Chapter 80 A Star–Studded Lineup.
Finished
Jean thought back to last time at Central Theater he hadn’t really done anything to hurt her. But still, who knew what he might do in the future…
Easton could tell the little one was starting to waver. He patted the seat next to him again, motioning for Jean to get in.
Jean glanced around. In broad daylight, Easton probably wouldn’t pull anything crazy. After a brief moment of hesitation, she climbed into his van.
Standing there was getting tiring anyway, and she still had all her luggage.
Easton’s van really was her best option for now.
She sat down beside him.
A faint, fruity scent drifted from Easton’s body–clean and pleasant. It filled Jean’s nose slowly, effortlessly.
No surprise he was a big–time celebrity. From head to toe, he was polished to perfection.
Compared to him, Jean suddenly felt a bit shabby. She really didn’t look refined at all.
“What are you looking at?” Easton turned to glance at her, the curve of his brow visible even behind his sunglasses.
He knew exactly what she was thinking but still loved to play dumb.
“Can’t I look at you?” Jean shot back with some bite.
Then she pressed her lips together, dropped her gaze, and aid in a cool, firm tone, “There’s something I want to make clear right now.”
“So serious…” Easton smiled at her, his tone much lighter in contrast. “Okay, I’m all ears. Go on.”
“Once the show starts, we need to pretend we don’t know each other. We can’t let anyone find out about our relationship,” Jean said flatly.
Easton blinked playfully, still smiling. “We sound like some kind of secret lovers.”
Jean froze, her expression stiffening as the tips of her ears flushed red. “Can you not say things that make zero sense?”
Easton nodded obediently for once, though the amusement never left his eyes. “Alright, you’re right. I’ll listen to you.”
“But,” he added suddenly, “we’re going to be paired up in a minute. So we have to know each other…”
Chapter 80 A Star–Studded Lineup
Finished
No connection whatsoever. I just want to get through this quietly. If people find out you’re my brother….it’ll be chaos.”
Easton chuckled and reached out to ruffle her hair. “Sure. As you wish. If you wanna pretend we’re strangers, I’ll play along
Jean scrunched her nose and scooted away. “Stop touching my head. You’re so immature.”
Despite the bickering, the atmosphere between them was relaxed. The time passed quickly with their playful back–and–forth.
Not long after, Taylor arrived with the production crew at Riverview Village.
The moment Taylor stepped out, his first move was to greet Easton–he couldn’t afford to be careless with a star of his caliber. But when he saw Jean sitting beside Easton, his eyes widened ever so slightly in surprise.
Easton always seemed cheerful, but Taylor knew he had strong boundaries. He never let unfamiliar people get too close.
What was going on? Had they really gotten this chummy already? Although he was puzzled, Taylor didn’t show any of it on his face–and he was smart enough not to say anything out loud.
“Come on, let’s go. There’s a decent restaurant nearby. You guys must be starving, right?” Taylor invited Easton and Jean warmly. Riverview Village was so remote that there wasn’t even a proper hotel around. That little restaurant was the best he could find.
“We definitely need to eat something,” Easton said with a knowing smirk. “Might be the most. filling meal we’ll get for the next few days.”
The next few days, they’d be stuck in a rundown village, living like locals. Food and accommodations would be barebones…
This really might be their last proper meal for a while.
Jean followed Easton and Taylor to the rustic restaurant. The food was surprisingly good–Jean ended up eating several bowls of rice and still felt like she could go for more.
After they finished eating-
They headed over to the production crew’s temporary base. The setup was decent, fully equipped with everything they needed, but it was meant for staff use only.
As show participants, Jean and Easton would be moving into the village once filming started to “tough it out.”
The two of them sat off in a corner, fiddling with their phones while they waited for the other guests to arrive.
Then-
12:54 PM
Chapter 80 A Star Studded Lineup
toward the door.
A tall, slender woman with delicate features walked in at an unhurried pace.
Finished
She had long legs, skin pale as milk, and a clean, fresh aura about her–elegant, graceful, and radiating innocence.
“Olive’s here.
Someone called out, and Jean blinked. So that was Olive.
What little memory she had left from the original host told her that Olive was a rising starlet in the entertainment industry–pretty popular these days.
And if Olive was here, there was no question about it-
She was another guest for the show. With Easton and now Olive, this show’s lineup really was stacked.
Right after that, a tall, chiseled man stepped inside. He wore a casual jacket, and his height was impossible to miss–he looked at least six–foot–three.
“Dustin’s here too,” a staff member said with a smile.
Dustin was a hot model with a huge fan base. He’d walked for major fashion weeks around the world, so his popularity was no joke.
Then came a short, slightly chubby middle–aged man. He entered with a wide smile, his eyes crinkling and cheeks puffed out like a friendly cartoon character.
From his conversation with the staff, Jean learned his
Raylan, a well–known comedian.
Jean learned his name-
Jean realized the original host must’ve been pretty familiar with the entertainment scene. While. she personally didn’t recognize any of these people, the memories left behind were helping her fill in the gaps.
So far, the guest list for the show was nothing short of extravagant. With Taylor at the helm, this show was practically guaranteed to blow up.
Jean turned her head and noticed Easton still glued to his phone. He was deep into some mobile game, completely focused–he hadn’t even looked up once.
Typical superstar behavior. No wonder he was at the top–he had that unshakable confidence. So many guests had arrived, and he hadn’t bothered to greet a single one, just kept playing.
Jean shook her head helplessly.
Just then, Easton suddenly looked up–and locked eyes with her.
