A Brilliant Star Path

Chapter 1

After graduating college, my girlfriend and I broke up, and wouldn’t you know it, she became a top-tier actress. When an interviewer asked her if she’d ever been moved by someone, she didn’t hold back.

“Yeah, in college.”

The interviewer was surprised, quickly following up, “And… and what happened between you two?”

Rainie Xie paused, her eyes dimming. Just as the interviewer was about to smooth things over, she spoke.

“He dumped me.”

Her tone was dripping with resentment.

“And… what was the reason for the breakup?” The interviewer seemed to have forgotten her mission to ask other questions.

“He said I was blood type B, and he was also blood type B. He was afraid we’d end up with a ‘B-minus’ kid.”

1

It was clear Rainie had gritted her teeth saying that. Her face was dark.

The interviewer had a complicated expression. I figured she was about to burst out laughing.

Suddenly, phone cards got rejected, and Twitter crashed.

‘Who is he?! Who in the world is he?!’

‘I want to know what kind of man actually dumped Rainie Xie, the goddess.’

‘OMG, afraid of ending up with a B-minus kid???’

‘“B-Minus” ‘

‘I’d sell everything I own just to support that face!’

‘Why does it seem like Rainie Xie is a bit wronged?’

‘Wouldn’t you be wronged if you were dumped like that?’

‘You gotta admit, her ex has got a sense of humor.’

In no time, everyone was guessing who it could be. What I didn’t expect was that some people suspected me, just because Rainie and I went to the same college.

‘I have a feeling it’s Howard Lane. They went to the same school. Most importantly, their looks are so my type! My biggest regret in life is not seeing those two angels in the same frame!!’

However, it wasn’t just Rainie’s fans; my fans also stepped up to control the narrative.

‘Our Howard has nothing to do with anyone else!’

‘They’re not close, okay? But thanks to this friend for praising our Howard. You won’t regret becoming a fan!’

Suddenly, a newly registered account went viral.

Inside, it posted many photos, showing rising star Lincoln Liu and Rainie Xie on campus.

In the photos, Lincoln was almost always looking at Rainie with love in his eyes. Rainie, on the other hand, only had her back to the camera, so you couldn’t see her expression. Lincoln smiled tenderly, as if looking at his lover.

In an instant, the online community felt like they’d discovered the truth.

[See, my Lincoln is such a gentle and understanding angel that even the goddess likes him!]

[Spare me, will you? Is he even worthy?]

[Get lost, and leave my Rainie alone]

[Impossible, right? Rainie has been in the industry for so long, and they’ve never been seen together.]

[You don’t get it, do you? They’re avoiding suspicion.]

Male celebrities always try to latch onto Rainie’s fame, but her studio always clarifies things right away. This time, though, there was no movement for a long time, leading people to believe the relationship was for real.

Even Rainie’s fans were losing their confidence when they tried to deny the rumors. Could their idol actually like that young guy?

His vibe and looks don’t match her at all.

But soon enough, Rainie Xie’s studio issued a statement, saying they didn’t know about the photos and hoped the poster would take them down ASAP.

Rainie also posted on Twitter.

“Don’t know him.”

Those three short words completely crushed Lincoln’s face.

Now Rainie’s fans had something to stand on.

‘Clarification might be late, but it’ll never be absent.’

‘LOL, she doesn’t even know him.’

‘Another clout chaser. It’s all because my Rainie’s too good. Every dog wants a taste.’

‘Why are you being so sarcastic?? My Lincoln never said he liked Rainie Xie.’

‘Then why doesn’t he clarify it?’

The internet was a mess, but I was minding my own business, focusing on my career. I recently landed a travel reality show, which was right up my alley since I’d been thinking about traveling the world.

There were six guests in total. When I saw Amanda Yu come over to chat with me, I couldn’t help but frown.

I wasn’t that close to her.

2

I’d worked with Amanda in a TV show, where we played a couple. The sweet interactions earned us a lot of fans who shipped us, but my agent didn’t tell me I had to play the couple card on this show.

I also remembered that Amanda wasn’t exactly at the height of her career right now; she was kind of unknown, so she probably wanted to gain some popularity from this show.

If seeing Amanda made me uncomfortable, then seeing Rainie Xie made me want to run away immediately.

What was with all this drama?

“Howard, long time no see.”

Rainie had just arrived and was greeting me with a polite smile.

I looked at her outstretched hand, not wanting to be outdone. I slightly curled my lips and gently pinched her fingertip.

“Long time no see.”

She took the opportunity to stand next to me, making me uneasy.

Actually, I still felt a little guilty about breaking up with her back then. In the sunset, she stubbornly held my hand, her eyes unwilling and wronged…

‘Do they know each other? Why do they seem so familiar??’

