I used to be a poor, proud girl who only wanted Julian Thorne's love. But after he blacklisted me from the industry, I learned my lesson. I became obedient, accepting the resources he threw my way. I just didn't love him anymore. Later, he got into a car accident and was hospitalized. I was at Fashion Week in Paris, and when I returned, I went straight to set to film. When he recovered and was discharged, he pinned me against the doorframe, eyes red. "I was in a car accident..." I looked at him, puzzled, and said nothing. He gritted his teeth, his eyes full of undisguised grievance. "You didn't come to see me... not even once." 1 I always knew Julian Thorne and I were worlds apart. I used to think I didn't want the resources he offered. I thought we were just a normal couple. He was my boyfriend, and I was his girlfriend. I liked him, and he liked me. But later, he was the one who personally tore my fantasy to shreds. On the tenth day of being blacklisted by Julian, my agent, Lisa, knocked on my door again, looking disappointed. When I opened the door, her angry face softened into shock at my haggard appearance. She closed her eyes, sighed, and walked in. "Scarlett, can't you see it yet? You and Julian Thorne are not from the same world. Who is he? He's the CEO of Thorne Enterprises. Who are you? You're a star with no background." She sat heavily on the sofa, trying to talk some sense into me. I listened expressionlessly while pouring her water. "What love? Is there any love between you two? If there was, how could he blacklist you with a single order? Look at yourself. Look at how pathetic you look now." She pulled a mirror out of her bag and forced me to look at my disheveled reflection. "Is it uglier than that day?" My voice was hoarse, every word squeezed out of my throat. I looked at my reflection without emotion. She knew I was talking about the day of the Best Actress awards. In the video that was mocked all over social media, I was smiling as the host announced the winner. Back then, I was confident I would win. But in the end, it wasn't me. The camera clearly caught my unsightly expression. Projected on the big screen, even though I reacted quickly and forced a stiff smile while clapping, I couldn't avoid being called a sore loser. Hearing this, Lisa sighed again and continued, "I told you long ago that you two aren't suitable. I told you to seize the time, use his resources and connections while you're young, and climb higher. That's what's useful." "You're just love-brained. You won't listen to anything. You're pissing me off..." Because I had been drinking a lot these past few days, my brain felt sluggish. I don't know if it was because of that, but I didn't feel any pain in my heart. Julian and I got together in high school. In that elite school filled with the smell of money, it was hard for someone with grades but no background. But Julian held up the sky for me. That evening, he sat next to me, absentmindedly playing with my hair while I looked down and wrote. He suddenly leaned in, looking at me with burning eyes and a bright smile. "Hey, straight-A student, wanna date?" The bright, clear eyes of the teenager overlapped with the man who looked down at me with cold eyes in the garden years later. "Scarlett Brooks, don't regret this." The "don't regret this" he referred to was when I accidentally heard him say behind a door that he and I had no future, and I cried and broke up with him. I used my ridiculous pride to maintain the so-called equal love between us. He often smiled and said I just needed to tell him what resources I wanted; I didn't need to work so hard to fight for them. I liked to hug him, burying my face in his solid chest, poking him unhappily. "I don't want that. I want to fight for it with my own efforts. That way, people won't think I'm with you for impure motives." Every time, he would helplessly pat my head. Now, I smiled, tears hitting the floor. To hell with love. ... That night, I went to the "home" we used to share. I wore a black lace slip dress and sat calmly on the bed. Many decorations in the room were cute and colorful. A few plushies lay quietly on the sofa, just as they were when I left. Every inch here had traces of our love. There was surveillance in the living room, and my fingerprint hadn't been deleted. He knew I would come back to find him. Just like he said to me back then, Scarlett Brooks, you will regret this. Yes, I regretted it. I regretted being so stupid back then, wanting some pure love. Before long, the sound of a car driving in came from downstairs. When I came back to my senses, the bedroom door had been opened. Julian stood at the door in a black haute couture suit, looking at me silently. My eyelashes trembled, and Lisa's words echoed in my ears. "People in their circle