Susan had no memories of how things were eventually resolved at home.All she knew was that she moved back to the house in the village from the city and slept on the same bed with her grandmother. She heard from her grandma that there was still a debt left unpaid.She could no longer buy new, beautiful clothes. There were people who pitied her and sent her clothes. They said they bought them for their daughter last year, and their daughter had only worn them once or twice. Since their daughter had gotten new clothes, they thought it would be a waste to throw them away, so they thought of giving them to her.Her grandmother told her to throw the clothes away, but she couldn't bear to because they were really beautiful, and she didn't have any other dresses.Her older brother couldn't afford to pay for his high school fees, so he dropped out.His homeroom teacher came to their home and advised them that no matter what, he should finish his studies. Even if the family faced difficu
However, she didn't dwell on her thoughts for too long.The words of encouragement from her classmates were straightforward and powerful, but they were also as subtle as a gentle breeze.They tacitly avoided mentioning the unhappy past and only discussed homework or study materials with each other.The words written on little pieces of paper or their notebooks became their little secrets.At that time, Susan would read those cards every time she finished an exam to deal with exhaustion after a long day. Or, in the early morning, when there were only one or two people in the classroom, she would sneakily glance at those words before burying herself in textbooks again.She adjusted her attitude well, as if she were a carefree child.When June arrived, she suddenly acted like a normal teenager. She joked with her classmates and even helped them with questions about homework.Having dominated first place in her class for a long time, she was always the standout student.No one coul
She stayed in the company for another half year.But she didn't foolishly let her leaders make her do whatever they wanted.She learned to find time to rest and make use of the company's resources to study, improving herself while working on projects.While her peers were dating, working, and traveling, she used all the free time she had to keep on improving herself.When she received the bonus from the projects she did, she finally felt a little joy.Although most of the money went to the boss, she had been so unlucky that having one thing go smoothly was enough to make her happy for a long time.She returned a portion of the money she earned from working this year to her brother, kept a portion for herself, and set aside another portion for her mother.Her mother's health was still stable at this time. She even started growing some vegetables in front of the house. As long as she didn't have to go to work or do any labor, she was basically no different from healthy people her
Disclosing one's family background to the leader and laying bare one's personal history essentially meant surrendering one's vulnerabilities and weaknesses into the hands of a superior.Having knowledge of her situation, her superior later exploited this information. Under the guise of being 'kind' to her, she was assigned all the dirty and arduous tasks.She was given money, but it was not much.It was like she was working in this first company and doing all the jobs, but her superiors took most of the credit.She would then get the slightest bit of credit.In the end, she ended up in the hospital because of over-exhaustion.Perhaps startled by her sudden collapse at work, her superior finally seemed to have a conscience after a few days. Her superior showed some concern and inquired about her well-being. It might also be influenced by recent media reports on sudden employee deaths that made her superior fear the loss of a laborer who essentially did her bidding without compla
In the end, she ended her working life that was away from home and went back to her hometown after discussing it with her brother. She started a new life then.There was a huge change back home.Even though she returned for New Year each year, she never walked the familiar paths with the current mindset. The muddy roads from her memories had all solidified, and even the significant routes were paved with asphalt. The surrounding trees were lush, and every few steps, one could spot a streetlight.The only constant was the farmland and rivers along the way. When the wind blew, the paddy swayed with the breeze, and the rustling sound could be heard. However, upon closer listening, all that could be heard were the croaking of frogs and the chirping of birds.She suddenly felt like it wasn't that bad to come back home.At least during summer rains, she could leisurely listen to the sound of raindrops the size of beans hitting the trees, without worrying about her clothes getting mudd
As someone who had climbed the ranks to department management in the workplace, how could she not understand people's words? Yet, she chose to play dumb.When others praised her for being a good daughter, she would casually respond that it was only natural. If they tried to involve their own children in the conversation, she would simply smile without giving much of a response.In the past, she might have entertained a comment or two and acknowledged the success of their children who chose not to return to their hometowns. However, as time went on, she saw through the gossip. What did this gossip have to do with her?Were they expecting her to help ensure their children were filial?Susan only cared about her own matters.The cost of living in the small town wasn't high, and her savings could cover her daily expenses. Moreover, by working on poverty alleviation projects with fellow entrepreneurs in the village, she successfully shed the label of being a poverty-stricken household.
Susan knew that behaving this way would only make her social circle life difficult. After all, before her mother passed away, she still had to stay in this area. She couldn't avoid meeting neighbors and fellow villagers. Speaking out in this manner would only strain relationships and make things awkward for everyone involved.However, she didn't care.These people didn't think about her feelings when they gossiped about her, so why did she need to care?She resigned to take care of her mother, and over the years, she worked tirelessly. Any reasonable person would acknowledge that she had done well. She even received recognition from the village. As for those gossiping men and women, who were they?Some people also said she was naive. They called her foolish for returning to take care of her mother while her brother enjoyed life abroad. They did not know where her brother was. They accused her of bearing the burden on her own shoulders.She argued with these people and almost fough
Susan sat up from the bed.She habitually looked for her bag to touch up her makeup before realizing that she was forcefully brought here, so she didn't bring anything with her.The good thing was that there were some daily necessities in the room here. Although it was small, it was filled with things that were needed.She took some tissue and went to the basin to clean her face.Rebecca got up from the bed and leaned by the pillar beside as she watched her. "I'm sorry because you got into this mess because of me."Susan wiped away the traces of tears on her face and turned to smile at Rebecca. "Didn't you negotiate with those people already? I should be thanking my lucky stars to have met you and gotten to this new place, right? Don't you want me to be grateful?"Rebecca furrowed her brows and shook her head. "I just stated my identity. I don't know how they will ultimately react. So ... I'm still sorry."When Beardo heard her words and left, he might not have checked her ident
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