Eight years ago…
At the time, Ellen was still grieving. Her parents had died in an accident. She actually had a very loving aunt, but she turned down her offer to adopt her because she didn't want many people involved in her family's affairs, even though her aunt was a good person.
She then lived alone in her empty home. Her parents' deaths also left her with the difficult task of having to pay off her parents' debts. Her parents had never been in debt to anyone. However, for some reason, the seemingly coincidental situation was so strange. Therefore, she worked part-time at several convenience stores to pay off her father's debts and meet her living expenses.
Three years have passed, and he has graduated from college and is still struggling to make ends meet. Although his aunt helped him pay for his tuition, he still wants to repay it. Therefore, he has been working part-time jobs for three years.
Just as she was returning from the convenience store, she suddenly heard a woman screaming. In the dark and quiet, she quickly ran toward the source of the sound, eventually finding a woman surrounded by two adult men. It was Lauren. Ellen stared directly at her, her eyes wide and her mouth gaping open.
However, in the current situation, she wanted to save the actress's life, who was in danger. She immediately ran into the alley and kicked one of the adult men with all her might.
"Hey! How dare you bully her!"
The two grown men turned around, stretching their necks. Ellen didn't look afraid, as life had become scarier since her parents died.
"You better get out of here before we kill you!" shouted one of the men.
Ellen smiled sarcastically as she spread her legs slightly wider. "I'm not afraid of you."
Ellen, of course, immediately beat the two adult men until they couldn't get up. Just one kick to a sensitive area rendered them helpless. At the same time, two police officers arrived at the scene and immediately handcuffed the two men.
Ellen ran over to Lauren with a worried look. Seeing Lauren still traumatized from nearly being molested by two adult men, she was also afraid something had happened to the actress.
"By the way, are you okay?" Lauren asked in a panic, surprising Ellen.
"Why are you the one worrying about me when you were almost molested?"
"Because I was afraid you would be the one hurt by saving me." Lauren immediately hugged her savior enthusiastically. "Thank you for saving me. I have to reward you."
"What reward?"
Lauren momentarily broke the hug. "Do you know me?"
Ellen nodded. "You are Lauren Katriona, an actress."
"I see you're very beautiful and good at fighting. Why don't you become an actress?"
"What?!"
"Why are you overreacting? Don't you want to be an actress?"
"But-"
"I'll introduce you to my agency's CEO tomorrow. We happen to be looking for an actress who's good at fighting." She stared at Ellen, dressed from head to toe in a convenience store uniform, making her chuckle. "Instead of working part-time, you'd be better off becoming an actress. Don't waste your talent."
After listening to Lauren's persuasion, Ellen finally decided to join SL Entertainment with Lauren. After further consideration, she decided that being an actress was better than working part-time, as it would allow her to earn enough money to pay off her father's debts.
Upon arriving at the SL Entertainment building, she was immediately greeted warmly by the CEO. She lowered her head nervously as she looked around the CEO's office, which was filled with various awards.
"I've heard a lot about you from Lauren, Ellen. Let me introduce myself, I'm Sora, CEO of SL Entertainment." Sora handed Ellen her business card.
"Thank you for inviting me, Mrs. Sora. It's an honor for me," Ellen replied with a friendly smile.
"I'm so grateful that you saved Lauren. Seeing your beautiful face and perfect body, you'd be a real actress."
"But, I never took a theater class in college."
"It doesn't matter. If you really have talent in acting, you should show off your abilities."
"Really?"
"But, as long as you're an actress, you can't be careless. If you get involved in a scandal, your career as an actress will be over. Is that okay with you?"
At that time, Ellen was still confident that she wouldn't be involved in any scandal. Therefore, she immediately nodded her head. "I'm very willing, Mrs. Sora. Please guide me in the future."
Sora smiled broadly. "It's nice to see you so enthusiastically accepting my offer. Indeed, good deeds always bring blessings."
*****
Back to the present. Ellen still finds it hard to forget that moment, as it marked the beginning of her career as a famous actress. If she hadn't saved Lauren, she wouldn't have become famous, and her father wouldn't have been able to repay her debt. However, remembering the cruel act Lauren inflicted on her a week earlier brought even more tears to her eyes.
Flint, who heard this, felt sorry for her. If he were Ellen, he would have done the same. However, seeing Lauren and Sora immediately betray Ellen out of jealousy, he couldn't forgive the villains who harmed a good woman even more. He took the initiative to give his handkerchief to his friend.
"Wipe your tears first."
Ellen nodded as she wiped her tears with a handkerchief. "It must be very embarrassing to hear my miserable story."
"No. I don't think it's a bad story. Everyone has their own story."
"If only Lauren weren't jealous of me, she and I would still be friends." Her tears flowed even faster. "She's truly selfish just because I'm superior to her."
"But, I want to ask you. Do you actually really like being an actress?"
She shook her head slowly. "If the ordinary person saw me, they'd probably think being an actress was all fun. But what happens behind the scenes is actually the opposite. We have to follow a strict diet to avoid being criticized by fans. Especially since I'm always acting in action and thriller films or dramas, I have to maintain my posture to look sexy and move my body easily."
"No wonder you looked so happy when you saw me bringing you cookies earlier."
"Actually, I'm also happy to finally be free from the cruel world of entertainment. I shouldn't have spread news of my relationship carelessly."
"Really? Is that really how it is?"
"Because my fans will curse me."
Flint laughed awkwardly as he tasted his friend's egg drop soup. "Don't worry, I won't be like your fan. In fact, I have to be a good neighbor to you now."