On the way, he got a call from Yvonne.


    Yvonne: "Are you at the base?"


    Bet: "No. I just came from the hospital. Ynda was in a car ident."


    Yvonne: "Is it serious?"


    Bet: "A broken rib."


    Perhaps because of their past experiences, neither Yvonne nor Bet considered


    a broken rib a major injury. They exchanged a few more sweet nothings before hanging up.


    Bet''s car arrived back at the base.


    He was currently staying in a private dorm on base. He had just walked in and taken off his shirt to shower when there was a knock on the door.


    Since it was an all-male base, Bet didn''t bother putting a shirt back on and went straight to the door.


    "Just saw your car pull up downstairs, so I knew you were back." The man at the door was Andrew Lee, themissar of Bet''s regiment. He was a lean, dark- skinned man in his early forties who exuded an air of sharppetence.


    "Just got back. What''s up?" Bet asked.


    Andrew went over the work schedule for the next day. Bet listened attentively, nodded when he was done, and then offered his own thoughts.


    After they finished with business, Andrew didn''t leave right away. Instead, he just stood there, grinning at Bet.


    "What are you looking at? Is there something on my face?" Bet said as he opened his closet and pulled out a clean olive-drab T-shirt and pants.


    "Not on your face, but there''s something on your neck," Andrew said with augh, pointing. He teased, "Well, well, look at this. The great Mr. Bet Thompson finally got some action."


    "If you''ve got nothing better to do, go get some sleep. Don''t be thest one to show


    up for training again tomorrow morning," Bet retorted, not bothering to engage.


    He took his clean clothes and disappeared into the bathroom.


    ...


    The next day, Yvonne had more filming to do. Sandra hired a professional acting coach for her, so she could study and handle the show''s filming at the same time, earning her pay with ease,


    After post-production editing, the episode went live a weekter.


    Thanks to Thomas'' appearance, the show gained another wave of buzz and attention.


    Naturally, the segment featuring Yvonne and Thomas had the highest ratings.


    "Her and Thomas cooking in the kitchen, they worked so well together. They look like a perfect match!"


    "Watching Award-Winning Actor Thomas eat across from her felt so peaceful and serene."


    "No shipping, please. My man looks best on his own."


    "This B-lister needs to stop leeching off his fame."


    "To the person above, get your facts straight. The show invited Thomas. Stop trying to pin this on her."


    Online, the two fanbases had a small skirmish, and a group of "shippers" emerged, but neither Thomas'' nor Yvonne''s teams made any officialment.


    Aside from Yvonne gaining another surge in poprity, the other actresses'' performances on the show were unremarkable.


    Ynda, on the other hand, had managed to invite a highly respected veteran artist


    as her guest and also showcased her formidable piano skills on the show.


    It had to be admitted that Ynda was quite captivating when she yed the piano, and she won over a number of fans However, some viewers felt she came across as fake, always appearing with wless makeup and dressed in various haute couture gowns.


    It was supposed to be a lifestyle show, observing the daily lives of female


    celebrities. Who wears a full face of makeup and evening gowns when they''re not working?


    However, Ynda''s team was


    skilled at managing online discourse, cultivating an image of her as a noble and aloof goddess. The negativements were quickly drowned out.


    As filming for the show drew to a close, a new year began.