Chapter 16: 1.15 (End)

After that, as promised, barely anything changed in their relationship. Jia Hyson had been wary at first, after all he has had more than his fair of rejected admirers turn into stalkers before. However vigilance was very stressful and energy consuming, not to mention he's always been naturally at ease around Monroe so he shoved his wariness to the back of his mind and slowly relax. If there was anything that Jia Hyson would say has changed, it was that Monroe had become incredibly distant interspersed randomly with short periods of time where he became incredibly clingy.

Jia Hyson would be a liar if he didn't say he enjoyed those small moments filled with vulnerability and desperate affection. Then again, he is a liar, so he won't say it. ╮(╯∀╰)╭

The strange new status quo between them settled surprisingly well. Both were busy people after all. Monroe had been accepted to intern at a large technology company and Adrian has been flooded with friends, coworkers and jobs now that his phone is back online. Uncle Christopher and Jenna were especially interesting to catch up with.

During the episode where Jia Hyson reveals to Maddy that Drake had been pretending to be Jacob all this time, obviously Christopher and Jenna had questions. Poor Jacob was blindsided by this, it turns out he got paid a huge amount of hush money to go out of the country and play around. The only saving grace he had, that prevented his dad from beating him half to death for this conspiracy, was that he actually got a job as an aquarist- essentially an aquarium architect. During this time Jia Hyson finally got to meet the elusive Jacob. He was definitely handsome, and about two to three points similar to Drake but truly he couldn't compare. Still, given his recent overseas traveling, Jacob was fairly fun to talk to so they exchanged numbers.

However no matter how packed their schedules were, Jia Hyson insisted on having family dinners again at least thrice a week if they could help it. It was practically habit at this point, and he had to admit that now that he's gotten used to it, eating alone was a little harder to bear than in his original life.

Eventually time passes and an email inviting them to come to Home-cooked Miracle to watch their loved one participate in the semi-finales and, or, the finale depending if they pass. Jia Hyson's mouth twitched. So if the contestant doesn't pass the family has to immediately leave after only a day? He couldn't tell if the show was being stingy or extravagant with their budget here.

Of course he and Monroe accepts. This time Jia Hyson is more prepared for the ride back to the Miracle Kitchen and brings some over the counter anti-nausea pills. Of course, they don't work.

"Mphlerbleh," Jia Hyson presses his face onto the car window, wishing for death. Monroe considerately massages his stiff neck with a large hand while the other is busy typing into his phone. Jia Hyson feels resentful to everyone who can actually read while in a car without feeling ill. Such powers are beyond his comprehension, clearly it is a sign of witchcraft.

Bebe: 'Bebe thinks your inability to deal with a car ride longer than twenty minutes is beyond anyone's comprehension than anything else.'

Jia Hyson slowly sips some cool water offered by Monroe while giving his system the middle finger in his mind. Dammit, aren't systems meant to be cool and emotionless or cute and silly? Why did he get this irritating dumbass that doesn't even have facial recognition? His phone has facial recognition! His f*cking dog has facial recognition!

"Adrian, you okay?" Monroe murmurs as he rubs soothing circles to his back. It didn't help but the thought was nice. Jia Hyson takes a deep breath and smiles weakly.

Once they finally arrive Jia Hyson couldn't help but silently weep. How come it felt even longer than last time?

They're the second to arrive, a fairly sizeable group of elites had already gathered in front of the door. As Jia Hyson ungracefully stumbles out, he could already sense these people were richer than god. As someone who had been once similarly successful in life and had also been poorer than dirt, he has a good sense for these things. Better than his gaydar anyway. F*cking useless thing couldn't figure his brother and his close friend were in love with him. It was almost as bad as Bebe.

Bebe: QAQ

Anyway, they must be Drake's family. Jia Hyson felt a little nervous. He's never done the met the parents thing before.

Bebe: 'What, never?'

Jia Hyson: 'Does being paid to be their pretend boyfriend count?'

