After my departure, the boy who sat at the back of the classroom—the one who always acted like he didn’t care about anything—suddenly grew quiet. He changed completely, shedding his usual lazy demeanor, studying as if his life depended on it, and eventually getting accepted into the Juilliard School of Music, the most prestigious conservatory in the country.

Nine years later, he had achieved massive success, becoming an A-list global superstar whose face and name were known everywhere: Thomas Evans.

During a live broadcast interview, when asked about his love life, his eyes grew somber. “She’s no longer here,” he said. “If I had known, I wouldn’t have wished for her to stay eighteen forever.”

At that moment, I was wearing a black surgical mask, carrying a heavy camera on my shoulder. When my lens panned across his phone’s lock screen, I froze. Wait, is that me?

Since his debut seven years ago, Thomas had won countless awards and become the ideal type for millions. After so many years of not seeing each other, I finally saw him again. Only this time, he was the VIP guest on a reality TV show, and I was just an anonymous camerawoman going by the name Valerie.

It was Thomas’s first time participating in a reality show, and fans were highly anticipating it. When he appeared, the studio erupted, and the paparazzi swarmed like bees. A colleague nudged me: “Thomas is here! I see him!”

Walking down the VIP aisle, he kept his head down, pulling his baseball cap low, and walked briskly. Just the sight of his back was enough to make the audience scream frantically. I quickly turned on my camera to record his entrance.

“Oh my god, he’s so handsome. We could sell this footage to fans,” my colleague whispered. Then, she suddenly asked, “Hey, I heard Thomas graduated from Oakridge High. You went there too, right? Did you guys know each other?”

I paused, suddenly recalling a sunset afternoon from years ago. Back then, my name was Hailey. Walking out of a local pool hall, clutching a stack of workbooks, tears streaming down my face: “Thomas, please stop fighting. Can’t you just finish your homework first and fight later?”

His knuckles were scraped and bleeding, his face full of fierce annoyance: “Hailey, you’re so annoying! Do you not understand English? Get lost!”

Snapping back to reality, I shook my head and smiled faintly. “How could I? He’s a huge star; there’s no way I’d know him.” Celebrities usually erase all traces of their past friends once they become famous to avoid scandals. Thomas didn’t have the best reputation in high school, so he surely wouldn’t want to run into an old classmate. Besides, he used to hate me. Why would I ask for trouble by bringing it up?

The show was scheduled to start in an hour. I was sitting in a corner checking my equipment when I heard a voice above my head: “Valerie?”

I looked up awkwardly. It was Lily, one of the guest stars on today’s show, and also my college classmate. Last year, when she was unemployed, she begged me to help her find a job. The broadcasting network happened to be short on production assistants, so I pulled some strings to get her hired. Unexpectedly, during a shoot, she accidentally caught the camera’s attention. Thanks to her sweet face and cute voice, she became an overnight sensation. Since then, we had lost contact entirely.

I gave a tight smile. “What a coincidence.”

She blinked, her face feigning surprise. “Valerie, is it really you? You’re still lugging around a camera? I thought you would have been promoted to a management position by now.” A hint of mock pity crossed her face. “It’s so ironic, really. If the camera had caught you that day instead of me, maybe you’d be the famous one right now. But…” Her tone shifted, the corners of her lips curling up. “Everything is fate. Back then, I asked you for help, and you deliberately pushed me to do the most grueling, menial tasks. I guess God couldn’t stand it and let me turn my life around overnight. Valerie, this is your karma.”

I remained silent. When she broke expensive equipment at her old company and got fired, she cried to me every day, claiming she had no money for food and begging me to find her any job that paid. I felt sorry for her and ran around trying to get her into the network, only for her to think I was intentionally sabotaging her. What more could I say?

Not far away, someone was approaching. I turned my head. It was Michael, my ex-boyfriend, who had also been in our class with Lily. After Lily became famous, Michael dumped me to become her manager and secret lover. Seeing me, he stopped in his tracks: “Valerie?”

Lily took the coffee cup from his hand. “Michael, you bought this so fast.” “Yeah, had to search a few streets to find it. Anything for you,” Michael smiled.

Lily turned to me with a mocking gaze. “Back in the day, you used to complain about how cold and uncaring Michael was. Well, he’s incredibly attentive and thoughtful with me.”

“Are you finally done talking?” I looked at her slowly. “Anything else you want to add, Lily? I’ve recorded everything you just said.”

Lily turned pale. “What did you say?” She had built an image of a sweet, innocent girl, and her fanbase consisted mostly of dreamy men. If this video leaked, she would be ruined. “Valerie, delete that right now!” She panicked and lunged to grab my camera.

