The Trending Topic Herself: The Villainess is the Superstar!-Chapter 91: Maya Monroe Is a Divine Figure

The backstage is a very spacious lounge, crowded with actors preparing themselves and busy staff members moving around.

"Leo, you’ve been quite busy lately, haven’t you? I saw you’ve taken on a new drama."

Leo’s demeanor remained unchanged, with a consistently polite and gentle smile. His already outstanding appearance was made even more alluring by his humble demeanor, making people want to get closer.

"I have been quite busy lately indeed."

Kiki suppressed her inner displeasure. She hadn’t expected Leo to be just like before, unwilling to talk to her about anything not related to improving his acting skills.

He looked gentle, but beneath his gentleness, he was as cold as ice, impossible to melt easily, keeping people at a distance.

"Leo, I’ve just landed a role in a historical drama where I play a concubine. I’ve never portrayed such a character, nor can I draw inspiration from real life. It’s hard for me to immerse myself in the role..."

Kiki bit her lip, her face full of confusion and frustration.

Leo listened intently, "Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. There are many roles we’ve never experienced personally. I’ve faced similar challenges before. If it’s an adaptation, maybe you can read the original book more deeply to analyze the character. If you have time..."

Kiki listened, appearing attentive, but her eyes were fixed on his face, unable to look away, her mind wandering.

"What I said... did you understand any of it?"

Kiki came back to her senses, showing a gentle smile, "You explained it very clearly, Leo. You’ve truly solved a problem that has troubled me for a long time. Even though I might not be sharp, hearing you speak like this has made everything suddenly clear."

She attempted to steer the conversation towards other topics that could quickly close the distance between them, "I heard from my mom that you used to visit our house often, but I don’t see you as much now."

In fact, since she returned to The Monroe Family, she hadn’t seen Leo at all.

"Since I started acting, I have much less free time for myself. But I was indeed a frequent visitor to your home, especially when Maya was still young. She was so round and adorable, like a character from a New Year painting. She was a bit mischievous as a child, the leader among the kids in our area..."

His face was deeply focused, and his voice softened as if lost in memories.

"Really? My sister was so interesting when she was young?"

Kiki could barely control her expression. She just casually mentioned the Monroe family, not expecting Leo to ramble on about Maya, more animated than when discussing acting...

Monica had once shown Kiki photos of Maya as a child. She had short arms and legs, looked quite stout, and her face always showed a fierce expression; nowhere near as cute as Leo described.

Leo chuckled, "She was really cute as a child, now she’s grown up..."

Whenever Maya was mentioned, Kiki couldn’t help but recall unpleasant memories, and she didn’t want to continue this topic.

Kiki picked up a fruit tea from the table and handed it to Leo, "Here, Leo, have some water, you’ve worked hard."

Leo declined, "Thanks, but no need. I’m not thirsty right now, you keep it for yourself." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Kiki’s face stiffened but she persisted, "Consider this a token of appreciation for your help. I didn’t bring anything else, and I specially chose this low-calorie fruit tea, so feel free to drink it."

"You’re too kind, it’s just a brief conversation. Keep it for yourself."

Leo’s smile remained unchanged, still looking gentle.

"Please, just take it, Leo."

Leo’s brow furrowed briefly but then relaxed, "Alright, thank you."

Kiki’s face showed a shy smile, feeling joy and excitement from their closing distance. Her hand trembled, failing to hold the fruit tea steadily, spilling the bright yellow drink onto Leo’s wrist.

Kiki was awkward beyond measure, hurriedly taking out tissues from her bag, "Sorry Leo, I didn’t hold it steady. It’s been sitting here for a while, so it shouldn’t be too hot, right? My fault, it’s all my fault..."

"It’s okay." Leo’s face showed no emotion.

Just as Leo was about to take the tissues, Kiki directly grabbed his wrist and started wiping it.

Leo frowned, pulling his hand back, "I’ll do it myself."

Kiki was stunned, tears welling up in her eyes, but she dared not move, standing there dumbfounded.

Conversations could occasionally be heard around them:

"Kiki and Leo seem pretty close."

"Didn’t you hear about their childhood? Maybe they’ve known each other since then."

"But something seems off with their vibe, is Leo upset?"

"Stop gossiping; if they’re close, a little friction is nothing."

...

Maya happened to catch the discussions as she entered, caught off guard by how cozy Kiki and Leo appeared to be.

Kiki had been holding onto Leo’s hand; was the female lead Kiki about to win over the male secondary character Leo?

Finally, Kiki had something going for her!

Maya felt a deep sense of relief.

Suddenly, she noticed Leo looking her way, and she quickly slipped away, sticking close to the doorframe, avoiding the scene.

Her intuition was still sharp; she shouldn’t interrupt the scene between the female lead and her admirer. Being a third wheel is one thing, but disrupting their warm, harmonious atmosphere wouldn’t be good.

It’s all to allow the plot to progress smoothly.

Maya ran about a dozen meters away before stopping, clutching her chest and panting lightly, realizing her current state was far less fit than in her previous life.

"Sis... Maya?"

She was caught off guard in the corridor by Eric Rowe. Eric, unusually dressed in formal attire, still had the air of youth, but now seemed more mature.

"Oh, Eric." She put down her hand.

Eric had just turned the corner, unexpectedly seeing Maya sprinting as if fleeing for her life, like a character from a horror film...

If he hadn’t recognized her as Maya, Eric might have thought he had stumbled into a horror movie.

Seeing no one else around, Eric asked, "Sis, why were you running so fast? Was someone bothering you?"

"Huh? I was just casually running. Isn’t there some game we’re playing on stage later? Just practicing my agility."

Eric couldn’t help but laugh, "Sis... always thinking ahead!"

As he spoke, he gave her a thumbs-up.