When Daniel and Ryan arrived, Mrs. Winston slowly regained consciousness. She lay weakly on the hospital bed while Cheryl persuaded her to eat a little. Her face filled with exhaustion. Despite Mrs. Winston’s age, she seemed like a child now. Her entire demeanor expressed reluctance. She tightly pursed her lips, refusing to eat anything. Cheryl, on the other hand, remained patient. She held the spoon steadily. "Oh, Mrs. Winston, please eat a little. The doctor said you need to nourish yourself. Starving yourself won't do you any good!" Mrs. Winston wrinkled her brow and turned her head away. "I just woke up and I don't feel like eating. Please sit for a while. You don't have to worry about me." Mrs. Winston had just regained consciousness and still felt dizzy. The memories of what had happened before she fainted made her lose her appetite entirely. She even felt a burning anger inside her. Cheryl only had Mrs. Winston's well-being in mind. Mrs. Winston had come out for a me
Unfortunately, Mrs. Winston and Cheryl couldn't stoop so low. So, they could only suppress their anger. Mrs. Winston had indeed faced health issues in recent years, including low blood sugar and post-pregnancy complications. Therefore, this outburst of anger had caused her to faint. Before losing consciousness, Mrs. Winston remembered how both Jessica and her mother had fled in panic, as if they were afraid of being blamed. How could such a person be allowed to marry into the Winston family? If it weren't for the friendship between Mr. Brown Senior and Mr. Winston Senior, Mrs. Winston wouldn't even want to know such people. The fact that the Brown family could now do business together with the Winston family was also because they had mistakenly raised a good girl like Rebecca. If it weren't for this misunderstanding, the one engaged to be married would have been Jessica all along. Mrs. Winston was sure that even Mr. Winston Senior would rather spend money to resolve this fa
Coming out of the hospital room, Daniel's face was so dark that it was intimidating to look at. Daniel held in his fury. It was just like how Daniel felt every time he was punished as a child. Back then, he was always forced to do things he didn't want to do. However, if Daniel didn't submit, he would be locked in that pitch-black place overnight. It would leave him powerless and with nowhere to escape. The trauma of his past coupled with his anger from the conversation earlier threatened to overwhelm him. Therefore, Daniel quickened his pace. It was as if he were trying to escape from everything."Danny, why are you walking so fast? Are you really that hungry?" Ryan rushed out of the hospital room. He almost had to run to catch up to Daniel. Daniel paid no attention to his jokes and continued to wear a cold expression. The two of them stood in front of the elevator. This was when Ryan found an opportunity to talk to Daniel. "Danny, you're not someone who can't disting
Speaking of Rebecca … After being brought back to Crystal Bay by Sam, Rebecca’s mood had improved significantly. She had a good dinner and indulged in some dessert. She had already dismissed all the words Daniel had said and did not care about him anymore. Of course, Rebecca hadn't forgotten about Mrs. Winston, who was still unconscious at the hospital. During dinner, instead of making a phone call, Rebecca sent a message to Mrs. Winston. She inquired about Mrs. Winston’s condition and sent her a gift. Cheryl had informed Rebecca about Mrs. Winston's hospitalization. The fact that Rebecca didn't visit Mrs. Winston was rather impolite. Therefore, she said that she had some last-minute matters to attend to as an excuse. Mrs. Winston had naturally declined the gift. Luckily, she didn't seem to mind that Rebecca hadn't visited in person. They exchanged polite greetings through a call. However, Rebecca could sense that Mrs. Winston's attitude toward her had changed. For
Rebecca remained silent and gloomy with pursed lips.Needless to say, returning to Rookfort wasn't one of their options. Now that Ethan's manager had called her, she couldn't pretend as if nothing had happened. She needed to see her brother to make sure he was alright.Both Sam and Caleb had no objections to this.This time around, they had returned early without notifying their family—it was an impromptu decision from last night. It wouldn't be a big deal for them to divert and head to Silvermist Mountain now. They just had to explain the situation to Markus.Rebecca wasted no time and immediately dialed his number.She didn't touch on the topic of Ethan's injury. It wasn't good news she was bringing. Though accidental, news coverage of this incident was sure to affect not only the crew but also his career. The entertainment industry was a toxic workplace. More often than not, the lead actor would end up taking the blame for even the slightest issue.Regardless, even w
As the conversation continued, Sam's expression became more serious. He asked, "Do you remember what happened?" Ethan shook his head. "I can't recall the specifics of what happened, but I'm certain that there was nothing wrong with my protective gear before I went into the water. After being swept away by the current, someone pulled me underwater." Ethan injured his head and had water enter his lungs, which led to a mild concussion diagnosed by the doctor. Consequently, it was normal for his memory to be fuzzy. Therefore, when they were in the water, Ethan couldn't clearly remember who stood next to him or when the accident occurred. He could only vaguely recall someone pulling him, attempting to make him sink to the bottom of the water. Regarding the protective equipment, it had been purchased with substantial funding from both XR and the Johnson family. So, there was no possibility of a quality issue. Additionally, Ethan had personally inspected all the equipment before
