Chapter 5
1506 Words
Chapter 5
Ethan Reed had just won Best Actor this year—his fame blazing, his popularity and reputation soaring in tandem.
He possessed fanbases of every type: devoted girlfriend-fans, protective older-sister fans, sweet lolita fans… and among them, more than a few unhinged ones.
Once, a popular young actress had used Ethan to stir up rumors for clout.
The online insults were manageable—
but some fans mailed her dead rats and snakes, sent blood-written letters, even hurled rotten eggs at her.
Humiliated beyond belief, she eventually had to clarify matters herself and faded from sight for months.
And that had been a famous actress with her own fanbase.
Now the target was Lily Rowan.
What works had she done?
None.
She was a complete unknown.
Her only role—a supporting third female lead—had not even aired.
More importantly—
this time the scandal wasn’t fabricated.
This time, there were real photographs of her kissing Ethan Reed.
A solid hammer blow.
Within hours, five different tags featuring Lily Rowan and Ethan Reed dominated the trending list.
Ethan’s fanbase descended like a storm—
spewing curses, dragging her ancestors, ripping apart every shred of her privacy.
Her address, family background, school records—
all exposed.
The internet’s collective conclusion?
A completely ordinary girl from a completely ordinary family.
How could someone like that deserve the nation’s beloved Best Actor?
Online malice was a tidal wave—
the same malice that had once crushed the former Serena Vale until she spiraled into madness and died in a crash.
Lily, who had always been praised for her gentle voice and delicate beauty, had never endured true hostility.
Now, with thousands condemning her, her fragile world collapsed.
She locked herself in her room, crying until her eyes were swollen.
No amount of knocking from her mother drew a response.
But after crying came reality.
She called Ethan Reed, her voice hoarse, asking what they should do.
Ethan was frustrated too.
He did harbor a faint, indescribable fondness for her—
but not nearly enough to sacrifice his future.
It had been an accident.
He had only gone to congratulate her on wrapping up her filming.
They shared a meal, drank a little, and both became tipsy.
She stumbled, he caught her—
and the kiss that followed had been a drunken blur, over in seconds.
But such an excuse could never be brought to the public.
The Reed family, originally in the hotel business, had joined the entertainment world only recently, expanding thanks to their marriage alliance with the Vale family. Now their influence was solid, but still far from untouchable.
Ethan dialed everyone he could think of, hoping to suppress the scandal.
But in the face of massive public interest, so-called “brotherly” friendships meant nothing.
With such explosive heat, who wouldn’t want a share?
Backtracking now would destroy credibility.
And as for the Reed family threatening suppression—
Please.
No law punishes the majority.
If they wanted to fight the entire internet, they were welcome to try.
The two involved parties remained silent, trying to let the storm die naturally.
But by the next day, disaster struck.
A fourteen-year-old girl livestreamed herself sitting on the twelfth-floor ledge of a hotel near Lily’s home—
half her body swaying over empty air, one wrong move from plummeting.
Tears streamed down her face as she screamed hysterically:
She was Ethan’s fan.
If he was truly with that “cheap woman” Lily Rowan,
she would jump.
The early viewer count was small until a kind passerby posted it on Weibo.
Then the numbers began to snowball—
bigger, and bigger—
until it burst onto the trending list.
Police arrived.
Reporters swarmed like bees scenting nectar.
The girl refused to let anyone approach.
She demanded Ethan Reed and Lily Rowan appear in person, or she would jump—
forcing guilt onto them for the rest of their lives.
Fans act.
Actors pay.
Neither Ethan nor Lily wanted to show up.
But if they didn’t handle this properly, Ethan could very well end up blacklisted—
career over.
The incident dragged from noon to late afternoon.
The entire internet exploded.
Ethan and Lily had already arrived, hiding inside a hotel room, hoping someone else would resolve it.
But the police were desperate, urging repeatedly—
“Are they here yet?”
Under the blistering July sun, the girl waited two or three hours with no sign of Ethan.
Tears streamed endlessly.
Finally, she staggered to her feet on the narrow one-foot-wide railing, trembling like a butterfly in the storm winds—
ready to fall at any second.
