My mind banged and I couldn't say a word.

Four years ago, I broke my leg while playing a minor role in a film crew during the summer vacation and I didn't dare to tell my family for fear that my parents would worry. I had no choice but to lie in Brandon's apartment to recover.

It was then that I learned that he had a sister who was not related by blood, Julia Markson. Brandon said that his mother took the initiative to adopt her.

Knowing that I had a fracture, Julia took the initiative to ask Brandon to come and take care of me. At that time, she was just a freshman in college and a freshman in the Film Academy. Speaking of which, she was also my junior in College.

Seeing me lying in bed bored every day, Brandon agreed.

The first time I saw Julia, I knew that she didn't like me, or even hated me.

She acted coquettishly next to Brandon, but her beautiful eyes stared straight at me, "Brandon doesn't love me anymore now because he has Suzy!"

Brandon didn't notice and touched her hair lovingly, "No way, wouldn't it be better to have more people to love you? Wait until you start school and ask Suzy to give you a bag as a reward for accompanying her, okay?"

Julia looked at me provocatively, pouted her lips and agreed obediently.

But I didn't expect that an accident happened on the first night Julia came.

That night, Julia asked the maid to go back and she said that she wanted to make me her best bone soup. I refused many times to no avail, so I could only stay with her on crutches and watch her excitedly prepare ingredients and go into the kitchen.

I didn't remember what happened afterwards very clearly, I just remembered that the fire was burning and the kitchen exploded instantly.

It was three days after I woke up. Brandon told me that Julia was seriously injured and stimulated, so she was sent abroad by the Carpenter Family for recuperation and treatment.

I forgot what happened when the fire broke out. I only remembered that Julia pushed me hard and I fell down the stairs and hit my head. The doctor said that I had post-traumatic stress syndrome and selectively avoided the scene when the explosion occurred.

My legs were injured again and again because of the fire and the bones did not grow well, so I was completely lame. But fortunately, if I walked with a little force, others would not be able to see it. And my face, after several repairs, the scars were not visible, but it was impossible for me to act anymore.

I transferred from the acting class to the director major, gave up the dream I had worked hard for more than ten years and started from scratch.

Julia was still studying acting abroad and she became a little famous last year with an idol drama. Brandon wanted to use this drama to build momentum for Julia, let Julia win an award and completely open up her domestic popularity.

***

"Suzy, acting is Julia's dream. Please, okay?"

I came to my senses and completely understood what Brandon meant. Julia saved my life when she pushed me out of the kitchen. I owed her this and I should pay her back.

I stuffed the script into my bag and nodded stiffly, "Okay."

Then I quickly opened the car door. I was afraid that if I stayed for another second, I would burst into tears in front of Brandon. He forgot that becoming an actress was also my dream.

When the car drove into the underground garage of the villa, a black sports car accelerated out from the side. I hurriedly stepped on the brakes to the bottom and the wheels made a harsh friction sound on the ground. I couldn't control my body and was thrown out by inertia, hitting the steering wheel heavily.

When I came to my senses, I couldn't stop being afraid and my body was shaking like a sieve. If I hadn't slowed down before entering the garage, I would have crashed into the sports car at this moment. With such a fast speed of the sports car, I would have been disabled if I didn't die.

Just as I was trying to calm myself down, the person in the sports car opened the door and got out, then stood in front of my car window. The moment I saw her, I didn't react for a long time.

Julia was wearing sunglasses and her face was pulled out of shape by the car window glass. It was blurry and I even forgot what she looked like before.

The car window glass slowly dropped and Julia smiled with undisguised malice, "Long time no see, Suzy. Sorry, I just returned to New Zealand. Did I scare you by driving too fast?"

In a trance, the mature face in front of me overlapped with the former Julia. She didn't change and even her face lost its childishness. The whole person was like a rose in bud. Thorny, but beautiful. In the accident four years ago, only Suzy from the acting class dropped out.

The damp smell in the underground garage, mixed with car exhaust, was so sticky that it made people breathless. She did it on purpose. I didn't want to get entangled with her. Since Brandon said I owed her, I had already paid her back.

"Tell me, what do you want from me?"

