Chapter 303 Leaving Traces Behind
The storage room was designated to store the ‘treasure chests’ for all three teams. No one knew if surveillance cameras were installed there, and no one expected the childish behavior of secretly swapping props.
“Lily, do you really want us to present evidence?” Jane, who had until that moment been disinterested and yawning, suddenly asked curiously.
Then, she casually extracted a strand of hair wrapped in paper from her pocket as she slowly said, “I found this strand of short silver hair in our treasure chest. Care to guess whose it is?”
“Impossible! How can it be?” Lily was in disbelief. She was the only one present with short silver hair. She did not consider that her stupid scheme would backfire.
"If you refuse to confess, we’ll send the strand of hair to the authorities for DNA testing. However, it wouldn’t be good if things escalated to that point,” Jane said confidently.
The way everyone looked at Lily changed immediately. There were shock, anticipation, mockery, and disdain. At this time, nearly everyone was convinced that Lily was responsible for this matter.
“I did swap the outfits, but not yours!” Lily, overwhelmed with pressure, protested loudly, “I swapped mine with Sharon’s outfit! I didn’t touch your treasure chest! I… I don’t know how Sharon’s outfit didn’t change while Natalie’s outfit changed!”
Then, Lily glared at Sharon pointedly.
"Why are you staring at me?" Sharon, momentarily flustered, realized she had become the center of attention and retorted, "I didn’t do anything. Are you trying to frame me?”
A dispute ensued between Lily and Sharon.
The director was extremely frustrated by this.
‘What kind of nonsense is this! Can’t they at least be careful if they’re going to do something sneaky? Why stir up trouble and waste everyone’s time?’
"Enough!" the director, having understood the circumstances, ordered, "Lily, apologize to Natalie!"
“I didn’t swap her outfit. I won’t apologize!” Lily said defiantly, her face red.
Natalie glanced at Lily before she addressed the director, "I don’t think I can continue working with someone like her. Considering the live broadcast, everything is immediately visible to the audience. If we continue, they’ll be able to see the conflict between us, and this won’t bode well for everyone and the show.”
Jane feigned surprise and added, "Natalie, are you considering leaving the show? If you leave, it’ll be boring for me. I’ll leave if you leave.”
Jane’s tone was nonchalant. It was as though she was discussing the weather.
The director had a headache. ‘Are these two threatening me with their departure from the show? Will they really leave if I don’t get rid of Lily? However, they really have the means to threaten me…’
At this juncture, Natalie's team was the center of attention on the show, captivating audiences far and wide. Natalie herself was also the most talked-about person in the show. Even the buzz around Jacob was related to Natalie and Jane. In other words, the duo’s departure would spell disaster for the show. Moreover, there was also Oliver behind Natalie.
Finally, the director beckoned Lily over. "Lily, please come here."
It was evident to everyone that the director was going to persuade Lily to voluntarily withdraw from the show.
True to predictions, merely ten minutes later, Lily was on the phone with her manager and hastily packed her belongings.
"I thought you were going to give up. I didn’t expect you to hide a trump card," Jacob commented, aware of Jane's reputation for both being protective and arrogant.
“The word ‘give up’ doesn’t exist in my dictionary,” Jane replied tonelessly.
“I’m really amazed that you actually found a strand of hair,” Jacob said.
Jane shared a knowing look with Natalie before she said with a laugh, “It’s fake.”
Natalie explained with a smile, “That hair was mine. We used silver eyeshadow to color the hair.”
The entire scheme was designed to provoke a reaction from Lily. If it had not been Lily, they would intervene in time.
Overhearing their conversation while packing, Lily glared at Natalie and Jane and said furiously, “So you set me up! My life is ruined!”
Her frustration was palpable. She was embarrassed over and over again because of Natalie.
Lily gritted her teeth and said threateningly, “Natalie, just wait and see! This isn’t over!”
…
That evening, the official social media account for the show unveiled the photos of the three teams.
Natalie’s photos began to trend quickly, winning over countless fans.
A group of photography enthusiasts also expressed their admiration for Jane's exceptional skills in both photography and photo editing.
This raised questions among observers: if their previous success was just a fluke, could the same be said for this instance?
Shortly thereafter, the ‘Fun Challenge’ production team announced that Lily had chosen to leave the show of her own accord and that they would be selecting a new participant for upcoming episodes.
In response, Lily's representatives claimed her departure was due to scheduling conflicts.
However, astute netizens pieced together that something was amiss. It seemed unlikely that Lily would leave due to a sudden conflicting schedule. If Lily truly left because of a conflict in schedule, would the production team be so polite with their announcement?
Although some speculated about potential internal strife, the topic soon faded into obscurity due to Lily's modest level of fame.
Following this incident, there was a planned hiatus of half a month before the next episode's filming/
…
Natalie devoted her time to studying in preparation for her final exams.
Come dinner time, she received a message from Jane proposing they meet up.
Just as Natalie made her way out, she encountered Sharon.
Sharon began expressing her sympathies regarding the Lily situation, but Natalie interjected, “Sharon, some matters are best left unmentioned. Talking about it now only makes you look guilty.”
"What?" Sharon responded, visibly taken aback.
“Lily swapped your outfit. Upon discovering this, you swapped it with mine, thereby redirecting her animosity toward me. Sharon, you’re quite clever,” Natalie said.
Sharon's expression changed a few times. She wanted to refute Natalie's accusations, but she ultimately chose to remain silent, recognizing the futility of arguing.
“Sharon, let's consider the matter resolved for now. However, if you dare to plot against me again, it’ll be your downfall,” Natalie warned before she left.
Many felt that Natalie was very gentle, but how could someone who spent years with Jane be a doormat?
…
After leaving, Natalie followed a path lined with a centuries-old banyan tree.
There, under one of the trees, a Rolls-Royce awaited.
Charles stood by the car and waved at Natalie happily when he saw her.
Through the slightly ajar window of the Rolls-Royce, a wisp of smoke escaped.
Oliver was back.
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