will only marry someone of equal status in the end. Stop fantasizing about your so-called love. What is love? Can you eat it or spend it? He never thought about marrying you from the beginning. Silly girl, wake up." I bit my lip, stepped on the floor barefoot, and walked towards him. I stopped in front of him. Reaching out to unbutton his suit jacket, he didn't speak or stop me, just looked down at me. In the past, when we had a conflict, I would wait for him to come back, hug his waist and shake him. "Don't be mad, don't be mad." He was a head taller than me. I stood on tiptoes and struggled to take off his jacket. Then I unbuttoned his shirt one by one. Inside revealed the firm chest muscles and abs of an adult male. I looked up at him, meeting eyes filled with desire. Then I lightly touched his bare chest with my lips. I wanted to reach out and undo his belt. The man's breath hitched, and I felt weightless. He picked me up, placed me gently on the bed, and pressed down. He lowered his head and kissed my forehead, his voice hoarse. "Do you know you were wrong?" Hearing this, I lowered my eyes to hide the emotions, pursed my lips, and softly said "Mm." I don't know if my obedient appearance pleased him, but he grabbed my hand and placed it on the belt at his waist. Touching the cold metal, he nibbled my earlobe, his Adam's apple rolling. "Undo it." 2 When everything returned to calm, listening to the man's even breathing beside me. I stared at the dark ceiling with open eyes, reached out to remove the man's arm around me. Finally, I closed my eyes heavily. ... The first project I got after my comeback was an S+ level historical drama. I sat in the RV, looking at the script in my hand. I thought: What was I being so high and mighty about before? Before, I was unwilling to please Julian, or rather, unwilling to please him for resources. Even when I first debuted and had no resources, running as an extra between various crews, I never thought of asking. I fantasized that if a drama exploded in the future and I leaped to become an A-list star, would his family change their opinion of me? I just forgot, wealthy families would only see me as an actress. No matter the status, just an actress. Really poor, fake high and mighty. The first snow in New York fell exceptionally early this year. I sat under the shed holding a hand warmer, reading the script. Suddenly, Lisa exclaimed, "Scarlett, look over there." I looked over. Julian, wearing a black coat, was walking towards me step by step through the snow. Seeing him, I hid the coldness in my eyes, put on a surprised look, and then got up and ran over. He smiled and opened his arms to hug me full. I looked up and asked him softly, "Didn't you say you'd be back tomorrow?" He brushed the snow off my head, then lowered his head to kiss the corner of my mouth. "A surprise for you." I just smiled and said nothing. After a while, he said to me, "I'll pick you up tonight to hang out." Hearing this, I came out of his arms and said, "But I usually have to film until early morning, and with the recent snow scene, every crew is..." Before I could finish, he reached out and pinched my face. "I've already spoken to the director." For a moment, my mouth was open, but I couldn't say anything. Finally, I smiled and nodded. "I'll listen to you." In the evening, we went to a private room. The people inside were familiar faces. I had seen them in high school. They were Julian's childhood friends. Before, I always wanted to gain their approval and tried my best to please them. Now, I sat quietly next to Julian. Too lazy to care about the various looks they exchanged. After a while, the protagonist of this gathering arrived. A woman walked in wearing a red trailing haute couture gown. It was Vanessa Cole. She was also the future mistress of the Thorne family in their mouths. She later went abroad for college. She just glanced at me lightly and sat next to Julian. A man teased her, "How come you got prettier after a trip abroad?" As soon as he said this, everyone started talking. Vanessa smiled and responded, "Oh, stop teasing me." Then she turned her head and asked Julian coquettishly, "Is what they said true, Julian?" I looked down and drank my soda, not looking at Julian's expression, only hearing a soft "Mm" at the end. After the dishes were served, I continued to eat with my head down. They talked about their childhood. I didn't know them back then. Before, I would always feel sad because I couldn't join the conversation and didn't understand their tacit understanding. Not anymore. I don't know who said, "Julian used to say Vanessa could only marry him back then." Then, the private room fell dead silent. In the entertainment industry for so many years, I often emptied myself and deliberately didn't listen to what