On the television, Hollywood's famous actress Meg Ryan was tearfully recounting to the media how she had been deceived.
"…I made a foolish mistake. I treated her as a friend, a close confidante… I never imagined she would lie to me like that. That night, she handed me a blank sheet of paper, saying she wanted my autograph—her little niece was my fan. I didn't think much of it and just signed it. Who would've thought that six months later, my signature would appear on a contract I'd never seen before—one that made me the guarantor of a loan… Then she ran off—with sixteen million dollars—and now I'm the one left to pay it all back…"
As Meg Ryan spoke, she broke down again. The tears and snot she had just wiped away came flooding back.
Once hailed as America's sweetheart, she now looked worn-out and tired. Her lips, evidently plumped with injections, appeared unnaturally swollen—her former radiance was completely gone.
Watching the teary woman on TV, Scarlett couldn't help but scoff. "Is this woman an idiot? She's been in showbiz forever. Doesn't she know you never sign a blank piece of paper?"
"I heard a little inside scoop," said Charlize, who was sitting beside her. "Apparently, that sixteen million loan wasn't taken out solely by her friend. Meg Ryan herself borrowed it jointly with her. But the contract only listed her friend as the borrower and Meg as the guarantor…"
"So you're saying she spent the money too?" asked Lindsay, who was lying across Scarlett's back, watching the TV along with them.
"Yup, she spent it too. Honestly, she hasn't had any good gigs since around 2000. Even the sweetest American sweetheart stops being sweet when she gets older. To stay afloat, this once-principled darling, who swore she'd never strip in films, even starred in a racy thriller Nude Dissection. But even with all the skin she showed, no one paid to see it. She's completely washed up!"
"Oh, Charlize, you're so mean," Scarlett said.
"But I'm telling the truth," Charlize shrugged.
That shrug? She picked it up from Martin.
In fact, most of Martin's girls had learned that little shrug.
Charlize went on: "She's been spending beyond her means for a while. As a movie star, she's expected to maintain a glamorous lifestyle, but her income can't keep up. So…"
"Then why's she suddenly crying to the media now?" Lindsay asked.
"Who knows? Maybe she's mad her friend ran off and left all the debt on her. Or maybe she's fishing for sympathy and attention…" said Charlize.
Scarlett sighed. "Hard to believe, huh? Meg Ryan used to be so popular. Sleepless in Seattle was one of my favorite films ever."
Just then, Martin walked over, glanced at the tearful Meg Ryan on the screen, and said, "Meg Ryan in Sleepless in Seattle was charming, sweet—totally deserved her 'sweetheart' status. But now—"
He shook his head.
He just couldn't appreciate those overfilled lips.
Not that full lips were inherently bad—it always came down to face shape and overall harmony with other features.
Angelina's full lips were wild and sexy. But Meg's plump lips, on her otherwise delicate face with refined eyes and nose, just looked jarringly out of place.
…
Time flew by, and soon it was November.
Yang Mi, buzzing with excitement, arrived in Los Angeles with the Harry Potter cast and crew.
The premiere of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was to be held at the Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.
Martin gave the young cast a tour of Meyers Studios and even handed out gifts to each of them.
Back at their residence—
Emma Watson opened her gift box and found a platinum Cartier hairclip encrusted with diamonds.
Martin had also left a note:"To the lovely Emma—hope you're always happy!"
"Wow! Martin is so sweet!"
Emma clutched the hairclip to her chest, radiating pure joy.
Next to her, Yang Mi curled her lips and opened her own gift box. Inside was a brand-new Nokia phone, the latest model.
Likewise, Martin had left a note, but this time in Chinese:"Mimi, my number is already saved in this phone. Don't lose it! Oh, and I've topped it up with $10,000 of credit. Call me as much as you like!"
Yang Mi's eyes lit up.
She'd wanted a phone for a long time.
But back then, she hadn't had the money.
After arriving in London, her pay was more than enough to buy a hundred phones.
Still, she'd thought it unnecessary. The crew phones were free to use, and international calls were expensive.
But now, not only had Martin given her a phone, he'd even preloaded it with ten thousand dollars of credit.
"Wow! Martin is so sweet!"
She blurted out the exact same words as Emma.
Then, thrilled, she quickly dialed a number back home.
Beep… beep…
"Who the hell is calling at this hour? Do you know what time it is? Who calls someone at 1 a.m., are you crazy?!"
The call connected, and a furious Liu Yifei launched into a rant.
Yang Mi stuck her tongue out. Oops—she forgot about the time difference with America.
"Yifei, it's me—Mimi. Sorry! I totally forgot about the time zones. Should I call you tomorrow instead?"
"Mimi? It's you? Wait—how are you calling me? Are you back home? No, don't hang up! I've been dying to talk to you. Letters never explain everything—and my mom keeps sneaking peeks!"
"Hehe," Yang Mi giggled. "It's nothing, really. Martin gave me a phone today, so I thought I'd call you and let you save my number!"
"Wait—Martin gave you a phone?" Liu Yifei turned on her back in bed, eyebrows raised. "You two…"
"Oh come on, he gave everyone a gift! Harry Potter 3 is about to premiere, so we came to L.A., and Martin welcomed us himself," Yang Mi added, hesitating a little.
For some reason, Liu Yifei breathed a visible sigh of relief.
Then she said, "Harry Potter 3 is releasing already? So that means I'll get to see you in the movie? I'm so jealous—I haven't even been in a film yet!"
"Hehe, I only have two shots in this one. I won't really show up until the fourth movie, and even then it's just a minor role." Though she was being modest, pride still rang clear in Yang Mi's voice. After all, this was a Hollywood blockbuster.
"Still amazing! I mean, it's Hollywood!"
Yang Mi's eyes sparkled. Suddenly, she realized Liu Yifei was really good at conversation.