After Wu Man finished bungee jumping and returned to the opening banquet’s private room, everyone had nearly finished eating. The actor who had lent her a cigarette curiously came over to ask: “Where did you go to smoke? You disappeared for ages.”

She just smiled, picked up her wine glass, and walked toward Wei Jinghua.

He glanced at her and said bluntly: “I’ve drunk enough wine today. I shouldn’t drink more.”

Wu Man said indifferently: “It’s fine, Director Wei. You don’t need to drink, because this is my apology drink.” She drained it in one gulp and set down the glass. “This role—I honestly don’t think I’m very suitable. To say this suddenly right before filming begins is indeed very wrong. But I know you’re also dissatisfied with me. Rather than both of us suffering during filming, better to remedy the situation now. Find someone more suitable—I won’t be participating.”

After dropping these words, she left without regard for anyone’s expressions.

She returned to the villa. Yu Jiaze was already there, handling documents in his study.

Wu Man brought a glass of milk and some nuts, knocked on the door, and heard him say “come in.” He handled files on the computer while distractedly asking: “I heard you turned down the role?”

As if knowing she’d done something wrong, she pushed the milk to his hand: “You haven’t been sleeping well recently. I made you hot milk.”

He glanced at her: “I’m asking you a question.”

“Wei Jinghua doesn’t respect people. I don’t want to take his abuse.” Wu Man paused. “Besides, I don’t want to play that kind of role anymore. It’s meaningless.”

“Then what kind do you want to play?” He said in a low voice. “Like Deng Lizhi?”

“Why bring that up again?”

“How interesting—someone doesn’t return to China for ages, and the moment he comes back, you two can get together.” Yu Jiaze’s face was expressionless as he knocked over the stack of things she’d prepared. “And in front of the Director too. You really make me look good.”

Wu Man crouched down and silently collected the shattered glass onto the tray, wiping clean the milk spilled all over the floor.

“I’ll go pour you another glass. Please calm down first.”

She closed the door and left. After a while, she returned with an identical new serving.

Yu Jiaze glanced coldly at those things: “You think you can please me with this?”

“This isn’t pleasing you. I’m just genuinely concerned about your sleep.”

His expression was uncertain: “Don’t change the subject. I haven’t finished settling accounts with you about earlier.”

“The Director told me to bungee jump. I didn’t dare go alone, so he went with me. It’s that simple.”

“That simple?”

“Some things are better not calculated too clearly. For instance, I know why you took this role for me, didn’t I still agree with one eye open and one eye closed?”

“Why? You might as well explain.”

“You and Tang Yingxue are getting engaged during the New Year period, aren’t you?” Wu Man’s eyes lowered lightly, but her words fell like a heavy hammer. “So to avoid complications, of course you need to keep me away these few months.”

Yu Jiaze’s hand operating the mouse suddenly paused.

He stood up, bracing his arms to trap her between the desk and himself.

“You really are the worm in my belly. You understand me so well, why do you always do things against my will?”

“Don’t worry, I’m not saying this with any other meaning. Just want to tell you that you don’t need to hide your engagement so secretively.” Wu Man’s tone was flat. “After all, besides here, where else can I go?”

Yu Jiaze narrowed his eyes slightly, focusing on her for several seconds.

However, the more he read this kind of indifferent, weak attitude from her, the darker Yu Jiaze’s face became.

He coldly tightened his arms, encircling her: “Good that you have this awareness.”

*

She left Yu Jiaze’s study and returned to her room to lie in bed, eyes wide open staring blankly at the ceiling, as if simply unable to sleep.

But actually in her mind, she was going over and over the next plan.

She calculated the time. Yu Jiaze still hadn’t returned from the study.

It seemed he had drunk that glass of milk laced with sleeping pills.

Thank heavens. She thought this time wouldn’t go so smoothly, that she might need to persist for a while before Yu Jiaze took the bait. She hadn’t expected him to actually obediently drink it.

She got out of bed carefully, walking to the study like a ghost in the night, and knocked on the door.

No movement inside.

She called out again: “Are you still in there?”

Still no movement. Wu Man pushed open the door with relief. Yu Jiaze had his eyes closed, leaning back in his chair, only emitting shallow, rhythmic breathing. The glass of milk by his hand was already empty.

What she’d put in the milk was the most effective and least frequently used sleeping pill from her medicine cabinet. She only took it when she absolutely couldn’t sleep. The effect was very rapid, and it induced deep sleep that was hard to disturb.

