Her body felt like it was on fire, as hot as volcanic lava, and the only person who could save her was the man standing right in front of her. . .
She clung to his cold, marble-like skin, and eventually, her survival instinct made her stop fighting.
. .
The pain mixed with a strange kind of pleasure, creeping in slowly, like fireworks lighting up her mind.
It made her feel like a little boat lost in a sea of fire. . .
Rising and falling, it was hard for her to break free—
"Hey, wake up.
. . It's cold here, don't catch a cold…"
The pressure on her shoulders made Rose snap awake.
Her fuzzy eyes met the nurse's worried gaze. Instantly, guilt hit her, and her face turned red. She wanted to disappear, to hide somewhere, avoiding the nurse's look.
The little bun was really scared of her, and his face turned pale.
But Rose just sat down beside him and did nothing. She closed her eyes right away and fell asleep.
She had been forced by Martha to stay up all night drinking with others, and now she had a terrible headache.
After a while, Rose woke up.
She noticed that her leg felt warm. Looking down, she saw that the little bun had snuggled up next to her leg. His tiny hand was even holding onto the corner of her shirt.
Rose couldn't help but laugh.
Before, when she was still in the countryside, she had a cat.
It was very shy and scared of people, and would run if it saw anyone. But if you didn't notice it, it would relax and feel like you weren't a threat. Then it would sneak up and snuggle up to your side, even climbing into your lap to sleep.
The little bun seemed to feel her looking at him.
His face turned a little red, but this time there was no fear in his eyes. Instead, his big eyes were full of curiosity.
He was really like a little pet cat, even his eyes looked the same.
Rose's lips curled into a smile.
Her hands wanted to pet him, so she gave up trying to resist and reached out to touch his fluffy little head.
As soon as she touched him, her face Marthaed. Why was his forehead so hot!
"You've got a fever?
"
Martha would keep her locked up until the audition was over tomorrow, at the very least.
If the child stayed like this too long, it would be too dangerous. While worrying about the time, she noticed something was wrong. The light bulb had gone bad, but there was still light in the room.
Looking up, she saw a small skylight, and light was coming from that small window.
Rose looked around the storeroom and finally moved a ladder over.
"Little bun, come over, I'll help you get out!
"
The little guy finally responded to her words, but he shook his head with a determined look.
Rose understood what he meant, but smiled and pinched his cheeks, "You're pretty loyal, wanting to suffer together with me?
Go up, this window is too small for me to get out. If you get out first, you can find someone to save me. "
Seeing that the little guy was still hesitating, Rose picked him up and placed him on the ladder, "Quickly, if you're a man, then don't hesitate.
I'll protect you from the bottom! "
After finally getting the child out with a lot of effort, Rose felt dizzy.
She lost control of her legs and fell from the ladder all at once...
From the edge of the window, the little bun saw this scene, and panic came over his previously dull and lifeless face.
Rose held on to the last bit of her strength and said one word, "Go..."
Under the light of the stars, the woman's face was pale and fragile, but that didn't hide her striking beauty.
Especially her moist and lively eyes, which were like a sea filled with endless stars.
She was no longer the ignorant countryside girl or the ugly duckling.
But what use was that now?
Rose smiled bitterly.
Before she could get her revenge, she would fall to her death here…
But before dying, at least she had done a good deed by saving the little bun.
If her child hadn't died back then, he would probably be around this age...
Five years ago, after the car accident, the Rose family sent her away to a university in America that accepted elite wayward children, leaving her to fend for herself.
She dropped out and reapplied to the University of South California, almost going mad in her pursuit of all kinds of knowledge.
Because she wanted to defeat Elly and take everything back that was hers!
Most importantly, acting was the biggest dream of her life.
After returning to her homeland, using this face and her solid acting skills, she was discovered by Martha and successfully joined the industry's largest company, Starlight Entertainment.
She should have had a bright future from then, but Elly followed her into Starlight, and through bribing Martha , was trying to suppress her from all sides...
At the same time, in the reception area of the Boston Bar, the air felt thick and tense.
The bar owner, managers, security guards, and all the other workers stood in a line, very nervous.
