The Stand-in of the Movie Emperor's First Love

The filming wrapped up in just two weeks, and during his downtime, Silas received an invitation to join an escape room reality show.

To my surprise, my name was on the invite as well.

I wasn’t part of the industry and didn’t have any filming commitments, so the sudden invite caught me off guard.

But then it clicked. I realized it made sense.

Shows like these needed someone who wasn’t a big name but could still stir up buzz and conversation.

As Silas’s stand-in for his first love, I was the perfect candidate.

“Do you want to go?” Silas asked, noticing my hesitation. “If you’re not into it, I can turn it down for you.”

“No, no, I’ll go!” I replied quickly.

Silas was always so considerate of my feelings. If I showed even a hint of reluctance, he’d have definitely turned it down without a second thought.

Honestly, I’d thought that if Silas and I ended up together, he’d be the perfect boyfriend. top-notch in every way.

But I wasn’t about to miss any chance to boost my standing with him.

After all, the allure of a billion dollars was hard to resist.

Besides, I was pretty fearless when it came to escape rooms.

Who knew, maybe the show would set up a hero-damsel scenario, and if Silas’s heart was moved, my system might just get fixed.

I was actually looking forward to the show.

Before seeing the other guests: I was ready to shine.

After seeing the guest list: I was ready to bury myself.

What I didn’t see coming was that the two women who’d been the center of heated online debates over Silas were also on the guest list.

One was Bella Kelly, a rising star who shared the same agency as Silas. She had a habit of posting pictures with him at various events, always just enough to fuel the endless speculation online.

The other was Kayla Heath, an actress who had recently finished filming a drama with Silas. Despite not promoting much together or pushing any romantic angles, their fans had taken it upon themselves to ship them, creating all sorts of rumors.

Both Bella and Kayla had fiercely loyal fan bases constantly at war, fighting over who deserved to be Silas’s leading lady.

I was honestly a bit shocked.

The producers clearly knew what they were doing.

This wasn’t just an escape room show anymore. With two rumored love interests, me, the stand-in for his first love, and Silas himself, it felt more like we were setting up for some reality TV showdown. I could practically name the episode: Escape Room: Battlefield.

The tension, the drama, the chaotic energy, this show was guaranteed to be a hit.

And, of course, as soon as the guest list was made public, the hashtag [Escape Room Show Guests] shot straight to the top of the trending list.

Seeing our four names lined up together, netizens went into a frenzy, sensing the drama about to unfold.

One comment in particular stood out.

[They really picked these three women with a common thread. They’re all Silas’s backup options, the E choice, the Plan B, the extras.]

That one hit me right in the pride.

I couldn’t help but think to myself.

You better sleep with one eye open tonight, internet trolls.