During a live-streamed talk show, the host asked if I had a boyfriend. I said I used to have one. The host pressed on, "So what about you two now?" With a touch of melancholy, I replied, "He went to heaven." Ten minutes later, the heir to a New York real estate empire crashed the live stream: "Damn it, how did I not know I was dead?" 01 My dad is a business tycoon, my mom is an Oscar-winning actress, and my brother is an A-list pop star. But the three of them combined couldn't make me famous. So, after struggling in Hollywood for three years, I finally gave up and prepared to obediently go back to inherit my dad's empire and become a female tycoon. But unexpectedly, right before I retired from the industry, I was grabbed to fill in for a missing guest on a live-streamed talk show. Since I was quitting anyway, I didn't bother pretending to be the innocent, sweet girl anymore. I put on my sunglasses, shoved my hands in my pockets, and stepped out of the RV. But I never expected that as soon as I stepped out, I would run into my mortal enemy, Chloe Sterling. I debuted at the same time as her, and we both cultivated the "innocent sweetheart" persona. So, she constantly used me as a stepping stone to elevate herself, and our fanbases frequently clashed. Over time, just seeing her annoyed me, so I tried to avoid attending the same events. I didn't expect to run into her here. In stark contrast to my aloofness, Chloe wore a sweet smile and greeted the live-stream audience cheerfully. I just gave the camera a faint nod and prepared to take my seat. Before sitting down, I noticed someone in the live chat asking Chloe if the rumors about her and Julian Hayes, the heir to a New York real estate empire, were true. Seeing this, I paused. Julian Hayes? The guy who loved making me rich, slow-cooked bone broth? The ex-boyfriend who would yell "That's unhealthy!" every time I ate BBQ or fried chicken, and then chase me around trying to force-feed me bitter, sugar-free herbal detox tea? After he and I broke up, he got together with my mortal enemy? "Um... how am I supposed to answer that!" Chloe didn't answer directly, but her coy demeanor effectively confirmed the rumors. Seeing this, my face twisted into an expression of sheer disbelief. Then she must really be able to endure hardship if she can swallow that bitter detox tea. When I broke up with Julian, it was because that detox tea was just too unbearably bitter. I didn't want to drink something so awful for the rest of my life, so I resolutely broke up with him. I felt pity for Chloe, but I didn't expect my expression to be interpreted by her fans as: I was green with envy and jealousy towards Chloe. [Ew, look how sour Maya is. Look at that jealous expression on her face.] [Haha, be jealous of our Chloe. She's beautiful, has a sweet voice, and a super rich boyfriend!] [Ahhh! So Chloe is the future Mrs. Hayes!] [Boohoo, my idol is actually going to be a real estate mogul's wife!] [People upstairs, are you crazy? If you want to hype yourselves up, please don't drag our Maya into it, thanks.] [Hahaha, 'future Mrs. Hayes,' are you Chloe fans all this delusional?] [You just won't admit it, Maya is just jealous!] ... The live chat was a chaotic mess of arguing, and our show began. This live-streamed talk show was called "Sisterhood Chit-Chat." Each episode had a theme, and the guests would chat around that theme. Besides me and Chloe, the other guests were actress Lily Evans, influencer Riley, and the host was Sarah. The theme of this episode was how to balance career and love in the entertainment industry. After we sat down, the host, Sarah, started cueing the guests to answer questions. Unsurprisingly, the first person cued was Chloe. Sarah asked her gossip-style if the rumors about her and Julian were true. "Um..." Chloe shyly bit her lip and said softly, "Everyone, please stop asking me about this. Right now, I still want to focus on my career, and he respects my decision." Chloe's sickly-sweet voice gave me goosebumps all over. I silently rubbed my arms. And my unintentional action made the live chat fight even harder. [Holy crap, the ship I'm sailing is actually real!] [What is Maya doing? Does she have to be so fake!] [Fake what? Her voice is disgusting, am I not allowed to rub my goosebumps?] [I think Maya is just suffering from sour grapes because she can't get him.] [Boohoo, my Chloe is so career-driven, muah~] ... Chloe's ambiguous words directly confirmed the rumors about her and Julian. And the host, seeing there was gossip to dig up, kept chatting with her. "So who usually cooks at home?" Sarah asked. "We don't cook at home. He doesn't know how to cook, and he can't bear to let me cook, so we usually go eat at five-star hotels," Chloe said