After three years of secret marriage to movie star Olivia, I gave up hope. I released albums, acted in TV shows, and appeared on variety programs. My career was on fire. Later, Olivia cornered me in my car and demanded to know why I wouldn’t acknowledge her status. I asked her back: “What status?” Olivia was trending again. A blurry photo showed two people holding hands and running in the rain. I would have called it beautiful if the woman wasn’t my wife. And if I hadn’t recognized the man as my wife’s ex-boyfriend. I switched to my main Instagram account and commented: “What a handsome couple.” Soon after, some of my old fans from my reality show days welcomed me back. One fan with the username “WillCrashWallsForBrother” caught my attention with their reply: “Isn’t Olivia my brother’s girlfriend? How could she do this to him!” This comment immediately sparked hundreds of question marks from others. Confused, I replied to them: “She’s not.” Indeed, she wasn’t my girlfriend – she was my wife. “WillCrashWallsForBrother” stopped replying publicly and sent me a private message instead: “Brother, did you break up with Olivia? That’s great! I never liked her. She was always flirting around despite having such a good boyfriend like you. She’s pure trash! What are your plans now? If you don’t mind, why not join our family’s Pinnacle Entertainment? You’re so talented, with great musical sense, good looks, and a nice personality. You’ll definitely become famous! Plus, my sister… I really like you, brother!” They rattled off a long string of messages, not waiting for my reply. They even said they had already contacted a manager for me, just waiting for my agreement. I chuckled, thinking it was a prank. I just replied “Thank you for your support” and logged off. After all, Pinnacle Entertainment was the biggest entertainment company. They had countless A-list celebrities and swept awards across all categories. It was the place everyone in showbiz was dying to join. And I was just a nobody who debuted through a reality show years ago, only to immediately retire. I didn’t even have 10,000 Instagram followers. I picked up my polished bass guitar and started tuning it. Twang— “What I want is tomorrow, it can’t fit in an email, memories stranded by time, should we still meet…” “Just forget it, just let go, in those rejected emails, in those days waiting for dawn, I only have myself, not yet doubting…” With a pencil in one hand and plucking strings with the other, I immersed myself in my own world. By the time it was completely dark outside, I finally put down my pencil and massaged my shoulders, taking a deep breath. For three years, I never gave up on music for a moment. Whenever I had free time, I wrote songs, composed, and practiced singing. Music accompanied me through three years of lonely waiting. When I checked my phone again, Olivia’s manager Mei had called me over 30 times. But Olivia herself hadn’t contacted me at all. That’s right – even though we were married, I couldn’t even call her directly. We could only communicate via email as a married couple. Because she didn’t want me to enter her life in the slightest. It turned out my reply this morning had led people to dig up the connection between Olivia and me. “Rising movie star suspected of secret marriage, yet spotted strolling in rain with internet celebrity.” In an instant, Olivia became the target of criticism. The Instagram comment sections of both our accounts were filled with fans arguing. Although I had few fans, my status as the victim led many bystanders to speak up for me. I was puzzled – they were actually pretty nice. Mei called again. I answered but didn’t put the phone to my ear. “Jack! What are you doing?! You don’t reply to emails, you don’t answer calls. Do you know how swamped I am here? Now, immediately, delete that comment! And post a statement saying you have no relationship with Olivia!” The other end was furious, her tone condescending, as if I had to do what she said or else. Although I hadn’t meant to cause this, I wasn’t some pushover anyone could bully. “If Olivia has anything to say, she’ll tell me herself. Who are you?” “I’m Olivia’s manager! I can make decisions about everything for her! Do as I say quickly!” “Oh really? Then how come you couldn’t decide when Olivia married me?” I sneered and hung up the phone, then opened my email. I deleted the pile of emails from Mei without reading them. Olivia still hadn’t contacted me. I counted the emails between us. I had sent her the most – over 20,000 in my inbox, excluding the ones I had deleted early on. Most of the time she didn’t reply. When she did, it was just simple “Mm”, “Okay”, “Fine”, “Whatever”. A new email notification popped up from Olivia. “Jack, just listen to her. I’m sorry.” I smiled bitterly and sent a tentative reply: “Let’s get divorced.” While waiting for her response, I made a bet with myself.