But even so, when Wu Man approached Yu Jiaze sitting there quietly, her whole body was tense, afraid that the next second he would suddenly open his eyes and look at her coldly.

Because he had suddenly fallen asleep, he hadn’t had time to close the computer, which was still lit on the contract page he’d been working on.

While monitoring Yu Jiaze’s movements, she inserted the USB drive and searched the computer for the materials she needed.

*

Yu Jiaze and Tang Yingxue’s engagement was set for the fifth day of the New Year, an auspicious day suitable for marriage.

Like many previous years, after returning on New Year’s Eve, he stayed with her the whole time. Ever since that year when he temporarily returned from the Yu family on New Year’s Eve, he’d maintained the habit of only eating dinner at the old residence, then coming back to find her afterward. And if she had filming, she would specifically take leave to come back for a few days.

Like two unwelcome people keeping each other company, gathering together to give each other meager comfort on the most festive day.

This relationship was deformed and fragile. Wu Man knew that someday this delicate balance would be severed. That it could last until this year was already a miracle.

This year, after Yu Jiaze returned to the Yu family old residence on New Year’s Eve, he never came back.

Wu Man was left alone in his villa, mechanically replying to New Year greetings from people in the industry. Among them was one from Zhui Ye. He had returned to America for his new film’s road show across various states.

He sent a photo—standing in front of a car stopped at a gas station, wearing a cowboy hat and jeans, a seamless Western boy. It was daytime there, the sky high and vast with winter’s remoteness. The asphalt road was baked especially clear, refracting him along with it, making him appear incomparably clean.

“I’m in Wyoming now,” his message said. “The woman filling our gas is Chinese-American. The cigarettes she smokes are your favorite brand, Su cigarettes. It’s New Year’s Eve there, right? Happy New Year.”

A very simple sentence. Wu Man curled up by the bay window staring at the chat box, reading it over and over several times.

On the fifth day, Wu Man got up very early—actually, she hadn’t slept all night. She carefully applied full makeup in front of the mirror, put on a top luxury custom gown, matched it with jewelry, and completed an extremely eye-catching outfit.

She picked up her handbag, which contained an invitation to today’s engagement banquet.

The venue was at the Yu residence.

Those invited were all acquaintances of the Yu or Tang families—all prominent figures. Therefore, when Wu Man gracefully appeared in the Yu family garden, appearing before everyone’s eyes, she truly shocked the entire gathering.

It was stunning, and also surprising.

She elegantly raised her head. Her gaze met Yu Jiaze’s at the far end of the flower clusters.

Unclear, dark emotions flashed in his eyes.

Beside Yu Jiaze sat an elderly man who resembled him somewhat. Wu Man had once had a chance encounter with him at the hospital—that was Yu Jiaze’s father. Presumably he also recognized her. His brows furrowed slightly, his face showing obvious displeasure.

He beckoned, whispering a few words in Yu Jiaze’s ear as he bent down. Then Yu Jiaze walked toward her.

Wu Man leisurely took a glass of champagne from a server’s tray and leaned under a rose-colored flower rack, sipping it bit by bit, watching Yu Jiaze walk across flower petals to stand before her.

From others’ perspective, for a moment it created the illusion that this woman was the one Yu Jiaze was about to marry.

Wu Man carefully admired him—this man on whom she’d spent her entire youth since age twenty-one.

If things demanded equal exchange, just in terms of appearance, she hadn’t lost out. After looking around the industry all these years, she could assert that male stars who could match Yu Jiaze’s looks could be counted on one hand.

Especially wearing this custom engagement suit, he appeared even more noble.

Wu Man spoke first: “This outfit really suits you.”

Yu Jiaze grabbed her wrist: “Come with me.”

He blocked most of the probing gazes behind him, leading her toward a secluded greenhouse on the side.

In the desolate winter outside, the greenhouse was incredibly warm. Large peonies, camellias, roses, and wild lilies vied for beauty, decorated into a false spring.

Yu Jiaze gripped her waist, silently pulling her in, lowering his head but holding her tight.

“I thought you wouldn’t come.” Yu Jiaze’s voice came from above. “I didn’t expect… you’d still defy me in the end.”

His tone made joy and anger indistinguishable.

Wu Man couldn’t see his expression. She struggled and withdrew from his embrace.

“The wine will spill on your clothes.” Wu Man said lightly. “Don’t worry, I didn’t come to cause trouble today.”

He sensitively noticed her form of address had changed, his expression darkening half his face: “Then what exactly did you come for?”

