[Username 'IceQueen': Wait, back up. I thought Wang Bai was the rich heiress? Didn't her PR team say she was the 'Secret Phoenix'?]
[Username 'NovelLover99': That pilot is Captain Mo! He's a legend! If he says it's Chen Ying's plane, it's her plane!]
[Username 'TeaSpiller': Wang Bai literally just told the other guests 'I hope you enjoyed the flight I arranged for us'. She's a total fraud!]
Chen Ying watched the "Favorability" bars above the production assistant's head flicker and drop into the negatives. She didn't say a word; she let the silence and the pilot's authority do the work.
"I... I'm so sorry," the assistant stammered, her face turning a deep, humiliated shade of purple. "Miss Wang told us specifically that..."
"It's okay," Chen Ying said, her voice soft, melodic, and forgiving—the perfect picture of a wronged noblewoman. "Xiao Bai probably just got confused. She's lived in our house for so long, she often forgets which things are hers and which belong to the family. It's a common mistake for someone in her position."
Ouch. That one sentence did more damage than a physical slap ever could. It subtly reminded every viewer that Wang Bai was a dependent charity case, not an equal.
They arrived at the gathering point—a pristine white-sand beach where the other five guests were already waiting. Wang Bai was standing in the center of the group, looking like a delicate, pure lily in a simple white linen dress. Zhang Rui was by her side, looking like a protective knight guarding his princess.
"Yingying!" Wang Bai rushed forward as soon as she saw the car, her eyes filling with tears of "relief." She tried to grab Chen Ying's hands. "I was so worried! Why didn't you come out when I called? I thought you were mad at me... I told Rui-ge we should wait for you!"
The Heart-Protecting Pendant hummed against Chen Ying's skin. She felt a wave of "Charm" wash over her—a supernatural pull that wanted her to apologize and act like a fool—but it bounced off the silver light. She stepped back elegantly, avoiding the touch as if Wang Bai were carrying a plague.
"Mad? Why would I be mad at a maid's daughter for having dreams above her station?" Chen Ying asked, her voice carrying clearly across the quiet beach.
The other guests gasped. Zhou Yaya, a popular idol, looked between them with wide eyes. Even the top-tier 'Film Emperor', Yang Zixuan, raised a curious eyebrow from where he sat on a driftwood log.
"Yingying, how can you say that?" Wang Bai sobbed, her 'White Lotus' acting reaching a fever pitch. "I just wanted to help you. I even spent all my personal savings to make sure the plane was stocked with your favorite imported snacks..."
"Your savings?" Chen Ying laughed, a clear, bell-like sound that contained no warmth. "Xiao Bai, let's be honest. My father gives you a monthly allowance of ten thousand yuan out of pity because your mother served us well. My favorite snacks cost thirty thousand per box. Which 'savings' are we talking about? Did you take out a loan, or did you just use my secondary credit card again?"
The silence that followed was heavy and suffocating. Wang Bai looked at Zhang Rui for help, but for the first time, Zhang Rui looked a little embarrassed. He had been bragging to the Film Emperor about how "his" Wang Bai was a wealthy, humble hidden gem.
"Enough!" The Director barked, sensing the drama was reaching a peak that might actually break his servers. "The show is starting. Hand over your phones and any prohibited items. From this moment on, you are not celebrities. You are survivalists."
Chen Ying handed her phone over without a second glance. In her last life, she had used her one allowed "Final Call" to beg her eldest brother to defend her against the online hate. He had told her to "stop being a brat and stop embarrassing the family" before hanging up.
This time, she didn't need anyone's protection.
She looked at her reflection in the lens of a hovering camera drone. She was wearing a heavy, gaudy tracksuit and thick, "clown-like" makeup—all specific "fashion recommendations" from Wang Bai. She looked ridiculous, like a circus act lost on a beach.
'The show is about to start,' Chen Ying thought, a predatory glint in her eyes that made the cameraman shiver. 'And this time, I'm the one holding the script.'