Each one had a worried look, as if something bad was about to happen.
It was because the son of Gaus, the little prince of Gaus Corporation, had gone missing inside their bar.
On the sofa, Gaus's face was as cold as ever; there was no sign of any emotion on his face.
But the pressure from his higher-ups was making everyone feel weak in the knees and sweaty. No one dared to say a word.
A young man was kneeling at Gaus's feet, his face covered in tears and snot.
"Brother, I'm sorry! It's all my fault! I shouldn't have brought Little Treasure here! If anything happens to Little Treasure, I won't live any longer! "
As he finished speaking, a kick hit his chest.
The sound of bones breaking made everyone's skin crawl.
Everyone in the room shivered slightly.
Gerrald clutched his chest and coughed hard before crawling back up and kneeling again, his back straight.
Their parents were still on holiday abroad and had no idea that Little Treasure had gone missing.
If they found out, it wouldn't end with just a kick from his older brother—Gerrald could even be severely punished.
Gerrald's heart was now full of shame; he felt completely useless.
Suddenly, a knock came from the door of the reception room. The bar owner, who was closest to the door, opened it.
But when he saw no one there, he was confused. Then he looked down and gasped, "Little… Little young master! ! ! "
"Little Treasure…?
Oh my god, Little Treasure! Second Uncle's precious baby! Where did you go? " Gerrald crawled up to hug the little boy tightly. He was so emotional that he started to cry.
Everyone in the room felt like they had just barely escaped death.
Gaus walked a few steps toward the door, then grabbed Gerrald's collar and threw him away.
He knelt down in front of his son, "What happened? "
After finally escaping his second uncle, Little Treasure grabbed Gaus's hand and tugged him urgently toward the door.
As Gaus approached his son, he caught a strong smell of alcohol coming from his body.
There was also a faint, subtle scent—like a flower blooming on a glacier. The cool smell was strangely familiar, causing his heart to skip a beat.
When Gaus didn't move, Little Treasure pointed in a certain direction and made hoarse "huh huh" noises from his throat.
Gaus picked up his son and started walking in the direction his son pointed.
The people behind him, including Gerrald, realized something was wrong and exchanged glances before following.
Five minutes later, the group reached a storeroom on the top floor.
Little Treasure twisted his body and dropped from his father's arms, knocking on the storeroom's door with all his strength, looking very worried.
"Little Treasure, what's going on? What's inside? " Gerrald asked, confused.
Gaus said coldly, "Open the door.
"
"Yes yes yes!
" the bar owner nodded, then turned to scold the female manager beside him, "Manager Ye, what are you waiting for? Open the door quickly! Where is the key? "
"Ah… Open the door?
" the female manager was stunned.
Oh no!
That woman, Rose, was still locked in there! She had promised Marhta she would keep her until the audition was over!
But with these two powerful figures from the Gaus family and the bar owner waiting, she couldn't refuse.
She could only tremble and pull out the key to open the door.
As the door opened, a woman lying unconscious on the floor came into view.
"What's going on?
Why is there a woman in there? " the bar owner shouted in anger.
"I… I don't know!
There was no one in there when I last checked! " the female manager tried to suppress her guilt and explained.
"Quickly!
Just save that person first! "
Just as someone tried to approach Rose, Little Treasure jumped onto her body.
His little face showed a fierce expression, not letting anyone get close.
even though it had been a long time since that one drunk night, the memory of that hot night with Marvins kept coming back to her in dreams.
Because she had been too drunk to remember much, she didn't have many details.
Otherwise, she wouldn't know how to face Paul.
The nurse saw she was awake and handed her the papers: "You forgot your pregnancy health results, Dr.
Zack wants you back next week! "
Rose took the report, smiled sweetly, and carefully put the papers in her bag.
Marvins was still in study abroad, coming back tonight.
Thinking of their meeting tonight, Rose felt her nerves tighten up.
Because Marvins's location was too far, it was only after the child was more than seven months old that she finally reached out to him.
She remembered how shocked Marvins had been when he found out she was pregnant.
