Raising My Baby by Chasing Clout in the Entertainment Industry

3

By the time I finished washing up for the night, I already had ninety-nine unread messages on my phone.

It turned out Aiden Vaughn really did add me on WeChat just for work. He'd created a group chat, and it was already buzzing with activity. I was late to the party, so everyone had pretty much already formed their teams.

My teammate was none other than the popular singer Ethan Ward. I breathed a sigh of relief. Remembering my goal of generating buzz, I silently clenched my fists.

'Chloe Keane! Get to work! Earn that formula money for Ryan!'

The next day, when I walked into the living room wearing the same streetwear brand as Ethan Ward, everyone froze for a moment, their expressions a mix of emotions as they stared at me.

'I know what they're thinking. My reputation for being a clout-chaser is widespread; they must hold me in utter contempt.'

'But I don't really care. It's all for work, after all.'

Over the next few days, I dutifully played the role of Ryan's mom alongside Ethan Ward as his dad. We'd even "accidentally" wear matching outfits and have some moments of close interaction.

As the seven-day team-up period was about to end, I thought with great satisfaction, 'This time, I should have successfully met my clout-chasing KPI.'

Because this parenting show aired while we were still filming, I even went online to check out the trending comments about me.

In reality, because of Aiden Vaughn and Jade Sinclair's participation, my name was basically nowhere to be seen in the live comments when the show premiered.

I had to scroll all the way to the bottom to find anything related to me, and it was nothing more than posts cataloging my past clout-chasing offenses or angry curses from Ethan Ward's fans.

'All in all, the effect was pretty good.'

So, the next day, I doubled down, continuing to shower Ethan Ward with attention in front of the cameras.

I ignored his deliberate attempts to avoid me and still gave him a sweet smile. But the moment I turned my head and saw Aiden Vaughn standing behind me, my expression couldn't help but fall.

"Mr. Vaughn, you're back so early?" Ethan Ward greeted Aiden Vaughn as if he'd just been granted amnesty.

He gave the two of us a cold look and snorted.

I guiltily lowered my eyes, then cursed myself internally for being so pathetic. 'It's been so many years since we broke up, why do I feel like I was just caught cheating?'

Just then, a gentle, sweet female voice came from the doorway. "Aiden, don't walk so fast. Your keys are still in my bag."

Jade Sinclair walked in, holding her younger brother Ian Sinclair's hand, and ran right into us. Her face flushed, and she greeted us a bit awkwardly.

"Aiden, your keys." She handed them to Aiden Vaughn, a shy look on her face.

Aiden Vaughn was silent for a moment before taking the keys from her and giving her a nod.

'I rolled my eyes a thousand times over.'

'I thought this was a parenting show, not a dating show! If you want to be romantic, can't you just get the hell out!'

The complaints in my head were like a stampede of angry alpacas galloping through my mind. I had a feeling I wouldn't be able to leech off any of the buzz for this episode, either.

Sure enough, when this episode aired, the production team even deliberately featured the conversation between Aiden Vaughn and Jade Sinclair in the preview clip.

Countless fans commented below with things like, "I ship it!" and "They should get married on the spot!" But as for comments about me, there wasn't a single one.

I pouted, turned off the light, and went to sleep.

「A few days later.」

My team-up with Ethan Ward expired. Since every group needed a "dad," a "mom," and a "child," by a stroke of luck, I ended up paired with Aiden Vaughn.

Just when everyone assumed I would be shamelessly fawning all over Aiden Vaughn, I instead showed off some impressive serpentine moves on camera, dodging him at every turn.

"What's wrong with Chloe Keane? Why does she look so disgusted by Best Actor Vaughn? The nerve of her!"

"They look like mortal enemies. Not sure, though. I'll keep watching."

"Why do I kinda ship this, though? [Drooling]"

"To the person above: if you're sick, get help. And get some better taste while you're at it."

...

But no matter how the online discussions blew up, I ignored it all. I dutifully played the part of a single mother, treating Aiden Vaughn as if he were invisible.

Ryan, on the other hand, was unusually affectionate with Aiden Vaughn. He was always trying to cuddle up to him, and I couldn't pull him away no matter what I did.

"Uncle Vaughn doesn't like kids. Watch out, or he might kick you," I warned him.

Ryan Vaughn gave me a look that said he thought I was an idiot. My attempt to trick him had failed completely.

But I never expected that after filming wrapped up one day, Aiden Vaughn would actually corner me in the hallway.