The Trending Topic Herself: The Villainess is the Superstar!-Chapter 124: Slacking Off Online

Jamie still asked, "Monroe, are you sure you don’t want to come with us to look for it?"

After all, Maya provided the last location of the golden key, and if Maya doesn’t come to try gaining popularity herself, it looks like they’re taking a huge advantage of Maya.

Maya’s voice came through, sounding somewhat weak, "I, I’ve already provided the clue, so I don’t need to look for it myself, right?"

Justin said to Jamie, "Jamie, don’t bother persuading her. It’s clear Maya doesn’t want to look for it, so let’s not force her."

After saying that, Justin bent down and started rummaging through the pile of grass.

It’s better if Maya doesn’t come over; one less person is one less competitor.

The five started the search work.

[Confused Bug: Maya’s really generous, she’s not hiding anything at all. By rights, the clue she found, she doesn’t have to share it if she doesn’t want to, right?]

[Maya: Yeah, Maya is just an angel!]

[RainbowCandy: You could just feel that Maya obviously doesn’t want to do it, so could it be she’s just too tired to move? (dog head emoji)]

[Maya: Shock!! I think I just got something!]

[WarmWarm: Hahaha, how interesting, what a treasure Maya is, blowing kisses!]

[A Dozen Golds: Look at Justin and then look at Maya, I suspect they’re on completely different channels!]

They all exerted themselves to search for the golden key, ignoring the mud splattering everywhere. The most over the top was Justin. His legs were injured and moving was difficult, especially when crouching down which pressed on the nerves in his calf. But now, he was crawling on the ground, his hands frantically thrashing through the undergrowth, even as the grass as tall as his palms nearly covered his cheeks.

A staff member wanted to help him up, but he waved them off, mustering his strength to crawl forward. He didn’t forget to show a determined expression to the camera, as if wind and rain couldn’t bend his resilient spirit: "Don’t mind me! I can hold on!"

Justin crawled around on the ground, looking very much like a worm wriggling endlessly, losing any aura of a popular male star.

He was now full of energy, without a trace of weakness.

Earlier he wasn’t like this. Just yesterday, he was complaining of pain sitting in the car, with all sorts of excuses about old injuries flaring up making him too dispirited, implying that Maya was intentionally harming him, blaming the production team.

Although knowing the guests come on the show to gain popularity, the staff couldn’t help but feel disdain for Justin at this moment.

Being one way in front of people and another behind their backs, using any means for traffic, such a person was truly not likable.

Jessica noticed how hard Justin was working, and her actions couldn’t help but quicken; she no longer cared for her meticulously cared-for nails, directly using a branch to dig into the ground.

Her nails seemed too long, her movements notably slower than others, Jessica glanced at Justin still sprawled on the ground, "Weren’t you just not feeling well? What? Suddenly alright now?"

Justin froze momentarily: "Mind your own business, this is about individual ability."

Jessica snorted coldly, "You start this act as soon as there’s a camera."

Aware of the impact the "golden key" has on gaining popularity, they all searched diligently.

Maya remained sitting under the tree, completely different from others’ earnest efforts, with one leg crossed over the other, gently swaying her ankle. Her eyes half-squinting, a sizable leaf resting atop her head, she had the appearance of a lazy monarch enjoying a life of luxury.

Finding it a bit stuffy, Maya picked up a large, somewhat thick leaf, dusting off the dirt, and leisurely began fanning herself.

She later came to a realization; since Justin and the others came for popularity, instructing them to work wasn’t considered overstepping, it could even be regarded as "providing help."

With this thought, Maya watched the spectacle with more interest.

A staff member urged her, "Ms. Monroe, why don’t you go down to look too, after all, finding a card isn’t easy and this is already the last step."

Maya didn’t even fully open her eyes, her voice sounding slightly indistinct due to drowsiness, "Finding a card was already tough enough, let’s just leave the final step to them!"

The staff could only worry anxiously in place, feeling Maya was handing over her hard-earned achievement to someone else, yet Maya seemed indifferent, with an air of ease visible on her face if observed closely.

Maya indeed wasn’t inclined to move; she had put in quite some effort earlier in finding cards despite the process being relatively smooth. However, for someone who merely wanted to dawdle lazily in her tent, let alone laboring to find cards, even a few extra steps felt unnecessary!

The show wasn’t more superfluous; why did they set the last clue in such a vast area? For such laborious tasks, leave them to Justin and the others, watching them seemed as if they were having fun, and Maya felt no guilt anymore.

Maya once again surveyed the surroundings, admitting that the show put considerable thought into this; finding the key in the last stage was indeed harder than finding cards.

At least from simply observing, Maya couldn’t spot any significant anomalies in any specific area.

Suddenly her eyes flickered, looking to the side, her voice carrying a hint of laziness, "Eh... Why aren’t you searching? Once you find the golden key, you’ll be the most popular! A little hard work now is a step towards a bright future, grit your teeth and push through!"

She didn’t forget to encourage him with some motivational talk, though she didn’t move an inch herself.

Miles Wallace returned to his unaffected and untarnished appearance, no sign of dishevelment, the dappled shadow of leaves casting over his face, an exquisite visage half-enshrouded in shade.

Maya noticed earlier; Miles had been idly standing around, not earnestly searching for the key.

In terms of slacking off, Maya felt Miles was somewhat like herself, though, of course, his art was far behind hers.

Miles stood calmly by, speaking softly, "I’m not particularly interested in gaining popularity."

Maya wasn’t interested in popularity either, but she had a unique obsession with finding the golden key, especially wanting to fly home immediately: "Oh come on, this isn’t just about popularity. Think about it; once you find the golden key, you can go home, don’t you want to? Once back home, you’re free to wander as you please, eat hot pot, grill, whatever, sleep till noon without anyone bothering you!"