Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Samantha glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was Walter.

She swiped her finger on the screen and answered the call. “Hello, Mr. Schuck.”

Walter’s voice came from the other end. “How are you, Sammy?”

“I hurt my waist and would have to stay in bed for a week, but other than that, there’s nothing to worry about. I’m fine,” Samantha replied.

Walter sighed in relief when he heard that and expressed his heartfelt admiration. “You did a very good job today, Sammy.”

After a pause, he added, “There’s one more thing. The date of the second round has been changed to tomorrow, but because of your outstanding performance in today’s incident, you have already demonstrated your dedication as an anchor and will therefore advance directly to the final round. In the meantime, take care of yourself and continue recovering at home.”

That news was far beyond what Samantha expected.

She did not expect that her actions, which came from the heart, would earn her an advancement in the competition.

Although she was happy, she pursed her lips lightly and asked, “Won’t this be unfair to the other contestants?”

After all, only three out of seven would progress; the competition was understandably fierce.

“Don’t worry. This proposal was put forward by the three judges and was seconded by a majority of the contestants as well, so it’s fair. Personality and charm are qualities that an anchor must possess too.”

Samantha smiled. “It would be impolite of me to refuse.”

After the call ended, Samantha looked up and saw Timothy. She did not know when or how long he had been standing at the door.

She could not help but raise her head slightly and said proudly to him, “I was given a pass to the next round, Timothy. I’m now just one step away from winning the competition.”

Timothy smiled slightly and walked in. He sat beside her on the bed and said, “I heard it.”

He gently propped her up with one hand and placed the water glass in his other hand to her mouth. “Have some water.”

Samantha drank half a glass of water and said, “Have you been staying at home after bringing me back? Didn’t you go to the company?”

She knew he had an important meeting that day but had dropped it and came to her as soon as he saw the news.

“Yes.”

“Timothy, didn’t I tell you that there’s no need for you to keep me company on purpose. Nothing will happen if I’m at home, not when Aunt Julia and grandma are here too.”

She said in a rather embarrassed manner, “I always end up keeping you from your work.”

“If you know that you will keep me from my work, you should take care of yourself and avoid getting hurt.” Timothy put her back on the bed and covered her with a blanket.

Samantha felt guilty. She knew it was time for her to shut her mouth and could only look at him pitifully.

There was no way Timothy could continue getting angry at her when he saw her like that. He put the glass on the bedside table and said, “Although… I won’t be able to keep you company in the next fortnight.”

“What?”

“I’m going to Axlelland on a business trip.”

Samantha had a sudden realization. She had more or less heard about the Barker Group’s cooperation with a company in Axlelland. It was their largest project that year. Timothy had been busy with that in recent days. His visit to Axlelland was basically to finalize the cooperation. The Barker Group would then be expanded yet again.

Samantha nodded. “Okay. You can rest assured when you work because I’ll take care of myself.”

After some thought, she smiled and said, “But when you come back, it will almost be time for my final round in the competition. When you close your business deal, I will celebrate with you by bringing home a trophy.”

Timothy was amused. “Are you that confident about winning the competition?”

“Yes, because…you’re my motivation,” Samantha spoke a little softly toward the end but those words really came from the heart.

As soon as she said that, her face was cupped in the man’s hands and he kissed her red lips. He replied in a hoarse but sweet voice, “Okay. I’ll wait for you to bring back the trophy.”

…

The following day, the other six contestants competed in round two. Harmony and Jade advanced, so the contestants who reached the final were Samantha, Harmony, and Jade.

Although Samantha was recovering from her injury, she did not slack off in the least. She studied and practiced every single day, and she was not about to underestimate any opponents until the final result of the competition came out.

A week later, Aunt Julia accompanied her to the hospital to remove the brace and take another x-ray. She was relieved when the doctor said that she was well on the road to recovery.

Walter called her again to seek confirmation on whether she would be able to compete. The final round was set to happen in another three days.

The final round, as mentioned at the beginning, would see three contestants simultaneously conducting an online simulated live broadcast. The final score would be determined by the three judges as well as votes from the audience, both of which account for 50 percent of the score.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Aunt Julia woke Samantha up in the early morning and dragged her downstairs. Before her mind was completely awake, she saw a large group of young ladies rushing in her direction. She was then ushered onto a professional salon bed and the ladies soon started working their magic on her appearance.

After a while, she finally reacted and glanced to the side, only to see Old Madam Barker who was sitting leisurely on the sofa while drinking morning tea. She said to the old lady, “There’s no need to go this far, right Grandma?”

“Why not!” Old Madam Barker retorted as-a-matter-of-factly. “You will have to face the entire country on your live broadcast today. You have to be the most beautiful, dazzling, and captivating contestant!

“If Tim can’t come back to see you live, you can at least let him look at your beauty on TV, can’t you?”

Indeed, every woman wanted to be beautiful.

.

Moreover, it was natural for a woman to show their most beautiful side to the man they loved.

Samantha graciously accepted Old Madam Barker’s kindness and lay on the bed as the ladies went to work.

At eight in the evening, Samantha, Harmony, and Jade sat in their respective studios and faced the camera as they began the live broadcast.

Lychee TV’s official account posted three live broadcast URLs, allowing viewers to choose which live broadcast they wanted to watch before voting for their favorite anchor.

The live broadcast went on for half an hour.

In the beginning, the respective number of people watching the three broadcasts was basically the same, probably because everyone was curious and wanted to click in and take a look.

After five minutes, the number of people began to grow.

Samantha and Harmony’s viewers continued to soar while Jade’s stayed flat.

15 minutes later, Samantha’s viewers rose even more, and although Harmony’s was on the rise as well, her momentum was not as strong as Samantha’s. Conversely, the number of Jade’s viewers began to decrease.

At 20 minutes, the number of votes was shown on the page and Samantha’s was very far ahead.

25 minutes later, Samantha was still at number one and had twice as many viewers and votes compared to Harmony.

Everyone thought that Samantha would be the champion, but in the last five minutes, the number of Harmony’s viewers skyrocketed explosively.

The competition then ended at half-past eight.

Ten minutes later, Walter held the envelope containing the final result and stood before Samantha and Harmony..