Renee flinched as if struck, and her heart twisted painfully. "Why... are you asking me that?" Renee glared at Shirley, immediately cautious. She had only told Leia about Stefan cheating on her with Briar. She didn't want others to learn about such a humiliating affair that could ruin her dignity."Ms. Everheart, why are you so nervous? I know that Mr. Hunt is one of those rare good men. He's rich and handsome, and also very loyal to you," Shirley said meaningfully, and it made Renee wonder if Shirley knew anything. When Renee didn't reply, Shirley continued, "But even the perfect partner can make mistakes. I'm just curious to know if you'd forgive him if you were in this situation. If you would, then you can't say that Xavier wouldn't forgive me. There's nothing wrong in seeking forgiveness. Am I so despicable that all of you will always think the worst of me?" Renee averted her gaze guiltily. "I... I'm not sure.""What are you not sure about?" Shirley urged. "I'm not sure if I
"It doesn't matter!" Renee said firmly, "I don't know about others, but Jeffrey is pure and humble. He isn't greedy either, so he won't go down the wrong path." Renee just wanted to explain that Jeffrey was different, but somehow, all her words sounded like criticisms of Shirley.Shirley quietly clenched her fists and said slowly, "Ms. Everheart, you shouldn't judge others so quickly when you've never been in their shoes. You're a rich young lady—you've never been in a position where you've had nothing, so you might never understand why some people are forced to take extreme measures. Though they know what they're doing is illegal, they're scared of losing their stability and falling back into that place of being helpless. It's harder to lose something once you've already experienced it." Shirley knew that she was not an honorable person, and was cunning enough to do anything to achieve her goal. However, it didn't mean that she was a villain. She was merely born with a bad fate and w
Xavier's displeasure was obvious. "I don't think that's necessary.""Why not? She has the right to know your thoughts. If you choose to forgive Shirley, Lei can think about whether she wants to forgive you since she's your current girlfriend." Previously, she couldn't understand why Leia felt so conflicted and hurt in her relationship with Xavier, but now she did—Xavier's hesitation and fickleness filled Leia with insecurity. What a despicable man! On one hand, Xavier shamelessly and constantly pursued Leia, but on the other hand, he faked generosity and tried to reconcile with his first love. He was clearly fooling around. How could such a disloyal man make Leia happy? Renee wanted Leia to know the truth."This is between her and me. You don't know the situation, so stop meddling in our relationship." Xavier had always been casual and indifferent, but his relationship with Leia had made him frustrated and miserable. He would easily get upset when someone brought up Leia."What are
"The Heart of the Grassland?" Renee usually scrolled through entertainment news and had long heard of this IP. It was one of the novels of the Grassland trilogy written by Juniper, a famous novelist. It described the story of a modern urban woman who was stressed about life, and chose to travel to Bellcoast. There, she ran into a handsome and pure youth on the grassland, and they fell in love. The plot was quite straightforward, and the characters were only the heroine, hero, and the animals living on the grassland. However, the novelist's descriptive writing of the wilderness and the characters' budding romance made the novel very enchanting, and it had gained a lot of fans."Is there a problem with it?" Xavier asked curiously. He felt that it was a great IP, and countless top stars were vying for that role. Him suggesting giving the role to an unknown youth was already doing Renee a great favor. "No, that's not it." Renee explained patiently, "I feel that this IP is very influenti
After coming up with a plan, Jeffrey was almost a part of the entertainment circle. Xavier temporarily made Jeffrey and Shirley the male and female leads of The Heart of the Grassland, which he would have a grand startup ceremony for a week later.Renee felt more relaxed after returning from Universal Entertainment. She was glad her focus was broadening to something outside of her children, Stefan, and her. She went to meet Leia at a roadside stall to eat.Leia was confused when Renee told her the whole story. "Ren, I don't get you. What's with you and Jeffrey? Why do you insist on making him famous?" She took a big gulp of her beer. "Yes, that kid is handsome, but he's just a boy. You need a man." Renee stared at her friend helplessly, then placed some beef on Leia's plate. "You like beef, don't you? Eat more and talk less.""Was I mistaken?" Leia munched on the beef happily, then continued, "Look—there are many young handsome guys in the entertainment field. It's okay if you hav
Coincidentally, the startup ceremony of The Heart of the Grassland happened to be the same day as the graduation photograph session of the kindergarten, so Renee asked Leia to take Jeffrey to the startup ceremony. Although Leia was reluctant, she agreed so Renee could go with her kids without worrying. She drove her convertible out of Everheart Manor to go to Santa Fe, the place Universal Entertainment had booked. During the car ride, Jeffrey was cautious and awkward as he didn't know Leia that well yet. "Leia, thank you for doing this. I… can actually just take a cab there.""No, you can't do that." Leia had her sunglasses on, and held the steering wheel with one hand, enjoying the breeze as she drove. "Ren is worried about you, and she'll kill me if you get lost or someone bullies you during the startup ceremony, so it's best I bring you there. Stop overthinking—think of me as your agent, and just tell me if you need anything. I'll protect you as well as Ren since she's working
Suddenly, the paparazzi shifted their focus, turning their cameras in another direction."Here they come! Mr. Stuart is here, and he's with Ms. White!""Wow, they look so close! Did they get back together?""Of course! I heard that Mr. Stuart purposely made The Heart of the Grassland for Ms. White!"The media kept taking photos as they gossiped.At that moment, Xavier and Shirley walked onto the red carpet hand in hand, generously letting people take photos of them. They looked like a sweet couple from afar. Leia was immediately frozen to the spot as she stared at them blankly."What's wrong, Leia?" Jeffrey asked carefully when she suddenly went quiet. "I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble and embarrassing you. I'm just a nobody, so it's normal that they wouldn't recognize me. Don't be mad… Huh? Isn't that Xavier and Ms. White? It's good they're here—they know me!" Jeffrey immediately brightened when he saw Xavier and Shirley, and enthusiastically waved at them. "Xavier, M
Leia crossed her arms and sneered. "We've been trying to go in, but your staff won't let us... It's ridiculous that they don't even know who the hero of the movie is. Is this the quality of the staff of Universal Entertainment?"The staff's face turned pale, and he lowered his head fearfully and apologized, "I… I'm so sorry. I should have familiarized myself with the main cast of the movie. It was my mistake.""Is that really the reason? It's clear that you looked down on us!" Leia snapped. "Didn't you stop us because we didn't dress to your standards?""I… I…" The staff wrung his hands anxiously, looking regretful. "I recall that we need to show our invitation cards or working permits to get in, right?" Shirley smiled calmly. "Ms. Osborne, don't you have them?" "I forgot to bring them!""Then, Ms. Osborne, it's because of you that he got it wrong. You've treated this staff unjustly. I hope you won't make things difficult for him." Shirley's gentle words smoothly turned the sit