Julia took off her sunglasses and raised her eyebrows at me, "I heard that you had a quarrel with my brother because of me? After four years, your temper has improved a lot. I thought you would embarrass me on the spot. I'm so sorry, Suzy. I told my brother that if you are unhappy, I can change a play. But my brother said that as long as I like it, other people are not important."

My heart seemed to be tightly grasped by someone and a handful of cold broken ice was stuffed into it, which was sour and painful. I suppressed the bitterness that surged in my heart and held the steering wheel tightly.

"Julia, you don't need to come and show off to me," I said calmly, then continued, "I owed you four years ago and I paid it back with this play. We are even."

I restarted the car, but I didn't expect Julia to stop in front of the car without fear.

She put away her provocative expression and looked at me coldly. "You owe me? Suzy, you think you can repay me with a script?"

I didn't say anything, just stared at her quietly.

Julia looked at me strangely and said in surprise, "Have you forgotten what happened four years ago?"

Then she changed the subject, with a genuine smile in her voice, "Fortunately, I remember, Suzy, don't forget. You owe me all this."

After parking the car, I sat in the car, staring at the direction Julia left, motionless for a long time. Until the sky was completely dark, the cold air gave me a shudder.

For some reason, I took out my phone, found the familiar number and dialed it. The call was quickly connected and a lazy voice sounded in the noise.

"Hello?"

My voice was a little hoarse after not speaking for a long time, "It’s me, Suzy."

The other end was muted for a short time, as if it had changed to a quiet environment, "What's the matter?"

I took off the mineral water in the car and drank most of it in one breath. The cold water shocked me and I came back to my senses, "Charles, I want the investigation data of the fire in Brighton Apartment four years ago and the data of me and Julia's hospitalization. When can you give it to me?"

"Four years ago? That's not easy to find. At that time..."

Before he finished speaking, I interrupted him directly, "Twenty thousand dollars."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a second and Charles coughed lightly, "It's not a matter of money, the main thing is..."

"Fifty thousand." I interrupted once again.

Charles was silent for a moment, "One month. We are all friends, this price is very fair."

I chuckled and hung up the phone without any ripples in my eyes.

If Julia hadn't come to see me today, I might not have doubted Brandon's words. But she came.

The accident four years ago was a huge blow to me. My dream of becoming an actress was ruined and my leg was lame. I couldn't accept my ugly appearance and cried hysterically every day.

Even to this day, I still couldn’t calmly mention this to others. The scar was too deep. A slight touch would hurt my bones. I hated Julia so much at that time. I wanted her to live a life worse than death like me.

But Brandon said that Julia suffered a large area of ​​burns on her body to save me and was sent abroad by the Carpenter Family for plastic surgery.

I remembered the time when Julia pushed me when the explosion happened. I couldn't even hate her with a clear conscience.

How long I laid in the hospital and how long I stayed in the hospital, Brandon turned down work and took care of me. He stayed by my side, taking care of me meticulously and bearing the bad emotions that I had nowhere to vent.

I didn't want to go out and see people, nor did I want to see the light. I even thought about committing suicide. If I died, I wouldn't have to live in pain.

It was Brandon who discovered that something was wrong with me. He stayed with me without moving a step and his eyes were red from staying up all the time.

The kind-hearted man held my hand and cried, "What should I do, Suzy, I don't know what to do."

I cried too, begging him to let me die.

Brandon held me tightly and refused to let go. He said incoherently, "Suzy, don't leave me, please, don't leave me."

It was him who accompanied me to struggle out of the quagmire bit by bit and it was also him who gave me hope to live.

But the way Julia appeared in front of me today was too dazzling, no different from when she stood beside Brandon and provoked me four years ago. Undisguised hatred. She hated me.

I forgot what happened when the fire broke out, but I was not a fool. How could a person who was full of malice towards me turn around and save me without caring about herself?

Tears fell down my cheeks, leaving a burn mark on the back of my hand. I raised my hand to wipe away the tears.

What if everything was fake? What if Julia's sacrifice to save me was fake from beginning to end?

It was already a week later when I returned from the crew.

I avoided Brandon and he knew I was still angry, so he tacitly didn't come to see me. He just gave a bouquet of flowers to my assistant every day and then asked her to pass it to me. He knew that I would be soft-hearted.

