“What do you mean?”

“You’re already misjudging me.” William Carter leaned back on the sofa, no longer bothering to hide anything. “I’m not the last type. To be direct, I’m trouble.” His eyes were full of laughter, the warm light from outside the window flowing in his dark pupils. “You’ll regret it. If you pull me into this circle, I’ll only keep causing you trouble.”

Grace Bennett looked at him, stared for quite a while before speaking again, “I understand that you don’t want to debut. I have a plan B.”

William Carter raised his eyebrows. Since he was bored anyway, he might as well listen. “Go ahead.”

“There’s a reality show recently that needs ordinary people to participate.” Grace Bennett took a proposal out of her bag and handed it to William Carter. “I’m also involved in producing this reality show, and I want to invite you to join.”

“Invite me?” William Carter opened the proposal, saw a few words, and finally understood. “So you’re actually planning for James Turner. This is your real plan A, isn’t it?”

“You really are the smartest person I’ve ever met.” Grace Bennett made no attempt to hide her true motive. “I guessed you wouldn’t agree to debut. I knew I’d be rejected, just wanted to give it a try. You should know, I’m a shareholder in the agency where 自珩 is, and there’s an even deeper relationship than that, which I can’t talk about right now. 自珩 is the artist our company is currently promoting the most. His acting skills and qualities are excellent, but as you know, child stars usually have a common problem: they lack die-hard fans. His national popularity has always been high, but nowadays, this industry is no longer about trading resources for popularity.”

“You need traffic.” William Carter broke the layer of milk foam on top with his coffee spoon.

“Exactly.” Grace Bennett tapped her fingers on the table. “With 自珩’s acting and looks, if he also had traffic, he’d become a true phenomenon. That’s what I want.”

William Carter understood her goal, but found it amusing. “So you think I can bring him traffic?”

“Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come to you. You have to know, traffic comes from buzz. To put it bluntly, the fastest way is to hype up a CP.”

“Hyping up a CP can make you popular, but I find it strange. James Turner already has quite a few CPs, many of them with popular young idols. Why would you come to me, an ordinary person?”

Although William Carter asked this, he knew very well that the uneven distribution of benefits from celebrity pairings often led to bigger problems. Someone like him, with no fan base or agency backing, was more suitable for this kind of cooperation.

“Right now, you come with your own buzz. You’re the most talked-about ordinary person at the moment. Just look at the trending searches these past few days to see the potential of your face.” Grace Bennett flattered him smoothly. “The original plan for this reality show was an escape room format, but I vetoed it because it lacked buzz. There have been similar shows before, but they all flopped. Sometimes, audiences just want to see something truly interesting.”

“For example?” William Carter propped his chin on his hand, smiling lazily.

“For example, a celebrity and their fan trapped in the same escape room, trying every way to get out.” Grace Bennett propped her chin on her hand and smiled at William Carter. “If that fan is also a handsome guy, I bet those young girls will be even more interested.”

So that’s how it is.

“So yesterday’s trending topic on Weibo, that was you, right?” With a clang, the coffee spoon he’d been holding fell against the cup. William Carter withdrew his fingers.

Grace Bennett, exposed, didn’t mind at all and replied calmly, “I just fanned the flames a bit after you started trending. But I want to clarify, the initial video being released was an accident. I actually guessed you’d get noticed when I met you, but I didn’t expect it to be this dramatic.”

So you just decided to make use of it? What a terrifying occupational habit.

I wonder what the beneficiary would think if they knew.

Speaking of the beneficiary... James Turner’s extremely disgusted expression floated into his mind again.

William Carter suddenly sat up with interest, propping his chin and smiling at her. “Your proposal is actually quite interesting, but you probably don’t know—my idol now ab-so-lute-ly hates me.”

He deliberately dragged out the word “absolutely,” then squinted and smiled, looking rather proud.

Grace Bennett didn’t quite understand. “You’ve met in private? Why would he hate you? He’s always nice to his fans.”

“Mm... we accidentally ran into each other in private. How should I put it...” The situation was too awkward, and William Carter couldn’t think of a suitable explanation for a moment, so he gave up. “Anyway, that’s what happened. I bet you, if he knows it’s me, he definitely won’t agree to be on this show.”

Grace Bennett was silent for a while. “What if I convince him? Will you come?”

William Carter, who had been staring at the paint on his fingertips, looked up, a gleam of delight in his eyes. “Sure.” His tone was light and cheerful, making Grace Bennett curious—he agreed so readily.

“Really?” Grace Bennett looked at him suspiciously. “You agreed so quickly, it actually makes me a little suspicious.”