Rebecca stopped walking and turned to face Daniel. As she did, he hugged her and said, "Becca, I'm really sorry."Rebecca tensed up. She wanted to push him away, but his sigh made her pause.Daniel released her before she could react. He looked at her and spoke softly, "I've said sorry before, but I wanted to say it again before we parted ways, whether you forgive me or not."Rebecca stared at him. She was at a loss for words. Eventually, she nodded with a smile that melted Daniel's cold heart.His fingers twitched by his side. He wanted to stroke her head but he hesitated and just smiled back. "You go ahead. I won't bother you anymore.""Okay, take care." Rebecca glanced at him before turning away."Take care," Daniel whispered behind her. His words were carried away by the evening breeze. They echoed a familiar farewell from years ago when they parted ways at a crossroads.Half of the sky was painted fiery red by the setting sun. Daniel stood beneath a dogwood tree outside the
Penny used to believe she was incredibly unlucky. But as time passed, she came to understand it wasn't about luck. It was simply that her true family took longer to enter her life. She even pondered whether she had traded her past happiness for her current family.From a young age, Penny knew her family didn't love her. Yet, she still tried to please them while hoping for their love in return. She obediently followed their rules, taught by school teachers that parents love their children unconditionally and that children should behave.No one taught her what to do if her parents didn't love her. She was a dutiful daughter, who never dared to challenge her parents' unfair treatment of her. It wasn't until high school that she befriended Cecilia Walker, a quiet and hardworking student.Cecilia wore her hair in a ponytail and donned a slightly worn-out school uniform. She was attentive in class and consistently excelled on her exams.Unlike Penny, Cecilia didn't strive to be the top s
The boy, Bryan Cromer, was seriously injured. Cecilia was asked by Bryan's mother, Michelle Beltran, to apologize and make amends. Scarlett and Cecilia paid the money to make amends but didn't apologize.Cecilia got really mad back then and ended up hitting Bryan pretty hard. Unlike most parents, Scarlett didn't give Cecilia a scolding right away.Even though Michelle was being aggressive, Scarlett prioritized getting Cecilia and Bryan to the clinic for treatment. Only when Scarlett handed Michelle some money did she calm down.As the doctor tended to Cecilia's bruises, he mentioned that Bryan needed stitches. Even though she was young, Cecilia knew how badly Bryan was hurt. When Michelle started to make a scene again, Scarlett covered Cecilia's ears and held her in her arms.During the chaos, Cecilia heard Scarlett saying, "I raised Cecilia, so I know her temperament. There must be a reason for her behavior. Mrs. Cromer, before you request Cecilia to apologize, could you please in
Scarlett's words stayed with Cecilia. School taught her how to behave, but never how to handle bullying. She would stand up for herself when bullied, but she was careful not to go too far for fear of trouble and Scarlett's scolding.Cecilia never imagined that Scarlett would support her in fighting back the way she did today. After that, she fought back even harder whenever someone picked on her. But she also knew when she had to stop.Cecilia knew Scarlett worked hard to make money from a young age. She felt especially guilty when Scarlett had to pay money to make up for Michelle. She would hold back a bit if something like today happened again. Her only hope was to teach the other person a lesson and to protect herself.Scarlett would be upset and have to spend money on medicine if Cecilia was injured....Penny was shocked when she saw Cecilia fight, especially since Moses was a scruffy middle-aged man while Cecilia was an underage girl who couldn't even reach Moses' shoulders.
As she was afraid of her parents, Penny could only hide in the housekeeper's embrace to soothe her pain. At the time, she didn't feel brave enough to call the police as she had just done.Penny hesitated. She was unsure if her call would be a nuisance to the police. Suddenly, Cecilia snapped, "Whether the police will help or not is not for you to decide."Just then, Penny's call connected to the police. Cecilia signaled Penny with her eyes and began to scream for help. When Penny came to her senses, she told the police everything she had seen but didn't mention that Moses was Cecilia's father.On the phone, the police officer assured Penny that help would arrive soon. Within minutes, the wail of sirens filled the air.Cecilia and Penny were in fear as they waited for the police to arrive. Moses erupted in anger when Penny called the police. He flung Cecilia to the ground and tried to grab Penny's phone. Despite being in pain, Cecilia swiftly got up and bit Moses' arm.Moses cried
Tensions were instantly dispelled. Moses had to return the money to Cecilia, and the police arrested him. He wasn't sentenced for hurting Cecilia, but for stealing to gamble and engaging in other illegal activities with his buddies.Penny couldn't remember Moses' exact punishment but vividly remembered the female officer who protected Cecilia. Her words stayed with her.For a long time, Penny thought about whether a father who almost hurt his child deserved to be a father. Her parents were a lot like Moses, and she was unsure if she should continue to try to make them happy.That day, Penny walked Cecilia home. She didn't do it out of pity for her. It was Penny herself who deserved pity. All she could do was hide in her room and cry after being beaten by her parents. She felt very different from Cecilia, who dared to stand up to Moses.Penny walked Cecilia home to understand the environment and upbringing that had shaped her. As they walked into the chaotic and run-down village, Pe
Penny shook her head and explained, "Cecilia's my classmate, so I should be helping her out. Our teacher always tells us to help each other.""You're so kind. Thank you," Scarlett replied. Then, she gently asked what had happened to Cecilia.Cecilia was standing at the bathroom door with clothes and medications in her hand. She signaled Penny with her eyes. Penny understood and only described what had happened after she had called the police. She didn't mention to Scarlett that Cecilia had been injured.Scarlett didn't press her for details. She changed the subject and started asking about school and telling stories about Cecilia. Scarlett also talked about her own experiences growing up.Penny listened eagerly. She was surprised that Scarlett had a son like Moses when she had such a calm and sensitive manner of speaking. It was fortunate that Cecilia was willing to take care of Scarlett.Penny only stayed at Cecilia's house for a short time. She would probably be scolded and puni
Penny stood firm and asked, "Why should I kneel? Why should I even kneel?"Spencer's hand stopped in mid-air. A flicker of surprise flashed from behind his glasses. Then, his anger rekindled. "How—""What?" Penny's voice rose sharply to cover her fear. Her eyes were defiantly on his. "I came home a bit late and texted you to let you know. What have I done wrong? Even if I made a mistake, is it fair for you to punish me like this? Am I your child or your servant?"Spencer slapped Penny hard across the face. She was stunned, and her ears were ringing. She could only hear angry curses above her. She rubbed her stinging cheek and saw Spencer's disgusted expression.Penny wasn't intimidated by him anymore. That slap had crushed all her hopes. Spencer was just an average, repulsive, middle-aged man. If he hadn't inherited the family business and all that money, he'd likely be no different from Moses.Over time, the Lowes' situation worsened. Penny had overheard him arguing with her moth
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