A few days ago.
Leo was sitting in the lounge, reading a script, when his agent, Vivian, entered, carrying her bag.
"Are you done with the script, Leo? The audition for "Fierce Soul" is at 4:30, and it's already 4:00," Vivian said, glancing at her watch.
Leo closed the script and placed it on the table. "I've pretty much gone through it. No issues."
"By the way, that guy who claims to be your parents' butler came by again today. I kicked him out. I mean, seriously, these people… Last time, I thought he just wanted an excuse to get an autograph. I even gave him a couple, but he actually came back," Vivian said as she slumped onto the couch.
"Doesn't make sense. There's always someone trying to use your fame for their own gain, and this time, it's even more careless. If they were really your birth parents, why wouldn't they come in person? Besides..." Vivian trailed off as she noticed Leo's expression darken slightly.
Though Leo was one of the few young actors in the 21st century known for his skills and little bad press, there was one well-known secret in the industry: he was abandoned as a child.
On a scorching summer day, a good Samaritan found him—an infant wrapped in a swaddle, so dehydrated he couldn't even cry—and brought him to the Dongcheng Police Station in New Terra. After a fruitless search for his parents, the police sent him to a state-run orphanage in the city.
Leo spent exactly 17 years and 320 days in that orphanage, and during all those years, no one ever showed up claiming to be his parents.
It was almost unbelievable, especially since he had always been an exceptionally handsome and academically gifted boy. The head of the orphanage and the staff often wondered, "Who would abandon such a smart and beautiful child?"
Even his name, Leo, had been given to him by the head of the orphanage. His surname, Lin, came from the word inscribed on a longevity locket found with him in his swaddle, which he still kept to this day.
But the locket held little meaning for him anymore.
In his early years, many families had tried to adopt him, but he had refused them all, saying, "I can't bear to leave everyone."
Most of the children who arrived with him had long since been adopted, but perhaps he couldn't bring himself to leave the head of the orphanage and the caretakers?
Because of his intelligence and good behavior, the orphanage head never forced the issue when Leo turned down adoption offers.
More notably, he was the only child in the orphanage to be accepted into New Terra University, which brought pride to the orphanage.
After leaving the orphanage, Leo worked part-time while studying at New Terra University. One day, while handing out flyers on a busy commercial street, he was scouted by StarVision Entertainment, which led him into the entertainment industry.
At first, he wanted to decline, but the company offered to cover his tuition, food, and accommodation. And so, he joined StarVision, one of the top three entertainment companies in the country.
During his training, Leo displayed an unexpected talent for acting.
With both talent and perseverance, and with a giant company like StarVision backing him, it was no surprise when the first drama he starred in became a hit. From then on, his career skyrocketed.
However, ever since his rise to fame, his background of growing up in an orphanage became public knowledge, and people started coming out of the woodwork, claiming to be his long-lost relatives. At first, he held onto a sliver of hope, but over time, that hope faded.
The atmosphere grew awkward as Leo glanced at Vivian. He pressed his lips together before saying, "Vivian, you don't look too well today. Did you have an upset stomach last night? How about I head to the audition on my own this afternoon? You can just call the driver to pick me up downstairs."
Vivian, feeling awkward for bringing up such a sensitive topic, laughed lightly. "You're observant, aren't you? It's nothing serious—just that time of the month. But I'll go with you anyway."
"...Take the afternoon off. There's no point in you sitting around at the audition, and it's really close by. I can handle it myself," Leo said as he stood up, grabbing the script.
"Call the driver for me; I'll wait at the entrance." Without waiting for Vivian's response, Leo quickly exited the lounge with the script in hand.
"Geez, what a quick escape. What's the rush?" Vivian muttered, exasperated. She picked up the phone to call the driver.
The audition venue was less than five minutes away by car, so Leo wasn't wrong—there was really no need for Vivian to go with him.
---
**Outside the StarVision Building**
In less than a minute, a black Toyota slowly pulled up to where Leo was standing. As he got in, he furrowed his brows. Vivian had called for his usual car, but the driver was unfamiliar.
As the car moved, Leo began to feel a growing sense of unease. He reached for the seat pocket where he usually kept tissues, but found none.
Frowning, he hesitated for a moment before asking, "Did you use the tissues that were in the pocket?"
The driver tensed up, awkwardly denying it as he sped up.
Leo's unease intensified. "Drop me off at the next intersection. I need to buy something. I'll walk the rest of the way," he said casually.
It was a flimsy excuse, but Leo didn't care. Something was clearly off.
The driver seemed to realize that Leo had caught on, but instead of stopping, he replied, "I have to take you the whole way. It's my job. Tell me what you need, and I'll grab it for you later."
As they neared the intersection, Leo's mind raced. He weighed the risk of jumping out of the car and hitting the pavement.
Just as they reached the intersection, a truck speeding from the other direction blared its horn and slammed into the side of the car.
*Boom!!!*
The impact sent Leo's car skidding forward over thirty meters, crashing into several other vehicles before finally stopping.
Leo was knocked unconscious by the force. In the brief moment before he blacked out, he thought he saw the driver's shocked expression. Then, everything went dark.
---
#MajorTrafficAccidentInvolvingStarActorLeoLin#
The news immediately made headlines, and ChirpNet crashed under the flood of traffic. The official report showed photos of Leo, covered in blood but still recognizable, causing mass panic among his fans.
At the same time, Vivian, who was waiting for the elevator to head home, casually scrolled through ChirpNet. When she saw the breaking news, she froze in shock. Panic set in, and she frantically tried to call Leo, but his phone had been destroyed in the crash, leaving no way to reach him.
"Vivian, let's go." A deep voice spoke from behind her. It was Elliot Sterling, CEO of StarVision Entertainment and Vivian's direct superior.
"Wait, Leo... he..." Vivian stammered, unable to process what she had just seen.
"He's at New Terra International Hospital. Let's go," Elliot said. The elevator doors opened with a ding, and he stepped inside. Vivian followed in a daze.
---
**At New Terra International Hospital**
Outside the emergency room, Vivian's eyes were red from crying, while Elliot remained silent, his tense expression betraying his inner turmoil.
Leo wasn't just an immensely talented actor; he was also Elliot's close friend and one of StarVision's most profitable stars.
The air was thick with tension. It was late into the night when the operating room light finally turned off. A doctor emerged, but the grim look on his face deepened their anxiety.
"I'm sorry. We did everything we could."
Those words echoed in their minds for what felt like an eternity. Vivian broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. She had always been close to Leo, and she couldn't have imagined losing him so suddenly.
Elliot's eyes reddened slightly as well. He licked his dry lips, got up, and walked toward the stairwell.
Pulling out his phone, Elliot dialed a number. "Investigate Leo Lin's car accident."
---
By midnight, the news of Leo's death had begun to spread. At first, fans refused to believe it, but when Vivian posted on ChirpNet, "I should've gone to heaven with you," it indirectly confirmed everyone's worst fears. ChirpNet crashed again from the overwhelming traffic.
At 8 AM the next morning, StarVision Entertainment officially announced Leo Lin's death and the details of his memorial service. ChirpNet once again went down as fans nationwide were consumed by grief, with hospitals reporting a spike in patients fainting from shock or emotional distress.