The Trending Topic Herself: The Villainess is the Superstar!-Chapter 53: A Surge in Fans

"You mean..." Kiki’s eyes darted around, feeling a bit elated inside.

"Maya Monroe is always flamboyant and has offended many people. Someone’s bound to be displeased with her stealing the limelight..." Tiffany Lawson gently patted Kiki on the shoulder. "Don’t worry, no matter what others do, I will definitely help you get back at her."

Kiki knew that Tiffany’s methods were nothing more than smearing and spreading rumors. She hesitated a bit, "Do we really have to do this? Maya... she’s my sister after all..."

"You’re still so kind and indecisive." Tiffany let out a cold laugh. "Let me ask you, can you tolerate Maya taking all your spotlight and stepping on you? Kiki, you are the lead actress in this drama, while Maya is just the supporting one! Don’t worry, I’ll release a few statement articles and make sure you stand out."

Kiki kept clenching her fists, her eyes flickered, and she finally chose to acquiesce.

She had always had smooth sailing, never faced any setbacks, and always managed to turn calamities into blessings. She had always looked down upon the darkness in the entertainment industry, even thinking she could make it less filthy. But now, she still chose to go along with it...

Is this really the right thing to do?

Kiki asked herself in her heart, but her mind was soon flooded with the provocative expression of Maya.

Being new to Kyston, she urgently needed to prove her abilities, while Maya had already been disparaged so many times. Even without her, there would be others who couldn’t stand Maya, so there was no need to feel guilty...

Thinking this, Kiki finally exhaled the foul air that had been pent up in her chest for long.

*

Maya would occasionally glance at her Weibo, but only to catch some gossip. As for those black fans who regularly insulted her, Maya didn’t care much, the more the merrier.

She casually clicked onto her personal page and was surprised to find that she had gained several million followers.

She hadn’t checked her Weibo for a while, but even she knew that the growth rate was unusually fast.

Maya crunched into an apple and then remembered that "Wandering Beyond the Horizon" seemed to have aired, so were these people coming over to scold her?

Maya vaguely recalled seeing her name trending, but she hadn’t paid much attention and glanced over it quickly, as she was often a hot topic.

On Weibo, Maya only looked at the pictures and videos posted by food bloggers she followed. If she was in the mood, she’d go to the restaurants these bloggers visited to try the food.

Maya received a call from Ryan Spencer, who said he wanted to discuss something with her and that Scott would be there to pick her up shortly.

Not long after, Scott called to say he was already downstairs. Only then did Maya leisurely grab her bag, changed her shoes at the door, and went down.

She didn’t change clothes deliberately, still wearing her comfy stay-at-home clothes — baggy pants and a short down jacket, with no makeup on. For a celebrity with a high topic rate, she seemed a bit too down-to-earth.

Maya arrived at Ryan’s office. Ryan, smiling, took her to the company cafe and ordered a variety of desserts for her.

Maya was a little surprised; since when was Ryan so nice to her? More importantly, didn’t he dislike her eating such snacks, especially sweet ones?

Ryan wore a smile, "Your performance in ’Wandering Beyond the Horizon’ was remarkable. This is a good opportunity for a clean slate. I’ll have someone work on the coverage. We need to boost your popularity..."

Engrossed in tasting the pastries, Maya wasn’t listening much to what Ryan was saying.

Ryan gave a silent laugh. He intended to treat her to a meal as a reward but didn’t expect her to ignore him due to her excessive focus.

"Is this pudding good?"

Maya, sensitive to food, immediately looked up, "It’s alright, but the texture isn’t that smooth. You know Oakhaven on the west side of town, right? There’s an old pastry shop, The Blossom Bower, their sweet osmanthus cake is a masterpiece..."

It was rare for Ryan to hear Maya say so much. Usually, she was indifferent about work discussions, but mention food and she’d go on and on.

Ryan sipped his coffee, "The currently trending variety show ’Great Survival Challenge’ is preparing for its second season, still selecting artists. I’ll try to get you this opportunity."

Maya paused, no longer finding her dessert appetizing.

The last task of surviving on a deserted island left Maya with deep psychological scars. Just hearing the word "survival" sent shivers down her spine.

With all the good food and drinks every day, who would willingly go to a godforsaken place for wilderness survival?

Maya’s resistance was obvious, "Ryan, these survival shows are extremely grueling, who would willingly seek punishment?"

Ryan had anticipated Maya’s rejection and squinted, "You know your usual image to the audience is that of a diva who can’t endure hardship. It’s a perfect chance for you to toughen up and, hopefully, remove that negative label."

At the mention of shedding a negative label, Maya was even more displeased.

She took a sip of coffee and immediately made a face, "This coffee is too bitter. I don’t like coffee. Next time, Ryan, take me to a milk tea shop. I like milk tea."

Ryan agreed readily, "An occasional drink or two is no problem."

Ultimately, Maya’s recent performance was so good that Ryan couldn’t bring himself to be dissatisfied.

Despite Maya’s seemingly nonchalant demeanor, she was not at all careless in serious matters, as proven by her astounding performance in "Wandering Beyond the Horizon".

Ryan suddenly realized he didn’t understand Maya at all, or perhaps he knew too little.

Maya couldn’t sit still any longer, "Ryan, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave. I have other plans."

Ryan seemed a bit surprised, looking at the remaining desserts before her, "You’re not going to finish these?"

"Can’t waste food..." Maya pondered, "I’ll take them to go."

Maya carried the packaged desserts downstairs, not expecting to gain so much from this trip. It would be even better if Ryan would take her out to eat.

As she reached the lobby, with Scott and a few assistants following her, Maya noticed something strange. The looks she received from those around her were different now. In the past, these aloof artists wouldn’t even glance her way, but now more than one person cast scrutinizing looks at her.

Those gazes seemed to want to reevaluate Maya from head to toe.

Maya suppressed her curiosity and walked forward carefreely.

Suddenly, a voice filled with amusement rang out, laced with teasing: "What a coincidence, isn’t this Miss Maya, whom I haven’t seen in ages?"