A long time after breaking up with the heir to the Sterling Group, he had already found someone new. He blocked my resources and snatched a role I had spent six months preparing for, just to pave the way for his new flame. On the day I won the Best Actress award, the host asked me: "I heard that the theme song 'Prayers,' which you sang when you first debuted, was named after the love of your life?" In the audience, Julian Sterling suddenly looked up, his face full of disbelief. Very few people knew that the heir to the Sterling Group was named Julian. Until this moment, he didn't realize that I had once loved him with all my heart. Hiding his name in a song title. But now, I just shook my head and smilingly denied it: "That's all in the past." 1 On the way to the film festival, my manager, Sarah, informed me with a grim expression: "Our endorsement contract with Dior for the Asian region has been terminated. They've replaced you with Mia Jiang again." I calmly lowered my eyes and said, "I'm used to it." She lit a cigarette, unable to suppress her anxiety: "How many resources has she snatched from you this year? From the lead role in Director Lee's new movie, to top-tier commercial and variety show contracts, and now the most important blue-blood luxury endorsement you had. That lead role in Director Lee's movie—you prepared for it for six months, kept your schedule clear for a year, gained twenty pounds, and then lost it again. Just as filming started, they swapped you out." The endorsements and resources were one thing, but I couldn't let go of that movie role. I pulled the cigarette from Sarah's fingers. My eyes stung slightly, and I reminded her softly: "Sarah. There's nothing we can do." There was nothing we could do. Because backing Mia Jiang was the heir to the Sterling Group, Julian Sterling. The Sterling family held controlling stakes in much of the domestic entertainment industry. Even our own agency was no exception. Mia Jiang was the only girlfriend Julian had ever publicly acknowledged. Within a year of entering the industry, she was already working with famous directors and producers. This time, she was nominated alongside me for Best Actress at the film festival. Julian was lifting her up, making sure to place the absolute best right in front of her. It just so happened that I was in the way. Sarah looked at me: "If you end up being a placeholder for Mia Jiang again this time, and get mocked on the trending topics, you won't even get a look at any good scripts anymore." Relying on Director Lee's movie, Mia Jiang received an award nomination in her first year in the entertainment industry. I started my career from the bottom, working as an extra and a stand-in. Over the years, I became an acclaimed actress, nominated multiple times, but always going home empty-handed. My haters mocked me, calling me the "Almost-Best-Actress." I looked out the car window at the endless stream of traffic. If I went home empty-handed again, my situation would only become more difficult. Still resentful about the lost luxury endorsement, Sarah spoke without thinking: "Scarlett, you used to be with Julian too. How come he never paved the way for you like this?" I pulled my gaze back from the window, fell silent for a moment, and looked at Sarah. My voice was very light: "Sarah. I was just dating him." I wasn't "with" him in that transactional sense. I wasn't kept like a canary in a gilded cage. We were dating. That's all. But everyone else didn't think so. 2 Because he and I belonged to entirely different social classes. We were never on equal footing from the start. Actually, Julian had done something like that for me, but not often—just once. It was for a top-tier fashion resource that every female artist in the country fought tooth and nail for. Sarah had racked her brains figuring out how to get the brand to notice me. But Julian used his private jet to fly me to Europe to attend a small, private dinner hosted by Dior's CEO. Upon my return, I received the invitation to be the brand ambassador for the Asia-Pacific region. But I was quiet on the flight back. While the plane cruised at an altitude of tens of thousands of feet, Julian knelt on one knee in front of me, cupped my face, and laughed in exasperation: "Why are you suddenly upset for no reason?" I wasn't angry. I just... didn't know what to say. "Julian, everything you give me is too expensive. Please don't do this anymore." Julian laughed, leaning in until our noses touched, his warm breath falling on my face: "Compared to my entire heart, what is this? We're dating. What's wrong with me treating you well? My only fear is that I can't give you enough." His nuzzling tickled. I pressed my lips together, and the question I had wanted to ask remained unspoken. If, one day, you don't like me anymore, how will we settle the score for all these things? If you give your heart to someone else, what then? Now, I already have the answer. Regardless of whether he gave it or not. He will take it all back. 3 The red carpet moment before the film festival is always considered a highlight. Before I even finished walking my section, a commotion erupted behind me, and the cameras of the media and photographers instantly swiveled away. I looked back, and sure enough, it was Mia Jiang. But there was someone beside her—Julian. They were arriving together. Julian had always been extremely reluctant to expose himself to the public eye. I never expected him to be willing to walk the red carpet with Mia Jiang. He saw me, but withdrew his gaze in an instant, looking down to help Mia arrange the train of her dress. Mia asked, "What's wrong?" I heard him chuckle softly: "Nothing, just a passerby." 