Now, Rose was a little nervous.
President Gaus, this… The bar owner felt really confused; he had no idea how this situation had happened.
Gaus looked at the female manager with a cold expression, then glanced up at the ladder above the skylight. It was big enough for a child to go through. He could guess what had taken place here.
He waved his hand to send everyone away, then walked over and picked the woman up in his arms.
In his arms, the soft, cool smell he had noticed before came back, even stronger than before.
Seeing Gaus pick her up, Little Treasure didn't stop him, but his face showed he didn't like it. It felt like he was saying he would have done it himself if he wasn't so small.
…
In the First People's Republic Hospital in B City.
When Rose woke up, it was already the next morning.
As she opened her eyes, she saw a man sitting on a chair by the window.
His long legs were crossed casually. He was wearing a slim, well-fitted suit that showed off his broad shoulders and narrow waist. His white shirt was buttoned all the way up. He was in the warm morning sun, but his body seemed covered in an old, cold frost. His calm and cool look was like that of a ruler from a bygone era.
The man noticed her looking at him and met her gaze with an intense, ocean-deep look. His look was so cold. It made her bones tremble.
Rose decided to fight back, not wanting to be beaten by this stranger and his uncomfortable stare. She asked impatiently, "Sir, if I may ask, how did I end up here? Oh, and did you see a little boy? He seems about four to five years old, doesn't talk much, is pale, soft, but really cute! "
Cute…
The man raised an eyebrow at her description and looked to her right. His voice was as cold as his appearance. "Are you talking about Little Treasure? "
Rose quickly looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a small, pale, soft little bundle asleep on the small bed next to her.
"Right! That's him! His name is Little Treasure? "
Rose let out a sigh of relief and reached over to check Little Treasure's forehead. His fever had gone down.
Not long after she had helped this child escape, she started to feel a bit of regret. He was still so young, and with a fever in a rough place like that wine bar—what would she have done if something had happened to him?
Rose then turned to face the ice statue. "You're this child's…? "
As soon as she said those words, she realized she didn't even need to ask.
The man and the child definitely looked like they came from the same family. It was clear they were father and son.
Still, the ice statue replied, "Father. "
"Hi beautiful, you're awake. I'm Little Treasure's Second Uncle! "
Suddenly, a big face came rushing toward her, making her step back until she saw the man's face and stopped. "Gerrald… Gerrald.
He was the second prince of Gaus Corporation, the boss of Glory World Entertainment. But aside from his looks and titles, he was a playboy. He had made more scandalous appearances in the media than many celebrities and artists.
She could never mistake his face.
If the ice statue was Little Treasure's father, and Gerrald was Little Treasure's second uncle…
Then wouldn't the ice statue be Gerrald's older brother, Gaus?
Gaus was known as the king of Fortune in Boston City. His existence was like a king without a crown!
So the child she had saved was the mysterious illegitimate son of Gaus, the sparkling golden prince…
Was it because of the pregnancy making her more sensitive?
Rose felt like Marvins wasn't as happy as she was about this.
The doctor said men usually didn't get used to their first child right away.
Their feelings would take time to change!
But… was it really that?
Even when it came to marriage, wouldn't she have to be the one to take the lead?
The sun blazed brightly as she stepped out of the hospital.
Rose struggled to hold herself up.
Just as she was about to wave down a taxi, a fast red sports car zipped past her.
Her heart pounded, and she took a few steps back.
Then she heard the screech of brakes as the red car barely missed her clothes and came to a sudden stop.
Her heart almost stopped.
Slowly regaining her balance, she saw a woman in a tight red dress stepping down from the car.
She tossed her long, wavy hair, and said, "Elly, are you crazy?
"
Elly looked at her, laughing with a deep, knowing smile.
She" crossed her arms, as if walking on a runway, and moved forward until she stood in front of Rose. Standing tall on her high heels, she looked down at Rose's big belly with an air of superiority: "What? Are you scared I'll kill the kid in your stomach? "
Rose automatically protected her stomach, stepping back, and looked at her warily: "Elly, don't push it!
