Chapter 21

Although Katie Adams said these things on the surface, her words contained hidden malice. It was neither too subtle nor too obvious. Those who understood could grasp its meaning, but those who didn’t would never be able to figure it out, no matter how hard they tried.

Simone Milton could tell that the other person was shamelessly shifting all the blame onto her. The goal was to create obstacles for her once the next game started, so that she would become the reason why the entire team couldn’t score any points.

By then, Katie Adams wouldn’t need to be harshly criticized at all. All she needed to do was show a few sad expressions, and netizens would naturally turn against her.

Thinking of this, Simone Milton immediately perked up. She couldn’t go on like this any longer.

Although she had no intention of competing with Katie Adams for anything, since the other person was already bullying her outright, there was no reason for her to act like a coward and let others mistreat her.

With that thought in mind, Simone Milton suddenly raised her hand, eagerly saying to the host, “Wait a moment, I have something very important to say!”

Just as the host was about to give the command to start the game, he heard Simone Milton say those words. He stopped and said, “Well, since Simone Milton says there’s something she wants to share with everyone, then please go ahead and speak.”

Seeing that the host had stopped speaking, Simone Milton pretended to sigh and said helplessly to the host, “Haven’t you noticed anything wrong with all those times we lost earlier? It’s clear that I’m simply not cut out for guessing questions…”

Upon hearing this, the host raised an eyebrow. “So, what do you mean by that, Simone?”

“My idea is simple. Since the two of us simply aren’t compatible for this role division, why don’t I switch places with Katie Adams? I think that should be within the rules of the game, right?” Simone Milton smiled at the host.

“There’s no such rule. But are you really sure you want to exchange?” The host thought for a moment, then glanced subtly at the director in the audience. After receiving a hint, he said those words.

“Of course…”

“I don’t think that’s possible…” As soon as Katie Adams heard Simone Milton say that she wanted to swap roles with her, she refused without even thinking.

As soon as she spoke, it drew the attention of many people.

Needless to say, the guests on the same team didn’t miss this opportunity either. Simone Milton took the chance to ask Katie Adams skeptically, “Why? Since neither of us has won a single game so far, why not try switching roles?”

Hearing this, Tan Wen from the same team couldn’t help but say, “That’s right! Sister Katie Adams, isn’t winning the most important thing right now? The Red Team already has two points. If we lose another point, we’ll lose this game!”

“But even if we change things, we might not succeed anyway!” Katie Adams continued to struggle against this idea. She didn’t want to give the initiative to Simone Milton.

If Simone Milton were to do the same there and try to guess, whether she guesses correctly or not, the outcome would still be something that wouldn’t make her happy.

Katie Adams is in a difficult situation, with no clear way out.

She didn’t want to see how Simone Milton solved problems so effortlessly. Nor did she want to be in Simone Milton’s position right now.

That would plunge her into the whirlpool of public opinion.

And just as Katie Adams was struggling with her dilemma, the viewers watching the show at that moment suddenly understood what was going on. They began to post messages on the comment section:

[In this chaotic and confusing situation, has anyone finally realized that the division of labor is incorrect?]

[Simona Milton makes a good point. Since the two of them didn’t cooperate very well in the first two rounds, maybe it’s better to switch roles and see how that goes...]

[Looking forward to what happens next. It would be fun if Simone Milton makes a mistake!]

Fenfen was also really looking forward to what would happen next. She wanted to see how this team would try to make up for their disadvantages.

After all, right now, the Red Team is leading 2:0. If the Blue Team can’t win the next game, then the Red Team will achieve a grand slam!

No matter how you look at it, this situation isn’t conducive to counterattacking. The slightest mistake could lead to disaster.

The game continues.

“So, Blue Team, what’s your decision? Let me make it clear: you only have this one chance. If you miss it, don’t blame us for ruining your chances!” The host smiled slyly, with an obviously malicious intent.

