Samson gently wiped away Meghan's tears. "Why are you crying again? I trust you and won't doubt you. How could the kindest lady harm me? How could you kill me when you can't even kill a chicken? Besides, why would you kill me today after saving me last night? It doesn't make sense. I won't believe their slander against you. They have no idea how kind you are."
Meghan smiled, tears still on her face. "Thank you for trusting me. As long as you believe in me, I don't mind if others misunderstand me, because I only care about you."
A heated argument erupted in the live room. The comments included: "[Fuck! I can't stand it. Meghan's just distorting the truth. Let me tear her mouth apart!]", "[Meghan is so bitchy! She wanted Samson to drown but slandered the three who cared about him. Worst of all, Samson believed her! It's better to care about a dog than him!]", "[Samson, if you keep being so blind, you'll die in Meghan's hand sooner or later!]", "You haven't sobbed after Evangeline slapped you so many times. It's frustrating!", "[How could Samson be so foolish? It's not simple to reach this age with such a lack of wisdom!]", "[I'm not taking Samson's side, but I don't like Meghan's wickedness. I hope he can see her true nature soon!]", "[One is foolish, and the other is unrefined. A perfect match!]", "[How can there be someone so fake like Meghan?]", "[Mr. Fowler, please show Evangeline instead. I'd rather watch Evangeline in a daze than Meghan being cheap!]"
Meanwhile, Evangeline grilled a fish. Kendrick, Travis, and Jolene sat nearby, watching eagerly, their mouths watering. They didn't ask for any; they understood Evangeline's firm and decisive nature. If she didn't want to share, asking would be pointless. Evangeline took a bite, then placed another fish on the fire.
While enjoying the delicious, tender fish, Evangeline narrowed her eyes at Kendrick and the others.
Kendrick said, "We're just looking. We won't steal it." After days of starvation, stealing wasn't even an option.
Evangeline calmly asked, "Do you have any talents?"
The three looked confused. "What?"
Evangeline explained, "If you can do something entertaining, I'll give you food."
Travis glared at her. "Are you treating us like clowns? Even though you're awesome, you can't insult people!"
Surprisingly, before he finished, Jolene eagerly stood up and rushed to Evangeline. "Are you serious? I can sing. Is that okay?" Evangeline nodded. "Yes."
Jolene asked, "What song do you want to hear?"
Evangeline replied, "It's up to you."
Jolene thought for a moment. "Then I'll sing my favorite song—'Memories.' The school used to play it every day." Evangeline nodded.
Jolene cleared her throat and began to sing:
"Here's to the ones that we got. Cheers to the wish you were here, but you're not. 'Cause the drinks bring back all the memories of everything we've been through. Toast to the ones here today. Toast to the ones that we lost on the way, 'Cause the drinks bring back all the memories. And the memories bring back, memories bring back you."
"There's a time that I remember, when I did not know no pain, when I believed in forever, and everything would stay the same. Now my heart feels like December when somebody says your name. 'Cause I can't reach out to call you, but I know I will one day, yeah. Everybody hurts sometimes."
Evangeline thought, Dinner does taste better with a show.
Jolene had a good voice, but her singing was weak from hunger. Evangeline didn't interrupt.
They had one thing right about her—indifference. She was indeed indifferent to those she didn't care about; she wouldn't sympathize, even if they were dying before her. She'd seen too much; her compassion had long been extinguished.
Only after Jolene finished did Evangeline say, "Wait a moment. I'll give you this fish after it's grilled."
Jolene smiled happily and sat beside Evangeline. "Thank you, Evangeline." Jolene flattered Evangeline due to her power. Evangeline didn't care.
Kendrick stood up. "I don't sing well, but I've learned some swordplay in acting. Can I use a branch as a sword for a performance?" Evangeline nodded, "Sure." Kendrick quickly found a suitable branch and began his performance.
After a while, Travis began playing a flute made of leaves, filling the air with music. The majestic music, combined with Kendrick's precise moves, was more captivating than many professionally planned performances.
Evangeline raised her eyebrows. These two do have some talents!
Kendrick and Travis performed for about fifteen minutes each, until they were sweating and panting.
"Bravo! That's the best performance I've ever seen! You two are amazing. Kendrick is strong, and Travis has great lung capacity!" Jolene clapped enthusiastically. They still have the strength to perform after starving for so long. It's truly amazing!
As she spoke, Kendrick and Travis collapsed simultaneously.
"Ah! What's wrong with you?" Jolene cried, rushing to them, but she fainted from exhaustion.
Evangeline stated, "They fainted due to hypoglycemia, just like you."
Jolene scratched her head. Having not eaten for so long and having performed so hard, they're indeed prone to hypoglycemia.
The live room comments flooded in: "[Wow! Kendrick and Travis are awesome! Kendrick's handsome figure and moves were a visual feast! Travis could play such magnificent music with a leaf for 15 minutes. I was worried he'd be out of breath. They're both awesome!]", "[Sorry, I used to be biased against Travis because he was from a boy band. But not anymore now. It makes sense for him to be on the A-list!]", "[It didn't anticipate Travis being so talented besides being good-looking!]", "[Kendrick is worthy of being the youngest best actor!]", "[No one is complimenting Jolene? She's good at singing!]", "[What should I do? My values seem shaken. It was wrong of them to team up against Evangeline with Meghan earlier, but now I find myself somehow drawn to them]", "[I don't think it's their fault. They listened to Meghan out of fear of upsetting the Gallagher family. They were used as tools. It wasn't their intention.]", "[That's right, they're kind by nature. They were concerned about Samson when he was in danger.]", "[Before the production team left, they were also unkind to Evangeline]", "[I guess that's normal, isn't it? After all, Evangeline has a bad reputation. They naturally don't want to have anything to do with her. Didn't we criticize Evangeline earlier, too? Many people even praised Meghan for her beauty and kindness.]", "[They're not bad people. I hope Kendrick and Travis won't face severe consequences. They did something wrong because they were influenced. They're not bad people.]", "[Evangeline shared food with them. It proved she doesn't hate them, right?]", "[Evangeline must know Meghan is the culprit. Since she has forgiven Kendrick and others, we shouldn't hold on to it either!]"
The audience debated whether to forgive Kendrick and Travis.
Meanwhile, Kendrick and Travis quickly recovered. They sat by the fire, eyes fixed on the grilling fish. The aroma was tempting, but they resisted the urge until the fish was cooked. Evangeline let them share it. Despite their hunger, they shared respectfully.
"It's been four days. I finally have decent food," Jolene cried, eating. A sudden kindness amidst misery could easily break someone down. Kendrick and Travis were moved but didn't cry.
Samson and Meghan arrived, having changed clothes. They saw Jolene, Kendrick, and Travis enjoying the fish. Meghan assumed Evangeline had shared, and Samson's hatred lessened. It seems Evangeline still has a conscience and can be saved. If I guide her well, maybe she can become a normal person.
Meghan let go of Samson's hand and angrily approached the group. "How can you be so selfish! You ate before Sam and I came back. You're horrible! The rest is Sam's and mine. You can't eat it. Give it to me!"
Meghan tried to snatch the fish. There are two-thirds of each fish left. I can fill my stomach, she thought. Fearing Travis and Kendrick, she targeted Jolene. Let Sam steal the one in their hands!
"Bitch, the rest is mine. Give me my fish!" Meghan cursed, grabbing Jolene's wrist.