‘They’ve both been in the industry for years, but they’ve never worked together in a show. Am I missing something??’

‘Does Rainie Xie’s expression seem a bit off?’

‘They went to the same college, so maybe they knew each other before, but they’re not close.’

Obviously, that explanation sounded more believable.

I thought it would be a happy and relaxing experience, but two people I didn’t want to see weren’t enough. Lincoln Liu was here too, and he was definitely coming for Rainie.

I didn’t like Lincoln, not because of Rainie, but because I didn’t like him as a person. Talking to him always felt fake and insincere, which made me uncomfortable.

Sure enough, as expected, Lincoln kept glancing in Rainie’s direction. After greeting everyone else, he walked towards us, his eyes curved.

“Rainie, long time no see!”

“Mm.” Rainie slightly nodded, responding politely.

‘Isn’t she supposed to not know him? Does Rainie Xie have two faces?’

‘LOL, when a dog rushes to stick to you, of course you have to humor it a little.’

‘Dogs are innocent.’

I don’t know why, but even though Rainie was to my right and slightly behind me, so I couldn’t see her face, I felt like she was intentionally looking at me.

“Howard, hi!”

Lincoln was still very polite. Was I wrong to suspect him?

Suddenly, the hand hanging by my side was gently touched. The coolness stimulated my nerves. I turned to see Rainie looking at her phone, acting like nothing happened.

It was probably an accident. Her hands were always like this, cold all year round, no matter how much you warmed them.

She always clung to me and made me hold her hand, saying her hands were cold.

“The six guests have arrived, and we’ll be taking the 8 AM flight to France tomorrow. Now, please rest and have dinner on your own. Friendly reminder: Guests need to take care of dinner tonight.”

“I’ll do it. I can cook,” Amanda said.

Everyone thanked her.

But they felt bad letting her do all the work, so Lincoln quickly offered to help.

Hmm… This young man was actually pretty active and considerate.

3

Rainie was quiet and didn’t say anything, which matched her cold and aloof persona.

I knew very well that she couldn’t be like she used to be, always having endless things to say and sharing her life with me, every day.

I also wouldn’t be able to eat her food, her grilled steak, or her pork rib soup.

Amanda made a table full of dishes. Her cooking skills weren’t superb, but they were homey. Rainie sat next to me, which surprised me. I thought she would want to stay as far away from me as possible.

‘Does anyone else feel like their vibe is weird?’

‘Although you didn’t say which two, I think I know which two you’re talking about.’

‘Could it be that Rainie’s first love was…’

I prefer heavy flavors, the spicier the better, while Rainie was the opposite. She liked very mild flavors, which tasted bland to me. I once tried to get her to try a piece of buckwheat jelly that wasn’t too spicy.

Maybe because I was the one feeding her, she obediently ate it. Almost as soon as it entered her mouth, tears streamed down her face, and three cups of water weren’t enough.

It was also then that I found out she had a stomach problem and couldn’t eat spicy food. She hugged me and stayed quietly in my arms for a long time, so well behaved.

“Howard, do you like spicy food too?” Amanda noticed I was picking at the dishes and smiled. “I also like spicy food a lot. We have a lot in common.”

The goodwill I had for her cooking instantly vanished. There were so many people who could eat spicy food, but her topic was really too forced.

Just a collaboration and creating a couple, I wasn’t against it.

What’s more, I wasn’t an actor for nothing. I immediately looked at her in surprise.

“Really? Then it looks like we’ll have to have hot pot together sometime.”

My face still wore a light and happy smile. I couldn’t even tell I was faking it.

‘OMG!! My ship is real!!’

‘So sweet~ I feel like Howard said that because he wants to eat with Amanda!!’

‘It must be a two-way street!’

‘OMG, OMG, what is she doing?!’

‘Shut up, dammit! Rainie Xie is crazy, right?!’

“Rainie, do you eat spicy food too?” Amanda asked, trying to get closer, but I subconsciously looked at her.

I saw her slowly put a shrimp into her mouth and swallow it without any change in expression. There was a pile of shrimp shells in her plate. She ate spicy crawfish?!

She mechanically put the peeled shrimp into her mouth.

“You’re crazy!” I suddenly reacted, snatching the shrimp she was peeling out of her hand, taking off her gloves, and pinching her cheek.

“Spit it out!”

My tone was sharp. She was probably scared by my outburst. The corners of her eyes were slightly red. She obediently opened her mouth and spat out the shrimp she hadn’t even chewed.

Everyone was confused, looking at us in bewilderment.

I realized I had lost it and adjusted my expression to explain to them.

