She Died Once

Chapter 3: A Handful of Sky

Mo Snapdragon saw Sang Yu Studio's video even before Lin Yiying did.

At first, he merely instructed the public relations department to pressure the blogging platform, forcing them to delete all comments related to Sang Yu Studio and permanently ban their account.

However, when the second video still managed to surface undisturbed in the public's view, Mo Snapdragon realized something was seriously wrong.

"What's going on?" He shot a cold glance at the head of the PR department standing before him. "Didn't I tell you to suppress this matter at all costs? Are you people just sitting around eating? Can't you just pay them off?"

The head of PR shivered, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. "Mo Shao, this time it's different. We can't suppress it."

Silencing scandals was their specialty—throw money at the problem first, then use Mo Snapdragon’s influence to pressure the higher-ups of the platform. In this industry, no one dared to offend the Mo family's prince.

But this time, their attempts had been rejected. One of the platform's deputy directors had even politely hinted that a powerful figure was backing Sang Yu Studio.

"A powerful figure? In the circles of Magic City, who could possibly overshadow my father?"

Mo Snapdragon’s patience was already wearing thin, but at that moment, Lin Yiying’s call came through.

"Mo Shao, you must have seen Sang Yu Studio’s video by now. Whether Sang Shu Evening was innocent or not, we both know the truth. I won’t waste words. If you don’t get me out of this, I can’t guarantee that I’ll keep my mouth shut."

There was an unmistakable hint of threat in her voice, which only fueled Mo Snapdragon’s already blazing fury.

"Lin Yiying, are you threatening me?" His voice turned icy, instantly making Lin Yiying realize she had overstepped.

Her hand trembled slightly as she gripped her phone. Memories of the past years flooded her mind—the countless humiliations, being summoned like a pet, discarded at will.

"I wouldn’t dare threaten Mo Shao," Lin Yiying steadied her breathing, trying to maintain her composure. "I’m simply reminding you that I’m not the only one involved in Sang Shu Evening’s matter. I’m the rising movie queen that Mo Entertainment personally nurtured. You invested an immense amount of manpower and resources in me. Even if we put aside our past, purely from a business standpoint, you shouldn’t let that investment go to waste."

She thought Mo Snapdragon would at least consider her words, but all she heard in response was a scornful chuckle.

"Lin Yiying, who do you think you are?" Mo Snapdragon’s voice dripped with contempt. "You’re just a cheap w***e who’s been passed around by countless men. And now, you dare negotiate with me? Let me make one thing clear—those ‘resources’ and ‘connections’ you think are valuable? They mean nothing to me. Do you really think your title as movie queen carries any weight? If I wanted to, I could get a corpse a posthumous Tianma Award. You’re nothing but a plaything. The only reason I kept you around is because you’re decent in bed. But you? You actually think you’re someone important?"

Lin Yiying had called herself his "little b***h" countless times to please him before.

But now, hearing it thrown at her with such disdain, she clenched her teeth so hard she nearly cracked them.

"Only a fool like Sang Shu Evening would treat her artists like actual people," Mo Snapdragon continued to mock. "If she had been a little more ruthless, she wouldn’t have ended up getting stabbed in the back by an ungrateful mutt like you. But you—you stopped being human long ago. You chose to be my dog. And when you're a dog, you obey. If you bite your master, your fate will be far worse than your enemy’s."

The call ended abruptly.

Lin Yiying stood frozen, completely unresponsive even as her agent shook her frantically.

Moments later, tears burst forth uncontrollably as she collapsed onto the ground, sobbing hysterically.

Sang Shu Evening was gone. There was no one left to save her. No gentle voice left to comfort her.

"Sang Shu Evening... Sang Shu Evening..." Lin Yiying murmured the name over and over, as if it could ease the guilt gnawing at her soul. "You're already dead... Couldn't you have just quietly let me enjoy a lifetime of glory and wealth? Why did things have to turn out this way? Why did I have to become Mo Snapdragon's dog? In the end, it's all because you're too useless!"

Suddenly overwhelmed by rage, Lin Yiying dashed toward the desk, yanked open a drawer, and pulled out a crystal ball ornament. She pressed it to her lips in a mock kiss—then hurled it to the floor without hesitation.

The crystal ball shattered into countless pieces, yet Lin Yiying let out a peal of hysterical laughter.

"That’s right! It’s because of you! If you had been stronger, I wouldn’t have had to crawl to Mo Snapdragon! I wouldn’t have been treated like a dog! It’s all your fault, Sang Shu Evening! It’s all because of you!"

She screamed wildly, shocking her agent into silence.

"You said you'd always protect me..." Lin Yiying’s voice grew hoarse as she trembled, tears cascading down her face. "You said that... but you didn’t keep your promise. So I had no choice but to turn to Mo Snapdragon... I just wanted to be famous... I really wanted to be famous... You failed to see through me... This is all your fault, Sang Shu Evening... Why couldn’t you always protect me..."

She would always remember Sang Shu Evening’s gentle smile.

But it could never compare to her hunger for fame.

Lin Yiying’s breakdown did nothing to stop the storm from escalating. Sang Yu Studio’s video had reached an unprecedented level of popularity, dominating the trending charts.

[Is Lin Yiying really just going to stay silent? Doesn’t her conscience hurt? Does she really sleep peacefully at night?]

[Someone, please say something. I truly believed Sang Shu Evening was a greedy manipulator. Why is the truth so different?]

[Am I the only one who feels that if I put myself in Sang Shu Evening’s shoes, I’d be utterly devastated? The artist she protected with her whole heart was already in bed with the enemy. And when she was at her lowest, that very person struck the fatal blow... I really can’t bear to think about it.]

[What’s even more suffocating? I want to apologize to Sang Shu Evening, but... she’s no longer here.]

Beneath this comment, a million likes accumulated.

But there was not a single reply.

The words of a***e had come too easily. And when they finally wanted to apologize, they realized the one they had wronged had long since disappeared.

There was no chance to say sorry anymore.

And of course, the one who had vanished would never be able to say, "It’s okay."