The Trending Topic Herself: The Villainess is the Superstar!-Chapter 245: Get Up, Maya Monroe

Because she usually wakes up too late, Maya Monroe doesn’t know what time Ian Rowe goes for his morning run.

But this time she found out; in the moment she was woken up, Maya took a second to check the time, exactly six o’clock.

Seeing that Ian was already dressed neatly and full of vigor, she wondered how he managed to be so punctual?

Except on set, Maya never rises this early. She only exposed her eyes from under the covers, shook her head, and said, "I’m not going. I’m too sleepy. You go by yourself!"

Ian reached out to pull the blanket away from her face, "Covered your nose. Can you breathe?"

Maya could barely open her eyes, "Yes, yes, yes."

She turned her body to the side, the blanket wrapped tightly around her, looking like a cocoon.

Maya turned her back to him again and closed her eyes. She was in a strange state between sleeping and not sleeping.

Her mind was tired, yet her consciousness could maintain some level of alertness.

"Get up, Maya."

Suddenly, a rich and magnetic voice sounded by her ear. Maybe because he hadn’t been awake for long himself.

Maya was glad she wasn’t responsive to voices; besides a slight tickle in her ear, she didn’t feel much else.

This time, Maya simply pulled the blanket over her head and mumbled, "I can’t get up, I really can’t. Don’t call me..."

The blanket was pulled open once again.

"I told you not to cover your head while sleeping; it complicates breathing."

Maya nodded drowsily twice.

Just when she thought Ian would try something else, he suddenly stopped moving.

Maya felt uneasy and turned her body to quietly gauge her surroundings.

Ian was already sitting on a sofa not far, seemingly holding a cup of coffee.

Steam drifted off, casting a hazy warmth on his cheeks.

Feeling Maya’s gaze, his eyes accurately captured her direction.

"Not sleeping anymore?"

Maya’s cheeks still held a trace of remaining blush. She quickly withdrew her gaze and shrank back into the blanket, pretending to be a quail.

Seeing this, Ian let out a soft laugh.

Maya had a few unresolved questions, like why Ian suddenly stopped waking her up, and why he was drinking coffee in the bedroom?

She was just too tired, her mind a mess, and soon, she fell into a deep sleep.

When Maya woke up again, three hours had passed. She rubbed her slightly messy hair.

"Are you awake this time?"

Maya paused in her actions and looked over incredulously, "Why are you still here?"

His eyebrows curved, and for once, he teased her, "Waiting for you to run, of course."

Maya got out of bed to freshen up.

Honestly, she couldn’t have imagined Ian’s patience was so strong.

The garden in the villa was large enough on its own; Maya was glad she didn’t have to run around the entire villa complex.

Maya followed Ian for two laps at first, but soon she couldn’t keep up, her pace slowing more and more. Eventually, she just found a spot to rest, unwilling to move another inch.

The garden was really big, and the two laps indeed exhausted Maya.

She sat on a bench, extending a finger to wipe away a drop of sweat from her forehead.

"What’s up, can’t keep running?"

Wearing casual clothes, Ian appeared more relaxed and easygoing than usual.

Maya nodded, "I’m so tired..."

"Then take a break."

"Rest a while before continuing."

Maya knew it would end this way and had already given up the struggle.

Actually, she couldn’t run anymore because she didn’t want to run in the first place.

After sitting awhile, Maya suddenly stood up, "Let’s continue."

"Rested enough?"

"Yes."

With so many crises in this world, she really needed to work on her physical fitness.

When Maya got serious, even Ian was surprised.

"Did you often run before?"

"No, just ran a lot when I was a kid."

"When you were a kid?"

"My mom said that I was mischievous when I was little, always bullying other kids, and to ’escape,’ I honed my running skills."

*

The morning runs lasted three days, and Maya returned to the set to resume work.

This time, Ian personally sent her off, reminding her of a few things before she left.

Everything he said, Maya remembered and nodded in agreement.

Until Maya’s figure faded from his sight, Ian looked away.

What he didn’t tell her was that during her days off, he actually harbored selfish motives.

"Let’s go, Vincent Summers."

Vincent Summers teased, "You’ve been lazing around for days, Ian. You’re in for a busy time when you go back. Let me guess, are you planning to sleep at the office again?"

Ian didn’t deny it, his eyes paused in a certain direction, seeming absent-minded.

*

Upon returning to the set, Maya received numerous well-wishes; Yvonne Hall even suggested holding a celebration for her recovery.

Maya declined, "Director Yvonne, there’s no need for that. I’ve already delayed enough days, we should start filming."

"Rest today, and we’ll continue tomorrow!"

"This afternoon," Maya suggested, glancing sideways, "Adjust the schedule easily?"

Yvonne smiled and nodded, "It’s doable."

"I was really worried when I heard you were sick recently, and now I’m relieved to see you’re alright."

"Sorry for the concern."

"No worries." Yvonne gently patted her shoulder, "Report any discomfort immediately; health comes first."

Maya nodded.

*

Maya quickly got back on track and rarely needed re-takes during filming.

Yvonne grew more and more impressed with Maya, "Maya, I’m confident that we can win an award this time."

Maya smiled, "I hope so."

"Have more confidence in yourself. You need to recognize your own acting prowess!"

Maya paused briefly, "Director Yvonne, do you really think my acting is good?"

"Of course, it’s not an exaggeration to say you’re the most talented actor I’ve ever seen, with exceptional insight and expressive power!" Yvonne laughed, "I don’t know why you would ask that. Are all impressive people lacking self-confidence?"

Maya’s eyes also showed a hint of a smile, "Thank you, Director Yvonne."

"Agent Guan relayed that another of your commitments clashes with this shoot, but it’s fine, we can adjust. Just..."

Yvonne’s eyes held a bit of concern, "Can you really handle those high-intensity variety shows? I think playing it safe would be better."

"There’s no problem, thank you for your concern, Director Yvonne."

"If I’m not mistaken, your variety show is about to wrap up, right?"

Maya thought for a moment and then nodded.

The contract stipulated joining ’Great Survival Challenge’ for ten episodes. The next recording would be... the tenth and final episode.