¡± Anyway, she didn¡¯t care about the wallpaper, she used to use the system¡¯s built-in wallpaper. Using Egbert¡¯s photo as a wallpaper was fine, a lot of people use celebrity photos as wallpapers. Egbert looked at her happily holding the phone in her hand and smiled. After a while, the car arrived downstairs at Eileen¡¯s house. 1 When Eileen got off the car, she felt that Egbert had given her such a big gift, so she politely promised, ¡°I¡¯ll treat you to a meal next time!¡± Egbert looked at her at this time. He thought for a moment, then said, ¡°Okay.¡± Ten minutester. Eileen stood at the door of her small apartment, feeling very confused. She talked and looked at the man who was following closely behind her. ¡°Um¡­¡± she tried to ask again, ¡°Are you really not going home? Today is Christmas Eve.¡± Egbert raised an eyebrow, Don¡¯t you want to treat me to dinner?¡± Eileen quickly said, ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡± In the end, Eileen had to open the door and invite Egbert in. The small apartment was tiny, this was Egbert¡¯s first time at Eileen¡¯s house. The room was very clean, well-arranged, refreshing, and doll-free. It was different from the usual girl¡¯s room. As soon as Egbert entered, he saw the pyramid clock and the owl clock on the cab. A smile appeared on his face again. While Eileen was cutting vegetables in the kitchen, Egbert made a call to his dad in the living room. After talking for a while, his mom¡¯s voice came from the other end, ¡°Okay, Egbert, stay with Eileen for the holiday. She went to the cemetery today, she must be very upset. Don¡¯t let her spend the holiday alone, stay with her.¡± Then Albert¡¯s voice chimed in again, ¡°Tell them toe home for the holidays¡­¡± ¡°They Ie back, the two of them are just right together, you know nothing! Egbert, don¡¯t listen to your dad, that¡¯s it, I¡¯m hanging up.¡± With that, she hung up the phone. Egbert put down the phone, couldn¡¯t help but look up towards the kitchen. After a moment, he got up and walked into the kitchen. In the kitchen, Eileen was chopping vegetables while on the phone. ¨C Her ck phone was wedged between her shoulder and cheek. She was bragging to the person on the other end, ¡°Of course it¡¯s a new phone, I spent the thousand dors you gave me. Yes, it¡¯s a new phone, a really expensive one, with great quality. She was mid-sentence when she noticed Egberting in. She froze, not daring to say anything else. Egbert nced at her casually without calling her out on her lie. He just walked over to her, picked up the phone, ced it to her ear and whispered, ¡°Go on.¡± Eileen weakly exined, ¡°It¡¯s Ophelia, she was nagging me to buy a phone¡­¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Egbert said softly, ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything.¡± Eileen didn¡¯t dare to speak again. Egbert then asked, ¡°What are you cooking? Do you need help?¡± Eileen thought for a moment and said, ¡°Well, you can help wash the vegetables.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Egbert said, then reminded her, ¡°Your phone.¡± Only then did Eileen remember that she hadn¡¯t hung up the phone. She said into the phone, ¡°Ophelia, are you still there?¡± After a while, a weak voice came from the other end of the phone, ¡°I¡¯m not, I¡¯m dead.¡± The second after Ophelia finished talking, she hung up the phone. Eileen looked at Egbert innocently, but didn¡¯t say a word. Egbert didn¡¯t say anything either, just put his phone away. Chapter 155 Chapter 155 Then he went back to the kitchen, rolled up his sleeves, and started washing the vegetables. The kitchen in this tiny apartment was really small, which was a bit crowded with two people in it. After Eileen finished chopping the vegetables, she turned to get a te and bumped into Egbert. Their arms were pressing against each other. Egbert turned to look at her. Eileen pointed and said, ¡°Hand me that te.¡± Egbert handed her the te. After a while, Eileen came back over. Seeing that Egbert had his hands full, she reached over him to grab a fork from the other side. Egbert¡¯srge frame made it difficult for her to move. Eileen had to lean over and stretch her arm, pressing against Egbert¡¯s body, just to reach the fork. Egbert straightened up a bit at that moment, and Eileen instinctively stepped aside to avoid him. Egbert gently supported her slim waist with one hand, and handed her the fork with the other. Eileen nced at his palm on her waist and immediately said, ¡°Don¡¯t touch me! Your hand is wet, making my clothes wet too!¡± Egbert chuckled, and then he ced the fork in her hand. Eileen took the fork, turned around, and stirred the vegetables in the te. Then Egbert took out an egg. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. There was a loud ¡°crack¡±. Eileen turned her head just in time to see Egbert crack the egg too hard, causing the shell to fall into the egg mixture. Eileen and Egbert went silent. Eileen was a bit annoyed, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you knew how to cook?¡± Egbert calmly turned around, intending to dump the egg mixture, while exining, ¡°I identally did that.¡± Eileen stopped him and frowned, ¡°Why are you throwing it away? You¡¯re wasting food!¡± After saying that, she used the fork to fish out the broken eggshell. Egbert reached out to take it. Eileen dodged him and said, ¡°You should just go sit down. You¡¯re too clumsy.¡± Egbert didn¡¯t say anything, just extended his hand, and then suddenly grabbed both of Eileen¡¯s hands. Eileen froze. Egbert looked at her, then took the fork and egg mixture from her. He then said, ¡°I¡¯ll do it the way you just did. You go do something else.¡± Eileen lowered her hands, wiped them on her clothes, and then he said, ¡°Fine.¡± It took a while before Egbert seemed somewhat proficient. While Eileen was deveining the shrimp, she asked Egbert to add some salt to the soup. Egbert did as she instructed. When Eileen finished with the shrimp and tasted the soup¡­ She found that the soup was so sweet. Eileen was speechless. Eileen looked at the sugar and salt on the side, and she angrily asked Egbert, ¡°Can¡¯t you tell the difference between sugar and salt?¡± Egbert was somewhat embarrassed. An hour and a halfter, dinner, a simple one, was finally ready. Eileen cet the food on the table, took off her apron, and said to Egbert, ¡°Despite all the difficulties, thanks to your help, we finally managed to get dinner ready.¡± Egbert was speechless, Eileenughed again, waved her hand, and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m not mad. You gave me a phone, so I can put up with some of your ws. If you hadn¡¯t given me a phone though, I would have been mad at you!¡± Since it was Christmas Eve, Eileen took some pictures before eating, nning to post them on Twitter. She was thrilled about her new phone. Eileen took a ton of pictures. Then she added a caption, Merry Christmas, and tweeted it. Egbert waited for a moment before asking, ¡°Done?¡± Once Eileen saw the sessful post notification, she put her phone aside and said, ¡°Done, let¡¯s eat.¡± Eileen and Egbert then started to enjoy their meal, but there was a buzz online. Ophelia was also having dinner with her family. Halfway through, she got a call from herpany. ¡°Ophelia, something big happened!¡± Ophelia¡¯s face turned serious, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Quick, check Twitter. Eileen just tweeted a Merry Christmas!¡± Ophelia immediately refuted, ¡°Merry Christmas! Is she crazy¡­ wait, what¡¯s wrong with this tweet?¡± The caller couldn¡¯t exin, ¡°Just check her tweet yourself!¡± Ophelia opened Twitter and clicked on the tweet. She was dumbfounded when she saw the content¡­ Eileen did tweet a Merry Christmas, but it wasn¡¯t just a Merry Christmas tweet! Queen Eileen: Merry Christmas. Tweet from: Egbert Anniversary Edition 220 Phone. Ophelia Was totally speechless. Every tweetes with a source tag, showing where the tweet was posted from. For example, if it was posted from a web browser, it would show, Tweet from: Web Browser. Whatever model of phone was used to post the tweet, it would show under the tweet. So, her phone model was fully disyed when she tweeted: Ophelia f¨¦lt dizzy, she leaned against the wall to steady herself, took a deep breath, then dared to check thements. The tweet was posted fifteen minutes ago, and it already had 10k retweets and 40kments. Topment: -[As we all know, there¡¯s only one of this phone in the world. It¡¯s a special custom model given to Egbert by the manufacturer. Three months ago, Egbert retweeted an endorsement ad with this phone.] -[Okay, we get it. You¡¯re spending Christmas with Egbert, and you¡¯re tweeting from his phone. Is there anything else you want to tell us? Spit it out.] Are they just friends?] -[What¡¯s wrong with being friends? Friends can turn into lovers!] Ophelia didn¡¯t have the time to overthink things. She immediately got in touch with thepany, urging them to swiftly take action and manage the rumor mill with PR and marketing campaigns! Once she caught a breather, she dialed Eileen straight away. Eileen was in the middle of chowing down her meal, but picked up the call with food still in her mouth. She barely lifted the phone to her ear when a roar from the other end sted out, ¡°Are you trying to get yourself killed?¡± Eileen was taken aback, clueless as to why Ophelia was so fired up this time. She cautiously asked, ¡°What did I do?¡± Ophelia barked, ¡°What the hell was that tweet about! I¡¯ve told you, you can¡¯t handle Twitter on your own! Look what you¡¯ve done! How are you gonna fix this!! Indeed, Eileen had sent out a tweet, but she thought there was nothing wrong with what she posted. Even wishing everyone a Merry Christmas is off-limits? Feeling wronged, she opened Twitter, only to discover that the tweet she just sent was topping the trending list. Eileen was taken aback. She clicked on her profile, And there it was, under her username, the words ¡°Egbert Anniversary Edition 220 phone¡± were ringly obvious. Eileen jumped out of her skin. She hadn¡¯t noticed this before! ¡°We¡¯re screwed!¡± Eileen couldn¡¯t help blurting out, ¡°Now the whole world knows I¡¯m using an Egbert phone! What should I do?¡± Chapter 156 Chapter 156 Eileen was so mortified. She really made a fool out of herself this time! She wanted to exin to Ophelia what had happened. But then Ophelia bellowed, ¡°What kind of second-rate phone are you using? Eileen, what on earth are you doing? Who gave you permission to tweet from Egbert¡¯s phone? Are you that desperate for everyone to know you two were together on Christmas? What¡¯s your game here? You want the whole world to know?¡± Eileen realized that Ophelia was genuinely pissed. She was so livid she was starting to talk nonsense. Eileen was afraid that Ophelia might want her thousand dors back, so she quickly apologized, ¡°Ophelia, I¡¯ll change it right now. I¡¯ll turn off the setting that shows the phone model, okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s toote! Everyone already knows!¡± Ophelia was trembling with rage. All her hard work had been ruined by Eileen¡¯s single tweet! She calmed herself down and asked seriously, ¡°Is Egbert with you?¡± Eileen nced at Egbert who was still leisurely sipping his soup and said, ¡°Stop eating, we¡¯ve got a situation.¡± Egbert looked up at her. Eileen turned on the phone¡¯s speaker and nervously said, ¡°Ophelia, you can speak now, he can hear you.¡± Ophelia took a deep breath, exined the situation to Egbert, saying, ¡°This incident is primarily Eileen¡¯s fault, not yours, Mr. Reed. However, the public has already started.buzzing about you two having dinner together over Christmas which might lead to misunderstandings.¡± Egbert put down his utensils and casually asked, ¡°What do you need me to do?¡± Ophelia breathed a sigh of relief and said, ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t have to do anything. We¡¯ll handle the online chatter. You just need to refrain from making any statements on your end.¡± In other words, Egbert should stay out of it, keep mum, or else things could get worse and even obstruct their efforts to manage the public opinion? Egbert nced at Eileen. Eileen was looking at him expectantly. Egbert then said, ¡°Alright.¡± Hearing his agreement, Ophelia didn¡¯t say much else. After scolding Eileen, she hung up. It was supposed to be a merry Christmas, but this mess happened. Eileen had lost her appetite. Sheid down her fork and got up despondently to wash the dishes. As she was turning on the tap, Egbert came over, rolled up his sleeves and said, ¡°Let me do it.¡± Eileen gave him a look and moved aside. Egbert washing dishes was a bit clumsy, but he did it thoroughly. After he finished, Eileen dried them and put them away in the cab. After all the hustling, she checked Twitter again and saw that Ophelia had managed the situation well. People online were saying that they were together for work, that it was a working dinner. As for why Eileen used Egbert¡¯s phone to tweet, it was because her phone had died. Whether or not her phone did die was irrelevant. But the onlinements about it being a working dinner were quite convincing. {A huge star eating such a humble meal on a holiday, it must be a working dinner!] Eileen was speechless.. Annoyed, Eileen looked up at Egbert and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you find it tasty?¡± Egbert, who was peeling an apple for her, whispered, ¡°It was delicious.¡± Eileen said, ¡°Yeah, you did finish it all.¡± Egbert wasn¡¯t able to exin that he didn¡¯t eat much. It was her who ate most of it. After slicing the apple, he handed her a piece andforted her, ¡°Don¡¯t bother with all that stuff.¡± Eileen wanted to vent at theizen, but she remembered that Ophelia had hired him, so she stopped herself immediately. Seeing her staring at her phone, Egbert held an apple slice to her lips./ Eileen instinctively opened her mouth and took a bite. Egbert was pleased. Eileen chewed a couple of times, swallowed, and another slice of apple was presented to her. She took another bite. By the time Eileen put down her phone, she had finished the whole apple. Egbert cleared the apple peels from the table, took the fruit knife and went to wash it in the kitchen. When he returned, he saw Eileen looking at him. He sat down next to her and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Eileen nudged him, ¡°When are you leaving?¡± Egbert wiped his hands with a napkin and casually said, ¡°There¡¯s still time.¡± Eileen nced at the owl clock next to her and said, ¡°It¡¯ste, it¡¯s already past nine.¡± Egbert picked up the remote control, turned on the TV and said, ¡°Let¡¯s watch some TV Eileen deadpanned, ¡°I didn¡¯t pay the cable bill, there¡¯s no signal.¡± Egbert didn¡¯t know what to say. Eileen stood up from the sofa, put on her coat and said, ¡°I¡¯ll walk you out.¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Egbert didn¡¯t respond or move. Eileen picked up Egbert¡¯s coat and handed it to him. Egbert nced at her, took the coat, set it aside and pulled Eileen by the hand to sit. Eileen sat next to him, puzzled. Egbert took out his phone, did something on it and in a bit, Eileen¡¯s phone rang. She picked it up and saw a message from Egbert. It was a Christmas greeting and he mentioned he had also prepared a gift card for her. ¡°Wow!¡± Eileen was thrilled. She stopped rushing Egbert to leave and started texting: Oh right, Christmas was a time for greetings and gifts, she almost forgot! Two minutester, Eileen posted on Facebook. Eileen: Merry Christmas, thank you all for the holiday greetings and gifts that you¡¯re about to send me. You probably forgot because you¡¯re too busy, but I want to thank you in advance, because I know you won¡¯t forget about me. After a while, Eileen¡¯s phone started buzzing nonstop. Ophelia replied: [What are you trying to do?] Galen replied: [Yeah, I¡¯ve totally forgotten about you.] Josiah Morgan texted her: [I¡¯ve got a gift card for you too, haha, Merry Christmas.] Phyllis Sankner texted her: [Eileen, Merry Christmas!] Bblythe texted her: [Merry Christmas, hope everything¡¯s getting better, Eileen!] Eileen was moved, she knew she would receive their holiday gifts, and she sent them a bunch of wishes! Then, her phone rang again. It was a message from Karin. Karin: [Ms. Lopez, I got a present for you too. Ms. Lopez, Merry Christmas!] Eileen was really surprised. However, Eileen didn¡¯t ept Karin¡¯s gift, because she knew it must be expensive. So, she held back her pain and typed a line ¨C [You¡¯re still underage, don¡¯t just give gifts to others. That¡¯s your parents¡¯ hard-earned money!] After saying that, she said to Egbert, ¡°Oh my, Karin is so sweet, I really like her!¡± Egbert paused for a bit, and then picked up his phone again. Soon after. Egbert texted her: [Merry Christmas, your new gift card will be delivered next time.] Eileen was shocked. She thought for a moment, and tentatively said to Egbert, ¡°Bblythe is really nice; I really like her, right?¡± Egbert nced at her.. Eileen added, ¡°Phyllis is really nice, I really like her, right?¡± Egbert was speechless. Egbert sighed, stood up, picked up his coat, and said coldly, ¡°I should go.¡± Seeing Egbert like this, she had no choice but to get up and walk him downstairs. At the entrance of themunity supermarket, Eileen thought for a moment and said to Egbert, ¡°Wait for me here.¡± She ran into the supermarket, bought a box of candies with ¡°Merry Christmas¡± on it, then came out and gave it to Egbert. Egbert looked at the box, seemed a bit surprised, ¡°You¡¯re willing to give me this?¡± Eileen said seriously, ¡°Of course I¡¯m willing to give you this gift. Sending gift cards is too ordinary, giving gifts has more holiday spirit, hope you like it. Also, Merry Christmas, Egbert.¡± Egbert looked at the girl under the street light, her eyes bright, clear, and wless. A gentle smile appeared on his face.¡± Then, Eileen zipped up her coat pocket. Her beautiful eyes looked away, saying with unease, ¡°But don¡¯t be too surprised if you open the box and find a few of thergest choctes and most expensive donuts missing. It was like that when I bought it.¡± Helpless, Egbert wanted tough. Chapter 157 Chapter 157 Not long after Christmas, Eileen and Janice headed to Rivertown. The show was set to start recording right after Christmas. Early in the morning, Eileen was fast asleep in the hotel, when a knock at the door jolted her awake. She nced at the clock-4:30 am. She got up to open the door. Outside stood a woman soldier in military attire, along with a few crew members and a cameraman. The cameraman was pointing the camera at Eileen, but she didn¡¯t care, her attention was on the woman soldier. The woman soldier stood still and said sternly, ¡°Get cleaned up immediately, w¨¦ gather downstairs in ten minutes.¡± Ten minutes. Eileen instantly woke up and replied, ¡°Roger that!¡± Five minutester, Eileen, barefaced and in a ponytail, with her suitcase in hand, arrived at the first floor. ! Once she got out of the elevator, she saw two officers standing in the middle of the hall, a man and a woman. The woman was the same one who had woken her up, and the man was probably the one in charge of waking up the male guests. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Eileen walked up to the two officers, seeing that they didn¡¯t acknowledge her, she put her suitcase down and stood there upright. The two officers nced at her, then at their watches, then back at her. They seemed a bit taken aback that she could assemble in such a short time. After a while, the ten-minute assembly time was up, but no one else hade down. The officers¡¯ faces turned gloomy. After five more minutes, the elevator finally opened. A disheveled young man, his clothes buttoned incorrectly, came running out barefoot, shoes in hand. He ran to Eileen¡¯s side, and seeing her, eximed with joy, ¡°Eileen!¡± Eileen turned to see it was Colin. She did not know Colin was part of this show, Ophelia hadn¡¯t told her. ¡°No talking!¡± The male officer suddenly reprimanded sternly. Colin was startled. He immediately shut his mouth and stood obediently. A few minutester, the elevator opened again and a man came out leisurely pulling his suitcase. Seeing the situation, he immediately picked up the pace and jogged over. The man stood next to Colin, and seeing Eileen, he immediately greeted cheerfully, ¡°Ms. Lopez!¡± Eileen turned to see it was Eddie. Eddie was also on this show? Thinking about it, it made sense. The director of Defender¡¯s Honor was also the director of Survival. If the director invited her, he would probably also invite Eddie, who had also participated in Survival and ranked third. With this thought, Eileen began to feel anxious again. Would Hubery and Hedy, the two troublemakers, appear? Fortunately, Hubery and Hedy did not appear. An hourter, all eight guests had finally gathered. Thest to arrive was a very young and beautiful girl. Eileen remembered her. Her name was Jaqueline, and she was an obscure actress. Although she had been in the industry for over a year, she didn¡¯t have any well-known works. However, due to her beauty, she still had many loyal fans. In Eileen¡¯s memory, she and Jaqueline had a past grudge. During the casting of a web drama, the investors had chosen Eileen over Jaqueline. Afterwards, Jaqueline¡¯s team started attacking Eileen online, attacking her looks, family background, identity, and cultivation. They even spread rumors iming Eileen hadnded the role through improper rtions with the director. During that period, Eileen faced a lot of abuse and attacks fromizens. Theizens didn¡¯t care about the truth, they just felt that Eileen had a lot of negative news, so ming her was only natural. At the time, Ophelia had issued a statement and even sent awyer¡¯s letter, but none of these had any effect. The tweets they posted had only a few dozenments, while the tweets spreading rumors had forty to fifty thousandments. Netizens only wanted to see what they wanted to see, they didn¡¯t care about the truth. Now, seeing Jaqueline on the show, Eileen was surprised. Not because she disliked Jaqueline, but because in her memory, Jaqueline was a very delicate girl. How could she participate in a military show like this? Could she withstand the hardships here? But regardless, Eileen didn¡¯t want to meddle in other people¡¯s business. She didn¡¯t actually dislike Jaqueline, because in her past, many people had maliciously attacked her, and Jaqueline was just one of them, not even the most memorable one If she hadn¡¯t seen Jaqueline now, Eileen might have already forgotten her. When Jaqueline arrived, she was already made up and her hair was styled. It was obvious she took her time getting ready. Seeing her, the other guests¡¯ expressions became somewhatplex. The male officer then said, ¡°Eight people, sevente. Can you not understand what we¡¯re saying?¡± For a moment, everyone was silent. The female officer suddenly said, ¡°Eileen, step forward.¡± Eileen quietly stepped forward. The male officer then said, ¡°The rest of you, get down. Men, do thirty push-ups. Women, do thirty squats.¡± Everyone looked at each other. Colin was the first to get down. He often worked out, so thirty push-ups were no big deal for him. After Colin got down, the other men slowly followed. The women also squatted down. Suddenly, a soft sobbing sound came from the crowd. Everyone looked over and saw Jaqueline crying. Jaqueline squatted on the ground, covering her face, and started crying. She sobbed, ¡°I twisted my ankle when I came down.¡± An injured guest was no small matter The crew and the two officers discussed briefly, then took Jaqueline aside and called over the medical staff to check on her leg. By the time everyone had been reprimanded and was ready to go, Jaqueline, tear-streaked, limped back into the group. Only then did the bus, meant for eight people, start to move. On the bus, Eileen sat in thest row, Colin and Eddie darted over to sit next to her. Eileen shot them a nce, not saying a word. Colin then whispered to Eileen ¡°When Jaqueline was inside just now, she was limping on the left leg. When she came out, she was limping on the right.¡± Eddie chuckled, ¡°How could she? We¡¯ve waited for her for so long, and she still had time to do her makeup and hair!¡± Suddenly, a female artist named Edna from the front shouted, ¡°Eileen,e sit at the front.¡± Eileen looked surprised, ¡°Why?¡± she asked, looking at Edna. Edna immediately retorted, ¡°With so many empty seats, why do you have to sit with two guys?¡± The bus fell silent at her words. Eileen frowned, coldly retorting, ¡°Since when do I need your approval for who I sit with?¡± Edna was about to say something when another female artist named Patti interjected, ¡°Leave her alone, Edna. Maybe she just likes being around guys. Don¡¯t stick your nose into it¡± The words didn¡¯t sit well.` ? Eddie¡¯s and Colin¡¯s faces darkened. Suddenly, Eileen spoke, ¡°You talk so much. Is your tongue on fire or what?¡± Patti turned her head to look at her in disbelief. Eileen raised an eyebrow, ¡°I¡¯m talking about you. Got a problem?¡± Patti was about to stand up when an officer from the front shouted, ¡°Enough!¡± With an officer present, silence fell over the bus. But for the next half an hour, no one spoke. Half an hourter, they entered the military area of Rivertown. As the bus drove through the camp, everyone saw shirtless soldiers doing their morning exercises. Eileen¡¯s eyes lit up immediately. A little whileter, everyone got off the bus, men and women split into two lines, moving forward. Eileen was at the end of the female guests, dragging her suitcase, a bit behind the others. Suddenly, Eileen felt someone watching her. She squinted, looking up, and saw an open window on the third floor of the nearby rest building. In front of that window stood a man in a military uniform. Due to her angle, Eileen couldn¡¯t make out the man¡¯s face, only his outstretched hand. The hand was long and clean, resting on the window frame, catching her eye. Chapter 158 Chapter 158 Eileen didn¡¯t realize until she¡¯d walked a good distance that the hand had been withdrawn from the window. Afterward, Eileen also withdrew her gaze. That feeling of being watched also disappeared. Two officers led eight guests to the entrance of Restful Building. Then, a leader with epaulets came out to chat with everyone. He said all the polite things, encouraging, inspiring, and also introduced their current location. This was the Third Battalion of the Army, which had a glorious history and trained many excellent soldiers. After the leader left, it was time to rest. The male officer led the boys to the men¡¯s dormitory, and the female officer led the girls to thedies¡¯ dormitory. On the way, the female officer said to the four girls, ¡°The dormitory is for eight people, apart from you four, there are four otherdies, if you have any questions, you can ask them.¡± Eileen nodded her head, indicating she understood. At this moment, Jaqueline softly said from behind, ¡°I¡¯ve never lived with so many people. They won¡¯t snore, will they?¡± Hearing this, the female officer turned around and looked at Jaqueline coldly, saying, You, wash your face cleanter, and your hair. You are here to be a soldier, not to perform, who are you dressing up for!¡± Jaqueline lowered her head after being reprimanded, her eyes reddened. It was about seven thirty in the morning at this time. In the live room of Defender¡¯s Honor, somements began to appear. [The director of Survival tweetedst night that there¡¯s a new program today, is this it?] -[Wow, it¡¯s live again, I love it.] [Will the new program be as good as Survival?] [Wow, is that Eileen? Ahhh, I love you, program team, Eileen is here again!] -[Eileen is in a new program again, didn¡¯t she just finish recording another variety show at the beginning of the year? Are you a workaholic? Don¡¯t you rest?] -[Wow, there¡¯s Jaqueline too, Jaqueline is super cute, but why is she crying? Even crying is so beautiful, are you an angel?] -[Don¡¯t cry, our little bird.] [There¡¯s also Edna and Patti, ahhh, what a gem of a show this is!] Jaqueline kept crying softly until she entered the dormitory. Edna and Patti apanied her all the way. After the four of them entered the dormitory, they found that there was no one else inside. The female officer pointed to four empty beds and said, ¡°Here are your beds, the other people have gone for morning training and will be backter. Now, take out your luggage, many things are not allowed to use.¡± ¡°Ah-¡± the three girls dragged their voices out, sighing. Eileen, on the other hand, casually opened her suitcase. The female officer checked and found that Eileen¡¯s phone was contraband, everything else was fine. Eileen turned off her phone and handed it directly to the female officer. But the other three girls had a lot more contraband. Cosmetics, skincare products, phones, snacks, all were confiscated. Before the female officer left, she gave them four sets of military uniforms and told them to change, and to gather downstairs in fifteen minutes After the female officer left, the four of them began to assign beds. Edna and Patti had objections to Eileen and were unwilling to be with her. In the end, Eileen ended up sleeping in the lower bunk of Jaqueline¡¯s bed. Jaqueline didn¡¯t seem too happy either, but she didn¡¯t say anything in the end. Then Eileen went to the bathroom to change. When she came out, she saw that the others hadn¡¯t changed yet. Eileen frowned and nced at the clock, reminding, ¡°Five minutes left.¡± The other threepletely ignored her. Eileen didn¡¯t want to deal with them either. After tidying up her clothes, she went downstairs directly. As soon as she left, Ednaughed in the dormitory. Patti also scoffed. Jaqueline didn¡¯t say anything, but her mouth curled up slightly And her leg, from getting off the car to entering the dormitory, wasn¡¯t limp anymore. [What¡¯s wrong with these three?] Do they have any background? Why don¡¯t they seem to like Eileen?) There was a dispute in the car earlier, Edna and Patti targeted Eileen, and Eileen retorted.] Someone dares to challenge Eileen, the number one in the entertainment industry, aren¡¯t they afraid of death?] [So now they¡¯re isciating Eileen.] -I don¡¯t care about these, I just care about, there¡¯s four minutes left! Hurry up and change, you¡¯re going to bete!] [What¡¯s the big deal about beingte? This morning at the hotel gathering, except for Eileen, everyone waste, Eileen stood for an hour waiting for them.] -[I think Eileen actually has a problem. Edna and Patti were good intentions before, but she didn¡¯t appreciate it and even retorted, no wonder so many people don¡¯t like her, it¡¯s not without reason.] -[Hehe, the quality of Eileen¡¯s fans is really low.] [Which fan are you then, with such high quality, saying that others have problems as soon as youe up, is this the quality your idol teaches you?] The live room was noisy and not quiet. On the scene, when Eileen arrived downstairs, she was the first one to arrive again. The two officers were no longer surprised to see her, and continued to wait for the others. The fifteen minutes were up, and all four boys and Eileen had gathered. But the other three girls hadn¡¯t appeared yet. They waited another ten minutes before the three of them, adjusting their hats and holding hands, ran down. The male officer said directly, ¡°Twenty squats, start.¡± The three girls looked at each other, unwilling to do it. The officer¡¯s brow furrowed, his voice raised, ¡°Twenty squats! Didn¡¯t you hear?¡± At this time, Edna said, ¡°It¡¯s our first time wearing a uniform, and we don¡¯t know how to wear it, so we were dyed for a while, it¡¯s not that serious.¡± Patti also said, ¡°Can you edit this part out?¡± They obviously didn¡¯t understand the situation, thinking this was a recorded show that could be edited, but it was actually a live show. Jaqueline didn¡¯t make anyments, she just stood behind Edna and Patti, looking quite pitiful, but she was determined not to squat. The male officer¡¯s face looked very bad at this moment. He was about to continue speaking, when suddenly footsteps came from the building behind him. The two officers turned around, and seeing the person who came out, they immediately saluted and respectfully shouted, ¡°Mr. Reed.¡± A tall man, dressed in a dark green training suit, slowly walked out from the shadows of the building. He¡¯s got this icy aura, a chiseled face, eyes slightly squinted, with a hint of the coldness and seriousness unique to a soldier resonating from deep within. The moment he showed up, the ce went dead quiet. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Eileen was standing in the middle of the crowd, her eyes wide open as she watched the man walking towards her in amazement. The other guests were equally surprised. Suddenly, someone couldn¡¯t help but blurt out, ¡°Holy cow! It¡¯s Egbert!¡± As soon as the words were out, all eyes were on him. The speaker immediately mped his mouth shut. Egbert Reed had his hands behind his back, looking at the speaker, and asked, ¡°Is that you, Colin?¡± Colin was startled. He didn¡¯t expect Egbert to know his name and quickly nodded with enthusiasm. Egbert spoke in a deep voice, ¡°You should report before speaking. Hasn¡¯t anyone taught you that?¡± Colin was taken aback, wanted to say no, but Egbert continued, ¡°Thirty push-ups, now.¡± Colin was stunned; he wanted to exin. But looking at Egbert¡¯s indifferent eyes, he ended up not resisting and obediently got down to do the push-ups. Egbert then turned his gaze to Eileen. Her eyes were wide open, mouth agape, as if she could fit a whole egg in it. Egbert took a couple of steps towards her, his stern face suddenly softened as he stopped right in front of Eileen. Then he reached out, gently lifting her chin with his fingers to close her gaping mouth. All eyes were on them.¡± Eileen¡¯s eyes widened even more, but eventually, she closed her mouth. Egbert withdrew his hand, turned to the three giris still standing on the side, and asked, ¡°What happened?¡± The male officer replied, ¡°They werete.¡± Egbert nodded, his face hardened again, and he said slowly, ¡°Beingte is a big no-no in the army. Start with two hundred squats now. Chapter 159 Chapter 159 ¡°Two hundred?¡± The male officer was taken aback, voicing his surprise, ¡°Mr. Reed¡­¡± Egbert cast a casual nce at him. The words on the tip of the officer¡¯s tongue instantly retreated. Actually, two hundred squats were not a big deal for female soldiers, and this level of intensity wasn¡¯t even worth mentioning. But these stars, they were not professional soldiers, how could they endure such hardship? They wouldn¡¯t be able toplete it. The three female celebrities were also frightened. Jaqueline¡¯s eyes reddened instantly, she said fearfully, ¡°Mr. Reed, we didn¡¯t mean to Egbert said coldly, ¡°Before you speak, report. Didn¡¯t you hear just now? Three hundred squats, begin.¡± He just added another hundred? Jaqueline was so scared that tears instantly fell. Edna and Patti immediately fell silent. In the end, the production team stepped in to negotiate. Three hundred squats were simply too much, even the director, a former soldier, thought it was a bit excessive. The director asked if they could stick to the original twenty squats, just for show. Egbert nced at the director and said sarcastically, ¡°Sure!¡± The director sighed in relief. Egbert added, ¡°You can even do zero, just take your people and leave.¡± The director was speechless. Edna, Patti, and Jaqueline werepletely clueless about how things had turned out this way. They were delicate girls. Shouldn¡¯t girls be treated favorably under any circumstances? This was still a television program, in front of an audience, why couldn¡¯t Egbert take more care of the girls? The director was having a headache, so he went aside and called Major Warner. Inviting Egbert as an instructor was due to Major Warner¡¯s connections. After the call connected and Major Warner heard the situation, he said directly, ¡°Egbert¡¯s way of doing things is not something that others can interfere with.¡± The director was anxious, ¡°But this isn¡¯t his Moonlight Raptors Team 1, these aren¡¯t his soldiers.¡± Major Warner clicked his tongue, ¡°When you invited him, you promised, all actions follow hismand, zero intervention in the program, if you now want to break his rules, you tell him yourself, it has nothing to do with me.¡± With that, Major Warner hung up directly. With Major Warner unwilling to help, the director could only go andmunicate with the three female guests. The three were almost driven mad when they heard that they really had to do three hundred squats. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. At this time, Egbert was already impatient. He gestured ¡°start¡± at the two officers. The male officer immediately shouted to the remaining five guests, ¡°Left turn.¡± Eileen followed and turned left. The officer led the five guests to start their morning run. Eileen was at the back, her head asionally turning back to look at Egbert in front of the building. Every time she turned around, she could see that Egbert was also looking at her. He stood on the steps, straight and proud, his face was solemn and detached. He looked quite real. Only when she couldn¡¯t see Egbert anymore, Eileen turned her head back and continued running, her face full of confusion. Meanwhile, a female officer hade over to Edna and the other two. She ordered, ¡°Begin.¡± The three girls looked at each other, then turned their sad faces towards Egbert, hoping he would show mercy. Seeing that Eileen had run far away, Egbert turned and walked into the lounge, not sparing a nce at anyone else. The female officer said, ¡°Mr. Reed¡¯s military discipline is strict. You eitherply or drop out. You decide.¡± In the end, all three obediently squatted down and started doing squats. Edna and Patti each did two hundred squats, and Jaqueline did three hundred. There was no time limit, they just had to finish. At this time, the livements were flooding in. -[Didn¡¯t I say it earlier, what goodes from beingte?] [Egbert is too strict. These three girls have to do hundreds of squats, that¡¯s cruel.] Does Patti not know this is live?] Have you seen Twitter? Patti¡¯s agentis questioning the production team, why they didn¡¯t inform them this was live.] Wow, that¡¯s too much. The production team didn¡¯t tell them in advance?] -[Did Eileen scold Patti in the car, did she not know this was live?] [Does Eileen scolding people have anything to do with the live broadcast? Isn¡¯t she always cursing during her live broadcasts?] Am I the only one surprised that Egbert is the instructor?] You¡¯re not alone, didn¡¯t you see how scared Eileen was?] Egbert holds Eileen¡¯s chin, LOL!] -[Egbert being the instructor, the show is super cool, and he acts like it¡¯s real.] [Egbert is professional, whatever he acts is realistic!] An hourter, Eileen and the others¡¯ morning exercise finally ended. Next, they had to go eat. Hearing about food, Eileen happily rushed to the canteen. As they passed by the lounge, they saw the three girls still doing squats. Eddie was already half dead from exhaustion, he leaned on Colin and said weakly, ¡°I¡¯d rather do squats than morning exercise.¡± Colin was also exhausted, ¡°Who knew the first day would be weight training. I can hardly stand now.¡± The other two male guests were also exhausted. At this time, they arrived at the canteen entrance, Eileen who was leading the way, dashed in and picked up a food tray to join the queue! Eddie was dumbfounded, he pointed at her shaking, ¡°Look! Why isn¡¯t she tired at all? With the same amount of training, how could she still be so energetic! Actually, Eileen was also tired, so during the meal, she ate twice her usual amount! She needed to replenish her energy! The four guys didn¡¯t have an appetite, so they quickly finished their meals and could only watch Eileen eating heartily. It seemed like she could never finish. Colin sighed, ¡°You eat so much, where does it all go? Howe you never gain weight?¡± In the middle of their conversation, more people came to the canteen entrance. Eddie looked over and suddenly yelled, ¡°Hey, there¡¯s Lucas! Lucas! Over here!¡± Eddie¡¯s voice was so loud that the entire cafeteria turned to look at him in an instant. Lucas, who was originally in line for food, jumped at Eddie¡¯s shout. He quickly turned around, pretending not to know this goofball. Eileen took a bite of her food, chewed it while telling Eddie, ¡°Don¡¯t shout like that.¡± Eddie felt upset seeing his jungle-war buddy ignoring him. He was about to say something, but the words got stuck in his throat. Eddie, Colin and two other guys looked surprised and scared, abruptly turning their gaze behind Eileen. Eileen noticed their stares. She didn¡¯t understand so she turned around to look. When she turned around, she saw Egbert. Egbert was still wearing his training suit. He held his tray in one hand, walked steadily towards them. Eileen blinked, and suddenly, she heard some noises. She turned around again to find the four guys who were sitting across from her were gone. Eileen was speechless. Then Egbert sat down across from Eileen. Eileen still had food in her mouth. She continued chewing while staring at Egbert. Egbert nced at her, paused for a moment, then suddenly reached out his hand. Eileen looked at Egbert¡¯s clean and nice hand but didn¡¯t react. Egbert¡¯s hand crossed over the table, with two fingers he held Eileen¡¯s chin. Pi? thumb moved, wiping away a grain of rice from the corner of her mouth. Then he softly said, ¡°Focus on your food.¡± Chapter 160 Chapter 160 Eileen gently patted her mouth, making sure no rice grains were left around her lips before swallowing. She stared at Egbert across the table and asked, ¡°Why did you choose to be a drill sergeant?¡± Egbert picked a piece of meat from his te and ced it in Eileen¡¯s Eileen immediately chowed it down and told him, ¡°Your bribery won¡¯t work!¡± Egbert just nced at her and ced another piece of beef into her te. Eileen was delighted at this. After finishing her meal, she continued to eye Egbert¡¯s te, fork in her mouth. Egbert, knowing her habits, said, ¡°You can help yourself.¡± Eileen tentatively took some greens, and seeing Egbert had no reaction, she proceeded to take most of the meat from his te. Egbert chuckled. After the meal, Eileen asked him again, ¡°Why did you decide to be a drill sergeant?¡± Egbert casually replied, ¡°They thought I was suitable and invited me ¡°Eileen snorted, ¡°I don¡¯t know what they saw in you, what makes you suitable?¡± She then grumbled, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this show to im it¡¯s a real-life military camp, yet the recruits are celebrities and so are the drill instructors, it¡¯s so fake.¡± Egbert took a sip of water and looked at her, ¡°You didn¡¯t want to see me?¡± Eileen responded, ¡°It¡¯s not that, I just think you and the term ¡®soldier¡¯ don¡¯t go hand in hand Egbert raised an eyebrow, ¡°Is that so?¡± Eileen pouted, ¡°Don¡¯t be mad, you¡¯re a good person, you¡¯re handsome, but the role of a soldier is a far cry from you, it seems a bit off.¡± Egbertughed lightly and said, ¡°Off, huh¡­¡± Eileen consoled him, ¡°No worries, your acting skills are great. You y it convincingly. When you ordered them to squat earlier, your aura was spot on, keep it up.¡± Egbert didn¡¯t say anything more, just gave her a look. After a while, someone came to get Egbert and he left. Seeing him busy, Eileen didn¡¯t bother him and left on her own. After breakfast, she returned toContent is property of N?velDrama.Org. her dorm to rest. At 9 sharp, more training was scheduled. When Eileen got back to the dorm, it was empty. Edna and the others were still squatting, and the other four female soldiers hadn¡¯t returned yet. A few minutester, Edna and the others finally returned, supporting each other,pletely drenched. Seeing Eileen resting in bed, Edna immediately got angry. Just as she was about to say something, the rm in the hallway suddenly went off. Eileen¡¯s eyes snapped open, noting the time, 8:55. There was a roll call at 9, so she grabbed her hat and bolted downstairs. Edna and the other two could barely move, but fearing another punishment for beingte, they gritted their teeth and followed.. At 9 sharp, all eight recruits were in formation. It was their first time all being present and notte. Generally, besides morning training, soldiers also have special physical training in the morning. Considering the physical conditions of the eight celebrities, they might not be able to handle such intense training initially. So, on the first morning, Egbert arranged for them to learn boxing. This could be seen as a way to help them adjust. The two officers, or deputy instructors, first demonstrated boxing, then the recruits followed suit,ter practicing in pairs. After the deputy instructors¡¯ demonstration, they started forming pairs. The boys sorted themselves out quickly, but there was a problem with the girls. Egbert came over. Edna immediately reported, ¡°Sir.¡± Egbert said, ¡°Speak.¡± Edna said, ¡°We want to practice in a group of three.¡± By a group of three, she meant excluding Eileen. Egbert nced at Eileen, then said, ¡°Alright.¡± Edna sighed in relief; she thought Egbert would refuse. One minuteter. Edna, Patti, and Jaqueline watched in envy as Egbert personally sparred with Eileen. If they knew that being the odd one out would lead to personal training from Egbert, they would have chosen that. The boxing techniques they were learning were a piece of cake for Eileen. During their spar, Eileen told Egbert, ¡°I¡¯ll slow down, so you can follow my lead, no rush.¡± Egbert nced at her, then threw a punch. Eileen was taken aback, reflexively dodged, thenughed, ¡°Don¡¯t mess around, I might hit you hard.¡± Egbert chuckled, then moved on to the second technique. Eileen didn¡¯t take it seriously and leisurely followed his moves.. But when she got close to Egbert, he suddenly changed his attack direction. Eileen frowned. Five minutester, all the recruits stopped. The two deputy instructors watched in surprise as Egbert and Eileen suddenly started a real fight. The camera focused on them. Eileen dodged Egbert¡¯s attack, her expression turning serious. Her attacks got faster. At this moment, she realized that Egbert actually knew how to fight. And he was extremely good at it. Eileen muttered a curse, then kicked at Egbert. But at that moment, Egbert suddenly reached out. He grabbed her waist with one hand, protected her head with the other, and they both tumbled down. Theynded on the ground, with Egbert underneath. Eileen was pressed against his chest. All she could hear was his strong heartbeat. She was fuming. Eileen suddenly pushed Egbert¡¯s hands away, jumped up, and straddled him. She grabbed his hands and pinned them above his head. Then she leaned down, red at him, and said loudly, ¡°Egbert, you lied to me! Chapter 161 Chapter 161 The live stream chat was going crazy again. -[What¡¯s going on?] Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. ¨C [Oh my!] -[What are they doing?] [Hold on, let me recap. They started with friendly one-on-one training, then they really started to fight. Next, Egbert picked up Eileen, and Eileen jumped on him, right?] Comments were flying fast. The atmosphere was super awkward. All the soldiers and staff witnessed the scene, Eileen sitting on Egbert, pressing him into the grass. Egbert didn¡¯t seem angry, instead, there was a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. Seeing this, Eileen got even angrier. She released his hands, changed to a more aggressive position, left hand pressing on his chest, right hand around his neck. This position was more aggressive and damaging than before. Eileen asked, ¡°Why are you lying to me!¡± After Egbert¡¯s hands were freed, he didn¡¯t resist. He let Eileen control him, his hands holding her slender waist to prevent her from falling. The director couldn¡¯t stand it anymore! He grabbed the walkie-talkie and yelled, ¡°Get Eileen off him!¡± Only then did the staff react, rushing forward to pull Eileen off Egbert. When Eileen was pulled off, she was still staring at Egbert. Egbert sat up from the grass, still smiling, and told the staff, ¡°Let her go.¡± The staff hesitated. Eileen broke free from the staff and stood still. Egbert slowly stood up. He dusted off his trousers, walked up to Eileen, reached out and straightened her cor which had been messed up from the struggle. Eileen pped his hand away and rolled her eyes at him. She was mad, and it was the kind of anger that couldn¡¯t be calmed down! Egbert was a bit helpless, so he turned to the recruits standing nearby, and said in a cold voice, ¡°Who told you to stop?¡± The recruits were all stunned. Two assistant instructors quickly coughed and told everyone to continue training. The ce became noisy again. Egbert looked at Eileen again and asked softly, ¡°Shall we continue?¡± Eileen was taken aback. Egbert dared to provoke her! Eileen was fuming, rolled up her sleeves and said, ¡°Let¡¯s do it, I¡¯m not afraid!¡± With that, sheunched a quick attack, aiming at Egbert¡¯s knee. Egbert sidestepped and stepped back. When Egbert retreated, Eileen advanced. Two minutester, Egbert was lost. Eileen looked at the hand that hit Egbert¡¯s shoulder, paused, and then stomped her foot, ¡°Who told you to lose on purpose? Fight properly! Let¡¯s go again!¡± Five minutester. ¡°Again!¡± Ten minutester. ¡°One more time!¡± After an hour, Eileen had defeated Egbert twenty-six times. Eileen was exhausted. ¡°Egbert, you¡¯re driving me insane!¡± Egbert stepped forward helplessly, trying to calm her down, ¡°I didn¡¯t intentionally deceive you.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Eileen didn¡¯t believe him at all, so she sat on the ground and turned her back to Egbert. At this moment, Egbert said, ¡°Let¡¯s take a break.¡± The seven people over there could finally rest. Egbert sat down next to Eileen. Seeing himing, Eileen immediately stood up and went to sit on the other side. Egbert was speechless. The whole morning, Eileen hadn¡¯t given Egbert a good attitude. At lunchtime, during the meal. Eileen mmed her tray down. The other seven people at the table all looked at her. Edna spoke in a sarcastic tone, ¡°Really something else.¡± Jaqueline deliberately asked, ¡°What¡¯s something else?¡± Edna said, ¡°Some people, what do they think this ce is? This is a military camp! We¡¯re filming a TV show! Being intimate with a man in public, it¡¯s too much.¡± Patti scoffed, ¡°Didn¡¯t I say it before, some people just love hanging out with boys.¡± Edna continued, ¡°She¡¯s not even that good looking, acting all high and mighty. I don¡¯t know what those men see in her. If it¡¯s about beauty, only Jaqueline is the one. If Jaqueline is a flower, then the certain person is just grass!¡± Patti and Jaquelineughed happily. At this point, Eileen put down her spoon, picked up the soup next to her, took a sip, and then said calmly, ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with being grass. Today you step on me, tomorrow I¡¯ll grow on your grave. When the wind blows, your remains will be scattered, and I¡¯ll thrive.¡± ¡°Eileen!¡± Edna red at Eileen, ¡°Who are you cursing?¡± Eileen didn¡¯t look at her, ¡°I¡¯m cursing a dog, are you one?¡± Edna immediately stood up, ¡°Don¡¯t go too far!¡± ¡®Am I going too far?¡± Eileen nced at Edna, then smiled, ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s eat.¡± Thinking Eileen was scared, Edna was about to sit down. Just then, Eileen said, ¡°What are you sitting here for? The bathroom is to the left when you go out, your dining hall is there, go eat more, it¡¯ll be gone if you¡¯rete.¡± ¡°Eileen!¡± Edna didn¡¯t expect Eileen to be so arrogant, she picked up the soup and was about to throw it in Eileen¡¯s face. But at this moment, a spoon suddenly hit her wrist. Edna¡¯s hand loosened, and all the hot soup fell on Patti and Jaqueline. ¡°Ah!¡± Patti and Jaqueline screamed and stood up. Edna was stunned, ¡°I¡­¡± Eileen threw the spoon on the table andughed scornfully, ¡°You really hate them, don¡¯t you? Is this what you call a good friend?¡± Edna immediately cursed, ¡°You hit me with the spoon!¡± Edna rushed over to grab Eileen¡¯s hair. Eileen suddenly lifted her leg and kicked Edna hard in the stomach. Edna couldn¡¯t bear Eileen¡¯s kick, her body fell backward, hitting Patti and Jaqueline hard. There was a loud crash, and all three of them fell over, knocking over the dining tray. They were all covered in soup and dishes. ¡°Ah!¡± The three female celebrities had never experienced such a blow. They screamed in terror, their voices ovepping like pigs being ughtered. Eileen stood up at this point and apologized to the onlookers. ¡°Sorry, my dog¡¯s a bit noisy and disturbed your meal.¡± Colin and Eddie couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer and finally burst outughing. The other two male guests also covered their mouths and started chuckling. Eddie wasughing so hard that tears wereing out. Just as he was about to say something to Eileen, his eyes swept across and suddenly saw something behind Eileen¡­ He instantly swallowed whatever he was about to say. Eileen felt something and turned around. Then she saw Egbert and the two assistant instructors standing not far away, holding their dining trays, silently looking at her. Students fighting, caught by the teacher. Eileen smirked, unafraid to admit, she directly said to the instructors, ¡°If you want to punish me for bullying my teammates and ruining the team¡¯s unity, then go ahead. I take full responsibility!¡± The male assistant instructor was about to say something with a frown. Egbert spoke first, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat first. Come to my office after the meal.¡± Chapter 162 Chapter 162 Edna and the other two were led away by the female deputy instructor. Suddenly, the table that was originally filled with eight people was now left with just five. Eileen picked up a new spoon and continued eating. Colin looked at her still eating and carefully said, ¡°Eileen?¡± Eileen didn¡¯t respond, she finished all the food on her te, put down her spoon, and stood up to leave. Colin watched her retreating figure and said to Eddie, ¡°It¡¯s really unfair for Elleen. It was Edna and the others who started the trouble, but she is the one who gets punished.¡± Eddie said, ¡°Mr. Reed wouldn¡¯t punish her, would he?¡± ¡°Even if Mr. Reed wants to protect her, the other instructors saw what happened, right? She can¡¯t escape punishment. You saw how she left just now, she looked so..¡± Colin didn¡¯t finish his sentence. He widened his eyes, suddenly seeing Eileening back¡­ Eileen put a te full of food on the table. After sitting down, she saw Colin staring at her and asked with a puzzled look, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Colin looked at Eileen and then at the te in front of her, piled high with food. He stuttered for a moment before asking, ¡°You, you went to get more food?¡± Eileen said, ¡®Yes, what¡¯s the big deal?¡± Colin choked. Eddie was a bit anxious, asking, ¡°How can you still eat?¡± Eileen took a bite of food, replying, ¡°Why can¡¯t I eat? Those three left and the air feels fresher. I can eat several more bowls!¡± And she really did. In the next twenty minutes, the four boys watched her get more food, and then get more again. Until the cafeteria was almost empty. She was full, wiped her mouth, stood up, stretched her wrist, and began to move around. Eddie watched her and asked, ¡°What are you up to?¡± Eileen cracked her fingers and squinted, ¡°I¡¯m going to the office to ept punishment.¡± Eddie though, ¡°You look more like you¡¯re going to stir up trouble in the office! Eileen had to ask someone how to get to Egbert¡¯s office. When she arrived, she saw the office door was open with many people inside. Aside from Egbert, there were two deputy instructors and Edna¡¯s group as well. Jaqueline had already started crying. Although Edna and Patti hadn¡¯t cried, they also had bitter expressions on their faces, posing as victims, standing together with Jaqueline.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. After Eileen arrived, the cameraman in the corner immediately aimed the lens at the four of them. In fact, everyone was clear about what had happened. However, in the army, conflicts and even physical conflicts betweenrades are not allowed. Therefore, from both emotional and rational perspectives, the instructors had to give severe criticism and punishment. The office was quiet. Egbert was looking at a document. After a while, he put down the document and said, ¡°Who wants to go first?¡± None of the three spoke. Eileen said, ¡°I¡¯ll go first.¡± Egbert looked at her, ¡°Alright.¡± Eileen started to apologize, saying, ¡°This is indeed my fault.¡± The two deputy instructors were relieved to see her willing to apologize. She continued,rades should be friendly, and as long as they are willing to apologize, they can reconcile. The two deputy instructors nodded, ready to say a few harmonious words. Eileen continued, ¡°My biggest mistake was to argue with them despite knowing we have different views. Humans are superior beings, and they seem like beasts to me. As a superior being, I shouldn¡¯t lower myself to quibble with them. So, in this matter, I was indeed wrong.¡± The two deputy instructors were both speechless. Edna was so angry she almost exploded, she shouted, ¡°Who are you insulting, Eileen, you¡­¡± ¡°Bang!¡± Suddenly there was a loud p on the table. Everyone looked over to see Egbert leaning back in his chair, his palm on the table, his face pale, and his eyes cold as he looked at Edna. After a while, he coldly asked, ¡°Did you report before talking? Haven¡¯t you been taught that?¡± Edna was stunned, ¡°Mr. Reed¡­¡± Egbert said solemnly, ¡°Two hundred squats, start.¡± Edna couldn¡¯t believe it, ¡°Mr. Reed, I¡­¡± ¡°Three hundred.¡± ¡°Bu¡­¡± ¡°Four hundred.¡± Edna covered her mouth, and tears flowed out. Patti and Jaqueline were almost scared, Jaqueline even forgot to cry. Egbert looked at Edna again, his eyes squinted, ¡°Start.¡± Edna was crying, biting her lip, looking wronged, but she really started to squat. The office quieted down. Egbert looked at Eileen again and said, ¡°Continue.¡± Eileen swallowed. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was an illusion, but for a moment there, she was a bit scared of Egbert. Eileen cleared her throat, about to continue, when she suddenly thought of something and quickly added, ¡°Report, sir!¡± Egbert was speechless. Eileen took a deep breath and continued, ¡°I¡¯ve realized my mistake. I¡¯m willing to reflect on myself, and I hope the instructors can give me another chance. I also promise that even if they offend me in the future, I won¡¯t retaliate. I¡¯ll influence them with love. If I can¡¯t, it means I need to improve myself. I¡¯ll strive to reach a higher level of understanding and then try to understand them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all I have to say!¡± All people were speechless. After listening, Egbert actually nodded and looked at the two deputy instructors, ¡°She has a good attitude towards admitting her mistake. What do you think?¡± The two deputy instructors thought, ¡°What?¡± Egbert continued, ¡°Since you have no objections, let¡¯s leave it at that. Eileen, you¡¯re done with your self-criticism. The rest of you, each write a 500-word self-criticism and hand it in tomorrow. Eileen, stay. Everyone else, leave.¡± At this point, Patti plucked up her courage and shouted, ¡°Report!¡± Egbert turned to look at her, ¡°Speak.¡± Patti gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Mr. Reed, you¡¯re clearly favoring Eileen. We can¡¯t ept this!¡± Egbert shot Patti a nce and picked up the tablet on the table, ying a video. The video was of the cafeteria¡¯s surveince footage from earlier today. In the video, Edna threw soup at Eileen and lunged at her, trying to grab her hair. It was all recorded clearly. Patti¡¯s face turned ashen. Egbert said seriously, ¡°We all saw what happened, no point in arguing. The right and wrong is clear.¡± Egbert stood up, and continued, ¡°As for you, the two assistant heads pleaded for you, saying you¡¯re not yet used to your new roles and it¡¯s understandable to have some conflicts. After considering, I decided to give you another chance. However, if you¡¯re not happy with writing a 500-word reflection, then write 50,000 words. Have it by tomorrow morning. Any problems?¡± Patti and the others were silent. When Edna and the others left crying, the two assistant heads also left. Suddenly, only Eileen, Egbert and the cameraman were left in the office. The office door closed. Egbert looked at Eileen and said, ¡°This wasn¡¯t your fault.¡± Eileen didn¡¯t say anything. Egbert continued, ¡°If you can¡¯t get along, do you want to change a dorm? I can arrange it.¡± Eileen still didn¡¯t say anything. Egbert sighed, walking over to Eileen and said helplessly, ¡°Can you cut me some ck?¡± Eileen looked up at Egbert, her cheeks puffed out in a pout, staring at him nkly. Egbert¡¯s voice went even lower, whispering, ¡°I messed up, really.¡± Eileen asked with a straight face, ¡°Where did you mess up?¡± Egbert replied, ¡°Wherever you say I messed up, I messed up. I¡¯ll listen to you, okay?¡± Chapter 163 Chapter 163 [What¡¯s the deal?] [What on earth happened?) [What are they talking about?] Why do I feel the vibe is a bit off?] [Humph, what¡¯s so off about it? I don¡¯t see any problem!] ¡°Bad news!¡± That¡¯s when Eileenspoke up. Eileen felt that Egbert was being insincere. Where she said he was wrong, he was indeed wrong, right? Did he still think he was in the right? Eileen was livid. She used, ¡°Egbert, you should ask yourself, haven¡¯t I been good to you all the time?