She loves her, she protects her
Si Meng’s consciousness fell into chaos, as if memories that had been sealed away a long time ago were suddenly unlocked.
Si Meng had a dream, but it felt so real, as if a past event was being replayed.
That year, she was twenty years old, and she asked Lin Hanyue how she could become her girlfriend. Lin Hanyue said, “As long as you can become a sensation in the entertainment industry, I’ll agree to be with you.”
She was overjoyed, but she didn’t know that Lin Hanyue had already given her the audition spot that was originally meant for her through a school recommendation.
She tirelessly honed her acting skills, often neglecting sleep and meals, and even at the late hours of the night, she would be silently rehearsing her lines.
Perhaps it’s luck, Si Meng thought. With a supporting role in a TV drama, she skyrocketed to fame. Many directors approached her to work in their films. As she became more and more popular, she gradually forgot why she had entered the entertainment industry and why she acted.
Si Meng went to find Lin Hanyue. This time, she finally had the confidence to say to Lin Hanyue, “I love you!”
But they said Lin Hanyue was taken away by a wealthy man, a second-generation heir from the leading company in the entertainment industry. They believed that Lin Hanyue had gone with him because of money.
She didn’t believe it and got into a fight with those people. The next day, paparazzi captured the incident, and Lu Jie complained while helping her clean up the mess. She warned her not to cause trouble anymore now that she was famous and needed to maintain a good image.
In the end, Si Meng found Lin Hanyue. She held onto her, not letting her go. She saw a man in a Lamborghini in the distance and got angry. She threw money at Lin Hanyue and sneered, saying, “Lin Hanyue, all you want is money, right? I’ll give it to you. Does that mean anyone can be with you as long as they have money?”
Lin Hanyue slapped her across the face and then got into the man’s car. Si Meng thought she wouldn’t cry anymore, but she ended up shedding tears for Lin Hanyue in the end.
Since then, Si Meng lived like a walking corpse every day. She refused any payment for her work, cut off social interactions, and spent her days drowning her sorrows in alcohol.
It wasn’t until she heard that Lin Hanyue had taken on a new role in a movie that she seemed to come back to life. To see Lin Hanyue again, she went to the film set and auditioned for the role of the second female lead. The director decided on the spot that she was the right fit for the role, and thus, by a twist of fate, she snatched Lin Hanyue’s first role.
Perhaps from that moment on, their relationship turned into a bitter rivalry.
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The new movie didn’t go smoothly. There were always anonymous trollls spreading rumors about her, and her fellow actors seemed to trip her up for no apparent reason. From small things like her costumes being ruined to bigger incidents like her food and water being tampered with, she lost count of the number of times she had to get her stomach pumped at the hospital.
Later, she came to understand that it didn’t really matter who played the second female lead in the movie. What mattered was that the second female lead couldn’t be prettier than the female lead or have better acting skills. Others who did this were merely trying to please the veteran actress playing the female lead.
Si Meng was a newcomer, and newcomers had to endure hardships. If newcomers wanted to stand out and become famous, they had to work harder and endure more than others.
The young and spirited Si Meng certainly couldn’t accept this. She couldn’t stand how experienced individuals in the industry bullied newcomers. During a celebratory banquet, she aggressively slapped the fake facade of the veteran actress.
The next day, numerous internet trolls and paid commenters threatened to cyberbully Si Meng and force her out of the entertainment industry.
On the third day, obsessive fans showed up at her doorstep, throwing eggs and vegetable leaves at her. Nevertheless, she stared straight at them, unyielding. She knew she hadn’t done anything wrong. She walked with integrity and sat with dignity, unafraid of what others said.
But Si Meng still lost. During the shooting of a scene, the director repeatedly made things difficult for her, especially during the water scenes. In the freezing winter with temperatures below ten degrees, she shivered in the water. Suddenly, the stunt double for the veteran actress pressed her head into the water. No matter how she struggled, it seemed futile as water rushed into her nostrils and throat.
Just when she thought she was about to suffocate, she was lifted out of the water. She gasped for air, only to be forcefully submerged again and again by the stunt double. It appeared as though they were doing this repeatedly to relish her struggle.