Bebe: 'No.'

Jia Hyson: 'Then no. I did once dump a person when they brought it up though.'

Bebe: 'You are such scum. Bebe is disgusted.'

Jia Hyson: 'Aiyah, I'm so hurt. This scum can never love again. Wuwuwu.'

"Hello, my name is Adrian Marshall, this is my brother, Monroe," Jia Hyson softly greets as he moves toward them, still feeling a little woozy. His skin was even paler than usual with a faint blush dusting his cheeks, making him look young and delicate. By his side, Monroe hovers nearby like he was expecting Jia Hyson to fall any time now and was ready to catch him. He also quietly greets the group before going back to focus intently on his brother, only showing a flicker of interest toward the group.

Of course, how could the Lanzoni family not recognise Adrian? Forget seeing him online and on screen in advertisements and minor acting roles. They had seen his posters and photos so many times that they could recite the pages Adrian had modelled in if you just gave them a magazine brand and an issue number. Drake had two brothers and a sister. All of them had seen his special Adrian-dedicated shrine that took up a whole apartment floor and felt both scared and oddly comforted since clearly no one was going to pick this crazy person as heir to the family now, no matter how talented he is.

It was a little funny. In the original story, Drake's family were severely against his relationship with Maddy. His parents mainly disapproved of her background and his siblings felt threatened for… reasons, resulting in a lot of cliche threats and buying off the relationship and bring in ex-girlfriend dramas etc. However now, Drake's parents had been beaten down mentally for years and had long accepted Adrian into their hearts, while his siblings had rejoiced. So instead of sneering down at Adrian like Jia Hyson had assumed, they instead went up to him to…

"Mr Marshall! I've been a huge fan of your work!"

"Mr Marshall, you look even better than in your photos! I didn't think it was possible!"

"Mr Marshall, my son may be a bit unruly at times, if he does anything bad you can call this daddy for help!"

"Mr Marshall, please, call me mother, after all, you're practically family already."

…curry favour.

If the original Maddy saw this she would cough up all the blood from her body and drown in it. Where was the dog blood? The disapproval? Why is the gap so big?

The third family that arrived last looked very out of place as they awkwardly stood to the side and watched a group of elites flock around a pretty boy like seagulls after the last chip. Even the cameramen and crew couldn't bear to watch after a while, much less film this for too long. Lanzoni family, your image! This is national television! Your image!

…

"And now lets bring in your surprises! Come in guys!" Olivia Rivers hollers from inside the building. On cue, the interns in front of the doors open them, silently gesturing for everyone to enter. Excited, Jia Hyson grabs Monroe's hand, squeezing it tightly. Monroe glances at him indulgently before returning the squeeze as they walk in.

There were only three contestants left, Maddy, Drake and the white lotus Charlotte. Jia Hyson was a little surprised since originally Lex was the one who managed to win a place in the final three. Since broadcasting is roughly four weeks behind there was a lot that Jia Hyson wasn't aware of it seems. However the changes weren't bad. The end of the competition originally was very lackluster since Lex was the 'nice guy' character and Maddy and Drake were fully immersed in their love fest there was virtually no climax to the arc. Though if Charlotte's true conniving personality was revealed and coupled with her apparent burst of talent, she could ramp up readers interest by turning into the surprise final antagonist for Maddy.

Silently he gives Charlotte his thanks for nobly sacrificing herself for his cause.

Drake's parents and siblings enter first, mostly because they were rich, famous and essentially has the ability to control the economic fate's of everyone present. Therefore some gesture of reverence must be shown. Adrian and Monroe came last, not because their family standing was the worst, but because the plot twist from their appearance was the best.

As they strode in, many people gasped and gaped. All the previous contestants that could make it to the finale were watching upstairs looked like stunned statues as Adrian smiles and waves to them. Lex and Daniel, being the closest to him beside Maddy and Drake, were also blindsided. Why was Adrian coming in as Maddy's family? They didn't look anything alike!

