Chapter 3: Mud, Scars, and Viral Hearts

(Is Mariah Blanket nuts?! Treating a guest like this—she must really want to win. Ethan’s about to have a meltdown.)

(How many more surprises does she have? Only Mariah Lane would dare treat Ethan like this. Hollywood needs more gutsy actresses like her.)

(Finally someone to deal with Ethan, the king of smug. The universe is healing—viewers rejoice.)

Just as I was about to reach the front, Ethan, who’d been pouting, suddenly snapped: “Mariah Lane! How dare you treat me like this!”

I flashed him a grin—sorry, buddy, I’m here to humble you.

In the mud.

“I’ll fight you.” Ethan dropped the act and struggled, dragging me down with him.

He shoved me face-first into the mud, I got a mouthful of dirt, and watched the other teams surge ahead.

The flag was gone.

Furious, I snarled, “Wanna fight? I’ll show you what losing feels like.”

I scrambled out of the mud, tackled him, and went wild.

We lost the first round.

The footage of our mud brawl sent the show’s live ratings through the roof.

During the break, I sat quietly while Lila wiped the mud off my face with a towel.

She looked so heartbroken, blowing on the scratches Ethan gave me: “Ethan’s a grown man, no manners at all.”

“Poor baby~”

“No, Lila, are you blind? She dragged me into the mud first, I have OCD!”

“Get lost!” I barked at Ethan as he tried to grab Lila’s arm.

“Scram~” Lila echoed, deadpan.

“Men with unstable emotions? Hard pass.” I took the chance to badmouth Ethan to Lila. No way does he deserve the beautiful lead.

“Mm mm~ don’t want him, only you.” Lila promised.

The game was best two out of three.

Second and third rounds, Lila and I teamed up.

We were perfectly in sync and won the championship without breaking a sweat.

After nabbing the tools, we finished the farming plan like pros.

After the live ended that night, I bolted back to the dorm, wiped out.

Covered in mud, I needed a shower—stat!

But halfway through, I realized I’d dashed in without grabbing clothes…

And my phone was nowhere nearby.

Before showering, I’d covered the camera, so at worst the mic might pick up my footsteps.

“Lila? You out there? I forgot my clothes, can you grab them?” I called in my best cartoon-princess falsetto.

No answer—guess she wasn’t back yet?

“Babe? Are you back? If no one’s here, I’m coming out!” I tried a cutesy voice.

Still nothing.

Whatever, Lila’s probably not back yet. I’ll just sneak out and grab my stuff.

Let’s go!

Wrapped in white bubbles, I made a break for my clothes, but as I was hustling back to the bathroom, I spotted someone on the couch.

We locked eyes.

“Ah!” Did she… did she see?

Lila, catching my look, smiled like a cat, eyes bright, lips quirked: “Oh, I didn’t see anything~”

“But, wow, I didn’t expect that~ babe, you actually have abs, let me touch, let me touch!”

Looking at Lila’s gleeful face, I couldn’t help but think, this female lead is definitely not straight.

And! She was totally there but didn’t answer—did she want to see me naked?

(What what! What did I just hear? Is there anything my premium subscription can’t get me? Quick, someone hack the camera!

What are these two up to? I need to see!

[Agreed! Where’s the OnlyFans link?])

After dinner, the show sent us to the rooftop to watch the stars—team bonding, apparently.

We had to lie down in a row. When I saw Ethan about to lie next to Lila, I immediately threw myself between them.

Ethan’s face soured.

Once everyone settled, the show started stirring the pot.

“Welcome to ‘Homestead Challenge.’ You’re all strangers, so let’s play a game. Everyone, close your eyes.”

“First question: if you have a crush, open your eyes and check out the others.”

I opened my eyes without hesitation. Not that I actually liked anyone, but I needed to see if Lila liked someone else.

Who knows—maybe the male lead’s luck would sway her.

Lila, lying on my right, cracked open her hazel eyes and winked at me.

Me: “??”

Guess I didn’t need to worry.

She likes me?

And Ethan, on my right, was trying to sneak a peek at Lila past me.

So I raised my hand to block his view.

I bared my teeth and glared at him. Back off, she’s mine.

(Mariah’s possessiveness is jumping out—this is must-see TV.)

(Official ship announcement! Washed-up drama queen x glamorous, cool pop idol. I’m here for it.)

(Our idol matches goddess Lila better—they even acted together. Who’s this clown trying to leech hype?)

(Lila said she likes tall and handsome over 5’9”, no gender limit. Someone tell the leeches to sit down.

