Chapter 3

On a weekday afternoon, everyone seemed quite free.

The controversy continued to ferment.

With the entertainment company fanning the flames, many marketing accounts started steering the narrative.

[Gotta say, this apology is pretty sincere]

[Asher Ford and Natalie James are actors, not idols. What's wrong with dating? Celebrities have the right to date freely]

[Between Natalie James and a fish seller, anyone would know who to choose, right?]

Next, someone leaked that I'd taken money.

The screenshot of the two-hundred-thousand-dollar transfer was posted.

The comments exploded again, everyone cursing me out.

[Took the money and still making trouble? The fish seller's desperate for fame, huh?]

[Definitely rival companies stirring things up. Can't stand our "Asher and Natalie Forever" trending]

[LMAO, now that my baby's famous, every random nobody wants clout]

My livestream account was completely suspended.

The official reason: False information.

Asher Ford and Natalie James struck while the iron was hot, attending an event together.

The two gazed sweetly at each other, Asher Ford's love practically overflowing.

[Let's see who still says our "Asher and Natalie Forever" is fake!]

[Asher really loves her so much. Ex-girlfriend, stop clout-chasing]

They marketed these two as a couple who'd finally made it through hardship.

Naturally, I became the evil witch trying to destroy them.

Fans from both sides united like never before, directing all their anger at me.

My accounts were doxxed, and old photos where I'd accidentally appeared in the background were dug up.

They viciously attacked everything about me.

My DMs were filled with toxic insults, and people even photoshopped funeral portraits of me.

Asher Ford didn't say another word.

Instead, late that night, Natalie James, who I hadn't heard from in ages, sent me a message.

[Summer, did you ever think you'd have a day like this?]

I stared at that message for a long moment.

Back when Asher Ford was still running errands at the film studio, sometimes the assistant directors would give him odd jobs, like buying fish from me.

Over time, we became familiar faces.

Later, on a snowy day, I was cooking fish soup at my stall when I saw Asher Ford licking his lips nearby.

Feeling sympathetic, I invited him in to escape the snow. That's when I learned he hadn't worked with any production crew for a week and had lost his source of income.

I took him in. During the day, he'd still work as an extra. In his spare time, he'd help me gut fish.

Love came naturally.

As for Natalie James, she was the daughter of the pork seller next to my stall.

People around the film studio all had dreams to some degree. Natalie James was no exception.

Unfortunately, neither of them had much luck.

Ironically, manager Kyle happened to pass by one day and took one look at me, insisting on signing me as a talent.

Under the envious gazes of Asher Ford and Natalie James, I calmly refused.

Kyle settled for second best and signed Asher Ford instead.

On another snowy day, I saw Natalie James with her face red from cold, being scolded and beaten by her parents.

I felt sympathy again.

I asked Asher Ford to make connections and pulled some other strings, finally getting Natalie James into the industry too.

Back then, neither of them was famous yet. They felt bad for me and wouldn't let me work, competing to gut fish for me. They were quite skilled.

Now, I really wanted to ask them about it again, but it seemed pointless.

For me, it was a warm memory.

For them, it was probably just a humiliating past.

I deleted her from my contacts and clicked on another person's profile.

[Send me that invitation.]