Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

Stepping out of Aubree's office, Emma was drenched in sweat, feeling like she'd just fought a battle.

She headed straight to the gym to continue her workout for the day. By the time she was dragging her weary body home, she bumped into the round-faced girl from the cafeteria.

The girl, with her cute looks and hair tied into two buns, was the epitome of adorable-a trait their coach had said was an advantage.

"Hey, Emma! I'm Candice. Are you nervous about our first live stream tonight? Did you follow Stellar Stage Entertainment's official account? They've already started hyping it up. Tonight, tons of people will be tuning in, and tomorrow the first round of rankings will come Candice babbled on, her anxiety making her face pale.

out."

Emma couldn't deny she was nervous. Despite the coaches' advice on how to present herself in front of the camera and maintain a graceful smile, it felt like a different ball game now that it was showtime.

"Emma, did you get your setup ready?" Candice suddenly asked.

Emma looked puzzled. "What setup?"

Candice stared at her in disbelief. "Even though the company gives us computers and microphones, our rooms are tiny. We need to add some decorations in the background. Otherwise, it'll just be a bare wall, which looks awful on camera. Plus, we need proper lighting. Didn't you ask around? The company only provides the basics. Someone like Leona, her family's loaded, so she upgraded her entire setup. It cost her a fortune, and her live stream looks way better than ours."

Emma's heart sank. She hadn't even thought about the background decor.

She had been watching live streams recently, admiring how beautiful the streamers' backgrounds were, thinking they were real. Candice's reminder was a wake-up call.

But ordering anything online now was out of the question, especially since she had only recently bought a smartphone upon arriving in Beaconsfield and was still figuring out online shopping.

Candice, noticing Emma's cluelessness and with the live stream only two hours away, felt slightly relieved about her own nervousness.

"Remember to adjust the lighting to make it softer on your face; it'll make your features pop. Don't just start streaming without checking the angle," Candice advised.

Emma did know this much.

"Can I buy background stuff locally?" she asked.

"You can, but it's pricier, and with just two hours left, you might not make it," Candice replied.novelbin

With no other options, Emma had to make do for the night.

Back home, she checked the computer setup provided by the company. Turning on the webcam, she saw the plain white wall behind her partially showing her bed, which lacked any aesthetic appeal.

Streaming with this background would surely land her at the bottom of the rankings.

Emma quickly roped in Peyton.

"Mom, let's go outside and collect some leaves. Remember, we can't mess with the community area. Only pick up the ones on the ground, or the security guards will scold us." Peyton, clueless about Emma's plan but eager to help, followed her out.

Their community, funded by Stellar

Stage Entertainment, was exceptionally well-maintained, destined to house trainees for decades, offering a better

Whevel

areas. tel

environment than most residential

Peyton grabbed a basket, picking up the most beautiful leaves she could find.

Leona, passing by, burst into laughter upon seeing them.

"Really, you and your mom haven't hit rock bottom yet, have you? Picking up trash now? How embarrassing! Look everyone, people about to debut, and they're collecting garbage."

Leona's voice drew the attention of other streamers in the area, all pausing to watch Emma and Peyton.

Peyton felt ashamed and tried to pull Emma away, but Emma focused on selecting leaves, instructing, "Mom, get more of these colored ones. I'll ask the security where we can find petals."

Leona, feeling ignored, stomped forward and kicked the leaves Emma was collecting.

"Hey, you ignoring me on purpose?" she snapped.

Emma slowly stood up, towering over Leona. Not the frail type, her presence alone made Leona step back.

After all, this was Stellar Stage Entertainment's territory, where personal security was not allowed. Any conflict would disadvantage her.

Leona scoffed, stomping on the leaves again.

"You and your mom must be desperate, picking up this trash to make tea, huh? Enjoy drinking my foot water," she sneered.