Chapter 74: A Heartless Man

The stage performance continued, with supporting actors entering as two cheerful elders clapping from the sidelines. The boy knelt. "Marry me. Be my wife."

The girl was surprised. "Isn't it better for one's career in the entertainment industry to marry later?"

He replied, "You're the one I want. Sooner or later is the same. Besides, we could have a secret marriage, though that wouldn't be fair to you."

She hesitated, but seeing the joy on their parents' faces and the sincerity in his eyes, she nodded.

Instantly, the images of the female lead's life on the large screen behind shattered into fragmented black-and-white scenes. These shrunk and shifted upward, replaced by data charts of company stocks.

On stage, the man performed with a group; the woman, in an office, handled documents over the phone—the image of a career-focused couple. The performance abruptly ended. The lights vanished, focusing on Isabella. She broke character, slapping Christopher in the darkness. It was as if her future self had returned to confront him.

"You proposed out of fear I'd pursue my photography dream and travel the world, never returning. You were afraid of losing me. You stole my freedom, forcing me to live in your shadow, your dutiful wife. I was foolish, thinking true love was sacrifice and compromise. But after I sacrificed my dreams for your career, why did you abandon me? Where is your conscience?"

Her voice was hoarse. She launched into a furious tirade of questions and accusations.

The performance, though awkward, captivated everyone. Even if they couldn't distinguish reality from fiction, they indulged in speculation. It was unlikely the parents pressured them, or that William's marriage was a mere formality. He proposed, asking Jessica to sacrifice for him. Afterward, he never considered divorce, and she wholeheartedly supported him. It was clearly a case of one benefiting from another's sacrifice.

Yet, William still claimed he wasn't indebted to Jessica. This was clearly untrue. If Team A-list's performance was the truth, Team Young Again's clarification statement was nauseating—a blatant distortion of the truth and slander. Indeed, nothing is more vicious than a heartless man. She gave everything, only to be discarded for a mistress. The crowd murmured.

The audience was astonished, and the live comments were chaotic—half curses, half doubt, discussion, and speculation. They scoured YouTube for evidence.

In the hospital room, Jessica listened to Isabella's monologue, her eyes wide with disbelief. "That's right. I planned to leave. Our love was real, but why did I have to sacrifice everything? If William truly loved me, shouldn't he have supported my dreams, as I supported his? He never acknowledged my dreams as my career. He ignored them completely."

It's often said that some things shouldn't be overanalyzed, treated like a cold equation, because it makes life unbearable. But when someone takes sacrifice for granted, becomes numb to generosity and forgets gratitude, assuming it's their due, they're no longer worthy of that sacrifice.

In the waiting area, William felt countless slaps. The contrast between the two scenarios enraged and humiliated him. His annoyance at the exposure faded; he wanted to refute it, believing he wasn't as Isabella described. "In love, someone must concede. How else do you become husband and wife? I love—"

David and Selena watched the whispering audience, some glancing at the backstage live broadcast where the rebellious cameraman focused on William and Jennie. Everyone scrutinized their expressions. Was their discomfort from exposure, or from false accusations?

A special female guest joined the performance on stage. Everyone gasped. The live comments paused. They knew who she would portray.

Backstage, the crews from both teams watched. Rosalie's face was flushed, but seeing Hayden's dejection, she asked Thalia, "Is Hayden alright?"

Thalia realized Isabella and Christopher had withheld parts of the script from Hayden, and felt sympathy. He was only trying to attract staff to their studio. Now, who would dare associate? She sighed, "Some people appear calm, but are long gone inside."

The manager of the medieval fantasy drama's male idol glanced at Hayden and quipped, "Your artists are performing well. Are they tired of living?"

Connor rushed to Hayden, furious. "What are you doing? Stop the play!" The mistress was about to appear! Were they planning to act it all out?

Hayden cleared his throat. He wanted to rebuke them, but couldn't lose face. "It's just a performance, isn't it? You're ruthless and disregard the law, while—" He berated himself, leaving Connor speechless.

Others subtly gave him a thumbs-up. This bold move was sensational. Taylor and Riley were excited. The live comments erupted. Hayden, trying to provoke Connor, added, "Thank goodness you chose us, and provided such a wonderful topic. I thank Mr. Sawyer and Ms. Woods for our fortune. Especially you, Connor, you've done a great deed."

Connor, without the right to faint, could only endure the play's climax.

The man on stage interacted ambiguously with the second female lead, while the woman focused on work. They occasionally spent time together, but ran out of common ground. He discussed his acting career; she discussed stocks and management.

"Why do I feel you're all about money now?" he remarked, turning to the filming set and engaging with the second female lead, complimenting her artistry. She chuckled. The woman remained engrossed in her work.

Four elders appeared before the second female lead. The man continued, oblivious. The second female lead left, seemingly lost for a while.

The woman worked diligently, but overwhelmed by the documents, enlisted help. She stepped away from the limelight, the company image on the screen replaced by her parents' hospital room.

She reappeared, caring for her parents. After they left, the second female lead reappeared, throwing herself into the man's arms, weeping. They turned to the woman, anger and resentment in their eyes. Isabella moved, slapping the man.

"Ingrate! What do you mean we had nothing to talk about? You didn't want to share interests! I could have been an artist, but you turned me into a money-grubber. How dare you justify your infidelity? If you couldn't commit, don't propose and ruin lives!"

Another slap. "You accused me of driving her away, but I didn't even know her! You claimed I was indebted to her. Nonsense! She worked for us, she should have known you were married!"

Another slap. "And you, shameless! Were you forced to leave? It was because you couldn't make a good life for yourself. You returned and dragged this scumbag to blame me? Are you upset I didn't make room for you as the mistress?"

The live stream disconnected; the YouTube server crashed. The audience erupted. Backstage, all eyes were on the two in the center. The four slaps had left them pale, their bodies swaying, pupils constricted.