NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 70: Awakening
In order to write this biography well, the literary illness-stricken Dematero even unhesitatingly offended all his fans, halting the hot ongoing serialization of "Gods."
His actions naturally caused a public outcry—
"What the hell, has Dematero gone crazy? Your integrity is already ruined! He used to be a madman of unfinished stories, and now he's sick again?"
"'Gods' is at a crucial point in its serialization, and here he comes with this. Do you think you're fair to the enthusiastic support of your fans?"
"This pretentious literary youth, it's all about marketing. Instead of writing books seriously, he just knows how to play tricks..."
"He's actually writing a biography for a singer. What's your relationship with her?"
"I'm completely turning from a fan to a hater. Dematero, as a cultured person, how can he be a brainless fan of a pop singer? His image is collapsing!"
"Although I'm also a hardcore fan of Xanthia, and she has some good songs, but with her meteoric singer career, does she qualify for a biography?"
"To say something unpleasant, it's only because Xanthia died early that she became so famous. Otherwise, I wouldn't have heard of her. She didn't even make headlines much during her lifetime. This is all hype, and writing a biography for her, Dematero is really a fool!"
...
While there was a public outcry, there were also many people curious about why Dematero, a bestselling author on the rise in his career, would make such a sick decision at a critical moment in his career.
However, this was Dematero!
Alone, he feared nothing anymore. What's the point of becoming a great writer again after losing her?
If he could go back, dreams of being a writer would just be incidental.
Most importantly, she must be happy and live long.
Dematero chose to directly confront public opinion: "I want to write a biography for her. I want everyone to remember that she once came into this world!"
This definitely stirred up a storm. He was actually opposing the world for a deceased female singer!
What a case of adolescent recklessness even at his age.
The fans' furious criticism came as expected, with live broadcasts burning books and sending razor blades. They felt they had been blind to support him before!
However, despite offending countless fans, Dematero's actions unexpectedly won him the friendship of Dionysius, Santos, and others, naturally integrating into their circle.
To write this biography meticulously about Xanthia, Dematero certainly needed more material.
Yet he only knew Xanthia's daily side; her aspect as a tycoon's daughter and her career were all in a fog to him.
Now with Dionysius, Santos, and others providing him with material, he naturally gained a more comprehensive understanding of Xanthia. The process of writing this biography could be described as a "brainwashing" process.
He poured all his emotions for her into this biography.
In the final conclusion, he naturally included the lyrics of the song "Like Smoke."
With the help of Dionysius and others, Dematero's biography titled simply "Fate" smoothly went to publication.
The last posthumous work of Xanthia's song "Like Smoke" was also released, sung by former band guitarist Santos.
He sang with extreme seriousness and dedication, breaking down in tears several times during the recording process. Even Dematero couldn't help but marvel at how loyal and touching this guy was.
Undoubtedly, after Xanthia's death, the band "Meeting," centered around her as the lead vocalist, also disbanded.
Dematero mingled with people like Dionysius and Santos, who were good at playing music, and he was influenced a lot.
He even regretted not joining Xanthia's career earlier. If he had, he wouldn't have misunderstood her, and he could have been her official lyricist. As a poet, he was fully capable of it!
Xanthia remained innocent until her death. Her frail body couldn't possibly "impart" as he had imagined.
He had been so paranoid, too caught up in writing green hats. All sorts of wild thoughts.
Sigh, every time he thought about this, his heart ached again. He hated his own selfishness. Why couldn't he have raised his head and cared more about her back then? How much of a fool was he!
After the release of "Like Smoke," although the song's popularity wasn't particularly high at this time, Xanthia had been dead for a long time. Time would eventually forget everything.
But its lyrics, without a repeated verse, still amazed countless listeners.
It even garnered a nomination for Best Lyrics at the Oscar Golden Musical Awards and eventually won.
Clearly, its nature as a "posthumous work" played a significant role. Judges always liked this kind of "storytelling" and it had a strong eyeball effect.
Dematero attended this year's Golden Musical Awards and choked up several times while accepting the award. Now everyone knew how much regret and remorse he had for Xanthia's death.
The speculations online were rampant until the release of his life's masterpiece—"Fate," and then everyone suddenly realized!
This time, everyone was stunned!
Even those who claimed never to read Dematero's trash novels again were caught off guard—
"Is there really such a wonderful girl in this world? I regret not becoming her fan earlier!"
"Never thought I'd be so engrossed in a biography one day. Dematero, you old scoundrel, you've really done it!"
"Wonderful! So it turns out you, old scoundrel, are that scumbag. Do you think writing this biography can redeem you? No, I curse you to live forever in this infernal abyss..."
"Watching her fingertips vanish like smoke~~~ such a perfect girl, disappearing like smoke, all we can do is sigh."
"Xanthia is magnificent, no further words needed!"
...
Dematero's biography truly achieved something remarkable—it made countless people remember this girl, dazzling and brief like fireworks.
But his inner guilt continued to haunt him; he couldn't let go of her throughout his life.
The timeline started jumping again, and Dematero didn't even know how old he was anymore; he only knew he was numbed by pain.
He really couldn't squeeze out any more anguish. The unseen puppeteer had been too ruthless...
Yet he still remembered that every year on this day, he would visit Xanthia's grave with his friend Dionysius, or as he had come to think of him, his "brother-in-law."
The cemetery was nestled in the mountains, incredibly quaint.
Dionysius told him that Xanthia had been there as a child and even planted a mango tree.
This year, when Dematero saw the tree again, a line of ancient text suddenly flashed in his mind: "In the garden stands a mango tree, planted by my wife, praising memory of her death. Now it stands tall and elegant."
After they finished paying their respects, Dematero got into the inconspicuous car driven by Dionysius, an ordinary and unpretentious brand. Inside the car, the song "Like Smoke" was playing.
Suddenly, he remembered something and congratulated Dionysius, "I saw the news. Your grandfather is holding a press conference tomorrow to officially announce that you will be the sole heir of the Papadopoulos familia. Congratulations!"
Dionysius shook his head, his enthusiasm fading, "There's nothing to congratulate. What's the point of all this?"
"Is there a tomorrow where I can start over, to relive the wasted yesterday..."
Just as the song reached this point, a muddy truck came speeding and crashed violently into their inconspicuous car!
As Dematero lost consciousness, he saw only an incredibly attractive and imposing woman in red fiercely attacking Dionysius, "You wild dog, do you dare to try to take over the Papadopoulos familia? Stop dreaming, you useless waste who couldn't even protect Xanthia!"
Dionysius fell into a pool of blood, staring fixedly at her, struggling to speak, "Susan...! So... rry..."
Dematero's final thought was—
Oh well, let death come. It's better to go early and be with Xanthia.
He had had enough of this world!
The next moment, he abruptly woke up, and to his surprise, he heard the long-lost voice of Xanthia—
Come on, come on
Move a little closer
Come on, come on
I want to hear you whisper
Come on, come on
Settle down inside my love!!!~