Chapter 3

I blinked and looked at Jason, my smile still sweet, with just the right touch of innocence.

"Jason, why are you asking that? Is it weird for a girl to know a little self-defense?" I said.

I classified fixing cars as a kind of "self-defense skill."

My answer neatly sidestepped the real question. I neither admitted nor denied anything.

Jason gave me a long look but didn't press further. But there was something different in his eyes now.

Frederick was sweating bullets nearby, frantically barking orders into his earpiece, trying to get the show back on track.

"Keep setting up the tents. Interact. I want to see some interaction," he said.

But the atmosphere on set was already beyond saving—there was no going back now.

Alex was studying me with a fresh, inquisitive gaze, like he was trying to figure me out. Emily looked pale, gripping the hem of her shirt, clearly forcing a smile.

The live chat went absolutely nuts.

It wasn't just non-stop flaming anymore. Now the viewers were split into different camps.

[Whoa, she fixed a three-wheeler? What's this girl's story?]

[Self-defense skill? That's a ten out of ten for excuses. A classic scheming girl's move, LOL.]

[Seriously, am I the only one who thinks this is weird? Someone who acts scheming would actually help a random old lady fix her trike?]

[Is this some new script twist from the production team? Are they flipping the characters now or what?]

[Bro, don't kid yourself. When have you ever seen a show get random people to act this real?]

[That old lady's expression and those tears. No way she was faking it.]

[Wait, so Lily's whole persona is fake?]

The debate in the chat was getting more and more heated.

For the first time ever, cracks were starting to show in the persona I'd built for the audience.

During the rest of the outdoor shoot, I could feel the weird vibe in the air.

Jason didn't say much, but every now and then, he'd glance over at me. It wasn't the cold, dismissive look he used to give me. Now it was more like he was sizing me up.

Emily tried to talk to Jason a few times, but he always seemed distracted, which just made her look even more uneasy.

After we wrapped up and got back to our place, I got a call from Selena.

She sounded totally shocked. "Lily, were you a mechanic or something? How do you know how to do everything?"

I just smiled and didn't bother explaining. "Selena, is there anything new?"

"Yes. Something huge." Selena's voice was practically buzzing with excitement. "Go check the dating show's supertopic. Someone just posted a photo!"

Curious, I opened Twitter.

The dating show's supertopic was flooded with a single photo.

The background was a bustling market.

A girl in a plain white T-shirt and jeans was bent over, helping a white-haired old lady lift a heavy box of apples.

The girl's profile was caught crystal clear. That girl was me.

The person who posted it wrote: [A few days ago, I met this super kind girl at the market. Just realized today while watching the dating show that it was her. She's totally different from how she comes across on TV.]

The comments under the post had already blown up, with over ten thousand replies.

[Wait, is that Lily?]

[That's really her! She wore that outfit at the airport a few days ago.]

[Holy crap! First she fixed a tricycle, and now she's hauling apples?]

[I'm so lost right now. Who is she, really?]

[She plays the fragile girl on the show, can't even open a bottle cap, but in real life she's out here lifting a whole box of apples?]

[So the scheming bitch we've been flaming for four days is actually a kind muscle girl?]

The tide was turning overnight. The public's opinion was shifting even faster than I'd expected.

The photo of me hauling apples at the market quickly shot to the top of the hot search.

#LilyPersona and #DatingShowScript were both trending.

Clicking in, I found a swarm of netizens going full Sherlock, analyzing every detail.

Some people even did a detailed side-by-side comparison of my behavior on the show versus those two real-life incidents.

[Summary: On the show, Lily is a scheming girl who never does any real work and just circles around the guys.]

[But off the show, she can fix cars, carry heavy loads, and always goes out of her way to help strangers.]

[Are we even talking about the same person here?]

[There's only one explanation: the production team either edited her to look bad or handed her the evil supporting role script.]

[Damn! No wonder it felt so fake; turns out it was all staged.]

[How can they turn a good girl into this? Don't they feel guilty at all?]

The comments section had completely flipped. Instead of roasting me, everyone was now going after the production team.

And then, out of nowhere, a whole squad of people started defending me, calling themselves Lily's fans.

[Poor Lily. She has to play this role just to pay the bills.]

[I totally misjudged you, Lily.]

[If anyone talks trash about Lily from now on, they're gonna have to deal with me.]

Those comments honestly left me speechless. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

I was just minding my own business and doing my thing. Who would've thought it would set off this kind of chain reaction?

Selena called again, practically bursting with excitement. "Lily, the tables have turned. Now everyone online is feeling bad for you and roasting the production team for being so shady.

"A bunch of brands that pulled out before are coming back. They said they're drawn to your genuine, no-nonsense vibe."

I stayed calm as I listened. "Selena, how's Frederick reacting?"

"Him?" Selena snorted. "He's probably scrambling right now, getting yelled at by the network execs.

"The live viewers are practically ready to storm the TV station, demanding an apology for you. Serves them right! They gave you that disgusting character just for the hype."

I just gave a quiet "uh-huh" to show I got it.

After hanging up, I stepped out of my room.

The living room was heavy with tension. Frederick and a couple of the head writers were there.

All the guests had been gathered for what they called an "emergency meeting."

Frederick looked absolutely terrible. Dark circles were under his eyes, like he hadn't slept at all.

When he saw me, his expression was complicated. He looked like he wanted to say something.

But in the end, just waved his hand, exhausted. "Lily, come with me for a minute."

I followed him into a small conference room. He closed the door and handed me a document.

He said, "This is your new contract. Starting today, we're scrapping your old 'scheming girl' persona script. From now on, you can just be yourself."

There was a heavy sense of defeat in his voice. The audience's outrage had completely wrecked all their plans.

I took the contract but didn't look at it right away. Instead, I looked up at Frederick. "Frederick, was there a problem with how I acted before?"

Frederick was caught off guard. He clearly hadn't expected me to ask that. He paused for a long time, then finally gave a bitter smile.

"No, you did nothing wrong. You were just too good. So good that everyone bought it, and that's why the backlash was so intense," he said.

I smiled. "That's good to hear. But I can't sign the new contract."

Frederick's head snapped up, his face full of shock. "Why?"

I set the contract back on the table, making sure every word was clear. "Because the original contract isn't up yet. I'm a professional. I took triple the amount, so I have to see the scheming girl persona through to the end."