¡± Egbert replied instantly, ¡°Absolutely! You¡¯re terrific.¡± Eileen widened her eyes, ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you tell me you know how to fight? When we were in the jungle, I was worried about you getting hurt, so I was always assisting and protecting you. But¡­¡± Egbert quickly said, ¡°Alright, alright, it¡¯s my fault! Didn¡¯t I tell you just now?¡± ¡°Just now?¡± Eileen snorted coldly and turned her head away. All Egbert could do was walk over, stand in front of her, and patiently exin, ¡°My dad¡¯s a soldier, you know that. You¡¯ve met him, right?¡± Eileen was taken aback. She had indeed met Mr. Reed. He was even a Marshal. Being from a military family, Egbert must have been trained martial arts from an early age. How could the son of a Marshal not know how to fight? Eileen bit her lip and looked at Egbert again. Just as she was about to speak, she heard a loud crash. The cameraman beside them had knocked over his equipment. He quickly corrected his camera pole, looking panicked. When he lifted his head and found Eileen and Egbert staring at him, he was sweating bullets and quickly apologized, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± Eileen casually replied, ¡°Be careful.¡± [Careful? How more careful can I be when you drop a bombshell that you two have met each other¡¯s parents?] [So unfair! Just make your rtionship public already!] [Girls, don¡¯t jump to conclusions. Friends can meet each other¡¯s families too. It¡¯s normal!] [If you all think it¡¯s so normal, why are the male fans stuttering all of a sudden?] [We¡¯re not stuttering!] [Male fans are getting anxious! Male fans are jealous!] [Shut up!] [Why haven¡¯t Egbert¡¯s fans shown up yet? Don¡¯t they feel jealous of Eileen?] [I¡¯m here! Let me just log into my ount as an Egbert fan and I¡¯ll start protesting right away!] When the cameraman disrupted their confrontation, Eileen remembered that the camera was still rolling. It wasn¡¯t appropriate to discuss Mr. Reed in front of the camera, so after a moment¡¯s silence, she asked Egbert, ¡°Mr. Reed, can I go now?¡± Egbert frowned. He looked at her for a while before finally saying, ¡°Sure.¡± Eileen turned and left. Then Egbert said, ¡°There will be grilled chicken wings in the canteen tonight. Should I save some for you?¡± Eileen¡¯s steps faltered. She turned to look at Egbert, her face serious, ¡°Egbert, do you really think you can buy me off with chicken wings? Just because I love food doesn¡¯t mean Ick principles.¡± Seeing she was really angry, Egbert could only apologize, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I won¡¯t save any chicken wings for you tonight.¡± Eileen had nothing to say. After training, it was dinner time. Eileen was almost faint with anger when she saw that Egbert really hadn¡¯t saved any chicken wings for her. She picked at her dinner sulkily. Thinking about the chicken wings, she ate much slower than usual. On the way back to the dorm, Eddie and Colin were walking together. Seeing Eileen¡¯s glum face, Eddie asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Eileen was too embarrassed to say she was craving chicken wings, so she just said, ¡°I¡¯m thinking.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°About why you talk so much and why your voice is so annoying!¡± After venting her anger on Eddie, Eileen quickened her pace and dashed back to the girls¡¯ dorm. Eddie turned to Colin and asked, ¡°What did I do to upset her this time?¡± Colin didn¡¯t know either and just shrugged. Then Eddie spotted a few people in the distance. He waved and shouted, ¡°Lucas!¡± Upon seeing Eddie, Lucas immediately turned to run. Eddie rushed over, grabbed Lucas by the neck from behind, almost knocking him over. Heughed, ¡°Gotcha! You dared to pretend you didn¡¯t know me this morning!¡± After regaining his bnce, Lucas said to his friends, ¡°You guys go ahead.¡± His friends nced at Eddie, then at Lucas, and left without a word. When they were gone, Lucas pushed Eddie¡¯s hand away, rubbed his neck, and asked, ¡°What do you want?¡± Eddie hugged Lucas again. Heughed, ¡°We must be fated! We metst time and bumped into each other again. Whether you like it or not, you have to take care of me.¡± Lucas nced at him, ¡°If you run into trouble, ask the coach for help.¡± Eddie snorted, ¡°I choose you! Which dorm are you in? I haven¡¯t met my roommates yet. Maybe we¡¯ll end up in the same dorm!¡± Lucas sneered, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m ine Lopez? Why would I volunteer to share a dorm with you?¡± ¡°ine?¡± Meanwhile, at the girls¡¯ dorm entrance. Eileen stood expressionless as if she had been kidnapped with ine clinging tightly to her. ¡°Auntie Eileen! Are you happy to see me? I¡¯m not from this military area, but I knew you wereing so I requested a transfer! Auntie Eileen, I missed you so much! Did you miss me?¡± Eileen struggled to push ine away, but ine didn¡¯t let go and enthusiastically said, ¡°Auntie Eileen, we¡¯re in the same dorm! Which bed do you want? Let¡¯s see if our beds are next to each other!¡± Eileen finally shook off ine, entering the dorm with an indifferent look on her face In the dorm, besides ine, there were three other people. These four, including ine, were Eileen¡¯s roommates. One of them was a short-haired female soldier who stood up and introduced herself. She¡¯s the squad leader, really friendly. Eileen also introduced herself. After getting to know each other a bit, the short-haired girl cautiously asked Eileen, ¡°What are they¡­ doing? I tried talking to them earlier but they ignored me.¡± Eileen nced at Edna who was hard at work writing something on the table and said nonchntly, ¡°They¡¯re just being rude, don¡¯t mind them. They¡¯re writing self-criticisms.¡± The girl was a bit surprised, ¡°Self-criticisms? They made mistakes already?¡± Eileen didn¡¯t say anything more. She picked up her toiletries and got ready to take a shower. ine immediately tagged along, wanting to shower with Eileen. The bathrooms were individual stalls. Eileen shooed away ine who wanted to enter the same stall with her. After her shower, Eileen came out with her hair stili wet. As soon as she got out, she ran into the short-haired squad leader. She was looking for Eileen. As soon as she saw Eileen, the squad leader blurted out, Someone came looking for you earlier, said Aaron wanted to see you in the instructor¡¯s office.¡± Aaron was the female assistant instructor from earlier. Eileen furrowed her brows, ¡°Right now?¡± The squad leader replied, ¡°Yes, ASAP. You¡­didn¡¯t do anything wrong, did you?¡± Eileen was still frowning. She did screw up, but wasn¡¯t everything already taken care of? Eileen took a deep breath and said, ¡°I¡¯ll find out soon.¡± When Eileen rushed to the instructor¡¯s office, Aaron was not there. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. All she saw was Egbert sitting on the office couch¡­ Upon seeing Eileen, Egbert leaned forward slightly, pointing at the thermos on the table, ¡°Should still be warm.¡± Chapter 164 Chapter 164 The thermal box was stuffed with grilled chicken wings. Eileen walked over, nced at the box, then at Egbert. ¡°Where¡¯s Aaron?¡± she asked. Egbert didn¡¯t answer, he just opened the box. Instantly, the aroma filled the office. Eileen swallowed hard, her mouth practically watering. But she remembered she was a woman of principle. ¡°Don¡¯t think you can tempt me with food. I won¡¯t falter!¡± she dered. Five minutester. Eileen held a chicken wing, gnawing until every bit of meat was gone, even chewing the bone before tossing the remains into the trash. Egbert handed her a napkin, helping wipe the grease from her lips. ¡°Take your time,¡± he said. Eileen let him wipe her mouth, baring her teeth in protest. ¡°I¡¯m a woman of principle! I¡¯m still mad at you!¡± ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Egbert responded softly, holding a straw-filled cup of juice to her lips. ¡°Freshly squeezed.¡± Eileen took a big gulp. Tart and sweet. Yum! She ate chicken wings and sipped juice until more than half of the box was gone. Finally, she looked up at Egbert. ¡°Will there be more tomorrow?¡± Egbert paused, then smiled. ¡°As long as you want it.¡± Eileen was pleased but feigning anger she taunted, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wouldn¡¯t save any for me?¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Egbert got up. He took a dry towel from Eileen¡¯s washbasin, standing behind her, drying her damp hair as he said, ¡°But I couldn¡¯t bear it.¡± ¡°Bear what?¡± Eileen turned to ask. ¡°I couldn¡¯t bear disappointing you,¡± Egbert looked into her eyes. Eileen was stunned. The office fell silent. She frowned, looking at Egbert¡¯s face. His expression remained the same. He just looked at her. Eileen turned back, continuing to gnaw at her chicken. After finishing the wings and juice, Eileen got up to wash her hands. When she returned, she picked up her washbasin. ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll walk you,¡± Egbert said calmly. Eileen¡¯s frown deepened. She eyed Egbert up and down before blurting out, ¡°Egbert, you¡¯ve been acting weird today.¡±All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Egbert chuckled. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Just weird. You¡¯ve been extra sweet and attentive. Are you¡­¡± Egbert¡¯s smile deepened. ¡°What?¡± he asked in a slightly husky voice. ¡°You¡¯re not hiding something, are you?!¡± Eileen eximed. Egbert was speechless. Eileen was convinced that was a real possibility! Furious, she grabbed Egbert¡¯s cor, threatening, ¡°You¡¯re not actually hiding something from me, are you?¡± Egbert took a deep breath, his eyes betraying fatigue. ¡°Spit it out! What are you hiding from me? Say it!¡± Eileen urged. Egbert reached out, holding Eileen¡¯s hand that was clutching his cor. His warm palm enveloped her hand. He was silent for a moment, then slowly said, ¡°There is indeed something I haven¡¯t told you.¡± Eileen narrowed her eyes. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Reed?¡± Outside the office, Aaron stood holding a set of keys, a puzzled look on his face as he watched them. Egbert and Eileen froze at Aaron¡¯s appearance. Eileen knew the drill. With the boss around, she let go, stepping aside and lowering her head, ying innocent. Aaron was confused. It was her shift and she was checking the office doors were locked. But someone was in her office? She thought she locked it when she left. Aaron scratched her head. She looked at Egbert, then Eileen, recalling what she had just seen. A man and a woman standing close, holding hands¡­ Aaton fell silent. After a moment, she ventured, ¡°Were you two¡­ secretly dating in my office?¡± Eileen was mortified, quickly denying, ¡°No! We were just eating some food!¡± She pointed to the empty thermal box on the table, trying to exin. Aaron was even more confused. ¡°Why would you eat in my office?¡± How would Eileen know? She shot Egbert a re. ¡°It was my mistake,¡± Egbert admitted. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Aaron eyed them suspiciously before raising her keys. ¡°I¡¯m locking up.¡± Eileen grabbed her washbasin and headed out, Egbert quickly followed. Aaron watched their retreating figures, shaking her head and muttering, ¡°They were definitely dating. I could tell from a mile away!¡± Outside the office building was a bustling courtyard with soldiers running about. Egbert caught up to Eileen, walking her towards the women¡¯s barracks. Eileen was fuming. She turned to re at him, ¡°You see how awkward that was? You used Aaron¡¯s office to meet me and didn¡¯t even leave her a wing! That¡¯s just mean!¡± Egbert chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll apologize to her tomorrow.¡± Eileen frowned again, ¡°Is that what you were hiding? That you stole Aaron¡¯s office key?¡±. Egbert didn¡¯t respond. Eileen sighed deeply, trying to reason as they walked, ¡°Stealing is wrong. You¡¯re a trainer now, a soldier! Even if it¡¯s just a disguise, you need to respect thew. You¡¯re in the military, you can¡¯t do this anymore¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Egbert¡¯s denial startled her. Eileen was taken aback, staring at him. Egbert suddenly put a halt to his steps. Eileen hesitated for a moment, then also came to a stop, standing face to face with him. They were standing on a small path outside the school yard. Surrounding them were swaying tree shadows, and behind them was a round yground flickering with night lights. The soldiers¡¯ chants were echoing in the distance. Egbert stood in the soft moonlight, staring intently into Eileen¡¯s bright and deep eyes. A gust of wind blew over. The faint scent of her body wash wafted into his nostrils. Egbert gently bit his lip, then slowly opened his mouth, ¡°There¡¯s one more thing, I haven¡¯t told you.¡± Eileen looked into Egbert¡¯s eyes. She couldn¡¯t help but swallow, then mumbled a response, ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°I love you¡± Chapter 165 Chapter 165 After Egbert dropped that bombshell, the ce fell dead silent for a moment. The soldiers in the back had already run far away, and their chants had be indistinct. Eileen looked up at Egbert, her eyes wide as dinner tes. Egbert took another step towards her. He stood really close to her, looking deeply into her eyes, and then repeated in a low voice, ¡°I love you, Eileen.¡± Eileen swallowed hard. She just stared at him quietly. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Egbert¡¯s eyes flickered, ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything to say?¡± Eileen paused, nodding reluctantly, ¡°Yes.¡± Egbert asked, ¡°What?¡± Eileen whispered, ¡°I never thought I¡¯d be your backup option¡­¡± Egbert thought he misheard, furrowing his brows, ¡°What did you say?¡± Eileen gave Egbert a look, motioning him toe closer. Egbert leaned in slightly. Suddenly, Eileen¡¯s hand swung up, smacking him right across the head! Egbert blinked, turned his head to look at Eileen, quietly asking, ¡°Why?¡± Eileen put her hands on her hips, fuming, ¡°Wake up, Egbert! Look at me!¡± Egbert raised his hand to his throbbing forehead. Eileen began to reproach him, ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you? You¡¯re taking it out on me! I get it, you just got your heart broken and you¡¯re bummed. I know the best cure for a broken heart is a new love, but don¡¯t make it my problem! I can help you get over it, but we¡¯re friends! There¡¯s a line you can¡¯t cross! Don¡¯t you know the rules?¡± Egbert asked coldly, ¡°Can¡¯t I love you?¡± Eileen scoffed, ¡°Fine! If you love me, then exin, why do you love me? Name ten things you like about me.¡± Egbert didn¡¯t answer. Eileen waited for a while, seeing that Egbert remained silent, she blew her top, ¡°What¡¯s your deal? You could at least make something up! You can¡¯t even name one, and you dare say you love me?¡± Eileen was about to smack Egbert again. Her hand was already up, but suddenly Egbert grabbed it. His grip was firm. He held Eileen¡¯s wrist tightly, staring into her eyes, he said firmly, ¡°Everything about you.¡± Eileen was taken aback. Egbert said, ¡°Everything about you, I like it all.¡± Eileen looked at Egbert, falling silent for a while, then took a deep breath. Egbert let go of her wrist, and Eileen quickly pulled her hand back. Egbert took her hand again, rubbing gently at the area he had just gripped too tightly. ¡°Eileen, I¡¯m not messing with you.¡± ¡°I got it,¡± Eileen cut him off. After thinking for a while, she said, ¡°Can I think about it?¡± Egbert didn¡¯t say anything, just looked at her deeply. Eileen said, ¡°It¡¯s almost lights out. I should go back.¡± Egbert wanted to say something, but Eileen had already pulled her hand back, turned around, and headed for the dormitory. As soon as she got back to the dorm, the squad leader with short hair immediately came up and asked Eileen, ¡°Are you okay?¡± Eileen shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She was too embarrassed to say that not only was she not scolded, but she also got ate-night snack. There were still ten minutes before lights out. Edna and the others were still frantically writing on the table. Eileen climbed into bed andy there thinking. At this moment, ine came over, squatted by Eileen¡¯s bed, and muttered, ¡°Auntie Eileen, what are you doing?¡± Eileen nonchntly said, ¡°Just thinking.¡± ine called out again, ¡°Auntie Eileen¡­¡± Eileen looked at her, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s sleep together!¡± ine said and without waiting for Eileen¡¯s consent, she took off her shoes and crawled into Eileen¡¯s bed. Eileen jumped, pushing her away quickly. ine clung to the bed rail, unwilling to go. She looked at Eileen with pleading eyes, ¡°Auntie Eileen, please!¡± ¡°No way! Get off!¡± After kicking ine off the bed, Eileen sat up and wamed, ¡°If you keep this up, I¡¯m gonna switch dorms!¡± ine lowered her head, looking like she was about to cry. Eileen didn¡¯t give in. She coldlyy down, even turning her back to ine. At that moment, a female soldier came into the dormitory, holding a register. She asked, ¡°Tomorrow is Valentine¡¯s Day. You guys are all attending the performance tomorrow night, right?¡± The squad leader stood up and said, ¡°Yes, we¡¯re all going.¡± The soldier made a mark in her book and said, ¡°Alright. It¡¯s at eight o¡¯clock tomorrow night, at Performance Hall in Building 2. Don¡¯t bete.¡± After the soldier left, Eileen asked the squad leader, ¡°Is it Valentine¡¯s Day tomorrow?¡± The squad leader said, ¡°Yes, tomorrow¡¯s the 14th of February.¡± Eileen pped her thigh. No wonder Egbert confessed to her today! It¡¯s Valentine¡¯s day tomorrow. Valentine¡¯s Day, indeed a day that a heartbroken person can¡¯t bear. Eileen looked up and saw ine silently preparing to crawl back into her own bed. Eileen suddenly called out, ¡°ine.¡± ine was startled and looked back at her, a wounded look on her face. Eileen patted her bed, ¡°Come sit.¡± ine was taken aback, pouting as she stood in the middle of the room. After a while, she walked over to Eileen¡¯s bed. Eileen patted the bed again, ¡°Sit down.¡± ine finally sat down, mumbling, ¡°What is it?¡± Eileen reached out and poked her face, ¡°Don¡¯t be upset. I was just joking with you.¡± ¡°Humph.¡± ine huffed, but was easily appeased. She took off her shoes, climbed onto the bed, and snuggled up to Eileen. Eileen said, ¡°Can you do me a favor tomorrow?¡± ine didn¡¯t even ask what it was, she just agreed, ¡°Okay.¡± Eileen was quietly formting a n in her mind. She looked up, surprised to find ine so close, and said, ¡°I¡¯ve got nothing else to say to you. You can go now.¡± ine pouted, feeling wronged, and slumped back to her bed. Early next morning, after the morning exercise, ine ran alone to the instructor¡¯s office and called out to Egbert inside, ¡°Hey!¡± Egbert was looking over the uing training schedule. Seeing it was ine, he said, ¡°Come in.¡± ine walked in. She pulled out a box of choctes from her pocket, ced it on the table, and said, ¡°Mr. Reed, it¡¯s Valentine¡¯s Day. These are from Eileen.¡± Egbert was stunned. He picked up the box of choctes, and Eileen¡¯s words fromst night echoed in his mind. She said she¡¯d think about it. Egbert looked up, nervously-asking, ¡°Did she say anything else?¡± ine said, ¡°Eileen also said this box of choctes costs three bucks. She didn¡¯t bring any money, so she told me to get it from you.¡± Egbert was speechless. Chapter 166 Chapter 166 Eileen was just about to finish her breakfast in the cafeteria when Egbert walked in. He grabbed his food and sat down by the window. Eileen quickly grabbed her tray and sat across from him. Egbert paused, his eyes flickering, ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± Eileen cut him off. She reached over and turned off the microphone on his cor and did the same with hers. After making sure no cameramen followed, she asked, ¡°Did you get the chocte?¡± Egbert nodded. Eileen smiled and asked, ¡°How do you feel now?¡± Egbert looked at her, ¡°Alright, I guess?¡± Eileen said, ¡°Do you feel warm inside? No longer lonely? Fulfilled?¡± Something seemed off and Egbert frowned, ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± 1 Eileen said mysteriously, ¡°This afternoon, you¡¯ll receive roses. Looking forward to it?¡± Just then, a cameraman started heading their way. Eileen quickly stood up, ¡°Don¡¯t forget to pick up your flowers!¡± After lunch, it was time for shooting practice. All four male guests were thrilled on the shooting range. Compared to dull physical training, guys seem to have a natural affinity for firearms. Eileen was also excited. She loved guns! Edna and the other two girls were clueless about guns. Holding them was enough to make them shake in fear. As the chief instructor, Egbert demonstrated the shooting actions. He fired five shots in a row, all bullseyes! Eileen watched him, raising an eyebrow. Indeed. If Egbert knew how to fight, he certainly knew how to shoot. Eileen cursed Egbert under her breath. At this point, Egbert had put down the gun. He nced at the eight recruits beside hirm and said calmly, ¡°Start assembling.¡± Before shooting, the guns had to be assembled. Two assistant instructors were there to guide this process. Load bullets, chamber them, and aim. While Jaqueline was still tremblingly putting bullets into her magazine, Eileen had already adopted the standard aiming posture. One of the male assistant instructors praised, ¡°Not bad.¡± Eileen didn¡¯t respond, just kept her eyes locked on the target. Suddenly, Eileen felt her arm being nudged. She hesitated for a moment. Then, a familiar voice came from behind, ¡°Higher.¡± Eileen recognized it as Egbert¡¯s voice. She pursed her lips and slightly raised her elbow. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Egbert wasn¡¯t satisfied. He crouched behind her, adjusted her shoulder de position, and moved her trigger finger down a little with his clean, slender fingers. Eileen¡¯s brows furrowed. She murmured so only both of them could hear, ¡°My posture is standard.¡± Egbert paused. His arm reached over her body to support her wrist. His breath was close to her ear. He said, ¡°Am I the instructor, or are you?¡± Eileen bit her lip, didn¡¯t say anything else. Egbert then said, ¡°Who taught you to shoot? Your posture ispletely wrong.¡± Of course, she learned to shoot from NightKing. She mumbled, ¡°No matter what, I can always hit the target!¡± Egbert said sternly, ¡°Your gun-holding posture is wrong. Doing so long-term can cause joint injuries. It not only increases the difficulty of shooting but also shows irresponsibility towards your own health.¡± Seeing Egbert¡¯s serious tone, Eileen didn¡¯t say anything more. Egbert corrected her minor issues. When everyone was ready, he stood up and stepped aside, ¡°Fire.¡± ¡°BANG BANG BANG!!!¡± The shooting began. Eileen was the first to shoot. Unsurprisingly, her bullet hit the bullseye. Among the other seven, Jaqueline and Patti were too scared to even pull the trigger. Colin hit the third ring. Eddie¡¯s bullet missed the target, disappearing somewhere. Despite this, everyone was still excited! They practiced a few more times. The first shooting ss ended at six in the afternoon. Then everyone went for dinner together. After showering, they headed to the Performance Hall. They heard that there would be a performance by the female soldiers of the art troupe tonight. The male soldiers were all looking forward to it. Before the performance started, Eileen looked around but couldn¡¯t find Egbert. She asked ine who was sitting next to her, ¡°have the rose arrived yet?¡± ine was taken aback, ¡°I ordered the flowers from an outside florist over the phone. They should have arrived, right?¡± Eileen frowned, ¡°Didn¡¯t you call to confirm?¡± ine scratched her head, ¡°I had training this afternoon¡­¡± Eileen got up and walked out. ine quickly called out, ¡°Auntie Eileen, where are you going?¡± Eileen didn¡¯t answer and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Eileen ran to the instructor¡¯s office to find Egbert but he wasn¡¯t there. Just as she was about to leave, she saw Egbert holding a rose, returning from outside. Eileen stood there, smiling at him. Egbert saw her, stopped, lifted the rose in his hand, and asked with a raised eyebrow, ¡°Just one?¡± Eileen grumbled,¡± Roses are too expensive on Valentine¡¯s Day.¡± Egbert didn¡¯t say anything, simply walked past her back into the office. Eileen followed him in. In the office, the box of choctes was still on the table. Eileen saw that the box was still unopened, so she opened it, picked up a piece, and held it to Egbert¡¯s mouth. Egbert looked at her, then opened his mouth to eat the chocte. Eileen was satisfied. She also took a piece of chocte to eat. Just then, she heard a loud noise from outside and saw fireworks lighting up the sky outside the window. Eileen ran to the window. Looking at the fireworks above the drill ground, she eximed excitedly, ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful!¡± After she finished speaking, she turned her head and called, ¡°Egbert,e see the fireworks!¡± There was no response from behind her for a long time. Eileen turned around, only to find Egbert propping himself up against the desk, body slightly bent, and face all scrunched up. Rushing over, she asked, ¡°What¡¯s up with you?¡± Before she could even finish, she caught a whiff of a faint alcohol smell in the air. Eileen froze. She quickly nced at the box of choctes. There, at the bottom right corner of the box, were the words ¡°Contains Alcohol¡± in tiny print. Oh crap! Egbert was allergic to alcohol! Panicking, Eileen hurriedly got Egbert on the couch, and took out his shirt for him. Outside, the cameraman, equipment in tow, had followed them into the office. He was about to report back to the director¡¯s team via his earpiece, saying he had found Eileen and Egbert. But the next second, he was so stunned by the scene inside the office that he nearly hurled his camera away. In the ¡°Defender¡¯s Honor¡± live-streaming room, with 160 million viewers. Everyone was watching the same scene. On therge, t couch, Egbert was lying there, shirtless. Eileen was on him, legs apart, knees on either side of his body. Holding his shoulders, tilting his chin upwards. Herslightly rosy lips gently pressed onto his somewhat pale ones. ¡°Boom!¡± Another firework exploded in the sky. The fireworks outside the window lit up the dark night, dazzling and breathtakingly beautiful. Chapter 167 Chapter 167 [What the heck is happening?] [Oh my God!] [I can¡¯t watch this anymore!] The cameraman is also freaking out on the inside! What the hell are these two up to? After giving CPR to Egbert twice, Eileen turned her head and found the cameraman still standing dumbly at the door. While she continued pressing down on Egbert¡¯s chest, she yelled anxiously, ¡°Call an ambnce, quick!¡± The cameraman hesitated, not quite catching up with the situation. Eileen shouted again, ¡°Hurry up!¡± Only then did the cameraman snap out of it, and immediately ryed the message through his headset to the directing team. [What¡¯s going on?] [What on earth is happening?] [Egbert looks so pale!] [I thought they were kissing¡­ Sorry, my bad! Eileen seems to be performing CPR on Egbert? What¡¯s wrong with him?] [What the hell happened? Can the production team exin? My heart is about to jump out of my chest!] By the time the staff¡¯arrived, Eileen hadpleted the CPR. Egbert gasped for breath, clutching the edge of the couch tightly. He struggled to say. I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just an old issue.¡± Eileen shouted, ¡°No way! You need to go to the hospital now!¡± Then she asked the director, ¡°Is the ambnce here yet?¡± The director said, ¡°It¡¯s on its way!¡± Ten minutester, the paramedics arrived, and Egbert was loaded onto the ambnce. Without hesitating, Eileen hopped into the ambnce after him. By the time the ambnce had left, the director finally came back to his senses and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Eileen?¡± One of the staff pointed to the departing ambnce and said, ¡°She went with him.¡± The director said, ¡°What¡¯s she doing? She can¡¯t leave the set!¡± During the recording of the show, guests are not allowed to leave the set. A co-director said, ¡°Just let it go. It¡¯s a special case. Where¡¯s our car? We should follow them!¡± When the production team reached the nearest hospital, they didn¡¯t see Egbert, but they did see Eileen pacing anxiously outside the emergency room. The director approached her and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get you back to the set.¡± Eileen scowled and firmly said, ¡°I¡¯m staying here.¡± The director said, ¡°You can¡¯t stay. You¡­¡± Eileen suddenly grabbed the director by the cor of his shirt, squinting her eyes, and word by word, she said, ¡°1. Am. Staying.¡± The director swallowed hard, nervously looking at the enraged girl in front of him, and hesitantly said, ¡°Okay¡­ okay.¡± Eileen let go of him, turned around, bit her finger, and stared anxiously at the door of the emergency room. Twenty minutester, the door of the emergency room opened. Egbert was wheeled out. His face was still quite pale, but he was conscious. Eileen immediately walked over. Looking at Egbert with a worried face, she first checked his pulse. After she was sure that Egbert¡¯s pulse was normal, Eileen took a sigh of relief. She asked softly, ¡°Are you okay?¡± Egbert nodded slightly to signal that he was fine. Eileen pursed her lips and didn¡¯t say anything. She followed him into the hospital room. Nt was a private room. When the production team went to talk to the doctor, only Egbert and Eileen were left in the room. Egbert felt a bit tired from lying down and wanted to sit up. Eileen immediately stood up, helped him adjust his pillow, and carefully supported him. Egbert looked out the door. The door of the room was not closed. He could see many people gathering outside. Egbert gently patted Eileen¡¯s hand and softly said, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Eileen lowered her head and bit her lip, ¡°It¡¯s all my fault.¡± Egbert squeezed her hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m really okay.¡± Eileen didn¡¯t say anything. She looked at the bed sheet, her face remaining gloomy. After a while, the director came in and ryed the doctor¡¯s instructions. Egbert needed to stay in the hospital for a while, but everyone else could leave. The director looked at Eileen and tentatively said, ¡°So, shall we go back together?¡± Eileen stayed where she was, as if she hadn¡¯t heard. The director could only try to persuade her gently, ¡°Let Mr. Reed rest. We shouldn¡¯t disturb him.¡± Eileen¡¯s face was tense, and suddenly she said, ¡°I¡¯m staying with him tonight.¡± Upon hearing this, the director almost lost it, ¡°How is that possible? You can¡¯t stay overnight¡­¡± Eileen red at the director, her eyes bloodshot. She said firmly, ¡°I. Am. Staying.¡± If he weren¡¯t sure he couldn¡¯t win in a fight against her, the director would love to knock her out and carry her back to the set. The director turned to Egbert for help, ¡°Mr. Reed, you see..!¡¯ ¡°Let her stay here,¡± Egbert nced at the cot beside him, ¡°She has a ce to sleep.¡± The director could not rebuttal, but this was a breach of the rules! Egbert suddenly said to Eileen, ¡°I¡¯d like some water.¡± Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Eileen stood up, grumbling, ¡°You¡¯ve just had your stomach pumped, you can¡¯t drink anything. If you want me to leave, just say it, don¡¯t make excuses¡­¡± But Eileen still left the room. The director then turned to Egbert, ¡°Mr. Reed, she¡­¡± Egbert shook his head and exchanged a few words with him. After a while, when the director came out of the room, he sighed and said to Eileen, Someone will come to pick you up tomorrow morning.¡± Eileen didn¡¯t ask what Egbert had said to him. She lowered her head and responded softly. When the production team left, the director asked the cameraman to turn off the camera. The audience didn¡¯t know that Eileen had stayed. After everyone else had left, Eileen went back into the room. She went to the bedside, bowed her head very low, and apologized in a low voice, ¡°I didn¡¯t notice it was a liquor-filled chocte. I¡¯m sorry¡­ It¡¯s all my fault¡­¡± Egbert, sitting on the bed, softly said, ¡°I don¡¯t me you.¡± Eileen didn¡¯t say anything else. She lowered her head to adjust Egbert¡¯s quilt, adjusted the position of his pillow, and then sat on the chair next to him, saying, ¡°Go to sleep. I¡¯ll stay with you here.¡± Egbert nced at her and didn¡¯t say anything, just slowlyying down. At this moment, she was feeling extremely guilty. Making her do something for him might alleviate her guilt a bit. Eileen really didn¡¯t sleep all night. At around three in the morning, Egbert¡¯s IV bag was almost empty. Eileen didn¡¯t want to disturb him, so instead of ringing the nurse¡¯s bell, she went to the nurse¡¯s station herself. By the time she returned with the nurse, Eileen suddenly stopped. She looked at the hospital bed. Due to the effects of the medication, Egbert was still asleep. She then looked at the chair she had just been sitting in next to the bed. Eileen frowned. When she left earlier fearing she might wake Egbert, she didn¡¯t move the chair at all. But now, the position of the chair had changed. Had someone been here? Eileen squinted her eyes. She went to the door of the ward. As she looked to the right, she saw a person in a grey coat running down the fire escape stairs quickly. Was it a fan? Or a journalist? Eileen scrunched her brows and immediately headed that way. When Eileen pushed open the door to the fire escape, she didn¡¯t expect the person hadn¡¯t left, but was waiting for her behind the door. The person victously swung at her with their palm. But Eileen¡¯s reaction was extremely fast. Almost instinctively, she dodged to the side avoiding the attack, while taking a half step back. The attacker seemed surprised to have missed. He hummed in confusion, seemingly ready to give up. But Eileen retaliated. The light in the fire escape was shattered in their fight. In the dark, the sounds of fighting echoed. ¨¨ileen didn¡¯t know who the person was, but she felt their movements were familiar. As she was pondering, a man¡¯s sinisterughter rang in her ears: ¡°Interesting.¡±. Eileen was taken aback. That voice¡­ It was NightKing! Chapter 168 Chapter 168 Eileen crossed paths with NightKing the day after her 20th birthday in her previous life. On that day, she had just collected the inheritance she was entitled to and left thewyer¡¯s office. Little did she know, she was about to get kidnapped. Eileen had been secretly training in boxing for the military academy exams. Yet, when faced with gun-toting kidnappers, her boxing skills were of no use. She was dumped in a dimly lit, abandoned factory in the suburbs at night. After attempting to fight back, she was severely beaten and tossed into a sewer infested with dead rats. In her dazed state, she heard some kidnappers arguing outside. Suddenly, a gunshot. Eileen was shocked. Then, a few more gunshots. Eileen didn¡¯t understand what was happening, but she heard slow footsteps approaching her. Soon, someone yanked her hair and said, ¡°There¡¯s one more here, still alive.¡± Under the dim, worn-out bulb overhead, the light was blinding. With her injured eyes barely open, she struggled to see the people in front of her. She had no clue who they were, why they were here, or what had happened to the kidnappers outside. Suddenly, she heard a cold male voice. The man¡¯s voice was like a python licking a person¡¯s throat, instilling a suffocating fear, ¡°Kill her and bury her with the others.¡± Eileen¡¯s pupils constricted instantly. She didn¡¯t want to die! She had to fight back! She grabbed a brick and hurled it at the man holding her hair. Caught off guard, the man was hit in the shin. Enraged, the man savagely kicked her in the head. Eileen was sent rolling back, hitting her head on a steel te. She spat out blood, struggled to her feet, and with herst ounce of strength, fought back fiercely. She sustained serious injuries in the fight. In the end, she had four broken ribs, her head was covered in blood, and her hands and feet were dislocated.¡¯ As for that man, she bit off his ear. The man cruelly stepped on her head, pointing a gun at her forehead, ready to pull the trigger at any moment. With no energy left, Eileeny on the ground, realizing she might be on the verge of death. But then, the man with the cold voice spoke up again, ¡°Wait.¡± After a while, the foot on her head was lifted. Her hair was yanked again. A man whose features she couldn¡¯t make out studied her face and suddenly chuckled, ¡°Interesting.¡± Interesting? What was interesting about this! Finishing her shback, Eileen realized that she was facing NightKing andunched an attack on his lower abdomen. When NightKing was twenty, he had a part of his internal organs removed due to a surgery following an injury. His lower abdomen has always been his weak spot. If you want to hit him, aim there. Eileen¡¯s attacks were fierce and ruthless, aiming directly at NightKing¡¯s weakness. After a few rounds, Eileen could tell NightKing was struggling. Eileen pressed her advantage. She knew NightKing¡¯sbat habits well, being his disciple after all. Her attacks became more intense, eventually forcing NightKing to retreat. Eileen wasn¡¯t about to let him get away and chased after him. When she got to the tform behind the hospital building, she lunged forward, stepped on his shoulder, flipped over andnded in front of him. The stern man in the gray coat came to a halt. The cool night breeze felt somewhat piercing. He squinted at the footprint on his shoulder. Gently brushing off the footprint with the back of his hand, he fixated his gaze on the girl in front of him. Standing her ground, Eileen told NightKing loudly, ¡°If you have a problem with me,e at me directly. Don¡¯t involve others!¡± NightKing responded coldly, ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are.¡± Eileen snorted, ¡°You don¡¯t know me, then why did you send someone to assassinate mest time!¡± A hint of confusion shed in NightKing¡¯s eyes, causing a crease in his brow. Eileen paused, observing NightKing¡¯s expression. She knew NightKing well and could easily read his facial expressions. Seeing that NightKing genuinely seemed not to know her, she was a bit puzzled, ¡°You¡¯re not the one who sent someone to assassinate me? If you don¡¯t know me, then why¡­¡± Suddenly, it dawned on Eileen that Egbert was also present the day of the assassination. Could it be¡­ Eileen¡¯s face turned beet red, she reached up to touch her head and said awkwardly, ¡°Did I misunderstand?¡± NightKing turned to leave. Eileen quickly spoke up again, ¡°And you can¡¯t do anything to Egbert either! No one can hurt him!¡± Finished speaking, Eileen charged once more, attacking NightKing fiercely. Feeling extremely embarrassed and angry, she thought since he wasn¡¯t the one who tried to assassinate her, why didn¡¯t he say it earlier? The brooding man was forced to fight her a bit longer. Spotting hospital securitying their way, he decided to leave. As Eileen backed off to dodge his moves, he turned and vanished into the bushes. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Eileen rushed to follow him, but he was nowhere to be seen behind the bushes. Cursing under her breath, she remembered Egbert was still alone in the ward and hurried back. Back in the ward, Egbert was awake. Running in, Eileen grabbed his shoulders and asked, ¡°Are you alright?¡±: Egbert looked at her for a moment, shook his head and asked softly, ¡°What happened?¡± Eileen went to close the door to the ward, then came back and told him about the incident with NightKing. She didn¡¯t mention knowing NightKing, just said she found him suspicious, so she followed him and ended up in a fight. Then she asked, ¡°Should we call the police?¡± Egbert was silent for a moment, looked at Eileen for a while, then said, ¡°No need.¡± Seeing that Egbert¡¯s father was a marshal and could handle such matters, Eileen didn¡¯t say anything else. After that, nothing else happened in the ward. A few hourster, dawn broke and the show¡¯s crew came to pick her up. Eileen reluctantly left first. Once Eileen was gone, Egbert sat up and took out a piece of paper under the pillow. The paper, left for him the night before, had a phone number written on it. An hourter. The gloomy guy in the gray coat showed up in the ward again. Egbert silently gazed at NightKing across the room, picked up the water cup next to him, and took a sip. NightKing closed the door, sat down on the sofa across the bed, and smiled slightly, I came alone. Pretty sincere, huh?¡± Egbert didn¡¯t respond. NightKing continued, ¡°I hope we can cooperate happily.¡± Egbert put down the water cup, his deep eyes shifting towards NightKing, ¡°Crestonia won¡¯t cooperate with foreign terrorist organizations.¡± NightKing¡¯s gray pupils slightly shrank, ¡°Silent Wing, I don¡¯t want to be your enemy. Plus, I¡¯ve handed Rock over to you.¡± Rock, the guy who tried to assassinate Egbertst time. If NightKing really wanted to kill Silent Wing, he wouldn¡¯t just send one guy. Rock was just a gift he gave to the Crestonia military. Rock once raped and murdered a Crestonia official¡¯s daughter. Crestonia always wanted to catch him, and this time NightKing directly handed him over to the Crestonia military, hoping to cooperate with them. The government gave the Bloodbane Shadowsociety a bounty to capture an economic smuggler called Michael, who¡¯s now in Crestonia. NightKing personally came to Crestonia for this deal. Including this time, he came alone to find Egbert for negotiations. He believed he had shown enough sincerity. Egbert stayed silent. NightKing suddenly said, ¡°Is that girl fromst night important to you?¡± Egbert was taken aback, his deep eyes sweeping towards NightKing. NightKing sneered, ¡®Important people should be protected well, otherwise, idents happen easily¡­¡± ¡°Egbert, I brought you some soup!¡± Before NightKing could finish, a girl¡¯s voice suddenly came from outside the ward. Eileen, who sneaked out of the camp, excitedly carried a thermos, nning to give Egbert some soup. But the moment she opened the door, she saw someone else in the ward. The instant she saw NightKing, Eileen immediately put down the thermos. Like seeing an enemy, she reflexively attacked him! She was agile, aiming straight for NightKing¡¯s post-surgery stomach. NightKing tried to get up and dodge, but Eileen stopped him with a kick, grabbed ashtray from the small table, and smashed it towards his nose. NightKing¡¯s face turned extremely ugly. He tried to dodge several times, but found out that she seems to anticipate his every move. Just likest night! ¡°Who the hell is this girl?¡± He thought. After avoiding her attack, NightKing¡¯s gray eyes fiercely red at the man on the bed behind him and shouted out, ¡°Can¡¯t you control your woman? She¡¯s aplete lunatic!¡± Chapter 169 Chapter 169 Egbert didn¡¯t see iting that Eileen would suddenly show up.. He squinted at the two of them, locked in a heated battle out of nowhere. NightKing was crafty and fought dirty. Egbert had thought that Eileen would be at a disadvantage against NightKing. But to his surprise, they were trading blows evenly, and Eileen wasn¡¯t getting overpowered at all. However, her fighting style¡­ Egbert frowned slightly. Just then, NightKing¡¯s hand subtly moved to the side of his lower back. ¡°Eileen,¡± Egbert called out instantly. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. His voice was soft. The girl who had been in the midst of a fierce fight suddenly slowed down. Like a high-speed engine, instantly hitting the pause button. Eileen paused, turned around, her lips tightly pressed together, looking at Egbert. Looking into her eyes, Egbert said, ¡°Come here.¡± Eileen was a bit defiant, but eventually, she slowly walked over to Egbert. NightKing scoffed, withdrawing his hand from his lower back. Eileen walked to the side of Egbert¡¯s bed and grumbled reluctantly, ¡°Egbert, he¡¯s a bad guy, let me beat him up¡­ He was about to draw his gun, I saw it. But he has a habit, when he turns his body to the side, he leans about thirty-five degrees to the right. I was well-prepared, the moment he touches his holster, I¡¯ll grab his fingers, with 70% of my strength, I can break two of his fingers. With his fingers broken, one of his hands will lose its agility, then I¡¯ll kick him in the lower back. If I¡¯m lucky, I can make him spit blood.¡± Egbert was speechless. So was NightKing. NightKing frowned, his long fingers instinctively touching the side of his waist. He was missing a part of organ in that area, if it was hit hard, he would indeed be very likely to spit blood due to internal injuries. But how did this woman know about his habit of leaning to the right when he turns his body to the side? Was it Silent Wing who told her? Has Crestonia¡¯s military investigation of him reached this level of precision? NightKing remained silent. Egbert also stared at Eileen intensely for a moment. How did she know about NightKing¡¯s fighting habits? But Egbert didn¡¯t say much, he pulled her to sit by his bed, saying, ¡°You can¡¯t beat him.¡± NightKing was only using 50% of his strength while Eileen was already at 80%. Eileen immediately frowned. Was he looking down on her? If it was a fair fight, she indeed couldn¡¯t beat NightKing, but she had the upper hand! Eileen immediately stood up and lunged forward, ¡°I can beat him, if you don¡¯t believe me, I¡¯ll show you right now.¡± Egbert pushed her back down and said helplessly, ¡°Sit down.¡± Eileen pursed her lips, and finally stopped struggling and obediently sat down. NightKing stood on the other side of the bed, his gray eyes quietly observing the two of them, scrutinizing. At this point, Egbert looked at Eileen and asked, ¡°How did you get out?¡± Eileen bit her lip, not daring to admit that she had climbed over the wall. So she shifted the topic and asked, ¡°Are you hungry? I brought you soup!¡± As soon as she finished speaking, she immediately went to get the thermos on the cab, opened the lid, and handed it to Egbert, ¡°Take it while it¡¯s warm!¡± Egbert took the thermos with one hand, nced at her, and then took a sip of the soup to taste it. Eileen immediately asked, ¡°Is it good?¡± Egbert nodded. Eileen was very pleased. Egbert asked, ¡°Did you make it?¡± Eileen replied, ¡°No, it was made by the cafeteria chef.¡± Egbert was speechless. Egbert was silent for a while, he put the soup aside and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take itter.¡± Eileen frowned, ¡°It¡¯ll get cold.¡± Egbert put the lid back on and said, ¡°You should go back.¡± Eileen immediately pouted, turned her head and pointed at NightKing and said, ¡°I can leave, but he has to leave tool¡± NightKing squinted his eyes and said coldly, ¡°You seem to dislike me very much?¡± Eileen didn¡¯t answer him, and just turned to Egbert and said, ¡°This guy is very dangerous. I¡¯m not comfortable with you two being alone together!¡± Egbert didn¡¯t respond. Eileen crossed her arms and said arrogantly, ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m not leaving. Have someone carry me out.¡± Just as she finished speaking, the door to the ward was suddenly pushed open. Two sweaty staff members from the show walked in. Seeing Elleen there as expected, they immediately reported back to the director via walkie-talkie, ¡°We found her, she ran back here!¡± From the other end of the walkie-talkie, the director¡¯s voice came through, ¡°Bring her back!¡± ¡°Roger that!¡± The two staff members approached and reached out to grab Eileen. Eileen was startled. She immediately ran to the other side of the bed, grabbed Egbert¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Remember to take the soup.¡± Then she dodged the staff members while pleading, ¡°I¡¯ll go right away, I¡¯ll go back, I know I was wrong, I¡¯ll walk myself, can I walk myself¡­¡± In the end, Eileen was still taken away. Egbert, who witnessed everything, was speechless. So was NightKing. Once the ward/quieted down. NightKing looked at Egbert, who had a helpless expression on his face, and said, ¡°You two aren¡¯t dating, are you?¡± Egbert was taken aback, and then gave him a cold nce. NightKing smiled, ¡°It seems like our captain isn¡¯t very good at handling rtionships.¡± Egbert said coldly, ¡°You should go.¡± NightKing smiled slightly, ¡°No rush, even if we can¡¯t reach an agreement, there¡¯s nothing wrong with having a chat. So, that woman, is she hard to pursue?¡± Egbert flipped his hand and suddenly pulled out a gun from under his pillow. He loaded the gun, raised his hand, and aimed the muzzle at the man on the couch. NightKing raised both hands, looking friendly, ¡°Don¡¯t be hasty, I¡¯m just offering some advice. In this world, there¡¯s no woman that can¡¯t be pursued, only woman who doesn¡¯t love you. If you can¡¯t win her over, you might want to consider, maybe she just doesn¡¯t like you.¡± The sound of a bullet suddenly rang out beside his ear, cutting through the air. NightKing squinted, ncing back at the sofa behind him. There, a pillow was ripped open, stuffing floating in the air. NightKing¡¯s face turned serious. Silent Wing actually pulled the trigger¡­ The gun in Egbert¡¯s hand still had a silencer fitted, the barrel still smoking. He slightly lifted it, this time, the barrel aimed straight at NightKing¡¯s forehead. 10. Egbert whispered, ¡°I know her better than you do.¡± NightKing frowned, but didn¡¯t say anything in the end, leaving the room. After NightKing left, Egbert put the gun down. His deep gaze turned to the thermos next to him. After a while, he grabbed the thermos and opened it again. Did Eileen not like him? No, she had a crush on him, he could feel it. However, she might¡­ still unsure if this crush was actual fondness. That¡¯s okay, he would make her verify it. Outside the hospital:- NightKing hopped into a ck sports c car. With a push of the pedal, the car shot out like an arrow from a bow. In the driver¡¯s seat, NightKing had one hand on the steering wheel, the other one on his phone, dialing a number. On the other end of the phone, someone picked up quickly. While keeping an eye on the road, NightKing told the person on the phone, ¡°Egbert¡¯s girlfriend, I don¡¯t know her name, but I want all her information in an hour, including her life story, family background, social connections.* Chapter 170 Chapter 170 Eileen was sandwiched between two staff members, strictly watched and escorted back to the military camp. No sooner had she gotten off the vehicle than she bumped into the head director. The head director was so pissed off that he started to reprimand Eileen as soon as he spotted her. Eileen was scolded until she dared not to lift her head. She lowered her gaze to her shoces and barely dared to breathe. Finally, another director couldn¡¯t stand it and stepped in, ¡°Morning training is almost over, let her get back to the crew.¡± Only then did the head director let Eileen go. As soon as Eileen was free, she bolted! Morning training was the same as usual. At lunchtime, Eileen was seen sneaking off to the back wall with a pot of freshly made soup. ¡± Arriving at the back wall and finding no one there, Eileen was overjoyed and about to climb over the wall using a stone. Suddenly, a familiar male voice rang out from behind. ¡°Hey, Ms. Lopez, what are you up to?¡± Eileen jumped, turned around, and found it was Eddie. Eddie was walking with Lucas, side by side. Eddie was leaning half of his body on Lucas, looking like he was kidnapping Lucas. Eileen was worried that Eddie would call over the staff, so she quickly hid in the shadows of a nearby tree. She gestured at Eddie, signaling him to be quiet and not speak! Eddie didn¡¯t understand what she meant, thinking Eileen was asking where he was going, so he said, ¡°Lucas is on duty today, so he needs to water the garden. I¡¯ll apany him.¡± Eileen waved at Eddie again, telling him to go quickly, don¡¯t linger here, don¡¯t reveal her location! Eddie finally understood and was about to leave. Then he thought of something and suddenly turned back to ask, ¡°Ms. Lopez, Mr. Reed got discharged so soon, is he okay?¡± Eileen was taken aback. She straightened up slowly from the shadow of the tree, holding the thermos, looking at Eddie with a puzzled face, ¡°Egbert¡­ got discharged?¡± Ten minutester, in the Training Officer¡¯s Office. Eileen was shocked to see that Egbert was actually there. There were other people in the Training Officer¡¯s Office, including a cameraman and two assistant instructors. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. As Eileen approached, everyone in the room turned to look at her. Eileen stood at the door without going in, just lifting her thermos a bit, looking at Egbert, and blinking. At this point, Egbert put down the document in his hand and said calmly, ¡°So it is decided, the military exercise is set for the day after tomorrow, meeting adjourned.¡± The two assistant instructors then got up and left, one in front, one behind. It wasn¡¯t until they had all left that Egbert spoke, ¡°Come in.¡± Eileen quickly stepped in. She put the thermos on the table and asked Egbert, ¡°How did you get discharged? Can you be discharged?¡± Egbert smiled a little and said, ¡°The doctor said it was okay.¡± Eileen frowned and said, ¡°Come here.¡± Egbert obliged and moved closer to her. Eileen checked on Egbert and found that he was indeed in good condition, ¡°You recovered quite fast.¡± Egbert didn¡¯t say anything. Eileen sat across from Egbert, opened the thermos, and handed it to him, ¡°Have some soup. It¡¯s good for you after being discharged. Egbert looked at the soup in front of him. It looked the same asst time. He didn¡¯t say anything, just ate it quietly. Eileen asked curiously, ¡°Is it good?¡± Egbert said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Eileen was a bit disappointed, ¡°Is it not tasty?¡± Egbert was silent. Egbert looked at her with surprise, ¡°You made this?¡± Eileen said, ¡°Yes, the chef was too busy at noon to cook for me, so I found a pot and some ingredients and made it myself. Is it not tasty?¡± Egbert was speechless. Eileen felt a bit down, she grumbled, ¡°If it¡¯s not tasty, don¡¯t have it. Give it back to me.¡± As she said this, she reached out to take it. Egbert avoided her hand and quickly corrected himself, ¡°It¡¯s very tasty.¡± Eileen looked at him dissatisfied, thinking he was just trying tofort her, ¡°If it¡¯s not tasty, don¡¯t force yourself, next time let the chef make it for you¡­¡± In the end, Egbert ate up the soup. Only then did Eileen feel a bit better. The cameraman faithfully recorded all of this. After Eileen packed up the thermos, she suddenly said to the cameraman, ¡°Stop filming him, let him rest for a bit, let¡¯s go.¡± The cameraman was a bit hesitant, but considering Egbert had just been discharged and it was indeed time for him to rest, he got up and left with Eileen. They walked down the stairs together. When they reached the stairwell, Eileen suddenly said she needed to go to the restroom. The cameraman didn¡¯t think much of it and left first. As soon as the cameraman left, Eileen came out of the restroom and quickly ran back to Egbert¡¯s office, locking the door behind her. Meanwhile, on the other side of the city. NightKing paused the video with his remote control. On the screen was the footage from Survival. A fit young girl, wearing a camouge tank top, carrying a long gun, hiding in the bushes, took down a brown-skinned man not far away with a single shot. NightKing squinted his grey eyes. If the simr fighting skills could still be considered a coincidence. Then from the way she held the gun, to the angle of the shot, even to the position of the ambush, all exactly the same. This seemed to be more than just a coincidence. Tossing the remote control aside, NightKing frowned. He took out a cigarette from the box, put it in his mouth, and lit it. The taste of nicotine entered his throat, he exhaled a puff of smoke, which spreading in the air. His slender fingers traced the pretty, youthful picture of the girl on the document, he murmured, ¡°Eileen¡­* For a moment, he flicked the ash off his cigarette, chuckled, ¡°Indeed, quite interesting. Meanwhile, back in the Training Officer¡¯s Office. After locking the door and closing the windows, Eileen walked up to Egbert, gave him a big grin and said, ¡®One look from you and I knew you wanted me to distract the cameraman. I¡¯m pretty smart, huh?¡± Egbert nced at her and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t signal you.¡± Eileen blinked in surprise, ¡°Didn¡¯t you keep looking at me on purpose?¡¯ Egbert exhaled and looked at her seriously, ¡°You were the one who kept looking at me, not the other way around.¡± She blinked her eyes and scratched her head, ¡°So you didn¡¯t need me? Alright then, I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± As she was about to get up and leave, Egbert spoke up, ¡°There is actually something¡­ Eileen turned her head to look at him, ¡°What is it?¡± At this moment, Egbert stood up. He walked over to Eileen, his expression turned serious, ¡°The man in the hospital room this morning, do you know him?¡± Eileen was taken aback, she blinked, shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know him.¡± Egbert squinted his eyes, ¡°But you seem to know a lot about him?¡± Eileen continued to shake her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about him.¡± Egbert frowned. Worried that further questioning from Egbert would expose her, Eileen quickly said, ¡°Are you referring to how I noticed his fighting ws? I just thought he was handsome, so I observed him a little longer. I¡¯ve never met him before, and we¡¯re not familiar at all¡­ Before Eileen could finish her sentence, she saw Egbert¡¯s face suddenly turn icy cold, his eyes dark and deep. Eileen was taken aback, she swallowed hard and asked nervously, ¡°Egbert¡­ what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°He¡¯s handsome?¡± Egbert¡¯s frosty lips slowly spat out this sentence. His deep pupils were fixed on the girl¡¯s panicked eyes, his foot lifted slightly, he closed in on her. He¡¯s handsome?¡± Eileen was speechless. Chapter 171 Chapter 171 Eileen was freaked out. Upon seeing Egbert approaching, she quickly stepped back and blurted, ¡°Egbert¡­¡± He took another step forward. Eileen had no choice but to retreat again. Being almostered, she desperately said, ¡°No, he¡¯s not handsome¡­ he¡¯s ugly, very ugly!¡± But Egbert didn¡¯t stop. He kepting towards her. Eileen was on the verge of tears. Her back hit the cold metal filing cab, she pleaded, ¡°I said he¡¯s not handsome¡­¡± Egbert¡¯s voice was cold, ¡°What you say without thinking is often the truth. You said he¡¯s handsome.¡± Eileen never imagined Egbert could be so prideful. Some girls don¡¯t like it when others praise another girl¡¯s looks in front of them. But Eileen never thought that a big guy like Egbert would care about this too. ¡°Egbert¡­¡± Eileen cautiously reached out, trying to touch the corner of Egbert¡¯s clothes. Egbert looked down at her small hand holding his clothes, but didn¡¯t stop. Eileen had nowhere to go. She quickly thought and blurted out, ¡°Looks don¡¯t matter, he¡¯s a degenerate, handsome on the outside but evil inside!¡± Egbert finally stopped and looked at her indifferently. Eileen hurriedly continued, ¡°He appears to be a noble gentleman, but in fact, he¡¯s full of filth. He¡¯s done a lot of bad things, incredibly evil, He will get what¡¯sing to him!¡± Egbert didn¡¯t say anything, just slightly raised his eyebrows. Eileen went on, ¡°But you¡¯re totally different. You¡¯re excellent, have great character. Every part of you is much better than him. Can hepare to you? Can he even match a strand of your hair? I¡¯ve never met anyone as excellent as you in my life. I don¡¯t understand why a man as excellent as you would care about someone ordinary like him. If you were in ancient times, you¡¯d be a real king or prince. No one else could imitate it!¡± By this point, Eileen was running out ofpliments. She carefully watched Egbert¡¯s expression. She saw that his expression seemed to soften. She finally sighed in relief. Egbert was now a drill instructor, responsible for training all the new recruits. Eileen didn¡¯t dare to offend Egbert, fearing he would take revenge on herter. Edna and the others were still writing their reflections, right? The deputy instructor had asked for mercy for her, otherwise, if they didn¡¯t hand in their reflections the next day, they would have to do 500 squats. It was a fixed rule, no discount, not even on holidays. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. After she finished speaking, Eileen tried to find a chance to slip away. But Egbert¡¯s gaze turned back to her, he raised his hand and pinched her chin. Eileen didn¡¯t dare to move. She opened her mouth, showing eight teeth, trying to keep a standard smile. Egbert calmly asked, ¡°Are you sincere?¡± Eileen hurriedly said, ¡°Of course, I¡¯m sincere. Look, I¡¯ve changed since we became friends. I¡¯ve matured, developed better taste, and be more insightful. This is your influence, your leadership made me better.¡± In the end, Egbert let her go, he put his hand on his lips and chuckled. Eileen knew she¡¯d dodged a bullet this time. She couldn¡¯t help but reveal a relieved smile. That was really close. In the future, she must remember to criticize NightKing when she sees him, and never say anything good about him, otherwise she won¡¯t be able to please Egbert. When she found a reason to leave Egbert¡¯s office, her back was still slightly sweaty. Back in the dorm, Edna and the others were still writing their reflections. Eileen, after her near-death experience, felt a sense of camaraderie seeing them. She leisurely walked over, peeked and asked, ¡°You¡¯re not done yet?