My boyfriend treated me like an enemy, convinced that I had bullied his first love, his "pure white moonlight." Just as I was about to claim the title of Best Actress, he exposed the so-called "truth" of my workplace bullying, pulling me down from the peak of success.
During the live broadcast of the Golden Horse Awards, the delicate flower shed tears with a smile. "It's okay. I've already forgiven her."
Instead of the Best Actress crown, I was handed a Golden Broom, mocked by the entire internet.
Overnight, she rose to fame, while I became nothing more than garbage. In the end, after losing my grandmother, I jumped from a rooftop.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back in my junior year of college.
That delicate flower slapped herself while grinning at me. "Have you thought of how to explain this to Calvin?"
I smirked, delivering a slap of my own, grabbing her hair, and pinning her against the wall.
"Is a little touch considered bullying? Let me show you what real bullying looks like."
1
The heart monitor slowly turned into a flat line. The elderly woman on the bed closed her eyes forever. Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face. I had lost all will to live and jumped from the high-rise building.
...
When I opened my eyes again, the sight of the plain white wall confused me for two seconds.
The scene before me became clearer—there was a woman, much younger, slapping herself in the face.
She held her face in mock pain, her lips curling smugly.
"Victoria Smith, have you thought about how to explain this to Calvin? You're jealous of me because I'm better than you, taking my role and hitting me. Calvin will never truly like you."
The familiar scene flashed through my mind. I immediately understood—I had been reborn, and back to my junior year, the time when Emma Jones and I were both just entering the entertainment industry.
This was also the start of her false accusations of me bullying her at work.
In her twisted narrative, every resource I earned through hard work was something I had stolen from her, and on set, I was supposedly tormenting her.
Recalling this, I swung a heavy slap at her, grabbing her hair and smashing her head against the wall.
"Is a little touch considered bullying? Let me teach you what real bullying looks like."
Old grudges and new hatred surged through me, and the thought of all she had done to me in my past life filled me with exhilaration.
"Ah!"
She struggled violently, realizing she couldn't overpower me, and glared at me like a madwoman.
"Victoria, if you keep this up, Calvin will never like you."
I let out a cold laugh, rubbing her face harshly against the wall before shoving her away. I pulled out a tissue, elegantly wiping my hands, then tossed it onto her.
"Who cares if he likes me? But you—looking like this—don't let your precious Calvin see. He cares most about a woman's face, after all."
After all, Calvin is still a face control.
Emma's face turned pale at the mention of this, and she frantically took out her phone to check her reflection.
I shot her a mocking glance and turned to leave.
Whether it was real or not, I'd deal with it later—right now, I was relishing this moment of satisfaction. I had more important things to do.
But first, I made a call home. Only after confirming that my grandmother was safe did I breathe a sigh of relief.
2
Thankfully, my grandmother was still alright.
In my previous life, I had worked so hard, struggling in the entertainment industry. Whether it was filming in water, shooting overnight scenes, or jumping off cliffs, enduring slaps from other actors, or drinking to the point of vomiting blood just to secure roles, I never complained. All of it was to let my seriously ill grandmother witness my success.
But just as I was about to win the Best Actress award at the Golden Horse Awards through my own efforts, my boyfriend, the CEO of the Grand Group, walked onto the stage with his "pure white moonlight."
Then he publicly revoked my award, then broke up with me in front of everyone.
"I will never be with a woman who bullies others on set, abuses her power, and steals resources from others."
After degrading me, he turned his loving gaze to the fragile Emma beside him, announcing to the reporters. "From today on wards, Miss Emma is my girlfriend, and the future Mrs. CEO of The Grand Group."
Holding the trophy, Emma walked over to me, tears in her eyes: "Miss. Smith, thank you for your tough guidance over the years. Calvin and I are truly in love, and we hope you can bless us."
I slapped her right then and there, crazily grabbing her hair. But Calvin stopped me, handing me over to security before having me thrown out.
From that moment on, I became a target of public outrage.
"What's wrong with her? Can't accept defeat and resorts to violence? Acting like someone stole something from her."
"Should've thought of this before! Why couldn't she just act? Why steal others' roles and bully people?"
"How can anyone be so shameless? Can't she rely on her own abilities?"
"Victoria, get out of the entertainment industry."
Soon, the once-praised acting talent was forgotten, and the entire internet was filled with accusations of my bullying Emma.
Not only did I lose the Best Actress title, but I also received a Golden Broom Award.
Calvin took the opportunity to seize control of my family’s Smith Group.
In the past, I had refused to rely on my family's power. Now, I had no power left to lean on.
When my grandmother found out, she was so angered that her illness worsened, and she passed away soon after.
3
After coming to my senses, I looked at the scene in front of me.
The crew was busy and this was my first scene.
Though it was just a supporting role, it had special meaning to me, as it was my first role that gained attention.
It was also because of this role that I made a name for myself, though later, Emma marketed it as a role I had stolen from her, forcing her to take a lesser part as the fourth female lead.