"You are ..." Thomas was about to get up. However, when he saw Rebecca, he stopped in his tracks and instinctively looked toward the hospital bed where Ethan lay. Ethan was also surprised. Just as he was about to speak, Rebecca had already introduced herself to Thomas. "I’m Rebecca. Ethan is my brother." Rebecca held a computer in her hands. Without any further pleasantries, she opened the computer and played a video for Thomas. "I know my actions may seem audacious, so I'd like to apologize to you first, Mr. Feud. But when it comes to my brother's situation, I can't let the production crew move on quietly. "You mentioned that the police investigation concluded it was an accident, and I believe that. After all, most people wouldn't notice these details. However, since I've found it, I ask that you give my brother the justice he deserves!" The video being played was the scene of Ethan going underwater. The first time was the regular shooting with no alterations. "It do
"Rebecca, it's been a while since I heard from you. I hope you're doing well. By the way, Danny and I have set our wedding date. I was wondering if you have the time to attend our wedding?" When Rebecca saw this message, she couldn't help but cock an eyebrow and sneer.Setting aside the fact that Jessica had invited her, Daniel's ex-wife, to attend the wedding, the message didn't even specify a date or location. What did she think she was doing?Rebecca didn't bother to respond. She was about to block Jessica's number when another message came in."Rebecca, are you still angry at me? I know I was wrong about the past, and I won't make the same mistakes again. I apologize for the recent incidents as well. Please forgive me. I'm sure you know that Danny and I are deeply in love. "Now that Mrs. Winston has accepted me, I hope to receive your blessings too. Could you please attend our wedding?"The message was longer this time, and Jessica also sent a few photos.They showed Jessi
Penny didn't have much free time over the past three years.As she had envisioned, during the first year, she honed her acting skills amidst criticism while also working as a translator.Later on, she felt that acting didn't hold much appeal anymore. Moreover, realizing that there weren't any roles left for her, she gradually gave up and moved toward working behind the scenes.She had some work during this period.It seemed that a daring reality show, not caring about potential risks, decided to capitalize on her controversial popularity and invited her to participate in one of their programs.The reason Penny agreed to participate was because the show's first season had a good reputation, and the payment offered was reasonable.Continuously doing translations could be quite tiring. After discussing with Cecilia and weighing the pros and cons, she eventually signed up for this TV show.Unfortunately, she had underestimated the darker side of human nature.The show's production
"Really?" Zane blurted out, staring incredulously at Sam, who nodded calmly. His unruly and carefree demeanor was restrained, and his composed attitude showed that he wasn't joking.Zane fell silent again, furrowing his brow as he intently observed Sam.It was as if he thought everything through in an instant, giving up without hesitation. He didn't even remind Zane of the request from years ago to take care of Penny. Instead, he said this would be the last time he would help out.Logically speaking, this should be a satisfactory outcome for Zane. After all, from any perspective, the Lowe family's scion would only be a burden to Sam.Looking again at Sam's attitude, it seemed he didn't want Penny to know he was the one quietly spending money to handle things behind the scenes.Since there was no plan to meet her, he didn't need to worry about anything after that. If that was the case, it would be better to just end it early.That way, if Sam saw Penny falling in love, getting mar
All those old scoundrels from the Lowe family undoubtedly ranked the highest. Then there was Jessica, the entertainment industry's national goddess, who also played a significant role.Besides them, there were a few minor celebrities who didn't really make the cut.However, as Sam's partner and someone who watched him grow up, Zane privately hoped Sam could find a better girl.So, he advised, "There are plenty of socialites in Riverwood, and Amdale has no shortage of beautiful young ladies, either, and Rookfort isn't much different."You and the Lowe family's daughter haven't even officially met…""Who said I haven't met her?" Sam interrupted him without a second thought.He had even seen her twice. How could Zane say they hadn't even met yet?The first time, she gave him all the money she had. The second time, he spoke up to help her get that role.After these interactions, they could be considered acquaintances.Zane choked up and couldn't find the words to refute.He was s
