Seeing L''s confident expression, Jamie and Teddy still couldn''tpletely rx. Everyone''s attention was on her as she lowered her eyes and smiled lightly.


    "I''m sure you all know by now, but Dorian and I had a falling out because he gave the sandalwood bracelet to another woman at the awards ceremony."


    Dorian furrowed his brows, unsure why she was bringing this up. He wanted to remind her that she only needed to give one answer, but she didn''t even nce at him.


    She calmly looked into the camera, her tone even and steady.


    "And about the origins of this sandalwood bracelet, you all know that I had to kneel on thousands of steps to get it. When Dorian was just a small-time actor, he worked himself to the point of illness, and even doctors were helpless. Desperate, I went to Mount Shasta and kneeled up its steps.


    "Have you ever climbed a mountain with thousands of steps?" She smiled lightly. "It''s exhausting, right? But I did it on my knees."


    Her words caused a brief silence among the people in the room and the viewers online. Although many knew this story, hearing it again had a strong impact.


    Nowadays, most people would not be in their best physical shape-many would be winded after climbing just five flights of stairs. Climbing thousands of steps up a mountain would likely leave one bedridden for days, trying to recover from sore legs. What about kneeling all the way up, then?


    How did L speak of it so casually?


    Dorian began to sense something was off. Instinctively, he wanted to stop her from continuing.


    However, she had already begun speaking again. "Everyone says Mr. ke is devoted, and I should cherish and forgive him."


    She nodded, a yful smile curling at her lips.


    He froze, about to speak, but she slowly continued, "If he can be as devoted as I was and bring back another sandalwood bracelet, I''ll forgive him."


    Someone drew in a sharp breath. Bring back another sandalwood bracelet like L? That meant kneeling up the mountain!


    Who could withstand that?


    Dorian''s face darkened. The host and camera crew were also stunned.


    The n was that once L answered, the cameraman would shift the camera to Dorian. But now, the cameraman felt his hands tremble. If he switched the shot to Dorian now, his career might be over.


    The host, too, realized she might be in danger of losing her job. She looked at L with pleading eyes, hoping L would soften her stance.


    But she maintained her gentle smile, appearing calm and beautiful, like a white moonflower quietly blooming in the night.


    "The event is over now. I''ll be leaving with Jamie and Teddy. I hope everyone has a good time."


    She waved at the two, who were still stunned, and left without caring that the camera was still on her. Like a fleeting moment, she was gone.


    Fans slowly began to react.


    "For a moment, I don''t even know how to defend Dorian."


    "Wait, is this woman crazy? Why is she getting so arrogant? I heard she''s an orphan-how dare she talk to Dorian like that?"


    "Although I''m Dorian''s fan, I don''t think L did anything wrong."


    "Honestly, Dorian messed up this time. Forget about how the bracelet came about —it was a gift from his girlfriend, and he gave it to another woman in public. If this were any other time, he would be roasted as a jerk."


    "Wait, are the earlierments from hired trolls or something?"


    After the live stream, many fans who had strongly supported Dorian started to feel uncertain.


    L''s words were recorded and posted with the caption, "If you want to apologize, you must suffer like I did."


    The post quickly gained traction, reaching 400 thousand likes and shares in an hour. Dorian''s new assistant informed him that the post had trended, and he saw it only then.


    Meanwhile, the narrative about his devotion started to shift. His face darkened as he remembered Zara''s words. Ayer of malice slowly filled his eyes.


    "L, this is what you''ve forced me into."