Chapter 659: John
For the first time in many years... the female lead found herself standing alone.
At first, the emptiness inside her heart felt unbearable.
But when she started receiving his letters, she became thrilled.
Through those letters, she felt as though she had discovered an entirely new side of the male lead, one that she had never imagined existed.
In those heartfelt letters, he wrote, "An educated woman shines brighter than anyone else. I would be truly happy if one day you became a news reporter. You have a way with words that deserves to be heard by the entire world."
Those simple yet sincere words became the source of her motivation.
She poured herself into her studies with relentless determination.
There were countless nights when her eyes burned from exhaustion, her fingers trembled from holding books for hours, and tears silently rolled down her cheeks after failing another examination.
Yet every time she felt like giving up, she would unfold those letters once again, tracing the familiar handwriting with trembling fingertips.
’He believes in me... I can’t disappoint him.’
With that thought buried deep inside her heart, she persevered through every hardship.
Her journey was filled with countless struggles, setbacks, failures, and moments that tested her spirit.
Eventually, after years of determination, she fulfilled her dream and became a news reporter.
Her talent and perseverance continued to push her forward until she finally climbed to the very top, becoming the leading news anchor of one of the country’s biggest television channels.
The day she celebrated her success, someone unexpected appeared before her. It was her neighborhood crush.
He stood there with the same familiar smile that had once made her heart flutter.
She smiled brightly before saying, "So... you finally thought of coming back. Well? How do I look now?"
The neighborhood boy chuckled softly before replying, "You look beautiful... and I love you."
Everything appeared to be progressing naturally toward their engagement.
However, little by little, something began to feel wrong.
The neighborhood boy she had admired for years gradually became far more controlling than before. He constantly questioned her decisions, interfered with her work, and tried to dictate every aspect of her life.
He was no longer the cool, carefree, and charming young man she had once admired.
Instead, he had become someone who constantly wanted to control her.
At first, she blamed herself. ’Did success change me? Have I become arrogant? Did I forget where I came from?’
Those thoughts slowly ate away at her confidence, making her despise herself more and more each passing day.
But the truth turned out to be far more shocking than she had ever imagined.
Eventually, she discovered that every single letter she had treasured all those years had never been written by her neighborhood crush.
Instead, they had been written by his comrade.
The neighborhood boy had merely handed his comrade a few pennies and casually asked him to write several letters on his behalf.
Initially, his comrade had agreed without much thought.
However, after writing just a few letters, he found himself captivated by the female lead’s replies. Her kindness, intelligence, and gentle personality gradually drew him in.
When the neighborhood boy realized that the letters had become too heartfelt and optimistic, he immediately ordered his comrade to stop writing.
Unfortunately for him, it was already too late.
Even though they had exchanged only a handful of letters, their hearts had unknowingly grown closer.
Without ever truly meeting, they had slowly begun to understand each other’s souls.
Eventually, the female lead learned the truth.
Rather than feeling betrayed by the comrade, she found herself wanting to know him better.
She approached him on her own initiative, and the two gradually began dating.
For the next two years, they stood by each other’s side through happiness and hardship alike. They supported one another’s dreams, healed each other’s wounds, and eventually became engaged before finally getting married.
The only disappointing aspect of the entire drama was that the ending felt rushed.
At its core, the story was about a woman who slowly learned the difference between childish infatuation and genuine love. As she matured, she finally understood what she truly wanted in life instead of blindly chasing the person she had once idealized.
It was an incredibly inspiring drama. Even Aurora couldn’t help but feel that the story possessed tremendous potential.
"This could become a huge success if it’s adapted properly."
Without wasting any time, she immediately hired a capable director to adapt the script into a short drama.
Meanwhile, Jacqueline’s productivity reached an almost unbelievable level.
One after another, she came up with strange, unconventional, yet incredibly engaging short drama scripts.
Eventually, within just a single year, Jacqueline completed twenty-four different short drama scripts.