Wu Man smiled and raised her wine glass: “To congratulate you, of course.”

*

Time rewinds. Inside the Tang family’s upscale club.

Tang Jiarong and Wu Man sat facing each other. Wu Man wore no makeup, her expression showing a haggardness rarely seen on camera.

Because his daughter had entered the entertainment industry, Tang Jiarong, who originally paid little attention to the industry, had gained some understanding. But as he aged, he looked at and forgot about these industry people. However, Wu Man was one of the few he could remember.

This naturally wasn’t because Wu Man was a top-tier actress, but because her face indeed resembled his daughter somewhat… At the same time, it also made him feel somewhat familiar, like an old acquaintance.

Therefore, besides paying attention to Tang Yingxue, he would incidentally follow Wu Man as well, learning that she was his daughter’s fiancé’s mistress kept on the side. But he didn’t care.

Men understood men best, especially in their circle—who had clean slates? He’d kept some when he was young too, giving them ambiguous promises, but before marriage, these would all be handled properly.

He believed Yu Jiaze had the means to handle things cleanly and neatly without him worrying.

He just hadn’t expected this little star would come to him herself.

Her ambition was too great—one Yu Jiaze couldn’t handle her?

Tang Jiarong leisurely sipped his tea, secretly assessing Wu Man, saying: “Miss Wu, I don’t know what necessity we have to meet?”

“Of course there is.” Wu Man was composed. “After all, this concerns your daughter’s marriage.”

As expected.

Tang Jiarong sneered inwardly and put down his teacup. He came straight to the point with a show of authority.

“An actress and her benefactor—what kind of presentable relationship can that be? I’ve seen plenty of your type. Easy to go from frugality to luxury, then you start getting greedy and ambitious, reaching for things that don’t belong to you. When the play ends and the stage collapses, people should know their place and not overstep.”

Wu Man’s expression didn’t change. She nodded in agreement.

“You’re right. Of course you’ve seen many such people. Wu Yulan was one you looked down on, wasn’t she?”

Wu Yulan…

Tang Jiarong’s expression wavered slightly. This name seemed like something from another century. Too many years had passed without hearing anyone mention it.

“It’s normal you don’t remember—so many years have passed.” Wu Man said calmly. “She was exactly the kind of fool you described. The only difference was that what she desired from you was something more expensive than diamonds in this world—true love.”

Tang Jiarong fell silent. His brain was a rusty projector, creaking and turning for a long time before finally finding an old film strip.

The woman in the film resembled Wu Man somewhat, had a rose-like face. The first glimpse made one think of nineteenth-century European estates, with sunset’s glow filling her snow-white face—plump and soft, making one want to pick her fiercely yet also observe from afar.

And he had chosen the former.

With the Tang family’s financial power, capturing a small star was child’s play. But he hit a wall with her.

A thorny rose was far more enticing than a flower that broke at a touch.

He became even more enthusiastically interested. For two whole years, he protected and escorted her, immersed in playing the clichéd script of a dissolute young master meeting true love.

He deceived Wu Yulan because he almost deceived himself.

Until Wu Yulan said she wanted to leave the industry and marry him, he suddenly realized he’d played things too big.

No matter how beautiful, a rose was still grown from mud. What could stand beside him could only be an expensive ornamental potted plant.

Tang Jiarong focused and looked at Wu Man’s face again, finally understanding where that familiar feeling came from.

He drank tea to mask the panic rising from his memories: “…You’re her daughter?”

“Wu is a surname I changed myself. I was originally surnamed Wu.” Wu Man looked directly at Tang Jiarong. “I’m not just Wu Yulan’s daughter—I’m also your daughter.”

Tang Jiarong’s hand trembled, the teacup shattered and fell.

The tea’s temperature was high, but not as scalding as this statement.

Tang Jiarong’s voice trembled slightly: “How is that possible?! I already made her abort the child back then!”

Wu Man didn’t explain further. She pulled out a test report from her bag and pushed it across the table. This report had been torn apart and then re-glued, full of pieced-together cracks.

Tang Jiarong impatiently opened it—it was a paternity test between him and her.

“This is the report my mother saved back then. If you don’t believe it, I can go to the hospital with you for another test anytime.” Wu Man lowered her eyes. “The miscarriage case you saw back then—she bribed a private hospital to forge it.”

Tang Jiarong gripped the corner of the report, unable to speak for a long time.

“Why would she do this?”

