The Trending Topic Herself: The Villainess is the Superstar!-Chapter 204: Chosen: Maya Monroe

"Of course."

"What do you want to eat? French or Japanese cuisine?"

"I just want hot pot."

Ryan Spencer chuckled at this: "No matter how delicious something is, you’ll get tired of it after eating too much. You’ve already had so many hot pot meals, and you still want more?"

Maya Monroe nodded: "When you truly like something, you won’t get tired of it. I love hot pot and always will."

Ryan Spencer shook his head with a smile: "You’re the boss." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Since Maya Monroe brought too much equipment to the audition hall, it took Scott a considerable amount of time to pack these scattered items.

Maya Monroe leaned casually against a wall, quietly watching Scott pack.

Ryan Spencer sat nearby, handing a folded table to Scott, then glanced at Maya Monroe: "Why not sit on a chair? Isn’t leaning against the wall uncomfortable?"

Maya Monroe shook her head.

Suddenly, her gaze paused, accurately landing on Alisa Shelby, who wasn’t far away. Alisa was heading up the stairs, likely preparing for her audition.

Alisa Shelby hadn’t anticipated being looked at so suddenly. She was stunned for a moment, then flashed an overly bright smile.

Alisa Shelby was on good terms with one of the audition judges. Though the judge couldn’t share everything due to certain reasons, one thing was clear: Maya Monroe’s performance was very poor.

Maya Monroe had already looked away. In the story, Alisa Shelby was one of the obstacles for Kiki Monroe. The fact that they both auditioned for the lead role in "Mirror" made this evident.

Without special circumstances, Maya Monroe couldn’t be bothered with these things, as they didn’t concern her.

Ryan Spencer’s voice came through: "Maya Monroe, what are you looking at? We’re all packed up and ready to leave."

"Just looking around out of boredom." Maya Monroe walked over slowly.

"Put on your mask and hat, and your favorite sunglasses. There are probably lots of paparazzi outside, and it’s hard to get away if surrounded."

Maya Monroe lazily nodded, taking the black mask Scott handed her, and slowly put it on.

"Maya Monroe, if you want to have hot pot sooner, you need to hurry up."

Indeed, to Maya Monroe, nothing was more persuasive than food.

She quickly put on all her gear and eagerly said, "I’m ready. Let’s go!"

*

After having hot pot, Maya Monroe returned near sundown in a good mood, humming a little tune on the way back.

Cooling winds blew through the window slits, lifting strands of Maya Monroe’s hair.

"With such a strong wind, are you not cold?"

Maya Monroe tightened her coat and dismissed it: "Young people can’t be taken down by a little breeze."

Suddenly, the message notification sounded. Maya Monroe took out her phone to find messages from Julian Caldwell, who had sent quite a few greetings along with some adorable emojis.

She glanced at them, then turned off the screen, placing the phone back on the table.

Ryan Spencer was still affected by what happened with Leo Lancaster that morning, anxious when Maya Monroe didn’t reply to messages:

"Why aren’t you replying?"

There were already numerous sunflower seed shells in front of Maya Monroe. As she put one in her mouth, she mused: "Replying to messages..."

She paused slightly, as if unclear about this: "Is it really necessary to reply?"

Maya Monroe hardly carried her phone with her. Having been through some tough worlds before, she found phones to be quite a burden even as an accessory.

Thus, Maya Monroe’s familiarity with phone-related matters had long faded.

Messages crucial to moving the plot forward were replied to promptly, while others could wait.

Ryan Spencer looked at her helplessly: "What do you think? Isn’t ignoring messages from others neglectful and rude?"

Maya Monroe pondered for a moment and nodded.

Seeing her inaction, Ryan Spencer urged: "Just send a quick reply."

Maya Monroe had no choice but to send a perfunctory "Hello."

"I remember you haven’t replied to Leo Lancaster’s message from this morning. It’s not ideal; send a quick one to him as well."

Maya Monroe reluctantly sent a random message to Leo Lancaster too.

Ryan Spencer nodded: "Remember to handle your relationships with those around you. Many people can support your career."

"Haven’t you noticed how Kiki Monroe always has a crowd around her? That shows she’s excellent at networking, something worth learning."

The main character surrounded by people is like being flanked by a crowd, while a villain with a bunch of fans is just the appetizer for a face-slapping.

"Who does Kiki Monroe think she is, claiming I should learn from her?"

Maya Monroe deliberately expressed disdain.

Ryan Spencer sighed and said no more.

*

Ian Rowe returned home very late, the night outside already deep and quiet.

He glanced around and, as expected, saw no sign of Maya Monroe. In fact, they had been spending less and less time together, as she always managed to perfectly avoid him.

"Where’s my wife?"

He handed over his coat.

The housekeeper, Mrs. Wang, said: "Madam went upstairs a while ago. She seemed very tired. I assume she’s already asleep."

"Tired? What’s she been busy with?"

"She mentioned going to an audition today. She only came back after a long day. She seemed a bit down, so I assume the audition didn’t go smoothly." Mrs. Wang pondered a moment before asking, "Sir, didn’t she tell you about today’s audition?"

Why would she tell him anything about her affairs?

Right then, a sense of helplessness welled up in Ian Rowe.

Despite sharing a bed, they seemed worlds apart. For instance, now Maya Monroe wasn’t willing to open up, indicating a lack of trust as well.

Seeing Ian Rowe’s expression darken, Mrs. Wang realized her mistake and stammered: "Madam has been tired these days, and I noticed she hasn’t spoken much lately..."

"You said... the audition didn’t go well?" Ian Rowe turned slightly, unable to tell if the darkness of his eyes or the night was deeper.

Noting the change of topic, Mrs. Wang immediately replied: "Yes, indeed, Madam looked very worn out and even skipped dinner! She never misses a meal, so I suspect she’s quite upset."

Ian Rowe was silent for a couple of seconds: "I see."

*

After several days of auditions, Yvonne Hall hadn’t found anyone she was extremely satisfied with.

There were major disagreements among the judges over the final casting decision, holding differing opinions. The chief reason for the dispute was:

Yvonne Hall had chosen Maya Monroe as the final lead, and she was quite adamant about it.