If they were shocked, Drake looked like he had been struck down from the heavens. Jia Hyson didn't know whether to laugh or cry looking at his dumbstruck expression. Maddy had no such indecision and promptly decided to do both, doubling over and laughing to the point of tears. People didn't know who to be more embarrassed of to be honest.

"Maddy," Jia Hyson's lips quirk up, "isn't it time for you to introduce us?"

Maddy sucks in a huge breath to calm herself, "Right! Right!" Barging into the middle of the pair, she grabs both their hands and drags them to the front where the judges and other two contestants were with their family. "Everyone, these are my brothers, Monroe and Adrian,"

Even the judges were also astonished by this turn of events. "Oh my god!" Olivia, the main spokesperson of the three gasps, "You really fooled us all! This old woman is shocked!"

The other two judges: ...If you're old than what are we? Ashes?

"You didn't tell us you two were siblings!" Someone yells from the balcony, from the laughter in their voice Jia Hyson assumes it's the jokester character Eric.

"You didn't ask!" Adrian retorts back with a bright smile full of mirth.

"It's good to see you again Adrian," Chef George bemusedly smiles, even Morgan's mouth was curving up. Ah, his idol's smile was truly too powerful, Jia Hyson has to sigh and hope that in the next world he'll have the opportunity to toss around such a man.

Bebe: '…Is eating up guys all you can think about?'

Jia Hyson: 'No, I also occasionally consider eating up females too~♡'

Bebe: 凸(￣ヘ￣)

"Adrian... Maddy is your... sister?"

Jia Hyson looks at a dumbfounded Drake. His handsomeness ruined by his own silly expression. Ah, how he itches to pinch the man's cheeks and kisses him till he cries.

Well, to be honest, it's more like Jia Hyson is the one who cries in the end. Either way, he's fairly satisfied with either result.

Bebe: ... so as long as someone cries it's fine? Is it really fine?

Bebe felt it's perception of relationships have warped after being around this pervert for so long. It truly misses its innocence from when it was just a normal Supporting Lead System. Ah, even if his previous hosts were annoyingly whiny and ungrateful people, at least they weren't so depraved as this one is.

Feigning surprise Jia Hyson raises an eyebrow at his boyfriend, "You didn't know? Didn't you say you knew I had siblings? Didn't I show you a photo? Eh, could it be… you lied about paying attention to me?"

Waiting to see his lover stammer embarrassedly, Jia Hyson felt stunned as Drake ran up to him, grabbing his hands within his own larger ones, he looks up at Jia Hyson with a placating look. "Of course not baby," he says reassuringly, "Obviously I pay attention to everything you do, however," Drake gives him an aggrieved expression like he was the one in the wrong, "it is your fault for being so blindingly beautiful. With you in that photo how could I possibly remember the other people beside you? After all, they aren't even half as stunning as you…"

The half as stunning Maddy and Monroe: …

Jia Hyson was laughing hysterically in his head. This man… good! Very good! It seems your shamelessness has evolved since I last saw you. Even outwardly his mouth couldn't stop twitching uncontrollably.

The Lanzoni family were all looking downwards at their shoes like they were the solution to world hunger. To be honest, they probably were, Jia Hyson swore he saw one pair of shoes embedded with pure diamonds. Silently they cursed Drake. Was this really that short-tempered, fiery and arrogantly domineering beast they all knew? The same obsessive lunatic that they all walked eggshells around? The power of love was really too terrifying!

However, as embarrassed as they all were at Drake's actions, they all patted their backs for making the correct decision to suck up to Adrian.

Even their fellow contestants didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Some of them had grown used to this couples displays of affection but after a few weeks of separation of course their resistance for these two had dropped and now suddenly they were slapped in the face with dog food once more. Damn, it hadn't even been five minutes since Adrian entered the building and their mouths were stuffed with their dog food. Wasn't this a very serious competition for the semi-finales and the finales? Why were they watching the two best looking men in the competition flirt with each other once again?