I held on tightly. “Lily, this is my friend’s camera. I don’t even know how to delete files on it.” “Stop playing dumb! Delete it, or I won’t let this go!”

She struggled fiercely. Seeing the situation going south, Michael rushed in to intervene. The commotion attracted the entire camera crew. The head director ran over to ask what was going on.

I forced tears into my eyes. “Lily keeps insisting I was filming her and is forcing me to delete the video. But I honestly wasn’t recording.”

Lily’s eyes widened in fury. “You’re still acting! Give me the camera, or I’ll sue you for violating my publicity rights!”

The director urged her to calm down and took my camera to review the footage. “Lily, she really wasn’t filming you. Look for yourself. It must be a misunderstanding.” Lily furiously flipped through the gallery, but how could she find anything? I hadn’t even turned the camera on yet!

Lily tried to argue, but Michael, seeing the disadvantage, quickly pulled her back. “It’s just a misunderstanding. Lily was just worried about her new styling being leaked and causing trouble for everyone.” He quickly escorted her away.

I looked at the director apologetically. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why she’s so sensitive. I only touched the camera, and she accused me of secretly filming her.”

“I know,” the director waved his hand dismissively. “These D-list celebrities love causing drama. Arrogant but with no real class. Someone will teach her a lesson eventually. Everyone to your positions, we start in thirty minutes.”

I nodded and pulled my black surgical mask over my face. I didn’t like showing my face on screen, so I always wore a mask while filming. Just as I put it on, someone called from behind: “Valerie!”

I turned to see a staff member walking over with Thomas Evans. “The VJ assigned to Mr. Evans had a sudden equipment failure. Can you fill in temporarily?”

I froze, staring at Thomas. He wore a simple hoodie, his expression indifferent. A light breeze ruffled his bangs, and for a second, I felt like the 18-year-old boy from my memory had returned.

“Why is your name Hailey? Why not something else? What is wrong with our homeroom teacher, setting up a one-on-one study buddy system? You’re worse at this than I am, who is tutoring who? You’re seriously so annoying. Whether I study or not has nothing to do with you. I’m going to sleep; don’t wake me up when class starts, Hailey!”

The staff member gave me a puzzled look. I snapped back to reality and nodded. “Understood.”

I hoisted the camera and ran over. Thomas paused and politely extended his hand. “Hello. I’ll be in your care today.”

I reached out to shake it. The moment our skin touched, my beautiful, slender hand was suddenly drenched in nervous sweat. Thomas froze, his hand trembling slightly. He abruptly looked up, staring straight into my eyes, his expression a mix of surprise and bewilderment. My heart ached a little. Why was he looking at me like that?

“Mr. Evans, you’re gripping my hand too tightly,” I had to remind him.

He snapped out of it, letting go with an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I’ve been a bit tired lately, my mind was wandering.” “I see. Being a big star with a packed schedule must be exhausting.” He gave the staff member a look. “Let’s go.”

After the solo interview segment, the show officially began. It was a live broadcast format. Eight guests drew lots for their roles and then had to find a hidden treasure on a school campus. The program announced that the final winner’s name would be used to build a school for adults with autism.

When Thomas appeared, the live stream chat exploded: Thomas looks so young, haha! He never does reality shows. It must be the charity aspect that got him to agree. Thomas is such a good guy. Since his debut, he donates to leukemia patients every year and writes songs for them. A true idol! It’s because his first love died of leukemia. He probably joined this show for her too. He’s so devoted. I want to give him a hug! Wait, really? Who was his first love? I think it was a high school classmate. He mentioned it on Twitter when he first debuted, but he deleted it years ago.

In the studio, I stared at the small monitor next to me, my mind blank. His first love was a high school classmate? Who died of leukemia?

I searched my memories for a long time but couldn’t match the description to anyone. But then again, I had transferred away in our senior year. I didn’t know what happened after that. Maybe that was when he met the girl he liked. I looked at Thomas, feeling a sudden emptiness in my chest. Back in high school, he was so cold and dismissive; I thought no one could ever touch his heart. Turns out, someone did. Just… not me. I shook my head and smiled faintly. I was curious about that girl. Someone who could make Thomas put away his thorns and care for so many years must have been incredibly special.

The guest introductions ended. The MC hyped up the crowd and started the role-drawing. Lily was lucky and drew the “Top Student” card, giving her high clearance to freely enter almost the entire campus. Thomas, on the other hand, drew the “Bad Student” card, the lowest clearance. He had to complete a task before entering any zone.

Thomas looked at the card in his hand and chuckled helplessly. In high school, he was always at the bottom of the class, notoriously known as a terrible student. Drawing this card was ironically accurate. Luckily, the filming location was Oakridge High—our old school—so it was technically his home turf.