“I think we can give it a try. After all, based on what’s happened before, things couldn’t get any worse than a 3-0 loss. So, I believe we should take the chance!” Simone Milton looked firmly at her teammate, the team’s star, as she expressed her thoughts.

As for Katie Adams and Tan Wen, whether they’ll take their opinions into consideration or not, it doesn’t really matter.

“I think we should give it a try. What the senior said makes sense. We’ve reached a dead end now. If we don’t try, how will we ever know whether we can succeed or not?” Tan Wen said, constantly glancing at Simone Milton.

Actually, if it weren’t for the fact that Simone Milton and Katie Adams were selected in the draw, and since the host repeatedly emphasized that once someone was chosen in the draw, they couldn’t be replaced, he would have loved to take Katie Adams’s place and perform instead.

The remaining people also agreed with Simone Milton’s idea. Now, only Katie Adams is left to agree.

Katie Adams, clearly reluctant, looked at everyone else who seemed to agree. In the end, she gritted her teeth and agreed, “Since everyone thinks so, let’s give it a try! Anyway, things can’t get any worse than they already are!”

As she spoke in such a self-destructive manner, her mind was working rapidly. She was thinking about how to subtly trip Simone Milton without anyone noticing.

Most importantly, if she deliberately answers incorrectly, and if Simone Milton’s moves are actually very simple, it will be easy for others to see through her intentions.

Although her reputation online isn’t much better right now, she still stubbornly tries to maintain her already fragile reputation.

It’s precisely for this reason that she went to such great lengths to clear her name last time.

No matter what others really think, as long as she appears decent on the surface and online opinions show her to be a kind person, that’s enough.

With such hesitation and unease, the third round of the game officially began.

The host, who saw the question card first, immediately raised his eyebrows upon reading those words:

“Wow, it’s a word that’s easy to understand on the surface, but difficult to handle in practice. Can our guests from the Blue Team actually start to fight back during this game? The game begins now!”

At the command, Simona Milton, who was holding the card, stared at the words “electric scooter” written on it and fell silent.

In her mind, she kept thinking about how to gesture appropriately. After reaching a preliminary decision, she gestured the number “three” to Katie Adams. Then, she began to mimic the characters for the word “electric bike”, one by one.

Watching Simone Milton, who seemed to have been shocked, Katie Adams frowned and asked tentatively, “Flash?”

Simone Milton immediately shook her head, then made a face as if she’d been shocked.

“Electric shock? Scalded by electricity?” Katie Adams replied immediately, “It’s electricity, right?”

After receiving a positive response, Simone Milton began to write the remaining two characters.

Soon, Katie Adams guessed the second character of the word. But as for that character related to “car”, Simone Milton had made it very obvious, yet Katie Adams deliberately got it wrong.

“Drive? A driver?”

Katie Adams guessed several times in a row, but couldn’t get it right. Her face grew increasingly anxious.

“Blue Team guests, hurry up! There are only 30 seconds left! Red Team, keep it up!” The host announced the time, making the competition between the two teams even more intense.

“A car?” Pretending to rack her brains, Katie Adams immediately replied, “An electric car? Is that it?”

“Yes, we finally got one right. Happy now?” Simone Milton asked with a smile.

Katie Adams also pretended to be happy. In reality, she was extremely annoyed. She could have continued to act like she knew nothing at all.

But then I thought, Simone Milton had made it so obvious. If she still couldn’t figure it out, then the label that would be attached to her would be not “kind and innocent,” but “stupid.”

Just thinking about that scene made her scalp tingle—it was completely unacceptable to her.

Once a question was answered correctly, the next one came right after. Simone Milton moved her hands around in a serious manner as she explained the answers. Although Katie Adams tried her best to slow things down, Simone Milton always managed to bring her explanations to life with vivid gestures.

This frustrated Katie Adams, who wanted to delay things at all costs. Yet, for the sake of her public image, she had no choice but to abandon her plans to delay things.

In this way, compared to the previous two games, when neither player scored a single point, there’s a stark contrast now.

In the end, Team Blue won by being faster and more accurate in their guesses than Team Red.