“A noble person like you naturally wouldn’t understand that what actresses in the dust value most is the word ‘love.’ After acting in so many plays, you really start believing such emotions exist in the world. And you happened to give her that illusion—how could she bear to shatter this beautiful dream?” Wu Man smiled lightly, that smile containing too many emotions Tang Jiarong couldn’t understand. “And I am the souvenir of this beautiful dream.”

She deliberately emphasized the words “beautiful dream.”

Tang Jiarong was at a loss for words. After a moment, he sighed softly: “She was too stubborn…”

He belatedly covered his scalded hand, hissing as he told the server to bring ice and ointment. Wu Man stopped the server’s movement, saying gently: “Let me do it.”

She half-crouched on the ground, taking Tang Jiarong’s aged but well-maintained hand, carefully rolling ice over it.

Tang Jiarong said in a daze: “Let the server do it.”

Wu Man shook her head, her tone sincere: “I haven’t been able to show you filial piety for so many years. Doing such a small thing is appropriate.”

“Is she… doing well?”

After hesitating a moment, Tang Jiarong couldn’t help but ask about Wu Yulan.

Wu Man smiled: “All these years, she never forgot you.”

On countless drunken late nights, she stared at Wu Man drunkenly, muttering—your ears really look like his, it makes me sick just looking at them.

“She said she doesn’t regret giving birth to me, because I’m the only bond between you and her.”

Countless times when Wu Man didn’t want to be forced to learn talents and angered her, she’d be locked in the bathroom to face the wall. She stood outside the door with a gloomy face, casting a vague dark shadow on the frosted glass. Whispering softly—I already regret giving birth to you, do you know what I gave up for you? My career, my future. I wish I could stuff you back in, so you and he never appeared in my world.

“She now has new happiness and married abroad. But she says my father is still you. She doesn’t restrict my freedom to come find you.”

Of course she couldn’t restrict it—locked in a Los Angeles nursing home, she didn’t even recognize who you were anymore.

Wu Man’s heart and mouth experienced ice and fire, yet her expression showed no trace of pretense.

As if what she said was all extraordinarily close to the truth.

Tang Jiarong’s expression was melancholy: “You still hate me, don’t you… Otherwise why hide your identity all these years without coming to find me?”

Wu Man finally leaked a bit of genuine emotion at this moment, to make this performance appear flawless.

“Hate… there is some, so originally I didn’t plan to come find you.”

Speaking the only truthful sentence of the whole scene, Wu Man couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

“But why did you still come? This relates to what I mentioned earlier about your daughter’s marriage.” She then opened the ointment, concentrating on applying it. “You know about my relationship with Yu Jiaze. Actually, I already wanted to end it, but Yu Jiaze won’t allow it.”

“What?!” Tang Jiarong furrowed his brows tightly. “How can he be so thoughtless?”

“You don’t really understand Yu Jiaze. He’s quite stubborn. And he’s very clever—it’s not impossible for him to hide me from the Tang family.” Wu Man put down the ointment, blowing on that loose skin. “But I know Tang Tang is my sister. How can I feel at ease continuing to stay by Yu Jiaze’s side? It’s just that over the years, I’ve been bound too tightly. My full contract is with him. If I want to sever ties, doing it myself would be tantamount to self-destruction. All these years I never came to disturb you and the Tang family because I knew I was a burden to you, so I restrained my desire to come find you. Especially when your wife was still alive, my appearance would have been even more of an eyesore.”

Her tone was very calm, but the calmer she was, the more embarrassed Tang Jiarong felt.

“To completely sever ties with Yu Jiaze, and also for Tang Tang’s sake, I hope you can acknowledge me.”

Tang Jiarong said in a low voice: “Stand up first.”

Wu Man knew when to stop. She sat back in her original position with lowered head and modest demeanor, letting silence clamor in the room.

Tang Jiarong pondered for a moment, deliberating: “All these years, you’ve really been wronged. If I’d known she gave birth to you, I wouldn’t have ignored you mother and daughter for so many years…” He changed direction. “But your mother had no name or status back then. After so many years, for me to rashly acknowledge you into the family…”

Wu Man had long known this old fox would never be moved by her weakness and flattery. She never counted on an emotional appeal succeeding in one stroke—in her plan, this was just a stepping stone.

“I heard… Madam Tang died of kidney failure, correct?”

Wu Man asked this suddenly.

When she first heard this news from He Huiyu’s gossip, she hadn’t paid much attention. She didn’t want to know anything about the Tang family.

But now that she’d investigated deeply, she learned that Tang Tang’s mother’s branch had hereditary familial nephritis. And Tang Yingxue had a very high risk of developing the disease.

