Fortunately, Debbie was not alone in Z Country. She had a pretty good support system, and two people in particular were there to help her out.
With their help and her natural talent, she finally climbed her way to the top of Z Country's music scene.
Her meteoric rise was in part due to Ivan Wen, who owned a record company. It took some time, money, and serious energy to quash all the scandals that had followed Debbie from her home city here. But he and his sister persevered, and won out in the end.
From the start, Ivan Wen was not that willing to help Debbie out. They weren't friends, and he didn't see any reason to take a chance on this girl he'd only heard bad things about.
But Irene Wen, a lovely girl who also loved music very much just like Debbie, managed to convince her brother to help her.
Ivan Wen always spoiled his sister, so naturally he caved. But he noticed something. Even in rehearsals, Debbie had this angelic voice. He was moved by her siren song. He also knew he probably had a hit-maker on his hands. So he poured himself into his work, cranking out positive publicity to bury the negative PR. As time went by, he and Debbie became quite good friends.
When Debbie first saw Irene Wen, she hated her because she reminded her of Megan.
Irene Wen wasn't Megan, but there were quite a few things about her that brought Megan to mind, and Debbie wasn't about to get close to someone like that. She was young, like Megan, and had similar features. Not only that, she was bubbly and adorable. That alone gave Debbie pause—Megan was quite two-faced, and would stab you in the back while smiling sweetly the whole time.
However, the more time they spent together, the better Debbie got to know her. Irene Wen was indeed a pure, engaging girl, with no malice in her heart. It wasn't an act at all.
Megan gave off those same kinds of vibes as well, but if you weren't careful you'd fall for her act. The fact that she was lovely helped her deception. But she was anything but innocent; instead a brat, wheedling and whining to get what she wanted. And if that didn't work, she would hatch elaborate plots to get her way.
Once Debbie got past all that and saw into her heart, she warmed up to the girl. So Debbie, Irene Wen and Ivan Wen had become the closest of friends.
Debbie built a loyal fan base in time, and they knew she only operated in Z Country. She'd never go on any kind of international tour. Ivan Wen warned that it might affect her popularity, but she had sworn to leave Y City and never return. She had no intention of joining any kind of tour schedule that would make her come anywhere close.
Even so, many fans went on road trips and traveled quite a distance to hear her sing. She had a captivating stage presence, and no one who traveled to Z Country to see her in concert went home disappointed.
And Debbie's status as a star helped her earn even more money through commercial endorsements. Everything from sports drinks, to alcohol to restaurant chains wanted to pay her handsomely to appear in a commercial featuring their product. Ivan Wen had an aggressive promotional team, so he made it happen. Sometimes the schedules were grueling, but the girl had a great motivator—she wanted to give her daughter a good life.
There was also another important reason for her hard work. She didn't want to, but she ended up supporting her brother, as well.
He'd helped her out in a pinch, and he wouldn't let her forget it. When she balked at how much he needed, he yelled into his phone, "Come on! I saved you and your daughter, and this is how you repay me?! Who drove you to the hospital, huh?"
Words left Debbie at that moment. His behavior didn't seem very brotherly. Decker was right, though. Late in her pregnancy, she accidentally bumped her belly on the edge of a table while doing housework. Decker, who was playing computer games at that moment, took her to the hospital. Then she gave birth to her daughter.
Debbie transferred 30, 000 dollars to him via WeChat and sighed helplessly. Staring at her daughter's sleeping face, she couldn't help smiling.
'Debbie, forget Decker. It's all for Piggy, ' she thought to herself.
Early next morning, Debbie was still asleep when a group of people entered the ward.
Heading up the group was a handsome man in a grey suit, flanked by several bodyguards in black suits. He walked towards the bed quietly, while the bodyguards left the ward to position themselves outside. .
Looking at the sleeping mother and daughter in the bed, Ivan Wen bent over and stroked Piggy's forehead. Luckily, her fever was gone.
Debbie was a light sleeper. When she felt someone approach, she was up and alert. She kept her eyes shut, though. It was a defense mechanism from her past life. Sometimes it was easier to feign sleep than to argue.
She saw who it was and heaved a sigh of relief. She sat up. "Ivan! You're here early!"
