“Ah Wen, do you know something?”

The agent looked at Zhou Minwen, her concern evident.

They had entered the industry together—one became an agent, the other a star. Their relationship was closer than that of sisters. The agent didn’t worry about much, except Zhou Minwen truly encountering trouble.

Zhou Minwen’s mouth was slightly open, her throat dry as if scraped by a blade. She clutched at her dress and shook her head. “Impossible. Absolutely impossible. It must be an accident, yes, an accident.”

Gu Xicao stirred her coffee, observing Zhou Minwen’s shocked disbelief with no surprise. Nor did she find Zhou Minwen’s denial amusing.

“Ms. Zhou, you know in your heart whether it’s an accident. That person invited you on a trip and insisted repeatedly it be just the two of you. Didn’t that strike you as strange?”

“A trip? Ah Wen, didn’t you recently mention only going on a trip with your sister…”

The agent turned toward Zhou Minwen. As the words left her mouth, a realization struck, her pupils contracted, and her face turned pale. “It’s Ah Wen’s sister?!”

“Exactly.”

Gu Xicao nodded. “The person who wants her dead is none other than her younger sister, Zhou Minzhu.”

The agent felt as if she were hallucinating. If this fortune-teller weren’t genuinely skilled and if Ah Wen didn’t look so horrified, she wouldn’t believe this no matter what.

“Master, could this be a misunderstanding? Her sister wouldn’t do something like that, would she? Ah Wen is her elder sister. They’ve depended on each other since their parents died in a car accident. It’s Ah Wen who’s supported the household and funded her sister’s education.”

The agent leaned on the table, staring at Gu Xicao with wide eyes, hoping she’d take back her words.

Gu Xicao turned her gaze to Zhou Minwen, whose face was ashen. “Ms. Zhou, both of you have been in society long enough to know the saying, ‘a kindness of a meal becomes resentment over more.’ Ms. Zhou, haven’t you been quarreling with your sister a lot recently?”

“Yes, but… but she said she realized her mistakes,” Zhou Minwen’s lips trembled, and her eyes reddened. “Sisters fight—it’s normal, isn’t it? I treat Minzhu so well. We’re sisters. Why would she want to harm me? Just because of a few arguments?”

Her voice grew louder with her rising agitation.

The waiter peeked over several times. The agent, worried Zhou Minwen’s identity would be exposed, quickly tugged her sleeve and whispered, “Lower your voice, Ah Wen. This might not even be true.”

“Ms. Zhou, you might see it as a quarrel, but your sister may not feel the same.”

Gu Xicao wasn’t about to risk her reputation, nor was she willing to let Zhou Minwen fall victim to someone’s scheme. She got straight to the point. “Are you stopping your sister from entering the entertainment industry?”

Zhou Minwen froze, her hand halting mid-reach for a tissue. She widened her eyes at Gu Xicao. “You… you figured that out too? Yes, I’ve been stopping her. I want her to go to college. If that doesn’t work, she can find another job. But does that mean she’d want to kill me?”

“She thinks you’re jealous of her,” Gu Xicao tapped her fingers lightly on the table. “Jealous of her youth and beauty, and you don’t want her to succeed. That’s why you’ve barred her from entering the entertainment industry while making a fortune yourself.”

The agent’s face was written with disbelief.

“The entertainment industry has money, sure, but do you know how hard it is to make? Ah Wen has to endure so much—drinking with those disgusting men and…”

“Ali, stop!” Zhou Minwen grabbed her agent’s hand, cutting her off sharply, her voice rising in pitch.

Seeing her expression, the agent softened and looked down, gritting her teeth. “In any case, for a woman to make it in this industry is far from easy. Ah Wen worked so hard to fund her education, yet this is how she repays her?”

“That’s the difference in how people think.”

Gu Xicao gave Zhou Minwen a sympathetic glance. The Hong Kong entertainment industry of this era was rife with corruption. A female star striving to succeed and earn money was not living a normal life.

“She believes she’s doing this for her sister’s good, going so far as to issue ultimatums—forcing her sister to find a job or attend college, or else she’d stop supporting her. But to her sister, this translates to her elder sibling cutting off her path to fortune, kicking her out of the house. So, her sister plans to act first, taking advantage of a trip to Thailand to kill her and inherit her assets, along with the insurance payout.”

Zhou Minwen shivered violently, her scalp tingling.

“Insurance payout…”

“Correct.” Gu Xicao sipped her coffee and nodded. “This trip? She’s already planned it. She’ll buy a high-value life insurance policy in your name. With the insurance payout and your inheritance, she could live a life of luxury without ever working.”

Zhou Minwen opened her mouth as if to speak but couldn’t find the words.

Usually sharp and capable, always finding a way to resolve difficulties, Zhou Minwen now felt completely at a loss.

“What right does she have to treat Ah Wen like this?!”

The agent was both shocked and furious. “She even leaked Ah Wen’s information to the paparazzi before, and we didn’t even hold it against her!”

“Paparazzi?” Zhou Minwen snapped out of her daze and stared blankly at her agent.

