Accused of plagiarism by the entire internet, I announced my retirement right then and there. My boyfriend, Caleb, who had been righteously scolding me moments before, froze. "What are you doing? Didn't you say you still have student loans to pay off?" His "white moonlight," the so-called "victim" of my plagiarism, Bella, panicked too. "Harper, you don't have to punish yourself like this. I'm willing to give you a chance to start over." I watched the flashing cameras below the stage, my expression unmoving. In my past life, these two humiliated me while secretly stealing my work. In the end, the words I painstakingly wrote cemented Bella's reputation as a genius author. Reborn, I deleted the author account I had used for six years without hesitation. I've had enough of living in a cramped rental apartment. It's time to go home and inherit my family's fortune. As for Bella, let's see how you finish the second half of that bestseller without me. 1 "Ms. Harper Lane, you claim you have evidence to prove your innocence, so where is it?" "As a former fan, I really don't want to believe you'd do this. Were your previous works even written by you?" Facing the countless microphones thrust in my face, I was momentarily stunned, then my heart began to pound violently. I was reborn. Reborn to the day I held a press conference to prove my innocence. In my previous life, my boyfriend's first love, Bella, plagiarized my novel, which was based on my own unrequited love story. On the day of its release, it topped the bestseller lists, becoming a viral sensation in the YA genre. Reposted by countless influencers, netizens everywhere cried over its poignant story. I intended to show my original drafts as proof. But on the day of the press conference, someone wiped my hard drive clean. Not a trace was left. I experienced unprecedented cyberbullying. Every day, I received funeral wreaths, photoshopped death portraits, and threatening packages. I gritted my teeth and continued to write, only to be stabbed to death by a crazed anti-fan. Now, seeing me hesitate, my "loving" boyfriend of three years, Caleb, couldn't wait to fire the first shot. "Harper Lane, if you say Bella framed you, then show the evidence! Don't make baseless accusations and throw mud at innocent people!" He glared at me angrily, but a flash of triumph flickered in his eyes. Of course. How could he not know what was in my folders? He wanted me ruined so Bella could become the next literary superstar. I lowered my eyes, picked up my laptop, and walked to the podium. Power on. Screen share. The next second, under everyone's shocked gaze, I deleted the author account I had used for six years. Caleb and Bella stood up abruptly. I spoke coldly: "Ladies and gentlemen, I have been wronged today. My evidence has been destroyed by someone with malicious intent, leaving me unable to defend myself. "This pen name is invalid from today. I am retiring. I will never set foot in the literary world again!" 2 I finished speaking, grabbed my laptop, and turned to leave. Caleb rushed in front of me, blocking my path. "What are you doing? Didn't you say you still have debts to pay?" "You're just quitting? Isn't writing your biggest dream?" Bella panicked too. She walked over, tears welling up in her eyes. "Harper, you don't have to punish yourself like this. I'm willing to give you a chance to start over." I sneered as I watched their performance. The next second, Bella bit her lip and knelt before me right there on stage! "Harper, I beg you, please don't quit writing over such a small matter. Your readers will never forgive me!" "I can delete everything, pretend none of this happened. If you quit, my guilt will be too great. I won't write anymore either..." The sound of camera shutters exploded instantly. My former star editor couldn't help but walk over to pull her up. "Bella, what are you saying? Why kneel to a plagiarist?" "She brought this on herself. You just signed a huge contract with the company; don't forget, you have work to finish." Too lazy to be attacked here, I simply left the venue. To avoid being blocked by reporters, I took a small path and called a cab from the back door to my rental apartment. On the way back, my phone notifications wouldn't stop popping up. I opened Twitter. Four of the top ten trending topics were about me. #HarperLanePlagiarism #HarperLaneBella #BellaForcedToKneel #BellaGhostwriter Frantic marketing accounts denied all my past works. They claimed I stole Bella's ideas and forced her to be my ghostwriter. My comments section was a disaster. 【Gross. Can't believe I stanned a plagiarist.】 【I watched the livestream. Harper Lane was speechless and even forced Bella to kneel!】 【At least she knows to quit, or I'd ruin her!】 【Even her boyfriend stood up to identify her. Harper, what have you done?】 【I bet she made enough money and is running away. I support Bella suing her until she rots in jail!】 My DMs were full of filth. In contrast, Bella's followers skyrocketed, her comments filled with heartwarming encouragement. I posted one comment: 【I wish you success in finishing the second half without disappointing your readers.】 