So all these years, the Tang family had carefully protected Tang Tang in a greenhouse, afraid she’d bump or scrape herself anywhere. As if one degree higher sunlight, one level stronger breeze—anything in this world a bit more intense could harm her.

As for why she later entered the entertainment industry, Wu Man had no way of knowing. But she guessed that someone who’d been “confined” for long would be fatally attracted to crowds.

And Tang Jiarong, who doted on her so much, would naturally fulfill his precious daughter’s wish.

Tang Jiarong’s expression darkened as he mentioned this, and he nodded.

“Tang Tang over the years… has had very weak constitution since childhood, lived very difficultly.” Tang Jiarong sighed slightly. “So I even less can stimulate her. Bringing you rashly into the family—she couldn’t handle it.”

Wu Man didn’t know how to describe her feelings hearing this.

This person, though sharing a blood bond with her, she would never associate him with the word “father.”

In her eyes, this person had once been an abyss she desperately avoided.

Now, she was just struggling to climb up from Yu Jiaze’s abyss. Everywhere around was flatland—he could knock her down from behind at any time. Therefore, she had to quickly find a hole to jump into. Then that former abyss could also be a way out.

Except that jumping down would inevitably mean falling badly.

Like now, vividly feeling his abundant love for another child.

Not suffering from scarcity but from inequality—she’d rather have never witnessed it, so she could convince herself what a disgusting, cold-blooded, selfish father he was.

But such a person actually had paternal love.

She suddenly thought of that charity gala that year, thought of that room card, her tightly clenched palm aching.

A flaming whip lashed straight at her skull. Wu Man bit down hard on her teeth, using the excuse of pulling out a report from her bag to disguise the trembling she couldn’t control.

“This is my medical examination report. My kidney function is completely intact. Between sisters, kidney compatibility is high. If she really develops the disease, I can transplant one of my kidneys to Tang Tang. As an exchange for entering the Tang family, what do you think?”

Her body was her bargaining chip.

Ten years ago it was this way, ten years later it remained so. She was just a small person, unable to control heaven or earth, but she at least wanted to control herself.

“I just need a title. All other material things, I don’t need. Therefore it won’t harm Tang Tang. Actually, she’s still your only daughter.”

This naturally wasn’t because she was so magnanimous. She was just considering from her own perspective—since she’d already entered this whirlpool, then at least she didn’t want to get too deeply entangled, fighting for as much freedom for herself as possible.

Tang Jiarong didn’t speak for a long time. He paused before slowly asking: “You’ve thought this through?”

Wu Man nodded without hesitation, smiling without any reservations.

“As an older sister, showing care for a younger sister—surely Tang Tang would be willing to accept this?”

Besides “Spring Night,” this was probably the second time she’d integrated her acting skills so masterfully.

In this life script, she played an illegitimate daughter without any complaints, longing to return to the family, harboring naive and selfless expectations toward her father and sister.

“This matter cannot be told to Tang Tang in advance.” Tang Jiarong pondered and finally made the decision.

“To restore your status, we need to choose a moment that’s in the public eye, unquestionable. You’ve been wronged for so many years—at least this time, Dad will let you be dignified and glorious.”

Listening to Tang Jiarong’s hypocritical lines about profiting while pretending to be decent, Wu Man cooperatively showed a grateful smile.

“Thank you, Dad.”

She treated it as a line and recited it thus.

*

At 3 PM, a Maybach adorned with flowers drove through the gates of the Yu family old residence and stopped in the garage.

Then Tang Yingxue—that is, Tang Tang—walked down from the car holding Tang Jiarong’s arm.

And at this time in the greenhouse, Yu Jiaze still held Wu Man and wouldn’t let go, staring at her with a completely dark expression.

“What does this mean?”

Wu Man’s expression didn’t change: “Literal meaning.”

“Are you deliberately disgusting me?”

“I’ll say it again—I’m not good at acting on impulse.” Wu Man didn’t want to say more. She straightened her back and brushed past him. “You’ll know soon enough.”

Yu Jiaze gripped her arm, about to say something, when the greenhouse door was knocked on.

“Young Master, the Master is urging you over. Miss Tang and Mr. Tang have both arrived.”

Yu Jiaze’s hand closed, his five fingers sinking deep into her coat.

Wu Man met his fierce gaze and bit by bit pulled her elbow from his fingertips.

She smiled brilliantly, stood on tiptoes, and whispered in his ear—

“Don’t be late, my… brother-in-law.”