Chapter 19

Seeing this young, good-looking guy playing the pity card, Lily relaxed and flashed a smile. “Sure. It’s just breakfast, no big deal,” she said, then got up to cook.

Phoebe looked at Lily’s half-eaten toast and quipped, “Lily, take us to the kitchen, and we’ll do it ourselves. Otherwise, your breakfast’s gonna taste awful soon.”

Normally, Lily would feel awkward letting guests cook, but Charles had said that these celebrities were here to experience life. So she agreed and led them to the kitchen, showing them how to use the stove.

After giving them some toast, eggs, bacon, and broccoli, she went back to finish her breakfast. Once Lily left the kitchen, Phoebe asked the others, “Can you cook?”

Maddox and James shook their heads, “No,” and Lexie admitted she only knew how to make scrambled eggs.

Phoebe suggested they divide the work and cooperate. “Hey, someone wash the broccoli, another person can get the toast ready, and someone else can scramble the eggs. I’ll take care of frying the bacon.”

The others agreed, so they got to work. Phoebe didn’t want to have to cook for the next two weeks, plus she didn’t want to take all the spotlight. The others didn’t mind and thought Phoebe was pretty cool for not hogging all the tasks.

Maddox took charge of making the toast, while James went to wash the broccoli. Lexie was a pro at scrambling eggs. The three of them going about their tasks also made some funny moments.

For instance, Maddox didn’t know how to use the toaster, and Phoebe had to show him. And when James washed the broccoli, he just rinsed it in water, but Phoebe made him redo it and wash it properly.

Then, when Lexie was scrambling eggs, she used too little oil, so Phoebe showed her how to scramble them so that they turned out tender and delicious.

By the time Lexie finished scrambling the eggs, Phoebe had already fried the bacon. Phoebe plated the food, and it looked so appetizing that it made their mouths water just by looking at it.

Maddox whipped out his phone and snapped a picture of their breakfast. Then, they all grabbed their plates and dug in. After taking the first bite, they couldn’t help but exclaim, “Delicious!” Then they all started gobbling down the food.

Phoebe’s cooking skills were already top-notch, and they had only gotten better after practicing different tasks with the elf. Although it was just a regular breakfast, it was so tasty because of the perfect seasoning and cooking time.

Right now, everyone in the live broadcast room was glued to the screen, watching the three of them chow down. The comments included:

• “I wasn’t even hungry before, but now I’m suddenly starving.”
• “I already had breakfast, but now I’m famished.”
• “Maddie stepping in to help really got to me.”
• “Looks like Maddie lent a hand by putting toast in the toaster.”
• “Hey, at the end of the day, it’s all about participating.”
• “James really half-heartedly washed the veggies; Phoebe made him do it again. She seemed strict, but not in an annoying way.”
• “I followed Phoebe’s method to scramble the eggs, and they turned out so tender and delicious!”
• “It was just a simple meal, but watching the three of them eat was like they’ve never tasted anything so good.”
• “They look genuinely into it while eating, so it’s clear they really like the food.”
• “Not bad, unlike the other team last night. Jamar and Reece praised Sienna’s cooking, but they didn’t eat much themselves.”
• “I’m drooling just by looking at it. Phoebe’s cooking skills are top-notch.”
• “No wonder Jamar asked Phoebe to cook. He must’ve known she’s a great cook.”
• “So Phoebe and Jamar not only know each other secretly but also have a close bond? Otherwise, how would he know!”
• “This feels like big news. It’s hard to believe that Phoebe is secretly clinging to Jamar.”

3:14 PM

Chapter 19

More comments included:

• “I don’t think Phoebe has any interest in Jamar. She’s not playing hard to get like Jamar’s fans say.”
• “She didn’t try to steal the spotlight. She’s generous, bright, and considerate. The people bashing her online are making her out to be someone she’s not.”
• “A lot of internet comments can’t be trusted. Who knows if they’re just smear campaigns? Either way, I’ve got a good impression of Phoebe.”
• “You know, I kinda feel bad for Erica on the other team. Yesterday, Sienna from the next team just took charge of cooking, and when Erica offered to help, she got turned down. Instead, Sienna made Jamar and Reece help with the veggies. Erica not only felt left out, but she couldn’t even join their conversation. It was pretty awkward.”
• “Yeah, I can totally picture that. It sounds really cringy.”
• “I’ve got two live streams on right now, and on the other, leaving Erica feeling like a third wheel. Sienna’s got Jamar on one side and Reece on the other, d Erica is getting totally sidelined by those three.”

In this live stream room, the fans of Phoebe’s team were all starting to dislike Sienna. Even the viewers couldn’t warm up to her. In the other live stream room, Erica’s fans were getting more and more upset with Sienna for stealing Erica’s spotlight. Reece’s fans, mostly females, had never seen him being so attentive to any other female celebrity, so they were not liking Sienna either.

Maddox finished his breakfast, grabbed his phone, and snapped another picture. He sent the first photo to the group chat with all eight of them.

Maddox: Today’s breakfast was amazing. It’s the best I’ve ever had.

Then he posted the photo he had just taken.

Maddox: [It was so good that we emptied our plates. @Janar, what did you have for breakfast today? Send me a pic.]

Meanwhile, Jamar’s team had just been rejected from a house when their phones started ringing. They checked the chat and saw Maddox’s posts. They were pretty annoyed since they hadn’t eaten and were still hungry. After seeing the photos, they felt even hungrier and wanted to confront Maddox.

Jamar couldn’t help it and replied to Maddox. He mentioned Maddox and posted a “get out” emoticon. It was clear that Phoebe had made that breakfast. Lucky them, Jamar thought.

Maddox replied with a smiling emoji and managed to annoy Jamar once again.

During the group chat, the cameraman aimed the live camera at the phone. This way, viewers in both live broadcast rooms could see the comments. Some of the comments included:

• “Bol! Maddie’s really getting on someone’s nerves again.”
• “Maddie’s cheeky, but I like him.”
• “Jamar might want to punch him now for showing off like that.”
• “I just realized that Maddox is not only mean but also mischievous.”
• “I kinda like himn…”

And in another live broadcast room, the comments were different:

• “Maddox is so awful.”
• “This is too much. Marr and his friends missed breakfast and now they have to watch Maddox show off.”
• “Marr and the others are so angry. I feel bad for them.”
• “(Maddox, please be nice).”

The comments in the two live broadcast rooms were totally different; one was really happy, and the other just wanted to curse.