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Before he could answer, I hung up the phone.
I was afraid to hear his reply, afraid my heart would shatter completely.
Still, saying those words left my mind a blank, a swirling chaos taking over.
Pills rolled down my throat one by one, and tears fell one by one.
In the agonizingly long night, amidst the unending explosions of fireworks, I fell into a deep sleep.
It was as if I had trapped myself in another world.
When I woke again, it was to the sound of the doorbell.
I went to open the door and saw Renee, her face frantic. "My dear, why didn't you answer your phone?"
"There's a crisis! I was going crazy trying to find you!"
I paused, then said slowly, "I... I didn't hear it."
Only then did Renee notice something was wrong. She looked down and saw the scars covering my arms, and her breath hitched. "...Did you have an episode last night?"
I hid my arms behind my back and changed the subject. "What happened?"
Renee opened the newspaper in her hand. It was this morning's edition of the *Morning Light Daily*.
"This damn paper! They twisted your interview, taking everything out of context!"
I looked down and saw that the content was completely different from what I had said in the interview.
"Q: Ms. Vance, why did you decide to become a singer?
A: For the money, of course. Why else would anyone do this if not for the money."
"Q: Ms. Vance, after finishing your tenth-anniversary tour, what are your thoughts? Anything you want to say to your fans?
A: My thought is, can we do this every year!"
The newspaper had edited my answers to make it sound like I just wanted to hold concerts every year to bleed my audience dry.
But what I had actually said was: "I started singing to make money, because my family was poor."
"When my sister was sick, I couldn't help her, and I almost gave up on myself, thinking, 'why do this if you can't make money'."
"It was only after I was on a TV show that I started earning more and was able to help pay for my sister's treatment."
"I want to thank everyone for letting someone as small as me stand on such a big stage."
...
"My thought is, I hope I can hold a concert like this every year. I'd even pay for it myself, a free one with no tickets. I just want people to hear me sing."
Renee had been there and knew what I'd said.
I sighed. "There should be an audio recording of that interview."
Renee frowned. "It seems like someone is out to get you, or maybe this paper just wants a sensational headline."
"But isn't *Morning Light Daily* on good terms with our company?"
Renee sighed. "Silly girl, that's all about business. If a bigger profit comes along, relationships don't mean a thing."
I looked out the window and saw the street below crowded with reporters and angry people.
The expressions on their faces varied. A few looked angry and disappointed, feeling deceived. Most just seemed to be there for the drama, to watch the show.
"We'll go to the company now, hold a press conference to clarify things, and then talk to *Morning Light Daily*."
"If we can't resolve it peacefully... we'll call the police."
I nodded, my already throbbing head aching even more.
Reporters from other papers had gathered, swarming the building.
Since we were holding a press conference anyway, there was no need to fear the reporters and crowds below.
However, as soon as we got downstairs, a figure rushed towards us.
Renee blocked her, but the person just sat on the ground and started bawling.
I looked closely and frowned. "Mom?"
My mother's cries were deafening. "Elara, I gave you everything to raise you this big. But you ignore me and even have people rough me up! I can't live anymore, I'm going to kill myself!"
In this day and age, filial piety was everything.
The reporters swarmed us, a chaotic barrage of questions and flashing lights making my head spin.
The next second, my vision went black, and I fainted...
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