"Ah, you two are really so-" Maddy shook her head, also torn between laughter and crying. "Damn Drake! What do you mean half as stunning!?" She finally retorts with feigned anger. After spending more time with the guy without the source of his obsession, she found that while their relationship was still abrasive, it wasn't too bad. They could now be considered frenemies at the very least, "We're siblings! Can't you see the resemblance?"

"…We were adopted." Monroe opens his mouth for the first time, and it was to betray his biological sister. Maddy felt like the world was against her.

"Wuwuwuw, everyone is so mean!" She pretends to cry, "Bro, help me!" As she slings a friendly arm over Adrian's shoulder, she suddenly felt an inexplicable coldness running down her back. Twisting her neck she sees Drake staring at her jealously.

Maddy: ...You know we're siblings and yet your still eating my vinegar?

Maddy felt like this rival of hers truly had the biggest brain hole she's ever seen. If he hadn't proven his culinary skills she would've really felt ashamed to call him her rival. However when she glances at her own brother, she notes Monroe was staring blankly at Drake like he was looking at a dead man walking. Then his eyes flickered gloomily at Maddy, his eyes just as blank, making her immediately feel like she had submerged in ice.

Maddy: …What happened to the basic trust between people? The basic trust between siblings? QAQ

Maddy suddenly felt like she was surrounding by terrible people and she was the only normal one here. Even Adrian was excluded. She loved her brother dearly but his ability to attract abnormal perverts was really endangering her life right now.

After talking for a bit longer and being asked a few basic questions like how they felt knowing their loved ones have made it so far and so on, the family members were directed to join the other previous contestants up on the balcony to cheer everyone on. Jia Hyson, being a past contender himself, took it upon himself to introduce Monroe and the Lanzoni family to some of his closer friends present. Charlotte's family awkwardly tagged along, not showing much presence in comparison.

The semi-finale challenge was, of course, dedicated to their family and loved ones. Jia Hyson was almost moved to tears by Maddy's three course meal which was dedicated to her family's tastes. For Monroe she created a handmade ravioli appetiser, filling it up with chicken, pumpkin and feta while complimenting it with a rustic yet refined chorizo, spinach and beetroot sauce. For Adrian, she made deconstructed burgers for the main that melted in their mouths using surprisingly complex techniques learnt over the competition. Then for herself, she baked white chocolate and matcha-flavored melting moments- to represent the first time Adrian had given her that cookie all those years ago and ignited her passion for food.

Ah, f*ck it, okay, he had actually been moved to tears, so what? All these years of hard work truly felt worth it as he bit into those melting moments, the sweetness of the white chocolate and the bitterness of the green tea mixing delightfully in his mouth. There was even a thin layer of dark chocolate underneath the green tea, giving the simple flavour combination more depth. Even if he himself hadn't given her those cookies, it was still filled with the gratitude of all the work he has done for her, how could he not be moved? He may be a little bit whacked in the head but he wasn't made from stone dammit!

Drake's three course meal was… Well, it was delicious but the thought behind it was a little…

"My inspiration for family, is not rooted in the past but in the future," Drake dares to say with a solemn expression. Even the judges could not look at him in the face. It seemed that all the shamelessness he hadn't used when Adrian left had come pouring all out now and they weren't sure what to do with it. His entire family's faces were completely black.

Because… These were all Adrian's favourite dishes!

A seafood appetiser with perfect seared salmon slices on top of a small bed of salad, a high class burger, and an orange-chocolate lava cake using Adrian's favourite chocolate brand!

The Lanzoni family: Your inspiration for family isn't rooted in the past but the future? Aren't you just saying to everyone that you intend to bring Adrian into the family? Did you have to do it this way? Can't you give us a little face here? Where is the love?!

In comparison to Maddy's heartwarming dish, and Drake's gourmet proposal, how could Charlotte even compare?