playfully. Hearing this, a question mark slowly popped up in my mind. Julian... doesn't know how to cook? I thought of all the various pots and pans in the kitchen of his mansion, and subconsciously blurted out, "So, have you ever drank the detox tea he brews?" He couldn't have just tortured me alone, right?! "What detox tea?" Chloe looked confused, then spoke to me with a hint of sarcasm, "We never drink any detox tea. Who drinks detox tea in the dead of winter?" Hearing this, I got even angrier. Julian really just singled me out to torture! I remembered that winter, on New Year's Eve, he came to my house. With a doting look on his face, he pulled a thermos from his coat and said to me, "Eating hotpot is unhealthy. Remember to drink this detox tea after you're done." Yes, he came to find me on New Year's Eve just to deliver detox tea! Thinking of this, I was so furious I just sat there and stopped talking. When I don't smile, I look very aloof, so the live chat exploded again. [What's going on? Why do I feel like Maya might have had some history with Julian?] [Person upstairs, are you crazy? How could Julian possibly know Maya, let alone have a history with her!] [Yeah, exactly. Maya leeching off our Chloe isn't enough, now she wants to leech off Julian? So disgusting!] [Why is a scheming woman like this allowed to be on the same show as our Chloe?] [Could it be she has a sugar daddy? Maya seems to always get good gigs, but she just can't seem to get famous.] [Person upstairs, don't say it, you really might be onto something! I bet she definitely has a sugar daddy!] [Who says we don't drink detox tea in the dead of winter? We drink detox tea regardless of the season! If we eat unhealthy food, we drink it!] ... Sarah chatted with Chloe for almost half an hour. During this time, Chloe showed off her affection in various ways, hinting that they were getting close to tying the knot. After a while, the producer reminded Sarah to control the time, and Sarah finally turned the conversation to me. "So, Maya, have you ever been in a relationship?" Sarah still seemed lingeringly immersed in her chat with Chloe, and her conversation with me felt a bit less attentive. "I had one." I was looking down at my phone, replying casually. This Julian guy, I don't know what crazy spell he was under, but he was frantically trying to add me on WhatsApp. When we broke up, I blocked all his contact info. Now he was frantically trying to add me. I rejected him time and time again, but he was relentlessly persistent. "Oh~" Sarah asked with a gossipy look on her face, "So what about you guys now?" Hearing this, I clicked 'decline' while looking up and sneering, "He went to heaven." "Ah—" Sarah looked apologetic and was just about to comfort me when she noticed the live chat had exploded. Julian: [Damn it, how did I not know I was dead?] Julian: [Damn it, how did I not know I was dead?] Julian: [Damn it, how did I not know I was dead?] After Julian posted three comments in a row, he seemed unsatisfied and posted another: "Maya, accept my friend request right now!" Julian spammed several more messages, desperately wanting me to accept his friend request. But after seeing the chat, I sneered, shook my head, and slowly raised my middle finger at the camera. [Am I going crazy and hallucinating? Is this Julian?!] [No way, isn't Julian Chloe's boyfriend? Why is he frantically cueing Maya right now? What is going on?] [I know! Maya definitely seduced Julian!] [Yes, yes, I can testify! I saw with my own eyes Maya trying to slip Julian her number, but Julian rejected her and went home with our Chloe!] ... Seeing the live chat getting more and more ridiculous, Julian simply dropped one sentence: [Just you wait!] and then started spamming expensive virtual gifts to clear the screen. And Chloe, upon seeing Julian's words, clearly paled, looking incredibly restless. Seeing this, Sarah asked Chloe, looking confused: "Chloe, is this ID 'Julian' your Julian?" Hearing this, Chloe hesitated for a moment, then said firmly: "How is that possible! Our Julian is so busy, how could he have time to watch a live stream! It must be some crazy fan of Maya pretending to be him." Chloe looked at me pointedly, as if I had orchestrated this whole thing. "True, these days, there are a lot of people pretending to be others." Sarah looked completely convinced and started cueing Riley. The show continued, and Chloe's complexion returned to normal. But gradually, her face started looking a bit off again. Because the virtual gifts hadn't stopped! With such a massive display of wealth, who else could it be but the real Julian, the heir to the New York real estate empire? Just as Sarah was about to ask Chloe again, the roar of a helicopter echoed from