After the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban premiere, Martin spent an entire weekend in secret with both Emma Watson and Yang Mi.
To say the experience was satisfying—both physically and emotionally—for the two girls would be putting it lightly.
The day before returning to London, Yang Mi finally couldn't hold it in any longer.
She called Liu Yifei.
"Yifei! I can't keep it in anymore—I have to talk to you!"
"What's wrong?!" Liu Yifei was alarmed. "Did someone bully you?!"
"Huh? No, no! Of course not!" Yang Mi blinked, caught off guard. "I just—Martin and I are together now!"
She blurted it out in a rush.
"Yes, you heard that right—Martin and I! Together!Martin Meyers! Oh my god, this is insane. If I don't tell someone, I might literally explode!"
"You have no idea how amazing he is, he—"
Yang Mi chattered on, voice climbing with excitement. But after a while, she noticed something strange.
Silence.
Total, eerie silence.
She couldn't even hear breathing from the other end.
"Hello? Yifei? Are you still there?"
"Ah—yeah. I'm here." Liu Yifei's voice finally came through, a bit shaky.
Yang Mi didn't notice anything off. She was too wrapped up in her giddy joy, and she kept rambling—about how thoughtful Martin was, how charming, how gentle.
Then, out of nowhere, Liu Yifei asked:
"But... wasn't there news that Martin's been involved with a lot of women? Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Elba…"
Yang Mi hesitated for a split second.
Then she laughed it off.
"I don't care!"
Her voice soared again, full of mischief. "That's Martin we're talking about. And guess what? I slept with Martin!"
She was practically shouting.
"If you think about it, I've technically 'stolen' him from Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Elba… Isn't that kind of... legendary?!"
"Pfft!" Liu Yifei burst out laughing. "You are so bold!"
"Damn right I am!" Yang Mi thumped her chest. "You should've seen Emma Watson that day. If I hadn't been there to hype her up, she wouldn't have had the guts to confess to Martin!"
"Wait... Emma Watson too?"
"Uh—"
Yang Mi froze, realizing she'd just let something slip.
After a pause, she sighed. "Alright, fine. We confessed to him on the same day. So yeah... she's with Martin too."
The line went quiet again.
Even though Liu Yifei had lived in the U.S. since childhood, this kind of thing still scrambled her brain.
Two girls confessing to the same guy, at the same time, and both getting accepted? And... seemingly just accepting that arrangement?
She held her head in disbelief.
Is this... a fake America? Did I miss the memo?
But curiosity eventually got the better of her. Pushing aside the swirling emotions, she started asking for all the juicy details.
Yang Mi told her everything.
Afterwards, Liu Yifei fell into stunned silence.
A line she once read floated up in her mind:
"Reality is often stranger than fiction."
—
The next morning, Liu's mother noticed something was off.
"Yifei, what's with the dark circles? Didn't sleep well?"
"Huh? Oh—yeah, no big deal. Just had a nightmare."
She brushed it off, not wanting to spill Yang Mi's secrets. Friendship came first.
"Nightmare?" her mom asked, eyeing her with suspicion. But she didn't press further.
Her daughter was growing up. She was bound to have some secrets of her own.
—
Time crept toward Christmas.
Miranda Kerr's fashion boutique finally opened.
On launch day, it was wall-to-wall celebrities.
Nearly all of Martin's women were there—unless they were tied up with work. The rest made sure to show up.
Martin's close friends came too: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Orlando Bloom, Wentworth Miller… a galaxy of A-listers, all showing support.
Naturally, the media swarmed the scene.
By the next day, "Miranda," Miranda Kerr's fashion brand, was featured across major outlets.
Some media even ran detailed exposés on Miranda Kerr herself, digging up the connection between her sister and Uncle Martin.
The celebrity effect was in full swing. Miranda's clothes were flying off the shelves. Even hardened money men like Frank were stunned by the store's daily revenue.
"Clothing retail makes this much money?" he muttered.
"This is just the hype Martin, Leo, and Nicole bring. It won't last forever," Miranda said calmly.
She wasn't blinded by early success. She knew the power of the spotlight—and how quickly it can fade.
—
After New Year's.
2006 arrived right on cue.
And so did the early promotions for The Dark Knight.
Online, a mysterious video appeared and was quickly pinned to the top of several forums.
"Hey... what movie is this? Is that the Joker from Batman? He looks terrifying!"
"Oh my god—did you see the expressions of the people around him? They looked genuinely terrified!"
"This actor's incredible. Not a step behind Jack Nicholson."
"I loved Jack Nicholson's Joker, but I think this guy might be even better!"
Buzz spread like wildfire.
People were desperate to know: Who was this new Joker?
Soon after, a second clip surfaced.
"Tina, is there any water?"
In the video, a man with oil paint smeared across his face smiled at a young woman.
A kind, friendly smile.
But something was wrong.
The girl—Tina—visibly trembled. Her voice cracked with terror: "I—I'll get you water... please don't hurt me…"
The camera zoomed in on the man's face.
That smile.
Split crimson lips, twitching eyes, and an unreadable expression that chilled to the bone.
"Holy sh*t, that close-up scared the life out of me!"
"I totally understand why Tina freaked out. I would've too!"
"Is this guy really an actor? Are they sure they didn't cast a real psychopath?"
"Seriously, the way he stares—Jack Nicholson couldn't replicate that. It's unhinged genius!"
"My cat just passed by my screen and jumped like it got electrocuted. It's been hiding under the bed ever since!"
"Lol, poor kitty. But I get it."
"Same here. My dog pissed on the floor. I had to clean it up. This Joker's terrifying."
"HAHAHA!"