The Trending Topic Herself: The Villainess is the Superstar!-Chapter 168: Scrambling for Lemon Juice

Maya looked up, and the first thing she saw was Miles Wallace’s sharp and exquisite face, handsome yet not feminine.

She remembered that Miles was a top celebrity, and getting close to him would attract negative attention.

So without hesitation, Maya used his hand to stand up.

"Congratulations on getting first place."

Miles still held the flag in his hand. He hesitated for a moment but finally offered it: "Do you want it?"

Maya looked over, puzzled.

Miles’ expression stiffened, and he retracted his hand without saying a word, turning around to leave.

Despite the dazzling stage lights, his silhouette still appeared somewhat lonely.

Maya brushed off nonexistent dust from her pants, thinking about how strange kids are these days.

All the guests gathered together, and Brian Bennett wiped the slight sweat from his cheek: "The match just now was as intense as ever, but fortunately, our Yellow Team won. Let’s give a round of applause to Miles Wallace!"

Many fans of Miles in the audience reacted with excitement, their cheers endless.

Maya covered her ears, surprised that Miles’ fans were as crazy as rumored.

Miles himself wasn’t that excited. He maintained a nonchalant demeanor: "Thank you."

With his team winning, Brian Bennett’s face was full of smiles: "Miles Wallace won effortlessly, I didn’t even realize before you took first place." He deliberately pretended to be sad: "It’s a pity, I’d wanted to take first place to redeem myself!"

Brian Bennett was telling the truth; compared to the pushing and shoving of the last round, Miles won too easily. He gained absolute advantage at the start of the game, then moved ahead like fireworks, without anyone being able to stop him for a moment.

Everyone laughed at this.

Bella Sanford mimicked Brian Bennett’s earlier movements, using both hands to climb. She laughed: "Brother Brian, you were climbing like this just now, so hard-working!"

Brian couldn’t help blushing: "You really always like to make fun of me, huh!" Yet, his voice didn’t sound annoyed.

"Alright, it’s punishment time again, but this time for our Red Team. Please come forward for your punishment!"

"Brother Brian, why do I feel like you sound schadenfreude?" Bella Sanford said.

"Once you taste this unique lemon juice, you’ll understand."

"Now that you said that, I’m a bit scared. Don’t scare me!"

Maya and the other Red Team members took the lemon juice handed by the staff—it was the punishment for losing the game.

As Leo Lancaster began to speak, Bella Sanford had already read his mind: "Mr. Lancaster, as usual, punishment can’t be replaced by a teammate. Besides, this lemon juice is quite strong, so Mr. Lancaster, you should try yours first."

Leo Lancaster said nothing, just appeared a bit displeased.

Bella Sanford didn’t expect Julian Caldwell to come over right after she spoke.

"Sister Bella, can I... can I drink it for my goddess?"

As a qualified little fanboy, how could he watch his goddess suffer!

Bella Sanford was a bit troubled: "Julian, uh, teammates can’t substitute for punishment, and neither can the other team!"

As Miles Wallace walked over, Bella Sanford couldn’t help but cover her face, adding one last sentence: "No one can, nobody is allowed to substitute the punishment!"

What madness has taken over everyone!

Maya knew nothing of this, or rather, she didn’t care about unimportant matters.

She first examined the lemon juice; seemingly uninterested, she rarely took a moment to scrutinize it.

Others nearby had already tasted the lemon juice and were sporting pained expressions. Only Maya continued holding her cup, examining it.

"I just closed my eyes and drank it. I thought I couldn’t handle it, but it turns out I’m not as delicate as I imagined," Kiki Monroe’s voice chimed in, as if chatting with others, but it was particularly loud.

Alisa Shelby’s gaze stayed fixed on Maya. She didn’t believe Maya wouldn’t embarrass herself after drinking the lemon juice, and was ready to use Maya’s contorted expression as material for a story.

Maya showed little reaction and, after feeling she’d looked enough, picked up her glass and took a small sip.

It wasn’t particularly bad, just incredibly sour.

Maya’s beautiful brows slightly furrowed, then she tilted her head back and finished it in one go.

For unpleasant drinks, she’d always preferred a quick finish.

Maya’s expression barely changed throughout; she put the glass back as if she’d just drunk a cup of plain water.

Alisa Shelby gripped her clothes tightly, the smooth fabric crumpling and slowly deforming in her hand.

Maya’s performance left many shocked, and Bella Sanford asked: "Maya, what did you think of the lemon juice?"

She even suspected they weren’t drinking the same lemon juice, though it was completely impossible.

"Too sour."

Her comment was similar to others, which indicated her taste buds were fine; it was just her expression that remained exceptionally composed.

Bella Sanford sighed: "Impressive, I think drinking lemon juice is a skill in and of itself."

The audience erupted into cheers again.

Not long after, the third round started. Maya was still sitting in the usual spot, but soon enough, she became restless.

In the distance, the high platform remained chaotic. Miles Wallace once again occupied the highest spot, and although Kiki Monroe had improved since the last round, climbing to the middle, she was tangled with Alisa Shelby, halted there without moving.

Miles Wallace had already overcome Bella Sanford’s obstruction, climbing further.

Maya instinctively squinted her eyes. If this continued, Miles Wallace would take first place eventually.

Though Kiki was on the same team as Miles, and his win meant she’d avoid punishment, standing out wasn’t just a team affair. Kiki’s performance wasn’t remarkable; she’d been overshadowed countless times.

No way, if the heroine doesn’t shine, the plot loses excitement; if the plot isn’t exciting, readers won’t be interested; if readers aren’t interested, the plot’s brilliance won’t improve...

Maya stood up from the ground, putting away her nonchalant demeanor, and then, to the audience’s surprised gaze, climbed onto the high platform.

No one knew how she did it; in a leap, she’d already climbed a significant distance, with no sign of falling.

She swung her arm, landing her foot on a spot others hadn’t noticed—a slight depression.

It was only a small indentation, yet it saved her quite a bit of effort.