“Okay.” Something crumbled inside me. I wanted to laugh, but found I couldn’t even force a smile. Slowly, something slid down my face. In the three years I’d been married to Olivia, I’d gone from being full of love to feeling numb and cold. I knew she married me to prove to Mei that she wasn’t a puppet, that she didn’t want to be controlled. I knew she married me because I resembled the person she loved but couldn’t have. But I still married her. Because I liked her – the person who gave me a coat during my darkest time. Even though I was very reluctant to leave the stage. I logged into Instagram, deleted my previous comment, and posted a statement confirming I had no relationship with Olivia. How could two people who hadn’t appeared together once in three years possibly be married? The trending topic cooled down and disappeared at an extremely fast speed, as if someone had pressed a retract button. Mei was quite capable. I sighed, about to log off, when that fan “WillCrashWallsForBrother” sent another private message. “Brother, you’re online! Come on, join us! As a fan, I really don’t want to see you buried. You should be shining on stage! Are you worried we’re not legitimate? Wait, I’ll have someone call you. Make sure to answer!” I was infected by this person’s lively mood, and felt a glimmer of anticipation growing inside me. No call came. For a long time. Just as I was dozing off waiting, my phone finally rang. I eagerly answered and put it to my ear, nearly blowing out my eardrum. Mei snapped “Smart choice” and hung up. I threw my phone away and cursed. Early the next morning, as dawn was just breaking, my phone rang again at an ungodly hour. “Hello? Brother, this is ‘WillCrashWallsForBrother’ from Instagram. It was too late last night after I contacted Aunt Kim, so I didn’t call you. Quick, check Pinnacle Entertainment’s official Twitter now!” A clear, sweet female voice came through, instantly soothing my grumpiness at being woken up. I opened Instagram and found Pinnacle Entertainment in my new followers list. I clicked on their profile. The pinned post read: “Welcome brother @Jack to Pinnacle Entertainment.” Top industry manager Kim Ming commented below: “Nice to meet you, looking forward to working together @Jack”. It was the official account! I was so excited I lost my words, my hands shaking as I held my phone. I rolled around on the bed in joy. “Brother? Brother? Are you still there? Aunt Kim wants you to add her contact info.” “Oh, oh okay, got it. What’s your name?” I snapped back to reality, trying to calm my excitement. “I’m Lily! Brother, I originally contacted someone else to manage you, but my sister insisted on Aunt Kim… Aunt Kim is just a bit serious, don’t be scared. I’ll protect you!” After finishing the call with Lily, I specifically searched for information on Pinnacle Entertainment’s owner. Surname Lin, in his 50s, happily married with one son. I felt slightly relieved. You can’t blame me for being so cautious. I had been badly burned during my reality show days and didn’t want to get involved in any shady business again. Kim Ming asked me to post on Instagram responding to Pinnacle, confirming I had officially joined and would release a new song within a week. “I don’t care who you were before or what you did. Now that you’re with me, your career comes first. If anything happens, come to me immediately. I can solve everything. Don’t try to be clever on your own.” Kim Ming handed me a stack of documents right off the bat, speaking coldly before disappearing. She was indeed serious, but that was exactly what I needed. I didn’t want to be held back by love anymore. I wanted to become a huge star, the center of attention. Standing in a recording studio again after three years, my heart was racing. I didn’t know what lay ahead, but I was certain that every step I took from now on would not be in vain.