the sky. Everyone looked toward the sound and saw a helicopter landing on the grassy clearing not far away. Then, Julian jumped out of the helicopter, looking incredibly handsome and sharp! Everyone on the scene, except for me and Chloe, looked excited. The live chat exploded even more. [Ahhhh! The New York real estate heir Julian is chasing love on set! My Julian-Chloe ship!] [So sweet! Chloe just said Julian was busy and wouldn't come, and Julian literally drops from the sky to surprise Chloe! A helicopter!] [Ahhhh! Where is the courthouse! You guys are grown up now, you need to learn to walk over here yourselves!] [Where did all of Maya's fans go? Why aren't they saying anything haha!] [Getting slapped in the face, obviously! 'Picks nose'] [No, I'm telling you, can you Chloe fans stop being so delusional? Did you not read the chat just now? Julian is here for our Maya!] [I don't even want to bother cursing at you Chloe fans, I'm afraid you'll enjoy it.] ... Seeing the live chat arguing like this, Chloe's face paled even more. And Sarah, seeing Julian arrive, said excitedly to Chloe: "Chloe, your boyfriend is here!" Hearing this, Chloe could barely manage a smile. She no longer had the proud look from when she was showing off her affection earlier; instead, she looked somewhat panicked. Sarah didn't notice Chloe's distress and went up to greet him enthusiastically. After shaking hands with Julian, she glanced at the silent Chloe. Looking like a total shipper, she asked Julian excitedly with a smile: "Mr. Hayes, you dropped in on our live stream. Did you come for your girlfriend?" Hearing this, Julian didn't deny it. Instead, he glanced at me and said bluntly: "I came for her." Hearing this, the live chat exploded. [Holy crap, what's going on?! Julian came for Maya?!] [Is Julian really Maya's ex-boyfriend?!] [Did you guys notice that ever since Julian appeared, Chloe's complexion has been terrible?] [Boohoo, poor Chloe, she must be so sad to look this pale. It's all Maya's fault! Why did she date Julian! Maya, go die!] [Person upstairs, don't be sad! Julian is definitely here to slap Maya in the face! He will protect our Chloe because our Chloe is the best girl in the world!] [You Chloe fans are really too much! From getting off the helicopter to now, has Julian given you guys even a single glance? His eyes have clearly been fixed on our Maya the whole time, okay! Stop being so delusional!] ... Julian walked up to me, pulled a thermos from his coat, and said gently: "Chamomile tea. You drank so much boba tea just now, it's unhealthy." I glanced at the familiar thermos in his hand, remembered that New Year's Eve, looked at my empty boba cup, twitched my lips, and didn't take it. Instead, I looked at Chloe and sneered at him: "Mr. Hayes, your girlfriend is over there." Stupid man, we're broken up and he still won't let me go! Hearing this, Chloe's face instantly went stark white. Julian, seeing I didn't take the thermos, simply shoved it into my hands, flicked my forehead, and said in an annoyed tone: "What nonsense are you talking about? I've only ever dated you." Hearing this, the live chat instantly exploded! [Did I hear that right?! Julian and Maya dated??] [Person in front, you heard right, not only did Julian date Maya, but he ONLY dated Maya!] [Scumbag! If you say that, then what is our Chloe?!] [Consider our Maya unlucky to meet a delusional person haha.] [Ahhhh! Maya-Julian ship!] The live chat started frantically shipping me and Julian. Seeing this, Chloe's fans couldn't sit still. [What is going on! Is this playing our Chloe? Does the New York real estate heir think he can be this disgusting!] [Look, Chloe's face is so pale, boohoo my heart aches.] [Julian, right? Sisters, what does his family sell? Let's boycott him!] [Person upstairs, Julian's family sells real estate, they're known as the biggest landlords in New York. Don't bother boycotting, you can't afford it hahaha!] ... The live chat was fighting fiercely, but Julian ignored it all. He walked straight over and sat on the sofa next to me, crossing his long legs. At this point, Sarah also realized what was happening: "You came for Maya? Then what about you and Chloe..." Hearing this, Julian looked at Chloe with a half-smile, and said to the camera: "Let me clarify three points. "One, I did not go to heaven. "Two, I have only ever dated Maya. Because she doesn't like drinking chamomile tea, she dumped me, but I have been actively trying to get back together. "Three, Ms. Chloe, it seems we've only met once, right? That day after my business dinner, Ms. Chloe suddenly lunged at me. I pushed you away immediately. You can all watch this video for the details." Julian pulled out his phone and played a piece of security footage