The second live performance: the acting showdown. All eyes were on the stage.
Charlotte and Caleb's collab stage was pure fire—it broke the internet and shot straight to #1.
In the comment sections, the haters were out for blood.
#A talentless doll acting opposite a screen legend? This isn't a performance; it's a career suicide!#
#Can't wait to watch Caleb grind Charlotte into dust with his acting.#
The stage lights flared to life.
Caleb led Emily and three other trainees through a production of the classic Roses and Poison Apples. Emily played the "Sweet sister"—The classic manipulative 'innocent' act—who vied with her fiery, stunning older sister for the heart of the same man, played by Caleb.
"Caleb, Emma didn't mean it... she just... she just cares about you too much... please don't be mad at her..."
Backstage, Charlotte scoffed under her breath at Emily's delivery. Talk about typecasting.
Caleb ducked backstage during the fifteen-minute intermission to change.
"Ready for this?"
Just before they were set to go on, Caleb strolled up to her with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Don't expect any special treatment just because of our... 'special' relationship," he whispered, low enough that only she could hear.
Charlotte knew he was teasing her about the headlines they'd been making. She caught the playful smirk in his eyes and shot back a defiant grin. "Since the men in my life are a lost cause, I'll just have to carry this whole thing myself."
She brushed past him, leaving him fuming as she strode into the spotlight.
The script was one Caleb had handpicked: Betrayal and Redemption.
He played an undercover mole in enemy territory. Charlotte was his childhood sweetheart—and the enemy's top assassin. Rachel played the comrade who had died to protect her identity.
In the final scene, her mission was to execute him.
A gunshot rang out, and Caleb buckled as the bullet caught him in the leg.
He collapsed.
She approached him, gun in hand, her eyes like ice—void of all emotion.
"Why?" Caleb gasped, bleeding out on the floor.
Charlotte remained expressionless. "It's a mission."
"I thought... we..." Caleb's eyes were filled with the raw despair of a man betrayed by the one he loved.
She raised the gun, the dark barrel leveled right between his eyes.
One second.
Two seconds.
Her hand began to tremble, uncontrollably.
Her acting hit its peak in that moment, fueled by the original Charlotte's agonizing memories. All that pain of being betrayed by the world and framed by those closest to her finally found an outlet.
"No... no..."
The hollow look in her eyes shattered, and human emotion came rushing back in a violent wave.
Clang!
The gun hit the floor.
She dropped to her knees, pressing her hands desperately against his "wound," trying to stem the flow of a life already fading. Her hands were stained a vivid red.
"Why... why does it have to be you..."
She wasn't just playing betrayal; she was playing the failed redemption that follows it.
Caleb lay there, looking up at her. He reached out a trembling hand and gently wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
According to the script, he was supposed to say: "Forget me and live."
But Caleb looked at her with a tenderness that wasn't in the notes. Using his dying breath, he whispered in a voice so faint it was for her ears only:
"I think... I've actually fallen for you."
Charlotte's breath hitched.
Nobody suspected a thing. The audience and the other mentors all assumed it was a line from the script.
Only Charlotte knew the truth.
This high-and-mighty movie star had just confessed to her in front of millions of people.
[Ding! Caleb's Affection +7%, Capture Progress 75%! "Soul Resonance" achieved!]
After the second performance, Charlotte was officially back on her throne.
Her acting, her emotional range, and the electric chemistry between her and Caleb had the entire internet obsessed. The hate? It evaporated. No one could believe that an actor with that much soul could be just another socialite using the casting couch.
Charlotte's popularity and professional scores were in a league of their own.
Rachel, despite a stellar performance, couldn't escape being eliminated. Charlotte went to comfort her, but the girl was surprisingly upbeat. "I was a nobody to begin with," she said. "If it wasn't for the fans voting me 'Best Teammate,' I would've been gone ages ago."
The next morning, as Charlotte was seeing Rachel out, they ran into Caleb chatting with the security guard at the main gate.
Seeing them, Caleb handed over two envelopes.
"I'm investing in a new series, and there are two roles that would be a perfect fit for you both," Caleb said casually, as if it were an afterthought. "If you're interested, call the number inside."
Rachel screamed and hugged Charlotte. "Oh my god! You really are my lucky star!"
After a few polite pleasantries, Caleb turned to leave. As he brushed past Charlotte, he leaned in and chuckled, "Did your man deliver this time?"
She rolled her eyes but didn't give him the satisfaction of an answer. Still, watching him walk away, she had to admit—the "refined predator" definitely knew how to move.
Outside the Starlight building, Charlotte waited by the curb for a ride to go visit her grandmother in the hospital.
"Charlotte."
A cold, venomous voice called out. Emily blocked her path.
The "Pure Saint" facade was gone, replaced by a face twisted with jealousy and spite. "You're feeling pretty smug, aren't you?"
Emily had taken a massive hit to her reputation after the "Coffee Incident" and the "Fainting Lesson." She had barely scraped into fifth place in the rankings.
Charlotte could see she was spiraling and wasn't about to give her the satisfaction. "And you're telling me this because...?"
"You think you've got the championship in the bag, don't you?" Emily hissed, her eyes venomous. "Let me tell you—not a chance."
Charlotte looked at her like she'd lost her damn mind. "And who exactly are you? A judge? A producer? Or just another nobody?"
"I'm your judge and jury," Emily sneered. She pulled out her phone and played a video.
It was the raw footage from the hotel.
It showed Leo and Charlotte passed out for the entire duration, never even touching.
Charlotte frowned. "This just proves we're innocent."
"Innocent?" Emily laughed like she'd heard the funniest joke in the world. "You think the public cares about 'innocence'?"
She tapped the screen, fast-forwarding to a specific spot. She had precisely captured a few frames where Leo rolled over, pinning Charlotte's blanket in a way that looked like an embrace. Then, she cut to a close-up of Charlotte's face, flushed from the drugs.
"If I leak this 'edited' version with a headline like 'Director Leo Drugged Trainee,' what do you think will happen to him?"
Charlotte's gaze turned icy for the first time.
This was Emily's true ace. This video was enough to ruin Leo's career and potentially land him in prison.
"Or how about this: 'Director Leo scripts a scandal to boost his secret lover.' Which narrative do you think the fans will swallow?"
"Cut the crap, Emily," Charlotte snapped. "What's your price?"
Emily leaned in, a predatory smile tugging at her lips. "It's simple, really. Withdraw. Leave the show."
"Otherwise, on the night of the finale, I'm dragging you and Leo into the dirt with me!"