The agent, seeing Zhou Minwen in such a state, felt a pang in her heart. She handed her a tissue to wipe her tears. “Ah Wen, yes, that incident with Mr. Xu—when you were caught having dinner with him late at night—was leaked to the paparazzi by her. I never dared tell you before, but now, I think you need to know.”

Gu Xicao had heard about this as well.

A while ago, the newspapers reported that Zhou Minwen had been spotted having late-night snacks with a wealthy man. Even the neighborhood gossip, Mrs. Leung, commented that Zhou Minwen seemed honest but turned out to be a mistress.

But no one would have guessed that the leak came from her own sister.

“Thank you, Master Gu. If it weren’t for you, Ah Wen would’ve been completely destroyed this time.”

The agent handed a check to Gu Xicao while standing by the car door, her face filled with gratitude.

Gu Xicao waved it off. “No need for thanks. Ms. Zhou has already paid enough for the reading.”

From the back seat of the Mercedes, Zhou Minwen, wearing sunglasses to hide her tear-streaked face, spoke hoarsely, “Take it, Master Gu. My life is worth far more than a few hundred dollars.”

Gu Xicao thought for a moment and then nodded. “Alright. In return, I’ll spread the word about your new movie to my neighbors. I’m certain it will be a huge hit.”

Hearing this, Zhou Minwen’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Thank you for your kind words. I’ll send you some tickets when the movie premieres.”

As the car drove off, Gu Xicao looked at the check in her hand—50,000 dollars. It wasn’t a small amount.

Zhou Minwen was known to be charitable, frequently donating to orphanages. Although she appeared glamorous, her savings didn’t exceed 300,000 dollars. This 50,000 showed her sincerity.

Back Home

“You guys, how does this dress look? Does it go well with this bag?”

As Zhou Minwen and her agent unlocked the front door, they heard Zhou Minzhu showing off proudly.

Her female classmates looked at her clothes with envy and jealousy. Among them, only Zhou Minzhu lived such a privileged life, with a famous actress for a sister. She didn’t have to worry about food or clothing and could dress in expensive brands.

The rest were either working low-paying jobs or preparing for college exams.

“Minzhu, your sister is home.”

One classmate noticed Zhou Minwen and her agent and quickly informed Zhou Minzhu.

Zhou Minzhu turned, startled. “Sister, Sister Li, aren’t you busy today? Why are you back so soon?”

Zhou Minwen’s gaze swept over Zhou Minzhu’s outfit and handbag.

Both were new purchases meant for TV appearances, but the tags had been removed, and the dress showed signs of wear, indicating Zhou Minzhu had been using them for some time.

“No, things wrapped up faster than expected, so I came home.”

Her voice was hoarse as she turned to her agent. “Ali, could you help me pack?”

“Of course.” The agent nodded and headed to the spare room.

“Minzhu, since your sister’s back, we should go now. Let’s hang out another time.”

Feeling awkward, the classmates quickly stood up to leave.

But Zhou Minzhu protested. “Why are you leaving? My sister will be gone soon, so she won’t bother us. Right, Sis?”

She raised her chin triumphantly, expecting Zhou Minwen to indulge her as usual, basking in her classmates’ envious glances.

After all, who else but her could live so comfortably, with air conditioning, a maid, and pocket money from her sister?

“No, I have some things to do today, so it’s not convenient to have guests over.”

Her reply landed like a slap on Zhou Minzhu’s face.

The smug smile froze on her face as she stared at her sister in disbelief.

“You…”

“Minzhu, I think we should leave. Let’s hang out at your place another time.”

While Zhou Minzhu was oblivious to the shift in mood, her classmates weren’t blind. They could see Zhou Minwen was in no mood for company and didn’t want to overstay their welcome. After saying their goodbyes, they left quickly.

Zhou Minwen politely saw them out, shutting the door behind them. When she turned around, a furious Zhou Minzhu hurled the handbag at her.

“What’s wrong with you? I went through so much trouble to organize this gathering, and you ruined it! Didn’t you always say you’d do anything to make me happy?”

The bag hit the floor with a loud thud.

Zhou Minwen glanced at it briefly, bent down to pick it up, dusted it off, and turned to leave for the spare room.

At this moment, she didn’t even want to exchange a word with her sister.

Even Zhou Minzhu’s classmates had noticed something was wrong, yet her own sister seemed oblivious—or worse, indifferent.

“Stop right there! Are you deaf? Can’t you hear me talking to you?”

Frustrated by her sister’s silence, Zhou Minzhu felt increasingly humiliated. She thought her sister was flaunting her financial power and disrespecting her.

Stopping in her tracks, Zhou Minwen turned to face her. In that instant, memories of the past flooded her mind.

At seventeen, after their parents died in a car accident, Zhou Minzhu, just ten years old, had sobbed uncontrollably. Zhou Minwen had taken on the burden of arranging the funeral, comforting her sister, and struggling to make ends meet.

They were so poor back then that they could barely afford a single urn. Some days, they didn’t even know where their next meal would come from, and Zhou Minwen had to beg relatives for her sister’s school fees.

She had sworn to herself that she’d earn enough to ensure her and her sister’s future comfort.

But at seventeen, she could never have imagined a day like this—where her hard-earned efforts would lead her sister to plot her death.