4 During the Best Actress award presentation, the host read my name twice before I dazedly stood up. The large screen on the stage was playing clips of my performance in the film. Amidst the cheers, the moment I took the trophy, I finally realized that I had won. Julian and Mia were sitting in the front row. Having just lost, Mia's face was ashen. Julian kept his eyes lowered, ignoring Mia. It was as if he was carefully listening to my acceptance speech. My acceptance speech was very long. Name after name tumbled from my lips in gratitude. By the end, Julian's name still hadn't appeared. The person who used to hold the number one spot on my list of gratitude had long been personally erased by me. I could only see his jaw clenched, as cold as iron. The host was a famous comedian in the country. While lightening the mood, the host joked: "Scarlett, Reddit has dug up all your stories. I heard that the theme song 'Prayers,' which you sang when you first debuted, was named after the love of your life?" Back then, I not only sang the theme song but also wrote the lyrics for it. Selfishly, I hid the name of the person I loved most in the song title. (Note: 'Prayers' in Chinese is 'Qi', sharing the same character as Julian's Chinese name 'Yan Qi'). I saw Julian in the audience suddenly look up, his face full of disbelief. Very few people knew that the heir to the Sterling Group was named Julian. Until this moment, he didn't realize that I had once loved him with all my heart. I looked at a panicked Mia next to Julian, shook my head, and smilingly denied it: "That's all in the past." 5 After returning to my seat with the award, my hands and heart were burning hot, and it took all my willpower not to cry. Before the film festival, the industry hadn't been optimistic about my chances of winning. The hot favorite was Director Lee's leading lady, Mia Jiang. I never expected to pull off such an upset. Suddenly, a tissue was handed to me, accompanied by a low voice: "The cameras aren't panning this way right now. Dry your tears." Sitting next to me was the Grand Slam Best Actor, Caleb Thorne, a true genius of an actor. He was the male lead in the film I won the award for, and we shared many scenes together. If it hadn't been for Caleb's recommendation, the director wouldn't have thought to let me audition; if it hadn't been for his acting, I couldn't have gotten so deep into character and performed at an unprecedented level. But I looked at the tissue in front of me, my fingers curling slightly before I took it, softly saying: "Thank you." Caleb didn't say anything more, just gave a guttural "hmm," his eyes on the stage, as aloof and unapproachable as the rumors suggested. It was just like... The day we wrapped filming. By the sea where we shot, the moonlight spilled across the water. Caleb had confessed his feelings to me, but acted as if nothing had ever happened. 6 The atmosphere within my team when we left was completely different from when we arrived. Sarah was glowing, sweeping away all the previous gloom. Before getting into the car, I was stopped by a few fans who popped out of nowhere. The security guards wanted to drive them away, but I stopped them. I signed autographs for each of them. They were young girls who had traveled God knows how far, and it would be a shame for them to leave empty-handed. As I finished the last stroke of my signature, I heard someone call out to me from behind. The final stroke of my name became slightly stiff. Julian stood a short distance behind me, calling out: "Scarlett." I kept my eyes lowered, pretending I didn't hear him. Smiling, I said a few parting words to my fans, then, with my assistant helping with my dress, I got into the car. The engine started, the window half-rolled down. I saw the smiling faces of the fans outside, and Julian standing alone. The arrogant young master's usual swagger was completely gone. A pair of peach-blossom eyes held no laughter, only a silent, dazed stare directed at me. The last time he called my name like this was the day we broke up. Back then, utterly disappointed and furious, he had said: "Scarlett, you say you love me. Why have I never felt your love?" Through the car window, I waved to my fans and Julian from afar, a peaceful smile on my face, like a final goodbye. The luxury van drove forward. Julian, go look for the answer. If you're willing to. In those expired memories, maybe there is the answer you're looking for. But that's all in the past now. 7 After returning, I was removing my makeup. My assistant, who was a pro at internet surfing, let out an "Ah," and handed me her phone: "Scarlett, your expired ship is trending." Tonight, all the trending topics were about the film festival, and I alone occupied several spots. But the number one trending topic was actually a Reddit thread digging up my first love. It had become the top legendary thread on Reddit, titled "Best Actress Scarlett and the Summer She Was Blessed By Him." The naming of the song "Prayers" was uncovered here. I pressed my lips together and read through the long post, feeling a bit dazed. I had forgotten some of these things myself. Once, when I was filming at Mount