¡± Edna looked displeased, ¡°None of your business!¡± Eileen said, ¡°It¡¯s not my business, I just came over to gloat seeing you guys in trouble¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Edna was so angry she wanted to curse. Patti stopped her, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t waste your breath, just write.¡± Edna didn¡¯t say anything, just continued writing her reflection. Eileen shrugged, seeing no one argue with her, she went back to her bed disappointed, nning to take a nap. Two dayster, the troop started a drill It was a small-scale military exercise. There were a total of 100 soldiers, divided into red and blue armies. The exercise was held in a suburban mountainous area. During the exercise, Eileen, Jaqueline, Colin, and Eddie were on the blue army, while the other two men and two women were on the red side. When Jaqueline heard that she was with Eileen, she cried and asked the crew to switch. After Eileen received her assigned gun, she heard the switch was sessful. Jaqueline became a member of the red side, and another male guest was switched to her side. Eileen curiously asked, ¡°Can we just switch like that? Shouldn¡¯t themander decide?¡± Colin said, ¡°Yes, Mr. Reed agreed.¡± Eileen didn¡¯t say anything else, she didn¡¯t like Jaqueline anyway. A whileter, the military vehicle came and took all fifty of them on the blue side to the battlefield. After getting off the vehicle, Eileen saw that Aaron was the team leader, she frowned and asked Colin in a low voice, ¡°Didn¡¯t they say ourmander is Mr. Reed?¡± Colin quietly replied, ¡°There was ast-minute switch, Mr. Reed is now themander of the red army.¡± Eileen¡¯s face turned serious, ¡°So Egbert is now with Edna, Patti, and Jaqueline?¡± Colin couldn¡¯t figure out why she only picked these three names. After all, Mr. Reed was leading the entire red army, with a total of fifty soldiers. He tried to exin, ¡°Mr. Reed¡­¡± ¡°No need to say more.¡±¡± Eileen waved him off, her face suddenly bing serious. She pinched her fingers together, making a crisp sound, and said, ¡°Just let him go.¡± Colin was confused and asked, ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Eileen smacked Colin on the head and said angrily, ¡°Nothing! Look ahead!¡± Colin was at a loss. He was scolded and hit, and he looked at Eileen in confusion, not understanding why she was suddenly angry again. Chapter 172 Chapter 172 Before the game started, everypetitor needed to strap on aser sensor. Once you got hit or hit someone, the sensor would puff out smoke, The appearance of smoke meant the yer is ¡°out¡±. Themander was in charge of the whole game from the arsenalmand center Aaron was themander of the blue army. Before setting off, she divided fifty soldiers into three squads, telling them to form three squads and take the high ground on the mountain as soon as possible. Generally speaking, the team that upied the high ground first usually had the upper hand. Weapons were also distributed at the same time. Eileen¡¯s squad was formedtest, a six-man team. They had the fewest weapons and the fewest people. If the other two squads were like vanguards, then their team was more like a logistics team. But it was inevitable because this was a real game, there were winners and losers. It was not just a show. I Themander surely needed to hand over thebat duties to professional soldiers first. As for the celebrity guests, let them ¡°chill out¡± at the back as much as possible, just avoid getting hurt. But because Eileen¡¯s physical strength andbat power had always been high, after considering, Aaron decided to let her be the captain of the logistics team. Eileen was over the moon instantly. She had never led an army before, although there were only five subordinates, it was still an important position! Eileen got pumped up immediately. She even saluted Aaron, promising toplete the mission of capturing the mountain! Aaron just chuckled and didn¡¯t say anything negative, telling them to set off ording to the route. When climbing the mountain, Eileen chose the right side, a path near the stream. After a while, she looked back and saw two soldiers following closely behind. Eddie and the other two weregging behind, having to support each other. Eileen frowned and said, ¡°You guys have no discipline!¡± Eddie, exhausted, said, ¡°Captain, I really can¡¯t walk anymore.¡± Eileen was displeased, ¡°How long have we been walking!¡± Colin was also about to give up, he said, ¡°We¡¯ve been walking for almost an hour, and the clothes are too heavy, so is the backpack, and this gun. All these things add up to about twenty kilograms.¡± Eileen, with a stern face, said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it the same when you¡¯re doing weighted training? It¡¯s only been an hour, there¡¯s a long way to go, you guys need to pull yourselves together and keep walking!¡± In the end, the three of them gritted their teeth and continued on. After more than half an hour of walking, Eileen suddenly heard fighting ahead. The sound of fighting meant the two armies had met¡­ How the battle was going is still unknown. Eileen ordered, ¡°You guys stay on guard here, I¡¯ll go scout.¡± Having said that, she ran ahead. Unexpectedly, she hadn¡¯t gone far when she ran into the squad leader from her dormitory, who was running towards them with two people. The squad leader was also on the blue army, but she was with the other vanguard team. The squad leader now looked very ragged, dirty, holding a gun in her hand, the other two were also in the same state. Seeing Eileen suddenly appear, the squad leader was startled and quickly said, ¡°Go!¡± Eileen didn¡¯t know what had happened and could only follow her retreat. When the four of them returned to the logistics team¡¯s position, Eileen asked, ¡°What happened?¡± The squad leader gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Our army caught five isted red army soldiers, we took them as prisoners. We thought the situation was in our favor, but it was actually a trap set by the red side! In the hollow of the mountain ahead, the red army ambushed us from inside and out. Our squad of twenty-two was annihted, now only the three of us are left.¡± Eileen frowned and asked, ¡°After capturing them, why didn¡¯t you just kill them, why did you choose to take them prisoner?¡± The squad leader said in some surprise, ¡°Usually out of humanitarian reasons, on the battlefield, after the enemy puts down their weapons, we choose to take them prisoner.¡± Eileen bit her lower lip, the education she received didn¡¯t include this. What NightKing taught her was that on the battlefield, it¡¯s either you live or I die, there¡¯s no such thing as humanitarianism, But regr armies definitely need to show kindness. Unfortunately, themander of the other side used the kindness of the regr army. And the mainmander of the other side is Egbert¡­ Eileen turned to the squad leader and said, ¡°You guys stick with us for now.¡± The three agreed. After that, the nine of them continued on. But half an hourter, they heard the sound of fighting again.. When they arrived at the scene, it was a mess. All twenty-two soldiers of the other vanguard team were ¡°sacrificed¡±. Eileen looked at a long line of people puffing smoke uniformly, wanted to ask what happened, but the ¡°dead¡± can¡¯t speak, so she didn¡¯t get any information. Less than two hours after the start of the confrontation, out of the fifty people on the blue side, only nine, including Eileen, were left. The situation was very bad. At this time, the squad leader suddenly said, ¡°Look over there.¡± Eileen looked forward and saw the red army¡¯s g already nted on the high ground ahead. This meant that if the red side is lucky, they may have already upied the high ground. Eddie was stunned and asked in a daze, ¡°Have we¡­lost?¡± 1 The squad leader said, ¡°Not exactly, we still have nine people, don¡¯t we?¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Eddie said, ¡°But isn¡¯t it said that whoever upies the high ground first wins?¡± The squad leader shook her head, ¡°upying the high ground is just a scoring point. At the end of the game, the side that upies the high ground will get a lot of points, but it¡¯s not decisive. If we can wipe out the other side and take the high ground before the game ends at ten o¡¯clock tonight, then we¡¯ll be the winners.¡± Colin twitched his mouth, ¡°But we have so few people, how can we possibly wipe out the other side?¡± The squad leader fell silent. Yes, they were clearly at a disadvantage now. The other side had all fifty people, but they only had nine soldiers left. Even Eddie and his crew can¡¯t even carry their guns. The chance of turning defeat into victory and winning with fewer people before the end of the game is really slim. At this point, the squad leader turned to Eileen and said, ¡°Should we ask the mainmander?¡± Eileen took out the walkie-talkie and went to the side to discuss with the mainmander. After discussing anding back, she said, ¡°The mainmander told us to continue moving forward and stay concealed.¡± The squad leader asked, ¡°Any strategy?¡± Eileen shook her head. Aaron was not good at fighting with a few against many. She was discussing strategy with other commanders, but no consensus has been reached yet. At this point, Eileen suddenly turned to the squad leader and said, ¡°I want to temporarily hand my team over to you.¡± The squad leader was stunned, ¡°What?¡± Eileen said, ¡°As the squad leader, you should lead them and don¡¯t let them be cannon fodder.¡± The squad leader frowned, ¡°What about you?¡± Eileen replied, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not really cut out for leading teams. I prefer to act alone! The squad leader asked seriously, ¡°What are you nning?¡± Eileen squinted, ¡°Ever heard of a decapitation strike?¡± The squad leader, of course, had heard of it. She asked in shock, ¡°You¡¯re going for a decapitation strike? By yourself?¡± Eddie quickly asked, ¡°What¡¯s a decapitation strike?¡± The squad leader exined, ¡°In military terms, it¡¯s taking out the top dog.¡± Eddie was stunned, ¡°So the top dog of the enemy is¡­¡± ¡°Right,¡± Eileen flexed her joints, ¡°I¡¯m going after Egbert.¡± Everyone stayed silent. Eileen took another look at the squad leader, gave her a pat on the shoulder, and turned to leave. Watching her retreating figure, the squad leader clenched her teeth and told the others, ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving, follow the orders!¡± Colin looked back in the direction Eileen had disappeared, worriedly asking, ¡°Can she do it?¡± The squad leader didn¡¯t reply. No one said anything. Everyone thought it was nearly impossible. Both the red and blue armies had fifty m¨¨rnbers each, but themand area was heavily guarded. The idea that one person could break through and take cut themander was a tall order. At four in the afternoon, in the red¡¯s main base. Suddenly, three military vehicles ¡°exploded.¡± Inside themand room, the meeting leaders were startled by the sudden noise. A soldier came in to report, ¡°Report! The equipment area has been ambushed and bombed by the blue army.¡± All eyes turned to Egbert. Egbert¡¯s eyes slightly narrowed, he nced at the satellite war zone map on the monitor next to him and ordered, ¡°Catch the perpetrator.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± With the orders given, a carpet search began in the whole equipment area. But after half an hour, nothing was found. Themanders began to specte, ¡°Did the culprit escape?¡± Someone else said, ¡°Perhaps the blue side is desperate because they¡¯re losing and decided to create some havoc. It¡¯s no big deal.¡± Egbert sat there, not saying a word from beginning to end. After a while, themanders gradually left. When themand room quieted down, Egbert suddenlyughed. 1 Just as he was about to get up, the tent behind him was suddenly cut open. Then, a swift and sharp figure appeared like a lurking wolf! Suddenly, the figure charged right at him! The movable live camera inside themand tent quickly focused on the two people in the room. There, Eileen was standing behind Egbert with a gun in her hand. Her gun pointed right at the back of Egbert¡¯s head. A smirk crossed Eileen¡¯s lips. She said, ¡°I was nning to end your life, but I¡¯ve changed my mind.¡± She leaned forward slightly, her beautiful eyes full of aggression. Observing Egbert¡¯s profile, she slowly said, ¡°As far as I know, under humanitarian principles, if the other party is unarmed, we should prioritize taking them as captives.¡± She moved to stand in front of Egbert, the muzzle of her gun pressed against his forehead. Looking into his eyes, she said, ¡°Mr. Reed, you¡¯re rny captive now¡± Egbert looked at the slightly dirty-faced girl, smiled slightly, and nodded gently, ¡°I ept.¡± Chapter 173 Chapter 173 About half an hourter. In the temporary hideout of the blue side soldiers, nestled in the hillside. Eight blue side soldiers impassively watched as Mr. Reed, with his hands tied behind his back, was escorted down with his head held low. Everyone remained silent. Eileen tossed Egbert into a corner and asked the squad leader, ¡°Any problems?¡± The squad leader couldn¡¯t help but nce at Mr. Reed, her eyelid twitching incessantly. After a moment of hesitation, she said, ¡°No, no major issues, but themander knows you went rogue and turned off your radio. She wants you to report to her when you get back.¡± Eileen simply grunted in response. She was about to turn on her radio when she suddenly noticed the enemymander nearby. Just to be safe, she stepped out of the hillside to talk on the radio outside. As soon as Eileen left, the hillside became eerily quiet. Eight pairs of eyes unanimously turned to Mr. Reed. Eddie cautiously asked, ¡®How were you captured?¡± Egbert calmly looked at him and coolly replied, ¡°I¡¯m not as good as her.¡± Eddie¡¯s mouth twitched. He thought to himself, weren¡¯t yourbat skills supposed to be superior to hers? Just as he was about to say something, the squad leader patted Eddie, signalling him to keep quiet. After a while, Eileen returned. She put down her radio, sat in front of Egbert, and began to undress him. Egbert was stunned. So were the others! Eddie quickly protested, ¡°Isn¡¯t this a bit too much? He¡¯s our instructor, and we¡¯ll still have to train under him after today. There¡¯s no need to humiliate him like this, is there?¡± Eileen frowned and said, ¡°Aaron said that bothmanders are equipped with special signal transmitters that can broadcast satellite positions.¡± Colin gasped, ¡°Does that mean our location has been exposed?¡± Eileen replied, ¡°No, his hands were tied all the way here, so the transmitter should still be off. I¡¯m going to find it first.¡± As she spoke, she had already taken off Egbert¡¯s jacket, then checked the cuffs, cor, and all other ces that could potentially hide a chip. Finding nothing suspicious, she threw the jacket aside. Then she began to unbuckle Egbert¡¯s belt. ¡°The belt¡­ probably doesn¡¯t have it¡­¡± Eddie stammered. Colin also quickly advised, ¡°Mr. Reed, just hand over the transmitter, or else she might strip off your pants!¡± Egbert sat there calmly, allowing Eileen to search him. He lightly chuckled, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Mathway. Eileen nced at him and snorted, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to tell me anyway. I¡¯ll find it myself.¡± With that, she threw the checked belt aside. Then she really began to undress Egbert¡¯s pants. A drone in the sky faithfully recorded the scene and transmitted it in real time to the official live broadcast room. I can¡¯t believe it!] -[Oh, my God!] -[Eileen, you dare to strip his pants off! Are you even a woman? Oh, you¡¯re not a woman!] fGod, this is too exciting, I¡¯m going to die of excitement! Strip, hurry up and strip, I¡¯ve already paid, I want to see the exclusive content for members!] -[Audience in the front row, didn¡¯t you forget to switch your ount? Is this really what you should say as a fan of Egbert!] Ah, I didn¡¯t notice. I¡¯ll switch ount immediately. Nevermind, let me finish watching this first! Hurry up and strip!] [Ah, is she really going to strip? I¡¯m so shy!] -[Eileen is too much, how can she strip someone else¡¯s pants off, the transmitter could never be hidden in the pants. It must be in the underwear! Hurry up and strip off his underwear too, no censorship, or I¡¯ll report your show!] ¡°Captain!¡± Eddie and Colin, terrified at Eileen¡¯s outrageous action, were on the verge of tears. Both of them rushed up to block Eileen¡¯s hands and volunteered, ¡°Let us do it, we¡¯ll handle the rough work of frisking!¡± Egbert looked displeased at the two people. Eileen silently got up and stepped aside. She never intended to strip Egbert¡¯s pants off in front of everyone. She was just trying to scare Egbert She picked up the jacket from the ground and used it to cover Egbert¡¯s body. Eileen told Eddie and Colin, ¡°Search thoroughly.¡± Eddie swallowed hard and hesitantly reached out his hand, saying nervously, ¡°Mr. Reed, sorry for the inconvenience¡­¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Egbert¡¯s face had changed at this point. He nced at Eileen, who was standing nearby with a cold expression, and after a long pause, sighed and said, ¡°The shoe sole.¡± At his words, Eileen forcefully pushed Eddie and Colin aside. She squatted down and indeed found a groove in the sole of Egbert¡¯s right shoe. A smile appeared on her face, Eileen took off the shoe and used a small knife to pry open the area. Inside, a small chip fell out. Picking up the little thing, Eileen asked someone nearby, ¡°Lighter.¡± Someone handed her a lighter. Eileen burnt the chip to ashes on the spot. After stamping out the ashes, she got up, tossed the shoe, belt, and jacket to Eddie and Colin, and ordered them, ¡°Put these back on him.¡± Eddie and Colin were about to move. Egbert said, ¡°No need.¡± Eileen snorted and didn¡¯t look too pleased, ¡°Suit yourself!¡± With that, she walked over to the other side and started discussing something in whispers with the squad leader. -[What?] -[That¡¯s it?] -[I¡¯ve taken off my pants, and this is all I get to see?] -[That¡¯s it? Eileen, are you a chicken! Keep stripping, I¡¯m ready!] -[I want to see that, please let me see that¡­] -[Forget about that! God, what¡¯s wrong with thements? This pornographic live broadcast will be banned sooner orter!] The time was now half past seven in the evening. In the quiet mountains, the only sounds were the nocturnal sounds of insects. Eileen spoke with the squad leader for a long time. The situation was pretty straightforward now. The red side had fifty people and had upied the high ground. If they could hold out until ten o¡¯clock that night, when the contest ends, they would win without fighting. The blue side, on the other hand, had only nine people left. Three of them were celebrity guests who were out of energy and couldn¡¯t fight. Six werebat-ready personnel. After a thorough analysis and discussion, Eileen whipped out the defensebat map she¡¯d snitched from Egbert. She lit up the map with a shlight, and told the squad leader, ¡°Going in guns zing is not an option, since we¡¯re short on gear, supplies, and bodies. It¡¯d be suicide. But if we slink in from the rear, take this route, we might just pull this off.¡± The squad leader looked at the spot she was pointing at, and gave a nod. Then she turned to Mr. Reed on the other side, and asked, ¡°And what about Mr. Reed?¡± ¡°He¡¯s our hostage.¡± Eileen said, ¡°At crunch time, we can use him to put the squeeze on the Reds.¡± The squad leader felt a tad awkward, ¡°Isn¡¯t that kinda dirty?¡± Eileen scoffed, ¡°Oh, like they¡¯re saints when they y double agents, pretend to be prisoners, and ambush our other squads? Let¡¯s call a spade a spade, they¡¯re into ying dirty, so can I. Or, to put it nicely, it¡¯s all just tactics, If they can use tactics, why can¡¯t we?¡± This is from N?velDrama.Org. The squad leader was at a loss for words, swayed by Eileen¡¯s argument. She resolutely said, ¡°Alright!¡± Eileen pointed again at the map, ¡°You take the others and head this way, stick to the n. I¡¯ll take Egbert, we¡¯ll loop around from this side, and meet up here in the end.¡± The squad leader agreed. Before leaving, she asked with a hint of worry, ¡°You sure you can handle Mr. Reed Eileen suddenly chuckled, ¡°You think be can slip out of my control?¡± Chapter 174 Chapter 174 Nine folks split into two groups. The squad leader took off with seven of them. Eileen geared up, gave her weapon a check. Then she grabbed Egbert by the cor, hoisted him up, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s roll.¡± Egbert, hands tied behind his back, didn¡¯t put up a fight, just followed her lead. The mountain road at night was a bit tricky, so they also had to watch out for the red side¡¯s patrolmen. At nine o¡¯clock, Eileen finally managed to sneak behind the Reds¡¯ high ground. The guard there was tighter than a drum. ine Lopez and Lucas were on patrol. Eileen turned to Egbert, asked, ¡°Is ine the squad leader?¡±. Egbert replied coolly, ¡°Noment.¡± Eileen pushed Egbert against a big tree, got in close and said, ¡°You¡¯re my prisoner! You best y ball.¡± Egbert chuckled, his gaze fell on the girl¡¯s beautiful eyes, whispered, ¡°Getting info from a captive takes finesse, didn¡¯t they teach Of course, Eileen had been taught. But she wouldn¡¯t resort to violence on Egbert. After all, this was just a military exercise, not a real battlefield. She let him go. Then Egbert said, ¡°Or, you could try to seduce me, I¡¯d fall for that in a heartbeat.¡± Eileen shot him a dirty look, then continued to survey the patrol area. After a while, Egbert suddenly said, ¡°Captain, ever consider trying to recruit me?¡± Eileen was taken aback, turned to him, ¡°Recruit you?¡± Looking into Egbert¡¯s gentle eyes, Eileen couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing, ¡°What kind of trick are you cooking up?¡± Egbert feigned innocence, ¡°What trick could I have? I¡¯m all yours now.¡± Eileen found his words a little odd. So she asked, ¡°You trying to run? You trying to set a trap?¡± Egbert shook his head, started selling himself, ¡°I¡¯d be easily persuaded, just show me a little benefit, I¡¯d work loyally for you.¡± ¡°Enough.¡± Eileen didn¡¯t trust Egbert one bit. Given that he managed to wipe out forty-one of their blue side soldiers in just two hours, the guy was sly as a fox. He was absolutely not to be trusted. Eileen firmly said, ¡°I¡¯m not falling for your tricks! Save your breath!¡± Just then, a shift change for the patrol. ine and Lucas were relieved. When Eileen saw that Jaqueline took over, she couldn¡¯t believe her luck! But when she saw who else was taking over, she was gobsmacked. ¡°Burton Lopez is on the red side?¡± Eileen red at Egbert, couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. She had no idea Burton was part of this military exercise. Egbert raised an eyebrow, ¡°Convinced yet, or¡­¡± Before he could finish, Eileen covered his mouth. Under Egbert¡¯s amused gaze, she sternly warned him, ¡°Say another word, and you¡¯re going silent!¡± Egbert finally shut up. After a while, Eileen felt the time was right. She quietly moved forward. Jaqueline was struggling with her heavy rifle. She used the gun as a crutch, couldn¡¯t even lift it. Burton noticed, said a bit annoyed, ¡°A soldier¡¯s life is his gun.¡± you that?¡± Jaqueline was taken aback, looked up at the handsome young man, said in a whining voice, ¡°I really can¡¯t carry it. Look at my hands, they¡¯re red. It really hurts.¡± She even walked a couple steps forward, so Burton could see her hands. Burton didn¡¯t like her too much, took a step back. Jaqueline moved a step closer, gave a softugh, ¡°Are you afraid of me? Are you shy¡­your clothes are smoking¡­¡± Burton froze. He looked back in confusion, realized hisser sensor was triggered. The smoke meant he was ¡®out.¡± But how did that happen? At that moment, Eileen stepped out from behind Burton. Jaqueline saw Eileen, was about to scream. Eileen shot her down. Now Jaqueline was out too. /Jaqueline was speechless. Burton saw Eileen, was dumbfounded. Burton asked, ¡°Auntie, what are you doing here¡­¡± Eileen pped Burton on the head, scolded him, ¡°You¡¯re dead, shut up!¡± Burton sulked, hugged his gun, squatted on the ground. Eileen turned to Jaqueline, ¡°You squat too.¡± Jaqueline knew the drill, out meant you squat, be a corpse. She was unwilling, but she had no choice but to squat down. Then Eileen said to the back, ¡°Come out.¡± Burton and Jaqueline thought it was her soldier of the blue army. But when they saw who it was, they were stunned. ¡°Mr. Reed¡­¡± Egbert looked at Burton, said leisurely, ¡°You¡¯re dead, shut up.¡± Burton was speechless. The solid defense had a crack. The sneak attack was half sessful. The high ground was vast. Fifty field soldiers seemed plenty, but covering the entire area, the defense couldn¡¯t be 100% tight. In the next half hour. Eileen, with Egbert, like a termite, gnawed from the periphery to the enemy¡¯s inner circle. However, their good run didn¡¯tst, they were discovered. Eileen immediately pushed Egbert in front to shield bullets. The Reds, seeing theirmander, didn¡¯t dare to fire. A stalemate ensued. Then, ine pointed her gun at Eileen¡¯s direction, said, ¡°Auntie¡­ I mean, enemy, just give up. Your people, they¡¯re all captured!¡± She waved her hand. Then, eight people, including the squad leader, were brought over. The squad leader saw Eileen, gave her a wink. Eileen caught his signal, nodded slightly. Surrendering weapons meant bing a captive. So the eight were captives, not killed. This was something Eileen had agreed with the squad leader beforehand. At this moment, ine said, ¡°Free ourmander!¡±. Eileen remained silent. Yet, Egbert suddenly spoke up, ¡°Just shoot them.¡± Everyone was stunned. ine didn¡¯t follow the order, but just stared at theirmander. Egbert frowned and ordered again, ¡°Shoot!¡± The red side soldiers looked at each other, unable to pull the trigger. Suddenly, Lucas pointed his gun at Eddie¡¯s head, saying, ¡°Release ourmander, or we¡¯ll take action!¡± Eddie was stunned, ¡°Oh my God, are you going to kill me?¡± Lucas didn¡¯t answer Eddie¡¯s question, he just stared at Eileen. Eddie was deeply hurt, almost going mad. ¡°How could you kill me?¡± He shouted, broke free and lunged at Lucas. He yelled at Eileen, ¡°Run!¡± Without hesitation, Lucas shot Eddie. Smoke started to rise from Eddie¡¯s clothes. Eddie was defeated, devastated. He looked at Eileen standing still, disappointedly said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you run?¡± Eileen thought Eddie was a fool. She said, ¡°Why should I run?¡± Eddie felt his sacrifice was in vain, he was about to cry. He red at Lucas, cursed, ¡°You wait, you¡¯re not gonna sleep tonight!¡± Lucas calmly put away his gun, said, ¡°You¡¯re dead, you can¡¯t talk.¡± ine spoke to Eileen again, ¡°Drop your weapon, and release ourmander! Or other blue soldiers will die too!¡± Eileen just sneered. Shehid more carefully behind Egbert, then started to count down, ¡°Five, four, three, two¡­¡± The red side didn¡¯t know what she meant. ¡°One¡­¡± At the end of her count, there was a huge explosion. The whole hilltop erupted with a massive st! They were divided into two teams, nine people walked throughout the entire hilltop just to nt bombs. The bombs were stolen by Eileen from the red side¡¯s armory before Egbert was captured. The scene was immediately filled with smoke! The red side was thrown into chaos. ¡°What the hell!¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Why is my detector smoking?¡± The squad leader of blue side took advantage of the situation to lead the remaining people to quickly evacuate. Eileen also pulled Egbert and quickly retreated. Five minutester, the high ground returned to calm. The eight blue soldiers, who had put on their bomb suits in advance, walked in leisurely with the red side¡¯smander. The smoke gradually dispersed. The red side was covered in dust. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Everyone was full of grief and indignation, ¡°dying¡± on the spot. Eileen walked past them. Then she turned to ask Egbert, ¡°Mr. Reed, what do you have to say about theplete defeat of your team?¡± Egbert looked into Eileen¡¯s eyes, said softly, ¡°I¡¯m too soft-hearted, and you¡¯re way more badass. I¡¯ve got nothing to say.¡± Eileen chuckled. At that moment, Colin asked, ¡°So, how should we deal with Mr. Reed?¡± Eileen turned and walked in front of Egbert. She raised the corners of his mouth with two fingers. Then she said with a grin, ¡°He¡¯s my spoils of war, I¡¯m taking him with me.¡± Chapter 175 Chapter 175 On the ride back to the base. Egbert and the other instructors were in a different vehicle. The male deputy instructor, Felton, looked somewhat ufortable. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. As he handed the files to Egbert, Felton couldn¡¯t help but exin, ¡°They¡¯re all greenhorns, plus it was our camp¡¯s drill, so there was no outsider, and winning or losing wasn¡¯t that big of a deal¡­¡± Before Felton could finish, he saw Mr. Reed beside him slowly raised his head, giving him a cold stare. Felton froze. The rest of his words got stuck in his throat. Aaron in the front seat was all chill. She turned around pretending to be humble, ¡°Felton is right, it¡¯s just a bunch of kids messing around, we just got lucky to win, it doesn¡¯t matter, winning or losing really isn¡¯t a big deal.¡± Felton looked at Aaron with a sour face. The blue army had only won once, but she was already over the moon. Egbert, who was reviewing the files, suddenly said, ¡°Starting tomorrow, training will be doubled.¡± Felton had nothing to say. Their red army did have a big problem this time. Themon problem with the new recruits wasck ofbat experience. ine, Burton, Lucas were the more outstanding ones among this batch of new recruits. But Burton got ambushed. ine and Lucas froze at the first sign of threat. Their performances had too many problems! These soldiers were too green, so no one would dare to put them on a real battlefield. Eileen of the blue side, on the other hand, seemed reckless but was actually very cunning. She was much more flexible than those other new recruits who only knew how to use brute force. When Aaron heard about the red side doubling their training, she was overjoyed. This time Eileen had brought her great honor! She heard Eileen loved good food, so she nned to have the camp¡¯s chef prepare a special meal for her as a reward for her merits. ¡°Same for the blue side.¡± The chief instructor in the back seat added casually. Aaron¡¯s mood plummeted from heaven to hell in an instant. She turned around in shock, looking at Mr. Reed, asking, ¡°Why?¡± Egbert didn¡¯t even look up, simply saying coldly, ¡°41 people, all wiped out at the beginning, shouldn¡¯t there be extra training?¡± Aaron fell silent. Well, the fact that 41 people were wiped out was indeed a bit much. Actually, the 100 soldiers on both sides were almost at the same level. The red side got ambushed by Eileen¡¯s nine people, one explosion, all dead. The blue side could also bepletely eliminated by a simple strategy. All in all, these new recruits were just too green. But Eileen¡¯s performance this time was indeed very good. Aaron couldn¡¯t help but defend Eileen, ¡°Then¡­ Mr. Reed, the nine people who finally won on the blue side, they don¡¯t need extra training, right?¡± Egbert closed the file in his hand, looked up at her, ¡°Why not?¡± Aaron paused. Egbert said in a deep voice, ¡°What would have happened if I had shouted out when Eileen showed up?¡± Aaron was a bit confused. Mr. Reed was being held at gunpoint at the time, he shouldn¡¯t have dared to shout, right? Wait, that was not right. Mr. Reed was the captain of the Moonlight Raptors Team 1. How could he be controlled by Eileen¡¯s single handgun? And they were surrounded by the defense team, how could he not dare to shout? Did he do it on purpose? This stunned Aaron. But Felton had already figured out the whole situation, he pped his thigh, ¡°I get it. Mr. Reed is merciless to everyone!¡± Aaron was speechless. So was Egbert. Felton realized he might have misspoke. He quickly exined to Aaron, ¡°What I mean is, Mr. Reed¡¯s position, he shouldn¡¯t favor either side. Mr. Reed is the red side¡¯s chiefmander, but essentially he¡¯s our chief instructor, if he helped the red side all along, that wouldn¡¯t be fair.¡± Aaron knew, so when she first learned that Mr. Reed was the red side¡¯s chiefmander, she felt she was likely to lose for sure. Felton continued, ¡°The chief instructor shouldn¡¯t have a side, so Mr. Reed had decided early on, to help the red side in the early stage, and the blue side in theter stage, he gave both teams equal opportunities. In the end, it was indeed all thanks to his non-resistance and willingly bing a hostage that the blue side could threaten the red side!¡± Aaron finally understood, she was very surprised, ¡°So Mr. Reed, you had anticipated that Eileen would come to capture you?¡± Egbert leaned back in his seat, saying lightly, ¡°I was hoping she would.¡± Aaron asked, ¡°What if she didn¡¯te?¡± Egbert frowned, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t shee? She¡¯s been unhappy with me and Edna¡¯s team for a while now.¡± Aaron was speechless, thinking, ¡°what? What were you talking about?¡± But Egbert didn¡¯t say anything more, just slightly raised the corners of his mouth. The vehicle returned to the camp. As he got out of the vehicle, the cheerful Egbert suddenly saw Eileen in the vehicle ahead, walking shoulder to shoulder with Colin, both of them full of excitement. They were getting out of the vehicle! Egbert¡¯s face immediately turned serious. Egbert ordered the people around him, ¡°Notify everyone, the extra training starts now.¡± What? Extra training now? I thought it was starting tomorrow? Ten minutester, all the soldiers were assembled. A hundred soldiers, male soldiers in one team, female soldiers in another, began to run in the night. A day of drills had already exhausted everyone. They didn¡¯t expect to have to run at night after returning to the camp. Colin looked exhausted, ¡°Didn¡¯t we win?¡± Eddie was on the verge of tears,ining, ¡°I knew it, now we¡¯re being deliberately picked on by Mr. Reed!¡± He red at Eileen, saying, ¡°It¡¯s all your fault, you had to provoke Mr. Reed, capture him, strip him, poke his face, and call him your trophy, Mr. Reed must be angry now, so he¡¯s getting back at us!¡± Eileen was unhappy with what Eddie said. She shouted, ¡°Say that again, see if I don¡¯t hit you!¡± Eddie shrank back, not daring to say another word. W tot 15 Eileen muttered, ¡°How was I supposed to know he was so petty. I was just saying, why is he so vindictive¡­¡± ¡°Eileen, Eddie, Colin, fall out!¡± Suddenly, Felton shouted from the side. The three people who were badmouthing Egbert were instantly terrified. At this moment, Eddie noticed the microphone on Eileen¡¯s cor and screamed in fright, ¡°Your mic¡¯s still on!¡± Eileen was startled and looked down. Indeed, she had forgotten to switch off the microphone. Felton shouted again, ¡°Hurry up!¡± In the end, the three of them lined up reluctantly.. As they stood in front of the instructor, their heads down and hands behind their backs, they appeared quite docile. Felton looked at Egbert. Egbert casually removed the earpiece from his ear and said, ¡°Petty? Vindictive?¡± The three were speechless. He had heard everything¡­ Without thinking, Eileen immediately admitted her mistake, ¡°Mr. Reed, I swear I won¡¯t do it again!¡± Colin and Eddie didn¡¯t expect her to apologize so readily. They quickly followed suit, ¡°Mr. Reed, we also¡­¡± ¡°Do thirty push-ups right here.¡± Colin and Eddie were on the verge of tears as they reluctantly got down on the ground. Eileen was about to join them when she heard the cold male voice again, ¡°You,e with me.¡± Eileen was stunned and looked up at Egbert. Egbert had already turned around and was heading towards the Restful Building. Not daring to dy, Eileen quickly followed! Once they arrived at the Training Officer¡¯s Office, Egbert got a ss of water for Eileen and said casually, ¡°Have a seat.¡± Eileen dared not sit/She was standing straight as a pole! Egbert had his hands in his pockets, leaning against the edge of the desk. Looking at the panicked girl in front of him, he said casually, ¡°What are you afraid of? I¡¯m not going to eat you. Remember, I¡¯m your war trophy.¡± Chapter 176 Chapter 176 Egbert¡¯s attitude was giving Eileen the jitters She quickly exined, ¡°Mr. Reed, I didn¡¯t mean anything by it, I was just caught up in the thrill of victory. I didn¡¯t mean to disrespect you, I really¡­¡± ¡°Sit down,¡± Egbert said again. Eileen didn¡¯t dare refuse him and gingerly took a seat. She perched herself on the edge of the sofa. Egbert looked down at her, ¡°Are you satisfied with your performance?¡± Eileen quickly shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m not, I did poorly, I still have a lot to learn from you.¡± Egbert raised an eyebrow, ¡°Learn from me? Learn what? Learn how to be stingy?¡± Eileen was quick to reply, ¡°You¡¯re not stingy, you¡¯re generous, and the most tolerant person I¡¯ve ever met!¡± ¡°And do you learn how to hold grudges from me?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t hold grudges, you¡¯re always looking out for us, and you¡¯re our role model!¡± ¡°Chatting during training, do you think that¡¯s something to be proud of?¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re right to admonish me. Next time, I¡¯ll correct it and strive to be amitted and responsible young person!¡± ¡°Do you find making all these excuses tiring?¡± Eileen looked at him, hurt, shaking her head, ¡°No, I mean it¡­¡± Egbert looked back and suddenlyughed. He sat down next to her and casually said, ¡°We¡¯re even.¡± Eileen gazed at him. Egbertughed lightly, ¡°You caught me off guard, and you weren¡¯t scared of me. Weren¡¯t you brave? Weren¡¯t you going to take me down?¡± Eileen lowered her head, muttering, ¡°You were the enemy then. My teacher told me to be ruthless against enemies.¡± Egbert raised an eyebrow, ¡°Teacher?¡± Eileen realized her mistake and quickly corrected, ¡°My primary school teacher taught me!¡± Egbert didn¡¯t say anything more, just looked at her. Eileen asked, ¡°Can I go now?¡± Egbert leaned back on the sofa and said slowly, ¡°You don¡¯t want to stay with me?¡± Eileen replied, ¡°I want to get back to training, I feel ufortable if I don¡¯t.¡± Egbertughed, although he didn¡¯t want to let her go, he knew it wouldn¡¯t do any good to keep her. He got up and took a tube of ointment from the drawer. He handed it to her and said, ¡°ine got hurt, give this to her.¡± Eileen paused, suddenly remembering ine getting close to Egbert. Their families must be close. Eileen took the ointment and said, ¡°Okay.¡± When Eileen went down, the night run was almost over. Eileen rejoined the team and ran another round. Felton then let everyone go back to rest After dismissal, Eileen found ine and saw that her arm was scraped. The wound didn¡¯t look serious, but if not treated properly, it could get infected. ine was about to head to the medical room. Eileen decided to apany her. The medical room was on the second floor of the Restful Building. The Training Officer¡¯s Office was on the third floor. Upon arrival at the medical room, the on-duty doctor looked at ine¡¯s condition, then picked up the ointment Eileen brought and said, ¡°This medicament is imported and works well, let¡¯s use this.¡± The doctor applied the ointment to ine¡¯s wounds. ine¡¯s elbow was bandaged up, affecting her mobility. After leaving the medical room, she kept shaking her arm. Eileen warned her, ¡°Don¡¯t move it around, it will affect the wound healing.¡± ine, who had always been a tomboy and wasn¡¯t afraid of getting hurt, was pleased with her aunt¡¯s concern. She rushed over to hug Eileen and affectionately said, ¡°Eileen, you¡¯re so sweet. You even got medicine from Mr. Reed for me. You¡¯re the best.¡± Eileen pushed her away with difficulty and said seriously, ¡°I didn¡¯t get it for you. He gave it to me.¡± ine didn¡¯t listen and kept hugging Eileen. Eileen kept pushing her away. At this moment, they were the only two in the corridor,ughing and ying. Eileen had sneaked out and there were no cameramen following her around. After pushing ine away yet again, Eileen suddenly asked, ¡°Are your family and Egbert¡¯s family close?¡± Without thinking, ine answered directly, ¡°Very close. Mr. Reed¡¯s father and my grandfather were good friends. Mr. Reed often came to our house when he was a child.¡± Eileen was slightly taken aback, ¡°When he was a child? So your two families have known each other for generations?¡± ine answered, ¡°Yes.¡± Eileen was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, ¡°Since you¡¯re old family friends, you must know a girl from the Forrest family, right?¡± ¡°The Forrest family?¡± ine seemed a little confused. Eileen recalled what Saul and Bartley Forrest had said about their aunt being engaged to Egbert. That would mean Egbert¡¯s ex-fianc¨¦e was from the Forrest family. Eileen said, ¡°Yes, a girl from the Forrest family who¡¯s close to Egbert.¡± ine scratched her head, ¡°Mr. Reed isn¡¯t particrly close to any girl, there¡¯s really only one.¡± Eileen immediately said, ¡°That¡¯s the one, are you guys close?¡± ine¡¯s expression was a little strange as she frowned and said, ¡°We¡¯re very close, I mean, that¡¯s only one is you.¡± Eileen was speechless. Eileen lightly smacked ine, ¡°Don¡¯t you know anything about Egbert? Do you know if he had a¡­¡± ine didn¡¯t understand, ¡°Had a what?¡± Eileen couldn¡¯t bring herself to say ¡°fianc¨¦e¡±. She felt a bit stuck and couldn¡¯t continue asking. In the end, she just waved her hand and said, ¡°Never mind.¡± ine didn¡¯t know what she wanted to ask and said, ¡°Eileen, if you tell me who you want to know about, I can tell you if I know them.¡± Eileen said, ¡°I don¡¯t know her name, just that she¡¯s from the Forrest family, a blind woman. Do you know Saul or Bartley?¡± ine was speechless. Saul, Bartley. Weren¡¯t those just Sawyer Lopez and Simon Lopez? Their mom was from the Forrest family. When Sawyer and Simon went into the entertainment industry, they didn¡¯t dare use their real names. They both appeared under the aliases of Saul and Bartley. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. ine¡¯s mouth twitched, struggling a bit as she said, ¡°I¡­ do know them.¡± Eileen¡¯s eyes lit up, Then you should know their aunt, right?¡± ine was speechless. Looking at Eileen¡¯s face, she slowly nodded, ¡°Yes.¡± Eileen immediately followed up, ¡°Is she pretty?¡± ine touched her face, ¡°Yes.¡± Eileen asked again, ¡°Is she ssy?¡± ine didn¡¯t know how to describe it, she could only say, ¡°¡­ I think she is ssy.¡± Eileen gently bit her lip, ¡°Is she excellent?¡± ine promptly answered, ¡°Of course she¡¯s excellent, she¡¯s the best!¡± Eileen¡¯s face gradually turned sad, she asked again, ¡°Do you think¡­ she and Egbert are a good match?¡± ine didn¡¯t hesitate to praise, ¡°Definitely a good match! They are the most perfect couple!¡± Eileen was extremely upset at this moment. She stood at the corner of the staircase and suddenly roared, ¡°Even if they¡¯re a perfect match, it¡¯s useless, they¡¯ve broken off their engagement!¡± With that, she turned around and ran downstairs. ine was a bit slow to react, she hurriedly chased after her, ¡°Eileen¡­ wait for me¡­¡± As their footsteps gradually faded away. The Restful Building in the middle of the night regained its quietness. A momentter, at the corner of the stairs from the third floor to the second floor. Egbert held a document in his hand, a faint smile in his deep eyes, as he slowly walked down. Chapter 177 Chapter 177 The next day, at lunchtime. In the army canteen. Eileen was munching on grilled pork chops, lobster, and sipping on corn chowder, feeling like she was on cloud nine. The army¡¯s regr food certainly couldn¡¯tpare to this. But the food that Aaron had specially prepared for her, that was a whole different story. Aaron was sitting across from Eileen, smiling and watching her eat, her cheeks stuffed like a hamster. ¡°Take your time, there¡¯s plenty more,¡± Aaron said. After swallowing her food, Eileen picked up arge piece of pork chop. She took a big bite, her nose getting all greasy. Aaron handed her a napkin, saying, ¡°You yed a big part in our victory yesterday, so feel free to ask for whatever you want to eat. I¡¯ll get more if it¡¯s not enough!¡± Eileen was falling hard for Aaron! Of all the people she knew, besides Egbert, only Aaron would treat her to meals and let her order whatever she wanted! After swallowing the meat in her mouth, she said without hesitation, ¡°I want to eat fish.¡± ¡°Fish, huh.¡± Aaron stood up and said, ¡°Alright, let me go and ask.¡± Eileen was thrilled. Aaron went to the kitchen. She took another bite of her food, continuing to enjoy her feast. After a while, a shadow appeared above her. Thinking that Aaron was back, she looked up excitedly, only to find Egbert. It was lunchtime, the time when all the instructors woulde to eat. Chewing her food, Eileen carefully watched Egbert, silently pulling her tes closer to herself. She was worried that Egbert would steal her food. Egbert put down his tray, sat across from her, and quietly started eating. Was he just here to share the table? Eileen lowered her head and continued eating. After a while, Aaron came back. Seeing her seat taken, she was taken aback, walked around and saw that it was Mr. Reed. Looking at the two of them sitting together, Aaron had a knowing look. She had long noticed that there was something going on between Mr. Reed and Eileen. They had been secretly meeting in her office, and she had found out. Being in the presence of a superior, Aaron was somewhat reserved. She said to Eileen, ¡°They have fish in the kitchen, it¡¯s being cooked now. Enjoy it, there¡¯s more to come.¡± Eileen was over the moon! Egbert suddenly said, ¡°Is there more?¡± Aaron opened her mouth, wanting to exin something. But Eileen beat him to it, ¡°Aaron invited me! You¡¯re not getting any!¡± Egbert was silent. Egbert was looking at her indifferently. Eileen felt somewhat guilty under his gaze. She silently lowered her head and continued eating her pork chop. Aaron chuckled, ¡°Let her eat if she wants to.¡± Egbert said sternly, ¡°Cancel it, no more fish.¡± Aaron was stunned. Eileen felt like it was the end of the world. She looked at Egbert in disbelief, and was instantly furious! Egbert looked at Eileen and said calmly, ¡°Eating too much is not good for your digestion.¡± Eileen immediately retorted, ¡°My digestion is fine!¡± Egbert squinted at Aaron, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going?¡± Aaron was helpless. In the end, Aaron had no choice but to go to the kitchen to cancel the order. Watching Aaron¡¯s retreating figure, Eileen felt like crying. She turned to look at Egbert, her gaze piercing into him like little knives. Aaron never came back after going to the kitchen. Clearly, she had slipped away. When Eileen had finished eating and put down her cutlery, she noticed that Egbert had also finished eating. Egbert stood up, took his tray, and said to Eileen, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Eileen was taken aback, ¡°Where?¡± The Training Officer¡¯s Office.¡± Eileen was puzzled. Eileen didn¡¯t know why she had to go to the Training Officer¡¯s Office every day. She might as well just move into Egbert¡¯s office! In the Training Officer¡¯s Office. Egbert opened a drawer and pulled out an application form. Eileen looked at the form and saw ¡°Camp-wide Shooting Competition¡± written on it. Egbert handed her the form, saying, ¡°This is a small shootingpetition in the camp, it¡¯s not big, but it¡¯s fun, you should like it.¡± Eileen did like it. She carefully read the rules on the form, saw that there were rewards at the end, and her eyes lit up. ¡°Is there a cash prize?¡± Egbert said, ¡°No.¡± Eileen asked, ¡°Any gifts? What are the gifts?¡± Egbert said, ¡°A hardcover notebook and a pen.¡± Eileen was silent. Egbert continued, ¡°And a certificate.¡± Eileen was even more speechless. Well, one can¡¯t expect great rewards from a smallpetition. Eileen still filled out her name on the form. Eileen wasn¡¯t a formal soldier, so she probably wasn¡¯t eligible to participate in this kind of internal competition. Egbert knew she liked it and got her the form, which made her very happy. It was probably not easy to get this form. Egbert must have pulled some strings. Eileen was grateful for Egbert¡¯s kindness, but she also remembered his sin of not letting her eat fish! ed hislicatio She stayed in Egbert¡¯s office until the end of lunch break, then left. As soon as she got back to her dorm, the squad leader handed Eileen an application form, saying, ¡°Shootingpetition, are you participating?¡± Eileen didn¡¯t know what to say. Taking the form, she looked at the contents, feeling a bit lost, ¡°Thispetition¡­¡± The squad leader said, ¡°This is a smallpetition within the camp, everyone can sign up. Edna and the others have already signed up, do you want to participate? If you do, fill it out quickly, I need to submit itter.¡± Eileen was speechless. She hadn¡¯t expected that anyone could participate in thispetition. Then why had Egbert mysteriously called her to the Training Officer¡¯s Office? She thought this was some sort of big secret or something! The whole camp¡¯s shootingpetition was happening in two days. The venue? Right here in our own shooting range Since thepetition was open to the whole camp, fresh men and experienced soldiers could allce up their boots. On the day of thepetition, the whole area around the shooting range was buzzing like a school sports day. There were three toons in the camp. Eileen was part of the second toon. Since Eileen¡¯spetition slot was scheduled for the afternoon, she spent her morning hanging out with Eddie and Colin, strolling around the venue, and shooting the breeze with people from the other toons. Inside the venue, Egbert, along with the head instructors of the other two toons, served as the judges. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Around noon, the head instructor of the first toon grumbled, ¡°The morningpetition was pretty mediocre.¡± The head instructor of the third toon chimed in, ¡°The cream of the crop arepeting in the afternoon. Patience, my friend.¡± They were having a grand old time chatting when all of a sudden, a soldier burst in, stammering, ¡°Instructor!¡± It was a soldier from the first toon. Without missing a beat, the head instructor of the first toon asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± The soldier blurted out, ¡°Instructor, you gotta stand up for us! Eileen from the second toon came with a bunch of people and beat up our soldiers!¡± As soon as he finished speaking, the room went silent. The head instructors of the first and third toons turned their heads simultaneously to look at the head instructor of the second toon in the middle. The second toon¡¯s head instructor, Egbert, looked rather helpless. Chapter 178 Chapter 178 When the three chief instructors rushed outside, they spotted the first and second toons brawling from a distance. The chief instructor of the first toon quickly asked the soldier who reported the situation, ¡°What the heck happened?¡± The soldier exined the situation in detail. Turned out, Eileen from the second toon suddenly became unusually agitated and attacked an old soldier from the first toon. She pped him right in the face,pletely disregarding his dignity. The old soldier was taken aback. As a man, being pped by a woman pisses him off, so he immediately grabbed Eileen by the cor. However, Eileen gave him a swift judo throw. The guy who got thrown on the ground was then stepped on by Eileen. Of course, the soldiers of the first toon didn¡¯t just sit by; they all rushed over to help theirrade. The soldiers of the second toon also rushed to help Eileen. In the end, it turned into a full-blown brawl. Hearing all this, the three chief instructors were all feeling headache. Egbert frowned, looking at the scene. There, Eileen was leading a group of people with fiery anger, like a gang boss, throwing two soldiers of the first toon on the ground again. Just throwing them down wasn¡¯t enough; she also stepped on their stomachs. Eddie and Colin, like two bodyguards, also joined the attack by her side. The chief instructor of the first toon was now so angry, his face turned red! He looked at Egbert and said, ¡°Mr. Reed, you guys owe us an exnation!¡± Egbert, with a stern face, walked towards them. Eileen, in the middle of her exhration, grabbed a bruised old soldier, preparing to hit him in the eye. Her arm was raised high, but suddenly she felt resistance and couldn¡¯t hit him. Eileen was stunned, turned around and saw Egbert, who had somehow appeared behind her, holding her arm with a serious face. Seeing Egbert, Eileen lost her fighting spirit, like a mouse seeing a cat. She was about to exin when the beaten old soldier took the opportunity to sneak attack Eileen. Eileen was caught off guard. She sensed his sneak attack and instinctively turned her head to dodge. Just then, Egbert made a slight move and grabbed the old soldier¡¯s shoulder. The old soldier screamed in pain as his arm was dislocated instantly. Eileen was a bit surprised. ¡°Mr. Reed!¡± Over there, the chief instructor of the first toon was furious, and stormed over! Egbert let go of the old soldier¡¯s shoulder, pulled Eileen behind him for protection, and calmly said, ¡°He started it.¡± The chief instructor of the first toon was furious! He thought, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m blind!? It was clearly you guys who started it!¡± The chief instructor of the first toon was extremely dissatisfied. Seeing the people around still making a ruckus, he yelled, ¡°Everyone, stop!¡± As a leader, he still had some authority. The two fighting parties, in the midst of a fierce fight, immediately stopped. Order was quickly restored on the scene. People from the first toon stood behind the chief instructor of the first toon, while people from the second toon stood behind Egbert. At that time, thements were very lively. -[Don¡¯t me Eileen, it¡¯s really not her fault this time.) -[Yes, Eileen might not be likable, she speaks harshly, loves to cause trouble, is easily troublesome, sneaky, extreme, and deep-hearted, but this incident is actually not her fault.] -[The friend above, aren¡¯t you going too far in your words? You¡¯ve said everything I wanted to say, what else can I say?] The scene was briefly quiet. But the atmosphere was still full of conflict between the two sides. At this moment, a red-eyed female soldier from the second toon came out, sobbing and saying, ¡°Instructors, this incident happened because of me, I¡¯m willing to take the punishment!¡± This girl was in the same dormitory as Eileen. Eileen was about to speak. But Edna suddenly emerged from the crowd, her hair a mess, saying, ¡°What does this have to do with you? It¡¯s clearly him who bullied people! Edna¡¯s current appearance was really different from usual. After bing a soldier, although Edna couldn¡¯t dress up or put on makeup, she still tried to keep herself clean. After all, she was an actress and needed to maintain a good image. But now, her hair was messy from being pulled, and there were several footprints on her body. Obviously, she also participated in the brawl just now. Not only her, Patti and Jaqueline also participated. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Patti was simr to Edna, with her clothes and hair in a mess. Jaqueline was injured. She was stepped on by someone and was limping, crying alone. Eileen was usually indifferent to these three, but she had to admit that she admired them a little this time. When the people of the second toon were bullied, no matter how much internal conflict they had, they had to unite against the outside at critical moments. That¡¯s teamwork! Egbert didn¡¯t listen to what others said, he only looked at the female soldier who confessed, asking, ¡°What happened?¡± The female soldier pointed at the bruised old soldier from the first toon whose arm was broken by Egbert. She bit her lip and said, ¡°I used to be his girlfriend, but we broke up. Today he came to harass me.¡± The bruised old soldier immediately said, ¡°I didn¡¯t harass you. I wanted to exin to you. I said it was a misunderstanding before. I have no rtionship with that nurse. You wouldn¡¯t listen to my exnation!¡± Eileen suddenly popped out from behind Egbert, swinging her fist at him, ¡°Is this your way of exining? You cornered her at the flower bed, if she didn¡¯t listen to you, you wouldn¡¯t let her go, and you even hugged her waist, trying to kiss her! You¡¯re such a brute, if I don¡¯t teach you a lesson, you¡¯ll bully female soldiers recklessly!¡± Egbert pulled Eileen back and said sternly, ¡°Enough.¡± Eileen shouted, ¡°He has a problem with how he treats rtionships!¡± Egbert frowned, looking at her somewhat displeased, ¡°He has a problem with how he treats rtionships, and you don¡¯t have a problem with how you treat rtionships? Do you have the right to solve rtionship problems for others?¡± Eileen was speechless. Eileen didn¡¯t understand why Egbert was ming her. She was clearly on the side of justice this time! Egbert held Eileen¡¯s hand and looked at the old soldier again, asking, ¡°Did you force the female soldier?¡± The old soldier lowered his head and didn¡¯t say a word. The chief instructor of the first toon was so embarrassed that his face turned red. He turned around and pped the old soldier on the head, cursing fiercely, ¡°You¡¯re really something, daring to bully female soldiers!¡± The old soldier didn¡¯t dare to retort, silently took the hit. At this point, the chief instructor of the third squad started to mediate, implying that it was all a misunderstanding and a bit of chit-chat could clear things up: He suggested the injured guys get patched up at the medical room first. Some disciplinary action and punishment wereing up. He didn¡¯t like fights and everyone would be penning down some ¡°regret notes¡±ter. Due to the ruckus, the shootingpetition had to be put on ice. But it was just an internal camp game, the three chief instructors would work out the timing. After the dust settled, Egbert turned to look at Eileen, noticing her hand had been scratched. He sighed, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Eileen didn¡¯t ask where, she just let him lead the way. The medical room was swamped so Egbert took Eileen back to the Training Officer¡¯s Office. He pulled out a tube of antiseptic cream from a drawer, popped the cap off, sat next to Eleen and took her hand. Pouting, Eileen said, ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Egbert didn¡¯t reply, just lowered his head and carefully applied the cream. It took him a while to finish. While he was bandaging her hand, Eileen grumbled, ¡°I started the fight, if anyone¡¯s getting punished, I¡¯m gonna get the worst of it, right?¡± Egbert looked at her coldly, ¡°Getting cold feet now?¡± Eileen retorted angrily, ¡°But if it happened again, I¡¯d still punch him-Hust can¡¯t stand him, I feel like he¡¯s up to no good with that girl!¡± Egbert dropped her hand and raised an eyebrow, ¡°You¡¯re so sure about that?¡± Eileen said, ¡°Of course I know, I¡¯m smart!¡± Egbert frowned, ring at her with clear annoyance, ¡°You seem to know a lot about other people¡¯s business. So why don¡¯t you get that I like you? Are you really clueless or just ying dumb?¡± Chapter 179 Chapter 179 This was the second time Egbert had said It. He confessed his feelings to her on Valentine¡¯s day, telling her he liked her. Eileen blinked, looking down at her own hand. Her hand, still in Egbert¡¯s grip, he was bandaging it. Eileen was somewhat worried, afraid that she would say something Egbert didn¡¯t want to hear, He might give her hand a hard twist, like he did to that old vet. The Training Officer¡¯s Office suddenly fell quiet. Eileen carefully tried to pull her hand back. But Egbert gripped harder, holding onto her wrist, Eileen froze instantly. Egbert frowned, said in a deep voice, ¡°Say something.¡± Startled, Eileen looked up at him, ¡°What should I say?¡± Seeing her frightened eyes, Egbert softened his expression, ¡°Tell me how you feel. Is it so hard to feet that I like you?¡± Eileen hesitated for a moment, then began, ¡°Actually¡­¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Egbert suddenly interrupted her. Eileen always disappointed Egbert, so he felt he needed to brace himself. ¡°Don¡¯t say something I don¡¯t want to hear.¡± Eileen was speechless. Eileen sighed, looking at Egbert, she sincerely said, ¡°Egbert, I like you too, but the way I like you¡­ it¡¯s not as a lover.¡± Egbert¡¯s brows tightened. Eileen lightly pursed her lips, continuing, ¡°This is an emotional projection. You just got out of a rtionship, you¡¯re feeling empty¡­ don¡¯t re at me¡­ think about it, we¡¯ve only known each other for a few months, how can our feelings be that deep, right?