My sugar daddy used to call me the entertainment industry’s only pure white jasmine. He said it was because I was unassuming, well-behaved, sensible, and utterly devoted to him. But lately, he’d developed a strong preference for a gaudy peony. So, he gave his new favorite the two endorsement deals and a movie role he’d promised me. Many in the industry were waiting to see me fall. Only I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, I had a good reason to find a new patron. And my new patron was already growing impatient. 1. My assistant, Chloe, called me in tears as I was getting my hair and makeup done for the evening’s charity gala. Chloe sobbed into the phone. “…The brand said Mr. Davies made the call. That dress has to go to Celeste.” Celeste was Raymond Davies’s new favorite, and she had set her sights on the seasonal couture gown from Elie I’d borrowed. Raymond, completely infatuated with her, naturally indulged her every whim. He told me, “Tonight is Celeste’s first big event like this. She wants to make a good impression.” “It’s just a dress, Vivian. Be generous.” He knew perfectly well that a director I greatly admired would be attending tonight. To make a good impression on them, I had started preparing a month in advance. But he didn’t care. Perhaps I’d been too good at acting all these years. Raymond was convinced I was madly in love with him, that I couldn’t live without him, so he acted with impunity. He was accustomed to my compliance and concessions. So he never considered whether I would be humiliated, or ridiculed. I immediately contacted my agent to reach out to various brands. My agent sent mass emails to a dozen brands, yet not a single one could lend me a dress. News of a gown being snatched just before a gala spread quickly through the industry. Some feigned sympathy. “Vivian, if there’s no time, there’s nothing you can do. There will be other opportunities.” “It’s just a shame, Director Olsen is the keynote speaker tonight, and they say she’s looking for the lead actress for her new film.” I pondered for a moment, then dialed Victor Sterling’s number. Then, under the sympathetic or gleeful gazes of others, I waited silently for three hours. Just as I was about to call it a night, I received a gown from Victor’s assistant. It was an Elie extra-season couture piece, but unfortunately, the style didn’t quite suit me. That night, Celeste wore the gradient blue “Starlight” gown, adorned with a thousand diamonds, and stole the show. Even before the banquet ended, articles proclaiming her “Goddess of Glamour” and “outshining everyone” were flying across the internet. Chloe, my assistant, fumed, “Vivian, you would have looked so much better in that outfit than her.” Soon, that remark reached Celeste’s ears. Celeste, champagne in hand, blocked my path, raising an eyebrow. “I heard Vivian wanted to wear my dress too?” “But Mr. Davies said this dress needs a fresh, young girl like me to truly capture the ‘Starry Elf’ vibe.” She deliberately eyed me up and down. “Vivian, you’re almost thirty, aren’t you? One has to accept their age.” I smiled gently. “Twenty-eight is certainly not considered young in the entertainment industry anymore.” “I hope, Celeste darling, you never reach my age.” Celeste paused, likely still trying to decipher what I meant. I had already given a polite nod and walked past her towards the backstage. By the time Celeste realized and texted to curse me out, I was already back at my apartment, finished with makeup removal, and preparing for a shower. I read the text and inwardly tsk-ed. Raymond’s new favorite was beautiful, but unfortunately, she lacked any real intelligence. 2. As I was blow-drying my hair after my shower, I received a string of messages from Chloe. She said an endorsement deal I’d been in talks for had been snatched by Celeste. And the film I was supposed to start shooting tomorrow? Celeste had been slotted in as well. They said she was the secondary lead, but her screen time wouldn’t be much less than mine. To be fair, Raymond was a decent sugar daddy. When he was infatuated with someone, he’d lavish them with the best things. I’d experienced that treatment myself. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone from being a complete unknown to a top-tier star in just five years. It’s just that his affections were fleeting. I’d seen many who fell genuinely in love with him, and none came to a good end. Once, someone cried and asked me, “Vivian, teach me, how do you tolerate the constant string of women around him?” I quietly handed her a tissue. “Probably because I never expected his genuine affection.” 3. I learned at a very young age that genuine affection is the most unreliable thing. My mother was deceived by what she called ‘true love.’ She spent her entire life as a mistress, firmly believing it was true love. She always told me that one day, my biological father would drive up in a Maybach to pick her up, and we would be acknowledged by his family. When I was little, I, too, was misled by her. I eagerly waited for my father to pick me up. Until I didn’t have enough money for school fees, and my mom took me to kneel and beg my aunt. Until I was too afraid to buy sanitary pads to save money, only daring to use toilet paper from the school bathroom. Until I burst into tears when someone accidentally knocked over the Children’s Day cupcake provided by the school. Only then did I understand that affection doesn't fill your stomach. It can't keep me alive. Affection is a joke. But that’s not what I told Raymond. I told him I offered him my true heart. Because I loved him, I never made demands, never put him in a difficult position. Because I loved him, as long as I could be by his side, I was willing to endure the parade of women around him. This, of course, wasn’t entirely a lie. I loved Raymond’s money, I loved his resources. I loved the red carpet he laid out for me, allowing me to rise quickly. Yes, how could that not be love? Raymond thoroughly enjoyed feeling so utterly adored by me. I thought he was a little pathetic. If he had ever truly loved someone, or been truly loved, he would have instantly seen that my fervent affection was an act. If you truly love someone, how could you tolerate a third person? Perhaps my acting was too good. All these years, people came and went around him, but he never replaced me. But now, I wanted to replace him. 4. A year ago, I realized that what Raymond could offer me was already very limited. I was already a top-tier actress. Many resources, I could get even without him. In fact, I could even obtain some resources that he couldn't. But I didn’t immediately dump him. Firstly, even if he couldn’t bring me much positive benefit, he could easily ruin my career, and I couldn't afford to make an enemy of him. Secondly, as a pure, devoted “white flower” to her patron, I should wait for the patron to grow tired, pay me off, and send me away, rather than actively firing the patron. Otherwise, it would appear too opportunistic, and what patron would dare to take me on in the future? Thirdly, I was still waiting for Raymond to get tired of me and give me a severance package. So, I waited. I waited for Raymond to give me a sufficient reason to break up. But this past year, he seemed to have settled down; there hadn’t been any new women around him. So, when I heard Raymond had given Celeste the two endorsement deals and a movie role he’d promised me, I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, I had a chance to replace him. 5. I slept wonderfully, waking up early the next day to head to the set. Halfway through the opening ceremony, Celeste finally arrived, fashionably late. Raymond was the biggest investor in this production. As Raymond’s new favorite, Celeste naturally received the highest standard of treatment: a five-star hotel, a private assistant car, and a personal screenwriter. The director even agreed to several unreasonable scene additions without a word. Seeing the director’s attitude, I naturally kept my distance from Celeste. But I couldn’t stop Celeste from trying to provoke me. The third time she pushed me into the pond under the guise of filming, I pulled her in with me. Unfortunately, Celeste was a terrible swimmer. I merely smudged my makeup, but she actually swallowed several mouthfuls of the murky pond water. Raymond happened to be visiting the set, and Celeste immediately burst into tears, feigning distress. Raymond picked Celeste up in his arms, looking at me with a half-smile. “Looks like you’ve certainly grown a temper.” I stood in the pond, eyes downcast, my face pale, looking as pathetic as possible. Raymond said, “Apologize to Celeste, and I’ll let this matter go.” I softly said, “I didn’t do anything wrong.” Raymond, having been disrespected in front of everyone, lost his temper. “Then you can stand in the pond. When you’ve come to your senses, you can come out.” With that, he walked away with Celeste. Of course, I wouldn’t stand there foolishly. I waited for the paparazzi to get enough photos, then immediately “fainted.” Chloe rushed over, shouting for someone to take me back to the hotel. After I returned to my room and showered, Chloe’s press release had already gone out. “Raymond Davies Avenges New Love, Old Flame Becomes a Drenched Mess.” 6. I had just finished blow-drying my hair when my mom called. She asked me, “What’s wrong with you? You’ve been with Mr. Davies for five years, and you still can’t win against that hussy?” I rubbed my temple. “Don’t worry about it.” My mom said anxiously, “If I don’t worry about you, who will? I told you ages ago!” “You need to hurry up and have a son for Mr. Davies, and your future will be secure!” I sneered, “You had a son for that man, and in the end, don’t I still have to support you?” She said bitterly, “Sweetheart, Mom is doing this for your own good! How can you talk like that?” “If you don’t find a man while you’re young and beautiful, what will you do when you’re old?” I suddenly felt a deep sadness. All my efforts in acting, all my hard work, in her eyes, were inferior to simply finding a man. She, who had gained some advantages from men because of her good looks, then worshipped men like gods. Her first half of life, supported by a sum of money left by a man, she frugally raised me and my brother. In the latter half, she hoped I could find a man to continue supporting our family. She had been a parasite her entire life. And she encouraged me to become a parasite, clinging to others. She didn’t encourage me to strive, but rather to slide down an easy, perilous slope. She said that if I just let myself slide, I would reach a paradise of bliss. But in reality, it was nothing more than a mirage. So, I would not allow myself to slide.
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