"Golden Weave Hall" — The unrivaled star hotel in the River City.

Li Luoyan stood outside the golden gate, where clothes, perfumes, glamour, and chattering filled the air within, while the outside was sinking into the twilight, with the mottled light constantly brushing against her solitary figure.

The door was pushed open by an attendant.

A tall woman with glamorous makeup sauntered out haughtily, surrounded by eight individuals.

The next second, she was blocked by Li Luoyan.

The smile vanished from the woman's face in an instant, turning into bone-chilling indifference.

"Li Luoyan! You've been eliminated; this is an inevitable outcome. Wasn't I clear enough before?"

Li Luoyan defiantly looked at the woman, "I rank first in total audience votes. The one who should be eliminated is not me."

"Everyone has seen your performance, and I do recognize your talent. But success in this circle isn't purely based on talent." Qin Weijie ridiculed as he flaunted his beige LV handbag,

"Li Luoyan, let me tell you this straightforwardly. According to the rules, you indeed should have advanced as the top-ranked contestant. However, a contestant with a strong backing specifically requested your disqualification."

Li Luoyan's fingertips trembled.

Her gaze swept over the eight self-satisfied faces clustered around Qin Weijie-

They were the "Top Eight" Qin Weijie had finally selected. She should have been participating in tonight's celebration banquet as one of the advancing contestants in the "Top Eight", instead of being shut out of the golden gate.

She took a deep breath, "This contestant is a woman, isn't she?"

"Hmm-hmm~"

Qin Weijie's crimson lips came up to her ear, whispering a name.

Bai Qingwan—

Just as she suspected!

She'd expected that name. Yet, the moment she heard it, it was as if an unfeeling grasp brutally tore at the never-healed wound on her heart. Her haunting memories surged out, causing her body to tremble.

"Don't be naive, Li Luoyan. Everyone aims to get famous through this talent show, and the rules are but a sham. The decision lies in the unwritten rules, who gets the final say is still me," Qin Weijie ridiculed. "If I break the rule and disqualify you, what can you do about it?

"Li Luoyan, a small role like you without any backing should never dream about becoming popular on your own. Go home and daydream about being a star."

Qin Weijie sneered.

Bai Qingwan, standing behind Qin Weijie, looked innocently at her.

Who would have thought that three years ago, this 'innocent' woman had used her to climb into her boyfriend's bed and now, she was kicking her out.

"You're wrong. I didn't join this show to seek fame."

Her lips trembled as she spoke, Li Luoyan’s eyes filled with resignation.

"I will be back. You wait."

"Heh, wait then. I'd like to see how a girl with no support behind her will return victorious," Qin Weijie responded sarcastically.

She didn't reply, but coldly turned her back and left.

As she walked alone on the bustling streets under the dazzling lights of the city, Li Luoyan disappeared into the boisterous night.

The attention of a girl was captured by a crowd of onlookers––

A little boy, dressed in a black suit, wandered aimlessly in the middle of the road. Cars were zooming past him, any of which could potentially run him over in an instant. He, however, remained innocently oblivious, just looking around with his bright, wide-open eyes, shuffling around the road in dismay...

The crowd muttered and pointed, yet none dared to rescue the child.

Upon seeing the scene, Li Luo Ran plunged into the road without a moment's hesitation.

A black sedan was coming head-on towards the boy. She scooped him up just in time, as the car whisked past, narrowly missing her.

"......"

The little boy finally realized he was in danger. His rosy lips trembled and his pinkish little hands clung tightly to Li Luo Ran's neck. He then looked at her petulantly.

When Li Luo Ran's gaze first fell on his face, her eyes were completely taken.

What an adorable little boy!

His tender skin was flush with a healthy glow, and his facial features extraordinarily delicate. It was clear that will grow into an incredibly handsome man.

Seeing this adorable boy, she felt swells of inexplicable joy within her heart, as though an invisible force was connecting them...

Unable to resist, Li Luo Ran reached out and pinched the boy's soft cheeks, "Don't be afraid, little one, auntie will take you to a safe place."

The boy stared at Li Luo Ran with his crystal-clear eyes, remaining silent.

As she tried to move, a sudden wave of dizziness engulfed her; her palms were sweating, and her entire body felt as though it was drained of energy.

Damn it!

Why, of all times, did she fall ill now?

She took a deep breath, barely managing to carry the adorable child to a safe spot. Before she could even set the child down, she lost consciousness entirely...

~~

When Li Loran opened her heavy eyelids, her forehead ached slightly. In her mind, the image of a young and adorable face surfaced.

She vaguely remembered that she fainted while rescuing someone. What happened after she fainted? Where was the cute child she saved? Was he okay...?

Yet, before she could clear her thoughts on what happened, her gaze was caught by an unfamiliar man—

He sat silently by the hospital bed, his upright posture exhibiting not a single curve. His face was as handsome as a jade, his brows and eyes were picture-perfect, looking like the most handsome man in ink painting.

Was there really such a good-looking man in this world?

She was stunned.

The man stared at her face without blinking,

"Have we met before?"

His magnetic voice was so melodious and noble, as if it shook her soul.

She babbled unconsciously, "No... I don't think so..." A man as handsome as he is would be unforgettable to any girl.

A hint of unpredictability swept across the man's deep, ink-black eyes,

"So, what's your price?"

A cheque fluttered onto her.

Li Luo Ran was visibly taken aback.

Her bidding price?

Is she a commodity?

"Uh~ You saved our young master, and we should thank you for that. This cheque, you can fill in any amount you like. Unleash your imagination; however much money you want, just fill it in. Make it a large amount." The one speaking was a big boy standing next to the man, about eighteen or nineteen years old, with a dazzling burgundy explosive hairstyle and two massive gold earrings in each ear. His style was extremely exaggerated.

Only then did Li Luo Ran understand.

The memory of saving someone before she fainted rushed back to her all at once.

Gazing again at the extraordinarily handsome face before the sickbed, was this face not simply an older version of the cute child she saved?

While she was saving the cute child in the road, she had thought, when he grows up, he will undoubtedly be a handsome man; it turns out such a face truly exists in this world...

"This gentleman must be that cute child's father..." The overly handsome man, she didn't dare to look directly at him,

"I didn't save people for money, so there's no need."

She neatly pinched the check between her two fingers and extended it back towards the man.

She had just done what she ought to do; accepting money for it would violate her conscience.

Yet he did not accept it, only steadily gazing at her face without a blink.

She felt his profound gaze like a tight-knit net, firmly restraining her, as if she could not escape no matter what she did.