¡± At this point, Eileen dared not look at Egbert¡¯s face. He looked furious, as if he wanted to eat her alive. But that¡¯s the truth. In her past life, it took her ten years to get to know Hubery. But what did she get in the end? A tragic ending with nothing left of her. Wasn¡¯t Hubery good to her then? Compared to how Egbert treats her now, Hubery treated her even better. Every time she was upset, frustrated, or driven to the brink of madness by Sarah and Hedy, Hubery was there for her. When she was sulking in the yard, Hubery would stand on the porch, watching her silhouette, all night long. When she had a fight with Hedy and ran out of the house, Hubery would stay up all night, driving around the streets outside her house, looking for her until dawn. Back then, Hubery was practically her savior. He was the only light in her dark life. The reason she didn¡¯t go with NightKing was also because of Hubery. But what was the result? Hubery deceived her, betrayed her, manipted her, used her, and ultimately destroyed her with his false tenderness wrapped in sweetness and consideration. If she could misjudge a man she had known for ten years, How could she trust Egbert, whom she¡¯s only known for a few months? Of course, she understood that Egbert was different from other men. But didn¡¯t she also think that Hubery was different from other men back then? She admitted that she thought Egbert was a good man, in every respect. But after her rebirth, she never considered falling in love. Besides, she didn¡¯t think Egbert was sincere. He confessed his feelings to her just after he broke up? If it were anyone else, she might have cursed at him! But these thoughts, Eileen couldn¡¯t express them. She looked at Egbert again, finding him still staring at her. She didn¡¯t know how long he intended to keep staring. Eileen cautiously asked, ¡°Can you let go of me now?¡± Egbert stared into her eyes for a long time. Finally, he let go of her. Eileen breathed a sigh of relief, tucking her hands behind her back. She immediately got up, quickly saying, ¡°I have to go now!¡± With that, she was about to leave. But his voice echoed coldly behind her, ¡°Stop.¡± Eileen stopped, turned around, looking at Egbert uneasily. Egbert looked into her eyes, very seriously saying, ¡°First, I¡¯m not empty inside.¡± Eileen didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Second, how deep my feelings for you are, it¡¯s not for you to judge, it¡¯s for me.¡± Eileen still said nothing. ¡°Third, we¡¯ve known each other for quite a while, our rtionship is deeper than you think.¡± Eileen didn¡¯t quite understand, her mouth opened. But Egbert didn¡¯t give her a chance to speak, he continued, ¡°Fourth.¡± He walked over to her, and stood in front of her. His eyes were deep, and because of some excited emotions, they seemed especially profound. ¡°Fourth.¡± His voice softened, ¡°You¡¯re scared, aren¡¯t you?¡± Eileen was taken aback, she frowned. Egbert reached out, gently touching her cheek, softly saying, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re scared of, but you need to understand one thing¡­¡± His voice became heavier, ¡°I don¡¯t want to wait anymore. I¡¯m going to officially pursue you, Eileen. Prepare yourself.¡± Eileen looked at Egbert in surprise, unable to react for a moment. What was he saying? Egbert looked down at Eileen, asking, ¡°Now, do you have anything else you want to say?¡± Eileen was a bit confused, she stared at Egbert for a while. In the end, she shook her head, ¡°No.¡± After running out of the Training Officer¡¯s Office, Eileen went downstairs, couldn¡¯t help but look back up at the third floor. From her angle, she couldn¡¯t see inside the Training Officer¡¯s Office, only the half-drawn curtain. Biting her lip, Eileen sighed, turned around again, and ran towards the dorm. The shootingpetition was rescheduled for three dayster. And that night, because of the brawl involving the entire toon, everyone involved had to write a 2000-word reflection. Eileen sat at the dorm desk, pen in her mouth, she only wrote ¡°Dear Leaders,¡± and didn¡¯t know what to write next. Across the way, Edna and the other two roommates were writing so fast it almost seemed like they were copying something down. In no time, they¡¯d finished the 2000-word assignment. This left Eileen stunned. After a while, Edna and Patti went to hand in their self-critiques, while Jaqueline stayed behind, still correcting her spelling errors. Suddenly, the dormitory fell silent, with only Eileen and Jaqueline left. At this point, Eileen stood up. Five minutester, ine walked in from outside to the sound of someone crying. She walked in and saw, not surprisingly, it was Jaqueline crying again, Jaqueline had a bandage tied around her leg and was sitting on a stool, crying and writing her self- critique. Eileen was standing behind her, holding aundry stick, circling Jaqueline every now and then, and kept warning her, ¡°Write properly, be serious about it, use my tone, 2000 words, not one less, got it!¡± Jaqueline was on the verge of passing out from crying, angrily she said, ¡°Once I get out of here, I¡¯m going toin about you on Twitter!¡±Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Then ine saw her aunt, like a bully, with theundry stick over her shoulder, smirking and saying, ¡°Good, I¡¯ll be waiting!¡± The whole scene was too intense. ine was silent for a moment, then said, ¡°Auntie Eileen, can you step outside for a moment?¡± Eileen hit the table with theundry stick, causing Jaqueline to flinch, then followed ine outside and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ine said, ¡°Mr. Reed is leaving the camp, do you know why?¡± Elleen was taken aback, surprised, ¡°He¡¯s leaving?¡± ine said, ¡°Yes, he¡¯s leaving first thing tomorrow, seems like something happened, do you know what it is?¡± Eileen didn¡¯t know. But she was silent for a while, then suddenly snickered and confidently said, ¡°He¡¯s probably just trying to tease me.¡± ine was taken aback, ¡°What?¡± Eileen shook her head, with a domineering CEO-like expression, she muttered to herself, mimicking ssic lines from romance novels, ¡°Woman, you¡¯ve sessfully caught my attention, advise you to stop tempting me¡± ine was very confused. Chapter 180 Chapter 180 The next morning, while Eileen was doing her morning workout, she saw that Egbert was still around. She thought to herself, Egbert is a guest on the show, there¡¯s no way he would just pack and leave like that. But when noon rolled around, Eileen realized that Egbert was nowhere to be found. In the afternoon, Egbert was still missing. By nightfall, Eileen couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer and went to ask Aaron about the situation. Aaron was busy with her appraisal, and upon hearing Eileen¡¯s question, she replied, ¡°We¡¯re not entirely sure either, all I know is Mr. Reed left in a hurry, seemed to be something urgent.¡± Eileen instantly furrowed her brows. Aaron shot Eileen a nce, noticing there were no cameramen around, she whispered, ¡°So, you¡¯re missing him already, huh?¡± Eileen was taken aback, quickly shaking her head, ¡°No, that¡¯s not¡­¡± Aaron smiled, reassuring her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell anyone. If you¡¯re worried about him, you can give him a call. Since your phone has been confiscated, you can use mine, okay?¡± As she said this, Aaron actually took out her own phone from the and handed it to Eileen didn¡¯t take it and stepped back, nervously saying, ¡°No need, I should get going!¡± With that, she turned around and bolted. The news of Egbert suddenly leaving the show was only known to Eileen on the first day. But by the second and third day, the other guests finally noticed that their head instructor was missing. On the day of the shootingpetition. In the morning, Eileen, Colin, and Eddie were squatting outside the shooting range on the stairs. All three of them were dressed in uniform, each with a piece of grass in their mouths, looking like a bunch of hooligans. Eddie was the first to ask, ¡°Did he really leave? Is it because the show ran out of money and can¡¯t afford him anymore?? How could he just leave halfway through the show?¡± Colin muttered, ¡°Could it be because of the brawl we hadst time? As the head instructor, he¡¯d have to take responsibility.¡± Eddiemented, ¡°The instructor thing is just for show, he¡¯s a big star, you can¡¯t lump it all together.¡± Colin responded, ¡°Then what else could it be? Eileen, what do you think?¡± Eileen, who was squatting in the middle of the three, spat out the piece of grass from her mouth, stood up, hands in her pockets, shook her head, ¡°He¡¯s probably b. ken.¡± Eddie and Colin stood up, puzzled, ¡°What?¡± Eileen, with a sad face, said, ¡°You guys wouldn¡¯t understand, I hurt him.¡± The two of them were totally clueless! Eddie asked, ¡°How did you hurt him? Did you hit him?¡± Eileen didn¡¯t answer, just shook her head. Then she sighed, wallowing in self-pity, ¡°I think you guys should just stay away from me in the future. What everyone needs is a funny, average-looking good friend, not a standout handsome hottie like me. If you keep hanging out with me, I¡¯m afraid you will all fall for me.¡¯ Eddie was speechless, so was Colin. Eddie seriously said, ¡°No way.¡± Colin even more seriously said, ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Eileen gave them a mncholy look, shaking her head, ¡°You guys are confident now, but you might not be in the future. Look at my hand.¡± Eileen extended her right hand to show them. The two of them leaned in to take a look, but didn¡¯t notice anything special. Eileen gently stroked her right hand with her left, then dramatically said, ¡°Ouch, it hurts. I¡¯m just like a rose with thorns.¡± Eddie and Colin were both silent. After exchanging nces, they turned around and walked away, leaving Eileen standing there alone, gazing at the sky, still lost in her mncholic mood. In the afternoon, Eileen¡¯spetition began. As soon as Eileen walked in, she saw that on the judges¡¯ panel, the seat of the toon leader had been taken by a stranger. Eileen guessed that he must be the real toon leader. Egbert was just a temporary arrangement by the show, not the real toon leader. The real toon leader was probably this guy! The shootingpetition was simple, whoever hit more targets and scored more points would win. There were ten moving targets in front. Eileen skillfully assembled the gun. Before firing, her gaze lingered on the toon leader for a moment, then she quickly loaded the gun and started shooting at the bullseye. After ten shots, the whole ce fell silent when Eileen was done. The auditors went to verify the results and were taken aback when they came back, ¡°All hits, all ten points.¡± The three toon leaders looked at each other, all quite surprised. While it was not unheard of for soldiers to hit all tens, they were usually experienced veterans. Eileen was the only new recruit who hit all tens, and she wasn¡¯t even a real soldier, she was just here to experience the life of a soldier. After jotting down the data, the toon leader contemted for a moment, then asked Eileen, ¡°Before you started shooting, did you re at me?¡± Eileen couldn¡¯t outright say, ¡°Yeah, I red at you, I don¡¯t like you, so what?¡± She denied, ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± The toon leader gave her another suspicious look, then waved his hand, ¡°Okay, you can leave now.¡± Once Eileen had left, the three toon leaders began to discuss, ¡°she¡¯s a good soldier.¡± ¡°Yeah, shes got a good aim, steady hand, quick, she could potentially be an excellent sniper.¡± She indeed has potential.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a pity¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s not our soldier, forget it¡­¡± Thepetitionsted until the evening when Eileen had another round of match. During the initialpetition, there were seventeen other soldiers who, like Eileen, hit all tens. So the organizers arranged for a re-match. The re-match was more challenging. The moving targets increased from ten to thirty. And the shooting time had to bepleted within thirty seconds. In other words, the contestants had to shoot one target per second while the targets were moving and also ensure they hit the targets. Eileen was the third tost topete. Among the dozen soldiers before her, the highest score was a total of 241 points. With thirty targets, the total points were 300. To umte 241 points within thirty seconds was already a very high level. Eileen calmly walked over, picked up the gun, and checked it. After a while, the referee shouted, ¡°Start!¡± Thirty secondster. The three toon leaders were stunned at the score sheet that was handed to them! Total points: 299. Thirty moving targets, she hit twenty-nine 10 rings and one 9 rings. This is from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Wow!¡± the regimental sergeant major couldn¡¯t help but exim, ¡°What an ace shooter!¡± But Eileen herself wasn¡¯t too pleased. Looking at the target that just missed the 10th ring, she sighed inwardly! She hadn¡¯t had the chance to practice shootingtely and was getting rusty! Back when NightKing was training her, if she didn¡¯t hit all bull¡¯s eyes on fifty moving targets within fifty seconds, he wouldn¡¯t let her eat. In the end, Eileen still came out on top! She also received generous rewards from thepetition, a certificate, a hardcover notebook, and a pen. In front of the camera, while posing for amemorative photo, Eileen looked discontentedly at the regimental sergeant major next to her. She wished Egbert was here¡­. The day after the shootingpetition, the production team announced that they were moving to a new camp. Everyone was excited, asking about the new location. The production team didn¡¯t reveal. Then, a weekter! All eight of them were gathered on a military transport ne. The hatch of the transport ne was opened, and the fierce wind blew into the cabin incessantly. Edna, Patti, and Jaqueline huddled together, crying in a corner, gasping for breath. Eddie and Colin were supporting each other, not daring to move their butts from their seats! Of the other two male guests, one of them was holding a stic bag, vomiting out his dinner fromst night. On the ne, the soldiers were stillughing and saying loudly, ¡°Wee to the 8th Air Force Battalion!¡± Then, a corporal pointed at the blue sky outside and said, ¡°You¡¯ve all had training,e on, Jump one by one. Parachuting now? The seven celebrity guests were all in a state of copse! At this moment, Eileen was standing on the other side, putting on her parachute and raising her hand, shouting, ¡°I have a question!¡± The corporal looked at her, admiring this little girl who had just won the shootingpetition in the Land Force Battalion, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your question?¡± Eileen pointed outside and asked, ¡°Is Mr, Reed down there?¡± Chapter 181 Chapter 181 Eileen¡¯s words had the Sergeant all muddled up. Mr. Reed, what Mr. Reed? There wasn¡¯t a Mr. Reed in their camp. Seeing the Sergeant¡¯s silence, Eileen couldn¡¯t help but press on, ¡°Is he there? Is he there? Is he there?¡± The Sergeant was at a loss for words, starting to wonder if he was out of the loop. Could it be that a Mr. Reed was about to join their camp? The Sergeant didn¡¯t give a clear answer. Instead, he grumbled, ¡°How do you have so many questions? Can your group parachute now?¡± The Sergeant didn¡¯t tell her if Egbert was down there, which left Eileen a bit miffed. But his silence could also be taken as a tacit admission. Maybe Egbert was down there! Eileen cheered up again! She gave a cheerful thumbs up and said, ¡°No problem!¡± The Sergeant didn¡¯t know what she was thinking, but seeing her willingness to cooperate, his attitude towards her improved a bit. Everyone had received training on the way here! Even if she hadn¡¯t been trained, Eileen would parachute. In her past life, she would often be thrown from an altitude of seven thousand meters by NightKing with her gear on! Being thrown so often, she was ustomed to it. The Sergeant was talking by Eileen¡¯s side, and she was quietly listening to him speak. Her eyes were fixed on the outside of the cabin door, looking eager to go. After a while, the Sergeant said, ¡°After you guysnd, there will be pursuing troops.¡± Eileen was taken aback and only then turned her head to look at him. Everyone else also turned to look. The Sergeant said, ¡°This is a test for you all. There are a total of fifty pursuers spread out over the entire drop zone. If you can¡¯t escape from them and reach the designated location by midnight, each person will be deducted fifty points.¡± Upon hearing this news, the entire cabin was filled with terrified screams. Eddie almost thought he had heard wrong. He shouted, ¡°Just parachuting takes all our courage, and now there are pursuers? You might as well kill me!¡± The Sergeant¡¯s face turned serious, ¡°Kill you? Is that your soldier¡¯s quality? The Land Force Battalion gave you guys high scores, I thought you were really capable. Turns out you¡¯re all a bunch of cowards! Let me tell you in advance, our Air Force Battalion will not be easy on you, you all better be prepared. The Air Force Battalion is not a ce where you can do as you please!¡± The Sergeant¡¯s rebuke immediately silenced everyone in the cabin. Soon, they were flown over the drop zone. The four male guests all turned pale and were strapped with parachutes. But Edna and the other two refused to strap on parachutes, let alone parachute. The Sergeant didn¡¯t care. In a while, they would have to jump whether they wanted to or not. If they didn¡¯t want to jump, they shouldn¡¯t havee to the show! Eileen was the first to jump. When the ne slowed down a bit, she stepped outward. The Sergeant grabbed her and shouted over the wind, ¡°I¡¯ll count to three. One, two¡­ hey! I haven¡¯t reached three yet!¡± But Eileen didn¡¯t wait for him to finish counting, she had already jumped. As Eileen jumped, everyone on the ne immediately looked down. Eileen ignored the noise in her earpiece. Everyone on the ne, seeing her jump, broke out in a cold sweat. The Sergeant was still rtively calm. Seeing Eileen skillfully controlling the direction of her parachute towards a patch of open ground on the right, he had a rough idea. This girl knew how to parachute, no wonder she was so calm before! After a while, a drone sent real-time surveince of Eileen to the monitor on the ne. Everyone on the ne saw Eileen¡¯s situation. At the same time, over a hundred million viewers in the live broadcast room also saw Eileen. After Eileennded, she ran a short distance quickly before stopping. Hernding was smooth and steady, so she didn¡¯t get injured or fall. When she stabilized, she dropped the parachute, took off the supply pack, and took out the gun parts inside! Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. The surroundings were filled with danger, with enemies potentially appearing at any time! Eileen didn¡¯t waste any time. She assembled the gun while vigntly observing her surroundings! Six secondster, a sniper rifle was assembled. She slung the gun over her shoulder! Then she turned around and started to retrieve her parachute. -[Oh my God!] Eteen is really amazing!] [She¡¯s really cool and didn¡¯t let us down!] Why is she retrieving the parachute, it¡¯s useless now! She better leave, it¡¯s too dangerous here!] [She¡¯s already packed up the parachute, why isn¡¯t she leaving?] [It looks like she¡¯s looking for something?] Indeed, Eileen was looking for something. She was looking for Egbert. Wasn¡¯t Egbert supposed to be down here? Why couldn¡¯t she see him? Could it be that shended in the wrong ce? Chapter 182 Chapter 182 Jaqueline was like a country bride abused by an evil old hag from the countryside. She looked so pitiable. After Eileen yelled at Jaqueline, she climbed back up the tree, gun in hand, threatening Jaqueline, ¡°If you can¡¯t lure five people here within an hour, you won¡¯t get to eat today!¡± Jaqueline was about to cry herself unconscious. She stared at the supply bag on Eileen¡¯s back, which was supposed to be hers. The bag was hers, the gun parts and food supplies inside were all supposed to be hers. Eileen said she was helping her carry it because it was too heavy for her. But she never gave it back! With no other choice, Jaqueline had to continue crying loudly towards the vast mountain in order to have food to eatter. She cried her heart out. An hourter, Eileen had taken down six pursuers. But then, Eileen began to ponder. These pursuers were scattered and didn¡¯t seem too bright. She killed several of them without much effort, but how could it be so easy? What was Egbert plotting? Eileen was convinced that the pursuers were Egbert¡¯s men. Thinking of Egbert¡¯s schemes and tactics during the military exercisepetition, Eileen didn¡¯t dare to underestimate him. She felt she hadn¡¯t seen through Egbert¡¯s strategy. At this point, Jaqueline had cried herself hoarse. She turned around with red eyes and asked Eileen, ¡°Can I have some water?¡± Eileen, annoyed, yelled, ¡°Where am I supposed to get you water from?¡± Saying this, she took out an orange from her bag and threw it at Jaqueline, ¡°Eat this!¡± The orange was juicy and could moisten the throat, Eileen was using it to quench her own thirst. Jaqueline thought of the bottle of water she had, but since Eileen wouldn¡¯t give it to her, she had no choice but to eat the orange. As Jaqueline was eating the orange, Eileen was thinking deeply and decided it was time to take the initiative. She climbed down from the tree and squatted next to Jaqueline. She told her what was on her mind, ¡°I know you think I¡¯m mean, but it¡¯s for the sake of our team¡¯s victory. Think about it, I can take you and run, but what about the others? We¡¯re a team,rades, we can¡¯t leave them behind. You¡¯re so selfish. You want to find your two fake friends, am I right?¡± Jaqueline stared at Eileen with an air of resentment, ¡°I¡¯m not selfish! And they are not fake friends!¡± Eileen waved her hand dismissively, ¡®Don¡¯t get hung up on the details. The point is, we haven¡¯t seen the others yet. Maybe they¡¯ve been captured.¡± Jaqueline was scared now, ¡°Does that mean they¡¯ll lose points?¡± Eileen nodded, ¡°Most likely.¡± Jaqueline panicked, ¡°What do we do?¡± Eileen asked, ¡°Have you heard of the strategy of using a beauty to lure others?¡± Jaqueline was speechless. Fifteen minutester. Jaqueline went from being a stationary bait tied up, to a moving bait, wearing a camouge vest, revealing her slender figure, walking around trying to attract enemies. A soldier noticed Jaqueline alone and approached her with a gun in his hand. Jaqueline suddenly fell to the ground. She looked at the pursuer and said in a pitiful tone, ¡°Sir, could you not hurt me?¡± The pursuer, not bewitched by her beauty, ordered sternly, ¡°Hands up!¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Jaqueline obediently raised her hands and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have a gun, I don¡¯t have anything.¡± She really didn¡¯t have anything. It was obvious from Jaqueline¡¯s current state, the pursuer didn¡¯t know how she¡¯d lost her coat and supply bag. The pursuer captured Jaqueline. Jaqueline didn¡¯t resist at all and was taken to the base camp. However, the ce they went to wasn¡¯t the base camp. There was nomander there, just two other pursuers resting. The two pursuers were surprised to see their teammate bring Jaqueline back and asked her, ¡°Where¡¯s your gear?¡± Jaqueline didn¡¯t answer, she just stood quietly in the corner. The two pursuers quickly said, ¡°Don¡¯t be so nervous,e and sit.¡± Jaqueline didn¡¯t move, she just stood in the corner. She was afraid that blood would ssh on her in a bit. Five minutester, Eileen killed all three guys in the rest area and then turned to re at Jaqueline.. Jaqueline had lost the coquettish demeanor she¡¯d had in front of the pursuers. Under Eileen¡¯s threat, she said with a panic-stricken face, ¡°I tried Eileen coldlymanded, ¡°Keep going!¡± After that, Eileen took Jaqueline around to cause trouble. my best¡­¡± After sessfully attacking three resting areas, they ran into Patti. Patti was surprised to see Jaqueline and Eileen together. Because she didn¡¯t like Eileen, Patti was very cold towards her. Eileen saw it, of course. So, five minutester, Patti was tied up and left at a crossroads. This ce was easily essible from all directions, making it easy for pursuers to arrive. Patti was furious and kept cursing at Eileen and Jaqueline. Jaqueline hesitantly pleaded with Eileen, ¡°Patti didn¡¯t mean it¡­¡± Eileen said indifferently, ¡°I¡¯m doing this for the group.¡± Jaqueline had no choice but to go to Patti andfort her, ¡°Sit like this, yes, put your legs like this, then they won¡¯t ache. Hide your hands, don¡¯t let people see you¡¯re tied up. If someonees over and finds you suspicious and doesn¡¯t fall for it, you¡¯ll get scolded.¡± Patti was so angry after being tied up by Jaqueline, she yelled, ¡°Why are you listening to her!¡± Jaqueline whispered to Patti, ¡°If I don¡¯t obey, she won¡¯t feed me.¡± Patti fell silent. Patti was indeed starving. As a captive, she hadn¡¯t had anything to eat, and she was desperate for some food now. Patti said to Jaqueline, ¡°Get me something to eat.¡± With a bitter face, Jaqueline replied, ¡°What do I have? I¡¯ve only had two oranges today.¡± Patti was speechless. With Patti on shift, Jaqueline thought she could chill for a bit. But before she could even sit down, Eileen interrupted her, ¡°Go wander somewhere else, don¡¯t just sit around.¡± Jaqueline had no choice but to get up and keep hustling. An hourter, they ran into Edna¡­ By dusk, on the other side of the mountain. Four male guests had gathered, emerging from the valley, sweat-soaked. They nned to make a break for it under the cover of darkness, dark meant safety, it would be harder for the pursuers to catch them. They moved cautiously, stopping frequently. But weirdly, they didn¡¯t see a single pursuer. ¡°Something¡¯s fishy,¡± Colin said seriously. Eddie suddenly pointed to the right and whispered, ¡°Look over there!¡± Everyone looked in the direction he pointed. There, a skinny figure was picking up firewood. Colin frowned, ¡°Isn¡¯t that Patti?¡± Indeed it was Patti. Just then, Patti had gathered enough firewood, carrying a bundle of branches, she moved to the other side. The four men exchanged nces and stealthily followed. They hid in the bushes, not going directly, but observing cautiously. Then, they saw this scene. In the clearing by the bonfire, Eileen, like a boss, was casually lounging against arge tree, taking a nap. Edna was squatting by the fire, her face covered in dust, cooking canned food with an iron pot. The aroma of the canned food was tempting, but Edna didn¡¯t sneak a bite. Patti put the collected firewood aside, then squatted down, breaking the wood into smaller pieces, and feeding them into the fire one by one. Jaqueline was sitting next to Eileen, giving Eileen a shoulder massage, asionally asking. ¡°Is the pressure okay?¡± Eileen, with her eyes closed, mumbled, ¡°A little harder.¡± Then Jaqueline really increased the pressure, massaging even harder. This bizarre scene left the four male guests somewhat astonished. But what surprised them even more was yet toe. Just a little further ahead, in the bushes on the other side, there were heaps of ¡°defeated¡± pursuer ¡°corpses¡±! The pursuers were weaponless and foodless. All their stuff was piled up next to Eileen. While supervising Edna and Patti¡¯s work, Eileen was enjoying Jaqueline¡¯s massage. She was in control of all the food and ammo, everyone had to listen to her! Chapter 183 Chapter 183 Jaqueline was like a country bride abused by an evil old hag from the countryside. She looked so pitiable. After Eileen yelled at Jaqueline, she climbed back up the tree, gun in hand, threatening Jaqueline, ¡°If you can¡¯t lure five people here within an hour, you won¡¯t get to eat today!¡± Jaqueline was about to cry herself unconscious. She stared at the supply bag on Eileen¡¯s back, which was supposed to be hers. The bag was hers, the gun parts and food supplies inside were all supposed to be hers. Eileen said she was helping her carry it because it was too heavy for her. But she never gave it back! With no other choice, Jaqueline had to continue crying loudly towards the vast mountain in order to have food to eatter. She cried her heart out. An hourter, Eileen had taken down six pursuers. But then, Eileen began to ponder. These pursuers were scattered and didn¡¯t seem too bright. She killed several of them without much effort, but how could it be so easy? What was Egbert plotting? Eileen was convinced that the pursuers were Egbert¡¯s men. Thinking of Egbert¡¯s schemes and tactics during the military exercisepetition, Eileen didn¡¯t dare to underestimate him. She felt she hadn¡¯t seen through Egbert¡¯s strategy. At this point, Jaqueline had cried herself hoarse. She turned around with red eyes and asked Eileen, ¡°Can I have some water?¡± Eileen, annoyed, yelled, ¡°Where am I supposed to get you water from?¡± Saying this, she took out an orange from her bag and threw it at Jaqueline, ¡°Eat this!¡± The orange was juicy and could moisten the throat, Eileen was using it to quench her own thirst. Jaqueline thought of the bottle of water she had, but since Eileen wouldn¡¯t give it to her, she had no choice but to eat the orange. As Jaqueline was eating the orange, Eileen was thinking deeply and decided it was time to take the initiative. She climbed down from the tree and squatted next to Jaqueline. She told her what was on her mind, ¡°I know you think I¡¯m mean, but it¡¯s for the sake of our team¡¯s victory. Think about it, I can take you and run, but what about the others? We¡¯re a team,rades, we can¡¯t leave them behind. You¡¯re so selfish. You want to find your two fake friends, am I right?¡± Jaqueline stared at Eileen with an air of resentment, ¡°I¡¯m not selfish! And they are not fake friends!¡± Eileen waved her hand dismissively, ¡®Don¡¯t get hung up on the details. The point is, we haven¡¯t seen the others yet. Maybe they¡¯ve been captured.¡± Jaqueline was scared now, ¡°Does that mean they¡¯ll lose points?¡± Eileen nodded, ¡°Most likely.¡± Jaqueline panicked, ¡°What do we do?¡± Eileen asked, ¡°Have you heard of the strategy of using a beauty to lure others?¡± Jaqueline was speechless. Fifteen minutester. Jaqueline went from being a stationary bait tied up, to a moving bait, wearing a camouge vest, revealing her slender figure, walking around trying to attract enemies. A soldier noticed Jaqueline alone and approached her with a gun in his hand. Jaqueline suddenly fell to the ground. She looked at the pursuer and said in a pitiful tone, ¡°Sir, could you not hurt me?¡± The pursuer, not bewitched by her beauty, ordered sternly, ¡°Hands up!¡± Jaqueline obediently raised her hands and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have a gun, I don¡¯t have anything.¡± She really didn¡¯t have anything. It was obvious from Jaqueline¡¯s current state, the pursuer didn¡¯t know how she¡¯d lost her coat and supply bag. The pursuer captured Jaqueline. Jaqueline didn¡¯t resist at all and was taken to the base camp. However, the ce they went to wasn¡¯t the base camp. There was nomander there, just two other pursuers resting. The two pursuers were surprised to see their teammate bring Jaqueline back and asked her, ¡°Where¡¯s your gear?¡± Jaqueline didn¡¯t answer, she just stood quietly in the corner. The two pursuers quickly said, ¡°Don¡¯t be so nervous,e and sit.¡± Jaqueline didn¡¯t move, she just stood in the corner. She was afraid that blood would ssh on her in a bit. Five minutester, Eileen killed all three guys in the rest area and then turned to re at Jaqueline.. Jaqueline had lost the coquettish demeanor she¡¯d had in front of the pursuers. Under Eileen¡¯s threat, she said with a panic-stricken face, ¡°I tried Eileen coldlymanded, ¡°Keep going!¡± After that, Eileen took Jaqueline around to cause trouble. my best¡­¡± After sessfully attacking three resting areas, they ran into Patti. Patti was surprised to see Jaqueline and Eileen together. Because she didn¡¯t like Eileen, Patti was very cold towards her. Eileen saw it, of course. So, five minutester, Patti was tied up and left at a crossroads. This ce was easily essible from all directions, making it easy for pursuers to arrive. Patti was furious and kept cursing at Eileen and Jaqueline. Jaqueline hesitantly pleaded with Eileen, ¡°Patti didn¡¯t mean it¡­¡± Eileen said indifferently, ¡°I¡¯m doing this for the group.¡± Jaqueline had no choice but to go to Patti andfort her, ¡°Sit like this, yes, put your legs like this, then they won¡¯t ache. Hide your hands, don¡¯t let people see you¡¯re tied up. If someonees over and finds you suspicious and doesn¡¯t fall for it, you¡¯ll get scolded.¡± Patti was so angry after being tied up by Jaqueline, she yelled, ¡°Why are you listening to her!¡± Jaqueline whispered to Patti, ¡°If I don¡¯t obey, she won¡¯t feed me.¡± Patti fell silent. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Patti was indeed starving. As a captive, she hadn¡¯t had anything to eat, and she was desperate for some food now. Patti said to Jaqueline, ¡°Get me something to eat.¡± With a bitter face, Jaqueline replied, ¡°What do I have? I¡¯ve only had two oranges today.¡± Patti was speechless. With Patti on shift, Jaqueline thought she could chill for a bit. But before she could even sit down, Eileen interrupted her, ¡°Go wander somewhere else, don¡¯t just sit around.¡± Jaqueline had no choice but to get up and keep hustling. An hourter, they ran into Edna¡­ By dusk, on the other side of the mountain. Four male guests had gathered, emerging from the valley, sweat-soaked. They nned to make a break for it under the cover of darkness, dark meant safety, it would be harder for the pursuers to catch them. They moved cautiously, stopping frequently. But weirdly, they didn¡¯t see a single pursuer. ¡°Something¡¯s fishy,¡± Colin said seriously. Eddie suddenly pointed to the right and whispered, ¡°Look over there!¡± Everyone looked in the direction he pointed. There, a skinny figure was picking up firewood. Colin frowned, ¡°Isn¡¯t that Patti?¡± Indeed it was Patti. Just then, Patti had gathered enough firewood, carrying a bundle of branches, she moved to the other side. The four men exchanged nces and stealthily followed. They hid in the bushes, not going directly, but observing cautiously. Then, they saw this scene. In the clearing by the bonfire, Eileen, like a boss, was casually lounging against arge tree, taking a nap. Edna was squatting by the fire, her face covered in dust, cooking canned food with an iron pot. The aroma of the canned food was tempting, but Edna didn¡¯t sneak a bite. Patti put the collected firewood aside, then squatted down, breaking the wood into smaller pieces, and feeding them into the fire one by one. Jaqueline was sitting next to Eileen, giving Eileen a shoulder massage, asionally asking. ¡°Is the pressure okay?¡± Eileen, with her eyes closed, mumbled, ¡°A little harder.¡± Then Jaqueline really increased the pressure, massaging even harder. This bizarre scene left the four male guests somewhat astonished. But what surprised them even more was yet toe. Just a little further ahead, in the bushes on the other side, there were heaps of ¡°defeated¡± pursuer ¡°corpses¡±! The pursuers were weaponless and foodless. All their stuff was piled up next to Eileen. While supervising Edna and Patti¡¯s work, Eileen was enjoying Jaqueline¡¯s massage. She was in control of all the food and ammo, everyone had to listen to her! Chapter 184 Chapter 184 Eddie slowly rose from the bushes, looking like he¡¯d just crawled out of a grimy mine. Lost and confused, he walked towards the four girls. Hearing footsteps, Eileen opened her eyes, and to her surprise, it was Eddle. She immediately sat up and anxiously asked, ¡°Where have you guys been? I¡¯ve been looking everywhere for you!¡± Eddie, like aborer returning home after a long time, was moved to tears. He choked up, ¡°You were looking for us?¡± Eileen replied, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been looking for you guys. Did you see Egbert?¡± Eddie was speechless. He paused, looking bewildered, before asking. ¡°Didn¡¯t Mr. Reed leave already?¡± Eileen didn¡¯t respond. She turned her gaze to the other three men behind Eddie, ¡°What about you guys? Did you see Egbert?¡± The three men were stunned, looking at each other before shaking their heads in unison. Eileen frowned, looking displeased. Meanwhile, the cans on the fire were smelling pretty good. The aroma was making everyone¡¯s mouth water. Eddie no longer cared about Mr. Reed, he mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m starving¡­¡±. Eileen nced at him and generously said, ¡°Since you guys are here, let¡¯s eat together.¡± The four men were starving and were thrilled to hear this! Eileen opened the supplies bag and took out two packs ofpressed biscuits, one for the boys and one for the girls. Eddie didn¡¯t want the biscuits, he wanted the warm canned food. So, he walked towards the fire. But to his surprise, Eileen was already by the fire, eating the canned food with gusto, clearly not nning to share. Eddie and the other three men were speechless. Edna and the other two girls, however, were unfazed. They skillfully opened their biscuits and started eating. The four men looked at their biscuits, feeling a bit wronged. But they had no choice. They had to follow the girls¡¯ lead and started eating their biscuits. After Eileen finished her canned food, she looked up and found that the others had also finished eating. She stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get ready and continue searching the mountain.¡± ¡°Searching the mountain?¡± The men looked puzzled. ¡°Why are we searching the mountain?¡± Eileen dered righteously, ¡°Of course, to wipe out the rebel organization. I am determined to eliminate all the pursuers!¡± As soon as she said this, one of the ¡°bodies¡± in the pile of ¡°corpses¡± rolled their eyes and grumbled, ¡°Haven¡¯t we already been wiped out by you? You killed all fifty of us, remember?¡± Eileen replied grumpily, ¡°You¡¯re already dead, stop talking!¡± The ¡°corpse¡± huffed in frustration but stopped talking. Eddie figured it out and mumbled, ¡°No wonder we didn¡¯t see any pursuers when we came out¡­ If they¡¯re all dead, who are we searching for?¡± Eileen solemnly said, ¡°The leader of the pursuers.¡± Another ¡°corpse¡± couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and yelled, ¡°We already told you, we don¡¯t have a leader! We don¡¯t know Mr. Reed! We were just ordered to chase after you guys! We had no strategy, no n, this was just a small test!¡± Eileen shot at the ¡°corpse¡±. The ¡°corpse¡±, having already ¡°died¡± once and unable to ¡°die¡± again, was very cocky and yelled, ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth!¡± Eileen ignored them. She turned to the others and ordered, ¡°Get up, we¡¯re wasting time!¡± Eileen insisted on leading everyone to search for Egbert. She firmly believed that there must be a leader. She couldn¡¯t ept that there wasn¡¯t one! At eleven o¡¯clock at night. Eileen squatted on the ground and muttered, ¡°Maybe there really isn¡¯t a leader¡­¡± The other seven people stared at her nkly. Before midnight, Eileen, albeit reluctantly, led the seven people to the meeting point within the designated time. The staff of the show and the members of the Air Force Battalion were all there. The moment the door opened, all eyes were on Eileen. Eileen pretended not to notice and looked away. Regardless, all eight of them managed to escape within the time limit and passed the test, that was a fact. The battalionmander didn¡¯t say much. It was alreadyte, and everyone was exhausted. He ordered a car to pick them up and take them to the Air Force Battalion¡¯s dormitory. Eileen spent the night in the dormitory and was woken up by the assembly bell the next morning. After training with the Land Force Battalion, the celebrity guests were no longerte for training. The morning exercise at the Air Force Battalion was simr to that at the Land Force Battalion, it was a morning run. Eileen ran twops before a trainer singled her out, ¡°Eileen, step out.¡± Eileen jogged up to the trainer and stood at attention with her hands behind her back. The trainer handed her a document, ¡°This is the report card for the eight of you from the Land Force Battalion. Take it to the gate and give it to the person outside.¡± This was a task for her. Eileen didn¡¯t refuse. She took the document and walked towards the gate. Outside the gate, there was indeed a man standing there. He was facing away from the gate, so Eileen could only see his back and not his face. But the moment she saw his figure, she rushed over! Egbert wasn¡¯t in uniform today, just a ck jacket. He was holding his phone, apparently replying to a message. Eileen was panting slightly when she ran up to him. Hearing the sound behind him, Egbert turned around. There was a guard post and an iron fence at the gate. The ck iron fence was between them, Eileen on the inside, Egbert on the outside. Their eyes met. Egbert took a few steps forward, getting closer to Eileen. Eileen looked at his face, hesitated for a moment, then asked, ¡°Am I supposed to give the report card to you?¡± Egbert chuckled and nodded, reaching out to take the document from her. Eileen was staring at his slender fingers as he passed the report card through the bars. Egbert took it. Just like that, the simple handover was done. But neither of them left.. Egbert then asked, ¡°I heard you were looking for me all day yesterday?¡± Eileen was taken aback. She didn¡¯t know who had told this to Egbert, she replied, ¡°There was a little challenge yesterday, I thought you were the boss.¡± Egbert chuckled, didn¡¯t ask if she was kidding or not, just nodded. Eileen then asked, ¡°Why did you suddenly drop out?¡± Egbert replied, ¡°Something came up, I had to go back to the Capital.¡± X Eileen immediately pressed, ¡°What happened?¡± Egbert thought about it, decided to tell her, ¡°Do you remember that guy we met in the hospitalst time?¡± Eileen was stunned, ¡°Your return to the Capital is rted to that guy?¡± Egbert nodded. The military had rejected the cooperation proposal from Bloodbane Shadowsociety, and these few days, the Bloodbane Shadowsociety had been a real pain in the ass for the military. Egbert was summoned back on short notice, under his identity as a Silent Wing. But the details involved military secrets, he couldn¡¯t spill more to Eileen.This is from N?velDrama.Org. Eileen was pretty bummed out. She didn¡¯t expect Egbert¡¯s departure had something to do with NightKing! NightKing was such a pain in the ass! His sudden visit to Crestonia and dragging Egbert into it was just so out of line! Eileen was grumbling about NightKing¡¯s ipetence in her mind, Then, Egbert suddenly pushed his phone towards Eileen. Eileen was a little puzzled looking at the phone. Egbert said, ¡°Your manager said you should give her a call when you have the chance.¡± Eileen looked at the phone, didn¡¯t want to take it. What was she going to call Ophelia for, to get a tongueshing? But she thought if she didn¡¯t take the phone, Egbert might just leave. After hesitating for a moment, she took it. Egbert¡¯s phone was still on the previous screen, opening straight to WhatsApp. Eileen didn¡¯t want to snoop, was about to exit, but then, she froze. Eileen saw Egbert¡¯s profile picture. Egbert¡¯s old profile picture was a regrndscape photo, nothing special. But now, he had changed his profile picture to an owl clock. He had changed to the same profile picture as hers! Eileen was dumbfounded. ¡± The man outside the fence saw her shocked expression, a smile in his eyes, pretending to be clueless, asked, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Elleen lifted her head, staring at Egbert for a while, then asked, ¡°Why did you steal my profile picture?¡± Egbert was speechless. He looked into her eyes, solemnly said, ¡°It¡¯s called, couple profile pictures!!¡± Chapter 185 Chapter 185 Couple profile photo? Eileen was shocked. She felt like her phone was suddenly on fire. She quickly pushed the phone back to Egbert. Then she turned around and run, faster than a rabbit! Egbert stood outside the campsite, watching her retreat at lightning speed. It left him feeling a bit helpless. Was it too sudden? Eileen ran like a dog was chasing her, all the way back to the morning jog team. Seeing her return, Eddie purposely slowed down, wanting to chat with her. But as soon as he opened his mouth, he was stunned, ¡°You¡­¡± Eileen frowned at Eddie, impatiently asking, ¡°What¡¯s up with you?¡± Eddie blurted out in panic, ¡°Did you get scalded by hot water? Why is your face so red?¡± Eileen was taken aback, she reached up to touch her own face. It was indeed very hot. At this point, the others turned around, surprised at the sight of Eileen¡¯s flushed face. Eileen silently scolded herself. Then she ignored them, angrily snapping at Eddie, ¡°None of your business! Don¡¯t talk to me, I don¡¯t know you!¡± After saying that, she left the team again, rushing to the sink to wash her face. After Eileen washed her face with cold water, she finally felt the temperature on her face drop. As she wiped her face with her sleeve, she thought about Egbert. That man was too cunning, talking about couple profile photos¡­ She must be more careful in the future! He really knew how to sweet talk. He seemed to be a man with a lot of dating experience, not a good guy at all! = After giving Egbert a good scolding in her mind, Eileen felt a little better, having regained some dignity. After finishing the morning exercise, the first day of air force training officially began. Air force training is different from army training. ?????????????????????? For example, giantdders, high-altitude broken bridges, rapid descent, peak climbing and danger crossing, these are all regr items for airborne troops¡¯ training. Today the instructor was training the eight guests on the giantdder. This was a huge softdder, on which many people can climb at the same time. After a whole day of training, it was five o¡¯clock in the evening. Eileen was in front, queuing up to get food. Everyone else was exhausted, lying on the table, unable to move. Eileen got her food and started eating, and only she was eating on the entire table. Colin was puzzled, ¡°How can you still eat?¡± Eileen swallowed the chicken, happily saying, ¡°Because it¡¯s delicious.¡± Eddie patted Colin¡¯s shoulder, shaking his head, ¡°Don¡¯t mind her. She¡¯s like that, even if the sky falls down, she can hold it up while eating.¡± Colin thought it made sense, so he didn¡¯t say anything. Eddie started sighing again, ¡°If I knew it would be like this, I would rather go parachuting¡­¡± Because he had parachuted once, Eddie always showed off that he was an experienced parachutist. But the air force¡¯s ¡°high-difficulty aerialbat training¡± was indeed not something that anyone could easilyplete. Take this example, you had to put on a safety rope, then carefully moved on the huge climbingdder, which was difficult enough, not to mention avoiding obstacles. A slight oversight, a footstep unsteady, you would fall down. You might think that with the protection of the safety rope, even if you fell, it didn¡¯t matter. Don¡¯t be naive, that rope was only to ensure that when you fell, you wouldn¡¯t die. But it wouldn¡¯t stop you from falling. In a critical moment, you still had to hold on to anything you could to keep your bnce and climb up again. But could you really climb up again? The people above would attack you, and the obstacles would hit you. After going through a round, it was simply a double torture of physical and mental! Recalling it now, Eddie still felt the pain, hemented again, ¡°Parachuting may be considered easy, but I didn¡¯t cherish it yesterday¡­¡± ; Colin alsoined, ¡°I used to think army training was tiring, but at least I just felt tired, and my feet were at least firmly on the ground. But for air force training, my feet are always on all sorts of strange ces, I even need to relearn how to stand¡­¡± At this point, there was a faint snoring sound from the side. Everyone looked over and saw that it was Jaqueline who had fallen asleep on the dining table. Seeing everyone talking, Eileen also voiced her opinion, ¡°I actually find it quite fun.¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. In an instant, six pairs of eyes were locked onto her. Eilean¡¯s cheeks were full, she lowered her head and mumbled while chewing. ¡°There are tricks to all these, I can tell you if you need.¡± Colin¡¯s eyes lit up, he quickly asked, ¡°Tell me! What are the tricks?¡± Eileen said, ¡°It¡¯s simple, just be me.¡± Colin was speechless. So was everyone else. While Eileen was training in the military, the Lopez family in the USA was holding an emergency meeting! On the TV wall in the audio-visual room, they were ying the live broadcast of Defender¡¯s Honor. On the couch sat several members of the Lopez family. Derek was the first to speak, ¡°Who wants to say something first?¡± Chad gave his opinion, ¡°The birthday party must be grand, because it¡¯s the first time we¡¯re throwing her a party, so it must leave a deep impression.¡± ke didn¡¯t fully agree, ¡°If it¡¯s too grand, she might feel ufortable.¡± Chad said, ¡°But the grandeur shows ss, it shows her noble status, she¡¯s now our family¡¯s darling!¡± At this point, Karin Lopez raised her hand. Chad nodded at her, ¡°Go ahead.¡± Karin said, ¡°I think the birthday party is secondary, but the gift must be prepared in advance. There are only five days left until her birthday.¡± Sawyer enthusiastically interrupted, ¡°About the gift, I¡­¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ke didn¡¯t even look at his eldest son, scolded him and then asked Karin, ¡°You have known well of your aunt, what kind of gift do you think she would like?¡± Karin thought for a moment, ¡°Let me think.¡± Simon couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°I¡¯ve also known my aunt¡­¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me tell you to shut up?¡± ke was getting annoyed with his two sons, why were they so noisy? Karin had a sudden realization and blurted out, ¡°I got it!¡± ke asked, ¡°What is it?¡± Karin replied, ¡°My aunt loves anything that¡¯s free!¡± ke fell silent. Chad burst intoughter, saying, ¡°Well then, seems like she¡¯ll like whatever we give her. Now, back to the birthday party, who should we invite?/After all, it¡¯s our little princess from the Lopez family¡¯s first birthday party. I wonder if the President is free on that day.¡± ke said, ¡°I¡¯ll have someone check.¡± Derek waved it off, ¡°I¡¯ll handle that, you just focus on the party decor.¡± The three men were having a ball. Chad¡¯s wife, Flossie, holding Isabel, quietly asked Sonia Lopez, ¡°Did I miss something? Have we already acknowledged Eileen as our family member?¡± ke¡¯s wife Sonia shook her head, replying in the same hushed tone, ¡°Nope, didn¡¯t we agree not to jump the gun?¡± Flossie looked puzzled, ¡°Then what are those three so excited about? We invite all the guests, even the President, and then tell everyone, Thanks foring to my daughter¡¯s birthday party, but she won¡¯t be here today, so that¡¯s it?¡± Their voices gradually got louder. Chad overheard and turned around, nonchntly saying, ¡°No worries, if she doesn¡¯t show up, we¡¯ll just call E Flossie was taken aback, ¡°Egbert?¡± Chad said matter-of-factly, ¡°Who else are we gonna call about Eileen? He¡¯s the one blocking our reunion.¡± Egbert.¡± Flossie hesitated for a moment, ¡°But, how do you know Egbert would be willing to help? You called off his engagement, even sent him some mocking messages. He¡¯s still mad and has blocked all of you, remember?¡± Chad shrugged it off, ¡°No biggie, I¡¯ll use Isabel¡¯s kiddie phone to call him, he hasn¡¯t had the chance to block Isabel yet!¡± Chapter 186 Chapter 186 Four dayster, at the 8th Air Force Battalion, Eileen just wrapped up a grueling training session and was nning to hit the mess hall with her buddies. Suddenly, one of the crew members stopped her and said, ¡°Ms. Lopez, can youe over here for a sec?* Eileen walked over, looking puzzled. Away from the camera, the crew member told her, ¡°There¡¯s a procurement task that¡¯s been assigned to you.¡± Eileen froze, ¡®Procurement?¡± He exined, ¡°It¡¯s military procurement. You¡¯ll apany the buyer this afternoon and return by tomorrow evening.¡± Eileen furrowed her brows, ¡°Isn¡¯t this a job for the Logistics Department? Why do I need to go? Plus, doesn¡¯t procurement mean leaving the camp? We¡¯re not supposed to leave, right?¡± The crew member shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t really know the details. It¡¯s the director¡¯s decision. If you¡¯ve got issues, you should take it up with him.¡± Eileen nced around, asking, ¡°Where¡¯s the director?¡± The crew member pointed, ¡°In the lounge, about twenty minutes from here.¡± Twenty minutes? Wouldn¡¯t that mess up her dinner time? Eileen frowned, then finally said, ¡°Whatever, I¡¯ll go with the flow, I¡¯ll follow orders.¡± The crew member breathed a sigh of relief. Eileen didn¡¯t say anything else and headed straight for the mess hall. After Eileen left, the director came out from a corner, looking helpless. The crew member looked puzzled, ¡°Mister, if you didn¡¯t want Ms. Lopez to leave, why didn¡¯t you just refuse the higher-ups?¡± The director snapped, ¡°If I could have refused, I would have already done so.¡± Silent Wing had scored some points! The higher-ups were bending over backward to meet his requests. When Silent Wing suggested that Eileen should get a day and a half off, the leaders immediately issued an order to arrange it. The director had no choice but to console himself. Giving her some time off was a good thing. Seeing less of Eileen for a couple of days would save his hair from falling out. The news that Eileen was going on a procurement trip with the buyer made the other seven guests green with envy. They were all undergoing rigorous training daily. The chance to leave the camp for a day felt like Christmas. That afternoon, Eileen left in the buyer¡¯s car. But something felt off ¨C there was no camera. Two hourster, they arrived downtown. The car pulled up in a secluded alley. The buyer handed Eileen a bag, ¡°We¡¯ll meet back here at eight tomorrow night. I¡¯lle pick you up. There¡¯s a mask and some clothes in the bag. You can change in the public restroom over there.¡± Eileen held the bag,pletely baffled, ¡°What?¡± The buyer urged her, ¡°Hurry up and get out, we can¡¯t park here for too long.¡± Eileen was left in the dark and hustled out of the car. She stood there, watching the procurement car drive away, leaving her stranded. Eileen was stunned. She stood there for a while, then it hit her. Her military uniform was too conspicuous, so she rushed into the public restroom to change. Eileen, now in new clothes and wearing a mask, stood at the restroom entrance. She didn¡¯t recognize anyone around and felt lost. Suddenly, a low-profile ck car pulled up in front of her. Eileen curiously looked at the car. The driver¡¯s window rolled down, revealing a familiar man¡¯s face. It was Egbert. Five minutester, Eileen was in the passenger seat. She would asionally sneak nces at Egbert Reed, but whenever she saw him looking, she would quickly look away, pretending she wasn¡¯t staring. The car moved at a steady pace After a while, Eileen finally asked, ¡°Where are we going?¡± Egbert nced at her, a warm smile in his eyes, ¡°It¡¯s three in the afternoon. Do you fancy some afternoon tea?¡± Eileen, of course, was all in! But she cautiously asked, ¡°How did you know I would be here?¡± Egbert merely smiled and didn¡¯t answer. Eileen stared at him seriously, finding the situation odd. Egbert asked again, ¡°Do you want to eat or not?¡± Eileen could only say, ¡°I do!¡± Egbert chuckled, ¡°What would you like?¡± Eileen said, ¡°Barbecue! Fish! And lobster and chicken rolls!¡± Afternoon tea with these? Egbert sighed, then said, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll have barbecue now, seafood for dinner, and chicken rolls for supper, okay?¡± Eileen excitedly agreed, ¡°Great!¡± Half an hourter, they arrived at an upscale barbecue restaurant. The food quickly arrived at their private room, and Eileen started wolfing down as soon as she started. Egbert didn¡¯t eat much, since he was busy grilling meat for Eileen and refilling her drinks. Eileen was eating non-stop Then, she suddenly saw Egbert¡¯s face. As she remembered, Egbert was pursuing her. He even changed his profile photo to match hers, saying it was a couples¡¯ thing. Eileen suddenly felt a bit awkward. For some reason, she started eating more slowly. Not only that, but she also started acting a bit more reserved. After only half an hour, she put down her fork and knife, saying, ¡°I¡¯m full.¡± Afternoon tea indeed couldn¡¯t be too heavy. Egbert didn¡¯t think much of it, he put down his utensils and said, ¡°Have some fruit then.¡± Egbert ordered a fruit tter. Soon, the fruit tter was served. Eileen ate a piece of watermelon, then another. Then she ate some dragonfruit and an orange. Then she started on the grilled beef again. The grilled beef andmb were delicious. She also ate the remaining chicken wings and grilled vegetables. She ordered another te of grilled pork ribs, a te of ham slices, and a pizza. When she finished the pizza, Eileen wiped her hands, seemingly full. Then she reached for the remaining watermelon. Egbert was dumbfounded. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. After finishing their ¡°afternoon tea¡±, they left the barbecue restaurant. In the car, Eileen asked again, ¡°Where are we going now?¡± Egbert nced at her and said, ¡°You¡¯ll know when we get there.¡± Eileen pouted, seemingly uninterested. Then, Eileen suddenly noticed Egbert¡¯s nape. Egbert had his cor popped up just a moment ago, but probably because the barbecue was getting him all hot and bothered, he tugged it down a bit. That¡¯s when Eileen spotted the bandage around his neck. Eileen immediately sat up straight, carefully pulling his cor back and asked with a serious face, ¡°Are you hurt?¡±, While driving, Egbert nonchntly replied, ¡°Just a minor scrape.¡± Eileen frowned, ¡°A knife scrape?¡± Egbert answered, ¡°A bullet scrape.¡± ¡°Holy cow!¡± Eileen gasped, her fists clenched on the spot. Angry, she demanded, ¡°Who¡¯s responsible for this?¡± Egbert kept mum. Remembering why he quit the show earlier, Eileen squinted her eyes and asked, ¡°Is it the Bloodbane Shadowsociety? Did Night King do this?¡± Egbert still didn¡¯t answer, but he didn¡¯t deny it either. That¡¯s it then! Eileen was furious, ¡°I didn¡¯t beat him nearly enough!¡± At that moment, Egbert reached out, grasped Eileen¡¯s clenched fists, and gently reassured, ¡°It¡¯s okay, doesn¡¯t hurt.¡± How could it not hurt? It was a freaking bullet! Wait, hold on. Eileen yanked her hand away abruptly and said expressionlessly, ¡°I don¡¯t care if you hurt or not, I¡¯m fine!¡± Egbert nced at her and drew his hand back, continuing to drive. The car fell silent. Pretending not to care, Eileen turned her head to look at the scenery outside the window. After a while, the car stopped at a red light, just before the zebra crossing. Eileen spotted a shop window next to her, her eyes lit up. The shop facing the street was a clock store. Disyed in the window was a clock modeled Eiffel Tower. Entranced, Eileen pressed her hands against the car window, her eyes sparkling. As the car started up again, the clock store gradually receded. Then Eileen heard Egbert¡¯s voice again, ¡°Do you really like clocks that much?¡± Eileen hastily replied, ¡°I absolutely love them!¡± Then she couldn¡¯t resist bragging, ¡°Remember those two clocks you gave me? A pyramid clock and an owl clock. The pyramid one is like my ex-boyfriend, and the owl one is like my current boyfriend. I absolutely adore them!¡± At this moment, Egbert turned the steering wheel, and the car made a turn. He asked, ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± Eileen turned to look at him and nodded, ¡°Say it.¡± So Egbert asked, ¡°If one day, both your ex-boyfriend and your current boyfriend fell into the water at the same time, would I have a shot at being your new boyfriend?¡± Chapter 187 Chapter 187 Eileen stared at Egbert in shock, never expecting him to say something like that. Egbert nced at her and seeing her stunned expression, he chuckled, raising an eyebrow, ¡°Can I?¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Eileen quickly turned her head. Looking out the window, she said, ¡®Don¡¯t try to trick me! I won¡¯t fall for it!¡± Egbert feigned confusion, ¡°Tricked?¡± Eileen almost lost control and blushed again! She eximed, ¡°I want to get out of the car!¡± Realizing he might have pushed the joke too far and scared her off, Egbert hastened to soothe her, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll stop now.¡± Seeing him shut up, Eileen finally rxed a bit. Meanwhile, she quietly upgraded her assessment of Egbert in her mind. What a sly guy, his words were full of temptation! She needed to stay alert at all times, or she might easily fall into his trap! After self-hypnotizing deep in her heart, Eileen gradually calmed down. The rest of the journey was spent in silence. But boy, that was a long ride. The car slowly moved from the city center to the suburbs. Eileen had eaten too much for afternoon tea and identally spent the rest of the ride sleeping. When she woke up again, the car was already parked outside a highway toll booth, waiting in line. Looking at the cars ahead, Eileen asked groggily, ¡°We¡¯re not there yet?¡± Egbert covered her with a nket and whispered, ¡°Almost there.¡± Eileen mumbled, ¡°Where the heck are you taking me? If you think you can ditch me somewhere and I won¡¯t find my way back, you¡¯re wrong. I can always find my way home¡­¡± Egbertughed, tapping her nose, ¡°Are you a puppy?¡± With her eyes closed, Eileen dered, ¡°I¡¯m a big tiger.