“She can’t eat spicy food, and she has a stomach problem.”

As I said that, I had already poured a glass of water and pushed it in front of Rainie. She obediently drank it.

‘I think I know something…’

‘It doesn’t seem unacceptable…’

‘Even if it’s true, they’ve already broken up. Can my Howard just be single and happy?’

‘Yeah, anyone with eyes can see that Rainie did it on purpose, right? Howard’s just afraid someone’s going to die.’

‘Sob, sob, I was so scared, thank you Howard for stopping Rainie!!’

Rainie had been well-behaved and hadn’t caused any trouble since.

Others had obviously noticed something too. I didn’t have anything to explain. Who hasn’t had a relationship in college?

When I was smoking on the balcony, Rainie came too, saying she wanted some fresh air.

She coughed lightly. I couldn’t help but frown. I put out the cigarette I had just started to smoke, only to find a faint arc on her lips.

Was she smiling just now?

‘Howard actually put out his cigarette?!’

‘Can these two just get married already??’

‘Welcome to “The Actress’s Scheme”‘

Rainie didn’t seem right. Her face was pale, and her forehead was even breaking out in a cold sweat. Ugh, she paid for it after eating spicy food without knowing the consequences.

“Where’s your medicine?” I was just worried about her affecting other people’s mood! That’s right!

“Didn’t bring it…” She weakly said, as if those two words had exhausted all her strength.

This person never knew how to take care of herself. Now she knows she has a stomach ache.

“I’ll have the production team send you to the hospital.”

“No need.”

I ignored her.

“It hurts…” She couldn’t help but feel the cramping in her stomach.

“Drink hot water.” I controlled the urge to hug her and said indifferently.

“My hands are cold.”

“Drink hot water.”

Rainie pursed her lips and didn’t say anything, obviously not in a good mood.

‘《Drink Hot Water》’

‘She looks so wronged, but I really want to laugh, what should I do, hahaha.’

‘Howard, just coax her!’

‘I feel like he doesn’t want to get back together.’

‘But he put out his cigarette for her!’

As everyone knows, I have quite the smoking habit and have been scolded for it for a long time. I quit smoking because of Rainie. During that time, whenever I wanted to smoke, I would kiss her because she seemed more addicting than cigarettes.

Even though she wore a straight face, she still sat next to me on the plane.

‘《I can be wronged, but I can’t be without my honey》’

‘Are you a tapeworm in Rainie’s stomach?’

To be honest, Rainie did have a lot of problems. She got carsick, airsick, and had a stomach problem… Oh, and she was afraid of ghosts.

She wanted to get back together, but I didn’t. If we did, people would say that I dumped her when she wasn’t famous and got back together with her now that she was at the top.

“Howard, I’m a little dizzy.”

Rainie said weakly, turning her head to look at me, her eyes showing weakness and pain.

“Oh.” I forced myself not to look into her eyes and responded perfunctorily.

‘Honey, dizzy, lean on me.’

‘You know Rainie well.’

‘I wasn’t going to laugh, but seeing Howard’s eye roll really made me die laughing.’

“Howard, can I lean on your shoulder for a while? I’ll be quiet and won’t drool.”

You could tell she was having a hard time saying a single sentence. Her voice was quieter than usual.

Rainie looked at me like that, stubborn and persistent, just like she was in college.

“Tsk.”

I felt annoyed and couldn’t help but tsk, looking at her irritably.

‘When I heard that “tsk,” I knew he was going to compromise.’

‘I give this opportunistic misery move a perfect score.’

‘Rainie fans, don’t cue. My husband is just too kind!’

I glanced at her, not saying anything, and closed my eyes to rest. She knew I had implicitly agreed and leaned on my shoulder.

‘Aaaahhh, I’m dead!!!’

‘Rainie fans are really hypocritical. It’s not okay when it’s my oppa, but it’s okay when it’s Howard?? So annoying.’

‘Did you come out without brushing your teeth?’

‘How can someone who is obsessed with my Rainie and someone my Rainie is obsessed with be the same?’

‘Don’t make excuses, you’re a bunch of hypocrites!’

‘Yeah, I feel bad for my Lincoln baby.’

‘LOL, Lincoln is cheap and versatile, he really thinks he’s high-end.’

Rainie was really uncomfortable, her slightly furrowed brows revealing pain, her eyelashes trembling, and her lips turning white.

It was different than before.

4

In the past, if she got hurt, felt sick, or got sick, she would never tell me or show it. She was sensible and made people feel bad. I told her countless times not to hold back like that and to tell me.

But she didn’t improve. She was still the same. She would only say she wouldn’t do it again if I got angry, but she never changed.

