Rhys always has a way of making me cry.
After hearing what he said, I lost even more of my already nonexistent appetite.
Yet he forcefully shoved the chopsticks into my hand, raising his voice, "Paige, eat your damn food!"
I lowered my head, my breathing becoming rapid, and finally, I couldn't hold back and cried out, "Fine, I'll eat! Why are you being so harsh?"
"When was I ever harsh to you?"
"Can't you hear how loud you are?"
He frustratedly ruffled his hair, grabbed a napkin, and clumsily wiped my face, his voice much softer, "Princess, please just eat something, okay?"
On the third day, the online narrative suddenly reversed.
The person accusing me of plagiarism was also reported for plagiarism. A mysterious netizen scrutinized every one of her comics, uncovering countless details—from lines to colors to style, from characters to settings to plot—packaged it all together in one go.
This post trended, with its popularity skyrocketing.
As a result, the rumor that I plagiarized her work was completely debunked.
Even worse, her alternate accounts used to insult me under my posts were exposed.
I was about to call my editor to thank them for handling the situation, but instead, I received a call from her first.
She said, "Paige, wow, your fan is a real big shot. We hadn't even figured out a plan yet, and he already solved it."
"My fan?"
"Yeah, didn't you see the nickname of that mysterious netizen?"
After hanging up, I scrolled to that Weibo post and saw the bold characters next to the avatar:
"The Man Paige Loves the Most."
???
What the hell!
I didn't even reveal my real name!
After this situation was resolved, I felt much more relaxed.
But Malachi went on a business trip, which means we won't have a chance to meet up in the near future.
While video chatting with my best friend, she mentioned that Malachi was very satisfied after seeing my photo. I asked curiously, "Huh? Is he also a shallow person who only cares about looks, like me?"
"No, no, no, he has depth and culture. He'll be back in a week, and when you meet him, you're definitely going to like him."
I looked at Malachi's photo from every angle but didn't really feel anything. I thought maybe it would be different when I met him in person!
While chatting with my best friend, I pulled up the Weibo account with the ID "The Man Paige Loves the Most."
He only posted two Weibo updates—one recent and the other a repost from a few years ago, but the original post he had reposted was deleted, so I couldn't tell what it was about.
I told my best friend about it, hoping she could help me analyze it. At first, she was angry that I had been slandered, but then she quietly said, "I seem to remember... Rhys studied computer science..."
My heart skipped a beat, and I suddenly felt uneasy. Could it really be Rhys?
That evening, when Rhys got home from work, I casually asked him if he was the one who helped me.
He answered bluntly, "No, how would I have that kind of skill?"
Seeing how honest he seemed, I nodded, "That's true."
Rhys doesn't have that kind of ability, so who could it be?
A few days later, my best friend told me that Malachi's return date had been postponed, so she suggested we have a video call first to at least see each other.
With no other choice, I sat in the living room and had a video call with Malachi.
