Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

Zachary Carter was clever. He used the pre-existing "lover" relationship between their characters to get close to her without seeming abrupt. When it aired, viewers would just think he was getting into character.

He was clearly practiced at this and had likely manufactured romantic pairings with other female guests before.

Joanna Kennedy knew exactly what he was up to, but she couldn’t show her disgust on camera. Still, she had no intention of playing along, so she threw herself into searching for clues.

This was just what Zachary Carter had expected. Knowing she wouldn’t dare make a scene on camera, he grew bolder, testing Joanna Kennedy’s boundaries with increasingly intimate gestures.

Subtle physical contact, a suggestive phrase here and there—Joanna Kennedy deftly deflected it all. She even jokingly asked if he was the killer, since he was so persistent in distracting her from the search for clues.

He was getting nowhere with his flirting; she had even managed to brand him as a troublemaker who wasn’t taking the game seriously.

After a few such exchanges, Zachary Carter was getting frustrated and embarrassed, though he didn’t dare show it. Any thought of creating a "ship" with Joanna Kennedy was completely extinguished.

Just then, the female influencer found something important: an exquisitely designed secret door with a combination lock. Next to it was an envelope.

"To learn the password, first you must solve this problem..."

The female influencer tore open the envelope. Sure enough, a high school math problem was written on the sheet of paper inside.

It had been years since any of them were in school, and they’d long forgotten whatever math they knew. They couldn’t help but marvel at the production team’s knack for causing trouble.

Failing to solve it would be incredibly embarrassing.

The female influencer held the envelope like a hot potato, awkwardly unsure of what to do.

Todd Crowe had the most education of the group, and he was just about to step in and save the day.

Zachary Carter, standing to the side, said, "Let Boss Jennings have a go. We should give the newcomer a chance to shine."

He said it with obvious malice, yet his words made it sound as if he were doing Joanna Kennedy a favor. The others exchanged uncertain glances.

Everyone knew Joanna Kennedy didn’t have much formal education—she’d left school before finishing high school. The topic had even trended negatively online not long ago. For Zachary Carter to ask her to solve this problem... it was obvious what he was thinking.

They figured that since his attempt to force a "ship" had failed, he was now deliberately trying to humiliate her. Everyone had their own theories, but they were all professional enough to keep a straight face.

After all, it wasn’t their problem, and nobody wanted to stick their neck out and make an enemy.

Todd Crowe frowned and stepped forward. "I’ll do it."

The words were barely out of his mouth when Zachary Carter laughed. "Brother Crowe, are you looking down on our Boss Jennings? It’s just a math problem. We’re all adults here; surely anyone can solve it. Isn’t that right, Boss Jennings?"

Joanna Kennedy smiled. "It is."

The female influencer, though apologetic, was more concerned with saving her own skin. She stuffed the envelope into Joanna Kennedy’s hands and tried to smooth it over, saying, "Well, I won’t steal your thunder then. Let’s have the guesthouse owner solve this final puzzle for us!"

Instantly, all cameras and sympathetic gazes were fixed on her.

Joanna Kennedy stared at the math problem for a few seconds, then paused. Suddenly, she spoke. "It’ll take too long for me to solve this by myself. Carter, why don’t you do it with me? We can make it a competition. We’ll save time if we see who can solve it first."

Competition always makes for good TV. The show’s host, Big Mouth Carter, immediately chimed in, "Yes, yes, that’s a great idea! Carter, you should join in."

Since Big Mouth Carter had endorsed it, the others quickly voiced their agreement too.

Zachary Carter’s expression stiffened. He’d just been talking about how simple the problem was. Refusing now would be a slap in his own face.

But he’d gotten into university as an arts student; academics were never his strong suit. He had glanced at the paper and realized he barely even understood the question, let alone how to solve it.

He was in a bind. With the cameras on him, he had no choice but to accept the pen and paper someone offered and pretend to work on the problem. ’Fortunately,’ he thought, ’Joanna Kennedy isn’t exactly a scholar, either.’

’If neither of us can solve it, that’s much better than me being the only one who fails.’ As Zachary Carter thought this, his expression brightened considerably.

Joanna Kennedy scanned the problem and knew she could solve it. It wasn’t that difficult—you just had to plug in the derivative. The tricky part was that most people had long forgotten their calculus formulas.

’The production team really is trying to make things difficult,’ she thought. ’Too bad for them they picked me.’ She’d bet that no one here knew their calculus better than she did. After all, Simon Lockwood had forced her to write out the formulas from memory countless times.

Recalling that miserable period of studying, Joanna Kennedy felt a pang of bitterness, and her expression became complicated. To the others, however, it looked like she was struggling with the problem.

Zachary Carter felt a wave of relief. He was just about to seize the opportunity to mock Joanna Kennedy and then pass the task to Todd Crowe when Joanna Kennedy scribbled a few lines, then held up her paper. "I’m done."

Ignoring the astonishment on everyone’s faces, she took the paper and began to input the code into the lock. With a CLICK, the door swung open.

Everyone snapped out of their stupor and followed her inside, leaving Zachary Carter standing frozen in place, his expression rigid.

’How is that possible? Joanna Kennedy didn’t even finish high school! How could she have solved it?’ Zachary Carter’s mind went completely blank.

Then he remembered her suggestion of a "competition" and finally understood. Joanna Kennedy had deliberately set a trap for him. She wanted to humiliate him in front of everyone!

When this episode aired, the internet would be merciless. The "mastermind" persona he’d built up last season was ruined. At this thought, Zachary Carter’s face went pale.

Because of this little incident, the atmosphere remained a bit awkward for the rest of the shoot.

Fortunately, Big Mouth Carter’s years of hosting experience weren’t for nothing. He smoothed things over with a few well-chosen words, and soon everyone was talking and laughing again—at least on the surface. What they were actually thinking was none of his concern.

When it came time to vote for the killer, most votes went to Zachary Carter, with one vote for Joanna Kennedy. Then, the real killer was revealed.

When Todd Crowe’s name was revealed, even Joanna Kennedy was surprised.

’As expected of a true actor,’ she thought. ’What a performance. He said he wanted to form an alliance, but he was the killer all along. Some alliance that was.’

After filming wrapped up, Joanna Kennedy joked, "Brother Crowe, when you said you wanted to form an alliance earlier, were you just planning to use me?"

Called out, Todd Crowe rubbed his nose, a little embarrassed. "You saw right through me, huh?"

’He just admitted it?’ Joanna Kennedy was left speechless. She didn’t know how to respond.

Todd Crowe gave another shy laugh, but then his expression turned worried. "You really offended Zachary Carter today. He’s probably going to cause trouble for you."

"Let him try. I’m not afraid of him." The memory of Zachary Carter’s smug face, so eager to see her fail, made Joanna Kennedy feel sick.

Todd Crowe disapproved of her casual attitude. "You shouldn’t take this so lightly. Zachary Carter has powerful backing, or he wouldn’t be a permanent cast member on *Investigation Together*. I heard he’s the one who forced his former teammate out of the entertainment industry."

’That happened?’

Joanna Kennedy replied, "Thanks for the warning, Brother Crowe. I’ll be careful."