So, I felt a trace of relief in my heart when she showed weakness and told me she was uncomfortable.

When we got to France, we soon had our first mission: “Check in at famous local attractions or viral tourist spots.”

‘OMG!! The Loboto Wildlife Park!!’

‘If you’re in France, it’s a waste not to go to the Alpha Terror haunted house!!’

The production team stated that they wouldn’t provide transportation or entertainment expenses. We had to find our own way.

“Please pair up and start your journey!”

Pair up? You have to say that the director grasped the formula for traffic. With the way Rainie and I are entangled right now, who knows what the online reviews will be like?

Rainie had been standing by my side. Amanda and Lincoln had been subconsciously looking over, but they didn’t invite us to team up with them when they saw Rainie and me standing together.

Everyone seemed to implicitly acknowledge the relationship between Rainie and me and didn’t want to disturb us.

I thought about going to the closest one, but I looked at Rainie and found her looking at the terror park on the map, seemingly thinking about something.

But I didn’t think she would want to go there because she was afraid of ghosts.

I didn’t think authoritarianism was a good idea. We still had to be democratic. What’s more, we were on live stream, so I asked Rainie for her opinion to make it seem like I cared.

“Rainie, do you have any thoughts?”

“I want to go here. Can we? It’s okay if we can’t. I’ll listen to you.”

I only felt three black lines hanging down from my forehead. You’ve already said that. How can I say no?

‘Ding-dong – Your little white lotus is online! Please check!’

‘Rainie knows how to be a green tea.’

‘《It’s Okay If We Can’t》’

‘I’m done. This Xie person is scheming enough. My husband can’t even refuse. Speechless. Do you just like making things difficult?’

I glanced at her.

“Okay, let’s go to the terror park.”

I thought about taking a taxi, but she didn’t seem willing.

“I get carsick. It’s uncomfortable. Can we take the bus? Of course, it’s okay if we can’t.”

‘Dammit, don’t stop me. Let me kill this little green tea!’

‘《It’s Okay If We Can’t》’

‘As long as you’re thick-skinned enough, you can get close to a handsome guy.’

We still took the bus. After nodding and saying good morning to the driver, we stood and waited for our stop.

There were a lot of people, so it was a bit crowded. Rainie staggered a bit and pressed against me. She was like that until we got off the bus.

I noticed that the tips of her ears were red all the way until we got off the bus. It was quite cute.

‘Learned it.’

‘Learned it +1’

When we arrived at the haunted house, we saw a bunch of people gathered around a table, seemingly doing some activity.

“Couples who participate and take photos for promotion can get a 10% discount and a movie ticket!”

The large-sized French words on the billboard looked particularly attractive.

“Howard…”

‘She’s moving! She’s moving! She’s going to start again!’

‘Can Howard withstand the attack of the little white lotus this time?? Let’s continue watching -‘

“Shut up.”

‘Hahaha directly interrupting the little white lotus from casting her spell.’

“But… we don’t have enough money…” Rainie looked innocent, seemingly kindly reminding us of our current financial situation.

I looked at the bill the production team stuffed in my hand, and then I looked at the price for two people at the haunted house… and we still had to take the bus back later…

‘She succeeded!’

I compromised again.

“But… will they suspect we’re not a couple if we don’t hold hands?”

She gestured for me to look at the couples who signed up, all of them holding hands or linking arms, and even kissing from time to time.

Rainie got what she wanted and put her hand in my hand. It was very cold, bone-chillingly cold. I couldn’t help but hold her tighter, wanting to warm her hand a little.

‘He’s softening!’

‘My husband just feels sorry for the money!!’

‘The haunted house is the most expensive of all the activities. Ugh, and to be honest, I’ve been there, it’s very boring.’

‘Are we going to watch the haunted house? We’re here to watch a certain couple get lovey-dovey!’

‘Watch the white lotus chasing her man.’

She held my hand tightly, a faint smile on her lips, quietly following me. But when it was dark all around, she couldn’t help but get closer to me, her hand trembling slightly.

“Don’t be afraid, I’m here.” I soothed her, rubbing the back of her hand with my thumb.

‘Huh? Is Rainie a bit of a chicken…’

‘LOL, why does she come to the haunted house if she’s afraid??’

‘Rainie: What do you know? This makes it easier for me to get close.’

‘Honey, sob, sob, scared, hug.’

‘Shut up!’

Actually, the haunted house in France wasn’t as scary as I imagined. It was even boring, but Rainie was afraid and slowed down my progress.

Suddenly, a bloody head flew out of the darkness, followed by an NPC stretching out their witch-like claws and saying, “Boo!”

The next second, I was embraced.