Five years after our breakup, my ex-boyfriend's sister exposed me on a reality show. "My brother dated this girl once. A total gold digger." "After they broke up, she sent him hundreds of texts begging to get back together." "But, you know, I deleted all of them." Netizens immediately pinned the "gold digger" label on me, a washed-up actress. To grab headlines, the paparazzi dug me out from a pile of "dead bodies" on set. I wiped a smudge of ash from my face and smiled at the camera: "We really weren't close. Otherwise, would I be here playing a corpse?" The interview video blew up. Ethan Sterling flew back from overseas. That night, I saw him at my apartment door. "Not close? So for all those years, I was sleeping with a ghost?" 1 After the clip of Bella Sterling exposing me aired, it simmered overnight and hit the top trending spot. On screen, she smiled nonchalantly at the camera, dispensing justice and executing the gold digger. "Anyone with eyes could see she was after our family's money. My brother actually thought she was innocent." "You know, those girls who pretend to be innocent are actually the scariest. None of our friends in the circle liked her." "But my brother was like he was under a spell. He almost turned against the family for her." "My mom wanted to break them up forcefully back then. I advised her not to ruin her relationship with her son over a gold digger." "Later, I had to infiltrate from the inside and use some tricks to make that woman reveal her true colors." "I really saved my brother's life. For families like ours, marriage must be a match of equal status so both families can be satisfied." Bella entered the entertainment industry with the title of a wealthy heiress. Publicly, she was the daughter of Sterling Real Estate. Naturally, everyone assumed the "brother" she mentioned was the heir to Sterling Real Estate. But in reality, Sterling Real Estate was just a small asset of the Sterling family empire. But I digress. Playing a dead body means you can't check your phone. I only heard about what Bella said on the show from the paparazzo next to me. Somehow, connecting the dots of the past, the public's gaze turned to me, a has-been star. "Is it really not you?" The director yelled "Cut," and the paparazzo and I crawled up from the ground. He was dedicated. To dig up news, he snuck in to play a corpse with me. I dusted off my gray robe and grinned: "Really not me. If I could climb up to such a high-status young master, would I need to be here playing a dead body?" He spat out a blade of grass. "Stop pretending. I've been watching you since you debuted. I could never get a shot of your ex-boyfriend back then. Now with this scoop, doesn't it fit perfectly?" I ignored him, bending over to fish out a crumpled business card from my robe and jeans pocket. I stuffed it into his hand ingratiatingly: "Boss, remember to call me if you have work. Dead bodies, corpses, background filler—I can do it all. My professional ability is guaranteed." This paparazzo had been betting on me since my debut. In my peak years, he bought a condo in LA just by making up dirt on me. All these years, as I faded into obscurity, only this guy still had hope, always expecting me to make a grand comeback like a queen reclaiming her throne. He snatched the card, cursing. "I'm convinced, Chloe. If you were a stock, I'd have lost my underwear betting on you all these years." "Chloe, you were so glorious back then. How did you end up like this?" I sighed and rubbed my hands. "A hero doesn't mention past bravery. Rain, just throw some work my way in the future, and I'll be grateful." I looked at his back, craning my neck to shout again: "Rain! I can play anything! Just give me a role!" The autumn wind was cold. I looked away and wrapped my robe tighter. If he hadn't mentioned the past, I might have really forgotten. Glorious. I was very glorious once. 2 At eighteen, I was selected from an open casting call at the film academy. At nineteen, I exploded into stardom. The tabloids criticized me daily, but were somehow friendly. Vanity Fair was the most exaggerated, writing headlines praising me as the brightest star in the galaxy. I lived up to expectations, skyrocketing in popularity in a short time. In my brightest year, my face was on billboards from New York to LA. Bella always said I relied on her brother, aiming for their money. Others might not know, but Ethan knew best. I met him when I was nineteen. Back then, I had boundless prospects and was arrogant. He didn't know how to pursue someone, only how to throw money: "Be with me, and I'll invest in your movies." I threw the money back in his face, chin high: "I need you to invest? Directors are lining up to give me scripts." He smiled, not angry, and reached out to stop the people behind him who were pointing fingers at me. After that, he changed his approach, lowering his proud stance. He squeezed into buses with me to shoot in the mountains, huddled in rental apartments with me, cooked for me, made soup. I took it for granted, patting his shoulder, honored for him: "I'm a superstar! Others can't even dream of cooking for me!" "In the future, when I win the Oscar and I'm famous worldwide, you'll have face too. Tell me, in this sea of people, how did you pick a treasure like me?" Ethan ran his fingers through my long hair, unconditionally agreeing with all my nonsensical words. "That's why I say I have good taste. I knew you'd make it since you were little." Back then, I saw Ethan as no different from those other second-generation rich kids, except for a good-looking skin. He really liked me then. The patience cultivated from a privileged upbringing was all spent on me. I became famous early, young and aggressive, proud and arrogant, not knowing how to bow my head. No one restrained me, no one regulated me. I offended quite a few people along the way. At such a young age, I did whatever I wanted in that circle. Not because I was amazing, but because in those years, Ethan was always there to clean up the mess. In those years, if he dared to hand me a sword, I dared to unsheathe it. Female star marrying a tycoon—this pairing is never outdated in any era. At that time, I thought, I was somewhat of a star. If I married Ethan, I wouldn't say how much face he gained, but at least he wouldn't lose out. So I naively thought that between us, it was just a matter of my nodding. 