Chapter 5
The game recording wrapped up in a whirlwind of chaos and flirtatious tension.
The moment Jason mouthed my name was made into endless GIFs by fans.
The hashtag #Jason&Lily exploded to the top of the trending charts faster than ever.
Fans dubbed that moment "Silent Confession."
Even a fan forum for me and Jason's ship sprang up overnight, and they named it "Willingly Hooked."
It meant I was playing coy and fishing for attention, while he knew exactly what was going on but still happily took the bait.
The hype was off the charts.
Emily suddenly found herself in an incredibly awkward position.
She was supposed to be Jason's official partner on the show.
But now, all the spotlight and hype had been stolen by me—the infamous "villainess" of the story.
The audience's attitude toward her shifted from adoring to picking apart her every move.
[I never really noticed before, but Emily seriously can't hide her feelings. Her expression control is terrible.]
[Yeah, every time Jason and Lily interact, I can see her whole mood drop.]
[Is she still supposed to be the sweet, innocent girl? Because all I'm getting is jealous energy from her.]
[Has anyone tried digging up some dirt on her? I bet she's not as innocent as she pretends to be.]
The way public opinion swings online made zero sense sometimes.
When one was their favorite, one could do no wrong.
But once the crowd started doubting one, even breathing felt like a crime.
That night, it was time for the usual "Heart-to-Heart" session.
All the guests gathered in a circle, talking about how their day went and what was on their minds.
This was the kind of segment that really put everyone's emotional smarts to the test.
Emily was clearly trying to use this moment to fix her reputation. When it was her turn, her eyes were a little red, and she sounded a bit hurt.
"Honestly, I'm feeling kind of down today," she said, shooting Jason a nervous look. "I think Jason's got me all wrong.
"Maybe I'm not great at expressing myself, not like Lily, who's so outgoing and instantly clicks with everyone. I'm just a regular girl, and it takes me a while to warm up to people."
She really played the victim card with those words.
In the past, the live comments would've been full of "Poor Emily" messages. But now, the comment section has totally turned against her.
[Wait, who's she throwing shade at?]
[What does she mean by 'not like Lily'? Is she trying to say Lily's manipulative and knows how to play the game?]
[The scheming vibes are practically pouring out of the screen. This is the real scheming bitch.]
[Stop acting, Emily. We get it. You're jealous.]
[Lily's been working so hard to play the fake innocent act, and now you're just trying to snatch her storyline?]
Emily definitely hadn't seen this coming.
She watched the live comments roll by, her face draining of color.
She glanced at Jason, looking for help and hoping he'd step in and bail her out, just like the script said he would.
But Jason didn't even spare her a glance.
He was just fiddling with a lighter, looking totally indifferent.
Frederick was practically yelling in his earpiece, urging him to interact, but Jason acted like he didn't hear a thing.
In the end, Alex had to step in and try to smooth things over.
"Emily's a bit introverted, so don't get the wrong idea," he said.
But nobody was buying it.
The whole scene was super awkward.
When it was my turn to speak, I played along, sticking to the script.
I propped my chin up with both hands, my eyes shining as I gazed at Jason.
"I'm so happy today," I chirped. "Because Jason gave me a drink. And when Jason was playing the guessing game, he kept looking at me. I feel like I'm one step closer to scoring a win with him."
My voice was all innocent, with just a touch of playful pride.
I was like a lovestruck girl who's ready to pull out all the stops to win his heart.
And just like that, I had the live comments eating out of my hand again.
[Lily's clocked in for work again. She's so dedicated.]
[Give her the Oscar already.]
[Jason, are you hearing this? What does she want from you? A triple paycheck, of course.]
Just then, Selena sent me a message.
[Hot gossip just dropped. Get on Twitter.]
I pretended I needed the bathroom and pulled up Twitter.
A celebrity gossip blog had just dropped a long expose ten minutes ago.
The headline read, "The Pure and Innocent Emily? School Bully Exposed."
The post was loaded with blurry old photos and screenshots of anonymous messages.
All the evidence pointed to one thing.
Back in high school, Emily was the ringleader. She led the charge to isolate and even beat up a classmate.
At the end of the post, they even included the contact info for the girl who was bullied.
She said she was open to interviews from any media outlet.
This post was like dropping a bomb into a calm lake. It instantly sent shockwaves across the internet.