Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

Before this show, she’d never even interacted with Susan Lee. How could a few trending topics online generate this much malice?

Joanna Kennedy didn’t understand, nor did she want to. ’The saying, "Some people are only treated as normal because they look like they can function on their own," just keeps getting more and more relevant.’

The theme for the shoot was "campus life," so everyone had to change into the outfits prepared by the production team.

Joanna Kennedy was quick to change. Instead of taking off her own clothes to look slimmer, she simply pulled the loose-fitting school uniform on over them. Even so, she didn’t look bulky at all.

Susan Lee spoke up, her tone dripping with acid. "Jojo, you know the camera adds ten pounds. Dressing like that is an eyesore. It’s so disrespectful to the viewers."

’We’re on a show that’s supposed to be a battle of wits, not a fashion show.’ Joanna Kennedy thought Susan Lee must have a screw loose.

"I’m not just eye candy. Why should I be put on display?" Joanna Kennedy said lightly. Remembering how Susan Lee had been spouting nonsense in front of Simon Lockwood, she added intentionally, "But by all means, you can wear less. After all, you’re pretty *and* you can handle the cold."

"You!" Susan Lee shot to her feet, her face twisting for a moment.

’What did she mean, "pretty and can handle the cold"? Wasn’t that just a veiled way of calling her eye candy?!’

The words "eye candy" were a sore spot for Susan Lee. She knew she didn’t have Joanna Kennedy’s acting talent, which was precisely why she could never replace her.

Susan Lee’s expression turned foul. Fearing a real fight was about to break out, Cheryl Chaney and Sophia immediately stepped in to mediate.

"Okay, okay, let’s just hurry and change. The sooner we finish filming, the sooner we can get back to the hotel and rest." Cheryl Chaney said, reaching out to pull Susan Lee along, but her hand was unceremoniously slapped away.

SLAP! The crisp sound was startlingly clear in the dressing room. The sound seemed to snap Susan Lee back to her senses, and she immediately grabbed Cheryl Chaney’s hand. "Cheryl, I didn’t mean to. You’re not mad at me, are you?"

Desperate to maintain her public persona, she didn’t even notice that she was gripping the very hand she had just slapped red.

Cheryl Chaney’s brows knitted in pain, but she still comforted Susan. "It’s fine. I’m not angry."

"That’s good." Susan Lee released her hand without the slightest hesitation, her face breaking into a smile. "I knew you wouldn’t be that petty."

"..." Cheryl Chaney was at a loss for words. Her gaze on Susan Lee was complicated for a few seconds.

Just because she had an easy-going personality and didn’t like to squabble with people didn’t mean she was a moron. She could clearly see Susan Lee’s subconscious disdain.

’Such a pretty girl, but what an ugly personality.’ Cheryl Chaney was disappointed. In the end, she just said, "Let’s hurry. We don’t want to delay the shoot."

After this little incident, everyone picked up the pace.

Joanna Kennedy was the first to finish changing. Sophia, her zipper still undone, trotted to catch up. Meeting Joanna’s confused gaze, she whispered, "Joanna, can I go with you?"

’Why not?’ Joanna Kennedy didn’t think much of it. "Let’s go."

Sophia and Joanna Kennedy left. This time, Cheryl Chaney didn’t wait for Susan Lee, either; she straightened her clothes and walked right out of the dressing room. Susan Lee was still complaining about how ugly the uniform was when she looked up and realized she was the only one left.

...

’Bitches. They’re all a bunch of social-climbing bitches!’

Susan Lee gritted her teeth, clenching her fists so tightly her nails nearly broke the skin of her palms. The twisted look on her face made her pretty features seem ferocious.

It was one thing for Julius to only talk to Joanna Kennedy. And fine, so Jasper Sinclair wouldn’t help her anymore and even told her not to mess with Joanna. But now, even nobodies like Sophia and Cheryl Chaney dared to ignore her.

Susan Lee forcefully threw the clothes in her hand to the floor. She stared daggers at the stool where Joanna Kennedy had just been sitting, her beautiful face a mask of viciousness.

If Jasper Sinclair wouldn’t help her, she’d do it herself. She would never, ever let Joanna Kennedy continue to outshine her. She never wanted to hear the words "Little Joanna Kennedy" ever again!

*

The open area in front of the building was crowded with camera operators and staff. Numerous lights had been hung to accommodate the night shoot. From a distance, Joanna Kennedy spotted Simon Lockwood standing in the crowd.

Even though all four male guests were wearing the same uniform, Joanna Kennedy’s eyes found Simon Lockwood instantly. The moment her gaze landed on him, it was as if no one else existed.

It was a simple blue-and-white jacket and navy blue track pants with white stripes—almost no design to speak of. Yet, on Simon Lockwood, the simple uniform exuded an air of cool nobility.

Unlike the others, who either wore their uniforms sloppily or zipped them all the way up to act cool, Simon Lockwood wore his perfectly. Even the collar was folded just right.

Joanna Kennedy felt a momentary daze. A tall, upright figure in a school uniform flashed through her mind. This time, the figure’s face was no longer a blur; it slowly sharpened, merging with the image of Simon Lockwood in the-distance.

’It was Simon Lockwood. The man who was always in her memories... it was Simon Lockwood.’

’But wait, hadn’t Simon Lockwood just returned to the country? He only moved in across from her a few months ago, right? So what were those memories about?’

Joanna Kennedy stared blankly at the man in the distance. A sudden, dull ache in her heart made it hard to breathe. It took Sophia calling her name several times before she managed to snap out of it.

"Jojo, why are you so pale?" Sophia asked, her voice laced with concern. "Are you not feeling well?"

Joanna Kennedy slowly shook her head. "I’m fine."

Her mind was in chaos. The moment she tried to consciously recall those fragments, a sharp pain would flare up. She was still in a daze when they entered the escape room.

The room was dark. The only illumination came from the faint glow of sticky notes plastered around the walls. By their meager light, they could just make out their surroundings. It was a classroom—a massive one, large enough to hold several hundred people.

"Whoa, they’re really sticking to the campus theme. They even got us a classroom."

"Is this supposed to be high school or college? This classroom is huge. How are we supposed to find any clues in here?"

"Alright everyone, let’s split up. We’ll cover more ground that way."

There were rows upon rows of seats. Searching them one by one would take a long time, so Dunley’s suggestion was a good one. But Susan Lee bit her lip. "It’s so dark in here... I’m a little scared..."

Miles Sutton, playing his part as the gentle-mannered gentleman, heard this and said considerately, "Why don’t you stick with your teammate to look for clues, then? Two people can put their heads together."

A few hours ago, Susan Lee would have smiled and agreed. After all, she was eager to be "shipped" with Julius. But now, she shivered as the memory of his ice-cold glare flashed through her mind.

Susan Lee scrambled to think of an excuse to refuse.

Just then, the man who had been silent the entire time spoke up. "I’m afraid of the dark, too."

"..."

The air went still for a moment. Miles Sutton sounded incredulous. "You’re afraid of the dark, too??"

"Yep." Simon Lockwood said it without batting an eye.

Miles Sutton and everyone else: "..." ’You could have fooled us.’

Since they were both supposedly afraid of the dark, they obviously couldn’t be paired up. Miles Sutton wanted to offer to accompany Susan Lee, but his own partner was also a woman, and it wouldn’t look good to "abandon" her.

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