[Does Lily know Adonis? They look pretty close.]
[Please, I've had my eye on her for a while now—she acts all familiar with everyone she meets. It's so annoying. A total green tea bimbo!]
[Some fans need to chill. Lily loves everyone, okay?]
[Yeah, like someone in the middle of a scandal needs to be "loved."]
[Some fans are just jealous their idol knows a girl.]
[Ha ha, my idol already has a kid. Can we drop this now?]
Lily still wore a bright smile on her face. Usually, even strangers might return a polite greeting smile, but unfortunately for her, this wasn't just anyone—it was Adonis.
Adonis raised an eyebrow and asked, utterly indifferent, "Have we met before?"
Lily couldn't help but freeze a little at his attitude.
Of course, she didn't know Adonis personally. He was practically at the peak of the entertainment industry, while she was just a newcomer without any backing.
The only project she had ever worked on that included Adonis—he was the male lead, and she had been a background character who died in the first episode. It was perfectly normal for Adonis not to notice her.
This was, in fact, the first time Lily had ever been this close to Adonis.
Her hand unconsciously clenched slightly. She felt a wave of discomfort and embarrassment at his cold reaction.
How could he treat a girl like that? she thought.
She remembered the deal she had made not long ago. For some reason, the William family had targeted Adonis, and she had sworn she would make Adonis fall in love with her—then lose everything.
Let's see if he still dares to look at me with those condescending eyes, then!
But remembering the recent unexpected events, Lily felt a chill. She reached out to the voice in her head:
[System, your script didn't mention anything about Adonis joining this show. Same with last time—I stood out in the rain all night, and his car never even showed up for me to 'accidentally' run into! Are you capable of anything or not?!]
Yes, Lily had a system. Just a few months ago, she was a thoroughly average girl—painfully ordinary in both looks and life, struggling to get by.
Then, a system suddenly appeared, claiming it could help her rise to the top. It handed her a script:
At the end of this script, she would be standing at the pinnacle of the entertainment world, adored by countless fans, admired by many, and eventually become the partner of the heir to the Adonis family.
That promise was too tempting. She'd believed in the system, especially since it had already helped change her appearance—and it told her that as long as she completed its missions, her looks would continue to improve.
Lily almost completely trusted the system now and firmly believed she had landed the main character's script. She had been arrogant before, which had led to her downfall and a scandal about sleeping with the director of her new project. The system had warned her to adjust her attitude, or it would abandon her and look for someone more competent.
Terrified, Lily hadn't dared to act out since. If the system told her to go west, she wouldn't even consider going east.
She didn't know that the system couldn't choose anyone else. It had only ever been able to pick her. Fate had already decided that.
Luckily, Lily was too obsessed with power and fame to notice anything strange.
At that moment, the system muttered to itself:
[There wasn't a son in Adonis's original script...]
Adonis wasn't even supposed to have a wife or child.
Where the hell did this son come from?
[System!] Lily was still frantically calling it.
The system instantly returned to its usual cold demeanor:
[Master, this is a golden opportunity for you. Perhaps the world is compensating for your failure to get in Adonis's car last time by bringing him onto this show—this way, your chances of interacting with him are much higher. Remember what I told you: you must capture Adonis's love, then make him lose everything!]
Lily's eyes grew a little dreamy as she looked at Adonis. Of course, she hadn't forgotten what the system had told her—that Adonis possessed an immense amount of the world's energy. If she could make him fall into depravity for her sake, she would obtain that energy, become the center of this world, and ascend to the peak of life.
But Adonis was so handsome, so exceptional… when the time came, sparing him a little love out of pity wouldn't be a problem.
Lily's thoughts had already drifted far away.
She stood dazed for a moment too long, her expression shifting constantly like a kaleidoscope. Layla, standing nearby, couldn't help but glance at her.
"Pa pa, that lady's scary…"
Right then, Joshua seized the moment to speak up, wrapping his arms around Adonis's neck and burying his little face in the hollow of his father's collarbone as though frightened by Lily's expression.
Adonis's expression grew noticeably colder. His gaze toward Lily took on a chill:
"I don't know you. Please control your expression—Joshua is frightened because of you."
What a low-level woman—her thoughts are written all over her face.
Adonis was honestly surprised someone like this could survive in the entertainment industry. Then again, he wasn't that surprised. In this world, having a wealthy backer was often enough.
But the fact that she had scared Joshua? That alone was enough for Adonis to never go near this woman again.
Adonis sat down with Joshua in his arms and gently comforted him, his voice soft and fluid like water:
"Pa pa's not talking to that lady anymore. Joshua doesn't have to be scared, okay?"
Joshua clung tightly to his father, refusing to let go, clearly shaken.
Adonis could feel that Joshua had become much clingier since arriving at this castle. His tiny body was even trembling a little, and the hollow of Adonis's neck felt slightly damp—Joshua must be crying quietly again. It broke his heart.
He could only continue coaxing the boy softly while his impression of Lily worsened by the second.
"Little Joshua's probably just scared of the new environment. Alice, go say hello to your new little brother,"
Layla suddenly spoke up, directing her words toward the young girl beside her—her daughter, Alice.
Alice had a head of dark curly hair and blue eyes just like her mother's. She looked adorable and dressed in a snow-white princess dress with rosy lips and pearly white teeth.
Adonis also hoped Joshua could make new friends, so he said nothing. He quietly hoped a new friend might help calm Joshua down and ease his fears.
Layla glanced again at Lily before turning back to Adonis with a smile:
"Maybe Lily just isn't used to interacting with children. I'm sure she didn't mean any harm. What matters is that the little ones are happy, right?"
It was clear Layla was trying to smooth things over.
Adonis said, "Right, as long as Joshua's happy."
Lily quickly stepped forward and spoke in a gentle voice:
"I'm sorry, Joshua. I didn't mean to scare you."
But unexpectedly, Joshua clung to Adonis even tighter, and soft sobs spilled from him.
Adonis's face turned ice-cold:
"Miss Lily, Joshua doesn't like you. There's no need for you to talk to him."
Lily stood frozen on the spot, the smile on her face seemingly frozen as well.
Layla laughed stiffly from the side but didn't say anything more.