Charles was already aware of what had happened in the lounge. Thus, he looked at Raymond with a wide smile. Replacing Sharon with him was definitely the right choice. This was going to be entertaining, and the show would be filled with topics.Raymond felt puzzled under the director's gaze. Did he have something on his face? He also sensed a bit of malice in Charles' eyes...Charles greeted the guests with a smile. "Welcome to S, everyone, for this episode of the variety show. The theme this time is 'fun.' You’ll be divided into three groups among the ten guests. Our team will give you some check-in points, and you’ll visit these spots daily. In other words, you’ll be taking the audience on an adventure."Alex's eyes lit up. "This is great."He really didn’t want to work hard just to earn a meal again. The last episode had left him with a significant psychological shadow regarding food.He asked, "Does the show cover the expenses for all the fun activities?"Most of the guests loo
However, Justin’s expression darkened. He couldn't help but say to Charles, "Our group was the same last episode. The audience might get tired of it. I suggest we switch up the teams."He wanted to be in Lindsay’s group and, more importantly, break up Lindsay and Elric's team.Charles chuckled. "It’s up to you. The production team won’t intervene in this."Elric immediately said, "I think it’s interesting this way. We’ve already formed our group, so you all can do whatever you like.""Haha, El is shamelessly justifying sticking with my bias.""El is willing to lower himself to let my bias take the lead, but I love it.""Who needs dignity when you have my bias?""I don’t want El and my bias to be separated.""Is Justin trying to be in a group with my bias?""Obviously, that’s exactly what he wants.""Yes, you can tell by the way he was looking at her when he said it.""They’ve already broken up, but he still wants to be in the same group? What is he thinking?""My bias isn’t a garbage d
Justin only wanted to be in a group with Lindsay, so after being rejected, he didn’t persist anymore. Alex noticed that Justin looked quite pitiful after being publicly turned down, which was a bit embarrassing.Raymond, on the other hand, felt relieved that he hadn’t suggested joining Lindsay and Elric’s group; otherwise, he would have faced a major humiliation.Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Alex tried to lighten the mood. He smiled and said, “The four of us in a group is great. Having an extra person means we can earn more money. That way, our group can guarantee a most comfortable lifestyle.”Olivia, maintaining her sweet and considerate persona, added, “Let’s work hard, all four of us.”The production team first collected each guest's phone and then gave them new ones. They also handed out 500 S-coins to each person and left them on their own.Elric turned to Lindsay. “Linds, what should we do next?”“Let’s go eat first, then find a job that pays well so we can stay somewhere ni
The taxi ride had cost 37 S-coins, leaving them with 263 S-coins. On the other side, Olivia's group found a similarly upscale restaurant and spent 1500 S-coins. Only Leslie’s group kept their meal expenses low, spending just 130 S-coins."The wealth gap is already apparent.""Now Leslie’s group is the richest.""The other two groups are spending a lot. If they can’t earn money, will they end up sleeping on the streets tonight?""I believe Lindsay will lead her group well. Not sure about the other group.""My beloved Raymond and his team are talented and will surely earn more."Fans in the chat debated which group would make the most money today. If they failed, both Lindsay’s and Justin’s groups would be in trouble.After finishing their meal, Hector asked, “How are we earning money this afternoon? Should we perform on the street?”He had seen similar shows where the guests' first choice for earning money was performing on the street. Alternatively, they could find labor-intensive job
Lindsay and Elric both spoke the S language fluently and didn’t face any problem taking a taxi or entering the club.In Justin's group, both Olivia and Justin could speak the S language. However, Justin wasn't looking forward to today's schedule and wasn't very attentive. So, Olivia handled all the communication, arrangements, and performances. This was also why she wanted to come abroad to live stream the variety show. Wendy's group also planned to try performing first. If that didn't work, they would look for part-time jobs. Since they weren't very fluent in the S language, they used translation software. They stumbled along the way until they found a busy bridge. When Lindsay and her group arrived at the fencing club, the other two groups had already asked the program team for musical instruments and started performing. They showed their passports and registered. Lindsay communicated with the fencing club for the program team. Finally, the person in charge agreed to let her pa
Elric first took a few photos of Lindsay competing and winning first place, then specifically snapped a shot of the six-thousand-dollar prize. He then walked over, hugged Lindsay, and said, "Linds, you were amazing!"He knew Lindsay would win first place. Lindsay hugged him back briefly. "I promised to lead you all to victory, and I couldn't let you down."Hector also came over and gave Lindsay a celebratory hug. "Boss, you're incredible!" He had been watching her compete with sweaty palms, thinking that getting third place would already be quite an achievement. Who would have thought she’d take first place?Charles didn’t expect Lindsay to win first place either. Watching the number of viewers in the live stream steadily increase, his smile grew wider. Then he remarked, "It looks like this group won’t be able to travel frugally today."Their original plan was to have the guests work hard to earn money while traveling on a tight budget, creating relatable struggles and comedic mome
