Chapter 3: Cat Moms and Camera Wars

"Savannah, you'll have to keep doing the extreme challenge later, and Mr. Caleb will join in. You two need to coordinate."

I agreed readily: "Got it."

Then I posted on Instagram again. It was a photo of Maple looking totally fed up with life.

"Maple's a new mom, but we can't find the baby daddy."

The comments instantly blew up:

"Congrats to Maple on becoming a mom!"

"Which scumbag tomcat did this?"

"Aww, what color blanket does Maple like? I'll go steal her from Savannah's place tonight."

"If you're going to Savannah's place, you should be stealing Savannah!"

"So it was Maple who was pregnant—I was so scared, thought it was Savannah!"

Satisfied, I put my phone away and went to wrap up this hot topic for good.

Break over. I changed into sportswear and tied my hair in a high ponytail. Caleb also changed into athletic gear. Despite pushing thirty, with that face and outfit, he still looked like a high schooler.

The host spoke leisurely: "As many of you saw backstage, Caleb is our surprise guest today."

The audience erupted in cheers.

Caleb took the mic with practiced ease: "Just here to get some exercise—don't want people saying I'm getting old."

I couldn't help but hiccup again. Caleb was doing this on purpose! I shot him a glare.

What can you do? Age is what it is.

My earpiece buzzed with Taylor's voice:

"Savannah, clear up the rumors—don't just focus on getting the last word."

What can you do? You get paid, you play along.

"Actually, that's not true. Caleb is still young and full of energy."

Caleb gave me a complicated look. I raised my brows at him, defiant. With my goody-two-shoes persona, I wasn't afraid at all.

On the show, Caleb and I teamed up against two other hot drama pairs. Seeing me all fired up, Caleb chuckled: "How about we keep it low-key?"

I tightened my ponytail: "Nope, I'm going for first place."

The challenge was simple. We had to cooperate to climb a slope, Caleb had to do squats with me on his back, and finally, we rock climbed together indoors. But I soon realized clearing up rumors wasn't that easy. Caleb and I were just too in sync—like, 99% synchronized. He always anticipated my next move, finishing handoffs before I even opened my mouth. Sometimes, he understood what I wanted to say before I said a word. No surprise, we easily took first place.

The host asked, "Any comments on your partner's performance?"

Me: "Not bad."

Caleb: "So-so."

Audience: "Are they here to mess with us or what?"

We cleared up the rumors, but not entirely. There was still some gossip about us in the industry. But nothing too wild. Our new show broke ratings records. Time to pay up on my bet and do a live stream with fans, taking their dare.