3 But later, I saw the true difference between clouds and mud. Ethan's mother didn't like me. His friends looked down on me. With my strong self-esteem, I should have broken up with him. But I couldn't bear it. Couldn't bear to leave him, couldn't bear not to love him. I lowered my head, I endured, unwilling to retreat. Bella broke in at this time. She was Ethan's adopted sister. Her father was the Sterling family driver. When she was five, he died saving Ethan, so the Sterling family adopted her. Maybe it was gratitude, maybe it was childhood friendship. In short, Bella had a lot of say in that circle. The first time she saw me, she showed huge enthusiasm. "Brother, this is the sister-in-law you found for me? So pretty." She took my arm, pointing at the circle of people, giving orders: "I'm telling you all, be polite to my sister-in-law. With me here, no one can bully her." In my most confused moments, I treated her as an ally. Asking her about Ethan's mother's opinion of me, asking her how to please his mother. Bella comforted me: "Oh, don't worry, Aunt Lan is just sharp-tongued but soft-hearted. You and my brother just hold on. One day, get pregnant first and tell her later. Give her a grandson, and she'll be too happy to care." "At worst, just wait it out. When my brother gets older, she'll naturally compromise." Of course, I wasn't stupid enough to force a marriage with a child. But Bella's words gave me some confidence at the time. I thought Ethan's mother was like all mothers in the world, ultimately unable to win against her child. So when Bella told me Ethan's mother wanted to see me, I believed her. I did the most appropriate makeup, wore the most appropriate clothes, nervous and uneasy. That was the first time I met Ethan's mother face to face. At such a grand occasion where I clearly shouldn't have appeared, I intruded rudely without permission. In that moment, I saw thick disgust in Ethan's mother's eyes. I looked at Bella, hoping she would say something. She smiled and said ambiguously: "Aunt Lan, don't blame her. She just wanted to please you too much, so she inevitably lacked a sense of propriety." My pupils shrank, my whole body cold as ice. The incident was too big. Ethan flew back overnight. The moment he saw me, his eyes were tired: "Chloe, I told you I was making plans, I was thinking of a way. Why were you in such a hurry? Do you know what occasion that was? How many important figures attended? You barged in like that, what do you expect my mom to think of you?" I knew he was fighting with his family, working hard for us. In many sleepless nights, we hugged tightly, hearing him whisper to hold on a little longer. So I knew I was wrong. My eyes were red: "I'm sorry, I was too anxious. It was Bella, she told me to go..." The long confrontation with his family had worn out his patience: "Why blame her? Even if she wanted to help you build a bridge with my mom, you're an adult. Couldn't you read the room?" He didn't believe me, and also thought I was eager for quick success, desperate to climb the social ladder. 4 From then on, we began endless arguments and cold wars. Bella remained the same in front of people, pretending to consider everything for me, acting intimate with me. But behind my back, like everyone else, she despised me. Planning to separate from Ethan was because the messy relationship stagnated my career. On the eve of deciding to separate, Bella sent me a video. In the frame, Ethan sat on the living room sofa, familiar faces sitting around him. His mother's tone was strict: "You and that girl, how long will this go on!" Ethan didn't look up, tone lazy: "Just playing, what's the rush." Along with the video came a text message from Bella. "Sister-in-law, don't misunderstand. My brother is just like this, unforgiving with his mouth. He always said he was just playing with those girlfriends before, but he gave money and resources generously. Dating him for a few days means not worrying about food and drink for lifetimes." I didn't take the video to question Ethan's thoughts, but directly proposed a breakup. But Ethan only thought I was throwing a tantrum, dealing with me patiently. To disgust him, I said all sorts of cruel things. "Yeah, I found a better backer. If you can provide, others can provide for me too!" "You think your family is royalty? Let me tell you, I don't care!" The argument exploded instantly, entangled and unrelenting. Many times, I thought. If Ethan had let go then, if I hadn't had that extra bit of attachment then. Maybe I wouldn't have walked into the trap set by Bella. I wouldn't have been branded a mistress climbing into a director's bed at my peak, with explicit photos flying everywhere. I wouldn't have paid damages until I had nothing left, wouldn't have ended up playing dead bodies now. Pity there aren't so many "ifs." Love tripped up the first half of my life, trapping me in prison.
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