Glancing at Yuna Sutton sitting off to the side, Paige Parrish smirked with ill intent. "Yuna," she said deliberately, "Lily Sterling is so popular now. Looks to me like she’s got a bigger crowd here than you do."
Yuna Sutton, sipping from a cup of hot tea, offered a faint smile. "Lily Sterling is that talented. Isn’t it perfectly normal for so many people to admire her?"
"You might not know since you’ve never worked with her, but many industry veterans have praised her in interviews. She’s just that good."
Paige Parrish was taken aback. She’d expected to provoke Yuna Sutton into showing some resentment toward Lily Sterling, but she hadn’t anticipated her being so unbothered.
The energy at the event was electric. Each time Lily Sterling answered a question from the host, the fans below erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.
The brand representatives loved this kind of enthusiastic fan base. The event planner spoke to the host through a walkie-talkie, "Ask Lily Sterling a few more questions. Have her drive the livestream engagement higher. Our total online viewership has already surpassed projections."
After receiving the message, the host pulled out a few backup cue cards. "Lily," he asked, "if you don’t mind my asking, who is your idol? Or, to put it another way, who is the person you admire most?"
Lily slowly raised the microphone to her lips. After a moment’s hesitation, she answered, "My mother."
"Oh? Could you elaborate on why that is?"
Lily pursed her lips, then began to speak slowly. "There are three children in my family. I have an older sister and a younger brother. We grew up without a father; my mother and my aunt raised us."
"My sister is a top student who was specially recruited by Lorcain Tech. My brother was specially recruited into The Luminar Class at Lorcain U, and I was accepted into The Film Academy. Our mother raised and educated all of us so well. I know how incredibly difficult that must have been for a woman on her own, so she will always be the most magnificent person in my heart."
The host nodded, visibly moved. "I see. Your mother is truly incredible."
The fans in the crowd began shouting words of encouragement to Lily, and the atmosphere turned inspirational and heartwarming.
Yet, in the sea of people below the stage, no one noticed two figures bundled in heavy clothing and hats, who remained unnervingly silent.
They wore face masks, and their gazes, fixed on Lily Sterling, were filled with a complex mix of emotions. From the moment Lily had walked on stage, one of them had been unable to suppress a slight tremble.
He was overwhelmed with emotion.
But after Lily finished answering the question and speaking those words, the man could no longer contain himself. He abruptly tore off his hat and yelled, "Lily, you do have a father! Dad’s right here!"
The shout was deep and powerful, as if he’d used every ounce of his strength, and it rang out during a moment of relative silence in the venue.
Everyone—the audience below, the host, and Lily on stage—heard it clearly.
Countless pairs of eyes snapped toward the source of the shout. They saw a thin, small-statured, middle-aged man, excitedly waving his hat at Lily on the stage.
He wore a cheap, padded jacket, and his gloves looked like a style sold at a street market. He was clearly just an average man.
A murmur quickly spread through the crowd.
"Is that guy nuts?"
"Seriously. Lily just said she doesn’t have a father."
"Probably some creepy shut-in fan. I’ve heard of ’mom fans,’ but I guess this is my first time seeing a ’dad fan.’ Why does ’dad fan’ sound so disgusting?!"
Lily snapped out of her daze and gave a helpless smile. She figured it was just an overzealous fan, that she was being pranked.
"Lily, do you know this man?" the host asked immediately, unwilling to let such a dramatic moment slip by.
Lily shook her head and answered truthfully, "I don’t know him."
"Lily, I really am your dad! And your sister... your sister is here, too!"
The man yelled, his voice thick with emotion, and yanked the person beside him forward. "Tanya, hurry! Take off your mask and hat! Let your sister see you."
The other person hesitated for a second before slowly raising her hands. Under the confused stares of the entire audience, she removed her mask and hat.
In the next instant, a collective gasp swept through the venue. Everyone’s eyes widened with undisguised shock.
Because the young woman who had removed her hat and mask—aside from having a different build and aura—had facial features that were nearly identical to Lily Sterling’s!
On stage, Lily stood frozen, microphone clutched in her hand.
’She looks just like me... It’s uncanny!’
"She’s your sister! You’re twins, Lily! I’m your father! Your biological father!" the man continued to shout desperately, trying to push his way toward the stage as he explained.
Just then, in the midst of her shock, Lily suddenly remembered Yuna’s advice: no matter what happens, always keep a smile on your face when you’re on stage.
Her lips curved into a smile. She gave the host a helpless look and shook her head. "She does look a lot like me, but I truly don’t know either of them."
The brand sponsors weren’t about to let an incident like this derail their event. Security guards appeared swiftly and intercepted the two.
The host, a seasoned professional, immediately took control of the situation. He announced that Lily would be taking a short break backstage before returning for the final group photo.
Yuna had been waiting backstage the whole time. She was the only one from Lily’s team on-site today, and the whole incident had scared her witless.
’What in the world is going on?’
"Lily, are you okay?" Yuna rushed forward to steady her, her voice full of concern.
Lily had indeed been given a fright. Her heart began to race the moment she stepped offstage, but she still shook her head, insisting she was fine.
"Those two people..." Yuna began, then trailed off.
But Lily said with absolute certainty, "I really don’t know them. I’ve never seen them before. You’ve been to my home, you’ve met my sister."
Yuna nodded. "Don’t worry. They’re probably just trying to cause a scene because that girl looks like you. It’s not the first time something like this has happened. I’ve already reported it to Connie."
Lily felt deeply unsettled, a profound unease taking root in her heart. She couldn’t get the image of that identical face out of her mind.
’It’s too much of a resemblance. Way too much.’
Back in the waiting area, all eyes turned to Lily the moment she returned, each gaze filled with a strange curiosity.
Paige Parrish walked up to her, her voice dripping with false concern. "Lily, were those people really your dad and sister? Didn’t you just say on stage that you didn’t have a father?"
"I don’t know them," Lily said, sticking to her story, because it was the truth.
But no one else seemed to believe her. ’To look that identical and claim they’re unrelated? Only a fool would buy that.’
Hearing this, Paige Parrish laughed, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "You don’t know them? Don’t tell me your agency hired them to stir up some publicity for you. It can’t be easy to find a look-alike that convincing. Pretty impressive, actually!"
"Our Lily would never stoop to using tricks like that for publicity!" Yuna retorted angrily.