Chapter 1

The A-list actor suddenly announced his secret marriage and a child.

Twitter exploded.

And my world went green with envy.

Secretly married to Liam Blackwood for three years, how could I not know if we had a child?

Consumed by fury, I immediately signed up for a dating reality show, seeking my second chance at love.

But to my utter shock, the very next second, #ActorBringsKidToDatingShow instantly became the top trending topic.

1

Twitter crashed.

#LiamBlackwoodUnlockedDadStatus

#LiamBlackwoodSecretMarriageChild

#AnotherKidInShowbiz

The trending topics exploded. Liam Blackwood's sudden announcement caught everyone off guard.

"What the hell?!"

"Ahhh, what's going on?! I thought it was a Photoshopped image, but it's real! My hands are shaking, help!"

"Unbelievable."

Netizens were buzzing, mostly with well wishes. After all, Liam Blackwood had maintained a low profile with no scandals since his debut, never cultivating a single status persona.

Just as everyone was forwarding their blessings and digging for information about the wife…

Little did they know, the wife herself had been staring at his official tweet for five full minutes.

For a moment, I even wondered if I was dreaming.

The wife was me, yet it also felt like it wasn’t.

Secret marriage?

That part was true.

But a child???

As Liam Blackwood’s legal wife of three years, how could I not know if we had a child?

It felt like I’d been cheated on.

Not sure, let me check again.

Given his past behavior, what if his "son" referred to a cat or a dog?

But fate, it seemed, was thoroughly displeased with me for making excuses for a man. The hashtag #LiamBlackwood’sSon’sFacePhoto quickly shot up to the third spot on the trending list, right before my eyes.

Seeing the child's photo, I really couldn't deceive myself anymore.

He and Liam Blackwood’s faces were practically carved from the same mold.

And judging by his height, the child was probably around four years old.

So, Liam Blackwood had cheated on me before we even got married?!

I pursed my lips, wanting to cry.

But a woman doesn't shed tears lightly; why cry for a jerk?

I looked up, blinked hard, and blocked all contact methods for that scumbag.

After a moment of silence, I still couldn’t calm down.

I unblocked Liam Blackwood, then dialed his number.

He picked up instantly.

I started with a cold laugh, then launched into a machine-gun tirade, rapid-firing insults.

"You scumbag! You had a child and still lied to me."

"You look like a decent human being, but I never saw your true rotten nature! You really can't judge a book by its cover!"

"Divorce! The assets are mine, you leave with nothing!"

"Yolanda, let me expl—"

"Get lost!"

Without giving the jerk time to react, I slammed the phone down and blocked him again.

Explain?

More like make excuses!

Just as I was consumed with rage, another call came in.

"Miss Dawson, hello. I'm a staff member from the 'Finding My Spark' show. You declined us once before, but we'd like to try again. Would you reconsider?"

Finding My Spark?

I remembered it.

It was a dating show where six single contestants would live together in a villa for a month.

I had declined before because I was married.

But now…

Heh, I was going to find my second spring.

2

I tossed the signed divorce papers aside and packed my bags that very night.

The dating show was live-streamed, starting at 7 AM and ending at 9 PM. Before the show began, all electronic devices were confiscated. The excuse was to prevent being disturbed by online information and to encourage us to show our true selves.

The first season of the show had been a huge success, so when this season's live stream started, a massive audience poured in.

"Here we are, here we are~"

"Hoo-hoo-hoo, new couples to ship!"

I was the last to arrive. After entering the villa, I greeted the other contestants first.

"Hello everyone, my name is Yolanda Dawson, and I'm a writer."

"Wow wow wow, a beauty! So pretty!"

"Ahhh, it's Yolanda! She's on a dating show too!"

"Who's Yolanda? Am I out of the loop?"

"To the person above, Yolanda is a best-selling author! 'Addiction,' which was a massive hit online, was written by her. Super impressive!"

"I know that one! So it's her!"

As the comments scrolled, the viewers seemed to notice something.

