Everyone said I had lost my mind after Victoria Sterling dumped me. Until one day, a wish-fulfilling vlogger’s videos started trending across every social media platform. My videos were split into seven episodes. They were the fragmented flashes of my life right before the end. The title of the first episode was: 【By the time you see this video, I will already be dead.】 1 I was bundled up tightly, with only my eyes showing. Suddenly, someone blocked my path. "Hi there, I’m a vlogger who helps people fulfill their wishes. Can I do a quick interview with you?" It was the third month since I had retired from the entertainment industry. I thought a paparazzo had recognized me, so I quickly waved him off and tried to decline. But the guy standing in front of me kept trying to convince me: "Do you have any unfulfilled wishes? I can help you make them come true. I don't charge anything." I turned to walk away, but I heard him chasing after me, shoving his phone screen toward my face. "I'm not a scammer! I have a TikTok account. Look, see for yourself?" I thought he was incredibly rude, but he was telling the truth. It was just obvious that he was a brand-new creator. His video count was pitifully low, and his views could be counted on one hand. Looking at his earnest face, I suddenly thought of myself when I first entered Hollywood. Back then, I was full of drive, only to hit a brick wall time and time again. A sudden wave of compassion washed over me. "What kind of wish can you help me fulfill?" The goofy kid just scratched his head. "That depends on what your wish is! To be honest, you're the seventeenth person I've asked today, and none of them believed me. For example, is there someone you want to see? A place you want to go? Tell me your story, and I’ll arrange it for you." I wanted to tease him, but I was afraid of scaring him off. "What if I wanted you to help me document the final days of my life? Would you be willing? "The condition is that before I die, these videos cannot be posted. "And if I end up surviving, all these videos become void. Are you willing to take that bet?" 2 The wish-fulfilling vlogger was named Caleb. He was tall and skinny. He sat across from me. He looked extremely antsy. No, it would be more accurate to say he was about to cry. "Ashton, I never expected it to be you. Are you really..." His eyes were bloodshot, as if he simply couldn't accept it. "I really loved the movies you starred in." "Yeah. I guess I'm an overachiever in every aspect. If I'm going to get sick, I might as well go big. I have several types of cancer in my body." Shutterstock Khám phá I pulled out a tissue and handed it to him. "The doctors say I only have about six months left." He was still holding his phone up, pointing it at me. "So, is this the real reason you retired?" "Yeah, I just don't have the energy to act anymore. The endless chemotherapy has drained the life out of me. And besides..." I smiled. "Too many tabloids published proof saying I was going bald." This was the first time I took off my wig in front of a camera. Beneath the wig, there was only sparse, patchy hair. My scalp was entirely visible. I looked a bit like Gollum from The Lord of the Rings. "You know how vain I am. Always getting photographed like that by you guys—do you think I have no dignity to uphold? "I'm greedy. I want you to grant me seven wishes, and you’ll make seven episodes. How about it?" 3 May 2, 2024 to May 8, 2024. Episode 1 (Part 1). 【By the time you see this video, I will already be dead.】 "Make sure you get my left side more. My fans always say my left profile looks way better than my right." Caleb was much calmer than he was a week ago, but he told me that after finding out the truth, he cried at home for days and lost three pounds. "I promise I’ll make you look incredibly handsome." He rubbed his eyes. "Ashton, what is your first wish?" "I want to try hiking Mount Shasta in California." He immediately nodded. "No problem, I'll book the tickets right now. But can I ask why you want to go there?" I couldn't force a smile for the camera. "Victoria and I once made a promise to go there together. Now that the chance is gone, I want to see the place for myself. Don't they say the mountain can cleanse your soul?" Mount Shasta was far, but not unreachable. After getting off the plane, the high altitude made my body uncomfortable. After a long, exhausting drive, we finally reached the trailhead town. On the way there, Caleb was constantly worrying about my health, giving me all sorts of reminders. I smiled and teased him, "I asked my doctor. He said I don't have much time left anyway, so I can go wherever I want." Just one sentence, and the young man's eyes turned red again. But he cautiously asked, "Ashton, did you and Ms. Sterling part on good terms?" I knew he was asking delicately. The truth was, my divorce from Victoria was loud, messy, and humiliating. But at this moment, as I was preparing to leave this world, I finally had the courage to say it out loud: "In her eyes, it definitely wasn't on good terms. She, like the rest of you, thought I cheated." "So you really didn't cheat, right?" The young man's eyes sparkled. "I knew I wasn't wrong about you." I smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I loved that woman so much, how could I possibly look at anyone else?" There’s a downside to newbie vloggers—their emotions fluctuate way too wildly. He just started bawling his eyes out right in front of the camera. Between sobs, he choked out, "The media was trashing you back then, calling you a cheater. How could they?!" I even had to comfort him on camera. Eventually, I had to admit: "Forget it. I'll tell you the truth. I orchestrated the whole thing myself." 