Garden of Eden

The audition day came soon, Xue Tao's ability improved by leaps and bounds, and Tan Mengtong's alcoholism seemed to be getting better.

Everything seemed to be going well. Three days later, Xue Tao received the good news that she had passed the audition. She was about to send a message to Tan Mengtong, but on a whim, she wanted to surprise her and ran directly to her home.

She rang the doorbell, but no one answered.Tan Mengtong didn't take back the previous key, so Xue Tao opened the door and went in.

But the moment she opened the door, she saw a scene that she never wanted to recall in her life.

Tan Mengtong collapsed on the carpet, curled up into a ball, his face was as pale as a dead man, and there was still a trace of bright red blood on the corner of his mouth.

Xue Tao didn't know how she called an ambulance and how she sent Tan Mengtong to the hospital. She only remembered that when Tan Mengtong was pushed into the emergency room for blood transfusion, she still couldn't recover from the bone-chilling chill. When she explained her illness, she just nodded in a daze.

In the end, it was Tan Mengtong's assistant who rushed over and put on a dress for the trembling woman.

"Sister Mengtong, what's wrong with her?!" Xue Tao's eyes were full of tears, and she tried her best not to let them fall.

The assistant sighed, and finally compromised: "She has been troubled by bipolar disorder recently, and taking psychotropic drugs has caused great damage to the stomach, and it has affected eating. In addition, she has been drinking too much recently, so I just Stomach bleeding."

"She never told me about this." Xue Tao looked at the assistant in disbelief, the Tan Mengtong that the other said was completely different from what she remembered.In her eyes, Tan Mengtong is strong and gentle, elegant and sexy, almost the spokesperson of the word "perfect".She never thought that Tan Mengtong would bear so much on her own.

And the help she thought she gave Tan Mengtong, now it seems so childish.Tan Mengtong's attitude towards her is like treating a child with excess curiosity, he promises her repeatedly, but every word is perfunctory.

However, Xue Tao will not give up. Tan Mengtong pulled her up from the darkness, and now it is her turn to repay.

The rescue time was very short. Tan Mengtong fell into shock due to massive blood loss. After the blood transfusion, her blood coagulation function took effect, and she woke up from the coma and entered the general ward.

Xue Tao was waiting at the door, and when the nurse said she could visit, she rushed in eagerly.

Tan Mengtong leaned halfway on the bed and looked at her: "You save my life."

Xue Tao shook her head, sat on the side of her bed, held her hand that was not dripped, and stared quietly.

This was the first time she stared at Tan Mengtong's hand so closely. It turned out that she was so thin that even the bones of her knuckles protruded, and the bruises on the back of her hand were so conspicuous on her pale skin.

"It's ugly, don't look at it." Tan Mengtong wanted to withdraw his hand, but Xue Tao held it firmly.

"It's not ugly, it's beautiful. You are beautiful in every way."

Tan Mengtong raised the corners of her lips. This time, her smile didn't contain any harshness or sarcasm, but instead looked a little sad.She said: "I envy you very much, you are so passionate and energetic. I used to be like you."

"Sister Mengtong, would you like to talk to me?"

Tan Mengtong's expression was a little stiff, she stared out the window and remained silent for a long time.After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly spoke and told Xue Tao a long story.

Because stomach acid hurt her throat, she could only breathe out, but it was just like this that made Xue Tao think that she had a dream——

The beginning of the story is ten years ago, Tan Mengtong is about the same age as Xue Tao now, also graduated from the Musical Theater Department, has the same love for the stage, and is also young and full of vigor.

But the misfortune came in one day.

That day was the commemorative ceremony for Tan Mengtong's [-] performances. Some close friends and old audiences prepared cakes and bouquets for her.She had just cut the cake, before she even had time to take a bite, when she got a call from her mother.

On the phone, my mother almost cried into convulsions, saying that her father had been arrested for fraud, the evidence was solid, and a trial would soon be held.

When Tan Mengtong rushed home, he heard the news he didn't want to hear.Her father may be sentenced to more than ten years in prison because of the huge amount of fraud.

Tan Mengtong is not close to her parents. Ever since her parents gave birth to her younger brother and she didn't follow their ideas to take the civil service exam, she seldom contacted her family. Even the university tuition fees were earned by herself. .She didn't even know that her father had been defrauding her.

She went back with the mentality of breaking up with the perpetrator and not intending to take care of it, but the moment she saw the victim, all the lines of defense shattered to the ground.

She saw the elderly who were cheated out of their pension funds, the middle-aged couple who were cheated out of their children's school money, and the young people who were cheated out of their hard-earned down payment.A sense of guilt landed on her body, overwhelming her.

She used all her savings to pay back the money, but it was just a drop in the bucket. With her income from acting in musicals, she could save some money, but she couldn't fill such a big gap.

She began to think of various ways to make money, commercial performances, recording singles, and dubbing.Until a TV series found her and invited her to play a supporting role—a villain with a charming appearance.The reason she was chosen was simply because of this face.

For less than [-] plays, the crew paid her the equivalent of singing dozens of musicals.Even so, her salary is almost the lowest among all actors.

On this day, a brand new path opened to her.The entertainment circle, which she once kept a respectful distance from, now uttered satanic whispers to her, and the first step in falling into hell was to become popular.If you become popular, you will make money.

Tan Mengtong is very talented, and her natural camera sense helped her quickly adapt to the entertainment industry.In addition, she filmed movies recklessly, and quickly rushed into the ranks of first-line actors with two out-of-circle movies.

