Chapter 2

Sally wasn't about to let me steal the spotlight. She grabbed a huge portion of spicy wings and stuffed it straight into her mouth.

My heart shot up into my throat.

I swallowed hard right along with her.

The next second, she ate the whole thing without even flinching.

"It's definitely hotter than last time, but it's still manageable. Guess the owner held back a little. Come on, let's get the gifts rolling. I'll have them crank up the heat!"

I still remembered when I first met her. She used to say she was allergic to spicy food. Even a little too much heat would make her face flush bright red.

But now? Not a hint of color. It was like she hadn't eaten anything spicy at all.

A bad feeling twisted in my chest.

The chat suddenly exploded.

[Look at that girl. Her whole face is red. She's burning up.]

[Burning or just desperate for attention? This is so gross. Sally's way better.]

On screen, I saw myself. I was flushed red from head to toe.

Breakouts spread across my face in seconds, and a sharp, uncontrollable pain stabbed into my stomach.

It felt like thousands of needles digging deep inside me. I doubled over, cold sweat soaking through my back.

I must've looked completely out of it, because I threw off the rhythm of Francis's stream.

His face darkened as he dragged me aside. "Do you have any idea what tonight is? We've got a deal with the sponsor. If the stream hits ten million viewers for thirty minutes, we get a hundred thousand dollar bonus!"

My whole body trembled from the pain. My nails dug into his arm. "Take me to the hospital. Now."

His gaze swept over me, cold and distant. There wasn't a trace of concern left, just annoyance.

"Kyla, if you keep pulling this jealous act, we're done."

Even as he said it, his eyes stayed fixed on Sally.

He mentioned breaking up as if it meant nothing.

I tried to explain, but another wave of pain crashed over me, worse than before. My vision went black, and I nearly passed out.

Then, something hit me. I turned to look at Sally.

While I had been talking to Francis, she had already finished an entire platter of spicy wings. Now, she was reaching for a second dish, slow-braised barbecue pork ribs, just piled high with an extra coating of spicy dry rub.

"Three carnival gifts, triple spice coming right up..."

I practically crawled over and grabbed her hand to stop her. "Sally, eating this much spice is bad for you. I'll treat you to something else, anything you want."

She looked torn. "Kyla, I already promised my viewers I'd finish all three dishes. Some big spenders just dropped a ton of gifts. I have to."

If I let her keep going, I would end up dead again, just like last time.

Then, I remembered something. I turned and asked the staff for three bottles of liquor.

"How about this?" I said. "You eat the spicy food, I'll drink instead."

She had a severe alcohol allergy. Even a sip could send her into shock.

There was no way she could stay calm seeing me hold those bottles.

However, she only glanced at me before turning back and continuing to eat.

My stomach was already in agony, but I forced myself to down a full glass of hard liquor.

Nothing happened to her. Not even a rash.

Maybe one glass wasn't enough. I grabbed the bottle and drank the whole thing.

Still nothing.

The pain in my stomach grew worse and worse until I couldn't take it anymore. I lunged forward and snatched her utensil away.

"Stop eating..." I begged.

But this time, Sally didn't play nice. She yanked it back, her tone turning sharp.

"Kyla, I know we're close, but this is my job. I hope you respect that. I'm not like you, with someone to support me. I have to work if I want to eat."

Just a few sentences, and she painted me as nothing more than a kept woman living off Francis.

The chat instantly turned on me, telling me to get out.

I tried to say something else, but Francis had already signaled his assistant to drag me away.

The moment we reached the corner, the pain in my stomach ripped through me like it was being torn apart.

My legs gave out, and I hit the floor hard.

Everything went black.

Somewhere far away, I thought I heard a voice message from Sally.

"Don't let her die. If she's gone, how am I supposed to stream? And make sure the visuals look good…"