Even though Elly had always been an enemy, Rose hadn't expected her to say something so cruel.
"Pushing it?
You're the one who's gone too far! You got drunk, slept with some wild guy, got pregnant, and then tried to make Marvins be the father. Tsk tsk… Rose, aren't you shameless? "
Rose froze, "What are you talking about?
"
"Hey, don't tell me you really believe the man you slept with that night was Marvins?
" Elly laughed and leaned back: "You say you grew up with Marvins, that you're childhood sweethearts, but you don't even know what he looks like? "
Rose went pale, even though she was standing in the bright sun, her whole body felt cold.
Yes, that man from that night…
She had only thought… Marvins had grown up to be more fit than she had imagined.
Now with Elly's cruel reminder, she suddenly remembered—besides the body, the man from that night was, in fact, very different from Marvins…
I'll just tell you the truth! That night, you drank the wine I added a little extra to, and out of kindness, I found two strong men for you so you could fully satisfy your desire. Who knew you'd be so drunk? You actually went into some wild man's room and even entered it without any ceremony. . . Elly's voice was full of disgust: Paul is too kind-hearted; he was worried you wouldn't accept the truth, so he said it was him that night! "
"You.
. . " Rose trembled with anger, listening to this, and couldn't hold back anymore. She grabbed Elly's wrist. "Why did you do this to me? Why! Haven't you hurt me enough already? "
At first, Elly frowned in anger and was about to push Rose away, but she saw Marvin standing behind Rose.
She immediately softened her voice, showing a delicate and pitiful face. "Big sister, I know I was wrong. If you want to hit or scold someone, do it to me, not Paul. . . "
Rose froze, and in the next second, she saw Elly suddenly fall to the ground, the way she fell was like she had pushed her.
"Rose!
What did you do——" A scolding voice came from behind her.
Rose turned in surprise and saw Marvin with a cold expression.
Marvin walked past her and helped Elly up.
"Elly, are you okay? "
Elly was clinging to Marvin for support.
"Paul, I didn't do it on purpose, I know I'm wrong. . . I'm the one who should be sorry to sister for causing all this. . . "
"That's enough, I'll handle everything!
" Marvin patted Elly's shoulder and let her get into the car. "I'll explain everything to Rose. "
Rose's mind went blank.
She watched Marvin walk toward her, watching his mouth open and close.
He spoke for a long time.
He told her about their childhood as sweethearts, about his struggle when he fell in love with Elly, about his anger when he found out she had plotted against her, about his shock and guilt when he found out Rose was pregnant. . . He spoke of how he had accepted Elly's apology. . .
Finally, he said: "Rose, I'm sorry, I can't marry you.
It's not because of that night or this child, but it's because I can't let Elly down, and I don't want to deceive myself or my feelings. "
For the past few months, he had taken Elly with him overseas, spending days and nights together, making it even harder to separate.
Although he had admitted that he had been the one to have relations with Rose that night to cover up her pain, in his heart, he had already chosen Elly.
So, when he found out that Rose was pregnant, he couldn't take it anymore and immediately went to the Rose family to explain everything to their parents and reveal the truth to Rose.
"Then.
. . Marvin. . . you knew all along it was Elly who drugged me to ruin my innocence? For the sake of protecting her, you told me it was you that night? " Rose, finally regaining her voice, looked at Marvin as if her soul had left her body.
"Rose, Elly didn't do it on purpose, she's still young and impulsive.
. . "
"Then what about me?
" Rose raised her head to look at Marvin, her face full of despair. "Did you ever think of me, even a little? "
Marvin didn't say anything.
After a long time, he reached out to Rose. "The sun is too bright here, let's go home first. . . "
"Don't touch me——" Rose pushed away Marvin's hand and suddenly laughed out loud.
Living up to now, Rose felt her life was like a joke.
To live in the same city as Marvin, she had put all her effort into studying to get into B University.
To please Marvin, she had given up her dream of acting.
To match his upbringing and family background, she had abandoned her adoptive parents and returned to the Ning family, clumsily trying to please those so-called distinguished people.
. .
In the end, the only thing she got was one sentence: "I can't let Elly down.