During the Q&A segment, the MC asked everyone about their special school memories. Lily tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled bitterly. “I don’t have many happy memories from high school. Because of my looks, the girls in my class didn’t like me much. I had no friends. It wasn’t until college that I finally had a best friend I trusted deeply. But… when I hit rock bottom, she kicked me when I was down. Let’s not talk about it; it’s in the past, and I’ve already forgiven her.”

The chat immediately flooded with sympathy: I’m so angry! Lily is so sweet, why would anyone bully her? Do those girls have no brains? I understand that feeling. Being pretty and getting hated for it isn’t our fault. Lily is too kind to forgive them. If it were me, I’d expose them!

Sitting below the stage, I actually felt a bit of admiration for her. Turning black into white, speaking in vague ambiguities without naming names so no one could investigate—isn’t that a talent in itself?

“Let’s not talk about me. Thomas, your school days must have been very interesting, right?” Having achieved her goal and knowing when to stop, Lily smoothly dragged Thomas into the spotlight. Everyone turned to look at him.

He glanced over at where I was standing and smiled faintly. “It’s too far in the past. I don’t remember clearly.”

At that moment, I felt a wave of confusion, unable to tell if he was looking at the camera lens or looking directly at me. Half an hour later, the show went to a commercial break, and everyone boarded the bus to Oakridge High. Before getting on, Michael approached me.

“Valerie?” He looked a bit awkward. I didn’t even bother looking at him. “What is it? I’m busy.” After a two-second silence, he looked at me with guilt. “Have you been doing okay this past year?” “Why? Are you afraid I’m doing too well and might threaten you two?” “Why would you think that?” He quickly explained, his eyes apologetic. “What happened back then… I was wrong. But my life was at such a dead end, I couldn’t take it anymore. I hope you understand. I have some resources and connections now. If you want to change jobs, I can help. At least you wouldn’t have to work this hard.”

I remained silent for a moment. Now he feels regret? Back then, he ran after Lily for money, and now that he realizes how hard she is to please, he remembers me? I looked up, staring intently at the small mole on the bridge of his nose. That mole used to make him incredibly attractive in my eyes; I used to be crazy about him. But now, looking at it just made me sick.

“No thanks. How much kindness can trash really offer? Even if you had it, I wouldn’t want it.”

He choked on his words. Before he could say anything else, a car pulled up next to us. Lily opened the door, her face cold, her voice like she was calling a dog: “Michael, my legs are tired. Come here and massage them.”

Michael hesitated for a second, then rushed over. “Coming, coming, baby.”

Lily shot me a sideways glance. “What were you talking to her about?” “Nothing, just gave her a warning to behave herself.” “Really? I thought she was trying to crawl back to you. Come to think of it, I still remember how she cried and begged you not to leave her. Tsk, she looked like a stray dog.”

Michael froze slightly, then laughed. “No way. Even if she wanted to, I would never agree. She can’t even compare to a single strand of your hair.” “Good boy.” Lily looked triumphant. “Do you think she hates me to death right now? I’m at the peak of my career, and she has nothing. She couldn’t even keep the man she loved.”

I didn’t hear clearly what they said next. I was focused on packing up my gear until someone honked the horn and called out: “Valerie, let’s go!”

I responded, grabbed my equipment, and got on the bus. Once inside, I realized Thomas was also in this vehicle, busy texting someone. Why is he on this bus? My mind was a tangled mess. I didn’t dare say hello, pretending not to see him as I quietly took a seat in the back row.

But right at that moment, my phone suddenly rang. It was the hit song that made Thomas famous: The sound of falling rain… this rain stops right here, delayed emotions… what you left behind is a lingering dampness…

The entire bus turned to look at me. I frantically scrambled to silence the ringer, but it was too late. Thomas suddenly looked up through the rearview mirror, his gaze locking directly onto mine.

“Sorry,” I forced a smile. “I saw this song on the charts yesterday and thought it sounded nice, so I made it my ringtone.” He remained silent for a moment. “But this is the live recording from this year’s concert.” Right, I forgot. It was the concert version. The audio quality was raw and hadn’t been filtered for background noise.

“Ms. Valerie, have you been to my concert?” he asked.

Memories rushed in like a tidal wave. But how could I admit that? It was my deepest, most private secret. Even though I had intentionally avoided all news about him for years, I couldn’t resist quietly buying a ticket to his 7th-anniversary concert, sitting in the very last row, silently crying tears of joy for his success.

“No,” I lied. “It’s probably just a fan upload I found online. I’m not really sure.” “I see.” He didn’t take his eyes off me, just quietly looking through the mirror, his thoughts unreadable.

