Wendy felt a bit disappointed; if she could use Renee Morgan as a comparison group, the buzz would definitely be so much higher.
Renee Morgan has a strong sense of the camera, and her self-management skills aren’t bad either. Luckily, Wendy had the foresight to prepare some "big scoop" in advance, even if the coffee was spit out, surely the towel would still get hit, right?
Thinking that Renee definitely wouldn’t be able to record the show these next few days, Wendy told her godfather to have the people in the crew get ready ahead of time, write up some articles, and buy trending topics.
She already had the content for the trending post planned out.
First, don’t mention that Renee couldn’t record because of allergies; instead, imply that she can’t handle the tough training, fakes being sick to get out of filming, and compare herself to Renee. While the audience curses Renee, they’d definitely become fans of Wendy.
After communicating with her contact, Wendy’s lips curled into a smile.
She was simply a genius.
"..."
After Renee Morgan returned to her room, she told Lynn Miller that there was no space to hang clothes outside, so she’d dry them in the bathroom and bring them to the base tomorrow.
Lynn was just about to go to sleep and didn’t feel like chatting much, so she just told Renee to hang her clothes and sleep early, then closed her eyes.
After hanging up her clothes, Renee lay on the bed but didn’t fall asleep right away. Scenes from that dream flashed through her mind. She had a good memory; once something happened, it was hard for her to forget it.
In the dream, she would show mild allergy symptoms tomorrow. At first, she thought the hotel sheets weren’t clean, hurried to buy ointment at a pharmacy, then caught a ride to the base, but things kept getting worse until she ended up in the hospital on IV drips. After two or three days of this debacle, she missed the initial filming.
Back then, she was too busy with her own problems to even think about negotiating with the crew, so they wouldn’t mention her severe allergy and hospital stay during filming. Later, when the show aired, because of netizens’ speculations, the buzz stayed high. Warren and the show’s director contacted the official account and begged them to explain publicly that it was due to her allergies.
But people all have their preconceptions—the netizens already assumed she couldn’t handle training, acted like a diva, slacked off for days, only showed up at the very end to put on a show. The official explanation looked more like a cover-up, whitewashing things to keep the show harmonious.
Logically, Renee Morgan as a newbie on the show—if she’d missed three days, nobody would’ve cared. All credit actually went to Wendy who had someone pulling strings behind the scenes; once the show aired, videos comparing the two became viral every other day. Their combined buzz, previously only a two out of ten, shot up to a five. Plus, the show had the potential to be a huge hit, so the buzz took off naturally. Wendy became a top celebrity, while Renee took a devastating blow, blacklist in the industry, the entire internet demanding she quit.
Renee sorted out the chain of events in her mind, and already had an idea for what to do tomorrow morning. Relaxed, she closed her eyes and went to sleep.
Renee Morgan had a strong sense of time, so she got up early. But thinking about Wendy outside, she stayed under the covers, scrolling on her phone and watching movies for a few hours. If she saw an impressive character, she’d even pull out paper and pen to make notes.
It was past nine when she finally got up out of bed to wash up.
When Renee walked out, the live stream had just started; her assigned PD was already in place, and as she opened the door, the camera instantly focused on her.
Today, Renee appeared on screen with light makeup—big eyes, a delicate straight nose, bright features with no aggression, soft pink lips with a hint of youthful fullness, clear almond eyes, flowing fairy-like long dress, both innocent and captivating, fresh and breathtaking, a contradiction of qualities. No matter one’s aesthetic, her looks really hit the mark.
Sure enough, the famously sharp-tongued netizens were furiously typing away in the comments.
[Yesterday some guy from North Campus said every college at B School is full of Renee Morgan’s fanboys, and I believe it! Calling her a campus beauty barely scratches the surface—she’s a goddess!]
[Renee Morgan is really pretty. Hope she acts in more shows so the audience can feast their eyes.]
[Holy shit! What kind of hidden gem is this show—randomly inviting people who all outshine the regular starlets on looks?]
"..."
Wendy couldn’t see the comments during the live stream, but judging from how the surrounding crew reacted, she knew just how superior Renee’s looks were.
They’re both trained actors, newcomers in the entertainment circle, and Wendy didn’t think her looks were inferior to Renee’s. That confidence sparked a hint of jealousy in her eyes.
Thinking that Renee would soon be unable to continue filming, Wendy’s frustration melted away, and she walked up to Renee with a beaming smile.
"Renee, how come you got up so late?" she feigned surprise, "It’s already past ten..."
Like she knew she shouldn’t say that, she quickly shut her mouth and put on a look of apology, then awkwardly shifted the topic: "Wow, your dress is so pretty, and your shoes too! You really know how to dress."
Sugary words, Wendy’s kind persona, and at the same time, she made sure to hint to netizens that Renee slept in and got up late—and that her outfit was obviously chosen with effort, showing she’s got plenty of schemes.
Renee smoothed the hair on her forehead and smiled, "Thank you for the concern and compliments, Wendy. I guess I wasn’t feeling well, didn’t sleep great last night, so I got up a bit late."
Her straightforward explanation made Wendy’s comment look petty and calculating.
Wendy’s smile faded, and she became inquisitive: "You didn’t sleep well last night, Renee?"
Renee replied "yeah," hinting at some annoyance: "I’m not used to hotel bedding, and I forgot to bring long-sleeved pajamas. I always felt itchy."
As she spoke, she scratched her arm a bit, clearly trying to hold back.
Wendy then noticed Renee was wearing a long-sleeved dress—even though the AC was on and it wasn’t hot, she was dressed so warmly...
Wendy remembered she had given Renee her own towel, and her eyes flashed with an ambiguous, strange smile.
Lynn Miller watched with concern, "Still itchy now? Need to get some ointment?"
Renee nodded: "When we go out later, I’ll stop by the pharmacy for some anti-itch ointment."
If it’d been a regular allergy, anti-itch ointment would actually work. But with what Wendy had done, ointment wouldn’t do a thing.
It was precisely because it wouldn’t work that Renee did this—to let Wendy believe she truly was allergic, and celebrate in secret.
After breakfast, everyone packed their bags and gathered with the other four group members, then got into cars heading for the base.
On the way, Renee stopped at the pharmacy to buy some anti-itch cream and face oil.
The group checked in at a hotel by the base for a night, so they could enter the base early and prep for the first day of filming tomorrow.
The hotel was nothing like the fancy city ones, cheap, but every guest got their own room.
Renee and Wendy weren’t on the same floor, and thinking about that, Renee took special care to wash up and tidy her things ahead of time.