The Trending Topic Herself: The Villainess is the Superstar!-Chapter 238: He’s a Smiling Tiger

Kiki seemed a little at a loss: "I..."

Jasper frowned: "Monica."

Monica also seemed to realize her reaction had been too intense, she put down the fork in her hand and sighed.

"Kiki, that person always likes to play tricks. Don’t be fooled by his smile; he’s got deep schemes! He’s a smiling tiger!"

"Calling him a smiling tiger is an understatement; in any case, he’s not a good person. Remember to keep your distance from him, okay?"

Kiki blinked in confusion, then replied, "I understand."

Seeing Kiki so obedient, Monica finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After the meal, Kiki went upstairs, while Jasper and Monica continued discussing in the living room.

Monica was extremely troubled: "Do you think Kiki actually listened to me? At the end, she seemed absent-minded; could she still be interested in Tristan?"

Jasper sighed: "Kiki seems to be very focused on socializing. Ever since she came back, she’s been making friends widely. Maybe she just thinks Tristan is pleasant to her eyes, don’t overthink it."

Monica responded gloomily: "How should we handle this? I always feel Tristan is up to no good. He might even set us up!"

"It’s been so many years, what needed to be let go is in the past. Yet, he’s still obsessed with that incident."

Monica’s expression was complex: "Back then, our family indeed wronged him. But after all these years, hasn’t he had enough revenge? What is it that he wants in the end?"

"Today Maya ran into him, I felt my heart almost leap out."

Jasper didn’t speak, and after a while, let out a long sigh.

"Tristan is like a snake you can’t shake off; who knows how much longer this will last..."

*

Maya had just returned to the set when she encountered the woman who routinely brought her meals.

Maya glanced at the time.

Just like before, not a minute more, not a minute less.

She timed it better than herself.

Perhaps timing isn’t the right word, for her it should be called punctuality.

"Madam, we’ve added a few new dishes this time. You said the taste was a bit bland last time, so we’ve changed the meal’s flavor."

Maya seemed a bit troubled: "I forgot to tell you, I’ve already had dinner. Sorry you had to make another trip."

"You’ve had dinner?"

Maya nodded.

Such a situation had never happened before, leaving the woman unsure of how to proceed.

Maya said, "You can go back first. I’ll explain to Ian, the issue is definitely not with you."

The woman pondered for a moment, finally agreeing.

Maya found Ian’s contact information and briefly explained, saying she’d already had dinner at the Monroe Family, so she didn’t need another meal.

"Maya, it’s your turn! Director Huang is calling!!"

"Coming!" Maya responded, then hurried to the shooting location.

She casually tucked her phone into her pocket, planning to check Ian’s message later.

*

Seeing Maya’s message, Ian couldn’t help but think of a question.

Was he being too controlling over Maya?

However, when it came to diet, he definitely had to correct Maya. He couldn’t let her eat uncontrollably like this.

He could accommodate her in other matters, but when it came to her health, he couldn’t let Maya be "self-indulgent."

Ian thought for a moment and sent her a "Good."

Then, feeling it was too cold, he withdrew it and sent: "I know."

It didn’t seem to improve much.

But he couldn’t think of a better sentence, so after contemplating for a while, he gave up.

*

With Maya’s instructions, Scott had already pre-heated the meal.

"Maya, the food isn’t extremely hot; it should be just right, though reheated, the taste might not be as good as the original."

Maya shook her head, taking a piece of fish with satisfaction: "It’s fine, it doesn’t affect it."

The reason she rejected the meal from the woman was to save room for this feast.

Perhaps because she’d had too many bland meals lately, she found eating these "former favorite foods" a bit strange.

Then Scott brought over a cup of juice.

Maya took a sip: "Seems a bit too sweet."

Scott was surprised: "Really?"

She paused: "Freshly squeezed is better."

Before bedtime, Maya remembered she hadn’t checked Ian’s messages.

In fact, on the way back to the hotel, she hadn’t really looked at her phone.

Maya deftly switched to the chat interface; seeing his brief reply made her both relieved and a little uneasy.

She gently rubbed her forehead.

Ian’s responses were always concise; what was she really expecting?

Checking the time displayed on the screen, Maya sent a message: "Goodnight."

Very soon, the notification sound rang, Ian replied almost instantly.

[Ian Rowe: Goodnight]

[Ian Rowe: Rest early]

It was unexpectedly two sentences.

Maya was slightly surprised, but at this time Ian should still be busy with his work.

No doubt he’s an absolute workaholic.

*

Serena Sawyer had a special guest role, not with many scenes, and her role was wrapping up soon.

Apart from discussing the script on set, Maya and Serena occasionally went out for dinner.

Serena was quite knowledgeable about dining, and the restaurants she took Maya to were quite nice.

After dining, they arranged to go to the aquarium.

Once outside, Serena laughed and asked, "How was it? You seemed like it was your first time here."

Maya nodded: "Pretty awe-inspiring."

Previously, she used to stand on the beach trying to catch shrimp and crabs, but now she could enjoy the colorful marine creatures in a leisurely fashion, which was a rare experience.

Ever since understanding her story’s conclusion wasn’t necessarily "fatal," Maya found the leisure to explore the world and enjoy life.

"If you’re interested, we can visit the Central Art Museum next time."

Maya agreed: "Alright."

"I’m headed to the garage now, why not let me drive you home? Save you the call."

"Then I’ll take you up on that, Serena."

Serena smiled lightly: "No need to be polite with me."

They walked to the underground garage, Serena ahead, Maya behind.

At this time nobody else was in the garage, it seemed eerily quiet, unusually so.

"Wait..."

Hearing Maya’s voice, Serena turned back smilingly: "What’s the matter?"

Suddenly her breath caught. Eyes widened looking at the approaching four wielding sticks from not far.

"This..."

Maya quickly instructed: "Call the police." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Then, with a fierce kick, she landed on one of them; the person next to him fell under the impact.

Serena hurriedly reported the incident, then focused on Maya, worried sick.

"Maya..."