: The Top-Tier Celebrity

On the variety show, my only goal was to make money and avoid any trouble.

But what's the deal with this A-lister?

He insisted on being on my team during the challenges.

He deliberately slipped and fell on me while climbing the ladder.

All the while, the Sponsor's Starlet's expression grew darker and darker.

Help! The A-lister is being way too forward. What am I supposed to do?!

1

In the entertainment industry, I'm considered a breath of fresh air.

I never use publicity stunts, manufacture a persona, or get randomly thrown into a ship.

I have a good reputation and I'm well-liked by the public.

But I'm just not famous.

Even though I'm a total workaholic—filming three shows a year, spending all my time on set—it doesn't do a damn bit of good.

'It's not like I can't act!'

Netizens roast me, saying there isn't a single character for 'fame' in my destiny.

I could only clap back on my alt account: "Oh really? And whose birth chart *does* have the character for 'fame' in it?"

Eventually, I stopped caring about it.

The consequence is that I debuted as a leading lady, and now I can't even land a role as the second female lead.

At this rate, I'm afraid I'll have to quit the entertainment industry.

My Agent, unwilling to see a good actor like me fade into obscurity, arranged with the Agency for me to go on a variety show to get my face out there and build some buzz.

At first, I disagreed, but then I heard the pay was good.

Because The Sponsor had selected me.

Hold on, don't get the wrong idea. It's not that The Sponsor is interested in *me*. He wants to create a ship between his pet starlet and an A-lister, and they needed a background player for that to work.

Since I have a good reputation and I'm low-drama, I was the one they picked.

For the money, of course I said yes!

Still, they had some nerve going after an A-lister like Julian Quinn. I heard he's notorious for his terrible temper!

'He's not going to end up taking it out on me too, is he?!'

'This money really isn't easy to make!'

I was so worried about accidentally setting off one of Julian Quinn's triggers that I went online and looked up a bunch of info and videos on him. To my surprise, I found he's actually got a lot of personal charm!

No wonder so many fans love making edits of their idols. How could anyone watch them and not get totally obsessed?

On the day of the variety show shoot, I showed up early.

To my surprise, I was the first one there.

The Assistant Director told me to look around for a bit.

The filming location was in Briarwood. I wandered for a bit and found a place to have some Amber Tea.

It was too crowded, though, so the owner asked me to share a table.

"That handsome guy over there is alone. Go ahead."

I looked where the owner pointed and saw a guy in a baseball cap sitting by himself. He had a real "don't talk to me" vibe.

'But I'd already paid. I couldn't just leave without getting my order, could I?'

So I walked over and greeted him politely.

He looked up.

He spun his baseball cap around so the brim faced backward.

Sunlight caught in his eyes, which seemed to hold all the warmth of a spring day. A faint glow lit his handsome face. His skin, the color of wheat, looked incredibly healthy, and his features were deep-set and exquisitely defined. He was so perfect it was unreal.

His eyes, a stunning azure, met mine. They seemed to hold the vastness of the sky and a translucent halo of light.

It was none other than the entertainment industry's A-lister, Sebastian Alastair!

2

I didn't expect to run into Sebastian Alastair so soon. I didn't dare look at him for long, so I just gave an awkward smile and pulled out my phone.

To my surprise, he took my phone.

With practiced ease, he keyed in a string of numbers and saved it.

'Wait, what does this mean?'

"Elara Crane, hello."

'He actually knows my name!'

While I was still stunned, he added, "I look forward to working with you during the shoot."

After speaking, he finished the Amber Tea in his bowl.

A little of the Amber Tea clung to his upper lip.

I handed him a napkin.

"Thanks. I'll repay you for this."

After dropping that baffling line, Sebastian Alastair got up and left.

When I returned, I found Yuna—the Starlet The Sponsor was pushing—already sitting there. She was quietly playing on her phone, seemingly unwilling to talk to anyone.

I found a place to sit and waited for my turn in makeup.

Just then, Sebastian Alastair walked in.

Nearly every woman's eyes turned to him, filled with adoration.

He walked straight to the empty seat beside me, sat down, and closed his eyes to rest.