I didn't want to hear. Over time, it became a habit. When I felt the quiet atmosphere in the private room, I looked up in confusion. But I bumped into Julian's dark eyes. Being with him for so many years, I could easily guess his emotions from his subtle expressions. He was unhappy right now. I didn't know why he was unhappy. Then I heard Vanessa's voice. "Oh, what nonsense are you talking about? Didn't you see Julian's girlfriend is still here?" I had a polite smile on my face, looked at Vanessa who had no apology on her face, felt nothing in my heart, mostly indifferent. I haven't been Julian's girlfriend for a long time. I'm a canary. A relationship between a canary and a sugar daddy that doesn't require emotional investment. After returning to the villa that night, Julian drank some wine and smelled faintly of alcohol. This night, he was exceptionally rough, his upturned peach blossom eyes full of anger. I didn't know what he was angry about. At first, I could still lift my waist to cater to him, but later it turned into crying and begging him to stop. 3 In the days that followed, I sent Julian a few WeChat messages, but he ignored me. I was too lazy to send more. I focused on filming. Due to the distance, I stayed in a hotel. One day, I was squatting on the ground making a snowman when Lisa ran over regardless of her image in a long down jacket, holding her phone. She handed it to me. The number one trending topic was: A Match Made in Heaven for the Wealthy. She clicked in, and the first thing visible was a picture of a woman holding a man's arm. The background was magnificent; they must be attending some banquet. Vanessa's beauty was bright and atmospheric. In the picture, she wore a gold dress, outlining her good figure, hair up, eyes gentle as water. Julian wore a black suit, tall and slender, with a seemingly nonexistent smile on his lips. I smiled and said, "They are indeed a good match." I withdrew my gaze. If there wasn't an extra me, it would probably be a beautiful story. However, whether there was an extra me or not, they would eventually be together. Just like in novels, the vicious female supporting character will always leave the stage, and the male and female leads will always end up together. Netizens are always particularly enthusiastic about wealthy families. Someone posted a very blurry photo, saying it was Julian and Vanessa. That day, I had just finished filming a night scene and got in the car. My agent held her phone all the way, frowning, staring at the phone as if trying to bore a hole in it. I leaned back slightly and closed my eyes. She suddenly reached out, pointed at the blurry photo on the phone, and asked me, "Is this you?" Hearing this, I opened my eyes leisurely and glanced at it casually. Seeing it clearly, I paused. This magnified, blurry picture should be under the light rail in Seattle. Back then, I went to Seattle to film, and he went there because of problems with cooperation abroad, staying for three months. Seattle was hot. The evening breeze by the river carried heat. I wore a loose tank top, blowing a small fan, and wanted to call him during the break. Afraid of disturbing his work, I took pictures of the river scenery for him and told him it was really beautiful and fun here. I sat on a small stool, looking down at the script, and drank a mouthful of ice-cold milk tea. Suddenly a shadow fell on the paper. I looked up in confusion. Julian, wearing a black T-shirt, looked down at me with a smile, the evening breeze blowing his slightly curly hair. Just then, the light rail whizzed by. I jumped up excitedly and hugged him. "You're back." "Didn't you say it would take some time?" He held my waist with one hand, touched his forehead to mine, eyes smiling. "Isn't this because someone said they wanted to use magic to bring me to your side?" "Magic appeared." "Oh my." My ears turned a bit red at his words, but not seeing him for so long, I really missed him. I bit my lip, unable to hide the joy in my eyes, signaling him to lower his head. He chuckled and obediently lowered his head. I smiled and asked him, "Did you miss me?" He smiled and nodded. "Mm." Hearing this, my eyes curved into a smile, and I turned my head to kiss the corner of his lips. The picture froze here. It should be a netizen casually taking a picture of the light rail, and we standing under the light rail got into the frame. "Mm." I responded and turned to look out the window. Outside, traffic flowed, neon lights rose, reflecting on the car window, overwhelming. From seventeen to twenty-six, I really thought we would make it to the end, get married, and have a child. But while I was thinking about our future, Julian had already thought it through and come up with the answer. Marrying me wasn't worth it. 4 Julian and Vanessa were