My Husband Helps Me Fight Back Against Vicious Women

My new drama just wrapped up, and I'm stuck playing the familiar role of the vicious female antagonist—the kind of character that made viewers grind their teeth in hatred.

On Twitter, my tags were things like "Cecilia Wade's diva antics on set," "Cecilia and the evil supporting role locked in," and "Cecilia, the vicious."

It was pretty clear I was a so-called "blacklisted" celebrity. The diva claims came from a misunderstanding—my eyesight wasn't great, so I didn't notice the new young actress saying hi and got roasted for it. And as for wanting to be the lead—who didn't? But with my naturally fierce look, I was always cast as the villain in this appearance-obsessed industry. And the "vicious" comment? That's just someone getting too deep into my role. Criticizing me both on and off screen wasn't exactly polite.

To promote my new show, the company set up a livestream with Jennifer Lane, the scheming lead actress, to highlight her innocent image. After all, she was the company's golden goose. Of course, I'd play along. As long as I stood next to her, all the compliments would flow her way.

The live chat was buzzing with comments.

[How could they put my dear Jennifer next to this evil supporting role!]

[Seriously! It'll scare Jennifer with this!]

[Cecilia, what makes you think you can ride on Jennifer's coattails?]

I glanced at the chat. Oh, nice. They're all hating on me. Guess I'm still in the spotlight.

We started with the usual promotion for the new show, but then someone asked: [What kind of guy does Jennifer like?]

Technically, that question was off-script, but Jennifer blushed deeply and said, "Honestly, I admire Mr. Wayne a lot."

The chat went wild.

[Bruce Wayne! The Best Actor Bruce!]

[Wow, my ship is real!]

[So what if she admires him? Jennifer's just saying she respects a senior!]

I could see Jennifer's smugness clearly from where I sat behind her, legs crossed.

"Actually, Bruce and I have a special connection," she said, suddenly playing coy. I raised an eyebrow, thinking, Wow, she's really getting into character.

A special connection? Don't tell me it's what I think!"

[Does she have WhatsApp? Does she have his WhatsApp contact?]

[Of course, she has. A special connection would definitely involve that.]

[Bruce is one of a kind; don't mooch off him.]

[Exactly. Stop riding on Bruce's fame; who do you think you are?]

Jennifer's fans were ruthless, and it was the first time Jennifer had been roasted this badly. Looking pitiful, with her eyes and nose red, Jennifer said, "If you don't believe me, I'll prove it." She actually pulled out her phone and dialed a WhatsApp call.

[Wait, she really has Bruce's contact!]

[They worked together before; adding each other on WhatsApp isn't surprising.]

[If I remember correctly, Jennifer was just the third female lead in that drama, and Bruce was the male lead!]

"Hello?"

The call miraculously connected. Bruce sounded like he'd just woken up, his voice a lazy drawl mixed with a hint of gravel. The livestream erupted with excitement.

[Ahhhh, it's Bruce's voice!]

[Lock down this couple!]

[Hold on, calm down. Bruce's tone clearly shows he has no clue who she is!]

Jennifer answered in a high-pitched voice, "Hi, darling, I'm live streaming."

[What? Darling? No way Bruce is in a relationship!]

[I can't believe this!]

Bruce, on the other end, was clearly taken aback. "You're crazy." The live stream showed the call had ended.

The atmosphere was excruciatingly awkward as I watched Jennifer's face go from red to pale. I thought, Serves her right.

[Haha, Jennifer just got slapped in the face!]

[Told you not to ride on others' coattails!]

[So ridiculous! I knew Bruce wasn't dating anyone!]

As the live stream went berserk, I signaled to the crew to prepare to leave. Just then, my phone rang.

In a moment of clumsiness, I accidentally answered the call, and the phone speaker was unfortunately pressed right against my mic. "Honey, a woman just called and harassed me, boo-hoo."

I froze. Glancing at my phone, I saw the contact name: [Don't Mess With Me (Bruce)]

I thought, Oh great, now I've really stepped in the fire.

"Hey, honey? Why aren't you speaking? Cecilia?"

I thought, Oh great, now he's using my name! That single word shattered any excuses I'd been trying to cook up moments ago.

That night, the livestream crashed, and so did I.