When I opened the door, Brandon leaned out of the kitchen. Then hesaw me, his eyebrows curved and he was visibly happy.

"Suzy, go wash your hands and eat, I'll be ready soon," he said.

Brandon had always been like this. Every time he made me angry, he would cook for me. This trick worked every time.

Brandon came out with vegetables and sat beside me, his heart and eyes full of me.

"Darling, let's stop quarrel today, okay? Forgive me this time, would you?" he asked warmly.

I hadn't eaten well at work these days and my stomach was always feeling uncomfortable. I glanced at the dishes on the table. Sweet and sour pork ribs, beef, corn and pork ribs soup with scallions, all of which were my favorites.

I stared at him without saying anything. A long silence.

The smile on Brandon's lips faded away little by little, he turned his face aside and kept picking up food for me with a bowl.

"It doesn't matter if you don't forgive me, but you have to eat first. I remember that every time you come back from the crew, your stomach will feel uncomfortable."

Looking at his cautious look, my heart softened and I took the bowl he handed over.

I sighed and lowered my head to pick up the dishes, "Let's eat."

Brandon smiled at me, his eyes full of my reflection.

I took the step Brandon handed me and went down.

Just when I thought this matter was over, Julia called him. I pulled the corners of my lips.

Brandon looked up at me and when he saw that I didn't react, he hung up the phone and turned it upside down.

As if nothing had happened, he continued to accompany me for dinner.

"Darling, I bought the spareribs today early in the morning, you try it."

Brandon's phone on the table kept buzzing. I lowered my eyes and concentrated on eating, pretending not to notice his irritability.

When the phone rang again, I couldn't sit still anymore, so I picked up the phone and gestured him to go to the balcony.

I accidentally ate the ginger in the dish and it was so spicy that I cried.

The balcony was not soundproof, even Brandon could hear the intermittent crying sound coming from the phone even though I deliberately lowered my voice.

Brandon made three or four calls in a row and when he sat back at the table, his face was gloomy.

I looked up at him, "What is it not handled well?"

He stared into my eyes, suddenly chuckled and threw the phone in front of me.

The voice was cold and low. He looked into my eyes with undisguised disappointment and coldness, "Suzy, why do you have to embarrass Julia? Isn't it enough for me to beg you and coax you so humbly?"

I looked down at the phone he threw over, and on the screen, Julia's name dominated the screen.

"Julia brought money into the group."

"The sponsor behind the popular little flower!"

"Airborne female lead, I feel sorry for the cast who was replaced."

I glanced at it and threw the phone back into Brandon's arms. The way he looked at me with a gloomy face made me feel that my trip home was particularly ridiculous.

When did Brandon change? Or had he always been like this, but I just didn't have the chance to see it before?

I took a deep breath, my stomach began to ache slightly and I asked him with a choked voice, "Brandon, you don't believe me, right?"

He sat opposite me, pursed his lips and said nothing, confronting me across the dining table.

My heart cooled down a little bit in this long dead silence.

"Suzy, except for you, no one in the entire crew will embarrass Julia, how can you let me believe you? I always knew that you don't like her, but don’t you think you’re going too far by doing this?"

My stomach was churning with pain and my face must be very ugly at this moment. I had to lean against the dining table to relieve the severe pain. But Brandon didn't notice, he was still accusing me aggressively.

I endured the pain and smiled at him sarcastically, "Brandon, the media just wrote about what Julia and you did, how can it be said that you are embarrassing her? It is obviously me who is embarrassed. It is my script from the very beginning but the heroine was replaced by you, what are you angry about? You did it and others can't say it?"

Brandon was provoked by my words and couldn't sit still anymore. He yelled at me, "Suzy!"

I yelled back without giving in, "Brandon! If you want to embarrass Julia, I have plenty of ways to prevent her from joining the group and acting! Do you think I, Suzy Meyer, am a good-tempered person!?"

Brandon clenched his fists tightly, gasping for breath again and again and suddenly sneered, "Suzy, look at your vicious face, you deserve to never be able to act or be an actress in your life!"

I suddenly trembled uncontrollably all over.