People nearby pointed at Si Meng, who looked like a drowned dog, and the stunt double, with a mocking tone, said, “As long as you kneel down and beg me, I’ll spare you.”
Si Meng bit the other person’s fingers, drawing fresh blood. Everyone gasped and rushed the stunt double to the hospital, while Si Meng was left half-dead, lying on the riverbank.
………
“Si Meng, wake up, you must be okay.” This voice seemed to overlap with a voice from her memory, and Lin Hanyue’s face became increasingly clear.
She could almost see Lin Hanyue standing on the shore, hands on her hips, shouting, “I believe in you; you can definitely swim over.”
Si Meng felt like she was in the middle of a vast ocean. She waved her hand forward, gently gliding across the water’s surface, and she slowly swam over. Even though she used to freeze up in the water, she was now remarkably agile. So, was she dreaming?
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Si Meng watched Lin Hanyue getting closer and closer. Si Meng switched to a frog kick, dove down, her movements skilled. She resurfaced, and Lin Hanyue reached out to pull her up. The two of them collided.
Si Meng suddenly woke up, and all she saw was a white hospital bed and ceiling. Si Meng removed the oxygen mask and shook her head. Indeed, it was just a dream.
She absentmindedly removed the IV needle, and a slight stinging pain in her abdomen prompted her to get up and walk to the restroom. As she headed that way, she collided with Lin Hanyue, who was walking toward her. This time, the collision felt even more real, like a collision between a toy bun and a giant burger.
Si Meng’s legs gave way, and she fell. Lin Hanyue acted quickly, lifting her back up.
In Lin Hanyue’s arms, Si Meng smiled like a child who had just received a new toy. Si Meng wiped away the tears at the corner of her eye and said, “It seems like you really caught me this time.”
As they continued to smile, the abdominal pain grew more intense, and Si Meng’s expression changed. She realized it might be her menstrual cycle coming.
Si Meng quickly pulled away from Lin Hanyue and rushed to the restroom, with Lin Hanyue following her closely.
Si Meng turned around and quickly closed the door. This time, she was faster, and Lin Hanyue was left outside, feeling a bit embarrassed.
“Um, I suddenly got my period. Do you have any…?” Si Meng looked flustered. Her menstrual cycle was quite erratic, not once a year was it on time, quite unpredictable.
“Alright, I’ll go buy some for you. What kind do you prefer?” Lin Hanyue quietly waited for her response.
“Just… just buy the kind you usually use,” Si Meng leaned against the door, her cheeks flushing. Discussing this topic with Lin Hanyue made her feel oddly shy.
She heard the sound of Lin Hanyue opening the door to leave, and only then did Si Meng slowly emerge from the restroom. She pressed her lower abdomen, thinking it seemed like quite a heavy flow. She wondered if she was losing too much blood and might die. When she turned around, she saw Lin Hanyue returning from the store.
“You…”
But Lin Hanyue simply princess-carried her and placed her on the bed. Lin Hanyue gently touched her hair and said in a soft, soothing voice, “Be good and wait for me here.”
Si Meng was left stunned, just like that, waiting for Lin Hanyue to return. However, her thoughts were racing: Had Lin Hanyue been possessed by a ghost? How could she be so gentle?
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After a while, Lin Hanyue returned. Si Meng took the sanitary napkin, gently tore open the packaging, and marveled at its quality. The texture was almost as good as her family’s velvet blanket. It was truly something for wealthy women.
After changing, Si Meng felt refreshed. It was so comfortable that she decided that when she had the money, she would definitely buy this kind. Lin Hanyue sat on the edge of the bed, having already prepared red sugar water for her to drink.
“Do you want me to feed you, or will you drink it yourself?”
“I can drink it myself.” Si Meng wasn’t used to Lin Hanyue’s warmth at that moment. She was more accustomed to Lin Hanyue’s usual indifference towards her.
After drinking the red sugar water, Si Meng comfortably lay down. Suddenly, her abdomen tightened, and a sharp pain struck. Si Meng furrowed her brow and clenched her teeth.
A pair of gentle yet firm hands rested on Si Meng’s lower abdomen, circling it slowly and massaging it gently.