4 May 2, 2024 to May 8, 2024. Episode 1 (Part 2). 【By the time you see this video, I will already be dead.】 "Six months before the divorce, I was diagnosed with cancer. Back then, it was just one type. The doctors told me that as long as I cooperated with the treatment, there was still a chance of survival. "I only realized later that doctors are mostly kind-hearted, but sometimes they like to lie. "I asked my childhood best friend to put on an act with me, just so I could shake Victoria off as fast as possible. "Don't let her title fool you. She's a corporate CEO, ruthless and decisive. But when it came to me, she was incredibly stubborn." I didn't say anything more after that. Everyone understood what I meant. Caleb, looking miserable, continued asking, "Man, why didn't you just tell her the truth about your illness?" "Dying is a painful process. Why drag someone else down with me?" Caleb suddenly said, "I heard on the news recently that CEO Sterling has a new boyfriend." "Is that so? Then I really should congratulate her." I meant it sincerely. "She deserves the best." I endured the nausea churning in my stomach from the bumpy road. "I'm not acting right now. It's just that when you're about to die, you really can let go of everything. "I used to joke with Victoria that if she ever found another man, I'd break her legs. But look, didn't I let go quite easily?" At that moment, our guide suddenly spoke up. "We'll rest here for the night. The rest of the way has to be done on foot. It’s about a 30-mile trek. But I have to warn you, the altitude here is high. They say it's 30 miles, but it will feel like much, much more." On the first day of our hike, our destination was a high-altitude base camp. From there, you could see the alpenglow hit the snow-capped peak. "I suddenly feel like it's unfair to you, making you risk your life hiking with me just for my selfish desires." But Caleb shook his head. "Ashton, I know my own body. If I can't keep going, I won't push it. Plus, you said you've been planning this for months. You even prepared all the gear perfectly." Fortunately, neither of us suffered severe altitude sickness. We were lucky. On the second day, after camping at the base, I saw the alpenglow. I mimicked the poses I saw online, spreading my arms wide for a photo. I yelled out, "If it's possible, I hope you all can forget me!" I thought for a second and yelled another sentence, "Victoria, I came here for you! You don't have to come anymore!" Along the way, we encountered many spiritual seekers and seasoned hikers. We survived a sudden hail storm. The food was terrible. We slept on flimsy, uncomfortable cots. It took us three days to complete the trek. I looked into the camera and gave my concluding thoughts for the episode. "What I didn't tell you is that when I first planned this trip, I wanted to come with Victoria. Later, when I decided to come alone, my original plan was to come here and commit suicide." Caleb was so terrified he immediately grabbed my hand. I patted his hand and continued. "Back then, I figured I couldn't be cured anyway. I might as well die in a glacial lake, on the snowy peak, or just pass away on the journey. "But later, I suddenly didn't want to die anymore. I wanted to live out my final days properly, so my life wouldn't have been in vain." Caleb suddenly asked me, "Do you have any regrets about this first trip?" I nodded. Just thinking about it made my heart race. "My parents spoil me rotten, but I lied to them. I didn't tell them I was sick. "I even lied and told them I was acting again, shooting a movie out here in California. "I'm sorry. I was wrong. In the end, I was an unfilial son." 5 June 4, 2024. Episode 2 (Part 1). After returning from Mount Shasta, the altitude sickness and the exhaustion of the trip forced me to recover for a full month before I could contact Caleb again. I also had another chemo session during that time. Every time, I felt it was harder to get out of bed than the last. It felt like all my strength was being siphoned away, pulling me one step closer to death. I wasn't sure if I could trust this kid I had only met once. If he leaked my first video right now, he would instantly go viral. I was making a gamble—gambling that when faced with a dying man, people tend to discover a little extra conscience. "Ashton, what is your second wish?" "I want everyone to get to know the real me better, and I want to retrace the steps of my past." Caleb looked at the camera with concern. "With