The finale of course was a showdown between Drake and Maddy.

There were three rounds. The first was to follow an incredibly complicated dessert recipe that Chef George had written precisely for this competition in mind, the second round was to give them four hours to prepare a main and a dessert for the past top five contestants of Home-cooked Miracle Season 1 and 2, the judges, the families and the rest of the top five of this current season. Each round was on a different day. As per basic storytelling rules, Drake won one round and Maddy won the other, giving the finale a tense, down-to-the-line atmosphere as they reached the last round.

The last round was simple. It was merely to cook a dish. Any dish. Even though it sounded easy, it also wasn't at the same time. After all, this dish would show everyone the accumulation of everything they learnt this season. It would show them who deserved to hold the title of a Miracle chef.

Drake brought out all the stops and produced a breath-takingly high class and beautiful dish of marron with deep-fried cavolo nero, soft fennel puree and a creamy marron bisque filled with rich tomato flavours. Maddy in contrast took a gamble by relying on her experience with experimenting, however unlike everyone else, Adrian was hardly worried. After all, he clearly remembers her golden finger skills. Even so, despite being assured he couldn't help but feel doubtful as, in the middle of making macaroons, she brings in slices of smoked salmon to her table.

Her plan? Smoked salmon macaroons! By using a smoked salmon mousse created with Boursin cheese, smoked salmon, and a generous squeeze of lemon juice as a savory filling a salty contrast is made with the sweet macaroon shell. Not only was the techniques needed but a strong sense of balance was indescribably important for such a strange combination. To wash it down she even produced a bitter yet refreshing green tea-based blend that complemented well with the fishiness.

Even though Drake's food was undoubtably delicious, beautiful, and perfectly cooked in every aspect, when compared to Maddy's crazy dish, it played too safe. However, if Maddy's gamble hadn't paid off and even the slightest imbalance of ingredients was made, then it would be Drake's win.

It really was down to the wire.

Yet in the end, there was little doubt who was the winner.

"-Maddy Fenwick!" Chef George announces to Drake, Maddy, the crowd of eagerly waiting contestants and family members. "Congratulations for being the third Miracle Chef!"

Confetti showers down onto everyone and balloons were released into the air as Chef George passes a large golden trophy to an elated and dazed Maddy. Jia Hyson and Monroe rush up to hug and congratulate her along with the rest of the contestants. After laughing and crying, Maddy goes over to Drake to shake his hand.

"It seems I won the bet this time," She says, smiling warmly. Over the season they had made multiple bets with each other. In a way, it was their own strange show of friendship as well as mutual respect for their skills.

"It seems you did," Drake agrees, shaking her hand, a faint smile on his lips. "However I'm sure we'll fight again soon."

She laughs, "Oh yeah?"

"Of course," Drake replies confidently, "After all, I'm coming over for Christmas aren't I?"

Maddy: …Did you just use my win to invite yourself over to our house for the upcoming holidays?

Helplessly she agrees. After all, unless Monroe actually murders him, she strongly doubts he will let Adrian go.

Speaking of Monroe, he steps up to shake Drake's hand, "Sorry for your loss," He says respectfully. Drake doesn't dismiss him despite his unwillingness to reciprocate, after all, he would be blind not to see how this so-called brother looked at his boyfriend with impure motives. At the same time though, this was his future in brother-in-law. Ah, it was hard to have such an attractive lover. Even family could be seduced with his charms!

As their hands touched, a faint sound of static crackled between them and they instinctively retreated their limbs. For a flicker of a second Drake's dark eyes brightened and Monroe's grey eyes blackened, neither of them showed any changes in emotion as they surveyed each other. Suddenly Monroe's lips twist bitterly. "I see," is all he says and that was that.