Even Aurora was genuinely impressed by her astonishing speed.
As all twenty-four dramas simultaneously entered production, Aurora continuously poured money into marketing and promotion without showing the slightest hesitation.
As for the ten billion dollars that Jacqueline’s parents had borrowed from the local underworld boss, Aurora decided to settle the debt personally.
After arriving in the territory controlled by the local underworld boss, she suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to send Spencer a message.
Nowadays, Spencer had become incredibly clingy ever since he decided he would soon be returning to New York City.
During nearly every phone call, he would excitedly declare, "Be prepared. The moment I arrive, I’m marrying you immediately."
Every single time, Aurora simply rolled her eyes.
’I’m only eighteen. Do you seriously think my parents would allow me to get married the moment he steps off the plane?’
Soon, she arrived at what appeared to be an abandoned building.
From the outside, it looked old, weathered, and forgotten, with cracked concrete walls and rusted iron gates.
However, once she stepped inside, the entire atmosphere changed completely.
The interior was astonishingly luxurious.
Crystal chandeliers illuminated the marble floors, expensive paintings decorated the walls, and the faint aroma of premium cigars mixed with expensive perfume lingered in the air.
She was escorted into a waiting room. Even though she had arrived using her identity as Miss Dawn, she was intentionally left waiting for quite some time.
It was obvious. The local underworld boss wanted to embarrass her. Aurora remained completely unfazed.
She calmly crossed one leg over the other and waited patiently without showing the slightest trace of irritation.
’If this is your way of asserting dominance, then you’re wasting your time.’
Nearly half an hour later, someone finally invited her inside. The moment she entered the office, her eyes landed on John.
John possessed an exceptionally fit physique with broad shoulders and a muscular build. Although a scar stretched across his forehead, it did nothing to diminish his appearance. Instead, it added a rugged charm that made him look even more charismatic.
He was the very image of a mature, dependable man.
It was no wonder that countless younger women constantly tried to catch his attention and surrounded him wherever he went.
The moment he saw Aurora, a calm smile appeared on his face.
"Unexpectedly, Miss Dawn... decided to visit me personally."
Aurora calmly walked toward the sofa and sat down with graceful composure.
Looking directly into John’s eyes, she spoke without any unnecessary pleasantries.
"I’m here to return the ten billion dollars that Jacqueline’s family borrowed from you."
The instant those words left her mouth, a strange glint flashed through John’s eyes.
Instead of accepting the money immediately, he smiled leisurely.
"What’s the hurry? Sit down. Let’s chat for a while."
Aurora wasn’t particularly concerned about wasting time.
After all, ten billion dollars was practically insignificant compared to her current wealth.
She now controlled assets worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
Compared to that fortune, ten billion was merely pocket change.
John leaned back comfortably before asking with a curious smile,
"Miss Dawn, could you share a few investment tips with me? I’ve heard you possess some sort of golden touch. Every investment you make somehow ends up earning enormous profits."
Aurora let out a soft chuckle.
"Why? Has the great underworld boss decided to compete with investors now? Are you planning to steal our business as well?"
John laughed heartily. "Well, it isn’t exactly like that. However, since you’ve already brought it up, I won’t beat around the bush."
He folded his hands together before continuing.
"I genuinely need more money these days. Someone borrowed an enormous amount from me, and now even a small person like me has to find additional sources of income just to survive."
Aurora merely looked at him calmly. She neither asked who the mysterious borrower was nor played along with his obvious attempt to gain sympathy.
Seeing her expression remain completely unchanged, John chuckled helplessly.
"It seems Miss Dawn is rather heartless. I heard you were quite generous."
Aurora’s lips curled into a faint smile. "Oh, I am generous."
She leaned forward slightly, her clear eyes locking onto his. "But are you certain you want to witness my generosity?"
A meaningful smile slowly spread across her face.
"Because I’m afraid... You might not be able to afford the price that comes with it."