The first TV drama in which I played the leading role became popular even before it aired.

　　However, it wasn't me who gained the spotlight, but the second female lead, Lily Reed, in the show.

　　As soon as her promotional photo was released, she captured the audience's hearts with her pure and lovely appearance, becoming the unforgettable epitome of youth and beauty in the eyes of the fans.

　　[Lily is so beautiful, she's like a pure white jasmine flower.]

　　[This is exactly the kind of appearance and temperament a campus belle should have. I strongly recommend her for the leading role; Elizabeth Brown is just not suitable.]

　　This IP drama, "Raging Youth," was my first leading role, and I had been hoping for a strong start.

　　I was even willing to gain five pounds for it.

　　In the hope of perfectly embodying the main character's description of the leading lady as bright, elegant, and slightly plump, just like a baby.

　　However, they disregarded the truth and praised Lily instead.

　　They even said that I didn't manage my figure well and that I was overshadowed by Lily in every aspect.

　　I felt really aggrieved.

　　Lily also took advantage of the attention and posted a picture of herself in a trendy school uniform, gently smelling a jasmine flower.

　　Her caption read: [Flowers bloom in their own time, patience is key.]

　　This once again propelled the hashtag #LilyReedTheMostBeautifulCampusBelle to the top of the trending charts.

　　Colleagues from the crew all praised her, and even the official account joined in the promotion. Her popularity momentarily overshadowed mine as the female lead.

　　It was at this time that she sent me a message.

　　[Eliza, you will always be the most beautiful campus belle in my heart.]

　　My agent Andrea intercepted me just as I was about to reply and rolled her eyes.

　　[Ignore her. Let's see how long she can keep up this act!]

　　Lily gained a large following due to the popularity of her makeup photos.

　　The crew members all flocked around her, vying to take pictures with her.

　　Her fans even caused a commotion at the filming location, demanding to replace the female lead.

　　As I scrolled through the comments, I grew increasingly sadder.

　　After years of struggling in the entertainment industry, if I said I didn't envy her popularity, that would be a lie.

　　Being an instant hit right after debuting was simply a stroke of luck.

　　But the journey I had taken was not easy, so even though I admired and envied her, I couldn't simply hand over the position that I had worked hard for.

　　"What are you thinking about?"

　　I snapped back to reality and saw Joshua Cooper.

　　He had a faint smile, but there was a hint of weariness in his eyes.

　　Joshua was the male lead of this drama.

　　He had a good reputation and was very kind-hearted. It was he who had recommended me to play the female lead in this drama.

　　"Eliza, there's a female lead role that's perfect for you," his words still echoed in my ears. Yet, as soon as filming started, I was "overshadowed" by the second female lead.

　　It's truly ironic.

　　I put down my phone and said, "I'm just a bit worried that I won't be able to play the female lead well."

　　Joshua leaned in closer to me, his gaze fixed on my eyes, his voice firm and somewhat alluring.

　　"Eliza, the you I know has always been a confident, serious, and hardworking actress."

　　"Keep going and don't let outside voices distract you."

　　Joshua's words cleared my mind.

　　An actor can't control the audience's thoughts, but they can change them with their talent.

　　I believe I can make them believe that I am this most beautiful campus belle.

　　Andrea came back with two cups of espresso. "Here, the great actor Joshua treats the whole crew to espresso."

　　She handed me a cup with "Only One" written on it, and then she looked somewhat absentmindedly at Joshua's back.

　　"It's strange. Joshua's last drama still has two days left to wrap up. How did he manage to join the crew early?"

　　Joshua's slightly weary face loomed large in my mind, but before I could come up with a reason, my train of thought was interrupted by a notification on my phone.

　　Lily had posted another update.

　　Under the blue sky and white clouds, she, dressed in her costume, leaned against a cup of espresso.

　　Her caption read: [Encouragement from Joshua, luv u!!!]