¡± And then, she fell asleep again. Egbert kept driving. When Eileen woke up again, it was already dark. The car window was slightly open and the scent of peach blossoms, mixed with the fresh breeze, drifted in through the small gap. Finally, Eileen opened her eyes. She stretchedzily, pulling up the nket, and looked out the window absentmindedly. The familiar streets, the familiar peach blossoms. For a moment, Eileen froze. And then, she snapped to her senses! She sat up straight, her face pressed against the window, her nose squished against the ss. The scenery outside was too familiar to her. Eileen turned her head and stammered at Egbert, ¡°This is¡­¡± Egbert just smiled, not answering her. After a while, the car stopped in front two-stor vi. Eileen looked at the familiar vi,pletely stunned Egbert got out of the car, walked around to the passenger side, opened the door, and said to the girl inside, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± But Eileen was too scared to get out of the car., Maybe it was the idea of returning home that made her nervous. She was now extremely scared. Egbert noticed her unease. He reached out, took her hand, and gently led her out of the car. Eileen got out of the car, still in disbelief! Suddenly, she lifted Egbert¡¯s band, gently stroking the back of it. Egbert raised an eyebrow, watching her. The next second, Eileen mustered all her strength and twisted the back of his hand! His hand turning shades of blue and purple, she then asked innocently, ¡°Did that hurt?¡± Looking at his bruised hand, he repressed his anger and said, ¡°What do you think?¡± Eileen mumbled in a daze, ¡°So I¡¯m not dreaming?¡± Egbert sighed helplessly. Taking a deep breath, he ignored the throbbing pain, grabbed her hand, and led her straight to the front door. Egbert was about to unlock the door when Eileen suddenly said, ¡°Wait, let me catch my breath. I need to prepare myself!¡± Egbert stopped and patiently waited for her. Eileen saw a wooden sign hanging on the front door. On the sign, in familiar handwriting, it read ¡°Howard Manor¡±. She covered her mouth in shock, saying to Egbert, ¡°Is this really my home? My grandfather wrote this sign! But wasn¡¯t Egbert didn¡¯t answer. He inserted the key and opened the front door. my house sold?¡± The moment the door opened, it felt like time had rewound. Eileen suddenly found it hard to breathe! Childhood memories, like scenes from an old movie, surfaced in her mind. Egbert turned on the light. The visual impact was even bigger. The living room had an antique, clean interior, with vintage furniture everywhere. Eileen audibly gasped. It was exactly like her childhood home! ¡°Egbert!¡± Eileen suddenly reached out her hand in panic, saying to Egbert, ¡°Pinch me too, quickly, I can¡¯t do it myself!¡± Egbert took her hand and after a moment¡¯s silence, brought it to his lips and kissed it gently. Eileen stared at him in a daze. Egbert looked into her eyes and said apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t do it either.¡± Eileen fell silent. Egbert led Eileen into the living room, saying, ¡°The house was indeed sold ten years ago, but the new owner lived abroad most of the time, so everything here is pretty much the same.¡± The Howard family¡¯s house was not a regr house. It was given as a benefit to Mr. Howard and Renata Howard, who made significant contributions to the country. After their deaths, ¡°Eileen Howard¡± was sent back to her biological mother, and the house was naturally repossessed. Eileen knew early on that the house had been auctioned off. But she never thought she would have the chance to return here one day. Eileen looked at the fresh fruit on the table and the old fruit knife, asking, ¡°Even if the new owner didn¡¯t live here and the majority of the house is intact, what about these small items? Why are they still the same?¡± Egbert quietly responded, ¡°I restored them back to the way they were.¡± Eileen looked at Egbert and asked, ¡°Why would you do that?¡± ¡°Because tomorrow is your birthday, I wanted to give you a special gift.¡± Egbert replied with a smile, ¡°I thought my intentions were pretty clear.¡± Eileen lowered her head. She pondered for a moment, then lifted her head and said, ¡°I finally believe now that you are actually pursuing me. I used to think that it was just a whim and you would give up after a few days.¡± Looking into her eyes, Egbert promised solemnly, ¡°I won¡¯t give up.¡±, Eileen nodded, ¡°Yeah, I can see that. You¡¯ve put in so much effort, so it would be really embarrassing if you couldn¡¯t win me over, right? Giving up would be awkward, too.¡± Egbert was a bit speechless. After a moment, he massaged his temples and said sternly, ¡°I¡¯m giving you another chance. Say what you just said, again,¡± Chapter 188 Chapter 188 Eileen looked at Egbert with wide innocent eyes, keeping her mouth shut, opting for silence instead. Egbert didn¡¯t continue to berate her. He let go of her hand, asking, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to show me around?¡± Eileen snorted. ¡°You¡¯re the one who restored this ce, so don¡¯t you already know what it looks like?¡± Even though she said that, she still enthusiastically escorted Egbert around. Pointing at a vase, she said, ¡°Look at this vase, it was my grandma¡¯s favorite! Let me tell you a secret, when she bought it, the seller told her it was an antique. She didn¡¯t know any better and believed him, but it¡¯s actually not an antique at all. Later, my grandpa swapped it with a real antique so she wouldn¡¯t get upset when she found out.¡± Eileen continued, ¡°And this painting over here was done by my grandpa. I helped mix the paint. See this lively little kitty? I drew it. Well, it was with my grandpa guiding my hand, but it still counts!¡± After a while, she said, ¡°This is my dad¡¯s collection room. Egbert, you are amazing. You managed to find so many old clocks! You must have spent a fortune, right?¡± Egbert stood at the doorway, chuckling, ¡°I didn¡¯t actually spend that much.¡± Eileen didn¡¯t believe him, as vintage clocks are pretty pricey after all. She made a mental note to repay himter. Then, she took Egbert to see the other rooms. From the first floor to the second, they toured every room. The more Eileen saw, the more amazed she was. It looked exactly like it used to! In disbelief, Eileen asked Egbert, ¡°How did you manage this? Some of the things in the rooms aren¡¯t exactly the same, but the living room is spot on. You¡¯re incredible!¡± Egbert enjoyed her admiring gaze, after a while he said, ¡°I did it with a video.¡± Eileen was puzzled, ¡°Video?¡± Egbert walked over to the TV, pulling out an old videotape from a drawer. He slipped the tape into the VCR. After pressing a few buttons, the VCR started ying. The screen flickered on, showing a somewhat worn-down image. Eileen was staring at the screen, stunned. Suddenly, arge face appeared on the screen. It was her dad! Nathan had just bought a video camera, so he started by filming his own face, then turned it around to film the house. After walking through every corner of the house, his hearty voice suddenly rang out, ¡°Eileen, look what I bought.¡± A momentter, a small head peeked out from the kitchen door. Eileen¡¯s eyes widened. She was seeing her younger self. She was probably four or five at the time, full of energy. Wearing a pink dress, with little braids in her hair, she hopped out excitedly. ¡°Wow, a video camera¡­¡± the little girl stumbled into her father¡¯s arms. Nathan lifted his daughter up in his arms. The little girl disappeared from the screen. The camera started to shake as Nathan held it in one hand and his daughter in the other clearly struggling to keep it steady. Then, the little girl¡¯s voice rang out again, ¡°I want to hold it, I want to hold it¡­¡± Nathan¡¯s indulgent voice replied, ¡°It¡¯s heavy, sweetheart.¡± ¡®I want to hold it, daddy, let me hold it, I can handle it¡­¡± The camera was handed over, it shook even more violently, suddenly it was falling towards the ground. At thest moment, the camera was caught! Then, Nathan¡¯s mocking voice rang out, ¡°Haha, I told you it was too heavy. Look at your short little fingers. Kids with short fingers never grow tall. Eileen, you¡¯ll always be a shorty!¡± She was suddenly being teased! The little girl was not pleased, she huffed, ¡°I¡¯m not short¡­¡± This only made her dadugh harder, ¡°Yes, you are!¡± The little girl was angry, she shouted, ¡°Grandma, daddy¡¯s picking on me!¡± From the kitchen, her grandma¡¯s stern voice could be heard, ¡°Nathan, if you dare bully my granddaughter again, I¡¯ll kick you out!¡± Nathan argued back, Your granddaughter is a little menace, I¡¯m just disciplining her. Who would want to marry her with a bad temper like this?¡± They don¡¯t have to.¡± From the other side, another lively elderly voice chimed in. The camera turned to the balcony door, where Robin just finished watering the nts and wasing in with a watering can. Robin said disdainfully, ¡°Even if Eileen never gets married, I¡¯d support her for a lifetime!¡± Nathanined, ¡°Dad, it¡¯s because you spoil her so much, she¡¯s even bossing me around now.¡± ¡°You deserve it!¡± Robin scolded, ¡°She¡¯s your child, if anything you only have yourself to me!¡± The little girl chimed in, ¡°Right, it¡¯s daddy¡¯s fault, daddy¡¯s fault!¡± ¡°Alright, it¡¯s my fault, huh?¡± Nathan suddenly shouted, ¡°You little rascal, I¡¯m going to throw you out, out you go, out you go¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha¡± The camera shook like it was on a roller coaster. Nathan ran around the house with the little girl in his arms, pretending to throw her out. In the video, the little girl¡¯sughter filled the house. The video was paused. Egbert put down the remote, turning to look at Eileen who was sitting on the couch. Eileen didn¡¯t speak, but she had her hands over her face, peeping through her fingers at the TV screen. ¡°Egbert.¡± After a while, the woman¡¯s hoarse voice rang out. Egbert softly said, ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± Eileen sniffed, suddenly dropping her hands, pointing at her wet eyes, ¡°You happy now that you¡¯ve made me cry?¡± Egbert frowned, then stood up, walked over to her, cradled her face, and wiped her cheeks with his fingers. Eileen pouted with a determined look in her eyes. But her eyes were red, and her eyes were rmingly wet. Egbert sighed, as he gently pulled her into his arms, his hand on the back of her head, tenderly saying, ¡°I found this videotape in the military¡¯s storeroom, among your father¡¯s belongings. He was in the army for many years, and some things he had never returned.¡± Eileen buried her face in Egbert¡¯s chest, using his shirt to wipe her tears and snot. She didn¡¯t make a peep. Egbert spoke again, ¡°The tape had a lot of details about the house. I restored it based on those.¡± Eileen choked up again, pushed Egbert away, cleaned her tears with the back of her hand, then said, ¡°I know what you¡¯re saying is true, but I never expected I was such a cutie when I was little.¡± Egbert was taken aback, no reply came right away. Eileen looked at Egbert, even though she had just been crying, her tone had calmed down a lot, ¡°You know what? When I was little, I met this super cute little girl. She had big eyes, long eyshes, and delicate skin. I asked if she was an angel. My dad said, ¡®No, that¡¯s called a mirror.¡± Egbert was speechless. Eileen said, ¡®That little girl was me.¡± Egbert was beyond speechless. Seeing that Egbert is speechless, she suddenly burst intoughter, finding herself hrious. Egbert reached out his hand again, rubbing her eyes with the back of his hand, saying, ¡°Okay, you¡¯re the cutest.¡± Eileen wiped her face again, then pushed Egbert¡¯s hand away saying, ¡°y it again, I want to see more!¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Egbert frowned, ¡°Are you sure?¡± Eileen kept nodding, ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± In the end, Eileen watched it six times. By the end of the sixth viewing, she was still crying her eyes out. But then she noticed something else, ¡°Why do I feel like I look so familiar when I was little?¡± Egbert raised an eyebrow, ¡°What?¡± Eileen suddenly pped her thigh, ¡°I remember now, I look so much like Isabel, the little girl you broughtst time, don¡¯t you think we look alike?¡± Chapter 189 Chapter 189 Eileen pointed at the TV screen, her face full of surprise. At this moment, Egbert¡¯s gaze fell on Eileen¡¯s face. He fell silent. After a moment, he tentatively said, ¡°You does look like her.¡± Eileen immediately said, ¡°Right? I thought so too. Do you have a picture of Isabel? I want topare.¡± Egbert shook his head, ¡°No.¡± Eileen seemed a bit disappointed. Egbert added, ¡°But I have your picture, it¡¯s my phone wallpaper, want to see it?¡± Eileen looked frustrated. This guy must be out of his mind. Eileen stopped talking to Egbert, reached for the remote, intending to re-watch the recording. But, Egbert grabbed her hand halfway. Eileen pulled her hand back, hiding it behind her back, and looked at him. 1 Egbert stood up and said, ¡°Stop watching.¡± Eileen still wanted to watch, gripping the remote tightly. Egbert asked, ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Was she hungry? Eileen rubbed her stomach. They had been driving the whole afternoon, plus she had cried a few times, so she had used up a lot of energy¡­.. She was really hungry! Eileen put down the remote and immediately stood up. Egbert turned and walked towards the door. Eileen quickly followed and opened the door for Egbert, making it easy for the man who was footing the bill. They had dinner at a nearby seafood restaurant. The restaurant wasn¡¯t big, it only had one private room, and the decor looked a bit old. While they were waiting for their food, Eileen told Egbert, ¡°This ce has been open for many years. When I was a kid, my dad would sometimes take me here to eat.¡± Egbert rinsed the cutlery with water, dried them and handed them to her, saying, ¡°Your dad is really nice to you.¡± Eileen immediately boasted, ¡°Of course, he¡¯s the best dad in the world!¡± Hearing this, Egbert instantly fell silent. Her childhood, her youth, the most beautiful part of her heart, all had to do with the Howard family. Under these circumstances, how should he tell her that she wasn¡¯t a biological daughter of the Howard family? What would her reaction be if he told the truth? Egbert lowered his head. In the end, he was just too soft-hearted. He couldn¡¯t bear to let her know the truth. He couldn¡¯t bear to see her get hurt. He couldn¡¯t bear to see her world copse¡­ After a while, the food arrived. Eileen took a bite of the French-style butter-fried oyster, then enthusiastically rmended it to Egbert, ¡°It¡¯s delicious! You should try it!¡± Saying this, she took an oyster for Egbert, then another one, and another one. Egbert chuckled, gently saying, ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Eileen immediately said, ¡°Alright, then you¡¯ve had enough, I¡¯ll eat the rest for you!¡± Saying this, she transferred the remaining nine oysters from the te to her own. Egbert was a bit helpless. Eileen was enjoying her food, While eating, she told Egbert, ¡°You know, it¡¯s usually these unassuming small restaurants that can make truly delicious food. As for those fancy restaurants with elegant decor, good service, I can¡¯t afford them.¡± By the time they finished dinner, it was almost nine in the evening. Eileen, wearing a mask, stood at the entrance of the restaurant, contentedly rubbing her bulging belly. At this moment, the restaurant¡¯sdy boss came out, seeing Eileen rubbing her belly, she couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°How many months pregnant are you?¡± Eileen looked at thedy boss, showing a startled expression, ¡°What?¡± Thedy boss looked at Egbert who was paying, andughed, ¡°Your husband treats you very well. I saw him peeling shrimps for you when the food came.¡± Eileen hurriedly exined, ¡°No, we are not¡­¡± Thedy boss waved her hand and said, ¡°No need to be shy. All you young couples are shy, I understand. I won¡¯t tell anyone. But you shouldn¡¯t eat too much seafood while pregnant, because seafood could be allergenic. You cane back to eat after you give birth, I¡¯ll give you a discount then.¡± Eileen was in a hurry, she could only keep exining, ¡°We really are not¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± At this moment, Egbert had paid and came over wearing a mask. Thedy boss chuckled, saying, ¡°Nothing. I was just being nosy, reminding your wife to eat less seafood now since pregnant women need to avoid some food. You have to be extre careful during pregnancy.* Pregnant? Egbert froze,ughing as he looked at Eileen. Eileen was speechless! Thedy boss didn¡¯t bother the young couple anymore and quickly went back to work. When there was no one around, Egbert looked into Eileen¡¯s eyes, chuckling, ¡°Did you tell her we¡¯re married? And we have a child?¡± Eileen felt wronged, ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything!¡± The smile in Egbert¡¯s eyes deepened. He held her hand, consoling her, ¡°Alright, you didn¡¯t say anything, she figured it out herself, so it¡¯s not your fault.¡± ¡°What do you mean she figured it out!¡± Eileen thought. Eileen ignored Egbert, she shook off his hand and angrily got back into the car herself. About ten minutester, they returned to Howard Manor. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. It was a long drive when they came, and now it was already dark, they definitely couldn¡¯t drive back. So tonight, they had to stay here. When making the bed, Eileen didn¡¯t want Egbert to sleep in her dad¡¯s room, nor did she want Egbert to sleep in her grandparents¡¯ room. But there were no guest rooms in the house. The original guest rooms had been converted into her grandfather¡¯s study and her father¡¯s collection room. Eileen watched Egbert making the bed in her father¡¯s room when she stood at the door and grumbled, ¡°Egbert, why don¡¯t you sleep in my room tonight?¡± The man making the bed stopped. He turned around in surprise to look at her! Eileen said, ¡°You sleep in my room, I¡¯ll sleep in my dad¡¯s room, is that okay?¡± Egbert finally understood her meaning. Egbert threw the pillow back onto the bed, and said in a low voice, ¡°Your bed is a bit short.¡± Eileen was taken aback, she remembered that her room still had a child¡¯s bed, only 1.6 meters long. So it looks like Egbert will be sleeping in her dad¡¯s room tonight, and she¡¯ll have to sleep in her grandparents¡¯ room. She wasn¡¯t exactly thrilled about it, but Eileen didn¡¯t kick up a fuss. At the end of the day, this house wasn¡¯t really hers, it was Egbert¡¯s. After setting up the beds in both rooms, Eileen snuck off to the living room while Egbert was in the shower, to watch some old tapes. By the time Egbert came out of the shower, he found Eileen sitting on the floor in front of the sofa, remote in hand, staring at the TV screen, her eyes slightly zed over. Egbert let out a sigh, walked over, and gently stroked her soft hair. Eileen looked up at him. Maybe it was the dim lighting, or maybe the house was stirring up too many memories for her, or maybe it was Egbert¡¯s touch, ovepping with some scenes from her past. Eileen¡¯s throat moved as she mumbled uncontrobly, ¡°Dad¡­¡± Egbert paused for a moment. He thought about it, and without any better options, he could only reply, ¡°Good girl.¡± Eileen was speechless. Chapter 190 Chapter 190 When Eileen was getting ready for bed that night, she had thought she wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep a wink. Surprisingly, the moment she hit the sack, she was out like a light. The familiar surroundings, thoughcking their past vibe, still made her feel at ease subconsciously. The next day, Egbert was getting up early. After waking up, he knocked on Eileen¡¯s door. But all was quiet on the western front, no response whatsoever. Egbert furrowed his brow. He knocked again for a while, but still, no peep from inside. He started to get in a tizzy, pulled out a spare key from his drawer, and unlocked the door. Inside the room, the curtains were drawnpletely. In the dark space, one could make out a small figure, curled up on the king-size bed, breathing steadily. Egbert pursed his lips slightly. Standing at the doorway, he knocked again. The noise was loud enough to wake the dead. But the girl on the bed remained sound asleep. Egbert¡¯s expression turned serious. He quickly walked over, sat by the bed, and reached out to feel the girl¡¯s forehead. Her forehead was not hot; it didn¡¯t seem like she was sick. Just then, the girl on the bed stirred slightly. Egbert thought she was about to wake up. But Eileen just turned over and buried Egbert¡¯s expression changed again face back into the quilt, continuing to sleep. After a while, he quietly withdrew his hand, got up, and left the room. Upon quietly closing the door, Egbert still had a serious look on his face. He first discovered Eileen¡¯s shallow sleeping problem during the filming of Eyes on the Rendezvous. Back then, Galen had asked them to build up their chemistry, and they ended up watching romance movies almost every night. But Eileen couldn¡¯t sit through those movies. She would always fall asleep. However, no matter how deeply she slept, she would wake up instantly if he made the slightest move It was like an instinctive response; she was always on high alert. If he covered her with a nket, she would wake up. If he moved her body, she would wake up. If he held her she would definitely wake up. At first, she would always be very alert upon waking up Later on, she seemed to get used to him and wasn¡¯t as resistant, but she would still wake up. She always had her guard up. Even now, when he thought they were very close. But yesterday in the car, when he covered her with a nket, she still woke up. She was like a bow drawn tight, always on edge. But today, for the first time, she didn¡¯t wake up despite the heavy disturbance. Egbert didn¡¯t know what to say. He just hadn¡¯t expected that even an empty house rted to the Howard family could make her rx to this extent. How much pressure must she be under normally?, He didn¡¯t know what she had been through. There was nothing more he could find out from the information avable. At that moment, Egbert felt a bit down. Because he realized for the first time that he might not know Eileen well enough. When Eileen woke up again, it was already half-past nine in the morning. She rolled around in bed, hugging the covers, and giggled to herself for a good while before getting dressed and going out. As soon as she entered the living room, she saw Egbert on the phone. He was telling the person on the other end of the line, ¡°Won¡¯t be there until one in the afternoon.¡± After a few brief words, he hung up. Seeing here out, he casually said, ¡°You¡¯re up.¡± Feeling a bit sheepish, Eileen scratched her head and said, ¡°Did I make you wait too long? I¡¯m sorry, why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡± Egbert didn¡¯t answer her, just told her to freshen up. Eileen Immediately went to freshen up in the bathroom. In the bathroom, Eileen found that Egbert had already squeezed out some toothpaste for her. Not wasting any time, she finished freshening up, cleaned her face, and quickly walked out. This time, Eileen was left high and dry by the procurement officer. Other than a set of casual clothes and a military uniform, she had nothing. Therefore, she had to stick to Egbert like glue. She had no money and a phone, and she would have no choice but to bug without Egbert. They didn¡¯t hit the road until almost ten in the morning, and Egbert drove like a bat out of hell Eileen felt even more awkward, shrinking into the passenger seat, barely daring to make a sound. Three hourster, they arrived at a five-star hotel in the city center. Eileen curiously pressed her face to the car window, peering into the hotel. Egbert got out of the car. But Eileen didn¡¯t move. She patted her stomach, thinking to herself that she didn¡¯t know how long Egbert would be busy, and whether he could bring her some food when he came out. It was only when Egbert was about to close the car door that he saw Eileen still sitting in the passenger seat, not moving an inch. He rapped on the window and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Eileen pouted and said, ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, just go do your thing. I¡¯ll wait for you in the car, just leave the window cracked a bit for me.¡± Egbert chuckled, asking, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to eat?¡± Eileen was taken aback, ¡°But aren¡¯t you busy with work?¡± Egbert waved her over, ¡°C¡¯mon.¡± Eileen looked puzzled, but quickly followed Egbert out of the car A five-star hotel should be all about grandeur and opulence. But when Eileen walked into this hotel, she was astounded by the giant rose arch in the middle of the lobby. The arch was massive, and full of whimsy and wonder. What was even more surprising was that there was an adorable pink castle next to the arch! Inside the castle, seven little boys dressed as the seven dwarfs were actually sweeping the floor with brooms. And on the other side of the arch was a sea of flowers. The hotel¡¯s stairs and railings were adorned with branches and vines. The hotel looked like something straight out of a Grimms¡¯ Fairy Tale. Eileen¡¯s face twitched. With a weird look on her face, she struggled to ask Egbert, ¡°You¡­you see this, right?¡± Egbert was silent for a moment, took a deep breath, and said, ¡°Yes.¡± Eileen patted her chest, relieved, Thank goodness you see it too, I thought I was hallucinating!¡± Was this a hotel or Disnend? Egbert didn¡¯t say anything. He just scanned the lobby from top to bottom with a furrowed brow, then rubbed his temples and said, ¡°Is this their idea of a surprise?¡± Eileen looked at Egbert, ¡°What surprise?¡± Egbert didn¡¯t answer directly. Instead, he led Eileen into the elevator. Inside the elevator, it was decorated like a treehouse. Egbert pressed the button for the eighteenth floor. The moment the elevator doors opened, they saw the red carpetid out, the scattered flower petals, the crowns, Eileen and Egbert were both speechless. ¡°Auntie Eileen!¡± The excited voice of ine Lopez rang out at this moment. the scepters¡­ Eileen looked up to see ine at the end of the corridor, dressed in a white evening gown, her hair neatlybed, running towards her. ine¡¯s outfit made her look incredibly adorable, a stark contrast to her usual soldier persona. Eileen was shocked, she asked, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ine clingingly took her arm and said in a coquettish way, ¡°Our family rented this hotel for a birthday party. Of course, I¡¯m here! Auntie Eileen, hurry up ande with me, everyone¡¯s been waiting for you..¡± After saying this, ine took Eileen by the hand and led her towards the banquet hall. So, five minutester, Eileen, dressed in a ck t-shirt, ck pants, ck sneakers, and her hair casually tied up in a bun, was pushed into a crowd of beautifully dressed, chatty urban women and business elites, looking utterly bewildered. At this moment, Rosalind was sitting on a sofa in the corner of the banquet hall. She sighed to Flossie, ¡°You guys are so thoughtful, remembering your little sister¡¯s birthday. Her twentieth birthday is a significant day, of course, we should celebrate it. But she¡¯s not here¡­¡± Flossie gently patted her hand,forting her, ¡°Today is a good day, let¡¯s not cry today, okay?¡± Rosalind wiped the corner of her eye with a tissue, agreeing, ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t cry.¡± A few days ago, the family suddenly started nning her daughter¡¯s twentieth birthday party. Their original hotel booking was in New York, but they changed their minds and decided to have it in their home country. Rosalind had no objections to having the birthday party at home. Despite being in their home country, the party still attracted many friends, rtives, business partners, including a number of foreigners. Rosalind looked at the young girls in the room and couldn¡¯t help but think, if her daughter was here, she would be just like them. Just then, a figure in ck suddenly caught her eye! Rosalind initially didn¡¯t pay any mind to it, thinking it was a waitress who hadn¡¯t changed her clothes. Just as she was about to look away, she noticed her granddaughter, ine, arm in arm with the ¡°waitress.¡± This is from N?velDrama.Org. Rosalind paused, taking another curious look. At that moment, the ¡°waitress¡± turned her head in confusion. From where Rosalind was sitting, she could clearly see her face¡­ Flossie suddenly felt a sharp pain in her wrist, as if her bones were being crushed! Shocked, Flossie turned her head to see that it was Rosalind who was gripping her hand, gripping it very tightly. Flossie cried out in terror, ¡°What are you doing!¡± With one hand clenching Flossie¡¯s hand, Rosalind raised her other hand. Her trembling finger pointed forward, her voice trembling as she asked, ¡°That girl¡­¡± Flossie looked in the direction Rosalind was pointing. At a nce, she saw Eileen, who had just sessfully escaped from ine, sneaking over to the buffet area, and stealthily taking a cupcake from the te¡­. Chapter 191 Chapter 191 Eileen was enjoying a little cake when suddenly an astonished female voice came from behind her. Eileen froze, thinking she was busted for snacking without giving a gift. She was too scared to even turn her head. Then, the voice from behind asked again, ¡°Is that really you?¡± Eileen felt the voice was somewhat familiar, so she cautiously turned around. Instantly, she locked eyes with a woman who was heavily made up. Eileen stared at her for a moment. An awkward silence filled the air between them. After a while, the woman snapped, ¡°Why are you staring at Me? What are you doing here? Do you have any idea what¡¯s happening here? Who let you in? And you look like a total mess!¡± Her tone was quite harsh. Eileen was confused and looked at her nkly. ¡°Who are you?¡± The woman¡¯s voice sounded familiar, but maybe because of the heavy makeup, Eileen couldn¡¯t recognize her. The woman was furious, ¡°Don¡¯t you know who I am? Open your eyes wide and see clearly!¡± Eileen¡¯s face turned serious. She squinted her eyes, about to speak. Suddenly, another stern female voice echoed, ¡°Who are you to curse?¡± Eileen and the heavily made-up woman both turned their heads towards the source of the voice. A poshdy with a frail and sickly look, dressed in an elegant gown, was walking towards them. Rosalind just wanted to chat with this girl who seemed familiar to her. She didn¡¯t expect to walk into such a situation where the girl was being cursed at. Rosalind¡¯s expression was icy, her authoritative aura radiating. She was thedy of the Lopez family! A woman who had been fighting alongside her husband from a young age, she was no ordinary housewife. Rosalind stepped in front of Eileen, shielding her behind her. Then she looked at the heavily made-up woman and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± The woman, now seeming a bit flustered, replied awkwardly, ¡°Madam, hello, my name is Teresa¡­¡± Teresa? Eileen peeked out from behind thedy, looking surprised at the woman in front of her. Was she really Teresa? The one who originally yed the lead role of Hertha in ¡®Eyes on the Rendezvous¡¯, but was kicked out by Galen for secretly taking pictures of her and Egbert, viting the crew¡¯s confidentiality agreement and had to pay millions of dors inpensation? Eileen didn¡¯t recognize her at all. Eileen couldn¡¯t help but blurt out, ¡°Did you botch your stic surgery?¡± Teresa, with gritted teeth, red at Eileen and spat out, ¡°Bitch! Say that again!¡± Rosalind red at Teresa and retorted, ¡°You say that again!¡± Teresa fell silent. Rosalind was so angry that her chest hurt. She turned to the innocent-looking girl behind her and asked gently, ¡°Do you two know each other?¡± Eileen, noticing that thedy looked upset, gently held her arm and said, ¡°We used to know each other.¡± Rosalind, holding the young girl¡¯s hand, felt a sudden rush of sympathy, ¡°You obviously know each other, yet she insulted you with such harsh words. You must be very upset, right?¡± Eileen didn¡¯t say anything. Was she upset? Not really¡­ Eileen was about to say something when Teresa quickly started to exin, ¡°Madam, I was just a bit too anxious earlier, I didn¡¯t mean¡­ I was actually just joking with her. I thought she dressed like a waitress and was worried she would be made fun of¡­¡± ¡®She doesn¡¯t look like a waitress at all!¡± Rosalind¡¯s face changed as she turned to Teresa, ¡°Are you having vision problems?¡± Teresa didn¡¯t understand why thisdy was defending Eileen so fiercely. She felt wronged. 1 But she didn¡¯t dare to provoke Rosalind. Teresa was here as a femalepanion to a big boss. The boss didn¡¯t reveal much, but he mentioned that today¡¯s guests were chairpersons of globally renownedpanies and their families. The host of today¡¯s banquet was the Lopez family, ranking in the top three of the world¡¯s richest families. Yes, the legendary Lopez family! Teresa had seen thisdy during the toast. She heard some people calling her ¡°President Robert¡±, and others calling her ¡°Madam¡±. She was referred to as ¡°Madam¡± at the Lopez family¡¯s banquet. That was enough to prove her close rtionship with the Lopez family. Teresa didn¡¯t dare to offend such a big shot. She felt frustrated but didn¡¯t dare to fight back, finally managing to say, ¡°I was just joking with her.¡± Rosalind replied discontentedly, ¡°There are limits to joking. You used foulnguage in public. That¡¯s uneducated behavior. Didn¡¯t your parents teach you anything?¡± Teresa red at Eileen, ¡°She just insulted me about my failed stic surgery¡­¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Rosalind coldly responded, ¡°She was asking a question, asking if your surgery had failed. It was an interrogative sentence. If you didn¡¯t want to answer her, that¡¯s one thing, but to curse at her, I don¡¯t know what you were thinking!¡± Teresa was so angry, ¡°She was clearly insulting me! Besides, I onlymented on her clothes because I wanted to help her¡­¡± Rosalind¡¯s brow furrowed even more, ¡°Judging someone else¡¯s style is even more impolite. For example, your dress is hideous, your shoes don¡¯t match your dress your makeup looks cheap, and your nose seems to be crooked, probably because it didn¡¯t heal properly after surgery. But, I wouldn¡¯t say these things to your face, because I have manners.¡± Teresa was speechless. So, what was she saying now? Teresa was so frustrated she had a headache! If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that she dared not provoke them, she really wanted to fight these two! Teresa didn¡¯t want to say anything else, she turned around and left in her high heels. Rosalind watched Teresa leave, then turned to Eileen. ¡°Your friend is quite the piece of work! You¡¯d do well to keep your distance from her. Hanging out with bad apples won¡¯t do you any good.¡± Eileen just stared nkly at her. She was quiet for a moment, then suddenly burst outughing, handing her a te full of cake. ¡°Want a piece?¡± Rosalind blinked, looking at the te, a smile creeping onto her face. ¡°Are you treating me?¡± In her heart, Eileen knew she wasn¡¯t really treating her. The cake was free for the taking, for anyone who wanted it. Eileen grinned. ¡°Thanks for having my back.¡± Rosalind felt a warm glow. This girl was polite, grateful, kind-hearted, and cute. Rosalind epted the cake, taking a small bite, praising, ¡°It¡¯s yummy!¡± Eileen watched Rosalind¡¯s elegant way of holding the cake, thinking she was really ssy. Then she looked at her face, She was good-looking, albeit a bit weary and aged, but her poised and graceful demeanor still made her look incredibly beautiful. There¡¯s a saying that beauty isn¡¯t about looks, it¡¯s about what¡¯s inside. This saying fit Rosalind. Eiteen then turned her gaze to arge mirror on the right side of the banquet hall. In that mirror, she saw her own face reflected. She studied her own face, then shifted her gaze back to Rosalind. After a moment, she couldn¡¯t help but ask cautiously, ¡°Ma¡¯arn, may I ask, what¡¯s yourst name?¡± Chapter 192 Chapter 192 Rosalind was gobs?nacked. She popped the remaining cupcake onto the te, and looked at Eileen seriously, ¡°I¡¯m from the Robert family¡± The Robert family? Eileen paused, mulling it over before asking, ¡°Any rtives from the Howard family?¡± ¡°The Howard family?¡± Rosalind frowned, deep in thought. After a while, she shook her head, ¡°Nope.¡± Eileen pressed on, ¡°What about the Roach family?¡± Again, Rosalind shook her head. Eileen nodded, not asking further. Rosalind looked at the confused girl, hesitated, then asked, ¡°Do you feel like¡­¡± Eileen looked at her. Despite her words trailing off, Eileen understood what she meant. They both felt a sense of familiarity, a reflection of themselves in each other¡­ At that moment, Rosalind stared into the girl¡¯s eyes, whispered, ¡°What¡¯s yourst name?¡± Eileen didn¡¯t hide the truth, ¡°I¡¯m currently part of the Lopez family, but originally from the Howard family. My father¡¯s name is Nathan Howard.¡± Rosalind started to ponder again. Nathan, a total stranger. This is from N?velDrama.Org. The Robert family didn¡¯t have many rtives, so she didn¡¯t recognize any Howard family members. But that only excited her more. If they weren¡¯t rtives, and they looked so simr, there was only one other possibility¡­ Could it be¡­ Rosalind examined Eileen¡¯s face, studying it over and over again. Could she be the child from back then? Could she be¡­her daughter? ¡°Sweetie,¡± Rosalind tried to control her pounding heart, swallowed hard, asked with difficulty, ¡°How old are you?¡± Eileen paused, ¡°Neen.¡± Rosalind asked again, ¡°When¡¯s your birthday?¡± Eileen replied, ¡°I¡¯ll be twenty next month.¡± ¡°And you¡­¡± ¡°Mum, why are you here?¡± Flossie had only gone to say a few words to Chad Lopez, turned around and Rosalind was nowhere to be seen. Looked up, and there was Rosalind, sneaking off to find Eileen! Flossie was frantic, so she dashed over, not daring to look at Eileen, grabbed Rosalind¡¯s arm, trying to pull her away. Rosalind obviously didn¡¯t want to leave, because she still had many questions for Eileen. But Flossie didn¡¯t loose her grip. Rosalind started struggling. They were at a stalemate. In the end, Rosalind got angry, she struggled harder, looking like she was about to fight Flossie! Eileen was bbergasted. She couldn¡¯tprehend this sudden turn of events. At this point, Sonia saw that things were going south, and rushed over. There¡¯s strength in numbers, the two women, one on each side, managed to forcefully drag Rosalind away. Eileen was left behind, clueless about what just happened. She watched Rosalind¡¯s retreating figure, then Flossie¡¯s. Wasn¡¯t that Ms. Flossie? Wait, did Ms. Flossie just call thatdy¡­mum? Eileen scratched her head. Today¡¯s events were just too bizarre. She kept running into familiar faces. And her own face. She looked so much like thatdy, if one didn¡¯t know, they might mistakenly recognize them as mother and daughter. A whirlwind of thoughts swirled in her mind. Then, Eileen suddenly paused. She seemed to have forgotten something important. Eileen lowered her head in thought. As she did, she saw the cupcake in her hand. She patted her forehead. Right, she had forgotten to eat the cupcake! How could she get distracted while eating? Eileen quickly picked up a cupcake, took a big bite! Rosalind was taken to the resting room by the two women. Being almost sixty, her health wasn¡¯t the best, and her breathing grew heavier from her anger. The two women rushed to pat her back, Flossie took out some medicine from her bag, poured a cup of water, and handed it to her. After taking the medicine, Rosalind¡¯s breathing eased. She clutched her daughters-inw¡¯s hands tightly, looked them in the eyes, asked tremulously, ¡°Tell me the truth, are you hiding something from me!¡± The two women exchanged a nce, neither spoke. Rosalind turned pale, ¡°That girl, is she¡­¡± ¡°Calm down.¡± Sonia saw her shaking increasingly, quickly tried to soothe her. Then she pointed the finger at Flossie, ¡°I don¡¯t know anything, ask Flossie!¡± Flossie was suddenly thrown under the bus. She took a moment to react, about to defend herself. But Rosalind was already furious, ¡°Say it!¡± Suddenly, she leaned back, her face instantly pale. ¡°Rosalind!¡± Flossie was terrified, about to call for help. But Rosalind held onto their hands tightly, preventing them from leaving, ¡°tell me¡­¡± Flossie was frantic, worried that something might happen to her, making her the culprit! Out of options, she blurted, ¡°Yes! It¡¯s her! She¡¯s your daughter! We found her and brought her back¡­¡± Before Flossie could finish, she saw Rosalind, who was just angry, suddenly calm down. She looked well, her previously pale face now slowly regaining color. Flossie and Sonia understood. The moment Rosalind got the information, she stopped pretending to be sick! Ever since she started taking Mr. Carl¡¯s medicine, her illness had reduced greatly. At the start, she did have some trouble breathing, but after taking the medicine, she was fine, so she was all right now. Rosalind stood up, walked out without hesitation. Flossie and Sonia quickly stopped her. Rosalind warned them, ¡°Back off!¡± The two didn¡¯t let go and held on to her tenaciously. Eventually, Flossie was on the verge of tears and could only plead, ¡°Can you just let me exin what happened first?¡± Meanwhile, at the party venue. Sure, cake was yummy, but you couldn¡¯t keep eating it all the time or you would get sick of it. After Eileen had sampled over several different types of cupcakes, she shifted her attention to the other food items. Twenty minutester, while Eileen was tucking into some pasta, Egbert walked over. Seeing sauce smeared all over Eileen¡¯s mouth, Egbert handed her a napkin to clean her mouth. Eileen took the napkin, wiped her mouth, then looked straight at Egbert and asked, ¡°Where have you been? I¡¯ve been looking for you everywhere, I was almost going nuts!¡± Egbert nced at the empty tes next to her. He stayed silent for a moment, then looked at Eileen again. He didn¡¯t say anything, just quietly watched her. Eileen quickly pushed the tes aside and defended herself, ¡°I didn¡¯t eat all of this, someone else did.¡± Egbert shot her a look, ¡°Who else would be eating in this entire banquet hall but you?¡± Eileen was taken aback at his words and asked, ¡°Really? Am I the only one eating? Am I standing out too much?¡± Egbert sighed, looked at her helplessly, but finallyforted her, ¡°You¡¯re not standing out.¡± Upon hearing this, Eileen finally rxed and continued eating with her te. Egbert just waited by her side. After Eileen finished another te, Egbert took her hand and said, ¡°There are some people I want you to meet.¡± Eileen was led away by him with a puzzled look and blinked her eyes asking, ¡°Who?¡± Egbert didn¡¯t answer. A few minutester, Eileen was led to the other side of the banquet hall, where she saw some familiar faces. Not everyone from the Lopez family was there. They didn¡¯t want to scare Eileen. So, apart from Derek, ke, and Chad who spoke to Eileen face to face, ine, Karin, Simon, Sawyer, and even Isabel, were all dressed casually and blended in with the crowd. Chapter 193 Chapter 193 When Eileen was brought out to meet the folks, she got the shock of her life seeing Albert Reed, Egbert¡¯s dad. She didn¡¯t see thating in a million years. She was so taken aback that she immediately gave Albert a deep bow. Derek, her dad, was about to say something, but seeing his daughter being so courteous, he quickly stepped in, ¡°No need for that, just talk.¡± Eileen was helped up by an old man, whom she recognized from thest time at the Survival military camp. She saw him with a man dressed in elite gear, both of whom happened to be in Egbert¡¯s tent. Eileen didn¡¯t have a good vibe about these two. They were ogling her all day and it made her skin crawl. She turned to Albert with a smile stered on her face and said in her sweetest voice, ¡°Hello, Mr. Reed!¡± Only then did Derek realize his daughter wasn¡¯t bowing to him. His face fell as he turned to his long- time friend. On the other hand, Albert was thrilled to bits. His face broke into a doting smile as he waved Eileen over, ¡°Come here, Eileen.¡± Eileen sprinted over to him, leaving Derek with a sour expression. He threw a look to his eldest son, signaling him to do something. ke was at a loss. He¡¯d noticed that Eileen gave him and his dad a dirty look when she first saw them. Chad, trying to divert attention, piped up, ¡°Ms. Lopez, long time no see.¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Eileen gave Chad a polite nod before turning her attention back to Mr. Reed.. Chad felt like banging his head against a wall. Albert was downright smug. He introduced Eileen to his wife, ¡°Eileen, meet my wife, Josephine.¡± Eileen greeted Josephine, Egbert¡¯s mother, with a respectful bow, ¡°Hello, Mrs. Reed.¡± Josephine greeted Eileen warmly and admired her, ¡°So, you¡¯re Eileen. My husband talks about you all the time. You¡¯re such a darling.¡± Eileen blushed, biting her lip shyly, ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Egbert was speechless. The Lopez family members felt helpless. Derek had had enough. He had to take matters into his own hands. ¡°Josephine!¡± Suddenly, a familiar female voice came from the other side. It was his wife. Derek hadn¡¯t told her about their daughter yet due to her health conditions. He didn¡¯t want his wife to meet their daughter just yet. He reached out to hold her hand, hoping to take her aside. But she brushed past him, bumping his shoulder without even a nce. Derek was nonplussed. Rosalind, Derek¡¯s wife, went straight to Josephine. Even though she called out Josephine¡¯s name, her eyes were fixed on Eileen. Eileen had met Rosalind before and gave her a slight nod. ¡°You¡¯re here. I thought you¡¯d left already.¡± Rosalind said with a smile. ¡°Are you looking for me?¡± Eileen asked in surprise. ¡°Yes.¡± Rosalind reached out to hold Eileen¡¯s hand, only to find Josephine holding it. So, she yanked Eileen¡¯s hand from Josephine¡¯s grip, much to her surprise. ¡°I enjoy yourpany. Let¡¯s have a chat. I heard you like cake. There are some new cakes over there, including gold foil cakes. Would you like some?¡± Rosalind asked, remembering that her daughter liked expensive things. Eileen¡¯s eyes lit up at the mention of gold foil cake, ¡°I love that!¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s go get some.¡± Rosalind took Eileen away, with Josephine tagging along.. The only ones left behind were Derek and Chad who barely had a word in, and ke who didn¡¯t get a chance to utter a word. The rest of the Lopez family emerged from the crowd, asking, ¡°What just happened?¡± ¡°Why did Auntie Eileen leave?¡± ¡°Why is grandma with Eileen? Doesn¡¯t she know Eileen is our aunt?¡± Isabel pouted, ¡°I wanted to go with Eileen too¡­¡± Derek¡¯s face was stormy. Chad nced around and sure enough, he spotted his sneaky wife in a corner. He bellowed, ¡°Flossie!¡± Flossie didn¡¯t even think twice, she just wanted to bolt. Sonia had the same idea. ke shouted, ¡°Sonia Mayfield Lopez!¡± Hearing her husband call her full name, Sonia knew she couldn¡¯t dodge this. She reached out and grabbed Flossie. Flossie tried to wriggle free from Sonia¡¯s grip, shouting, ¡°Let go of me!¡± But Sonia didn¡¯t let go, she gritted her teeth and said, ¡°You¡¯re facing this mess with me!¡± With that, she dragged Flossie away, making her stand in front while she hid behind her. Flossie was speechless. Chad frowned and asked, ¡°What on earth happened?¡± Flossie looked at her husband, then around at the dozen or so people, including Derek. She realized she couldn¡¯t hide anymore and had to fess up, ¡°Your mom found out¡­¡± At her words, the room erupted with chatter. Derek fell silent, knitted his brows, and after a moment, nodded, ¡°I was actually nning on Flossie quickly added, ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s fine. She took a pill and felt better right away!¡± Derek looked surprised, ¡°She took medicine?¡± her myself. Her health has been improvingtely.¡± Flossie answered, ¡°It was a normal dose. Mr. Carl said she could take it if she was feeling unwell, and she¡¯d be okay!¡± Derek finally rxed. ke then asked, ¡°What did my mom mean just now? Why did she take Eileen away?¡± Sonia stayed silent. Flossie didn¡¯t speak either, Chad moved closer to Flossie, ¡°Flossie?¡± With a troubled look, Flossie finally said, ¡°Your mom said if you guys were going to keep her in the dark, then no one should have any contact with her, and no one will get off easy! Her daughter is hers and hers alone, no one else can touch her!¡± Derek¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡°Do I count as ¡®no one else¡¯?¡± Flossie averted her eyes, guiltily saying, ¡°She said anyone other than her is ¡®no one else¡¯. She also said you¡¯re the ringleader, keeping things from her. For the next two months, you and your sons can go live somewhere else, she doesn¡¯t want to see you¡­¡± Derek was helpless. As soon as Flossie finished speaking, all eyes in the room turned to Derek. At that moment, Albert stepped forward, pped his old friend on the shoulder, and sympathetically said, ¡°Man, you¡¯re really outta luck. You¡¯ve lost your daughter, and your wife won¡¯t talk to you, seems like you¡¯re up the creek without a paddle, huh?¡± Chapter 194 Chapter 194 Rosalind and Josephine took Eileen for a bite of gold-foil cake first. Then they started giving her a tour of the hotel¡¯s decor. While walking, Rosalind exined their design concept to Eileen. ¡°This is the Fairy Academy. Have you ever read that fairy tale? A bunch of little fairies studying magic in a school in the forest. This is recreated based on the description in that storybook. Look, there are desks, chairs, and even a ckboard and little chalks.¡± Eileen looked at the simted school surrounded by flowers and nts, savouring the taste of the gold foil cake, and nodded, ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡± Rosalind¡¯s eyes sparkled, asking, ¡°So, do you like it?¡± Eileen couldn¡¯t possibly say she didn¡¯t like it, so she said, ¡°I do, I like it a lot.¡± Rosalind was overjoyed. Holding Eileen¡¯s hand, she continued to lead her forward. The rooms, restaurant, and banquet halls of various sizes of this hotel were all rented by the Lopez family and decorated into various fairy-tale scenes, costing a fortune. Cindere¡¯s hut, Little Red Riding Hood¡¯s grandmother¡¯s house, the Frog Prince¡¯s pond, Sleeping Beauty¡¯s castle. After a long tour, Eileen even saw the flower bud of Thumbelina. The flower bud was a room built into a giant flower, with a pink wooden bed ced in the middle of the flower heart to signify that this was where Thumbelina lived. When Eileen saw this, she was at a loss for words to describe her feelings. The Lopez family is really rolling in dough! She hadn¡¯t seen the birthday boy or girl yet. Looking at this, the birthday kid was probably just starting kindergarten. What a lucky kid to have such avish birthday party at such a young age. ¡°Eileen, do you want to give it a try?¡± Eileen was daydreaming. Suddenly, she felt as if she had been struck by lightning. ¡°Eileen was like, ¡°Me?¡± Rosalind said, ¡°You¡¯ve been looking at that little bed. You want to lie on it, right? It¡¯s okay, go ahead.¡± Eileen quickly exined, ¡°I, I¡¯m not, I didn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Alright, Eileen, get up there. We¡¯ll take pictures!¡± Josephine said, already proficiently pulling out her phone, aiming at Eileen¡¯s face. In the end, Eileen couldn¡¯t resist the persuasion of the two elders and sat awkwardly on the whimsical pink wooden bed. The two elders took pictures of her from various angles. Eileen had to cooperate with them, sometimes she had to smile at the camera, sometimes she had to fake cry at the camera, and sometimes she had to pretend to be asleep, closing her eyes, waiting for the elders to say okay before she could open her eyes. After being tormented, Eileen began to feel scared. But the thing was, it didn¡¯t end just because she was scared. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. When Egbert found Eileen, she was sitting in the lobby¡¯s flower sea, wearing a Snow White puff skirt, surrounded by seven dwarfs. Seeing Egbert, Eileen, as if she¡¯d found a savior, immediately called out, ¡°Egbert¡­¡± Before she could finish her sentence, she saw Egbert turn his head and startughing. Eileen was speechless. Was heughing? Egbert evenughed at her. Eileen was instantly angry. She stood up, disregarding the two elders who were taking pictures next to her, and shouted loudly, ¡°We¡¯ve got the princess, we¡¯ve got the dwarfs, we¡¯re missing a prince! Mr.. Reed, you seem perfect for the role! Ladies! Quick! Grab him! Don¡¯t let him escape!¡± Eileen, lifting herrge skirt, personally went to catch Egbert! Egbert didn¡¯t run, he just stood there. Looking at the girl clutching his arm tightly, he smiled softly, ¡°Snow White and the prince, huh? I didn¡¯t say I didn¡¯t want to.¡± Josephine, with her phone in hand, looking at this matching couple, felt warm in her heart. Seeing Rosalind approaching, Egbert respectfully bowed his head. Rosalind nced at him and didn¡¯t say anything, she just pulled Eileen and said, ¡°Eileen, let¡¯s go pick out some gifts.¡± Eileen, thinking Mrs. Lopez was going to drag her to take more pictures, was about to cling to Egbert. But when she heard it was to choose gifts, she was stunned, ¡°Me? Choose gifts?¡± Rosalind chuckled, dotingly tapped her nose and said, ¡°You¡¯ve taken so many photos with us, let me give you some gifts as thanks, okay?¡± Eileen didn¡¯t expect such a good thing. She was actually getting gifts! She immediately felt embarrassed, she was just taking pictures reluctantly. If she had known there were rewards, she would have definitely put in more effort, changing poses every second! Eileen held her hand, enthusiastically saying, ¡°How about we take more pictures? I can do a lot of poses!¡± Rosalindughed and said, ¡°No more pictures today. We¡¯ll take more next time. Let¡¯s go pick out some gifts first, follow me.¡± Eileen immediately followed Rosalind, asking as she walked, ¡°When will we take pictures next time? Will I get gifts next time? I mean, thank you for giving the gifts, I¡¯ll choose the cheapest ones! I definitely won¡¯t let you spend too much!¡± Half an hourter, Eileen was standing at the entrance of the private room, carrying a bag of dolls, with a dog-shaped pillow that was bigger than her in her arms, standing silently. She did say she¡¯d pick the cheapest, but could she pick something smaller? Josephine and Egbert followed behind, seeing Eileen struggling, Josephine quickly nudged her son¡¯s arm, urging him, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to help?¡± Egbert nced at his mother, ready to go over. Rosalind had already said, ¡°No need, the bodyguards can carry it.¡± Twenty minutester, Eileen stood at the hotel entrance, watching the bodyguards load dozens of bags of dolls into a freight truck, then close the door and let the driver drive the dolls ording to the address. As Rosalind said, these dolls will be delivered directly to her home. Eileen thought of her digs, that tiny apartment that could only fit one person to live¡­. Eileen wiped her face, feeling she couldn¡¯t keep this up and it was alreadyte. She grabbed Egbert¡¯s clothing, sending him an urgent look. Egbert nced at his cuff, her slender fingers. He looked up at Eileen, then at Rosalind, saying, ¡°We should get going.¡± Rosalind¡¯s face immediately turned sour. She looked at Egbert, who helplessly exined, ¡°It¡¯s the camp¡¯s rules.¡± Oh right, Flossie mentioned her daughter was still shooting the show. Rosalind thought she could watch her daughter from the show when she got home and felt slightly better. Then, Rosalind pulled out her phone, looked at Eileen and tentatively asked, ¡°Can we exchange numbers?¡± Certainly, Eileen quickly entered her number into Rosalind¡¯s phone, saying, ¡°I don¡¯t have my phone with me, but I¡¯ll save your number when I get it.¡± Rosalind nodded repeatedly, not wanting her daughter to leave. So, she clung to Eileen, whispering, ¡°Eileen, I really like you. hope you can like me too. Can we be friends?¡± Eileen chuckled, saying, ¡°Of course, I really like you too.¡± As Eileen spoke, she gave Rosalind a hug. But when she let go, she saw Rosalind¡¯s eyes were red and she had been crying. Eileen froze, ¡°You¡­¡± Rosalind sniffed, shook her head, lightly patted her hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine, I won¡¯t hold you up. You should go.¡± Eileen closed her mouth, remaining silent. Then, Egbert took Eileen¡¯s hand, faced Rosalind, and respectfully bowed. Rosalind understood his gesture, she nodded, waved at them, holding back her sadness, saying, ¡°Go, just go.¡± Even as they drove off, Eileen was still watching Rosalind through the car window. Once the figures behind them became smaller and smaller, Eileen finally turned back to Egbert, saying, ¡°She¡¯s such a warm and emotional woman.¡± Egbert softly asked, ¡°Do you like her?¡± Eileen smiled and nodded, ¡°Yes.¡± Then, she pulled out a plush charm from her pocket, squeezing its fluffy tummy, saying, ¡°She also gave me this, I¡¯m going to attach it to my keys¡­¡± Suddenly, Eileen stopped. Egbert turned to look at her, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Eileen looked at Egbert, slowly pulling out a hard object from a hole in the back of the charm. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± It was a ring. Eileen looked at the shiny, cool emerald ring. She casually slid it onto her thumb and showed Egbert, ¡°It¡¯s quite cute. It came with the charm?¡± Egbert nced at the ring, his pupils slightly constricting. He watched Eileen casually twirling the emerald ring on her finger. He pursed his lips, finally reminding her, ¡°That ring is carved from a piece of emerald, which is a masterpiece from the Victorian master Garrison. It¡¯s an antique. Thest time it appeared was at n Auction House, where it was auctioned off for a whopping 126 million dors¡­ It seems, this is the real gift she gave you.¡± Rosalind¡¯s gift to her daughter on her 20th birthday. Chapter 195 Chapter 195 Eileen was freaking out. She stared at the ring she had casually slipped onto her thumb. Eileen was so scared she could hardly move. She just held her hand up like that, then turned her head, looking at Egbert with sheer terror, and asked in a stiff voice, ¡°Are you messing with me?¡± Egbert kept one hand on the wheel while using the other to reach over and press her hand down. He gently squeezed her fingertips and said, ¡°Chill out.¡± How could she possibly chill out? This was 126 million dors! Eileen had forgotten to shake off Egbert¡¯s hand. But she was very suspicious, ¡°Are you pulling my leg? How could anyone give such a gift to someone they just met? You¡¯re definitely ying me, aren¡¯t you?¡± Egbert didn¡¯t respond. Eileen frowned, ¡°Are you or are you not ying me?¡± Egbert still didn¡¯t respond. Eileen was starting to get mad, she smacked Egbert¡¯s hand hard with her other hand, and roared, ¡°Tell me!¡± Egbert looked at his hand that had been smacked red. He knew she was really upset. He could only say, ¡°I¡¯m not ying you, they really are loaded.¡± Even if they were loaded, they couldn¡¯t just spend money like that. Eileen was genuinely terrified. She said, ¡°Drive back right now! Drive back immediately!¡± But Egbert didn¡¯t turn back. Eileen shouted loudly, ¡°Go back! I have to return this to them! They must¡¯ve made a mistake!¡± After a while, the car stopped. The traffic lights in front of them were changing, and pedestrians were passing by. As they paused, Egbert looked at Eileen from the corner of his eye. His deep gaze was meant to beforting. He said softly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to. Eileen said, ¡°How can I not? I can¡¯t ept such an unexpected gift¡­¡± Egbert repeated seriously, ¡°You really don¡¯t have to.¡± Eileen was baffled. When the lights turned green again, Egbert started the car. Eileen didn¡¯t say anything else. She just stared deeply at Egbert¡¯s profile. Such an expensive thing, but Egbert said she didn¡¯t have to return it? Egbert wasn¡¯t the kind of person who would take advantage of others. He knew Ms. Rosalind, how could Egbert say such a thing? Eileen looked awful. Her mind started to run wild. She thought about Rosalind¡¯s face which was simr to hers. Then she thought about when she hugged Rosalind, and how Rosalind had cried. They drove for a long time. When they arrived at their destination, the buyer¡¯s car was already waiting across the street. Eileen was in the passenger seat, still in the same position as before, not having moved a bit. Egbert said, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Only then did Eileen turn to look at Egbert. She said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m afraid to touch this thing, take it off for me.¡± Egbert nced at her, then took her hand, removed the ring, and handed it to her. Eileen didn¡¯t take it, she just got out of the car immediately. ¡°From now on, this thing is in your hands. If it¡¯s damaged, you pay for it!¡± Egbert¡¯s expression didn¡¯t show any surprise. He just stared at her, then said, ¡°I thought you would like it, it¡¯s very expensive after all.¡± hapter 193 This is from N?velDrama.Org. Eileen gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s expensive, but we have no special rtionship, why should I ept such an expensive gift?¡± After saying that, Eileen suddenly mmed the car door shut. She ran across the street and got into the buyer¡¯s car. Not until the buyer¡¯s car gradually disappeared from sight did Egbert smirk, ying with the ring in his hand. He took out his phone and made a call. Rosalind knew that Egbert had caused her gift to her daughter to be returned. She got a headache from anger. ¡°Why did you tell her the real price of the ring?