“Wanna sleep with you,” Jason's voice was low and sultry. His fingers tangled in her hair, his lips carrying the heat of desire, the kind of intimacy that only emerged in private moments.

Lately, Jason's yearning for children had intensified, and his frequent demands were overwhelming her body. She had a premonition that if she didn’t get pregnant in the next six months, Jason might just wear her out in bed.

Before she could think of a gentle way to refuse, warmth suddenly surged from her lower body!

It really saved her in a pinch!

“I got my period,” she pushed Jason away from above her.

His brow arched slightly as he lifted her skirt. Just one glance, and all of his thoughts vanished in an instant.

Evelyn hurried to the bathroom, faintly hearing Jason mutter, “How could you not get pregnant?”

When she returned to the living room, Jason was coming out of the study with a thick folder in his hand and his coat draped over his arm, looking like he was preparing to head back to the office.

The disappointment in Jason's eyes was unmistakable. Just before he left, he said, “Next week, I’ll take you to see an old Chinese doctor to prescribe some herbal medicine to help with fertility.”

“Your mother sent me a lot of herbs for pregnancy a few days ago.”

Grace’s “pregnancy herbs” were a persistent thorn in her heart, and hearing Jason mention them made her want to push back.

“You're not even pregnant; you wouldn’t be foolish enough to drink those herbs, would you?” Jason halted at the door.

“Of course not.” As she thought, she couldn’t help but taunt him, “Your mother doesn’t like me; hearing I’m pregnant, she buys me herbs for pregnancy. How kind of her.”

“Remember, no matter what she gives you in the future, don’t touch it.” With that, Jason left without looking back.

Grace’s “pregnancy herbs” felt like a choking straw lodged in Evelyn’s throat—she couldn’t swallow, couldn’t spit it out, yet it constantly pricked her heart.

At five-thirty in the afternoon, Riverton City TV officially announced that the host's first revival match had concluded, with Jenny and five other eliminated contestants successfully advancing.

The news struck Evelyn as incredibly ironic. Under the spotlight, a girl who couldn’t even pass a basic evaluation could miraculously “survive” thanks to her overwhelming financial backing—how ridiculous!

To distract herself from her emotions, Evelyn dialed William’s number to continue arranging the interview.

Perhaps her persistent attempts were finally paying off; this time, William didn’t refuse, saying he would consider it seriously and would give her a satisfactory answer next week.

Hearing this, her heart soared. She quickly replied, “Mr. Leighton, you mentioned a satisfactory answer, and I’ve noted it down verbatim. You can’t back out.”

“Miss Joy’s sincerity has moved me. Unless something unexpected happens, the interview is practically set, but the content must be decided by SinoContinental’s PR department.”

William’s voice was warm and inviting. “I won’t beat around the bush anymore; next Monday, my secretary will send the proposed interview content to your production team.”

“Thank you, Mr. Leighton, for this hard-won opportunity for an interview,” Evelyn sincerely expressed, her hand pressed to her heart.

“The goal of this interview is a win-win, so Miss Joy shouldn’t feel any burden,” William smoothly changed the subject. “I look forward to your performance tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll do my best.” She wanted to ask William why he specifically chose her to host, but after some thought, she refrained.

William was so easygoing and unpretentious; she feared being too direct might lead to unnecessary ambiguity in their otherwise simple and pure friendship.

Sometimes, it felt good to be a bit muddled in life.

When she realized their conversation had hit a lull, she quickly said, “I’ll share the good news about Mr. Leighton agreeing to the interview in the work group shortly; everyone will definitely admire me to no end. I know Mr. Leighton is busy, so I won’t keep you—”

Before she could finish with “goodbye,” William interrupted, “No matter how busy people are, they still need time to rest. Miss Joy, are you free for dinner tonight?”

Evelyn was momentarily speechless at William's question. He had just agreed to the interview, and if she refused, it would seem heartless. However, going out to dinner with William would require her to keep it a secret from Jason.

Jason had a strong possessiveness; he could freely flirt and joke around with anyone but would snark at her if he saw her chatting with another man. If he found out she was having dinner alone with William, she knew he wouldn't make her life easy.

“If it’s too inconvenient, we can skip it. We can arrange something later,” William said, sensing her hesitation.

She tactfully replied, “I still have some loose ends to wrap up. Mr. Leighton, could you please wait half an hour?”

“No problem. What do you want to eat? I’ll book a table and pick you up from the TV station,” William's excitement was palpable through the screen.

“Book the restaurant according to Mr. Leighton’s preferences. Once the reservation is made, send me the details, and I’ll take a taxi there,” she gently declined. “It’s really hard to get you on the program, so I must treat you to this meal as a token of gratitude.”

“Do you have any dietary restrictions? Once the reservation is set, I’ll wait for you at the restaurant.”

Unbeknownst to Evelyn, William had shifted from calling her “Miss Joy” to “you.”

“Since I need to protect my voice, I usually avoid spicy and greasy foods,” she mentioned.

“I’ll remember that. I’ll contact you later,” William seemed genuinely thrilled.

Evelyn ended the call first, eager to share the good news about securing William’s interview in the WhatsApp work group. However, before she could, Director Logan sent a message that tagged all employees:

“In light of the afternoon revival match results being maliciously attacked by online users, all TV station employees are required to align with the leadership's direction. No one is allowed to make any statements that are detrimental to the station. Violators will face immediate termination.”

Evelyn read the message, feeling bewildered, and scrolled through the group to find more context, but nothing was clear.

After opening DY, she learned that Jenny and the other five contestants had been “saved” during the revival match, which had angered many online users!

Among the six, Jenny had the weakest professional skills and was the most heavily criticized. Many questioned whether she had bought her way into the competition, suggesting a dark side to the hosting competition. Even Nessa, who announced Jenny's advancement, was facing online backlash as her past endorsements of dubious properties came to light.

The revival match was live-streamed and had racked up over five million views in just one hour. The streaming had to be stopped as the online insults escalated. However, some netizens had already clipped and edited Jenny's “highlight moment” and Nessa’s “sycophantic” commentary into short videos, which garnered far more views and comments than the revival match itself.

Others had edited Evelyn’s critiques of Jenny, portraying her as fair and just compared to the profit-driven Nessa. Within three hours after the revival match ended, allegations of corruption began trending at the top of Riverton’s hot searches.

The initial online outrage was directed at the revival match, but it quickly spread to the hosting competition and eventually targeted the entire Riverton City TV station. Under several videos related to Jenny, people were claiming they had reported the station's leadership and the judges involved in the revival match for bribery.

Someone even dug up Nessa’s past as a mistress of a real estate mogul, detailing the incident where her original partner confronted her and caused her face to be injured. The online outrage continued to escalate.

Evelyn felt her heart race as she read through the chaos, secretly relieved she hadn't gotten involved; otherwise, she would have been a target too! She never imagined that a single revival match would lead to such a whirlwind of controversy.