Chapter 301 A Fight? Make Up?
“Natalie, let’s go to sleep. We still have things to do tomorrow,” Jane suggested, “Once we sleep, our troubles will go away.”
Natalie nodded in agreement and responded, "Goodnight, Jane."
That night, Jane had a restless sleep. The events of the past few years kept replaying in her dreams, those nightmarish experiences she believed she had come to terms with haunted her anew. Natalie had reassured her that it was not her fault, that everything was alright. However, she could not help but question, how could it not be her fault? How could everything be alright?
The downfall of the Watkins family weighed heavily on Jane’s conscience. Had she not been blindly infatuated with Anthony in her youth, her brother would not have allowed such a dangerous person to remain close to the family. This mistake provided Anthony with the means to ruin their lives. Her brother's troubles were a direct consequence of her actions! If only she had not fallen for Anthony initially, their fate might have been different.
Natalie, too, found no peace in sleep. Restlessly tossing and turning, she was on the verge of falling asleep only to awaken once more. Approaching the window stealthily, she glanced below. Both the Rolls-Royce and the Knight XV remained in their spots, stirring a bitter and uneasy feeling in her heart. It was only after the area below was empty that Natalie realized she had let out a sigh of relief.
…
Meanwhile, rumors about Natalie and Jane spread rapidly, igniting the university campus with gossip overnight.
[Is Natalie cheating? A student confessed his love to her!]
[Jane splashes water on the owner of a Knight XV.]
[I can’t believe I missed it!]
Various discussions buzzed among the students and on university forums. Some individuals even shared details of the incident online, but these posts were swiftly removed.
The immediate outcome was a significant increase in the number of students gathering to catch a glimpse of Natalie and Jane, with attendance more than doubling from the previous day.
"Wow, you guys are incredible! I only left for a night, and I missed such a dramatic event!” Jacob said regretfully as soon as he rejoined the production team.
"I… I thought you withdrew from the show?” Natalie asked, visibly surprised.
Jacob smirked and answered, "And yet, here I am."
As he spoke, he playfully raised his eyebrows at Natalie. The implication was clear—it must have been Oliver's doing.
“Natalie, are you and your husband fighting?” Jacob asked softly, leaning close to Natalie, “But something doesn’t make sense. If you were fighting, why would he send me away just to bring me back? Did you reconcile?”
Jacob had always thought that in the relationship between Natalie and Oliver, Natalie was the one who occupied the lower ground. Now, it appeared Oliver was the one who occupied the lower ground.
"You are remarkably nosy for a man," Natalie rebuffed, clearly not interested in delving into the matter with him.
Jacob simply sneered, saying nothing as he pondered the situation.
Oliver had sent Jacob away during the day, only to ask him to return. Reflecting on Oliver's behavior the previous night, Natalie considered the possibility that he was making amends to her. However, another explanation crossed her mind. Given Oliver's possessive nature, he might have reacted out of anger upon hearing someone else confess their feelings to her. She felt that Oliver's behavior the day before had mirrored that of a man who felt betrayed by his wife.
The crew members looked at Natalie and Jane with meaningful looks, particularly toward Natalie. However, no one dared to approach them or ask questions. They pretended to know nothing even if the conspicuous Rolls-Royce had betrayed the identity of the man yesterday. Fortunately, the previous night's incident did not tarnish the show's reputation, thanks to the discreet efforts of someone controlling the public opinion and situation.
In a turn of events, the individuals who had confessed to Natalie and Jane were persuaded to leave the school quietly, with one of them ending up in the hospital after that encounter with Oliver.
When filming started, the host said excitedly, “Let's unveil the props each team secured through their diligent efforts yesterday!"
Upon opening the three ‘treasure chests’, various items were revealed.
For the costumes, Sharon's team obtained a simple light blue dress, Lily's team obtained a long black dress, and Natalie's team obtained the… simple garb of a commoner from ancient Europe?
Confusion arose when a black fishtail dress, expected by many, was absent.
Jacob, perplexed, held up the ordinary garment, noting its unusually broad shoulder design compared to typical women's wear.
Lily’s expression froze briefly before she cast a quick glance at Sharon, who appeared nonchalant, and regained her composure. She recalled swapping Sharon's dress for the commoner's attire she had obtained. However, Sharon still possessed the blue dress. This meant the clothes she obtained could have only belonged to Natalie.
However, Lily remained unfazed, considering the props distributed by the professors were randomly selected and their contents unknown to the guests. Since the teams had not revealed their props on camera, there was no evidence of her discreet clothing swap.
Now, in the midst of the live broadcast, no one dared expose the swap to millions of viewers online. Natalie could only endure for now and suffer the consequences for now.
"What’s going on?" Jane frowned. Her lack of rest from the previous night was evident in her tone.
Lily’s expression was calm as she showed her costume.
Her teammates praised the costume, not having seen it prior to this.
At this time, someone laughed and said in a low voice, “It seems like Natalie’s team is in a bit of a predicament. I can’t imagine her in such a simple and oversized costume!”
Sensing Jane's agitation, Natalie gently grasped Jane's wrist and subtly signaled Jane to remain calm.
Jacob might seem oblivious sometimes, but he had years of experience in the entertainment industry after all. He was familiar with various underhanded tactics. As he watched, he maintained his composure and did not act rashly.
Having been on the receiving end of Oliver's particular brand of attention, Jacob was well aware that the public's perception of Natalie and Oliver's relationship, including the rumors about Susan and Oliver, was far from accurate. He surmised that the director must also be aware of it.
Given this context, it was improbable that the production team would risk Oliver's wrath by deliberately swapping Natalie's dress for a less flattering one. This pointed toward Sharon or Lily as the likely suspects.
The production team, oblivious to the behind-the-scenes machinations, breathed a sigh of relief. With this development, they felt that there was at least a little suspense in the show. After all, previously, Natalie’s team had overshadowed the other teams, leaving no suspense at all.
With Jane's assistance, Natalie changed into the dress.
The dress was too big. Despite her height, the hem dragged on the floor and slipped off her shoulders. She opted for ten-centimeter heels and inserted shoulder pads to make the dress fit better.
"Jane, I have an idea of how to make this outfit better and turn things around."
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