The Trending Topic Herself: The Villainess is the Superstar!-Chapter 172: Red Team Wins

Bella Sanford smiled gently, holding the microphone with both hands crossed in front of her. Suddenly, she heard someone loudly shouting Maya Monroe’s name.

Somewhat surprised, she whispered to Maya, "It seems like Maya is quite popular."

Maya frowned slightly, appearing a bit puzzled. She could hear the audience below calling out names. The louder ones included Leo Lancaster, Miles Wallace, and... herself.

Bella continued to ask her, "Do you think we can take the championship in this round?"

She spoke while glancing at the large screen behind her.

"I don’t know."

Of course, it’s impossible to win.

Maya glanced towards Kiki Monroe, noticing her anxious and tense expression. Maya then nonchalantly retracted her gaze, leisurely rolling up her sleeves to reveal a slender, white wrist.

Leo Lancaster stood next to her and asked, "Are you hot?"

"A little."

The vote count was taking longer, and Maya turned back to look.

166:169

At this stage, the votes weren’t far apart. Yet soon enough, the yellow team was sure to win. With Kiki there, the gap could further widen considerably.

Leo comforted her, "Don’t worry, our chances of winning are still high."

"How are you so sure?"

Leo smiled, his eyes filled with confidence. "I do have some faith in that."

Maya nodded. Leo’s fans, known for their rationality, were mostly older. Though they didn’t often scream or cheer, they would certainly vote when needed.

Leo was impressive, but he couldn’t quite surpass the "leading lady aura" of Kiki.

Maya yawned, slightly drooping her head to look at her shoe tips.

Soon, she started swaying, her eyelids heavy with fatigue.

On her other side, Bella tugged her arm, whispering, "Are you sleepy? But if you fall asleep here, you might tumble. Snap out of it quickly."

After speaking, she returned to her eager demeanor, seemingly confident about the voting outcome.

Maya lazily nodded.

Amidst the audience’s enthusiastic cheers, the numbers on the screen rolled wildly before finally settling.

"Alright, our results are out! Please look at the big screen—for our tally of votes!"

As Brian Bennett’s voice faded, the guests beside him collectively looked back.

Of course, this didn’t include Maya, who continued staring blankly at her shoe tips, feeling she might have wasted too much time on this variety show.

Her stomach was growling. She hadn’t eaten much since stepping on stage. Once back, she’d definitely have a good meal...

Suddenly, Bella’s excited voice came from the side. She grabbed Maya’s sleeve and bounced around the stage, too thrilled to speak clearly: "Ah, ah, ah... We... we..."

Maya’s sleepiness was abruptly awakened. She looked down at Bella’s hand gripping her arm, a trace of irritation flickering in her eyes.

The red team members beside her smiled brighter, and some even started high-fiving. Maya gradually sensed something was wrong, so she turned to look back.

"Our final voting results are out... This score is truly unexpected..."

Maya’s gaze fixed on the big screen, her expression frozen for two seconds.

"260:257! Let’s give a round of applause to the red team, congratulating them on winning the championship! Congratulations!!"

Maya’s expression was complex, but she quickly subdued her emotions.

What was going on? How could the red team have won?! Could it be that this challenge was rigged as a hardship, merely a prelude to Kiki’s future rise?

It was the only plausible reason Maya could think of, though a thought flashed fleetingly through her mind...

Maya soon shook her head.

Yellow team’s Ian Brooks let out a lamenting shout: "Is this real? Did our yellow team lose? Are we going to wear those ridiculously ugly costumes and dance next?!"

Julian Caldwell’s face alternated between gloom and a sliver of relief. After a brief pause, he patted Ian on the shoulder: "It’s nothing, just a dance!"

Ian, with a bitter look, turned to look at Miles Wallace, who was, of course, indifferent. Even if asked to perform impossible stunts, he’d execute them with a straight face.

Ian finally pinned his hopes on James Wallace, hoping for emotional resonance.

But James merely tugged at his lips. His expression was neither positive nor negative: "I think people who look good can wear anything and still look great. Just take it easy!"

Ian thought of the purple lipstick and gloss, his lips moved, swallowing back the words he wanted to say.

"Just three points, what a pity..." Brian sighed: "In the end, the red team truly won over the audience..." Speaking, he laughed, a bit of his defeat diminishing: "But next time, our yellow team will certainly do better, striving to be even more likable!"

With that, he gave a slight bow.

"Next up is our final event. Please, our yellow team guests, prepare your styling," Brian announced, then feigned a crying expression: "It seems today’s the day my lifelong reputation is ruined!"

Bella patted his shoulder, laughing: "Hang in there, Brian!"

The yellow team was on the other side getting made up ridiculously, while nearly all the red team members had gone over to watch the spectacle.

Seeing the crowd gather, Maya didn’t feel like joining the hubbub. She found a place to sit quietly, closing her eyes slowly.

"Can we really apply this... this to our lips? Is it toxic? Look at this color!"

Kiki Monroe’s gaze rested on the green lipstick in the makeup artist’s hand.

She was clearly resistant, but because the makeup was being done on stage, she restrained herself somewhat.

"Don’t worry, Kiki. These are all quality products. Trendy stars often use such shades."

Kiki couldn’t bear to look at the glaringly green lipstick. Of course, she knew it wasn’t harmful, just wanted an excuse not to wear it.

Kiki’s expression was one of struggle. Finally, she frowned, "Try to apply it lightly. I really don’t like this color."

"Sure."

Alisa Shelby was also restless. She had moved on to the wig stage, fighting the urge to cut and burn the hideous wig if not for her persona.

Her lively eyes shifted, portraying her out-of-touch nature: "Will this wig fall off my head?"

"As long as it’s properly secured, it won’t."

Alisa nodded, even bending her head slightly to ensure it stayed on.