“I start to put you behind me, trying to return to the time before you, I stand at the other end of time, smiling goodbye, actually not in love…” Kim Ming handed me some water, nodding slightly – a rare show of approval from the usually stern woman. My nervous heart felt reassured, but her next words sent it racing again. “It’s passable. But I demand the best. This only proves your talent is still there. The company will promote your new song. For the next three months, you’ll be filming a drama.” “Acting? I…” “You’ll have an award-winning actress guiding you, what are you afraid of? Don’t be timid. If you want to stand on stage, don’t hesitate. Opportunities don’t wait for anyone.” Kim Ming patted my shoulder, cutting me off impatiently. “You’re right.” That competitive spirit inside me was instantly ignited. Compared to love, putting in effort for my career was much more likely to pay off. Then, Kim Ming waved her hand. A sweet-looking girl with a bun hairstyle ran in from outside, smiling and winking at me. “This is Lily Lin, the assistant the company arranged for you. You can go to her for anything from now on. I have other business, so I’ll be leaving.” Lily circled around me several times, her eyes sparkling. She immediately latched onto my arm. “Brother, I’m Lily! The one who’s ‘WillCrashWallsForBrother’! Brother, you were so great just now. I cried listening to you. You wrote it so well! I have a feeling this song will definitely be a hit!” I burst out laughing, my nervousness around strangers dissipating. “Well, thank you in advance then.” “Hehe, just give me a signed copy of your single album when it comes out. Oh right, you start filming tomorrow. It’s in a pretty remote location. Do you want to go home and pack first?” Back home, I couldn’t help opening my email again. Even though I knew Olivia would never initiate contact, I still felt a spark of hope. I loved her so much that letting go would be a gradual process of detachment. To my surprise, Olivia had actually sent me an email! My heart started racing. I opened it: “Jack, how did you join Pinnacle? And Kim Ming is managing you? Since that’s the case, can you help Ethan? You know how much Ethan wants to enter showbiz, but Mei won’t let me help him. Ethan is a good kid, he can’t keep wasting himself as an internet celebrity. Besides, we owe him.” Ethan Song, Olivia’s ex-boyfriend. An internet celebrity who had been on the same reality show as me. She sent me more words for his sake than she had in the past three years. My excitement died instantly. “He has plenty of ways to get in if he wants. I’m not Pinnacle’s owner, I can’t help him. And I don’t owe him anything.” This time the great Olivia replied quickly, not with her usual “I’m busy, don’t contact me unless it’s important.” “Jack, how can you talk like that! You know how dirty the entertainment industry is. Ethan is so timid, what’s wrong with protecting him a bit? If you don’t help him, we’ll have nothing more to say to each other. Who knows how you managed to get into Pinnacle anyway!” “Olivia, are you serious?” I felt sick to my stomach. For three years, I had guarded this empty house, hoping time and again, only to be disappointed time and again. But I had never felt as disgusted as I did now. She said she was busy with work. She was a movie star after all, I understood. She said she had to play along with others for show. She was a movie star after all, I understood. But she absolutely should not have tried to manipulate me morally or make assumptions about me. You’re a big star, are you? I’ll make you fall from grace.
During the three months of filming, I turned off my phone and focused solely on learning from the award-winning actress, oblivious to the outside world. “Your gaze – it needs desire. You’re trying to climb the ranks, not commit murder. Why so cold!” “Your movements – don’t be so stiff. You’re trying to seduce the female lead. Be alluring, have that relaxed feeling of being in control. You’re not playing a corpse!” “Thank your face, or I’d be scolding you to tears!” … Thanks to the actress’s uncompromising standards for acting, I was berated constantly and had to reshoot countless times before barely passing muster. Lily pouted for a long while nearby. When “Cut!” was finally called, she jogged over. “Brother, I didn’t know beforehand that the female lead was my sister. Otherwise I wouldn’t have let her guide you. My sister is a demon king, even stricter than Aunt Kim. With her around, I don’t dare say a word.” Lily looked around furtively before whispering in my ear, sticking her tongue out at the actress afterwards. I put on the down jacket she handed me, smiling as I ruffled her round face teasingly. “Not protecting me anymore?” Lily shook her head vigorously like a rattle drum, denying it repeatedly. “No no, Brother, just you wait. I’ll get revenge for you!” “I’m just kidding. I’m grateful the award-winning actress is willing to guide a nobody like me! I really feel like I’ve learned so much.” I demonstrated the seductive moves I had just learned for Lily, draping one arm over her shoulder and stroking her hair bun with the other. Lily