After leaving the club, Elric's eyes sparkled as he looked at Lindsay."So, how are we going to spend this six thousand dollars?" He believed in enjoying life in the moment and felt that spending it all would give them the motivation to earn more. Plus, it would highlight Lindsay's leadership, showing more people how great she was and making them like her even more.Lindsay checked the time and suggested, "Let's book a hotel first. We can check in now.""Let's go take an hour’s rest to recharge, then have a good meal."She took out a card from her bag that needed to be stamped. "Today, there’s a famous five-star hotel with a fireworks show to celebrate its anniversary. The program team wants us to check in and watch the fireworks show there. Let’s book three rooms with a good view of the fireworks show. That way, we’ll have a place to stay and get our card stamped. We hit two birds with one stone."Elric agreed, "Perfect idea."He then grinned, "Following Lindsay's lead and winning e
She sent him the screenshot of the hotel booking.Elric immediately posted the photos in the large group chat: first, the photos of their lunch and the bill; next, photos of Lindsay fencing, winning first place, and the six-thousand-dollar prize; and finally, the screenshot of the hotel booking.Elric wrote, "We've only spent a little over four thousand dollars so far. It looks like spending money is an art too. Let's help Linds spend all six thousand dollars today."Hector heard the notification from the group chat and opened it to see the photos and Elric's message. He was stunned. Could they really play it like this? Elric was being so cheeky; this kind of showing off would surely annoy the other two groups. But he loved it!Hector added, "I'll do my best to keep up with you guys!"Meanwhile, the other two groups were performing for money, but not having much success. Olivia's group took turns singing, dancing, and playing instruments. Olivia even wore a traditional outfit prep
In the vibrant district of the historic town, the streets were lined with vintage boutiques and various artisan stalls. Lindsay's group visited the town’s administration office and rented a temporary booth.Alex and Justin eagerly borrowed a table and chairs, setting up the booth. Following Lindsay's instructions, they also bought a piece of white fabric and worked together to create a simple sign. The production team provided markers and other supplies.Lindsay glanced over at Benedict and said, "Benedict, I’ll let you handle writing the banner."She was eager to observe his writing and the energy he gave off while doing it.Benedict sighed inwardly—this girl was constantly trying to test him. After a moment’s thought, he nodded. "Alright, I’ll write it."He grabbed a marker, uncapped it, and wrote in bold letters across the white fabric: “Fortune Telling, Divination, and Tarot Readings.”Lindsay watched him closely, noticing the fluidity of his movements as he wrote, his posture exud
Justin added, "My mom’s been trying to get me to help Olivia and distance myself from Lindsay. She’s also said plenty of nasty things about Lindsay. This time, not only did I ignore her, but I even pushed back. It probably pissed her off, and now she’s taking it out on Lindsay."Alex, clearly upset, said, "You should talk to her and tell her to stop fixating on Lindsay. Lindsay hasn’t done anything to provoke her. It’s ridiculous."He was frustrated that Justin’s mom had been stirring up trouble, making Grace even more difficult to deal with.Justin nodded. "Alright, after the show is over, I’ll have a talk with her."He also felt his mom was acting out of line. Back when he liked Lindsay, her disapproval at least made sense. But now that Lindsay had kicked him to the curb, his mom’s continued obsession was baffling.Although they were speaking softly, Lindsay and Benedict, walking ahead, heard every word.Lindsay found the situation with Abby baffling as well. A woman who fawned over
After Lindsay left, the other guests quickly followed, leaving only Alex standing there awkwardly. He spoke briefly to the production staff, and they soon shifted the cameras away from that area. Alex then walked over to Grace, saying, "Mom, since Lindsay won’t lend it, let’s just drop it."Grace shot him a cold glare, her expression dark. "How can you be so heartless? The one lying in bed is your fourth brother. Are you hanging around Lindsay all the time just to learn how to be cold and ruthless?"Unable to contain her frustration toward Lindsay, Grace directed it at Alex instead.Alex sighed in exasperation. "Even if we need help, it has to be something she’s willing to do! We’ve wronged Lindsay enough as it is, so why do you keep trying to guilt-trip her? Brandon’s situation isn’t Lindsay’s fault. Why don’t you go find Olivia? She’s the one who caused all this, maybe she can fix it. After all, whoever’s behind her is no easy target."Right now, all Alex felt toward Lindsay was gui