A moment later: “Ms. Valerie, aren’t you hot? You’ve been wearing that mask this whole time.” His voice was calm, sounding like standard polite concern. I wiped the sweat from my forehead. “I’m fine. I have a cold and don’t want to infect anyone.” “Ah, I see.”

The phone in my hand felt burning hot. WeChat notification sounds chimed repeatedly. He glanced at his phone, calmly typing a reply, but his fingertips were trembling slightly. I quickly looked down, changed my ringtone, and when I sneaked a glance at the front row and saw he was still busy texting, I let out a sigh of relief. That was close. I almost blew my cover.

The bus started moving. Lulled by the swaying motion, I drifted into a short dream. In the dream, I was back in our classroom, sitting in the back row. The homeroom teacher had set up a one-on-one study group and assigned me, the second-to-last ranked student, to tutor Thomas, the absolute dead-last.

Back then, Thomas was the school’s notorious bad boy, someone everyone avoided like the plague. He spent his days sleeping or causing trouble. As the class representative, I used every method possible to force him to study, ending up crying from frustration almost every day. A month later, midterm results came out. He ranked second-to-last, and I dropped to dead last. I cried my eyes out that day.

Thomas, annoyed by my crying, dragged me out of school to skip class and took me to eat BBQ. “Just eat. You’re already in last place; you can’t drop any lower. As for me, I don’t care. Studying or not, it’s all the same. My dad only cares about his stepson anyway… Stop talking about getting into a music conservatory. That stupid guitar? I threw it away a long time ago. I’m not listening, I’m not listening! You’re like a chanting monk, Hailey! Whether I study or not has nothing to do with you. I regret treating you to BBQ; give it back right now!”

Thomas had asked me many times why I was so obsessed with making him study. He never knew that long before that, I had seen a different side of him. He had excellent grades, playing and singing a song he wrote himself, his aura completely radiant. I wanted that Thomas to wake up.

Ten minutes later, the bus arrived. I had slept the whole way, completely unaware that Thomas had been watching me the entire time.

The livestream resumed. The other guests passed through the school gates one by one. Only Thomas, the “Bad Student,” had to face a challenge just to enter: either solve a puzzle or do 50 push-ups.

The chat flooded with sympathy: Choose the puzzle! 50 push-ups will drain all his energy for the game! But puzzles take too much time, and Thomas has great stamina. Just do the push-ups!

The camera focused on Thomas. It seemed like a fateful choice. But Thomas didn’t choose either. He glanced around and then climbed straight over the brick wall on the side of the school. A bad student obviously had to use bad student methods. The camera captured him sitting on top of the wall, looking as arrogant and wild as he did years ago.

In the blink of an eye, he turned his head to look at me, a strange light flashing in his eyes. “Give me your hand,” he said.

As the cameraperson assigned to him, I seemingly had no other choice. The moment our hands clasped tightly together, he spoke: “Ms. Valerie, you remind me of someone.”

I looked up, confused. “Excuse me?” He looked at me, a gentle, nostalgic breeze seeming to pass through his eyes. “Nothing. Just… I have a feeling today is going to be my lucky day.”

Huh? Did the wind mess up his brain? My body felt incredibly light as he effortlessly pulled me up the wall, leaving the directing team staring in stunned silence. It took a long while before the NPC playing the security guard ran after us. We jumped off the wall and hid in a cramped bathroom. After waiting for a long time, the NPC finally gave up and left. I breathed a sigh of relief. When I turned around, I found Thomas looking at me, seemingly deep in thought.

In the darkness, we were so close we could almost hear each other’s heartbeats. I swallowed hard. “Mr. Evans, is something wrong?” He smiled silently, then reached up and grabbed a hidden treasure token stuck to the top of the cabinet right above my head. “Ms. Valerie, I told you. Today is my lucky day.”

The livestream chat exploded: Ahhh help me, why is this so romantic?! Dying laughing, it’s his first time on a show and Thomas has no idea how to maintain his idol image. He’s literally having chemistry with his VJ! I’m kinda obsessed. Should we ship them?

I didn’t know what was wrong with Thomas; the only explanation was that he was acting crazy again. Once the danger passed, we left the bathroom. Unfortunately, we ran into Lily around the corner. She had originally planned to go to the library, but seeing that I was Thomas’s cameraperson, she changed her mind and decided to follow him down the hallway. She pushed ahead, intentionally blocking my lens.