¡± Egbert didn¡¯t say anything. Rosalind gritted her teeth, ¡°Couldn¡¯t you say it¡¯s worth a hundred dors? I¡¯ve heard from Flossie that if something is worth a hundred dors, she would cherish it like a treasure and keep it until the end of the world! Would she return it if you said it was worth a hundred dors?¡± Egbert was still silent. Rosalind began to have difficulty breathing. Josephine was worried that her son would anger his future mother-inw to death before even getting married. She hurriedlyforted Rosalind, and said, ¡°But at least we¡¯ve proven that Eileen is a person of integrity, right? If it was someone else, would they return something so valuable?¡± Rosalind looked at Josephine angrily and said, ¡°Did I give her a gift to test her moralpass? If she has a problem with her morals, is she no longer my daughter?¡± Josephine could only sigh. Alright, there was no point in saying anything else. When Eileen returned to the military camp, it was already dark. She walked in her military uniform, deep in thought. No one would give a stranger a gift worth a hundred million dors for no reason. Even if they were incredibly rich. ¡°A stranger¡­¡± Eileen frowned in thought. What if the other person wasn¡¯t a stranger? A thought kept popping up in Eileen¡¯s mind. But that thought was always rejected by her. Eileen was so focused on her thoughts that she didn¡¯t notice and bumped into someone. Without looking to see who it was, she just lowered her head and apologized, ¡°Sorry.¡± Then she just kept walking. Eileen walked quite a distance. She didn¡¯t know that there were three people behind her, staring at her back as if they had seen a ghost! Edna was stunned. She widened her eyes in surprise and asked, ¡°Did she just¡­ apologize to me?¡± Patti, standing next to her, also found this strange, ¡°Did we hear wrong?¡± ¡°One person might hear wrong, but three people at the same time? Jaqueline, what did you hear?¡± At this moment, Jaqueline¡¯s face was ghostly pale, and her lips were a frightening shade of blue. She said with terror, ¡°I heard it, she said sorry! It¡¯s over, she must have encountered some bad luck when she went out! She must have been possessed by a ghost!¡± Edna and Patti¡¯s faces were very serious. They felt that Jaqueline¡¯s guess might very well be true. An hourter, Edna, Patti, Jaqueline, along with Colin, Eddie, and two other dudes. Seven of them, having a secret chinwag right under the dorm building. After hearing the whole shebang, Eddie, wearing a look of sorrow, said, ¡°We gotta save her!¡± Edna snorted and said, ¡°We don¡¯t really like her, but she¡¯s still one of us dorm members. The dirty stuff she brings back affects us too, so we should help her out.¡± Eddie and his gang came to an agreement with Edna and her crew, and they were all on the same page. Half an hourter, Eileen got back to the dorm after scrubbing up. But on her way back, she got jumped! Out of nowhere, seven peers popped up, not a word said, and went straight for her! Some grabbed her arm, some held on to her legs, and some tried to pinch her middle finger. In that brief moment, she heard Eddie yelling, ¡°Hold her down! She ain¡¯t herself right now, don¡¯t let your guard down!¡± Eileen frowned, her bright eyes fixed on Eddie. Two minutester, Eddie was under Eileen¡¯s foot! He let out a squeal like a pig being ughtered, ¡°Ah! It¡¯s her! Still hurts like hell! Drag her off, quick!¡± Chapter 196 Chapter 196 At some five-star hotel far from the military base. Upon hearing that her daughter had returned to the military base, Rosalind, full of interest, sat in the hotel¡¯s screening room with Josephine, watching her daughter¡¯s live stream. Ten minutester, Rosalind was staring stiffly at the projection screen, at the sweet girl who was grabbing a tall boy¡¯s hair and beating him up. She fell into deep thought. The girl had just taken a shower, her hair was still a bit wet, her expression was cold and her actions were skilled. After several rounds of fighting, she had knocked down seven people around her! After finishing the fight, the girl tidied up her half-wet hair. She picked up the toiletries on the ground, held a basin in one hand, and said indifferently to the seven people, ¡°Clean up this ce, if anyone asks, say you fell by yourselves, don¡¯t let anyone know it was me who beat you up. Got it?¡± The seven dared not defy her and could only confirm, ¡°Understood¡±. The girl¡¯s gaze then turned back to the camera. She made a throat-slitting gesture at the camera, then her red lips pursed slightly, warning coldly, ¡°You too, if you dare to spill it, bear the consequences!¡± The cameraman was speechless. Josephine and Rosalind didn¡¯t know what to say. Compared to Josephine and Rosalind¡¯s astonishment, the live streamments seemed calm. ¨C [It took you four and a half minutes to fight seven people? Gosh, Eileen, no way, you aregging behind.¡± ¨C [So you still don¡¯t know it¡¯s a live broadcast? Can¡¯t you borrow someone¡¯s phone and check twitter?] ¨C [Eileen is too much, beating people up like this and not even seriously injuring anyone.] ¨C [If you¡¯re going to pretend it wasn¡¯t you who did the beating, don¡¯t leave such obvious personal traces, okay?] ¨C [I¡¯m a new viewer, I don¡¯t understand, what are personal traces?] ¨C [You can search for ¡®Ms. Lopez¡¯s Fighting Tutorial Clips¡¯ on the video site, it has all the practice fight screen recordings since Eileen joined the force.] ¨C [Oh, I found it, watching now.] A minuteter. ¨C [Did I search wrong? The video doesn¡¯t seem to be practice fights, it¡¯s Eileen with four male guests, holding bricks, blocking eight old soldiers with steel tubes at the flower bed and then fighting!] ¨C [That¡¯s right, just watch that one, you¡¯ll understand. There are close-ups of the old soldiers¡¯ injuries later, you can tell from the wounds that Eileen¡¯s fighting style is very distinctive.] Rosalind was shocked. Josephine took out her phone and really found the video. As she watched, she eximed, ¡°Her personal style is indeed very distinctive.¡± Rosalind was too puzzled to speak. Noticing Rosalind¡¯s puzzled gaze, Josephine hurriedly exined, ¡°My husband and son are both in the military, I¡¯m used to watching them fight. You should observe more. Even if you don¡¯t like fights, I worry you will have nomon topic with your daughter in the future.¡± Rosalind was helpless. In the 8th Air Force Battalion, a serious violent incident was discovered today. Eileen had no idea who reported it. She had just returned to her dorm when she was called out for punishment. Not only her, but the other seven people were also punished. This is from N?velDrama.Org. After all, they were the ones who first surrounded her. The sergeant was angry, they had disturbed his rest, he had to dress up ande out to scold them severely. He first scolded Eileen, ¡°You cause trouble as soon as you¡¯re back. Look at what you¡¯ve done to them! You might as well stay out and nevere back!¡± Then he scolded the other seven, ¡°You seven people beating, one person and you end up like this. What have you learned in the camp? Don¡¯t say you¡¯re my soldiers when you go out, I don¡¯t want to lose face.¡± The sergeant ranted and raved, making himself angry. Finally, he announced that all eight of them would be punished, running twentyps. Not a singlep less. The sergeant thought his punishment was severe, they should learn a lesson. Half an hourter, the sergeant helplessly watched Eileen, who hadpleted twentyps without breaking a sweat, standing next to him resting. Then he looked at the other seven people who were still running. They had only fun fiveps and were already exhausted. The sergeant was speechless. The sergeant coughed, and asked Eileen seriously, ¡°Do you realize your mistake now?¡± Eileen nodded and answered earnestly, ¡°I realize my mistake.¡± The sergeant was slightly satisfied, then asked, ¡°Will you fight again next time?¡± Eileen didn¡¯t respond. The battalionmander was speechless. In the end, the other seven people only ran sixps, and the sergeant let them stop, saying the remaining fourteenps would be made up tomorrow. After dismissal, Eileen watched the sergeant leave and couldn¡¯t help but follow him. The sergeant frowned after hearing Eileen¡¯s words and asked, ¡°You want to make a phone call?¡± Eileen nodded slightly, her face slightly gloomy, ¡°There¡¯s something I want to clear up as soon as possible, so I hope you allow me to make a phone call.¡± The sergeant was silent for a while and looked around to see no one. He still took out his phone from his pocket and handed it to her, ¡°Be quick, don¡¯t get caught.¡± Eileen thanked him, then hurried to the corner to call her senior brother Malloy Carl. In the 8th Air Force Battalion, they spent three days this rough and simple. Then came the day of transfer. This time, the eight guests were sent to the Navy Battalion. The drill instructor of the Navy Battalion, was not as strict as the Land Force Battalion, nor as demanding as the Air Force Battalion. Perhaps it was theter part of the show, the program was no longer showing the harshness of the army, but began to go down the warm path. This warm path was really heartwarming. So heartwarming that it was unexpected. At lunchtime, Eileen, Eddie, Colin, and two other male guests, sat together at the cafeteria table. Usually, the eight guests always dined together. Even though there was a conflict between Eileen and Edna, they still sat at the same table to eat because of the show¡¯s needs. However, today was different. Edna and her two friends sat at another table. At that moment, the remaining five guests were having their meal while eyeing Edna¡¯s table like they were watching TV. At Edna¡¯s table, it wasn¡¯t just the three of them but also a whole bunch of guys, fussing over them with such enthusiasm. ¡°Edna, I made this meal for you.¡± ¡°Patti, I cooked this soup for you.¡± ¡°Jaqueline, I picked this apple for you. Look how rosy it is, just like you, sweet at first sight.¡± When Eileen heard this, she felt so sick that she nearly choked on a fishbone. Just then, she heard someone at that table say, ¡°Ladies, I¡¯ve removed the fishbones for you. Enjoy your meal without worry.¡± At that point, Eileen was left speechless. The four male guests looked at Edna¡¯s table, totally stunned. After a while, they turned their heads to look at Eileen across the table. Eddie was downright annoyed, ¡°We¡¯re all girls here, look at them and then look at yourself!¡± Eileen didn¡¯t respond, just kept her head down and continued eating. Colin frowned, ¡°You should reflect on this. Out of four girls, three have guys serving them. Why don¡¯t you?¡± After finishing her meal, Eileen forked a piece of chicken from Colin¡¯s te, stuffed it into her mouth, then she took another piece, and then a third. Watching this, Colin was left speechless. Eddie patted Colin on the shoulder and sighed, ¡°Forget it, she¡¯s beyond saving. She¡¯ll never find a decent husband in her lifetime.¡± Colin shook his head, looking at Eileen in disappointment and annoyance. Suddenly, there was amotion at the restaurant entrance. They turned their heads to see a few leaders walking by. Eileen didn¡¯t really care, but when she saw one of the men, she froze. The leaders quickly moved on. Eileen blinked, unsure if she¡¯d seen right. Had she seen Egbert? Before the afternoon training began after lunch the visiting leaders were due to give a speech, The speech was to be held on the parade ground. Eileen followed the crowd and stood on the parade ground. The sky was overcast. On the stage, a leader held a microphone and gave an enthusiastic speech. Suddenly, a low rumble of thunder came from the sky. Seeing this, the leader knew it was going to rain soon and wrapped up his speech quickly, dismissing everyone. Soon after they were dismissed, drizzle began to fall from the sky. Instinctively, Eileen covered her head with her hand and tried to leave quickly. But then, a military coat with a familiar smell suddenly covered her head. Eileen jumped. She lifted the coat and looked ahead in surprise. Not far in front of her, Egbert and a few leaders had just walked by. Egbert was tall and had a cold demeanor. He didn¡¯t have a coat on and was talking to the leaders, not looking back at her. Eileen looked at Egbert in front of her, then lowered her head to look at the military coat in her hands. Chapter 197 Chapter 197 Because of the sudden rain, the training in the afternoon was temporarily changed. By the time Eileen, holding Egbert¡¯s jacket, arrived at the indoor training hall, she found that the others had arrived first. The instructor hadn¡¯t arrived yet. Eddie saw Eileen and waved to her toe and sit. Eileen walked over. Just as she sat down, Colin pointed and said, ¡°Take a look over there.¡± Following Colin¡¯s finger, Eileen saw Edna and two others chatting up the other soldiers in the training hall. They were full of giggles and physical horsey, looking like they were having a grand old time. Eddie heaved a sigh and said, ¡°They really don¡¯t know how to tone it down.¡± Colin said, ¡°They¡¯ve been cooped up for too long. They¡¯re used to being adored. After suffering at the previous two camps, they¡¯re finally here, getting admired again. How can they not be happy?¡± Then Colin turned to Eileen and asked, ¡°Would you like to join?¡± Eileen gave Colin a re and said, ¡°I think I¡¯ll pass.¡± Eddie, however, suddenly noticed something. Looking at the jacket in Eileen¡¯s hand, he suddenly asked, ¡°Whose jacket is that?¡± Eileen¡¯s eyes went wide and she quickly hid the jacket behind her back, lying, ¡°It¡¯s mine.¡± Eddie frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t try to pull a fast one on me. If the jacket in your hands is yours, what are you wearing?¡± Eileen had no response. Eddie squinted his eyes, suddenly stood up. He went behind Eileen, snatched the jacket from her and eximed, ¡°Wow, this is a man¡¯s jacket! Tell me, whose jacket is this?¡± Eileen was speechless. She stood up and said, ¡°Give it back.¡± Eddie ran off,ughing, ¡°Not until you tell me. If you don¡¯t tell, I won¡¯t return!¡± Eileen coldly approached him. Five minutester, Eddie, clutching at his aching ribs, obediently handed the jacket back to Eileen. Eileen took the jacket back, huffed, and turned to leave. Just then, a group of people walked into the training hall from outside. Leading the group were a few familiar instructors, with a few leaders trailing behind them. Eileen immediately spotted Egbert among the crowd. While everyone else was dressed in their military jackets, Egbert was the only one in his short-sleeved combat uniform. They were all soaked through, probably from the heavy rain. Everyone else looked miserable, only Egbert still looked as dashing as ever. Eileen, looking at Egbert, unconsciously walked towards him. Just two steps in, Colin grabbed her arm and whispered in her ear, ¡°We¡¯re about to assemble.¡± Eileen was dragged away by Colin to line up. She didn¡¯t see that the stoic and stern man turned his head just as she turned away, his deep gaze landing on the spot where Colin had grabbed her arm. -[Egbert is back! I¡¯m so excited!] -[The people who came with the leaders for inspection shouldn¡¯t stay long, right?] -[Egbert is amazing, he¡¯s reached the management level in no time!] ¨C[Did you guys see what happened outside earlier? Egbert put his jacket over Eileen¡¯s head to shield her from the rain, how thoughtful!] -[Haha, I saw! The jacket suddenly fell off, nearly took Eileen out, it¡¯s hrious!] -[Is that how you male fans see it? Oh my god, I think he¡¯s so considerate!] -[He truly is considerate. Male fans and female fans see things differently.] -[As the beauty that I am, I give my male fans a smile and a wave: male fans,e here, I¡¯ll show you something mysterious.] -Male fans: What are you talking about?] [Female fans: Even though I know you¡¯re asking them to look at Egbert¡¯s thoughtful act, the way you put it is quite misleading¡­] The leaders were there on inspection, with instructors apanying them, exining each training routine to them. Eileen didn¡¯t know why Egbert was with the leaders, but now that training had started, she couldn¡¯t go ask him. After a while, the leaders came over to Eileen¡¯s squad After a period of military training, the eight guests were no longer daunted by simple physical training. After looking around, the leaders expressed their satisfaction. They probably didn¡¯t expect these celebrity guests to be so up to scratch. One of the leaders even singled out Eileen for praise, ¡°Eileen¡¯s doing very well.¡± Eileen was thrilled, and immediately puffed out her chest. The leaders looked around for a while before going to the other side. Before they left, Eileen was still doing sit-ups. As she sat up again, Eileen suddenly felt something touch the top of her head. Looking up, she saw Egbert standing beside her. His long fingers teasing through her hair like one would y with a small pet. Eileen¡¯s first reaction was to look at the cameraman. Seeing that he was filming Edna and the others, she breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to Egbert. Egbert squatted down, ignoring Colin who was holding down Eileen¡¯s knees, looked into her eyes and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the jacket?¡± Eileen knew he was asking about his jacket. She pointed in a direction. Before training, everyone¡¯s personal belongings were ced over there. Egbert nced over in that direction and nodded. Then he stood up, and before he left, ruffled her hair again. Egbert only lingered there for a while. Eileen didn¡¯t really pay it any mind. But when she turned around, she saw Colin looking at her with a shocked expression, as if he¡¯d seen a ghost. Colin struggled to speak, ¡°That jacket is¡­¡± Colin suddenly didn¡¯t know how to address Egbert. After hesitating for a long time, he tentatively asked, ¡°your boyfriend¡¯s?¡± Eileen looked at Colin incredulously and eximed, ¡°What did you call him?¡± Seeing that Eileen was angry, Colin quickly apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know why I referred to him as your boyfriend. But you have to admit, it sounds quite natural.¡± Eileen punched Colin and angrily said, ¡°You¡¯re asking for it!¡± At this moment, the instructor noticed their quarrel and loudly scolded, ¡°Eileen! Colin! Focus on training!¡± Being called out like that, they immediately stopped their chit-chat and focused on their training. After the afternoon training session, when Eileen went to gather her things, she found that Egbert¡¯s jacket was gone. He must have taken it himself. Eileen didn¡¯t react much, she picked up her other stuff, ready to head back to the dorm. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Just as she was stepping out of the gym, she saw outside the venue, Egbert was on the phone, umbre in hand. Eileen remembered that Egbert had lent her his jacket to shield her from the rain, and she hadn¡¯t said thank you yet. So, she walked over. As she got closer, she heard Egbert saying to the person on the phone, ¡°NightKing¡¯s characteristics are quite distinctive, he¡¯s good looking, and¡­¡± His words were cut off halfway, as if he sensed someone approaching, he turned his head. Seeing it was Eileen, Egbert said to the person on the other end, ¡°I¡¯ll send you the photoster.¡± With that, he hung up the phone. Egbert put his phone into his pants pocket, seeing Eileen staring at him nkly, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Without thinking, Eileen blurted out, ¡°Did you justpliment NightKing on his looks? Why is it okay for you to say he¡¯s good looking, but when I say it, it¡¯s a big deal?¡± Chapter 198 Chapter 198 Egbert cast a nce at Eileen, his voice icy, ¡°nning on singing my praises?¡± Eileen was taken aback. Egbert Continued coldly, ¡°Go ahead.¡± Eileen was a bit frightened, she took two steps back, ¡°I wasn¡¯t nning on singing your praises¡­¡± At this point, Egbert suddenly looked behind Eileen. He asked, ¡°So, besides NightKing, who else do you find attractive? Is Colin attractive?¡± Well, Colin was attractive, otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be a star. But Eileen wouldn¡¯t dare to tell the truth, so she said, ¡°I have never seen a man uglier than Colin in my life!¡± ¡°Eileen¡­¡± From behind her, Colin¡¯s aggrieved voice suddenly rang out! Eileen Was speechless. Turning her head, she saw Colin standing behind her. He had been standing there for who knows how long, his eyes red as if he was about to cry! Eileen was extremely embarrassed, she shot a re at Egbert! Egbert was obviously doing this on purpose! Eileen quickly tried to exin to Colin, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way, listen to me¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wanna hear it! I don¡¯t wanna hear it!¡± Colin sniffed, wiping his eyes. He pointed in Egbert¡¯s direction, his voice choked up, ¡°I know in your eyes only Egbert is attractive, but you don¡¯t have to say that about me! Are we even family anymore!¡± With just one simple statement, Colin had won over the man who was just hating on him. A smile appeared on Egbert¡¯s face, he looked at Colin, ¡°Eileen was just joking.¡± Colin was speechless, so was Eileen. Egbert turned to Eileen again, ¡°You were joking, right?¡± Eileen thought, ¡°Even if I was joking, what¡¯s up with Egbert¡¯s tone? Why is it so strange?¡± This is from N?velDrama.Org. Just then, the cameraman followed them out, seeing three people still standing outside, he pointed the camera at them. Egbert nced at the cameraman, he handed his umbre to Eileen, ¡°Don¡¯t catch a cold.¡± With the cameraman present, Eileen didn¡¯t say much. She grabbed the umbre, red at Egbert again, opened the umbre and walked off. After Eileen left, Colin, still sniffing, was about to leave. But Egbert stopped him. In front of the camera, Egbert told Colin, ¡°Take care of her.¡± Colin was a bit stunned, ¡°Huh?¡±: Egbert patiently reminded him, ¡°I won¡¯t be here, you, as her brother, need to take care of her, call me if anything happens.¡± Colin was a bit dazed. He stuttered a response after a while, ¡°O-okay¡­¡± -[??] -[???] -[HAHA, Egbert sounds like he¡¯s reading hisst will, so funny.] -[?? Hey, watch your mouth, you must be a crazy male fan!] ? What¡¯s wrong with being a male fan, did we eat your food! I¡¯ve noticed that you female fans have a lot of malice towards male fans!] -I¡¯m not being malicious, I just hope male fans would watch the E&E couple¡¯s mix video!] As fans, we¡¯re here to urge everyone, don¡¯t believe rumors, don¡¯t spread rumors, Egbert and Eileen are good friends in private, it¡¯s normal for good friends to look out for each other, there¡¯s no need to overinterpret their rtionship. Hope Egbert continues to shine alone, and hope Eileen continues to do well in the future, keep it up.] -[Stop pretending, your other ount is called ¡°E&E get in bed today¡± I remember your ount!] -[Oh, really? I¡¯m going to change my ount right now! Stop spying on me!] Egbert was there for an inspection with the leader, who left that evening. Naturally, Egbert also left. When Eileen heard from Colin that Egbert had left, she was puzzled, ¡°What does his leaving have to do with me?¡± 75 Colin blinked, he looked at Eileen, then thought of Egbert¡¯s repeated reminders before leaving. After a bit of hesitation, Colin suddenly dered, ¡°Eileen, no matter what happens, I¡¯m on your side.¡± Eileen was confused, ¡°My side, what? Colin exined, ¡°I mean, I¡¯m on your side! I¡¯m family!¡± Eileen went silent. Oh no, was there something wrong with Colin? The atmosphere in Navy Battalion was great, and everyone had gotten used to the military environment. In a blink of an eye, a week and a half passed by without anyone noticing. When the production team announced that the Defender¡¯s Honor program would end tomorrow, everyone was very reluctant to leave. Especially the four female guests, they sighed andmented when they heard about the ending. Eddie was puzzled, he asked Edna and the others, ¡°We men may like the military camp, but don¡¯t you women dislike it? Jaqueline, didn¡¯t you pretend to beme in the beginning so you wouldn¡¯t have to squat?¡± Jaqueline muttered, ¡°I had a hard time at first, but I¡¯ve gotten used to it now. And once I leave, I won¡¯t see the lovely soldiers anymore¡­¡± Over the past week or so, Edna and the others had been ying with the navy soldiers every day, and it was said that they often went to the dormitory to get snacks, all given by their admirers. Eddie turned to Eileen, ¡°What about you, do you also miss these soldiers?¡± Eileen shook her head, ¡°No, I¡¯ll miss them.¡± She was referring to Edna and the others. Eddie was surprised, ¡°I thought you guys didn¡¯t get along.¡± At this point, Patti interjected coldly, ¡°We don¡¯t, that¡¯s why shees to steal our snacks every night! The snacks that the soldiers gave us, we haven¡¯t had a single bite, she ate them all!¡± Eileen sighed again, ¡°Ah¡­¡± Eddie was speechless.: The night before the end of the program, Navy Battalion held a farewell party for them. The party was lively and didn¡¯t end until after midnight. The next day, at six in the morning. The eight of them, reluctant to leave, packed their bags and got on the production team¡¯s bus one after another. On the bus, the crew finally returned their phones to them. As they turned their phones on, they sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll miss this ce.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had a really full-on time here.¡± ¡°The soldiers are all worthy of our respect.¡± ¡°Bee-bee-bee-bee.¡± That¡¯s the sound of the phone turning on. Five minutester, the whole bus was dipped in silence. As the time ticked by, after a while, eight heads slowly lifted. Eight pairs of eyes all looked forward at the camera that was still filming them! -[Ha ha ha ha ha!] -[So, we¡¯re live, surprised?!) -[I knew it! I was about to burst!) -[I¡¯ve been waiting for this moment for so long, I¡¯m so satisfied now!] It was live! The seven guests were all dumbfounded! Eileen stood up from her seat at this moment, walked to the camera, and curiously asked the camera, ¡°So, we¡¯re live, huh?¡± Edna couldn¡¯tprehend Eileen¡¯s casualness. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯ve done a lot of unconventional things on the show, there must be a lot of viewers criticising you!¡± dn¡¯t do anything out of the ordinary, they¡¯d still criticise me, Turning to face Edna, Eileen blinked her eyes, putting on an innocent face, ¡°Well, even if t right?¡± Edna didn¡¯t say anything anymore! Then, Eileen proudly straightened her body, hands on her hips, and proimed, ¡°Let me tell you, when ites to handling criticism, I¡¯m the pro!¡± Chapter 199 Chapter 199 -[I don¡¯t know why, but when this little goofball says such stuff, it really hurts me¡­ For real! Who dares to insult her,e out and exin yourself!] -[¡­Aren¡¯t you the one calling her names? You just called her a goofball¡­] -[I mean anyone other than me!] -[Well, I¡­] -(Uh, I¡­] -[I only said something a few words, just a few words¡­] -[I¡¯ve never insulted her! I¡¯m proud of that!) -[Stop ying innocent, look at your username. It¡¯s ¡®Eileen eats like a gluttonous pig¡¯, isn¡¯t that insulting?] -[Ah, fine, I¡¯ll change it, it should be okay now.] -[?? ¡®Eileen eats more than a gluttonous pig¡¯ is better than ¡®Eileen eats like a gluttonous pig¡¯, how?] -[Ugh, you fans are so annoying, I changed it again, are you happy now?] -[Buddy, you might as well not change it anymore. ¡®Eileen is a gluttonous pig¡¯ is really unnecessary.] The bus took the guests to the airport. When Eileen boarded the ne, she saw that the seven guests were constantly on their phones. They were exining the events that urred during the live stream to their families, friends, and agents. They all looked really nervous, whereas Eileen seemed very calm! Because her phone never rang at all! Eileen looked at her phone with no missed calls and sadly put it back in her pocket. The cameraman noticed Eileen and saw her standing alone in the corner. He pointed the camera at her and curiously asked, ¡°Ms. Lopez, we still have a while before boarding, why don¡¯t you make a call?¡± Eileen looked upset, ¡°Nobody is calling me.¡± The cameraman felt a pang in his heart and hesitated, about to say something tofort her. At that moment, Colin shouted, ¡°Eileen, Ophelia is calling you! She said if you dare to put her on your block list again, you can kiss your future sries goodbye! And Janice, you blocked her too, did you know? Janice called you nine times!¡± Eileen retorted loudly, ¡°Janice is Ophelia¡¯s spy now, I¡¯ll unblock herter.¡± Then, Eileen turned to the cameraman and continued toin, ¡°Nobody is calling me¡­¡± The cameraman walked away with his camera, not wanting to deal with her anymore! As the boarding time arrived, the eight guests boarded the ne one after another. The moment they entered the boarding gate, the Defender¡¯s Honor program officially ended. At one o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Eileen and Colin arrived back at the Capital. As soon as they got off the ne, they saw Janice and Ophelia, who hade to pick them up personally. In the car, Ophelia started scolding Eileen! Once she had said her piece, she made Eileen unblock her and Janice from the cklist. Ophelia then started discussing business, ¡°Both of you were not the only ones live streaming. Compared to Edna, your images were not bad. Because of them as a contrast, your reputation is quite good, especially you, Eileen, you attracted many male fans.¡± Eileen looked a little smug. She said contentedly. ¡°That¡¯s not surprising. Normally, goddess-level figures easily attract male fans.¡± Ophelia gave her a look, ¡°Don¡¯t you know whether you¡¯re a goddess or not? Normal people attract male fans because the fans see the female idol as their dream girl. But the male fans you attracted, they all see you as a man!¡± Eileen was speechless. Colinughed, ¡°Hahaha!¡± Colinughed so hard he couldn¡¯t straighten his back. After he finishedughing, he patted Eileen¡¯s shoulder andforted, ¡°Eileen, it¡¯s okay, as long as your boyfriend sees you as a woman¡­umm¡­¡± Before Colin could finish, Eileen covered Colin¡¯s mouth, almost suffocating him. Ophelia turned around unhappily and asked, ¡°What boyfriend, Eileen, are you dating?¡± Eileen hurriedly said, ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± Ophelia squinted and said, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to date, you¡¯re in your career rise! Have you seen any rising female artists dating! And that Egbert! Stay away from him! Do you hear me!¡± Eileen lowered her head, saying nothing. Ophelia then gave Colin a script, ¡°The third male lead in a TV series, take a look at the script first. Even though it¡¯s a web series, the plot is good. The original novel is very popr, and it¡¯s scheduled to start shooting next month.¡± Eileen then let go of Colin, Colin immediately took the script and started reading excitedly. This is from N?velDrama.Org. Ophelia turned to Eileen again, ¡°There are even more projects for you. But like I said before, we only take high-quality projects. The projects you took before Eyes on the Rendezvous were too low grade. Currently, there aren¡¯t many dramas worth your time.¡± Eileen nodded and obediently said, ¡°I trust your judgment when ites to professional matters.¡± Eileen didn¡¯t want to take on bad projects either. After all, in her previous life, she had shot too many bad films. Ophelia was pleased to see Eileen not being arrogant or rash. Although she always criticized Eileen, Ophelia actually cared about Eileen the most. Ophelia then gently said, ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been hoping you could take a break sincest year. You¡¯ve been working non-stop for so long. But I know you want to earn more money. So, I got you another variety show.¡± Eileen looked at Ophelia and asked immediately, ¡°Is the pay good?¡± Ophelia chuckled, ¡°With your rising poprity, this variety show is your highest paying one yet. $20,000 per episode.¡± ¡°What!¡± Eileen was stunned. She immediately shouted, ¡°I want to go, I have to go to this one!¡± Ophelia nodded indulgently, ¡°Okay, okay, go on.¡± Colin, who was listening on the side, suddenly asked, ¡°Eileen, you¡¯re just going without even asking what kind of variety show it is?¡± Without a second thought, Eileen blurted out, ¡°I¡¯ll go to any variety show! Even if I have to climb a knife mountain or descend into a sea of mes, I will go!¡± Two weekster, at half past eleven at night! Eileen, poker-faced, stared nkly at the very ¡°knife mountain¡± and ¡°sea of mes¡±¡­ She waspletely dumbstruck. The head director of Haunted Chronicles, speaking into his wireless microphone, urged Eileen, who was standing before the ¡°Satan¡¯s Lair¡± set, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, just keep going! The ghosts won¡¯t harm you, they¡¯re all caged up, just keep walking! Once you¡¯ve crossed the Bridge of Perdition and pushed open the door to reincarnation, you¡¯re done!¡± Eileen was so tense that her heart nearly stopped. Seeing that something was amiss, the director asked the assistant director, ¡°Is there a problem with the microphone? Can¡¯t she hear me? Send a ghost to tell her then.¡± So, a minuteter, a ghost with special effects makeup, twisted shoulders and arms, and half its body covered in blood, slowly shuffled over to Eileen. The ghost whispered eerily in her ear, ¡°The director said¡­¡± ¡°§¡§¡§¡§¡§¡§¡§¡§¯§¯§¯§¯§¯!¡± ¡°THUMP THUMP THUMP!¡± Chaos suddenly ensued on set! The director was shocked out of his wits. He quickly unplugged the background music for Satan¡¯s Lair. He switched on the loudspeaker, yelling in a mixture of panic and fury, ¡°Eileen! Let go of him!! Let go of our staff!! That¡¯s his neck!! You can¡¯t twist their necks! You¡¯re about to snap his neck!! God! He¡¯s rolling his eyes back! Stop it! He¡¯s really gonna die!!¡± Chapter 200 Chapter 200 Haunted Chronicles was a mega interactive live reality show produced by VisionStream, with a focus on scientific truth-seeking. Most shows involving ghosts and spirits were usually pretty bloody and violent and got scrutinized pretty hardcore by the TV regtory body. But Haunted Chronicles was a different breed. Sure, it spun tales of ghostly figures, but what it¡¯s really digging at were deeper social issues. The main tone of the show was science and education, so the content of the program was also uplifting. VisionStream was all in on Haunted Chronicles, throwing a truckload of cash at it. That¡¯s why the big cheese director had the guts to invest in setting up Satan¡¯s Lair. Today wasn¡¯t the premiere of the show, just the six guests shooting the trailer. The trailer was a no-brainer, just each guest taking a stroll through Wicked Woods. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. But they never saw iting. During the shoot with the first guest, all hell broke loose. The backstage crew had to scramble. It was a team effort, but they managed to get a hold on Eileen! They pulled off a daring rescue of a crew member who was on death¡¯s door. The guy was nearly scared to death, and the rest of the crew got a good fright too. The director red at Eileen, barking, ¡°Are you out of your mind? Look at what you¡¯ve done to him!¡± The spooky sound effects and lights of Satan¡¯s Lair were switched off, and the lights in the workspace were turned on. Things were bright and the people around Eileen were just regr crew in regr clothes. It was then that Eileen finally let out a sigh of relief. The director stared at Eileen and snapped, ¡°Can you even continue shooting?¡± Eileen, trembling, managed to say, ¡°I need to make a call.¡± The director scowled and said impatiently, ¡°Make it quick!¡± Eileen pulled out her phone and called Ophelia from a corner, but there was no answer. She tried again but still, no answer. Eileen remembered how Ophelia had sweet-talked her into signing onto the show. She also remembered Ophelia mocking her when they signed the contract, telling her the penalty for breaching the contract was half a million bucks. Eileen went silent. She felt like she had been yed. Ophelia couldn¡¯t get through on the phone. Five minutester, the director started hurrying her. Eileen had no choice but to put away her phone and walk over, saying resignedly, ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± The director nced at her and asked, ¡°You sure you¡¯re okay this time?¡± Eileen was on the verge of tears but could only nod and say, ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± The director picked up the walkie-talkie and called out, ¡°All departments, get ready, the lights and music are connected.¡± Fifteen minutester, Eileen was back in the bone-chilling Satan¡¯s Lair. The director backstage was watching the slender figure on the monitor with satisfaction, nodding approvingly. ¡°Not bad, just a bit too fast.¡± Hearing the director¡¯smand, the cameraman swiftly manipted the infrared jib camera, changing the camera angle. The camera gradually shifted from Eileen¡¯s calm collected back and long strides to her front. When Eileen¡¯s front appeared on the screen, the set fell into eerie silence. One crew member thought he was seeing things. He rubbed his eyes and asked in disbelief, ¡°Am I seeing things? Is she walking with her eyes closed?¡± The director was silent for a moment before saying slowly, ¡°Yes, she¡¯s walking¡­with her eyes closed¡­¡± She walked with her eyes closed, her steps hurried, her body rigid, her face expressionless. She raced from one end of Wicked Woods to the other like a bat out of hell! The assistant director frowned, clearly unhappy. ¡°Do we need to do another take? She needs to open her eyes at least.¡± The director thought about the injured crew member still backstage who hadn¡¯t yet recovered. He said to the assistant director, ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do another take, you tell her.¡± The assistant director¡¯s face suddenly turned sour. After a while, she said seriously, ¡°A reshoot is going to cost us. I think this is fine. We can fix her eyes in post-production.¡± The director was speechless. Eileen finally finished the shoot! Back in the dressing room, she was drenched in sweat, as if she had just been fished out of the water. Eileen grabbed a tissue and sat down on the couch across the room, still haunted by those horrifying ghosts. It was nightmarishly terrifying! The dressing room was dead silent, the fluorescent light overhead zing. Eileen started to feel nervous again. Eileen told herself to stop thinking about it! To distract herself, she pulled out her phone, nning to send Ophelia aining message. But when she opened WhatsApp, she saw 99+ unread messages in her group chat. Eileen clicked and saw everyone was talking about Phyllis Sankner. The verdict for Phyllis¡¯wsuit was out. The court ruled against PrismPulse Entertainment and Kenley, ordering them to publicly apologize to Phyllis andpensate her for all her loss. Eileen skimmed through a long thread, about to type a message to congratte Phyllis on the win. Just then, the door to the dressing room swung open! Eileen immediately looked up, locking eyes with the girl at the door. A minuteter. Eileen was sitting on one end of the couch, Jaqueline on the other. Neither paid any attention to the other. After a while, Jaqueline couldn¡¯t help but break the silence, ¡°So, you¡¯re on the show too?¡± Eileen responded, ¡°None of your business.¡± Jaqueline was speechless. She knew she shouldn¡¯t have asked! A few more minutes passed, and the dressing room door opened again. This time, a guy walked in. Seeing the handsome young man, Jaqueline practically leaped to her feet, eximing, ¡°Bartley Forrest!¡± Bartley? Eileen looked up too. She looked ahead and sure enough, there was Bartley, walking in through the door with a smile on his face. His eyes lit up the moment he saw Eileen. He greeted the two girls in the room and then took a seat next to Eileen, chuckling as he said, ¡°Ms. Lopez, fancy seeing you again.¡± Eileen scrunched up her eyebrows, gave Bartley a cold look, and snidely remarked, ¡°Am I blind or something? Isn¡¯t it obvious we¡¯re meeting again? Do I need you to point that out?¡± Bartley went speechless. Just then, Jaqueline cracked a smile. For some reason, seeing Eileen being cold to not just her but also to Bartley, gave her a sense of bnce, maybe even a bit of happiness. What the heck was happening? Was her brain malfunctioning? Bartley was totally lost. He couldn¡¯t figure out why Eileen was suddenly giving him the cold shoulder. By this time, Eileen was stiff-faced! The sight of Bartley bothered her. Chapter 201 Chapter 201 Six guests, now down to three. But the fourth guest was nowhere to be seen. The atmosphere in the green room was tense, thanks to Eileen¡¯s dissatisfaction with everyone. After waiting for ten minutes, Jaqueline couldn¡¯t sit still anymore and headed to the bathroom. When she returned, Jaqueline came with news, ¡°One of the guests isn¡¯ting!¡± Hearing this, Eileen and Bartley turned to look at her. Jaqueline nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a total mess out there. For some unknown reason, this guest has bailedst minute. Apparently, he¡¯s already left the country, no way to call him back.¡± Eileen was shocked and blurted out, ¡°The penalty for breach of contract is a whopping half a million!¡± Jaqueline squinted and said, ¡°This guy gave up the event. He must be loaded, right?¡± Is there really someone in this world who doesn¡¯t care about money? Eileen couldn¡¯tprehend. At the same time, she couldn¡¯t hide her jealousy. If she was loaded, she could also ditch the event, she could also go abroad, she could roam around freely, she would never have to film this crappy show! Just then, the door to the green room was pushed open again. The fourth guest had arrived. A handsome and dashing young man with an outstanding demeanor walked in. He smiled and waved at the three in the room, saying, ¡°Hey.¡± When they realized who he was, Eileen, Simon, and Jaqueline were all stunned. Jarvis Dave? Jarvis was on the show? Jarvis was a multi-talented singer who, in his five years in the industry, had released seven albums, each of them top three in national sales. He¡¯s a talented, capable, and handsome superstar, unmatched by others. He¡¯s also an actor. Even though he hadn¡¯t done many films, his acting was top-notch, truly a rare talent among the younger generation of artists. Over the past two years, the entertainment circle had been circting such a sentence. While the poprity of celebrities was ever-changing, Jarvis remained steady. This proved just how stable Jarvis¡¯s position was in the world of shifting poprity. No one expected Jarvis to be on the show. The green room was silent for a moment. The handsome young man smiled at the three in the room, yfully asking, ¡°You guys don¡¯t seem too happy to see me?¡± Jaqueline quickly stood up, her face flushed, ¡°Of course, we¡¯re happy¡­ Mr. Dave, please, have a seat!¡± Jarvis didn¡¯t sit. He walked up, shaking hands with each of them. Despite being the most famous and high-profile among them, he was willing to put aside his status and shake hands with everyone. His face was always kind and smiling. Thest person Jarvis greeted was Eileen. Eileen, who had no good attitude towards either Jaqueline or Simon, now stood up. She slightly bowed to Jarvis, shook his hand, and introduced herself, ¡°I¡¯m Eileen.¡± Jarvis smiled at her and said, ¡°I¡¯m Jarvis.¡± In the lounge, the atmosphere became more lively with the presence of a male guest who seemed easy to get along with. Eileen sat on the couch, lifting her eyes to see Jarvis across from her. Eileen had known Jarvis before. In the past, Eileen had been questioned online and to make ends meet, she had filmed many low- quality movies for Sarah Roach. Until she was 24, in thest year of her life, a director saw potential in her and gave her a good role. That role led to a nomination for Best Supporting Actress the following year. That film was one of the highlights of Eileen¡¯s past, and the male lead of the film was Jarvis. Eileen and Jarvis had been coworkers for too long to remember anything else, but there was one thing that stuck with Eileen. Someone had maliciously sent her a terrifying package. When she opened it, she found dead rats inside. Eileen didn¡¯t react much, but Jarvis who was next to her did. He quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her away. He protected her and called for the staff to handle the situation. When the staff took the box away, Jarvis turned back to her, looking concerned and asked in a soft voice, ¡°Are you okay?¡± Most of her past was blurry, but she remembered Jarvis. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. He didn¡¯t let her negative news affect him, treating her like an ordinary person,municating with her like a normal friend. Jarvis was a really good person. Simon kept ncing at Eileen. When he noticed Eileen stealing nces at Jarvis for the third time, Simon started to get uneasy. He remembered his own mission. So, he finally pulled out his phone and sent a message to Mr. Reed on WhatsApp. The message read, ¡°Urgent.¡± Egbert didn¡¯t reply, he might not be avable. Simon thought for a while and sent another message, ¡°Mr. Reed, if Eileen¡¯s boyfriend is someone else, will you still dote on me?¡± There was still no reply from the other end. A few minutester, a staff member came in and apologized. They would have to wait a little longer. One artist couldn¡¯t attend due to unforeseen circumstances, and another¡¯s flight was dyed. These two people had held up the entire show¡¯s schedule, wasting everyone¡¯s time. At this point, Eileen thought for a moment and stood up, ¡°I want to see the director.¡± If someone couldn¡¯t attend the event, there would need to be a recement. The director looked at Eileen and after a moment asked, ¡°You¡¯re saying, you rmend Phyllis?¡± Eileen nodded, ¡°If you think she¡¯s suitable, then yes.¡± Just half an hour ago, this domineering woman, who nearly scared their staff to death, was now being so humble? The director stared at Eileen for a long time before finally saying, ¡°Is she in town now? If she cane immediately, we¡¯ll use her.¡± Eileen instantly replied, ¡°She¡¯s local, I¡¯ll ring her up right now.¡± Eileen dialed Phyllis and Phyllis was over the moon! She had just been posting on Facebook about not finding a job due to her tarnished image. She didn¡¯t expect Eileen to get her a job right away! Phyllis quickly responded, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely be there in half an hour!¡± Half an hourter, Phyllis arrived in high spirits. The director looked at her a few times, and then had her put on makeup. Phyllis waved excitedly at Eileen. Eileen smiled back, nodding her head, signaling for Phyllis to head to makeup. After Phyllis left, Eileen was about to head back to the green room when the director stopped her, ¡°Hold up a sec.¡± Eileen halted, looking at the director. The director said, ¡°I respected you, you gotta respect me too, that¡¯s not too much to ask, right?¡± Eileen suddenly felt a little uneasy. The director added, ¡°You gotta walk through Wicked Woods again, but this time, no shutting your eyes!¡± Eileen was speechless. A few minutester, Jarvis was chatting with Bartley and Jacqueline in the green room. Suddenly, there was a loud bang from outside. All three of them were startled and looked towards the door. Jarvis opened the door, grabbed a passing crew member and asked, ¡°What the heck just happened?¡± The crew member nervously said, ¡°The director wanted to get back at one of the previous crew members, so he sent Satan to scare Eileen¡­¡± ¡°But Eileen socked the one ying the role of Satan! She even shoved Satan into the Deste Mausoleums! The bottom of the Mausoleums¡¯ river is made of wood and it copsed, taking down the Bridge of Perdition with it! When the director came out to give her a piece of his mind, he stepped on a rock from the Bridge of Perdition, took a tumble and knocked over a pot of oil, his butt got burned!¡± The show crew finally had to call the emergency services! Chapter 202 Chapter 202 The director¡¯s butt got a severe burn, and he was scared out of his wits, with the staff also freaking out. Since the show hadn¡¯t officially started, there were no medical staff arranged by the crew, so the assistant director had to make the call ¨C stop the recording and get the director to the hospital ASAP! By the time Jarvis and his crew heard that the recording was over, it was chaos outside. They decided to lend a hand. As soon as Simon stepped outside, he saw Eileen standing in a corner, looking lost amidst the bustling crowd. It was the first time Simon had ever seen Eileen look so frightened! He felt an immediate wave of concern! Jarvis and Jaqueline noticed too. They quickly moved towards Eileen. Jaqueline cautiously nced at Eileen¡¯s face and asked softly, ¡°You okay?¡± Eileen kept her head down, looking at her shoe tips, remaining silent. Simon felt a pang in his heart. He stepped closer, reaching out tofort Eileen. But as soon as he reached out his hand, Jarvis stopped him. Jarvis shot Simon a look, probably thinking it wasn¡¯t appropriate for him to touch a girl like that. After brushing Simon¡¯s hand away, Jarvis turned to Eileen and suggested, ¡°How about we find somewhere to chill out?¡± Eileen looked up at them, her voice just above a whisper, ¡°I didn¡¯t do it on purpose¡­¡± Simon immediately responded, ¡°I know, I know you didn¡¯t mean it.¡± Even though Jaqueline didn¡¯t like Eileen, she couldn¡¯t say anything seeing her in this state. Simon assured her with a sympathetic tone, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m here and I¡¯ll help you sort this out.¡± As soon as Simon said this, both Jarvis and Jaqueline turned to look at him. Eileen also looked at Simon suddenly. Eileen sniffed, looking all pitiful as she blinked her eyes and asked, ¡°Really? Will you help me cover the costs?¡± The others went silent. Eileen was on the verge of tears and pointed at the mess in the studio,menting, ¡°How much do I have to pay for this?¡± ¡°Do you know? They even sent the director to a private hospital! It¡¯s a private hospital! The kind that doesn¡¯t take insurance! I offered to treat his wound, I know traditional medicine, I can even treat burn scars, but the director refused. I wanted to help him, he pped my hand away and yelled at me¡­ I was just trying to help!¡± The trio was speechless. Just then, Phyllis ran out! As soon as she saw everyone, she asked nervously, ¡°What happened? I was halfway through my makeup when I heard that Satan got beaten up, and Gates of Damnation got torn down. Who did it?¡± Eileen and the rest was speechless. Simon rubbed his face, looking drained, ¡°This ce is a mess, let¡¯s get out of here.¡± In the end, the five of them left together for the hotel booked by the show crew. The official recording of the show will start in three days. As soon as they got back to the hotel, Eileen started worrying about thepensation im from the show crew. She did a rough estimate, and the props and medical bills could cost her thousands of dors! Thousands of dors! She could sell herself and still note up with that kind of money! Thus, Eileen had a couple of nerve-wracking days. During these two days, she didn¡¯t receive any call from the show crew, but she did get a call from Egbert. As soon as she answered Egbert¡¯s call, there was a gunshot on the other end of the line. Eileen was stunned. She immediately sat up and asked, ¡°Egbert?¡± There was no one¡¯s voice on the other end, just a lot of noise. Eileen¡¯s heart jumped into her throat. After a while, the noise reduced, and Egbert¡¯s calm voice came through, ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Eileen breathed a sigh of relief. She frowned and asked, ¡°Where are you? What was that noise just now?¡± The man on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment, then said, ¡°I¡¯m filming, that was the set noise.¡± Filming? Eileen didn¡¯t say anything. The man then said, ¡°I called to tell you that my phone is now essible, you can call me if you need anything.¡± Now it¡¯s essible? Meaning it wasn¡¯t essible before? Eileen didn¡¯t ask, mainly because she had never called Egbert. She just repeated, ¡°Okay okay okay.¡± ¡°Bang bang!¡± There were two more loud noises on the other end of the phone. This time it wasn¡¯t a gunshot, it sounded like an explosion. Someone then shouted, ¡°Silent Wing, over there¡­¡± ¡°Hush.¡± Egbert cut him off, then whispered to Eileen, ¡°I¡¯m about to start filming, I¡¯ll hang up now, we¡¯ll talkter.¡± With that, he hung up. Eileen frowned at the disconnected phone, mumbling to herself, ¡°Is he really filming?¡± Meanwhile, in a private hospital room! The assistant director just got the discharge procedures done for the director, and as he entered the ward, he saw the director on the phone. After hanging up, the director said, ¡°That was a call from Egbert¡¯s agent. He apologized for not being able to attend due to an unexpected trip abroad. Compensation will be transferred to our ount as soon as possible.¡± This is from N?velDrama.Org. The assistant director sighed, ¡°Well, I never really expected Egbert toe, we have Jarvis anyway, that¡¯s good enough.¡± The director didn¡¯t answer, but asked, ¡°Has the trailer been released?¡± The assistant director said, ¡°It¡¯s out. Phyllis came to reshoot the next day, Hedy also came the next day, after working overtime to edit, the trailer was released this morning. We¡¯ve also bought the trending, the heat will definitely hit the peak by the live broadcast tomorrow.¡± The director nodded, ¡°That¡¯s good, let¡¯s go.¡± With that, the director tried to sit up from the bed, but as soon as he moved, he felt a sharp pain in his butt! The director had to lie back down, hisplex feelings made him lightly touch his bandaged butt. He pointed wearily at the wheelchair across the bed, ¡°Could you wheel it over a bit.¡± On the third day, when Eileen was on the show, she saw the director sitting in a wheelchair, way shorter than her, but his eyes were sharp, serious, and vignt, staring at her! Eileen was a bit nervous, and didn¡¯t dare to strike up a conversation with the director. The director hummed lightly, picked up the megaphone and ordered, ¡°Blindfold her! Let¡¯s roll!¡± This wasn¡¯t the shooting location, the actual spot was somewhere else. Eileen¡¯s vision was blocked, and then she was led onto a car. The car drove for half an hour. Half an hourter, the car stopped, a crew member came over to help Eileen out of the car, and then walked her a distance. When they finally stopped, the crew member whispered in Eileen¡¯s ear, ¡°In ten seconds, remove your blindfold and get ready for your first journey of reincarnation.¡± With that, the person left. Eileen patiently waited for ten seconds. Ten secondster, she removed the blindfold, only to be surprised that she was actually in a school. The school was not big, it looked a bit rundown, and there were many boys and girls in school uniforms ying happily in the yground. Eileen stood still, unsure of what was happening, she didn¡¯t move for a moment. Then, someone patted her from behind! She turned around and saw a girl with freckles. The freckled girl smiled and said, ¡°Eileen, what are you doing standing here? Let¡¯s go! Your crush, the basketball team captain is over there. Let¡¯s go cheer for him.¡± Her crush? The basketball team captain? What¡¯s going on? Chapter 203 Chapter 203 The freckled girl had already looped her arm through hers, dragging her forward without giving her a chance to resist. Meanwhile, the freckled girl was babbling non-stop, ¡°You confessed your love to Latham yesterday, didn¡¯t you? How did he respond? He¡¯ll break up with his girlfriend, won¡¯t he? You¡¯re so pretty, you can definitely steal him away from her!¡± Finally, Eileen realized what was going on. This was ¡°reincarnation¡±¡­ So that¡¯s what reincarnation meant! Wasn¡¯t this just role-ying? The show had assigned six guests different roles, throwing them into arge setting.. In this setting, apart from the six of them, everyone else was an NPC. Non-yable characters, the ones controlled by theputer in the game. Eileen looked at the freckled girl next to her, guessing she was a tool to help her understand her character¡¯s background. So she didn¡¯t resist and let the freckled girl lead her to the basketball court. On the court, a group of boys and girls were ying basketball, some shouting loudly. Eileen was observing everyone. Just then, a girl with a ponytail walked up to her and without a word, threw a bottle of water at her. Eileen was startled and reflexively twisted the girl¡¯s wrist. 1. As a result, the water sshed all over the ponytailed girl. All the NPCs were speechless. In the control room, the director nearly spat out his drink. He put down his cup, rolled his wheelchair towards the microphone and bellowed, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Didn¡¯t anyone remind her to stick to the script? She¡¯s supposed to get sshed here! That¡¯s part of the plot! Someone go remind her! We¡¯re live already!¡± After attacking the ponytailed girl, Eileen realized her mistake. The other girl was an NPC, not really trying to attack her, this was part of the plot. So, Eileen started to y along. Sheined to the ponytailed girl, ¡°Why did you ssh water on me? Look, you got my clothes all wet!¡± The ponytailed girl was stunned. She looked at herself, all wet, then at Eileen, who was dry. In the end, she pretended that Eileen was the wet one and defiantly cursed, ¡°Bitch must die!¡± The freckled girl retorted indignantly, ¡°Who are you calling a bitch?¡± Ponytailed Girl shot back, ¡°Her, I saw her confessing to Latham!¡± Clearly, Latham was the basketball team captain and the ponytailed girl¡¯s boyfriend. So, this was a scene where love rivals confront each other? Eileen rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Then, the freckled girl suddenly started arguing with the ponytailed girl, even starting to physically fight, pulling each other¡¯s hair, wing at each other¡¯s eyes. Other students hurriedly tried to break up the fight, and in the end, the two girls were brought to the infirmary. As the friend of the freckled girl, Eileen also went to the infirmary, but Latham, the basketball team captain, left on his own, not wanting to get involved. The infirmary was a mess. Suddenly, a ¡°bang¡±! Someone was knocking on the door with a stethoscope, ¡°What¡¯s all the noise!* Hearing this familiar voice, Eileen turned to look. Then she saw the school doctor who walked inform outside, and it was Jarvis! Jarvis had obviously adapted to his role, ying the part of a school doctor very well. He was wearing a doctor¡¯s coat, had a cold expression, and walked over with steady steps. walke The moment the school doctor walked in, all the students quieted down. As Jarvis walked past Eileen, he gave her a nce and made a small gesture. Eileen understood and nodded at him subtly. The school doctor bandaged up the two injured girls and sent them away. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. One by one, the students left. In the end, only Eileen and Jarvis were left in the infirmary. Finally, Jarvis let out a sigh of relief, took off his mask, and smiled at Eileen, ¡°I woke up with no information and people calling me Dr. Dave. This show is interesting, they didn¡¯t give me a script before filming. I was confused.¡± Eileen nodded and casually said, ¡°I was also a bit confused.¡± Jarvis then looked at the wall-mounted camera and raised an eyebrow, I heard this is live.¡± Meanwhile, on Vision Stream, the live tform for Haunted Chronicles. Thanks to the teaser, even though the show had only just started, the entire chatroom was already full. ¨C [Ahhhh Jarvis looked at me!] ¨C [I can handle Dr. Dave, I¡¯m sick and need Dr. Dave to cure me!] ¨C [Jarvis is so handsome, I¡¯m totally smitten!] ¨C [Oh, my God. Eileen is here again? She¡¯s the workaholic of the entertainment industry!] ¨C [Isn¡¯t this show about ghosts? The trailer made it seem like it¡¯s about ghosts, why are they in a school?] ¨C [Aren¡¯t the most ghost stories set in schools?] ¨C [That¡¯s right, our school was built on a cemetery.] ¨C [Same here, our school was also built on a cemetery.] ¨C [Haha, which school isn¡¯t built on a cemetery? The must have element for school legends is ¡®our school used to be a cemetery¡¯.] Jarvis nced at the camera and then shifted his gaze back to Eileen. Eileen put her hands in her pockets, leaning against the door frame as she calmly said, ¡°They didn¡¯t give us character information in advance, they probably want us to improvise. After we get into character, they¡¯ll slowly give us more information, like me, the girl with freckles is my friend. I like the basketball team captain, the girl with the ponytail is my love rival.¡± This was what Eileen had figured out about herself in the past few minutes. Jarvis looked up at Eileen and chuckled, ¡°You seem to be adapting quite well, looks like I¡¯ll need your guidance.¡± Eileen responded with a nod, ¡°I can guide you, but thates with an extra fee.¡± Jarvis was speechless. Eileen then checked the time and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jarvis was taken aback, ¡°Huh?¡± Eileen looked at him, ¡°Let¡¯s go find the others. Are you really going to stay here and y doctor?¡± After saying that, Eileen turned and left the infirmary. Jarvis chuckled as he watched her walk away, then got up and followed her out. Two hourster, all six guests had assembled. Eileen looked coldly at Hedy, who was standing next to Jarvis like a little bunny, her eyes narrowing. Who would have thought the sixth guest would be her? Jarvis noticed Eileen¡¯s gaze. Knowing that Hedy was a nt from the sponsors, he asked with a smile, ¡°You guys know each other before?