Chapter 2
Lu Yan is back.
Knowing him, the first thing he should have done when he woke up all those years ago was strangle me.
Instead, he went straight abroad for treatment, as though he’d vanished from the face of the earth.
Meanwhile, I lived untroubled, my career soaring.
Losing Best Actress and Lu Yan’s return seem to signal the end of my good fortune.
Once home, I storm into the bedroom, seething.
The velvet bed is in the style of a French palace, its elaborate, lavish rococo flourishes fit for a princess.
Something seems to be moving beneath the covers.
Slowly, a huge spider crawls out.
Each of its legs wears expensive rings: rubies, emeralds, diamonds…
The spirit loves every kind of sparkling jewel.
It’s deeply unsettling.
“What the hell happened?
“Didn’t I trade you my conscience?
“Why didn’t I win Best Actress?”
The spirit crawls up the wall and looks down on me with contempt.
“What do you think this is?”
An empty bottle drops at my feet.
“An empty bottle?”
“Hmph.” It sneers. “That’s your conscience.
“There’s nothing in it.
“How can you trade a conscience you don’t have?”
Hanging from a strand of silk, it lowers itself in front of me and examines me from side to side.
“Come to think of it, you don’t seem to have anything left to offer.
“Time for me to abandon you.”
A sudden stab of pain hits me. I know the spirit is taking back everything it gave me.
I look toward the dressing mirror beside me.
In the mirror, I am a rose withering at impossible speed.
Wrinkles spread from the corners of my eyes. Spots appear on my face. My fair skin turns dull and sallow. White hairs spring up everywhere.
In less than a minute, I’ve gone from a dazzling film star to an old woman.
I crawl across the floor and seize one of the spirit’s legs as it prepares to leave.
I refuse to accept this. How much have I paid to get where I am?
Now I’m only a step away from my dream.
I cannot be abandoned.
My voice comes out hoarse.
“Don’t go…
“I can still make a trade…”
It looks at me with pity and disgust.
“You have nothing left. You’ve been drained dry.”
“No!
“No…
“I still have my life…
“I’ll trade the rest of my life…”
It considers this for a moment.
“What do you want?”
“Best Actress at the Golden Palm Awards.”
The Golden Palm is one of the highest honors in cinema.
The silence lasts a long time as it weighs whether the bargain is worthwhile.
“Very well.
“From this moment, you have only six months left to live.
“In exchange, at the next Golden Palm Awards…
“You will be Best Actress.”
To die at the most glorious, dazzling moment of my life. I smile.
Good.
So much better than spending my whole life trapped in the mud.
“There is one problem, though,” the spirit says. “Lu Yan is back.
“Without him, I could guarantee you what you want.
“But if he decides to take revenge, who knows?
“Whether you get your wish in the end will depend on your luck.”