Because of that, my reputation plummeted, leading to a long, infamous career.
My agent, seeing me, hurried over.
"The scene is about to start. What are you doing? Hurry up and get ready. Don't disappoint the director."
She anxiously looked me over, only relaxing when she confirmed I was fine.
"Good thing you're okay."
Her reaction puzzled me—this wasn't how she acted in my previous life. Why did she seem so worried as if I might do something reckless?
As I was being dragged to touch up my makeup, I noticed Calvin approaching from afar.
His gaze briefly lingered on my face before scanning the surroundings.
"Isn't this the scene between you and the fourth female lead? Where's Emma?"
In my previous life, no matter how much I explained, he had believed without question that I had bullied Emma.
He doubted my abilities, ignored my efforts, and was convinced that I had stolen Emma's resources, forcing me to apologize to her.
Outwardly, it seemed like he was seeking her forgiveness on my behalf, but in reality, it confirmed my guilt in the eyes of the public.
Yet, he knew exactly how hard I had worked for those resources.
Suppressing the ache in my chest, I forced a smile and ignored him.
Calvin frowned slightly, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes. Still, he patiently pinched my cheek in a teasing manner.
"What's wrong? Are you upset? I was just curious. Don't take it to heart, okay?"
I stepped on his foot hard before quickly stepping back, my eyes innocent.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
4
In my previous life, I didn't realize until my grandmother arranged our engagement and he took control of my family's company that his so-called affection for me was nothing but a facade.
All his calculated kindness had been for my family's company.
With my parents long gone, my grandmother was the only pillar left in our family. By winning me over, he essentially gained control of the Smith Group.
Despite knowing how much that award meant to me, he had effortlessly handed it over to Emma.
Now, as Calvin hopped in place, wincing from the pain, a shadow of frustration flickered in his eyes. But he swallowed his anger, forcing a smile.
"It's fine, as long as you're happy," he said through gritted teeth.
I arched an eyebrow, a trace of mockery creeping into my expression.
"Is that so?"
Oh, this was going to be fun.
Calvin looked puzzled, clearly not understanding my response. But my agent's eyes were practically glowing with excitement, making it impossible for me to ignore her.
Seeing that Emma still hadn't shown up, my agent quickly leaned in and whispered, just low enough for only the two of us to hear, "You're reborn too, aren't you?"
Her words left me stunned for a moment before I caught on. She read the confirmation in my eyes and patted her chest in relief. "I get it, I get it," she giggled before cheerfully stepping out of the frame.
Meanwhile, the director was growing furious at Emma's absence.
"If she doesn't want to act, then get me someone who does! Replace her, now!"
At that moment, Emma finally emerged from the shadows, her face still hidden behind her hands.
Calvin let out a sharp breath and hurried over to her, covering the distance in just a few strides. His fingers gently traced the swollen skin on her cheek, his voice filled with concern.
"What happened to your face?"
Watching his anxious expression and tenderness towards her, all I felt was cold amusement.
I stood with my arms crossed, enjoying the show.
Emma timidly glanced at me, tears welling up in her eyes.
"It's nothing. It wasn't Victoria's fault. I was careless. Please don't blame her."
At that moment, someone in the crowd let out a startled sound, then quickly showed their phone to the director and others, their gaze darting between the screen and me with a suspicious look, as if hesitant to speak.
I knew exactly what this was—just another one of Emma's planted lackeys, timing the release of a video showing me supposedly bullying her. This was how she had set me on the path of infamy in my previous life.
Calvin snatched the phone from the person's hand and sighed as he looked at me, his expression a mix of resignation and disappointment. "Victoria, I know Grandma spoiled you, but this is a film set, not your home. It would be better if you apologized to Emma."
His words, spoken as if out of concern, were just thinly veiled jabs, belittling me with every sentence.
I let out a low chuckle. "Is that so?"
Taking slow, deliberate steps forward, I swung my hand and slapped him across the face.
"Still want to defend her now?"
My agent's jaw dropped in shock, as did everyone else's. They were utterly dumbfounded, unable to believe that I had the audacity to do something so bold.
5
"You!"
Calvin was on the verge of losing his temper when I gently placed my hand on his cheek.
"What? Are you going to get angry? Are you sure you want to get mad at me right now?"
I smiled as I spoke, letting my fingers slide softly across his cheek before swiftly backhanding Emma across the face.
"Was the video not clear enough? Should I give you a live demonstration?"
Emma clutched her face, a flash of hatred in her eyes that quickly turned into a look of pitiful grievance.
"Victoria, I know you've never liked me. You can do whatever you want to me, but don't take it out on Calvin. He's innocent."
The agent standing beside us rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"Oh really? In that case, why don't I give you a couple more slaps for good measure?"
If she enjoyed suffering so much, why should I hold back?
I slapped her again, twice this time, backhanded.
"Victoria!"