Afterwards Monroe drifted away, no one knew where he went and only the occasional conversation over the phone showed he was even still alive. But by the third year, even that stopped. Jia Hyson had asked Drake to help search for him but they turned up with no results. The only clue was, a week after that last phone call, a package for Adrian was sent under his name. In the package was a small shard of curved glass. However, when Adrian picked it up he noted that despite the hot weather, the shard was cold like ice. And just like ice on a hot day, it quickly melted in his hands.

After that, it was really as if he hadn't existed at all.

Maddy in contrast had become a cooking sensation. She was everywhere. After countless rivals, cooking showdowns, being mentored by mysterious retired chefs and numerous faceslapping scenes, she had become a world renowned celebrity chef. Jia Hyson had even been invited onto her cooking shows a few times despite the fact he was merely a small actor-model in comparison. Later on she became a judge on Home-cooked Miracle, which amazingly was still incredibly popular, replacing Chef George's role as the intimidating head chef.

As for her love interest? Well Drake was certainly out of the question. Lex and Daniel had opened up a popular cafe together next to Lex's family grocery. And Ryan Powers had married a powerful businesswoman and his second child was already on the way. Surprisingly who she fell in love with wasn't a male supporting lead at all!

"Adrian," Maddy smiles bashfully as she introduces her boyfriend, "This is my boyfriend,"

Jacob Christopher awkwardly waves.

Jia Hyson, Drake, Jenna and James Christopher all stare at the couple, clearly blindsided by this. Jia Hyson especially hadn't expected this. Male supporting leads, now was the time to step up into the spotlight! Daniel and Lex were lost causes but damn Ryan, what were you doing sticking it in to random bystanders?!

As the years go by, Jia Hyson lived comfortably and happy, finally earning back the freedom and lazy luxury he missed back in the good old days. After striking himself a rich golden thigh to hug, he began to be pickier with his modeling jobs, in favor of spending more time acting, writing and rolling in the sheets. His Weibo account and blog was filled with a mix of his modeling photos, advertisements for his new acting jobs, his cooking and occasionally fresh helpings of dog food as he shamelessly shows off his rich boyfriend.

Drake had pursued his dream of cooking, establishing an upper-class restaurant for lower class people, producing high quality food at almost disgustingly cheap prices, he also became a well known figure in the culinary world. However after nine years he passed over his chef hat to his protege, choosing to use his overpowered male protagonist business skills to oversea the restaurant instead and give himself more free time which he spent on Adrian.

Too be honest, after living like both a mother and a father of a close knit family, it was a little difficult for Jia Hyson to adjust when he moved in with Drake. Of course, Drake was very attentive to his needs and soon Jia Hyson became used to his lover sticking by his side, filling the gap he had felt when all his baby birds had flown from his nest. While he had gotten a little annoyed at the stickiness at times, the affection he had saved for Drake had never wavered, even growing a little stronger than before. It wasn't enough to die for him or anything, but it was enough for Jia Hyson to know he would definitely miss him greatly if he ever lost him. He would miss him for at least five, no, seven years!

Bebe: 'Wtf how bad is your empathy, no, how bad is your memory?!'

Jia Hyson admits it's really pretty bad.

Unprecedentedly though, he had been genuinely distressed and depressed at the sudden disappearance of Monroe, even when he grew old and wrinkled, happy with his darling by his side and his protagonist sister at the pinnacle of the culinary world, he couldn't help but feel something was missing. It was a little unnerving not to mention uncomfortable.

However, despite his one regret, Jia Hyson felt that his life in this world was rather perfect.

"Host," Bebe suddenly says late one night. Despite it being rather abrupt, Jia Hyson already understood.

He pushes his body to turn so he's facing Drake on the bed. Even at eighty, this man still exuded an alluring charm however faint. There was still no shortage of aspiring sugar babies who wouldn't mind servicing him. Not that Jia Hyson was too upset about it (though pretending he was had been fun) after all, beating them all back with all sorts of different sticks was a nice way to pass the time. Still, the fact that this man still retained a semblance of a six-pack at such an old age was truly unfair to all elderly, no, all of humanity.

