Just like in her dream, Miles Yates’s assistant knocked on Renee Morgan’s door around seven thirty.
"Morgan, today is Mr. Yates’s birthday. We’ve prepared an outdoor party on the lawn at the park. Would you like to join us?" The young assistant flashed two cute tiger teeth, speaking a bit shyly. Anyone who saw such a pretty girl would feel a surge of excitement.
Renee Morgan had put on a light makeup, wore a white shirt paired with a long white gauze skirt, and stepped into pure white stilettos—an aura both restrained and ethereal, captivating and alluring without even realizing it.
Miles Yates was the male contestant joining the show with his ’Best Actor’ title—not that it was much to boast about. He’s been pretty low-profile in recent years, but his fanbase is still big. His birthday always causes a stir online, though he himself prefers celebrating his lunar birthday, which means the dates always differ from those posted online by a few days, or even over a week.
The crew was completely unprepared for this, everything handled single-handedly by Miles’s assistant.
This happened in her dream too. The difference was, in the dream the show was pre-recorded, so things unrelated to the program didn’t get aired. But this time it’s live. Seeing the cameras in the hallway, Renee immediately realized tonight’s party will be broadcast live.
"Thank you so much for inviting me, Mr. Yates. But with such short notice, I didn’t have time to prepare a gift..." Renee explained calmly.
The assistant waved her hands quickly: "No gift, no gift! Mr. Yates specifically said not to accept any presents. He just wants everyone to hang out, have a drink, eat some food—that’ll make him happy."
After giving Renee the party address, the assistant excused herself. She still had to inform the other crew members.
Renee Morgan thought it over for a moment. Instead of heading out right away, she took out her phone to search for information about Miles Yates online.
Miles Yates had entered the industry early. There were plenty of interviews about him. Renee searched some keywords, and quickly found a few videos about his likes and dislikes.
Once she felt she had a good grasp, Renee put away her phone and headed toward the garden lawn.
She’d been delayed a bit, so when Renee arrived, quite a few crew members were already there. The assistant gave everyone a party prop—candles for the guys, flowers for the girls: "When Mr. Yates shows up, everyone sing the birthday song together, okay? Make sure you’re genuine! We want major party vibes."
Everyone responded enthusiastically, egging each other on.
There was a barbecue grill down on the lawn, a professional chef was roasting skewers, crew members were helping out. Nearby, a bartender was mixing drinks. Renee noticed some people carrying plates of barbecue and glasses of sake, sitting on the grass chatting, with laughter drifting out now and then.
Lynn Miller picked out a big plate of barbecue, grabbed two weak drinks from the bartender, and dragged Renee Morgan over to an open spot to sit down.
The two clinked glasses, and Lynn started digging in without restraint, comforting herself as she ate: "They say training in the military is super tough. I guess I’ll lose weight soon enough..."
Renee was always very disciplined with food. Even though she wasn’t prone to gaining weight, she still tried not to binge or overeat. Looking at the greasy barbecue, she picked cold mineral water, selected a few veggie skewers, and dipped them in the water before eating.
Lynn stared, mouth agape, and sighed: "It’s not easy being an actress." Even the lamb skewer in her mouth lost its flavor.
Renee smiled: "No job is easy. This is basic training for female artists."
The PD happened to turn the camera toward Renee’s refined features, and her remark instantly sent the live chat into a frenzy.
Since Zara Chapman and Miles Yates—the group’s biggest headline makers—weren’t there yet, most of the camera time was focused on Renee, who was considered the face of the show anyway.
[Renee Morgan’s still so young, but she’s unusually clear-headed. Not like a certain four-letter-name actress, who takes million-dollar fees, earns tens of millions yearly, and still pushes articles complaining about hardships!!]
[Are you talking about that four-letter-name singer? "I have to be able to cook, be pretty, be slim, eat and not gain weight, please everyone, and be top-level professionally, while absorbing all the pressure"—should a millionaire really be saying stuff like this??]
[...]
[Morgan is so grounded—don’t lose your way! You’re the next big star!!!]
Wendy Aldridge, seeing the live stream full of praise for Renee Morgan, finally couldn’t resist putting her phone away, pulling out her mirror to check her makeup for the nth time, and finally stepped out of her room.
Only she seemed to walk in the wrong direction. The PD behind her reminded her a few times, and she turned around looking confused: "Did I go the wrong way?" The PD managed to hold back his laughter: "Yes, that way’s the stairs."
"Ah..." Wendy looked embarrassed, her cheeks flushing a bit, her big eyes blinking, sweet and adorable.
"I just got to the hotel, haven’t even left my room yet..." she explained hastily, only to hear some sounds ahead. She blinked her big eyes curiously: "Is that someone from our group? Perfect, I can walk together!"
She went ahead, and saw it was none other than Miles Yates, freshly finished with his makeup.
Miles Yates was enough of a star to have his own team of assistants and a dedicated makeup artist. Surrounded by people, his presence was striking, making Wendy’s heart race.
Spotting Wendy and the cameras behind her, Miles greeted them openly.
Wendy seemed surprised to run into Miles, exclaimed: "Wow, it’s Mr. Yates! He’s my idol, I really like him!"
She spoke to the PD, facing the camera and showing off her fan-girl excitement.
But Wendy quickly regained her composure, stepped forward with a sweet smile: "Mr. Yates, you’re heading to the party too? Let’s go together!"
Miles saw he was more or less ready and nodded: "Sure, let’s go together."
Wendy’s dress today was quite formal. The two walked side by side—a handsome man and beautiful woman, truly a sight for sore eyes.
The live room had scattered popularity, but when Miles Yates appeared, it instantly hit peak numbers, viewership shooting up in real time.
Some netizens who love shipping couples started chiming in about how sweet it was. They hadn’t even done anything, but for some reason it still felt like the classic CEO and his sweet wife?
When Wendy and Miles arrived, everyone on the lawn, prompted by the assistant, put down their drinks and food, lit their candles and held up their roses, forming a heart shape and waiting for Miles to show up.
"Happy Birthday to You..." Everyone started singing the universally familiar birthday song, gazes sincere as they looked at Miles Yates.
Every PD turned their camera on Miles.
Miles Yates, a multi-national mixed-race with East Asian features, had deep-set, striking looks—further accentuated by makeup, making him wildly handsome and full of swagger.
At this point, Wendy ought to have tactfully stepped aside, but instead she moved forward, her wide rose-colored skirt blocking Miles’s way.