Because Penny declined his offer, Zane didn't insist. After a bit of small talk, he ended the call.He politely mentioned that if she needed any help, she could call this number again. If he could assist in any way, he certainly would.However, Zanw knew very well that, given Penny's temperament, she would rather give up what she had than actively seek help from a stranger.Yes, to Penny, Zane was just a stranger. He was a person she had met once but didn't really know.This time, Penny didn't respond as coldly as she did when she was 18. Instead, she exchanged a couple of polite pleasantries, mentioned that she would reach out if needed, and then hung up the phone.After that, she let out a long sigh of relief and lay on the lounge chair on the balcony, gazing at the view outside the window.There were fluffy white clouds in the azure sky and the greenery visible in the neighborhood. Sparrows were chirping persistently as they darted through the forest, and the cicadas loudly bu
Although the other person said only one word, Penny could still tell he didn't have any ill intentions.Because of that faint sense of familiarity, Penny didn't hang up the phone immediately. "Hello? May I ask what this is about?"The unfamiliar and distant tone probably made the man on the other end of the phone pause for a moment. It was only after a brief silence that he responded."Young lady, don't you remember me? It's Zane Moran."His voice carried a laugh, with a hint of teasing.Only then did Penny remember who he was, but she wasn't happy at all.Zane meant no harm when that incident happened back then. But despite that, over the years that had passed, he became one of the people and things Penny would rather not recall.Whether it was the exam she missed, the incident where Spencer took her to the hotel against her will, or Zane, who gave her 30 dollars for a taxi ride.She just wanted to hide all of them deep in her memories.The recent events had particularly made
"I'm fine. You all don't have to look so worried. You're making it seem as if something bad is going to happen to me."Penny looked at the two people at the door who were showing a range of expressions, feeling speechless.Cecilia was provoked by her words, and her eyes turned red."We're worried about you. You have no idea what you look like right now. You're almost like one of those disheartened protagonists in novels who hated the world."Penny clicked her tongue twice and said, "Aren't you exaggerating?"She didn't believe it. She was just worried about money. It wasn't like she had become disillusioned with life.Besides, she didn't dislike this world at all. On the contrary, she really liked it.Whenever Penny came across posts online suggesting that all humans should just die, she always felt like rolling her eyes. If they wanted to die, they shouldn't drag others with them.When searching for her own role in movies, TV dramas, and novels, Penny particularly preferred re
Penny's way of clarifying things was to simply tell the truth.Sometimes, trying to cover things up would just lead to needing 100 more lies to continue the cover-up. That would often end up making things worse and more ridiculous.It was better to tell the truth about the situation.To answer the question of why she lashed out at the Lowe family, she briefly explained her experiences over the years.Why didn't she attend the final paper of the college entrance examinations? She personally reopened that old wound.As for that man in the hotel, Penny didn't have much of an impression of him anymore. She only remembered not taking his business card and accepting 30 dollars from him.Why did she show up at that man's hotel room? She wrote it down truthfully—it was her father who personally took her and left her at the hotel, wanting to trade her like a commodity.Every single word was carefully considered and written by Penny.She didn't share much of these things with Cecilia. Th
Once the official statements were released, Penny's career being ruined became a certainty.The only surprising thing was probably that after the film crew issued their statement, the largest investor also requested to withdraw.The film crew was completely shocked, but there was nothing they could do. The scion was willing to lose money just to withdraw his investment, so what could they do?The amount of money in the compensation was nothing compared to the amount that the scion planned to invest. The production team would incur a significant loss.With one less investor, the project's status was essentially downgraded. They had much less room to manipulate their gains now, too.One would understand why the scion was doing this if they used their brain a little.However, the protests from the audience couldn't be ignored, and compared to the investors, it was clearly more important to keep the show going.After all, they could always attract more sponsors, even if the amount o
In addition to the widespread backlash caused by the phone recording, Penny's academic credentials were also scrutinized and exposed.Before the college entrance exam, she had always been the top student in her school and had never ranked anything else.However, in the college entrance exam, she barely passed the minimum mark for key institutions, far below her usual performance.Some people speculated that she had been cheating during regular exams and that her actual abilities were much worse.However, the exam results could be checked online, and the fact that Penny scored zero on the last exam was surprising.It was even more shocking that she was admitted to a top-tier university despite missing an exam. It was truly exceptional.But few people paid attention to this information.After all, the achievements attained through hard work couldn't be faked. Even if the results weren't as expected, it was undeniable that she was stronger than many others.Regarding this topic, t