Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

On the eve of the variety show taping, Joanna Kennedy received a call from Mindy Morgan. She sounded furious and launched into a tirade the moment the call connected.

”What the hell does the production team of *Escape* think they’re doing? They didn’t even bother to discuss it with us. The contract is signed, filming is about to start, and now they’re suddenly adding a permanent cast member. They’re clearly treating us like we’re nothing!”

*Escape* was a puzzle-solving show featuring both celebrities and non-celebrities, and filming was about to begin.

Mindy was clearly livid, her words laced with profanity—a stark contrast to her usual, impeccable image as a top-tier agent.

Joanna Kennedy understood what was happening. ’It’s nothing more than the production team adding a permanent cast member at the last minute,’ she thought. ’Probably some rich kid throwing their money around, or a newcomer with connections looking for a little screen time.’

It was no wonder Mindy was so angry. An episode’s runtime was limited, and screen time was already scarce. Adding a new person would inevitably mean cutting into everyone else’s, something no performer would be happy about. This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.

Joanna Kennedy tried to comfort her with a joke. ”It’s fine. Two heads are better than one. For a puzzle-solving show, there’s strength in numbers, right?”

Mindy was already livid, and Joanna’s words nearly made her pass out from rage.

’Two heads are better than one, ha! If Joanna knew who this extra person was, she probably wouldn’t be so cavalier about it.’

Mindy fumed, ”Do you know who this person they added is?”

As Joanna paused, confused, Mindy bit out, ”Susan Lee.”

Speaking of Susan Lee, Joanna was certainly familiar with the name. Not because she knew the woman well, but because for a long time, whenever she was trending online, Susan Lee’s name would inevitably appear in the comments.

Susan Lee was young and beautiful, with a pair of enchanting, almond-shaped eyes. She had debuted under the moniker ”Little Joanna Kennedy,” quickly left her girl group to successfully transition into acting, and had amassed a considerable number of fans thanks to a fantasy drama.

Actresses from any generation were always being compared, to say nothing of two who were close in age and had similar looks.

Netizens and media accounts frequently compared the two, saying Susan Lee was worthy of the ”Little Joanna Kennedy” nickname—her rise to fame was swift, and she was just as beautiful.

Things were peaceful at first, until Susan Lee herself went and liked a comment that read, ”Joanna Kennedy isn’t as good as Susan Lee.” That’s when the two fanbases went head-to-head.

Joanna’s Fans found Susan Lee hypocritical and disgusting, biting the hand that fed her. Meanwhile, Susan’s fans thought Joanna was just a talentless pretty face—an old one, at that—who couldn’t compare to their idol.

Over time, the two fanbases became like oil and water. If the two actresses ever appeared at the same event, their fans were guaranteed to start a flame war online, let alone the idea of them ever collaborating.

The newcomer was Susan Lee. No wonder Mindy was so furious. Joanna frowned, feeling a little unsettled herself.

’This is a really dirty move by the production team,’ she thought. ’There are better ways to generate hype.’

”No wonder they’re only now announcing that Susan Lee is a permanent cast member. They were afraid you wouldn’t show up!” Mindy was still fuming.

They couldn’t bear to lose the ratings Joanna brings, yet they wanted to bring Susan Lee along too. There were new depths to being disgusting, apparently.

Joanna thought that if she had known Susan Lee was involved, she really might not have accepted the job. It wasn’t that she was afraid of Susan Lee; she just didn’t want to cause her fans any distress.

But the contract was already signed, and the taping was just around the corner. No matter how unpleasant it was, she had to go through with it.

”It’s fine, Mindy, don’t be angry. At the end of the day, she and I don’t have some deep-seated grudge. I can just treat it as a normal job.”

”You might think you have no grudge against her, but she doesn’t necessarily feel the same.”

Mindy felt Joanna was being too magnanimous. If Susan Lee were really so innocent, she wouldn’t have done something like personally liking a defamatory post about Joanna.

’She not only copies your outfits, she even mimics your mannerisms, and then she has the gall to badmouth the original. That’s not something someone with ”no grudge” would do.’

Mindy said, ”Don’t interact with her, and don’t give her any opportunity to ride your coattails for publicity, got it?”

’How could we possibly avoid contact when we’re filming a show together? If I really give her the cold shoulder, people will probably accuse me of being a diva,’ Joanna thought. She knew Mindy was just letting off steam, so she agreed placatingly, ”I know, Mindy. Don’t worry.”

Fearing Mindy was still worried, Joanna added in a mock-serious tone, ”I mean, I’ve been in the entertainment circle for so many years. You think I can’t outplay her?”

The words had the desired comforting effect, and Mindy visibly relaxed. That was true. Joanna wasn’t some brainless, naive pushover who would let herself be bullied.

Despite her relief, Mindy was still angry. ”No, I’m still going to talk to the production team. If they dare to use any malicious editing, we’ll show them we’re no pushovers!”

With that, Mindy hung up with an audible CLICK. Joanna stared at the now-dead phone, swallowing the words she hadn’t managed to say.

’Well, that’s my Mindy for you,’ she thought. ’Forceful as they come, but it gives me a great sense of security.’

After buying groceries, Simon Lockwood walked in to see Joanna Kennedy sitting on the sofa, staring into space while still holding her phone, its screen dark.

In a daze.

Simon Lockwood took out the small cake he’d just bought, walked over, and waved it in front of her face. ”Want some?”

Joanna had been lost in thought, but her eyes lit up at his words. Without the slightest hesitation: ”Yes!”

It was a chestnut cake. As soon as he opened the box, the unique, sweet aroma of chestnuts filled the air, evoking the feeling of late autumn.

She loved desserts, but because of her work, she could usually only indulge on her birthday or when she was on a food program, and even then, she couldn’t eat much.

Now, with an entire chestnut cake right in front of her, Joanna’s eyes were sparkling. But even though she was practically drooling, she didn’t eat it right away. Instead, she cut off a small piece and then ran to the kitchen with a PITTER-PATTER of footsteps.

”Simon, open your mouth,”

Simon Lockwood was in the middle of cleaning a fish. When he saw the girl running over excitedly, he instinctively backed away, frowning. ”Joanna, go back outside for a minute.”

His hands were covered in fish slime and he smelled fishy; he was hardly what you’d call clean.

Joanna was oblivious to his inner thoughts and paid his words no mind. She kept walking toward him, forcing him to back up step by step. Standing on her tiptoes, she held the cake to his lips. ”You try it. Quick, quick.”

Simon Lockwood was backed into a corner with no room to retreat. He awkwardly put his hands behind his back. As the soft cream touched his lips, his eyes met the girl’s expectant gaze.

It was as if Joanna wouldn’t give up until he ate it. Simon Lockwood felt a little helpless. He opened his mouth in defeat, letting her stuff the cake inside.

Joanna was quite generous when it came to food; the piece she had cut was not small by any means. Before Simon could even finish the first bite, she was stuffing a second into his mouth, followed by a third.

Simon Lockwood: ”..........”

Sometimes, he really didn’t understand Joanna.

Seeing that the girl was poised to feed him more, Simon couldn’t help but cough. His voice came out muffled by the cake. ”Enough...”

”It’s not enough. You haven’t finished yet.” Joanna figured Simon must be saying that because he wanted to save it for her, and her heart went out to him. ”There’s still a lot. I can’t finish it all by myself.”