Ah, he was truly going to miss their time together. And Drake too.

Bebe: '...You can't be good for even one minute can you?'

Quietly chuckling, he reaches out to touch Drake's face with the little strength he has left, watching him breath in and out weakly as he slept. "Sorry darling," he sighs, "but I'm always the one who leaves first." Jia Hyson's breath goes a little ragged and his eyes waters, he knows that he'll probably forget about Drake, or the emotions he felt for Drake, after a few years but now that he was about to leave Jia Hyson felt reluctant to let go.

However, no matter how unwilling he was, eventually his eyes slowly closed and his breathing stopped.

The moment his hand lost strength and dropped from Drake's face, dark eyes immediately opened and tears fell down. Trembling, Drake picks up the lifeless hand and presses it back on his face, only until the familiar warmth finally ebbs away does he too close his eyes. He never opens them again.

[World story complete... Processing data... Uploading data…]

In another world, a graduating university student was going through her old computer files to determine what could be trashed and what needed to be kept when her new laptop came in. She was a data hoarder who liked to keep all her assignments, her downloads and her photos in her computer, unsure if she would ever need them in the future. However it seems her anxieties were entirely groundless now, and she had to steel her heart and fill the bin.

After absentmindedly throwing a large file in, she pauses before bring it back and opening it. Raising her brows she realizes that in that file contained all the chapters and ideas she had written for her story Can't Stand the Heat, a story she had written in middle school. She remembered thinking how it could've been the next Twil*ght teen romance novel but after the awful reviews she had gotten after posting it, had quickly lost her drive. In fact, she distinctly remembers arguing with at least half of the reviews and dropping the site completely in a silent protest to the unfairness of her readers.

Ah, what a dark stain it is now.

Curious to what her story is like, now that she's become older and relatively more mature, she opens up the first chapter. In the beginning she felt very impressed with herself, why was everyone so pissed? This was pretty good if she dare say so herself, she especially liked Adrian who she had modeled after her own oldest brother. Monroe was based on her second oldest brother- quiet as f*ck but when he opens his mouth it's full of nagging.

Then the character Maddy fought with Adrian and Monroe.

She cringes a little at this. Reading it now she recalls this was written in a fit of fury after her brothers and parents scolded her for applying to volunteer overseas on her own. In retrospect they were in the right since she didn't research it properly beforehand yet already put in the deposit using her own savings, however back then she had felt humiliated and wronged for being scolded when she was being 'proactive' like they always wanted her to be. Teenage angst was a hard thing to control.

Once she started cringing she couldn't stop. By the twelfth chapter she really couldn't read on lest she kills herself in humiliation. It was too terrible. Adrian and Monroe was gone. The competition was gone. The story was gone. All that was left was some bad porn.

Finally after going to the bathroom to splash some cold water onto her warm cheeks, she mustered up the courage to sit back in front of her computer, determined to delete this pile of trash and then set fire to her computer once she finished. However, before she did so, she notices that amount the word documents filled with the story, at the very bottom of the folder, highlighted in blue, was another file labeled 'BETA IDEAS'.

"Funny," She mutters, "I don't remember this," she clicks on it.

The documents in there, were, as labeled, ideas for her story. She was shocked, not because of its presence, it had been so long ago how would she remember what she did or did not put in here at this point? No she was shocked because the ideas were… really good!

Maddy having a more stable social life and confidence?

Adrian throwing his pride away to be a model in order to feed his family?

The family being more supportive and close knit through family dinners?

Adrian participating in the competition?

Drake becoming Adrian's love interest instead so Maddy's path focuses more on the original themes?

As she continues reading she becomes more and more excited. Suddenly her long dead desire to write ignites anew. Cracking her novels she opens a new word document ready to try it one more time.

…

"Congratulations host!" Bebe chirps, "The story was successfully revised! Do you want to hear the reviews?"

