: Clarification

2

"The photos are actually pretty good, they just didn't get a good angle of your nose bridge."

I zoomed in on the photos the paparazzi had taken.

Even though they were blurry, Ronan Thorne still looked incredibly handsome.

It wasn't long after I sent the message that a video call from Ronan Thorne came in.

"Chloe, are you mad?" Ronan Thorne's head drooped, a wounded expression on his face.

'Honestly, he was such a pitiful sight it could melt anyone's heart.'

I sat down on the balcony to soak up some sun. "I'm not mad."

"You're definitely mad." Ronan Thorne was off in his own little world again. "There's really nothing going on between me and Crystal Song. The hotel was arranged by the production team. She's the second female lead, so we're all staying in the same hotel."

I patiently listened to his explanation in silence.

When Ronan Thorne saw I wasn't reacting, he stopped short. "Chloe Sterling, are you even listening to me?!"

Normally, I love getting a rise out of him.

Ronan Thorne is especially cute when he's mad.

But when he gets genuinely angry, I always soften up and coax him, because a truly angry Ronan can be a real handful.

"I heard you. I believe there's nothing going on between you and Crystal Song. You're filming right now, so the production team probably hopes for some gossip to stir up some buzz."

The moment he heard that, Ronan Thorne got fired up. "That just makes me even madder. I told Cole Young to post a clarification on Streamer, and he refused. Don't worry, Chloe. I'll just post it from my own account later."

"It's fine. Cole Young is just trying to keep your popularity up."

To be honest, back when he first got famous, I used to get a little worked up over these scandals.

But over time, I realized there was no point in getting angry over pointless gossip.

Because there's an endless supply of it, and you'll never run out of things to be angry about.

Ronan Thorne's expression suddenly grew serious. "Chloe Sterling, I'm a married man. I don't need to use these kinds of tactics to get attention."

Growing up, Ronan Thorne always gave in to me. I'd rarely ever seen him speak to me so seriously.

His reaction made me re-evaluate the situation.

This wasn't the first time rumors had spread about Crystal Song and Ronan Thorne. It had happened before, back when they were on the red carpet.

Ronan Thorne had said that Crystal Song deliberately sought out opportunities to get close to him, which was how those seemingly intimate photos were taken.

Back then, Ronan Thorne had just hit it big, while Crystal Song was still an unknown rookie.

Ever since that incident, Ronan Thorne has never liked Crystal Song.

"So... what should we do? I'll leave it up to you."

Almost instantly, Ronan Thorne showed me how he was going to handle it.

The Streamer account "ThisIsRonanThorne" posted an update: "Miss Crystal Song and I are colleagues in the entertainment industry. The hotel was arranged by the production team."

Colleagues in the entertainment industry.

Those five words made my whole afternoon. Ronan Thorne wouldn't even grant Crystal Song the status of a friend.

It was a brutal public slap in the face.

Even if Crystal Song was furious, she had no choice but to respond publicly: "I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding. Ronan Thorne is a wonderful senior in the industry, and I hope to learn a lot from him through this collaboration."

I had just finished reading her Streamer post when a message from Jen Penn popped up: "Why is this Crystal Song such a clout-chaser? There's no way our Ronan Thorne would ever like her!"

Jen Penn is a good friend I made after I started working. Coincidentally, she's been a die-hard fan of Ronan Thorne for years, which means she absolutely despises Crystal Song.

We became good friends after she found out that I was a fan of Ronan Thorne, too.

"It's good that he cleared it up, but the rate at which Crystal Song starts these rumors is insane," I couldn't help but complain to her.

'After all, it's incredibly annoying that Crystal Song is constantly trying to get her hooks into my husband.'

This scandal was resolved quickly, but it also strengthened Ronan Thorne's determination to go public with our relationship.

He took advantage of a break from filming to invite Cole Young over to our house. "Cole Young, I don't care what you say. I'm going public with my relationship with Chloe as soon as possible."

: Going Public

3

Ronan Thorne had always wanted to go public with our relationship. Whenever he brought it up, Cole Young would come to me.

He'd try to persuade me with both logic and emotional appeals, bringing up Ronan Thorne's career and the potential impact on my life.

Unlike Ronan Thorne, I couldn't just throw caution to the wind. I was usually the one who ended up talking him down.

This time, Cole Young once again turned to me. "Chloe, what are your thoughts?"

I knew what Cole Young was getting at. He was hoping to use me to talk Ronan Thorne out of it.

But this time, I didn't want to change his mind.

We'd been secretly married for three years; we couldn't keep living in the shadows forever.

"If we go public, will it affect your work that much?"

Hearing me starting to give in, Ronan Thorne's eyes immediately lit up. "It won't, Chloe. I've built up a large fanbase over the years, and I've earned some recognition in the industry. Even if we go public, my work won't be affected that much."

Cole Young, standing nearby, grew anxious. "Chloe, don't listen to him. There's bound to be some impact, one way or another."

"I don't care."

Ronan Thorne immediately shot back, "I don't care about the fame that comes from that kind of persona. Chloe, do you believe that I can earn recognition on my own merit?"

I did believe in Ronan Thorne, but over the years, I'd heard plenty of stories about the entertainment industry from both him and Cole Young.

Earning recognition on talent alone was no easy feat.

"You can go public if you want, but you have to do one thing first."

Seeing that my resolve to keep our marriage a secret was wavering, Cole Young came up with another plan.

Ronan Thorne turned to him. "What is it?"

The "one thing" Cole Young mentioned was for Ronan to participate in a reality competition show for actors. He wanted Ronan to truly earn recognition for his acting.

"Fine, I'll do it." Ronan Thorne agreed without a second thought.

It wouldn't be easy for Ronan Thorne, who started as an idol, to win acclaim for his acting, but he wasn't afraid of the scrutiny.

