Evangeline observed for a while and concluded that the cruise ship would take at least thirty minutes to dock from its current distance. She went to Jolene and the others, gently nudging them with her foot.

Jolene rubbed her eyes, asking with a tired face, "Evangeline? What's wrong?"

Evangeline pointed toward the river. "Look!"

Jolene, having just woken up, had blurry vision. She reached out and rubbed her eyes. When she looked again, her eyes lit up, and she stood abruptly. "The cruise ship is coming! Is it the production team's ship? This is great! They finally remembered us and are here to pick us up!" Jolene's excitement was evident as she hopped around.

Kendrick and Travis shared her excitement, running to the riverbank and waving at the distant ship. The people on board might not see them at that distance, but they waved excitedly nonetheless.

Instead of joining them, Evangeline turned and walked into the forest. She was hungry and wanted to find something to eat. Even if the production team had arrived, it wouldn't stop her from searching for food. Furthermore, the monkeys hadn't fully recovered, and she wanted to check on them and confirm the yellow-throated marten was truly gone, rather than secretly returning.

After Evangeline left, Meghan and Samson also saw the distant cruise ship. They were equally happy and excited, but a trace of panic quickly appeared on Meghan's face. She grabbed Samson's hand tightly, saying with a pale face, "Samson, the production team is here. What should I do? A few days ago, I lost control of my emotions due to stress, changing my personality and causing a falling out with Jolene and the others. If they tell the production team about my behavior, it will ruin my reputation! If Evangeline says anything, I can deny it and call it slander—her reputation is already poor—but Kendrick and Travis are different. They're popular and have good reputations. If they say I'm problematic, the audience will believe them. Sam, I don't want to be scolded and have my reputation ruined!"

Samson patted her shoulder. "Don't worry. Let's talk to them; tell them not to say anything."

Meghan bit her lip. "What if they refuse? They've received favors from Evangeline, so they'll side with her!"

Samson frowned thoughtfully.

Meghan's eyes darkened. Lowering her voice, she said, "Sam, I have an idea."

"What is it?" Samson asked.

"We can say that Evangeline, Jolene, Kendrick, and Travis had sex with each other while the production team was away. They're defending Evangeline because they slept with her! You're Evangeline's brother, so the audience will believe you. Even if they deny it, it won't matter!"

Samson's expression changed; he shook his head vehemently. "No way! Evangeline will be cyberbullied."

Meghan bit her lip sadly. "If you don't do this, I will be the target! Is Evangeline's reputation more important than mine? Would you rather watch me be cyberbullied than Evangeline? Did you lie about loving me?"

"No," Samson denied quickly.

However, Meghan seemed unwilling to listen, crying sadly, "I don't want to hear your denials. I knew it. We're not blood-related, so you won't treat me like your real sister, no matter what I do. You care more about Evangeline, regardless of her cruelty. If I'd known, I wouldn't have saved you that night; I should have let you die of your illness in front of Evangeline! You adore her; you wouldn't regret dying before her!"

Meghan's mention of his illness angered Samson again. He couldn't forget Evangeline's indifference and lack of help.

Samson gritted his teeth fiercely. "Evangeline doesn't treat me as her brother and doesn't care about my life, so I can ignore hers, too! Meghan, I accept your proposal. If they dare to defend Evangeline, I'll claim they had an affair!"

He felt it wasn't his fault; it was Evangeline's for being indifferent and cruel to Meghan. If Evangeline had been kind and offered food, Meghan wouldn't have changed due to stress. At least Meghan remained kind; Evangeline had lost all conscience. There was nothing wrong with protecting Meghan.

"Thank you, Sam. You're so good. I love you most," Meghan said, smiling through tears and hugging Samson. Samson hugged her back, patting her shoulder and smiling faintly. Meghan was innocent, expressing anger and happiness openly; she wasn't pretentious at all. She was far superior to Evangeline.

An audience member typed: [Damn, I'm so pissed off. Why can't Meghan say something nice? She even incited Samson to slander Evangeline!]

Someone replied: [If this weren't a hidden camera show, I would have been fooled. After all, Evangeline has a bad reputation. If her relatives exposed a scandal, most would assume she'd done something terrible. Who would think her relatives were evil and stupid?]

[Alas, how many have been victims of online rumors?]

[Many. One person was rumored to have an affair for just picking up a package. Their explanation was dismissed; they lost their jobs and their lives were ruined. They even got sick.] [Many are driven to death by rumors.]

[Meghan is too vicious, and Samson isn't a good guy either. How could he agree to help spread such vicious rumors?]

[I can't imagine what they would have done to Evangeline if it weren't for the hidden camera.]

[I'm worried for Evangeline.]

[I hope these two bastards will soon discover the hidden camera and go online. I want to be one of the thousands of snowflakes that overwhelm them like an avalanche!] [They should suffer the consequences of their actions!]

On-site, Meghan and Samson approached Jolene, Kendrick, and Travis. Meghan's voice, gentler than before, was soft. "Jolene, Travis, Kendrick, please do me a favor. When the production team arrives, don't tell them what happened. Just say we all got along well, except Evangeline."

Travis said coldly, "Stop it. We're not backstabbers. Evangeline helped us; we won't defame her with you."

Meghan's face darkened slightly. "Have you forgotten you bullied Evangeline too?"

The trio's expressions froze, guilt evident.

Meghan continued, "Either stay quiet or side with me. If you dare to ruin my reputation, I'll expose what you did. You were rude to Evangeline before; the audience will believe me. You'll get nothing and ruin your reputations. Even if you don't care about your reputations, think of your companies."

The trio's faces grew gloomier. Jolene, in particular, showed hesitance and fear. Her contract stipulated compensation for any company losses caused by her actions. Kendrick and Travis likely had similar clauses. Evangeline's reputation was so bad that even defending her wouldn't change it, and they would also be affected.

Meghan snorted, giving another warning before falling silent, waiting expectantly for the cruise ship.

Samson looked at Jolene and the others sincerely. "Evangeline's small favor isn't worth sacrificing your careers. If you feel bad, repay her for the food. You don't owe her anything beyond that. Just stay quiet, and I promise, once we return, I'll get Eddie to give you resources."

He added, "Travis, you're in musicals? The Gallagher family can get Hi-One Band from Atharia to create a song for you. Kendrick, you've won almost all domestic awards; the Gallagher family can recommend you for international blockbusters. Jolene I can ask Eddie to invest in a high-budget film and make you a lead."

Jolene, Travis, and Kendrick fell silent. Samson's offer was incredibly tempting. Even if they helped Evangeline, the audience might not believe them, and they'd risk their reputations. They didn't need to risk anything to help Meghan, and they'd receive huge benefits. Even a fool would choose this option. Their relationship with Evangeline wasn't good; she hadn't helped them out of kindness but paid them with food for performances. They didn't owe her anything. Even if they helped Meghan, they wouldn't be ungrateful.