I knew I didn't have many drafts left. Bella was too impatient. She was worried I would publish before she did, so she struck first. But she couldn't complete the foreshadowing and easter eggs I planted in the first half. Exposing her was only a matter of time. 3 I returned to my rental. A 900-square-foot apartment, neither big nor small, decorated warmly by me. The old walls were covered in photos arranged in a heart shape. Photos of me and Caleb. But every single one was secretly taken by me and printed out. He never agreed to take photos with me. He refused to post me on social media, and on anniversaries, he would start a cold war and disappear. I paid the rent and utilities all these years. I paid for most of our meals and shopping. I immediately contacted the landlord to break the lease, accepting the penalty. I threw away what needed to be thrown and packed up quickly. Just as I was busy, there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find Caleb and Bella. "Harper, are you moving?" Bella entered and grabbed my hand with fake affection. I coldly pulled my hand away. Caleb looked at me with undisguised disdain. "Moving? As far as I know, her dad died of illness long ago. All the money she earned from writing went to pay off his medical debts. "She hurts over a $2000 rent. If she moves, she can only move to some shady basement." I looked at him blankly. "What do you want?" Caleb said with disgust: "Apologize to Bella. Admit you plagiarized publicly." 4 My brow twitched. Is he speaking human language? I questioned him angrily: "Caleb, don't you know the truth? You've been living off me for years, where do you get the face to say this?" Caleb's expression didn't change. He spoke righteously. "Because you're an orphan with no job, and Bella has been a princess surrounded by stars since school. I will help her get whatever she wants. "You probably don't know, Bella's parents are teachers. She is better than you in every way." The boyfriend I had loved since college was now attacking me with the most vicious words. He only knew I was from a single-parent family and moved out due to conflicts with my mother. He didn't know my mother was the Asia-Pacific Director of a multinational corporation. My father left us an inheritance worth nine figures. If I hadn't chosen to stay here to avoid inheriting the family business... I would be someone Caleb could never reach in his lifetime. Seeing my silence, Caleb thought his attack worked and sneered. "Some people are born princesses, and some people, no matter how hard they try, are just invisible maids. "If I were you, I'd leave quietly right now and leave everything here to Bella. "What are you staring at? Log on to Twitter and apologize to Bella immediately, or don't blame me for being unpolite—" The next second, I raised my hand and slapped Caleb hard across the face. I used so much force that Caleb's face turned to the side. His eyes widened, instantly bloodshot. "Harper Lane, you dare hit me?" Bella screamed, stepping back to take out her phone to record. But I knocked her phone away first, then swung my suitcase, knocking both of them aside. I vented my resentment wildly, smashing whatever was at hand. I didn't plan to keep anything anyway. "Since you like my stuff so much, take it all!" The room was a mess, everything in sight smashed to pieces. I opened the door and strode out of the place I had lived in for three years. 5 I called my mom. We hadn't spoken in years, but she picked up immediately. In that moment, my tears flowed uncontrollably. In my past life, from the moment I left in anger after graduation until my death, I never spoke to my mom again. I couldn't imagine how painful it was for her to hear of my death. This time, I just want to be my mom's spoiled little girl. "...Just come home. Just come home." My mom's voice trembled, repeating those four words. Soon, I was on a plane to New York. Before boarding, I checked Twitter. Bella had posted another fake update. 【Sorry everyone, I'm taking a break from writing. Recent events have been overwhelming. Harper Lane was a senior I respected. I want to take some time to adjust.】 My former editor Lisa quickly reposted it. 【Fans, please give Bella some time to produce even better work. Next month we will hold a fan meeting in New York. Welcome everyone!】 They were clearly trying to mold Bella into a celebrity author. I sighed, turned off my phone, and fell into a deep sleep. When I landed, my mom was there with a driver, bodyguards, and a Rolls-Royce. She said she heard about my situation and was preparing PR and lawyers. "We will pursue this to the end. I will never let my baby daughter suffer any grievance." I lay in my mom's arms. She rubbed my back, her chin resting gently on my forehead. The car was filled with exquisite food and my favorite drinks. My mom started preparing the moment she got my call. I hugged her tight. "Don't worry, Mom. No need for all this trouble." I smiled. "Soon, the real plagiarist will eat her own bitter fruit."
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