burst out laughing. The actress waved me over, indicating I should come look at something. “You, come watch this. Isn’t your little gesture here a bit off? Wouldn’t touching the ear be better?” “You need to immerse yourself in the character’s emotions, let the character guide your actions.” For three months, I was run ragged on set. Besides the award-winning actress playing the female lead, the rest were also veteran actors – all heavyweights in the industry. So to better hone my acting skills, I not only focused on my own scenes, but also carefully observed others’ performances. Even though I was only playing a bit part with less than three minutes of screen time total. Finally, filming wrapped. Kim Ming came to pick me up. I clutched my notebook filled with three months of notes like a precious treasure, grinning stupidly in the car from time to time. “Good news and even better news. Which do you want to hear first?” Kim Ming glanced at me in the rearview mirror as she drove. “The good news?” “Getting even an ‘acceptable’ from Linda Lin is pretty good. Your acting has improved. I dare to give you this S-class production I have on hand now.” “Then what’s the even better news?” My expectations soared. I set down my notebook and listened attentively. “You’re famous! To be precise, your song ‘Email’ is a hit! Why don’t you check Instagram?” “Actually, for me right now, the S-class production is the better news. Haha, but they’re both good news.” After spending time together, I discovered Kim Ming was someone who valued ability above all else. As long as I did my job well, she was quite pleasant to work with. So I felt comfortable joking around with her now. I happily turned on my phone and logged into Instagram, but my face instantly went pale when I saw the trending topics. Kim Ming noticed something was wrong and turned to ask what happened. I was about to speak when Lily called. “Brother, have you… logged into Instagram yet? Don’t be afraid, it’s okay. It’ll be dealt with quickly. You don’t need to do anything. Is Aunt Kim with you? Go home first, don’t come to the company.” The usually bubbly Lily was carefully trying to soothe me while calmly arranging things. Kim Ming took the phone and inquired about the situation. “It’s nothing major, we’re already handling it. I’m just worried it’s Brother’s first time facing such malice, he might feel upset. Aunt Kim, please take care of him for me.” Then Lily hung up. I scrolled through my phone screen, tears falling without me realizing. “#The truth behind a male singer’s reality show debut!” “#Is ‘Email’ about love or transactions?” I was instantly transported back to that dark night. Three years ago, Ethan Song and I were the twin stars of the stage. He was the lead vocalist, I was the bassist. One night, Ethan asked me to go with him to meet some big shots. He said just meeting those people once would guarantee our debut. I went. But I didn’t expect it was a trap, a trap specifically set for Ethan. And I was forced to take Ethan’s place. Those people made me drink bottle after bottle, grabbing my hair to stop me from leaving. I huddled in the corner, secretly hiding a fruit knife up my sleeve. Someone approached me. I shook my dizzy head and stabbed out with the knife. It was a suit jacket. I vaguely heard those people rush over, calling her “Miss Yang”. At that time, Olivia had just won an award for playing a female mob boss. When I sobered up, I cut ties with Ethan and threatened him to leave the industry using evidence of his dealings with those people. Fearing the so-called evidence I had, Ethan never dared enter showbiz. But as time passed, Ethan was getting restless again. The post had over a million views. The comment section was a mess. “So white and sexy!” “Ugh, I’d pay anything for ears that haven’t heard ‘Email’. Wuwuwu—” “Why did you do this to me! I just became a fan and now this happens! Ahhhhh—” I clicked to open the photos, but got a message saying they had been deleted. At the same time, Pinnacle Entertainment posted supporting me, along with a police report they had filed. To my surprise, Linda Lin, who rarely used social media, also spoke up for me. “Stupid but resilient @Jack. Looking forward to having you in the new drama.” I felt a warmth in my heart and replied to Linda. “Stupid people have stupid luck @Linda @PinnacleEnt” I was about to dig up the evidence of Ethan’s dealings with those people, but Pinnacle had already released it. It was even more complete and explosive than what I had. In an instant, public opinion online did a 180. “I knew it. Someone who could write a song as good as ‘Email’ couldn’t do those things.” “Case closed, folks. Jack is still the only good guy in showbiz!” “Haters speak up! Let’s hear you now!” … Kim Ming tossed me some tissues, smiling. “It’s nothing. The internet is like this – some people like you, some hate you. No need to pay them any attention. Remember, never put others’ opinions before your own, at least not until you become powerful enough.” I clutched the tissues tightly and opened the email Olivia had sent.
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