“Thomas, I’m actually a huge fan of yours! I listen to all your songs on repeat,” she lied smoothly. She didn’t even care about music; what kind of fan was she? “Is that so?” “Yeah, really! Next time you shoot a music video, you have to invite me. I can act and I know how to use a camera too. You probably don’t know, but I used to work behind the scenes!” “Alright,” Thomas smiled politely. “If there’s a suitable opportunity, I’ll invite you.”

He walked to the door of a classroom, paused for a second, and pushed it open. Lily didn’t follow him in immediately. Taking advantage of the fact that another VJ was filming b-roll, she intentionally blocked my path. She discreetly turned off her lavalier mic, leaned in, and whispered: “I remember you were a huge fan of Thomas, right? You stayed up for days just to snag tickets to his 7th-anniversary concert.” She smirked. “And look at us now. I can chat with him freely, while you can only watch from a distance. So pathetic. Tell you what, apologize to me, admit you were wrong, and I’ll put in a good word so he gives you a concert ticket. How about it?”

I stayed silent, slowly turning my camera to point directly at her face. “If you like talking so much, say it to the camera.” She stiffened briefly, immediately putting her sweet smile back on and turning her mic back on. “Hey, little cameraperson, are you even professional? You’re filming the wrong person, I’m not Thomas.” She then trotted into the classroom.

Thomas was intently searching the suspicious corners of the room. Lily wandered around for a bit, got bored, and sat on a desk. “Hey Thomas, you look like such a good student. You must have been the teachers’ favorite in school.” “Wrong.” Thomas didn’t look up. “I was notoriously terrible at school. The kind even dogs wouldn’t bother barking at. I only got slightly better later on.” “Really?” Her eyes widened in feigned surprise. “Then why did you change later? Was it really because of that rumor… the girl with leukemia?”

Thomas’s hand abruptly stopped. No one expected Lily to ask that. He had always kept his lips tightly sealed about that topic. Asking this was a rude, blunt exposure right in front of the cameras. Even Lily herself froze for a second before realizing how stupid her question was, quickly covering her mouth and apologizing.

Everyone held their breath, looking at Thomas. However, he remained silent for a moment. His eyes wavered slightly before he answered: “Yes.” As if to confirm it again, he stood up straight, looked directly into the camera lens, and said slowly: “If it weren’t for her, I probably would have kept spiraling downward and become a piece of trash. So, I am deeply grateful to her.”

The live chat instantly exploded: Oh my god, so it’s true! He’s so pitiful. He tried so hard to become a better person for the girl he liked, but she’s no longer here. I can’t stop crying. He’s been donating to leukemia patients all these years… was it all for her? He must still be blaming himself for not being able to save the person he loved. This breaks my heart.

I stood stunned for a long time, my heart clenching tightly. So it really was because of that girl. He finally became the person I had always hoped for, but unfortunately, it had nothing to do with me anymore. Memories flooded my mind like a broken dam. I felt like I was back in that dim classroom.

“Thomas, today is my birthday,” I had said. “Your birthday? Why didn’t you say so earlier? Then I wish you to stay 18 forever. I’ll get you a gift tomorrow.” “I don’t need anything else. I just want you to start studying seriously from today on. Can you do that?” “Just that?” “Yeah, just that.” The 18-year-old Thomas looked at me for a long time, then nodded. “Okay.”

I couldn’t describe how happy I was at that moment. But when it was time for our study session, he showed up at the pool hall, his homework torn to pieces. I cried and begged: “Thomas, please stop fighting. Can’t you just finish your homework first and fight later?” He just found me annoying. He said: “Who do you think you are?” Right. Who did I think I was? I was nobody to him.

Camera flashes broke my reverie. Thomas looked down, unlocked his phone screen. “But she’s no longer here. If I had known, I wouldn’t have wished for her to stay 18 forever.”

I looked up, my temples suddenly throbbing. What did he just say? The PD’s voice screamed in my earpiece: “Main camera, where are you?! Get a close-up! Don’t just stand there!” I snapped back to reality, quickly pulling the lens in tight, focusing directly on his phone screen. And the moment I saw the picture clearly, I froze completely.

Thomas looked at me without blinking, a layer of mist covering his eyes. “Ms. Valerie, I heard you also went to school here. Did you ever meet her?”

The air in the room froze. Lily curiously leaned over to look at the photo on his phone. “Wait… did you have a mole on your nose back then? When did you get it removed? The girl’s face is a bit obscured… but looking closely, she kind of looks like…” As soon as she looked at me, her pupils dilated wildly, as if she had seen a ghost in broad daylight.

When I took a taxi to leave, a backstage crew member waved at me. “Valerie, are you leaving already?” “Yeah.” “That’s so weird. Why did your camera suddenly break? Thank God Thomas’s original VJ got back in time, otherwise the production team would have been screwed tonight.” He made a few more remarks before pushing his equipment cart away.