Grace held back her anger and said, "It'll only take a few minutes. I have something important to discuss with you."Lindsay sat back down in her seat. "Fine, go ahead."The livestream was on, and Lindsay was fully aware of it—she was doing this on purpose.Grace was about to speak when her assistant whispered something in her ear. Her expression changed, and she subtly shifted her body to turn away from the camera.Then she looked at Lindsay. "Can we talk outside?"In her rush to find Lindsay, she had almost forgotten that this was a live-streamed variety show. She didn’t want to be on camera, much less discuss such personal matters in front of an audience.Lindsay, however, refused. "If it's important, say it here. If not, then don’t say anything."Grace’s expression darkened. "It’s because it’s important that we need to talk privately."She emphasized, "It’s not appropriate in front of the camera."Lindsay just smiled. "Unless it's something shady, what’s wrong with saying it on cam
Lindsay thought about it for a while and figured that if Grace was coming to find her, it was probably for Brandon. The only thing she could want would be the artifact in her possession.Alex saw her reply and couldn’t help but smile wryly. His sister was indeed sharp and saw right through it.He sent a voice message, repeating what the head of the Divination Association had told them. "Mom just wants to borrow the artifact from you to suppress Brandon’s condition."Lindsay replied, "Tell her not to waste her energy."Seeing that message, Alex knew right away that she wouldn’t lend it out. It didn’t surprise him—his sister could be ruthless when she wanted to be."We can’t convince her otherwise, not even Dad can stop her... sigh," Alex added. When their mom’s temper flared, she wouldn’t listen to anyone.Lindsay didn’t seem to care. "Then let her come. I’m not going to do her any favors."Alex recalled the conversation between their parents at the hospital and decided to warn her, "M
Recently, Grace had been spending more time with Abby, often meeting up for outings. Over time, Richard noticed that Grace's anger towards their biological daughter had deepened. Abby had always disliked Lindsay and showed more favoritism towards Olivia. She must have been stirring up trouble and egging Grace on whenever they met. With time, Grace was bound to be influenced.Grace, clearly annoyed, said, "You even want to control who I make friends with? Aren't you going too far? What's wrong with me getting along with Mrs. Ford and spending more time with her?"Richard felt cornered. "I just think there's something off about her. Her intentions in getting close to you don't seem good. That's why I'm trying to give you a heads-up."Grace didn't believe him at all. "I think you're overthinking it. We’ve always had a decent relationship. We’re just closer now, that’s all.""What do you men know about women’s matters? Don't interfere." She now had plenty to talk about with Abby. Jenny wa
Richard glanced at Grace with clear disapproval. “This whole mess was caused by Olivia and Brandon. What does any of it have to do with Lindsay?”He could tell that recent events, and the embarrassment caused by their sons, had left his wife feeling bitter. It seemed she had begun to project that frustration onto Lindsay, despite the situation having little to do with her.Grace crossed her arms defensively. “If it wasn’t for her ongoing fight with Olivia, Brandon wouldn’t have gotten involved. He’s her brother. Doesn’t she owe him some consideration now that he’s in this condition?”Richard frowned. “What exactly are you trying to say?”Valarie, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke up, her displeasure clear. “I see it differently. It’s Olivia and your son who started the trouble, and all Lindsay did was defend herself. Are you really looking to embarrass yourselves even more?”Grace shifted uncomfortably, feeling the sting of her mother-in-law’s words. “I’m just thinking abou
Given the Harper family's persistence, there was no way the Divination Association could avoid a thorough investigation. Seeing that Randolph wouldn’t back down, the official left, courteously escorted out by Randolph, who, for the moment, had ceased his protests.Valarie carefully placed the multicolored stone inside a small protective pouch before securing it around Brandon's neck. Though he felt a slight relief after putting it on, the bad luck continued. As the official had warned, his misfortune was too severe for one artifact to fully contain.Randolph tried every connection he had, attempting to borrow a second artifact, but came up empty-handed. Time slipped by, and evening approached before they could find any further solutions.By the time Richard and Grace arrived at the hospital, they were met with the weary faces of their parents. Feeling guilty for everything his father had gone through, Richard bowed his head. "Dad, Mom, I'm so sorry you had to go through this today."
Hearing their words, the hope that had briefly flickered in Brandon’s eyes quickly faded, leaving him more devastated than before. "Grandfather, I know I was wrong," he muttered, finally realizing the truth. His foster sister had been nothing but trouble—far from trustworthy, she had been a constant source of harm. Meanwhile, his real sister, though harsh and distant, had proven to be far more reliable. Regret gnawed at him deeply.Randolph sighed, his voice heavy with disappointment. “Knowing you’re wrong doesn’t change anything. It’s too late now.”Turning back to the two mystics, Randolph asked, “If you can’t break the curse directly, could you at least help suppress his misfortune? Maybe with a protective charm or some kind of mystical object?”Despite his frustration with his grandson’s foolishness, he couldn’t just leave him to suffer.Both mystics exchanged uneasy glances. “We don’t have the ability to suppress his bad luck with charms.”“For something like that, you’d need t