Chapter 114 - 113: The Second Host
Simon Lockwood stood by the bed. The phone in his pocket vibrated once, and he took it out. If Joanna Kennedy were awake right now, she would definitely be surprised.
That scoundrel Simon Lockwood had stolen her phone!
Simon Lockwood effortlessly entered the password and unlocked it.
Numerous messages immediately popped up. Simon Lockwood glanced at them coldly. The internet was in an uproar over the awards ceremony, and the controversy had only intensified overnight.
These people were almost certain that Joanna Kennedy had only won the award because of her connections, and the criticism was aimed squarely at her.
[And here I thought she was some down-on-her-luck heiress. Turns out she’s just backed by money. Unbelievable. To think I used to be a fan of her looks!]
[Tell me about it. Best Newcomer Award? Yeah, right. I have to laugh.]
[Don’t spread rumors without proof, okay?]
[@ the person above, if Joanna Kennedy didn’t buy the award, why hasn’t she come out to explain? I bet she has a guilty conscience.]
[.........]
Let the bullets fly a little longer. The reversal would be twice as effective that way. People have a conscience; the harsher they condemned her, the more they would regret it after learning the truth.
Even a little regret would be enough for Joanna Kennedy to turn the tables and reach even greater heights. Simon Lockwood understood this principle clearly.
But seeing so many malicious comments directed at the girl, he suddenly didn’t want to be so rational anymore.
Leaving the bedroom, Simon Lockwood dialed Sean Grant. The call connected quickly. "What’s up, Simon?"
Before Simon could speak, realization dawned on Sean. "Oh, this is about your Joanie, right?"
The mention of this, combined with what his subordinates had uncovered, made Sean furious. "That head judge is a real piece of work! Damn it, he gave Joanna Kennedy’s award to someone else and fobbed her off with the Best Newcomer Award! What a bastard!"
"I confronted that head judge, but he refuses to admit anything. But it’s fine. I’ve figured out the source of those online trolls from last night. It was definitely intentional. I still need a little more time to find out exactly who hired them. The PR statements are all written, and I’ve lined up the social media influencers..."
"No need," Simon Lockwood cut off his long-winded explanation.
Sean Grant: "What do you mean? You don’t trust me?"
"Jack Warren already found it. I’ll have him send it to you in a bit," Simon Lockwood said.
’That fast?’ Sean Grant was stunned.
Two minutes later, he saw the audio file and several photos of money transfers that Jack Warren had sent. They clearly showed the computer’s IP address of the person who sent the money, which traced back to an abandoned factory.
The online storm continued to rage. Half an hour later, a major influencer account suddenly posted an audio clip accompanied by a few images.
#Not much to say. As for the truth about Joanna Kennedy’s Best Newcomer Award, judge for yourselves.#
The audio was simple. After some initial STATIC, a familiar middle-aged man’s voice began to speak.
"I am deeply sorry for the online discourse. Joanna Kennedy’s Best Newcomer Award is indeed fake. It was a decision I made on my own authority."
’Whoa, is this solid proof?’
Before everyone could process this, the middle-aged man’s next words shocked the crowd of online onlookers even more.
"Joanna Kennedy was indeed a nominee, but the award she actually won was for Best Supporting Actress. Here, I solemnly apologize to Miss Kennedy and have decided to resign from my position as a judge for the Drama Association. I am truly sorry for taking up public resources."
The accompanying images showed the transaction records for hiring the online trolls. The IP addresses were specifically highlighted in black: one was a certain hotel, and the other was an unknown abandoned factory.
The ever-resourceful netizens quickly discovered that Wendy Campbell had been staying at that very hotel that night.
The factory was located somewhere in the suburbs, on a derelict property under the Jennings Company.
.........
..........
’Joanna Kennedy wasn’t Best Newcomer? She was Best Supporting Actress?!’
’Wendy Campbell stole her award and then hired people to smear Joanna Kennedy?! Where does she get the nerve!’
’How did the Jennings family from the business world get dragged into this?!’
The reversal came so fast it was like a slap in the face. Netizens who now knew the truth quickly flooded Wendy Campbell’s Weibo to confront her.
Those who had defended Wendy Campbell felt even more deceived, and their curses were viler than anyone’s.
*
Inside the villa, Simon Lockwood coolly turned off the phone and went back to his work files, not noticing the girl standing on the second floor.
Joanna Kennedy held 166 in one arm while scrolling through her tablet with the other, watching as her private messages changed from a flood of curses to a multitude of apologies.
She wasn’t an idiot. She had barely used her phone yesterday, so how could the battery be dead?
Simon Lockwood had deliberately made up an excuse to keep her from looking at her phone. But he hadn’t been thorough enough; he’d forgotten about the tablet in the bedroom.
Joanna listened to the audio clip again, recognizing the voice of the awards ceremony’s head judge. A flash of disappointment she couldn’t suppress went through her.
She didn’t care whether it was Best Supporting Actress or Best Newcomer. She just suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness.
Thinking back to the excitement she felt when she received the trophy, she never would have imagined it was just an insignificant "consolation prize."
This was the first award she had ever won, yet this was how it ended.
166, uncomfortable from her stroking, jumped out of her arms and tilted its little cat head. ["Hey, are you sad?"]
Joanna shook her head, then nodded. Seeing 166’s speechless expression, she sighed. ["A little."]
Then she remembered something and asked, ["Why is Charles Jennings always targeting me?"]
The first IP address that hired the trolls belonged to an abandoned factory under the Jennings Company. She refused to believe Charles Jennings had nothing to do with it.
["He’s the devoted second male lead, the female lead’s loyal simp. Of course he can’t stand you," 166 explained.]
Hearing this theory, Joanna furrowed her brow. She felt like something was off.
Or perhaps she had been puzzled from the very beginning.
People’s actions are usually driven by logic and their own emotions. But Charles Jennings was different. He seemed to act on whims.
While helping Serena Sutton, he would relentlessly provoke Joanna, saying and doing baffling things.
And then he would continue to target her.
This state... it was as if...
Something suddenly flashed through Joanna’s mind. Her eyes widened, and her breathing grew short. ["Could Charles Jennings be the second person with a system?!"]
!
was silent for a moment, then its fur stood on end. It was shocked and uncertain. ["Why would you think that? What did you discover?!"]
Joanna shook her head. ["I’m not sure yet. It’s a gut feeling."]
’Charles Jennings’s behavior is too much like he’s completing tasks.’
A gut feeling is the most irrational of things.
But this time, 166 didn’t mock her. Instead, it spoke to her with grave seriousness. ["Then stay far away from him from now on. If he really is a host, then his mission must be to facilitate the main couple’s love line."]
That would make Joanna Kennedy an enemy on his mission’s path.
........
Joanna had clearly figured this out as well. She frowned deeply. ["He wouldn’t make a move on Simon Lockwood, would he?"]
["Simon Lockwood is the male lead. A mere supporting male character like him doesn’t have the power to," 166 said dismissively.]
’Only the female lead would have a slight chance. They both have the protagonist’s halo,’ 166 grumbled internally, not saying the words out loud.