your body in this condition, we can take things slow." "It's fine. I naturally made sure I was recovered enough before coming to find you. When a person reaches the end of their life, they become greedy. The list of wishes just keeps growing." "Your styling today looks great. It's giving flashbacks to the CW teen drama that made you famous, Do You Remember Me Today?" In the show, I played a fresh college grad with short hair who gets entangled with the CEO of the company he interns at. I smiled and touched my head. "I can change my hairstyles at will now. Pretty handsome, right?" "But you're getting skinnier and skinnier. Hasn't anyone around you noticed?" I felt a bit embarrassed. "Victoria and I are divorced, so naturally we don't see each other. Since I got sick, I've seen my parents less and less. But they're my parents, so video calls are unavoidable. Guess what I told them? I said I was playing the role of a terminally ill patient." I only dared to tell the truth wrapped in lies. He rubbed his eyes in front of me. "Where do you want to go for this episode?" "I want to go back to the place where I grew up." It was just a two-hour drive to my hometown. "Ashton, what about your assistant?" My assistant was a sweet, goofy guy. Sometimes when he tagged along with me, it resulted in iconic paparazzi moments. "You mean Mason? I told him to stop following me around." "So he knows about your condition?" "Hahahaha." I started laughing at my own words. "Guess what excuse I used? He's been with me for so long, there's no way he wouldn't notice something was off." I sat calmly in front of the lens. "I lied to him too. I told him I loved Victoria too much, but since the 'cheating' scandal forced us apart, I fell into severe depression. I told him I wanted to quit Hollywood to treat my depression." "Did he believe it?" "Of course not! He and my manager, Marcus, grabbed me and cried, begging to take me to a doctor. I told them to give me some time, that I would go see a shrink myself, and that I'd come back after traveling and clearing my head." "Do you think they might have figured it out already?" "The fact that I was going bald couldn't be hidden anyway. I made up those excuses, thinking I was so smart. But one day, Marcus told me he didn't care if I made him money anymore; he just wanted me to stay alive." Speaking of this, tears streamed down my face. I wiped the corners of my eyes. "It's probably because no one dares to bring up these sad topics in front of me, so they haven't revealed how much they actually know. "Mason, that sweet kid, bought me ten wigs out of his own pocket. He said they were gifts for my therapeutic travels." I paused. I was currently wearing a face mask and a baseball cap, dressed in the simplest hoodie and jeans, carrying a basic canvas tote bag. Passersby treated me like a complete nobody. I pulled a thermos out of my bag and took a sip. "This was my elementary school." "Man, you went to Oak Creek Elementary?" I nodded, pointing at a large tree near the playground. "I was daring someone back then. I climbed up and couldn't get down. I was so scared I cried and peed my pants right there in the tree." "Ashton, classes are still in session. I doubt the security guard will let us in." "We won't go in. I just wanted to look. Let's not disturb their work. I just wanted one last glance. Once I drink the waters of forgetfulness in the afterlife, I won't remember any of this anyway. "Man, why are you such a crybaby? Directors should cast you when they need someone to bawl their eyes out." I pointed to an alley not far from the school. "Let's go. I'll take you to see my old neighborhood. I haven't been back in years." But as soon as I walked in, I was stunned. I stood frozen in the wind. I couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Oh wow, they tore it all down." The phone camera pointed at me trembled slightly. "What do we do now? It looks like my hometown is gone?" I turned my back to the camera. I guess the audience wouldn't be able to see my expression anyway. Truthfully, I was a bit disappointed. I just couldn't say it out loud. "Walk a few steps further, I'll describe it to you from memory. "This used to be an old street. The media always called me a rich kid, and I tried to explain at press events, but no one believed me. "I’m taking this chance to show you guys. I grew up right here. The houses around here were old row houses. My deepest memory is teasing a stray dog, getting chased, and having it bite my butt." "Huh?" "Luckily it was winter. I lived with my grandparents, and they dressed me in three layers of thick sweatpants. The dog ended up biting a hole through the fabric and pulling the cotton out, but it never touched my skin." It sounded hilarious and pitiful at the same time. At least Caleb laughed heartily. "Ashton, I really can't picture you getting chased by a dog." After we finished joking around, I said, "Let's go. I'll take you to see my high school. It's not far from here either." I paused my footsteps. "It's also where I met Victoria."
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