"Why does it look like there's another guest outside?"

"Holy cow! It's Liam Blackwood!"

The newcomer was tall and slender, with handsome features. His cool, pale skin contrasted sharply with his all-black attire, creating an unmentionable allure. What was even more jaw-dropping was that he was holding a child's hand?!

"Hello everyone, I'm Liam Blackwood, a contestant."

This time, not only the comments section but the entire internet exploded.

#ActorBringsKidToDatingShow immediately topped the trending list.

"Ahhhhh, it's really Liam Blackwood! He's on a dating show?!"

"Liam Blackwood is married with a kid, why is he on a dating show? Isn't this cheating?!"

Facing the online debate, Liam Blackwood's studio quickly responded:

"Mrs. Blackwood, due to some misunderstanding, impulsively joined this dating show. Mr. Blackwood is simply here to pursue his wife. Everyone, please don't worry."

"My whole family is shocked; you can play it like this?!"

"Hahaha, Mrs. Blackwood is amazing!"

"First time seeing something like this, interesting, rushing to watch the live stream."

"There are three girls on the dating show, who is Liam Blackwood's wife?"

Regardless of the uproar online, we, who were filming the show, knew nothing.

The moment I saw Liam Blackwood, I froze.

I knew he was bold.

But I never imagined he’d come directly to the dating show, and with a kid, no less?

When I snapped back to reality, I casually lifted my gaze, only to find Liam Blackwood looking at me with an unreadable expression.

I involuntarily swallowed, discreetly shifting my gaze, then suddenly met the eyes of the child next to him.

The child's eyes lit up, looking eager, and at the same time, a premonition of dread washed over me.

My inner self screamed, Don't come over here!

But often, what you fear most comes true.

Next, the child flashed a big smile at me, pattered over to me, and in a loud voice declared:

"Mommy!"

3

Time instantly froze; the entire world fell silent. My mind was a blank.

Suddenly, one of the guests’ water glasses slipped from their hand, clattering to the floor with a "thud."

Instantly, the room erupted.

"!!!"

"Is it Yolanda?! Is it?! Is it?!"

"Ahhh, it is! You can tell from the same frame that the kid looks a lot like Yolanda!"

All eyes were on me.

Under everyone’s gaze, I forced a smile, crouched down to be at eye level with the child, and was just about to speak.

His eyes darted around, then he said, "Daddy said that the person I like best here is my mommy, and I like you best here."

"Oh, and my name is Sam!"

Then he paused, his face turning slightly red, shyly glanced at me, and continued, "You can call me 'sweetheart' too."

My face stiffened.

Although the child was adorable, the comments section was going wild.

"Ahhh, is Yolanda the wife or not??"

"I don't know, they seem kind of unfamiliar."

"Yolanda = favorite person = mommy = YES!"

Ultimately, Sam's pleading gaze softened my heart, and I couldn't resist pinching his cheek.

After all, children are innocent.

I gently smiled, and as I uttered the first syllable of "sweetheart," I was pulled to my feet.

Seeing it was Liam Blackwood, I immediately pulled my hand away, stepping back to put some distance between us.

His hand hung in mid-air, his eyes dim.

Now he was trying to act all affectionate?

I carelessly shifted my gaze and noticed Sam glaring angrily at him.

Oh, Liam Blackwood wasn’t even favored by his own son.

"The staff said it's getting late and asked us to sit down and talk." The man looked at me.

"Alright."

With that, I pulled my luggage and walked towards the living room. I made no move to wait for them.

This scene made the comments section fall into deep thought.

"...Did my memory fail me? I didn't see any staff here."

"I didn't either! Liam Blackwood is so sneaky, interrupting Yolanda because he doesn't want her to call his son 'sweetheart'?"

"The studio said the wife came to the dating show because she was angry. Yolanda seems to dislike Liam Blackwood, so I think she's the wife!"

"Don't be so sure, maybe she's just trying to avoid suspicion?"

I found a small sofa and sat down. Liam Blackwood followed and sat next to me.