'I feel a murderous aura... and it's aimed right at me!'

I wanted to leave, but Sebastian Alastair had blocked me into the corner. I regretted sitting here.

Seemingly resentful, Yuna started chattering away, deliberately trying to get Sebastian Alastair's attention.

"Could you quiet down?"

The voice was glacial, completely devoid of inflection.

Instantly, the Makeup Room fell silent.

Yuna, who had been the loudest, looked particularly mortified, her face flushing bright red.

'This is bad,' I thought, my heart sinking. 'We haven't even started filming, and things are already this tense. How am I supposed to help her now?!'

'If Sebastian Alastair finds out Yuna wants them to be Shipped, he'll definitely lose it!'

'This money is too hard to earn! Way too hard!'

...

When filming finally began, I knew my place was in a supporting role, so I stuck close to Yuna, trying to create opportunities for her.

We had to draw Cards to form teams; players with the same color would be paired up.

I drew a red Card.

I snuck a peek at Sebastian Alastair and happened to see that his Card was red, too!

So, I secretly tried to catch Yuna's eye, signaling for her to trade Cards with me.

But she just glared at me.

Then she turned her head and ignored me.

I wanted to go over and explain things, but The Director told us to reveal our Cards to the camera.

I had no choice but to show my Card.

When Yuna saw that my Card was the same color as Sebastian Alastair's, her face fell. She looked sick with regret.

Too bad for her, there was no way to switch now!

"Come on, let's go change into our Team Uniforms."

Sebastian Alastair extended a hand toward me.

3

'If I take Sebastian Alastair's hand and this gets broadcast, won't his fans tear me to shreds? No way!'

I quickly made a "please, after you" gesture.

"Please, go ahead."

That way, it would look like Sebastian Alastair had been making the same gesture just now.

He raised an eyebrow at me, a mischievous grin playing on his lips.

"You're pretty sharp."

With that, he headed for the Changing Room.

Under the envious gazes of everyone else, I quickly followed.

After changing, Sebastian Alastair and I met up outside.

We had to help each other clear the challenges and get as many Ping-pong balls as possible within the time limit.

First up was the stepping grid.

For every correct answer, we'd get a Ping-pong ball.

A wrong answer meant we lost a square.

At first, the questions were very simple. Sebastian Alastair and I answered them almost instantly, winning several Ping-pong balls right away.

But the questions gradually got harder.

I couldn't answer them, and I was getting extremely anxious.

And Sebastian Alastair couldn't answer them either.

Gradually, the number of squares beneath our feet dwindled.

In the end, we were left with only two squares!

Both of us had to be on the squares, or we would lose the game!

There were still three minutes left on the clock!

Sebastian Alastair simply swept me up into his arms, princess-style, and continued answering questions.

I thought we definitely wouldn't last much longer.

But as it turned out, Sebastian Alastair answered all the following questions correctly. I didn't even need to think; I just rested, nestled in his arms, my face burning as red as a baboon's backside!

When I glanced at Yuna, her glare looked like it could kill me on the spot!

'Sigh, you can't blame me for this!'

The second round began, and everyone could choose a new partner.

The Director intentionally had Sebastian Alastair choose first.

Without a moment's hesitation, Sebastian Alastair said, "I choose Elara Crane."

The person chosen isn't allowed to refuse!

I had no choice but to endure the pressure and walk over to Sebastian Alastair's side.

'Thinking back to what he said earlier... repay me? More like get revenge on me!'

The game began. I had to hold a Ladder steady so Sebastian Alastair could climb up and pick Eggplants that were hanging in mid-air. The team with the most Eggplants would win.

Before climbing up, Sebastian Alastair reminded me to hold it steady.

I nodded earnestly. "Don't worry, I definitely won't let you fall. If... if you do fall, I'll be your human cushion."

It was just an offhand comment.

But who knew that just as Sebastian Alastair was about to start climbing, his foot would suddenly slip—

And he came falling right down on top of me!

His handsome face, magnified, came pressing down toward me!

I was so scared I squeezed my eyes shut.

My heart hammered in my chest!