"Yeah, sure," Jia Hyson mutters as he listlessly lays on his white bed. His safe space which had initially impressed him a little now felt disappointing and empty. Once he gets himself together he's going to use his newfound p to redecorate.

Sensing his mood, Bebe doesn't say anything and just reads out some of the comments.

"'OMG this is so cute! I love Maddy, and I love the concept of a romance story where legit everyone but the main character has a romantic subplot until the end lol.'

'The story is sweet and cliche without being too cliche.'

'I read your original story of this before and I hated it, it had a solid intro and a shitty middle and end. Now that I'm rereading it, after all these years, I'm glad that I did pick it up again- you've definitely improved, keep up the amazing work!!'

'LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! OMG ADRIAN IS SO CUTE! DRAKE IS SUCH A VINEGAR JAR! POOR DANIEL AND LEX - I LOVE IT!'

'Ugh, Maddy is a really interesting and strong female character that isn't distracted by love, and that's totally great. But did you have to add so many gay people in? You know I would get if it was just Adrian or whatever but four gays? Isn't that a little ridiculous? I can't deal with this anymore I'm out.'

'A male god here, a male god there, damn! So many male gods! Who do I lick first? Or maybe I should ditch them for the great goddess??'

'Your descriptions of food and the cooking process is really good! I was drooling the whole time omg. I was worried that you would brush over the actual competition aspect like so many others do and just treat it as a backdrop for romance and shit but I was so wrong! Like! Like! A thousand likes!'"

Other than a few homophobic comments, the results were overwhelmingly positive. The original 2.3 star rating had increased to a presentable 4.2 and the popularity of this story had increased by over a hundred fold! Originally there were only around a hundred followers but now the amount of readers that had subscribed were up to the hundreds of thousands. There was no doubt that the quality of the story has improved thanks to Jia Hyson's efforts. Bebe was deeply satisfied with the statistics and with a warm voice spouted off the rewards calculated.

"Overall, Host did a rather flawless job. Since stories are subjective, we only consider things like the overall ratio of positive to negative reviews, percentage increase in readers and ratings. Since Can't stand the Heat is improved significantly in all three ways Bebe is proud to award you 10 points and 1000p."

Jia Hyson felt a little torn. On one hand, it felt good to hear he achieved the best results possible. On the other... the reward sounds rather pitiful. He knows 10 points is meant to be worth of a lot but no matter how much one embellished it... 10 points still sounds like 10 points.

"Now the bonus points."

Jia Hyson perks up curiously. Bonus points? Did Bebe mention this before? He feels like it might've but he couldn't remember.

"Make a character less 3d +3 points

Gap moe +1

Maintained original intended genres +3

New likeable couple +3

Good cliches +1

Break unlikeable couple +3

Satisfying face slapping +1

Unexpected fluff + 1

Character development +2

Character too OOC -15

Unexpected plot development/ plot twist +2

Overall you have 5 bonus points."

Jia Hyson, who's eyes had brightened as he heard all the points suddenly gifted to him felt like his face was suddenly slapped twice. Suddenly he had lost 15 points! A thousand mud horses galloped through his heart. Where did his 15 points go?! Which pig teammate screwed this daddy over?!

"Adrian's character has been written once again as a gentle, conservative person, even after becoming a model for the sake of his family he still maintains this personality. However in regards to Drake, Adrian suddenly acts aggressively and actively seduces him despite his pre-established character. Therefore, many have said he is a bit OOC." Bebe dryly explains as it senses the anger in Jia Hyson's heart.

Jia Hyson wants to cry a little. It turns out he was his own pig teammate. Dammit author god, just write about Maddy, what were you doing detailing Adrian's sexual conquest?

Feeling even worse than before, Jia Hyson buries himself into his bed and angrily goes to sleep. He dreams bittersweetly of the life he had just lost.

He doesn't notice in the corner of his safe space room, two strange curved shards of glass, glittering brightly.