for the camera. In the video, Julian was calmly listening to another person speak when Chloe slowly approached him, her shoulder half-exposed, and suddenly fell towards Julian. And Julian, without any hesitation, shoved her away. Caught off guard, Chloe fell to the ground after being pushed by Julian, rolled a bit, and suffered a minor wardrobe malfunction. Then, the footage showed Chloe and her manager being thrown out of the banquet hall by Julian's bodyguards. The entire audience was in an uproar. Sarah's mouth twitched, not knowing what to say for a moment, while the other two guests gave Chloe meaningful looks. "So please explain, how did I become your boyfriend?" Julian logically refuted Chloe, incidentally telling everyone that in his relationship with me, I was the one calling the shots. Hearing this, Chloe's eyes quickly teared up. She stood up, her body swaying unsteadily, looking as if she were about to burst into tears. She looked at me and said: "It's my fault, I shouldn't have said that. Maya, I'm sorry." Chloe suddenly apologized to me. I was caught off guard, looking at her, just feeling something wasn't right. Chloe rolled her eyes back and fainted right in front of me, falling stiffly towards us. I was so startled I instantly sprang up, executing a nimble maneuver to dodge her. So Chloe ended up falling towards Julian. "You—" Julian, not caring to argue with me, also shoved Chloe away. Then Chloe collapsed onto the sofa all by herself. [Holy crap! Chloe fainted!] [What is going on with Julian and Maya? Don't they know to catch Chloe?] [Do you guys feel like Chloe's apology just now felt forced? I think this whole thing isn't just Chloe's imagination, she got played by a scumbag!] [No, are you guys toxic? There's video proof! From beginning to end, Chloe has been spreading rumors all by herself, and you're still defending her?] [What does a video prove? We don't even know when it's from. What if Julian confessed to Chloe after the video?] [Poor Chloe, being bullied by capital!] [Crazy, crazy, they can twist the truth like this. The world has finally gone completely mad.] ... Due to Chloe's sudden fainting, the live broadcast was forced to end prematurely. 02 "Here, take this back." After Chloe was taken away by the ambulance, I returned the thermos to Julian. Even though there was nothing between him and Chloe, I really didn't want to drink chamomile tea anymore! "It's chamomile tea, it's really not bitter, I swear!" Julian unscrewed the thermos lid, coaxing me, "Take one sip and try it." I remained unmoved and sneered: "On New Year's Eve, you said the exact same thing to me." And the result? The result was that after I took a huge gulp without any defenses, it was so bitter I was howling in tears. In a fit of anger, I broke up with Julian. But Julian wouldn't give up. He tried to stay relevant in my life in various ways, throwing massive resources my way. Every time I started to soften, I would remember the bitter tea, so I firmly rejected him. "Really, really, this one is fragrant and sweet. If I'm lying to you, I'll never appear in front of you again!" Julian swore to the heavens. I took a skeptical sip. It was indeed not bitter, fragrant and sweet. "No, if there's such good-tasting tea, why did you insist on giving me that bitter, sugar-free one!" Thinking about it, I got even angrier! "Because my mom used to brew that super bitter tea for my dad when she was chasing him." Julian scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed, "I thought it was the same." I: "..." His dad sure has unique tastes. I ignored Julian and walked toward the RV. And Julian followed behind me, blabbering: "Then can we get back together? I'll brew tea for you for the rest of your life." Hearing this, I stopped walking, really couldn't hold back: "I'll only get back together if you don't brew tea!" Hearing this, Julian's eyes instantly lit up: "I won't brew it, I won't brew it." He threw his arm around my shoulder like a loyal puppy, smiling and saying: "Whatever you say, my boss lady." 03 The incident of Chloe fainting during the live stream was hung up on the trending topics. [Breaking] Maya's Backing Capital [Hot] Maya Bullies Chloe and Forces Public Apology [Boiling] Chloe Oppressed by Maya ... On the trending topics, the narrative was uniformly marketing Chloe as pitiful, me as malicious, and how I forced her to apologize publicly. "Go sell that ghost story somewhere else." I looked at the trending topics, my forehead full of dark lines. What does it mean I forced Chloe to apologize publicly? She clearly apologized to me out of nowhere, and then turned around to paint herself as the victim. She really knows how to brew a good cup of green tea! Julian looked at the trending topics and angrily called his secretary to have them taken down, and also prepared to blacklist Chloe directly. But his secretary said, sounding conflicted: "Boss, taking down the trending topics is no problem, but rumor has it Chloe is the little princess of the Sterling Group. Blacklisting her might not be very easy." Hearing this, Julian looked bewildered. He turned to me and asked: "Baby, doesn't your family only have you and your brother? How did another Sterling Group little princess pop up?" I, who was currently eating the gourmet meal Julian had personally cooked for me: "?" 