On the day I arrived in Provence, I was in a very good mood. Even though I was alone, I took a lot of photos.

Hayes called me many times, but I didn't answer. He sent countless text messages and WhatsApp messages, but I didn't reply to any of them.

Instead, my childhood friend Eric Taylor called me after receiving the express delivery I sent.

"Melody, do you really want to wait for death all alone? Where are you? Please tell me and let me stay by your side, okay?" Eric said in a voice choked with tears.

Eric was not only my childhood friend but also my attending physician.

He advised me to undergo chemotherapy, but I didn't want to. Anyway, I was going to die. I didn't want to die looking so ugly without hair.

"Don't worry. I'm fine now. I'm taking my medicine on time," I said weakly.

"Where are you? Melody Miller, where are you? Don't be so cruel to yourself, okay?" Eric pleaded in a low voice.

He waited for me for seven years.

I told him early on that I didn't have feelings for him, but he never stopped thinking about me.

Until three years ago, I told Eric clearly that I only loved Hayes. Eric finally gave up and treated me like his younger sister.

"I'm staying where I agreed to meet Hayes. If he gets married in two years, then you can tell him about me. No, he is very loyal. Just wait a few more years. I'm afraid he can't handle it."

As I said that, tears streamed down my face.

Eric sobbed, "If he can't handle it, do you think I can?"

I looked at the lavender and said, "I'm sorry. I'll let you know when I can't make it."

The phone slipped from my hand. It hurt. It really hurt.

Eric said it would hurt, but I didn't expect it to hurt so much. It hurt like hell.

The intense pain that penetrated deep into my bones couldn't be stopped even by medication. In a daze, I remembered what had happened seven years ago.

That year, I was twenty-five years old.

I entered the industry when I was twenty, and by the time I was twenty-five, I had become a top-notch agent in the entertainment industry.

In just five years, I made two celebrities famous all over the country.

One night, I was so drunk and tired from socializing that I stumbled into an alley with high heels in my hand.

As I passed by a trash can, I saw a young boy squatting next to it, gnawing on a dirty doughnut.

I only glanced at him and paused involuntarily.

As a skilled agent, I thought this young boy was truly amazing even though he was covered in dirt.

"What's your name? Why are you here?" I drunkenly pressed him against the wall and bombarded him with questions.

"Hayes Lewis. My parents died, and my relatives didn't want me. So I ran away from home." A hint of grievance but also pride flashed in his eyes.

His words immediately struck a chord with me.

I was an orphan and grew up in an orphanage with Eric.

When I was twelve, I was adopted by foster parents. After a few good years, my foster parents passed away in an accident, and I was alone again.

I struggled to grow up on my own and met some great people. I entered the industry at a young age and worked harder than others. Finally, I made a name for myself at the age of twenty-five.

Eric had better luck than me. He was adopted by a healthy and wealthy couple and received a good education and resources, unlike me, who could only rely on myself.

"No one wants you, but I do! Come with me, and in a few years, I will make you famous all over the country," I said drunkenly, slapping my chest.

The young boy's eyes sparkled at this, and he followed me home.

After I sobered up, I realized that Hayes was only fifteen years old and still in school.

Hayes was very obedient. He could do everything and was willing to learn. I was bad at caring for myself, and he was the opposite of me.

As long as he was around, my house was always spotless.

I had a weak stomach due to bad habits for many years, but with Hayes around, I could occasionally eat three meals a day.

I took Hayes to visit some celebrities and paid a teacher to teach him to dance. Hayes was very hardworking and really talented.

No matter how difficult the dance moves were, he could imitate them after watching them twice, and he could even dance better than the teacher.

Even the teacher praised Hayes' singing, saying that he was suited for this line of work and praised my good judgment.

I started training Hayes to pave the way for him alone.

The entertainment industry was like a melting pot and every step was difficult. I just wanted to use what I had to make things easier for Hayes.

When Hayes finished his studies at the age of eighteen, he bid farewell to the celebrities and teachers I had found for him.

They all said there was nothing more they could teach Hayes. I knew that Hayes now only needed an opportunity.

Afterward, whenever he had free time, Hayes would write lyrics and compose songs, striving for all-round development.

Hayes was very clingy to me.

He kept pestering me to taste the dishes he cooked and evaluate each dish.

Hayes also liked to take me shopping. When he saw a nice dress in the shop window, he insisted that I try it on for him. If it looked good, he would buy it.

Whenever I said he still needed me to support him, he would let me deduct it from his future earnings and insist on buying it.

He was very childish.

Sometimes Hayes threw a tantrum and got angry with me.

When I raked around in his school bag and saw love letters from other girls, I read them out loud in front of him and jokingly asked him whether he liked the girls. He would get angry and not talk to me for an hour.

