"Very well, you're a good sport. Go on then. Tomorrow, when we're assembling our teams, you come to me and propose the switch yourself, got it?"Lauren nodded, shame washing over her. As she walked away, her head felt light and fuzzy. When she made it back to her room, it took a moment for her to regain her bearings.Wyneth, noticing the subtle change in Lauren's demeanor and movements since her return, asked, "What's wrong?"Shaking her head, Lauren mumbled, "No, nothing."Wyneth had not taken note of who had summoned Lauren outside. She only knew that she had left shortly after opening the door. Given that they were all adults, Wyneth did not pry into Lauren's affairs. Seeing that Lauren did not want to talk about it, Wyneth let it be and got ready for bed.The next day, before they departed, the group gathered. Wyneth moved to the side to apply her sunscreen. Lauren, originally intending to join Wyneth, had just started moving when she heard a soft cough from Giada. Lauren stop
A sense of tension hung in the air, reflected in the faces of the guests and crew members present. Aside from Harry's team and the photographers from the day before, everyone knew that Finn and Wyneth were acquainted. Finn's request for Wyneth's sunscreen seemed harmless enough. But Giada's motive was a tad too blatant.Finn looked at the sunscreen bottle, his eyes darkening. When Giada had greeted him yesterday, he considered her a junior. Without a change in expression, he reached past the spray-on sunscreen Giada offered and took the lotion from Wyneth's hand.Giada's smile froze on her lips. "F-Finn, don't you like using spray-on sunscreen?""Yes," Finn responded nonchalantly.Giada's hand hung in mid-air, awkwardly caught between withdrawal and staying put.Harry, with his straight-forward nature, hurried over, calling out, "Give me some, give me some. I got sunburnt yesterday."Though Giada did not fancy Harry, his boisterous intervention helped to diffuse the awkwardness.
"Okay."By the time they reached the oxcart, Finn was the first to climb aboard. He then extended his hand to Wyneth. "Come on up."Expressionless, Wyneth placed her hand in his, allowing him to help her up. They settled next to each other, their actions as natural as breathing. Finn did not seem to see himself as a top-tier celebrity, and even more startling was Wyneth's placid demeanor. It was as though Finn, the one helping her aboard, was just another ordinary Joe.'What on earth?' thought Giada, 'What happened yesterday that I don't know about before I joined this team?'Lost in her thoughts, she barely noticed Derek leap onto the cart, offering her his hand. "Up you go."Giada bit back her disappointment. She had hoped Finn would be the one to lend her a hand. But he was already seated, so she resigned herself to giving her hand to Derek, taking her place on the oxcart. Since Finn and Wyneth had already claimed the other side, she had no choice but to sit with Derek.Wyneth
Giada was taken aback. "Cook?""Yeah." Finn nodded. "The girls in our group don't have to do the heavy lifting, so you can rest. But you need to help with cooking."Giada was left somewhat bewildered. 'I can't cook. If I could, I wouldn't have been dizzy with hunger yesterday.'Seeing the embarrassment cross Giada's face, Finn asked straightforwardly, "By the look on your face, you can't cook?" Giada instinctively turned to look at Wyneth, about to point out that she was not the only girl in the group. But before she could, Finn said, "Well, if you can't cook, then you should join us in the heavy tasks."Giada was left speechless. She looked at Wyneth, who sat there with her eyes closed. 'So what if I can't cook? Can she? And what's the deal with these two? Why is Finn so good to Wyneth? Is it because she's pretty? Is that why he's so kind to her?' For a moment, Giada felt a touch of disappointment toward Finn. She did not expect a top-tier celebrity to be so superficial.Their ta
"We're just going into the fields to plant, that's all," Wyneth said nonchalantly. "I've read about it, found it intriguing. Just never had the chance.""Really?" Finn asked, taken aback. "You've read about it?""Yeah, I saw some documentaries and was intrigued. Wanted to try it myself." She was already removing her shoes to replace them with the rain boots the crew had provided.Finn looked at her for a long moment, finally capitulating after a few seconds. "Okay, but stay close. Don't fall.""Okay."From a distance, Derek watched Finn standing in the mud, carefully assisting the pretty, delicate girl down. He only let go when he was sure she was stable, yet he continued to caution her with a string of instructions. 'He's a superstar, yet he's going to such lengths for a girl. If this isn't deep affection, I don't know what is. But there's something strange. There's no hint of romance in their eyes or gestures.'Guides were instructing some people nearby. Wyneth listened attenti
In the elegant, quiet visitor's area of StarCrest Entertainment's headquarters, Dexter had just bid farewell to a guest when a handsome man appeared before him."Dexter, long time no see.""Mr. Silva? What brings you here all of a sudden?"Rio, a good friend of Hayden and Jake, was a frequent visitor during Hayden's sickness."I'm here to call in a favor." Rio beamed, his cheerfulness palpable.'A favor?' Dexter thought, perplexed, 'Since when does Mr. Hamilton owe Rio a favor?'"Where's Hayden?" Rio asked, his eyes already spotting Hayden lounging on a couch inside. With long strides, Rio quickly made his way in.Curious about what favor Rio might need, Dexter decided to stick around.Hayden drained the remaining coffee from his cup. As he glanced up, he saw Rio making himself comfortable on the couch and reaching for the untouched snacks on the table. Given their years of friendship, Hayden was no stranger to Rio's casual demeanor."What brings you here?"Rio smirked, his g
As Rio rose to leave, he threw a flirtatious glance Hayden's way. "Thanks, man."Once he had left, Hayden discreetly pulled out his phone to search for Farm Face-off. After perusing some information, he understood what this Farm Face-off was all about. It was a small variety show that had a few seasons under its belt but had always been just another show. Its popularity, however, had recently spiked due to the involvement of top-tier singer, Finn. The list of other participants had not been officially released yet; they were likely waiting until after filming was completed to reveal the lineup gradually.'Wasn't she filming Le Palais? Why did she join this variety show?' Ever since he had bought that protective charm and had it delivered to her, Hayden had not heard a peep from her. Their interaction had been calm and collected yet left them with nothing more to say. 'I wonder if she feels any better after receiving the charm?'On their way to find the person in charge, Dexter could
At the variety show, Derek's team had hustled all morning, the trio managing to wrap up their tasks ahead of schedule. As they emerged from the fields, they were all disheveled, covered in sweat and dirt. Despite wearing hats, Wyneth's fair cheeks were sunburned to a rosy hue, and droplets of perspiration traced glistening paths down her temples.Seeing this, Derek fumbled in his pocket to offer her a tissue. Unfortunately, when he pulled it out, it was sodden and grimy.Wyneth's lips twitched at the sight. "You better keep that for yourself."After a silent moment, Derek tucked the grubby tissue back into his pocket. "We've finished our task. Let's head back."During their return, the two men walked in silence, flanking Wyneth on either side. Though inwardly full of reflections, Wyneth waved at the camera. The cameraman quickly stepped forward, shifting to the solo shooting mode they had used earlier. Wyneth showed the camera her dirty hands and pointed out the traces of the day's