Chapter 8
On the day the troupe arrived, I unexpectedly ran into Brittany. I had just traded a bag of diamonds for a handful of White Rabbit milk candies when she spotted me, her face lighting up with joy.
Gone was the desperate girl I had seen at the ATM; instead, she was brimming with energy and enthusiasm. She excitedly recounted how, upon opening the bag and seeing the diamonds–especially the breathtaking red one–she had been in disbelief. Initially, she wondered if they might be fake, but the complete certificates reassured her of their authenticity.
Determined to save her mother‘ s life, she approached the pawnshop with a glimmer of hope. To her astonishment, the diamonds and platinum fetched her
200,000 yuan. Overwhelmed with gratitude, she had wanted to find me and bow in
thanks at that moment.
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With tears in her eyes, she explained how she used the money to pay for her mother’s medical expenses. After her mother’s successful surgery, she hired a nurse to care for her and resolutely returned to the troupe.
Standing on stage had always been her dream, and now she had an even greater purpose: to show me that the little girl I had helped had not let me down.
At the end of her story, Brittany sighed, “The fate in this world is truly marvelous, like the lines in a storybook. There’s a hidden will of heaven at work!” I couldn’t help but wholeheartedly agree with her.
On the day of the theater’s opening, I was surprised by how renowned Brittany’s troupe had become. People from all over traveled to our remote location just to see their performance. Eugene shot me a playful wink and said, “Do you think I invited this theater just for fun? I wanted to leverage the star power to boost business!”
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I gave him a thumbs–up, genuinely impressed by his business acumen. Just as we were laughing, I felt a sudden tug from behind. I stumbled over something, my body tipping backward.
In that split second, I fell into a familiar embrace.
“Olive, what do you think you’re doing?” Landon’s angry eyes met mine, and I couldn’t help but frown in response.
“Landon, what are you doing here?”
Landon opened his mouth but then fell silent.
Just then, Brittany appeared from behind him, clutching a fluffy cotton candy. She chimed in cheerfully, “Landon brought me to see the musical! Olive, what about you?”
She blinked at me, a sly glint in her eyes that hinted at some clever scheme.
I chuckled, wriggling out of Landon‘
S
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arms to return to Eugene’s side. As I walked with him, I confidently replied, “I’m here to spend time with my boyfriend.”
Brittany gasped in surprise, “Olive, how could you? Landon has been waiting for you, hoping you’d come back once you weren’t mad anymore. I can’t believe that in just half a month, you‘ ve already…
“Shut up!” Landon cut her off, his voice laced with irritation.
“Landon, are you really yelling at me?” she replied, feigning innocence.
Tears glimmered in her eyes as she looked at Landon, her expression a mix of hurt and patience.
He had always been susceptible to her charms; a single glance like that would usually send him scrambling to comfort her. But today, something was different. Landon didn’t even spare her a glance. Instead, he took two steps toward me.
“Okay, Oli, enough. I know you‘ re trying
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to provoke me, and I’m sorry,” he began, his voice steadier than I expected.
“I messed up by forgetting your birthday. I got caught up with work and didn’t mean to leave you behind at the mall. We got separated in the crowd, and I had no choice,” he continued, his tone earnest. “It’s my fault, and I own it. I’ll accept any consequence you give me, except breaking up. I just want you back.”
He paused, running his hand through his hair. “We’re supposed to get married, and we shouldn’t let our six years of love be overshadowed by these little misunderstandings, right?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle, albeit dryly. “Six years of love? That‘ s rich, Landon. Those years have been worn down by your constant misunderstandings, your favoritism, and your accusations. Why do you think you can still cling to that love now?”
“Love is like tending to a garden. You
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nurture it with your heart, and in return, it flourishes and blooms beautifully. But if you neglect it, plucking petals along the way, withering becomes its inevitable fate.”
Landon’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, yet he shook his head in disbelief. “Oli, what are you talking about? I don‘ t understand.”
“Come on, let’s go home, okay?” he pleaded, stepping closer.
I remained rooted in place, unmoving, and he reached out in a desperate attempt to pull me toward him.
But before he could touch me, Eugene stepped in front, blocking him with a fierce glare. “She said she doesn’t want to go. with you. Can’t you grasp that?”