I rolled my eyes internally. So many seats, and he had to squeeze in with me.

I pressed my eye sockets, telling myself to endure it.

I absolutely couldn’t expose my relationship with Liam Blackwood; we were getting divorced anyway.

Once everyone was seated, the director began to read the show's schedule.

"Rooms have been assigned. Please unpack your things and then gather here again."

My room was on the second floor; I had to carry my luggage up the stairs.

As soon as I pushed my suitcase to the bottom of the stairs, Liam Blackwood picked it up.

He was smiling at me, "I'll help you."

I didn't refuse, simply offering a polite "Thank you."

His smile froze, his pupils trembled slightly, looking as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

I raised an eyebrow, having already expected this reaction.

After all, I had never been so polite to him before.

4

By the time I finished unpacking, it was almost evening.

On the first day of the show, the production team was generous, providing plenty of ingredients. We just had to cook ourselves.

Everyone divided tasks: those who could cook, cooked; those who couldn't, helped out or washed dishes after dinner.

I couldn't cook, but I used to help Liam Blackwood often, so I had some experience.

In the end, two people were chosen to cook: Liam Blackwood and a female contestant.

Two people were chosen to help: me and another male contestant.

I originally wanted to help the female contestant, planning to stay away from Liam Blackwood.

But the director, who had disappeared, suddenly reappeared.

He forcibly mandated that teams had to be one male and one female.

I had no choice but to go to the area Liam Blackwood was responsible for.

He worked very efficiently, and it seemed like there was nothing for me to do to help him.

I just stood there, staring at his back.

"Yolanda, grab a spoon."

"Okay."

I instinctively responded, handing the spoon to Liam Blackwood.

Then I went back to staring at his back.

The comments section couldn't keep quiet.

"Ahhh, Yolanda! He called her Yolanda!"

"The key is how naturally Yolanda responded!"

"Their movements are so practiced! If they're not a couple, I'll wash my hair standing on my head!"

After what felt like ages, dinner was finally ready.

I was already starving, my stomach rumbling, and eagerly rushed to serve the dishes.

"Ouch!"

My hand pricked on something, and it started to bleed.

Hearing the sound, Liam Blackwood quickly came over to me.

"What's wrong?"

Before I could speak, he spotted the bead of blood and grabbed my finger.

He was going to…

My pupils contracted, and I quickly pulled my hand away, popping my finger into my mouth first.

I mumbled, "I'm fine."

Then I ran off.

"Ahhh, screaming chicken emoji."

"Ahhh, ahhh, he wanted to suck it! Why didn't she let him suck it!"

"Ahhh, ahhh, don't mind me! I'm writhing like a maggot in bed!"

During dinner, Liam Blackwood still sat next to me.

Although everyone was still getting to know each other, the conversation flowed, and it wasn’t too awkward.

Tonight's meal mostly suited my taste, and I was happily devouring it with my head down.

Suddenly, a peeled shrimp appeared in my bowl as if from the heavens.

The people at the table fell silent for a moment.

I decided to retract my previous statement about the atmosphere not being awkward.

After a moment of silence, I finally looked up, narrowing my eyes at the culprit, my tone slightly gritted.

"Thank you, Mr. Blackwood."

"You're welcome, it's nothing."

The man curved his eyes, a faint smile on his lips.

The space seemed to grow even quieter.

What exactly did he want?

I chuckled, forcing a smile, and then piled several handfuls of cilantro onto his plate.

"A return gift, eat up."

According to research, about 15% of the global population dislikes cilantro.

Liam Blackwood was one of them.

Not just cilantro, but also celery, carrots… even inconspicuous ginger slices.

I piled them all onto his plate.

"Hahaha, look at Liam Blackwood's expression! I'm dying of laughter."

"It seems Mrs. Blackwood is really angry; she's giving him all the things my brother hates to eat."

"But he ate it all, I'm melting, ugh!"

"Liam Blackwood, when are you going to make up with Yolanda? I'm so anxious!"