Screams erupted onsite.
Stream viewers panicked, typing frantically to calm her down.
Others questioned whether Ethan had abandoned her.
The chat froze—
then filled with accusations.
Viewers mocked:
“Lily lives nearby. Is she a turtle? Why haven’t they arrived?!”
Under public pressure, Ethan and Lily were forced to appear.
The sun’s glare made Lily squint; Ethan’s expression twisted with discomfort.
Seeing Ethan, the girl’s cries softened into a trembling smile—
but her eyes snapped toward Lily Rowan.
Hatred scorched within them.
She demanded,
“You and Lily Rowan—there’s nothing between you, right?
You’ll never be together, right?
Tell me—tell me!”
Could Ethan dare say otherwise?
He coaxed her gently, repeating whatever she wanted to hear,
that he and Lily were just friends—
the kiss was an accident,
the media exaggerated everything.
The crowd: “……”
Do they look like idiots?
An accident? You accidentally kissed? Do you think we’re stupid?
The girl brightened triumphantly and turned to Lily.
“You hear that? Stop clinging to him, you shameless woman. Ethan belongs to all of us!”
“Ethan” was affectionately called Ming Ming by fans.
Lily lowered her head, tears falling like pearls—
the perfect image of a wronged beauty.
Some viewers, seeing her cry, felt a pang of guilt.
Others argued she was only fourteen and didn’t know any better.
Ethan glanced apologetically at Lily.
She shook her head gently, as if whispering It’s okay.
Their silent exchange stunned everyone watching.
Then the girl broke into sobs again, demanding to know whether Ethan had lied to her.
His attempts to soothe her failed.
After a day of emotional torment, she snapped completely.
She insisted Ethan must slap Lily—
only then would she believe him.
Ethan almost vomited blood.
On one side—someone’s life.
On the other—striking a woman in front of the nation.
His career would be annihilated either way.
He glanced at Lily again—
the tears, the shaking, the pitiful helplessness he usually found endearing.
But now?
A wave of irritation surged through him.
If it weren’t for her, would he be facing such humiliation?
Media flashes popped like fireworks.
People crowded below like ants, craning their necks.
This was the scene Serena Vale walked into.
She wore a crisp white shirt tucked into high-waisted denim, her long hair tied into a ponytail that swayed behind her—
fresh, youthful, radiant.
When she stepped beside Ethan, the crowd couldn’t place her.
Just another pretty girl, perhaps.
“Sweetheart,” Serena said gently,
“I can assure you—Ethan and Lily have absolutely nothing between them.”
Her voice—clear, melodious—washed over the frantic atmosphere like a cool summer breeze.
The girl stiffened, her fragile rationality slowly returning.
“How… how do you know?”
“Because Ethan is my husband,” Serena said softly.
“And Lily is our mutual friend. I trust them.”
Each step she took toward the ledge was measured, calm, respectful.
She stopped at a safe distance, letting her innate siren appeal unfurl subtly around her.
“You love him.
You admire him.
Just like I do.”
The girl trembled.
“This can’t be real…”
Her emotions, however, grew steadier.
“I’ve known Ethan since we were children,” Serena continued gently.
“We attended the same elementary school, middle school, and high school.
Only in university did we part ways—he went to film academy, I went to Peking University.
We grew up together.
I watched him grow from a soft, adorable boy into the brilliant man he is now.
Tell me…
can someone like me earn your approval?”
Her sincere tone, her poised expression, her exquisitely beautiful features—
she looked like an ethereal fairy.
A woman like her, raised alongside Ethan Reed for twenty years.
Compared to her—
in looks, in family, in history—
the fans had no chance.
The girl nodded slowly, cheeks flushing as she looked at Serena with admiration.
No wonder Ethan had such a wonderful partner.
This was a love story fit for television dramas—
childhood sweethearts, steadfast devotion, perfect harmony.
And devotion…
always made a man shine brighter.
Author’s note:
Serena Vale: If my “devoted wife” persona ever collapses… hehe.
Routine manipulation, accomplished~
- Writer