04 The topics on Twitter regarding Julian and Chloe decreased, and instead, there was more marketing about Chloe being the little princess of the Sterling Group. "When did Mom and Dad create an alt account?" My brother, Alex Sterling, called me and asked. "How should I know? I can't reach Mom and Dad's phones!" I replied helplessly. My mom went to the Northwest to film a movie, and she was often unreachable. My dad is a total wife-guy. If he doesn't see his wife for a day, he loses his appetite and can't sleep, so he happily followed her to the Northwest. So these two are often unreachable. "Forget it, I'll have the group issue an official statement to clarify." On the other end of the phone, I heard my brother impatiently flipping through documents and signing them. He said: "That punk from the Hayes family is still chasing you around, right? You hurry up and bring him home. It'd be best if you have a kid, and I'll train the kid to be the heir to the Sterling Group. I really don't want to take over the family business! It's so annoying." Neither my brother nor I wanted to take over the family business. Especially him, his career in the entertainment industry was booming. I, unfortunately, couldn't get famous no matter how hard I tried. I was just about to tell my brother that I was already planning to retire from the industry and go home to take over the family business. Julian, upon hearing my brother tell me to bring him home, his eyes sparkled. He looked like he couldn't wait to be on my family's registry right now. "We can talk about this later." I was stared at by Julian's burning gaze until my face flushed. I looked away and said to my brother, "Hold off on issuing the statement. I want to handle this matter personally." Chloe, this professional scammer, scamming everywhere, and she even targeted my family, maliciously spreading rumors about me. I wasn't just going to let this go. Doesn't she like talking nonsense on live streams? Then I'll make her socially dead on a live stream! Last time she faked fainting to escape, this time I have no intention of letting her off the hook so easily! "Alright, handle it however you see fit. If you need anything, just call the company." Hanging up the phone, holding my phone and about to agree to the live interview my manager mentioned, out of the corner of my eye I saw Julian holding his ID, looking shy and saying: "Maya, when are you going to give me an official title?" I: "..." How am I seeing my dad version 2.0? 05 The live interview my manager booked for me only had me and Chloe being interviewed. Before the live stream started, Chloe looked at me, completely lacking her usual gentle and weak on-camera persona. She scoffed, looking at me condescendingly and saying: "You think because you hooked up with Julian, that New York real estate heir, you're really royalty now? Let me tell you, relying on a man will never be as good as relying on yourself. It's a pity, though, that you don't have a family background as good as mine." Chloe's tone revealed the superiority she felt as the little princess of the Sterling Group. I expressed my agreement. Relying on a man is indeed not as stable as relying on oneself, but... are you really the little princess of the Sterling Group? I perfunctorily murmured a few agreements in response to Chloe. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to hold back my laughter. Yesterday, after I checked, I found out that Chloe's distant cousin's sister-in-law's brother's neighbor was my dad's driver. With such a ridiculously distant connection, she could still market herself as the little princess of the Sterling Group. It seems she's really quite sick. Does she really think rich people are idiots and won't clarify? These past few days I specifically held back, not letting the group issue an official clarification statement. I didn't expect Chloe to think the Sterling family didn't pay attention to the entertainment industry, so she overwhelmingly marketed her identity as the little princess of the Sterling Group. But this is fine too. The higher you climb, the harder you fall.
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