'For me.'

I took his hand, deeply moved. "I'll always support you."

The show Cole Young had found required the contestants to live in a dormitory. I helped Ronan Thorne pack his bags and saw him to the door.

"When I get back, we can finally go public."

I nodded. No matter what happened, I would always believe in him.

After Ronan Thorne left, I went back to work.

"Wow, can you believe Ronan Thorne is going on that show, *I Am an Actor*?"

I had just gotten to the classroom when I heard Dottie chatting with the teacher's aide. "Morning," I said.

"Ms. Sterling!" Dottie spotted me and hurried over. "Are you a fan of Ronan Thorne?"

Feigning composure, I put my bag on the desk. "Of course."

"If you like Ronan Thorne, then we're destined to be good friends!"

'I'm not one for gossip, but here was yet another Ronan Thorne fan right in front of me.'

"I can't believe he's actually going on that show. The haters are going to come out in full force. I have to be ready to defend him online." Dottie looked like she was preparing for war.

I turned on my computer and started working.

'I hope Ronan Thorne can win them over with his talent,' I thought.

「A week later.」

The first episode of the show aired, and I tuned in on my computer.

Sure enough, just as Dottie had predicted, the moment Ronan Thorne appeared on screen, the live comments were flooded with hate.

*When did the bar for being an actor get so low?*

*Starring in a few dramas makes you an actor now?*

*Seriously, does he have anything besides a pretty face? Any actual talent?*

The comments were so nasty I couldn't ignore them. I couldn't stop myself from posting a reply to fire back.

However, the criticism didn't last long. After his scene aired, the comments were filled with voices of support.

Just as Ronan Thorne had said, he was winning them over with his talent.

By the time the tenth episode of the show aired, Ronan Thorne was back.

And he brought something back with him: an acting contract.

I took the contract and flipped it open. "Is this for a role?"

"Mhm." Ronan Thorne wrapped his arms around me. "I told you I could earn their respect on my own. Chloe, we can go public now."

4

"Cole Young, you can't go back on your word!"

Ronan Thorne had called Cole Young over to his house to discuss going public.

"It's not that I won't let you go public, but we need to find the right time," Cole Young said, pressing a hand to his forehead with a troubled expression.

Ronan Thorne was getting agitated and started to stand up to argue.

I reached out and pulled him back down. "Let's hear what Cole Young has to say first."

Ronan Thorne calmed down a little and sat back down.

"A direct announcement could cause a huge backlash. We could choose a gentler way to reveal it, which would also minimize the impact on you."

Ronan Thorne wanted to go public immediately, while Cole Young wanted to find a suitable approach.

The two were at a stalemate, so I stepped in to smooth things over. "Let's just wait a few more days, then. Cole Young, please get us a plan as soon as you can."

Cole Young nodded in agreement, stood up, and left.

After seeing him out, I turned around to find Ronan Thorne giving me the cold shoulder.

He had always wanted us to go public as soon as possible. Now that we finally could, I hadn't pushed for it.

Ronan Thorne was angry.

"Hubby, don't be mad."

I sidled up to him, took his hand, and put on a placating expression. "Can you just hear me out first, please?"

Ronan Thorne glanced at me, his expression full of grievance. "What is there to argue about?"

"I'm not making excuses, I was just considering the reality of the situation."

I leaned in and gave him a little kiss. "Don't be mad. How could your wife not want to go public?"

"Then why did you agree with Cole Young?"

Ronan Thorne was quick to anger but also very easy to coax. Just one kiss and his expression softened considerably.

"I just told him to come up with a plan quickly. We're still going to announce it."

I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head on his shoulder. "I was just thinking that if we announce it all at once, my family and I will be affected too. Ronan, I'm sure you don't want me to lose my job just because I married you, right?"

Ronan Thorne knew how much I loved my job as a kindergarten teacher, and that I had no intention of becoming a housewife.

If going public meant I couldn't work anymore, it would become a source of conflict between us.

He didn't want that kind of conflict to arise, and neither did I.

Ronan Thorne sighed. "I know. This is a bit unfair to you."

"It's not unfair," I said, hugging him tighter.

'For him, it's all worth it.'

We were still waiting for Cole Young's plan when the Paparazzi struck again with another exposé.

This time, the subjects of the exposé were Ronan Thorne and me.

Fortunately, the photo wasn't very clear. You could tell it was Ronan Thorne, but you couldn't see my face clearly.

Ronan Thorne studied the photo for a long time before saying with a hint of regret, "Why is this photo so blurry?"

"You wish they'd taken a clearer one?"

I scrolled through the comments. Most of the fans said they didn't believe it.

After all, with the Crystal Song incident happening so recently, everyone had become immune to these kinds of scandals.

Ronan Thorne wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled my cheek with his head. "If they had taken a clear picture, we could have just gone public naturally, right?"

'So that was his game.'

I reached out, pinched his cheek, and squeezed hard. "You little devil."

Ronan Thorne yelped in pain and begged for mercy repeatedly.

I let go. Seeing the red mark on his fair cheek, I felt a pang of guilt and gently rubbed it.

Ronan Thorne immediately snuggled up to me again. "I knew my wifey felt bad for me. Honey, let's have a baby."

"No!"

Ronan Thorne scooped me up in his arms and headed for the bedroom.

'Good grief, why is he so clingy!'

When I woke up, the Paparazzi had dropped another bombshell.

This time the photo was much clearer. You could distinctly see Ronan Thorne passionately kissing a woman.

This time, even if the fans didn't want to believe it, they could no longer deceive themselves.

The topic "Ronan Thorne's Relationship" shot to the top of the trending charts. Cole Young, like an ant on a hot pan, rushed over. "What do we do? What do we do?"