When Eric had free time, he would invite me to have a meal together and Hayes would follow along reluctantly. The injured look on Hayes' face was hilarious.

I didn't pay attention to my health and always had cold drinks and spicy food. Every time my period came, I suffered from severe pain. At such times, Hayes became very domineering.

He took away my cold drink and didn't even let me eat anything spicy. When I got my period, he applied heat to my stomach and prepared some ginger tea for me.

With Hayes around, I was no longer just busy. Occasionally, he gave me little surprises and I felt warm.

After the SAT, Hayes followed me to the company. With my strong recommendation, the company promised to spare no effort to support him as long as he could win the championship in a singing competition.

But if he failed, I had to accept the company's arrangement and train another newcomer.

That would take away my energy and attention, as well as the resources in my hands. Naturally, I was unwilling to do that.

But to make sure Hayes would get a chance, I could only agree.

Hayes clenched his fists tightly and said unwillingly, "I don't want you to train someone else."

"Then you have to perform well and definitely win the championship," I smiled and touched his head on tiptoe.

Hayes looked awkward. "I've grown up. Don't treat me like a little boy."

"Who said you're not a little boy? I'm ten years older than you. In my eyes, you are a little brat!" I teased him.

"Melody, do you think I can win the championship?" Hayes said, watching TV.

On the TV, the previous contestant was singing a love song.

"If you can't win, who can? Don't you trust my judgment?" I glanced at him impatiently.

"Yes, I do. Please don't act like I'm a baby." Hayes frowned.

I knew Hayes didn't like it when I treated him as a younger brother. When I took him in, I could still trick him and act like I was his older sister, but now it was basically impossible.

In the first round, Hayes performed stunningly, and all four teachers turned around for him.

I watched him perform on stage for the first time backstage, my palms sweating.

I was more nervous than when I first trained a newcomer. I put all my efforts into Hayes.

I used to joke with him, saying, "You have to do well. Maybe in the future, I'll rely on you to support me in my old age."

Hayes nodded earnestly and promised me. "I will definitely earn a lot of money and buy whatever you want."

After choosing his favorite singer as the program teacher, Hayes came off stage and hugged me tightly.

After the initial victory, Hayes knew what it was like to stand in the center of the stage and attract everyone's attention.

"Melody, if I win the championship, can you promise me something?" Hayes looked at me and asked cautiously.

I said readily, "Sure, I promise you anything you want."

His eyes lit up and he said, "You said it yourself."

I immediately sensed something was wrong and regretted it. I bit my tongue and it hurt so much that tears welled up in my eyes.

Hayes nervously approached to check on me.

I just realized that the boy who used to be about the same height as me was now half a head taller than me.

He was a man now.

As I looked at him in front of me, my heart started beating faster and faster.

Thinking about Hayes' excellence, I felt very satisfied that my efforts paid off.

Half a month later, the competition reached its most exciting stage.

Hayes and a female contestant were neck and neck, and the competition was very intense.

Only the final match could determine the winner, and whether Hayes would be the champion or the runner-up was unknown.

In the final, despite my dissuasion, Hayes insisted on singing his original song.

Surprisingly, his insistence moved the teachers and audience present. In the end, Hayes won the championship.

On the night he won the award, he pressed me against the door.

The little boy grew up into a man. He was squinting at me, seemingly thinking about how to kiss me.

"What are you doing?" I couldn't help but laugh.

Hayes was a little annoyed. "You forgot something. We agreed that you would reward me if I won the championship."

"All right." I had no way to refuse him. "Tell me, what do you want?"

"A girlfriend." Hayes lowered his head, his face slightly red.

"You're only eighteen, and you already want a girlfriend?" I was a little surprised.

"Tomorrow I'll be nineteen!" Hayes said seriously.

I counted the day and it was true.

Time flew so fast. I didn't expect that I would be twenty-nine so soon.

"Your career has just begun. Are you sure you want to distract yourself with a girlfriend?" I looked unhappy.

After careful consideration, Hayes said, "Then I don't want a girlfriend for now. Reward me with something else then."

"What do you want now?"

"Melody, promise me you will always be by my side no matter whether I become famous or not," Hayes said as if making a wish.

At that time, I really didn't realize how ignorant I was.

I boasted that I could always be by his side. It was as if I could definitely fulfill my promise.

"Of course, where else would I go if I'm not by your side?" I laughed.

"Even if I don't become famous, you can't abandon me," Hayes added.

"Don't worry. You will definitely become famous," I assured him.

Hayes hugged me for a long time before reluctantly letting go.

Two days later, I took Hayes to the company to sign the contract officially. I became his only agent.

Hayes started his busy college life while making a name for himself in the music industry under my arrangement.

I pulled some strings and drank and socialized with wealthy sponsors every day, which brought Hayes many endorsements.

Of course, it was all done secretly.

If Hayes found out, he would be very angry.