The Trending Topic Herself: The Villainess is the Superstar!-Chapter 62: Year-End Final Rankings

Maya Monroe chewed carefully, only to find the duck intestines in her mouth crispy and tender, with the spicy and numbing dipping sauce bursting with flavor—indescribably delicious.

Maya Monroe ate for a while, and seemed to remember that Ian Rowe was still beside her, so she casually said a few words to him: "Honey, come on, eat up! With so much food here, why aren’t you eating? Just toss whatever you want into the pot, no need to hold back!"

Her bold spirit was soaring, and she seemed to forget about her surroundings.

Ian Rowe nodded, the pungent chili aroma rushing into his nostrils, making him feel quite uncomfortable. During this time, he had barely touched his chopsticks, just watched Maya Monroe eat.

Maya Monroe was almost conquered by this pot of hotpot. Her tongue was burning from the spiciness, and beads of sweat dripped down her fair cheeks. But she was enjoying her meal thoroughly—in her opinion, spiciness is what makes the flavor.

Maya Monroe was focused on eating hotpot, unaware that her current appearance looked different in the eyes of others.

Her cheeks were flushed from the heat, her ivory earlobes tinged with a soft pink. Her delicate lips turned an even brighter red than usual, her beautiful eyes shimmering because of the excessive spiciness, and the little red mole on her nose remained as alluring and noticeable as ever.

Maya Monroe was so immersed in eating that she forgot how long it had been since she had a proper meal of hotpot. In the past few worlds, she’d been in harsh environments, either surviving in the wilderness or participating in a life-and-death escape game, living each day under the shadow of an unknown death.

The current world was so peaceful that Maya Monroe felt reluctant to leave.

In a daze, she seemed to return to the time before she began her adventures. Back then, although she only had a meager salary and had to pay off her mortgage and car loan, she lived a carefree life, doing whatever she wanted. Even if she danced or jogged around the neighborhood late at night, no one cared, except for the occasional complaint.

Maya Monroe sighed, dimly placing her arm around Ian Rowe’s shoulder.

"When do you think days like these will come to an end..."

Ian Rowe’s eyes deepened, his sexy Adam’s apple unconsciously rolling.

"What days?"

Maya Monroe realized her inappropriate action, she withdrew her arm, and laughed dryly at Ian Rowe: "Haha, my arm is just too tired, so I put it on you for a while, nothing significant, I was just rambling!"

Ian Rowe handed her a handkerchief: "Your mouth."

Maya Monroe understood what he meant, but still inwardly complained about Ian Rowe’s taciturn nature.

After wiping her lips, Maya Monroe turned her gaze to the handkerchief, noticing the smooth fabric with checkered patterns.

"A tissue would have been fine."

Vincent Summers, worried something had happened to Ian Rowe, rushed in without knocking.

But he never expected to see such a scene before him.

The steaming hot pot emitted smoke, making the area around the sofa enveloped in mist, almost like a fairyland. The pungent smell of chili was overwhelming, very strong, and he covered his mouth, coughing a few times, still feeling uncomfortable in the nose.

Maya Monroe was holding a small plate in her hand, with a piece of beef poised to enter her mouth with the other. Meanwhile, Ian Rowe’s gaze had shifted over, and before him lay hearty dishes like pork knuckles...

For a moment, Vincent Summers wondered if he had stepped into the wrong place. He simply couldn’t comprehend what he was seeing—Maya Monroe was seriously eating hotpot in Ian Rowe’s office!? Wasn’t Ian Rowe the kind of person who wouldn’t even allow others to daydream in the office? The battle had long since ceased, evolving into this slightly absurd scene in front of him.

Everything before him was vastly different from what Vincent Summers imagined, leaving him at a loss for words.

Ian Rowe looked at him and said: "Weren’t you going to sign the contract? How did you come back so quickly?"

Vincent Summers stepped forward, wanting to stand in front of Ian Rowe, but in the end, the hotpot smell made him step back a couple of paces.

He spoke disdainfully: "Brother Ian, what are you and Maya Monroe eating that’s so overpowering it can still let someone come in?"

On the table, there was nothing but meat, meat, and more meat. Vincent Summers couldn’t accept this nouveau riche style of eating.

Maya Monroe glanced up at Vincent Summers and then lowered her head to continue eating.

Ian Rowe’s expression was calm, as if there was nothing wrong with this: "We’ll have someone clean it up later."

Vincent Summers couldn’t bear the overpowering smell, he covered his nose with his sleeve, only to be dismayed the next moment as his cuff seemed to have absorbed the lingering hotpot aroma.

"The smell on clothes might not even go away..." Vincent Summers looked at Maya Monroe, "What are you doing causing chaos every day? You must have caused another scene earlier, and now you’re eating hotpot in the office, don’t you have any sense of decorum? How do you expect other employees to view Brother Ian..."

Ian Rowe coughed lightly twice, displeased: "That’s enough."

Maya Monroe just found Vincent Summers’ chatter utterly irritating: "What’s wrong with eating hotpot? I haven’t even had my snail noodles yet!"

Vincent Summers, at a loss for words, felt that Maya Monroe was completely reckless.

Ian Rowe looked at Vincent Summers: "If there’s nothing else, just go wait in your office, I’ll call you if I need you."

Ian Rowe was obviously covering for Maya Monroe, leaving Vincent Summers feeling he couldn’t rise to the challenge. He had to swallow his grievances, his adorable baby face scrunched up like a bun.

Not long after Vincent Summers left, Maya Monroe felt full. It was about time to leave.

While eating, Maya Monroe pondered Ian Rowe’s intentions. She only realized now that Ian Rowe was probably concerned about her going out and gossiping, damaging his reputation, as he highly valued his own.

She ate his hotpot and crayfish, trying to reassure him, "Honey, there’s no need for us to be so formal between us. Don’t worry, I definitely won’t spread rumors about today’s events. Actually, even without you treating me to this, I would have kept quiet..."

Her words were spoken with utmost sincerity, but for some reason, she felt Ian Rowe’s handsome face turned a shade darker.

*

This marked Valerius Entertainment’s final internal artist ranking of the year.

Maya Monroe didn’t want to come, but Ryan Spencer insisted, claiming it was to ignite her non-existent sense of competitiveness. Viewing it in the hall was ideal, as more people could see her rank; if it was low, she’d feel embarrassed and hopefully become motivated.

However, Maya Monroe believed that someone lacking a competitive spirit wouldn’t care even if they were last, nor feel ashamed, though she kept these thoughts to herself.

Ryan Spencer, dressed in a suit and tie, portraying a successful persona, had his eyes fixed on the large screen in the hall: "Three more minutes. You gained quite a following from ’Wandering Beyond the Horizon’, so your ranking should rise considerably. When that happens, getting great resources will be justifiable."