I stayed silent for a moment, glancing at the monitor next to him. The livestream was almost over, but the chat was still talking about that photo. It’s a bit blurry, but she looks pretty average. I thought she’d be a massive beauty. Kinda disappointed. What made Thomas pine over her for so many years? Probably just because she died young, making her unforgettable. If she were still alive, he would have forgotten her by now. I know it sounds messed up, but it’s a good thing she’s dead, otherwise us fans wouldn’t be able to stand having a sister-in-law like that.

Those words were like sharp thorns nailing me to a cross. My ride-share arrived, and I mindlessly walked to the curb. The wind blew into my eyes, making them sting. I got into the car and left.

A call came in. It was Michael. His voice trembled with angry interrogation: “Valerie, the girl in that picture… it’s you, isn’t it?”

I couldn’t blame him for being angry. In the photo, my face was slightly blurred, but Thomas was incredibly clear. It was clear enough to see the small mole on his nose. “So you were in love with him! No wonder you always praised my mole… it was because it looked like his! Damn it, what did you see me as? A cheap substitute?! Valerie, I genuinely liked you for a year. I felt so guilty, I always wanted to make it up to you, and you were just playing with me? Don’t you feel any guilt?!”

I had no interest in listening to him vent. I hung up decisively and blocked his number. Right then, a WeChat message popped up: Valerie, where did you go? Thomas is looking everywhere for you! What should I do?

I gripped my phone tightly and calmly replied with a string of digits: Please pass this number to him. Thank you. It was my burner phone number. But he would never be able to reach it.

After sending the text, I stared silently out the window. My memories drifted back to that birthday. After being chased out of the pool hall by Thomas, I wandered like a soulless corpse and fainted right in front of the school gates. It was just low blood sugar, but my mother was furious, blaming my grandmother for not taking good care of me. She asked if I wanted to move down South with her. Lying in bed, thinking of Thomas and the words that broke my heart, I finally nodded. I left quietly, silently vanishing from Thomas’s life. Just like right now.

Honestly, the netizens weren’t wrong. I didn’t have anything worth his affection. If he didn’t think I was dead, he probably wouldn’t even remember me. What they call an “unforgettable first love” is really just the subconscious idealization of memories. What he called “love” was mostly just guilt. So, it was better not to meet again. In a few days, he would forget me.

I thought like that, took a few days of sick leave, slept soundly for a few days, and then went to visit my grandmother. That day, a breaking news notification popped up on my phone. I heard the ding but ignored it. By nightfall, when I got home and unlocked my phone, I finally saw the headline: Thomas Evans Missing.

My heart skipped a beat. I clicked on the article, a cold chill creeping up my spine. Thomas had disappeared from all social media. The contracted concerts, scheduled shoots, and the fan meeting prepared for six months—he didn’t show up for any of them. No one could contact him. Even his personal manager had completely lost touch.

An extreme sense of dread washed over me. I frantically called a colleague at the network. “It’s true,” she said, her voice shaking. “Nothing like this has ever happened before. The whole industry is in chaos. Everyone is terrified that something bad has happened to him.”

I sat paralyzed for a few seconds before suddenly remembering the burner phone number I had given him. I rushed to rummage through my drawers to find the spare phone. My hands were shaking so badly I had to press the power button multiple times before it turned on. The screen lit up, and I finally saw dozens of missed calls all from the same number, and text messages flooding in like an overflowing ocean:

“Ms. Valerie, I’m sorry to bother you. Could you pick up for a moment? Please, this is incredibly important to me.” “Hailey… I know it’s you. Please answer the phone. Please.” “Hailey, I’m begging you. You said you wanted to see me get into Juilliard, I did. You said you wanted to see me become a big star, I did it. Why… why don’t you want me anymore? Hailey… Hailey…”

The night wind blew my hair into a mess. Trembling, I tried calling the number back. It rang 12 times. Just as it was about to automatically disconnect, someone picked up. But the voice on the other end wasn’t Thomas.

“Hailey Adams?” It was Ryan, an old high school classmate. His voice was ice-cold. “He’s at Mercy Private Hospital. Come here now.”

The person who came to pick me up was Ryan. He stood in front of the hospital gates, letting out a cold, mocking laugh when he saw me. “Hailey Adams. I didn’t expect you to actually still be alive. Let me tell you, if you’re going to play dead, commit to it. Don’t just suddenly reappear. Did you have fun playing with Thomas like that?”

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to.” Whatever I said sounded incredibly weak. I looked guiltily at Thomas lying motionless in the hospital bed. “Is he… is he okay?”

