Chapter 3 I Got Scolded And Trending

Jasper rested his chin on my shoulder, his voice filled with affection.

"I've missed you, Charlotte."

I felt happy, and all the gloom from the past few days vanished.

I wrapped my arms around him, my tone playful with a hint of a whine.

"Now you realize how great I am? You didn't even come find me."

To my surprise, he explained himself.

His emotional intelligence seemed to have awakened all at once.

"I wanted to handle things quickly so I could come see you. I was afraid that if I heard your voice, I wouldn't be able to wait any longer."

His chest, warmer than my own body temperature, pressed against my back, warming my whole body.

The next day, my fever was gone, though I still had a slight cough.

I went back to the set to continue filming, and the morning flew by.

After the director called "cut," I noticed that people around me seemed to be observing me.

I was puzzled and unsure of what was happening.

When I checked my phone, I was shocked to see the trending topic that popped up.

In bold, glaring letters, it read:

"Charlotte Hill's Late Night Meeting with a Sugar Daddy."

The video was crystal clear, likely taken by a professional paparazzi.

It was footage of me going to see Jasper the other night. I had disguised myself, so I hadn't expected to be recognized.

Because the room was a presidential suite, combined with the suggestive headline, many netizens were accusing me of selling my body for resources.

"I always knew she liked to ride on others' coattails. Never thought she'd have a sugar daddy. No wonder she's still thriving with so many scandals."

"So this is how the entertainment industry works-money transactions. No hope for those who actually work hard."

"She was all covered up, head to toe. Bet the sugar daddy is some fat old man she's embarrassed about."

The more I scrolled, the angrier I became. These random people didn't know the situation but their words were so hurtful.

My image had already been ruined, so why should I care about these netizens?

Frustrated, I was ready to start a verbal war with them, but just then, my agent called.

"Charlotte, don't post anything on Twitter. Bad publicity is still publicity. You've finally gained some attention, so use this opportunity to get more deals."

Fine, my agent knew my temper well. If she'd called even a minute later, I would've lost it and started fighting back online.

The trending topic stayed up all day, sitting at the top of the list, and as a result, my business deals and invitations really did increase.

"Ms. Hill, we have a variety show opportunity for you. We can create a self-deprecating persona for you, which has helped many stars regain popularity."

I thought it over for a few minutes before agreeing.

But half an hour later, all my trending topics were gone.

I was furious and started researching every name on the trending list to figure out who had bumped me off.

Who was stopping me from making money?

Frustrated, I vented to Jasper, complaining about whoever had blocked my financial windfall.

I had been ready to make a big profit, and now it was ruined.

To my surprise, Jasper calmly admitted it was his doing.

"Laurence told me you were trending with some bad topics, so I asked him to contact the media and have them removed."

It never crossed my mind that the culprit would be Jasper.

"Negative trending topics still bring attention. You should ask me next time. Otherwise, it's such a waste."

Unexpectedly, Jasper was firm about it this time, refusing to back down.

"No. You don't want me to make our relationship public, and I've respected that. But if people attack you verbally again, I'll do it again next time."

Well, we couldn't come to an agreement, and we ended up arguing again.

This time, I was participating in a reality show where all the guests were staying in one house, and the challenge was to see who could call a friend to come rescue them.

The rules of the show were to call a designated person and ask them to lend fifty thousand dollars.