Jamie, you…)

“Everyone, close your eyes. Second question: if you had a time machine, would you go back? Open your eyes if yes.”

I kept my eyes shut.

I’m not the old Mariah—I can’t answer that.

I don’t know what she wanted to fix, but I know she regretted not making the bad guys pay before she died.

I’ll handle that for her.

“Wow, only Mariah didn’t open her eyes. Let’s ask—why?”

Someone nudged my arm, so I opened my eyes.

Everyone else was staring at me, their eyes wide.

“It’s simple. My past was all cyberbullying—people cursing me or wishing I’d die. I was too scared to even leave my apartment. A couple times I almost gave up, couldn’t find any hope. Why would I want to go back?”

When I finished, I dropped my gaze, right hand clenching the scars on my left arm, but there were too many to hide. You know someone’s zooming in on the livestream right now.

After my shower that night, I didn’t expect more filming, so I hadn’t covered the scars with makeup.

Ethan looked shaken by my words. Wasn’t he the main culprit behind my cyberbullying?

What’s with the fake shock?

Anyone with a phone could see the trending topics—he can’t pretend he didn’t know.

If apologies fixed everything, we wouldn’t need cops.

Just thinking about it made me shiver, fear crawling up my spine like I was falling into an endless pit. Then, an arm wrapped around me—Lila hugged me tight.

She whispered in my ear, patting me: “Mari, it’s all over. I’m here now, and I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

“I’ll stick by you like you did for me, just don’t push me away again.”

Before?

Did I forget something big? When did our stories cross before?

“He’ll pay for it, the scandal’s just step one.” She said it so only I could hear.

Her arms, strong and warm, held me through the thin fabric. I turned and hugged her back, burying my face in her hair. She smelled like lilies.

(Fan behavior, idol pays. I waited ten years—Ethan finally got his. His fans have trashed more than just Mariah. Too bad my fave can’t see this.)

(Old Mariah fans say Ethan’s stans doxxed and harassed her constantly. She attempted suicide more than once.)

(Aww, Mariah’s been through hell. I’m a bystander turned fan—let’s walk the flower path together.)

After the show event ended.

I headed back to the dorm to crash, but Vanessa Kim flagged me down.

She ducked the cameras and whispered, “Psst, I’ve got dirt on Ethan. You want it?”

I nodded, eyes wide.

After patching things up with my family, I had the company lawyers start gathering evidence to sue the trolls who trashed me.

But what I wanted most was to drag Ethan down, strip him of his golden boy aura, and keep him from ever bouncing back.

Vanessa’s offer was exactly what I needed.

“I know you’re the Lane family heiress. I want a favor.” Vanessa murmured, all conspiratorial.

I agreed, no hesitation.

At the same time, I added her on Messenger and headed to my room, feeling smug.

Crossing the living room, I spotted Ethan and Lila sitting way too close, Ethan’s grubby hand about to touch my girl’s hair.

My alarms went off—I rushed over and yanked them apart.

Ethan reeked of whiskey.

I grabbed Lila’s hand and looked her dead in the eye: “A guy three drinks in, laying it on thick? Don’t buy a word of it.”

“No, Mariah, are you nuts? Always blocking my shot with Lila—do you like her?”

“How’d you guess? I do like her.” I cupped Lila’s face and kissed her, right then and there.

Suddenly, I caught Lila’s inner thoughts.

(Help help! Babe kissed me, oh my god, I’m the happiest woman alive.)

(See, only by using Ethan’s hand can I trigger babe’s possessiveness—she likes me, Vanessa’s nothing?!)

Me: “??”

Wow, I don’t even need to strategize—she’s got her own plan.

She tiptoed into my arms, pale arms looping around my neck, looking up at me, eyes shining. Her breath smelled like lilies, her signature scent.

“You, you two!” Ethan stomped his feet, but it was pointless.

Even in slippers, I was taller than him in his elevator shoes at night.

“Let’s go, back to the room.” I took Lila’s hand and led her away.

Girl invited me to sleep together! Which pajamas do I wear? White? Black? Red? Suddenly I’m in a rom-com.

(Tonight they’re sharing a bed—tomorrow the viewers will want to move in. I want to steal Lila home and keep her for myself.)

She made me blush—why does Lila love me so much?

I let go of her hand and darted to my room.

But before bed, after brushing my teeth, I found a lump under the covers.

I lifted the blanket and found Lila clutching the corner, amber eyes staring up at me, patting the spot next to her, signaling me to join.