“What do you think?” Ryan gritted his teeth. “Do you know he suffers from severe bipolar disorder? If you keep torturing him like this, he’s actually going to die.”

I froze. What?

Ryan continued, furious. “That year, because of that fight, his dad dragged him home and locked him up for a month. When he got back to school, everyone said you were dead. He didn’t believe it. He ran to your house himself to confirm it. After he came back, he stopped talking to anyone. He just studied. He studied until he went crazy. Do you know why? Because of you, damn it! That’s when his illness triggered. And do you know why he got into that fight that day? Let me tell you! It was because those guys in the pool hall were making disgusting bets about you! Thomas couldn’t take it! Hailey, if you have an ounce of conscience left, don’t treat him like this.”

Ryan’s words hit my chest like a sledgehammer. My mind went blank for a long time. Vaguely, I remembered the panicked look in his eyes back then. “Are you deaf? Get out of here right now! This isn’t a place you should be! I told you to leave!” At the time, I just thought he hated me. I never noticed his hands trembling in fear that I would get hurt.

“I’m sorry… I’m so, so sorry…” I covered my face, tears streaming down like rain. I sat by his hospital bed the entire night. Finally, I understood what he had been through all these years. Every song he wrote, every pill he swallowed, was unspeakable pain. I held his hand tightly, whispering: “Thomas… I’m sorry. I won’t leave you again. Please… please wake up.”

Just as dawn broke, Ryan woke me up. “We have a problem.” He frowned at his phone, looking stressed. I quickly checked the news. The internet was exploding.

Thomas Evans’ Fake Persona was the top trending topic. Someone had used AI enhancement technology to clarify the photo from the livestream. They claimed that the person Thomas had been pining over was actually the Starlight Network cameraperson, Valerie (Hailey). She never had leukemia; it was all a PR stunt to build a dedicated, tragic persona since his debut. Recently, they had gotten back together, which is why Thomas staged the entire livestream. Everything was scripted.

An “insider” even revealed that this Valerie had terrible character. She used to be Lily’s best friend, promised to help her find a job, took a bribe, and shoved Lily into the most grueling department. Seeing Lily become famous, Valerie conspired with colleagues to take bad photos of her to smear her reputation. Selfish. Fake. Manipulative.

The comments completely destroyed Thomas’s reputation. I knew the way he looked at that cameraperson was weird. So it was all an act! Oh my god, I actually cried for him. Turns out I was just a monkey watching a circus act. Disgusting. Is Thomas brainwashed? Ruining his career for a woman like that? If he can’t write music anymore, he should just quit instead of pulling PR stunts.

I stared at the screen, my fingers trembling uncontrollably. Ryan panicked. “Thomas has never made enemies with anyone. Who would want to destroy him like this?”

“I know,” I said quietly. I dialed Lily’s number.

More than 10 seconds later, she answered lazily. “I knew you would call.” Her tone was flat but laced with mockery. “Yes, it’s me. So what?” “Hailey, you must have felt so smug that night, thinking you won against me again, right? Let me tell you, you celebrated too early. We aren’t done yet. This time, I’m going to drag Thomas down to hell with you!”

I wanted to say something, but I felt powerless. I never thought things between us would reach this point—to the extent that her hatred for me would ruin the man I loved. “Lily, what do you really want?” After a few seconds of silence, she whispered venomously: “I want you to die.” Then she hung up.

The morning sun broke completely, a ray of light filtering through the blinds and landing on Thomas’s hand. His index finger twitched slightly. I looked down at his face and surprisingly felt an unusual sense of calm.

“Ryan, take care of him for me.” Ryan looked confused. “Where are you going?” “I started this. I’ll finish it. No matter what, I can’t let Thomas be implicated.”

I took a deep breath, preparing to stand up and leave. Suddenly, my hand was gripped tightly. In the quiet room, Thomas—who had been in a coma for days—slowly opened his eyes. “Hailey… are you trying to abandon me again?”

When we arrived at the Starlight Network headquarters, it was 10:00 AM. The main entrance was completely surrounded by reporters, packed so tightly not even a drop of water could get through. Someone with sharp eyes screamed, “They’re here!”

Hundreds of camera lenses, microphones, and flashes immediately turned toward us. The reporters’ questions crashed into us like tidal waves. I wasn’t used to facing the cameras. Standing before hundreds of lenses, my body couldn’t help but tremble.

Thomas gently squeezed my hand to reassure me. His physical condition was still very weak. He waited for the crowd to settle down a bit before speaking slowly: “Due to some unforeseen circumstances over the past two days, I was absent from several important events. I sincerely apologize for this.”

