Chapter 102

Tanzania. The jeep finally arrived at its destination. It was a research institute primarily focused on protecting wild African elephants, though it also helped with other endangered animal populations. The rainy season was the time for animal mating and reproduction, so the institute was busy, and only a tall, thin white man came out to greet them. He had gray-white curly hair, appeared to be over sixty, his skin was quite red, and he wore overalls and rubber boots. There was a strong scent of animals about him. Yep... the kind that comes from fresh manure. "Van, long time no see." He took off his gloves and shook hands with Van, his smile warm and familiar. Winnie couldn't stop staring. He had definitely just shovelled some poop! Van shook his hand without a change in expression, even giving him a shoulder pat and a hug. Winnie: "..." After the greeting, Van turned around and noticed Winnie had withdrawn into herself. "What's wrong?" he asked. "You only dislike me," Winnie said, feeling down. "When I vomited, you couldn't stand me, but why don't you dislike Harry? He just shoveled poop..." Van chuckled softly, pulling her arm and drawing her into his embrace. "I kiss you, not him." Winnie stood on tiptoe, closed her eyes, and leaned in for a kiss. "Then kiss me." Van placed his large hand on her face, his expression unchanged. "Forget it." Winnie huffed, wrapping her arms around him. "Mr. Marlowe, I've had a terrible day, I've been bullied. Just kiss me, and consider it healing me." Van: "..." It was rare for her to act coquettish, and the feeling was like seeing the Queen of Sweden striking poses in the wind—it was quite bizarre. But... it wasn't bad. Seeing Van remain unresponsive, Winnie sniffled. "Alright. The person who bullied me, you know her, and you were staring at her without blinking." "Who?" Van stopped smiling and asked lightly, furrowing his brows. Who could he possibly stare at without blinking? The only thing he had ever stared at without blinking was a whale shark. Winnie shuffled her feet on the grass, somewhat embarrassed to speak up. "When you... danced with Mia... were you staring at her without blinking? Is she really that beautiful?" Van searched his memory. "Mia..." He didn't find anything in his mind and casually chuckled. "Her name is stranger than yours." "...Don't say her name is strange," Winnie muttered, protesting vaguely. She thought to herself, "What's the big deal about this? Was it some kind of honor?" "...Alright," Van said, placing his hand on her delicate shoulder, soothing her like a child. "Your name is the strangest." Winnie pressed her lips together. "Did you do that?" "I think... probably no." "What do you mean by 'probably'?" "I can't rule out that I was distracted at the time and forgot to look away, but Mia's face, I honestly didn't pay much attention to it." "You were dancing with her and you were distracted?" Van chuckled, his voice gentle, "That night, I was fortunate enough to find a companion, but once we entered the ballroom, it seemed my status scared her away. I was distracted, or perhaps I was just lost in thought, thinking about her." Tanzania, 4 PM. Back home, the clock had already struck 9 PM. This should have been the time she was celebrating at the party. Birthday wishes for Winnie flooded the social media. Winnie had never liked disappearing on her birthday. Usually, she would attend the birthday party arranged by her company, take a bunch of photos, make a wish with care, and post it on social media with a smile. But at the same time, a relatively inconspicuous message was quietly spreading across major media platforms, quickly making its way to X's trending topics, sparking heated discussion among netizens. "Winnie failed Antony's audition [shocked] [shocked], a role she had almost thought was guaranteed—yet it was taken by Mia?" "What gives Mia the right to steal the role from her senior, the Best Actress?" Yulia's angry eyes seemed to burn with fire. "How can this happen! Today is Winnie's birthday, how can they do this while she's away? It's not fair!" "You're overthinking it," Wendy pressed her hand down. "David is releasing this kind of statement, she probably expected it. She knows the strategy behind the company, which is why she chose to leave today." "She's being taken advantage of!" Yulia fumed, nearly beside herself with anger. "She's not at a disadvantage." Wendy's expression was calm, her tone carrying a touch of reason. "She must have accepted this trade-off for David to go along with it. She's not powerless; she knows how to get what she wants." "Are you defending David?" Yulia's eyes widened, clearly in disbelief. "That's how business works." Wendy's tone was measured, neither rushed nor dismissive. "This is the new wave of shifting popularity—cruel but inevitable. Can't you see the logic behind it? Every artist has to go through this process. It's not easy to maintain long-term popularity; ups and downs are the norm. She's been in the industry for years, staying popular for so long—there will always be a time when it starts to decline." She looked at Yulia with a hint of pity. "And the company, to mitigate risk, has already made plans."