¡± Eileen instantly replied, ¡°Nope.¡± Hedy was taken aback, ¡°Nope?¡± Eileen said irritably, ¡°Of course not, there are so many people in the street, can I know everyone?¡± Jarvis didn¡¯t expect Eileen to have such a bad attitude towards Hedy. Eileen nced at the time and walked away. Jaqueline quickly asked her, ¡°Where are you going?¡± Eileen responded with a frown, ¡°It¡¯s lunch time, obviously I¡¯m going to eat.¡± Jaqueline was left speechless. Seeing Eileen walking away, everyone had no choice but to follow her to the cafeteria. Hedy, trailing behind the group, red at Eileen¡¯s retreating figure. She gritted her teeth and muttered, ¡°So you love to eat, huh? You¡¯ll be as fat as a pig sooner orter!¡± Eileen upfront suddenly stopped in her tracks. People around looked at her, puzzled. Phyllis asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Eileen turned around, her gaze urately bypassed everyone and locked on to Hedy at the back. She raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°Me, fat? Alright, I am. And you¡¯re light, even your ashes in a box will be as light as a feather.¡± Chapter 204 Chapter 204 Hedy¡¯s face went white at once! She didn¡¯t expect that Eileen could hear her from such a distance. The surroundings immediately fell silent. Eileen nced at Hedy, then turned her head and walked on. The cafeteria was nearby the ying field. Just as they reached the cafeteria, a loud ¡°bang¡± was heard. Followed by a series of shrieks. ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡± Someone yelled from the teaching building, ¡°Someone jumped off the building!¡± Jumped off the building? Eileen squinted her eyes, nced at the cafeteria, then at the teaching building. Finally, curiosity beat hunger and she started running towards the teaching building. By the time everyone reached the base of the building, there was a body lying on the ground. The corpse¡¯s eyes were wide open, blood all over, head shattered. It was the girl with the ponytail! ¡°Oh!¡± Hedy couldn¡¯t bear to look, turned around, and almost threw up, covering her mouth. Phyllis and Jaqueline were no better, they turned their backs quickly, closing their eyes! Jarvis and Simon tried to pull Eileen behind them. But before they could reach out, Eileen had already walked past them, striding forward. Jarvis called out anxiously, ¡°Ms. Lopez!¡± Eileen didn¡¯t pay attention to them, crouching down to examine the body. ¡°Fatal wound to the head, severe skull fracture, neck twisted. This brain matter and blood are a bit sloppy, why did the color fade?¡± Eileen looked at the pigment on her hand. She gently pressed her palm against the corpse¡¯s clothes and wiped her hands with them. The girl with the ponytaily in a pool of blood, her protruding eyes staring straight at Eileen¡¯s face. This is from N?velDrama.Org. Eileen met her gaze and said awkwardly, ¡°Your clothes need to be washed anyway, I didn¡¯t bring any tissues¡­¡± After coughing, she changed the subject. She started instructing the corpse, ¡°A body that fell to death should be softer, but your hand and leg bones are too hard. Be more natural, copse a bit, yes, press down a bit, now it looks like it.¡± After instructing the corpse, Eileen stood up and surveyed the surroundings. After a while, she said to the drone camera in the sky, ¡°The people who do wardrobe, makeup, and props are not professional. This blood spatter range, at least from a ten-story fall, would the blood ssh so far, but this teaching building only has six floors, your blood sshed too far, it¡¯s not realistic, you have to improve next time! The director watching the feed was speechless. Everyone else was also speechless. [Wow, Eileen really knows her stuff. She can exin everything so well.] -[How does Eileen know these things?] -[Don¡¯t be surprised, Eileen is good at fighting. People who are good at fighting usually have a deep understanding of the human skeleton and structure. This is mainly to be able to determine which parts are fatal and which are not during a fight. After all, if the force is too great, the injury is too heavy, it may cause death, then you have to face legal punishment.] Wait, that¡¯s why? I learned something new. Everyone, type ¡°professional¡± on the screen.] Eileen didn¡¯t care about the messy information in thosements. She wasn¡¯t afraid of corpses because she studied, medicine. Even if this body was real, it was just part of medical practice, medical students or clinicians, usually aren¡¯t afraid of corpses. After inspecting the scene, Eileen walked into the teaching building and headed upstairs. Ten minutester, Eileen came back, she walked up to her friends and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t see any other suspicious people, and can¡¯t tell from the environment which floor she fell from, but what is known is that she did die from the fall, there are no other fatal injuries on her body.¡± At this time, the school authorities came to disperse the crowd, not allowing students to linger. Eileen said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jarvis asked seriously, ¡°Where do we go now?¡± Eileen said matter-of-factly, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? To eat.¡± Jarvis went silent. Jaqueline was shocked, ¡°In this situation, you still want to go eat?¡± Eileen said, ¡°We¡¯re not allowed to stay here anymore, if you want to stay, I won¡¯t stop you.¡± Jaqueline was a bit unhappy, ¡°But we just saw a body. I can¡¯t eat now!¡± Fifteen minutester, everyone nkly watched Eileen chow down! Since she didn¡¯t have a cafeteria card and couldn¡¯t get more food, after finishing her meal, Eileen was ready to eat other people¡¯s meals. Eileen set her sights on Jacqueline, who hadn¡¯t touched her food. So she said, ¡°Jaqueline, look at your veggies, don¡¯t they look like the brain matter earlier, all red and white.¡± Jaqueline was totally speechless. Jaqueline put down her utensils,pletely lost her appetite. Eileenughed, quickly pulled Jacqueline¡¯s meal to her side! Everyone else couldn¡¯t eat anymore. Jarvis saw that Eileen loved to eat, he chuckled and picked up a drumstick from his te, intending to give it to her. But at this moment, Simon suddenly handed over his te, forcefully took the drumstick, and said with a straight face, ¡°Thanks.¡± Jarvis was stunned. Simon had already bitten the drumstick, not giving Jarvis a chance to take it back. Jarvis looked at Simon,ughed again, and pushed his te towards Simon, saying, ¡°What else do you want to eat, help yourself.¡± Simon frowned at him. Of course he didn¡¯t want to eat it. He just didn¡¯t like Jarvis being too attentive to Eileen. Was this guy a good person, or did he have ill intentions towards Eileen? He needed to stay vignt, otherwise, when Mr. Reedes back, he might be punished. Jarvis saw that Simon wasn¡¯t eating, so he pushed his untouched soup to Simon, saying, ¡°You are too skinny, you should eat more.¡± Simon was speechless. Laugh at him? He only ate one of his drumsticks, and he¡¯s already mad? After being stuffed, Eileen wiped her mouth and took control of the situation. ¡°Alright,¡± she addressed the group, ¡°let¡¯s do some introductions.¡± Getting her drift, Jarvis took the lead. ¡°I¡¯m Jarvis, the school doctor. Twenty-five years old, been on the job for a year. I¡¯m also rted to the principal.¡± After Jarvis, Simon spoke up. ¡°Name¡¯s Bartley. I¡¯m the ss leader of the senior ss, Group 5, and a member of the school basketball team.¡± Phyllis chimed in, ¡°I¡¯m Phyllis, the vice ss leader of senior ss, Group 5, and the cheerleading squad captain.¡± Jaqueline added, ¡°I¡¯m Jaqueline, but I couldn¡¯t tell you what ss I¡¯m in. I¡¯m new here, and everyone calls me ¡®the belle.¡± As soon as she finished, all eyes turned to her. Jaqueline nonchntly tossed her hair, acting innocent. ¡°That¡¯s just what they call me.¡± Eileen nodded in response, ¡°Well, that¡¯s a clue. It suggests the boys in this school might have questionable taste, and there¡¯s likely a shortage of girls, so pretty much any girl could be dubbed ¡®the belle.¡± Jaqueline was silent. Next, Eileen introduced herself, ¡°I¡¯m Eileen. I¡¯ve got a crush on the basketball team captain. I might be his girlfriend.¡± Hedy looked up at Eileen, hesitated, then said. ¡°I¡¯m Hedy, I¡¯ve also got a crush on the basketball team captain. I might also be his girlfriend.¡± Eileen was taken aback. Was Hedy¡¯s character setup the same as hers? Was this a coincidence? Or did the producers want to make her feel awkward? Once everyone finished their introductions, Eileen drummed her fingers on the table and said, ¡°From what we¡¯ve gathered, everyone. here, except for the school doctor, is somehow linked to the basketball team. Even the girl who jumped off the building was the basketball captain¡¯s girlfriend¡­¡± She shook her head, ¡°There¡¯s too little information. I¡¯m still clueless about what the showrunners want us to do. Let¡¯s all split up, gather more info, and regroup here at five to brainstorm.¡± No one objected. Everyone then scattered to do their own thing. Eileen had thought that after splitting up, they would run into other characters and get more information through conversations. But to her surprise, after wandering around the school for hours, no one paid her any attention! Since Eileen figured the critical information must be rted to the basketball team, she decided to check out their court. Finding the doors locked, Eileen was about to climb in through a window. Just then, a security guard spotted her and shouted, ¡°What are you doing? What ss are you in?¡± Seeing this, Eileen took off running! But the faster she ran, the more determined the guard was to catch her For the next twenty minutes, Eileen was chased around half the school building by a guard wielding a baton. Finally, Eileen ducked into the girls¡¯ restroom to shake him off. After waiting in the restroom for about ten minutes, Eileen cautiously peeked out. Seeing no sign of the guard, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to leave. But just then, a freckled girl showed up and said, ¡°Eileen, what are you doing here? I need to go back to the dorm to grab something. Come with me.¡± Excited, Eileen thought, ¡®Finally, some plot progression!¡± Eagerly, she replied, ¡°Sure, sure, sure.¡± Twenty minutester, Eileen found herself in a dpidated dorm room, dimly lit by the faint light streaming in through the window. Hesitant, she asked, ¡°Is this our dorm? It looks abandoned, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Before she could finish, there was a loud bang, and the door was suddenly shut. Soon after, a chilling sobbing sound filled the room. The eerie sound sent shivers down Eileen¡¯s spine, causing goosebumps all over her body. She turned to call for the freckled girl, but when she looked back¡­ She saw the freckled girl¡¯s face suddenly covered in bloodshot veins, her eyes red as if about to bleed, lips cracked open wide, smiling a sinister smile, and slowly approaching her. Chapter 205 Chapter 205 ¡°Ah!¡± Eileen screamed at the top of her lungs. [Ah!!!]The audience¡¯s screams were even louder. The viewers watching the video screamed louder than Eileen, they were all scared out of their wits. -[I believe it now, this variety show is really haunted! I¡¯m scared to death!] -[I can¡¯t look at the screen, I¡¯m covering it with my hand. I¡¯m typing with one hand right now!] -[Isn¡¯t this a live broadcast? How did that girl do her makeup so quickly?] -[What¡¯s happening now? Why is it so quiet? Did I turn off the sound?] -[Did it pass or not? I dare not look at the content and can¡¯t see thements! I¡¯m about to die of anxiety!] After three minutes, some viewers finally slowly moved their hands away from their eyes. But when they opened their eyes and looked at the livestream screen, they found that the screen was all ck. -[What?? The live stream is off?] -[Hey, what happened?] Some of the braver viewers answered. -[No, it¡¯s not off. There¡¯s no sound because when Eileen picked up the girl and threw her, her body smashed the indoor microphone.] -[Yes, and it¡¯s not just the microphone that was smashed. Themotion was so big that the camera on the wall also fell down. We can¡¯t see the picture now because the camera lens is facing down, pointing at the floor.] -[Ah, so that¡¯s what happened. But why was that freckled girl so fast?) -[That¡¯s because it wasn¡¯t that girl, it was another staff member. There¡¯s no way to do makeup in such a short time, that ghost was yed by another male staff member.) -[Oh, I see. So what¡¯s the situation now? I want to know what happened next.] Just as thisment was posted, the next situation urred. The live screen suddenly switched, it should be that the program group temporarily adjusted the lens to another avable camera. So, the audience saw from the camera¡¯s perspective that Eileen, as if she had fire under her feet, quickly ran out of the bedroom and rushed downstairs. The way she went downstairs was also special, she didn¡¯t even take the stairs. She simply put one hand on the stair railing, jumped, and directly jumped from the fourth floor to the third floor, and then from the third floor to the second floor. Her speed was astonishingly fast, and in the blink of an eye, she disappeared from sight. -[????] This is from N?velDrama.Org. -[WTF?What did I just see?] -[Wow! She really is someone who has filmed Defender¡¯s Honor!] After Eileen ran away, the girl in the dormitory helped a ¡°female ghost¡± with a face full of bloodshot eyes and limped out in pursuit. They looked very awkward and stood at the stairwell, shouting down, ¡°Ms. Lopez,e back¡­ the plot is that you should be scared by me, don¡¯t run!¡± Of course, Eileen wouldn¡¯t respond to them. Seeing the mission fail, the ¡°female ghost¡± could only turn to the camera for help, ¡°Director, what should we do now?¡± I He pointed to his leg again and said, ¡°Director, I twisted my ankle, this should be considered a work injury, right? Ah, I said before, don¡¯t let me provoke Eileen, find someone who can beat her, you know she¡¯s as strong as a man, with my physique, she can take me out with one finger¡­¡± Before the staff could finishining, the director quickly switched the camera. -[Hahaha, you all know she¡¯s as strong as a man now!] -[If you want to beat Eileen, you have to find Egbert, right? Do you remember how Egbert suppressed Eileen in Defender¡¯s Honor?] -[Suppressed? Sorry guys, my thoughts are off.] -[Egbert won¡¯te, there is news in the fan group that Egbert is filming abroad, he doesn¡¯t know when he cane back.] The live camera switched from the fourth floor to the first floor. At the entrance of the first floor, Eileen was anxiously banging on the dormitory building¡¯s front door! But the iron door was locked from the outside, and there was no way to open it. Eileen was in great distress. At this time, inside the dormitory building, a baby¡¯s crying sound started ying again from an unknown yer. This time it was not only the crying sound, but also other sounds. ¡°Click, click¡­¡± it was the sound of high heels walking on the ground! A terrifying atmosphere was created again. Eileen, with a terrified look on her face, was pressed against the dormitory door. She closed her eyes and dared not look back, just banging on the door frantically and shouting. ¡°Is there anyone outside! Can anyonee and open the door!¡± -[Ah, I¡¯m so scared!] -(It¡¯s not really going to scare Eileen to death, is it?) -[I wasn¡¯t scared at first, but Eileen¡¯s screams are so pitiful that I¡¯m also scared. Turn on the lights quickly!) In the backstage control room, the director was now incredibly excited! His face was ferocious, his hands propped on the table, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at the terrified girl on the monitor, constantly saying, ¡°Just keep screaming! No matter how much you scream today, no one wille to save you!¡± The assistant director was speechless. The assistant director stood by, looking at the crazed director, and said speechlessly, ¡°Is this worth it?¡± ¡°Why not!¡± The director turned his head and banged his fist on the table. He yelled. ¡°My ass is still hurting right now!¡± The assistant director snorted, ¡°That¡¯s your own fault, you can¡¯t me otherspletely, and aren¡¯t you mixing personal and professional matters?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care! I just want her to taste the bitterness. This is all the power I have left now. Can¡¯t you let me get back at her a bit?¡± Seeing the director¡¯s emotional outburst, the assistant director didn¡¯t say anything else, only saying, ¡°Do whatever you want.¡± The director startedughing again, he stared at the monitor and said evilly, ¡°How scared do you think she¡¯ll be? Will she cry? She¡¯s so beautiful, if I scare her a bit, she¡¯ll definitely cry for a long time.¡± The assistant director didn¡¯t speak, he wasn¡¯t sure if Eileen would cry. But if Eileen knew that the director was deliberately messing with her, she might punch the director to tears when shees out. At this time, theizens also started to worry a bit. -[Is she acting or is she really scared of ghosts? Her screams are too pitiful.] -[Eileen is scared of ghosts? No way, no way, no way? I just don¡¯t believe it.] -[It¡¯s normal for her to be scared of ghosts. Even if she¡¯s usually strong, she¡¯s still a girl, everyone has their weaknesses.] -[I totally agree with the above. We often joke that Eileen is like a guy, but when faced with situations that most girls would freak out, she is scared too¡­oh my god!] -[Holy cow!] Eileen was absolutely petrified. The eerie background music ying behind her made her feel like something is creeping up on her. Eileen was trembling all over, she¡¯s at her wit¡¯s end. All she could do was step back a couple of steps, then kicked up. ¡°Boom!¡± With a thunderous sound, she kicked the door like she was demolishing a house. Eileen, with one kick, broke open the double push bedroom doors that were secured by three locks. ¡°Bam!¡± The moment the door fell down, Eileen darted out without looking back! Outside the dorm, passersby stared at the iron door swinging and kicking up dust. Their eyelids were twitching, their nerves spasming. Thement section fell silent. In the main control room, the director¡¯s finger was frozen in mid-air. His fingertip was trembling uncontrobly. After a while, the director opened his mouth slowly, his voice hoarse and strained. He said to the assistant director, ¡°Don¡¯t tell her¡­I was the one who ordered the door to be locked¡­¡± Chapter 206 Chapter 206 Eileen was running while constantly checking over her shoulder. Noticing nobody following her, she finally took a breather and slipped into the school building. About half the ssrooms in the building were empty. After all, the production team couldn¡¯t hire hundreds of students for real. Eileen was on the hunt for where the crowd was thickest. So, she headed for the floor where the noise was the loudest, the fourth floor. But when she got there, she found the corridor eerily quiet, as if no one was around. That didn¡¯t add up, she was sure she had heard voices just now. A shiver ran down Eileen¡¯s spine again. Then, she noticed a light on in a ssroom ahead! Eileen hurried over to the backdoor of the room to peek inside. In the ssroom, a middle-aged teacher was standing at the podium, the students below sitting up straight, all eyes on the ckboard. Seeing these people, Eileen breathed a sigh of relief, but something still felt off. The teacher on the podium turned around, his eyes meeting hers. The pupils of his eyes contracted sharply, he awkwardly pointed a finger in her direction, slowly uttering, ¡°There¡¯s ate student¡­¡± Eileen froze. The next second, the students who had been sitting up straight all turned around in unison. Eileen¡¯s scalp tingled in an instant. These students, they were all wearing ghost makeup! Their faces were covered in hair, their eye sockets devoid of whites! The lights, both in the corridor and the ssroom, suddenly went off. Everything was pitch ck. ¨C (AAAAAHHHHHH!) Thements erupted with screams again. Eileen was frightened to the point of nearly passing out! She didn¡¯t think twice and just ran. She had been running in the corridor for a while when she bumped into someone¡­ Eileen was scared out of her wits, she didn¡¯t dare look at who it was, she just grabbed their arm and hoisted them up! At this critical moment, the other person quickly called out, ¡°Ms. Lopez! It¡¯s me!¡± It was a familiar voice¡­ Eileen looked up and saw that she was holding onto Jarvis. Eileen nced at Jarvis, then at Bartley behind him. In an instant, she felt relieved seeing someone she knew. She pointed behind her, whimpering. ¡°There¡¯s a ghost¡­¡± Seeing she was genuinely scared, Jarvis quicklyforted her, ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay.¡± As he reached out to pat her hair, Simon Lopez swiftly blocked his hand! He shot Jarvis a warning look, pulled Eileen to his side, and shielded her behind him, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, I¡¯m here.¡± ¨C [Oh my god, one second I was scared to death, the next I¡¯m appreciating their love. Where are the Fancy Ind fans at!) ¨C [Right here! Fancy Ind is my favorite. You guys were all talking about Jarvis, I felt shy to mention the characters from Fancy Ind. The actors are reunited, isn¡¯t that something to celebrate!) ¨C [They didn¡¯t interact much before, I thought they would avoid each other after the show ended. Now they¡¯re finally standing together again.] ¨C [He said ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, I¡¯m here.¡± Ah, I¡¯m so excited, I¡¯m going crazy!] Jarvis looked at Bartley taking such good care of Eileen, his face and eyes full of affection. He asked, ¡°Ms. Lopez, what exactly happened?¡± Eileen cautiously peeked out from behind Bartley. She pointed ahead, muttering in fear, ¡°That ssroom, it¡¯s full of ghosts.¡± Jarvis nced in that direction, ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look.¡± With that, he went over. Eileen watched him leave quite quickly, she whispered to Simon, ¡°Bartley, if he gets caught by the ghost, we shouldn¡¯t save him, and we should just run, what do you think?¡± Simon grinned, ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Comments: ¨C [What?) All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. ¨C (What are you even saying?] ¨C [I¡¯m waiting for Jarvis to be caught by the ghost, turn into a ghost, and take revenge on those two.] Jarvis came back after a while,pletely calm, ¡°There are indeed ghosts in that ssroom.¡± Eileen was surprised that he seemedpletely unaffected, ¡°Aren¡¯t you scared?¡± Jarvis shook his head with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m not scared.¡± Eileen couldn¡¯t help but marvel, ¡°You¡¯re so brave!¡± Simon seemed a bit upset, he said grumpily, ¡°What¡¯s so brave about that, I¡¯m not scared of ghosts either.¡± Eileen blinked at Simon. Jarvis also looked at Simon, he was a bit helpless, but he still said, ¡°Alright, you¡¯re the bravest, happy now? Are you a child to be jealous over this?¡± Simon was speechless. Afterwards, the three of them found a ce to gather the information they had so far. Jarvis said, ¡°Bartley and I discovered that this isn¡¯t the first time a female student has jumped from a building at this school. In the past three years, there have been five such incidents, and the circumstances of the deaths are very simr to the ponytail girl¡¯s death today.¡± Simon said, ¡°Before I ran into Jarvis, I went to the basketball team¡¯s ssroom and saw Latham taking something out of there, then he left the school.¡± Eileen immediately perked up, ¡°He can leave the school? Can I¡­¡± Simon shook his head, ¡°You¡¯ definitely can¡¯t leave. Don¡¯t even think about it.¡± Eileen dropped her head in disappointment. Jarvis asked with augh, ¡°Ms. Lopez, what did you find out?¡± Eileen hung her head and mumbled, ¡°I¡¯ve figured out a few things¡­ First, not everyone in the school is going to be our informant, only NPCs who are directly rted to us will give us info. Strangers don¡¯t trigger any plots. Second, this school has security guards, who probably know stuff that the students don¡¯t. But because I was caught climbing through a window, I was chased around by a guard for over half an hour. He¡¯s probably not gonna talk to me. One of you guys should try and see if you can get more info. Third, my friend, the freckled girl, turned into a ghost. Her ghost makeup looks a lot like the ghosts in the ssroom earlier, so I¡¯m guessing they¡¯re the same type of ghosts. Fourth¡­¡±. At this point, Eileen turned to Jarvis, ¡°I dunno if you noticed, but in the haunted ssroom, the girl sitting in the first seat of the third row on the left, is the same ponytail girl who jumped off the building.¡± As soon as she said this, both Jarvis and Simon were stunned! The live chat also went nuts. -[What? Was it really the ponytail girl?] -[Is this for real or just a prank? Did anyone record it?] -[I got it recorded, let me check!] -[Wow, this whole story setup is really good, it¡¯s getting more and more interesting.] -[I thought Eileen would be too scared to notice anything, didn¡¯t expect her to figure out so much.] -(I just checked, it really is the ponytail girl, what the heck is going on?] -(Quick, go check out Hedy¡¯s live stream. She¡¯s dead!] -[What? Hedy is dead?] -[Yes, she turned into a ghost!] Chapter 207 Chapter 207 Five in the afternoon, all the guests gathered in the cafeteria. While they were eating, they were sharing the information they had collected. Thest one to share was Hedy. She hung her head low, her bangs covering part of her eyes, and muttered, ¡°I heard that the girl with the ponytail was pregnant when she died.¡± ¡°Pregnant?¡± Phyllis asked in surprise. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Then she gritted her teeth and cursed, ¡°That heartless boy! His girlfriendmits suicide by jumping off the building while carrying his child, and he dares to sneak out of school to avoid responsibility!¡± Jarvis pondered for a moment, looking at Hedy and asking, ¡°Any other information?¡± Hedy lowered her head even more and shook her head, ¡°No¡­¡± Jarvis then turned to Eileen and said, ¡°Coincidentally, I just went to the security room. The guard told me that thest girl whomitted suicide by jumping off the building three months ago was also pregnant when she died.¡± Hearing this news, everyone was stunned. At this moment, the audience¡¯s reaction was very intense. -[Hedy is a ghost, why isn¡¯t anyone noticing?!] -[Hedy¡¯s eyes have changed color, right? That¡¯s why she doesn¡¯t dare to lift her head!] -[I¡¯m so scared, I don¡¯t know what this plot means, wake up guys, the ghost is right next to you!] -[How did Hedy be a ghost?] -When she went to the bathroom, a female ghost followed her in, then there was a scream from inside, after a while when the door opened, Hedy came out with a pale face and white pupils, just like those previous ghosts!] -(But she looks pretty normal now.] -[I don¡¯t know. She walked into the staircase alone, the camera couldn¡¯t capture what¡¯s inside the staircase, by the time she walked from the second floor to the rooftop on the sixth floor, she already looked like a normal person!] The six people on the scene naturally couldn¡¯t feel the audience¡¯s anxiety. When they came out of the cafeteria, the sky outside waspletely dark. Phyllis asked with a puzzled face, ¡°Where should we go now?¡± Eileen looked at a dpidated building not far away and said seriously, ¡°It¡¯s already night, as students, we should naturally return to the dormitory.¡± Phyllis immediately clung to Eileen, grabbing her arm tightly, and said, ¡°No way, that dormitory building looks creepy. When I passed by this afternoon, I saw that the main gate was destroyed by a fierce ghost, I don¡¯t want to live there!¡± Eileen was speechless, it wasn¡¯t exactly a fierce ghost¡­ Jarvis then said, ¡°This school has a curfew, after nine in the evening, all students must stay in the dormitory building.¡± Phyllis was almost crying. Simonforted her, ¡°It¡¯s okay, we can all stay in one room, so we can support each other. It¡¯s just one night, it should be fine.¡± Simon¡¯s words made sense, tonight, the six of them cannot separate. It¡¯s gettingte, no matter how reluctant Phyllis is, everyone still headed towards the dormitory building. But when they reached the dormitory building, Jarvis and Simon were stopped. The middle-aged Resident Advisordy was holding a broom, blocking the entrance, her face was filled with anger as she yelled, ¡°Get out, get out! This is a girls¡¯ dormitory! What are you two boys doing here! Leave now! Stay away from here!¡± Normally, it¡¯s true that boys can¡¯t enter the girls¡¯ dormitory, but this¡¯s a horror variety show, right? Jarvis and Simon stood at the entrance, looking innocent. The situation was suddenly at a stalemate. Phyllis was about to break down, she grabbed her hair and said, ¡°So you¡¯re saying, tonight, only the four of us, weak females, are staying together?¡± Thements definitely disagreed with what Phyllis said. -[Saying you¡¯re female is fine, but saying you¡¯re weak? You¡¯re not taking Eileen into consideration!] -(Oh, please. Eileen is so scared of ghosts. If she really encounters a ghost, she would definitely be the first one to run away!) -[Run away? Don¡¯t you underestimating Eileen! She would run away? From what I know about her, before she runs away, she would definitely push the others out to feed the ghosts first, to buy herself more time to escape!] -[That¡¯s right, that is definitely something she could do.] Eileen wasn¡¯t really keen on the idea of the six of them splitting up. The night is long and quiet, the probability of idents happening at night is too high, if the six of them were to stay in two separate dormitory buildings, if something really happens, it¡¯ll be toote to support each other, and there will definitely be casualties. Eileen touched her chin. She looked at Jarvis and Simon at the door, and asked, ¡°What do you guys think?¡± Jarvis pursed his lips, looked at Simon and said helplessly, ¡°If there¡¯s really no way, tonight, I can only spend time alone with Bartley.¡± Simon was stunned! He frowned, and said unhappily, ¡°Mr. Dave, this is not the time for jokes.¡± Jarvis smiled and looked at Eileen again, ¡°We can¡¯t spend the night together, this is a fact. How about this, we¡¯ll find a room closest to the main door at the boys¡¯ dormitory, if something happens, we¡¯ll try our best to rush over as soon as possible.¡± Eileen shook her head, ¡°that will still be toote.¡± Jarvis raised his eyebrows, ¡°Then do you have any other ideas?¡± Eileen looked at the two of them, paused for a moment, and said, ¡°There is a way, follow me.¡± Afterwards, the six of them headed towards the direction of the academic building. In the main control room. The director put down the cup in his hand and asked the assistant director next to him, ¡°What do you think she¡¯s nning?¡± The assistant director shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The director said with a rxed face, ¡°No matter what her n is, it won¡¯t work, my n is wless, tonight the six of them must separate, only by separating the two boys, Hedy will have the chance to turn Phyllis and Jaqueline into ghosts! When the timees, the three girls will team up, taking advantage of Eileen¡¯s guard being down towards her close peers, they can definitelyunch a surprise attack and take down Eileen!¡± The assistant director listened to the director¡¯s gnashing of teeth, he said speechlessly, ¡°Are you really targeting Eileen?¡± The director took another sip of water, and deliberately said, ¡°How can this be called targeting? The plot needs to go this way!¡± The assistant director shook his head and said, ¡°You just mess around. Wait until shees to you, you¡¯ll get what¡¯sing to you, don¡¯te crying to me.¡± The director didn¡¯t care! As long as no one tattles, Eileen won¡¯t know that these are all his ideas. He¡¯d conveniently im that all these plot twists were written by the scriptwriters when the time was right, and then push Eileen to go find them. The director stared at the monitor, watching the six people wandering around the school building, and muttered: ¡°Where the heck are they going? Doesn¡¯t matter where, the Resident Advisor is always omnipresent.¡± Twenty minutester. Eileen, along with the five others, arrived at the Drama Club. She had discovered this ce while snooping around in the afternoon. Eileen told the others to keep watch while she climbed in through a window. When she came out again, she had an armful of items. Without pausing, she kept her head down, and like a thief in the night, led the others away swiftly. They stopped at a toilet door, and after making sure there was no one following, Eileen finally took out the items she had been carrying. These were costumes used by the Drama Club. Eileen handed the long skirts and wigs to Jarvis and Simon, saying, ¡°Here you go, Mr. Dave, Mr. Bartley! Get into drag, that way we can get into the girls¡¯ dorm!¡± The ce was dead silent. Chapter 208 Chapter 208 Jarvis stared at the women¡¯s clothing and wig in utter shock, dumbfounded. Simon¡¯s face turned pale as well. He took a step back, waving his hands frantically and replying ¡°No, no, I¡¯m not wearing that¡­¡± Eileen, holding up the clothing, pushed it towards them, trying to coax them into it. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it won¡¯t get you addicted,¡± she reassured. Jarvis and Simon were speechless. Did she think that was what they worried about? Jarvis felt a headacheing on. He pressed his temples, speaking helplessly, ¡°Ms. Lopez, I really can¡¯t do this¡­¡± Eileen frowned, ¡°But it¡¯s the only way you guys can get into the girls¡¯ dorm.¡± Still, Jarvis and Simon refused. They were men, after all. At that moment, Phyllis stepped over to Eileen, whispering in her ear, ¡°They¡¯re public figures with lots of fans. They can¡¯t ruin their image by dressing in drag!¡± Eileen pursed her lips, ncing from Jarvis to Simon, a look of deep disappointment in her eyes. She mumbled, ¡°But I really thought it was a good idea¡­¡± Simon looked at Eileen, who was pitiful like an abandoned puppy. His heart softened. Screw being a man and all that male pride! He gritted his teeth and firmly dered, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it!¡± At his words, all eyes turned to him. Jarvis was at a loss for words. ¡°Bartley, don¡¯t be rash.¡± But Simon, wanting to support his Auntie Eileen, didn¡¯t care anymore. He grabbed the outfit and took Jarvis by the arm, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Mr. Dave!¡± Jarvis stepped back, rejecting him, ¡°I¡­I can¡¯t do this¡­¡± Simon moved forward, trying to grab and carry Jarvis into the bathroom. He had seen Auntie Eileen do it so easily before. But he couldn¡¯t lift Jarvis at all! As soon as Simon wrapped his arms around Jarvis¡¯s waist, Jarvis grabbed his wrist and pushed him back, pinning him down instead. Jarvis sighed helplessly, ¡°Bartley, really, stop messing around.¡± Simon¡¯s hands were caught, and feeling a bit embarrassed, he turned for help, ¡°Ms. Lopez, help!¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Eileen immediately stepped forward. But seeing the two tangled up, she was a bit unsure, hesitating, ¡°What should I do? I don¡¯t want to hurt you guys.¡± Simon and Jarvis were speechless. In the end, Jarvis had no choice but to let Simon go, hanging his head in thought. Eileen and Simon, seeing him wavering, stared at him intently. After a while, Jarvis lifted his head, looking at the pair of pitiful eyes on the other side. He ran a hand through his hair, finally sighing and bracing himself, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it for you guys. It will be my first time¡­¡± His words sounded a bit strange. But he agreed! ¡°Wow!¡± Phyllis and Jaqueline eximed simultaneously. Thements section was also exploding with surprise! Hedy, however, kept her head down, standing in the corner, appearing to be holding a small red object. The two boys went into the bathroom to change. The four girls waited outside. About twenty minutes passed, but they still hadn¡¯te out. Eileen was getting anxious and called out, ¡°Are you guys done?¡± Why was it taking so long for just two outfits? There was no answer from inside, but she could vaguely hear the two men¡¯s conversation. ¡°Bartley, you¡¯re crooked here.¡± ¡°I know, but I don¡¯t know how to wear a bra. How do you loosen this thing? I can¡¯t pull it down.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too tense, rx a bit.¡± ¡°Phew¡­ Is this okay?¡± ¡°I meant you buttoned it too tightly, loosen it by one. Never mind, I¡¯ll help you redo it. Take off your clothes.¡± As Eileen listened, she began to scratch her head. After a while, she walked back, telling Phyllis and Jaqueline, ¡°It might be a while longer.¡± They waited another ten minutes before the two boys finally emerged. Eileen, who had seen them fumble around for so long and even put on bras, expected some hrious sight. But¡­ what was this? ¡°Hahaha!¡± Phyllis and Jaqueline were practically rolling on the floorughing! Eileen didn¡¯tugh. Instead, she looked at the two boys, sizing them up. Finally, she asked, ¡°Bartley, why is one of your breasts bigger than the other?¡± And to Jarvis, ¡°Mr. Dave, why is your skirt tucked into your pants?¡± Jarvis covered his eyes, turned around, and refused to answer, his ears burning red. Simon, however, patted his mismatched fake breasts and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know why they¡¯re different sizes either. And this bra is really ufortable.¡± Eileen touched his chest and said, ¡°Your padding is all bunched up. You need to spread it out evenly. Do you want me to help you fix it?¡± ¡°No, no, I¡¯m good!¡± Simon quickly declined, then grabbed Jarvis¡¯s hand and dragged him back into the bathroom. Inside the bathroom, the voices of the two boys gradually grew louder. ¡°You said it was supposed to be like this, and I wondered why it was so ufortable.¡± Jarvis¡¯s voice was soft. ¡°How would I know, I¡¯m not a girl¡­¡± Simonined, ¡°But you acted like you knew everything. I thought you learned it from your girlfriend.¡± Jarvis sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t have a girlfriend. What about you? Didn¡¯t you learn anything from yours?¡± Simon replied, ¡°I don¡¯t have one either. All I have is work!¡± Jarvis chuckled, praising him, ¡°That¡¯s good, you¡¯re very dedicated.¡± Then, he asked, ¡°Does it feel better now?¡± Simon replied, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s better now.¡± Eileen, Phyllis, and Jaqueline were all speechless. The entirement section was also speechless.. Five minutester, the two boys came out again. Eileen gave them a once over, taking in every detail. Jaqueline was already trying hard to stifle herughter, her face turning red. She tactfully asked, ¡°Mr. Dave, Mr. Bartley, do you guys always chat about such hot subjects?¡± The two guys were taken aback. ¡°Hot subjects?¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Phyllis quickly covered Jaqueline¡¯s mouth and waved her hands dismissively, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, nothing at all.¡± Simon looked confused, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Jarvis gave Simon a friendly p on the shoulder, ¡°They¡¯re just looking for a reason tough at us. So, let themugh. We¡¯re dressed in skirts already, so why not have a goodugh about it.¡± -[Lmao, well, then let theughter begin!] -[Some people are just starting tough, while others are already gasping for air fromughing so hard!] -[Mr. Dave¡¯s image is ruined, as a fan, I¡¯m not crying, I just want tough out loud! Hahaha!] -[Some guys, I tell ya, can¡¯t get a girlfriend for a reason. When you¡¯re talking to girls, you have no skills. But when you¡¯re chatting with your guy friends, you don¡¯t shut up! How can you get a girlfriend like this?] Phyllis and Jaqueline were bent overughing. Eileen walked over with a frown, flicked Phyllis¡¯ forehead, then turned to Jarvis and Simon, ¡°Alright, this should be enough, let¡¯s get going.¡± Jarvis asked, ¡°But, can we really fool them by cross-dressing? The Resident Advisor isn¡¯t blind.¡± Eileen snorted, ¡°We¡¯ll definitely fool them. The girl with freckles who scared me this afternoon was actually a guy in disguise. If she doesn¡¯t let you in, then all the male staff dressed as women can¡¯t get in either. Let¡¯s see who suffers more, the program team or us!¡± The director in the control room remained silent. He pointed at the monitor, trembling, then he stood up from his wheelchair, and started cursing. ¡°Eileen!!! I¡¯m gonna kill you!!!¡± Ten minutester, at the girls¡¯ dormitory building. The RA was sitting by the window, grimacing as she watched the ¡°six girls¡± pass by without stopping them. Once they disappeared into the stairwell, the RA picked up the walkie-talkie, asking the director, ¡°Director, what are we supposed to do now?¡± There was no response from the other end for a long time. ¡°Mister?¡± After a while, the assistant director¡¯s voice finally came through. ¡°The director is not here, he¡¯s had a big mood swing, and his wound on his butt tore open. He¡¯s been rushed to the hospital. If you need anything, you¡¯ll have to wait. We¡¯re in a mess here!¡± Chapter 209 Chapter 209 Eileen had no idea that the director had been carted off to the hospital again. She came to the dorm room where the freckled girl had turned into a ghost, with five people in tow, treading lightly. She switched on the light. The room was just as she had left it, looking run down, with a musty smell of rotting wood hanging in the air. Phyllis clung to Eileen, saying in fear, ¡°I don¡¯t want to stay here¡­¡± Jaqueline also chimed in, holding onto Phyllis and saying with shaking voice, ¡°I don¡¯t want to stay here either.¡± The room was indeed in bad condition, and it didn¡¯t look fit for living at all. Simon had already ditched his skirt and wig, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll go have a look outside, see if there¡¯s any other room we can use.¡± Jarvis responded, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Simon looked at him. Jarvis walked over and gave Simon a pat on the shoulder, saying, ¡°It¡¯s a horror movie rule, you know. If you¡¯re alone, you¡¯re more likely to be in trouble.¡± Simon thought for a moment. It was indeed safer to go in pairs, so he said, ¡°Alright then.¡± Once the guys left, Eileen started to inspect the room. The camera and microphone on the floor had been reinstalled. The room was a mess, and dust littered the table. Eileen walked over to a lower bunk, running her hand over the sheets, she said, ¡°At least the bedding¡¯s clean.¡± Phyllis shook her head resolutely, ¡°Even if it¡¯s clean I¡¯m not sleeping on it! I¡¯d rather stay up all night!¡± Jaqueline agreed, ¡°Me too! Me too!¡± Eileen turned around. She looked at Hedy who hadn¡¯t spoken a word since they arrived, and asked with a frown, ¡°Hedy, you¡¯ve been quiet. What¡¯s your opinion?¡± Hedy nced quickly at the trio through her bangs, then quickly stuffed a small red object into her pocket and muttered, ¡°I don¡¯t have an opinion. I don¡¯t know about this stuff. I¡¯ll just go along with what you guys decide.¡± Eileen narrowed her eyes, sizing up Hedy. Finally, her gazended on Hedy¡¯s bulging pocket. Comments: All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. -[What¡¯s that thing? When did she get it?] -[She¡¯s had it the whole time, since she turned into a ghost.] -[There are only four girls in the room now. Is Hedy going to make a move? But she¡¯s alone, she can¡¯t possibly take on three people.] [She can¡¯t make a move now, doing so would blow her cover. Eileen could squash her like a bug.] About ten minutester, the guys returned. Simon reported, ¡°Most of the other dorm rooms are locked. The ones that aren¡¯t are even more run down than this one.¡± Jarvis chimed in, ¡°Actually, this room isn¡¯t too bad. It has its own bathroom, a sink, we could clean up a bit, if we wipe the dust off the table and chairs, we could rough it out for a night.¡± Eileen nodded gravely, ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s clean up.¡± Everyone got to work. They cleaned the tables and made the bed. By the time they had finished, it was exactly eleven o¡¯clock. As the eleven o¡¯clock bell toll echoed from the school building, the lights in the dorm room and the hallway outside all went out suddenly. ¡°Ah!¡± Phyllis screamed. Simon immediately moved to Eileen¡¯s side to protect her, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t panic, it¡¯s probably just a power outage.¡± Jaqueline was on the verge of tears, ¡°There¡¯s even a power outage here?¡± Jarvis exined, ¡°Most schools turn off the power at night.¡± Then, as if it was an illusion, a noise came from the hallway outside. Eileen frowned and said, ¡°Shush.¡± Everyone fell silent. The noise in the Hallway became clearer. It was the sound of a woman¡¯s high heels cking on the floor, punctuated by the asional baby¡¯s cry¡­ Upon hearing this, Eileen was instantly filled with fear. It was the same sound she had heard in the dormitory on the first floor in the afternoon! After a while, the footsteps and crying got closer. Finally, the sounds stopped right outside their dorm room. Jarvis and Simon immediately rushed to the door and locked it. Just as they finished locking it, a knock came from the other side. The gentle knock, in the pitch-ck environment, seemed especially eerie. Jaqueline covered her mouth and squatted down, unable to control her tears. Phyllis was shaking all over, covering her ears and huddling with Jaqueline, not daring to move. And at that moment, in the dark, Hedy¡¯s figure slowly moved towards Phyllis and Jaqueline Although the room was pitch ck, the infrared camera on the wall was able to send a clear picture to the live stream (Oh my god! Hedy¡¯s going to make a move on Phyllis I¡¯m so scared the knocking sound is too creepy¡¯) (Where¡¯s Eileen? Eileen, protect mell What¡¯s Eileen doing? Oh my god, how did she climb up on top of the cab] She climbed up as soon as the footsteps started looks like she was ready. The top of the cab is a blind spot, if a ghostes in, it¡¯d probably eat everyone else before noticing her] ¡°Open the door¡± A gloomy woman¡¯s voice came from outside, ¡°Open the door!¡± Inside the dorm room, all was silent. No one dared to make a sound. Then, a delicate noise came from outside the door. A few secondster, Jarvis suddenly pulled Simon back and squatted down. Simon was confused, but Jarvis whispered in his ear, ¡°Look up Simon looked up at the ss window above the dormitory door, and what he saw scared him stiff. A female ghost¡¯s face was pressed against the ss, contorted, herrge, pupil-less eyes searching for them in the darkness. Simon quickly covered his mouth to prevent himself from screaming Jarvis supported Simon¡¯s shoulder, trying to hide him behind himself. ¡°Why won¡¯t you open the door for me¡­ the female ghost outside suddenly started scraping the door with her nails. The sound was piercing and terrifying Her voice gradually became more sorrowful and pained, ¡°Weren¡¯t we good friends¡­ why did you tell the teacher¡­ why did you tell him.., my baby¡­ give me back my baby¡­ Inside the dorm room, everyone remained silent. The room was still pitch ck. After a while, the female ghost outside seemed to give up. The footsteps gradually moved away After a while, Jarvis asked, ¡°Did she leave?¡± Eileen stayed silent, listening carefully until she was sure the footsteps werepletely gone. She climbed down from the cab and said, ¡°She left.¡± Only then did Jarvis and Simon stand up. The room was still pitch-ck, not a single speck of light in sight. After Simon managed to steady himself, he asked, ¡°Where are the others?¡± At that moment, Hedy¡¯s voice rang out, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± From the balcony, Hedy, hand in hand with Phyllis and Jaqueline, walked over from the other end of the bedroom. in the darkness, all Eileen and the others could see were three vague figures approaching them. Comment section: -Oh no, they¡¯re all screwed] -Phyllis and Jaqueline are already ¡°dead¡±, they¡¯re now three ghosts, what are they gonna do?] -How did Hedy kill Phyllis and Jaqueline? Why didn¡¯t we hear anything?] it¡¯s that seal, the little red thing in Hedy¡¯s hand, it¡¯s a seal. She used it to mark the back of Phyllis and Jaqueline¡¯s necks, and they turned into her controlled ghosts! Hold on!¡± Just as Hedy and the others were about to get close, Eileen suddenly pulled Jarvis and Simon back a couple of steps, staring intently at them and said, ¡°Why are Phyllis and Jaqueline hand in hand with Hedy? You two, say something¡± They didn¡¯t answer. Controlled ghosts cart talk, they just kept walking forward like puppets. Jarvis frowned, ¡°Something¡¯s off¡± Jaqueline, who was sobbing quietly just a moment ago, and Phyllis who was usually chatty, were now eerily silent. Something was definitely wrong. As they were getting closer, Eileen and the others were already backed up against the door. Simon asked urgently. ¡°What should we do now?¡± Jarvis spoke in a low voice, ¡®We still don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on exactly. ¡°What¡¯s there not to know?¡± Eileen suddenly rolled up her sleeves, licked her lips, and threatened, ¡®Let¡¯s just smack them and find out! They¡¯re all celebrities, they must have ident insurance, right? If we break a few of their bones, the insurancepany shouldpensate, right? Well then, there¡¯s no need to hold back!¡± The three ghost girls were speechless, so were Jarvis and Simon. Eileen stepped forward, ready to kick someone. Jarvis and Simon immediately stopped her from both sides. Eileen yelled, ¡°Let go of me, let go of me!¡± Chapter 210 Chapter 210 The two guys didn¡¯t dare to let go! Jarvis opened the door, saw the ghost girl outside had disappeared, and he and Simon immediately grabbed Eileen and ran. The corridor outside was wide, and Eileen was forced to run with the two boys. Behind them, Hedy led the two ghost girls in hot pursuit. Suddenly, Hedy let out a loud cry. This cry, as if callingrades. Then, the sharp sound of high heels and the cry of a baby rang out again. Jarvis said through gritted teeth as he ran, ¡°The door-knocking ghost ising again!¡± On hearing this, Eileen ran ahead of Jarvis and Simon! They ran from the fourth floor to the third, and as they were about to continue downstairs, seven or eight male and female ghosts rushed out from the depths of the corridor. Under the hazy moonlight outside the corridor window, their vision became clear. They could see that the faces of these ghosts were all glowing with a blue light, without any whites in their eyes. ¡°Damn! Is this a zombie siege?¡± Eileen cursed and ran even faster. They kept running down, but new ghosts rushed out on every floor. By the time they managed to run to the first floor, arge group of ghosts had already followed them. The lobby on the first floor was empty, the RA was not there, the door, which had been repaired with welding and rebar, was firmly locked. ¡°We can¡¯t get out!¡± Simon pushed the door, his face full of anxiety. Eileen also pushed the door, the newly reced door was thicker, it could not be kicked open. Jarvis leaned against the iron door and said with a bitter smile, ¡°It looks like our first show might fail.¡± Simon grabbed his hair, trying to think, ¡°It¡¯s impossible. How could so many ghosts suddenly rush out? What¡¯s the reason? The crew won¡¯t let us fail like this, there must be a way for us to turn the table. RA! Right, the RA! The Ghostly Registrar is over there, we should go to the Ghostly Registrar first, there must be a way inside¡­ Ms. Lopez!¡± Before Simon could finish his sentence, he saw Eileen take off her coat and rush directly into the crowd of ghosts. Without saying a word, she grabbed a ghost with one hand and lifted it up. Jarvis and Simon were both taken aback. Jarvis shouted, ¡°Ms. Lopez, go easy, they¡¯re all staff!¡± They didn¡¯t know if Eileen heard them or not. She grabbed again, this time grabbing Hedy¡¯s hair. She pulled Hedy over, and then punched her in the nose. ¡°Ah!¡± Hedy didn¡¯t expect Eileen to actually hit her, and cried out in pain. Seeing that the situation was not good, Jarvis asked Simon, ¡°What were you saying about the Ghostly Registrar?¡± Simon, looking anxiously at Auntie Eileen, who seemed to have had a shot of adrenaline or an energy drink, hesitated and said, ¡®I was just guessing, think the Ghostly Registrar should have some clues, after all, there¡¯s a Resident Advisor, isn¡¯t there?¡± Jarvis said, ¡°Let¡¯s go check it out then!¡± Simon said, ¡°But Ms. Lopez¡­¡± Jarvis looked towards the crowd of ghosts, and saw that Eileen had already plunged into a crazy fight! Jarvis quickly said, ¡°We have to hurry!¡± The two boys rushed into the Ghostly Registrar. The Ghostly Registrar was also pitch ck, but there was a shlight on the table. Jarvis turned on the shlight and quickly found a letter in the drawer. The letter was written by a girl named Ruby to the Resident Advisor. Hello, thank you for your care during this time. Today, my mother arranged for me to drop out of school. My family said I was behaving badly, getting pregnant before marriage, but I don¡¯t regret it. They want me to name the father of the child, saying that the father should take responsibility, but I don¡¯t want to say, I don¡¯t want to force him to make any decisions, but I believe that he wille to find me, he will take me away, marry me, and we will raise this child together¡­ Will you bless me?¡± After reading this short letter, Jarvis folded it and handed it to Simon, saying, ¡°Keep this, it¡¯s an important clue.¡± Simon put the letter in his pocket and continued to look for clues in the room. Soon, they found a red seal in the bottom drawer of the filing cab. Comments area: fits this seal! Hedy was also holding this seal!] -With this seal stamped on the back of someone¡¯s neck, you can control that person!] -[Wait, why would the RA have this seal? Isn¡¯t this something only ghosts have?] Who is the Ruby in the letter just now?] Didn¡¯t the security guard say that a pregnant girlmitted suicide by jumping off a building three months ago? Ruby must be that girl.] The ghost who was knocking on the door earlier said to give my child back. Combined with this letter, is that ghost Ruby? I really want to know the whole story¡¯] Simon looked at the seal in the cab, his brow furrowed. Jarvis asked him, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Simon said, ¡°Do you remember? Hedy had been holding a seal in her hand before.¡± Just then, a loud noise came from outside. Jarvis and Simon looked at each other and hurried outside. Once outside, they saw the scene was in chaos. Looking at Eileen, she was lifting up the injured Hedy, ready to smash her against the iron door. Oh my god! If she does that, Hedy would definitely get hurt! ¡°Ms. Lopez!¡± Jarvis and Simon rushed over to stop her. This is from N?velDrama.Org. As soon as Hedy saw the two of them appear, she immediately forgot about the plot and cried out for help, ¡°Help. She, she¡¯s gone crazy¡­¡± Jarvis shouted, ¡°Ms. Lopez, put her down now!¡± Eileen looked at the two annoying guys with a cold face and harsh eyes. After a while, she finally put down Hedy! Only then did Jarvis and Simon breathe a sigh of relief. Eileen then grabbed Hedy¡¯s clothes and flipped her over. ¡°Ms. Lopez!¡± Eileen didn¡¯t hit Hedy, she just used a red stamp to gently press on the back of Hedy¡¯s neck. Simon saw the stamp and froze. ¡°This is¡­¡± Eileen toyed with the stamp in her hand. ¡°I found it on Hedy. She¡¯s been holding onto it all night. Of course I noticed. I just checked, and Phyllis and Jaqueline both have this stamp mark on their necks. I just casually stamped someone, and found out that they stop attacking me after being stamped.¡± Simon took out his own stamp, ¡°I have one too.¡± Eileen opened Simon¡¯s stamp and after a nce, she said, ¡°It¡¯s different. The pattern is not the same.¡± Simon took a look and sure enough, it wasn¡¯t! At this point, the evil spirits that had been stunned by Eileen¡¯s killing intent suddenly started moving again. They began walking over, one by one. Jarvis and Simon immediately became alert! But these ghosts didn¡¯t attack, they just stood in ce mechanically, all looking at Eileen. Jarvis and Simon also looked at Eileen in confusion. Eileen was silent. Half an hourter, in a private hospital room. After the staff hung up the phone, they told the director lying on the hospital bed, ¡°Director, you¡¯ve locked Eileen in the haunted dormitory for three hours!¡± The director patted his butt with a weary look, and asked in a low voice, ¡°Is she willing to apologize yet?¡± The staff replied, ¡°She¡¯s not. But she took the stamp from Hedy and stamped it on all the ghosts¡¯ necks, and she¡¯s now the Wraith Ruler!¡± Chapter 211 Chapter 211 ¡°What?¡± The chief director eximed, struggling to get up. However, as soon as he attempted to rise, a sharp pain shot through his butt. With no other choice, heid back down, asking in disbelief, ¡°Wraith Ruler?¡± The crew members turned on a tablet, switching to the live stream of Haunted Chronicles. On the screen, Eileen stood behind Jarvis and Bartley, looking utterly bewildered! | She was timidly ncing at the hordes of ghosts surrounding her. All the staff members ying ghosts had actually all appeared! ¡°Who the hell let them out?!¡± The chief director shouted. This is from N?velDrama.Org. These ghosts were supposed to appear in batches ording to the development of the plot, but now they¡¯re all pouring out! The crew pointed at a female staff member dressed as a ghost and said, ¡°Hedy told her toe out.¡± The chief director was so furious he was huffing and puffing, ¡°Is Hedy out of her mind?!¡± The chief director couldn¡¯t believe that the plot hadpletely spiraled out of control just because he stepped out for a bit! The cause of all this started back in the daytime. At noon, Eileen suggested that the six guests split up and gather information. They all set off on their own, Hedy heading towards the basketball team captain Latham¡¯s ssroom, presumably to ask him for some information. But Latham wasn¡¯t there, and Hedy came up empty-handed, so she started rifling through his backpack. She was in luck and found a specially wrapped seal. The seal was a crucial clue. Once the seal fell into Hedy¡¯s hands, the relevant clues were automatically triggered. The production team ryed this information to Hedy through her earpiece, which left Hedy with two options. One, share the information about the seal with the rest of the team, brainstorm together, and continue exploring the story behind the ghosts; Or two, go alone and volunteer to y the ghost. This seal could make Wraith Ruler trust her. Hedy chose thetter! The chief director thought it was a good twist at the time. Having one of the six guests be a ghost added a thrilling element to the plot. But no one could have predicted that Hedy would take it to such an extreme, not only awakening Ruby but also summoning all the ghosts in the building! The entire pace of the story had been thrown off. The current plot had copsed intoplete nonsense! How would they continue the story from here? The chief director, fed up, tried to get up from the bed, prepared to rush back to the scene! The staff stopped him,forting him, ¡°You should rest. The assistant director has already taken over.¡± The chief director frowned, asking, ¡°How is he gonna deal with it?¡± The staff handed the chief director the tablet, saying, ¡°No idea, let¡¯s wait and see.¡± On the other side, in the girls¡¯ dormitory on the first floor. In the dimly lit hallway, the shlight illuminated a row of demonic faces, making it particrly eerie! The tension in the room was palpable. Eileen poked her head out from behind Simon. She shouted at the ghosts, ¡°I¡¯ve already created a seal for you guys, you should have all disappeared! Why are you still here?¡± Puppets couldn¡¯t speak. All the ghosts stared at her and remained motionless. Simon shook his head, he also had no idea. He turned to Jarvis. Seeing this, Eileen also turned to Jarvis. Faced with two pairs of hopeful eyes, Jarvisughed, ¡°Am I in charge here? Why are you all looking at me?¡± Simon was speechless. He could still joke in this situation! He said, ¡°I was asking for your opinion.¡± Jarvis thought for a moment, ¡°At least they¡¯re not attacking us. Maybe they¡¯ll disappear when daylight comes?¡± That was a possibility. Simon paused, then told Eileen, ¡°Since they¡¯re not moving, let¡¯s go check the Ghostly Registrar. There might be some information we haven¡¯t found yet.¡± Eileen nodded and quickly headed towards the office. Just as they started moving, the ghosts behind them began to move as well. In an instant, all three of them stopped, tensely watching the ghosts. But when they stopped moving, the ghosts also stopped. Jarvis furrowed his brow, ¡°Are they following us? Should we try again?¡± As he spoke, he cautiously took a step to the side. The ghosts didn¡¯t move. Jarvis look at Simon. Simon also took a step to the side. The ghosts still didn¡¯t move. The two guys turned to look at Eileen. Eileen blinked, lifting her right leg to take a step¡­ Suddenly, the ghosts behind her also lifted their right legs! Eileen froze, her right leg still in the midair. She hesitated, and with her left leg, jumped on one foot in ce. The ghosts were speechless. The ghosts had no choice but to follow Eileen like a fool, right foot in the air, standing on left foot and jumping in ce like a chicken. ¡°Wow!¡± Eileen realized and she said, ¡°They¡¯re obeying me! They¡¯re mimicking me!