The First Part of 《Abstinence》: 《The Illegitimate Model》
(Starting from this chapter, the filming content of The Illegitimate Model begins～)
Chapter 2: The Embers of the Contract
The sun turned red too quickly.
That singing competition was like a lighter, snapping to ignite her name. The first week was just interviews and small commercial performances; from the second week onward came large-scale events, brand appearances, and program recordings. Her schedule was packed with no gaps. She was pushed from the world of “effort brings opportunity” into a rhythm where “any breath might be forgotten.”
But the first thing she felt was not the halo—it was distance.
Some treated distance as a right.
Fans at handshake events held on half a second longer, signatures pressed phones too close, someone stood by the car door leaning their face against the window as if trying to capture her breath too. At first she could still smile and pretend nothing was wrong—until one day, an unsigned bag of “supplements” appeared on the lounge table, a note clipped to the opening:
“You’ve gotten thinner. Eat it. You must obey.”
After reading the note, Taiyang’s fingertips felt as cold as if dipped in ice water.
Li Hao threw the entire bag into the trash, his tone calmer than hers: “From now on, don’t touch anything without a source.”
She wanted to ask “Who exactly did I offend,” but the answer was like a wall.
Being famous attracts many people—some of whom don’t see you as human.
⸻
1) White Bear Gift
After the event that night, she stood at the backstage entrance, just taking the water handed by staff, her ears still buzzing. The crowd outside was like an ocean; she only wanted to get in the car quickly and go home.
Just as she was about to turn, a figure forced its way through the security gap.
The person was holding an unopened, enormous white teddy bear, both hands forcefully stuffing it into her arms.
“It’s for you.”
His voice was low, as if afraid of being overheard, yet deliberately meant only for her to hear.
“I know you like bears. I hope you’ll like this one.”
Taiyang instinctively hugged it; the weight almost made her step back. The bear’s outer film was new, no signs of being unwrapped, its fur looked unrealistically soft. Before she could say thank you, Li Hao had already stepped forward, shoulder blocking her, palm pushing her toward the exit.
“Thank you, we received it.” Li Hao’s tone was polite, but his eyes were cold. “Next time, don’t get so close.”
He practically “escorted” her into the car.
Once the door closed and the outside voices were cut off, Taiyang finally let out a breath. She looked down at the white bear, yet an untimely fondness rose in her heart—she really liked plush things, like being embraced.
Unable to resist, she peeled off the outer film and touched it; her fingertips sank into the softness, so comfortable her eyes lit up.
“Li Hao,” she said, hugging the bear like a trophy, “Can I keep this one? The fur feels so nice, I could sleep with it.”
Li Hao glanced at her in the rearview mirror, silent for two seconds as if weighing it. Finally he sighed: “You already have so many bears at home you could open a zoo. Keep it if you like it; I won’t fight you for it.”
Taiyang smiled like she’d stolen candy: “Okay! I’m calling him Big White!”
⸻
2) Coincidence at the Alley Entrance
After returning home, she turned on the bedside stereo, letting music fill the room, pushing away the work noise, enjoying the solitude and sense of ritual.
After showering, wrapped in a bath towel, she had no mood to dress up—nothing underneath—and simply put on a long thin coat, donned a hat, planning to go to the convenience store at the alley entrance for something to eat.
She knew it was a bit risky, but she desperately wanted a bit of “ordinary person” life: stepping out, buying food, going home to sleep.
At the corner, she bumped into someone coming toward her. In the moment her balance faltered, she nearly fell backward but was steadily pulled back by an arm.
She crashed into a warm chest and fell to the ground with him, landing on top of him.
“Are you okay? Did you get hurt?” The man’s voice was low and hoarse, yet not rough.
Taiyang flinched away, flustered: “I-I’m fine… What about you?”
The other person smiled, as if amused by her panic: “Seeing you like this, even if something happened to me I’d have to be fine, or else you’d be scared to death.”
She was about to retort when she saw blood flowing from his palm.
The bright red was especially glaring under the streetlight.
“Your hand is bleeding… Do you need to go to the hospital?” She frowned, her tone unconsciously urgent.
He glanced down, casually: “Just scraped it on a rock, it’s nothing.”
Taiyang directly pulled him into the convenience store. She bought disinfectant, gauze, and bandages, then brought him to a corner seat. While disinfecting for him with her head lowered, he remained quiet, only softly saying when she frowned: “No need to be so nervous.”
“My name is Zi’ang.” He suddenly spoke, voice low. “You look a lot like…”
Taiyang’s hand paused, raising her eyes in warning: “Shh. Keep it low-key.”
Zi’ang smiled, his gaze bright as if watching an interesting show.
She finished bandaging and breathed a sigh of relief: “Done. Sorry for getting you hurt.”
Zi’ang looked at his bandaged hand, his tone unexpectedly serious: “Good thing it was me who got hurt. You can’t afford to get injured.”
That sentence was reasonable, yet Taiyang’s heart inexplicably raced a beat. She suppressed the emotion, took out Li Hao’s business card from her bag and handed it to him.
“If it gets inflamed or uncomfortable,” she said matter-of-factly, “contact this person.”
Zi’ang accepted the card without asking further, simply tucking it into his pocket as if storing a “passage.”
Before Taiyang left, he added from behind: “Be careful on the way home.”
That sentence was ordinary, but in her recent days, ordinary had become rare.