Rainier, I had purposely climbed to the snowy peak to hang a red prayer ribbon for Julian. A local TV station was randomly interviewing citizens and tourists, asking them to say a few words to the person they were praying for. Wearing a mask, I smiled and said: "Julian, it's so cold." Julian, of course, would never watch a small local TV station. So he never knew that the snow on Mount Rainier fell so heavily that day. The accuracy of the post was actually quite high. It even included a very old interview of mine. Back then, my face was still youthful, and I smiled as I envisioned the future: "If I can win an award one day, he will definitely be the first person on my thank-you list." The reporter pressed: "Who is he?" In the video, I smiled until my eyes crinkled, but didn't answer. But on my thank-you list tonight, the first person was the female director of my previous film, thanking her for recognizing my talent. It wasn't the person I had promised back then. We had already broken up ungracefully; there was already no ending for us. Netizens could tell that my romance had long since had a bad ending. Yet, they were shipping this expired couple so hard they were laughing and crying at the same time. Everyone guessed every male actor I had ever worked with, but no one had a clue. Julian's name never appeared from beginning to end, and only then did I feel relieved. Netizens can easily go overboard when shipping couples, not to mention that Julian already has another girlfriend now. The internet will forget about this in two days anyway. 8 After winning the award, scripts from famous directors came flooding in. My manager, Sarah, and I were still picking out scripts. There was a transition period between now and the scheduled start date of the script we favored. Sarah arranged for me to be a judge on a highly acclaimed acting competition reality show called "The Actor's True Colors." Record one episode and leave. But I didn't expect to run into so many familiar faces. Among the judges was Caleb Thorne, the Best Actor I had just worked with. I ran into Mia Jiang head-on. Only then did I learn she was participating in this reality show as a contestant. The show's producers sure knew how to generate buzz. The two of us had just competed for the Best Actress crown at the film festival, and now we were reunited in an acting competition show. The difference was, this time I was a judge, and Mia was a contestant. The ratings were guaranteed to skyrocket. This time, unusually, I didn't see Julian accompany Mia to the recording set. I heard he cares about her very much. Every time she joins a cast, he accompanies her to check the set's safety facilities and living conditions. Rumor in the industry was that Julian was the epitome of a devoted, twenty-four-karat good boyfriend. With Julian's arrogant, young master demeanor, it was hard to imagine him associated with that title. Before the show officially started recording. I had debuted many years earlier than Mia, so I was considered her senior. We sort of knew each other, so I gave her a polite, neutral smile. Just as we were about to brush past each other. Mia called out to me: "Scarlett, I haven't congratulated you on winning Best Actress yet." I stopped and turned around. Mia stood there, the corners of her mouth curling up: "Originally, my boyfriend thought I was going to win. He forced me to memorize a long acceptance speech thanking him before the film festival. He's so childish." I looked at her quietly. Waiting for her next sentence. Mia's smile faltered, the corners of her lips drooping as she continued: "But maybe you don't know, my boyfriend is Julian Sterling. He said the song 'Prayers' you wrote the lyrics for is really awful to listen to, and he hopes you won't use it to disgust him again in the future." I wasn't angry. I thought for a moment before offering a bland critique: "Then you two are quite alike. His taste and your acting are equally terrible." 9 Mia had always had smooth sailing and had never heard such blunt criticism before. She turned pale with anger. If it hadn't been for the famous director, a great script, and top-tier production backing her, she wouldn't have even had a chance to be nominated alongside me. I ignored her and walked forward. Turning the corner, I realized someone was standing there. Caleb leaned against the wall, biting down on a cigarette, but unlit. The clear sunlight fell on his face, making him look even more aloof. I never expected him to participate in this variety show. He didn't even do interviews or commercials, keeping an extremely low profile. I pressed my lips together and called his name, not knowing how much he had just heard: "Caleb." He turned his head and gave a slight nod. He must have been passing by, accidentally witnessed the confrontation between the two actresses, and had to avoid us to stay out of the drama. He tossed the unlit cigarette into the trash can. Caleb opened his mouth, his voice low and raspy: "The production team is looking for us. Let's go together." He wasn't a man of many words. Even though we had worked together on a movie set for half a year and shared a lot of intense scenes, we weren't particularly close. Walking side by side down the quiet hallway. The man beside me, with his cold demeanor, suddenly dropped a sentence. Caleb said: "Your ex-boyfriend's taste is indeed terrible enough."
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