But that wasn’t what the reporters cared about. “Thomas! Is Valerie really your first love?” “Did you use her to build your image?!” “You two got back together a long time ago, didn’t you? Was the livestream staged?!” “Are you two colluding to scam the public?!”

The overlapping screams almost swallowed him whole. Thomas waited for a brief moment of silence before speaking again. “Ms. Valerie and I were indeed high school classmates. But we were never together in the past. Before the livestream, we hadn’t seen each other for 10 years. The rumors about us staging a reunion are fabricated. Showing the photo that day was my own impulsive decision; Ms. Valerie had absolutely no idea.”

“How can you prove that?!” “Yeah! No evidence, who would believe you? Empty words mean nothing!”

Thomas stayed silent for a moment. Then, he pulled out his smartphone. “This is my personal phone. There is no passcode. You are free to inspect it. If you’re afraid I’ve deleted data, take it to a recovery expert. Inside are all my text messages from the last three years, every photo I’ve ever taken, my search history…” He stripped away all his privacy, exposing himself bare to the public just to prove my innocence.

I was stunned and quickly tried to stop him. “No!” We had agreed to face this together; why was he taking all the bullets himself? But he just smiled. “It’s okay, Hailey. This time, let me protect you.” I froze, suddenly understanding. All these years, the guilt that tormented him and made him sick was the fact that he couldn’t protect me back then.

Ultimately, the phone was handed over. The reporters were stunned; no celebrity would ever go to such extremes. They passed the phone around to check it, completely speechless.

“But what about Valerie betraying Lily?! How do you explain that?!” a reporter suddenly shoved a microphone aggressively close to my forehead.

I turned slightly pale. Without evidence, facing only subjective speculation, how could I explain?

Suddenly, a woman’s voice rang out from behind us. “I will explain that.”

It was the Vice President of the Starlight Network. She glanced at me, her tone steady. “It is true that Lily asked Valerie to help her find a job. But I need to clarify the so-called ‘bribe’ the internet invented. It was actually just two cartons of fresh milk. Valerie felt awkward mentioning it to me and even spent her own money to buy a nice bottle of wine to gift me instead. Our network has extremely strict hiring policies. At that time, Lily did not meet the qualifications. Valerie begged me multiple times to give her a chance. I only agreed on the condition that Valerie commit to staying with the network for 5 years. However, after hiring Lily, I discovered her professional skills were incredibly weak, so I had to assign her to an entry-level position. In other words, Valerie didn’t deliberately give her menial tasks; Lily simply wasn’t capable of doing anything else. The most surprising part is Lily’s sudden fame. She was assigned to prepare backstage wardrobe that day. How she ‘accidentally’ appeared in front of the camera… I really don’t know.”

The Vice President’s statement not only cleared my name but also directly pierced through Lily’s “accidental fame” facade. The VP was notoriously strict and principled, always putting the network’s interests first. I never expected her to stand up for me. I was stunned for a long time before softly whispering: “Thank you, ma’am.”

Finally, the chaos temporarily subsided. Thomas gradually regained his reputation, and his fans stopped attacking me. As for Lily, her image was completely destroyed. A venomous snake, no matter how well-hidden, will eventually bite the hand that feeds it; everyone despised her. It turned out she was the traitor all along.

Oh my god, her victim act was Oscar-worthy. Is she a psychopath? How could she frame someone like that? That is pure evil. She’s always been like this. A friend of mine went to college with her and said Valerie treated her incredibly well. Knowing Lily was introverted, Valerie always took care of her, brought her hometown snacks, and even dragged her along to major competitions so Lily could get credit. And behind her back, Lily called her fake and arrogant. A classic ungrateful parasite.

A few days later, Lily called me. “Valerie, I’m begging you. I was wrong! Please help me one more time! Just make a public statement defending me, and the company won’t cancel my contract. I worked so hard to get to where I am today. I don’t want to go back to being poor…”

I listened quietly until she finished, then blocked her number. People have to learn to pay the price for their mistakes. Not long after, Lily was involved in a severe car accident due to reckless driving, crashing into a guardrail and leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.

By then, I was in Alaska, filming a documentary. Thomas was with me, acting as my little assistant. He had semi-retired from the entertainment industry, accompanying me while immersing himself in nature to find new inspiration for his music. His condition had improved drastically; he could manage his emotions without needing medication.

High on the snowy mountains, I was focused on filming a herd of wild caribou. Once I finished the shot, I turned around to see Thomas staring at me intently, his eyes red.

“What did you just say?” I asked over the howling wind. “Nothing,” he smiled gently. “Just… I love you.”

He suddenly leaned down, sealing my lips with his. What he had actually whispered, only the wind knew.

(The End)