Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

Right before she was scheduled to appear on the variety show, Mindy Morgan also booked her for an interview and a magazine shoot.

”Jojo, you’re the undisputed ’It girl’ of the entertainment industry now,” Nina Kim joked with Joanna Kennedy while directing the crew as they set up the equipment.

Joanna Kennedy was in the middle of her makeup, eyes closed, letting the makeup artist work on her face. She replied with a wry smile, ”Kim, don’t tease me...”

’What ”It girl”?’ she thought. ’Countless people are probably green with envy right now, scheming about how to either suck up to me or tear me down.’

Her WeChat notifications had been blowing up nonstop. It was incredibly annoying, but Joanna Kennedy still had to give perfunctory replies. After all, the industry was small; it was always the same circle of people coming and going.

She had worked with many of them before and would likely work with them again. She couldn’t afford to make things too awkward or give anyone a reason to find fault with her.

Nina Kim was caught between amusement and exasperation at the girl’s frustrated tone. She dropped the subject, glanced around to make sure no one else was listening, and lowered her voice. ”Jojo, that man in the video... is he really your boyfriend?”

She wasn’t like the fickle netizens who changed their minds with the wind. She felt she had a decent grasp of Joanna Kennedy’s personality. Jojo always kept a polite and courteous distance from men. When had she ever been the type to just walk off in a huff like in the video?

A girl only throws a tantrum with people she’s close to. Usually, it’s a form of pouting.

Meeting Joanna Kennedy’s now-open eyes, Nina Kim said, ”It’s okay, you can spill the beans to your big sis. I promise I won’t tell a soul.”

Nina Kim’s face was a mask of gossipy curiosity, her voice tinged with an underlying excitement that even made the makeup artist slow down their work.

The essence of humanity is watching drama unfold and gossiping.

Joanna Kennedy sighed helplessly. ”He’s really not...”

”He’s... just my friend,” Joanna Kennedy said after a pause.

’Only when a relationship is official can you call someone your boyfriend. Otherwise, they’re all just friends.’

A sudden thought occurred to Joanna Kennedy. Simon Lockwood was pursuing her, but why hadn’t he ever formally confessed his feelings?

’How can I say yes if he doesn’t ask?’

As she thought this, the frustration in Joanna Kennedy’s voice deepened slightly. ”He’s really not my boyfriend. I’m still a single pringle... a 25-year-old single pringle...”

Her phone chimed—it was the special notification sound for a specific WeChat contact. Joanna Kennedy’s eyes lit up, and she immediately reached for her phone. But when she caught Nina Kim’s knowing, ambiguous smile, she put it back down.

”Ahem, a friend,” Joanna Kennedy said.

Nina Kim raised an eyebrow. ”Why are you explaining? I didn’t ask. I know, a ’friend’~”

She drew out the word ”friend” with teasing ambiguity. Joanna Kennedy just smiled helplessly and didn’t engage further, deftly changing the subject to ask about Nina Kim’s recent life.

Everyone has their secrets. It’s enough to understand without saying it aloud; there’s no need to force an answer. Nina Kim knew this, so she went along with the change of topic. ”Don’t even ask...”

She sighed and threw up her hands. ”We got a new boss, but I’ve never even seen him.”

”I met him once when we signed the contract, and then I never saw him at the company again. Tsk, I guess that’s just how the young masters of prestigious families are...” Nina Kim said with a sigh, her tone full of envy.

’A rich young master who doesn’t care about this little bit of money, just treating it as a hobby.’ This was Nina Kim’s conclusion about their new boss.

But Joanna Kennedy furrowed her brow. ”That can’t be right...”

’Simon Lockwood seems like the mature, steady, and thoughtful type. He seems like someone who would see things through to the end, no matter what he does. How could he have never once come to the company?’

’What has he been doing all this time, then?’

Nina Kim didn’t notice her strange reaction and just shrugged. ”Why not? Young people like to have fun. It’s perfectly normal.”

”When I was his age, I was in Meridia playing in a rock band. I was completely wild.” Nina Kim laughed at her own memory, then her eyes twinkled playfully as a thought occurred to her. ”But that urge to play around just disappears once you get married.”

”I bet it won’t be long before this young master of ours comes back to manage the company on his own...”

Nina Kim said this ambiguously, but her meaning was clear. Joanna Kennedy’s brows knitted together almost imperceptibly, but her expression was one of confusion as she asked, ”Why?”

”Is he getting married?” Joanna Kennedy asked, as if she were just making idle gossip.

Nina Kim didn’t think much of it and shared the rumor she’d heard. ”The other day, I was at a business dinner and ran into a few rich young ladies. I happened to overhear them chatting...”

Seeing Joanna Kennedy’s serious expression, Nina Kim lowered her voice. ”They said that the Pemberton family’s daughter is going to be married to the Sinclair family’s young master...”

The newly rich Pemberton Family and the old, established Sinclair Family—it would be a powerful union, a merger of resources and wealth.

”Oh, I see...” Joanna Kennedy lowered her gaze, hiding the emotion in her eyes.

Joanna Kennedy’s mood remained low right up until the shoot began. Nina Kim found it strange, but the moment filming started, it was as if Joanna Kennedy had been injected with adrenaline. She displayed an admirable level of professionalism.

Nina Kim: ”...”

’Okay, okay... I was definitely overthinking things. This is the Joanna Kennedy I know.’

*

”The interview with Orchard TV is tomorrow afternoon. I’ve already spoken with them; they won’t ask about the trending topic. You shouldn’t say too much either.”

After the shoot, in the car on the way back, Mindy Morgan gave her instructions. Joanna Kennedy’s way of thinking was always a bit different from everyone else’s. Mindy was genuinely afraid she might get a rush of blood to the head and leak something prematurely, so she felt the need to give her an extra warning.

When a long moment passed with no reply, she frowned and glanced in the rearview mirror, only to see Joanna Kennedy staring into space.

Mindy Morgan: ”...”

Mindy Morgan felt her energy draining. ”Jojo, are you even listening to me?”

”I heard you.” Joanna Kennedy didn’t even turn her head, her gaze fixed on the receding scenery outside the car window. ”Don’t worry, Mindy. I know what to say and what not to say.”

’She wouldn’t lie to her fans.’

’She could choose not to reveal everything, but there was no need to lie. If her fans asked while she was in a relationship, she thought she would probably go public...’

’While in a relationship...’

Joanna Kennedy gave a silent, bitter laugh. It was a bit unrealistic for her to be thinking about this now. After all, her potential future boyfriend was about to become someone else’s fiancé...

Joanna Kennedy didn’t want to doubt Simon Lockwood, but she couldn’t stop her mind from racing. If it wasn’t true, why did those rich young ladies describe it so vividly?

’But if it is true...’

Joanna Kennedy took a deep breath, suppressing the tightness in her chest. She refused to believe that Simon Lockwood would lie to her.

In the elevator, Joanna Kennedy was still completely out of it. After waiting for a moment and not feeling the elevator move, she realized she hadn’t inserted her key card or pressed the button for her floor.

’Is this it? Does he have me completely wrapped around his finger?’

Joanna Kennedy felt a sharp, sour ache in her heart. As the elevator ascended, the dull pain in her chest intensified, spreading throughout her entire body.

It reached a crescendo just as the elevator doors slid open, revealing the man who had been waiting for a long time under the hallway light.