　　She even included the tag "Joshua Cooper," as if afraid that others wouldn't know that this espresso was sent by Joshua.

　　Her little scheme to pair up with him was now plainly evident.

　　Andrea advised me to relax, saying that the hype from the start of filming had passed, and her little scheme wouldn't cause much of a stir.

　　Even if it was just Joshua's large fan base, it would be enough to destroy her.

　　Andrea was right. It was no longer the promotional period, and the production team wouldn't spend more money to increase the hype, especially for irrelevant gossip.

　　Although Lily gained a hundred thousand followers with her promotional photo, she was still a newcomer and had limited influence.

　　Her update didn't cause much discussion, just a few scattered comments in the comment section.

　　Even those who criticized her for riding on the hype were just a few of Joshua's small fans who couldn't stand it.

　　But both Andrea and I overlooked one thing: for Lily's little scheme to fail, Joshua must not be involved.

　　It wasn't long after we finished filming a scene when the hashtag #Lily&Joshua started trending at the top of social media.

　　The reason was Joshua's comment in Lily's post about her milk tea, where he left what seemed like a normal encouraging message.

　　[The youngsters are formidable; keep up the good work.]

　　Although Joshua was enthusiastic, he didn't often interact with fans on social media, so his comment created a bit of a flirty atmosphere in the current context.

　　The fans of the couple quickly picked up on this, even trying to elevate this pairing within the drama, calling for Lily to be made the female lead.

　　The public discourse escalated, forcing the director to call us for a small meeting.

　　As soon as Lily arrived, her face turned awkward, and she quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Mr. Smith. I just wanted to thank Joshua; I didn't expect it to get so... chaotic."

　　Mr. Smith seemed to think of her as a newcomer who didn't quite understand the implications of public opinion, so he didn't say anything harsh, only gestured for her to take a seat.

　　Then Joshua shrugged and added, "Netizens really have wild imaginations these days. I'm sorry for the trouble; we're already busy with filming, and now we have to deal with this."

　　While Joshua's comment about netizens' overthinking might have been convincing coming from a newcomer, he was an award-winning actor who had seen all kinds of storms. He surely knew the impact of his words.

　　Knowing he shouldn't, yet doing it anyway, meant Joshua wanted to support Lily.

　　As for why he was doing so, I simply couldn't figure it out.

　　When I snapped back to reality, I realized that everyone's gaze was fixed on me. I suddenly remembered that I was the main victim in this whole situation.

　　I forced a laugh and tried to sound casual, saying, "I'll do my best to act well and aim to give the audience a female lead they're completely satisfied with when the show airs."

　　The others laughed in agreement and began discussing ways to manage the public opinion.

　　Eventually, we decided that the official account would post a joint photo of Joshua and me, aiming to ride the wave of the official couple's popularity and turn the tide back in our favor.

　　With that, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

　　At least I wouldn't be trampled down at such a critical moment in my career.

　　Filming quickly returned to normal, with a dedicated team responsible for maintaining order on set.

　　Mr. Smith also issued orders for the actors not to post anything on social media before the show aired, and Lily quieted down online.

　　However, thanks to the earlier wave of popularity, her status seemed to rise significantly. She often took leave for other engagements, whether it was for commercial shoots or variety show recordings.

　　I didn't have many scenes with her in the early stages, so I didn't feel much of an impact.

　　But it was tough for the second male lead, Lewis. To accommodate Lily's schedule, he often had to film during the day and then stay up late to make up for lost time with her. In less than half a month, he had visibly lost weight.

　　I privately asked Andrea if there was any way to coordinate my scenes with Lewis, so he could get more rest, but I was quickly stopped.

　　"Don't be too kind-hearted; you might end up being seen as a thorn in their side. Besides, when it comes time for you to film with Lily, you'll have your hands full."