"
Elly had stolen not only her identity and her biological parents, but now.
. . she had even stolen her sweetheart!
Elly was still young, so her mistakes could be forgiven
Then— who would be responsible for her life?
She even— she didn't even know who the man from that night was!
Rose covered her face, her body shaking violently, already deep in despair.
Marvin watched Rose walk toward the road as if in a trance.
He threw away the cigarette he was holding between his fingers and was about to run after her, but Elly held onto his sleeve from behind. "Pual, where are you going? "
And in the moment Marvin hesitated, a loud noise rang out.
Rose, who was walking on the zebra crossing, was thrown into the air and landed heavily on the ground.
"Help—— help—— A pregnant woman was hit——"
In the bright light, Rose saw trembling silhouettes and the two faces that made her sick.
The cramping pain in her belly made her lose consciousness bit by bit. She blinked once, and the fresh blood on her forehead flowed into her eyes. . . The world fell into darkness. . .
.....................................................................................
Five years later,.
In the Boston bar, in a quiet corridor on the top floor, which was empty.
Rose had been drinking all night with some investors. Her head throbbed, and she wanted to find a quiet, clean place to sober up. But she hadn't expected Martha to follow her. She had to pull herself together and asked, "Sister Martha, is there something you want to say? "
"Rose, I need to ask you something. Did you sign up for the female lead in Land Under Heaven? "
"Yes, why? "
"You can't go tomorrow! " Though Martha was her manager, she was stopping her from auditioning for a role that all the big entertainment companies were fighting over.
Rose wasn't surprised at all and just raised an eyebrow. "Why? "
"You acted on your own without telling me, and now you're asking me for reasons? Didn't you know the company already arranged for Elly to audition? "
"This doesn't seem to conflict with the company's plans. " Rose smiled faintly. "Elly made you come find me? Don't tell me she's worried that I—a little-known actress—would take her role? "
"You think you can take Elly's role? You're still dreaming! Let me tell you, don't waste your time. The Ning family invested 30 million in this movie, and Elly is already confirmed for the role! "
"So why are you so worried? "
"Since you're my artist, you have to listen to my decisions! "
"Ah, so sister Martha still knows I'm under your care. "
"Rose, I don't have time to argue with you. If you refuse to cooperate, don't blame me for taking stronger actions! "
As she said that, Rose felt a strong hit from behind. She was caught off guard and pushed into a corner storeroom, and her phone was taken.
With a heavy thud, the door slammed shut.
...
The footsteps outside the door gradually faded away.
Knowing shouting wouldn't help, Rose stayed quiet. She leaned against the door and slid down to the floor, her expression blank.
When she first joined the company, Elly had been able to control herself, and only got some minor villain roles at most. But now she was getting bolder, pushing too far. She even used such a low tactic...
If she didn't get the role this time, she would have to find a way to leave Starlight Entertainment...
Amid her jumbled thoughts, a small sound reached her ears.
Was it a mouse?
Rose followed the sound and looked—then was stunned.
She saw a little boy behind a pile of boxes...
The boy looked about four or five years old. He looked like a finely carved piece of jade, white and soft, like a little bun. He was shivering, hiding in the corner, his dark eyes filled with caution and fear.
Hmm, why was there a child in a bar's storeroom?
There shouldn't be anyone crazy enough to bring a child to a bar, right?
"Hey, little bun, who are you? How did you get in here? "
"Did you sneak in? "
"Were you also locked in here by someone? "
"Do you like sweets? "
After questioning him for half the day, the child didn't say a word, but started shaking more, like a scared little animal.
Finally, Rose stopped talking. It had nothing to do with her anyway.
The two of them, adult and child, took up a corner each in silence.
At that moment, the light bulb above them flickered and went out.
In the darkness, Rose faintly heard a chattering sound. After listening carefully, she realized it was like the sound of teeth chattering.
Rose laughed to herself and turned to the little bun, saying, "Scared of the dark? "
The chattering stopped for a moment, then got louder.
How could he be so afraid?
Rose patted her bottom, stood up, and walked toward the little boy...