“I never would’ve thought that we’d actually witness such a dramatic comeback right here, on the spot. It was absolutely thrilling!” After this round of the game, the host said these words to the camera, clearly reluctant to part with the moment.

In fact, not only the host, but even the audience found it extremely entertaining. Truly, such a plot of a comeback is something that appeals to people no matter where or when it happens.

“Wow, that’s great! We’ve finally won!” Tan Wen and the others sitting nearby couldn’t help but jump up from their seats when they heard the host announce that their Blue Team had won the competition.

During the program, as a symbolic gesture, after the award ceremony, Simone Milton and Katie Adams were forced to stand on a small podium and share their thoughts.

“I really didn’t expect that we’d be able to achieve victory in the end. It seemed unlikely that we’d succeed, but yet, we actually won. It’s incredibly exciting!” Katie Adams wore a polite, yet somewhat detached smile.

Although on the surface, she spoke so sweetly, inwardly, she was filled with hatred and resentment.

On the other hand, Simone Milton was completely different. When asked about her acceptance speech, she spoke seriously and said to everyone:

“This game has given me a very important reminder: no matter who someone is, they must be placed in a position where they can be most effective.”

“Wow, that sounds really reasonable!” The host immediately chimed in after hearing that.

Simone Milton agreed wholeheartedly. She nodded and continued, “It’s like me and Katie Adams. We were in completely wrong positions at first. It seemed impossible for us to work together effectively! But once we found the right positions, not only did our efficiency improve, but it also helped us achieve victory in the end!”

“Yes, it’s truly delightful!” Katie Adams said these words, almost grinding her teeth in delight.

“Hahaha, since that’s the case, let’s officially end the game segment. The end of the show is approaching soon… I heard that Simone is quite skilled at playing musical instruments. How about you perform a song for us before the show ends?” the host said with a smile.

He said those things completely in accordance with the script.

However, when Simone Milton heard this request, she felt helpless. The script given to her by the production team didn’t include such a sequence at all. Moreover, it was another guest who was supposed to perform a talent show.

I just don’t know why the host was suddenly replaced by her!

Was it intentional, or something else? Simone Milton couldn’t help but think about it over and over again in her mind.

Finally, she caught a glimpse of the subtle sense of satisfaction still on Katie Adams’s face, and immediately understood what had happened.

I’m afraid this little trick was also thought up by Katie Adams! Other than her, I can’t imagine anyone else who would be so bored as to resort to such underhanded tactics to trip her up.

Simone Milton felt that she might not get along with the heroine’s personality, which is why Katie Adams kept targeting her over and over again.

With that thought in mind, Simone Milton humbly said, “Actually, my musical skills are just passable at best. When it comes to singing, Katie Adams is definitely the best!”

Hearing this, the host’s eyes lit up. “In that case, let’s invite Katie Adams and Simone to bring us a truly spectacular visual and auditory experience!”

Upon hearing this, Katie Adams seemed to have anticipated Simone Milton’s words. She wasn’t at all flustered. In fact, she even said to Simone Milton gently, “In that case, I’ll perform a little act in front of you, Simone Milton!”

After saying that, the lights in the venue dimmed. Katie Adams began to sing her songs. Her music was truly beautiful and moving. Everyone there was captivated by the atmosphere, and they cheered for Katie Adams wholeheartedly.

But Simone Milton quickly noticed that Katie Adams was holding the microphone upside down. It was clear she was singing off the cuff. She narrowed her eyes and came up with a plan.

She went aside and quietly discussed something with the host. Then, she returned to the stage with a guitar and played accompaniment for Katie Adams.

With Simone Milton’s addition, this piece of music became even more vibrant.

Katie Adams had her doubts, but Simone Milton continued to play honestly and sincerely. Eventually, Katie put her doubts aside and became even more focused on her fake singing.

When Simone Milton approached and spoke to her quietly, Katie Adams instinctively leaned in to listen.

Then, she heard Simone Milton whispering, “Miss Wen, you sang it wrong.”