　　I knew this industry was all about building someone up just to bring them down, but Lily was just a newcomer—how had she suddenly received so many resources? Even her blatant schedule conflicts were hard to ignore

　　Andrea leaned close to my ear and whispered, "I've heard that Lily's resources are all thanks to Joshua."

　　I glanced over at him a short distance away.

　　In the sunlight, Joshua was intently reviewing the script for the next scene. As if sensing my gaze, he looked up and smiled warmly at me.

　　Joshua was already good-looking, but when he smiled, his charm became almost mesmerizing—non-threatening and trustworthy.

　　But right now, I found him a bit hard to read.

　　I first met Joshua when I was just starting out in the industry.

　　At that time, he had already begun his career as a leading man, while I was just a minor supporting character. We didn't have much interaction; we would only occasionally nod to each other in passing.

　　We became closer two years ago when I played his love interest in a movie.

　　On set, he was easygoing, often telling jokes to lighten the atmosphere, making everyone burst into laughter. But when it came to filming, he was exceptionally serious. If something wasn't to his satisfaction, he would ask Mr. Smith for additional takes as a backup.

　　I remember a particular kissing scene we had.

　　Due to my lack of experience, I struggled to get into the right mindset, resulting in numerous retakes.

　　The more impatient the crew became, the more nervous I got, feeling trapped in a vicious cycle.

　　It was Joshua who stepped in to help, pulling me aside to a quiet spot and comforting me, helping me adjust my mood and build up my confidence.

　　"If you can't do it, just think, I'm so handsome, kissing me won't be a loss, right?"

　　His words made me laugh, and the nervousness disappeared.

　　His lips curved into a faint smile as he gazed at me intently, moving closer and suddenly kissed me.

　　That was when I first realized that a kiss could have a taste.

　　The subtle scent of gardenia mixed with the aroma of hormones seeped into my heart through my nostrils, making my heart skip a beat.

　　After that, the kissing scenes went smoothly, and with Joshua treating everyone to espresso, no one brought up that incident again.

　　Yet, I always felt that something had changed.

　　Everything, however, remained the same.

　　It was this movie that earned Joshua the Best Actor award, and my outstanding performance gained me a lot of fans, marking some progress in my career.

　　For the past two years, Joshua and I stayed in touch.

　　However, our work schedules rarely overlapped, and we had few opportunities to meet in person. Our only form of interaction was to leave encouraging messages for each other online.

　　Until this time, when he suddenly invited me to play the female lead in his new drama.

　　I thought I finally had a chance to figure out if that kiss from two years ago had any other meaning, but all my hopes were dashed by Lily's appearance.

　　Joshua had always been kind-hearted, but his kindness wasn't exclusive to me.

　　I must have been out of my mind to think that I was special to him, special enough for him to join the crew early to comfort me and stay up late for filming.

　　I lightly nodded in his direction and returned a standard smile.

　　In the latter part of the filming, I found myself in almost all the scenes opposite Lily.

　　It was then that I realized Andrea truly had foresight. When there was a co-star who was demanding, one needed to be physically prepared.

　　Otherwise, it would be impossible to cope with the daily demands on set.

　　The lead actors and supporting roles were busy filming, constantly adjusting schedules, and staying up late. I was on the brink of a breakdown.

　　But there was no outlet for my frustrations.

　　Many scenes also included Joshua, so if I expressed any dissatisfaction, someone would say that Joshua had no issues, so why did I have so many problems? I had no choice but to swallow my grievances.

　　Finally, when I finished my scenes, Lily pushed a cake towards me to offer her congratulations.

　　I had intended for a peaceful farewell, but she abruptly shoved my entire face into the cake, laughing with genuine joy.

　　"Good luck with the end of filming, Eliza. I hope we'll have the chance to work together again."

　　I took a deep breath and smiled back, "I'd rather not."

　　The atmosphere, already quiet, became even more tense as everyone stared at the two of us. Lily quickly reacted, tears the size of beans rolling down her cheeks one after another.