But when she signed the contract, she added a clause in the agreement with the brokerage company, that she would set aside three months every year to act in a musical with all her heart.

The entertainment industry is like a swamp, it's easy to get in and hard to get out.She is like a wild goose caught in a storm, no matter what direction the strong wind will take her.There is only one musical per year, her Last of Eden.

But an accidental injury shattered her only remaining dream, like Babylon after the flood, leaving only ruins in the Garden of Eden.

"Do you remember the gallows?" Tan Mengtong asked Xue Tao suddenly.

"Of course I remember, the gallows where Tess was finally executed."

"I just stepped on it and fell down. I thought I just twisted my foot, but I didn't want to be unable to move at all."

Xue Tao felt that everything was absurd. The platform of the gallows was only knee high, but it not only strangled Tess's pure and fresh life, but also strangled Tan Mengtong's hope for the whole year.

"Actually, I used to be very jealous of you," Tan Mengtong said quietly. "Especially when I watched your curtain call from the side stage, you were very scared, and you were afraid that you would not get applause. But I know, I saw your first You can tell at a glance that you will stand taller than me. A platform can't trap you, and a shoal can't either."

"Shoal?" Xue Tao's eyes brightened.

"The co-producer of "Legally Blonde" is a well-known producer in the West End of London. After the filming is over, remember to recommend yourself."

"London's West End?" Xue Tao could hardly believe that she would be associated with such a place, which is the holy land of musicals and the stage that all musical theater people dream of.

She suspected that she had heard it wrong: "Are you talking about London's West End? The drama center as famous as Broadway? The place where "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Les Miserables" were born?"

"That's right, don't doubt yourself, you are worth it."

But Xue Tao was only excited for a moment, and then fell down again: "No, what will you do when I leave."

"Me? How long have we known each other? Didn't I live well before I met you?"

"No," Xue Tao shook her head, "You're not doing well."

Tan Mengtong pinched Xue Tao's cheek again like coaxing a child: "Go at ease, I know you are doing well, and I will get better."

The nurse came to urge Xue Tao to leave. Before leaving, Xue Tao asked one last question: "You said you were jealous of me, so did you give me the recording pen because of jealousy?"

Tan Mengtong's eyes watered: "Fortunately, I regretted it that night."

The filming of the film was still going smoothly, but after the filming, Xue Tao did not listen to Tan Mengtong's words for the first time, but moved into Tan Mengtong's home with a suitcase.

Seeing her appearing at his door, Tan Mengtong couldn't control his expression: "Shouldn't you be going to London?"

"I have already agreed, I will go there later."

"You..." Tan Mengtong wanted to say something, but Xue Tao dragged his suitcase and walked in.

Tan Mengtong leaned against the door and watched her toss, posted the recipes prepared by the nutritionist in the kitchen, and sorted and packed the medicines Tan Mengtong took.He rolled up his sleeves and packed up the delivered ingredients, ready to cook.

When Xue Tao was cooking, Tan Mengtong leaned against the kitchen door and watched. Seeing Xue Tao pour some powder on the fish, she asked curiously: "What is this?"

"You don't work hard, you don't know the grains, go wait, remember to take medicine." Xue Tao couldn't help but push Tan Mengtong out, and she seemed to be a personal assistant, chef and nurse.

What Xue Tao cooks is nutritious and nourishing for the stomach, and her cooking skills are very good. Even if Tan Mengtong has no appetite, he still eats some.

After eating, Xue Tao threw the bowl into the dishwasher.Tan Mengtong was sitting on the bay window, looking into the distance, his eyes were not focused.

"What are you thinking?" Xue Tao asked.

Tan Mengtong sighed lightly: "I was thinking about why you did this."

Xue Tao was caught off guard, her eyes fluttered uncomfortably, and she began to stutter: "I just...just think...the musical theater industry can't live without you, and you can't live without a stage."

After she finished speaking, she touched her nose, and she could clearly see her guilty conscience.

"You really don't know how to lie." There was a smile on the corner of Tan Mengtong's eyes.

Xue Tao was dumbfounded.

There are a few fine lines at the corners of Tan Mengtong's eyes. Xue Tao always thought that the wrinkles were the traces of time, but on Tan Mengtong's face, even the fine lines are so sexy. so wonderful.

Seeing Xue Tao staring at the corners of her eyes, Tan Mengtong subconsciously touched the corners of her eyes: "I'm already old."

"It's beautiful," Xue Tao murmured, "I want to have it too."

Tan Mengtong laughed: "What are you talking about? It's great to be young, who doesn't want to be young forever."

Xue Tao shook her head firmly, but said nothing.

She used to be afraid of getting old, and she always had a kind of fear of the passing of time when she watched the juniors and juniors entering school one after another.But now, she is no longer afraid.Because age will bring a different kind of charm to people, just like aged red wine, time will polish it into a more complex aroma and a more mellow taste.

Just like Tan Mengtong, Xue Tao always felt that their meeting was the best time for each other.

For the treatment of alcohol withdrawal, Tan Mengtong's degree of cooperation was unexpected, and the progress was gratifying.When eating, Xue Tao always quietly looked at Tan Mengtong's face, as if wondering if she really got rid of the control of alcohol.

"What are you looking at?" Tan Mengtong asked.

"I have seen many cases. It seems that quitting alcohol is not an easy task, but it seems easy for you to quit drinking."

"Hmm..." Tan Mengtong pondered for a moment, then wrote lightly, "Probably because he feels there is still hope in life."

There is hope, then this hope is...

Xue Tao rolled her eyes, bit her fork, and smiled innocently.