¡± Both Jarvis and Simon were speechless. So were the ghosts. In thement section: -[Oh my god! The ghosts are mimicking humans! They¡¯re puppets! Puppets!] -[Hahaha, humans do love to mimic each other!] Eileen suddenly found it amusing. She looked at the ghosts, her eyes spinning, and then suddenly pped herself hard across the face! Both Jarvis and Simon were speechless at her actions. So were the ghosts. Eileen urged with gloating, ¡°Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up.¡± The ghosts red at Eileen, almost driven mad with anger. But they had no choice. In the end, they could only grit their teeth and p themselves! The sound of pping echoed in the hall for a long time. ¡°Hahaha!¡± Eileen sat on the ground,ughing so hard her stomach hurt. Simon couldn¡¯t stand to see it anymore, he gently tugged at his aunt, saying, ¡°Ms. Lopez, we should go to the Resident Advisor first.¡± Eileen pushed Simon¡¯s hand aside, saying, ¡°I¡¯m not going, you guys go first, I¡¯ll catch up with youter.¡± Simon furrowed his brows, ¡°You should stop ying around with them.¡± Eileen responded nonchntly, ¡°I know, I know.¡± Simon said, ¡°You¡­¡± Jarvis cut him off with a light pat on his shoulder, ¡°If she wants to have her fun, let her be. It¡¯s not the end of the world. Let¡¯s head to the RA.¡± Simon grumbled, ¡°She¡¯s so mischievous!¡± Jarvis pulled Simon along, saying, ¡°She¡¯s all grown up now, you can¡¯t worry about her like this. She knows what she¡¯s doing. We gotta trust her.¡± ¡°But she¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go.¡± After Jarvis left with Simon, Eileen and dozens of staff were the only people left in the hall. Eileen, sitting on the floor and stroking her chin, pondered for a moment. Suddenly, she scrambled to her feet and announced, ¡°Let¡¯s move, follow me!¡± The chief director, propped up in his hospital bed, watched the live feed with anticipation, eager to see what Eileen would do next. Ten minutester, the chief director watched, face deadpan, as Eileen washed her face at a sink. Behind, dozens of staff members ying ghosts also followed her to wash their faces. After a few washes, their heavy makeup was almostpletely scrubbed off. Their painted green skins were gone, the red blood streaks on their faces disappeared, even the white contact lenses were removed. In an instant, the dozen people dressed as ghosts turned into ordinary staff members. They stood around looking confused, like tourists who had identally wandered onto a movie set. And Eileen, she was like their tour guide. Chapter 212 Chapter 212 Eileen gave a thorough check. Seeing that those people were no longer scared, she felt relieved. She walked up to the female Wraith Ruler. Now she, without makeup modification, the once impressive ghostly image was gone. Eileen turned to look aside again. All the staff had removed their ghastly makeup, looking much morefortable. However, Phyllis, Jaqueline, and Hedy didn¡¯t have ghost makeup to begin with. After they removed their makeup, they were all bare-faced. Phyllis and Jaqueline were trying their best to squeeze into the crowd, hoping not to be caught on camera. Actually, it was so dim that you couldn¡¯t see anything clearly. Eileen ignored them, waved her hand, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯re heading back.¡± Then she led them like a mother duck with her ducklings, back to the first floor. The Resident Advisor¡¯s office. Jarvis and Simon found new clues! They found the Resident Advisor¡¯s diary. The Resident Advisor didn¡¯t write in it every day. It was a thick hardcover notebook, but only a third of it was written on. Or maybe it wasn¡¯t really a diary, but more like a surveince log. She flipped to the first page, which recorded a day in September three years ago. -[September 1st, sunny. It¡¯s the first day of school. Room 444 is upied. This room has been vacant, but with too many new students this year, they had to clear out the room. I hope nothing happens like before.] Flipping to the next page. -[September 18th, cloudy. Tessie gave me a jar of mixed vegetable canned food made by her mom, as a thank you for unlocking the door for her the other night. Lately, she and the other people in room 444 seem to be not getting along well?] -[September 30th, cloudy. Tessie came backte against night, but it wasn¡¯t raining outside, so why was she soaked when she got back? Could it be that she also¡­] ¡°She also what?¡± Suddenly, a woman¡¯s voice came from behind! This is from N?velDrama.Org. Jarvis and Simon both turned around! Simon was startled! When he saw Eileen, he breathed a sigh of relief, clutching his chest and saying, ¡°Ms. Lopez, you scared the hell out of me!¡± Eileen took the diary and opened the page. ¡°You get scared to death so easily?¡± she said casually. Simon shone his shlight outside and saw that the ¡°ghosts¡± were still following her in the corridor. He shone the shlight back,ining to Eileen, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us you were back?¡±/ Eileen looked at them, helplessly saying, ¡°I did tell you guys. You just didn¡¯t hear me. You just don¡¯t care about me!¡± Simon was stunned, about to exin. But Jarvis joked, ¡°No way, as both of your dad, I¡¯ll always love you.¡± Eileen and Simon were both speechless. Eileen swung at Jarvis, ¡°Who asked you to y my dad?¡± Jarvis quickly raised his hands,ughing and begging for mercy, ¡°It was just a joke.¡± With that, Jarvis looked back at Simon. Simon showed no reaction, just reading the diary. Jarvis was surprised. After a while, he couldn¡¯t help butugh. Didn¡¯t Simon notice it? Then Eileen, focusing on the diary, asked, ¡°Who¡¯s Tessie?¡± Simon replied, ¡°Not sure, keep reading.¡± -[October 11th, raining. I saw him bringing Tessie back to school today! So, his target is pretty, innocent, naive new girls like Tessie who know nothing about the world. How should I warn her?] [October 13th, cloudy. I told Tessie that man can¡¯t be trusted, but she wouldn¡¯t listen to me. She¡¯s completely captivated by him. Is history repeating itself?] -[January 3rd, cloudy. I got a call, Tessie is dead. The security said she fell from the sixth floor of the teaching building. But why would she be back at school during winter break¡­ It must be that devil¡¯s doing!] February 2nd, raining. A transfer student moved into room 444, her name is Yulia, she¡¯s very pretty¡­ I have a bad feeling.] There were many more entries in the diary. After the three of them read through it, the RA¡¯s office fell silent. After a pause, Jarvis was the first to speak, ¡°In total, five girls died in three years, which matches the information we found before¡­¡± ¡°The first to die was Tessie, followed by Yulia, Mamie, Hattie, and Ghost Ruby. Tessie, Yulia, and Ghost Ruby all lived in room 444 before, but the other two didn¡¯t.¡± At this point, Eileen corrected, ¡°Actually, six people died, including the girl with the ponytail we saw yesterday.¡± 10:45 Jarvis paused, then nodded, ¡°Right, six people, but what connects these six? If it¡¯s only targeted at people in room 444, then Mamie, Hattie, and the girl with the ponytail never lived in 444.¡± ¡°And there¡¯s that man.¡± Simon said, ¡°Who is that man? Is it Latham?¡± Jarvis frowned, ¡°It¡¯s possible. After all, Latham is a senior this year. Three years ago, he just started school. In terms of timing, he could have encountered these six girls and killed them one by one.¡± ¡°Really killed? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s murder.¡± Eileen interrupted, ¡°Latham is just a high school student. Do you really believe that a high school student could kill six people in three years in a school environment and not be discovered? Do you think that¡¯s likely?¡± Jarvis and Simon both fell silent. Eileen chimed in again, ¡°And in the diary, she referred to him as a ¡®man¡¯, not a ¡®boy¡¯, ¡®man¡¯ implies that he should be an adult, right?¡± The RA¡¯s ce fell quiet once more. After some thought, Jarvis said, ¡°One thing you guys can¡¯t forget is that all six of us guests here are somehow rted to Latham. Eileen and Hedy have a crush on Latham, Bartley is on the basketball team, Phyllis is a cheerleader. Out of the six of us, four are somehow connected to Latham.¡± Eileen looked at Jarvis and asked, ¡°What about you and Jaqueline? Who are you guys rted to? There must be some sort of connection, right?¡± Jarvis mused, ¡°Jaqueline is the school belle, and I¡¯m the school doctor. Doesn¡¯t sound like there¡¯s much of a connection¡­¡± to deep At the RA¡¯s ce, the three of them fell into deep thought. After a while, Eileen turned to Jarvis and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you mention that you¡¯re rted to the principal?¡± Jarvis nodded, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m rted to Decker Kendal¡­¡± At this point Jarvis suddenly paused! Eileen was taken aback, she looked at Jarvis and asked, ¡°Is Kendal the principal¡¯s surname?¡± Jarvis was startled by this discovery as well, he gravely said, ¡°Yes, the principal¡¯s name is Decker Kendal, his name and picture are on the wall of the school cafeteria¡­¡± Simon immediately said, ¡°So we can link him to this now. What¡¯s the rtionship between Decker Kendal and Latham Kendal? Father and son? Uncle and nephew? If they¡¯re father and son, then your role as the school doctor could also be connected to Latham. And what does Jaqueline being the school belle represent?¡± Eileen squinted and said, ¡°What does being the school belle represent? Beauty? Isn¡¯t it written in the diary, both Tessie and Yulia are pretty¡­ And they¡¯re all freshmen, just like Jaqueline, Jaqueline is the new school belle among the freshmen.¡± Jarvis looked at Eileen seriously, ¡°Are you suggesting that Jaqueline¡¯s presence is not rted to the murderer, but she could very well be the next target?¡± The moment Jarvis said this, the entire RA¡¯s ce went quiet. After a while, Eileen stood up and said, ¡°Guessing won¡¯t get us anywhere, let¡¯s go check out dorm 444, maybe we¡¯ll find other clues there?¡± Jarvis and Simon got up and said, ¡°Alright.¡± The three of them turned around, about to leave the RA¡¯s ce. Suddenly, they halted. The hallway outside, which was bustling with noise just a moment ago, was now eerily silent, not a soul in sight. Eileen was stunned, she pointed at the door and eximed in shock, ¡°Where¡¯s my tape recorder! I have lots of tape recorders, howe they¡¯re all gone! Who stole them!¡± ¡°Thump, thump, thump¡­¡± Then, footstep sounds came from outside. It wasn¡¯t a woman¡¯s footsteps, but a man¡¯s. The footsteps were heavy, slow. They were gradually approaching. Chapter 213 Chapter 213 The three of them in the room didn¡¯t dare to move! Their eyes were practically glued to the door. After a few seconds, Jarvis and Simon exchanged nces. As if by some unspoken agreement, they took a half-step forward, positioning themselves in front of Eileen. Eileen was so scared her lips were trembling. She forced out, ¡°I¡­I¡¯m not scared!¡± Jarvis shot her a side nce, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re not scared, but we are.¡± Eileen was taken aback. Simon added, ¡°We¡¯re scared you¡¯ll end up punching the staff again!¡± Eileen was speechless. Pouting, Eileen stood in the back, feeling utterly wronged. She didn¡¯t mean to hit anyone, it was just that those staff members were the ones who came after her first! And it was her teacher who taught her that the best defense is a good offense! She was only doing what her teacher taught her! The footsteps outside were getting closer. It seemed like they were heading straight for the RA¡¯s office. Jarvis quickly grabbed Simon and Eileen and shoved them behind the curtains in the corner of the room. Then he positioned himself outside, whispering to the two of them, ¡°Keep quiet.¡± Both Eileen and Simon eagerly nodded in agreement! Not long after, a man entered the RA¡¯s office. Then, there was the sound of rummaging. Eileen sneakily peered through the gap in the curtains. The outside was pitch ck, all she could make out was a shadow moving about. From that shadow, Eileen roughly estimated the person¡¯s height and build. The person was probably around 1.75 meters tall, with a medium build. Eileen sized him up, thinking she could probably take him down with one punch. So, she clenched her fist, ready to punch the guy in the nose if he came any closer! The man was now opening drawers, the rummaging noises getting louder. After a while, suddenly, a female voice rang out, ¡°Who¡¯s there!¡± It was the Resident Advisor Darcey Jackson¡¯s voice! Darcey was back! Eileen immediately turned to look at Simon and Jarvis. They both nodded at her. They all knew, it was time for the drama to unfold. As expected, voices soon echoed from outside. ¡°It¡¯s¡­it¡¯s you¡­Principal, what are you doing here?¡± Darcey sounded panicked but was trying to keep her cool. This was the first piece of information ¨C the man outside was the Principal ¨C Decker. Looks like their guess was spot on, Decker really was a key figure! Eileen peeked out from the gap and saw two blurry/shadows facing off. Darcey was retreating while the Principal was advancing¡­ ¡®Mrs. Jackson, I came here to see you, I want to talk.¡± Darcey sounded rmed, ¡°What ¡®Mrs. Jackson¡¯? Principal, you¡­you must be mistaken, that¡¯s not my last name.¡± The man inched forward, ¡°Mrs. Jackson, I only recently found out. You¡¯re Sally Jackson¡¯s mother, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Sally? I don¡¯t know any ¡®Sally¡¯!¡± ¡°Smack!¡± Suddenly, the man grabbed Darcey¡¯s arm and roughly pushed her onto a chair. ¡°Ah¨C¡± Darcey let out a short scream. She tried to get up, but the man held her shoulder down. In the confined Ghostly Registrar, the man coldly said, ¡°I was going through some old items recently and found some pictures of Sally. It was the pictures that made me notice. I found that Sally¡¯s mother looked familiar¡­ Mrs. Jackson, we spoke on the phone five years ago, do you remember? It was the day of Sally¡¯s funeral, you wouldn¡¯t let me attend¡­¡± Darcey swallowed, ¡°Principal¡­¡± ¡°Principal?¡± The man scoffed, ¡°You didn¡¯t call me that then. You called me scum, a beast, you said I deceived your daughter, but did I really? She willingly approached me¡­¡± ¡°Decker!¡± Darcey¡¯s body was shaking, she was on the verge of breaking down. She knew she couldn¡¯t hide any longer, so she didn¡¯t hold back. Furiously, she spat, ¡°You beast!¡± ¡°Smack!¡± The man suddenly pped Darcey across the face. Then, he grabbed her hair and violently mmed her head on the table. Thud.¡± After he was done, he sneered, ¡°I¡¯m the beast? How did I be the beast? You guys were the ones who pushed her to jump, who called her shameless, who allowed her to be ughtered. She died under your mockery and condemnation!¡± ¡°No! That¡¯s not true! You ruined my daughter, you killed Tessie and Ruby! You¡¯re not human! You¡¯re a devil! You¡¯re not human!¡± ¡°Hahaha! I knew it! You came to school to be an RA, just to keep an eye on me. Keep an eye, I¡¯ll let you keep an eye!¡± With that, the raging man grabbed Darcey¡¯s hair again and mmed her head against the table. ¡°Oh, my God!¡± At this point, Simon couldn¡¯t stand it any longer. Full of heroism, he ripped the curtains open and charged out! ¡°Bartley!¡± Jarvis tried to pull him back, but he was toote. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. As soon as Simon emerged, he threw a punch at the Principal¡¯s face. The Principal took a step back after getting punched, and was about to retaliate against Simon. But Jarvis was already there. He pulled Simon towards himself, dodging the attack, andnded a kick on the Principal¡¯s stomach. The Principal eyed the two young men in front of him, assessed the situation, held his belly, gritted his teeth, and turned to run! Simon wanted to give chase, but Jarvis quickly held him back, ¡°He¡¯s a school staff.¡± Simon paused as if only just realizing what had happened. Jarvis gave a small smile. He patted Simon on the back, praising, ¡°You¡¯re really brave.¡± Simon didn¡¯t respond. He crouched down to check on Darcey. Eileen also stepped out at this point. She turned on her shlight and shone the white beam on Darcey. Darcey sat on the chair, clutching her face, her head covered in blood, sobbing in agony and despair. Darcey¡¯s acting was truly top-notch. The room fell into a moment of silence. ¨C [It may not be the best time to say this, but Darcey¡¯s acting definitely outshines many young, up-and- coming actors.] -[So here¡¯s the full scoop on this story: The daughter of the Resident Advisor was deceived and impregnated by a nasty principal five years ago, leading her to choose suicide by jumping off a building. Out for revenge, the Resident Advisor changed her identity to be the school¡¯s Resident Advisor. But from three years ago, she discovered that this wicked dude had killed six other girls in a row.] -[This bad person is really too much. Although this is only a story, I already feel very angry! Those poor girls were so innocent!] Suddenly, the lights in the room flicked on. Looks like the show¡¯s over, so the power¡¯s back on. Eileen switched off her shlight, grabbed a chair, and sat across from the Resident Advisor. She looked into the Resident Advisor¡¯s eyes, and suddenly popped the question, ¡°Ma¡¯am, I gotta ask, in these past three years, you knew that the principal was offing people left and right, and you knew he was the one doing it. So, did you ever think about calling the cops?¡± Chapter 214 Chapter 214 Resident Advisor Darcey suddenly froze. So did Jarvis and Simon. Since Darcey discovered the principal Decker¡¯s scheme when the first girl ¨C Tessie was killed, shouldn¡¯t she have called the cops and expose the principal after Tessie¡¯s death? If the principal was caught right from the start, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything to the remaining five girls, right? If the principal wasn¡¯t caught, does that mean Darcey never called the cops? For a moment, all three of them turned to look at Darcey! Darcey was silent for a while, then she wiped the blood on her forehead with a tissue and said dryly, ¡°I did call the cops, but they let him out a few dayster, saying there was no evidence to arrest him¡­¡± Eileen narrowed her eyes, ¡°No evidence every time?¡± Darcey nodded, ¡°Yes.¡± Eileen asked again, ¡°Did you call the cops anonymously?¡± Darcey responded, ¡°I was afraid he would retaliate, so I didn¡¯t reveal myself.¡± Eileen studied Darcey for a while, then nodded without saying anything. Simon then asked, ¡°Ma¡¯am, can you tell us everything you know in detail?¡± Darcey crumpled the tissue in her hand and looked at the three of them, asking, ¡°What do you want to know?¡± Then, Darcey recounted her experiences over the past five years. It was pretty much the same as what was written in the diary. Basically, her daughter passed away five years ago, and she was devastated. Still fresh in her memory, she came to this school to be an RA. But three years ago, she discovered that the disgusting principal was back to his old tricks, preying on young girls just like he did to her daughter. Darcey had warned those girls, but they didn¡¯t listen, so the tragedy kept repeating. As Darcey was nearing the end of her story, the phone in the office rang. She picked it up, spoke for a while, then told them, ¡°I have to go out for a bit. It¡¯ste, you guys should go back to the dorm.¡± With that, she got up and walked out. Jarvis and Simon didn¡¯t stop her. They knew that this was the end of this part of the story, the character had to exit. After RA left, Simon said, ¡°Now that we¡¯ve sorted out all the information and the backstory is clear, the main problem is Principal Decker. So what should we do? Do we need to find evidence to put Decker in jail?¡± Jarvis pondered for a moment and nodded, ¡°I think so. I guess once we find the evidence, our mission will beplete.¡± At this point, Eileen looked at Jarvis, then she looked at Simon. She asked, ¡°Are you guys serious?¡± Both were taken aback and looked at her, ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Eileen shook her head, stood up, and walked out, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go check out room 444 first.¡± At the door of room 444 on the fourth floor. The three of them stared at the locked door in front of them. Jarvis frowned, ¡°It seems we need to find the key first. This key might be¡­¡± ¡°Bang!¡± Jarvis and Simon were both speechless. Jarvis and Simon both turned to look at Eileen, who had just kicked the door open. Eileen waved away the dust in the air and squinted into the room. After taking a look, she didn¡¯t go in, but said, ¡°I see.¡± Jarvis looked at her, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Eileen snorted and said, ¡°This isn¡¯t room 444 at all.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t room 444?¡± Simon was stunned. He pointed to the room number and said, ¡°But it says 444 on the room number. Eileen thought Simon was a bit slow. She said, ¡°The diary wrote that thest girl to live in room 444 was Ghost Ruby, who died three months ago. Look at how abandoned this room is. Does it look like someone lived here three months ago? This ce hasn¡¯t been lived in for at least five or six years!¡± Simon finally got it. Once he understood, he immediately turned his head and began checking the numbers on the other dorm room doors. After checking, he said, ¡°Why isn¡¯t there a room 443 or 445 on this floor?¡± 09:52 If they could find rooms 443 or 445, they could at least determine which one was the real 444. But now, rooms 443, 444, and 445 all seemed to have vanished into thin air. Eileen wasn¡¯t surprised. She said, ¡°The room numbers here have been switched.¡± Simon frowned, ¡°Who did it? Was it Decker?¡± Eileen chuckled helplessly. Suddenly, she pped Simon on the head and admonished, ¡°Who do you think did it? The dorm stuff is definitely managed by the RA! Which school¡¯s principal would have time to mess with the room numbers in a girls¡¯ dorm?!¡± Simon was speechless. Eileen said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice something? The story Darcey just told seemed interesting, but she actually left out the most crucial point.¡± Simon asked in confusion, ¡°What crucial point?¡± Eileen looked at him and said, ¡°She kept talking about how the principal killed those girls, but don¡¯t forget, the first page of Darcey¡¯s diary said that room 444 was being reopened and she was worried about the things that happened in the past happening again. Room 444 holds a secret, but she never mentioned what that secret was!¡± Simon said, ¡°So that must be that her daughter used to live in room 444, right?¡± Eileen shook her head, ¡°Whether her daughter lived in room 444 or not doesn¡¯t conflict with the fact that room 444 holds a secret. After all, the principal didn¡¯t just target the girls who lived in room 444. Those three girls who died didn¡¯t live in room 444.¡± Simon looked a bit confused, ¡°So what¡¯s really going on?¡± Eileen at this point pulled out a hand from her pocket, in which was a red stamp. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, we¡¯re doing a devil-themed show, so what¡¯s the role of the ¡®devil¡¯ in all this?¡± In the control room behind the scenes. The scriptwriter looked at Eileen on the monitor, a touch of surprise on his face. ¡°Who would have guessed, she¡¯s the smartest one.¡± The assistant director held a walkie-talkie, giving orders to the crew. ¡°Wraith Ruler has shown the stamp, you can proceed now.¡± After finishing the talk, he turned off the walkie-talkie and turned to the scriptwriter. ¡°I thought Jarvis would be the brainy one, given his Ivy League education and impressive background. But he missed some things that Eileen caught.¡± The scriptwriter excitedly proposed, ¡°Let¡¯s make a bet on how long it¡¯ll take them to solve the problem!¡± The assistant director checked the time and said, ¡°They might have it cracked by dawn.¡± The scriptwriter chuckled, ¡°I think an hour should do it!¡± The assistant director was surprised, ¡°You have that much faith in Eileen?¡± The scriptwriter shrugged, pointing at the monitor, ¡°Let¡¯s just wait and see!¡± A bunch of ghosts appeared again, but they¡¯re not scary because the actors had removed their makeup. But, with the appearance of the ghosts, the lights in the dormitory suddenly went out again! Then the eerie sound effects started up all around once more! ¡°AHHH!¡± Eileen freaked out! She¡¯s brave when the lights were on, but became a total scaredy-cat when they went out! She immediately ran behind Simon and Jarvis, clutching their clothes tightly, not daring to peek out. A mass of dark ghosts slowly drifted over to her. Eileen kept her head down, not daring to look at them. Simon called out, ¡°Ms. Lopez, you give them some orders! They only listen to you.¡± Eileen, trembling, turned on her shlight, sweeping the beam over the ghosts, then asked, ¡°Are you all here?¡± No one answered her. Eileen said, ¡°If you¡¯re all here, then count off, starting with Phyllis.¡± Phyllis was speechless. Jarvis rubbed his forehead, reminding her over his shoulder, ¡°Ms. Lopez, they can¡¯t talk.¡± Eileen remembered, then she raised the stamp, loudly dering, ¡°So now, I grant you the ability to speak. Now you can talk. Count off!¡± The crew that yed the ghosts were speechless and helpless. Jarvis and Simon were speechless too. The assistant director and scriptwriter were also speechless, watching this scene. The assistant director looked at the scriptwriter, joking, ¡°This is the girl you had that much faith in?¡± The scriptwriter felt helpless. Meanwhile. At a remote campsite in Verdantia. Major Warner opened the tent curtain to see a stern man lying on the bed, his arm bandaged, holding a phone, constantly refreshing the screen. Major Warner felt sad just looking at him, he advised, ¡°Give it up, no amount of screen polishing¡¯s going to make someone call.¡± Egbert lifted his eyes, put down the phone, and asked coldly, ¡°What do you want?¡± Major Warner pouted, ¡°Nothing, just brought you something.¡± With that, he pulled a satellite signal detector from his pocket and tossed it over. Egbert caught the detector, froze when he saw what it was. Major Warner said, ¡°Kelvin from the third squad says thanks for saving his life and getting yourself injured. As a thank you, he found this for you. It¡¯s an old model satellite signal detector, discarded from the front line. Just use it without worries.¡± The military satellite signal detector can detect the military satellitework. Although the signal is unstable, it can find a signal even in remote mountainous areas withoutwork coverage. Once he¡¯s delivered the item, Major Warner left. After he¡¯s gone, Egbert looked at the detector in his hand, he¡¯s silent for a moment, then turned it on, the red light on the instrument lights up. Two minutester, Egbert entered the live stream room of Haunted Chronicles. After a period of darkness on the screen, a picture finally appeared. It¡¯s his long-lost Eileen. A smile appeared on his face. But the smile didn¡¯tst for long, because he saw this frightened girl, hiding behind two tall men. This is from N?velDrama.Org. Egbert was somewhat upset. She looked very scared, her body pressed against the two men. Her delicate little hand was clutching the corners of each man¡¯s clothes. Egbert thought, ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Her hand was gripping very tightly, and she herself was extremely tense. The force she¡¯s using seemed like she would love to tear the men¡¯s clothes off and hold them tightly! Egbert thought, ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Chapter 215 Chapter 215 Eileen waited there for a long time, but the ghosts didn¡¯t say anything. Finally, she could only sigh and say regretfully, ¡°Seems like I can¡¯t scare you guys. I thought Phyllis would be an easy mark¡­¡± Phyllis was speechless. Simon looked confused and asked, ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Eileen grumbled, ¡°My n was to trick them into talking so I could interrogate them directly about the plot¡­¡± Jarvis couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, then nodded, ¡°That¡¯s a neat idea. But since it didn¡¯t work, what¡¯s our next move?¡±. Eileen said, ¡°We¡¯ll just have to find the answers ourselves. Onward!¡± Eileen hid behind the two guys, pushing them forward like they were shields. The trio inched forward. When they got to the group of ghosts, Eileen suddenly stretched out a hand to feel Ruby¡¯s pocket. Ruby was confused. Jarvis and Simon were also curious. ¡°Ms. Lopez, what are you doing?¡± Jarvis asked. Eileen said, ¡°I¡¯m looking for clues.¡± With that, she rummaged in Ruby¡¯s pocket and surprisingly found something: a piece of chocte! ¡°Wow!¡± Eileen didn¡¯t expect this windfall. She immediately pocketed the chocte! Then she started feeling Ruby¡¯s other pocket! Ruby was speechless. After feeling all over Ruby, Eileen finally found a dormitory key in the pocket of her clothes lining. She handed the key to Jarvis and said, ¡°Whichever door this key opens, that¡¯s the real room number 444.¡± Jarvis took the key, looked at Eileen in surprise, andughed, ¡°Ms. Lopez, you¡¯re really clever.¡± Eileen proudly said, ¡°Of course! When she knocked on our door asking for the child, I figured it out. An actor with so many lines must be ying an important role. She must have clues on her!¡± After Eileen finished speaking, she reached out to the pocket of another female ghost next to Ruby. Simon asked, ¡°Is she an important character too?¡± Eileen didn¡¯t answer. After a few seconds, she pulled out apressed biscuit from the ghost¡¯s pocket! ¡°Wow!¡± Eileen put the biscuit in her pocket and started feeling the next ghost¡¯s pocket. By now, Eileen wasn¡¯t scared at all. She even felt that Simon was in her way, so she pushed herself in front of him and started rummaging through every ghost¡¯s pockets. There were biscuits, seeds, candies, and chips in those pockets! ¡°Were you guys having a tea party while resting? You have everything!¡± Eileen was very excited and after a round of rummaging, she made quite a haul. She happily opened a bag of jelly, eating it while saying, ¡°I¡¯ll go out and buy snacks to rece these for you.¡± All the ghosts looked at her impassively, obviously not believing her words. At this moment, Jarvis¡¯ voice came from the other end of the corridor, ¡°Over here!¡± ¡°Coming!¡± Eileen shouted and ran over with Simon. Although the ghosts were very annoyed with their Wraith Ruler, they had no choice but to follow him. Room 444 was opposite the room where Eileen and the others had stayed. The door to the room was open, and it had the same musty smell as the room across the hall. Eileen shone her shlight inside and frowned. Jarvis went in and looked around for a while before saying, ¡°Seems like nothing¡¯s wrong here.¡± This room was obviously unupied. There was no bedding on the bed, just four bare metal frames. The drawers of the wardrobe and the desk were also empty.. It was clear that the room was empty. Simon sighed, ¡°Is it possible that there¡¯s nothing wrong with room 444? Maybe the sign was changed just because there were too many deaths on campus. Plus, Tessie, Yulia, Ghost Ruby, they all used to live in room 444. So maybe Darcey was worried about too much gossip and changed the sign?¡± Jarvis looked at Simon and nodded, ¡°That makes sense.¡± Simon grinned, feeling pretty smart. 1 But Eileen frowned and shook her head, ¡°No, there is definitely something about room 444. The sign was probably changed recently, but the diary from three years ago said that a disaster would ur if room 444 was used again. So there must be secrets to uncover in room 444.¡± Simon shrugged, ¡°But it¡¯s clear that there are no secrets here.¡± Eileen pursed her lips and thought for a moment. After a while, she reached out to Simon, ¡°Let me see your seal.¡± ¡°The seal?¡± Simon took out the seal from his bag and handed it to Eileen, ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem to be of much use?¡± ¡°It must be useful.¡± Eileen took the seal and also took out her own. Eileen¡¯s seal read ¡°Benevolence,¡± while Simon¡¯s read ¡°Academy.¡± ¡°Benevolence Academy,¡± Eileen murmured, ¡°Is that the name of this school?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Jarvis said, pulling out a badge from his pocket. It was his school doctor¡¯s badge, which read ¡°Benevolence High School Doctor ¨C Jarvis.¡± i Simon looked surprised, ¡°So, these two seals are actually the school¡¯s emblem?¡± Eileen shook her head, ¡°This isn¡¯t the school emblem. ¡®Benevolence Academy¡¯ and ¡®Benevolence High School¡¯ may sound simr, but they¡¯re different¡­¡± This is from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Could ¡®Benevolence Academy¡¯ be the predecessor of ¡®Benevolence High School¡¯? How old is Benevolence High School?¡± Simon asked, turning to Jarvis. Jarvis looked surprised and raised an eyebrow, saying, ¡°Why are you asking me?¡± Simon frowned, ¡°You¡¯re a member of the school! Who else should I ask?¡± Even though he was a member of the school, he was also a guest on the show, so he didn¡¯t know much. Jarvis rubbed his temples, saying helplessly, ¡°Let me think¡­ let me think¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s celebrating its 100th anniversary.¡± Eileen suddenly chimed in. Jarvis and Simon both turned to look at her. Eileen pointed out of the window of dorm room 444. From the window of the dorm, they could see a school building in the distance directly facing them. The dim moonlight gently illuminated the white tiles on the outer walls of the school building. From their perspective, they could clearly see the words ¡°Centennial School¡± inrge red letters on the wall. ¡°I get it!¡± Eileen suddenly said, ¡°So that¡¯s the secret of dorm room 444!¡± Jarvis and Simon were both puzzled, ¡°What secret?¡± Eileen squinted her eyes, pointing to the school building, ¡°That one.¡± This school building had an old western architectural structure. It appeared broad and majestic in the night. Simon was clueless, ¡°What¡¯s so special about a school building?¡± Eileen rolled her eyes at him, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t you get it? The window of dorm 444 faces the school building directly. From this room, you can monitor every room in that building!¡± Simon frowned, ¡°No way! It¡¯s so far away, how can you monitor anything?¡± ¡°With a telescope you can! Plus, dorms 443 and 445, which are right next door, also have their room numbers changed!¡± As she spoke, Eileen turned around and walked out of the room. The moment she stepped out, she bumped into dozens of ghosts. Eileen pushed them all away with disgust, saying, ¡°Move, move! I¡¯ve got stuff to do!¡± The ghosts quickly moved aside to let Eileen pass. Chapter 216 Chapter 216 Eileen walked up to the bedroom door on the left and said, ¡°This room should be number 443 or 445.¡± Then, she kicked the door open with a bang. But the room was empty. Eileen turned around, went to the bedroom on the right, and kicked the door open in the same manner. She shone her shlight into the room, revealing piles of stuff. The room didn¡¯t have any of the usual bunk beds, wardrobes, or desks that a girls dorm room would have. Instead, it was filled with all sorts of equipment. There were threeputers alone. Besides, there were listening devices, external sound cards, video recorders, and even a telescope by the window. Eileen ran over to the telescope and looked out. Sure enough, it had a view of the building across, but the angle was a bit off. Jarvis and Simon followed her into the room. Simon was clearly surprised, saying, ¡°This¡­¡± Eileen turned to the two of them and said, ¡°Let¡¯s piece together the timeline. Five years ago, Sally jumped to end her life. Her mother, Darcey, was heartbroken and came to work as a RA at this school. We need to note that Tessie only appeared three years ago, while Darcey has been working as a RA for five years. This means, there were two years when nothing happened in the school.¡± Simon quickly added, ¡°Right, ording to the diary, the tragedy only happened after room 444 reopened three years ago.¡± Eileenughed, saying, ¡°The tragedy has nothing to do with the dorm. Darcey didn¡¯t want room 444 to reopen because she was using it all along!¡± Eileen pointed to all the stuff in the room, saying, ¡°You see, this is a girls¡¯ dorm building, and the only person who has the keys to all the rooms is Darcey. So, who else could own all these things?¡± Jarvis frowned, ¡°So, the secret of room 444 isn¡¯t some ghost story, it¡¯s just that Darcey wanted to use the room to store these devices and spy on the building across? What¡¯s in that building? Is there a principal¡¯s office?¡± Eileen said, ¡°Exactly! The principal has always been her target!¡± She then turned her attention back to the ghosts outside the door. The ghosts were startled. They had been watching the three in the room and didn¡¯t expect to be noticed! Some quickly looked away. The less intelligent ones also lowered their heads at the reminder of their peers, pretending they weren¡¯t eavesdropping. Eileen pointed at the group of them and said, ¡°You think I was touching their clothes just to steal their food? You¡¯re too nearsighted! I¡¯m not that greedy! I was checking the material of their clothes. Most of them are wearing school uniforms, but they are not the same style. This means they are from different eras, and not all of them died within these three years.¡± Jarvis said, ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s impossible for so many people to have died in such a short span of three years.¡± Eileen picked up the two stamps in her hand and said, ¡°We already know that the stamp with the word ¡®Benevolence¡¯ can be used to control a group of ghosts. So, what does the stamp with ¡®Academy¡¯ do?¡± As she spoke, Eileen walked up to Ruby and without a word, stamped her neck with the seal. As soon as the stamp was applied; she stared at Ruby. Ruby stared back at Eileen. Their eyes locked. After a while, Eileen blinked and asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ruby was still. This is from N?velDrama.Org. Eileen frowned, ¡°Isn¡¯t this stamp supposed to be applied to the neck?¡± Eileen grabbed Ruby¡¯s hand and stamped the back of her hand. However, stamping the hand didn¡¯t work either. She tried the arm, then the thigh, back, face, and the top of the head. Eileen scratched her head, tried all these ces, and looked puzzled when none of them worked. Ruby, who was covered in more than a dozen stamps, shouted, ¡°What are you doing!!¡± Eileen stared at the stamp for a while longer, then suddenly, she reached up and stamped the back of her own neck. In the control room, the assistant director squinted his eyes and picked up the walkie-talkie to give an order, ¡°All departments, attention!¡± As soon as the assistant director finished speaking, with a ¡®pop¡¯, a white light suddenly lit up on the yground outside the dormitory window. Eileen immediately ran to the window to see. A huge projector had been sneakily set up at some point. And then, it started ying an open-air movie! Eileen understood andughed, ¡°I used the ¡®Academy¡¯ stamp. I triggered the mechanism of this stamp, and it¡¯s not an open-air movie. It¡¯s a memoir.¡± Eileen then waved to the ghosts behind her and said, ¡°Everyonee over! We¡¯re gonna watch a movie. The memoir that I triggered is supposed to be visible only to me. But I¡¯m generous and treating you to a free movie. No tickets needed!¡± The ghosts didn¡¯t want to pay her any attention. But they did.want to watch the movie. it was free after all, and it would be a waste not to watch. So, the ghosts quickly gathered around. At this time, the scary sound effects that had been ying in the dormitory building were turned off, and the dialogue in the open-air movie started ying, ¡°Decker, wait for me¡­¡± The first scene was a young Decker, carrying a stack of books and walking ahead, and a young girl behind tried to catch up with him. Eileen immediately pointed to a female ghost behind her and said, ¡°That¡¯s you! You¡¯re in the movie!¡± The female ghost blushed and lowered her head shyly. There were many familiar faces in the movie. Eileen had a good memory and soon pointed at a ghost and shouted, ¡°That¡¯s you! Your short hair looks awful, and you¡¯re almost bald! Look, this your scene. My god! You have quite a lot of screen time. Just a random question, since you have so many lines, does that mean you got paid more than them? How much did you make from filming? I know you can¡¯t say it out loud, but you can make a hand gesture to tell me. Don¡¯t be stingy! Tell me how much you made!¡± Eileen kept chatting with the ghosts. Simon gave her a gentle nudge, saying, ¡°Ms. Lopez, you should really focus on the plot in the memoir. It¡¯s quite tragic.¡± Eileen turned her attention back to the movie. For the next fifteen minutes, they all watched Decker¡¯s life unfold. Decker was a student at ¡°Benevolence Academy¡±. He met his first love there, but after she was assaulted by a man, she chose to end her life. Upon seeing this, Eileen immediately turned to the ghost ying the first love, saying, ¡°You should demand a higher fee for this kind of storyline. Did the director not pay you? Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re my subordinate, and I¡¯ll help you get your pay!¡± The ghost ying the first love nodded enthusiastically. She was immediately smitten with Eileen! The story continued. Decker stayed at the academy as a teacher. He married the principal¡¯s daughter. Although she was seven years older than him, looked average, and previously married. He chose her for the sake of promotion. A few yearster, ¡°Benevolence Academy¡± was renamed ¡°Benevolence High School¡±, and Decker became the principal. In the memoir, both seals belonged to Decker. But they were just historical relics, and kept in the principal¡¯s office. Until Decker met Sally, who bore a striking resemnce to his first love. They were deeply in love. Decker even gave one of the old school seals to Sally. Each of them had one as a token of their love. But unexpectedly, Sally never returned after a winter break. After some time, Decker got a phone call saying Sally had passed away. He wanted to pay his respects, but was harshly rebuked by Sally¡¯s mother. In the scene, Sally¡¯s seal ended up in her mother¡¯s hands. Then, the scene on the screen changed. The image became the school dormitory management office. In the office, Darcey, Sally¡¯s mother, put the seal into her drawer. At this moment, someone outside the door called her, ¡°Ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am.¡± Darcey turned around and saw a girl at the door, ¡°Tessie, why are you back so soon?¡± The girl named Tessie handed over a can of vegetables, saying, ¡°Ma¡¯am, thank you for opening the door for me the other night.¡±. Darcey stood up, took the can, and smiled, ¡°No worries, it¡¯s my duty.¡± Tessie said, ¡°I¡¯ll go to ss now.¡± ¡°Hold on!¡± Darcey suddenly grabbed Tessie¡¯s hand, and slowly said, ¡°Tessie, I need a favor.¡± Tessie was taken aback, ¡°What kind of favor?¡± Darcey pulled out a document, ¡°This is the payment for this term. Could you deliver it to the principal¡¯s office?¡± ¡°The principal¡¯s office?¡± Tessie asked. Darcey¡¯s voice suddenly softened, ¡°Yes, could you?¡± Tessie didn¡¯t think much of it, and cheerfully agreed, ¡°Sure.¡± The scene ended there. Jarvis took a deep breath, and said with clenched teeth, ¡°So in this script, everyone is the viin. Tessie was sent to the principal by Darcey, and Ms. Lopez, you¡­¡± Just as Jarvis was trying to speak to Eileen, he saw that she was already gone. Simon gave him a nudge, coldly saying, ¡°She¡¯s over there.¡± Jarvis turned and saw Eileen squeezing into a crowd. She found Tessie, and asked her, ¡°What¡¯s the rest of the plot like? Is there a sequel? Tell me how much you were paid, and I can guess if there¡¯s a possibility of a sequel based on your pay!¡± Jarvis felt helpless. He said, ¡°Ms. Lopez, she can¡¯t tell you that.¡± Before he could finish, Jarvis saw Tessie looking around cautiously and then secretly gesturing a number to Eileen. Eileen quickly said, ¡°I see. Based on this payment, there probably won¡¯t be a sequel.¡± Tessie nodded, and she seemed to agree it was a pity too. Then, someone else made two gestures for Eileen. Another person also made a gesture. Eileen kept nodding, ¡°Yeah, I think she did a great job too. Her facial expressions were very nuanced. She¡¯s definitely talented!¡± Jarvis was speechless. He looked numbly at Eileen, then at the people huddled together, communicating with Eileen through gestures. Finally, he couldn¡¯t help himself and blurted out, ¡°You¡¯re all such bad influences!¡± Chapter 217 Chapter 217 Jarvis was about to approach Eileen when Simon stopped him, ¡°Hold up.¡± This is from N?velDrama.Org. Jarvis asked, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Simon pondered for a moment before whispering, ¡°I don¡¯t think Ms. Lopez is the warm and fuzzy type, and her sudden chumminess with those guys is raising some red gs. Let¡¯s just see what she¡¯s up to first.¡± Eileen was already deep in enemy territory! In truth, ignoring their spooky personas, most of these staff were stand-in actors. After all, how could such a gigantic scene have so many staff? Weren¡¯t these folks busy? How could they possibly double as actors and not get stage fright? Eileen was discussing pay and roles with the stand-ins, touching their hearts. No actors who didn¡¯t want to be recognized. Their acting skills being acknowledged and their costumes being remembered, this would naturally make these stand-ins happy. Initially, they were somewhat in awe of Eileen, even a bit wary. But in a blink of an eye, they saw Eileen chatting with them like any other actor, promising to fight for bonuses from the head director! The stand-ins instantly saw Eileen as their leader! In the main control room, the assistant director was speechless. He tried to contact the staff via walkie- talkie, and while most of them listened to him, some die-hard fans were too engrossed in their chat with Eileen to pay any attention to the assistant director. They even turned off their headsets,pletely ignoring him! The assistant director was bbergasted. He turned to the scriptwriter and said, ¡°This has to be foul y, right?¡± The scriptwriter couldn¡¯t help but smirk, ¡°But charming the extras is also one of Wraith Ruler¡¯s skills.¡± The assistant director red at the scriptwriter, saying, ¡°You¡¯re the scriptwriter. Shouldn¡¯t you be defending your script?¡± The scriptwriter scoffed, ¡°What script? The moment the head director decided to change the plot I wrote, the whole thing started crumbling! That stunt Hedy pulled has caused a total fuck up. You should be thankful that we¡¯ve made it this far!¡± The assistant director fell silent, mostly because the evidence against the head director and Hedy was overwhelming. He looked at the scriptwriter sympathetically, ¡°You¡¯re really having a tough time, aren¡¯t you? Look at you, losing your hair over writing the script. It must be really draining.¡± The scriptwriter was speechless. He red at the assistant director, managing to hold his temper and retort, ¡°Can you talk politely? If not, just shut up!¡± After Eileen had a friendly chat with the staff, her crafty nature quickly revealed itself. She started to pump the staff for plot information. The staff, while still having professional integrity, wouldn¡¯t spill everything, but they shared everything they could! After gathering all the information, Eileen turned back to Jarvis and Simon and whispered the details. Once she finished, both Jarvis and Simon fell silent. After a while, Simon said, ¡°So, it seems like the biggest problem is the Resident Advisor.¡± At this moment, they heard footsteps through the hallway speakers again. They were men¡¯s footsteps. The principal was back? Eileen thought for a moment, then signaled one of the male ghosts to close the door. The male ghost went to close the door but couldn¡¯t. He turned back to Eileen and made a gesture. Simon didn¡¯t understand and asked, ¡°What did he say?¡± Eileen said awkwardly, ¡°He said I broke the door lock when I kicked it. It won¡¯t close.¡± Simon was speechless. Eileen quickly added, ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter. What¡¯s the big deal about closing the door? Am I scared of him? I¡¯m not even scared of ghosts, so why would I be afraid of a human?¡± With that, she stormed over. The male ghost stepped aside, and Eileen quickly pulled the door open. With her eyes closed, she grabbed the person¡¯s arm and threw them over her shoulder without greeting or checking who was outside. ¡°Ms. Lopez!¡±Jarvis¡¯ warning and Eileen¡¯s throwing action happened simultaneously. ¡°Ah!¡± The victim howled, but it was not the same voice as the principal¡¯s they had heard before. It was a young man¡¯s voice! Only then did Eileen open her eyes and saw that the person under her foot was not the principal, but Latham, who had supposedly left the school during the day! He was in pain, gritting his teeth and his face full of agony. Jarvis and Simon hurried over, and Eileen quickly let go, darting back into the crowd of ghosts. Jarvis and Simon helped Latham up. Latham, clutching his lower back, scanned the three ¡°people¡± in the room and demanded, ¡°What are you all doing here?¡± In the setup, Latham couldn¡¯t see ghosts. So from his perspective, there were only Eileen, Jarvis, and Simon in the room. Simon knew that Latham¡¯s appearance must be rted to some plot development. He assumed his basketball yer persona and asked, ¡°What about you? Didn¡¯t you leave the school? Why are you in the girls¡¯ dorm in the middle of the night?¡± Latham hesitated, then turned to Eileen, who had attacked him. Suddenly, he noticed the seal in Eileen¡¯s hand and immediately asked, ¡°Did you steal my stuff?¡± Eileen poked her head out from behind the ghosts, looked at Latham and asked, ¡°Is this yours?¡± Latham replied, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s my father¡¯s. It¡¯s the old school¡¯s seal. Give it back!¡± Eileen¡¯s eyes rolled. She walked out from behind the ghosts, holding up a seal in each hand, and handed them to Latham, ¡°Are both of these yours?¡± Latham was taken aback, ¡°This one.¡± Paid He took both seals, then held up the one with ¡°Academy¡± inscribed on it, and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t this go missing a few years ago? Where did you get it?¡± Eileen shrugged, ¡°I got it from the Resident Advisor.¡± ¡°Resident Advisor?¡± Latham fumed, ¡°I knew it! I knew she was trouble! So, Annie¡¯s death does have something to do with her.¡± Eileen was taken aback, ¡°Is there another victim? Who¡¯s Annie?¡± Latham looked at Eileen, and his mouth was twitching, ¡°Annie is my girlfriend. Aren¡¯t you two love rivals? She even sshed water at you!¡± Eileen remained silent. Annie was the girl with the ponytail. Latham firmly believed that Annie¡¯s death was the work of the Resident Advisor. He even took out his phone and showed them thetest text message. He said, ¡°This is what Annie sent me before she died. She said she wanted to break up with me. I¡¯ve been deceiving her, and that my dad is a jerk. She never used to talk like this. This isn¡¯t her style! What did I lie to her about? How did my dad be a jerk?¡± Eileen saw Latham getting worked up andforted him, ¡°Don¡¯t stress over this. Your dad is a jerk. That¡¯s a fact.¡± Latham fell silent. Eileen then asked, ¡°So, what does this have to do with the Resident Advisor?¡± Latham gritted his teeth and said, ¡°A few days ago, Annie told me that she found something off about the Resident Advisor. She seemed to be constantly surveilling the school. Annie died in two days after she told me this. If it wasn¡¯t the Resident Advisor who killed her, then who else could it be?¡± To destroy evidence?¡± Eileen suggested, then asked, ¡°Can you borate?¡± Latham recounted what happened, ¡°My dad frequently goes on business trips and when he¡¯s not at school, I would hide in his office to skip sses. A few days ago, I was¡­ studying in his office with Annie.¡± Eileen was speechless. Latham coughed and continued, ¡°Anyway, while we were together, Annie suddenly said that there was light reflecting into her eyes from the window. I didn¡¯t think much of it at the time. But the next day, she told me that there was a room in the girls¡¯ dormitory across. It was always empty, but the Resident Advisor was frequently seen going in and out of it. She sneaked a peek through the skylight of the door in the middle of the night and found that it was filled with surveince and eavesdropping equipment!¡± Eileen furrowed her eyebrows and asked, ¡°And then Annie died?¡± Latham replied, ¡°Exactly! So, if it wasn¡¯t the Resident Advisor, who else could it be? I wanted toe check out this dormitory in the middle of the night, but I ended up being hit by you!¡± Eileen casually waved her hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the minor details.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Latham wanted to say something else. Eileen quickly interrupted him, afraid that he might ask her for medical expenses, ¡°Okay, all the mysteries have been solved now.¡± Jarvis, Simon, and Latham all turned to look at her, bewildered, ¡°The mysteries have been solved?¡± Eileen then straightened her clothes, looked at the camera in the corner, and said, ¡°Ms. Lopez¡¯s mini- lecture starts now. Director, please y the Detective Conan theme music for me.¡± In the live broadcast room, no background music started ying. But the assistant director added a note at the bottom right corner of the live broadcast screen ¨C [Music rights are not purchased. Please y your own music or sing along.] Chapter 218 Chapter 218 ¡ª ¡°What?¡± ¡ª ¡°The show staff are cking, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡ª ¡°Look at this handsome face with your little peepers, do I look like a singer to you?¡± ¡ª ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll put on my own background music, you start talking.¡± Eileen strolled up to the ghost gang, picking out Tessie, Ghost Ruby, and three otherdy ghosts. She then lined them up. She said, ¡°Long story short, Darcey came to the school five years ago but couldn¡¯t find anything fishy about the principal in two years. Three years ago, Room 444 was about to be reopened. With the surveince equipment in it no longer usable, Darcey had no choice but to start the so-called ¡®fishing expedition¡¯.¡± Eileen pointed at Tessie and continued, ¡°With the reopening of Room 444, Darcey was bummed. This frustration made her pay extra attention to the girls in this room. Then Darcey noticed Tessie, a girl with a heart of gold and a face that couldunch a thousand ships. She thought Tessie could be the perfect bait and sent her to the principal. Unfortunately, the principal didn¡¯t bite.¡± ¡°Hold up.¡± Jarvis interrupted Eileen, ¡°The principal didn¡¯t fall for it?¡± Eileen replied, ¡°Right, surprise. Tessie and the principal didn¡¯t get it on.¡± Jarvis frowned, ¡°Why not?¡± Eileen exined, ¡°Well, if the principal had hooked up with Tessie three years ago, the tragedies that followed wouldn¡¯t have happened. If the fish bit the first bait, there would be no need for the rest.¡± Jarvis thought for a moment, then nodded, ¡°Makes sense. Keep going.¡± Eileen continued her story, pointing at Yulia, ¡°After Tessie, it was Yulia¡¯s turn. When Yulia also failed, there were no more good-looking girls left in Room 444. So Darcey turned her attention to girls in other dorms. She found Mamie and Hattie. But they all failed as well, until Ghost Ruby appeared.¡± Eileen moved to stand in front of Ghost Ruby, ¡°Ghost Ruby was sessful because she, like Sally, looked like the principal¡¯s first love.¡± Simon looked at Ghost Ruby, then at the principal¡¯s first love in the crowd, puzzled, ¡°Do they really look alike?¡± Eileen sighed, ¡°Well, the actresses don¡¯t, but the show used simr props to prove their resemnce. All three of them, the first love, Sally, Ghost Ruby, have a mole on their neck.¡± Simon was taken aback. He looked at Ghost Ruby¡¯s neck, and Ghost Ruby kindly tilted her head up, pointing at her drawn-on mole. The first love also pointed at her own mole. Simon was amazed, ¡°Wow, they really do! Ms. Lopez, your observation skills are top-notch!¡± Eileen beamed, ¡°Right, you bet they are! Let me tell you, I didn¡¯t search their bodies just for food. Wait, I didn¡¯t want to find food at all! I¡¯ve always been a very upright person!¡± Simon pretended to believe her and asked, ¡°What happened next?¡± Eileen continued, ¡°Ghost Ruby¡¯s sess made Darcey very happy. But when Darcey asked Ghost Ruby to report the principal to the police, Ghost Ruby refused. She defended the principal¡¯s actions, just like Sally did back in the day. This drove Darcey up the wall, and she ended up killing Ghost Ruby.¡± Jarvis frowned, ¡°Is there evidence that she was the one who killed her?¡± Eileen nodded, ¡°I have it.¡± Jarvis was stunned, ¡°Including the previous four girls, were they all killed by Darcey?¡± Eileen replied, ¡°Yes.¡± Jarvis extended his hand to Eileen, ¡°Show me the evidence.¡± Eileen rolled her eyes. She was nning to present the evidence anyway. Eileen said to Latham, ¡°Give me your phone.¡± Latham was taken aback, but obediently handed his phone to Eileen. Eileen took the phone, opened the case, then bent down under the table and gathered some wires and small parts scattered around the room. In the control room, the assistant director and the scriptwriter were both puzzled. The scriptwriter asked, ¡°What is she doing? She just needs to guess the plot. The evidence won¡¯t be revealed until tomorrow.¡± The assistant director agreed, ¡°Yeah, it takes two days and one night to film a story. It¡¯s been one day and one night now. ording to the show¡¯s process, the final evidence should be presented tomorrow during the day. How could she get the evidence now?¡± Under the shlight, Eileen took apart the phone and rearranged some small parts. Momentster, she brought over a stool from the next room. Then, she stood on the stool, reached up to the speaker in the corridor, and took it down. Everyone was baffled by her actions. So were thements. ¡°What is she doing?¡± ¡ª ¡°Is the evidence hidden in the speaker? Why is she taking it apart?¡± Eileen took apart half of it before she remembered this was ¡°Ms. Lopez¡¯s Little ssroom¡±. So she exined, ¡°The whole building has lost power, but the speakers still work, ying scary music and footsteps to freak me out. I¡¯ve been suspecting them. This means the speakers have a backup power supply! While she was talking, she had already connected a wire to the speaker with her assembled circuit. It was directly wired from behind the speaker, with a long backup power line plugged into theputer in the room. After she finished all this, she stood up and pressed the power button on theputer. Suddenly, the computer¡¯s indicator light turned on, and the main engine started to run. Everyone was stunned. ¨C ¡°Wow!¡± ¡ª ¡°I think I¡¯m going to lose my mind.¡± ¨C¡°You can actually do electric welding! Where on earth did you learn such a skill!¡± The moment theputer tower-lit up, the backstage control room fell into silence. It took the assistant director a while toe back to his senses. Pointing at the monitor, he incredulously asked the scriptwriter, ¡°She¡¯s cheating, isn¡¯t she?¡± The evidence was right there in the Resident Advisor¡¯sputer. Since the Resident Advisor¡¯s surveince of the teaching building was 24/7 automatic recording, after all, she couldn¡¯t possibly be glued to the monitor all the time.,there had to be a recording.Original content from N?velDrama.Org. And since the girls had all died from jumping off the teaching building, the automatic recording must have captured the entire process of the Resident Advisor¡¯s murder. Even though she had already deleted it, theputer files could be recovered. The production team intentionally cut off the guests¡¯ power to prevent them from finding evidence today. But who could have imagined that in the middle of the night, Eileen would be able to connect an electric wire! The moment theputer booted up, the assistant director¡¯s heart nearly stopped. But then he reassured himself, ¡°It¡¯s okay, she won¡¯t recover the files. ording to the script, the evidence is supposed to be handed over to the police for them to recover. She won¡¯t possibly recover the files! I can still hold on until tomorrow, no biggie!¡± Ten minutester, Eileen opened the recovered file. The assistant director fellpletely silent. The scriptwriter couldn¡¯t bear to watch anymore. He saw the assistant director falling to the floor, looking like he was about to drop dead. He could only pick up the walkie-talkie and say to the other side, ¡°Make the announcement that the guest team has won. The show will end early. Turn on the lights for them.¡± The next moment, the entire dormitory building was suddenly brightly lit. In Verdantia, inside a field tent. Egbert was lying in bed, looking at the live streaming room on his phone that had been abruptly shut down. He lowered his head, showing a faint smile in his dark eyes. At this moment, Major Warner rushed in from outside. He looked grim, ¡°We¡¯ve been duped. The frontline ambushed the Bloodbane Shadowsociety, and after interrogation, we found out that their leader, NightKing, had secretly returned to Crestonia yesterday!¡± Egbert paused, then quickly got up. He grabbed his coat at the foot of the bed, and said as he walked towards the tent¡¯s exit, ¡°Arrange a helicopter, I need to return home immediately!¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!