trending again today. The trending topic was: Thorne CEO drops 3 million just to make beauty smile. Just then, I had wrapped up filming and returned to the villa. I took a shower and lay in bed to sleep. When I woke up, it was completely dark outside. Julian had come back at some point and fallen asleep holding me. He slept lightly. I slowly turned over. Then, the arm around my waist tightened, his chest pressed against me, voice raspy. "Awake?" "Mm." I responded softly, turned over, then opened my eyes with a smile, rubbing my head against his neck. "Julian, Director Zhang is filming a drama recently. I want to be the female lead." His dark eyes stared at me, thoughts unknown. "Okay? Hmm?" I hugged his lean waist, looking at him expectantly with big eyes. Suddenly, he turned over and pinned me under him, looking at me with a half-smile. I thought for a moment, reached out to hook his neck, stared at his lips, and was about to kiss him. He got up abruptly, picked up the jacket beside him with a cold face, and walked out. I sat up in confusion, watching his sudden change, ran out of bed barefoot, and hugged him from behind. Muffled, I said, "What's wrong? Why are you suddenly so angry?" Silence filled the huge room. My head rested on his back, a bit baffled. Did he get angry at Vanessa and come to vent on me? "Don't you have anything to ask me?" "Huh?" He turned around and asked me an even more inexplicable question, staring at me intently. "Do you still love me?" "Mm, how could I not love you?" I lied without blinking, smiling to please my sugar daddy. But he didn't seem very happy, just hugging me tightly, listening to the sound of his heart rising and falling. Then I heard him whisper, "Is that so?" I had a few days off. Julian didn't give me a definite answer to what I asked last time. I sat on the sofa frowning, looking upstairs. Didn't he say he would give me whatever resources I wanted except love? He wouldn't even give me the female lead in a drama, let alone anything else. If he gets engaged to Vanessa in the future, I really won't get anything. My eyes rolled. I suddenly remembered the picture my agent showed me last time. Whether that blurry figure was Vanessa or not, netizens didn't know, but would those who knew Vanessa not know? "Sis, go do something for me." I took out my phone and said with a smile to my agent opposite. I said, "Don't worry, nothing will happen." In this circle, I have seen many couples who were envied from the beginning. They never stingy about expressing love in front of the camera and in private, but in the end, they drifted apart in the fame and fortune field. This lesson of growing up, I think I'm going to graduate. When Mrs. Thorne blocked me in the dressing room, I had expected it. Compared to the panicked looks of my agent and the little assistant, I smiled and waved for them to go out. The exquisitely dressed wealthy lady looked me over coldly and let the bodyguards beside her go out. "Scarlett Brooks?" She called my name disdainfully and sat on the sofa. "Good tricks, even I was fooled." I smiled. "Auntie, I don't understand what you mean." "Heh." She sneered, throwing a picture on the table with a snap. "The woman in this is you, right? And you were the one who tried every means to let me see the photo, weren't you?" Then, her index finger wearing an emerald ring tapped on the table. "Since you came to me, state your conditions." Mrs. Thorne stared at me sharply. "Conditions for leaving my son." I knew when to stop, opened my mouth slightly, and said softly, "I want resources that can make me an A-list superstar. All of them." As soon as this was said, the dressing room fell silent for a time. She looked at me with a smile, her eyes cold. "Believe it or not, I can make Scarlett Brooks disappear from the entertainment industry tomorrow." "I believe it, but Julian won't. He likes me." I hooked my red lips and smiled. "Auntie, we've been together since we were seventeen. No matter what, he won't ignore me." Hearing this, Mrs. Thorne's face obviously darkened a bit. After a while, she said to me coldly, "I can promise you, but you must also do one thing for me." I answered crisply, "Okay." "You haven't asked what I want you to do?" I tilted my head. "Doesn't Madam want Julian and Vanessa to be together?" She was stunned for a moment hearing me speak without hesitation, then smiled and said, "Talking to smart people is easy." She picked up her bag elegantly. "I'll be waiting for Miss Brooks' good news. After all, the plane for Fashion Week the day after tomorrow won't wait." I hooked the corners of my mouth. "Goodbye, Madam." Compared to a woman who only wants love, a woman who wants money and benefits will make this wealthy lady more assured.
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