He nodded, "I'm taking off soon. I'll be going straight from here to the airport."
"Really?" she asked, confused. Then, understanding dawned on her face. "Oh, the awards ceremony, right?" she asked. She listened for his answer while she lifted the covers, got out of bed and smoothed her messy hair.
The results of "Best Actor and Actress of the Year" would be announced at the award ceremony. Ivan Wen had been invited to present the award.
"Hmm. I left orders with the bodyguards to take care of you and Piggy. Just tell someone if you need help."
"Thanks, Ivan, but I'm good. I don't have any schedule these days. I can take care of Piggy myself."
She was wrestling with a hair tie when a bodyguard came in with breakfast.
She asked Ivan Wen to keep an eye on Piggy and went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth.
When Debbie walked out of the bathroom, Piggy was awake and playing with Ivan Wen. When she saw her mom, Piggy smiled from ear to ear and greeted her. "Mommy!"
Debbie's heart softened. She bent over and kissed Piggy on both cheeks. "Hi Piggy. Hungry? Let Mommy feed you, okay?"
"Okay." Piggy clapped her hands cheerfully.
Debbie scooped Piggy up in her arms, while Ivan Wen opened the containers for them. There was porridge, mashed potato and some vegetables.
In actuality, Piggy's name was really Evelyn Nian. She was born at night, so Debbie named her Evelyn, which sounded like "evening."
Debbie had originally planned to nickname her "Tinky." But when Evelyn Nian was old enough to eat solid food, Debbie made a frustrating discovery. She found that her little one hated meat. So Evelyn Nian was rather thin. Debbie wanted her to gain some weight, so she nicknamed her "Piggy."
But the nickname didn't work. The little girl still hated meat, even minced meat. She could do nothing about it.
While Debbie was feeding Piggy, Ivan Wen picked up a feeding bottle and adeptly mixed up some formula. He measured the powder and scooped it in, leveling off each scoop. Then he sealed the bottle with a ring and cap. Humming to himself, he tapped the bottle gently on the table to let powder fall into the water. Finally, he shook it vigorously and put it in the bottle warmer.
Over the past couple years, he had tons of practice. Though he was single, he knew very well how to take care of a baby.
Three minutes was all it took to warm that bottle up. He dropped some on his wrist to test that it was safe for baby, then handed Debbie the bottle. Piggy grabbed the bottle with both hands and said politely, "Thanks, Daddy Ivan."
He stroked her head and smiled, "No problem, little Piggy."
Debbie was scooping the porridge into her mouth hungrily when she suddenly realized something. "Oh God. I'm sorry. Have you eaten?" She held up the container. "Wanna share?" she said, mouth still thick, having just swallowed a mouthful.
He wiped his hands with a wet napkin. "Nah. I already ate. Just eat."
"Okay."
After mother and daughter were finished, Ivan Wen went to see Piggy's attending doctor. The doctor said Piggy was quite well and her temperature had normalized. She needed a half-day observation and she could be released, providing everything went well. Ivan Wen told Debbie the news and left the hospital.
As soon as he left, Ruby rushed to the hospital. When she saw Piggy, she ran over to her, held her in her arms and coaxed, "Piggy honey, I'm so sorry. I woke up late. Are you better now?"
Piggy raised the toy in her hand. "Uh huh. Look, toy!"
Piggy was not as childish and carefree as other kids at her age. Maybe because Debbie was serious and driven.
Evelyn seldom laughed. When she was around strangers, she didn't laugh, nor did she speak. People joked that she was an ice princess.
But when she was around family and friends, she was still a cute and innocent girl.
Debbie had once wondered if Piggy had a split personality. It was normal for an adult to be quiet around strangers. But Piggy was just a 2-year-old kid.
Debbie had once taken Piggy to the hospital to have her checked out. The results showed that she was very healthy. Mental illness was difficult to diagnose in an infant, but other than her silence around strangers, she was normal in every respect.
Debbie thought maybe Piggy was like her and Carlos. She was cheerful and bubbly around family and friends just like Debbie. And she was quiet and withdrawn around strangers... just like her father.
Ruby pinched her little face and said, "Good girl. Keep playing with your toy. Your mom and I have to talk about work."
Piggy nodded and went back to playing by herself.