Chapter 7

Just as dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight hit the deserted island's beach, the production team's loudspeaker crackled to life.

"Good morning, everyone. Today's mission: you'll be working in pairs to search the island for edible ingredients. You've got three hours. The team that finds the most food wins a luxury lunch supply. Let's get started with the teams."

The production team announced the pairings right away: Scarlett and Lucas, Vivian and Ethan, Zoey and Summer, and Michael on his own.

[Scarlett West and Best Actor Reed are paired up. This is a legendary combo.]

[Vivian and Ethan are together, so adorable.]

[Just waiting for Scarlett and Best Actor Reed to interact, my heart can't take it, I'm shipping them like crazy.]

Vivian's face fell the moment she heard the pairings. She'd been hoping to team up with Lucas, but instead, she was stuck with Ethan. Her resentment toward Scarlett only grew stronger.

Scarlett didn't react much to the pairings. She just grabbed her backpack and got ready to go. Lucas walked beside her, his tone casual. "Need a hand?"

"No, just don't slow me down," Scarlett replied, not even looking back as she strode ahead. Lucas let out a soft laugh and quickly caught up.

Scarlett knew her way around plants, so as soon as they stepped into the woods, she quickly found wild fruits and veggies. Lucas led the way, clearing the path and handing her stuff when needed. Surprisingly, they made a great team.

The livestream chat was going wild, flooded with messages like [So sweet.]and [Such a perfect match.]

Meanwhile, Vivian and Ethan were wandering aimlessly through the woods, and after a long time, they still hadn't found much to eat. Seeing how well Scarlett West's team was doing, Vivian felt an evil plan start to form in her mind.

While Ethan wasn't paying attention, Vivian snatched a harmless little snake from the ground and slyly slipped it into Scarlett's backpack. Then, putting on her best scared act, she shrieked, "Ah. There's a snake. Scarlett, your backpack has a snake in it."

Everyone rushed over, and the cameras instantly focused on Scarlett's backpack.

Vivian's eyes turned red as she faced the camera, looking pitiful. "Scarlett, I know you don't like me, but you can't put a snake in your backpack to freak people out. What if someone actually gets bitten?"

Ethan immediately jumped in front of Vivian, shooting Scarlett a furious glare. "Scarlett, that's messed up. Get that snake out of there, now."

Zoey and Summer scrambled backward, their faces full of panic as they stared at Scarlett.

The haters in the livestream went wild, spamming the chat and calling Scarlett West all sorts of nasty names.

[Scarlett West has totally lost it. Who uses a snake to freak people out?]

[Kick her out of showbiz already. People like her deserve to be banned.]

[Poor Vivian, she nearly had a heart attack.]

Scarlett watched Vivian's lame performance, a cold smirk curling at her lips. She remained perfectly calm, opened her backpack without hesitation, and let the little snake crawl out slowly.

Lucas reacted instantly, grabbing the snake and tossing it far away. Then he looked at Scarlett, his gaze was questioning, not doubting her for a second.

Scarlett ignored him, pulled out her phone, and started a livestream. She stared straight into the camera, ready to confront. "Alright, everyone, listen up. Vivian says I put a snake in my backpack to scare people? Where's the proof?"

Vivian burst into tears, her voice trembling. "I saw it with my own eyes. You're the one who did it."

"Saw it with your own eyes?" Scarlett scoffed, pressing play on her phone. "Good thing I suspected someone might try something shady, so I set up a tiny camera on my backpack yesterday. It recorded everything. Watch for yourselves."

The video showed Vivian sneaking up when no one was looking and slipping the snake into Scarlett's backpack.

The livestream chat flipped in an instant. The haters got totally roasted, and a flood of new fans started pouring in.

[OMG. Total reversal. Vivian Lynn put the snake in herself.]

[VivianLynnExposed.She faked being pitiful just to get sympathy. So disgusting.]

[Scarlett West is a genius. She actually set up a camera ahead of time.]

[Vivian Lynn, get out of the show. You're so cringe.]

Vivian stared at the footage, pale as a ghost and shaking all over. She was too shocked to say a single word.

Ethan was completely taken aback, frozen as he looked at Vivian in disbelief, disappointment written all over his face.

Scarlett strode right up to Vivian, looking down at her with a wild, savage glint in her eyes. "Vivian, if you're gonna put on a show, at least commit. Why drop the act now?

"You really thought you could frame me? Did you honestly think you had the brains for that?"

"I. I didn't mean to." Vivian stammered, still trying to defend herself.

"Didn't mean to?" Scarlett snapped, her voice sharp and loud. "Didn't mean to shove a snake in my bag? Didn't mean to play the victim for the cameras? Vivian, do you seriously think everyone watching is an idiot?"

Scarlett turned to the camera, throwing her hands up. "You all saw it, right? I'm not the one losing it, someone pushed me to this. When you're dealing with a fake sweetheart like her, you gotta fight crazy with crazy."

[Scarlett West roasted her to ashes. That's exactly how you deal with a fake sweetheart.]

[Scarlett is the GOAT of crazy female leads. That move was so damn satisfying.]

[Blow [VivianLynnExposed] up and get it trending.]

[Scarlett West Live Confronts Vivian] and [Vivian Lynn Frames Scarlett] shot straight to the top of the trending charts. Vivian's social media comment section got absolutely wrecked by netizens, and her reputation hit rock bottom overnight.

The production team burst out laughing as they watched the livestream stats roll in. Scarlett was the secret weapon for going viral, every single thing she did sent the whole internet into a frenzy.

Lucas walked up to Scarlett and murmured, "That was badass." Scarlett shot him a sideways glance. "Quit buttering me up. Get moving, don't mess up my shot at that luxury lunch."

Lucas shook his head, obvious fondness in his eyes, and followed Scarlett as she headed deeper into the woods.

Vivian stood frozen, glaring at Scarlett's retreating figure, seething with rage but helpless to do anything about it. This time, she was utterly crushed, there was no coming back from this.